SPOOL CARD WITH RIBBON

SPOOL CARD FRONT

People are often under the impression that shaped cards are really difficult, and some of them are - not this one though!

All I've done is take a standard  Regal single fold card, and covered the middle of the front with some striped paper and the top and bottom with tan Bazzill.  The next step (with the card closed) is to pencil in some straight lines the same distance in from either side.  I've then used that ever useful papercrafting tool, a 20c piece to round the edges.  The actual measurements don't matter too much, you're only aiming at a cotton reely kind of shape with enough card still attached at the fold to hold it all together and a space big enough in the middle to hold the ribbon or trim you want to include.  Just make sure its symmetrical.

If you do your cutting (still with the card folded). just inside the pencil lines, you won't even have to rub them out.  You can add an optional hole in the middle at the top if you want to.

The next step depends on whether or not you want to include a small gift.  If not, and you used sideways stripy paper in the middle of the front, you're more or less done.  If you'd like to give some ribbons, laces or other trims to a crafty friend (or someone little who likes ribbons in their hair), secure one end at the base, and then carefully wrap the trim around the front of the card.  Secure with a pearl-headed pin (you might want to add a little dab of glue to the end if the sharp end might be a problem.  I've added a little spool tag.

Decorate the inside too if you want.

SPOOL CARD INSIDE

BIRTHDAY CARD AND POST-IT HOLDER

CARD WITH MATCHING POST-IT HOLDER

Sometimes its nice to give a little gift with a card.  This example comes from one of the demos I did last year.  The card part is super simple - I've just used a pretty piece of Graphic45 paper and added a die-cut oval with coloured peel-off greeting, as the wording on the paper in the middle of the frame didn't suit the occasion.  The base is a textured ivory single fold frim Regal.

I can't give you precise instructions for the post-it folder as I just placed the post-its on a scrap piece of card and drew roughly around it, adding a flap on either side of the base and at the bottom, then neatened it up and checked that it all fitted together before using it as a template on my "nice" card.  I'm sure more formal templates for something similar are available on-line.

More G45 paper has been used to decorate the top flap, as well as a fabric flower and some little pearls.  Acutually I've just noticed that one is missing from the top rh edge already, which tends to suggest that using them for something that may well be tossed around in your handbag might not be a good idea.  Perhaps liquid pearls or similar would be better.

Probably the thing most noteable, is the closure mechanism which is just two pieces of sticky-backed magnet sheet (available from Regal).  Its easy to cut with scissors, you don't need glue, and it provides a surprisingly firm closure.  There's enough room at the top of the post-its to add a little pencil (save time looking for the right size by just sawing a big one to size).  You might want to tie it on just to make sure it doesn't go its own way.

With a different greeting this set would do for Mother's day or Secret Santa as well as birthdays.

CUTTLEBUG REFERENCE CARD

CUTTLEBUG REFERENCE CARD

This is an idea for an inexpensive gift for a crafty friend.  The card features a series of papers and tags embossed with different patterns.

 The "gift" is a collection of tags on an album ring.  The idea is for them to use their embossing folders to emboss about 3/4 of each tag, and then write the name/manufacturer etc at the top, so that when they are looking for just the right folder, sample patterns will be close at hand.

Because the tags are relatively small (but not too tiny) they are a handy size for handbags so that if the owner is shopping for new folders its easy to check whether or not they already have the same/similar patterns.  If you want to upsize your gift throw in a couple of embossing folders!

Clearly you could go to town and decorate the front tag a lot more thoroughly that I have, as all I did was add a few peel off letter stickers.  Why not make one for yourself as well!  All the materials are from Regal Craft Cards.