PAPER PLAYERS--Tic, Tac, Toe

I just love Autumn with its cool nights, low humidity and bright sunny afternoons!  So this card is my attempt to capture the beauty of the season, thanks to the Paper Players Challenge #412.  I chose the bottom row of die-cut, orange/rust and sequins/glitter for my top fold shaker card.

I plan to use this card (and a few similar cards) for Thanksgiving cards this year.

For more Paper Player cards, click HERE.

ANOTHER FUSE TOOL CARD

This shaker card, filled with bird seed, made an interactive birthday card for a blogger friend's granddaughter.

In addition to the shaker, I also put the bird on an action wobble for added interest!

SHAKER CARD FOR SHUT IN

One of the ladies from our Bible Study fell and broke her foot.  Actually, shattered would be closer to the truth.  She will be in rehab for several weeks, so I made this card to let her know she's not forgotten.

For the shaker portion, I used a piece of dsp from the Tribal Chic dsp set at Lil' Inkers.  The stitched square die also came from the same company.  The two pieces of cardstock are from scraps (again!) in my stash, and I like the way they work together.  I also had the same colors in my sequin collection.

Once the shaker was made, I attached it as shown and proceeded to add the flower.  I used two of the dies from the Botanical Blooms set and some -- you guessed it--scraps again.  I sponged the petals with Fired Brick Distress ink and added them to the corner of the shaker.  Using a Martha Stewart fern punch, I added a few of them underneath with glue dots.  The greeting was punched with the window word punch and reinserted on the right side to make it smaller.

I hope this card brightens the day of a lady whose fall has shaken up her regular routine.

GREENHOUSE SOCIETY--Peony

If you love botanicals as much as I do, check out the Greenhouse Society stamp sets HERE at Technique Tuesday.  Membership entitles you to automatic monthly delivery of their beautiful stamp sets at a discount.

This was the set for January, and I used it for a shaker card with tiny green beads and purple flakes.  The greeting is also part of the set.

Enjoy!

HUMOROUS CARD CHALLENGE #2

Inside reads:  "...and it was DELICIOUS!"

Since I'm not buying new stamps this year (we'll see how that goes...) I typed up my own.  First I glued the verse to a scrap of cs and die cut it.  Then I mounted it on the card with dimensionals.  I did the same thing with the "punch line" inside.

For other humorous cards, you can visit the Simon Wednesday Challenge Blog HERE.

Happy Shaker Card

One of the nice things about signing up for Summer Card Camp is that you can go back to catch up if you miss a class or two.  During Week 1, I didn't miss a day; but last week I had a hard time keeping up because of the oppressive heat wave.  So here's the shaker card I would have done for Week 2, Day 3.

Using an oval shaker from Impression Obsession really makes it easy.  All I did was add some beads and sequins for the shaker, with a scrap piece of dsp for the background.  The rest is pretty straightforward.

TIP:  Before adding the shaker contents, use an embossing buddy or brush to eliminate static.

Shaker Card Tutorial

I recently came up with an easier way to make shaker cards. I love using pouches from Impression Obsession that are thin for mailing, but deep enough to hold most fillings. (To follow this tutorial, each step comes after the photo.)

I start by assembling all the supplies I'll need. I also wiped a dryer sheet on the inside of the pouch to remove any static that might make the beads cling to the cup.

After stamping and coloring in the image, I peeled back just 1/2 of the protective liner on the back of the pouch. Holding the liner up away from the card, I attached the bottom of the pouch to the cardstock as shown. Notice the other half of the liner sticking up from the pouch.

Holding the cardstock away from the unattached portion of the image, I added the beads.
With the filling in place, I pulled the liner completely off and carefully pressed the cardstock to the pouch, keeping it upright so the beads stayed in the bottom.
Then, I added a small piece of double-stick tape in each corner of the top of the image cardstock and placed the overlay (which I ran through a CB folder first) over the pouch, forming a "sandwich" of image, pouch and overlay.
Finally, I attached the "sandwich" to a red card. I plan to embellish and add a greeting later.

I hope this helps make it easier for you to enjoy making shaker cards!

HELLO!

This shaker card features a square opening turned on the diagonal, which was the perfect match for the dsp I had on hand.
Using a shaker cup with straight sides makes it a bit easier to fold back the paper around the opening than with a circle or oval. (See Feb. 6 post.)

The tuxedo cat is from an old set by All Night Media that I've had for years and still enjoy using. The dsp is from Basic Grey.

Easter Shaker Card

Here's another shaker card where I stamped on the overlay instead of covering it with dsp. (See previous post.) I guess you could say I'm on a shaker card roll!

Before sealing up the shaker cup, I wiped it off with a dryer sheet to remove the static and used sequins and micro beads to shake. The shaker and overlay are from Impression Obsession, which sure makes it easy.

SHAKER CARD HOW-TO

First, select a card base, the overlay and a shaker cup.
I've chosen to use pre-made shakers and coordinating overlays
rather than making my own.

Next, cover the overlay with lightweight dsp (or use a background stamp.)
After gluing it down, turn the piece over and make an X with a craft knife. Then cut away most of the dsp to about 1/4" from the edge of the oval, make slits 1/4" apart all the way around, and bend them all back over some snail. (Shown in photo further down.)
Then stamp the image and color it in with markers. It must be one layer so that none of the contents will get hung up inside.

Next, place the overlay on the image, moving it around until it's centered where you want it. Holding it firmly, turn it over and mark all four sides with a line as shown so that it will line up the same way after putting the shaker contents in the cup.

First, place the cup into the opening, turn it over and wipe the inside with a dryer sheet to prevent static. Then add beads (or whatever else to shake) and remove the liner that covers the sticky strip around the cup. Using the marks made earlier, line up the image piece again.

You'll now have a "sandwich" with the shaker between the overlay in front and the image piece on the back. It's time to mount it to the front of the card base.

Here, add a greeting and some gold twine with glue dots and a dimensional.

Please let me know if this helps get you started making shaker cards. They're so much fun and not as difficult as they look. Once you've done one, you'll realize how easy they really are!

(Shaker pouches and overlays are from
Impression Obsession HERE.)

STATE FAIR SWEEP!

Rick and I just got back from the NJ State Fairgrounds where I looked to see if I got a ribbon for any of my three cards. What a surprise to see that all three took first class in each category!

Best of all, there was an additional "Special Award" ribbon for my Christmas Distress card in the Professional category--I could hardly believe it!





This was the first year I had to compete on the "professional" level (for teaching classes,) so I wasn't too sure how my cards would stack up against other professionals.

Several thanks are in order. First, to Susan Raihala of Simplicity for her advice on moving the greeting further down on the Christmas card for better balance. I'm sure that helped sway the judges!

Second, to Dawn Lusk for her birdseed shaker card that I CASEd HERE (Feb. 1 post,) which proves she's a winner too!

Finally, to Our Daily Bread Designs and Flourishes for making such beautiful stamps to use. Winners all!