Making of a card...

Alrighty peeps - grab a cup of coffee, tea, or a soda....or heck, a glass of wine if you so choose!!! THis is a long post today, as I'm going to take you thru the making of a card! Pretty much step by step....
First off - I'm using some Whisper White Craft ink and the daisies from the Upsy Daisy stamp set. I'm needing quite a bit of spring in my life - it snowed all day today (AGAIN) and we're suppose to have even more Sunday and Monday. It's all a big joke anymore - I think we've surpassed 50 inches for the season! So - all you'll see from me from here on out are springy cards!!!

This stamp I ink up upside down. I think I get better coverage this way.

I stamped several pieces of Kraft paper at a time. It's much simpler to make several cards at a time than one at a time.

I'm using designer paper from the Sweet Pea Pattern Pack - here is the So Saffron polka dot, and I'm distressing the edges with So Saffron ink.

I drug my ink pad over the edges quite a bit so that the white wasn't so white.

Then, because I'm quite anal and picky - I use my grid paper to line up my paper when I adhere them together. I'm a firm believer that the grid paper is a true nessecity - and a bargain too. I use my grid paper until it's really dirtied up before I pitch it! My four year old uses it when he's glueing so he doesn't get glue all over my table. Makes a great coloring paper for him too!

See how easy it can be to line up your paper. Each piece of the paper used on this project was cut 1/2 inch smaller than the one it's layered on - making it quite easy to line up. Just go in 1/4" and up 1/4".

Then layer those onto your card front - So Saffron here.

I'm going to use the Vintage Labels set from the Sale-A-Bration catalog - one of those great sets that you can earn FREE!!! Just contact me and I'll hook you up! This is a great set - lots of charm.

I'm going to use the image that coordinates with the Curly Label punch. Again - grid paper. good. I line up the image with the paper - well, because I'm, you know, anal....I wouldn't necessarily need to line this one up since I'll be punching it out.

Then I press my clear block on top really good.

Here you can see that the edges of the stamp has clung to the block, however, the middle of the stamp hasn't clung. If I were to ink this up, I'd get ink on that spot that wasn't "suctioned" to the block, and I'd end up with ink on my project where I didn't want it.

So, be sure to squish that spot onto the block, and get it to cling - here you can see much better that it's good and stuck.

I stamp those in Taken w/ Teal on pieces of scrap paper. ( A great way to use up all of those scrappy pieces!)

Then I picked the Happy Birthday sentiment from the same set - and line it up on that wonderful grid paper! This is more crucial, since I'll be stamping that inside the frame.

This time I'm going to test stamp it back onto my grid paper. You can't always get that image sticker to line up perfectly with the stamp - so I want to test it before I stamp it on my project in case it's off a bit.

I stamped it onto my grid paper, and sure enough, it's off just a bit - see it???

I simply compensate by twisting my block just a bit helter skelter - like so:

And viola! It's near perfect! I know just the angle to turn it so that it's not crooked on my project.

So, I finish stamping all of my frames and punch them out.

Next, I cut lengths of ribbon that are about 4 1/2" long - long enough to peak out of both sides of my frame.

I took one end and snailed it to make a loop.

Then I grabbed my linen thread - which I LOVE! and the little teal buttons out of the Playground Button collection.

Threading the button from the back, I leave a large loop.

Take the loop around the back of the loop of the ribbon on pull tight on the thread.

Tie that in a knot, getting the ribbon to gather up a bit. At this point, don't worry too much about how your gather looks, you can fluff it up in a second.

Tie a bow in the thread and fussy up your ribbon. FYI - I think this is the only way I can tie an actual bow! With little thread - or shoe laces!

There - now I'm pretty well set to assemble the rest of my card.

Here's a detail shot for you to see!

And the final gem!

I really like this color combo - plus it's really a simple card. I'm glad I added that touch of Old Olive ribbon - it really adds some pizzaz!

Want this card - find it on my Etsy shop!