Tag: #handmadecards

Anti-Racist on Purpose

Hey, y’all! Sorry I’ve been missing for a couple of weeks, but it was not intentional. I have been dealing with some health issues resulting from COVID. Yuck! But I’m finally feeling better and well enough to sit at my computer to do some work.

It is time for the Paper Crafters Unite Against Racism campaign on Instagram! I first participated in the InstaHop back in July. I have chosen to participate again this quarter in this amazing campaign.

This Sunday, October 24th, will be the InstaHop featuring craft projects from creative participants from all over the world! Although I only have to create one project, I am usually inspired to do so much more. Just to take you on a quick flashback to the previous campaign, I thought I would share a few past projects with you.

“Stop the Spread”

This was the first card project that I made for the July 2021 anti-racism campaign. 🤩 This card showcases @ginakdesigns PREMIUM DYE INKS in Sandy Beach, Kraft, Honey Mustard, Warm Cocoa, Dark Chocolate and Charcoal Brown, blended over the SLIMLINE WAVE stencil from @simonsaysstamp – onto a panel of Neenah Classic Crest card stock in Ultra Smooth Solar White and mounted on a panel of GKD card stock in CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE; the @heroarts POWER TO THE PEOPLE stamp set provide the perfect protester with an anti-racism sign; I then used my @officialcricut Cricut Joy to design and cut out the sentiment at the bottom of the card in gold foil card stock from @michaelsstores 🤩

“Nah”

What history has taught us is that even when we CONFORM & COMPLY, it can cost us our lives. So why not just DO WHAT’S RIGHT! Resist the racist status quo and take a stand (or a seat) for RACIAL & SOCIAL JUSTICE, EQUALITY, and our RIGHT TO JUST BE HERE!

I LOVE THIS CARD! It’s probably one of my favorite cards I’ve ever made. I wanted to create a graffiti background but I did not know what I was doing. I ended up using a brick embossing folder to create a textured background. I added some Distress Ink Spray Stains to make it look like spray paint. The sentiments “Conform” and “Comply” were printed on my computer. I just cut them out with scissors. I used the protestor image from Hero Arts POWER TO THE PEOPLE stamp set, and paired it with the “Nah” sentiment from the BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL Big & Bold photopolymer stamp set from Colorado Craft Company.

“Together We Can”

This card features stamps from @heroarts ❤️ AMERICAN WOMEN & UNITED AS ONE. The background panel was made from white card stock from @michaelsstores – embossed with the BRICK WALL embossing folder from @altenewllc and with @ranger_ink and @tim_holtz DISTRESS OXIDE INKS & SPRAY in Crackling Campfire, Candied Apple, and Walnut Stain. We really are BETTER TOGETHER!!!

“Be Incredible”

Let’s celebrate the Power of Sisterhood! “When we support each other, INCREDIBLE things happen” 🤩 Once again, @heroarts have knocked it out of the park with the BETTER TOGETHER stamp & die set! These women are my friends, my homegirls, my sisters. The card front sentiment is from the EMPOWERMENT stamp set from the Unity Collection. The August MY MONTHLY HERO kit has the perfect sentiment for the envelope. I know exactly who to send this card to today.

My final project is a card that I made to send to my AAPI library colleagues who were experiencing unprovoked violence in the workplace. I wanted to convey to them that I understood from a very personal perspective what they were going through. Violence of any kind is totally unacceptable.

#United

So many of my Asian-American library friends have seen a dramatic increase in violence directed at them, I just want them to know that they’re not alone. Both personally and professionally, I stand with them. We will not tolerate this madness. Every manifestation of racism must be called out, confronted, and rejected!

I hope that you will follow me on Instagram @handmade_homemade to check out all the projects that will be posted for this campaign! Happy Crafting!

Hello, Friend!

I love celebrating birthdays! My birthday is in April, and I use the entire month as an excuse to have a sweet treat (chocolate cake anyone?). Today is the birthday of a very good friend, and I could hardly wait to make this card for her.

Hello, Friend!

This card is so easy to make, and it features some of my favorite crafty tools and techniques. I started with an A2 panel of deep red card stock, 65 lbs, and misted it with gold shimmer spray. The panel was then embossed using the KALEIDOSCOPE EMBOSSING FOLDER from Simon Says Stamp’s Card Kit of the Month for October.

The panel was cut down and matted on a sheet of yellow card stock. I had already picked out the paper doll from Capitol Chic Designs so I chose the yellow card stock to coordinate with her dress. Next, I heat embossed the “Hello Friend” sentiment from the PAINTED BLOSSOMS MINI stamp set from Gina K. Designs onto a vellum strip. It is adhered to the card front panel, with the top edge of the vellum strip placed across the center of the panel; the sentiment is positioned to the left of center. Two 1/8″ strips of gold card stock are used to frame the vellum sentiment strip.

Meet ANTONETTE 2 from Capitol Chic Designs

ANTONETTE is the bright & cheery focal point on this card. I love her outfit and shoes!

You’ve seen me use the paper dolls from Capitol Chic Designs on a few cards. If you haven’t, take a few minutes to browse through my card gallery or check out some previous blog posts, and you will see these dolls featured on several of my cards. This beauty reminded me of my friend, sassy, classy and oh so lovely. She is popped up next to the sentiment.

Now this is a birthday card so I wanted to add a slice of cake to the card front since I was not using a typical birthday greeting. You can completely omit this part if you don’t want to include it. I heat embossed a leaf from the Taylored Expressions SIMPLY STAMPED – LEAVES stamp set onto the same deep red card stock, then I used the coordinating die to cut it out. It is popped up with small foam squares, right above the sentiment. I put the cake slice on top of it.

I finished the card off with some gold embellishments placed all around the card front. The panel is then adhered to a DARK CHOCOLATE card base from Gina K. Designs. I love the final look of this card, and I know that my friend will be excited to receive it in the mail!

I have thoroughly enjoyed making this card! I hope you like it, too. In the comments, tell me what you would do differently. I love the ideas you all bring to me. Have a blessed day and Happy Crafting!

Happy Fall Y’all!

Ready for another Fall card? Well, this one is for you! This card brings together two of my favorite things: paper dolls from Capitol Chic Designs and the colorful beauty of Autumn! It is easy to create and will be a welcomed seasonal greeting for anyone that loves Autumn!

Let’s make this card!

Let’s start with 65 lb kraft card stock cut to 5 x 3 3/4″. Lightly spray with water to relax the paper fibers and prevent cracking; then use the SCATTERED LEAVES EMBOSSING FOLDER from Taylored Expressions to emboss the panel. Next, let’s add some rich, Fall colors to this panel. Using PREMIUM DYE INKS in the colors HONEY, KEY LIME and PUMPKIN, drag the ink cubes gently over the embossed panel. The raised areas will get the color while the rest of the panel remains mainly untouched. To add an additional touch to this panel, flick on WHITE PIGMENT INK from Gina K. Designs.

The primary sentiment “Happy Fall Y’all,” from the HANDLETTERED THANKSGIVING stamp set from Taylored Expressions, is heat embossed in GILDED EMBOSSING POWDER from Brutus Monroe, onto deep red card stock. It is cut out using the stitched banner and frame (cut out of kraft card stock) dies from the Gina K. Designs MASTER LAYOUTS 4 die set. The sentiment is adhered to the card front panel.

Secondary Sentiment

A secondary sentiment is embossed on vellum. This sentiment is from the MISPRINT PUMPKIN SPICE stamp set from Sassy & Crafty. The vellum strip is cut down to fit the sentiment, and then dove-tailed on the right side of the strip. Liquid adhesive is dotted on the backside of the vellum, concealed behind the embossed letters of the sentiment, to adhere it to the card front.

Now, for the star of the show… I have been a fan of the paper dolls from Capitol Chic Designs since I first saw them in Michaels. I purchased so many packages of the various stickers, paper dolls, and then did not know what to do with them. But then I found card making, and that was the perfect craft to showcase these beautiful dolls! I found this beauty online at capitolchicdesigns.com. The chic coif, the green jacket, ripped jeans and chucks… She is perfect! She is perfectly situated to the left of the sentiments, and looks amazing against this colorful background!

The panel is matted on a matching deep red card stock cut to 5 1/4 x 4″. Then the completed card front panel is adhered to an A2 side-folding card base of Gina K. Designs’ DARK CHOCOLATE card stock.

Finally, I paired this card with a coordinating kraft-colored envelope. Using the SIMPLY STAMPED – LEAVES stamp set from Taylored Expressions (I promise you this is not a sponsored post… I just love all things Taylored Expressions 😊) colorful leaves and a Fall sentiment decorates the envelope. It’s the finishing touch this card needed. No additional embellishments required.

I had such a wonderful time making this card! Let me know in the comments what you’d do differently. Thanks so much and Happy Crafting!

Metallic Fall

Hey, y’all! I know that I’ve mentioned it a couple of times before, but I’ll say it again, “I love Fall!” It is my favorite time of the year. Football (Go Philadelphia Eagles!), cooler temperatures, the beautiful colors of nature, and all things pumpkin spice are just a few reasons I love this season. I know I’m not the only one who loves this season… right?!

Of course I’m not… and that’s why I enjoy making and sending Fall-themed cards to family and friends! This card is one of my favorites this year. I love the richness of this simple card. It’s full of texture and the color scheme is simply stunning. Let’s make it!

This beauty is not difficult at all to make. Grab your favorite dark brown heavy card stock, a piece of metallic copper paper (doesn’t have to be heavy card stock, just as long as it’s super shiny), a scrap of vellum, metallic copper ink and embossing powder, and your favorite embellishment. An embossing folder from Darice, and a stamp & die set from Taylored Expressions is all that’s needed to create this card.

Let’s start with the front panel, cut to 5 x 3.75″, from dark brown heavy card stock. Lightly mist the card stock with water or a shimmery spray for added shine. This will loosen and relax the fibers so that panel will emboss easily without cracking. Place it in the FALL LEAF BACKGROUND embossing folder, and run it through your embossing machine. Next, take the metallic pigment ink and gently rub it over the raised surface of the embossed panel, and let it dry completely.

Mat the embossed panel on a sheet of metallic paper, cut to 5.25 x 4″. This is already a beautiful card front, and you can leave it like this if you choose. However, I like having a simple sentiment and some bling to dress it up even more.

Once again I’m using the Happy Fall Y’all sentiment stamp and die from the HANDLETTERED THANKSGIVING set from Taylored Expressions. Stamp the sentiment in the same metallic copper ink that was used on the embossed panel. Use copper embossing powder or clear embossing powder if you do not have copper, and heat it until the powder completely melts. The coordinating die will cut out the sentiment. Now because the sentiment matches the background panel so perfectly, I used some vellum to provide a frosted background for the sentiment. This makes the sentiment stand out without covering up too much of the textured background.

I adhered the finished card front panel to an A2 card base made from Gina K. Designs’ CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE card stock. To finish the card off, I added several ESPRESSO JEWELS embellishments from Pinkfresh Studio. I think it gave the card the perfect touch of bling without overpowering the metallic finish.

See how easy that was to make? I hope you enjoy this card. In the comments, tell me what you’d do differently. Have a blessed day and Happy Crafting!

I will list all the products used for this card down below. I use affiliate links when possible, using these links to purchase awards me a small commission. Items used in this post are all purchased by me. If and when an item is sent to me, I will denote that by using ** next to the item.

For the Happy Couple

Engagement Card

I have never made any kind of bridal or wedding themed card… until today! The beautiful CRAFT-A-FLOWER: CALIFORNIA GIANTS LAYERING DIE SET from @altenewllc, is the star of the show!

Do you love zinnias? If you do, this layering die set is for you! This die set will help you create stunning blooms, buds, and leaves with nothing more than a few pieces of card stock in your favorite colors. I thought this would be the perfect flower for adorning an engagement card I made for a friend. The flower is die cut from white card stock for the base and detail of the large floral. The flower stamen and leaves are accented with gold foil card stock.

I used a botanical 3-D embossing folder (sorry, I can’t remember the maker, but I think it may be from Simon Says Stamp) on white card stock for the background. The sentiment is embossed in GILDED GOLD from @brutusmonroe. METALLIC GOLD PEARLS from @pinkfreshstudio finish off this card.

The coordinating envelope is made from the @craftsmithco 12×12 LOVE STORY PAPER PAD.  I am pretty happy with it 😉

I hope you like this card, and leave a comment below! Happy crafting!

Hello Fall!

Wednesday, September 22nd, marks the official first day of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. Fall has been my favorite season of the year for a very long time. Football, lower temperatures, everything pumpkin spice, and the colorful foliage make me “fall” in love with this season. I love the way nature changes in the Fall. The transformations are absolutely stunning! The beauty of the season is what prompted the creation of these cards.

Hello, Pumpkin!
Happy Fall Y’all!

I knew that I wanted to make cards for Fall. There are so many new stamp sets for the season, and I wanted to play with them all. However, I wanted to focus on using patterned paper on these cards. The paper featured on these cards is from Echo Park, HAPPY FALL 6×6 paper pad.

I started this card with a panel of patterned paper cut to 5×3″. I matted the panel on a sheet of deep red card stock from Michaels, 5 1/4 x 3 3/8″, and adhered that to the black card base, slightly to the right of center. I used a scrap piece of vellum, cut to 4 1/8 x 1″, and fixed it to the left of the panel, tucking it between the patterned paper and the deep red card stock. The paper pad included a sheet of cut-aparts which I matted on orange card stock from my scrap bin, and adhered it to the front, centering it between the vellum and the patterned paper panel.

Hello, Pumpkin!

I adorned the cut-apart panel with an image & sentiment from the Sassy & Crafty stamp set, MISPRINT PUMPKIN SPICE. The pumpkin spice mug is colored with alcohol markers in a variety of red tones. Glossy accents is added to the whipped cream and pumpkin. I also added gold embossed images to vellum, from the Hero Arts AUTUMN WREATH stamp & coordinating die set from the September Make Yourself at Home Card Kit, exclusively available at JoAnn.com. Enamel Dots from the same card kit finish off this card.

Inside sentiment from Taylored Expressions

This card is paired with a deep red envelope, beautifully covered with ink blended leaves. The Hero Arts FALL LEAVES STENCIL is perfect for enhancing this envelop. Colored in Gina K. Designs’ WHITE PIGMENT INK, then offset with dye inks from Taylored Expressions in RASPBERRY SORBET, SWEET POTATO PIE, and BLUE RASPBERRY.

My second card uses the same patterned paper. It is a mini slimline. It features the Hero Arts NESTED WOOD FRAMES die cut. It’s cut out of dark brown and green card stocks from the FALL SPICE pack from Hobby Lobby. I embossed the front sentiment in GILDED GOLD from Brutus Monroe. It’s front sentiment is from the Hero Arts HELLO AUTUMN stamp set. The sentiment panel is decorated with beautiful leaves, in fall colors, glitter and foil, punched out with the 1″ LEAF punch from Michaels. The panel is then added to the front of the card, adhered to a partial stitched circle of vellum.

Oh, the Fall-y!

This card front panel is centered on a card base made from Gina K. Design’s DARK CHOCOLATE HEAVY WEIGHT card stock, cut to make a 6 1/4 x 3 1/4″ slimline card. The inside sentiment is from Taylored Expressions SIMPLY STAMPED – LEAVES red rubber stamp set in MOCHA dye ink from the same company.

The envelope for this card is made from a sheet of the same dark brown card stock as the wood frame. The FALL LEAVES STENCIL is used again with WHITE PIGMENT INK to decorate the front. A sentiment is from the SIMPLY STAMPED – LEAVES stamp set, embossed in GILDED GOLD.

Both of these cards were really easy and fun to make. I hope you enjoy them, too! Happy Crafting!