Card Making Basics - The Blank Card

I love to make seasonal cards.  And this year, I will be sharing them with you.  Before I do, I would like to show you how I make blank cards.  They are quite easy to make, and will save a lot of repetition and space if I tell you here and now.  I make a size called A1, which is a party invitation style.  I use this size because if you unfold an A1 card, it is exactly half the size of a 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper.  Also, blank envelopes can be purchased in groups of 100 at most stores that sell office stationery.  But, they are also easily made out of paper.  But this blog post will focus on making the cards, not the envelopes.  So here we go.

A few years ago I bought a bunch of 8.5 x 11 inch cardstock at a Hobby Lobby sale, and spent a lost weekend cutting them in half.  I left the unfolded and filled this box with the results of that weekend.  As you can see, I have barely put a dent in my store of pre-cut cards.


This is what obsession may look like.

 You can buy cheap cardstock for these card blanks at Wal-Mart, where you can get a pack of 50 sheets for $5.00.  This means 100 cards for $5.00.  They sell Colorbok cardstock.  It is a white centered cardstock.


Yes, it's cheap.  But it shows that it is cheap.

 There are two flaws I see with this cardstock.  One is the way they package it.  They hold the pieces together by adding a little extra cardstock and perforate the edges, so you can tear them out.  This leaves a jagged white edge on one side of the cardstock.  However, this can be overcome by a little ink on the edges if you want to go this way.  I bought a package just to use on this year’s cards to prove that to you.


Leaving a jagged edge on my paper isjust.. it's just wrong!

 The other flaw is their color.  White cardstock is white cardstock.  It looks like bleach.  Colors, however, seem to be washed out.  The first picture below are two different cardstocks of a dark red.  The bottom paper is Bazzill, the top is Colorbok.  In comparison, the Colorbok paper looks brown.  The second picture is black.  This time, the bottom is Colorbok and the top is Bazzill.  The Bazzill paper is much deeper.  And this picture shows a third flaw.  Even with clean hands, every time I handled the black paper, I left finger prints.  Fortunately, I know how to remove those prints.  I will tell you how in another blog.


Hmm... one of these is definitely NOT red.



Yes, they are both black.  But one can be used for forensics.

   















Okay.  Now I take a piece of paper and put it on the cutter, as below.  I cut the paper in half, which means setting it at 5.5 inches.



Make sure your edge is even against the cutter...



... and that your paper is indeed 11 inches tall...



...and you will end up with two 5.5 inch pieces

    
This gives you two pieces of paper. These are basically your card blanks.  Unfolded, of course.


This is how I store them.  You can fold them first with a bone folder if you prefer.

 This is the unfolded card.  You can also cut the paper in half the other way, which makes a taller card. For that, you cut at the 4.25 inches.


Make sure it's straight as before...



...and if your paper is indeed 8.5 inches long...



... you will have two 4.25 inch pieces...



... just like these.  Nice huh?

 Here is the differences in size.  I use the taller cards like an A-frame, with the fold at the top.  But you can use the cards in whatever direction you want to.  Most of the time, I cut my cards the first way.


They are the same size, but a fold makes ALL the difference.

 Of course, if you make cards this dark, you might want some paper on the inside that you can stamp or write on.  For this, I usually use plain white cardstock.  Basically, you use the inside of the card as a matte, and cut the “picture” (aka the white paper) to fit inside it.  Start by cutting the paper in half again, either way.

Here we go again... do I really need to tell you to keep it straight?

Then cut the paper in half the other way.  This gives you four equal pieces.

Don't be tempted to double up.  They like to slip apart, making them uneven

To make it fit within the inside of the card, cut 1/4 inch off of two perpendicular sides.  Most cutters give you a handy guide just below the cutting line.  Line your paper up at the first line below the line, that I am pointing at here.

That's not nail fungus. I got happy with glitter glue.

This makes one side 4 inches, and the other 5 1/4 inches.

I guess I show you these shots...

... for visual confirmation.  Or filler...

This size fits both my regular cut card and the A-frame cut cards.

My regular cut is like a pair of "relaxed cut" jeans.

The a-frame cut is like "boot cut" jeans.  It's all about preference really.

And that is pretty much it.  I cut a ton of these and they last me quite a while.  Halloween cards will be made with these awesome black cards this year.  And as soon as I figure out what I am going to do, I will totally share that with you.

Making a Mountain (Scrapbook Layout)

While trying to come up with ideas for the Utah-based honeymoon album I a making for our recently married niece, I decided to look at pictures on the internet from scenic vistas throughout the state.  I saw one that was just perfectly framed, and it hit me.  it is layers of mountains... I bet I could make a page based on this picture.  The original picture if found at the Bess Realty Group website, believe it or not.
First thing's first.  I collected cardstock from my collection that matched well enough to make the layered colors.  For the sky background and farthest mountains, I used cardstock with white centers, so I could sand them (as I will show a little later).  The rest was from my beloved Bazzill cardstock collection.  And I pulled all my green Ranger Distress inks and a couple of extras (Black Soot, Chipped Sapphire, Weatherd Wood, Crushed Olive, Bundled Sage, Forest Moss, Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters, and Pine Needless).  The rest of the equipment are: a pair of scissors, a fine knife for detailed cutting, a very thin (#005) marker for light details, and a nail file for sanding.


The sky is easy enough to do.  I could just leave the pretty light blue background plain, but I wanted to put a scant few clouds, like in the picture.  So I tore the top off of the file, to make myself a tiny file, and sanded in a circular motion until I got the shapes I liked.  I also used some Q-tips for painting, but forgot to add them to the picture.  Easy.
         

Next, I traced a mountain range on the gray-blue paper, putting the highest peak on the right page, and lowering the left side so it will fall under the next layer.  I cut this out, using the fine blade to get a couple of cuts a little more rounded.  I inked the edges of the mountains with the Weathered Wood ink to disguise the white center.


Before I get to the distressing of it all, I went ahead and cut out the rest of the layers.  Next up is the blue-green paper.  On the left it rises above the mountain in the background, and on the right it is basically on the same level while the mountain towers above it.  I just freehanded a few mounds, making sure that they were not too high to cut off the mountain, or too low to make the front range look weird.  Then the front, light green layer, starts on the right about halfway down the page and just curves down across both pages, until it is close to the bottom left edge.  I used one piece of paper for both the left and right, to conserve.  I hoard my Bazzill paper almost religiously.


Here is, in my opinion, the coolest part.  I cut two and a half inches off the bottom to reduce bulk, but you can leave it in if you want to.  Then I wadded them up into small balls.  I carefully pulled them back out, and didn't flatten.  I used another piece of the nail file to sand certain areas, easily done by sanding the folds, to resemble little snow trails like in the picture.  To make the mountain shadows, I used Chipped Sapphire and rubbed it where I wanted it with my finger.  This gave it a smudgy look, instead of just inking any folds from the crumbling.  When the ink dries, then I flattened it enough to tape it down onto the background.


For the middle range, notice that there are trees on them.  However, they are so small that I was pretty sure I couldn't draw them.  So, I used the cast off paper from when I cut it and experimented with my greens until I found three that looked good to layer over each other.  I chose (Bundled Sage, Forest Moss, and Pine Needless).  I took the lightest ink, Forest Moss, and just slid it back and forth on the page, to give a layer of color to the matte green background.  Then, I took Bundled Sage and a Q-tip.  I tapped the tip onto the ink pad a few times until it was saturated, and then just made lines in areas where trees might be on both pages.  The darkest ink, Pine Needles, repeated these lines, until I had a mess of lines in groups on this layer.  I let it dry and taped it down onto the page.  It looks cool to me.

The bottom range is brighter, with larger trees. I had planned to make some trees with green mulberry paper, but I was unable to locate any.  Maybe mulberry has fallen out of style.  So, I decided to leave it blank.  This will be where any pictures or journaling my niece wants to do will be added.

The final result is very pretty.  And I proved to myself that I can be creative without a template or someone else's help.  And so can you.  Now, go choose a simple picture and amaze me.

Tips for a Hobby Shopping Trip

I will admit this freely: I am not a shopping enthusiast.  I own about four pairs of shoes, only one of which I wear on a regular basis, I hate clothes shopping, and groceries are as boring as milk toast to me.  But I do love to shop around for one thing: hobby supplies.  My main hobbies are almost in constant flux, with new gadgets put out quite frequently, and everything updating to the digital age.  Whether I am looking for paint supplies, scrapbooking, cooking, or other... it is so much fun to look at the new stuff and imagine all the things I could do with them.  Unfortunately, I have to be realistic.  Most of this stuff likely will not get used, or I won't like it after I get it home, or don't have any real use for it... you name it.  Also, there is a budget to think of.  I know I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars everytime I go on a hobby run.  And my time budget is always precious.  So, here is a list of tips I have garnered from personal experience, both good and bad, to help you stay on target with your shopping excursion.

Rule #1: MAKE A LIST OF WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE WHOLE PROJECT.  Include on your list everything you need, even if you already own it.  For baking, I even put down the oven (and temperature), pans, pots, wooden stirrers, spatulas, everything.  Shopping trips for hobbyists should begin in the home.  After you have made the list, go through your hobby area (for this example, my kitchen and pantry) and cross off everything you already have.  Take this opportunity to put everything in one convenient place, so when you start, you will not have to stop to go looking for the cardamom, or something else you rarely use.

Rule #2: SEE IF ANY ITEMS CAN BE BORROWED.  This is true in all my hobbies.  It is great to have a circle of friends who all do the same thing.  When I lived in Auburn, I would scrapbook on Saturdays with a friend of mine, whose nickname is Six, and we would spend a good deal of that time using each others die cuts, stamps, inks, trade papers, you name it.  It saves a lot of time if you have an item your friend needs, and vice versa.  This also cuts down on the amount of stuff you own but rarely use.  This rule is also a blessing if you don't follow the next rule, because friends often want stuff you do not anymore.

Rule #3: ONLY BUY WHAT IS ON YOUR LIST.  As a scrapbook paper hoarder, please learn from my experience.  Even if you are just starting out scrapbooking and have virtually nothing: DON'T BUY EVERYTHING YOU LIKE.  I have a ton of paper that I bought in those giant paper books that I think are so boring and atrocious now, I don't think I will ever use them.  Everything looks good in the store, all nice and unused.  Your tastes will change, so don't buy just because they look cool.  Buy only what you need.  And along with this tip, don't buy any bulk items unless you are making bulk items.  Don't buy a Big Stack of paper wtih designs for pets on it, unless you are making a pet scrapbook.  The only exceptions to this rule are neutral cardstocks.  Black, white, and the browns are okay, just don't buy a ton of them.

Rule #4: STEER CLEAR OF SPECIALTY ITEMS IF AT ALL POSSIBLE.  Back to scrapbooking again.  I can always talk myself into buying specialty paper, like vellum or mulberry, because I like to use it.  But this rule relates back to rule #3.  If you buy a lot of things you don't need for this project, they will get lost, forgotten, what have you.  And when you need them, you may not even remember you have them.  I have about 100 sheets of clear vellum for this very reason.  Specialty items get easily lost.  Specialty items also include new equipment, three-dimensional stickers, the ten thousand different ways to stick stuff to paper, oddly shaped baking sheets, a new keyboard... anything you don't already have that you didn't know you needed.

Rule #5:  IF YOU CAN MAKE IT, DON'T BUY IT.  This sounds easy, but it can be tricky.  I can make most of the things I put on a scrapbook page myself.  Three dimensional stickers are totally simple to make, thanks to Xyron machines.  But, you have to include in this equation how much time you have to make these things.  If making accents for your page takes up half the small amount of time you have to scrapbook, I would consider it likely too hard to make, and would buy them.  The same goes for baking.  I can make my own blended spices, whipped cream, icings, and glazes, but sometimes I just can't budget for the time.

Rule #6: CHECK PRICES ONLINE FIRST.  All of my hobby stores are online, and I have those saved as favorites.  Hobby Lobby and Michael's both have weekly coupons that I treasure.  Some websites can even tell you if the item is in stock at the store before you go out to get it.  Heck, order online if you don't mind waiting for it.  Many stores have free shipping if you are willing to pick it up at their physical store.  And price check with online only stores, like Amazon.  If, again, you are willing to wait for the items, sometimes it is cheaper to order it there.

Rule #7:  SET LIMITS WHEN BREAK A RULE. Don't be hard on yourself if you slip up on one of these rules.  It is a hobby, not a job.  You won't get fired if you just have to have that adorable new baking pan for mini donuts (guilty).  The trick to not getting depressed here is what you mother probably did for you when you were little and she needed to go shopping herself: set a limit.  If you just have to buy the new toys, limit how much money you will spend.  If you forgot to check for coupons online, see if they have paper ones near the entrance before buying items full price.  If you decide that the Jolene stickers are way better than what you think you can make, go ahead but keep the purchase small.  If you were so excited about going shopping that you forget to see if your friends already have some of the stuff on your list, just buy what you are sure they don't have.  I wanted to get something shiny for baking the last time I was at Bed, Bath, & Beyond.  So I decided a little baking sheet was much cheaper than the awesome baking sets I saw there.  And the end result is: this weekend I am making mini donuts.

Happy shopping.

Scrapbooking in Pieces

I learned how to scrapbook the summer of 2005, when I discovered a wonderful little scrapbook store in Auburn, AL called "PaperJazz." I was going to Auburn University working on my masters and went there to fulfill my insatiable need for a creative outlet. I hung out there so much that I got a job working there part time. They had 6 hour crops on Friday nights, and I ran them, basically helping the women (as everyone there seemed to be) find the items they need, and keeping things clean. If I had time, I was allowed to work on scrapbook layouts. I learned two things from that awesome time working at PaperJazz. One, I really like playing with color. And two, planning is crucial for doing a good amount of scrapbooking the way you want to.

Whether you are just starting out in scrapbooking and just have a wish to make a cute book to display treasured photos, or you are like me and have your own warehouse full of paper and gadgets to do just about anything you want, there is something you probably already know. Scrapbooking takes time. Someone out there is going to read this and say "I can punch out a 20 page scrapbook in an evening, it doesn't have to be a big production." And they are right. You can do a whole scrapbook in an evening, or you can take six hours to make a single page. The amount of detail you put into your pages is up to your individual wants, needs, and capability. That is not what this blog post is about. This is about how to plan to do the scrapbooking you want to do in a small amount of time.  I am currently working on a pre-made scrapbook for my niece that recently got married. She and her new hubby went on a hiking honeymoon through the beautiful vistas of Utah, and I wanted to give them something fun to display those pictures in. I knew this was going to take some planning. I also knew that on a good weekday I would only have about three hours to do anything. So I broke the project down into small, doable sections.

The first phase of the project was the purchasing phase. I wrote down in an email all the things I needed for their scrapbook: the album, matched sets of paper with a hiking and camping theme, cardstock to match, stickers, accents, and double stick tape. I then sent the email to myself so I could bring up the list on my phone. This comes in super handy if you only have a few spare minutes to create the list, but can't go shopping for a few days. Then the fun execution of this plan is hunting through whatever scrapbook store you like and picking out the goods. It is important here to remember NOT TO OVERBUY. Just get what is on the list, even though everything looks great. You don't need it now, you only need the items for this project. Just keep telling yourself this while you check items off the list.

The second phase is the planning phase. I planned on making twenty pages of pre-made pages based around a hiking theme. For those times when i only want to make a page or two, I plan what I want them to look like. There are several places to look for inspiration, based on your level of scrapbooking prowess. You can go through old scrapbook pages you have made and pick and choose items from them that you would like to do again. You can troll the internet or scrapbook magazines for layouts and find one you like. There are hundreds of pre planned layouts there you can use; just Google "scrapbook layouts." Or, you can doodle until you some up with something you like. Remember the following questions as you pick layout(s). How many pictures do you need on these pages? How much time do I want to spend on putting special accents on the page? Does this page need pockets for ephemera (keepsakes)? This phase can take a long time, but it can be done whenever you have time.

The third phase is accent prep. I myself love to make accents more than buy them. All I need is a pencil, some cardstock, scissors, and my Xyron machine. I also have a QuicKutz die-cutter to make some of the cutest items ever. Confetti, borders, photo corners, and other popular accents can be handmade, giving your scrapbook a more unique feel. This can usually be accomplished in a night, if the other phases have gone well. The fourth and final phase is actual page creation. I suggest saving your biggest stretch of time for this, and try to do this in one or two nights, tops. By this time, I usually get frustrated at my lack of that feeling of having a pretty page to show off. With the freshly purchased items, layout plans, and accents from the previous phases around me, something special happens here. I run through the pages at a great rate, and feel so creative! I am almost finished with the scrapbook for my niece, and pictures will follow for everyone to oogle over. But, this is how I plan to do a big scrapbooking project using the small chunklets of time I have to actually do them in.