If you don’t want to read the nuances about the cards I created in 2019, this is where you can see them all by month of creation. It can also be a place to get some inspiration for your own cards!
I started collecting stamps last year. For whatever reason I have been terrified to use them. Partially I think it’s the mess and clean up that stamping entails that has kept me from using them. Whatever the cause I finally pushed through, grabbed a stamp and ink pad and tried something new.
My first stamping was to add something to a mostly plain wallpaper card. Add a little pizzazz. I didn’t know what would happen with applying ink to wallpaper, but it turned out ok. So far it hasn’t wipe off either.
The next card I made I got a bit fancy with. Adding layers and foam squares to really give a 3D look to this card. I kept with a greyscale color palette. The wallpaper backing is much shinier than the picture shows. The black and white papers are matte. The thanks is a clear stamp. When I put ink on it there were just bubbles, so it doesn’t have solid coverage like I was expecting, but it works to keep with an industrial look. This card is staying in my personal collection to use.
Can be found here…it’s a doozy!
I already had used this paper for a regular “classic” wallpaper card and I was having such fun using stamps at this point to make cards different I came up with this idea. I had to buy some darker red ink and pink paper (I also bought blue to see what I liked better). I did learn that buying the cheapest ink is not the best idea.
I had to get out the embossing powder to try and get this design to show up better the ink was so faint. I also used the Cricut to cut the pink paper into an off kilter square. Giving this a funky look to match the stamp style.
This card is the result of just wanting to keep going. I started to get into this whole stamping thing. I happened to have bought espresso colored ink a while back and it went perfectly for this card. Again stamping direct on the wallpaper and then I embossed it as well. I wanted to have it stand out.
I’m not sure if it’s because of the heat or what caused this, but there is now a bubble under the ‘no’ of note. I did the stamping and embossing with the heat gun (seriously spend a little more to get a good one) before I applied the wallpaper to the cardstock. So that might be a bit of a learning curve.
I did learn that you should probably hold small paper that need embossing with tongs, even low powered heat guns get super hot.
And here they are the completed cards using stamps. (Minus number 3, like a said whole story on that one)
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I’ve been seeing more and more customized products, mugs, tumblers, wine glasses, etc. Before the end of last year I thought people were just magical being able to create such items.
The backstory: I wanted to create my own stencils so I wouldn’t have to rely on other people’s designs and size constraints. I started looking into flexible plastic (still haven’t gotten any) and how to cut it with more precision than an exacto knife and hand drawn lines. That’s when I stumbled on a product called the Cricut.
Upon this discovery my husband set out on a journey to find which machine and starter kit would work best for my beginner needs. I ended up with the Explore Air 2 which had just come out and a huge variety of items to try out.
My favorite item so far has been the adhesive foil. I have a variety pack of metallic adhesive foil that I have used on a variety of cards and paper projects. This is the first project where I am using the foil on a much used item.
I’ve had this thermos for many years, as you might be able to see it’s a little beat up, the paint is chipped…it’s seen better days.
I wanted to get a purple one, but can’t find it in stock. So I am still using this one and wanted to make the leap to making something that’s popular. Luckily I have a graphic design background and understand Illustrator, making the Cricut less of a learning curve than it seems to be for many new users. I drew the camera in Illustrator and exported my SVG file to cut out my pattern.
I know the foil isn’t considered “permanent” but we don’t use the dishwasher so I think with hand washing it should stick for a while. So far it’s made it 3 days.
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All commissions from affiliate links go to the maintenance of this blog. Thank you for your support!
So who knew that using a stencil with paint could be so challenging?
Maybe it’s just me, maybe I don’t hold the stencil down enough, but each flower I stenciled onto this card with paint is a little different. I did chose a very light paint color to add to this. I was going for a more blended look than something bright that would stand out more.
I think the light grey is a nice compliment to the overall paper colors. I was toying with an orange color until I went to look at it and found it was more construction orange than pastel.
The flower second from the bottom is the closest to the stencil I used. Once I pulled up the stencil I wished I had done this card the other way with the large flower on bottom for better balance. That feeling could also be from the excessive amount of paint that ended up bleeding out making the petals blend together more. The downside to using such a light color and not being familiar with paint. I thought nothing was happening, oops.
I am continuing to use a makeup sponge for painting with stencils. I learned this trick from an Introduction to Art Journaling class on CreativeLive (seriously check them out, On-Air classes are free to watch!). To be honest it is that class (which was On-Air one day) that got me started on this new way of working on wallpaper cards.
It’s amazing how sometimes the most random thing can spark an idea for a completely different project.
Happy crafting!
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This post uses affiliate links. This just means that if you go to the site and end up buying something I’ll get a small percent, this doesn’t increase the cost to you at all. 🙂
All commissions from affiliate links go to the maintenance of this blog. Thank you for your support!
This was a fairly fast project. 2 colors and my first design out of WinStitch. I’m still figuring out the program, it seems a bit on the clunky side. I could just be spoiled by using Adobe for so many years and having many customization options at my fingertips.
In progress
The framing took a while. I had to attempt to re-cut the matte, that didn’t end well. Then trying to get the tiny letters cut out with the Cricut to stick semi-straight onto the matte board was a frustrating mess. But hey now it’s done and it can be wrapped and packed.
Started: May 15th
Finished: June 3rd
Started: June 4th
Finished: June 6th
So that title is a bit misleading. As this is posting the day of, I can’t get a card out that fast. I wanted to share the 3 cards I did make this year and sent out in time to reach their destinations (Colorado and Georgia). The third card was for my husband, so it didn’t have to go through the rigors of the post office!
After posting on Snapchat my newly acquired glitter glue, and asking who might want a card, my husband’s cousin responded that she did. The problem was I couldn’t think of a card to make, so I asked her what holiday or something I should do. She reminded me that Valentine’s Day was coming up. So I got started coming up with some concepts after browsing the Cricut library and not finding something I wanted.
I thought it would be fun to show my concepts for these cards I drew up on my phone (the Note 8, no icrap in this house). Anyway…I find myself telling people quite frequently that I can’t draw worth crap, what’s in my head does not translate into hand-drawn pretties.
This is the card that made it’s way to Georgia. It’s pretty flat so I wasn’t worried about it surviving. This was also the most frustrating of the three because I wasn’t able to truly capture what was in my head.
First, I couldn’t find the heart ‘o’ in the fonts that I have. I could have sworn I had one, but was unable to find it and didn’t want to sort through all internet font options. But I think the teddy bear holding a heart does the trick.
Second, my sun ray type things just wouldn’t work for me. I thought I could do it, but things just didn’t translate, so it’s a bit messy for what I wanted.
Finally, the Cricut…Took me a few goes to actually realize it gives itself a margin where it won’t cut. So my card was placed right, but all the cuts are a good quarter inch to the right. I am hoping to be able to better compensate for this with future cards that have a peek through. Luckily I figured out the whole cut/draw on one mat thing so the drawing ended up where it should.
The paper background is discontinued wallpaper that has a silver sheen to it.
This card I worried about so much. The button was thicker than I thought while I was picking it, and then the hot glue gun decided it wanted to create a huge glue glob.. you get the idea. I was very happy with the fact that I used some press n’ seal to get the adhesive foil up and onto the card. It took some patience, but worth it for not ruining the paper.
It was my first time transferring something using some sort of sticky material. My first card had all the letters connecting so I just picked it up and placed it where I wanted it. I am also happy that everything came out fairly straight.
The base of the flower I drew in Illustrator and then had the Cricut draw it with a gold pen.
This card took the most in terms of intricacy. I also tried my hand at drawing in Illustrator…luckily it help clean up really bad curves. This is the only card with some outside inspiration. I saw this Pin once, thought I remembered the general idea, until just now, looking at it I really didn’t do mine the same at all. What caught my eye was the overlapping hearts and Love intertwined (at least that’s how I remembered it). I wanted to recreate something like that and ended up with my own overlapping heart with the word coming off that.
I used the same wallpaper and gold glitter glue as the piece above. I also used my new stencils to create the bottom arrows with acrylic paint that looks good with the gold theme I have going on.
After photographing these cards I realized (when it was at least 1am) that this card was missing something. It was the glitter on the arrows. It took so much effort to go to bed and not start working on “fixing” the card that night. I was good, got some zzz’s (I think) and worked on this first thing in the morning. It helped the card so much, finally coming together to look more professional.
If you don’t want to read the nuances about the cards I created in 2018, this is where you can see them all by month of creation. It can also be a place to get some inspiration for your own cards!
none 🙁
In my quest to stand out I have decided to make my own business cards. My first venture was to create hand texturized cards. I have handed out a few and have gotten some positive feedback. But I felt that I need to get back to my favorite paper, wallpaper. It may not be the most exciting thing to see on a wall, but as a repurposed paper it’s awesome!
I have made my share of note cards with wallpaper, and recently turned some into postcards. Now I have turned my love of wallpaper loose on business cards. I think it really gives a whole new look and feel to business cards and could, I think, give an edge to the person handing out their card. I make these in small batches to keep them unique. I hope to get a set listed on Etsy soon.
I’m excited about this new way to use wallpaper and I hope others enjoy it too. There are so many possibilities, many more colorful than my first example, but I do like the texture. I say when it comes to making yourself noticed dare to stand out with these awesome cards.
