Shadowbox 50th Birthday Card

One of our friends turned 50 this month, so I wanted to make him a special card. This is a true milestone for him and needed to be celebrated! I used the same template I made for my mother-in-law's birthday card (here: alcohol inked shadowbox birthday card). For that card, I inked up the whole sky with an alcohol ink technique.

For this one, I did regular ink blending with blending brushes.

 

Everything on this card started out as white cardstock. I used a grass mask by Lawn Fawn to make the grass line in the back. I used my homemade cloud stencil for the sky. The grass in the middle layer is a long grass die cut that I ink blended and the front layer is a short grass die cut that I also ink blended. 

 

Then I stamped the critters and coloured them with my alcohol ink markers and cut them out by hand. I dug into my stash to make this card! There's a whole medley of stamp sets! (It actually took quite a long time to make this card.) All the critters are from a Hello Bluebird stamp set. I found two gift stamps: a solid one and one I had to colour in. I used a Your Next Stamp balloon cluster image and I found a single balloon in another stamp set. I forget what stamp set the party hats are from, but boy they were REALLY TINY to colour in!

 

I knew I wanted a large 50 to be floating in the middle. I used acetate for that. Since cleaning my craft room, I put all my "leftover" bits (e.g. die cut but not used, stamped but not used, etc.) in what I'm calling my "bits box". So I dug in there and found the cupcake. I coloured that up and put it in!

I put a pocket on the back and wrote out a little poem for a sentiment on a separate sheet that I slipped into the pocket. I like how it turned out and our friend liked it too! I think it turned out fine for guys or gals, so I'm very happy with it!

Shadow Box Birthday Card - Alcohol Inked Background

I made my MIL a birthday card this year using a brand new stamp and die set I acquired from Hello Bluebird. I love their storybook line art. I don't normally go for the dies, but I did for this one because the hot air balloon does cut out inside the strings. I have been looking for a good hot air balloon die forever! I think a hot air balloon is perfect for both feminine and masculine cards.

I modeled the shape of this card from a video by Jennifer McGuire (here: 3D Display Cards - Many Sizes!). I made some templates for different sizes of these arch-topped shadowbox cards using a few of my arched Accucut Craft dies. I show the die used for this one in my video (linked below). However, you could use a plate to round the top of your shadowbox.

I coloured my images with Copic markers. Not thrilled with how the balloon turned out. I need to look up how to colour that rounded shape. Not only is the whole balloon rounded but also each of the panels has a curve.

Besides the stamp set, the main feature on this card is the background sky. I made it myself with my alcohol inks. I recorded the process in a video posted here:

Alcohol Ink Background Sky

 

I share a tip on how I get the look of alcohol pearl inks without having any pearl inks! I hope you try out some alcohol inky backgrounds yourself. Come share in the comments if you do.

Floating Element Aperture Card - Winter Birthday

I needed to make my mother-in-law a birthday card. I saw a tutorial by Mixed Up Craft. In her spinner version tutorial (that I linked), she links back to her floating element tutorial. I don't like square cards, so I made the 5 x 7 version but used the popped up sentiment bit from the spinner version.

It's basically a twist on a regular shadow box card. Instead of putting the aperture on a flat side of the box, you put it on the corner. That allows you to use acetate to "pop out" of the aperture and to have the sentiment to the same with a very clever "bridge" piece behind it.

You end up with this clever diamond shaped card that folds perfectly flat for mailing. Love it! I've already figured out the dimensions for an A2 version too.

I used my Nuvo Embellishment mousse on some cardstock and then cut the snowflakes out. I wanted to add just a touch of shine. The gifts are made from paper scraps. I love using my scraps to make gift boxes for cards. It works for birthdays and Christmas!



I think I will be making more of these! I think I will go ahead and figure out the dimensions for a landscape version of both sizes. The A7 will have to be constructed out of a front and back piece but the A2 can fit on a single piece of paper. To be honest, now that I think about it, I think a two piece construction might be simpler anyway, so it's easier to figure out what outside and inside areas need paper!

So many possibilities with this design!  I hope you are inspired too!

Christmas Diorama Cards

Merry Christmas!

This year, I made several shadow box cards or, more properly named, diorama cards. These are little 3D scenes. The cards fold flat for mailing but pop into a box shape to display its dimension. These ones were A6 sized (6.25 x 4.5 inches when flat).

These are the first three I made.

I used a bunch of new purchases on these cards: The snow globe (by Creative Expressions), the village (by Your Next Stamp) and the snowman (by Yvonne Creations with birch trees from Lawn Fawn).

The penguin was the easiest (penguin stamp by Close to My Heart). I did stamp the snowflakes in the background. If I used patterned paper, I could have made the card faster.

I loved the snowman but it took the longest by far. It cut and embossed the bits but it was one solid colour. I coloured all the bits with my Copic markers. It was not easy to achieve definition in the snowman's body. It was also not easy to leave the thin lines in the snowman's hat. If I do that one again, I might try paper piecing the scarf and hat. The village was the most colourful, so I chose to make many more of that one.

On the next version of the village, I used Snowtex on the houses and trees. Snowtex is an opaque, bright white, textured medium. It dries hard and reminds me of popcorn ceiling plaster.

To show you the 3D nature of the card, here's the top view where you can see the 4 layers achieved with 2 benches between the front and back of the box.

You can see some of the dimension in this picture:

The last version I made for this year included my new Creative Expressions woodland creatures stamp and dies set, plus my Lawn Fawn birch trees. I made this one for my mother-in-law who likes deer. It took too long to colour the deer and trees so I only made a couple of those.

I really enjoyed making these cards this year. I will have to make some more in different themes.

I wish everyone a healthy, happy Christmas time and a prosperous new year!

Joyful Homes Holiday Z-Fold Box Card

Here's another of my box cards that we made in a workshop. It's another Z-Fold box card with holiday homes. I really like the large "Joy" sentiment on this one. It's one of the latest Stampin' Up! purchases I made.

This card is a mash up of many stamp companies! "Wishing you" is an old woodblock stamp I got at Michaels. "From our home to yours" and the winter trees are from The Old Island Stamp Company (in B.C. Canada). The houses are from a Hot Of The Press set. The snowman is from Your Next Stamp.

I like how the "from our home to yours" hides when the card is closed but reveals when the recipient opens it. This card has 4 layers from front to back.

I wanted to go with traditional reds and greens for this card but the background looked plain to me, so I splattered it with snow. Is a green sky weird? I think it still turned out nice.

I think I prefer a true card-in-a-box style of card over this version that combines with the z-fold card. Second to that, I like the shadow box card over this one too. What kind of 3D card is your favourite? Feel free to share with me in the comments below!

Birthday Bears: Z-Fold Box Card

I've been on a 3D card kick. I first started making the card-in-a-box style cards. Then, I made some shadow box cards. Now, I've made a set of Z-fold card-in-a-box cards!

Here's one of them: birthday bears. I just love these tiny bears from Dreamerland Crafts. They are just perfect for scene building, like in this card.

This card type is easier to make than it looks! Basically, take your base card with the inside facing up and fold it in half with the open side on the right. Then, take the top piece and fold it back on itself in half again. For the bottom strip, start with the right side face down. Fold it in half with the open side on the right. Then, fold the top piece back on itself in half again. That's what forms the box shape.

Then, you just put in some "benches" to layer up some depth for your card. The grass is a border die I have from Top Dog Dies (no longer in business). Since the blue was supposed to be the sky, I added an extra strip of green grass on the card base in the corner, or else blue sky would show on the inside of the box shape. This card did not originally include the clouds but the sky background seemed so empty. One of my creative friends suggested adding some clouds, so I did! I used a small scalloped scissors I have and free handed them. I like it much better with them!

I made the cupcake (or bonbon or truffle) with paper scraps. It's just a scalloped circle punch and a rectangle with a strip and a heart. After I layered the scalloped circle behind the rectangle, then I angle cut the bottom. If you have a paper crimper, you could crimp the rectangle first, to give it that cupcake wrapper look.

I popped one bear up on acetate so it looks like it's floating with the balloon. I coloured all my bears with alcohol markers - mostly Copic markers but some Spectrum Noire too.

I added sparkle to the balloon with my Wink of Stella glitter brush.

I like that these cards fold flat to mail in a regular envelope, but stand up easily for the recipient to display and enjoy for a few days. Do you have a favourite "fun fold" type of card?

Flower Fairy in a Box Card

While I've been working with Shadow Box Card sizing lately, I still think the Card in a Box is my favourite type of 3D card. So, I returned to that style to make a birthday card for a friend.

The darling fairy is from A Day for Daisies. I just love the artist's line art, storybook style.

The other flowers are from a Kraftin Kimmie (a Canadian company) set and the sentiment is from C.C. Designs.

I coloured everything with my Copic and Letraset alcohol markers and used my Spectrum Noire sparkle brush on her wings.

I really like how it turned out, so I'd like to make some more in this style with a bunch of different colours.

Balloon Animals Birthday Card

I have now made all 4 sizes of birthday box cards that I would use: 4.25 x 5 inches in both vertical and horizontal and 5 x 7 inches in both vertical and horizontal.

I've awed over lots of cards that are vertical that are just over-flowing with all kinds of lovely and fun stuff. I guess I'm just not a big embellisher. Mine never seem to come out so full looking. This is as much as I could stuff in the card and still get my fingers in there to place them!

I used my CTMH balloon animal stamp set. I've gotten pretty good use out of this set since buying it. The animals are quite fun to work with! The sentiment is a different CTMH set. I also made some presents to tuck in here with scrap rectangles and one bit of a border punch that I think looks like a poofy bow.

I used my MISTI to stamp these images because they are solid. I wanted to make sure I got full impressions! The patterned paper I chose actually has a lovely bit of clear sheen over the spots. I thought it looked like party confetti.

Of all the 3D shaped cards I've made, I think these box cards are my favourite with the step cards as a close second. It's really neat how this card easily folds flat for mailing.

I must say, I prefer the horizontal cards. There's more room to work with inside and there's a better space on the back to put your sentiment. Next on my bucket list of 3D cards to try will be a shadow box card!

Heart Filled Wedding Card in a Box

I'm on a card in a box kick at the moment! I made my first card in a box earlier this year based on a tutorial. It was a vertical A2 card (4.25 x 5.5 inches). I made that one an outer space themed card and I gave it to one of my nephews for his birthday. I wasn't particularly fond of the narrow space for the sentiment on the back though.

So, I found a tutorial for an A2 horizontal card in a box to make a cheer up card for someone at work. I LOVED it. I made some more (which I might post at a later date). It was a great size but, I thought to myself, "I think I can make a 5 x 7 inch version."

The first one I did, the sides were deeper and that made it seem a little too gaping for me. So, I tried a different set of measurements and I love how this one turned out!

This is my 5 x 7 horizontal card in a box! I even managed to make it from a single sheet of 8.5 x 11 inch cardstock - well, the base, at least. I had to use some scraps for the "benches" that go inside. I used a die from Little B that I bought online from Top Dog Dies to cut out all those hearts from 3 different sets of scraps. On the front, I used my newest Accucut Craft Die: Fancy Frame insert. It's the perfect size for cards.

Although you can't see it well in the photo, I embossed the panels on the flaps and the back of the box. I used white on white because this is a wedding card. (Navy is one of the wedding colours.)

When folded flat, the card measures 5 x 7 inches, so it can go in a regular card envelope.

I made a pocket on the back of this one and put in it another Accucut Craft die: Gift Tag #4. This way, I can write the sentiment on one or both sides of the tag and, if I mess up, I haven't ruined my whole card!

I'm very pleased with how this ensemble came out!

As for my first attempt, where I wasn't really loving the dimensions, I made it into a gingerbread house holiday card. I used home stamps from Local King Rubber Stamps (a stamp company out of British Columbia). Embossing them in white on kraft cardstock gives them a gingerbread house look. I think it turned out really sweet. I'm going to donate it to a retirement home this holiday season with the other cards I'm piling up for staff to give out to the residents.

If you haven't tried making a card in a box yet, I highly recommend it!