Bird Cage Collage Cards

A few weeks ago I worked on some cards using the Abigail Rose papers and some card layouts and ideas from Gail Ellis, another demonstrator on Pinterest.  I kept the colors scheme very simple and love the look that these cards have.  

There's a cute new set of stamps in the catalog with parakeets and a bird cage cut out.  However, I already have a lot of bird stamps and bird cages, too.  So I used some of my old stamps and cut outs to redesign Gail's cards.  

I used Abigail Rose designer papers for the cards, some vintage lace and several older bird stamps and cages including Free as a Bird stamp set.  

Seriously, I love how they came out!  I had an old Tim Holtz bird cage die cut, one of the Bigz dies that I had never used before.  I also used the new Designer Tags cut outs for the tags on the cards.  The flower die is from the Pretty Pillowbox.  

I love the muted colors and the fun "collage" style.  I call the set of cards a Mix & Match.  Once you stamp and emboss and cut everything out, you can mix and match the items on any of the cards.  

For the last card, I kept things simple.  It's mostly a sheet of the designer paper that makes this card so wonderful.  Then I added some tags, flower and saying.  The Designer Tag dies really makes the cards.  For the color scheme, I used Petal Pink for the accent color.  I think the card would look pretty if you colored in some of the flowers on the designer papers, too.  Maybe next time I will try it!

Hippest Hippos

To match the Beautiful Shapes cards, I made a whimsical card using the Hippest Hippos set.  I have to say I never would have thought she would look so cute surrounded by flowers, but I think she does!  She's dancing through the flowers holding her little umbrella for balance.  The little tag is from Designer Tags dies.  Cute, right?

This sweet little card opens in the front like a door.  It makes the card even cuter.  :)

There are so many cute things that you can do with the hippos.  I look forward to making some more whimsical cards with them.  

What sort of things have you made using the hippos?

 

Beautiful Shapes with Peach Designer Papers

This week I made some pretty cards using the You're a Peach paper pack and Beautiful Shapes cut outs.  For this card I cut out some hexagons from the designer papers and then a cut out hole in the front of the card.  I embossed the saying onto the cardstock and then used dimensionals for the white front to stand up a bit.  I added a butterfly from the Designer tags and a pretty bow.  

Before I got started with the hexagons, I used an embossing folder to give it some texture. I love the simplicity of this card.  I got the idea from Gail Ellis.  

I had a lot of the You're a Peach designer paper left over from last year, so I also made a small clipboard for each of the stampers.  They were surprised at their little gift!

This next card is filled with different sized shapes from the Beautiful Shapes dies.  I love the eclectic look of it.  I added some flower cut outs and leaves from the Penned Flowers Dies.  This card idea is also from Gail Ellis.  To go with the card, I made a gift card holder using the Mini Pocket Envelope die that I just love.  

These little pockets are just the right size to hold a note, a piece of Hershey's chocolate, a magnet or a gift card.  I want to make these to match every project!  LOL

The third card has the hexies shaped like a flower.  I arranged them, glued then down and then added a flower middle with the green paper.  The cut out is from the Penned Flower Dies.  This flower cut out makes any card look better!  Gail Ellis was my inspiration for these three cards today.  :)

Here are the three cards that I made using You're a Peach papers.  You could make these cards with any package of designer papers.  Just change up the cardstock colors and be creative!  

 

Hues of Happiness

For this week's class, I used the Hues of Happiness paper and die cuts.  This card is my interpretation of the card on the front of the catalog.  I used the thick white cardstock for the card base and added a piece of the designer paper for the front.  I cut the edge of the white piece with the die cuts and ran it through the emboss machine using the Timeworn Type folder.  I cut out a couple of flowers from the beautiful papers and added some sprigs made from vellum that I punched out using the Bough punch.  

The saying is from Peaceful Moments and it is cut out with a die from Tasteful Labels.  I used Wink of Stella on the flowers to make them shine and added some rhinestone embellishments.  I could make this card all day!  LOL

For this next card, I used Highland Heather for the cardstock and added a white layer cut out using the die cut from this set.  I cut it out twice so that it filled the whole space.  The purple flower in the corner is just glued onto the front and the other two flowers are added with some dimension.  I used the Bough punch again with some vellum for the sprigs.  

I love the soft look of this card.  The Hues of Happiness papers are just so beautiful and easy to work with.  I got the idea from Leslie Jendra.

For the pink card, I used shiny white cardstock for the background and painted through a butterfly cut out with ink from the indpad.  I saw this technique from Christy Gridley.  You can watch her video here.  

I cut out the sprigs using Layering Layers printed vellum and added the pink strip that I cut out from the Palms die.  I love to make "get well" cards to send out to my friends.

Lastly I made this teal card using Coastal Cabana for the cardstock.  I cut the white layer diagonally and then added some Pool Party strips along the edges.  I used an older embossing folder and then added some flowers from the paper.  I got this idea from Barb Pheffer.  

To make these cards, I didn't use the stamp set.  They're made with the designer papers and the die cuts.  These are easy and beautiful cards that you can make with these pretty papers.  I cut out a bunch of the flowers and will keep them on hand for more cards!