simple handmade graduation card

Everyone knows at least one person who is graduating from school (whether it's preschool, grad school or somewhere in between), so let's make a handmade card in honor of the occasion. Here's what you'll need to join me in the card making fun:

- A variety of colored card stock -- I used dark gray, light gray, light blue, pale yellow and goldenrod

- An envelope

- A cutting mat

- An Xacto knife

- A metal ruler

- Paper glue

- Basic scissors

- Markers (Mine are fine-tip Crayola)

- Yarn

-Fabric tape

- Hot glue and glue gun

Use your mat to find the center of your card base (color 6 - 5.5 " for this card), and then score it by running the knife lightly down the center once or twice. Fold in half. I wanted the inside of my card to be a different color, so I did this twice and then glued the sheets together with the paper glue.

Next I cut out the shapes. I cut out an off-center large diamond shape, a rectangle, four small stars, three large stars and three shooting star tails (each 2.5 inches long and slightly curved). I freehanded one large and small star, and then I traced around them to make the rest of the stars. 

Next I made the tassel for the cap. Cut four one-inch pieces of yarn and tie them together with a 3.5 inch piece of yarn. If you want to make a more advanced tassel, don't cut your one-inch pieces -- simply wind them back and forth and tie them off with the same piece of string. It's a little more complicated, but it looks more like a tassel.

For the front of the card, I used the hot glue gun to adhere my shapes because I like the 3-D effect. I also added a piece of fabric tape along the side. 

On the inside of the card, I laid out my three stars. I used hot glue to attach the stars and paper glue to attach the star tails. To pull the design together, I added another piece of fabric tape along the bottom.

This might be the easiest card ever. Happy card-making, everyone!

diy princess birthday card

Eliza, our niece, turns eight today. She just happens to be one of our favorite people, and I'm not just saying that because she's family. She is one of those special people who is smart, funny and drop-dead beautiful. She loves to read, makes all As in school, has a wonderful sense of style (she is a mini shopaholic), loves everyone and has a fun, witty personality. She became a big sister a few months ago, and she was thrilled when she received the news that she wasn't going to be an only child anymore. She absolutely loves her baby sister, and sharing the spotlight doesn't bother her at all. She is a very special little person.

In honor of her birthday, we decided to make a princess card. She is a princess, and she's at the age where she loves all things girly -- makeup, Barbies and shopping. A princess card seemed like a good fit for her.

Here's what you'll need to make your own princess card:

- A variety of colored card stock (I used plain and patterned for this card)
- An envelope
- A cutting mat
- An Xacto knife
- A metal ruler
- Paper glue
- Basic and scalloped scissors
- Embellishments (I chose rhinestones)
- Markers (Mine are fine-tip Crayola)
-Fun stickers
-Ribbon

First, use your mat to find the center of your card base (5" for this card), and then score it by running the knife lightly down the center once or twice. Fold in half.

Choose another piece of card stock in a different color, and cut it down to the size of the front of your card (in my case, 7" x 5").

On the flat piece of card stock, draw the shape of a crown. Remember, we aren't going for perfection here!

Cut out your crown shape. Also cut out a strip of patterned paper that is the width of your card (mine was 7"). This is going behind the crown, so the height needed will vary. Mine was approximately 2.5".

Glue the patterned stripe and the crown to the front of your card. Let it dry thoroughly.

While the front is drying, add some embellishments to the inside of the card. I added another strip of patterned paper, some stickers and a pretty piece of ribbon that I had in my crafting stash. As I am completely out of letter stickers, I hand-addressed the message. 

Once the front of your card is dry, add some embellishments of your choice. I used some scraps of my base color to cut out jewels in various shapes as well as a strip to go across the bottom. For some interest, I used my scalloped scissors to add a special edge to that strip. Then I glued everything down and added some rhinestones, sequins and stickers. I paired this sparkly card with a shiny silver envelope and more fun stickers. 

The result is a card fit for a princess!

Happy Birthday, Eliza!

DIY: Handmade Balloon, Cake and Ice Cream Birthday Card

Although I have a fancy (for me) new printer and scanner as of last week, I have been making handmade cards all year and don't want to stop! Here's what you'll need to join me in the card making fun!

- A variety of colored card stock

- An envelope

- A cutting mat

- An Xacto knife

- A metal ruler

- Paper glue

- Basic scissors

- Embellishments (I chose rhinestones)

- Markers (Mine are fine-tip Crayola)

- Yarn

- Hot glue and glue gun

I started by cutting out the shapes. I cut out a cake (a rectangle with one rounded side - color 1), two pieces of icing (long, skinny rectangles with wavy sides - color 2), three balls of ice cream (medium-sized circles - I cut one out, and then traced around it to create the others - color 2, 3 and 4), one ice cream cone (cone shape, of course! - color 5), three balloons (teardrops - color 1, 3 and 4), three balloon ends (tiny triangles - color 1, 3 and 4), 8 candles (tiny rectangles - color 3) and 8 flames (tiny teardrops - color 4).

Use your mat to find the center of your card base (color 6 - 5.5 " for this card), and then score it by running the knife lightly down the center once or twice. Fold in half.

Glue your cake and cone to the front of the card.

Add your icing, ice cream, candles and flames to the front of the card.

On the inside of the card, glue down your balloons and ends.

Using your glue gun, carefully attach the yarn just below each balloon.

Add your message and some rhinestones for sparkle. You could also add glitter glue to each balloon to make your balloons shiny.

To finish out the card, add a few rhinestones to the center of the cake. If you have chip board or sticker letters and/or numbers, you could also add the person's name, birth date or age to the cake. Again, if you like the shiny look, you could also add some glitter glue to the flames.

Here's a personalized version of this card that I made for my sister's birthday earlier this week.

As you can tell, I like shiny!

If a parent cut out the shapes, scored the card and replaced the hot glue with Elmer's glue, a child could definitely assemble this card.

Happy card making!

DIY: handmade "thinking of you" card

What says "I'm thinking of you" more than a handmade card? It's a lovely gesture that is both charming and one of a kind. Today I'll show you how to make a simple card of your very own.

You'll need:

- Card stock (I chose teal, yellow and khaki) - An envelope - Cutting mat - Xacto knife - A metal ruler - Paper glue - Basic scissors - Several chipboard shapes, a mini paper bag and other embellishments of your choice - Washi tape - Crafting scissors - Sticker letters - Pens (I like Micron and Sharpie)

First, I selected an envelope. I had a 6.5 x 6.5 inch envelope on hand, so I cut my card down to 6.25 x 9.375. Why 9.375? I wanted the front side (3.125) to be half the length of the back (6.25).

To make the fold for my square card, I turned my card sideways, measured off 3.125, lined up my ruler and carefully ran my Xacto knife from the top to the bottom. I only did this once, and it looked like this after I turned it the right way:

Next I cut a piece of yellow card stock to 4 x 6.25.

I ran a strip of paper glue along the top front of the yellow card and attached it to the bottom of the front flap of the teal card. It looked like this:

Next I cut a 2.5 x 6.25 inch piece of khaki card stock and used my crafting scissors to make a scalloped edge along one side. I attached it to the bottom of the front flap of the card with the paper glue, leaving a little bit of the teal peeking out below:

Once the glue dried, I added washi tape for a little extra decoration.

The recipient of my card is a photographer, so I customized the card with a vintage camera chipboard shape I found in my craft drawer. Although the shape had glue on the back, I added a little extra paper glue to make sure it would stay put.

Next I moved to the inside of the card and added another strip of yellow paper (4 x 6.25) to complement the top of the card. Again, I used paper glue to secure it to the middle of the bottom inside panel.

I went back to my crafting stash and found this sweet little paper bag that is the same khaki color as the strip on the front of the card. I glued it down and added some washi tape over the top of it. Next I added another chipboard piece in a teal color, as well as a note in the mini bag for my friend. I tied everything together by using the crafting scissors to add a scallop edge to the top of the note.

I raided the craft drawer one last time and found some sticker letters in a variety of sizes, so I used them to add my message to the top inside panel.

As my envelope was yellow, I cut another piece of teal card stock to 6.5 x 6.5 inches and glued it to the front of the envelope. For a final touch, I added another strip of washi tape across the top. I also sealed the envelope with washi tape. It's the best!

When it comes to card making, the possibilities are endless. Here's another card I recently made that uses a similar design but different colors...

Remember that when it comes to handmade card making, it's the thought that matters most!