TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

CRAFTING AT THE CABIN STANDING TAGS

 Oh so chilly here at the cabin.  The towns are having their Apple and Pumpkin fests and all the farm fields now have huge round bales of hay in them.  We had a pretty rainy day here so I sat and watched some YouTube tag videos.  I came across a woman who was making stand up tags.  Interesting  enough to catch my eye.  Now originally I had no plans of making new tags but instead finish up the ones I already have all the bases and layers cut for.  I have all my embellies  that I made previously so the last time I went home I took a lot of my tool back home.  We are getting ready to close the cabin for the season Sonim thought I'd jump start with things I was finished with.  Then came this video and lo and behold I need a large, like almost 4" large circle die!  Dang it!  Well I tried the trace a bowl and cut system but at my age my hands are not that steady to cut smoothly.   Then I had an "Ah Ha" moment!  Somewhere in the cabinet was one of those old Making Memories circle cutters.  If I'm lucky there will be industry blades!     Old School Won!

Whew!  What a cool tag to use miscellaneous scraps too! No 2 look alike because every one of them are embellished with scraps.  Now these are BIG tags. They definitely make a statement.   "Look at me! I'm a statement tag!"  Lol  they are 4.25 wide and  4.50 tall so one sheet of 8.5x11 will give you 2 tags.  

If you would like to watch the tutorial it is here https://pin.it/7jTbIQH        She uses a die for her base but I did not want to buy one so I came up with this no die version.

Supplies

1 piece 4.25" x 11"  80lb cardstock (lighter weight might be too floppy after embellishing)

1 piece 3.5"  x 3.5"

Twine & embellishments   

Score cardstock at 4.5",  5.5" and 6.5".   Fold in mountain, valley, mountain like photo below.  Then line a template or use a circle cutter on the top edge to create a arch.  Just a slight one and cut.  Find the center and punch a hole for your twine.  I made a grommet using a 5/8ths circle punch that I punched a hole in the middle for added strength.  Its not necessary.  In fact l don't think the original one has grommets but l like the look.  That's it.  Base is done.  Now play!



I know I should be working on all the tags I already have cut out.  Or the cards I prepped at home and brought up here but I'm easily distracted by something new.   And darn Smart Tv's!!!  I would have never been watching YouTube for 2 hours on my tablet but give me a big screen.  Well that's a whole new ball game!

OK focus Suz.....

As I was saying these are pretty easy.  So much so that I made a few.   Just go with it.  Make them as busy or do a K.I.S.S.  as for mine ....I stop when I like how it looks.  Sometimes when I'm working on the next one I'll look over at the last one and add on.

Now like I said these are a bit large 4.25 x 4.5 and I decided to downsize a bit. You can get 3 from a sheet of 8.5 x 11 if you cut the base 3" x  8.5".  Score it at 3.5",  4.25" and 5".  Follow the directions above for the larger tags.  These smaller ones will measure 3" x 3.5" when completed.  They are every bit as cute.  Here's a side by side to show you the size difference.  See super cute.

Funny how a sight measurement change makes such a big difference in the out come of the tag.  I think I really prefer the smaller version and will probably make quite a few more in that size.

It next time...........................





Monday, October 2, 2023

ANOTHER TRELLIS

Hello!  Awhile ago I shared a couple of ways to do Trellis cards.  I thought they were very cute and in my opinion pretty easy to make.  Well guess what?  I stumbled across another variation.  Just as cute, maybe a tad easier and can be made 2 ways.  This is not only a Trellis card it is also a fancy fold.  What on earth could be better?  The first way to make this card is as a "Free-Standing Card".  This you will not open but instead write your sentiment on the back.  It is also a large card measuring 5"x7 ".  

I first saw this card by Sam on Mixed up Crafter and fell in love.  I just knew I had to start playing with it.  This is also a way to use up some stickers you may have laying around and by using very few still have a great looking card.  The papers you use make all the difference as you will soon see.  Below are 2 Birthday cards.  The one on the left is where you would write the sentiment on the back and the one on the right is where I adhered the entire 5x7 piece to a blank white 5x7 card base.  Giving it a more traditional card look.  Either way it still stands freely.



Shall I give you measurements?  But of course!  First, I like using double sided cardstock.  That way I am only dealing with 1 sheet of cardstock other than the white for the back or the optional card base.  The only problem making this card is deciding which side will be the background and which side you will use for the trellis strips.  Easiest way is to cut your pieces and decide later.  This is why double sided is my preference.  I can just flip it over instead of re-cutting if I changed my mind.

Above is the base , the acetate, and the piece used for the strips ( scrap from base reversed) that has been scored but not cut into strips.  So here's what you need:


1 piece 12" x 12" double-sided card stock from this cut the following

1)   5x7

1)   7" x 4.5"  score at 1", 2", 5", & 6" then cut into 3/4" strips should have 6 of them.

1)   4.75 x 6.75 white card stock for back

1)   2  7/8" x7" acetate (I recycle so I used a piece from old packaging from one of the grandkids toys)

With your 3/4" strips fold each end valley..... mountian.  After all have been folded run some tape in the center making sure you stay between the score lines.  Now evenly (as possible) place the 6 strips down the acetate as pictured below.



The sample above remember is just a sample.  I noticed that I got carried away with the strips and cut 7 instead of 6 and didn't realize it until I was writing the post. My measure twice cut once got turned around into measure once cut once make mistake. LOL  Plus.......since I'm working with scraps this one is not the same size as the original finished ones so major mess up and I will not be embellishing it but turning it into a tag instead since it has card closing issues.  But the basic directions for putting it together is the same except yours will close flat.

So after the strips are attached to the acetate it's time to attach to the base.  Line the little flaps up to the edge to one side and wet glue down. (top left pic)  Wet glue gives you wiggle time.  Then repeat on opposite side.  Done!  Time to Embellish!  You can use the cards at the beginning of the post for inspiration as this one will be turned into a tag.


As you can see I have way too much of a bend at each end and that prevents the card from folding flat.  The reason?  Well Since I was using scraps I did the acetate and strips the right measurement for a 5x7 base except I cut an extra strip.  That would not have been a problem if I had placed the finished acetate piece on a 5x7 base.  But like I said I was using scraps and my base was actually a 4x6.  Therefore measurements were way off and card won't fold.  I didn't even give it a second thought until after I glued everything down.  I am a no waste person so I will use this as a tag instead with the tiny tweak of adding a grommet and ribbon.  I let the paper design and the fancy fold be the main focal point of the tag so I did not add much to embellish it.
Guess I'm going to have to find a mighty large present for this tag to go on LOL.

Til next time....................................................































The little flaps on each end kind of remind me of feet.  Now put wet glue on bottoms of each of these feet.  Only the end squares and line them up to the sides of the background panel of your card.  Do this for both sides.  The center then automatically pops up, but when you move to one side it flattens to fit in an envelope. Sometimes a little wiggle room needs to be done for it to totally lay flat and you may have to trim off a teeny piece here or there which is why wet glue is best so you can make sure the card will lay flat.





Now add your White cardstock for the back and flip it back over to decorate.  One thing to remember. Which way you want the card to fold flat.  Yes it could make a difference.  See how on my cards the embellies slightly hang over the pop up part on the right?  That can only work because the card folds towards the left so it is still a 5x7.  If I fold it towards the right, my embellies would exceed the 5x7 by a bit and cause an issue with the envelope.  So keep that in mind.