TAC Savvy Projects for People on the Go

Kick Up Your Cards!

 
At The Angel Company we often receive questions from our Angels asking what they can do to improve their cardmaking skills.  I think most of us appreciate honest feedback and knowing what those little tips and tricks are that will Kick Up Your Cards and transform us from amateur to professional cardmakers almost instantaneously!

Kick Up Your Cards will give examples, tips, tricks and more that will show you how to avoid card-tastrophe's, and at the same time, show you how to Kick Up Your Cards!

So let's get started with my very own card-tastrophe!  I made the cards above for a Birthday Card Swap I was participating in.  The card below highlights my card-tastrophe!

 

You see that TAPE sticking out from the corner ... I do!  In fact ... it's ALL I see! 

This is a Kick Up Your Cards 101 RULE ~ adhesive should NEVER be seen!

Card-tastrophe #2 is also mine!

I used our Premium Cardstock for my cardbase ('twas all I had on hand) and even though I scored the fold with my Scor-Pal you can see here that the fold still 'cracks'.  You can click on the image to see it full size.  My cardstock cracked because it is incredibly thick and heavy ... great cardstock ... not so great for a card base.

 
This is a Kick Up Your Cards 101 RULE ~ use the correct cardstock for the job!

Happy Paper Crafting!

Mischelle

Easy Window Cards with a Window Card Tutorial

 

I LOVE this card!  {smiles}  I mean ... I REALLY LOVE IT ... I'm actually surprised by how much it has grown on me!  This card started out as a card for the Retiform Blog Hop.  I wanted to combine Retiform with a Window Card.  Unfortunately ... by the time I added all of my elements it just didn't go with Retiform so much.

 

 

My white cardstock is our Premium Cardstock and I just don't recommend this for a card base like I've done.  It was the only white I had in my studio so I used it.  Note the side of my card where the fold is.  I scored the card with my Scor-Pal, however, the cardstock still cracks when I fold it.  It does this because it is so heavy and so thick.  Ideal for many things but trickier to use as a card base!

 

If you notice the back of the card it appears that the ink is seeping through my cardstock.  That isn't the case though!  I have a lamp pointing towards the card and as a result you can see the image through my premium cardstock.

 

I knew I wanted to place my owl on Pop Dots and I soon discovered that I needed to place the owl when the cover of the card was closed.  I wanted him to 'pop' through the window.  It was soon apparant that this limited my beautiful golden background from being seen.  {bummer}

 

A few hours later I came back and looked at this card and KNEW something was missing!  You guessed it ~ Glossy Accents!  SEE the difference for yourself!

 

Glossy Accents, a white gel pen, a brown marker ... oh ... and a yellow copic marker to make my rhinestone golden!  I also sponged Tangela Memento ink on the outside petals of my flower to give it more dimension.  The finishing touches!

 

  

 

And now ... the TUTORIAL!  I picked a palette that I thought would show up well on film.  OH!  And it reminded me of the cold, harsh weather that was coming down outside ... freezing rain.  It was truly more gray outside but my insides felt ice cold blue like this card!

 

First I cut my card to size and then score it.  I DON'T fold it at this point though!  I align my cardstock with my die cut and then run it through the die cutting machine.  I scored it afterward.  Yes, it is premium cardstock which results in a harsh fold line!

 

 

Next I took a piece of scratch paper and ran it through my die cutter to make a mask.

 

I added some glue on the back of my mask to hold it in place while I work.  I let the glue dry completely before putting it on my card.  A heat tool speeds up this process {smiles}.

 

Next I position my mask on my card ... you can't see it but the card is facing FACE DOWN.  The back flap is standing straight up in the air. 

 

And then I lay the back flap onto my mask and pat it to adhere my mask.

 

I let go and it pops right up!  You can see that my mask has adhered in place.

 

When I open up the card to begin work everything is ready to go!

 

If you notice ... I stamped my image on my mask ... towards the top ... in the area I want to adhere it to the finished card.  I did this just to give me an idea of how I wanted my color to be placed.

 

I used post it notes to create a rough edge ...

 

and then I started inking ...

 

and inking ...

 

and inking ...

 

until I was okay with it.  I was wishing I had hydra sponges!

 

The BAM moment is when you remove the post it note mask!  I LOVE that!

 

Then I put my post it note mask in place and prepared for my next shade of blue.

 

Same process ...

 

YIKES!  I have a heavy hand but nothing I can do about that now!

 

 

 

For my last shade I just used the original mask I added to the card.

 

TIP:  I ALWAYS place my sponge on top of the color it goes with while I am working!  Otherwise I WILL grab the wrong sponge and {ruin} what I was trying to create.

 

After I finished I removed the main mask and then erased up any glue spots left by my Glue Marker. 

 

And then I put my mask back on because I forgot to add a touch of blue to my bottom color ... and it needed it! 

 

 

Next I set my card aside to 'settle' and began creating the frame for the front of the card.

This is how I place my dies on my magnetic sheet.  (For the first card I used the scallop circle die on the outside and a plain circle die on the inside).   

 

Then run it through your machine!  I didn't use the 'inside' pieces for this card but save those!  You can use them on future cards!

 

 

I hadn't yet tried embossing the frame and using an embossed frame on any of my window cards so I thought I'd give it a whirl.  It turned out GORGEOUS!

 

However, it didn't fit!  That little 'pinch' is just enough to make it NOT line up on your card!  So that was a no-no for this card.

 

And then I put all of the pieces together and added some Scrappers Floss!

 

 

Remember that I have a VERY bright light pointed at my card so that is why you are seeing the image on the back of the card flap.  On the actual card it is white as can be and not an inkling of ink has seeped through! 

 

 

 

 

ONE LAST TIP!  I thought I was SO clever!  I use my Glossy Accents so much that the tip tends to get clogged up now and then.  So I decided to keep my pin with my accents.  I gently pushed the pin into the plastic bottle.  About the 3rd time I was using my accents I looked down and I had DOTS of Glossy Accents randomly on my card ... here and there ... and EVERYWHERE!  What the heck!  It took me about 5 minutes to realize they were coming from my teeny, tiny pin hole!  YIKES!  Don't try this at home!

 

Happy Paper Crafting!

Mischelle

Supplies used:

happy for you owl card: premium white and brown cardstock, dandelion, cantaoupe, tangelo and tuxedo black memento inks, spanish orange, sunburst yellow, pale vermillion, pumpkin orange, limepeel, apple green, olive green, dark green, burnt ochre, dark umber and dark brown prismacolor pencils, odorless mineral spirits, glossy accents, pop dots, brown marker, white gel pen, yellow copic marker, orange flower, glue dots, scallop circle and circle nesties dies, sponge, thoughts and prayers t3343, whooo loves ya ta3324, you whoo t3393

many thanks angel kitty card: premium white and blue cardstock, summer sky, danube blue, paris dusk and tuxedo black memento ink, cool gray 10%, cool gray 20%, cool gray 30%, sky blue light, powder, blue, imperial violet, violet blue, indigo blue, mulberry and black grape prismacolor pencils, odorless mineral spirits, pop dots, white gel pen, blue scrappers floss, nesties dies, sponge, glossy accents, bless your heart ta3238 and bow chica bow wow t3230

What NOT to do FOLLOW UP

I promised you a follow up to my 'What NOT to do' Mini Album ...

Well, I've been working on the neatest follow up project and it is FUN!!!!!  So much FUN in fact ... we decided to make a mini version of it as a Make and Take Project for Seminar 2008 Just Dream!  So you won't be seeing it just yet after all.

In the meantime ... I received an email from a friend with an idea to turn my 'lemon' of a project into freshly squeezed lemonade!  I haven't completed it just yet but look forward to sharing the idea soon!  It's a GREAT twist that we can all incorporate when a project goes bad!

I have an AWESOME tutorial (that I have been waiting to share since February) that will be going live on this blog May 1.  It incorporates one of my all time favorite paper collections Bella Flor so I hope you check back on the 1st!  Until then ... thanks for stopping by!

What NOT to do!

I had firmly decided that I was NOT going to post this little piece ... however ... my inspiration returned after an evening off and I'm wrapping up my replacement project this week.  So consider this a really BAD teaser for what I think is turning out to be a really GREAT project that is on its way!  So here it is ... the UGLY!

Have you ever had a project go bad?  I mean ... really take a turn somewhere along the way and go HORRIBLY WRONG?!  Well, that's what happened with this mini album.  And oh!  How I've debated sharing this with you ... but ... I feel like I have a duty ... and that duty is to prevent YOU from making this same HORRIBLE mistake!

I warn you ... what you are about to see is NOT pretty!  Not even close!

It all started with good intentions.  You see ... I had these photographs left over from a class I had taken.  We never used them in class!  They were all cut to the size required and ready to drop into my layout.  Well, when we got to the class ... it really had nothing to do with the photos we were required to bring.  So as I was straightening up the other day ... I found these photos.  They were all cut to size and ready to go.  Each photo represented something that made me happy.  PERFECT!  Half my work was done.

So ... I was so tired I thought I'd do something REALLY simple.  Take one page design and use it for every layout.  This is a common technique and the results are always great.  The main thing is to just rotate the layout every now and then for interest.  So, I pulled out my square chipboard and covered it with Lilly Anna Cardstock.  Then added my photos.  Before I embellished too heavily ... I wanted to go ahead and bind my mini album.  I've learned the hard way ... you BIND as soon as you can versus AFTER you've embellished.  So I finished my foundation and punched the bind-it-all holes in my mini album.  And then I bound it.

What you are about to see is what the layout was SUPPOSED to look like after binding ... and what it LOOKED LIKE after I bound it.  Of course ... on the SUPPOSED to look like ... try to NOT visualize the bind-it-all holes punched at the top!

Inside spread #1 SUPPOSED to look like layout ...

Inside spread #1 ... LOOKED like after binding ...

Inside spread #2 SUPPOSED to look like layout ...

Inside spread #2 ... LOOKED like after binding ...

Inside spread #3 SUPPOSED to look like layout ...

Inside spread #3 ... LOOKED like after binding ...

Inside spread #4 SUPPOSED to look like layout ...

I know you MUST be asking ... what makes me happy about this photo?  #40 is MY boy!  There were SIX kids (one is in front) from the blue team trying to take my boy down and he drug them along for a dozen yards or so!  (Okay ... don't really know how far ... but it was FAR!).  This is one proud mama!

Inside spread #4 ... LOOKED like after binding ... (this wasn't a proud mama) ...

Inside spread #5 SUPPOSED to look like layout ... (NOTE the pink cardstock background on the left and right pages) ...

Inside spread #5 ... LOOKED like after binding ... SERIOUSLY!  What happened to my other pink background?!  Did you see it on the previous layout?  That's where it is.

The only thing I can say in my defense is ... I was trying out a new liquid glue that a manufacturer wants us to start carrying and the fumes were apparently stronger than I had first thought.  That and it was after midnight!

Can I tell you how HAPPY I am that I didn't embellish any farther!  I wanted to add in the 'details' AFTER I had bound the album because it's hard to use the bind-it-all if you have too many layers of embellishments on your pages!

Thank goodness I hadn't adhered the front or back cover layouts yet!

Ok.  So this is what NOT to do.  I am going to make another one of these albums.  At this point ... it's not because I WANT to ... it's because I HAVE too!  Surely, surely ... I'm smarter than a bind-it-all???!  Don't worry ... I'll let you know if I am!