Stretching the Tools We Have: Adding Ink to an Embossed Image

 

Embossing folders are pretty good value for money. But the best thing about them is that they are so versatile. Today I want to show you another card technique that you can use with those embossing folders. Adding a bit of color after you run your cardstock through your die cut machine in the embossing folder helps you stretch that supply just a bit more. Just adding that bit of ink to your embossed image really does make a difference. I hope you will try this card making technique soon so you can make your own handmade card.

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you find things that inspire you. I love this hobby so much, so I enjoy sharing my cards with all of you. Hope to see you all soon. Be sure to check out my links below for where to follow me besides here. If you wish to support this channel even more, please see the buy me a coffee link over on the right hand banner bar. Have a great day! Happy Crafting! You can check the video out here for this card.

What is an Upright Z Fold? Glad to Share

 

I have made a few z cards, but an upright Z fold? I don’t think so, but today that is going to all change. I think this card can be done by a beginner card maker easily. For me, I wanted to make sure it closes well, so I used a wooden button. I think next time, I will want to use something that is a bit flatter. With the button, I would need to send this in a padded envelope, or this would have to be a card that is hand-delivered.

Well, after watching this how to video, do you think you will try an upright Z fold? If you are a greeting card maker, I hope you will give it a try. Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you find things that inspire you. I love this hobby so much, so I enjoy sharing my cards with all of you. Hope to see you all soon. If you wish to support this channel even more, please see the buy me a coffee link that is on the right hand banner. Have a great day! Happy Crafting!

There is a video, if you want to see this card being constructed here.

Using What You Have to Create the Card You Want

 Though I would really love to own every tool in the cardmaking world, I do not. So sometimes, you must improvise. You use what you have to make what you want. In the case of this card making how to tutorial I am showing you how I constructed a lattice for this card. If you have a die that cuts a lattice this would be super simple, but I didn’t have one, so strips of paper layered between layers of cardstock worked just as well. This DIY worked out well I think. All it took to finish it off was a few flowers. To make it coordinate I colored the strips of paper with copic markers.

What cards have you made lately that you used what you have to make what you want? Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you find things that inspire you. I love this hobby so much, so I enjoy sharing my cards with all of you. Hope to see you all soon.. If you wish to support this channel even more, please see the buy me a coffee link on the right hand banner bar. Have a great day! Happy Crafting! Yes, there is a video, you can watch it here.

This Kind of Fingerprinting is Fun

 Yes, this kind of fingerprinting is fun. Ever thought of using your fingerprints as part of a card design? I did and I am so happy with how this DIY card tutorial turned out. Make those fingerprints into little chickees to help celebrate someone’s birthday. I think this would be cute for a kid or grown-up alike.

I keep thinking about what other greeting cards I could make using fingerprints. This is I think one of the best how-to tutorials for beginners. Think you might try it? If so please tag me #samanthadesigns. I would love to see what you decide to make using your fingerprints as the focal point.

Happy crafting!

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you find things that inspire you. I love this hobby so much, so I enjoy sharing my cards with all of you. Hope to see you all soon. If you wish to support this channel even more, please see the buy me a Coffee link over on the right banner. Have a great day!

To see the video that goes with this card head here.

Emboss Resist Using a Kid's Watercolor Set

 Not every card making technique needs the fanciest of supplies. Today’s card I revisited a staple how-to, embossing resist. I also did this quickly using a kids watercolor set that I bought my son probably 7 years ago or so. It still has plenty of use left, so I thought I might as well use it. I love it since it had some bright colors in it that would match the washi tape I was going to use as the focal images. I took the washi tape, layered it on cardstock then used a die to cut out the images to make them look like postage stamps. I think this worked pretty well. 😉

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you find things that inspire you. I love this hobby so much, so I enjoy sharing my cards with all of you. Hope to see you all soon. Be sure to check out the video for this card here. If you wish to support this channel even more, please see the buy me a coffee link on the blog bar to the right. Have a great day! Happy Crafting!

Using Some Digital Patterned Paper

Digital paper is a great way to really add different looks to your projects without spending a lot of money. I love digital paper, digital stamps, etc when creating. You don’t have to use the die cutting machines like Cricut, either. If you have Word, a printer, and some dies, then you have more than enough to get started using digital mediums you print on paper in your papercrafting. For today’s greeting card, I used a Pinterest Pin to inspire me. I broke out that music digital paper I just downloaded into Word the printed it out. Then I made these cute cards using minimal supplies. I hope you will try this card making idea next time you get a chance to play with your stash. Thank you for stopping by my channel. I hope you find things that inspire you. I love this hobby so much, so I enjoy sharing my cards with all of you. Hope to see you all soon. Be sure to check out the video for this card here. If you wish to support this channel even more, please see the buy me a coffee link on the right side bar. Have a great day! Happy Crafting!

Easel Cards are Fun, So Let's Try a Twisted Easel Card

 

I have made several easel cards. They are one of my favorite how-to cards to make. However, this is the first time I tried the twisted easel card. It took a bit for me to get the hang of it for sure. I think the best advice I can give is that whatever is the focal point, make sure you only glue half of it down, or the fold won’t work (I have made that mistake before). Hope that will make this card making idea a bit easier for you. I believe even a beginner card maker can do this so don’t let it intimidate you. You are a diy queen, you got this for sure!

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you find things that inspire you. I love this hobby so much, so I enjoy sharing my cards with all of you. Hope to see you all soon. Be sure to see the buy me a coffee link to the right on the side bar if you wish to support my blog/videos. Of course, you want to watch the video, right? Then head here. Have a great day! Happy Crafting!

Making Handmade Feathers for Your Projects

You could use several different items to make your own feathers. Patterned paper, duct tape, vinyl would work too. I used washi tape for this diy tutorial. Did you know you could make your own homemade feathers? I was very pleased when I tried this years ago, so I still will make some from time to time. For the center of the washi tape, I used twine. I think wire would be great here as well. If you have those scissors that make several even cuts in a row that will make this, go quicker. I don’t have a pair of those, so I just use regular scissors to make all my snips. This is such a simple diy, I am sure you have supplies on hand to make a few feathers the next time you have some crafting time.

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you find things that inspire you. I love this hobby so much, so I enjoy sharing my cards with all of you. Hope to see you all soon. Be sure to check out the video to make these feathers here. If you wish to support this channel even more, please see the buy me a coffee link over on the side bar. Have a great day! Happy Crafting!

 

Four cards From One Sheet of 6 x 6 Patterned Paper

 

Ya’ll I never thought this would work. Who knew it was so easy to make four cards from one 6 x 6 piece of patterned paper. I am just wowed! This card technique should be used if you need to crank out some cards to put together for a quick present for sure. This requires minimal supplies. Beginner card makers should keep this on file. I hope you find this how-to tutorial easy to follow since this is such a short video. If you want a slower version, just let me know.

I am still trying to use up all my spellbinders card kits from 2021, so that is where this patterned paper came from. I think it really is going to take years to get all those pieces used. I am kind of glad I stopped the subscription. I mean really this stuff lasts forever. But the patterned paper in kits hooks me every time! What of this hobby seems to grab you? I get hooked by it all really, inks, stamps, embellishments, patterned paper, washi tape…the list goes on. Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you find things that inspire you. I love this hobby so much, so I enjoy sharing my cards with all of you. Hope to see you all soon. Be sure to check out the video found here.

Got Coffee Loving Friends? Hope This Card Inspires

 I wish I was a coffee lover, but I am not. In fact, I am not really a person who likes any hot drinks except cocoa. It’s iced tea all the way for me. That has nothing to do with this card at all but thought I’d share. 😉

This was inspired by a Pin I have over on my sketch Pinterest Board, sure you got that. I have the link below if you want to follow any of my Pinterest Boards. Be prepared, they are arranged in very broad categories.

I have so many coffee die cuts that this was a perfect sketch to break those out for to add to this slim line card. I used Copics to color the coffee cups. So, this makes this diy very personalized, tying in the colors together.

I hope you enjoy this how-to, it really isn’t that hard, is it? I think this is a greeting card you can totally change to fit your style or any theme. That is what I love about card sketches, you get to make them your own.

Now, this would not be a card making idea to try if it did not have some washi tape in it. You know how I feel about washi tape. I must try to use it as much as possible since I have a huge washi tape stash.

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you find things that inspire you. I love this hobby so much so I enjoy my cards with all of you. See the video for this card here.

Need a Quick Simple Card, Here You Go

 Quick simple, handmade cards are exactly what everyone needs. I was recently in the store looking at some cards, then made this face 😲. Granted the cards I make are not large but wow they were pricey. I will keep my high-priced craft goodies in tow instead so I can make my own. For this with just a card base and some dollar tree items, you could do this very cheaply. You don't have to have all the goodies I have. 😀 I hope you will try out this very simple card technique when you get a chance. It will only take minutes. To see the card at the top being made please watch the video found here.

Ever Made A Tower Card? You should.

If you ever want to try out a simple card, this is the one to try. This is perfect for the card making beginner to give a shot. I have never tried the tower card and I am so glad I did. This handmade card only took a short time after determining what stamps I wanted to use. I hope you will follow me if you like this video to see other great ideas that may inspire you. To watch the video that goes along with this card go here.

 

Inspiration Allows Creation With Your Stash

Whenever I peruse Pinterest, I do find great cards that give me inspiration. I mean between card techniques and card sketches it is a field day. But sometimes it is just an image that sparks you, or maybe a color scheme. Today it was the birds I saw on the card, though I knew I did not have any cardinals, I did use birds on today's card. Hope you enjoy it! To see the corresponding video, head here.

 

How to Use Braided Cardstock on a Card

 Card making can be so easy or as tough as you make it. Now braiding the cardstock was a new technique for me, but putting together this card was super simple. This is a diy all can do. So for card making tutorial, I am just showing you how this card came to be. The first layer was a simple 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 piece of cardstock that I cut a frame using a stitched square die. The braided pieces went behind it. Then I layered this all on the card base, adding just a few stickers. One of those stickers came from Dollar Tree. I love showing you all how to make cards like this. It is a homemade treasure I hope someone appreciates when they receive it.

In case you are wondering, the other stickers came from those Spell binders Card Club Kits from back in 2021. I am just letting you know if you are one who wants to join a club kit, understand those kits will last and last. I have several months’ worth and I am not sure when I will ever use one up completely….maybe 2026?

To watch this card come together just go to the video here.

Use All Your Leftover Scraps for a Second Card

When you are making handmade or homemade cards, you want to use all your patterned paper scraps. You want bang for your buck for sure. So here is another card making tutorial 2023 for your list of things to do with your scraps. All card maker beginners can do this one. Just use what you must make another super simple card using what was left from the first card I made using this Echo Park March kit. Since this is a double-sided piece of paper, you are able to use up all those scraps on the second card, leaving virtually nothing behind. This DIY can be done using minimal supplies. Just the cardstock, a card base, adhesive, and a cut apart from the same 6 x 6 paper pack. It really is that easy. Do not forget to help coordinate the inside of the card. On this card, I used that small scrap to make a banner. That went on the inside of the card tying it all together. The only accents added were a couple of chipboard pieces from the collection. You could add bling, sequins, or anything else if you wish. As always, there is a video. It can be found here.

Let's Cut Up a 6 x 6 Paper Pad

 

It is so hard to cut into a new pad. It is also hard to use up a pad. (laughing to myself) I am not sure the last time I finished off a complete pad in making my papercrafts. But I keep at it! This is part of the March Echo Park Club Kit I showed you a few videos ago. It is time to use it to make some cards. The best thing about this kit is it has all the elements you need except for card bases, adhesive, and other elements from your stash. If you are a cardmaking beginner, you may want to check out a kit like this. In the end, the fact that it is handmade is really the biggest element. I am just loving this kit and thinking of other crafts I can make with it. The possibilities are endless for sure. Well, enough jabbering, I will show you my process of how I decide I am going to cut into this pad. Then in the end I make the first card using this kit. There is really no card making technique in this video, but I am sure I will be adding some as I move forward with this kit. Hope you get some crafting today.

There is a video, you can find it here. It is only 1 minute long so it won't take much of your time at all.

Making Card Sketches Your Own

 

I love card sketches. Whoever it was that had the first idea to share a sketch, just thank you. Between my Pinterest board for card sketches and the one for color combinations, I really don’t have to put a lot of effort in. That is an effort in coming up with an idea. But what is great about card sketches is that you can make them your own. A card sketch can be interpreted in so many ways. With different stamps, papers, and embellishments it becomes something uniquely yours. With the card sketches, I have been experimenting a bit more with color combinations that I don’t usually use. I did that on today’s handmade card. Again, if you like crafts, you may just want to try cardmaking. It is so much fun. I like it especially because I can’t draw so the fact of using a stamp to “draw” for me is so much fun. Then I get to play around with the colors, textures, patterns, etc. to then make a great card that I think a friend would love to receive. Sorry, I didn’t share here the technique of adding color to an embossed background. I will share that soon I promise. Hope you get some crafting in today. The video for these cards can be found here if you want to check it out.

Making a Shaped Card Using Dies

 

It is so simple to make a shaped card, yet I don’t do it enough. So, today’s the day, to take one of my shaped dies and use it to make a card base. From there, I added a couple of other techniques I have used in the past. I did not use an embossing folder, instead, I used my score board to make score lines after I stamped the image I wanted to use. From there I added some bling on each section where those embossed lines met. I decided to keep this simple, so I did not color the image. Instead, those gems just catch the light each time I tilt the card. This is why I love handmade cards. You get to DIY it in a way that you love. If you haven’t yet tried card making as a craft, you should. It is so fun to put together homemade items and then send them to a special someone. Please take a look at the video here.

Simple DIY Paper Braiding

 As always, I am looking for new things to try in my card-making. That is what led to this simple paper braiding. I will post soon the finished card I made with the two braids I completed. I hope you will give this craft a try. I want to try this at some point with double-sided patterned paper. I think it would look fabulous. Once I got comfortable with the paper braiding, it became simple. The colors I chose were purposely picked. I thought I would use this on a masculine card, though I am not sure the card I eventually made would be considered a card that is masculine. You’ll have to let me know what you think.

This handmade braid could be used in so many ways. You really have to try this DIY craft when you get the chance. Let me know what other papercrafts you decide to add this to in the comments below. Yes, I included a video here for you to watch the entire braid being made.

Acrylic Paint Swiping

 So, let's just swipe some paint on cardstock, to see where we end up. That is all I did today. I used acrylic paint. I think a reinker would work for this as well. Then built on those backgrounds once they dried. You could of, course use a paintbrush, but I just used my finger to do this quickly. To see the video of this card being pulled together head here.

Hershy Kisses Easter Basket

 To see this one you will have to head to my YouTube Channel.  Since this is for my kiddo, I did not get a picture before I put it up to bring out tomorrow morning.  Head here and here to see both 1-minute videos.

Planner Stickers in Cardmaking

 I admit it ...I am never going to be someone who keeps a planner. I like to buy stickers, but that is one papercraft that I really don't see myself embracing. So let's use some of those stickers on a card. That I will do. Yes, there is a video you can watch...just head here.

Using Card Sketches

 

Another Pintrest Inspired card. This time from my pinned card sketches. Use those Pins..there is so much inspiration there. This was super simple, which is what I love about card sketches. It helps keep things simple. To see more about this card please check out the 1-minute video found here.

Graphic Watercolor Background

 

I want something bright, so here is what I came up with. I got to use my Gina K Masking paper for the first time. I have heard great things about this paper. It did not disappoint. This was super simple. It is great for men and women. With just a few supplies you are good to go. If you can write well, you could just handwrite a sentiment instead. Hope you try out your paints...I know you have some in your stash, if not you can use your inks as watercolors. That would work too. You can watch this video here.

Triple Mat Stamping

 Decided to go back in time a bit. I have never in all the years of cardmaking made a triple mat stamped card. Not sure why I waited so long. There is probably more than one way to do this but here is the video showing how I decided how to tackle this.

Washi Ruffled Edge

 I am loving using washi in a new way. Making ruffled flowers was cool. This washi-ruffled edge though is just the 💣. To see the video creating this washi ruffle head here.

Pinterest Inspired Card 2- Cardsketch

So this is part of my new series where I am taking all those pins on Pinterest so they can do their job..Inspire me. Here is card 2. There will be 52 of them in total...eventually. This inspiration came from my cardsketch board. Super simple but effective. There is also a video if you want to check it out here.

 

Fast Masculine Birthday Cards-Split Card Technique

 I am keeping it super simple today, using the split card technique to make 4 card panel fronts at once. This leads to super simple, super cute birthday cards that are great for men. To see the video, head here.

Washi Flowers

 I believe this is by far the most fun I have had with washi tape, hands down. 5 Star Do Recommend! Here is where you watch the video to see the flowers being made.

Adult Coloring Page- Made into a Card

 So I picked an adult coloring book up at dollar tree. Of course, that meant a card was going to be made as soon as I got one of the images colored. I like finding things that may be unexpected to add to a card. This is just as good as some of the background papers I own. Check out your dollar tree for some alternative options if you are on a budget. To see the video for this card head here.

This was pretty quick to color so I decided to do a second one. 

Pinterest Inspired Card 1-Using my Stash

 

Though I made this for Valentine's day the card could be customized for any occasion. I hope this is inspiring. If you want to check out my pinned boards as you follow along, the link is below. The video of how I made this card is here.