Making Beautiful Memories Cards

Hi everyone!  Today I am sharing a couple of cards I made using some of the fabulous frames you can find in the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts online shop.  There are many other items you can find, too, to use as embellishments for your card making.

Green card:

Cut a small square off the end of one of the sheets to fit  behind the flourished heart frame.

Trim around outer edge of heart.  Do not adhere to back yet.

Ink bottom heart with Versamark ink pad, then heat emboss with gold embossing powder.

After embossing cools, run gold leafing pen along outer edge of heart.

Glue paper heart to back of heart frame.  Set aside.

Ink the top of the heart with Versamark ink pad, then heat emboss with shabby white embossing powder.  This embossing powder has large white chunks.  I thought I would need two coats, but I like the result of just one coat.

 

After embossing cools, run gold leafing pen along outer edge of heart.  I wasn't trying for perfection.  I just put the gold where the pen could reach.

Glue the two hearts together.

Take one of the solid hearts in the heart background set and glue a coordinating piece of paper over the front.  Trim excess paper and then run gold leafing pen around edge.

Glue this piece to the center of the heart frame.

Cut a piece of 8-1/2"x11" cream card stock to 7"x10", fold in half to make a 5"x7" folded card.  Distress and ink paper edges and begin adding print paper layers, as shown below.  I used Vintage Photo on the tan colored papers, and Iced Spruce on the green print papers.

Then add scalloped edge piece from paper pad collection to the left hand side of the card.

Add flourished heart frame to bottom right of card, as shown.

Cut out one of the sentiments from the paper pad, adhere to left of flourished heart frame with foam tape.  Shape wings of one of the butterflies from the collectibles pack, edge with Vintage Photo, and adhere the body of the butterfly only, as shown.

Color a length of off-white seam binding with the Bundled Sage distress ink and spritzed with water.  Let dry.

Make a double bow and attach to the card just below the sentiment.

Peach card:

Cut a strip from the paper and trim with decorative paper punch, as shown.'

Ink Ironwork Frame with Versamark ink pad, then heat emboss with Desert Tapestry embossing powder.

Re-heat embossing powder on Ironwork Frame, sprinkle Shabby Pink over hot powder, then re-heat with heat tool.  Work in sections for this technique.

Re-heat embossing powder on Ironwork Frame, randomly sprinkle more Desert Tapestry over hot powder, then heat re-heat with heat tool.  Work in sections for this technique.

Use Tattered Rose distress ink pad to add color to the embossing powder to help it match the papers, then lightly reheat the embossing powder to capture the ink and make it permanent.

Turn frame over and place a line of Tombow mono glue around oval.  Let glue dry.  It will be tacky but removable.

Place frame, glue side down, over a piece of coordinating paper.

Hold frame up to a light and mark around the frame opening with a pencil.

Trim away excess around oval opening.  I used a craft knife, but if you prefer using scissors, you will be able to lift the paper and cut around the pencil lines with this glue.  It is only permanent if you place it down while the glue is still wet.

Place a line of foam tape along the punched paper strip and adhere to top of card.  Trim excess paper from both sides.

Glue frame to card front, as shown.

Use a scrap of the green print paper and punch several leaf shapes.

Fill area around frame opening with flowers and leaves.  Adhere these in between the flowers, as shown.

Supplies Used:

GSL Flourished Heart Frame
GSL Hearts Background
GSL Ironwork Frame
Rustic Harmony 6.5"x6.5" paper pad (Kaisercraft)
Rustic Harmony Collectibles die cuts (Kaisercraft)
Cardstock (5"x7" pre-folded card)
Queen's Gold embossing powder (Ranger)
Shabby White embossing powder (Stamendous)
Shabby Pink embossing powder (Stamendous)
Krylon 18ct Gold Leafing Pen
Vintage Doily decorative edge punch (Martha Stewart)
Tombow Mono Adhesive Glue
Distress Ink Pads (Vintage Photo, Iced Spruce, Tattered Rose)
5/8" wide off-white seam binding
Floral embellishments
Foam tape
Distressing tool

I hope you enjoyed my cards tutorial today.  Be sure to visit Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts for more ideas and more chipboard to enhance any of your art projects.

Thanks for stopping by!

Barbara

Mon Amour Memory Tray

Hello everyone!  February is the month of Mon Amour, and I guess I am still in "Love" mode, so I want to share my GSL Memory Tray Shadowbox using Graphic 45's Mon Amour paper collection.

I always do a dry fit of my chipboard, just to make sure I know how the pieces will fit together. This also helps if you a gluing directional printed papers to the pieces.

NOTE:  This shadowbox uses dovetail joints to join the pieces together for strength.  A dovetail joint is a series of pins cut to extend from the end of one board that interlock with a series of tails, or slots, cut into the end of another board.

First, cut five  2-1/8" wide strips from one sheet of 12x12 paper.  To cover the sides and shelf strips, first cover the side that will need to have the tails, or slots, recut into them.  Never cover the pins or they will not fit into the slots.

Right side that needs the slots cut out

Wrong side that has the slots cut out

Wrap and glue remaining paper over to the opposite side.  Do not recut the slots on this side.  The paper will cover the areas where the pins are inserted into the slots for a clean finish.

This side will be on the outside of the box, so do not cut the slots out.

I fussy cut images from the paper collection and decided where I wanted to place them.  Then I cut background pieces that would complement the images.  Rather than give you minute measurements, I always find it easiest to measure the pieces by laying the paper down and measuring against the chipboard itself.  Mark the spot with a pencil and take the paper to your paper trimmer for best results.

Cover the back of the shadowbox completely, including the pins.  This will cover the "works" when the shelves and sides are glued.  Trim away excess paper.

Glue the shelves and sides together, fitting each piece as you go.

Cut the Hearts Background apart, making the edges uneven, and paint the two pieces with red paint.

Cut and glue small pieces of the print papers to fit behind the open hearts, then glue the Hearts Background sections to the back of the shadowbox, as shown,  I also stamped the solid hearts with a crackle stamp and black archival ink.

Color the Love Heart chipboard with the red paint, then dab gold ink over the piece, concentrating on the word Love. I also treated Kiss Me the same and glued to the front, as shown in the photos.

Glue the Love Heart to the back and add diamond swirls gems to the back, as shown.

Adhere the fussy cut embellishments from the paper collection, using two layers of pop dots to lift the images in each shadowbox section.  I used flowers, charms, jewelry pieces, and anything I could think of that looked good.

I fussy cut the large image of the pretty lady and adhered her to the left side of the shadowbox.  I also painted two wooden barrel shaped pieces with the red paint and a layer of interference gold paint.  Enamel dots were added to the front and back of the barrel pieces.

Here are closeup photos of each section of the shadowbox.

Supplies Used:

GSL Memory Tray Shadowbox
GSL Word Art Romance
GSL Hearts Background
Graphic 45 Mon Amour paper collection
Black card stock
Embellishments:  flowers, leaves, jewelry pieces, charms, fussy cut images, gem swirls
Foam dots

I hope you enjoyed my project today and that you are inspired a bit to make one of these fun and easy shadowboxes from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts for yourself.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

Barbara