Monday, January 30, 2012

Merry Monday Shaker Cards

I was thrilled that one of my favorite cardmakers started a Merry Monday Sketch Challenge to get us ahead on  Christmas cards - unfortunately, she's on sketch #5 and I have only done one of the previous sketches.  I always have great intentions but then the week gets away from me with other card needs.  So this week, I decided to do it first thing Monday.

The sketch has a basic circle, so I thought I would put together my first ever shaker card.  Sounded like a fun thing to do and then to take up to my cardmaking group this week to duplicate.

NOT fun.

So not fun, that I will likely never do a shaker card again.

It's generally quite easy and there are great tools out there to help (check out the Shaker Frame adhesive by Stampin' Up).  The problem is static!!  Did  you know that if you google "static in shaker cards" you get 11 million hits!!  And the solutions are all ugly.  They all seem to involve old dryer sheets or Swiffer cloths, BUT...you not only have to de-static the little window, you should also pour the little glass beads into a cloth and "gently" roll them around until they are de-staticed also.  Seriously!!??

My 16-year old had to come watch every time that I tried something else, because I would hold the supposedly static-free plastic window over the glass beads and they would come "alive" and leap into the air to stick to the plastic window.

Finally, I read someone's plea for help that said she was at a gathering and they made shaker cards using page protectors, but now she is home using the fancy clear cardstock and everything is sticking.  Ding...ding...ding.  Forget the fancy stuff - I ran down to my husband's office and stole a page protector.  After I swore a few times when the stuff wouldn't punch and would barely cut with a nestability - it actually works!!

This is most definitely a case of expensive isn't better.

If anybody has had better luck or has advice, please let me know.

(Actually...don't let me know...I don't plan on doing these ever again.)

If you have read through that long saga - here's the card...


And I have only just realized that I was going to put three little white glitter dots in the bottom right corner to take the place of the sentiment in the sketch, but this card is most definitely DONE.


  • Stamps: Papertrey Ink tag-its #9
  • Paper: Stampin' Up Green Galore textured CS, Melon Mambo, My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas dsp
  • Ink: Stampin' Up Melon Mambo, Green Galore, Bermuda Bay, Papertrey Hawaiian Shores
  • Accessories: Martha Stewart doilies (the package calls them "tags"), Stampin' Up Mambo ribbon, Martha Stewart Glass Microbeads, Stampin' Up Shaker Frames, circle punches, page protector

13 comments:

  1. LOL! Oh dear, I don't have any help with static on the shaker cards as I have only used Mica flakes. My issue was the shaker frame....I couldn't get it to lay in a nice perfect circle! Grrrr! But this is very cute despite the frustration!!

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  2. Your post is hilarious, I have never attempted a shaker card and now I am doubting I ever will! LOL! Very cute card indeed!!! I love that doily...going to go look for that today at M's. Thanks for joining me Kim!
    Lesley

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  3. So cool! Yay for getting a Christmas card done!

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  4. Oh my! I giggled ... I hope you don't mind! I am still smiling as I write. I am thinking I might not invest in the shakers! Thanks for the heads up! Hugs xxx

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  5. Oh Kim you made me laugh! Sorry to say but your trials were funny. The end result is a super card though. x

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  6. Love your post! In the end this turned out to be a great shaker card. I just made a shaker card last week and I always save the clear packaging from products that I buy to use for this purpose. Maybe you should give shaker cards a try again! :) Great card.

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  7. Every time I see one of these shaker cards, I think I need to try it. Thanks for the warning. You've probably saved me a lot of frustration. It did turn out good though.

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  8. OK the one and only shaker card I did made me crazy! And I had to do 40 of them as party invites. Since the retirees were headed to FL we did a beach theme and so the shaker box was supposed to look like sand - had a pail and shovel behind it for an image. Nothibg worked - everything stuck to the plastic - not a lot of good shaking going on. And then......we tried Kitty Litter - the kind with a bit of sparkle in it and a spot of turquoise here or there - worked like a charm! Didn't stick, sparkled, and shook beautifully - and no one knew.....until I told them :) Glad you are joining us!

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  9. Oh, Kim, I'm sorry the shaker card caused so much drama! Makes for a darn funny story though. :). And the card is really cute. Maybe you should keep it since you'll never make another...

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  10. Fabulous shaker card, I love the bright colours. Your tale of shaker static made me smile :) Have a wonderful day.

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  11. What a great post! I had to giggle while reading your shaker saga. I don't think I am likely to try doing a shaker card - too much drama and I prefer to keep drama out of my card life. ;) I love your card and the colors you used are just dynamite and the shaker frame is adorable!

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  12. I had also sworn off shaker cards UNTIL I attended a class by the Paper Cut with their pre-cut shaker card sets. They come with a card, an overlay and the shaker--soooo easy. I've made many more at home since then, all different sizes and shapes. To get rid of static, you can use a dryer sheet before filling the shaker. Try it again!

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