Cards for Church: How?

Part 4 of a series on Church Card Ministries

Now it is time to get ready for a cardmaking session.  Gather all of your crafters!

Our cardmaking group is open to everybody!  We have people who only ever ink a stamp at our monthly gathering, Stampin' Up demonstrators, people who have been published and one wonderful lady who has won a national contest!  Our challenge is satisfying all levels of crafters and allowing them to successfully create cards.

We make sure that we have a variety cards to fit all levels and to interest all cardmakers.

We have cards that work for experienced crafters. This card looks fairly simple but it involves heat embossing (the bird is embossed in copper) and watercoloring.  Plus there is a bow and a lot of people panic when they see a bow. 

Here's another card that is a little tough - rock-n-rolled image, border punch, and a line of plants behind the image.

We have cards with new techniques.  I have used this looped ribbon technique before (see this post for instructions) but I have not taken it to our cardmaking group yet.

We try to have cards that use fun new toys.  I recently purchased this die set from Clear Dollar Stamps.  Check out their display of all of the fun uses.  The card also uses a coordinating stamp set from Clear Dollar.

Be sure to remember absolute beginners.  This card does have a Cuttlebugged background but I find that new stampers get very excited when they run something through the Cuttlebug and see the texture!  This card just involves a basic stamp, an embossing folder, two punches and a simple knot in the ribbon.

We ask that each designer create card kits with all the supplies pre-cut and ready to go.  Usually a card's worth of supplies fit into a pencil box or an oversized pencil box.  (FYI - I always take my Cuttlebug machine along with me because I use so many embossing folders or die cuts.)  Don't forget punches, special adhesives, etc.

Pre-cut and ready to go!

Boxed into an oversize pencil box.

Here's another fairly simple card.  This card has some coloring with Copics.  Our group LOVES to color.  I think it takes them back to their childhood!  Cards with coloring are always the first ones that are made.  This card also uses a "cheater's bow" because nobody that I work with likes to make real bows!  ("Cheater's bow" instructions follow the pictures.)

I'm looking at this picture and
realized that I didn't add the
stamps.  I guess I better do that
before I box everything up!!

Boxed into a regular size pencil box.

Here are the pictures describing how to do a "cheater's bow".  This would definitely be better in video format but I don't have the ability to make a good video!!

Cut a strip of ribbon that fits across
your card front plus another few inches.
Tie the first part of a knot...just
as if you were tying your shoes.

Before you tighten the knot, slip a
piece of ribbon through the knot.
(The turquoise is just for contrast!)

Tighten the knot.  You can then trim the
edges of the "bow" piece.  Wrap the
ends of the long piece around the
back of your paper and adhere with
a piece of tape.



Blue and Brown Watercolored Bird:
(Set 265 for my 2010 goal of making sure that all of my SU sets see ink.)

The colors for this card come from the color throwdown.

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Every Moment
• Inks: Stampin' Up Chocolate, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Versacolor Pigment Black
• Paper: Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, watercolor paper
• Accessories: Stampin' Up embossing folder, Marina Mist taffeta, copper cord (retired), scalloped border punch; Mark Enterprises Ultra Detail Copper Embossing Powder, misc copper brads

Reverse Prints Thank You:
(Set 266 for my 2010 goal of making sure that all of my SU sets see ink.)

The colors for this card come from Curtain Call Color Challenge.

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Reverse Prints, There She Goes Here For You (background plants), Verve Celebration of Thanks
• Inks: Stampin' Up Concord Crush, Crumb Cake
• Papers: Stampin' Up black, white, Crumb Cake, Concord Crush, Basic Gray
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Basic Gray Taffeta, Martha Stewart crown border punch and butterfly punch, Tim Holtz tiny attacher, gems from Michaels

Illuminated Thank You:
(Set 268 for my 2010 goal of making sure that all of my SU sets see ink.)

This is for SplitCoast Stampers Ways to Use It challenge which was to use "letters". 

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Illuminations
• Inks: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Not Quite Navy
• Paper: Stampin' Up Not Quite Navy, Crumb Cake, Bella Bleu dsp
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Kraft Taffeta, Antique Brads

Raspberry and Black Thank You:
This is for SplitCoast Stampers Ways to Use It challenge which was to use "letters".  I chose the use them as an accent with the text background.

• Stamps: Clear Dollar Stamps Designer Label Additions, PaperTrey Round & Round (an anniversary gift set), PaperTrey Text
• Inks: black and PaperTrey Raspberry Fizz
• Papers: black and white
• Accessories: Clear Dollar Stamps Designer Label Dies, Stampin' Up rhinestones

Thanks so Much with Greenery:
(Set 267 for my 2010 goal of making sure that all of my SU sets see ink.)

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Eight Great Greetings
• Ink: Stampin' Up Garden Green
• Paper: Stampin' Up Certainly Celery, Garden Green, Pumpkin Pie
• Accessories:  Stampin' Up oval and label punch, Cuttlebug embossing folder, gems and ribbon from Michaels

Up, Up and Away Birthday:
I was having a little mojo problem last night, then Colleen's card got me all revved up and I CASed it!

• Stamps: PaperTrey Ink Up, Up and Away
• Ink: Memento Black and copics, Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay
• Paper: DCWV Citrus Stack
• Accessories: PaperTrey Ink balloon, cloud and scalloped border dies, Nestabilities label die, Offray ribbon