It’s May!!! May is a time of spring flowers, mild temperatures, new beginnings, and celebrations. I decided to give you some ideas for making Mother’s Day cards this month that with just the change of a greeting, you can use these cards for any occasion. You can make several of these cards to have anytime you need one.

I have been enjoying trying to make something beautiful with paper scraps, embellishments, and things I already have. It is like a game trying to create projects with things you already have. I thought I would show you a few simple techniques you can use anytime.

DISTRESSING: To distress something, you can use ink pads, chalk, or colored pencils. All you do is ink around the edges of your project. There are distress inks on the market now that are perfect for this. If you have regular ink, rub the pad lightly around the edges and then smudge the ink a little with a paper towel. You could even put ink or shoe polish on a paper towel and use this to distress your project. When you us a distress technique it makes your project look weathered and worn.


GLITTERING: This technique adds sparkle and shine to all your projects. Add extra glitter to your stamped images, stickers, or pictures. You can use glitter glue, glue pens and glitter, or even a glitter pen. This technique is quick and easy and can be added to any project.


STAMPING: The techniques with stamping are almost endless. One way to make a special embellishment is to stamp an image on your project and then stamp the same image on different colored decorative paper. Cut the images out from the decorative paper and use different parts to make your stamped images stand out. Using pop dots under the second layer really makes the image pop. I like to make several embellishments for different occasions and have them handy to add to my projects whenever I need it.


PHOTOS: I am always taking pictures of flowers or scenes that I think would work great in a card or layout. I even take pictures of hobbies like golf clubs, baseball equipment, stadiums, ect. These are great to have on hand when you need to make a project for someone who loves that hobby or place. I like to have several prints made of the same picture and cut it out to make it look dimensional. Framing a picture on your projects also makes the picture stand out.


POP DOTS: Pop dots always add a lot of dimension to your project. One embellishment I use is to find a picture you like and cut it to fit your card. I usually cut my picture 4 inches by 3 inches. I then cut it into 1 inch squares. Make sure before you cut it to number each square or it is almost impossible to reassemble the picture. When you put the picture back together, place a pop dot on every other piece. This makes for a fun and different look.


RIBBONS: Ribbons are an easy accent to add to any project to make it look special. You can even distress your ribbon to match the rest of your project. I find that using a tape runner on the ribbon really makes it stick well. I use glue dots on the bows. A helpful hint is to wrap your ribbon and glue it around your embellishment before you glue the embellishment to your card. This way it doesn’t show inside the card unless you want it to.


SEWING: Using a sewing machine or hand stitching on your projects is super popular now. I don’t own a sewing machine but I have a piercing tool and can add stitches to my project with that. There are also some new items on the market which perforate your project to make your hand sewing easier.


I hope you have fun trying some of these techniques and that you enjoy seeing some of the cards I have made using these techniques. Just CREATE and make your project your own. You can use anything for an embellishment. Make some ahead so you can always have one ready when you need it. I never make two cards exactly alike. Have a great time making your projects. I would love to hear some of your tips and techniques. I hope we can share ideas and projects here on the website and also, maybe in person, if you join us in October for the Quacker Cruise. .


Linda

I would love to hear about your projects, email me at contactus@quackerfactory.com.) I love hearing from others Quackers!