Lakeside Bear Z-Fold Card

Hello friends!  Today I’m sharing the fun-fold card I made for our nephew’s special day. It’s a standard A2 sized card - as much as I love 5x7” cards they cost more to mail so I’ll be saving those for hand deliveries as often as I can. I was actually pretty happy with how this one turned out and I confess to making a second one to have on hand.

Everything I used is from my stash and likely retired so I didn’t make supply notes. The stamps are an older Stampin’ Up set and the patterned paper is from a 6x6” package by Paper Rose. A little foam tape for dimension and this card mailed for a single stamp. $1.75 for a stamp for mailing to the US. Crazy!

Double Z Fold Birthday Card

 

It’s Fun Fold Friday here on my blog, and today I’m sharing the Double Z Fold birthday card made for our eldest granddaughter. She is very interested in space etc, so I pulled out this very old paper pad for her card. 

Below you can see the card open and standing for display.

I always like how nice and sturdy these cards are and I was able to make use of some border strips and other cut-aparts in the paper pad for decorating. The flowers, stars & moon were fussy cut and added as decorative elements.

There are a number of pages in the paper pad that contain four 6x6” panels. I rarely make 6x6” cards, but I cut one down for the front of the envelope and wrote her name inside the moon. Since we were hand delivering the card, I didn’t have to worry about anything catching in the mail so the fussy cut flowers were added with thin foam tape.

Supplies used:

5 x 6.5” card base & envelope - Michaels

Patterned paper - Moon Flower Magic, Craftsmart (old form my stash)

Large Birthday - Technique Tuesday

Self Adhesive Gem stickers - Dazzles

Stardust gel pen - Sakura

5x7" Fall Z-Fold Card

I made so many Fall & Thanksgiving cards last year that I didn't need to make any this year. Then, I ran out of time and didn't get any mailed for our Canadian Thanksgiving in October, so now I have lots for next year too. Sheesh. At least I can mail cards to our American friends & family this month. I found this single 12x12" sheet of fall themed paper in my stash and decided to use it up. I made 4 different sized cards and will be sharing them throughout the week. This 5x7" Z-Fold crd is the first one.

The cute stamped images (Lawn Fawn) were stamped and cut with my Scan 'N Cut several years ago. I stamped & cut out a whole sheet of images from the stamp set and then just had them stored in a baggie in with my Fall embellishments. At some point I even coloured some of them so those are the ones I pulled out for this card.

Supplies used:

Patterned paper - Fall Harvest, Echo Park

Narrow gold tape - Amazon .ca

Shimmer Spray

A6 Lacy Layers - Waffle Flower

Wash Tape - old, my stash

Happy Harvest - Lawn Fawn

Autumn Greetings - Sunny Studio

Anniversary Z-Fold Card

I used the March 2024 Paper Pumpkin kit for this card but of course changed it up from the kit instructions. I'm always a fan of the envelopes that are included with the Paper Pumpkin kit and this one is printed inside and has a rounded flap.

I stamped the sentiment on a stitched circle die cut which was matted with a crosshatch circle die cut from vellum. I added three mirrored hearts above and below the sentiment.

Here is a look at the inside. The patterned card base was turned inside out, so it was white on the outside front & back and all the pattern was inside. The centre score line was already there, so I just scored a second line on the left side of the (opened) card in the centre of that panel. Then, simply fold as shown! I used a corner rounder to punch the top two corners which ties in with the rounded flap on the envelope.

The greeting was stamped on a same size stitched circle as on the front, and placed so it cannot be seen when the card is closed. While I could have stamped the greeting directly on the card base, I liked the look of the stitched circle better.

One more look ...

Supplies used:

March 2024 Paper Pumpkin kit "Memorable Meadows", Stampin' Up

Circles Crosshatch - Karen Burniston

Stitched circles - MFT Stamps

Vellum - Stampin' UP

Word stamps - The Inside Scoop Anniversary, Taylored Expressions

Mirrored hearts - Kat Scrapiness

Corner Rounder - Amazon .ca

'Sweet Friend' Slimline Diamond Z-Fold Card

I have a couple of friends dealing with health issues, so I've been making cards to send for Happy Mail. This is one of them ... a Slimline Diamond Z-Fold Card. I made a number of this type of card back in 2022 in a 5x7" size. I loved making them, so I also came up with the measurements and a tutorial for making this Slimline size. You can find that tutorial HERE, and the measurements are at the end of my post.

I usually have a Wish List for Stampin' Up items but rarely order everything on that list. Sometimes I wait and wait and by the time I decide I'd really like/use a set, it's either discontinued or out of stock or .....     So I keep an eye on a Facebook group for Canadian's selling retired SU products. This Honey Bee Bundle is one of those sets - it had been retired for a while before it popped up on that group and I claimed it right away. I've had it for over a year now, and it's one of those sets I get a lot of use out of. 

The stamped & die cut bees were coloured with alcohol markers and I added Wink of Stella glimmer paint to their wings. On the inner diamond, there is the honeycomb die cut as well as a small sentiment (from a different set). I will sign on the blank white diamond when I go to send the card.

While I prefer a Slimline card to measure 3.5 x 8.5", this one is a full 4 x 8.5" to give me room to make the diamonds this size. It fits perfectly in a #10 business envelope for mailing, and this one will mail for a single stamp!

Measurements for Diamond Z-Fold Slimline Card by Karen Aicken 

Card base - 8 x 8.5". With the 8" side at the top, score at 2" and 4". The 4" scoreline is the center, so fold your card in half along that scoreline. Then fold the front right flap back to the outside along the 2" scoreline.

Patterned paper - TWO 1.75 x 8.25" pieces and ONE 3.75 x 8.25" piece. I don't always use the two smaller ones, often just adding one to the front and leaving the inside one undecorated. It's entirely up to you.

Diamonds - TWO 2.75" squares and ONE 2-1/2" square

Patterned paper (BE MINDFUL OF THE PATTERNED PAPER IF IT HAS A DIRECTIONAL PATTERN) TWO 2.5" squares and ONE 2.25" square.

Signing block - 2.25" cardstock square with a 2" square of white or light cardstock of your choice.

Pop Up strip - 4 x 3". With the 4" side at the top, score at 1, 2 & 3"

Assemble as shown in the video.

Supplies used:

Patterned paper - Bee Happy, Echo Parl

Honey Bee Bundle - Stampin' Up

Catherine Pooler coloured inks

Alcohol markers

Tasteful Label dies - Stampin' Up

1-1/2" square die - Hero Arts

Inside sentiment - Hand Delivered, Stampin' Up

Nesting circles - Hero Arts

Blending sponges

Wink of Stella

'Game On' Birthday Card

Welcome to Fun Fold Friday here on my blog! 

I had bought the Z Fold With Layers die set (Divinity Designs) as soon as it came out several years ago, and love to get it out. While it's probably easy enough to create this type of card BASE without the dies - this one comes with the layering dies so all the patterned paper pieces fit perfectly. No math or measuring required and that makes it fairly quick and easy to put a finished card together.

The only thing I am not crazy about is the name ... while it IS technically a Z Fold card, it's very distinctive with that Diagonal cut line, so I always refer to it as a Diagonal Z Fold, or Diagonal Trifold card. 😊

Our grandson has a birthday coming up and since he is getting older, 'cute' images aren't really appropriate for him right now. I mean - he is taller than I am! I got this Game Controller die last year knowing it would work for 'boy' birthday cards, so I pulled it out for his card. Then I flipped through a 'boy' themed 6x6" paper pad and saw the game controller print in it. Woo hoo!

There is just enough room for hubby and I to sign our names on the inner circle piece. Oh, and the sentiment is one of the leftover sentiment strips from Paper Roses' BEE HAPPY cardmaking kit. There are a lot of them left - they were very generous with the sentiments in the kit.

When my card was done, I got flipping through the remaining sheets & scraps in the (old) pad and decided it wouldn't take much to actually use it up! So I have been busy making birthday cards to share in the coming weeks. (And I did finish off that paper pad, since there were only a few sheets left 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻)

Supplies used:

A-2, Z-Fold With Layers die set - Divinity Designs

Patterned paper - Boy Oh Boy, Carta Bella (6x6") - OLD!

Game controller die - Marianne Designs

Pops of Color - Scrapbook .com

Stardust Glitter Pen - Sakura

Stitched circle die - MFT Stamps

Happy Birthday strip - Bee Happy Cardmaking Kit, Paper Rose

Catherine Pooler coloured inks

Water brush

Inside - Everybody Say Happy, Catherine Pooler

Ice Cream Z-Fold Card Trio

Welcome to Fun Fold Friday here on my blog! I had found these older ice cream ephemera pieces in a ziplock bag in my craft room so decided to pull them out and use them on my ice cream cards this year. I haven't made a Z-Fold card in awhile so that is what I did as well - they are my very favourite fun fold card to make.

When my Mom was a little girl, there was always a July parade in their town. Afterwards her dad, my Grampa, would take her to the drugstore for an ice cream soda. She continued the tradition with my brother and I, taking us for ice cream on that special day in July.  I did that with our kids too - bringing my Mom along. We always made sure she had ice cream on that day. 

Now that she has passed, we continue the tradition - raising an ice cream cone or sundae to her in a toast,  and our grandkids think it's a great tradition! I also send my family ice cream themed cards to celebrate. 

I love the Lacy Layer dies from Waffle Flower and have managed to collect most of the shapes. There are alternating scalloped & stitched/straight edge dies in each set, which is what I used for these cards.

I added Pops of Colour (glitter glaze) on each of the ice cream pieces for some shimmer and shine, and added the elements using thin foam tape. The Celebrate was stamped in grey ink onto narrow cardstock scraps then I fishtailed the ends.

Here is a look at the inside of the above card, but they were all done the same.

Supplies used:

Patterned paper - Heart Throb, Queen & Co (6x6")

Petite Prints - Doodlebug (Love Notes)

Lacy Circles - Waffle Flower

Pops of Color, Icicle - Scrapbook .com

Ice cream ephemera - unknown, from my stash

Happy stamp - Biggest Wish, Stampin' Up

Coloured pens & markers

Share a Milkshake - Stampin' Up

Catherine Pooler coloured inks

Eight Desert Themed Birthday Cards

Welcome to Fun Fold Friday here on my blog!

It's no secret that I love making Z Fold Cards, and since I am going to need several masculine birthday cards in the next little while I pulled out the October 2019 Sheetload of Cards.

I have a walkthrough of my cards on YouTube:

I've had this paper pad for a number of years and I like that some of the sheets have gold foiling on them. It was fun to pick the four different patterns to use with the Sheetload cutting guide as well as what die cut elements I would be adding to the fronts. These were cut from black glossy cardstock for a little more pizzazz.

Inside the cards I chose a couple of Funny Bones sentiments and alternated which ones went with which cards.

There are two of each silhouette design so I have enough variety to choose what card goes to which friend/family member.

I thought this sentiment went perfectly with the horseback riders above.

I love this 'bucking bronco' die so it was fun to get it out again.

Below is one more of the funny sentiments.

Supplies used:

Patterned paper - Desert Dream, Recollection (old)

October 2019 Sheetload of Cards - Call Me Crafty Al

Stitched oval dies - MFT Stamps

Black glossy cardstock

Feather dies - Elizabeth Craft Designs (old)

Bucking horse - Paper Rose

Cactus & Pot - Paper Rose

Cowboys & Cactus Silhouettes - Divinity Designs

Small Happy Birthday - Birthday Banners, Stampin' UP

Larger Happy Birthday - Happy Birthday Many Ways, Catherine Pooler

Inside sentiments - Funny Bones, Riley & Company

Gold Nuvo Drops

Daisy Z Fold Card

Today I'm sharing the 11th card made with Paper Roses' Bee Happy cardmaking kit - and this one went to a friend who recently had surgery. I actually used a printed note card for the base, turning it inside out so the print was on the inside. The center score line was already there, so I added a 2nd one at 2-1/8" on the left (patterned) side to give me the Z-Fold base.

For additional contrast inside, I used a yellow ombre note card that I've had for several years. Both note card sets I've had for at least that long, and I'm trying to remember to USE them. I trimmed the ombre note card front slightly smaller so I would have the yellow border all around the outer edge and adhered it inside the card. 

The stitched oval was cut from the back of the note card and added to the front with some of the ephemera in the kit. The wax seal piece was given a coat of Nuvo Glaze to make it look more like a real was seal and I added a stamped sentiment to finish off the front.

Inside I added a stamped sentiment along with a gold foil bee sticker, then added another sticker to the Kraft envelope.

Supplies used:

Bee Happy Cardmaking Kit - Paper Rose

Patterned note card & Ombre note card - Hobby Lobby (old)

Lacy Oval dies - Waffle Flower

Nuvo Glaze

Catherine Pooler coloured inks

Bakers Twine

Front sentiment - More Essential Sentiments, MFT Stamps

Inside sentiment - Wishing You Well,  Scrapbook .com

Foiled bee sticker - Amazon .ca

Valentine's Z-Fold Card

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today's card uses a bunch of bits and pieces and scraps from the Love Notes paper package & I created a Z-Fold card with a couple of older stamp sets from my stash.

I love this scalloped heart die from Studio Katia. When I laid it out with the different print papers, I decided I liked the coordinating grey print. But looking at it in the photos, I wish I'd chosen something with a bit more contrast. Ahh well.

I combined the stamp sets on the clipboard ephemera and added glitter to the bees' wings. The envelope got some pretty red & gold washi tape on the flap.

Supplies used:

Patterned paper - Love Notes, Doodlebug

and Love Notes Tiny Prints, Doodlebug

Scallop heart die - Studio Katia

Odds & Ends - Love Notes, Doodlebug

Black glaze pen

Nesting heart dies - Hero Arts

Sending Love stamp set - Waffle Flower

Bee Mine stamps - Lawn Fawn

Pops of Color - Snowflake, Scrapbook.com

Alcohol markers

White paint pen

Our Groomer's Christmas Card & Gift Card Holder

When I saw this sheet of cut-aparts (Photo Play) I knew I had to buy a sheet. I love the colours with the fun dog images and the 'spa day' one was just too perfect for what I had in mind.

Since Jasper had a grooming appointment last week, I wanted to bring the groomer a holiday card that included a Gift Card. They always do such a good job with Jasper and he looks totally handsome when he comes out. Not like the 'homeless Sheltie' look he has going in, ha ha.

First up is the Gift Card Holder. I used the measurements in my Gift Card Holder Tutorial (click HERE) and some patterned paper that matched the card. The purse/dog was fussy cut from another cut apart on the sheet and popped up onto the scalloped oval with foam tape. I stamped WOOF! on the oval to fill up some of the white space and the front was done.

Inside, there is the pocket for the Gift Card, and one more WOOF!. We wrote a personal message onto the inside oval.

After matting the 4 x 6" cut-apart onto pink patterned paper, I stamped a sentiment on a fishtail banner and adhered it over the words that were printed on the cut-apart. Then I created an infinity shaker with a transparency and filler that resembled bubbles from a bubble bath.

I stencilled on the card front from the upper left to the lower right corner, and also added stencilling to the envelope.

Here is a peek at the inside. The dog on the spa towel was fussy cut from one of the 3 x 4" cut-aparts on the sheet and I added Nuvo Glaze to the cucumber slices on his eyes. Too funny.

Having been asked how many cards I make I thought it would be fun to keep track this year. Many of my posts include more than a single card or project and below is my tally. 

Card Tally for 2023
January - 53 cards
February - 56 cards

March - 55 cards

April - 32 cards

May - 43 cards

June - 34 cards

July - 56 cards

August - 106 cards

September - 61 cards

October - 51 cards & 5 Tags

November - 46 cards

December so far - 19 cards (& 16 simple tags)

I decided to cancel the subscription that provided linked thumbnails to what products I used on my cards. It was costing me out of pocket each month, so I’m back to listing what I used.

Supplies:

Cut aparts - Pampered Pooch, Photo Play

Pink patterned paper - - Pampered Pooch, Photo Play

5 x 7" card blank and envelope

Outside sentiment - Encircled in Warmth, Stampin' Up

Catherine Pooler inks

Blending sponge - Ranger

Transparency

Bow Wow Stencil - Photo Play

Blending Brushes - Taylored Expressions

Snowflake peel offs - Ecstasy

Nuvo Glaze

Gift Card Tutorial

Stitched oval dies- MFT Stamps

Scalloped stitched oval dies - MFT Stamps

Woof - Dog Happiness, Frantic Stamper

Blue patterned paper - Countdown to Christmas, MME (old!)

Stepped Up Sheetload Cards

Alicia at 'Call Me Crafty Al' releases a new Sheetload of Cards (Sketch and Cutting Guide) on the 1st of each month, and you can pretty much bet that on the 1st I'm in my craft room cutting down papers. This month was no exception, and as usual I finished my panels and had them ready to attach to card bases. 

At that point I had the idea to step up the cards AND do a video tutorial for them. Which was all well and good, but when I was finished the video was over 45 minutes long. After an additional 90+ minutes of editing I wasn't even half finished so I threw in the towel. I just don't have the time or energy to spend over 3 hours editing a video, then another hour to preview the video and get it uploaded, as well as getting the blog post written. So ... no tutorial ... although I haven't deleted the video in case I end up having lots of free time between now and Christmas. 😂

I added narrow gold foil tape to my panels for some holiday shine, and instead of a vellum circle element I used the 3 x 3" cut aparts that were in the paper pad. So in addition to the four sheets of 6 x 6" paper that the Sheetload called for, I used up an additional two with the cut aparts AND additional sheets for the layers and insides. Yeah!

The easiest way to step up the inside of your cards is simply to add a printed paper panel. That is what I did for the first two, adding a smaller white panel to the inside with a stamped sentiment.

For the next two cards I added the panels to white card bases but did a simple box pop up inside. The 3 x 4" cut aparts were also in the paper pad so I got to use them up as well. I do have video tutorials on creating simple box pop ups and HERE is one of them. The pop up box measured 5 x 1", scored .5,  2.5  and 3".

Of course I had to make a pair of Z Fold cards - my favourite type of fun fold. I haven't done them with such a large front element before but I was happy with how they turned out.

The final two cards are Faux Step cards. Again, I wouldn't normally use such a large element as it doesn't leave much room to add other elements onto the 'steps' but they still turned out cute. They also stand beautifully for display!

 

With all the dilly dallying around with the video, I'm quite late sharing my November Sheetload cards ... but at least I'm getting them shared in the same month! 

Having been asked how many cards I make I thought it would be fun to keep track this year. Many of my posts include more than a single card or project and below is my tally. 

Card Tally for 2023
January - 53 cards
February - 56 cards

March - 55 cards

April - 32 cards

May - 43 cards

June - 34 cards

July - 56 cards

August - 106 cards

September - 61 cards

October - 51 cards & 5 Tags

November so far - 32 Cards

I decided to cancel the subscription that provided linked thumbnails to what products I used on my cards. It was costing me out of pocket each month, so I’m back to listing what I used 

Supplies:

November Sheetload of Cards, Call Me Crafty Al

6x6" patterned paper & cut aparts - Jingle All The Way, Echo Park

Narrow gold tape

Sentiment - Joy to You, Stampin' Up

Catherine Pooler Inks

Snowflake peel offs & Glitter dots - Ecstasy Crafts

Dog Sympathy Card

Three friends have had to say goodbye to their dogs in as many months ... and then I heard that another friend did as well That's four furry kids gone - enough already! Today I'm sharing another pet sympathy card that I sent to one of my grieving friends.

This card started with a printed panel (the bulldog) from the Little Book of Muddy Paws by Hunkydory. Their dog wasn't a bull dog, but I loved the soft florals on the panel so that is why I chose it. I created a 5 x 7"  Z-fold card with dies inside by Karen Burniston.

Having been asked how many cards I make I thought it would be fun to keep track this year. Many of my posts include more than a single card or project and below is my tally. 

Card Tally for 2023
January - 53 cards
February - 56 cards

March - 55 cards

April - 32 cards

May - 43 cards

June - 34 cards

July - 56 cards

August - 106 cards

September so far - 59 cards

I decided to cancel the subscription that provided linked thumbnails to what products I used on my cards. It was costing me out of pocket each month, so I’m back to listing what I used with a few affiliate links included.

Supplies:

Little Book of Muddy Paws, Hunky Dory

5 x 7" Card blank and envelope

Twine

Paw Print Stencil - Your Next Stamp

Blending brushes - Taylored Expressions

Hearts Crosshatch - Karen Burniston

Stamps - Critter Coondolences - MFT Stamps

Mirrored Hearts - Kat Scrappiness