Cuttlebug - Embossed Gift Card

It seems the custom now-a-days is to give money as a wedding gift, but a cheque in an envelope is a bit boring and basic, so I thought make a gift card for the bride and groom. Cuttlebug folders are ideal for wedding and anniversary cards, I use them frequently - Swiss dots, D'vine Swirl and Texture being my favourites. Whether you are giving a cheque or a voucher, for whatever occasion, you might find this useful.

I used:
4" x 4" Cream Hammer card
4" x 2.1/2" Cream card for the pocket
2" x 2" Cream card for the embellishment
4" x 1" Pink card for the contrast on the pocket
CB Textile Texture folder
CB Wedding folder - Bride & Groom
Fiskar border punch - Sunburst
Round edge corner punch
Chalk, ribbon bow and gem


Emboss the front of the card with the Texture folder and round the corners. Chalk the edges - if you know the wedding colour scheme this is always a good choice.

Emboss the 4" x 2.1/2" piece of cream card matching the pattern to the front embossing - this is worth doing as you will see later.

Emboss the Bride and Groom on the 2" x 2" and round the corners - lightly chalk the edges. I added a heart gem in the same colour. Mount on card with foam pads.

For the pocket on the inside, first punch a border on the already embossed cream card and glue the pink strip under the punched pattern. This is where matching the pattern is important. Tape the sides and bottom, (you don't want to lose that cheque) and stick to card. Trim and round corners. This folder looks great embossed or debossed so you get a good look on the front, and inside front of the card, the D'vine Swirls folder also works well. I added a single page insert with a message.

My finished gift card - I think you will agree that it looks better than a plain envelope.
As I mentioned before, you could adapt this idea for any money or gift token gift card, it's very quick and easy to make, and Christmas is coming!!!!

Spellbinder Borderabilities - make an edged fold back card

Today I have a new idea that I hope you'll like and find useful.  I have made an edged fold back card - don't know how else to describe it! 

This technique will allow you to use all the embossing folders on a 5.1/2" square card with no worries about matching the pattern. 

What I used:  CB Swiss Dots and Spades borderabilities

What I did:

With the die taped to the inside front - run through the Bug

Next you emboss the die pattern  -  Save the cut out bits!!!!!

use the embossing folder from the centre fold

emboss three lines from the inside of the card

fold back the edge

from the inside your card will look like this

Cut a patterned paper with the same die - save the bits!!!

Place masking tape over the back of the fold

now you can add the cut out bits from the DP

add the DP to the inside of your card and also the cut out bits from the front card

and you are finished......

This has been a long tutorial - I have tried to let the pictures do the talking, but if anything is not clear - please leave me a comment.  If you try it - I would appreciate you linking back to the Cupboard - help me spread the wonders of the Bug!

Drop by later and I will show you my finished card. 

Cuttlebug Tutorial for making a 14cm x 14cm card

I'm unable to post today, but thought that some new Cuttlers might be interested in this post from last February 2009, which is really useful for a larger card. 

Hi Cuttlers, hope you have had a good week and are ready to come a cuttling with me.
This week I'm concentrating on making a 14cm x 14cm square card using the Swiss Dots folder. I have been using this technique for some time and I have seen others using similar methods with which some of you might be familiar, but this is the way I discovered while messing around with my buggy pal. It works for me and I hope will work for you - it is a basic card, but even basic can look stunning by a few bits and pieces from your stash - as I hope you'll agree when you reach my card!

You will need

A4 cardstock
Scoreboard and pen
Swiss Dots folder



Cut your card to make a 14cm x 14cm card and score centre fold

(or 5.3/4" x 5.3/4" if you are working in inches)








Now position your folder right up to the centre fold and emboss
You will notice that I do not wrap the card round the folder - I feed it through open.
This way you will be able to position the folder better.





The next step is to reposition the folder carefully matching
the pattern. You will find that in order to match the pattern on
the folder some of the dots from the first emboss will be overlapped.
No problem. Emboss again.




This is what will happen

Your will have a row of missing dots. No problem.





Turn the card to the back and with your pen push the row of dots through to the front.





You will see that the pattern has reappeared! This will be your finished card.









To complete your card the possibilities are endless, but this is what I used next.

Scoreboard, Round edge punch, Nesties labels, Harmony Alphabet, ribbon and gems, and Dufex decoupage.










I scored two lines across the bottom of the card and rounded the
corners of the card







Cut two Nesties labels and letters.

Made an decoupage embellishment, added ribbon and gems








My finished card




From a basic card I now have a pretty and elegant card. Hope you like it!





If you have any messages, or problems, please leave a comment. In the meantime, wishing you happy cuttling. See you next week.

Nestabilities - Make more use of your dies

Nestabilities are so useful, but do you get as much use out of them as you could? 

Today I will show you what was in the black box (sorry it's a day late, but travelling home was delay).

This is how I made my card

using a pierceabilities die (but not embossing or piercing the pattern) I cut my base card and two layers.

from the top layer - cut out the butterfly shape to reveal the under layer, and  from heat embossing acetate cut a second shape which I stamped over and embossed in gold.

assembled with an ribbon and sentiment. 

Now for the inside of my card - which is the surprise element.....

cut 2 layers of paper

Cut 3  Nesties circle (emboss 2) and fold as shown.  You could use squares and get the same effect.

Join together

Cut a number of butterflies and fold. I used a double sided DP and heat embossing acetate.  This works really well and adds a bit of glitz! 

assembled  your card will look like this!  If you need more info on this  pop-up design check out this tutorial that I did last year.

Sometimes you forget just what dies you have, and since they are expensive why not use them more - on this card I have use three different ones to give interest and texture.  The reason I didn't show it previously was because I enter the card  in a Spellbinder GDT call, but unfortunately it was not good enough!    I think I overlooked the fact that although I designed this pop up card  last year, and despite updating the idea with the 3D butterflies, so many crafters have copied it, that it probably seem mudane and ordinary!   Still you live and learn!!  There'll be another time!!!

Nestabilities and your Cuttlebug - Make a frame

Since I'm travelling home today I'll not be able to post as usual, so thought instead that I'd bring forward an old post that new followers of the Cupboard might have missed.  Hope you like this idea....

 Nestablities shaped dies are great for matting with your stamped images, but why not take them a stage further? and make a frame!

In this tutorial I'm using two dies from the Labels One set - here you will see them placed on the black magnetic mat which holds them secure. This does make the job a little easier, but you can complete the task without it if you take care with placing the dies. You could use a low tack tape to hold them, but again be careful not to place it where is might stick to your frame.

You can now cut your frame - I have the die with the cutting face up with the card on top.
Sandwich: A, B,Black Mat, Dies, Card, B. You will notice the sandwich is different than that usually used for cutting - this is because of the Black Magnet Mat. Without the Black Mat just cut as usual. Next with the largest of the frames, I have cut an acetate shape. Because this is a bit like the 'King's new clothes', I have cut this from an old patterned offcut so you can see it.

Next I have stamped my image onto patterned paper and again using the largest die have cut another label.

Here you will see the stamped label, together with the acetate label adhered to the frame . Now you can complete your embellishment by either just glueing the frame and image together, or you could use foam pads on the back of the frame to make a window.You will now need something on which to mount your embellishment. I have used a basil cardstock and pattern paper that matches the paper used for the stamped image.
Assembled with a flower and gems, my finished card

Cuttlehugs to all.

Cuttlebug Folder, Nestabilitie Oval Scallop, and stamping

Need a quick card?  BUT, also an interesting one - How's about this ....

Materials Used:
6 x 6 Cream Hammer card
CB - Swiss Dots Folder
2 Oval scallop dies
Vintage corner die
Harmony Alphabet
Decorative paper
Border punch
Stamp, ribbon and gems

 

I first embossed the front edge of the card, then covered the with DP with a shaped edge.  Any border punch would be fine, but this was actually cut with a Fiskar stencil template.

Cut and add the corners - to make these easier to fasten to the card, I always put DST (see glossary) on the back of the card before I cut. You can see this in more detail under the label : Alphabets on my sidebar.  On this card I also needed numbers, which were cut in actually the same way.

Cut 2 oval dies - one in cream card, the other in the same patterned paper.

Add your stamped image - not sure what this stamp is called or the manufacturer - there were some smaller flowers on the image, but I cut them off!  The mottled effect was achieved by using different colours of chalk and then covering with glossy accents.

This is not just a Cuttled card - it combines embossing,  papercrafting and stamping, but it's still an quick and easy to achieve card with texture, colour and interest.  Hope you like it!