Junk Mail Christmas Card Upcycle

When  get the mail I try to open and dispose of everything right away.  Bills go in one spot to be paid, magazines go to the family room to be read, and junk mail should go directly into the recycle bin.  Every so often, something in the junk mail catches my eye and goes into the "crafty" pile.

A couple of days ago, we got a mailing from Consumer Reports - the typical "send a gift subscription" pitch that every magazine sends at this time of year.  Included in the envelope were two "postcards" to send to the recipient if you ordered a gift subscription.  I thought the image was very nice and decided to save the gift notice to make a card.

The first thing I did was to trim off the message at the top.  The remaining picture measured 3 1/2 x 5 7/8 inches and I trimmed it to 3 1/2 x 5 inches.  I trimmed different amounts from each side to keep the main parts of the picture intact (if I had trimmed it all from the right side the little red car would be cut off awkwardly, if it was trimmed all from the left side the house would be chopped off).

Since the 3 1/2 x 5 inch size was not proportional for an A2 card (normally the layer would be 3 3/4 x 5 inches) I set about finding a way to add a border to even things up.

I punched a scrap paper with this Martha Stewart border punch with a scalloped snowflake design.  The punch is called "Skylands Snowflake."

I liked the border effect but I needed to trim the image a bit more to make everything align properly.  I cut about 1/8 inch from the top and the bottom of the picture so it would center properly on a 4 x 5 1/4 inch mat layer (in dark blue here).

Once I had the sizes figured out, I decided to use some glittered cardstock for the border.  This is the Core Couture cardstock by Core'dinations.

I punched a section of the border on a scrap piece of the glitter cardstock.  Then I adhered it to the picture, centering the border design.

When I trimmed the straight sides the ends looked a little untidy.

I trimmed the edges so finish the curve of the border. 

I added some gems at the two ends to finish the cuts on the border and also added a few more with a slightly larger gem in the center.

I added Diamond Stickles to the rooftops, along a few of the land contours and on the snowman.  I left this photo dark so you could see the sparkle the Stickles create.

The blue mat layer is shimmer cardstock from The Paper Company.  The front and back are two shades of blue.  I had worked with the dark blue side right up until I was ready to assemble the card.  I flipped the mat over and found that the lighter blue was a better match for the colors in the picture.

The card base is white gemstone cardstock, also from Core'dinations.

Why not take a second look at some of your "trash" - there may be some crafting potential in the things you toss!  There were two of the gift post cards in my mail so I am adding one to the giveaway box for someone else to try an upcycle.

November Giveaway update...

Here are the updated contents of the box that one lucky reader will win at the end of the month.
in the box so far...

1.  2 sheets of the sticky paper I used for the glittered ornament card
2.  A new set of the same Inkadinkado Autumn Leaves stamps I used on the card
3.  An 18 inch piece of the brown leaf ribbon - enough for a few cards.
4.  A small bag of plastic gems like the ones I used on the crystal glass.
5.  Two pieces of the blue holographic paper I used for the fish on the wreath.
6.  A small piece of the white and silver mesh I used for the nets.
7.  The "gift subscription postcard" that you can use to make your own upcycled project.

All comments on posts in the month of November will be eligible for a random draw at the end of the month.  One lucky reader will receive the small priority mail box full of bits and pieces.

You can leave a comment on every post to increase your chances but please just leave one per post and make sure that you give me enough information so I can contact you if your comment is drawn.


The Thanksgiving Shopping weekend is drawing to an end - did you buy a little or a lot? (or nothing at all...)



Blitsy is celebrating their first anniversary and they have a huge assortment of  items on offer this week - some of them have been "blitsed" (sold out) but there are still a lot of bargains to be found.  You need to check back if something you wanted is marked "blitsed" because they sometimes add more items to a category and the item is then available to order again.


The Cricut.com deal for Sunday is a discount of up to 30% OFF all physical cartridges!

Don't forget about the Creative Memories "Stuff Your Stockings" sale - you can read all of the details in the post HERE.  The sale ends at 10 p.m. Central Time on Monday, November 26th (tomorrow).

Have a wonderful Sunday - there is talk that we may soon have snow here.  It is definitely much colder and windy - winter is arriving!


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Simple Snowflake Swirl Card

I have been buying some of the intricate and delicate dies from Memory Box.  When I visit my local shop one or two seem to hop into my shopping  basket!

With my weakness for snowflakes, it was only a matter of time before I bought this "Frosty Border" die.  These dies come packaged in paper envelopes to make them easy to file and store.

The dies are steel and they cut a very fine and detailed image.  The pressure of cutting also gives that slightly rounded edge that you only don't get with an electronic cutter.

With such a thin and delicate cut, it could be difficult to apply adhesive.  I used the LetraTac adhesive that I have written about before - it is perfect for this sort of image (click HERE to see the older post).  You just lift the protective sheet and place the image on the adhesive page, then replace the sheet and use the yellow tool to burnish the die cut on the adhesive.

Here you can see the image on the adhesive sheet after burnishing.

After I removed the die cut from the sheet you can see the shape where the adhesive was transferred.

This image is so lovely I decided to make a very simple card to highlight the intricate cut.  The card base is American Crafts specialty cardstock in a silk texture.  The swirl was cut from DCWV glitter cardstock.

To add more sparkle, I placed various sizes of clear gem stickers along the cut.  These make the sparkly cut even more special.

This could be used as it is for a notecard or invitation.   The image works in any direction - I like the windswept effect when it is used on a vertically folded card.  You could also add a sentiment to the front but I like the simplicity of just having the swirl on the card front.

You can see more of the dies that are available on the Memory Box website  (just click the words to go to the site).

I made some more progress yesterday on getting the house ready for Christmas.  It was pouring rain all day so it was easy to stay home and work - the only problem was that rainy days make me sleepy!  We may have snow today - the rain is supposed to change over and some areas will see some accumulation.  Please be careful if you have slippery weather!

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Snowflake Medallion Card

The weather was windy and rainy on Wednesday - the kind of day that makes you want to stay home with a cup of tea, a cozy fire and a good book.  It also reminded me that snow season is not very far away.  If you have read my blog for a while, you probably know I have a "thing" about snowflakes and blue and white.  Several of you have commented that you share this snowflake fascination.  There is something magical about the endless variations of shapes and formations.

I created this snowflake design using the Silhouette Studio software.  I use the same method to make snowflakes that I explained last year in this blog post.  The advantages I have in using the Silhouette software are the ability to draw my own starting shape and a very quick and easy shadow and layer function.  If think the addition of the extra layers adds a lot to this type of design.

I used three pieces of Core'dinations cardstock  to cut the design.  The top white layer is "Gemstone" cardstock with a lovely sheen and the two shades of blue are "Core Couture" glitter cardstock.  The glitter is very sparkly when you see it in the light with specks of glitter that are almost rainbow colored.

I added just a few Creative Charms gem stickers to highlight the snowflake shape. The vintage jewel in the center makes a great focal point.

The card base is navy blue cardstock and the square card is 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches.  The blue paper with tiny white dots (don't they look like snow?) is cut at 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches and the white layer is just a bit larger to give a very thin contrasting line to frame the card.  I attached the snowflake to the card with foam dots.  You could use a non-permanent adhesive so the recipient would be able to detach the snowflake and hang it on a tree or in a window as an ornament.

I seem to be on a trend of making square cards lately.  They do cost extra to mail but they are fine for cards that will be given in person or sent inside a box with a gift.  You can put a square card in a rectangular envelope to mail it and avoid the upcharge for non standard envelopes.  Just add a bit of adhesive to seal the empty section so the card won't float around in the envelope.

 I hope the snow won't arrive anytime soon.  If all of the rain we've been getting had been snow, we'd certainly be snowed in!  I enjoy paper snowflakes much more than the real ones that require shovels.

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Gems make everything prettier!

I just love blue and white and snowflakes.  Now that the season is changing there will most likely be lots of snowflake cards and projects on my blog.  This card is one of several winter cards that I have posted for my second Creative Charms Design Team post this month.  You can see the post HERE on the Creative Charms blog.

The snowflake design is one of my original designs that I created using the Silhouette Studio software.  I have been experimenting with the software and enjoying the freedom it gives me to hand draw a design and create the layers and shadows for the design.  I know that, just as in nature, there will not be an identical snowflake if I hand draw my own designs.  The top layer here is Core'dinations gemstone card stock , the dark blue is Bazzill and the pearl dotted light blue is from American Crafts.

The card base is Stampin Up cardstock that came in a grab bag - I don't know the exact color name.  The patterned paper is from the Heirloom imagine cartridge.  I printed a few sheets of paper recently and this was one of my favorites (here is a LINK to that post if you are curious about printing paper with the Imagine).

I cut the paper into four inch strips and then cut off the ends once I had found the center of the design on the 5 1/4 inch long layer.

I added various sizes of gem stickers and a clear vintage jewel to make the snowflake twinkle.

The word "winter" is from the Winter Seasonal Sparkles.  The words on these sets are made up of individual gems and are held together with a shaped adhesive.  The clear backing lets you "audition" the placement of the word before you adhere it to your project.

If you lift the word with a tool you can gently place it on the paper - you do have to be careful not to stretch it too far.

This card is another one that is tricky to photograph however, it is "oh so shiny" in real life!  Do you like the snowflake medallion shape?  I have been designing lots of these with the Silhouette Studio software.

 

This round scalloped card is another cut from the CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge.  (Click HERE to go to my friend Melanie's CTMH site for more information. You will find many more sample projects and tutorials on Melanie's blog, Courtney Lane Designs, and you can contact Melanie directly with any questions at melliemel77@gmail.com (just tell her I sent you!).

I cut the card and the filigree layer at five inches.  The dark green card is Bazzill cardstock and the layer is Core'dinations gemstone cardstock (one of my favorites for cutting intricate designs like this).

Here is the filigree topper that I used (the card base is on the same key with the "Card" feature selected).

The offcut left on the mat will work perfectly to make a second card with the same base or it can be used for another project (I wonder who will spot it when I use it...).

The design is pretty just like this...

When you add lots of red gradient gem stickers (in three sizes and two shades of red) it becomes very elegant.

The round card can be side opening or you can rotate the fold to the top.  I added a red satin ribbon bow - when it is at the top, the card looks like a tree ornament.

If you came over from the Creative Charms blog to get more information about the card with the three trees, you can find all of the details HERE.


Creative Charms Mini-Giveaway winner...

The winner from the comments on my last Creative Charms posts chosen by random.org was surfnfroggie

Could you please contact me with your mailing information as soon as possible?  I'll be sending you...

...this package of Clear Vintage Jewels.

Please stop over to the Creative Charms blog HERE to see all of the Design Team projects.  Be sure to leave a comment on my post with these projects. Once again, I'll  have little giveaway for someone who comments here or on the Creative Charms blog (leave a comment in both places to double your chances).

You do not have to be a blog follower to win, however, if you like my blog and want to show your support for my work, please do follow or subscribe.  I also have a Capadia Designs Facebook page HERE and if you "like" that page you will see my daily posts in your news feed.

Don't forget about the Creative Charms Design Team call - you can find all of the details HERE.

a few more things...

click this image to find out more about the program

I just got information about a new program that Lettering Delights is offering exclusively for teachers.  This is a terrific offer that they are making to help teachers who often spend a lot of their own money to provide extras for their students.  This is a PILOT program and is only available for educators (teachers, home schoolers, student teachers) and an educator will need to send in proof in order to qualify.

Here is the information about the program from Lettering Delights:

Get hooked on UNLIMITED teachers-only access to thousands of fonts, colorful alphabets, graphics and clipart sets, printable tags and candybar wrappers, plus cut-it files for cutting machines at LetteringDelights.com all for just $130 for a whole year.

Hurry! This pilot beta program is available for a limited time and is reserved for a select number of professional teachers only**. Those eligible are teachers or student teachers of public, private, or charter institutions, or those who can provide proof of homeschooling their children. Please note, subscription will not be activated until proof has been received and approved.

Pay your annual membership fee to access the images you love in our easy-to-use online library. You can also download files directly to your computer to tackle all kinds of creative projects!

Build beautiful bulletin boards. Create darling student journals and scrapbooks. Personalize newsletters and notes. Design clever gifts and art. Customize practice pages and worksheets. Add colorful clipart and images to reports and assignments. And more!

Our teachers-only subscription allows you access to thousands of products in our current online gallery and dozens more added each month. This pilot program, available exclusively for teachers, will give you unlimited access for one full year to the following products:

• Over 600 fonts valued at close to $2000
• Over 700 colorful alphabet images valued at $2800
• Close to 300 dingbat fonts valued at almost $900
• Over 500 color graphic image sets (15 coordinating images per set) valued at $2100
• 1200 pieces of clipart (in both black-and-white and color) valued at $300
• Over 4000 cuttable files compatible with most electronic cutting machines valued at over $6000

***Click here for the teacher subscription licensing information.

*Occasionally we will have licensed artists whose product will not be available via subscription.
**All sign-ups must provide proof of status as a professional teacher before online access will be granted. Burden of proof is on the teacher, we will accept proof of employment by written letter (submitted on letterhead), a copy of a teacher badge, paystub, teacher contract, etc.

Today is the last day to get the special 30% off pricing on the new custom album covers from Creative Memories.  If you are not sure about the photo or layout you want to use for the album cover, you can still order a product credit at this great price.  You will have 180 days to use the credit and Creative Memories sends email reminders.  You can go back to the blog post from last week HERE to see more about the albums (scroll down a bit) and these links will take you to the pages twhere you can order a product credit.

12 x 12 album with side loading pages

12 x 12 custom album with pages and protectors

You do need to set up an account at the Digital Center to order the credit (very easy to do).  You will need a consultant ID to set up a new account - my number is 82352282.

I'll be ordering a couple of product credits since I haven't yet decided on a wedding photo to use for the cover(!) Please let me know if you have any questions about these albums.


Have a happy Tuesday - it is a particularly happy day for me because when I called the juror hotline Monday afternoon I found out that all jurors were cancelled - so I don't need to go to the courthouse for jury duty today after all! 


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