Hi Amy to say that even if you never send a New Year’s card, the techniques below apply to any occasion card. This is important as New Years comes but once a year or perhaps three times if you include Rosh Hashanah and the Asian New Year, but I digress!
This card was fast, inexpensive, easy, (but doesn’t look it)–four essential things in card making, IMO.
Supplies:
ScraPerfect’s Best Glue Ever™
Card base (See Step 1)
“Recycled” sentiments
Punch
glitter
vellum, patterned papers, card stock
Optional: Purchased embellishment, fiber, bling, wire, whatever!!!
STEP 1 Sentiment: Find the sentiment (Happy New Year, Happy Birthday, Happy Holidays…) from a card you’re recycling.
Choose a card base or fold card stock to size. For my card, the red/white dotty background was a greeting card from a discounted 10 pack with matching envelopes, perfect for repurposing and altering…(who cares what the original message said!)
STEP 2 Snowflake Embellishment: From card stock and vellum, punch snowflakes (or other appropriate shape). Apply a thin layer of the Best Glue Ever™ to back of each shape. Apply glitter to the card stock. Let glue on the vellum dry to clear. (Glue will become very tacky and completely invisible!)
STEP 3 Focal Image: These mittens come from a pack of chipboard winter shapes that I’ve had in my stash for years. By using only one piece per card, the purchased pack becomes much more economical. I added the white fuzzy yarn to the mittens.
Other options for the focal image:
Cut out an image from a relevant patterned paper
Stamp and color an image
Print one from the internet
Use an images saved from a greeting card
Take a photo of mittens!
Then print, tear or fussy cut the mittens and mount on foam tape or chipboard for dimension.
STEP 4 Design & Layout: Arrange the elements (without glue). Tear solid or patterned paper for background. Tear the sentiment to size and shape. Layering and overlapping the elements makes it more cohesive. See if you need a little extra “something”. For example, I sanded the edges of the card to soften the very shiny paper and to create a white “border”.
STEP 5 Assemble the card: Adhere the now-sticky vellum snowflakes. Apply Best Glue Ever™ to back of the glittery snowflake, remembering this glue is very strong and a little goes a long way!
If desired, apply a teeny-tiny bit of glue to background and sprinkle a little extra glitter. Use your finger or brush if you want gitter diffused or apply directly from the tip if you want a fine line or dots.
MORE TIPS:
• To adhere fiber, fabric or ribbon, apply Best Glue Ever™ to the card and let
dry to clear & tacky before pressing on the fiber. Since the glue is “dry”, it will not bleed through and because it’s very tacky, will adhere the fibers instantly!
• Tearing all the elements and papers makes them coordinate with each other more — even if the colors, textures and patterns are quite different. To get the distinct torn edge, either use stock with a different color core or with two different colored sides. Most cards are printed on white paper and will show the white torn edge. (Did you know you can choose to make the white visible or not? Experiment tearing towards you or away from you–that is with your right hand either tear upwards or downwards. See?)
• Whenever you receive a greeting card with nice sentiments, images, even charms or embellishments-remove them and keep them for your card-making supplies.
• Little additions make a big impact. (Notice the little bit of glitter around the glittery snowflake or the addition of the lumpy white yarn.
• Look for super discounted card packs. These can be used as card bases and can br completely altered with the bonus of matching envelopes! Or buy them for the printed sentiments or cute image/embellishments.
