One of a Kind: A Tutorial

Just because I don't have much of the tools needed for crafting certainly does NOT mean I can't craft. And I've got to hand it to myself for resourcefulness for this card. LOL Oh and I'm also going to attempt to do a photo-packed tutorial. It's photo-packed just so you can get what I'm trying to say when I'm not as clear as I would have wanted. But I promise to try my best.

First, let me show you what we're making.

A little sad note. This was supposed to be another entry for the Card-Ideas' CASE the DT Challenge. This is a CASE of Pat's beautiful card. I was really sad when I realized that I got a little confused of the time difference (I'm in the Philippines) that I wasn't able to upload it in time before the challenge closed. Boohoo for me.. But, well, not much I can do. So I've decided to just look at the bright side. At least I now have another card I can share with you, my fellow crafties. And I had so much fun making this, it was worth all the effort even if I didn't make it to the challenge. :)

Lastly, this is going to be my entry for the 365 Cards Challenge which is to put the phrase "One of Kind" on the card. I got a little resourceful on this one.. I'll show you in a bit!

So on to the tutorial!

1. Start with a cardstock base. Choose one which is thick enough to hold up when especially when your card front gets a bit heavier due to embellishments. Cut to desired size. I chose 11cm x 14.5cm for this one, following the size of my envelope .

Quick Tip: If you're not making your own envelopes, it's better to buy them first before making your cards. That way, you'll know what card size will fit your envelopes. Much harder to find envelopes that will fit your already-completed card, believe me!

2. Choose your background. I chose one with pastel-colored circles for this. Cut to the size of your card front and glue properly. You can also use double-sided tape if you don't want it messy with glue.

3. Punch the right top and bottom corners of the card with a corner rounder punch. If you don't have one, fear not! This is where we get a bit resourceful! Rummage through your art stash and look for anything that has a rounded corner. Can be a chipboard shape, a ready-made card, anything! I found this poor, lonely fishy from one of my calendars and cut it out.

Trace the round corner into your card's corners so you'll know where to cut to make it round.

You should have something like this after that whole tracing and cutting thing.

4. Stamp an image into white paper and color the image with all your heart for a more vibrant look. I used colored pencils for this image because I'm not lucky enough to own copics. Yet. Think positive.

Quick Tip: Color first BEFORE you cut. This will give you a more stable image to color since you can hold other parts of the paper with your hand.

 5. Cut out a scalloped circle to serve as "frame" for your stamped image. Again, if you don't have a die-cutter or puncher, you can rummage through your stash to find something you can trace. OR download a free scalloped circle pattern here, adjust the size as desired, print it out then cut.

6. Glue your stamped image to your scalloped circle. If you want to give the scalloped circle a bit more emphasis, you can trace the edges with a pen like I did using broken lines. You can also use colored pens or distressing ink.

7. Make a bow out of a ribbon about 1/2 inch in width and embellish. I used paper flowers and a button for mine. Other good embellishments would be gems, brads, glitter and anything you fancy!

8. Now that you have everything you need, let's assemble! Glue a strand of your ribbon across your card. Glue your stamped image and then your pretty bow. Looking good?

So here's where I got a bit resourceful again. Remember that I wanted to make this as an entry for the 365 Cards challenge. Problem was I didn't have anything that can qualify for the "One of a Kind" criteria. SO, I sort of played with the stamped image so that it now reads "no friend like you" instead of "a friend like you". And then I wrote the phrase "Because you're one of a kind!" at the right bottom corner. Okay, you're probably thinking, "Why didn't she just PRINT the words? Argh." Hubby and I just moved into our new home and we left some of our things in our hometown, including the printer. LOL.

And so, after all that, you should have something that looks like this (if not much, much prettier!)..

Whew! That took me longer than I expected to complete. LOL. Hope you had fun! Let me know what you think, what I need to improve on and everything else you would like to comment on. I love hearing what you all have to say.

Because of a sweet comment from Yenni (thanks so much, Yenni!), I found other challenges for my card. So I'm also entering it in the following:

Catch the Bug - anything goes
Little Claire - flowers
Our Daily Bread - yellow and pink as focal colors
Send a Smile for Kids - anything goes
Stampin' Sisters in Christ - stamped flower
Card Cupids - anything goes
Ginger Loft - flowers


Thanks for visiting!