You Make My Day- Card Tutorial #1

     This card is all about using what you already have in your stash! I am the queen of holding on to even the oldest of craft supplies, so every once and a while I have to challenge myself to create from some of my long-forgotten goodies.  I love how this mish-mash of products turned out.  It's great for birthdays and valentines or any time that you just want to bring a smile to someone's face.

A close up of the magic     

     I began by embossing a piece of DCWV Kraft cardstock with the Cuttlebug Cross My Heart Folder.  To make the embossing more prominent, I then ran a VersaMagic Dew Drop ink in Cloud White over the raised areas.  To create the peek-a-boo effect, I proceeded to run the craft sheet through my BigKick with a 4 inch wafer thin die.  Sifting through my scrap papers, I decided to go with an American Crafts Amy Tangerine scrap for the background element.

I couldn't believe my luck when I found the American Crafts 'Best of' reams at Michaels for only $5)  

     After deciding on a sentiment, (I wanted something versatile yet sweet), I turned towards the 'random' drawer in my craft room.

One of my many 'miscellaneous' drawers

     Though I love organizing my stash, there are certain things that inevitably get thrown in to the 'unclassifiable' section.  A childhood valentine's craft left me with hundreds of foam hearts that I have always been hesitant to relinquish.  Wanting to make a dent in those, as well as the Disney dimensional alphabet stickers I unearthed, I designed my sentiment.  I decided upon a word banner to to accompany the foam heart, using my powder bag as well as my Prima stamping set to emboss the message in white.

I always stamp on a mouse pad for the cleanest image

     Laying it all out, I realized it still need a few last touches, so I turned to a few of my trustiest staples.  Namely a bakers twine bow tied around the kraft piece and white stitching lines around each of the elements.

One of my favorite techniques

     Finally, I was read to adhere everything down to my white 6.5x5 inch card base using foam squares to give the kraft piece and the entire sentiment dimension. And voila!

The finished product

estimated time: 30 minutes