A New Use for an Old Tool – Card Making with a Sewing Gauge

Posted in Tools & Products I like by lisababitz

I have had my sewing kit since high school home ec. class (I’m not going to tell you how old it is!), and one of the tools in it is a sewing gauge. Recently, I discovered that this tool is very useful for making sure panels are straight on my cards. I am usually a pretty good “eye-baller” but have a little trouble when positioning/adhering long, skinny panels that are kind of far from the edges (they always end up crooked!) or very small panels that have lots of space on all 4 sides (I have a hard time centering them). What is great about this tool is that once you determine how far away from the edge of the card you want your panel, you set the “sliding measure” and you can very quickly check all points on your panel to see if the distance from the edge is uniform.

(Check two points on same side to see if the panel is straight.)

(Check both sides to see if the panel is centered on right and left.)

A sewing gauge can be purchased in your local fabric store or online and is pretty inexpensive. I’ve been using mine often; it has become one of my favorite tools!

Thanks for checking out my post!

14Oct2015

Best Wishes – Golf Themed Birthday Card

Posted in Birthday Cards, Cards by lisababitz

Best Wishes – Golf Themed Birthday Card

Here’s a 5×7 card featuring a BIG greeting paired with some designer paper.

The greeting stamps are from the “Stamp It Big!” set (retired?) by Gina K Designs and were heat embossed with versamark ink and recollections snow embossing powder. The designer paper is called “Golf Game” (#1244) from the “Game Day” Collection by Ronni. I used white card stock for the card base and mats. The center panel was popped up with foam tape.

Here’s the original sheet of paper (front and back):

Thanks for checking out my card project!

13Oct2015

Holiday Planners

Posted in Christmas, Paper Crafting Projects (other) by lisababitz

Holiday Planners

(one of several designs; see more below)

I loved this “Holiday Planner” idea when I saw it HERE on Melissa The Stamp Doc’s blog. I thought planners would be useful, fun to make, a great way to use up some of the paper I have piling up in my craft room (I think I’m addicted to buying the stuff!!), and a cute item to offer at the Rolling Green Golf Club Holiday Boutique which is at the beginning of December (the perfect time to start planning for the holidays!). So I decided to make a bunch of them!

The base for each of the planners is a pocket folder which I ordered on Amazon, but you can also get them in office supply stores and where school supplies are sold.

I scored each side of the folder in half vertically and folded them so the pockets were on the inside.

I added score tape to the back of the middle panels so they would stay together and form a tall, skinny book. (Melissa’s opened flat.)

I designed and printed my own inserts for each planner. I included a calendar, “to do” lists, shopping lists, stocking stuffer and gift lists, card lists, and an envelope for receipts. (A link for inserts was provided in Melissa’s blog post, but these are copyrighted and cannot be used in products for sale.) I will include contact information with each planner I sell so the customer can request and print additional/updated sheets for later, if desired.

I added decorative paper and mats to the fronts and inside pocket panels and made a “Holiday Planner” label (computer generated) for the fronts. To finish them off, I tied pens to the planners with raffia. For the sale, each planner will be placed in a plastic sleeve (actually made for license plates) that I found at Bags Unlimited and sealed with clear, circular mailing seals.

I made several different styles. (Click on each photo for a larger view.)

My Mind’s Eye “Holly Berries” from the “Holly Jolly” collection

Recollections card stock (sku 4 0010073676 0)

Jillibean Soup “Folded Flakes” from the “Christmas Cheer Chowder” collection (front and back)

Reminisce “Under the Tree” from the “Santa’s Workshop” collection

Karen Foster Design “Christmas Stamps”

Glitz Design “Joyeux Noes Polka” from the “Joyeux Noel” collection

Gina K Cranberry Tart card stock

Reminisce “Christmas Holly” from the “A Christmas Story” collection

Reminisce “Christmas Joy” from the “A Christmas Story” collection

Gina K Cranberry Tart card stock

Reminisce “Christmas Joy” from the “A Christmas Story” collection

Reminisce “Christmas Holly” from the “A Christmas Story” collection

Gina K Christmas Pine card stock

My Mind’s Eye Unforgettable “Happiness” Delight Paper

TPC Studio “Apple Picking” from the “Rustic Garden” collection

Gina K Charcoal Brown card stock

Karen Foster Design “Signs of Winter”

Melissa Frances “First Snowfall”

Gina K Warm Cocoa card stock

AC Moore Chestnut 12×12 card stock (PPR9010)

Thanks for checking out my post!

11Oct2015

It’s Your Birthday – Golf Themed Shaker Card

Posted in Birthday Cards, Cards, Interactive by lisababitz

It’s Your Birthday – Golf Themed Shaker Card

(inside sentiment: have a ball)

This 5×7 card was made with Gina K Peach Bellini and white card stock and a piece of designer paper called “Golf” (#1311) from the “On the Edge Sports” line by Ronni. The greeting was stamped with Gina K Moonlit Fog ink. I’ve had the greeting stamp for quite some time. Unfortunately, there is no information on the stamp to indicate who made it, and I don’t remember where I purchased it.

I made a “recessed window” using one of the “A2 Matting Basics B” Spellbinders dies and a craft knife. (See the tutorial HERE by Theresa Momber.) Dies from the same set were used to create my peach frame and the cut out portion of my card front. I added sequins and microbeads to the recessed panel and covered it with a piece of acetate to create my shaker panel. This was adhered behind the cut out portion on my card front. I used foam tape (two layers) to adhere the front panel to my card base.

Thanks for checking out my card project!

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9Oct2015

Fore Your Birthday – Golf Themed Birthday Card

Posted in Birthday Cards, Cards by lisababitz

Fore Your Birthday – Golf Themed Birthday Card

(inside: wishing you a day filled with good things)

One of the things I really enjoy is browsing at designer scrapbook paper. There are so many gorgeous patterns and prints available. There was a scrapbook supply store called “Scrap and Beads” in Burlington, NJ that I visited every now and again, but unfortunately, the store is no longer in business. The store was filled with gorgeous paper that you don’t see in the big box stores near me. On one of my visits, I found an amazing sheet of golf paper that I used to make this birthday card.

My card base (5×7) and mats are Gina K Edible Eggplant card stock. The designer paper with the golfer image is called “Hole in One” (H10-1295) from the “Tee Off” collection by Moxie. I also used some “Celtic Plaid” from the “Sham Rock Collection” by Reminisce. The greeting is from the “On The Links” stamp set by Papertrey Ink, and the inside stamp, Wishing Good Things, is by Hero Arts. Both were stamped with Gina K Edible Eggplant ink. The golf bag charm was purchased online at AliExpress (HERE) and was attached with a circular clip and brad from my stash.