Squish ‘Em!

Hello Crafty Friends!

These past few weeks I have devoted my crafting time to using the older supplies I have had stashed away over the years. I love creating my handmade greeting cards and have looked back at the pictures of the cards I have designed since 2007. My card styles have changed, however the reason and meaning of creating cards has remained the same-to let people know they are remembered and special.

Groundhog Happy Hello Card

There are four containers of brads, small charms, sequins, and various other embellishments in my craft drawer.

Lots of Candy Buttons!

Since many of these add bulk to cards, I have found ways to reduce the bulk and use these items. For instance, remember the ‘candy buttons’ that were popular a few years ago? They came in several different colors and styles. I usually attached these cute buttons to cards using a small square foam that fit them perfectly and added some dimension to my cards.

Birthday card using candy button embellishments attached with tiny foam squares.

I had an idea of putting these between a piece of printer paper and running them through my die cutting machine. I squished ’em and was able to attach them to my cards using a small dot of glue. They still added a bit of texture, but not bulk to my cards. It also added some more texture to the top of the button, as you can see in the picture. Not all of these buttons added bulk when I attached the foam square, but attaching the squished button with glue makes it more secure than the foam square. We all want our cards to arrive through the mail intact, and in my opinion glue is much more secure than foam. (Especially if the foam squares are older.)

Tiny foam squares fit perfectly in the button, but adds bulk.

Tiny Candy Button embellishments

More texture is added to the buttons after they are compressed in the die cutting machine, using regular plates. I was pleasantly surprised to see these, the more texture I can put on a card, the better!

Compressed candy buttons look like golf balls on this card!

Another idea I had was to cut off the prongs of some brads I had in my collection. I used one of my handy tools to squish the ends of the cut prongs down into the brad. Then I was able to attach the brad with glue to my card. (If it was a bigger brad, I stuffed it with a sticky zot, and added glue to make sure it was secure.) Not having the prongs opened behind the card, which added bulk, made them easier to mail. When I purchased brads in the past they usually came in packages that held several of these crafty gems. Now I have a way to use these and save on postage!

Cutting the prongs off of brads reduces the bulk on a card.

This technique has allowed to me save on postage and packaging material when I mail cards created with embellishments. And the best part….I am using up my older items!

I hope these ideas help you to use up items in your stash and save on bulk and postage. Thank you for visiting my blog today. Enjoy your crafty time!

~~ Vickie~~

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Vintage Craft Supplies!

Hello blogging friends!

Once again, my blogging posts had been put at the bottom of my ‘to do’ list since the holiday season took my time in other directions. But I am back and want to share this short story with you.

I have several items that my two sons had when they were younger. These stencils were theirs and, if I remember correctly, were included in one of their McDonald’s Happy Meals in the 1990’s.

When I was creating a New Year’s card, I needed smaller numbers to match the snowman on this card.

These number stencils were the perfect size! Now these ’vintage’ stencils are in my crafting stash! Thanks McDonald’s!

What is the oldest item in your craft space that you have used recently? I’m sure I am not the only person that hangs on to things from their children’s past!

Enjoy your crafting day and thank you for visiting my blog!

~ Vickie ~

Embossed Card Repair!

Hello Readers!

I hope you and your families are doing okay, both physically and mentally. These are trying times and we must all do our part to get through these days.

One of the activities that has really helped me is creating my handmade greeting cards. It is a way for me to ‘escape’ the realities of today’s world and focus on something positive.

Yesterday I took a solid piece of card stock and embossed it with one of my favorite ‘swirly’ designs. The paper had a white core, and part of the embossed design revealed several white spots. Well, that was not going to work with the card I had in mind.

Since I do not like to waste papers, I decided to fix the exposed white spots. I turned to my tried and true (and old) chalks. I found the perfect shade to match my paper and started covering up the spots! It worked! I went ahead and lightly dusted the entire surface to give it a more consistent look.

I was very pleased with the results of my repaired background. You can see cracks in the chalks, but they still work beautifully when I need them!

This is the card I created. I love this little squirrel stamp, (also very old) and hope the person I am sending it to will like enjoy it.

(The background looks darker, but it is the same background. I need to work on my photography skills!)

Sending cards is more important now than before, as so many seniors, veterans and others are feeling isolated since they can’t have visitors. If they receive a card it will help them remember they are not alone.

Thank you for supporting HorseMark Cards. Stay Safe.

~~~ Vickie~~~

A Bit of Greens to Take Away the Blues!

Hello!

These are difficult times in our world today and I hope you and your families are doing well.

Since so many people are sheltered in place, I have been creating and sending cards to residents of senior citizen homes and veterans.

Creating cards has given me a new purpose for my work. It relaxes me when I am creating, and I feel better giving my cards to so many who are not allowed to visit with their families and friends. It is a win-win project!

I am sharing this short post with a few cards I designed using colors of greens. I hope you like them.

Sharing cards has always been important to me, but today it becomes more vital. To receive a card in the mail can make a big difference when they are feeling lonely. It can brighten someone’s day and maybe even make them smile.

Thank you for visiting today. Remember to send a card to someone and pick up the phone and let them know you care.

Enjoy your day and stay safe,
Vickie

Colorful Ideas!

 

Hello Crafty Friends!

I hope you had a good year and find time to do some extra crafty creating in 2020!  I am planning to add a new post to my blog at least once a month.  (I do post regularly on my Instagram and Facebook pages!  I hope you get a chance to check them out!)

I decided to have my first post of 2020 be about colors, since that is so important in any craft project!

My creative room is almost overflowing with colorful markers. When I am at a craft store or happen to catch myself in a certain aisle in another store, I can’t resist looking at the extensive selection of colorful marking pens and pencils. A few years ago I would have had several in my shopping cart, but today I realize I own more than my share.

Colored Pencils and Special Markers

On occassion, I will use a marker for a small section on my cards. I do not have the talent to ‘blend’ the colors of markers so I can use them on large spaces of paper. (I continue to improve this skill, but even the best ‘blending’ pens and I don’t seem to get along. 😦 ) So, because of this flaw in my skill set, I use pencils (and chalks) to add color to my cards.

Sharpie Markers & Special Markers

When I apply chalks to color images on my cards, I use a tiny cotton ball held with tweezers and hold it like a pencil. I like chalks as I can blend them more easily than markers.

EK Success Chalk Tower

 

Other items I used to purchase quite frequenty, were colored gems and stickers to use on my cards. I have since realized that I can just purchase clear gems and color them myself!  This makes it much easier to match the colors to the papers!  (I do find that the Sharpie markers are the best for this. They dry on most surfaces and don’t smear.)

Using markers to color gems

 

A few of my cards I created and colored with colored pencils.

I think my love of these colorful tools dates back to my childhood. Colored pencils and crayons were my favorites. Coloring in books was something I was always doing, even in my teen years when I was babysitting. Once the little ones were tucked in their beds, I would enter my coloring world until the parents came home. I guess some things never change!

Thanks for visiting today! Enjoy your creative day!

~~Vickie