The only thing slim in my office ...

 ... are the cards. :)  And slimline cards are fantastic.

I made a video showing the basics if you want to get more details:

The basic dimensions for this card fold are to start with a piece of cardstock that is 8 1/2" x 7" and score the 7" side in half at 3 1/2".  I find this size fits best in the Stampin' Up! slimline envelopes which are 8 7/8" x 3 7/8" as it leaves room for layers and dimensionals.

  

Thanks to Leena Girsa, fellow SU demonstrator for this awesome card design.

If you want to make a money / cheque holder then start with a 8 1/2" x 9" piece of cardstock and score the 9" side at 3 1/2" and 7".  fold up the 2" flap and adhere with tear and tape (or strong adhesive) along the 2 sides.  This will work to have the fold at the bottom of a landscape orientation card:

  

or on the side of a portrait orientation one:

  

The white cardstock layers on the front of the cards are made from the leftover piece of the card base sheet.  There is enough left to cut either:

                sailboat card          navy layer   8 1/4" x 3 1/4"      white layer   8 1/8" x 3 1/8"

                flower card            white layer    8 1/4" x 3 1/4"

In additions to stamping, you can emboss the layer.  It doesn't matter that the embossing folders are only 6" long - just use two different ones or emboss the layer with the same one a half at a time. 

You can also use designer series paper.  The horizon card above shows a design using the 6" x 6" designer paper.  Or you can use a 12" x 12" sheet to get full coverage.  These layers are both 8 1/4" x 3 1/4".

As mentioned in the video, slimline cards work if you want to make an extra special card, fit on bigger design elements or make a card to hold money, a cheque or a letter.  I can see this working for grads, birthdays, weddings, invites....  

What are  you going to use these cards for? I look forward to seeing your creations.

Happy crafting.

T

It's a what?

A One Sheet Wonder - sometimes written as OSW.  Basically you take a piece of designer series paper (DSP) - either 12"x12" or 6"x6" and make a series of cards out of it.  There is even a double sheet wonder using 2 pieces.  Each one has a cut plan and maybe some criteria for the paper pattern, which will net you a series of cards that use the same products but all look a little different. 

Here's the video I made showing how to make these 4 great cards.  There is more detail and tips in the video.

For this one, we are using a piece of 6" x 6" paper - best done with a small, non directional pattern and a piece where you like both sides.  This will make 4 cards - if you need to use 2 - 6" x 6" pieces of DSP to get 2 patterns you like, then prep for 8 card bases.

Before cutting, look at the cut plan and make sure you know which cuts to make first.  In this case, the upper right corner of the plan is the one to watch. You need to cut a 1  1/4" strip, then cute off the top 1  1/2" piece before making the next vertical cut.  

On this plan, I also added the letters A thru D to indicate which piece goes on which card. This will not always be indicated.  Also, you can change the pieces around if you want.  It's your cards, that how it works. :)

I decided to try this pattern using notecards as well as full size cards.  I could do this because the DSP pieces were smaller.  This will not always work as some OSW patterns have pieces bigger than the notecards.  

For the full size card bases you will need 2 portrait and 2 landscape bases.  If you choose to emboss a layer - these are 3 3/4" x 5". I kept these cards pretty simple (go me!) but you can add embellishments, ribbon/twine or die cuts as you please.

Here are the side by comparisons of the final cards.

Card A

Card B

Card C

Card D

What pattern paper are you going to use for your OSW?  Comment below and share pictures of the final results.  

Happy crafting - and Happy Easter!

T

Here come's Peter Cottontail

... crafting down the treat holder trail.  OK, that may be a stretch. But with Easter a week away, it's definitely time to get busy on the treat holders.

These are the instructions for two of the treat holders I shared yesterday on facebook for my Monday Challenge projects. They are both pretty quick to make and are a good way to use up some of your designer series paper (DSP) stash.  Come on, you know you have one.

First up, the easter basket.  This sample is made with a 6" x 6" starting piece but you could make it as big as 12"x12".  I expect at that size, you will need to add some cardstock to reinforce it a bit - and it will take lots more candy to fill.  

  

To assemble, just the side strips and staple to the middle panel.  I just eyeball these and then trim off the little bit the middle flap that sticks up.  In the picture, you can see that I have trimmed the right side but not the left.  I put the smooth side of the staple on the inside of the basket so there is no accidental scratches or pokes.  The rough side can go out as it gets covered over.  You could glue as well just put on a paper clip or clothespin to keep it while it dries. I tuck the handle in between the layers but it you forget (maybe I've done that once or twice) you can add it on the front as it will also be hidden by the decoration.

The handle is 8" x 3/4" - most of the time I find DSP is strong enough to hold the candy but you can make the handle out of cardstock and then adhere the DSP to it, or, wrap ribbon around the whole basket and adhere on the top of the handle for extra strength.

Once you decorate the front, don't forget to put a little something on the back to cover up the staple, handle, etc.  Add a little shredded paper or crumpled tissue and load up with candy. Yum.

Our second project is a treat card or gift card holder, or a combo of both. These are pretty versatile - load them with treats, a gift card, photos, journaling cards, etc.

  

Before you start scoring make sure that the pattern is right side up.  This means that the pattern you want to have in the top right corner should be facing up.  This is just personal preference. Because of the way this project folds up, non directional paper is best.  To get the fold over pieces just measure from the corner to each point and then score.   

  

Once you have scored and folded the pieces it should look like this.  You can also see in this picture where the adhesive goes.  You know I love me some tear and tape but liquid glue would also work,  The more you plan to fill it, the stronger the adhesive needs to be.

To assemble, you are basically folding up counterclockwise.  Start with the bottom right corner and fold over to the left, then fold that piece up, then the last fold is to the right - like a card.

   

It you keep the filling flat (gift card, photo) then this will still fit in a standard envelope.  Loaded with treats it doesn't but could be put in a cellophane bag.

Remember to put a piece of cardstock on the inside to write on - and it gives a little strength to the project.

I hope you have lots of fun making treats for people.  I would love to see pictures of your projects.

Happy crafting!

T