Tag: card-making

2025 Cards for Cubs Encouragement Cards

If you are interested in donating birthday or encouragement cards, please join me in making Cards for Cubs. You’ll be donating cards to foster kids who deserve to be encouraged, and receiving birthday cards.

You’ll need to register and send your cards by the end of March, 2025.

You do need to register before mailing your cards so they know how many to expect from you. The minimum cards you can donate in either birthday or encouraging cards is 10. And you’ll need to donate in increments of 10 cards. So you can donate 10 birthday and 20 encouraging, or like me, donate 20 encouragement cards.

If you have a big stash of birthday cards, they don’t need to be identical, please consider donating them, I know the kids will be happy.

Website is Cardsforcubs.org

How I made my cards. I used premade card bases I got years ago at Michaels that were 5 1/2″ tall by 4 1/4″ wide. I used color matched designer paper cut to 4″ by 5 1/4″ then took 20 of the card bases and glued the designer papers on top. I bought Angie Girl stamps from Unity Stamps link: https://tinyurl.com/46spmfff and stamped them on white cardstock then colored them with alcohol markers and copied them on my copier on white cardstock so I wouldn’t have to stamp and color them again. It makes it so much easier for me each year, as now I only have to cut them out and glue them to my cards.

I use slim foam strips https://tinyurl.com/4nn8ws9z to glue to the back of the girl images, chose where I wanted to place the girls, attached them, then glued the sentiments on the front as well. I also opened the card and ran a thin row of washi tape link: https://tinyurl.com/54e9zbpd down the right side of the card and added an encouraging sentiment sticker from a roll I bought on Temu, here’s the link:https://tinyurl.com/y2h7cubv

I hope you’ll join me in donating cards to Cards for Cubs.

Super Fast Christmas Cards

Since I used everything from my stash, I have provided the closest matches to the supplies I could find. I wanted to make a lot of cards fast and easy. I think these cards turned out really cute. You can make a card in less than 5 minutes, even if you’re as slow as I am.

I started with pre-made card bases from Michaels and used a 6 x 6″ paper pad from Spellbinders called Dear Santa, no longer available. I cut decorated paper to 4″ x 5 1/4″ and glued it to the front of the A2 sized card bases from Michaels (similar ones linked below). Then I took one of the cardboard ornaments and used foam squares to attach it to the card. I added a sentiment with more foam squares and glued the fuzzy buttons on the first card with Glue Dots, stamped the back with the handmade by Sandy stamp, added washi tape to the envelope and called it done.

I found banners on Temu that would be so easy to turn into Christmas cards..You’d use a 5 x 7″ card base and glue one section of the Vintage Victorian Christmas banner https://tinyurl.com/5bnvmzsw to the front, centering it and adding a sentiment if it isn’t on the banner piece. You’ll still want to stamp the back of the card with your “made by” stamp and washi tape or put a sticker on the envelope.

If you use the Christmas banner https://tinyurl.com/bdex2ntb, you can add foam squares behind one section and attach it to the front of the card then use a sentiment and either some glittery brads or some buttons from your stash. Add washi tape or a sticker to the envelope and stamp the back of the card with “Made by” stamp.

Card bases: https://tinyurl.com/yyv2f7ha

Merry Christmas washi tape (black and gold) https://tinyurl.com/2s4884p7

Merry Christmas wooden sentiment: https://tinyurl.com/2y2akew4

Poinsettia sticker for envelope decoration: https://tinyurl.com/mrxr7rck

Glittery brads: https://tinyurl.com/2cku2hfs

Banners:

Christmas banner, use each section to glue to the front of your card: https://tinyurl.com/bdex2ntb

Vintage Victorian Christmas banner: Use on a 5 x 7″ card base and each piece will cover most of the card front and you can trim the excess so top and side background is the same size. https://tinyurl.com/5bnvmzsw

I tried to find the fuzzy buttons on Temu, but couldn’t, sorry.

Christmas ornaments for card front:

Vintage wooden ornaments: https://tinyurl.com/f2wheztt

Gnome ornaments: https://tinyurl.com/4b9ckwx5

Red truck ornaments: https://tinyurl.com/ff7ms348

Nutcracker ornaments (these are my favorites) https://tinyurl.com/53wkeups

Made by Sandy stamp: https://tinyurl.com/28s55n5d other options for made by stamps: https://tinyurl.com/mr2fe2mj

Scraper similar to one I used, only bigger: https://tinyurl.com/3w85xcah

You’ll also need foam squares, glue dots, wet glue or a tape runner to make these cards.

Birthday Card with Lifescraft Art Background Die

The nice people at Lifescraftart.com sent me dies for free to try out. I’m not affiliated with them so I am not paid if you buy products from them, but do get a

New customers can get 50% off following the info on their site.

Website: lifescraftart.com

Beautiful background die used in video: https://lifescraftart.com/products/lifescraft-printed-hollow-background-board-dies It is 4.72″ x 6.30″

Mummy die: (If you look at this link you’ll see where I went wrong, as it would’ve been a lot cuter if I had cut the eyes out. https://lifescraftart.com/products/lifescraft-metal-cutting-dies-with-bandage-monster-background-board

EEEK die: I used one of these dies on the inside of the mummy card. https://lifescraftart.com/products/lifescraft-halloween-elements-metal-cutting-dies

25% discount code SANDY25

To make the birthday card, I cut a card base 7″ x 10″ and then scored on the 10″ length at 5″ to make a 5 x7″ card front. I cut a 5 x 7″ blue mirrored card stock to glue to the front, then cut the background die on a 5 x 7″ matching blue glitter cardstock. I don’t recommend using glitter cardstock with intricate dies as they usually have an almost plastic backing on them and although the die cut through the paper well, the plastic was tough to pop out through the smaller holes.

I used Collall wet glue from Craftstash.us.com to glue the layers together and accidentally got some of the glue on the paper I was using to work on, and the back of the card got glued to the paper, so to fix this, I cut another 5 x 7″ white piece of cardstock and glued it to the back. I haven’t added the sentiment yet as the card was damp and I didn’t want my ink to smear.

I did add my new stamp to the back of the card …” Made just for you by Sandy” pre inked stamp (you never need to ink it, fyi.) https://www.temu.com/—–abs—–for–and—g-601099609291247.html?_oak_mp_inf=EO%2FzvsWm1ogBGiBhMWVlYTRjZTZlYzc0ZmYyYWU5MTBmNTc3YjIyYTI3NCDS3IWprzI%3D&top_gallery_url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.kwcdn.com%2Fproduct%2Ffancy%2F24e3cd47-4121-4b34-bab4-4f27a9d3f9cf.jpg&spec_gallery_id=2230520032&refer_page_sn=10009&refer_source=0&freesia_scene=2&_oak_freesia_scene=2&_oak_rec_ext_1=NDQz&_oak_gallery_order=2039430265%2C1538060695%2C127170437%2C1744178713%2C78636834&search_key=made%20for%20you%20stamp&refer_page_el_sn=200049&_x_sessn_id=xushif8h8u&refer_page_name=search_result&refer_page_id=10009_1730689462227_a2l6y1tlsi

I made a Halloween card using the mummy background die and I think I lost my mind, thinking somehow the mummy had cheeks I needed to color in…anyway, that card went into the trash after I showed everyone how bad I am at figuring out how to use a die if I don’t have a photo of the end result right in front of me.

Sewing on Die Cuts w/ Globeland Dies

I was sent the dies from Globeland, but am not affiliated with them in any way. They are offering a discount to my viewers. It is a 10% discount using sandy10.

Globleland homepage link: https://globleland.com/?s=sandy10

Globleland product link info: This is a great deal for $8.09 minus 10%, as you get three sets of layering dies…two sets have seven dies and one has eight, and all three have a different shape so your imagination can run wild. I realize the link has my coupon code in it, but I think it’s their way of tracking if any viewers bought something from my video and doesn”t mean I get any money in return. I think you still need to use the coupon code sandy10 when you check out to get the 10% off.

Dies link: https://globleland.com/products/cutting-dies-diy-wh0309-778?s=sandy10

The decorator paper I used for both cards came from Joanns from their brand Park Lane and the pad is 6 x 8″ and is called Old World. Here’s the link to it. https://www.joann.com/park-lane-stack-6×8-old-world/18684936.html.

For the card I made onscreen, I started with a 5 x 7″ card base in beige and took the largest die from this set from Globleland and die cut it from the Old World paper pad (link is above.) I cut one of the smaller dies from the same set to lay the sentiment on out of beige paper. I used three strands of brown embroidery thread link: https://tinyurl.com/zwrzkp88 with an embroidery needle link: https://tinyurl.com/bdh4fenb. I think the next time I do this, I’ll use all six strands that come when you get embroidery thread so it’s easier to see.

Start by threading your needle and putting a line of tear tape on the back of the die cut paper near where you want to start stitching, then lay the very end of your embroidery thread on the tear tape to hold it in place and so you don’t have to tie a knot at the end of your thread. Then starting at the back of your paper, go through the first hole closest to your tear tape and pull the thread through then go down through the next hole, up through the next and continue until you’ve made a loop on the papers’ edge for each hole with thread. It helps if you hold the thread on the back to the left of where you are stitching so the thread is out of the way of your needle. Once finished, put another piece of tear tape down and lay the end of the thread in it and cut off the excess thread. I used the same stitching technique for the large die cut and the small one.

I had an outlined thanks die from Temu that’s no longer available and die cut the same background paper out of the die and then some green paper out of it so I could use the green paper for the words. I didn’t think the green really showed up well, so used a white gel pen and made dashes and dots on the left edge of each letter. I added some crystal sticky backed embellishments to add to the surround of Thanks. I then put thin foam strips link: https://tinyurl.com/5bf4z3n5 under the sentiment beige paper to adhere it to the center of the decorated paper. I used Tacky Glue on the back of the Old World paper and attached it centered near the right side of the card base. I added two 1/4″ strips of brown ribbon to the left of the Old World paper and called the card finished.

I used the same Old World paper on the other card with orange cardstock and the dies that have diamond cut outs in them. Because the diamonds are further apart than the other card’s die, I used a different technique where I brought the needle up through from under the paper through one diamond and down through the next diamond then up through the next diamond and down through the diamond I just came up through as there’s a gap if you don’t, and then continue around the card in this manner until you’ve completed the stitching. If you’d like to see me do this on camera, I’d be happy to.

Finn’s 3 D Easter Card: Simple & Cute

I wanted to make a simple but fun card for our great nephew Finn, who just turned 2. I bought this paper pad last year from Echo Park, called Hello Easter. I was surprised to find that it is still available on Amazon and here’s the link: https://tinyurl.com/b74czmpd

I used one of the 12 x 12″ pages with a lot of smaller images on it and cut out a lot of them and then cut a matching 12 x 12″ paper down to 10″ wide by 7″ tall (make sure when you are cutting the 10″ length that the pattern is facing up and when you are cutting the 7″ length, the pattern is facing sideway. You’ll score the 10″ length at 5″ to create a 5 x 7″ card front. I found a cut out in the paper pad (link to see the cut out sheet https://tinyurl.com/4nf9d772 if you move your cursor over the images near the bottom of the cover sheet, you’ll see the pages that have rectangular shaped sentiments and those are called cut outs.) that I liked and cut it out then rounded the corners with my Kadomaru Pro corner rounder from Amazon. I love this tool, it works like a dream even cutting through two layers of paper. I also rounded the two right corners on the card front.

I laid the cut out (which is the sentiment for the front of the card that comes in the paper pad that I explained in the info above) in the center of the card so I know which pieces I want to put on foam tape to surround this cut out. I added foam tape under all of the images that surround the cut out and made sure some were raised and still covered a little of the cut out like the rabbit at the bottom and the basket on the right side. The card is really cute in person because of all of the dimension, but kind of boring on camera since you can’t see how fun it is. For chicks with thin legs, I cut it without the legs and then by laying it in the right spot, the legs look like they are meant to be that way.

This paper pad comes with an entire sheet of stickers and I used one of those for the inside of the card as well as the sentiment “Hello Easter” that was at the top of each page in the pad in the section we normally discard.

I used a combination of thin foam tape link: https://tinyurl.com/52pauw37 and small foam hexagons link: https://tinyurl.com/mr2enmvs to raise the images. Wet glue was Tombow Mono Aqua Glue link: https://tinyurl.com/2c8zyph6.

I’m sorry that I’ve had these dies for a while and am just making the video now as my broken leg delayed my video making.

The nice people at Lifescraft.com sent me these dies and have offered my viewers a great discount of 22% off with code S22.

I’m not affiliated with them but love it when a company sends me products to try and offers a discount code for my viewers.

lifescraft.com

Discount 22% with code S22

Here are the links to the dies I used:

Puzzle Dies: http://tinyurl.com/h97pxw34

Hug Dies: http://tinyurl.com/yr6wj9sa

Birds on a wire die: http://tinyurl.com/bde3dwwm

Woven Bamboo Background die: http://tinyurl.com/3cejwfdm

Paint Brush dies: http://tinyurl.com/5abtj5u7

Making the first cards, I used the woven bamboo background die for four different colored cardstocks to use and attached them to an A2 sized 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ white card base. I cut the birds on a wire die in white cardstock and glued it to the bottom 1/3rd of the card on the 5 1/2″ length. I added thanks link: http://tinyurl.com/255rmcjb or hello link: http://tinyurl.com/3scma2ktin varying colors of cardstock and on the red card woven bamboo background I added a big butterfly sticker I bought on Temu, link: http://tinyurl.com/3h3ey62b.

I used a syringe I bought on Temu for a glue applicator and although it works, it’s messy and I didn’t think about how the glue would ooze out and how it would dry in the needle when I’m not using it. If you want to try it, here’s the link to the syringes I bought. Link: http://tinyurl.com/3mv3d8ma

The second card I made I used the HUG die and using alcohol markers, colored the HUG in a green that matched a plaid green background paper I cut to 4 x 5 1/4″, and the arms in a flesh tone. I put small hexagon shaped foam adhesive (Link: http://tinyurl.com/3a2avp6b) under the HUG and the elbows of the arms and then laid the HUG in the center of the card and put the arms so they are encircling the HUG. I added an enamel dot in green I had in my stash and called it done.

I die cut the puzzle in a patterned paper and yellow fun foam and laid the patterned paper pieces onto the yellow fun foam with the exception of one piece of the puzzle that I die cut in green and replaced that piece once I stamped Thinking of you (from a very old Hero Arts stamp set) on it. I laid them on an a piece of green paper that is 2 1/2″ x 4 3/4″ and glued it to silver mirror cardstock that measured 2 3/4″ x 5″. I used a yellow A2 sized card base and laid a piece of purple grosgrain ribbon that is 5/8″ wide (from my stash) about 1/8″ from the left edge of the card and attached three yellow enamel dots to the top part of the ribbon then laid the puzzle centered on the rest of the card.

My final card is using the paintbrush dies and a “Just Because” die cut (I couldn’t remember where I got this die, sorry) I cut the entire set in green, blue, purple, red and brown and then cut the small strips that go across the paintbrushes in silver and then glued the silver strips to the brown paintbrushes and cut the blue, green, purple and red brush part of the paintbrushes off and then glued them to the brown paintbrushes so it looked like the brush part is the color of the paint swatches. I used the coordinating paint swatches and tear taped them to the back of the paint brush that matches and then glued them to a green card base that is an A2 sized card. I added “Just Because” to the top that I put through my Xyron link: http://tinyurl.com/56fbj7yk. If you use a die cut that has a surround to it, keep all of the small pieces inside the letters as you’ll need to fill those back in once you’ve laid down the sentiment. I added three small green enamel dots (one to replace the dot in the “J” in Just Because and two on an angle to the left of it. I added the red paintbrush to the inside of the card.

Don’t forget the discount of 22% using S22

Globleland Dies, Tag Punch & Wax Seal Stamp, I FINALLY Figured Out the Best Way To Melt Wax!

The nice people at Globleland.com sent me these products to try and I’m truly grateful. As always, I’m not affiliated with Globleland, but they were kind enough to send me some products to try and gave me discounts for my viewers, which is what I always ask for when trying out new products…

Globleland homepage link: https://globleland.com/?s=sandy10

Coupon code: sandy10

Globleland product links:

Layered die sets: https://globleland.com/products/cutting-dies-diy-wh0309-778?s=sandy10

Tag Punch: https://globleland.com/products/tools-ajew-wh0188-06?s=sandy10

Cat & Mouse wax stamp: https://globleland.com/products/stamp-collection-wax-stamps-ajew-wh0183-1080?s=sandy10

To make the card, I took the largest die with circles cut into it and cut a piece of striped paper with this die. I used a green card base that is 8 1/2″ long by 5 1/2″ wide, scored on the 8 1/2′ length at 4 1/4″ creating an A2 sized card. I put glue on the back of the die cut striped paper and laid it on the card base. Then I took a navy blue scrap that was 1 1/2″ wide so fits the narrowest setting for the tag punch. I used a sentiment from a magazine that says “with sympathy” and stamped it with Versamark ink on the navy blue paper. I used a small container of Nuvo embossing powder in a yellow color and then heat set the sentiment. I punched one end of the strip then cut the scrap so it’s 5 1/4″ and then punched the other end to turn it from a tag into more of a banner…not sure what I’d call that shape, sorry.

I used beige grosgrain ribbon and looped it in half and pushed it through one of the holes and pushed the ends of the ribbon through the loop and pulled them tight, then did the same to the other end. I added tear tape to the back and laid the ends of the ribbon in the tear tape. I used some thin foam tape strips I bought on Amazon, link: http://tinyurl.com/5bf4z3n5 I added a butterfly I bought at the Dollar Tree link: http://tinyurl.com/mryrk8uz

I FINALLY figured out how to melt wax melts and it’s so much simpler than the candle system. I used my heat tool instead and held the little spoon without having it get too hot (which was surprising) and figured out how to scrape the wax out of the spoon with a silicone tool I bought on Temu, link: http://tinyurl.com/4ptk4cwa

I used 5-7 of the little wax melts to create the perfect circle. I used a marble scrap to pour the wax onto and stamped with the cat and mouse stamp. I show a mold I bought to create the perfect wax seal circle, but I think it’s too big and I didn’t show using it as it took too many wax melts to fill and then the stamp got buried in the wax. Just so you know, the mold was a big disappointment. I did use it for the heart seal that is in this video so you can see just how large the seal becomes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqBdgRIkkUI. I probably won’t be using it again unless I figure out what else I can do with it besides using it for wax melts.