May CARDMAKING Kit from EmbellishKits.com Conclusion

   When Shelby emailed me that this month's subscriptions from EmbellishKits.com were on the way, and that the May Card Kit would include a more masculine themed collection, I immediately thought of many holidays and birthdays coming up that offer themselves to a more subtle and classic design. The 6x6 paper patterns from the Jack and Jill collection and chipboard and sticker accents, twines and buttons all come together in layers that were easy to create but look absolutely stunning, making this an admirably texturized collection of 8 cards.

My Hero wears a Mulit-Function Tool

Starting with the full color example and directions for card number one, "My Hero,"  we used some foam adhesive to lift up the sticker sentiment and slipped a button behind it. Another layer of dimension is achieved with that black twine wrapped around the long rectangle. Rounded corners contrast with the column effect and mimic the frame around our sentiment.

Lovely Layers

 I'll admit, I fell victim to the same habit many of us do, I looked at that sticker and thought, Nope, not gonna use it, don't feel it, don't have boys etc. Then, as I followed this month's well-written instructions, my mind wandered to a different interpretation, and I thought of What makes a Hero to me? What came to mind were examples like, a dad teaching his kids how to survive in the forest. Or when a schoolmate stays close enough for a phone call for decades. Even a grown up taking a look a their life and deciding to act more mature or doing a bit of self exploration. Needless to say, the card now sits in my craft room while I debate which boy stole my heart enough to get a postal salute!

Based on Card Design Number Two

 Now, anyone who's taken a class or placed a custom order for cards from me will be able to tell you, I'm not very good at sticking to an example when I'm in the creative zone. One of the things I really appreciate about the card kits from EmbellishKits.com is that the directions and pictures let me get creative comfortably. Knowing which pieces I can set aside or use with each of the cards ahead of time lets me sift through the left over pieces, and get inspiration from the basic design. Here, instead of a vertical card and stacked banner (pennant) shapes, I turned the design and used a cut out phrases from the six by six papers instead of the stickers and chipboard. Instead of a father's day card, I've got myself a great card to give my brother the car junky next month!

There was just enough room at the left hand side to slip on that red chipboard BOY. With the blue and white twine I stuck to the star theme but used the red and white stickers, with a tiny blue chipboard circle layered over a bit of that blue airplane paper and an inked strip with a postal mark on it. Whenever you can cover more than one paper with an embellishment, it will help it to look as if it's pulling the card together; part of the overall design,  instead of that there's just another thing on the card.
I put a lot of my handmade greeting cards out for sale in Gig Harbor's Copy Mail It, and the card rack there has a majority of spaces for horizontal cards, so I tend to convert many designs to one that is stretched across the card front. Taking an idea and transforming it into a design that works for you is one of my favorite concepts to teach. In card #3, I used that thick brilliant red pre-scored cardstock and the Light Blue Kaleidoscope Paper, adhered to the center of the page. I didn't worry about the top cut too much, just width. Instead of the Orange paper, I used a row of those element symbols. That pattern, the airplane print, and the billiard motif had my mustache loving heart a flutter! A little bit steam punk but not in a nerdy way is what I kept think, as well as the songs from Oh Brother Where Art Thou and the Grapes of Wrath.

Card Number Three

Can you see the little red arrow I left attached to another sentiment strip from a sheet in the 6x6 paper pad? And another detail to keep in mind the next time you're working with border strips is how I centered the element boxes, leaving the same open width on the left and right edges. But enough about me, I thought this card would be great encouragement for a soon to be graduate or even just an average student  or friend currently struggling. As an inside sentiment, that Dream Big sticker finds a place to inspire the recipient. But what did I do with that gorgeous scripted wood veneer "today?"


Closer to the original! Card Number Four

Why, move it onto my next card, of course! I loved the idea of the contrasting pattern topped tag and since our local Gig Harbor High School's school colors are grey, dark blue, and white, I figured this would be a great graduation card to put in the store too. It doesn't hurt that our local Narrows airport just opened up their field for visitors to watch the aircraft up close and personal; perhaps some of our locals will be more inclined to day dreaming?

The alphabets included this month allow us to really customize these cards and I used the number stickers to put the graduating year on there. The rich colors, busy but subtle patterns, and the layers on layers give this card a lot of substance with very little effort on the maker's part and only a few scraps of paper. I think it's the wood veneer and the bold silky blue ribbon that give this card that pop of quality.
You can't tell by the size of this photo, but our next card is a whopping 9.25 inches long- and comes with a custom envelope to prove it! Hey, it's not the size of the card but the amount of paper you can get on it, and I actually saved this card for last so I could put my cut offs to good use. The tones of blue and white and talking about cut offs reminds me of the quilt my mom made out of all the legs we'd cut off our jeans each summer (does anybody even do this anymore?) That quilt darn near killed her sewing matching because we hadn't thought about all the rivets... hmmm, may have to go back and add a few blings to simulate that effect!

Let the flag fly!
Based on Card Design Number Five

The full color picture shows a few different patterns and stickers being used. Again, not feeling the brothers theme, I pictured a couple enclosing their love within this card that speaks of the pride a parent fells for their child when big things are on the horizon. If I'd thought to grab a close up you'd see that I layered chipboard and sticker sentiments over that large square chipboard sentiment sign. The compass points are layered too; I brought that red in to go with the bright crimson twine included in this month's card kit. Thought this would be perfect for a parent with a son graduating from the military or getting shipped out after school, too.

Card Number Six,
 perfect for an "Amazing Dad"

 Did you have a chance to see last week's card making tutorial? Together we layered a border sticker and a few patterned paper strips with chipboard and stickers to create one of the coolest Father's Day cards my hands have crafted. Working within a collection, there is not a lot you can go wrong with in selecting different patterns, but Shelby has a knack for creating designs that are easy to simulate and look amazing no matter how you interpret them.
As I mentioned in the video, if you wanted to turn this card on it's side and read vertically, it would be a snap; just cut your pieces to the correct height and cut the excess off the sides! The twine tied around the banner and layered under the chipboard ruler, as well as the dimensional adhesive behind the DAD pennants are two of my favorite features on this card. Plus, I'm a total sucker for all things wood grain!

Cad Number Seven

Because I had already used the compass and The Sky is the Limit stickers on other cards, I needed to mix up the design a little for card number 7, but I did still include many of the same elements. I have the blue airplane paper, the red chipboard airplane with the blue Adventure sticker, and that beautiful blue ribbon threaded out on either side. For some extra movement and texture I did two stickers at the top, the camera on the right is lower to the card front than the chipboard timepiece tag tied with baker's twine you see to the left. I like the way the two stickers, being the same color, almost appear to combine into a flag waving in the wind.


Bonus Card: Boy Defined

The designs and color photos in each of the kits from Embellish It also come with another bonus: you can use them again and again with patterns and embellishments of our choosing! Look at one of my bonus cards, which uses hardly any paper btw, and you will see many of the same placements as our example shows, such as the large, circled sentiment in the top right and a bold, main piece in the bottom left corner of the card. I even used a 1/3-2/3s ratio with the patterned paper strip to the right and the white cardstock background of my card front. You can learn terrific ideas on how to achieve that designer look on either of our cruises taking you around the Caribbean April of 2016.
The last card with instructions in this set got the horizontal flip again, and then I had some fun choosing stickers that would fit my Thought Up theme of a birthday card for a "One of A Kind," Awesome boy. Look, I got 7 stickers on there, as well as an additional chipboard element!
Working each month on trying to use every bit of these kits is almost the opposite of what I would normally tend to do with a new collection kit in my craft space. Isn't it like, a rule that you have to savor all the pretty things as you work with a kit, using only the pieces you're instructed to and saving the assorted left overs for just the right card front/ layout? And isn't it more likely that instead of being used, those pieces will float in a bag (if they're lucky) around from place to space, not getting used up at all.
Nu-uh; in my sanctuary, I've been attempting the practically impossible- I've been using up sticker sheets, discarding their empty frames on cling with a fling to the paper bin. That 12x12 piece of chipboard elements with only three pieces still in their places? Onto a card front they go- layered, stacked, and adhered with abandoned, or even (gap)  given to the children for artsing with- anything to move those products through my stash. After all, there are more cool patterns and motifs coming!

Bonus Card: Ta-Dou!

When I was working with the stickers, I kept admiring that baseball player and his quote about not letting fear get in your. This background design of a pattern on top, a pattern on the bottom, and a band of a another pattern or texture through the middle is one I turn to again and again, and as I mentioned before, I love me some wood grains. I chose the blue and grey with white striped scrap, and then an off-cut of the chevron which looked like directional arrows to me. I chose a few athletic traits from the element pattern, and then realized I could use them to spell out, "Ta-Dou!" That's sporty, right?!

my precious leftovers @AnnaBradshw

Bonus Card: Soar..

Thanks for joining me in another CraftWithAnna.com card share, using the May 2015 card kit from Shelby Dredge of embellishonline.com and EmbellishKits.com.

and the inside.

Although I used nearly every single piece of chipboard and sticker not part of an alphabet from this collection, the smaller prints on the six by six papers means even with tiny bits and pieces, I've got lots of leftover papers and embellishments still to play with from this month's kit, so be sure to follow me on instagram to see those finished creations turn up amongst pictures of my girls enjoying the spring sunshine here in beautiful Washington state. <3Anna

P.S. Feeling the need for some creative retail therapy? Go ahead and shop for a subscription that fits your papering needs, it would make a perfect Mother's Day gift to yourself or a loved one :-)