Create Cards for the Whole Family to Enjoy!

Hello, G45ers!

 We are here with a perfectly proper Penny’s Paper Doll Family double feature from Brand Ambassador Kathy Clement. Kathy shares two beautiful cards and a ton of helpful tips for new and experienced card makers out there. First up, she shares her bendi card, just chock-full of fussy cut imagery from this evocative collection. She has arranged Penny's whole family perfectly! Next up, she shares her more traditional "Sisters Card." She has created subtle layers to really make that embroidered look pop. Check them out below and make sure to stay for all her helpful tips. 

 

This week’s prize package includes our Winter Wonderland collection’s 12×12 Paper Pad, Patterns & Solids Pad, Ephemera, Chipboard, and Tags & Pockets, along with Staples – Deep Square Matchbook Box, Metal Claw Feet, and Knockers, a $84 value!  Just leave a comment here and/or Facebook to be entered to win.  Winner will be announced on the blog Friday, October 13th, 2017.  

 

 

Happy Family Bendi Card

By Kathy Clement

 

"Paper dolls played a big part in my childhood.  I was often sick for weeks at a time, and to keep me occupied and happy, my mother would purchase paper dolls from the dime store in town.  These “old school” paper dolls were printed in book form and had to be cut out with scissors.  The clothes were always beautiful, and to this day, I credit my love for fussy cutting to the hours spent carefully cutting them from the page. Penny's Paper Doll Family took me right back to those fun times, and I just had to cut out the handsome paper doll family and display them in this large 9” x 9” Bendi Card.

 

 

 

 

Tips:

1. When it comes to fussy cutting, there are several little tips that can make the job easier:

   1. First, make sure you have a really sharp pair of small scissors.  I like to use Tim Holtz’s Tonic mini snips.

   2. Don’t try to cut a small image from a huge piece of paper.  Instead, remove the image by cutting well around it.  Then do your fussy cutting.  Having less bulk around the image makes it much easier to get a clean cut.

   3. When cutting an image that has small parts, like the stems of flowers or hands and feet, I cut the small parts last.  This way, I’m less likely to accidentally snip them off.

   4. Don’t make chopping motions with your scissors.  Hold the blades steady and glide them against the paper.  You can practice this skill on magazine images.

2. To create extra dimension in this Bendi card, I backed the paper doll family with cardboard from packing boxes.  I find that Priority Mail boxes are about the right thickness.  The cardboard also strengthens the images and helps prevent tearing.

 

Graphic 45 Supplies:

Penny’s Paper Doll Family Collection

• Penny’s Paper Doll Family
• Sweet Sister
• Mothers and Daughters
• Color Your World
• Garden Path
• Beyond Borders

 

Other Supplies:

• Brick Red Cardstock
• Scoring Tool, Ruler, Craft Knife
• Petaloo Flowers
• Burlap String
• Fussy Cutting Scissors, Hot Glue Gun

 

Sisters Card

By Kathy Clement

 

I love the sentiment panels in Graphic 45’s Penny’s Paper Doll Family.  Not only do they look like vintage embroidery panels, they also make for very quick and easy card design!  Add a border strip, die cut doilies, a large banner layer, vintage buttons and flowers, and you have a charming vintage style greeting card in no time!" ~Kathy

 

 

 

Tips:

1. To add depth and dimension to this simple card design, I double matted each card layer.  This keeps the layers from getting muddled.  It also gives the focal image on the card the appearance of having been framed.

2. Cut doilies in half to get more mileage out of them.  I tucked half a doily above and below the focal image.

3. Create a custom doily by adding designer paper to the solid center.  To do this, I lay my doily on top of the paper, traced around the inner edge of the doily, then cut the circle out with scissors.  

 

Graphic 45 Supplies:

Penny’s Paper Doll Family Collection

• Penny’s Paper Doll Family
• Beyond Borders
• Sweet Sister
• Garden Path

 

Other Supplies:

• Kraft and Brick Red Cardstock
• Petaloo Briar Roses
• Burlap String
• Vintage Buttons from my Stash
• Die cut doilies
   

 

Penny’s Paper Doll Family Pinterest Board

 

Thanks for joining us for this card focused trip to visit Penny’s Paper Doll Family and thanks to Kathy for taking us on this journey through her own memories with her. This collection was a bit of a new take for us and we are so happy with the response. Paper Dolls are not as common as they once were, but hopefully crafting with this collective can stir your own childhood memories as well. We'd love to hear about them in the comments below! See you back here tomorrow for more craft inspiration, G45 style. 

 

Happy Papercrafting!