Special Papers for Simple Cards

Just like most of the crafters I know, I collect all sorts of paper.  There is something about looking through paper that makes me happy!  I particularly like specialty papers that have added features like foil, glitter or flocking for texture.

Last fall, I found a collection of paper called "Autumn Splendor" by Making Memories at Michael's.  It was on sale for a very low price ($2.99 I think).  There are eight different papers in the package - this leaf design with foil on some of the leaves is lovely.  It is very hard to capture the metallic leaves in a photograph.

I decided to trim a section for a horizontal card front and chose a stamp with a nice saying for the card.  I adapted the stamp design by wiping off the edges of the stamp with the little dots when I inked the stamp so the sentiment would appear with no border.

As you can see, my stamped sentiment didn't turn out very well - there were gaps in the printing and some smudges.  To save time and frustration,  I decided to trim this piece and use the leaf paper on a vertical card instead of a horizontal card.  The trimmed piece ended up at 3 1/2 x 4 inches with the foiled leaf nicely placed in the center of the card front.

I used multiple mats and varied the reveal to add more interest to the design.  The metallic bronze DCWV is fairly close in color to the leaf design.  This bottom layer is cut at 4 x 4 1/2.  There is a dark brown layer between the metallic cardstock and the leaf designed paper.  This brown layer is just under 4 /1/4 x 3 5/8 inches.  The dark brown is needed to add definition.

The decorative leaf paper is cut at about 3 1/2 x 4 inches. I adhered it to the brown layer and then centered the matted image on the bronze layer.  I inked the edges of the leaf paper for some more definition.  I added three little gems in the lower right side of the card to finish the card front.

For the inside of the card, I trimmed some ivory cardstock to 4 x 5 1/4 inches and punched the bottom edge with the Martha Stewart leaf border punch.  By adding this layer you provide a nice place to write a personal message to the recipient.

If you have some special papers you'd like to feature on a card, using them as the top layer is a great way to get them out and enjoy them.  You could add more to the card - perhaps a Cricut cut on the mat or a sentiment cut with the Cricut.  I can't see the Imagine totally replacing my papers by printing some of them.  I will still want to have the papers with "special effects" added!

(If you are looking for the "video tour" of the 16th Birthday Card file I am sorry that I wasn't able to get it ready yet.  I have had some personal things to take care of and just didn't have time to do the video).

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