Making greeting cards from a stencil.
I made four A2-sized greeting cards from a bunny silhouette stencil I cut out for another project I failed to document. I also decorated some envelopes for fun.
Supplies and Stuff
These are the items I used to create my cards:
Paper cutter and score tool
Scissors
Various pastel-colored cardstock papers
"Marble Cardstock" paper pack
A2-sized envelopes
Double-sided permanent tape
Various wooden stamps
Various stamp ink colors
Finger blending tools
Alcohol ink markers
Cricut machine (optional)
Cutting the Card Base
I cut heavy pastel-colored cardstock sheets of paper down to 8-1/2" by 5-1/1". I then scored down the center longways at 4-1/4". You can refer to the diagram image above for a visual.
Cutting the Stencil
I initially wanted to share a blog post and video of how I used my Cricut machine to cut out bunny silhouettes from my "Deep Blossoms" Hot Buy paper pack to make simple greeting cards and shaker cards.
Unfortunately, my camera battery died, and I didn't setup my backup camera like I usually do.
The shaker cards turned out awful, so you didn't miss anything there. However, there were a few greeting cards where I adhered the bunny silhouette cutout to a card front with foam tape (see above image). It was simple.
I thought one of the extra cutouts I didn't use would make a great stencil for another simple, easy to do greeting card. This time I documented my experience.
While I used my Cricut machine to cut out the stencil, I could've easily printed a bunny silhouette and cut out the main shape with scissors or a craft knife.
Inking the Card Front Design
I placed the stencil over the card front. After I removed the covers from various stamp ink pads, I dabbed a finger blender onto a stamp ink pad and dabbed it over the stencil.
I used a variety of different colors to create a somewhat blended effect within the stencil. I wished I used darker stamp ink colors on the yellow card base for greater contrast, but otherwise I thought the greeting cards turned out alright.
Decorating the Inside of the Envelope
The A2-sized envelopes I had were plain, so I decided to decorate the inside and outside before sealing them and sending them out through the mail.
I selected a few sheets from my "Marble Cardstock" paper pack I bought from Wal-Mart a few years ago. These sheets are thin and lightweight, perfect for using inside an envelope without adding extra bulk or weight.
I measured the envelope and cut the marble sheet slightly smaller. I ended up cutting the sheet down to 5-5/8" by 6". I then scored down the longways at the 3-5/8" mark. Where I scored didn't matter later.
I adhered the smaller folded part of the sheet to the envelope flap with double-sided permanent tape. I ended up trimming off excess paper around the envelope's flap which is why I said where I scored didn't matter.
I matched the colors of the marble sheet used inside an envelope to the card base color of a greeting card.
Stamping Designs on the Envelope
I stamped a "wishing you a day filled with happiness" sentiment to the envelope's flap. I used an archival black ink that's supposedly waterproof.
I then stamped an image of a chick wearing a hat towards the bottom-left on the front of the envelope. Doing so left me plenty of room to write mine and my recipient's addresses.
While I could've left the stamped image as-is, I decided to color it in with various alcohol ink markers. The alcohol ink markers are supposedly waterproof. Ideally, the stamped inks should survive if it gets wet during transit.
Of course, I've never tested the waterproof claims of the stamp ink and alcohol ink markers. Hence my use of the word "supposedly."
How I Sealed the Envelope
After I wrote my message in the greeting card, I slipped it into an envelope and sealed it with my double-sided permanent tape. The tape holds well, and I don't worry about the envelope opening during transit.
I don't know if it's easy or difficult for the recipient to open the envelope. I never thought to ask them.
My Thoughts
Making the greeting cards didn't take long. I'd estimate it took me around twenty minutes to cut the card bases, use my Cricut machine to cut out the stencil, and use the stencil to blend stamp ink colors onto the card fronts.
Decorating the envelopes took more time to do. I spent an hour or longer to cut and adhere the marble sheets inside the envelopes, stamp the sentiment and chick image on the envelopes, and color in the chick images with alcohol ink markers.
Then again, I also allow myself to get distracted by my dogs. If they want attention, I usually stop what I'm doing to give them attention. It's possible the total time spent on making the greeting cards and envelopes could've been shorter had I devoted all my attention to just this project.
What's Next?
In addition to creating Easter greeting cards, I took time to celebrate Easter early with a digital drawing. It's not great, but it was a fun art exercise I'll share via YouTube on Thursday.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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