Paper Quilt Cards

A friend gave me a big pile of 1.5" pre-cut squares of gingham paper in rainbow colors. They looked like tiny quilt squares, so I decided to turn them into cards that our quilting group can use to thank people who donate supplies to us. I started out ambitiously, cutting the squares down into even smaller shapes before gluing them onto a cardstock base. It was fun playing with the itty-bitty squares, rectangles, and triangles. I experimented with different patterns, designs, and color combinations, just like our group does with fabric. I even changed up the dimensions of the cards. Eventually, I realized that I was spending WAY too much time cutting the squares apart when I could make perfectly functional cards using the squares as is. 

Here is a look at some of the cards I made. If you want to see the supplies I used, click the affiliate link below. 

Quilt Square Cards (affiliate link)

All the quilts we make go to people in need and we rely on donations for our supplies. If you're local and have extra fabric, thread, or batting you're not using that you'd like to go to a worthy cause, let me know. We also appreciate sheets (they make good quilt backs). If you're not local, look into whether there is a group near you making quilts for Lutheran World Relief or another charity and consider donating supplies to them. Thank you!

Butterfly Sympathy Card

I say it every time, but sympathy cards are the most difficult to make by far. 

Sorry For Your Loss (affiliate link)

Every time I have to make one, I tell myself I should make extras to have on hand. But then I don't. At the very least, I should stamp and emboss sentiments ahead of time. That will make it just a little bit easier to assemble sympathy cards as needed.

Making Hard Cards

My stash of cards is dwindling, so it's time for me to replenish. I started with the Hard Cards (sympathy and other cards for not-happy occasions) since they are my least favorite to make. I used this simple design by Susan Opal to create these:

Sorry for Your Loss / Sympathy (affiliate link here and below)

For each card, I chose two coordinating papers and adhered them to a card base. I stamped sentiments from this Hero Arts set onto scraps using black ink, then added clear embossing powder and used my beloved heat gun to set it. I'm pleased with how they turned out and love how this easy design translates so well for sympathy cards.

Next time, cards for happier occasions!

One Collection, Cards for Three Occasions

I wanted to send cards to three strong women in my life who are going through three very different things: a devastating loss, a major surgery, and a horrible court battle. I made all three with the same paper collection (Romantic Roses from Dress My Craft), stamp set (Everyday Sayings by Hero Arts), ink (Color Box Pigment Ink), and technique (clear embossing powder). Affiliate links here and below.  

I started with the sympathy card. Those are always the hardest for me. I chose a gorgeous paper featuring roses and cut a card front, then stamped and embossed the simple sentiment on the scrap. I backed that with a heart-shaped doily that I cut down. 

The Get Well card was next. I cut out the card front, then fussy cut some extra leaves from the scraps and glued them in place. I stamped and embossed the sentiment and attached that to the card. 

The third card was a bit tricky in that I wasn't sure what my message should be. My friend has been fighting in court for years and the decision finally went her way. I'm proud of how strong she has been and thrilled that the judge recognized what we've all known all along. For her card, I used two sentiments and added them to the dresser drawers on the card front. 

You can't tell in the photos, but all the embossed sentiments look fantastic. I've struggled with embossing in the past, but this was so easy. Two things changed. First, I stopped using clear ink with colored embossing powder because one stray or missing speck can make the whole thing look bad. Instead, I use colored ink and clear embossing powder, which makes a world of difference. (So much so that I've given away all my colored embossing powders). Second, I have a proper heat gun now and I LOVE it. All this time, I've been using an iron for embossing and this is SO. MUCH. EASIER.