Table of Contents Digital Diversions Doodles Everywhere Friends Are the Family Cards All Year Long Helpful Hints Green Card Making Say It With Style More Books Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Want it delivered to your in-box every three weeks? Sign up here Digital Diversions I have great news for card makers! CardMaker magazine is now available in a digital version! If you think the printed magazine and this newsletter are fun, you'll be blown away by the additional benefits of a digital subscription. Two years of past issues will be at your fingertips with your subscription, and you can download and print any project or pattern in any of those issues any time you want! You can enlarge any text, drawing or technique to see it more clearly, and print only what you want! Tired of storing the magazines for future use? You'll be able to keep them right on your computer! Word searches for a particular item or theme will be easy to generate. The possibilities are endless! A digital subscription is a wonderful option for newsletter subscribers from far-flung areas of the world, many of whom have been clamoring for a way to subscribe to CardMaker magazine. The card-making world just got a little smaller and friendlier. Please check out the details at Digital.CardMakerMagazine.com, and get ready for the digital revolution in card making! Back to top. Doodles Everywhere! OK, I admit it. I doodle. A lot. I doodle in meetings and during interviews and while listening to scratchy music while waiting for a real person to answer the phone. But most of all, I doodle on cards. I love that the letters don't have to be straight, the lines don't have to match, and it can all look like a 5-year-old's masterpiece. The easy, carefree look just makes me smile. What's your favorite technique, material or embellishment? Do you have more than one? Use my feedback form to let me know, and I'll share the results in a future newsletter. Back to top. Free Project Here's a doodled project to make you smile. Technically, the doodles are stamped images, but if you don't have the stamps, you can improvise (you knew I'd say that, didn't you?). Have fun with it! Friends Are the Family By Beatriz Jennings Materials Light green card stock Printed papers: pale green, light orange, red White felt Ivory envelope to fit a 51/2 x 4-inch card Stamps: flowers, friendship sentiment, flower border Ink pads: black dye, brown distress Colored pencils 22 inches 5/8-inch-wide lavender polka-dot grosgrain ribbon 6 buttons Assorted threads (optional) Sewing machine with white thread Sewing needle Paper adhesive Project note: Use black ink unless otherwise directed. Form a 51/2 x 4-inch top-folded card from light green card stock. Cut a 51/2 x 4-inch piece of pale green printed paper; ink edges brown and adhere to card front. Adhere a 51/2 x 23/4-inch piece of white felt to top of card front. Machine-stitch along edges of card front. Stamp seven flowers onto different colors of printed papers; cut out and adhere six flowers to white felt on card as shown. Thread buttons if desired, knotting ends on back. Trim excess threads. Adhere a button to center of each flower on card. Stamp friendship sentiment onto lower right side of card front. Wrap ribbon around card front and tie a bow on left side; trim ribbon ends at an angle. Adhere a 45/8 x 33/4-inch piece of red printed paper inside card; adhere remaining flower to lower right corner of paper rectangle. Stamp flower border along bottom of envelope front; color as desired. Lower right corner inside card Sources: Card stock from DMD Inc.; printed papers from K&Company; stamps from Doodlebug Design Inc.; distress ink pad from Ranger Industries Inc. Copyright © February 2009 CardMaker magazine. All rights reserved. Back to top. Click here for printer-friendly page.

Cards All Year Long

Candy writes via e-mail:

"My mom is 88 years young and not able to get out to the stores as she once did. However, she loves sending cards to all of us: children, spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. For Christmas this year, I made her a card that she can send for everyone's birthday and anniversary. It was fun creating a card for just that person. I put each in a plastic sleeve and on the back wrote the name and the date of the occasion. I put them in a pretty box in the order that she would need to send them. Add a book of stamps, and you have a gift that gives all year long.

"I am now starting a box of all-occasion cards for my daughter's birthday in July. Each time I make a card for myself to send, I will also make at least one to put in her box. I have five cards made. By July I should have enough to fill a Hallmark store. Since I have mountains of scrapbooking supplies, this project was inexpensive for me, which was a plus this year since I was suddenly unemployed in October!"

Carole writes via e-mail:

Last April I had foot surgery and was off work for a whole month! Yay! During that time, I decided to make all of my cards for the year, including birthday, anniversary, Halloween, Valentine's Day, Easter, etc. I took three solid days with my Cricut, paper and all of my supplies and cranked out lots and lots of cards. I plan to do the same thing this year (minus the surgery) so that all I have to do is pull out the appropriate card at the right time. It sure is nice to have everything ready, including the envelopes, for the whole year."

Candy and Carole, it's great that you could use your unexpected free time to make cards for the whole year!

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Helpful Hints

Maureen writes via e-mail:

"I'm an English lady who moved to the USA in 2007. I have been making cards for the last 10 years or so and have now got the 'scrapbooking bug!' I have a helpful hint for anyone who uses rubber stamps. Before I left England I bought myself a very cheap, battery-powered rotary toothbrush. All you need is a tiny amount of stamp cleaner and the toothbrush. Your stamping images stay sharp, and your stamps don't suffer from a build-up of ink. Although a little different from the magazines I read in England (where card making is very popular), I look forward to receiving my CardMaker magazine in the mailbox."

Sharon writes via e-mail:

"This is in response to Zonnie, who requested information on applying glitter. I have fantastic results using Creatively Yours spray adhesive by Loctite. I then sprinkle the glitter. I feel this technique allows the 'glitz' that glitter offers."

Melba writes via e-mail:

"When I make a card for a man or boy, I use stamps of animals, birds, geese, pheasants, deer, fishing, cars -- anything pertaining to outdoors."

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Green Card Making

Donna writes via e-mail:

"I love to reuse cards. I get lots of handmade cards, but I get more commercially made cards. I cut images from the card using a tag or circle punch and use the punch outs as tags on gifts. I can stamp 'to' and 'from' on the tag or I can hand-write it. Whichever way I use, I'll never have to buy another tag again."

Audrey writes via e-mail:

"I read some of the ideas about reusing items when making cards. One of the items I use is calendars. I cut the pictures out and make small note cards or birthday cards using these pictures. I have used pictures of dogs, cats, flowers etc."

Terrie writes via e-mail:

"I haven't had time to do it yet, but my new card idea for going green is using the labels off of wine bottles and champagne bottles. I've removed lots of labels, but I just haven't made the cards yet! I think the champagne labels would make great 'Happy New Year' cards."

These are all wonderful ideas card makers can use to reduce, reuse and recycle!

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Pat writes via e-mail:

"I, too, am new to card making and I love the ideas I get from magazines and this newsletter, but no one ever talks about the inside of the card. How do you go about printing on the inside of a card without having to paste an extra piece of paper inside? I am at a loss as to how to print on paper that is not the 8 1/2 x 11-inch size. Help!"

Dawn writes via e-mail:

"I would like to know if there is a book of some kind that goes into detail about what the inside of the card would look like. You always see the outside but never the inside. That's where I have the most problems. I can decorate any card, but what and how to put on the inside? Please help."

Norma writes via e-mail:

"My sister pointed me to a Web site where I can download hundreds of free fonts. I also have the book Say It With Style and I have had so much fun with it!

"I usually pick several quotes or sentiments that fit the occasion, type them in a Word document, edit them with interesting font styles and colors and print them on vellum. I can cut them with straight or decorative scissors (or tear them) to the correct size, try them each out and choose one or more to attach to the card with brads. I have sometimes typed the same sentiment in different fonts and after cutting them to size, I decide which I like best. I keep the extras to use for another project."

Norma has the right idea, Pat and Dawn! Say It With Style is 250+ pages of great quotes and sentiments for all occasions. You can hand print them or use Norma's suggestion of printing in different sizes from your home computer. Have fun!

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More Books
Dave writes via e-mail:

"I just received my first issue of your newsletter and thought it was great. I'm already getting ready to order the Fast & Fun Folded Cards and the Card Making by Number. As a guy, I have found card making to be very relaxing and a great stress reliever. I make and give ALL my cards away to friends and those that need encouragement."

Yes, card making really is a great stress reliever -- with the added benefit of brightening someone else's day!

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Happy card making!

Sue Reeves
Editor, CardMaker newsletter

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