Card Café from Creative University

For the fifth straight year, I have enjoyed a snowy February weekend at Creative University in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  It is a fun-filled four days of creating and enjoying time with fellow crafters.  


This year, Tresa Black asked me to design and teach the Card Café.  At the Card Café, there were stations set up for each card where CU students could work at their own pace to learn some new ideas while creating four birthday cards using a variety of papers, stamps, and card designs.  All four cards use the new CTMH Just A Number stamp set, along with other stamps and embellishments.  Coordinating envelopes complete each card.

Based on comments from fellow CU students, the favorite card was definitely this fun one using papers from Footloose and the cute Under the Sea stamps.  There are actually two flaps on the front of the card - the piece with the whale opens and then the Creme Brûlée piece also opens from the opposite direction.  There is a birthday greeting under the Creme Brûlée flap.  A Bitty Sparkle is added for the eye of the whale and some Glitz Glitter Gel to add sparkle to the water bubbles. 

For more of an elegant look, papers from the retired Bliss kit were used along with Taffy card stock for a bit of color.  The hearts were cut on the Cricut using the Art Philosophy cartridge and then run through the Cuttlebug with the D'vine Swirls embossing folder for some texture. Using a sponge dauber, Grey Flannel ink was added to the edges of all of the papers and to the embossed swirls to make them more prominent.  As a finishing touch, Bitty Opaques were added to the tips of the swirls on the hearts. 

Patterned paper with stripes and with stars from the Superhero paper packet are just right to create this fun card.  The pinwheel is made using 1"x1" squares that have been cut in half diagonally and then a corner rounder used on one corner.  Simply adhere the triangles to a piece of card stock, and add a button in the center.  

The beautiful striped paper from the Florentine kit is accented with a flower cut on the Cricut using the Art Philosophy cartridge and stamped using the Just For You stamp set.  Even if your stamped images do not line up perfectly, adding a Designer Brad to the center of the flower does a good job of disguising it.