Gratitude Card by Darlene MacDonald

Gratitude Card by  Darlene MacDonald

January 3, 2023

The New Year has always been one of my favourite times of the  year. It is a time for reflection, renewed hope and gratitude for the  blessings bestowed upon me. I am blessed to be able to share my  love of paper crafting with you. 

This is my first post on the Crafty Capers Inspiration Blog. I am  sharing a card that can easily be adapted to your own style using  supplies that you have. The card is a side-folding A2 card. I prefer  to use cardstock that is at least 110 lbs.

The supplies I used are Spellbinders  

Sealed Blossoms S3-457, Sealed Leaf  

Sprigs S3-458, Lawn Fawn Stitched  

Borders, Hero Arts SA 195  

Cobblestone Stencil, Ranger Texture  

Paste Transparent Gloss, palette  

knife, Tombow markers 076, 126, 603,  

673 and 991. The sentiment is from  

Pinkfresh Spark of Goodness Floral  

Frame and was embossed with Wow gold embossing powder.

For an A2 size card, I cut the white cardstock to 

measure 5 1/2 inches x 8 1/2 inches. To get a side-folding  card, place the cardstock long side across your scoring  board and score at 4 1/4 inches. Burnish the score line  with a bone folder for a more finished look. 

I cut another piece of white cardstock to measure 4 1/4  inches x 3 1/2 inches. I also cut a piece of coloured  cardstock to measure 4 1/4 x 2 inches. I used Lawn  Fawn Stitched Borders die to finish one side of each  cardstock (the side that would end up flush with the  other card stock). I like to ensure that these pieces of  card stock fit exactly (or close to it) on the card. Once  adhered on the card it could be challenging to trim any  excess cardstock later on due to dried texture paste. 

The next step is to apply some Ranger Texture Paste Transparent  Gloss. This dries clear and glossy. I wanted a more subtle look for  this particular card. The Ranger Texture Paste Opaque is another  option. Position the stencil over the cardstock. You can use  yellow or purple tape to secure the stencil in place. I applied a  very small amount of texture paste over the stencil and onto each  cut cardstock - just apply randomly and try not to make it perfect  unless that is the look you are going for. You do not need to apply texture paste to the area where your sentiment will be adhered. Texture  Paste takes about 30 minutes to an hour  to dry depending on the application , thickness and room temperature. Set  these cardstocks aside and allow the texture paste to dry. 

I then die cut the Spellbinders Sealed Blossoms and Leaf Sprigs. I
used Spellbinders Rainforest (green) cardstock for the leaf sprigs
and Neenah Solar White 110-lb cardstock for the blossoms. I
highlighted the leaf sprigs with Tombow markers. The photo
shows leaf sprigs in white as an option for those of you who prefer
to colour everything. I coloured the die-cut white blossoms with
Tomboy markers as well.

Once the texture paste is dry, I adhered the white and coloured
card stock pieces on the A2 card front. I arranged the die cut leaf
sprigs and blossoms on the card front. A tip for arranging elements
on your card is to determine the placement prior to applying glue
on the back of your elements. Arrange the elements and take a
photo so it is easier to remember the placement. I used liquid glue
to adhere the leaf sprigs and blossoms. I cut one of the blossoms
to shorten its length so I could balance the floral heights of the
bouquet. I cut a 3 1/2-inch piece of white string and simply tied a
knot in the middle. I applied a small amount of liquid glue on the
backside of the string knot and adhered it to the stems. I die cut a
hole reinforcer using a die from Elizabeth Craft Designs and
coloured it with Tombow marker 603. I then glued the hole
reinforcer in place making sure that the knot was centered in the
hole.