Easy and quick to make
Delightful to give or recieve
Delightful to give or recieve
all kinds of Instant Happy!
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| Dancing Butterflies |
Create unique cards or gift tags for any occasion.
I used up the backs of random cards in my paper-stash. It's a great way to cull your stash to good purpose! Shown are about 3" x 3".
We used seed-embedded butterflies, dragonflies or hearts because they all fold neatly along a center line and pop off the page. And? Because we love the idea of gifting a garden!
Alternatively, outline and cut simple shapes from glossy magazines. They won't be plantable but they will be bright and delightful. The glossy contrasting texture really POPs...and your image choice may, also.
Materials:
*CARDSTOCK. great with construction paper. or cull your paperfiles. Size may vary, depending on what you are starting with. Use up scrap papers from other projects!We recycled the blank back page of not-so-wonderful experimental cards, or those that were torn up for other collage pieces or had their fronts-only used for postcards.
*GLUE Use any fabric or paper glue. We love white glue and don't mind that it doesn't set instantly.
*PEN Recommend felt tip or sharpy (Strong and colorful, dot's why.) Draw the antennae and the wandering flight path
*BIFOLD PAPERCUT - (No, not that kind of paper cut,ew.)We used the seed-embedded die cuts .
They come with little planting labels to put inside your card or attach to the back face. Non-seed paper works too; the plantable part is just a fun bonus.
If you are making your own flying pop-offs, DO create a more eye-catching design by working with a strong contrast of COLOR and TEXTURE between the card stock and the embellishment. Er, embellishments. See "Warning" below.
Method:
1. Cut your cardstock to size. If you don't have die-cuts, now is the time to cut some.
2. Score a center fold line on your cardstock, using a ruler and bone folder for precision.
If you want to make gift tags instead of folding cards, simply cut instead of score so you end up with 2 flat cards. Use a hole punch in one corner for attaching a ribbon later. In either case, once this step is done, set the complete pile to one side of your work area in easy reach.
3. Use the ruler and bone folder to score TWO fold lines, 1/8" apart, down the center of each pop-off, and fold the wingtips up towards each other along the fold lines. Set this stack to the other side of your work area.
Keep the glue, the pen, and the bone folder handy. OK to lose the ruler now ;)
4. Take one folder, one pen, one pop-off.
Position the popoff where you like it on the card, then pen the antennae and flight path in line with it.
Flip the pop-off over and on the underside, draw a bead of glue down the center. Set it back in position on your card, lined up.
Press firmly/gently down this line with the bone folder to ensure good contact, then set aside to dry.
5. Repeat Step 4 until you run out of materials, space and/or time.
<VOICE of MOM > "Make at least ten, since you've gone to all the trouble of setting things up!"
You can continue to embellish these in any way you like. Add decorative collage elements to use up your tiny scraps - fabric, paper, beads, ribbon
...a word of WARNING here. AHEM...
I have a couple of transparent egg cartons full of these kindza small decorative bits, making it way too handy. Too handy because once you get into decorating each card, you start having way too much fun for this to qualify as Instant anymore. You can too easily lose a whole afternoon, to the amusement (or annoyance) of your near and dear. Just saying.
The Post Office will be closing soon, and I also want to get more painting time on the folding screen. (Next post...)
