John Wayne Inspired Gift Card Holder with Embossed Kraft*Tex

Hey blog friends, here's a cool John Wayne inspired gift card holder that you will love to give, and  any guy on your gift list would love to get.  

I used some great new products: die templates and embossing folders from Spellbinders; paper from Graphic 45, and kraft·tex™ from C&T Publishing. If you haven't used kraft·tex™ before, you are going to love it! It's rugged paper that looks, feels, and wears like leather, but sews, cuts, and washes just like fabric. And you can die cut and emboss it with Spellbinders die templates and embossing folders.

kraft·tex™ is very similar to the material that the waistband tags on Levi's jeans are made from...it's really rugged and durable, yet you can treat it just as would paper for craft projects. It embosses really nicely! It looks and feels like leather! 

Vintage elements like an antique game piece and a small loop of twine really make this gift card holder feel like something from an old west movie.  

This John Wayne inspired gift card holder is great for a gift card or movie passes and any guy on your list would love it's vintage western appeal. 

Thank you for stopping by today...I hope you like this project.  I'd love to hear what you think...feel free to leave a comment below! 

til next time,

Ken

On the Road in St. Louis with For Keeps Sake Paper Arts and Rubber Stamps

Hey Friends, I'm just back from a quick weekend in St. Louis with For Keeps Sake Paper Arts and Rubber Stamps.

They hosted their spring retreat this past weekend, Girlfriends Get-a-Way, and I was invited to spend the weekend with them to teach Spellbinders card classes. 

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Our card class was an ongoing class that lasted throughout the weekend...it was really fun.  We focused on 4 of Spellbinders' newest releases 5x7 Card Creator Die Templates.  We mixed and matched those dies in lots of combinations to create beautiful cards.  The die templates we used are a perfect example of how Spellbinders let's you "build on the core." We used Enchanted Labels Twenty Eight, Detailed Scallops, Labels Twenty Eight, and 5x7 Matting Basics A Card Creators to create our cards.  "Building on the Core," is a cool feature of all Spellbinders' die templates, all the dies you have ever used coordinate with all the new releases.  For example, our base die for this class was Labels Twenty Eight...it's been in the line for a while.  That Nestability die coordinates with Enchanted Labels Twenty Eight, with Detailed Scallops, with 5x7 Matting Basics, with all your "rectangle" dies, with other Nestability dies, and with lots of Shapability dies.  You can use your basic dies, that you've had for years and your newest dies to create amazing results...it's part of the Value and Versatility that Spellbinders engineers into every die they create.  

We had a nice big selection of French Country Collection from Graphic 45 on hand to create these beautiful cards. 

We really had a great time...when we start creating, the ideas flow.

Each of the cards we created was beautiful and each one a little different from the next as each person got to build with the layers and combinations they chose.  

Everyone loves to share their creations...and rightfully so...they're gorgeous!  

A work in progress.  

The finished card embellished with a butterfly cut with Le Papillion Two...she used wax paper for one of the layers in the butterfly and it's awesome!  

One of my friends, loved the cards so much that she bought all the dies, and the papers we  used and created a basic all occasion card set that will be ready the next time she needs a card.  She can stamp the sentiment she wants to use and embellish with a Shapability and voila her card is done!  I thought it was a great idea and a great way to save time later.   

There was a special room with all the new Spellbinders releases...the room was mobbed...I couldn't even get in...I had to stick my camera in the door to get a pic.  

One thing I always do at a retreat...train an assistant...it gives me more time for important things like socializing and sampling the snacks that everyone brings to the crop. 

We had a packed house all weekend long...and we had a great time!  

I made lots of new friends and spread some crafts-spiration all around St. Louis.

Thanks again For Keeps Sake and thanks again Spellbinders for letting me bring an amazing product to our friends and craft buddies in St. Louis.

While I was in St. Louis, I also got to teach the first Media Mixage class in the US....we had an awesome group, our projects were amazing!  I plan to share more about that tomorrow...

Thanks for stopping by today...make sure you create something beautiful...it's National Craft Month!

Ken

Card Classes with Spellbinders Labels Twenty Eight

Hey friends, I've got a few minutes here and wanted to show you a couple quick cards I'll be teaching this week at For Keeps Sake Retreat in St. Louis MO.  I'll get to teach card making with some of my favorite Spellbinders die templates during the retreat and I am really excited.  

The retreat is sold out, but I'll also be teaching a Spellbinders Media Mixage class at their shop during the retreat, if you are in the St. Louis area and would like to attend the Media Mixage workshop, contact the store directly (314-487-8131) to sign up. There are only a couple seats left.  

These cards I'm teaching at the retreat are so elegant and so easy to make.  It's only about 3-4 steps...and when you complete your card, your friends will rave about what you've created. Spellbinders takes all the guess work out of layering and creating beautiful cards.  

You'll only need a couple sheets of paper, I used white card stock and a couple sheets of the newest release from Graphic 45's French Country Collection. 

You can create the base of this card with Spellbinders 5x7 Matting Basics A S6-0001. It's one of the latest releases and is perfect for creating 5x7 cards.  I like bigger cards...you can use this die set for the card base and layering.   

Create the next layer with another new release, Spellbinders 5x7 Enchanted Labels Twenty Eight.  When you cut and emboss this die it's so elegant.  If you haven't got this one yet, put it on your wish list...once you get it, you will be in love!  It's going to be one of those classic dies that you will use over and over...

Then, complete your top layers with a one of Spellbinders classic die sets Spellbinders Labels Twenty Eight S5-127. This die set is a classic, when you cut and layer multiple pieces of this die you can create stunning cards and journal tags. 

I like to use Labels Twenty Eight either portrait or landscape...either way it's beautiful. In fact, any of the 3 dies in these cards can be used horizontally or vertically...beautiful either way.  It's part of the versatility and value Spellbinders puts in everything they make.   

To embellish the cards, stamp a sentiment, add a bow and a button, or any other embellishment you'd like to add and it's done...it's that simple!

Here are a few pics to show works in progress...to be honest, I've been on a card making binge lately with Enchanted Labels Twenty Eight...so I just cut lots of pieces of different paper, then layer them together to see what works best for me.  When you approach your art kind of intuitively like that, you can create some amazing and surprising combinations!  Again Spellbinders takes all the guess work out of it, and let's your creativity shine!

You will love how easy it is to create beautiful cards using these 3 die templates...I am off for now, I need to get my class supplies together and get all my charms and trinkets organized for a road trip! 

I am glad you stopped by today...thank you and I hope that you'll be inspired to create something beautiful! 

Ken

Just a Quick Card to Say: I Miss You

Hey everybody....I am blogging from Germany today...we're in Frankfurt at the Paper World Trade show, which is very cool. The show has three parts, Paper World...all things paper, Christmas World...all things Christmas, it's where buyers from around the world "trend" shop the Christmas category...and Creative World...which is all things Arts and Crafts...needless to say, I am in heaven.   It's my first trip to Germany so I am really excited...and during the show, I'll be with a company called Personal Impressions, teaching techniques for using Spellbinders newest line of mixed media products, Media Mixage.  It's going to be really fun...creating bezels and charms that can be used on hand made cards, layouts or home decor!  

But for now, I wanted to take a couple minutes to share a fun card I created using some of the newest releases that I found at last week's CHA Show in Anaheim.  This card is easy and will only take a few minutes to create...and has a couple techniques that I just love.  

I started by creating a 5x7 card from white card stock.  

Then embossed the card with Spellbinders new 5x7 Matting Basics A.  I love this technique...it gives a really professional finished look to your card.

Next, I used Spellbinders 5x7 Enchanted Labels 28 to cut the first layer of the card using Graphic 45 French Country "Abundance"  paper.  Notice the layer of waxed paper between the die and the paper?  This little trick will save you lots of time when cutting very intricate lacy dies.  Try it sometime.  You will love the results.  

Then using another die from the same set, cut and embossed another layer with coordinating paper from French Country. 

To top off the card, I cut a layer with Spellbinders new Timeless Rectangles from white card stock and stamped it with a "Miss You" sentiment from Just Rite Paper Craft Large Fancy Senitments.  

I created a quick bow, added some brown pearl stickers, and popped everything off the card with foam dots to really give some depth and detail to the card.  I love how it turned out...it's elegant and has a  French Country feel...the new releases from Spellbinders are so delicate and intricate...and really fun to use.  They make you look like a creative genius!  

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you've picked up a trick or two to use in your crafting.  I am off to the show now to have fun all day teaching techniques for Spellbinders Media Mixage line...this is gonna be a fun day!

Ken