Falling for a new card design

As regular visitors to my blog know, I subscribe to Making Cards magazine and try to use the free papers which come with each issue. My most recent copy arrived on Thursday, but I was about to set off  to Leeds to see Black Sabbath (experience of a lifetime!) so didn’t get to play until Friday evening when I got home.

The papers in the February 2017 issues are lovely. There is a set called Together – pretty, soft slightly impressionistic images of couples and family – and a set called Twit Twoo – owls, obviously, but nice and arty with spatter effect softening the edges.

My mum is a huge fan of owls. Her birthday isn’t until March, but I couldn’t resist using the Twit Twoo pictures and papers to make her a card. 

There are 6 gorgeous owl toppers and after an hour of staring and placing different papers by them I had married it down to 3 favourites. The toppers are too big to use 3 on one card front, or so I thought…

Turning to the trusty Pinterest I remembered waterfall cards, a perfect way of making a big thing out of several toppers!

This was the first waterfall card I’ve ever made and I am really pleased with how it has turned out. DL cards are my go-to for an elegant, grown up shape – I like the size and I find it easier to limit the embellishments, keep it simple, when it’s so narrow.

What I used:

• DL card blank
• Making Cards magazine papers – Twit Twoo collection from February 2017 issue
• Kraft card
• Orange cardstock
• Best wishes sentiment (mine was from a bag I found in Poundland, made orange with Tim Holtz Distress Crayon)
• Liquid pearls in a bronze shade
• Orange paper flower

How to:

1. Cut the toppers you want to use to a uniform size (mine are 75mmx90mm). 
2. Cut mats for the toppers out of Kraft card, also to a uniform size (mine are 80mmx95mm).
3. Mat and layer orange card, then kraft card, then a piece of the small feathers on black chevron paper from the Twit Twoo collection to fit the front of your card blank and attach this to your card.
4. Cut a strip of Kraft card to 15x95mm (my orange layer was 95mm across) and layer this onto a piece of orange card 17x95mm.
5. Create your waterfall element. I used these instructions and changed the sizes to suit my card.
6. Attach the strip you made in step 4 to your card. You need to leave space for the waterfall mechanism to move under this, so only attach the edges – I used super sticky red tape, but next time ii think I might use brads or eyelets, something which can’t get weaker with age
7. Insert your waterfall mechanism. I found that mine slid to the side so I pulled the waterfall as far as I wanted it to open and put in a second, narrower strip of kraft card layered on orange card (10x95mm and 12x95mm this time) under the top fold for support
8. Punch a hole in the middle of the pull piece of the waterfall element and fasten an orange paper flower through it for interest (if you fully extend the mechanism it’s easiest)
9. Add a sentiment to the middle of the lower guiding strip and put a liquid pearl at each side, et voila, a simple but pretty card to show off your favourite toppers

Advertisement