Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Fuel for a Formula

 It sorta went like this:
  1. I received a nifty card in the mail from a Club Scrap member. I stared at it for a while and thought, “How'd she do that?”
  2. Tried to make the card but lost patience and decided it's for another day.
  3. Found a totally nifty sketch on Pinterest created by cardmaker Marcy K of Canton Ohio. The blog at Operation Write Home really helped break it down.

When I saw the sketch, the smarticles started buzzing. (Smarticles, according to the urban dictionary, are the particles in your brain that make you smart.)

Here are the assembly line card making instructions to create the nesting panels and card bases for two complete tri-fold shutter cards. And you will also need your smarticles because the trimming process is a pain a little challenging. But you can do it. You really can.

You need four sheets of paper, and it's ideal if they are all different colors. Incidentally, all Club Scrap collections have at least four coordinating colors and stamp images, too! Use lighter colors for Papers A & B.
  1. Trim 8.5x11 Papers A and B horizontally at 9.75, 8.5, 7.25, 5.75, 4.25 and 2.25”.
  2. Cut the 2.25x8.5 horizontally at 8.25, 5.75, and 3.25”.
  3. Trim the 2x8.5 horizontally at 6.25, 5.25, and 3”.
  4. Cut each 1.5x8.5 horizontally at at 7.75, 6.5, and 5.25”.
  5. Trim two 1.25x8.5 strips horizontally at 5”.

  1. Cut 8.5x11 Paper C and D vertically at 5.5”.
  1. Trim the 5.5x11 horizontally at 10.5”.
  2. Cut the 3x11 horizontally at 9.75, and 6.5”.
  3. Trim the 3.25x3 vertically at 2.5 and 1.25”.
  4. Cut the 1.25x3 horizontally at 2.25”.


Score the 5.5x10.5 card bases horizontally at 1.75, 3.5, 7 and 8.75". Use a craft knife and grid ruler to cut 1.5" from the long edges of the card base, starting at the first scoreline and stopping at the last.

Once everything is trimmed, your work table will be full of tiny pieces. It helps to set aside the scraps (marked with an "x" on the diagram) during the trimming process so that you don't have to sort them later. Then, interchange the nesting panels and lay them onto the card base according to the original diagram. Stamp and decorate your card as you like.

I used Dream in Color papers and stamps from past special edition collections that haven't seen the light of day in a while.




If you plan to send your cards to Operation Write Home, be sure to read their blog for more information about how they'd like these cards prepared.

And now, if you've read this far, thanks for hanging in there! I cling to the firm belief that no matter how difficult something seems on the surface, just about anyone who puts their mind to it can do it, step by step. Best wishes in your crafting endeavors this week!

Creatively Yours,
Tricia


15 comments:

  1. #1. That cutting formula just made my brain hurt!!

    #2. Super cute card! (Does it just make one?)

    #3. I just used my 5 mins of coffee drinking/me time to check out all the great CS blog posts this morning...now I can tackle my day...which is going to take all my Smarticles.

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    1. Yeah, it makes my brain hurt, too. I'm surprised that I had enough smarticles in there to come up with it in the first place. The formula makes two completed cards, as shown. Glad you liked it! Good luck with your day!

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    2. Oh duh. Yah see, I'm just not 100% there. Thanks ;)

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    3. (I did add the sentence about the formula making two cards after you posed the question. So, it wasn't you!)

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  2. That is gorgeous, and the engineer in me really appreciates all of those fractions and folding and cutting! Amazing formula.

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  3. that is great that we now have a cutting formula
    thanks Tricia beautiful cards by the way

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  4. FABULOUS! I just love the bold graphics and colors of Dream in Color!!

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  5. And BTW, AWESOME directions, you amaze me Tricia!

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  6. Very cool and terrific card!

    AnnetteD

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  7. Very cool card! That must have taken a LOT of smarticles. I'm tired just reading about it. But I think I'm gonna have to pull out a Club Stamp paper pack and try that out!

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  8. One of my favorite special cards to make. I also received it from a friend and how to measure and figure out each piece. I will keep this one handy for the next time I want to make a special card. I used this card style for one of the Sonoma GTG cards in the Sonoma rap as well- great fun!

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  9. Love how this card looks in Dream In Color. Awesome job figuring it out Tricia!

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  10. Thank you for figuring this out! I love using the formulas you make for the OWH sketches.

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  11. I love the card, but just looking at the cutting diagram makes me dizzy! lol

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