Danny's Cards Blog

In my quest to get better stamped images, I stumble across Sizzix's Stamper's Secret Weapon. This is an item that many people say they can't live without. Me - I'm not so sure. I generally don't have issues with stamping, and learning to use the Stamper's Secret Weapon is a trick all its own. So what is it? Available on Amazon  for around $12.99, the actual product is a foam mat that measures 12in x 10.5in x  0.5in. The mat feels both firm, but squishes down nicely. Does it work? Without a doubt. Once you learn that you don't need to apply the same pressure you applied before. I was working on a card for Mother's Day. The actual big image looked great: The image came out rather striking. When it came to text, my end result was a bit different: Notice how the A in the upper left is totally smeared. Now I could have had too much ink, but that's never been an issue before. I chalk a portion of the blame up to applying too much pressure

This week's card is deceptively easy. The only trick is that you need 1) a great design and 2) springs. It's an unconventional item that I've never seen in a card until Lori Whitlock demonstrated them. Unlike previous handmade cards, this one will require a Cameo, Silhouette or Cricut machine Here's a full list of materials: Black Cardstock White Cardstock x2 Yellow Cardstock Pink Cardstock Rose Cardstock Patterned Cardstock  Mini Action Springs Panda Design This week, I gathered all my paper. My change in design was that the background of the card was originally blue, but I thought a patterned background would look cooler. I used a Prince Charming paper pad I purchased at AC Moore for the cool pattern. My Cricut did a lot of the heavy lifting. Lots of cut outs, so make sure you have a clear space. Assembly is very easy, with just layered your patterned card, followed with the base of the panda. Then I continued with his arms and belly.

I struggled with a new design this week. I had numerous failed attempts with an embossing and flower card that I'm working on, so far this week's project, I wanted to make sure I could make something I could execute easily. Papercraft Essentials #163 has this fantastic bee die cut with a number of stamps. While I've created a number of a washi cards in the past, I've never made washi tape go from the top to the bottom of the card. What You'll Need: Black Cardstock Yellow Cardstock Black Washi Tape 3D Adhesive Poppers Die Cut and Stamp from Paper Essentials. This week is super straight forward. Start with your usual A2 size card (8.5" x 4.25") and a yellow cut out (5.1" x 3.8"). From here, you have options. You can place the washi tape on the yellow cardstock vertical or at a diagonal. I'm partial to the diagonal design. With any of the excess washi tape, simply fold it on the back side. From there, it's as simple