Danny's Cards Blog

As a card maker, I still think of myself as an intermediate maker. I'm still astonished when I see the gorgeous cards at Lawn Fawn, or those who use Distress Inks or Layering techniques that boggle my mind. In truth, learning how to use the Cricut made me feel good, but it wasn't until I branched out and learned how to make cards without the assistance of the big fancy cutter did that my skills develop. Over the past week, I spent a lot of time making Anna Griffin cards. Anna Griffin's cards are my most premiere cards. Yes, they're time consuming. But they also look better than anything else I produce. They also don't look like anyone else's cards. And there's good reason. The cost of entry for producing cards akin to Anna Griffin is pretty high.  But recently I purchased the Painted Garden Decoupage Card Kit from her site. I wanted the kit for the assortment of beautiful embellishments, but what I was introduced to was the world of A7 Cards.

So many times people ask me what are the most essential tools for card makers. Often times these are people who are eyeing Cricuts or similar such devices. And I agree, these are fantastic devices (and how I got into crafting in the first place). But they're not the be all end all. So outside of glue and good card stock, what are the five items every crafter needs? 1. A Guillotine I couldn't live without my paper guillotine. Early on when using my Cricut, I needed to cut card bases. Your standard A2 card design measures 8.5in x 5.5in. If you're using a Cricut, this requires its own sheet. Once you obtain a guillotine, one sheet of 8.5in x 11in can make two card bases. Additionally, card fronts and inserts have never been easier. For speed and efficiency, everyone should have a guillotine in their arsenal. I have a Fiskars Guillotine. For the price (around $30 MSRP) it does the job; I would say after a couple years of consistent use, it's starting to run it'

This week, I spent time with my Anna Griffin Empress. This week I utilized my brand new Easel cutout . Here is how the die packing came: I went with my color scheme first and used various scraps to fill in the blanks: Here are all of the cutouts: Assembly was similar to other Easel cards I've made (which is to say, quite easy and not too time consuming). I used my stamp sentiments and a couple Recollections stickers and voila: This die set comes highly recommended. For more on Anna Griffin's Empress, please check out my review .

For the past few months, I've really given my Anna Griffin Empress Machine a workout. For those not in the know, The Empress is a high powered non-crank emboss and die cutting machine. It's akin to devices such as the Cuttlebug, The Big Shot, or the Gemini. I Have a Cricut / Cameo / Silhouette - Why This? The short answer is, you can create texture in your cards. While the aforementioned devices are no doubt powerful and create designs that the Empress can only dream about, there's no doubt that emboss machines give textures and creates intricacy that cutting machines cannot compete with. My most complimented cards are not the ones with the most layers or even the most elegant, rather it's the cards with texture. Cricut and other Cutting Machines just lack that  ability to create the"feel" of a higher quality card. Pros of the Empress I absolutely adore my Empress. For those with arthritis or other mobility issues, a device like the Empress is a