Danny's Cards Blog

Over on Cupcake Inspirations , they showcased three colors to use as a source of inspiration. They were giving major honeycomb vibes with this set of colors: For some reason, the yellow, brown and black really felt masculine to me. Like many cardmakers, I struggled with masculine cards, but recently I acquired Anna Griffin's Calligraphic Sentiment dies . I thought these dies, would really help make the colors pop. Slimline was on the dock for today, and so here is what I made: Everything about this made me happy. I background emboss folder really help give it that masculine edge. To give it just a little more texture, I also added four black dots at each corner. Super thrilled with the results.  My less successful attempt followed: While it still looked good, I was less thrilled with how flimsy the paper felt after going through with the emboss paper. If I decide to go with this flower paisley folder again, I'm going to need to back it up with even more 3D dot adhesives. Defini

Over on Anna Griffin, she recently released her Baby Icon Cut and Emboss Folders . Baby cards are often the hardest items for me to keep in stock. They're often my biggest sellers at trade shows, and as someone in their 30s, I know so many people having little ones. So I went to work. I really didn't know where to begin my day, so I started with creating a whole slew of sentiments. I often struggle with what a baby card should say, but Best Wishes kind of covers all the bases. But that didn't really help with inspiration. I went looking for Sketch Challenges. The first challenge comes courtesy of Sketch Saturday :  And here was my result: Using an assortment of pattern papers, I was really happy with the result. I ended up using the horsey cut so that the little mustache could peek through. Over on Try Stampin' on Tuesday , they're up to their milestone 500th sketch. Here was the sketch: And here was my creation based on that: I was thrilled with this result. It fe

Over on the Festive Friday Papercraft Challenge Blog , they're aware that April 2nd marks World Autism Day. To mark the occasion, they came up with an inspiration list to help us think about that day: I ended up making two cards based on the inspo list. A while back, I found a set of Autism Awareness washi tape. I had yet to use it, and I couldn't think of a more apropos time to use it. I implemented a technique that I never did before with washi tape. I ended up making a square of washi tape and then used a die cut on the washi tape so that the image cut out as if it was a patterned paper. Usually when I'm using washi tape and a die cut, it's used solely for a mirror effect. This gave a depth to the card that I was really happy with. Here you can see the jigsaws, rainbow, and bright colors in full order. Here was the first result: I used 3D dot adhesives to give the heart a little dimension. Here you can see it from a different angle: I then did the same thing with a f

Over on the Daring Cardmakers blog , the challenge this week involved Spring Things. And nothing for me says Spring more than Easter. With temperatures in New York no lower than 60 all week, it's feeling like Spring time. The challenge cover was as follows: I really wanted to accentuate the Spring in the Easter cards, so I took my newly purchased Anna Griffin Easter Egg Jacket dies and went to work. Both turquoise and pink were on the table as they felt extremely Spring. Additionally, I used my Spring flower paper so that flowers peeked from the background. As always, Jacket cards are time consuming, and each card clocked in right under the hour mark, but I'm thrilled with the results: And here it is on closer inspection. Here, you can see all the embossed details: And here's the card in pink: Instead of ribbon, I used washi tape on the side to give it that polished quality. \ The interior of the cards are always quite Spring-y if I don't say so myself: I'm absolut

Last night I perused the internet to find a card that would give me inspiration. I stumbled upon this Mojo Monday Sketch challenge that served as the perfect inspiration for some Easter cards. Here is the sketch provided: I didn't concern myself too much with the size and dimension of the card. I largely focused on the layer with the medium shape on the bottom, followed by the smaller shape and the larger shape. With that in mind, I created an Easter Egg card matched those ideas: I created two versions of the card (nearly identical), changing up the colors ever so slightly: The embossed folder is the Darice Easter Egg embossing folder . The die cut is the Anna Griffin Easter Egg Cut and Emboss Dies . With some 3D adhesive pop dots, the eggs really popped. This is a sketch challenge that is perfect for your scrap box.  If you enjoy what you see, be sure to hit the SUBSCRIBE button at the top to see new posts. And be sure to follow me on Instagram  @DannysCards Related posts: Flower

Over on Freshly Made Sketches blog , they offered a very simple and elegant sketch this week that I liberally applied my ideas to. This sketch is the kind of classic design that creators really can all in on: The shape was perfect. Ultimately, I took the design and also added to the bottom right corner as a sort of parallel to the top left design. Here was the result: I used my Anna Griffin Floral 3D cut for the flowers and leaves. The background is a Darice Script Emboss Folder , and I finished up the piece with a button to give it a little extra texture.  And remember, if you like what you see, be sure to hit the SUBSCRIBE button at the top to see new posts. And be sure to follow me on Instagram  @DannysCards Related posts: St. Patrick's Day Cards: Inspired by... Challenge Global Design Project #275: Lovely Envelope Cards Color Week Challenge #567: Notable Note Cards Try Stampin' Challenge #486: Smash the Patriarchy Cards Daring Cardmakers Dictionary Day Entry: Defining Birt

Over on the Inspired By Challenge Blog , they're gearing us up for St. Patrick's Day. Take a look at the inspiration photo: When I think of St. Patrick's Day, I imagine horseshoes and clovers, and the color green. Recently, I acquired the Lucky For All Papercraft Kit from Anna Griffin. I also obtained the Lucky 3D Concentric Layer Dies and the Spring Cut and Emboss Dies . With all these, I went to work. I made half a dozen St. Patrick's cards.  Here is my favorite card: The gold is a little hard to see, but this card catches every ounce of light. This is an A7 card. Here was my other A7 card I made. I also made 4 A2 cards: For the past few weeks, I felt too busy with my upcoming show. But now that my show is complete, you should see regular updates again. Thank for reading. And remember, if you like what you see, be sure to hit the SUBSCRIBE button at the top to see new posts. And be sure to follow me on Instagram  @DannysCards Related posts: Global Design Project #27