Happy Flag Day Greetings

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Carta Bella God Bless America Greeting Card by Kathy Clement Photo 01

Happy Flag Day Greetings with Carta Bella God Bless America

Hello, Friends!  Happy Flag Day to all my American followers.  This is the day when Americans celebrate the Stars & Stripes.  I was thinking about this yesterday morning, and decided to pop in the studio to make a quick card to share with all of you today.

Flag Day and My Childhood

Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s in rural Vermont, Flag Day was a true holiday. Everyone flew the flag in one way or another.

Since our elementary school didn’t start summer recess until the last week of June, we were still in class.  If Flag Day fell on a week day, we observed it with some lovely traditions.

Preparations were made well in advance of the day.  We made American Flags from red, white and blue construction paper. We learned about Betsy Ross, and knew that we celebrated Flag Day because the Stars and Stripes became our official national flag on June 14, 1777.  The meaning behind the colors was always reviewed (red for courage, blue for vigilance and justice, and white for purity.) 

We practiced “bringing in the colors” with small American flags on sticks.  Some lucky child was picked to lead the rest of the class in the Pledge of Allegiance.  And we always sang our favorite patriotic songs like the chorus to  You’re a Grand Old Flag, This is My Country, There Are Many Flags of Many Lands, God Bless America, and My Country ‘Tis of Thee,   The grand finale was always The Star Spangled Banner.  We knew all the verses, and we sang them all, too!

The portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln smiled down on our enthusiastic renditions of these tunes, our little hearts swelled with pride in our nation, and we all felt like one big happy family.

I miss those days.  How about you?  Every nation should have a day that celebrates their country’s colors and history in such a meaningful way.

About the Card

This is a simple layered 5 1/2″ square top fold card.  Here’s how it came together:

  • Begin with a 5 1/2″ x 11″ panel of navy cardstock. Score it in half at 5 1/2″ to make a to fold card base.
  • Next, center a 5 1/4″ square panel of white cardstock over the navy blue and adhere.
  • Now mat a 4 7/8″ square of the blue floral paper on a slighlty larger square of navy blue.
  • Then mat this on a 5 1/8″ square of red cardstock.
  • Now mat a 2 1/2″ x 4 3/4″ panel of the plaid paper on navy blue cardstock and adhere on the left hand side of the card.
  • Next, mat the 3″ x 4″ image on slightly larger pieces of navy blue and red cardstock.  Center and adhere as seen in the photo.
  • Next, adhere banner flags from the ephemera pack under a pinwheel and attach to the image.
  • Finally add a bow and flowers in the corner.  Tuck glitter stars in between the flowers to finish.
A Peek Inside

Here’s a peek at the inside.  I almost printed out the words to the Pledge of Allegiance and added them on the top.  But then I thought a sentiment panel was a better idea.

Thanks for letting me share my childhood memories of Flag Day with you today.  I’d love to hear about yours in the comment section below.

Happy Flag Day, my friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Really Reasonable Ribbon June 2021 Blog Hop

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Really Reasonable Ribbon June 2021 Blog Hop:  Living the Sweet Life Bee Themed Botanical Card

Hello, Friends!  Welcome to the Really Reasonable Ribbon June 2021 Blog Hop!  You should be coming here filled with fresh inspiration after visiting Ginny’s amazing blog.  The June Ribbon Club Assortment celebrates the trendy Southwest Vibe.  But don’t you just love how versatile the Ribbon Club assortments are?  I used the Raw Silk Delicate Stitched Satin Ribbon from the club to make this botanical bee themed card.  How cool is that?

Lots of great ribbon in this beautiful assortment!

The Sweet Life Bee Themed Botanical Card

Bee Themed Botanical Card Simple Stories Farmhouse Garden Reneabouquets by Kathy Clement for Really Reasonable Ribbon Photo 01

It’s full on summer here in North Carolina, even though the calendar says it’s still springtime.  We’ve planed our garden, and big fat bumblebees are enjoying helping us pollenate the tomato plants.  This inspired me to make this 6×6 mixed media botanical card.

Really Reasonable Ribbon June 2021 Blog Hop Kathy Clement Photo 01

The colors in Simple Stories Farmhouse Garden collection are so vibrant that I decided to tame them down a bit with this Raw Silk Delicate Stitched Satin Bow.  It’s the color of spun honey, and I just love the way it creates a sense of calm in the middle of this paper garden.

Top your Raw Silk Bow with a Natural Burlap String Bow to add some extra texture and contrast to the card design.

A Peek Inside

I carried the botanical theme inside the card with more designer papers and a simple stamped sentiment.  There’s plenty of room to write a note on the blank sentiment panel so the card can be used for all occasions.

On With the Hop

Now hop on over and see what paper pretties Cheryl has in store for you.  Be sure to finish the hop over on the Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog.  You can answer Bonnie’s Question of the Month to be entered into a drawing for your own Southwest Vibe Ribbon Club Assortment.

If you’re not a member of the Ribbon Club yet, you can find out how easy and affordable it is to join HERE.

To comment, please click on the blue “REPLIES” button found just below the title at the top of the page.  Thanks!

You’ll find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks so much for hopping along with us!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Love My Herd Farmhouse Style Fun Fold Card

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Simple Stories Vintage Farmhouse Garden Fun Fold Card by Kathy Clement PHoto 01

Love My Herd Farmhouse Style Fun Fold Card for Really Reasonable Ribbon

Hello, Friends!  Meet me in the barnyard for a peek at this Love My Herd Farmhouse Style Fun Fold Card made with Really reasonable Ribbon.  There are fun surprises around every corner!

Let’s start with the front flap of this 5 1/2″ square fun fold card.  I’ve layered up some ephemera bits, patterned papers, and stickers from Simple Stories Simple Vintage Farmhouse Garden collection.  Then I created a little nest from burlap string and some itty bitty eggs I found in my stash.  If you have a nest, you’ve gotta have a mama hen!  So I found these adorable chicken and rooster buttons in my novelty button box.  (I think they are made by Dress it Up!).

TIP: Making the  nest is easy1  Simply wrap Natural Burlap String around two fingers.  Slip it off your fingers into a puddle of hot glue.  Then add the mama hen button and the bitty eggs.  Once the glue has cooled, you can attach the whole ensemble to your card with hot glue.

TIP: Pick up on the floral background by adding a Light Coral Taffeta Bow to the corner of the flap.  A Light Coral Swiss Dots bow and flower on top add a pop of color and texture to the design.

Do the Flip!

Open the front flap of the card to reveal this motley crew of barnyard buddies.  There is a magnet hidden behind the designer paper to keep the flap closed.

Now you can open the front cover of the card to reveal a pocket and a tuck spot inside.

TIP: Score and fold a 4″ x 6″ journal card.  Then add gussets to the bottom and sides to create a pocket and hidden greeting.  You can tuck a little journal card inside the pocket.

TIP: Tuck spots are so easy to make!  Simple place adhesive on just the outer edges on the left hand side of the flower ephemera.  Then make a little 3″ x 4″ note card from a scrap of black cardstock and a 3×4 card from the collection.

Do you like to make fun fold cards?  I am always looking for a way to make the act of opening a card a little more exciting.  So I like them a lot!

I hope I shared some tips and tricks you can use today.  If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section.  Simply click on the blue “REPLIES” button located just beneath the title of the post at the top of the page.

You’ll find a linked supply list below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Throwback Thursday Purebred Fun Fold Card Tutorial

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Throwback Thursday Authentique Purebred Fun Fold Card Tutorial by Kathy Clement Photo 01

Throwback Thursday Purebred Fun Fold Card Tutorial

Hello, Friends!  How do you feel about a Throwback Thursday Purebred Fun Fold Card Tutorial?  I hope you feel excited because that’s what this week’s episode is all about.

Our sweet Sophie Grace turns 12 today, and she loves dogs.  She loves all God’s creatures, truthfully.  But dogs hold a special place in her heart.  So I dug into the Closet of Goodness and Delight looking for a good pet themed paper collection.  (See, I changed the name from Closet of Shame. I’ve decided Closet of Goodness and Delight is a better name.  Authentique’s Purebred seemed like the perfect paper to help Sophie celebrate her big day.  How did she turn 12 already?  I’m in shock!

The Basics

The image on this 5 1/2″ square card is actually on a front flap.  I chose the image because the girl makes me think of Sophie.  Because the card is square, and the flaps are square-ish, I wanted to soften some of those edges.  So I used an oval die on the 3″ x 4″ card, and it worked like a charm. Here are a few helpful tips for making this card design sing.

  • First, back the focal image with 2 layers of dimensionals to make it stand out on the page.
  • Next, die cut the ATC Tag from the June Amazing Paper Grace Club Kit from pink cardstock.  It make a very pretty base for the image.
  • Now, curve the flowery branch on the left hand side of the card to frame the image. 
The Details

Turn a sticker into a little banner sentiment.  First, mat it on a scrap of your pink cardstock.  Then back it with dimensionals.  Finish it up with bitty bows and buttons for the win.

Now mat another sticker tag on pink cardstock, punch a hole at the top and tie it into the flower spray.  A gingham bow and big ole’ pink button add to the vintage charm of the design.

A Peek Inside

The video tutorial will show you how to place magnets to hold the flap in place.  I’ve dressed up the fussy cut dog house with a cute puppy sticker.  The images in this collection are so gorgeous!

The side pocket is the perfect spot to tuck in a little gift card wallet.

Now you get to lift the flap and see the surprises hiding inside. I’ll show  you how to turn the image on top into a side pocket in the video tutorial below.

I can’t wait to give this darling card to Sophie.  She keeps every card I’ve ever made her, so she can add this one to her collection.

Throwback Thursday Purebred Fun Fold Card Tutorial on YouTube

If you’d like to learn how to make this fun fold card base, you can make it with me in the video tutorial below.

I hope I’ve inspired you to dig into your stash and make something beautiful today!

You’ll find a linked supply list below the post.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Please note:  Throwback Thursday projects are made with older collections and materials from my stash.  For this reason, I cannot always find an item online.  I’ll link whenever possible, but if a material is missing a link, it’s because I could not find it.  Thanks for understanding!

 

Summer Windowsill Hanging Shaker Home Decor

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Kaisercraft Flower Shoppe Hanging Shaker Reneabouquets Butterfly by Kathy Clement Photo 01

Summer Windowsill Hanging Shaker Home Decor

Hello, Friends!  I thought we would start the week off with this cheery Summer Windowsill Hanging Shaker Home Decor project.  Kaisercraft Flower Shoppe is such a pretty collection for summertime, don’t you think?  I’ve paired it up with some beautiful Reneabouquets flowers and butterflies.  Let’s take a look at some of the details in this fun project.

Window Shaker Element

Amazing Paper Grace Save the Date Die Shaker Window by Kathy Clement PHoto 01

Here’s my sweet little summer cottage.  If you peek through the window, you can see the vintage wallpaper on the walls, and a hanging plant over the kitchen sink.  Can you imagine all of that with me?  The first step in creating this project was to stitch my base layers to a panel of natural canvas.  Then it was time to create the shaker window.  Here’s how to do that:

  • First, die cut 3 Amazing Paper Grace Save the Date Windows.  Cut 2 from cream cardstock and 1 from gray.
  • Now, layer the 3 windows together with the grey window in the middle.  Offset the window grids slightly as you put them together.  This not only creates a feeling of depth, but it gives you the width you will need to add 1/8″ foam tape to the sides of the shaker box.
  • Next, cut a piece of clear cardstock (acetate) to fit the back side of the window.  Adhere this with Dries Clear Glue.
  • Once the glue is mostly dry (under 5 minutes) adhere 3 rows of 1/8″ foam strips to the back of the window.
  • Now mat a 4″ x 6″ panel of designer paper on a slightly larger piece of colored cardstock.
  • Then stitch around the perimeter on your sewing machine.
  • Next, adhere a few ephemera bits inside the window to create a little scene.  I used a small botanical image, a ticket, lace strip, and hanging plant to create mine.
  • Now place your shaker mix in the center of your image. Carefully line the shaker box over the image so that everything is straight and centered.  Press lightly in place to adhere.

Creating the Windowsill

Begin by selecting several ephemera bits from the paper collection.  I ended up with the watering can bouquet, wire fence, flowers strips and sentiment square.  The trick here is to create a feeling of depth and dimension.  Here’s how I did that.

  • First, create a shallow box pocket to fit over the base of the window.  The finished measurement of my box pocket is 4″ x 1 1/2″.  If you don’t know how to make a box pocket, you can watch THIS video.
  • Next, layer the 2 flower strips from the ephemera pack together with 1/8″ foam.  Stagger the flowers to create the illusion of depth.
  • Now adhere the wire fence to the top of the box pocket.  Then adhere the flower strips behind it to look like window box filler.
  • Then adhere the box pocket at the base of the window.
  • Finally, pop the watering can up on layers of dimensionals and cluster with the sentiment square.
Climbing Roses and Butterflies

Now comes the fun part!  Create a climbing rosebush along the right hand side of the wall hanging.  These lovely blooms and butterflies came from Reneabouquets. (Linked in the supply list below.)

Large roses and ribbon clusters top off the wall hanging.  And the perfect finishing touch is this beautiful yellow butterfly!

About the Hanger

I’m always deluged with requests for a link to this shabby chic hanger.  They are a retired item from Melissa Frances, and sadly, they are no longer available.  You could perhaps substitute American Girl dress hangers, but I have not tried this so I’m not entirely sure if it would work.

So that’s it for me this Monday morning.  I hope I’ve inspired you to dig into your crafty stash and make something beautiful today!  Time spent in the studio adds sunshine to my day no matter what the weather is doing!  How about you?

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

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