Author Archives: kathycNC

About kathycNC

Married to the love of my life for 43+ years, mom of 5...Nan to 3 gorgeous grandgirls. I have a passion for paper and a heart to educate and inspire through one of a kind, handmade paper art for all occasions. If you'd like to add my artwork to your home, please visit my Kathy by Design Etsy shop.

Ciao Bella Farmhouse Garden Card Kit Reveal

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Ciao Bella Farmhouse Garden Card Kit Reveal-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design

Ciao Bella Farmhouse Garden Card Kit Reveal for The Button Farm Club

Hello, Friends!  Just as I promised you on Tuesday, I am back today with my Ciao Bella Farmhouse Garden Card Kit Reveal.  Wait until you see all the crafty adventures I’ve packed in to this card kit!  If you’re a fan of interactive, fun fold cards, I think you are going to be inspired!

Envelope Shaker & Pocket Cards

Ciao Bella Farmhouse Garden Card Kit Reveal-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design-Shaker Cards

Hello, Sunshine and Sunflowers!  It’s always nice to have a sort of “warm up” card to kick off a card kit.  So I designed this pair of cheery envelope ad pocket shaker cards to get things started.  Where’s the pocket?  Well, you’ll just have to watch the video reveal to find out!

Gatefold Accordion Cards with Belly Bands

Gatefold Accordion Cards-Ciao Bella Farmhouse Garden-Button Farm Club-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design

Cards that move make me happy.  And cards with belly bands always seem to have a certain flair, don’t you think?  But what happens when you combine the two?  You get a really stylish and fabulous Accordion Gatefold Card.  Here’s a sneak peek at the inside of these fun to make cards!

Ciao Bella Farmhouse Garden Card Kit-Button Farm Club-Kathy Clement-Accordion Gatefold Card

Now that’s what I call a fun fold!

Classic Sunflower Slimline Card

Sunflower Slimline Card-Ciao Bella Farmhouse Garden Card Kit-Kathy Clement-Button Farm Club

Hello, gorgeous!  This slimline card is ridiculously easy to make.  A few simple designer touches make it a stand out.  It’s one of my favorite cards in the kit.

Slide and Lock Cards

Here’s another kinetic card that’s loads of fun to make and impressive to give.  These slide and lock cards take a basic gatefold card design to a whole new level.  The focal image slides up and down.

Actually, it slides right off the card!  When it is in place, though, it holds the gatefold element in place.  You’ve just gotta love a fun fold card that is part toy!

Shaped Easel Cards

Easel cards are probably my favorite fun fold style.  The fact that they can stand upright for display has a lot to do with that.  These easel cards do that, of course.  But a sweet shaped focal image makes them even more dynamic.

Bridge Cards

No…not like the bridge playing cards!  These bridge cards are a neat type of trifold card with a hidden image behind the focal image.  You’ll see how cool they are in the video below.

Let’s see….that’s 11 cards…which is pretty good for a card kit.  But wait, there’s more!

Shaker Front Tri-Fold Folio

Ciao Bella Farmhouse Garden Accordion Shaker Flip Folio-Kathy Clement-Button Farm Club

I had loads of little tags, journal cards and labels left over from making the card kit.  So I decided to create this darling 6×6 accordion style folio with a shaker frame cover.  It was the perfect way to finish out this wonderful card kit.

Ciao Bella Farmhouse Garden Card Kit Reveal on YouTube

If you’d like to take a closer look at the kit supplies and the finished paper pretties in this card kit, please enjoy this reveal video.  The first half is a repeat of what I shared with you on Tuesday, but the last part is a walk through of all the interactive cards and the folio.

This card kit is part of my Quarterly Card Kit Subscription Club, so if you are a member, you do not need to order.  It will ship out to you automatically.

If you are not a member and would like to order, you can get your kit at the Button Farm Club.

It’s been a very busy, happy and productive week in the studio.  I hope you are as excited about this  kit as I am.

Thanks for stopping by, friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

Hello Pink Autumn Shaker Box Folio

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Prima Hello Pink Autumn-Shaker Box Folio-Really Reasonable Ribbon-Reneabouquets-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design

Prima Hello Pink Autumn Shaker Box Folio with Really Reasonable Ribbon & Reneabouquets

Hello, Friends!  This Prima Hello Pink Autumn Shaker Box Folio probably looks familiar.  That’s because it’s the same design as the Simple Stories The Little Things Shaker Box Folio Tutorial that I shared with you earlier this month.  I had such fun making that one, that I had to take the design out for another spin.  This time I used fall papers, pretty autumn trims from Really Reasonable Ribbon and some gorgeous Reneabouquets Printed Beautiful Board.

It’s so fun to see  how changing up the papers and the color palette give this sweet box folio design a completely different look.

You can follow the same video tutorial when making this version of the box.  Add a real autumnal vibe with Brown and Cream Tartan Ribbon and Pumpkin Baker’s Twine from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  Isn’t it amazing how changing up the color scheme gives this project a totally new look?

A Peek Inside

I don’t know about you, but I love the dusty rose and chocolate brown color combination.

And I love the fall imagery: mushrooms, pumpkins, gourds, and falling leaves makes me so happy.

What’s in the Pockets?

Yes, I made two pockets for this version of the card.  There is the large box pocket filled with cookies, honey stick, tea wallet and chocolate (the weather has finally cooled down!). and a fun little luggage tag.  Then I also made a very simple pocket with some of my scraps and tucked in a couple more small tags.

I must have had tags on the brain, because the card is loaded with them.

The luggage tag has two die cut slots in it so I can tuck in the cute itty bitty tags. It’s actually matted onto a 3 1/4″ x 4 1/4″ mini card base.  So there’s room inside to write a personal greeting.  You could also tuck a gift card in to the slots, so that’s fun, too.

I know some of you are not fans of pink on an autumn project.  But I love it because it reminds me of my sweet mom, who would have painted the whole world pink given the opportunity.  This is her birthday week, and she would have been 101 years old on Friday.  She would have given this Hello Pink Autumn card her seal of approval, and that’s good enough for me.

You can find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks for stopping by, friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Ciao Bella Farmhouse Garden Card Kit Sneak Peek

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Ciao Bella Farmhouse Market Card Kit by Kathy Clement for The Button Farm Club

Ciao Bella Farmhouse Garden Card Kit Sneak Peek

Hello, Friends!  There’s no Make & Take Tuesday tutorial today, but I do have  this Ciao Bella Farmhouse Garden Card Kit Sneak Peek to share with you.  As I write this, I am in the middle of editing the video tutorials and photos for this Button Farm Club September card kit.

When I first laid eyes on the Farmhouse Garden papers, I knew they were the perfect collection to help us transition from summer to fall.  The papers are filled with beautiful floral images, sweet pups and kitties, gorgeous patterned papers and so many wonderful images that the hardest thing about designing this  kit was deciding which ones to use!

Fun Fold Card Extravaganza

If you are a cardmaker like me, then you love to learn a new fun fold card technique.  There are 11 cards in this kit, and 10 of them are fun folds! How’s that for a fun fold card extravaganza?

Several of  you have asked me to share tutorials for standard A2 cards (4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″).  So I included several of those in this kit to honor that request.  And, most of these cards fold flat for easy mailing, too.

YouTube Sneak Peek

I’m still working on the editing and tutorial writing, so I don’t have samples to share with you today.  We’ll save that for Thursday when the card kit releases. But for today, I have this short sneak peek tour that will show you all the goodies that come with the kit.

 

Not Subscribed?

If you are subscribed to my Button Farm Club Quarterly Card Kit, it will ship to you automatically; no need to order.

If you are not subscribed, you can sign up here.  Subscribing means you will never miss out on getting a kit, and your orders will be filled first.  Here’s the link to subscribe:

Quarterly Card Kit by Kathy Clement

You can still order the kit, even if you are not subscribed.  Laura at Button Farm Club will happily ship you this kit as a one time order.  And yes…if you want to, you can order multiple kits to give to friends or make in a group.

I’ll be back on Thursday for a full kit reveal.  Until then, go get your craft on!

Cheerio,

kathy

 

Into the Wild Altered Album Part 2

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Ciao Bella-Into the Wild-Reneabouquets-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design

Ciao Bella Into the Wild Altered Album Part 2: Making the Mini Album

Hello, Friends! Today we’re going to share the tutorial for our Ciao Bella Into the Wild Altered Album Part 2.  If you missed Part 1 of this series where we created the mixed media book box case, you can find it HERE.

Ciao Bella-Into the Wild-Altered Mini Album in a Box-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design-Photo 01

Creating this two-part project was a lot of work, but boy, was it fun!  First, the papers are so gorgeous that they are a real treat to work with.  Squirrels, fall colors, acorns, falling leaves and plaid patterns make me ridiculously happy!

Ciao Bella Into the Wild-Mini Album Tutorial-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design

Next, I enjoyed the challenge of creating a layered cover that was not too dimensional to fit inside the box.  This led to a lot of creative fussy cutting, which I also happen to enjoy.

Since I had a little bit of burlap left over from making the box, I decided to add it to the album spine.  Texture makes me happy, too.

A Peek Inside

To keep with my Throwback Thursday goal of using up goodies from my stash, I went on a treasure hunt in the Closet of Inspiration and Delight.  This was also lots of fun, and yielded some great pockets, mini file folders and tabbed dividers that added a lot to the album pages.

The album is made with a really easy to construct stacked spine design.  Each spine in the 3 page sets is scored a little smaller than the previous page.  This gives us the opportunity to add lots of little flips, flaps and pockets.

Here’s a peek at my favorite page.  You will learn how I did this in the YouTube tutorial.

Ciao Bella Into the Wild Altered Album Part 2 on YouTube

If you’re ready to join me for today’s crafty adventure, please enjoy this video tutorial.

Did you enjoy watching this little album come together?  Do you think you’ll give that easy peasy stacked spine design a try?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

You can find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Ciao Bella Into the Wild Altered Mini Album in a Box

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Ciao Bella Into the Wild Altered Mini Album in a Box Tutorial Part 1

Hello, Friends!  Today I’m starting a two-part tutorial for this Ciao Bella Into the Wild Altered Mini Album in  Box project.  We’ll make the altered book box today, then on Thursday we’ll make the mini album to go inside.

A Walk in the Autumn Woods

Growing up in Vermont, our family would often go for a weekend walk in the autumn woods. With a blazing blue sky over our heads, crunchy leaves under our feet and brilliant fall colors all around us, it was like taking a walk in Heaven.  Leaves gently floated down to the ground as light breezes blew, and you could hear the sound of tiny creatures scurrying around under the cover of pine needles and fallen foliage.

When I saw this paper collection, it took me right back to those glorious rambling adventures, and I could not resist adding this collection to the Closet of Inspiration and Delight.

Mixed Media Prep

Speaking of the Closet of Inspiration and Delight, that’s where I found this Papier Mache book box.  I think I picked it up at a yard sale some time ago for a few pennies and tucked it away until inspiration came knocking.  And it did knock, eventually!

This mixed media adventure began by painting the edges of the box (inside and out) with Gathered Twigs Distress Paint.  Each step in this process takes a few minutes longer than usual, because you have to let each color of paint dry before you move to the next one. Here’s the  process:

  • First, paint all the edges and corners inside and out with Gathered Twigs Distress Paint.
  • Next, paint a smaller section of the edges and corners with Antique Bronze Distress Paint. Brush the section of the box that would be the gilt “page ends” with a more generous coat.
  • Now, randomly dry brush the edges with Ancient Brass Distress Paint.  Use an old, stiff paint brush on the page ends to create the illusion of page ends.
  • Let everything dry thoroughly, then apply Ground Espresso Distress Ink to the cover, spine and back cover.
  • Apply Prima Clear Gesso to the covers, spine and page ends (the sides).
  • Let everything dry thoroughly.
Cover Art Prep

Stitch a 4 3/4″ x 7″ panel of the green plaid paper to a 5 1/8″ x 7 3/8″ panel of the orange ledger pattern. Distress the edges and ink with Ground Espresso.

Fussy cut the images and small leaves, etc. to cluster around the squirrel and the window.

You can watch this process in this YouTube video;

 

I’ll be back on Thursday with a tutorial for an easy to make mini album to tuck inside the box.

Do you like this paper collection as much as I do?  Working with it is making me very happy!

You can find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks for stopping by, friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

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