Graphic 45 Little Darlings Little Boy Blue Card Folio

Hello, G45’ers! They say that everybody loves a baby, and I do believe this is true. Making a special gift for a new babe is one of my favorite crafty adventures. It’s always a delight to layer up those soft pastel baby papers and images, isn’t it? I made this Graphic 45 Little Darlings Little Boy Blue Card Folio with the Deluxe Collector Edition. The DCE’s come with all the 12×12 papers plus the wonderful chipboard and stamp elements. That makes it easy to create a memorable gift for baby!

Graphic 45 Little Darlings Little Boy Blue Card Folio Little Darlings by Kathy Clement Product by Graphic 45 Photo 01

Little Boy Blue Card Folio: How to Create a Shabby Chic Vibe

Graphic 45 Little Darlings Little Boy Blue Card Folio Little Darlings by Kathy Clement Product by Graphic 45 Photo 02

Shabby Chic cards are such fun to create. This 5″ x 7″ Little Boy Blue Card Folio is loaded with shabby chic touches. Here are some of the tricks I used to amp up the shabby chic volume on this card.

First, create distressed edges by lightly running the blade of your scissors or a distressing tool along the paper edges. You don’t have to brutalize the paper; a light touch will do.
Next, I love to add machine or hand stitching to the layers.

Graphic 45 Little Darlings Little Boy Blue Card Folio Little Darlings by Kathy Clement Product by Graphic 45 Photo 03

Next, try to add fussy cut elements, like these floral clusters. Tuck them in between layers.
Use shabby chic metal embellishments. These Graphic 45 Staples Keys and Ornate Key Hole have been tapped with ivory acrylic paint to add to their shabby chic appeal.

Graphic 45 Little Darlings Little Boy Blue Card Folio Little Darlings by Kathy Clement Product by Graphic 45 Photo 04

Add lots of layers!
Include texture in your composition. Ribbon, flowers, string…all these things lend themselves to shabby chic design.

Graphic 45 Little Darlings Little Boy Blue Card Folio Little Darlings by Kathy Clement Product by Graphic 45 Photo 05

Use floral clusters to draw the eye to an image that might otherwise be overlooked. The flowers that surround the chipboard frame keep it from disappearing.
Add a little paint spatter! Thin acrylic paint with water. Then pick it up with a paint brush. Hold the very end of the brush handle with one hand and tap the opposite end of the brush with your finger. You can practice this technique on scrap paper until you feel confident enough to try it in real life!

Little Boy Blue Card Folio: A Peek Inside

Graphic 45 Little Darlings Little Boy Blue Card Folio Little Darlings by Kathy Clement Product by Graphic 45 Photo 06

This hybrid creation is part card, part mini album and part gift.

Graphic 45 Little Darlings Little Boy Blue Card Folio Little Darlings by Kathy Clement Product by Graphic 45 Photo 07 I managed to tuck in a sweet little waterfall cascade to keep photos of baby’s first precious days.

Graphic 45 Little Darlings Little Boy Blue Card Folio Little Darlings by Kathy Clement Product by Graphic 45 Photo 08

And I also tucked in a little gift card wallet to round things out.

Graphic 45 Little Darlings Little Boy Blue Card Folio on YouTube

I created a short YouTube video project share so you can see how all these various parts come together to form the whole.

I hope I’ve shared some tips and tricks that you can use in your own crafty adventures. If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Thanks for stopping by!