Heartfelt Creations Alumni Blog Hop: Coffee Talk Easel Card Tutorial
Hello, Friends! It’s time for the August HC Alumni Blog Hop. I’m kicking the blog hop off today with a special birthday card for a dear friend. I’ve written up a Coffee Talk Easel Card tutorial to guide you through the steps. Let’s get started!
Oooh, how I love these dreamy blues combined with the rich mocha tones of this paper collection. Here’s the card all folded up. The front has been glued onto the bottom of a folded base so that it can stand upright like an easel.
Coffee Talk Easel Card Tutorial: Designing the Card Front
- Cut a 6.5″ x 4.5″ panel of designer paper.
- Ink the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.
- Mat the panel on light blue cardstock and again on navy cardstock.
- Machine stitch around the edges.
- Add coffee rings to the paper with Tim Holtz Splatters stencil. I used an ink blending tool and Walnut stain Distress Ink to do this.
- Die cut the coffee cup from the paper collection using the matching Coffee Cup Die. Ink the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.
- Cut and mat the small coffee cup border and glue in the center.
- Use foam dimensionals or waste chipboard to elevate the coffee mug.
- “Draw” on the mug swirls with Art Institute Dries Clear Adhesive. Sprinkle with clear glitter and tap off.
- Add flowers, bows and beads. (See below for flower instructions.)
Coffee Talk Easel Card Tutorial: Building the Base
If you’ve never made an easel card before, it’s one of the easiest cards in the world to make.
- Build a standard card base of whatever size dimensions you like. This one measures 7″ wide x 5″ high.
- Score the front of the card base halfway up. For this card, I scored at 2.5″ because it is 5″ high.
- Create a second card stock card front that matches the dimensions of the front of the card. For this card, that meant it should measure 7″ wide by 5″ tall.
- Build your card design on the second card front. When it is complete, glue the bottom half of the decorated card front to the bottom half of the scored card base.
To give you a better idea of what this looks like, here’s a side view of the easel. You can see the way the base is scored and how the decorated front is joined to the base.
Coffee Talk Easel Card Tutorial: Building the “Stop”
When building an easel card, you have to provide a “stop” that will hold the card open. See that little banner flag cut from the cute coffee cup border? That is the “stop” for this card. Here’s how to do it:
- Begin by cutting a panel of designer cardstock for the inside of the card. I used the stacked coffee cups/coffee bean paper. Glue this panel on the bottom half of your prepared card base.
- Cut the border from your paper collection and create a fishtail banner on the right hand side. (Because I wanted the stacked coffee cups to be visible, I did not run the banner the entire width of the base. )
- Mat on light blue cardstock, and again on navy cardstock.
- Cut a strip of waste chipboard that is slightly shorter and narrower than your fishtail banner.
- Glue the chipboard to the base of the matted banner, and then glue the entire assembly to the base of the card.
- Add a twine bow, button and small flower. Now, when you open the card, the base of the front edge will rest against the stop and will stand upright.
Coffee Talk Easel Card Tutorial: The Flowers!
These Delightful Daisies go with this card design the way cream goes with coffee! Here’s how I made them:
- Using Ranger French Ultramarine Archival Ink, stamp 3 sets of Delightful Daisies onto white cardstock. (I like to use 80# cardstock for this, as the flowers shape nicely.)
- Die cut with the Delightful Daisy Die.
- Use the large ball stylus from the Deluxe Flower Shaping Kit to round the petals.
- Sponge the center of each flower with French Ultramarine Ink.
- Stack the flowers together with a hot glue gun, staggering the layers.
- Paint the petals with Clear Rock Candy Distress Paint. While wet, sprinkle lightly with clear glitter.
- Spatter with droplets of Distress Aged Bronze Mica Spray.
- Fill centers with Art Institute Dries Clear Adhesive and fill with Czech beads.
- Glue onto card.
I created a double bow with Glory Blue and Tobacco Seam binding. Ivory Burlap String was then added and the whole thing was topped off with another flower.
Coffee Talk Easel Card Tutorial: A Look Inside
I love to decorate the inside of my cards as much as I enjoy decorating the outside. You can see that I added another panel of paper with the coffee ring stencil. I also stamped a sentiment onto white cardstock.
Now hop on over and see what my dear friend Gloria has cooked up to inspire you. Here’s a list of the blogs on this hop. Please note that Loretta Lock had to withdraw from the hop at the last minute, so the LAST stop on the hop will be Vicki Dutcher.
Kathy Clement (You are HERE) ♥ Gloria Stengel ♥ Archana Joshi ♥ Sarah Miller ♥ Mary Faus ♥ Kristie Taylor ♥ Oksana Clegg ♥ Ujjwal Gupta ♥ Emily Niehaus ♥ Vicki Dutcher (last but not least!)
Be sure to visit all the blogs on the hop, and leave a comment at every stop along the way. One comment from one mystery blog will be selected by random.com and that lucky person will win a $25 gift certificate at Heartfelt Creations. The hop runs from Tuesday, August 30th-midnight Friday September 2nd. The winner will be announced at noon EDT on the Heartfelt Creations Facebook page, and on each blog.
I’ve created a supply list below, with product links whenever possible.
Thanks for hopping by! I ‘d love to hear from you in the comment section below.
Cheerio,
kathy
Product Links for Coffee Talk Easel Card Tutorial
- HCDP1-261 Coffee Talk Paper Collection
- HCPC-3710 All Stacked Up Cling Stamp Set
- HCD1-781 Coffee Mug Die
- HCPC 3656 Delightful Daisies Cling Stamp Set
- HCD-1760 Delightful Daisies Die
- Deluxe Flower Shaping Kit
- Tim Holtz Splatters Layering Stencil
- Ivory Burlap String
- Ranger French Ultramarine Archival Ink
- Ranger Coffee Archival Ink
- Coffee Shop Glimmer Mist
- Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint
- glitter
- Art Insitute Dries Clear Adhesive
- beads from my stash

Simply amazing
Beautiful colors, chock full of goodness and an easel make this such a fun, fun card, Kathy! Thanks for the inspiration.
Hugs,
Kris
OMG I love this. I have this set and can’t wait to try it on an Easel card.
Oh, hooray! I always get happy when I inspire someone to try something new! Thanks for hopping by!
Lovely card
This is pure loveliness! I just love that stone mug and all the sparkle you’ve added.
I have this set on my wish list… can’t wait til my budget allows it!!
I love this Coffee Talk collection. What an remarkable card. Love the color choice.
Beautiful card
Thanks for the tutorial on the Easel Card.I have never made one but now I will. The flowers I love them. I won’t have time to make any cards this weekend but I have plans to make cards a few weeks from now when I go to a crop so all the inspiration i get it is so helpful.
I love the glitter on the mug! So cute.
Thanks so much! So glad you hopped on by!
I’m not a big coffee person but I sure know someone that would love this. I’ve never tried an easel card but they look so much fun.
Oh, I hope you do give the easel card a try! They are so much fun to make! Thanks for hopping by!
Easel cards are so fun. This is a great design.
Beautiful easel card and thanks for sharing..
Beautiful, easy directions, thank you for sharing!!
Thanks for the feedback on the tutorial, Candace! I’m so glad you found it easy to follow! Enjoy!
Your color choice was so pretty. Need to get this set.
Thank you, Ivette! This is a wonderful collection…so fun to play with!
Gorgeous card Kay…love your tutorial!
Thanks so much for the feedback on the tutorial, Karen! It’s great to hear from readers when something works!
Gorgeous Colors ! Love to stand up easel and your directions make it easy….k
Thank you, Kay! I’m so glad you found the tutorial helpful. Hope you stop by again soon!
Gorgeous!!! Thank you for the tutorial!
So beautiful!! And the colors are simply fabulous!!!
Thank you, Lisa! These colors are the theme for this entire collection. I love them, too!
Your cards are always exquisite Kathy and I love seeing all the details that go into them. The blue and white combine so beautifully with the coffee colors and I really like the addition of your coffee ring stenciling. The easel design is perfect to display this beauty anywhere!
Stunning card. Love your colors and layers. Thanks for the inspiration
Hi Kathy, this is a wonderful card that can be used masculine or feminine, I love the large cup and the colors you chose. I never thought about the seam binding, but that is a good combination. The whole design is gorgeous, and well done. thanks for directions as well always a welcome addition. I am learning, each day….
Gorgeous card and
love both the front
and the inside!
Carla from Utah
Very pretty. I like this fold and blue and brown is one of my favorite color combos.
Those two colours never are a wrong choice! Looks amazing and I am a bean lover! Kathy you never cease to amazing me! Your projects just ooze the love of paper!!!
hugz from Victoria, BC
This is absolutely gorgeous. It must have taken hours to create this stunning card.
Thank you so much, Vicki! It actually didn’t take toooooo long to make as so many of the elements were just cut out from the paper collection. I love that about Heartfelt Creations! The flowers took the longest time to make, but I think they are worth it!
Beautiful card!! Lovely flowers!! The coffee cup is beautiful!!
-Berina
Moxie Craftie
Beauityful card!!!!!
I own this large coffee cup and am planning to use it for an upcoming hop. Great inspiration here!
One of my favorite collections! TFS!
Your cards are always stunning.
Hugs
Archana
Thank you, Archana! I do love to play with paper! xo
Simply stunning design and colors!
Thank you, Judy! You just made my day! xo
There should be a button which goes further than ‘Like’ for your blog. I suggest: ‘LIKE SO MUCH THAT MY EYES FELL IN LOVE FOLLOWED SWIFTLY BY MY HEART DOING THE SAME’.
… or something like that. 🙂
Sending squidges from my corner to yours ~ Cobs. x
Kathy this is gorgeous and I am with you on the yummy colors of mocha and blue…..a stunning collection of dies and papers you have used!!
Oh Kathy, this is absolutely gorgeous. I too love the colors in this amazing collection. You are, without a doubt, a fantastic artist!
Beautiful my friend. I love being on the Heartfelt Creations Team, but I do so miss this Alumni Team!