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!

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

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.

• 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.

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

• 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

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

I managed to tuck in a sweet little waterfall cascade to keep photos of baby’s first precious days.

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!

Cheerio,

kathy

Little Boy Blue Card Folio Supply List

 

• Graphic 45

 

• • Little Darlings DCE
  • Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Key Holes
  • Staples Ornate Metal Keys
  • ClearSnap Decades Robin’s Egg Dye Ink Pad
• Other Products
  • Canvas Color Band Ribbon/Light Blue
  • Silver Metallic String
  • Flowers and Buttons from my Stash
  • Ivory Acrylic Paint and Brush
  • Tim Holtz Tonic Distressing Tool