Laserowe Love Lavender Date Card Folio Tutorial with Gecko Galz Challenge Image

Hello Friends!  Summer is winding down, although you would not know it by consulting the thermometer.  It’s still very hot and humid here in North Carolina.  It was time to cut the blossoms from my lavender yesterday morning.  While I was gathering up those fragrant blooms, I remembered this lovely Laserowe Love Lavender Date paper.  It’s been patiently waiting its turn in the Closet of Shame. I decided it was time to make something beautiful with it.  I also had a gorgeous free image from Gecko Galz printed out and ready to go.  (Subscribe to their newsletter…they give away loads of free digital images! )

There’s something captivating about this image.  It makes you feel serene and happy when you look at it.  I wanted to create a card that enhanced the peaceful expression on the woman’s face.  I chose soft colors and simply, shabby chic accents to achieve that goal.  The end result is a card folio that feels like a framed portrait, and I just love the way it turned out.

Laserowe Love Lavender Date Card Folio Tutorial:  The Basics

This card is quite a bit larger than my normal 5″ x 7″, measuring 6 1/4″ x 8 1/4″ with a 1/4″ top fold spine.  Since I haven’t done a card tutorial in a long time, I thought I would share a video tutorial for making the base and decorating the card cover.

Learn how to layer this Little Birdie Floral Cascade in the video tutorial.

I dug deep into my vintage button stash looking for these rhinestone beauties.  Then I tucked a few more “finds”  into the floral cascade.  These vintage clear buttons catch the light and add a subtle touch of sparkle to the card.

Laserowe Love Lavender Date Card Folio Tutorial:  A Peek Inside

After building the card base, line it with panels of the Lavender Fields and White Cardstock.  This is beautiful to look at, but it also helps to strengthen the card base.  Once that is done, add your layers of designer paper. Then you can put your interactive elements in place.

Build a simple pocket on the top half of the card by cutting your cardstock 3″ longer than the length of the card base.  Then score and fold.

TIP: Create “gussets” for your simple pocket by cutting 1″ x 2 7/8″ scraps of paper.  Score on the short side at 1/2″ , then fold and adhere to the pocket sides.  This makes it easier to fill the pocket.  Of course, you can always just glue the sides to the base if you are in a hurry.

I broke out my Envelope Punch Board to make mini envelopes for this card.  These both measure 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ .  A purple tea bag is tucked inside the envelope to go with the vintage enameled demitasse spoon and the honey stick.

The bottom half of the card has a sweet little flip page that’s secured with a ribbon closure.

Turn the flip page to find a hidden pocket with a little surprise tucked inside.

This envelope holds a lovely little button card made from a bit of ephemera.

The sentiment panel is hand stamped, then matted on more of the soft green and lavender papers.  I explain how I did this in the video.

Laserowe Love Lavender Date Card Folio Tutorial Video

If you’d like to learn how to build the card folio base and watch the cover design come together, please enjoy this video tutorial.

I’ve loaded this beauty into my Etsy shop.  It would make a lovely gift or a bit of home decor.  You can find it HERE.

I hope I’ve shared some tips, tricks and techniques 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

SUPPLY LIST

• Paper
  • Certainly Celery Cardstock (retired)
  • Lavender Fields Cardstock
  • Smooth White Cardstock
  • Lavender Date Paper Collection
  • Gecko Galz Free Image
  • Gecko Galz Ephemera from various sets
• Embellishments
  • Laserowe Love Chipboard
  • Tim Holtz Lace Baseboard Frame
  • Little Birdie Flowers
  • Elderberry Seam Binding
• Tools, Inks, Stamps
  • Tim Holtz Stamp Platform
  • Ranger Archival Ink
    • Jet Black
    • Majestic Violet
  • Distress Ink
    • Picket Fence
    • Milled Lavender
    • Blue Fern Studio Bird Waltz Clear Acrylic Stamp