Let’s Make a Stack of Graphic 45 Let it Bee Cards
Hello, Friends! Let’s make a stack of Graphic 45 Let it Bee cards for our Wind Back Wonderful Wednesday this week. Since our theme for the month of July is Bees and Butterflies, it’s a perfect fit! Graphic 45 has released this collection as a Keepsake Edition, but I still have my original papers in house. Perhaps you do as well.
Every once in a while, I like to just make a big ole stack of quick and easy cards. It gives me a chance to use up a bunch of my stash, and I actually find it very relaxing. These are all standard A2 Side Fold cards (4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″). Keep a stack of these around for last minute birthday or thank you notes; you’ll be glad you did!
Tips and Tricks for Making a Stack of Cards
Preparation is key when you’re trying to make a stack of cards in a short period of time. Here’s how I get organized:
- First, I cut all my card bases from 8 1/2″ x 11″ cardstock. Just cut in half at 5 1/2″, then score at 4 1/4″. You’ll end up with 2 card bases from each sheet. I generally make a dozen at a time.
- Next, score and fold all those card bases and stack them up on your desk.
Work Inside Out
Create your card interior first! I know, I know! This seems to be inside out, but it saves so much time! Here’s how I prep the inside of my cards.
- First, cut (24) 4″ x 5 1/4″ panels of cardstock. If you use 12×12 Patterns and Solids, you’ll get 6 liners from each sheet. Stack these up in 2 piles of 12 panels each.
- Next, cut (12) 3 3/4″ x 5 1/4″ panels of white cardstock. Pair these up with 12 of the cut liners to go on the right hand side of the card. Don’t glue anything yet; just stack them up.
- Now that you have your liners all set, go ahead and adhere them inside the card. You can embellish with a little sticker, border strip or small image if you wish.
TIP: This assembly line approach to crafting saves time. When you repeat the same action over and over again, you can go very fast, because your muscle memory kicks in. Sometimes I even time myself to see how quickly I can go!
Creating the Card Fronts
Now that you’ve completed the insides of your cards, you can get to work on the card fronts. Once again, prepare an assembly line to save time. Here’s how I do it:
- First, cut (12) 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ panels of patterned paper and place them in a stack.
- Now, locate those offcuts from cutting liners for the card interiors. You should have several 3 1/2″ wide panels of patterned paper. Cut these into (12) 3 1/2″ x 4 3/4″ panels.
- Next, cut (12) 3 5/8″ x 4 7/8″ panels of black cardstock to use as mats. (Choose a color that works well with the paper you are using.) Pair the mats up with the patterned paper and place them in a stack.
- From your scraps, cut a variety of 3 1/2″ and 4 1/4″ wide border pieces. Place these in a stack. You’ll see how to layer these in the video tutorial.
- Cut out focal images from the 8×8 and 12×12 paper pads and place them in a stack.
- Now just glue all those stacks together to create a great quick and easy card.
TIP: Keep the basic “recipe” for each card the same. This will allow you to move quickly through your stacks.
TIP: Don’t overthink it! Quickly bundle your card background, center panel, border pieces and focal points together in little bundles.
Embellishing the Cards
Gather all your embellishments in advance: Tie bows, thread buttons, string bee charms on thread, select chipboard pieces, gather flowers…whatever you want to use to embellish your cards. Place these items in stacks or in trays on your desk. Then just go through your stack of cards and quickly adhere them in place.
Let’s Make a Stack of Graphic 45 Let it Bee Cards Tutorial on YouTube
If you’d like to watch my process for creating this big stack of quick and easy cards, then please enjoy the video tutorial on my YouTube channel:
I hope you’re feeling inspired to break out one of your favorite paper collections and make a stack of cards! You can find the basic measurements in the description box below the video tutorial, and a linked supply list below this post.
I’ll be back next week with a Wild Card Wednesday home decor tutorial featuring Paper Rose Bees and Butterflies. Hope to see you then!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Cheerio,
kathy
SUPPLY LIST
- Graphic 45 Let it Bee (Keepsake Edition comes with die cut ephemera and 12 sheets of 12×12 paper)
- Let it Bee Keepsake Edition with metal dies (comes with paper, dies, die cut ephemera and sticker sheets)
- Bits and Bobs from my stash
I admire how you are able to create all these cards in such a methodical way. I love how the cards turned out as they end up looking as if you’ve added lots of embellishments. I guess it’s the layers you’ve added to each card. I generally make my cards in a 5×7 size so I would love to see a tutorial where you do this for those of us who make larger cards. I understand that size doesn’t work as well with 8 1//2 x 11” paper but if you could do a tutorial, I know I would appreciate it. Thank you for thi# tutorial.Watching the way you did this has given me something to think about.
Thank you so much for sharing this with us! I will keep these notes as a guide to use over and over again. I think of these notes as a “prescription” for card making! 🙂
This is a super way to use all the bits and pieces and have a stash ready to use. The bee themed papers really are delightful and suit this method perfectly.
I absolutely love this technique and go back to watch your tutorials often to refresh before starting a stack. I love this collection as well and have a whole lot of it – time to finally cut in to it! Your cards are stunning, as always 🙂
Love the assembly line method! This is something I really need to do to use up some of the stash. Your cards all turned out beautiful. Thanks for sharing.