Valentine’s Day cards are fun to create. Let me share how I create hybrid cards with some of the The Lilypad products and my scrapbooking supplies.
I like combining printed digital products with my traditional paper scrapping supplies but it’s not crucial to combine the two. You can create a card entirely with digital products (aside from your cardstock base). But if you can combine the two, it’s magical! You get the advantage of resizing, recoloring, reshaping, etc with the digital products and you get the texture and dimension of paper scrapping supplies. It’s a win-win….in my book! The best of both worlds. But, having said that….it’s not necessary to combine them both together.
I was a traditional paper scrappbooker/card maker long before I discovered the joys of digital products so I have lots of paper and supplies to use but if you are just starting out, some go-to items you might want to invest in are:
- paper trimmer
- scissors (large and small)
- ruler
- glue
Other items that are very useful are:
- pop-dots
- glue-dots
- ink for edging paper
To start my process, I look through my digital files and open them up in Photoshop on an 8.5 x 11 canvas (that’s the largest paper size I can print). I don’t just open up files I know I want to use now, I also include others I think I’ll want to use in the future too. I store the leftover unused pieces in a box in my scrapbook room for future card designs. This saves me a ton of time when I need to put together a card quickly. I save extra printed elements (especially flowers) and word art pieces. I like to be as economical as I can be so filling up the canvas with digital products utilizes the whole piece of cardstock.
When filling the canvas with products, think about how you will use those pieces, will you cut them out individually or into shapes? My printer goes through the ink quickly so I often prefer to use my paper stash (since I have so much left over from my old paper scrapping days), saving the ink for the element pieces and word art which usually isn’t so color dense and won’t deplete my printer ink so quickly.
Another product I use a lot in my card making is a diecut/embossing machine. I’ve got an old Cuttlebug that works like a charm, is easy and fast to use and in a few minutes I can whip up some textured paper pieces to use in my designs. In two of my three sample cards, I used embossing templates…polka dot and hearts.
It’s not necessary to create paper layers on your card front, but I like the added stability/thickness of adding at least one additional layer of paper. Then I build up my design from that. Paper pieces can be inked along the edges (as in the pink polka dot strip) to add a subtle or impactful punch of color. Pieces can be pop-dotted for dimension (as in the heart square, blue flower and large pink felt flower).
When cutting out pieces (cupid, blue flower, word art strips), I find it easier to use small precision scissors. I will sometimes sit in the evening in the living room with my hubs and Taz, watching TV (if you know me, you know I am a TV addict LOL) as I cut out paper pieces.
Generally, my cards will have an assortment of buttons, sequins, ribbon/yarn/lace and flowers. I also like fasteners and always have a stapler on hand.
When I am finished, I keep any leftover bits large enough to use again on another project. Little bits of lace, ribbon, paper, etc get stored away. I like to get as much bang for my buck as I can, so I try not to waste left over products.
Here are the cards I created using Sprinkles V45 by Valorie Wibbens and Life’s Sweet Elements by Little Butterfly Wings. I started with a white cardstock base, layered with leftover Basic Grey paper, then added my cut-out pieces, ribbon, buttons, flowers and sequins.
Take a look at The Lilypad store section for Valentine’s Day!!! There are so many amazing products, not just for digital design but also for hybrid. I hope I’ve inspired you to create some Valentine’s Cards. Trust me, it’s sooooo much fun!
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