Spring Mini Stand Up Calendars

I made these mini stand up calendars awhile ago but I decided to post Easter crafts first.  Okay, now this is really the last of the calendars for this year.  I truly have used them up and don't intend to buy more. LOL!  You can look at my past posts to learn how these were constructed. The cactus one was made using a Lawn Fawn die set that I just purchased...super cute!  The other two were decorated with die cuts and words from a Carpe Diem set purchased from HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  The pieces were intended for decorating journals.

The two sweet ducks were stamped and cut out with matching dies.  The shiny unicorn is actually a sticker which I thought matched well with the card stock base.  To make the sticker not tacky on the back, I rubbed a little cornstarch on it. (Cornstarch in a small container is a good item to keep on your craft table to make surfaces less sticky.)  These calendars fold up flat and are nice to tuck into thank you cards or pass out to anyone who bestows you with a special kindness. Sending you SMILES!

 

Name Thank You Cards

Sometimes when sending a thank you card to a family or group, it's nice to make an individually written note to each person especially if some of them are children.  I think children like their own mail and will enjoy hearing/reading a message just for them.  Making simple cards like these don't take much more time or supplies than making one fancy one.  Several single layer cards can be mailed in one standard envelope which needs only one forever stamp.  I used the Lawn Fawn mini slimline die to cut the base and used the Lawn Fawn letter dies to cut out the names.  Making these easy individual cards is a great way to use up scraps of both solid and printed card stock.  Children love to see their names on anything and may learn that being recognized for giving is good feeling. Give this a try!

 

Standing Mini Calendars

After finishing my supply of 2022 mini calendars, you didn't think I'd buy more did you? Wrong! Even though it is March, I just couldn't resist the 10 cent calendars at Taylored Expressions.  From one 12x12 sheet of printed card stock, three calendars can be constructed.  First, I divided the sheet into three 4" strips. Next I folded along the length of each strip at 4", 8", 9", and 10".  The end flap was taped into place and the calendars adhered with Heiko double stick tape.  For decoration, I simply added Pebbles stickers and die cut words purchased from HM Ben Franklin Crafts. I am very pleased at how simple and inexpensive these calendars were to make. Okay, time to write some birthday thank you notes and tuck these calendars in to surprise my sweet friends.

 

Easter Bunny Shaker Cards

Here are two more shaker cards I made using the Doodlebug die cuts and words that I purchased from HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  These are standard greeting card size. I created them the same way that I did the mini slimline cards I made in the previous post except that I used a larger Heiko cello bag. (Remember they come in 100 packs so I will be making these cards a lot in the future!) The purple and green card blanks were from HM BFC too.

The Doodlebug papers (from the 6x6 paper pack) are so cheerful and colorful that they will make kids and adults feel that Spring has sprung.  I love the sweet little bunnies too!  They remind me of my grandkids...hahaha!

Here's what the cards look like when they are shaken. I wonder why it's so irresistible to shake and shake and shake the cards....it must be the swishing sound...like a rain stick from South America.  I hope that you will try to make an Easter shaker card too. Well, maybe since Easter is tomorrow, you should make spring cards.  Happy Easter to all my peeps...both the real and marshmallow ones. LOL!

 

Easter Mini Slimline Shaker Cards

I discovered the sweetest Easter Doodlebug paper products at HM Ben Franklin Crafts! I knew that they would make super cute Easter cards for all my young and young at heart friends/family. As with previous shaker cards, I started by cutting a printed card stock paper to fit the Heiko cello bag (approx. 3x6 sold at HM Ben Franklin Crafts).  Confetti (from my Easter stash) was put into the bag before it was sealed.  The sealed bag was then adhered to the homemade slimline card ( made to fit into a regular envelope). Finally, the Doodlebug die cut images and words were glued to the front of the card with 3 in 1 Beacon adhesive. 

Here's what the cards look like with the confetti shaken.  I hope the recipients enjoy playing with these cards. I really had fun making and shaking them. I'm a big Easter loving kid!

P.S. I forgot to photograph the Heiko package of cello bags. There are 100 in the pack so I guess I'll have to make a lot more shaker cards. LOL!
 

Marshmallow Bunny Peep Card

Here are two other cards that I made employing the Taylored Expression bunny stencil (see previous post).  Using Lawn Fawn plaid card stock as a base, I applied white stencil paste using an old credit card as a palette knife.  Once the stencil was removed, I applied pink or white glitter to the slightly raised surface of the bunnies.  The result was a sparkly dimensional bunny shape which truly reminds me of edible marshmallow bunny peeps. Sweet and Yummy! After drying the plaid card, it was cut with a Lawn Fawn rectangle die and tied with a gauze ribbon. 

The Lawn Fawn ' Happy Easter circular word stamp was used on a light plaid card stock. The blue ink words were heat embossed with clear powder and then cut out with the Lawn Fawn matching circle die. The whole plaid card was adhered to a solid colored blank card with double stick adhesive.  I think the white bunnies don't show up as well in my photos as the pink, but both cards remind me of my favorite Easter treats.  YAY!  Watch for me this Easter, I'll be the one with a shopping cart full of PEEPS!  P.S I like all the colors...LOL!

 

Bunny Peep Spring Card

As soon as I saw the Taylored Expressions bunny stencil, I had to buy it.  To me, Spring/Easter means marshmallow peeps.  I've been known to hunt down clearance peeps and hoard them...LOL!  Anyway, I started this card by stenciling the bunnies with Hero Arts reactive inks (from HM Ben Franklin Crafts) because the colors are so bright and pure.  I sprinkled the stenciled white card stock with water and blotted it to reveal the mottled surface.  I liked the speckled look but some of the colors became a little muddy.  The Lawn Fawn stitched frame die was used to cut out the card front which was adhered to a lavender card blank.  Using the Happy Spring Lawn Fawn die I cut the words from a printed purple paper and gave it some bling with crystal glitter.  The words, Easter egg stickers and a flocked chick sticker were added to the card.  Besides adding some interest to the card, I was happy to use up some of the stickers from my hoarded collection. 

I stenciled a scrap of white card stock with brighter colors and liked the combination even better than the original so rather than discarding the tester, I turned it into a tag. It made me very happy to find a ribbon in my stash that perfectly matched the tag....it doesn't take much to thrill me ...hahaha!  Please return to this blog to see my next post with more of my experimentations with the bunny peep stencil.

 

Unicorn Shaker Calendar Magnet

This is no April Fool's Day joke:  I used up ALL of my mini calendars this year!  (No need to mention that the year is one forth of the way over. Hahaha!)  Anyway, I saved the best for last I guess because this is my favorite style.  It was super easy too because I made the shaker element from a Heiko self sealing cello bag. I simply cut the printed card stock (Pebbles from HM Ben Franklin Crafts) to fit exactly the width of the cello bag. The self sealing adhesive was pressed in place and sequins (I even found some unicorn ones in my stash), seed beads, and other confetti from HM BFC were added before using double stick tape to seal the other end.

From this close-up you can see the shaker sprinkles better and the fact that I added crystal glitter to the unicorns and used a silver sparkle pen to highlight the horn.

I glued a magnet sheet (from HM Ben Franklin Crafts and can be cut with a paper trimmer)) to the backs of the shaker elements. Don't put too much sprinkles into the shaker because the magnet may not be able to hold the weight. The glass seed beads are especially heavy but they do make a good swishing noise and I do have many vials leftover from my bead crafting days...such a hoarder! I think of all the calendars I made this year this design is my best. I just noticed that Taylored Expressions is having a super sale of their mini calendars...10 for $1!!!! ....so this may not be the last you see of  my 2022 mini calendars. They do make cute tuck-ins for any cards I mail out. Heeheehee!