Simple Card Tutorial With Flat-Back Pearl Embellishment

Hi everyone! This is my very first tutorial. I am going to show you how to make a simple blank handmade card for any occasion using easy to find materials and one of my favorite embellishments to use in my projects - flat-back pearls.

What you need:

• Plain card stock for the card, I used 4 x 6 inches cardstock
• Patterned papers cut in various sizes (my favorite brand is Bo Bunny and K & Company but there are a lot more with fancy designs in the craft mart)
• Matting papers (any solid or block colored card stock or art paper will do) for background and framing
• Cut-out letters - H E L L O or any greetings or sentiments you want to use
• Scissors
• Glue for the flat-back pearls
• Fine tip tweezers to pick up the small flat-back pearls
• Double-sided tape or roller adhesive tape
• 3-d foam with double adhesive
• Ribbon, about 8 to 10 inches long and folded for double-ribbon effect
• Embellishments: butterfly chipboard and flat-back pearls (about 3mm diameter) in pink and cream. I got the flat back pearls from Qrhinestones of Etsy. (You should check Emily's Qrhinestones for more beads and fancy gems to use on your projects. She ships very promptly too!)
• Optional: Pigment inkpads for side-inking effect (I used a pigment-based ink to ink the edge of the yellow matting paper)

(This project can be done in less than 15 minutes as long as you have everything you need within your reach.)

And here's how you do it:

1. Gather your materials.
2. Apply adhesive at the back of the matting and patterned paper .
3. Layer the papers together, arranging them in gradual decrease in size. Do not stick the papers on the cardstock yet at this point as we will add ribbon later. I always tuck the edge of my ribbon beneath the matting papers for a clean finish. I also inked the side of the yellow paper for some drama and emphasis.
4. Cut out some small strips of 3-D foam with adhesives and adhere to the cut-out letters.
5. Fold the ribbon in half and make a bow. This method will create a double ribbon in one knot. Tuck the edges under the biggest matting paper. Now, apply double-adhesive tape on the biggest matting. Peel off the protective film of the adhesive.
6. Stick the matting papers which is now your card topper on the card stock.
7. Stick a butterfly embellishment at the edge and dot some glue to stick the cream flat-back pearls.
8. Now dot an undulating line on top of the letters and stick the pink flat-back pearls.
9. And now,  you have your simple card done!

Easy, right?

Encouraging Creativity

My creativity is still in hiatus for some months now. I am not sure when it will come back but I am looking forward to the day where I can create handmade cards and beautiful scrapbook pages again. I am also excited to get that Silhouette Cameo machine so I better have this creative juice flowing soon.

I am trying my level best to get it back but not being too forceful that will affect the passion I have with my projects. As of now, I have started the "rehabilitation" of my creativity by subscribing to my favorite crafty magazines. I have also browsed endless projects of crafty people for inspiration and I see a small spark right there in my brain. Yes, that little spark might just ignite the sleeping monster that I call "creativity."

Apart from the online activities, I am also looking at beautiful scenery and thinking of happy thoughts so at least I draw some inspiration from them. I feel it will come. I just don't have an iota of idea when.

Holiday season is creeping up fast and I just hope that I get this juice cranking before then so I can come up with pretty little crafty things to give to my family and friends.

Struggle With Creativity

It has been 5 months since I last did a crafty project and my creative juice is still out. I am getting a bit worried now because no matter how hard I try and refer to plenty crafty magazines for inspiration, I still cannot crank up my creative juice. Nothing. Just a void...

I wonder what happened to me. I am not like this before. Usually, I don't get dry spells when it comes to creativity. Most of the time I will just look at colorful and artsy objects and I will instantly get an inspiration. I have done that but still no luck. I even read my previous edition of crafty magazines for some project ideas but I am not feeling it. My question is, have I really lost my creativity? That sudden? And why?

I know I have a lot in my plate these days. I am so pre-occupied with so many things which have no relation to anything crafty. Aside from that, I am busy with activities concerning wealth-building and securing our future that I feel I may have unconsciously diverted my creative energy on those matters.

What ever the case may be and the reason for this dry creative spell, I just want it to come back, even in trickles or drops. I just want a speck of creative juice to flow in my think tank because I miss making cards and scrapbook pages. I don't know where to begin.