My Thoughts On The Slimline Card Rage

Slimline Cards

Samples of autumn slimline cards

Have you seen all of the slimline cards popping up everywhere lately? In fact, I tried the slimline card fad during my last “Monday’s Are Hard, Stamping Shouldn’t Be” Series (which you can see here in case you missed it. P.S., adorable zebra alert!).

And I have to admit, it was kind of cool. Different and unique.

Size Matters

You may be wondering “why the sudden demand for an odd size card?”. Card makers typically cut a full sheet of 8-1/2 x 11″ piece of cardstock in half and make two A2 card bases.

Two A2 card bases from one sheet of 8-1/2 x 11" cardstock.
The A2 card measures 4-1/4 x 5-1/2″ when folded and closed.

Suddenly, we are cutting our cardstock a little differently. Now, instead of cutting it in half, we are chopping off a 4″ piece from the 11″ length and folding the remaining cardstock in half. This gives us a closed slimline card base measuring 3-1/2 x 8-1/2″.

The slimline card base and remaining cardstock from an 8-1/2 x 11" sheet of paper.
The slimline card base, taken from an 8-1/2 x 11″ piece of cardstock will leave a remnant of 4 x 8-1/2″.

Weird? Or genus?

The Great Appeal

Perhaps the great appeal over slimline cards is that they are unique. After all, as card makers we are choosing to be different. Before I started making my own cards, giving someone a store bought card that someone else had picked out too made my card seem…very ordinary.

The size of a slimline card is unexpected. The stature is tall, stately and elegant. Because a slimline card is so long, it appears more valuable. And lets face it, because they are relatively new to the card making scene, they are novel as well.

Slimline Challenges

You would think cutting cardstock and decorating it to create a card should be easy, no matter the card base size. Slimline cards come with their own difficulties just the same.

First, you have to get over the fact that one sheet of 8-1/2 x 11″ cardstock will not yield you 2 card bases. And getting value out of Designer Series Paper that comes in sizes 6 x 6″ or 12 x 12″ is hard too. Of course it can be done! But the frugal crafter in me struggles with this a bit.

Then, there is design and spacing to address. With the narrowness of the slimline card, many stamps and dies may not actually fit well.

Autumn Greeting Stamp Set and Autumn Essentials Dies
Some of these stamps and dies from the Autumn Greetings Stamp Set and Autumn Essentials Dies will work on a slimline card, but some will be too large.

And when it comes to dry embossing on paper, embossing folders will run short. Most embossing folders are @4 x 6″ or 6 x 6″ in size. The cardstock shown here is 3-1/4 x 8-1/4″, cut to fit as the first layer over the slimline card base.

Using embossing folders with slimline card dimensions can be a challenge.
This cardstock, intended for slimline card layers, overhangs the Old World Paper and Dainty Diamonds Embossing Folders.

Getting Crafty With Slimline Cards

When has a challenge or two ever stopped a determined card maker? There are ways and work-arounds in the diverse world of crafting! And getting creative is really what it is all about, anyway.

I find the slimline cards perfect for the small to medium size stamps and dies. My first few slimline card attempts all used the same card layout, involving 3 evenly spaced rectangles. By starting with this design, I was able to focus on each section individually. I did not get overwhelmed with the large blank canvas the slimline card provides.

Autumn themed slimline card.
The dimensions, or basic card recipe, for this slimline card is listed here. This card features the Basket Of Blooms Stamp Set.

The Envelope, Please

Is it weird that one of my favorite things about the slimline card style is that it fits into a business size envelope?

The Peel & Seel envelopes do not self-seal in humidity, and don’t require any licking for sticking!

There are so many envelope sizes available, and of course I want one that fits my homemade card well. Not too big that my card is swimming, and not too small that the card barely fits inside.

You may make your own envelopes if you want the perfect size. My personal idea of bliss is opening my office supply drawer and pulling out a business size envelope and calling it a day. These types of envelopes are so easy to come by. I love that.

My Slimline Card Journey Continues

I have just gotten started in my dive into slimline cards. Next, I plan to involve the entire card front in one cohesive design, without breaking up the scheme. And the process of something new and exciting is a pleasing one.

Do slimline cards excite you, too? If you haven’t tried it yet, I encourage you to get crafty. My online store is always open if you need some supplies to help you with your creativity adventure.

Make sure you come back to see me, and find out what I have been up to as I continue to explore slimline cards, and more!

Basic Pattern Decorative Masks: Mosaic

Decorative Masks Part III

Card made with Mosaic Decorative Masks

Basic Pattern Decorative Masks (item #150697) come in a set of 4 masks, sized 6 x 6″ each. They are thin and pliable, plastic in nature and easily cleaned. The enclosed insert lists 5 different methods you can use when you create with these decorative masks: spritz, sponge, trace, emboss and texture.

Basic Pattern Decorative Masks

The variety in the Basic Pattern Decorative Masks is wonderful, and this set has something for everyone. Part I in my mini series on Decorative Masks focused on the Dot Mask, and creating a textured background. In Part II, I covered the Victorian Mask and the spritzing technique.

This post will cover my favorite, and the easiest technique, sponging! I think you will soon discover all the wonderful possibilities the world of sponging can open up.

Sponging Technique

I have been a huge fan of sponging since my very early days of stamping. There are currently two different options to sponge with in the Stampin’ Up! catalog, Stampin’ Sponges (item #141337) and Sponge Brayers (item #141714). These two items do the same job, but much differently.

Stampin' Sponges and Sponge Brayers
Sponges are some of my favorite things in the craft room! Just add ink.

Stampin’ Sponges

Why sponges? They are small enough to apply ink to the edges of any paper cut, and you have more dexterity in applying ink via the pressure of your own hand.

When I use a sponge, I dab it onto the ink pad, picking up as much or as little ink as I like. It is easy for me hold the paper I want to sponge and add ink at the same time. Reloading the sponge with additional ink is a breeze.

A Sponge In Every Color

Stampin’ Sponges come as a set of 3. But these large rounds are not meant to be used as full circles. First, I cut each sponge in half. From there, each half is cut into thirds, and this creates 6 wedges of sponge all together from one round.

I like to designate a sponge wedge to every ink color individually. I never have to clean my sponge (by rinsing it with water and waiting for it to dry) or wonder what color I used it for last.

Using a label punch (mine is long retired but I like the consistency), I punch a coordinating piece of cardstock color. Once the label is folded in half, I use a sharpie to write the ink color name on it. Lastly, I staple it to the top of my sponge, leaving the large base open on the bottom.

My Sponge Storage

How do I possibly store a sponge wedge for every color? I currently have 6 plastic bins (the kind used for beads or stitching thread) at my disposal. Once upon a time they were very organized by color families and easy to locate at a glance. Families have changed and grown, and I have some catching up to do in the organizing process, but this still works for me!

Stampin' Sponge storage system
Some prefer to keep sponges generic to reds, pinks, blues, greens etc, rather than having one designated for each specific ink color.

Sponge Brayers

Sponge Brayers took the place of the hard rubber brayer in 2016. These brayers come in a set that contains 2 handles and 4 sponge heads. This makes it easy to change them out during a project. When I am done using the brayer, I run it under cold water to rinse out the ink. Next, I squeeze out the sponge, and let it finish air drying.

FUN FACT: I have a cat that thinks my sponge brayer heads are edible. I have a sponge that is missing chunks out of it. Lesson learned, I keep them out of her reach now.

To use the brayer, you need to “load” the sponge head with ink by rolling it repeatedly over the ink pad. This is a lot like loading a paint roller when you paint your walls. It is hard to tell how much ink is actually on the brayer at any given time. I find testing the ink saturation first is best.

Sponge brayers are meant to be used while the paper is flat on your work surface. This makes them perfect for use with the Basic Pattern Decorative Masks!

Set Up For Sponging Success

I took advantage of a Tombow Removable Adhesive Tape Runner, and secured my cardstock to my graph paper. This kind of tape runner allows temporary holds, and is easily removed without tearing or residue. In fact, when I rub my finger across the removable adhesive, it crumbles away like pencil erasing. Only a very small amount is needed here.

Next, I secured the Basic Pattern Decorative Mask Mosaic design in the exact position I wanted it to be. This time I used Painters Tape to hold the mask down. I made sure I did not cover my cardstock with the tape.

Preparing the Basic Pattern Decorative Mask for sponging

Now for the real fun, adding ink. I started with the lightest of my color choices, the Crushed Curry (yellow) and applied the ink via the brayer to the top third of my cardstock.

After my sponge brayer was low on ink, I ran it across my paper to “faux clean” it. Then, I started the same process with the Pumpkin Pie (orange), overlapping the Crushed Curry just a bit to blend the two colors.

Lastly, I moved on to the Cajun Craze (rusty red). By overlapping the Pumpkin Pie, I was able to get some great gradient colors.

***It is important to note that moving from lighter to darker ink colors without cleaning or changing the sponge head is okay. Do not ever go dark to light in this manner, you will end up with muddy discolored ink pads!

Spongeed cardstcok usining Basic Pattern Decorative Masks
This is a great example of starting the sponging process well off the intended paper. The first time the sponge hits anything, it produces very dark ink. By giving the sponge some lead up time, you avoid a dark line of ink that is hard to blend in.

Fabulous Fall Card

The ink choices I used with the Basic Pattern Decorative Mosaic Mask brought on thoughts of Fall. So, I turned to the stamp set Gather Together (item #150589, which is making a come back in the August-December 2020 Mini Catalog) and my favorite, the Forever Fern Bundle (item # 154094). Combined with a card base in Cinnamon Cider and an additional layer in Merry Merlot, this sponged piece was set up for success.

Gather Together and Forever Fern Stamp Sets

I stamped the berry image from the Forever Fern Bundle in Cajun Craze Ink and die cut it with the coordinating die. I am a huge fan of this stamp in any color!

Berry stamp and die from Forever Fern Bundle

Additional pieces cut from the Forever Flourishing Dies provided lots of foliage for my card. From the large fern die, I only needed the top portion, so I trimmed away some of the bottom of my Old Olive Cardstock.

Fern Die from Forever Flourishing Die and Old Olive CS

Crushed Curry and Merry Merlot Cardstock complimented additional die cuts. Luckily, this die set includes 4 of the small leafy dies, so one run thru my die cutting machine garnered me all of them at once!

More die cuts from the Forever Flourishing Dies

New to the 2020-2021 Annual Stampin’ Up! Catalog is their Velveteen Cardstock (item #153557). This soft flocked paper is fun to touch, and the Cinnamon Cider color was perfect for my card and some die cuts.

Color Velveteen Cardstock and Forever Flourishing Dies
Like a frugal crafter, I made the most of this expensive paper, getting my die cuts in the smallest use of paper. Waste not, want not!

Additional Elements

The focal point of my card is the sentiment “Gather Together”, and I stamped it in Merry Merlot Ink before punching it out with the 1-1/2″ Circle Punch (item #138299). From a piece of Merry Merlot CS, I punched a 2″ circle (item #133782) and embossed it with the Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder (item #152718).

1-1/2" Circle Punch, 2" Circle Punch and Tasteful Textile 3D EF

A fancy card calls for some fancy paper, and I used a Forever Gold Laser-Cut Specialty (item #152493) accent tag. I also pulled out the Forever Greenery Trim Combo Pack (item #152475).

Forever Greenery Trim Combo Pack and Forever Gold Laser-Cut Specialty Paper tag

Is there a thing as too many gold accents on a card? I thought not, so added in some Metallic Pearls (item #146282) and applied them with the help of my Take Your Pick Tool (item #144107) for easy transfer.

Metallic Pearls and Take Your Pick Tool
I store my embellishments on cardstock paper in Standard (DVD style) Stamp Cases (item #119105).

Putting It All Together

When I assembled this card, I started with the Vanilla 1/2″ ribbon, and ruched it along to the edge of my sentiment piece. First, I dry fit my gold laser-cut label and marked the edge with my pencil. Next, I applied a small strip of Tear & Tape Adhesive (item # 138995) where the ribbon would go.

Preparing for ruched ribbon on the card front

I removed the tape’s front facing sticky strip, then stuck the ribbon down while making small scrunches. This tape allowed me to pull up the ribbon and start over or adjust as needed.

Rouching ribbon on card
I wrapped the excess ribbon around the back of my Merry Merlot Cardstock.

From here, it was a matter of getting all my die cuts lined up in a manner that I liked. I took advantage of more Tear & Tape Adhesive to anchor the ends, which would eventually be covered by my sentiment.

Layering die cuts on card front

Gather Together

This finished card is elegant and refined, and the Mosaic Mask from the Basic Pattern Decorative Masks made the perfect back-drop. Sponging any ink in any colors will yield you fantastic results as well! Here’s another look at the finished card!

Looking for sponges, inks and masks to add to your craft room supplies? Check my online store, https://juliemakson.stampinup.net/ anytime. And be sure to come back for the grand finale in my Mini Series on Basic Pattern Decorative Masks and another technique in using them!