Unusual Shaped Card

Flower open

At our Stamp Club last month, we were challenged with making an unusual shaped card for our ‘homework’. So, last week I took along the round card I’d made for the Fresh as a Daisy competition at Happy Stampers Festival plus this flower.

I started with some plain, heavy, white watercolour paper onto which I traced the template (using carbon paper) which I found at Mirkwood Designs – they have some wonderful ideas here! I couldn’t print onto card as my current printer doesn’t like anything thicker than paper! I’m not sure how you would mail this – I guess you’d be better just handing it to the recipient, in a box would be nice. I coloured the traced shapes with various inks and stamped both a faint, all-over design on them plus some contrasting flowers from my collection of  Tapestry Stamps. I decorated both sides, of course, as they will both be on view. Then I cut them out, took quite a while as it’s fiddly but the end result is lovely.

Assembly

Ah, now I didn’t take any photos of the process I’m afraid, as this was a first attempt I assumed it wouldn’t be worth shooting! But, it’s fairly self-explanatory so I shall just show you the photos taken after the fact!

These show how it folds from the inside, it starts – obviously – with those spiky bits being folded over the sentiment (I used a generic ‘Best Wishes‘ as it wasn’t intended for any special occasion) which I’d stamped on some more of the watercolour paper and punched out with my largest circle punch. I edged it with a darker ink to make it stand out, as I did with all the petals too.

Inside

1st Folding

Inside Folded

Second Layer

Pretty apparent what’s going on here – the inner set of petals fold over the spiky bits quite neatly.

Second Layer

2nd Layer done

Outside Layer

I wasn’t able to get a ribbon to stay in place around the completed ‘card’ so I decided to add a decorative brad on one petal and glue the ribbon across the bottom on the outside to hold it in place. I then disguised this with another punched circle.

I don’t think anyone receiving this would guess what it’s going to be when opened.

Outside Folds

Flower Eyelet

All Tied Up

Underneath