Lovely Easter Shaker Card

Have you seen these fun shaker cards? They are everywhere and so easy to make, especially when you have beautiful laser cuts from Unique Laser Designs

For today's Easter shaker card, I used four different ULD wooden laser cuts:
1. Bunnies (6 pc. set)
2. Easter Eggs (6 pc. set)
3. Butterflies (Sm)
4. Daisy-Chubby (5 pc. set)

Decorate the wooden laser cuts any way you'd like. You could leave them bare, paint them with acrylic paints, or paint and cover them with pretty Easter glitter.

To make the card base, begin with a pink piece of card stock, cut 5 inches square. Then take a piece of black card stock, 4.75 inches square, and the flower patterned piece, cut 4.5 inches square. Adhere the black card stock on to the pink card stock.

To make the insert wreath, take a second shade of pink card stock, and die cut the Grendon Wreath, from Poppystamps. Carefully punch out and set aside. Then center the metal die cut onto your patterned piece, tape down with a little piece of removable tape, and cut out the wreath. Carefully remove the die cut from the pattern.

Carefully insert the pink wreath into the patterned card stock. Use a little removable tape on the back to keep it snuggly in place.

Turn the pattern piece over and adhere a piece of plastic acetate over the back of the wreath. Use as little glue as possible to keep it securely in place. Cut out a square piece of craft foam and adhere it onto the back of the patterned piece of card stock. Apply glue and let it sit for a moment. This photo shows the back side of the patterned piece, the blue removable tape holding the wreath snuggly in place, the acetate piece glued on top, and the black craft foam piece glued into place, with more glue on the top.

 

On top of the black card stock, add a colorful piece of pattern paper and glue securely in place. Make sure it will not show through the flowery pattern piece that will fit on top. Add your shaker filler to the center of the card. You can use colorful sequins, micro beads, confetti, whatever you choose. When the sequins are in place, carefully adhere the pattern piece 'window" you have created and press in place. Set aside and let dry. Do not be tempted to shake your card until it is completely dry! When it dries, add your beautiful Unique Laser Designs wooden laser cuts. I used a bunny, an Easter egg, a tiny butterfly, and a chubby daisy to make this colorful Easter shaker card!

Thanks for joining us today!

Live your life in color!

Materials List
Unique Laser Designs Bunnies (6 pc. set) W-1008
Unique Laser Designs Easter Eggs (6 pc. set) W-1054
Unique Laser Designs Butterflies (Sm) W-2024
Unique Laser Designs Daisy-Chubby (5 pc. set) W-1157
Pink card stock - 2 shades
Black card stock
Patterned card stock (2 complimentary patterns)
Grendon Wreath die cut, available from Poppystamps
Clear Acetate transparent plastic sheets (available at craft or computer stores)
Shaker filler: sequins, micro beads
acrylic paint (white, blue, yellow & pink)
glitter (white, blue, yellow & pink)
craft glue

Children's Easter Project: Jerusalem Reflection Card

Hello everyone! Thanks for joining us today! Today I'm presenting something completely different from my usual projects made with lots of layers and small details. That's because today's project is designed to be completed by a child, with a little help from an adult perhaps, depending on how old the children are. It's a great Easter project for children, especially if you'd like to use the card making process as an opportunity for instruction, discussion, or reflection.

We begin with this beautiful Unique Laser Design wood piece called Jerusalem.

The city of Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world, and plays a significant historical role in religious and political history for many cultures. This beautiful laser die cut features some of Jerusalem's most beloved landmarks, like the golden Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Tower of David.

Creating a project that features these beautiful details can make learning about their significance a creative and interesting experience.

Begin by paining the entire wooden piece a pale canary yellow. Craft store acrylic paint works well on wood, and cleans up easily too! You can also pre-paint and glitter the piece ahead of time and have the children assemble the pieces on their own.

 

Once the paint and glitter have dried, add on a tiny plastic mini clothespin with a strong craft glue and allow to dry. Once the clothespin is set, you have completed project number one!

You now have an Easter ornament that can be clipped on to a thin branch of your Easter tree with the plastic clothespin.

 

The second project is a pretty Jerusalem reflection card. To create the base, take one sheet of gold glitter paper and cut it 8.25 inches wide by 4.5 inches tall. Cut a second sheet of blue glitter paper 8 inches wide by 4 inches tall. You may also pre-cut the paper yourself, especially if you have a super sharp guillotine like mine! I have to be super careful of little fingers and kitty cats' tails! Adhere the wooden die cut on to the blue glitter, then on to the gold for a shimmery framed look of the Jerusalem skyline.

There's so much you can do with the great blank space on the back of the card. I added one of my favorite Bible verses on the back, a significant one about Easter in the city of Jerusalem. Seeing that citation reminds me of the Easter story and why Jesus came to Jerusalem. But you can personalize your own card any way you'd like by adding a prayer, a different verse, geography facts about the city, a note or a letter to Grandma, a greeting for your priest or spiritual leader, or even a photo of your trip to Jerusalem, which remains a popular world-wide tourist destination. Make it your own personal reflection card!

Here's the finished project, up close and personal! The wooden die cut was painted pale yellow, then covered with white and yellow glitter to look like ancient sandstone. I added a little tint of green to the palms and a little hint of gold to the Dome of the Rock. The blue glitter paper looks like stars, right before the dawn breaks on Easter Sunday morning in the holy city of Jerusalem.

Thanks for joining us today at Unique Laser Designs!

Live your life in color!

Materials List:
Unique Laser Designs -  Jerusalem
Yellow acrylic paint
Glitter (white, yellow, green, gold
Gold glitter paper
Blue glitter paper
Plastic yellow mini clothespin
Craft glue

Lucky Charms

The luck of the Irish is with us today in my Lucky Charms project! 

I started with this adorable wooden bicycle laser cut from Unique Laser Designs,  This is the Ladies Bicycle, W-1045, in wood.

Then I selected a few Mini Covers and a horseshoe,  The clover with cutouts were a special order item.

I chose a pretty Irish shamrock pattern, and adhered it onto a black card stock background. I arranged a few wooden die cuts to get an idea of how my finished piece wold look. I imagined a magical, enchanted bicycle, flyin through the woods with lucky charms swirling around in its wake.

I painted my wooden pieces with acrylic paints. I love the way the bicycle turned out, and it was easy to paint too. I used glitter on the "charmed" pieces!

I then added a few paper die cuts as well, like these small hydrangea blooms, from Poppystamps.  They made a nice addition to the springtime feel of the card.

Add a few tulips, a cheeky squirrel, and a couple of emerald jewels for a magical look!

Thank you for joining us today at Unique Laser Designs!

Live your life in color!

Materials Used:
Unique Laser Designs (ULD) Ladies Bicycle, W-1045, wood,
Unique Laser Designs (ULD) Daisy - Chubby,
Unique Laser Designs (ULD) Clovers (Sm),
Unique Laser Designs (ULD) Horseshoe
Black, green, pink, yellow, brown card stock
Shamrock pattern paper
Poppystamps die cuts: Small Hydrangea Blooms, Frisky Squirrels, Tulip Fanfare
Green jewel bling

The Nightingale

There is a wonderful children's fairy tale written by Hans Christian Anderson about a Nightingale who lives in the garden belonging to the Emperor of China. I won't spoil the beautiful story, but the tale ends when the plain Nightingale with the beautiful voice agrees to live in outside in the garden and sing to the Emperor until the end of his days. The Emperor agrees that he will never again cage the Nightingale, no matter how beautiful the cage may be. When I saw this beautiful and detailed wooden bird cage, and the sweet little bird wooden cuts from Unique Laser Designs.   I was reminded of the old story of the little brown bird with the golden voice.

 I began with the Bird Cage - Fancy, with so many pretty and intricate details.

Then I added the Bird on Fancy Branch. I chose to keep the bird natural and unpainted. The wooden die cuts are absolutely beautiful on their own, and I like how the tones in the wood seemed to fit the image of the plain Nightingale. In addition, having a plain, unpainted die cut on a card or project with a lot of other vivid embellishment and texture is a great way to really highlight the unique and special addition of a wooden laser cut.

I painted the Bird Cage with white acrylic paint, then covered it with sparkling white glitter.

I added the Bird on Fancy Branch at the top, then adhered the cage, and two more paper die cuts to my patterned paper and black card stock base. Then I added the beautiful "jewels" of the Emperor's empty cage. The tale of the Nightingale is complete.

No matter how many photographs I took, I was unable to truly capture the beautiful sparkle of the cage, and the dazzling shine of the jewels when the light hits them just right. But you can see the pretty details of such a special wooden die cut and how you can transform it into a jeweled cage.  I used gemstone embellishments that resemble rubies, emeralds, sapphires, Chinese peridots and light blue tanzanite.  It's a nice reminder that even a jeweled cage cannot hold the beautiful voice of the Nightingale.

Live your life in color!

Materials List:
Unique Laser Designs
    Bird on Fancy Branch 
    Bird Cage - fancy, 
Other
    Black card stock
    Pattern Card stock, Moxie Frosted
    Red card stock
    Light pink card stock
    Paper Lanterns die, Memory Box
    Delicate Chain die, Poppystamps
    Chloe Stem die, Memory Box
    white glitter
    adhesive
    assorted jewel bling

Dream Sequins

Thanks for joining us today at Unique Laser Designs! Today's project is titled Dream Sequins, and I hope it brings you beautiful sweet dreams! I started out with the word "Dream"  and one piece from the adorable Cupid Set.

 

I also selected a mini wooden heart, two small daisies, and this simple frame set, and played around with the stacked arrangement until I had the design just right.

 

 I selected a beautiful pattern paper from Bo Bunny, Prairie Chic Laundry.

I painted the wood and chipboard pieces with acrylic paint in shades of pink, yellow, blue, green and white.

As my pieces were drying, I prepared my card base. I used a crisp white card stock base, cut 6.75 inches wide by 7 inches tall. I cut the patterned paper slightly smaller, then adhered it onto the white card stock base.

Next, I glued and glittered my painted pieces, set them aside to dry, then cut out a few more embellishments out of glitter paper. The Curled Ribbons and the Puffy Clouds are from Memory Box, and the Serendipity Bird Frame is from Poppystamps. I should have taken more photos of the glitter process but there were sparkly incidents and accidents, so I focused instead on the pretty finished details.

Like this! 
Of course, this pretty project could not be titled Dream Sequins without adding a few sparkling sequins in shades of blue! I love how the little cupid looks like a dreamy cloud.

May all your dreams come true!

Live your life in color!

Supplies Used:
Unique Laser Designs: Dream (wood)
Unique Laser Designs: Cupid Set (chipboard)
Unique Laser Designs: mini hearts and daisies
White card stock
Pattern Paper: Bo Bunny, Prairie Chic Laundry
Glitter Paper: white, yellow, blue, green

Memory Box: Curled Ribbons, Puffy Clouds
Poppystamps: Serendipity Bird Frame
Acrylic Paint: blue, white, green, pink and yellow
Glitter: blue, white, green, pink, and yellow
Sequins: mixed blues
Adhesive

Love is Sweet

                                                                  All love is sweet,
                                               given or returned
                                                                  Percy Bysshe Shelley, English Poet

The season of love has arrived, filled with hope and promise. What could be sweeter than joyful sparkly birds and cherries on the vine? I started this project by using these gorgeous lovebirds.

The birds were painted with a bright white acrylic, and the tiny LOVE letters were painted in vivid red.

The tiny wood hearts, available from Unique Laser Designs,  were painted in a pretty pink.

Once the paint was dry, I used sparkling iridescent glitter and covered the birds in white, and the tiny hearts in pink, then set aside to let them dry for a while.

The card base was the easy part! I chose a piece of pretty sold blue card stock, and cut a large rectangle 6.5 inches wide by 9 inches tall. I cut a slightly smaller piece of my favorite romantic patterned paper, and glued the pattern sheet onto the solid card stock.

Once the chipboard lovebirds were dry, I added a few round pop dots on to the back, and adhered them up into the cherry branches. If you take a look in the upper left hand corner, you'll see my kitty Max gave me a hand with the pop dot process.

Once the birds were in place, I then adhered the tiny pink glitter hearts. I added a few curled ribbons in red and white glitter paper, two cherry blossoms in glitter paper, and the bright pink cherries and stem, all in glitter paper.

Then you have love! In a joyful burst of sparkle and glitter, you have love in a card.

Live your life in color!

Materials List:

Chipboard Love Birds

Mini MDF Hearts

Patterned Paper, Memory Box

Blue card stock

Die Cuts: A Cherry On Top, Poppystamps

Cherry Blossoms, Memory Box

Curled Ribbons, Memory Box

Fine glitter, iridescent white and iridescent pink

pop dots

Joyful Holiday Bird

Christmastime is here!
Bringing lots of cheer!

What's more cheerful than this joyful holiday bird card made with bright paper and Unique Laser Designs? This Christmas card is a fun and easy way to send greetings to friends and family near and far!

 I love the natural look and feel of the unpainted wood. It lets the recipient of your card know that you've chosen a very special embellishment just for them. I used the natural Bird on Branch (small) from Unique Laser Designs, and really popped him off the page by choosing bright, vivid papers for the card itself.

To create a holiday bird of your own, begin with a white card stock base 4.75 inches wide by 5.75 inches tall. Then choose your favorite Christmas die cut. I used the Merry Christmas Background die cut from Poppystamps, cut in bright blue card stock. To create a smooth background effect, cut one piece in blue, and then a second piece in white. Punch out all the letters from the blue piece, round all the corners, and adhere it onto your white card stock base.

Once your blue piece is in place, carefully poke out all your white letters and glue them in place with a drop or two of adhesive. You may use any color combination you choose, but I love the soft blue and white effect. Once all your letters have been glued into place, you will have a smooth background with a unique texture, like a jigsaw puzzle, ready for the rest of your cuts and embellishments.

I used some of my favorite dies to create a bright holiday scene: Elegant Scrollwork from Memory Box, and Pine Sprigs from Poppystamps, cut in two shades of bright green. I then cut the Carousel Bird Cage from Poppystamps in snowy white glitter paper, and used small bits of foam pop dots to make the cage pop off the page.

To create the holly sprig on the bottom, select the Glowing Candles from Memory Box and carefully trim off the candles and just use the holly sprigs. Cut pretty pink berries with a small hand held hole punch and glue them onto the holly springs. Add the holly to your card.

Now for the star of the show, this adorable little Bird on Branch! I used him right out of the package, and just adhered him with craft glue. That's how smooth and easy it is to include a Unique Laser Design wood cut in all your card projects!

It turned out so colorful and festive, and I love the way both the wood cut bird and the cage seem to come alive right of the page.

Have a very Merry Christmas, and live your life in color!

Supplies List:
Unique Laser Designs: Bird on Branch (small)
White card stock
Bright blue card stock
Two shades of green card stock
Pink card stock
White glitter paper
Memory Box dies: Glowing Candles and Elegant Scrollwork
Poppystamps dies: Carousel Bird Cage, Pine Sprigs, and Merry Christmas Background