Wednesday, March 8, 2017

First how-to post - birthday card using gelatos and happy birthday pop up

Today I wish to share with you my very first how -to make this card post which is of a card I recently sold.

Here is a picture of the front


This is a photo of the inside


Now i will show you the steps to make the card!

First step cut the card base to the size you want. I think i did around 51/2 x 12 inches scored at 6 inches - it wasnt quite square and since i have sold the card - I can't measure it for you! It is a top fold card. Anyways you can choose the measurement of your own card based on how big you would hhhhhlike it - i find a lot of the pop up cards I make are actually around this size. This first card base needs to be for the outside the second base - which goes on the inside and is where you use the pop up die - i did about 1/2 inch less all the way around this would make the inside card base 5 inches x 111/2 inch. remember if you are using elizabeth craft designs soft finish cardstock as i did because it is white on one side and coloured on the inside be careful which way you score it basically you need to score the outside card base on the white side and the inside card base on the coloured side so that the two white sides of the coloured card stock face each other. I do find that a heavier weight cardstock preferably 270gsm (100 LB) is necessary for the pop up to work the best.

BTW we use centimetres in Australia but because i was using the 12 x 12 inch scrapbook paper to make this card i just measured it in inches.

this is a picture of the outside card base scored



The next step is to use the main die from the Happy Birthday pop up set from Karen Burnisten Elizabeth craft designs and run it through your die cutting machine - i use a crafters companion cut n boss but any machine which takes a wafer thin die will work.

This is what the inside piece will look like when you have run it through the machine.This also shows how we have trained the folds of the pop up. I have difficulty with some steps so my husband does the "training of the folds"




First to decorate the front of the card.

When i bought my cut n boss it came with some beautiful A4 embossing folders and I used the roses one for this card. I dry embossed it using some A4 white card stock i think its about the 210gsm range and what I did is i coloured it using yellows. oranges and red faber castell gelatos!
They are quite easy to use. I will try to put a link to the video where i learnt a lot about them but just search on you - tube for gelatos and loads of videos will come up. I love scrapbooking made simple their hour long videos (or more) are Amazing and ive learnt a lot from them! I used the technique where you use a craft sheet and basically draw the gelato onto the craft sheet in this case all 4 or 5 colours next to each other then I used a water brush which is a brush that you can fill with water and instead of having to dip a paintbrush into water you have the paintbrush and water contained extremely good for people in bed! The ones i have if you want to have more drops of water come out u simply squeeze the paintbrush and bigger drops of water will come out. then i just mixed up the colours into a sort of paste but slightly wetter than a paste and kept adding colour till i liked it then i just painted!!!

For the card we cut it to about 5 x 5 1/2 inches so there was 1/4 inch all the way around then i stuck it to the front of the card. I also used a sizzix regal label die 3rd smallest and stuck that onto the roses as you can see. In the photo at the top you can see I used stickers to say happy birthday mum on the card. I used sharpie markers to colour the happy birthday red and the letters M U M purple



The next step is to make a glittered butterfly for this you need to cut 2 x large butterfly sihouette and body dies from Elizabeth craft designs which have clear double sided adhesive on the front (any brand) I personally use sookwang tape because this is what scrapbooking made simple recommended I do not know how it stands up to any other brands the 21/2 inch tape is wide enough for this. also you need to cut out of the release sheet this is the backing paper that comes off of the double sided tape - 1 x large overlay. Elizabeth craft designs have 2 overlays for this project it doesnt really matter which overlay u choose.
You also need to cut 2 x small butterfly sihouette and body which have clear double sided tape on the front and also the overlay that comes with that die.

As you can see the photo shows the pieces and then the finished butterfly. i will give written instructions but if you have any difficulty understanding my instructions i suggest you watch the video on you tube by Els Van de Burgt from Elizabeth craft designs this should help you. I did follow best i could but this is how i did it...it is same process for small and big butterfly you could choose to have 2 small butterflys or more or do the same as I did.

To make the butterfly u need 4 colours of microfine glitter i have found the stampendous micro fine glitter is a bit cheaper than the elizabeth crafts designs glitter though i do have the cool and warm diamond glitter from them whatever brand make sure it says mirco fine on it.....

so I picked red orange yellow and purple for my colours.

first you take off the backing paper from the double sided tape add the overlay being careful to match it up. then you take your first colour and put a little to each side of the body rub it in to bring out sparkle and put back into bottle. Then repeat for second and third colours making sure u rub in each colour after you add it then put back into the bottle.
Then u need to pick the colour for the body mine the big butterfly is purple the small one is red remove the backing paper from the body but do not throw it away dip body into the jar of glitter of your chosen colour and rub in to bring out maximum sparkle. Put excess glitter back into jar
 remove the release sheet overlay and now put the body onto the sihouette piece Now add the final colour in my case purple rub it in to bring out the maximum shine and return it to the bottle too. the top of the butterfly is now complete!
Now remove the backing paper from second sihouette and remember that body backing piece from the double sided adhesive i said not to throw away? Well place on second sihouette to mask where the body is this is where u will later attach the front piece to. Now choose your colour i did purple in both cases which is the same colour as the overlay patterns. make sure to rub it in well and put excess back into jar.
Now the final step remove the body piece and underneath will   be enough double sided tape to stick the top piece to the bottom piece. You can if you wsh bend the butterflies a little - so that they look more like they are flying!

If you are struggling with the instructions for the glitter butterfly please see this Elizabeth craft designs video on you tube

Here is another view of the front of the card


Now heres how i decorated the inside

The photo shows what you need to cut]
cut the word happy and birthday from the same happy birthday pop up die set as above I did it in orange cardstock with double sided tape on the back 21/2 inch tape works well for this.
Again from the same die set you will need to cut the stars I did 5 small ones along the bottom and a couple of small ones and 3 large stars under the words happy birthday - you can see this in the picture above

 Both the stars and the happy birthday are  stuck onto the pop up itself

From the A4 piece of orange roses done with gelatos you will need to cut a piece to decorate above and below the pop up as shown in the photo. I cut mine with the agatha edges die set designed by Karen Burnisten of Elizabeth craft designs I was able to fussy cut one so there was part of the rose on it but . you can cut it with any edge die you like

I also cut another sizzix regal label die 4th largest this time - simply for somewhere to write a message on but you could use any label die you have or like This was stuck between the decoration at the bottom of the card and the pop up.


Here is another photo of the finished card so you can see the pop up a little better a side angled photo


And this is a front on picture of the inside



I do hope you have liked my tutorial. This is the first time I have written out instructions on how to make this card so I sure hope you can follow them. I hope to be back soon with another how to make this card tutorial


Products used for this card

Dies Elizabeth Craft Designs-karen burniston happy birthday pop up, Elizabeth craft designs Butterfly silhouette and overlay 1 and 2, sizzix label

paper White, purple cardstock

Other A4 roses embossing folder, Elizabeth craft designs silk microfine glitter, gelatos, double sided tape, happy birthday and letter peel off stickers.























































Sunday, March 5, 2017

My new blog - introducing Erin's cards and crafts

Hello I have decided to create a brand new blog called Erin's cards and crafts. This blog connects my youtube channel of the same name and also my facebook page of the same name too. This blog is partially about telling my story of living with multiple disabilities but mostly is a how-to blog showing you with either a you tube video or photos and written instructions how to make cards. These are all cards which i have either sold or given myself to family and friends. Hope you like it!

I also want to let you know that I am currently not affliated with any company I do like some companys dies and stamps more than others however i am not paid in any way to do this blog at this stage it is purely because I want to do it.

This post is a bit of an introduction to myself, and how i came to support the charities that i support through Erin's cards and crafts.  I have decided that since my story is a fairly long story i would do it over a few posts with how-to-make-this card posts in between. I think it is important to know who i am and why i do what i do and that is what this blog is also about.

So firstly who am I am why have I set up Erins cards and crafts? How did it all start?

My name is Erin I live in Adelaide, Australia. I have no children as yet but are married to my very supportive husband Jeff. We do have two 8 month old kittens called tabitha and sapphire. I have multiple disabilities and medical conditions but despite them i love to do crafts. I have been bedridden since july 2012 and are unable to use a wheelchair.



Above a photo of myself and my husband Jeff.

Erin's cards and crafts started when Mito Wish Upon A star  (MWUAS) (a charity in the US which supports children living with mitochondrial disease) first started. They are a registered charity and started when two mothers of kids with mitochondrial disease decided that they would start a secret santa type thing whereby children living with mito are registered and people who wish to provide a christmas present also register and then they are matched. I have participated every year since it started except in 2012 when i myself was in hospital!

I was making a lot of soft teddies/animals and toys out of crochet and i ended up getting some young kids as my "sponsor child" for mito wish upon a star, so i made the teddies either an animal they loved or a christmas themed teddy out of crochet and I sent that along with some bits and pieces off their "wish list" .

Mitochondrial disease is a very complex disease and you see it is said that when doctors are trained they are taught to think horses not zebras because horses are simple but zebras have a different pattern of black and white stripes no too are ever the same and so a zebra is often the symbol for complex illnesses especially when it can take years to be diagnosed or you think you may have it and be undiagnosed for years as well then one day it is finally proven! Well I started making these zebras and everyone on the mito wish upon a star site loved them - most people didnt buy them because the postage overseas was very expensive however i did sell LOTS of them in australia and this was one of the first things i made to raise money for them. Before 2012 I was into crochet quilting and sewing far more than paper crafts however after i became bedridden it became the opposite! As a consequence my collection of papercraft things has grown and my range of cards has as well.

The reason i support mito wish upon a star is for the simple reason that the money raised goes directly to people living with the disease rather than to researchers. Though research is important i am of the belief that ONE day it might help but how does that help us living with it now??? So i continue to support mito wish upon a star at christmas by being connected to a child and being their sponsor and sending them a gift sometimes shop bought and sometimes home made

Anyways i said to the person who runs it i would love to donate to MWUAS seperately could i sell cards and crafts and raise money for you this way and they said yes. Since humble beginnings you can now directly donate to MWUAS or you  can buy a card from me and all of the profits above the cost of making the card i only take what the products cost i do not charge for time i am a volunteer as are all of the staff at MWUAS. I started with a different blog loading photos of the cards in different price categories however the blog was difficult to maintain and hard to let people know if one was sold or not. So i decided to move to facebook and create a page on facebook. this works a lot better however there is no way for people to see my cards if they are not a facebook user so I decided to create a NEW blog one where I could tell my story properly so people can see why i started the facebook page and to promote the facebook page as well as selling more cards.

But Erin's cards and crafts doesnt stop with MWUAS. I also support a south australian charity called bridges and pathways institute inc. They also have a website and a way to donate directly. Bridges and pathways do a lot of different things currently they are setting up a one stop doctors surgery for people living with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. I believe it is a one of a kind thing for Australia and a very limited number of patients will be able to attend. They are doing research primarily with people who have just been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome who havent tried a lot of therapies including medications which could potentially skew the results. They are trying to raise money for a research centre i think its about $80-100,000 is needed i think they have a gofundme page where you can directly donate. All of the staff at bridges and pathways are volunteers.

I sell cards and other craft items (crocheted items for example) and all of the profit above the cost of items needed to make it is divided in half and half goes to MWUAS and half goes to bridges and pathways.

The main reason why i decided to include bridges and pathways as well is because they are doing research or trying to raise funds to do research to do with mitochondrial dysfunction in Chronic fatigue syndrome/ME and I have issues with my mitochondria but no proof. I am hopeful that one day this research will prove to the doctors and health professionals what is going on and that patients with CFS/ME/Fibromyalgia/multiple chemical sensitivities will get a fair go and be given the disability services eg wheelchairs support workers other equipment etc that they need to live safely in the community.

So Erin's cards and crafts is a facebook page which contains photos of all of the cards i currently have for sale - all my cards are one-of-a -kind though some can easily be reproduced others are not able to be reproduced it depends what products i have used currently my facebook page is a bit out of date so I will need to confirm that i have the card you are after I also have a youtube channel which is currently empty and this new blog (links are at the bottom of the post). I am aiming (health permitting) to put up 3 how-to make this card posts per month with one being a you tube video. We will see how it all goes. As i said before these cards are all cards that I have sold and to maintain privacy no names will be used i will just say if i have sold it or if i gave it to  a family member. I want to show people that despite being bedridden i am able to help others, do crafts and sell cards. I know that i could have given up when i became bedridden but instead i am doing a lot with Erin's cards and crafts!

If you are not on facebook and wish to purchase a card you can email me: erinmckenziechristensen@gmail.com

 I will send you some example photos. I am able to make a personalised card one where you say (for example)  i would like a cat card which says happy birthday fred on the front and the rest of the design is up to you - i have the ability now to make pop up cards they are SOOO great ive loved pop ups ever since i was a kid and to be able to make them myself is so cool! so please let me know if you just would like a normal card or a pop up cards a simple pop up would be around $5-6 a more involved pop up card would be $7-10 not including postage. Also this is in Australian dollars. I can try to do a quote including paypal fees if you are overseas. If you do want a specialised card one that is not already finished it will take between 2-4 weeks for me to make it depending on my health how many other orders i have and this doesnt include postage time. I know from experience that sending mail to US and UK only takes between 7-10 days

If you are on facebook you can view my page and send me the card number that you would like.  I post to anywhere in the world and postage is whatever australia post charges me i dont charge a packing fee, I will do what i can to give you to best postage possible, you can pay by paypal or direct deposit (australia only) or if you are in Adelaide then we maybe able to organise a pick up and pay in cash.

You can also send me a facebook message if you wish to place an order -please know that i am more contactable via email so if you don't hear back please email me at the above address.

Here are some websites that I have mentioned during this blog:
http://bridgesandpathways.org.au/donations-2/ here you can directly donate to bridges and pathways - without buying a card from myself.

http://mitowishesuponastar.weebly.com/ there is a donate button on this page. you do not have to be in the US to donate to this charity or to participate at christmas time with the secret santa donation. The only difference between this and the secret santa is that a photo of the child opening/receiving your gift is posted on facebook on christmas day or sent directly to you. It is so good and i always look forward to seeing that picture on christmas day!

Any money donated during the year will either be used at christmas time to help sponsor more children or it will be used for another purpose i know they were hoping to help families in other ways as well. Again you can donate directly to this charity without buying a card from me. I also will forward any money that is "donated directly" i have had instances where people have paid me $20 and they've said keep the change and donate it to the charity and that is what I have done. I really enjoy helping these two charities out. they may be on the other side of the world to each other but both help people and even though mitochondrial disease is different to mitochondrial dysfunction there is growing evidence to suggest that Chronic fatigue syndrome maybe closer to mitochondrial disease than first thought. Also many people with mitochondrial disease go undiagnosed and many with CFS/ME go unmanaged and untreated. There are some links to some websites which give information about what mitochondrial disease is on the mito wish upon a star website as well.

My facebook page where you can buy and see my cards and crafts is www.facebook.com/erinshomemadecardsandcrafts

My you tube channel which is currently empty is located at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxaZTlQcX4GS8Uf2Lp7z-pQ

I will link all the you tube videos of how to make the cards into this blog and post them on my facebook page as well! There will likely be about one/month. I have to have a lot of help to photograph and video my cards so this is why it takes so long to accomplish but i really want people with disabilities to be able to see that you can do stuff you may just have to do it in a different way. I will also try to make some videos of how i manage to use my cut n boss machine from bed put up photos of my table which my husband made show videos of how i stamp using the stamping press that my husband made and hopefully there will be a comments section where you might be able to suggest what you would like to see how i do things. There are certain products i am unable to use for example products with alcohol like copic markers because i have severe mutliple chemical sensitivities and other products i cant use due to physical disability but within my knowledge and my abilities i will try and show photos/videos of things other than just how to make cards.

This post has been a very long but hopefully informative introduction again if you wish to contact me to purchase a card/s either send me a facebook message through my page or send an email to erinmckenziechristensen@gmail.com