Baby Cards: Effortless to Intricate

There are certain kinds of cards that I always have on hand. Baby cards are one such type of card that I create in bulk and tuck away for later use. When I am creating multiples of a type of card in one sitting, I often use the same basic design but change it up for each card so that each one has its own special touch.

For the three cards in this article, I used the basic card structure below for each of the three cards. However, I created the cards using different techniques that range from simple to more complex. I did not actually sketch this design out beforehand but am including the sketch below because this was the basic design I had in my head.

For my first card, I only used five different products to create an easy but adorable baby girl card. The Doodlebug Sugar and Spice Collection, especially the 6" by 6" paper pad and die cuts, were a perfect fit for this card.

I started by using a simple card base of white cardstock that measures 4" wide and 11" high that I folded in half. I then cut a piece of patterned paper into a 1 ½" by 5 ½" strip and adhered it an inch away from the left-hand side. For the third step, I adhered a simple die cut as the centerpiece. If you need to have a card in a quick amount of time, die cuts and stickers are a fabulous way to create adorable cards with very little effort. To finish my card off, I tied pink twine in the middle of two flower buttons and adhered them around the die cut.

For the second project, I used Doodlebug Design products again but I used the Snips and Snails Collection paper, die cuts and stickers for this precious baby boy card.

I used the same basic measurements as the first card for the card base and patterned paper. To jazz the card up a bit, I layered a scallop die cut and a punched border over the left edge of the patterned paper strip.

My next step was to adhere two pre-printed die cuts on top of each other. I then used pop dots to give a puppy sticker some dimension and laid the sticker over the die cuts. This helps to bring attention to this layer. My last step was to add the word "baby" using alphabet stickers.

My last card is more complicated then the first two were. I used the same size card base but instead of white card stock, I used yellow. I also knew I wanted to somehow incorporate Washi tape in my design.

Instead of using a simple patterned paper strip, I chose to layer various sized strips of patterned paper, die cuts and tape horizontally over a cardstock base that measured 1 ½" by 5 ½".  I didn't measure the strips at all but chose to just cut them randomly, layer them and then trim them at the end. To make the strips pop, I inked around the edges of each and around the four edges of the trimmed, layered cardstock strip.

Next I punched a scalloped strip, adhered it to the edge of the layered cardstock strip, and then glued it to the yellow base. I then layered a die-cut strip of flowers so that it overlapped both. Following that, I used a rubber stamp on smooth white cardstock to create a focal point for my card.

Using a rubber-stamped image is a great way to get more bang for your buck. It can be used over and over again, unlike a sticker. I also tend to stamp on a separate piece of paper and then cut the image out. This way, I don't have to worry about ruining my card by stamping directly on the cardstock base. This is something I have learned through experience!

After I stamped, I die cut the image out and die cut a scalloped oval frame to go under the stamped image. I inked the edges of both and adhered them to the card. I chose to adhere the stamped oval with pop dots to give the image more dimension.  The card looked good but it still needed something so I created a bow using twine, punched a butterfly and adhered both to the left of the stamped image. Last, I added a gem to the middle of the butterfly and a small tag with a sentiment.

As you can see, you can make multiple cards from one design by using effortless to intricate techniques. For more card ideas, visit the Scrapjazz.com gallery.