EASEL CARD FOR A 90th BIRTHDAY
We have been invited to a 90th birthday tea party on Sunday, and I have made a special card for this very special lady.
I am not generally speaking a card maker at all these days, as I have branched out into other creative activities which I find more fulfilling, but if the occasion demands, I will make an exception!
Die sets
I am also not generally given to making things from kits, or using dies that are designed for a specific purpose. Many years ago at a craft show, I bought two of a set of four special die sets for making easel cards. At the time I was blown away by the beautiful cards the stand holder had made with these sets and decided to buy a couple. It was one of those impulse buys that didn’t get a lot of use over time. I made one with the butterfly set a few years ago, and since then, the two sets have remained idle.
I store my dies in Avery Elle clear pouches with the original packaging so I can identify them, and the dies themselves are held in place with magnetic tape on a piece of sturdy card that fits the pouch. These packs are stored in a basket in divided categories.
These baskets are now stored on a new metal shelving rack which saves space on my working surface.
Making the card from the floral set
This is the easel card I have made from the floral set, and I am very pleased with how it turned out.
How easel cards work
An easel card folds flat.
There is a base layer, and a middle layer which is folded. Attached to this is the top layer. The card folds flat, and to display it, you lift the top layer and tuck the bottom of it behind the stop, in this case a bow.
The stop can take any form – a strip of card, a flower, a bow as in this case – whatever looks best in the context.
Details of this particular card
There are three or four different variations you can make with the die set, and beyond that, it is down to you how you build on that foundation. I have a lot of paper and card, trimmings, gems etc. etc. in my stash, and I didn’t have to get anything new for this project
The card base
The base, forming the main body of the card, was made from kraft card. I edged each die-cut piece with gilding wax.
The background
I took a piece of shiny card with a pale green rose pattern for the background. Someone gave me this collection of card which I have had for years and have never used – not at all my style generally. I thought it might be OK for this project with a bit of alteration. I roughened the surface with some sandpaper to reduce the shine and give it more of a distressed look. I added to this effect with some distress ink, and then spattered it with some gold ink.
The gold overlays and embellishments
The die-cut overlays were cut from gold card. I embellished the card front with some gems from my stash, and some Tim Holtz stick-on plastic numbers. These were black but I rubbed on some gilding wax.
The 3-D flowers were in my stash, left over from a major project I made several years ago. I always make more than I need, so the extras can go in a box ready for a project like this. The purple velvet bow was from a pack of half a dozen or so of these, given to me by someone sometime in the past. Again, not something I would normally use, but it’s so good having stash like this when the need arises to make something normally outside one’s usual work.
Some detail shots of the card
The back piece
I decided to use the base of the card as the place for the message. I die-cut another piece which I inked around the edges and added some gilding wax.
I used my newly-acquired calligraphy skills to write the message, and then glued it to the base of the card.
Instructions
Not everybody, on receiving an easel card in its folded flat form, would know how to display it, so I wrote a card, edged in the same way as before in order to keep to the purple and gold theme, to be placed in the box with the card.
The box
This card is too thick when folded to go inside a normal envelope. I have details on how to construct a box envelope, but instead I searched through my stash and found a small square postal box which was just the right size. It unfolded completely flat. It had some extra flaps, and small protruding parts which I cut off, and I then covered it with wrapping paper – gold inside, and a marble-effect paper for the outside. This was quite a difficult job, and the gold paper was a bit bubbly – I think I’d have done better with card. Also, I had some raw edges at the sides, which I covered with ribbon. This was wrapped over the edges and stuck down with double-sided tape.
The closure
I added magnets to keep the front flap closed, but once the layers of covering paper had been added, this proved too weak to be any good. In the end, after some considerable thought, I made a closure in the form of some gold cord elastic, knotted and stuck to the top of the box with hot glue. I covered the knot with another purple bow and added some gold beads to the ends of the elastic. To open the box, you simply slip the elastic off to the side, and it remains stuck where the bow is. You slip it back on again to keep the box closed.
The box opened
You can see that there are some air bubbles under the gold paper which I couldn’t get rid of. Also, the ribbon glued around the edges.
The box and card
I shall be wrapping the folded card in purple tissue paper and tying it around with some gold thread. The instructions will be in the bottom of the box.
Gifts for the very elderly
In my experience, very old people don’t want a lot more stuff as they approach the end of their lives. I wasn’t sure what to give my friend, and thought that a special keepsake card would make a beautiful gift – I know she will appreciate something I have made especially for her. We are also picking up a basket arrangement of flowers on Saturday. I think these will be a suitable gift for a lady I am privileged to have called a friend for over 30 years. We’ve shared a lot together over the years and I’m looking forward very much to celebrating her 90th birthday with her on Sunday, and also meeting up with her family, and mutual friends.
