Fun with Border Punches!

In my opinion, the best two inventions for card making have been 1) the Cuttlebug embossing folders and 2) border punches. Cards are so simple and easy to make with these two tools! Love them both! Yesterday in an effort to get my mom more into stamping and cardmaking I did a "class" at her house and made these two cards. She's a beginner and we completed both cards in about 35-45 minutes. I wanted to use a variety of techniques including stamping, punching, embossing, and diecutting. See descriptions below:

Above: So simple and for any occasion! When I make cards I tend to start with a base, but not the actual card base (i.e. the green piece above). I do this so that if I add brads or other embellishments, I can attach them and the recipient doesn't see them in the inside of the card. I started with the green piece and ran it through the Cuttlebug with an embossing folder. This is a white-cored cardstock as you can see above where I got a little overzealous and peeled away the top layer. Oh well...it adds originality! Then I stamped the floral in purple and punched with a circle punch. It's hard to tell in the photo above, but I added stickles to some of the pattern for a little glitz! This piece goes on top of a scallop cut - the entire piece is popped up with 3-D foam dots. I added the punched border to the bottom and overlapped with a piece of white cardstock - I thought this added a different look. Unfortunately, the text weight shimmer paper I used for the border doesn't show up as well as I had hoped, but I really liked this glittery addition too. Finish it off with a greeting tag and some ribbon and brads.

Love this cute wedding card. This design could easily be modified for any wedding colors for personalization. Simply adore the stamp set by Cornish Heritage Farms! Stamped the cake in black and adorned it with gemstones and a floral topper. You could easily add colored gems, if desired, or a heart brad at the top instead of the flower. The oval was diecut and embossed using a Spellbinders oval - LOVE THESE! A scalloped oval was cut to outline. For this image, I added 3-D dots below the white oval to pop up from the red outline. I stamped the "congrats" stamp directly on the card basis. The shimmer silver metallic was embossed using a new Spellbinders metal template. The image isn't as defined as with the Cuttlebug folders, but I love the subtle design. I punched a border using a Martha Stewart punch and added a line of ribbon for extra flair. This piece - the silver, black border, and ribbon are all on one piece which I then adhered to the front of the card. I use this technique so that I can wrap the ribbon around the back and tape it rather than trying to adhere it to the front of the card.

I would LOVE to see your border punch cards too! If you have made one or feel like you are up for a challenge, leave a comment along with the link to your card to this post. Spread the word! If I receive ten links, one randomly selected person will win a card kit which everything needed to make the two cards above - everything stamped, cut to size, and ready-to-go! Good luck and send me your links!