Card Making With Overlays

Looking for a fresh new way to make your handmade cards stand out? The solution is clear—literally! Clear materials have blown up the paper crafting world with their unique look, texture and dimension. What’s really special about adding clear materials like overlays to card projects? The variety of options for personalization—overlays can be easily altered to coordinate with a card’s color using ink or even paper to make your card designs really stand out. Read on for examples of how you can incorporate the hot clear look into your next card designs!

Birthday Candle
By LeNae Gerig

On this “Birthday Candle” card, LeNae created a custom frame for this small candle overlay by placing a covered slide mount over top. The angle of the slide mount adds interest and draws the eye to this unique card focal. LeNae also added a “birthday wishes” overlay near the bottom right of the card, attaching it with a pastel blue brad on each end. It’s a great way to add a simple sentiment to a personalized greeting!

• Cardmaker’s™ Birthday Clear & Frosted Overlays: Candle, birthday wishes and fun overlays
• Cardmaker’s™ Citrus Creative Pack: Lime textured, yellow textured, yellow swirls, aqua linen, stripes, square tag
• Cardmaker’s™ Citrus Ribbons
• Cardmaker’s™ Gold & Silver Mini Clips
• Cardmaker’s™ 5” x 6 1/2” Blank White Cards & Envelopes
• Slide Mount Mania™ Circular Black & White Slide Mounts
• Orange, Pastel Blue Round Mini Brads
• black ink pad
• McGill 1/16” hole punch
• Scotch® Brand Foam Mounting Tape
• Mini Glue Dots™
• X-acto® knife
• cutting mat
• glue stick

Instructions:

1. Cut the card to a 5” square and cover the card front with lime textured paper, trimming even with the card edges.
2. Cut a 5” x 1 1/4” strip of yellow textured paper and glue to the bottom of the card front. Cut a 5”x1” strip of stripes paper and glue to the bottom edge of the card front. Ink the card front edges with black.
3. Cut a 2 3/4” square of yellow swirls paper, ink the edges and center on the back of the green portion of the card front. Cut a 5” x 3/4” strip of aqua linen paper and ink the edges. Glue centered across the yellow swirls square, extending the width of the card.
4. Add glue to the white portion of a circular slide mount and place glue-side down on the back of the stripes paper, angled like a diamond. Finish covering the slide mount, then punch a hole in each corner and insert an orange mini brad. Glue the candle overlay to the slide mount so the candle image shows through the slide mount center. Add the slide mount angled like a diamond to the center of the yellow swirls square. Tie a length of ribbon to a gold clip and trim the ribbon tails at an angle. Add the clip to the right side of the slide mount.
5. For the card inside: Cut out the square tag and glue the “fun” overlay to it. Knot a piece of ribbon, trim the tails at an angle and add to the bottom of the tag with a Mini Glue Dot™. Glue the tag to the center of the inside of the card.

Hey There
By Paris Dukes

Paris used three separate overlays on this fun friendship card. She layered the two word fragment overlays onto pieces of black grosgrain ribbon, then added a knotted piece of ribbon over the top of each. With the clear circle at the end of each of these printed overlay fragments, Paris’ design gives the appearance that the overlay words are actually tied to the card with ribbon. The same look was created with the “Hey there” overlay that’s matted on a tag at the bottom of the card.

Supplies:

• Cardmaker’s™ All-Occasion Clear & Frosted Overlays: Sharing, fun times, heythere overlays
• Cardmaker’s™ Citrus Creative Pack: Purple circles, purple mosaic, purple tag
• Cardmaker’s™ Classic Ribbons: Black grosgrain ribbon
• Cardmaker’s™ 5” x 6 1/2” Blank White Cards & Envelopes
• black StazOn ink pad
• Mini Glue Dots™
• glue stick

Instructions:

1. With the fold at the top, cut 2 1/4” off the bottom of the card front only. Cover the remaining card front with purple circles paper and trim the excess paper. Ink the edges of the card front with black ink.
2. Cut two 4 1/2” lengths of black grosgrain ribbon and glue one to the left edge of the card front near the top and one to the right edge of the card front below it and evenly spaced. Cut out the “sharing” and “fun times” overlays. Glue “sharing” so the clear circle is over the right end of the top ribbon and “fun times” so the clear circle is over the left end of the bottom ribbon. Knot two lengths of ribbon and trim the tails at an angle. Add one over the clear circle of each overlay with a Mini Glue Dot™.
3. For the card inside: Cover the inside back of the card with purple mosaic paper and trim the paper even with the card edges. Ink the edges black. Cut out the purple tag and the “Hey there” overlay and ink the edges of both black. Layer the overlay on top of the tag. Cut a 3 to 3 1/2” length of ribbon and glue to the bottom of the inside of the card with one end flush against the left edge of the card. Glue the tag over the right end of the ribbon. Knot a piece of ribbon and add to the tag with a Mini Glue Dot™.

Want more great ideas on using clear materials in your cards? Check out Cardmaker’s™ Birthday Clear & Frosted Overlays and Cardmaker’s™ All-Occasion Clear & Frosted Overlays, both with great project designs and overlays you’ll love.