ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Spring has Sprung Greeting Card

Here's a new project by my talented daughter Avalon for ILovetoCreate! She's a wizard with paper and this is such a fun idea!


Spring has Sprung Pop-up Card
Avalon Potter for ILovetoCreate Teen Crafts
“Teen crafted, Mom approved.

I have been noticing the subtle differences of spring appearing around me. The trees have started to regain their leaves and butterflies have started to flap their wings. My grandmother sent me a card with a spring flower and Easter treats, and my mom has been saying one of her catch phrases every day “spring has sprung!” I wanted to thank my grandmother for the wonderful card so I decided to use ILoveToCreate products to make her a three dimensional butterfly card. Before I send it to her I thought I would take a few pictures and write some instructions so you could make one too! I left one of the applique butterflies uncolored so she can iron it on something and have fun coloring it in herself!

Materials
Colored cardstock
3 Crafty Chica Iron-on Appliqués butterfly
Tulip Fabric Markers Bright
Tulip Soft Fabric Paint
3-D small square stickers

Tools
Paint brushes
Scissors

Instructions
1. Take two of the butterflies and color them in using the fabric paint or the fabric markers. (These butterflies will be used to decorate the front of the card.)

2. Cut your card stock so that both the butterflies can fit on the front.

3. Fold the longer length of card stock in half and score with bone folder. This is your card.

4. Cut a small strip from the same color paper as the card and fold in half. Use bone folder to score fold.

5. Find the center point of each length of paper from your center fold. Fold again using bone folder to score. When attached, this should form a square or rectangular shape to create your pop up feature.

6. Place two 3-D stickers on either side of the two small ends.

7. Use the 3-D stickers to attach the ends of the armature inside the center fold of the card. The two ends should meet in the center at the card fold. Place the armature directly in the middle of the card; make sure that the shape bends with the card as it closes. If it does not reposition it so that it will bend with the card. This is forming a square/rectangle that will fold with the card, when opened fully it should become a full square shape.

8. Use the 3-D stickers to attach the blank butterfly on the front of the armature. Test to make sure it still bends correctly.

9. Use the 3-D stickers again to attach the colored butterflies on the outside of the card.

10. Cut out a strip of a different color cardstock that will fit on the top of the inside of the card.

11. Use the 3-D stickers stencil and the big phat pink marker to write spring on this piece of cardstock.

12. Repeat step 10 using a different color cardstock and writing sprung instead.

13. Attach the spring cardstock to the middle of the top of the inside of the card. Use two 3-D stickers on top of each other instead of one on this.

14. Repeat step 12 with the sprung cardstock and attach to the bottom of the inside of the card. Add above sprung on the card itself not the sprung cardstock the word “has” using the yellow big phat marker and previous stencil.

15. To complete leave a note on the instructions on how to make the iron on butterflies so your friend or family member can color in and iron on the blank butterfly!

Updates from Casa de Potter

Spring has arrived in the Smoky Mountains!

Thanks for all of the thoughtful comments on my recent contemplative posts. The internet is such an interesting thing. It opens up new worlds of possibility and sometimes it opens up whole new cans of messy worms, either way it's fascinating stuff.

Casa de Potter is coming along!

We are slowly settling into our new home. My husband painstakingly painted the walls an array of colors I selected after much trial and error using patch tests. The amount of light in the main room is astounding and it completely changes every color you put on the walls. So that meant fine tuning until I got the colors in my head translated into the paint colors. I wanted "Granny Smith Apple" green and finally got that using Behr Parakeet. I only have shots of the Living/Dining areas. The kitchen color is tough to see, it's a not quite green, not quite yellow Behr color called Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We finally broke out our extensive collection of bar related curiosities, a lot of mid-century modern beauties and even a piece or two from the Art Deco period. It was so much fun opening boxes that had been packed away for seven years and rediscovering treasures. They are living along with the pick up sticks collection and the Mellow Mushroom canisters on top of the kitchen cabinets. My studio has the bones now and the next thing on my agenda is to fill it up with the vast amount of crafty supplies currently taking up a good half of our garage.

I originally envisioned a 'cabin chic' concept, but it's turning into more of a folksy affair. I have a lot of old pieces mixed with new ones for what I like to call retrofabulous or eclectifunk. It works for us. Plus there is a lot of bold color to play off of the extensive amount of knotty pine in the floors, ceilings and trim. I usually frame color with white trim, so this presented another challenge. Every color had to work with knotty pine. I love a good challenge!

We're really happy with it all. Once we finish getting stuff up on the walls and unpacked, I'll show you the rest. The entrance is a pretty Behr Mellow Yellow and the stairway to the loft is a Martha Stewart color called Maine Lobster, really perfect saturated red. Ultimately it looks like a bowl of apples downstairs! I fell back on my old standby periwinkle for our bed and bath and am accenting that with black and pops of bright yellow. The studio is a paler lavender color called Fresh Hyacinth and the decor will be black and white vintage Parisienne haute couture. I'm excited about finally having a pretty studio.

As we progress, I'll share more pics.

Charles Barkley

Cricket Bug

Oh and...we have two new family members. Please meet Charlie a.k.a. Charles Barkley and Cricket Bug ("that ain't nothin' but a little ol' cricket bug!") We adopted them from our local no kill Humane society shelter. They're adorable and so sweet. Casa de Potter is feeling more and more like home.

Until next time...craft on with your bad selves!

Cheers,
Madge