I know that there are tons of pseudo-scrapbooking ideas on how to make one-of-a-kind cards using all sorts of paper cutting devises and the better part of a day. This is not that kind of card.
This is a whip-it-together-in-a-flash-with-what-you-have kind of card.
Here are the deets:
Take a piece of card stock. About ten years ago I bought a package with 250 sheets of this slightly flecked card stock. I've been using it ever since. If you need to purchase card stock, pick up a single piece at your local craft or office supply store.
Find the center. Using standard size 8.5" x 11" card stock, the center would be 5.5" from the top edge. I marked mine with a Frixion pen, but light pencil marks work, too.
I wanted to find the center so I can print a message on the front of the card above the applique.
Open up Word (or any word processing software) and write a greeting. Notice below that I found the center on my side ruler and that is how I centered the message on my card stock.
I also used two different fonts. Choose one that works best for your card. I used Charlamagne Std. for Happy and Day in size 36 font and CAC Pinafore in size 69 font for Mother's.
I decided to continue the bird theme on the cards. Following the directions on the back of a package of Steam-A-Seam 2, trace out the design and apply it to the back of a favorite fabric.
Before adhering, line up placement of your design on the front of your card. Remove the paper backing and iron the design onto the card stock. Don't use the steam setting on your iron if you've used an inkjet printer for your message.
In order to make your design stand out, I suggest straight stitching around the design. This is simple to do and really makes the design stand out. Because the sewing machine needle actually pierces the card stock, it is a good idea to back the design area with a tear-away stabilizer such as Sulky Tear-Easy which costs under $3.00 for a small piece at Joanns (and is even cheaper with a coupon). I've secured my stabilizer with a spray adhesive. If you don't have this, no worries, just carefully place the stabilizer underneath the design before stitching.
Top stitch the design slightly in from the edge. Use a 3-3.5mm stitch length. Remember, every time the needle pierces the paper it leaves a hole, so take your time.
Carefully remove the stabilizer. I added the eye by using a fine point Sharpie pen. A small button would also make a great eye.
Next, I folded the card in half. Since the inside of the card now has stitching and bits of stabilizer, I want to cover it up. For this, I'm going to cut a piece of matching fabric sized to fit the inside of the card using a rotary cutter with a pinking blade. If you have pinking sheers this works, as well. Leaving raw edges would be nice.
Glue the fabric over the stitched half of the card, covering the stitching and stabilizer bits. Let it dry for at least an hour.
Happy Mother's Day
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