Sweater Weather Cards and Gift Box

Hello Pebbles fans! It’s Mendi here today with some cards that center around the theme of sweater weather.

I just love all things fall and having an excuse to pull out my cozy sweaters, don’t you?

For my first project I have a little sweater vest gift box I created using a variation of THIS cutting file which I paired with a Maggie Holmes darling bow tie die.  It was the perfect size for this and I think it totally makes the project!

The shallow box opens to reveal a gift card.  I think this would be fun to give to men who might otherwise be hard to shop for.

Up next I have a little card featuring a darling dachshund in a dog sweater (from THIS cutting file).  Dogs in cute sweaters get me every time.

Fall sweaters often make me think of argyle, but what started as an argyle pattern quickly turned into a fun diamond background for my last card.

To create this one-of-a-kind background I used this new banner die set by Jen Hadfield.  Instead of folding the die cut in half to create double-sided banner pieces, I used them open as elongated diamonds.  I love that the set comes with two identical dies to speed up the die-cutting process.

To share how I made this background I created a little picture tutorial.  See below for a full description of each step.

Step 1:  Die-cut approximately 22 diamonds from 4 to 6 different patterned papers.  I chose to add chalk ink to the edges to make the diamonds pop against the background, but this step is optional.

Step 2: Loosely arrange the diamonds on an 4″ x 5.5″ kraft note card to determine pattern.

Step 3:  With the dies I used I measured that the diamonds would be placed 1″  apart from center tip to tip.  Carefully move diamonds off to the side maintaining your pattern.

Step 4: Since my note card was an even 4 inches and I needed them spaced 1″ apart this made calculations easy.  Using my pencil and ruler I marked every 1/2 inch at both the top and bottom and then lightly drew a line connecting them.  I also determined the middle and drew another perpendicular line.

Step 5:  Starting from the center adhere your diamonds using the axis to keep your lines straight.  I adhered mine with a glue pen.  I liked that it could get into the tips easily without a lot of mess.  After you have your first row adhered, work outwards leaving a small gap between the diamonds as shown.

Step 6: After most of the card is covered, flip over and cut off excess overhang with scissors.  Save these scraps as they will be perfect for filling in the tiny leftover gaps.

Step 7:  When all the gaps have been filled, erase any pencil lines that show between the diamonds and decorate card front as desired.  I kept my card simple with a sentiment sticker, brad and some scalloped decorative tape.

Supplies:
Home+Made Banner Dies 732638
American Crafts Styleboard Dies 683445
Home+Made 6×6 Paper Pad 732644
Home+Made Decorative Tape 732626
Home+Made Cardstock Stickers 732611
American Crafts Premium Ribbon Value Pack 89380
American Crafts Elements Gold Mini Brads 366333
American Crafts Kraft A2 Cards & Envelopes 366022