Hello crafty friends. It’s Kristine and I’m back to share some inspiration using the Magic Love collection by Prima Marketing. Today, I will show you how making a simple easel card can add dimension to your cards. Before we jump into the card-making, I want to shine a spotlight on the Magic Love collection.
I have a confession-I’ve never used Prima papers until I made this easel card! I have one other Prima paper pad that was gifted to me by a wonderful friend, but I haven’t used it yet. Now, having made my first project with Prima, I have to say I’m impressed with the quality of the papers.
The Magic Love Collection by Prima Marketing
As usual, Frank Garcia created sensational shabby-chic collection of papers, ephemera, and stickers when he designed Magic Love. The double sided papers come in 12” x 12”, 8” x 8”, and 6” x 6” sizes. They are a nice, heavy weight but not too heavy that they crack when scored and folded. When my package arrived, the first thing I noticed was the sweet cherub images in the collection. Along with pink and cream colors, the paper features soft blue/aqua tones. Floral images adorn the pages and ephemera in the collection. Also, some of the 12” x 12” papers have foil accents on them, creating a rich and textured feeling to them. Also available in this collection are journaling cards, gems, trim and more!
As for the chipboard stickers, they are thick and durable, and of course, the images are adorable. However, it’s the flowers that I love the most! FotoBella offers a wide variety of Prima flowers to match any project you have in mind.
The Easel Card
Making an easel card is pretty simple. They can be made from 8 1/2” x 11” paper or 12” x 12” paper. I selected a light pink cardstock from my stash to make the card base. To start, I cut my card base to 6” x 11” and scored at 6” and 9” on the 11” side. Then, I cut my card front to 6” x 6”. To make the easel card, simply add glue or double sided tape to the small 2” section of the card. With the card folded in half, line the card front up with the center fold in the card and press onto the smaller 2” section. This step will adhere the card front onto the card base and create the easel. If you are using 12” papers, you can cut your strip to 6” x 12”, scoring at 6” and 9”. Add glue or tape to the bottom 3” section, line up the card front, and press down to adhere to the card base.
Once the easel card base is complete, select papers for the base of the card. I chose one of the 12” x 12” papers with foil accents and a floral image. I cut my paper to 5 3/4” x 5 3/4” and inked the edges with distress ink. Glue the paper to the base of the card. I love the tiny postage stamps in the 6” x 6” paper pad, so I cut out 5 stamps for the base of the card. In order to display the easel card front, you will need something for the card front to rest against. The Magic Love chipboard stickers offer the perfect embellishment for the job! I selected one of the sentiment stickers for my card and placed it in the cluster of postage stamps. There is still room to write a personal message or to stamp a sentiment in the upper base of the card that is hidden from view.
Decorating the Front of the Easel Card
In choosing my papers, I decided to use a piece of there 12” x 12” paper pad that will allow me to fussy cut around the flowers to add texture to my card. I cut the center image from the paper (trimmed to 5 3/4” left to right) and cut around the heart and flowers at the top. Because the fussy cut images dip below the card front, I will add a strip of paper behind the top portion. The piece has the foil accents on it and I also cut a strip for the bottom of the easel card front.
In order to add more dimension to my card, I will be using a variety of embellishments. First, I selected one of the Magic Love Ephemera pack. I love the post card image so I will use it as my main image. I curved this piece so the top will pop away from the card front. Then, I glued the rest of the post card to the front of the card. Next, I chose one of the Wood Stickers from the collection that is shaped like a stamp. I used my postage stamp dies to cut backgrounds for two of the postage stamps cut from the 12” x 12” paper. These stamps will create a cluster to the side of the post card. I used my Tim Holtz dies to cut foliage from white cardstock. Then, I will tuck the die cuts into the gap between the post card and card front.
Of course, I will add plenty of flowers to the card front, too! I added four flowers across the top of the card, positioning them over the floral images on the paper. Finally, I will add one sticker to the bouquet of foliage, using a foam square for more dimension.
A Card for Any Occasion
This card can be customized for any occasion by adding a sentiment. Graphic 45 offers a die set that has several sentiment dies including “happy birthday”, “celebrate”, “thanks”, “hello,” and more. Once the sentiment is cut from cardstock, can add it to the card front or base. I am not going to add a sentiment to my card since I will be giving this card to my mom for Mother’s Day.
I hope this quick easel card how-to gives you some inspiration to make a card of your own. The actual card base is surprisingly simple to make so you can spend more time decorating and embellishing them! Don’t forget to check out the FotoBella online store for all of your Prima Marketing Magic Love supplies. And while you’re there, check out the rest of the store - there are so many gorgeous products to choose from!
Happy crafting!
~Kristine, FotoBella Design Team