10-Minute Cards - Graphic 45

Let's all just admit it...I am not a quick and easy or a clean and simple card maker! Even if YOU can copy my card in 10 minutes, I can tell you for sure that it took me far longer to "dream up" and create! I am such a Type A, overachiever personality!

You can imagine my horror when Graphic 45 told the team that they'd like us to try to make some 10-minute cards! My first thought was, "Pfffttttt." But, I do write really great directions, and I knew that I could create a card that you folks could make in 10 minutes! So, here it is!

Pretty simple, right?! I used the Little Darlings papers, because, they are so darling!

Now, here is how you make the card:

1. Cut white cardstock to 4 1/4 x 11 inches. Score at 5 1/2 inches and fold for a top-fold card.

2. Trim dotted paper (Baby Borders) to 4 1/8 x 5 3/8 inches. Wrap blue ribbon around the bottom of the panel, approximately 1 inch from the bottom. Attach panel to card front.

3. Trim white cardstock to 2 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches. Trim music note paper (Little Darlings) to 2 3/8 x 4 3/8 inches and edge with blue ink. Attach to the white cardstock mat and glue to the right side of the card front, tucking the bottom edge under the ribbon.

4. Cut image from Bundle of Joy paper and mat with white cardstock. Using foam tape, attach image to the card front, overlapping the ribbon as shown.

5. Stamp sentiment onto white cardstock with brown ink. Die cut or punch sentiment. (Or simply cut the sentiment into a rectangle shape.) Slide sentiment block under the image and attach with foam tape.

6. Tie white floss to a blue button and attach to the right side of the ribbon with an adhesive dot.

7. Optional: decorate the inside of the card with a 1/2" strip of the dotted paper (Baby Borders).

How did you do? Was it 10 minutes or less? Not counting the time it took to assemble the supplies?

Would you like more tips for creating quick cards? I knew you would, so here goes!

Gloria's 10 Tips for 10-Minute Cards

1. Keep a supply of card bases in a box near your craft desk. You can purchase pre-made card fronts, or simply trim an 8 1/2 x 11 inch piece of cardstock in half, score, and fold to make instant card fronts.

2. Use neutral colors for your card bases: white, cream, kraft, dark brown, black. You won't have to worry about matching your paper colors.

3. Use your TV watching time to trim your scraps of printed paper into standard sizes for card fronts. Trim paper to 4 1/8 x 5 3/8 to decorate the front of a standard card.

4. While you have your scraps available, trim some into rectangle, square, and circle shapes for decorating cards. Trim and attach mats made from neutral cardstock.

5. Keep a stack of pre-trimmed images or stamped and colored images on hand for fast cards in a pinch.

6. Stamp or print sentiments and trim, die cut, or punch them to size for easy addition to a quick card.

7. Keep a stack of white or cream cardstock, trimmed to 4 1/8 x 5 3/8 to line cards made with dark colored cardstock. This makes it easy to stamp or write on the inside of a card.

8. If you don't have time to cut mats for your paper or images, simply edge them with ink to make them pop off the card.

9. Create dimension by attaching images and sentiments with foam tape.

10. Buttons are a quick and easy embellishment and come in every color of the rainbow! They are not too lumpy and normally fit into a standard envelope.

Graphic 45 paper: Little Darlings: Little Darlings, Baby Borders, Bundle of Joy
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics
Stamp: Hampton Art Stamps: Doodlebug Designs: You Said It
Ink: Clearsnap Colorbox Archival Dye Ink: Mudslide
Die Cut: Spellbinders Labels Four
Ribbon: Really Reasonable Ribbon
Other: Button, floss
Adhesive: tape runner, foam tape, adhesive dot