ThePowerOfACard: Alphabet Soup!

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Alphabet Soup!

We have plenty of options for making cards, but sometimes, you just need the ability to personalize it! That's where the idea for this video came from. I am using three different alphabets - one is a bundle with a stamp set and punch (Alphabest), another is just dies (Alphabet a la mode) and the last one is just a stamp set (Classic Letters). All three have both numbers and letters, as well as punctuation. Let's dive in!

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Garden Green 8-1/2" x 5-1/2", 2.5" square; Basic White 4" x 5-1/2", 4" x 5-1/4", 2" square
Stamp Set: Classic Letters
Ink: Basic Gray, Garden Green
Dies: Stylish Shapes, Elegant Borders
Adhesive and Tools

The Classic Letters are perfect for making monogram items. The set comes with a variety of leafy stamps to fit on top of your letters. The first card I made used an S for my last name, but in the video, I used another letter (for my daughter's last name) and a different card design.

Turn the white square so the points are up and down. Stamp the letter of your choice in Basic Gray. I chose this color over black because I knew the leaves would show up better than if I had done my letter in black. Add the appropriate leaves cluster in Garden Green wherever you want on the letter.

Cut out the monogram with the second smallest square die and use the next larger size to cut out the green square. While you're at the Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine, use the border of your choice to cut the long end of the larger white rectangle.

To assemble, layer the two squares - either like I show in the video (offset by 90 degrees) or as a traditional mat. Adhere the white piece on top of the card base (which has been folded in half) so that it goes right to the top of the card. Position the monogram with dimensionals in the center. Add a few more leaves on the inside white panel and on the envelope corner and you have a classic looking monogrammed note card. Wouldn't a set of these make a great gift?

Graduation cards are perfect for customization, whether you add the year, graduate's name or school. Here is one where I used the Alphabest bundle. After punching out the letters to say dream big, I attached them to a length of Baker's Twine and draped them on the card front. So easy and cute!

My next card uses the dies - I cut the word out of rectangle of striped DSP and adhered it to the white rectangle. Keep the rectangle and you can make the inverse version of this card too! To keep the stripes theme going, I added some scraps of Parakeet Party on the card front and stamped Father's Day from the He's All That stamp set. I'll give this one to my son-in-law as he celebrates his first one in June.

For my next two cards, I went back to the Classic Letters. I love having a vertical sentiment and these make it easy to do. The letters are 1" high, but if you overlap them like I did, you can easily fit a six letter work vertically. The Potted Geraniums set adds the perfect pick-me-up for this beauty.

This was the card I almost demonstrated - maybe I'll do it another time if you're interested. I love this sweet baby girl card and the pop up letters on the inside are a nice surprise!

Lastly, I combined two sets of letters. I used the rectangle left over after cutting out the letters in my daughter's name and added a piece of white behind it to make her name pop against the DSP. The small letters make it quite easy to say what you want to make just the right card for the right person. I will be giving this card to her to congratulate her efforts for raising money for Miles for Migraines. As I mentioned in my video, our whole family is participating in the 5k race (or walk), but Kristin is also fundraising for the event too. Here is the link in case you are interested in either joining us on race day or contributing.