Welcome to Valley Oak Paper
I design handmade greeting cards.
So Very Merry 3
On Day 3 of Online Card Classes So Very Merry, Jennifer McGuire showed us how to create Hanukkah cards. The basic idea is to cut ¼” blue cardstock strips to act as candles.
Green Craftmas
I created three cards for a recycling-themed Instagram challenge. First I used my Pinkfresh Solid Hot Foil Plate with all the cool-toned leftover foil to make my own foiled cardstock. This time I foiled on cardstock colors that matches the foil.
For the Love of Paisley
Paisley is my hands-down favorite abstract pattern! So of course I needed the Glimmer Kit of the Month for June ‘22. It’s called Paisley Glimmer and it’s on sale for less than $10 right now.
Reindeer Games
At that point the only dark green color on the card was the present that the bottom reindeer is holding. So I added smaller elements with some dark green to other parts of the card to spread it around a bit more.
Empathetic Kittens
I created these cards using Bibi Cameron’s Cheerful Kittens Die Set and leftover die cuts from recent projects. You can make two cats with this die set: one who hangs from a banner and one who sits. The head is the same for both. So if you want to make two cats, you need to cut most of the head and face parts twice.
Stencil All the Things
My idea for this card is to create a floral wreath out of white cardstock and vellum. I’ve seen other designers do that and I always love the results! I think vellum adds interest without adding bulk.
Get Your Skates On
The skates are really easy to put together, with no fiddly bits. There’s a base layer, that shows up as the tongue of the boot and part of the heel. On top of that comes the pretty top layer, and the sole of the boot. The blade has tabs that you glue to the back of the base.
Orchid Cupcakes
The starting point for today’s card was a fall-themed cupcake die set from Spellbinders. It was the Large Die of the Month for September last year. I didn’t get around to playing with it then, so it’s just the right thing for a new cardmaking hop that I’m participating in.
It’s called the Procraftinators Club and the idea is to help us finish cardmaking kits, monthly subscriptions and other unfinished projects. This cupcake die set is perfect for it!
Summer Lantern
I wanted to create a quick summer card with some of the supplies I got from Kat Scrappiness. The lantern shaker die is intended for Christmas cards. But with some ink blending I thought I could make it work for a summer night too.
Pinkfresh Side Slider
Turn the project over and test the Slider by gently tugging on the Tab. The Slider should glide up and down along the slit in the Slitted Panel. If it does, you can remove the backing paper from the foam tape and adhere the mechanism to your card front.
Pinkfresh Giveaway
This giveaway celebrates that I’ve reached 500 followers on Instagram. Super happy about that!
Extraordinary Embossing Folders
This blog post is based on the weeklong class called Extraordinary Embossing Folders at OnlineCardClasses.com.
Washi Flower Power
When you’re using washi, you need smooth white cardstock that’s big enough for one repeat of the pattern. Most of Pinkfresh’s washi tape patterns are about the size of a slimline card, so cutting a letter size piece of cardstock lengthwise works great.
Foiling Textured Paper
The best cardstock for hot foiling is the smoothest. But you can make your own smooth cardstock in a few simple steps.
Oak Wreath
The next day I created the texture with the Pinkfresh Studio’s Stitches Cover Plate. This had the added bonus of flattening the cardstock after its bath.
Bring on the Heat Embossing
I knew I wanted hot colors for the landscape itself, but I die cut the landscape from white. Then I used Distress Oxide Inks to color them.
Whale Thank-You Cards
I cut out the parts of the whale from inexpensive watercolor paper and colored them with Distress Watercolor pencils following photos of humpback whales. The upper part and tail are colored with Black Soot. For the shadows under the whale I used Hickory Smoke.
Merry Everything
Ink smooshing is a very popular technique that creates backgrounds with random blotches of ink. A couple of tips: You can smoosh your ink pads onto your craft mat. That’s where the name of the technique comes from.
Interactive Father’s Day Card
Once the glue has set, turn the piece right side up. You should be able to tug at the sliding tab and get the center of the sliding mechanism to fold up. If the mechanism works smoothly, you can remove the release paper from the foam tape and place the mechanism on the card base.