Everyday Paper Dolls

Here is a list of the supplies that you will need to create eye catching St. Patrick’s Day Cards. St. Patrick’s Day craft supplies aren’t as readily available as other holidays, so you may have to get creative. If you are unable to find what you need in a craft store, you can download free clip art from the Internet.

1. Solid colored cardstock – I like to use Bazzill brand cardstock for my card base, because it is heavy weight and perfect for cards. You can purchase cardstock in a variety pack, so you will have lots of colors for other holidays. The cardstock can be used for making mats on your card or cutting shapes.
2. St. Patrick’s Day Patterned Paper – This may be difficult to find. If you’re unable to find paper just for this holiday, look for green plaid, green dots, or another small pattern with shades of emerald, hunter, and spring green.
3. 12″ Paper Trimmer – A Paper trimmer is not a must, but it will make this project easier. If you don’t have a paper trimmer, a ruler and scissors will work fine.
4. Dry Adhesive – This is important for a professional looking card. If you use bottled Elmer’s or Aleene’s glue, your finished project will be wrinkled from the moisture in the adhesive. For a nice, flat card, use a tape runner. My favorites are E-Z Runners and Glue Arts Glue Glider Pros. They have double sided sticky tape in a dispenser that you roll onto the card. They come in a variety of styles, but make sure you get PERMANANT adhesive.
5. Decorations for your Card – This is the fun part! You will want a variety of festive shapes to decorate your card. I have a Cricut Personal Electronic Cutting Machine that I use for cutting all kinds of shapes. For my cards, I cut Leprechaun hats, pots of gold, and shamrocks.If you don’t have a die cutting machine, you can find foam shapes, stickers, and other decorations at the craft store. You may also find St. Patrick’s Day stickers at the Hallmark Store. Websites also have clip art that you can download with tons of fun images.
6. St. Patrick’s Day rubber stamps – There are stamps with Irish poems and sayings. You can also find stamps with shamrocks, leprechauns, and rainbows that can be colored and added to your cards.
7. Embellishments – I didn’t add a lot of embellishments to these cards, but an assortment of green buttons, pearls, ribbon, rhinestones, glitter, and twine will add a great touch to your St. Patrick’s Day Cards.

 

Here are the measurements of this card. This is the most common size card. It will fit into an A2 or invitation size envelope. This size envelope is readily available at office supply and big box stores.

Cut the base of the card from a piece of heavy weight, solid cardstock. If you use inexpensive paper, your cards will not stand up well. The base is 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″. If you use a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock, you will get two card bases by cutting it in half. I chose a color that coordinates with my patterned paper. It’s a pale bluish gray.

I like a lot of layers on my cards. It adds a lot of interest and makes your cards look more professional. I cut a 5 1/4″ x 4″ mat in ivy green cardstock. This makes a nice background for the patterned paper.

I found a double sided patterned paper that has a blue and green pattern on one side and large circles of Celtic knots on the other side. I cut a 5″ x 3 3/4″ rectangle out of the patterned paper. Then I used scissors to cut a partial circle for the bottom portion of the card. I love mixing different patterns.

Use the dry adhesive to attach the layers to your card.

 

This is how my card looks with all of the layers attached and ready for decorations. Before attaching your decorations, you can arrange and rearrange your card until you find a placement that is please to you.

The little boy holding the shamrock is from the Cricut cartridge called A Child’s Year. I cut him in a light green, and then cut the outline in a darker shade of green.

Here is the Finished Card

 

Here is the placement that I chose for this card. The shamrocks are from the Cricut cartridge A Child’s Year, and the pot of gold is from the Every Day Paper Dolls Cricut cartridge. I used the tape runner adhesive to attach everything.

Add Glitter and Details to your Card

 

After your card is assembled, you can add details if you wish. Buttons, bows, and glitter make great embellishments on handmade cards. I added Gold Stickles Glitter Glue to the top of the pot of gold, to make it stand out and look like gold coins. If you add glitter glue, make it the very last thing you do on your card, so that you can set it aside to dry. Otherwise, you will end up with glitter everywhere!

Another St. Patrick’s Day Card

 

Here is another variation on the first card. I cut the Pot of Gold from the Everyday Paper Dolls Cricut Cartridge and added Gold Stickles Glitter Glue to the Pot of Gold. I thought the pot looked nice with a shamrock, so I added that too. I stamped “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” on a piece of pale glue paper and punched it out using an oval punch.

Leprechaun Hat Card

 

The leprechaun’s hat looks great for a St. Patrick’s Day Card too! I cut it out using A Child’s Year Cricut Cartridge. I added a few shamrocks and a Happy St. Patrick’s Day cut out. The touch of glitter adds a little bit of sparkle.

Shapes To Add To Your St. Patrick’s Day Card

 

These are the St. Patrick’s Day Cricut shapes that I cut out using the Cricut Expressions. I used the Everyday Paper Dolls and A Child’s Year Cricut Cartridges. If you don’t have a die cutting machine, you can trace and cut shapes, use stencils, or buy stickers.

The leprechaun is too cute, but he was too tall to fit on my card. I’m going to save him for another project.

Decorate the Inside of Your Card

Sometimes, I like to decorate the inside of my greeting cards. Small stickers and bits of leftover paper and small shapes work best.