Sadly they didn't get picked up, but I had so much fun making them all the same. The call asked for readers to create 5 cards for under $5. That meant we weren't allowed to use any stamps, punches, dies, etc. that weren't part of that $5. The only extra freebie we were given was ink and a paper trimmer. I gotta say it was a super fun challenge and it totally got me thinking outside the box. I can't tell you how hard it was to not touch a single die or punch (or sewing machine) though... I was going through withdrawals, BIG TIME. ;)
What was allowed however was clearance and I hit an AMAZING sale after Christmas last year at my local Craft store who was practically giving things away to make room for their Winter CHA purchases. In fact I was able to squeeze in a bonus 6th card for well below my $5 budget (scroll to the bottom of the page to see my breakdown).
I must confess that I am a huge bargain shopper anyway and I will frequently stock on supplies for next year's Christmas cards which is why I had these supplies in hand when the call came out several months after the holidays. I felt lucky to find parts of this darling Doodlebug North Pole collection for 70 to 85% off (some of it just kept getting cheaper and cheaper each time I went back).
Double sided papers are awesome for this challenge! All six of these cards were created with only 2 sheets of patterned paper! Since I wasn't allowed to punch borders, I used the chevron stripes on one of my papers to hand cut a zig-zag border for my first two cards.
When you're short on tools, another tip is to look for card designs that use a lot of straight lines. This has the added bonus of making a card design go quickly which is also nice when you're mass producing cards to send to all your friends and family. ;)
I used my printer to create handmade sentiments for several of my cards. This is actually really easy and saves all sorts of money.
I love that for a small investment it's totally possible to start a paper crafting hobby without spending a fortune. That's definitely something I need to remind myself of from time to time... I actually ended up with a lot of leftover embellishments to create more cards, but I ran out of paper so I called it good with six.
My budget:
- (3) 12x12 Sheets of American Crafts White Cardstock- $0.33 each x 3= $0.99
- (2) Doodlebug North Pole Patterned Papers (Playful Pines, Santa’s Scarf)- $0.30 each x 2= $0.60
- (1) Doodlebug North Pole Icon Stickers- $0.30
- (1) Doodlebug North Pole Banner Stickers- $.60
- (1) Doodlebug Jewels (Christmas assortment)- $1.50
- (1) American Crafts Mini Ribbon Roll- $.30
- Fonts: KG As The Deer, KG How Many Times & Wendy Medium (for sentiments)- FREE
Subtotal= $4.29 + $0.36 Sales Tax (WA 8.4%)= $4.65 Grand Total
Hope you have an awesome day with those you love! :)
Wow...you were a BUSY girl! I love all of these...but my very favorite is the reindeer KISS-mas one---that's adorable!!
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