End of the Week Technique #51 - Easel Cards / Domestic Violence Awareness

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Hey y'all. Happy Thursday. I hope you're having an Amazing week and gearing up for the weekend. Just one more day, woo-hoo. :)

I'm a little disappointed in my self that we are 11 days into the month of October and I haven't done a "Purple Post" yet. Most of you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Did you know though, that it is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month? I bet most of you will answer "No" to that question. It's unfortunate that two of the biggest health concerns for women fall on the same month. It's a tragedy that one gets all the attention and the other very little. Football players wear pink, the White House gets bathed in pink lights, there are Nationally known walks and runs all in pink, but none of this happens in purple. One reason Domestic Violence is such an epidemic in not only our country but world-wide is that more people don't talk about it. The silence of it's victims and of the communities it's victims live in only contributes to the strength of this scourge. It's time to remember that Love Does Not Hurt! Please keep this in mind not only this month but throughout the year. We can only stop this epidemic of pain and suffering by shining a light on it. If you know someone that is in an abusive relationship, be it physical, emotional, financial or any other type, please let them know you care and are not willing to let them continue on alone.

Ok, off my soap-box-, although I can't promise that you won't hear it again. :) Today's card is an easel card. I did one of these way back when I first began my blog, just in a different shape, so it's been a while. I thought it was time to do another one and to do one in a shape I thought went well with the month. Here's today's card-

I used the Bigz Butterflies Die and my Big Shot to make this and it came together so quickly. Although this particular style easel card will stay open on it's own (the butterfly wings catch on the notched section) I chose to add a stop as well. I had wanted to add a purple ribbon, but the stamp I have would have been too big. :(

Here's a little bit different angle-

Sorry for the "huge" picture I wanted to show some of the detail.

I used Wisteria Wonder and Whisper White c/s and Wisteria Wonder Classic ink to sponge the edges of the c/s and Elegant Eggplant ink to stamp the sentiment. The sentiment was cut out with the Word Window Punch, sponged with Wisteria Wonder and then edged with a little love from Tink in the form of Dazzling Diamonds. It was then adhered with Dimensionals to make a lovely sentiment and an additional stand. The butterfly wasn't originally sparkly, but I felt it needed just a little something extra so Tink gave it a little love as well and I think that was just the right touch. Since the c/s is so light, an additional greeting could be written on the back of the base piece.

For today's technique you will need the following- Embossing tool (I used my Big Shot), Butterflies Die, scoring tool (I used my Simply Scored Tool) Embellishments as desired (I used the Perfect Polka Dots E.F., Word Window Punch, Dimensionals, Two-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds and a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes).

Although you can make an easel card in any shape and without the aid of a die, I chose the butterfly die, because of the symbolism of butterflies. To me the change they go through is similar to the change/rebirth someone emerging from an abusive relationship goes through.

Here's what you will do-

1- Cut and score your c/s in the size you will need for your particular shape. Mine c/s was approximately 8 x 3 1/2 scored to form a 4 x 3 1/2 piece of c/s. I placed this over my butterfly die with the folded edge just below the top of the wings so that when I ran it through my Big Shot I ended up with 1 cut out piece of c/s instead of 2. Next you will need to decide where to score your top piece. I simply scored across the center where there was already a notch in the design.

Ooooh, sorry that's blurry!

2- Fold and re-enforce your score line down-wards.

3- Cut out another piece of c/s using the same design but this time cut out the entire image.

4- Adhere your new cut-out image to the bottom portion of your scored c/s. I used Tombow to adhere my two pieces together. 

*Tip* apply the adhesive to your scored piece of c/s and not your top cut-out image. If you apply adhesive to the top image and you apply extra it could later get stuck to the area above the score line and then your card will not function correctly.

5- If needed by your design add an element to the base of your card to act as a "stop" to keep your card open.

6- Optional - Embellish as desired. You will likely want to do this before doing your final adhering. I ran my top piece of c/s through the Perfect Polka Dots E.F. for a little added texture and also did my sponging after the fact. (You live and You learn and then you embellish just a little more!)

7- Smile when you see your finished project and smile even more when you think about the smile that it will bring to it's recipients face. (This really is the best part)

That's all I have for you today. I hope you liked today' technique and card and I hope it inspires you to try something new today. There are many different types of easel cards and I will be trying more including some that don't include dies, but to be honest, I've been so busy with different issues this past week I didn't have the time to figure out a design from scratch. Hopefully I will be able to do this soon. I love hearing from you, so if you liked today's card or technique or have questions, I hope you'll leave me a message below. I read them all and they really do make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card, I've put the buttons on my blog for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome and thoroughly appreciated! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated! Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Please also remember that Love Does Not Hurt-

Be Safe,

Shan

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