Fancy Top Place Card.

This place card is very easy to achieve and very pretty the options for decorating these is endless. They are so pretty they really don't need much at all.  

You'll need a suitable die.  I chose a Sue Wilson adornment die. 

 This die comes in two parts.  The lacy part that cuts the design into the card  but leaves the design in the card and the second  outline die cuts out the whole design. 

I got Hubby to cut the bottom off the outline die so I could use it for tab tops. 

 There are dies available that will allow you to do this without having to cut the die. They usually come in three parts.

Cut your card to the size you require  Draw a light pencil line across the centre. Line up the fancy die and the outline die along the pencil line, make sure you have an equal space at each end of the die.

 When you are sure that the spacing between the outline  and fancy die is even die tape them  down.

 Score a line from the edge of the card to the end of the die on both sides.

 Run the card and dies through your chosen die cutting machine.

Fold the score lines back to form a tent fold card.

Rear view...If you prefer a solid back cut along the score line and discard the back section.  Cut a second tent fold card the same size and adhere the front panel to the new card.

As my card was too thick for my printer, I used a thinner card to print off the names and then cut them into panels and adhered them to the front of base card.

Place cards with a difference.

 The next installment in my series of ideas for place cards involves some simple die cutting. It's far easier than you may think. 
The first example was cut using just the top half of  the Bride and Groom die from  First Edition's  wedding set of dies.
For the second I used a stitched effect circle die for the base card. I then die cut or punched smaller circles for the layers.

For the third example I used a heart shaped die to cut the base card. Then realized it didn't really look like a heart without the bottom point of the heart.









So I cut a complete heart ran it through the Xyron adhesive applicator and then flocked the heart before sticking to the base card.

The next  shot shows the back of the card.
Of course If you don't like the  look of the hole in the back you could cut the back section off completely and stick the  front panel onto another uncut base card.
You'll need a lot more card if you go down this route.



So here is how to create this type of place card.

Cut your base card to the size you require. Draw a  light pencil line across the middle of the card.

Place the die in the centre of the card and tape the die in position to prevent it slipping.                                                                            Line the edge of the top cutting up with the pencil line on the card.  feed the other end of the cutting plate into your  die cutting machine and wind the plates, die and platform through the machine.

 When it comes out the other side you will have cut a semi circle in your card. 
You can now score a line from the outer  edge to the cut line on each side and fold  each side of your card in half.

Cut a slightly smaller    circle from stamping card  stamp a design onto the card and die cut or punch out the design and adhere to the centre of the semi circle.   
Another option is to add an extra  layer around  your design as I have done in the  floral circle card above.    

  The bride and groom card at the top was created in exactly the same way.                                                                       

Simple Place Cards decorated with die cuts.

Another option  for decorating these name cards is  to use die cuts.

 I like ornate corners,  so on this one I have used  a tiny corner die to create this gold corner decoration.

For a more subtle look,  I used the same corner die, but I  die cut the corner from the same coloured card. This almost looks as though the corner has been embossed.

On this one I have used a small butterfly die cut in the lower right corner. 

There are hundreds of dies available that would be suitable for decorating Place cards.

Unicorns and Fairies spring to mind  now for decorating name cards for children's tea parties.

TIP.  To apply glue to ornate die cuts use a sponge to pick up the glue and dab the back of the die cut with the sponge.  Make sure the die cut doesn't move while you are applying the glue or you will get glue on the right side of the die cut. Even though Tombow glue is easily removed from flat surfaces, it's not so easy to remove from intricate pieces like this corner.

Place cards using pretty paper.

Another simple idea for these cards is to use a pretty paper as the background. I've used a layer of green to frame the floral paper before adding the name plaque. I can't say I am a fan of this one, but I usually find other people like  the things I don't like.  So that's my reason for posting this one. I am trying to imagine what this would look like using a  modern patterned paper and maybe changing the oval for rectangle or a name strip. I guess that's another idea to try.

Oval Place cards

 I have never seen  an oval shaped place card before and I love ovals, so I thought I would set about designing one. If the truth be told, I was getting bored with rectangles.

This is probably a little to involved for a non crafter , but most people know somebody that crafts, and that has a die cutting machine.... so why not enlist their help. Most crafters  I know would be delighted to help.

 We're  generally a caring, sharing bunch of ladies that are willing to help.

Here is how I created the oval cards.

I folded a piece of medium weight card in half and  placed an oval die over the folded edge  and taped the die down to stop it moving it I ran it through my bigshot to create the hinge  part of the card.

I cut a single Oval  from stamping card and stamped the front.

 The oval is then stuck to the front of the hinged card. Take care and match up the edges.

 If you don't want the card to rock, cut a slither of card off the back. This will prevent the card from rocking.

On the card below I cut the  an extra oval  panel slightly smaller than the base card to create a border. I am wishing now that I had give this one an olive green base card.

You can decorate you place cards anyway you wish.

There are so many options to decorate your cards , it's endless.  I think I could make these forever and still keep coming up with more ideas.

The beauty of making your own  place cards is that you can tailor your cards to fit in with your colour scheme and theme.

Whether it be  plain and simple,  elegant,  shabby chic, vintage, or modern,  Funky,  2d or 3D  and the list goes on.

Simple Stamped Place Cards.

So having had a bout of flu for a couple of weeks, I lost my mojo. The result being I lost all interesting in everything. I didn't visit my craft room at all during that time or the following week as I was too shattered  to get off the sofa  after returning to work. Hubby said I went back to work to early which is why I was so  exhausted .

Then last week I was chatting to a colleague about her up and coming wedding. She told me about her plans for place cards and seating plans and table names. 

She was undecided as to what she wanted.  Her colour scheme is burgundy and white with a touch of pink.  

She was also hoping to give the tables flower names rather than numbers, but was  a little unsure of how to put everything together without spending a fortune.

Hey Presto!!!!  My  Mojo has come home. 

My head's in a whirl as loads of ideas came flooding in.... too many for me to remember. 

I went straight to my craft room after work and dug out some old name cards I had used for other occasions.

 Then I set about creating  some simple place cards,   firstly to ease me back  into crafting after my time out.  

Then I got to thinking there are probably loads of brides out there looking for  quick and simple ideas for these cards.  So I have created some very simple and  inexpensive ideas for weddings and other other occasions. 

They are so simple even a non crafter can manage most of these ideas.

The size of the base card on all the Rectangle cards is 4 1/8 x 4  1/8  inch.  Which exactly  half  of an  A4 sheet of card cut in half length ways. You can get four cards from one sheet of card.

You can of course make these larger if you desire.

So here I have stamped a single image on one side of the place card. 

Nothing difficult about this one.

All you need is card stock suitable for stamping on, a nice juicy ink pad an a stamp that fits the occasion,

There are so many stamps available that will be suitable for this type of place card, you will find it difficult to choose just one.  I used a stamp from the  

"You are loved"  stamp set by Stampin' Up! The ink pad I used for  this card is called Merry Merlot by Stampin: Up!

Here are a few other examples of simple stamped cards. I have to say that if you are going to stamp your own  Place cards do invest in a card  that is made for stamping. It is a little more expensive, but the results are worth the extra money.

I love to use Stampin' Up! s whisper white card . It's not a brilliant white which can often be too stark. It's a soft white with a silky feel. There are other brands out there, Inkylicious do a  bright white card for stamping that is nice to work on.

There are a few occasions when we may choose to use place cards.

 They not just  for weddings. I usually make for Christmas Dinner, so the disabled  guests get the most space and easiest access . 

But why not use them for dinner parties, Valentine Days meals and Birthday Parties.

I used Always Artichoke ink to stamp the darker leaves and then I stamped the leaves again without re inking the stamp. This technique is called second generation stamping. It works well on card that is made for stamping, but not so well on ordinary papers.

  You 'll have to excuse my scrawl on some of these name cards. I  would have loved to have printed the name off using a printer but  the card I use for stamping will not go through my printer. So these needed to be hand written.

 In a  later post  

  I 'll share a brainwave I had to get neater writing on these.

 The card above was created using two stamps designed to be used together. The stem, which I stamped in Old Olive ink. and the flower head, which I stamped twice. Once in Almost Amethyst and then again in Concorde Crush.
 This is not difficult to do and it's an inexpensive way to create cards with colour.

I used a two step stamp set to  to create this  card. It's called stippled Blossoms and it is my all time favourite stamp set.

peel off corners

 Another very simple idea is to just stick a delicate, fine line corner peel off  in one corner.
I realize peel off s are a bit old hat these days , but I do believe they still have their uses and can look very elegant with the minimum of effort and money.

Quick and simple Place cards .

 My first design for a place card was designed to be so simple even a non crafter could make them.

The outlay is minimal,  You only need a small punch and  a card stock suitable for the punch

Romance was on my mind, so I chose a small heart punch to create  a small  heart shaped aperture in the bottom corner. I have a small confession to make here. The heart  on this first example was on the right side.  I messed up the writing so I flipped the card inside out. Resulting in the  hearts change of position. I think it looks better in the right corner.   The aperture doesn't have to be a heart, a small balloon punch would work well for parties. A small butterfly is another option.

My second design uses a small heart punch and  a little flocking.  Flocking is really cheap and goes an awfully  long way.
It is not difficult to do either. For this technique you will need  a punch,  a mini Xyron adhesive applicator,
red flocking and a strip of red card.

You could  also try  the dry adhesive sheets if you don't have a Xyron.
(I don't recommend  using double sided tape as this could wreck your punch.)

 For the next step, work  on a sheet of paper, so that you can contain the mess and  be able to pour the excess flocking back into the pot when you've finished..

Have applied the dry adhesive to the red card stock ,  throw on a pile of  red flocking fibres over it and rub the fibres into the adhesive,  be brutal with it, you want those fibres to stick well  and evenly, with no thin patches.
Brush off excess flocking and return them to the pot.   Your  flocked card is ready for punching.

TIP.  Use the same colour card as your flocking fibres.  You don't have to match the colours.   I  prefer to use a darker shade of card than flocking.
I find you get a far better result.  If you have ever tried flocking red  on white card,  you will know exactly what I am talking about, ha ha ha...and  I bet it ended up in the same place mine did.....THE BIN.