6x6 Cutting Formula

If you're visiting from the Operation Write Home Tuesday Tutorial, welcome!  Thanks to Kristie, Seongsook, and Sandy for inspiring this tutorial.  Kristie is the mistress of all things 6x6, Seongsook's been offering up great One Sheet Wonder templates recently, and Sandy did an episode of OWHtv on her method of using a 6x6 pad.  Here's my take on the topic of 6x6 paper pads:  

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend and marks an annual tradition for Operation Write Home: the biggest bloghop of the year.

I signed up weeks ago to participate and then ended up too busy to make a card until the last minute.  I pulled out a 6x6 pad because they are my crutch when I need an awesome card in a short amount of time.  I'm guaranteed that the papers go together, so I can layer them up and not have to worry about clashing!  You can check out my card here if you missed the hop! 

6x6 pads have been the talk of lots of OWHers and were even the subject of a tutorial.  Lots of comments on my blog hop post indicated OWHers are interested in the idea but haven't gotten a chance to dive in yet.  I'm with them; I still haven't tried to make all of the pages in one 6x6 into cards all at once.  Why?  I think it's because I tend to cut into several sheets to make one card and then I'm faced with a pile of scraps that seem too small for much of anything except a scrappy background.  I'm also more than a little overwhelmed with the idea of tackling all that paper at once.  When I start something, I like to finish, so I'd be sitting for a long time to get through 24 sheets! 

Today, I set out to change my concern into a method that works for me.  I made myself a little 6x6 template and put 6 of them on a sheet of computer paper.  I knew that most pads come in multiples of 6, so I figured that to be a good starting point. I wanted to make a cutting formula that would use 6 sheets of 6x6 paper at a time with minimal waste.

I made two templates.  Template 1 makes 9 cards and template 2 makes 8 cards.

Here are the cutting templates and the cards I made from them.  On each square, note the order to make the cuts.  Same sized pieces can be swapped based on whether you want to repeat or vary the patterns.  Template 1 says it makes eight cards, but it's really nine.  If your papers are single sided, you'll need to cut each page twice (in two different patterns) to provide enough variation in the papers. 

In Template 1, cards 1A-1D are based on OWH Sketch 1, card 2 is based on OWH Sketch 7, card 3A-3B are based on OWH Sketch 8, and cards 4A-4B are based on OWH Sketch 135.  Sample cards are made with papers from My Mind's Eye All Spice.

Template 1, Cards 1A and 1B

Template 1, Cards 1C and 1D

Template 1, Card 2.  Also great horizontal

Template 1, Cards 3A and 3B

Template 1, Cards 4A and 4B

In Template 2, cards 1A-1C are based on OWH Sketch 154.  The others have some similarities to previous OWH sketches but aren't true copies of any of them, sorry!  Sample cards from My Mind's Eye Fine and Dandy Boy.   

Template 2, Cards 1A and 1B

Template 2, Cards 1C and 2A

Template 2, Card 2B

Template 2, Card 3

Template 2, Cards 4A and 4B (My favorite!)

If you try these cutting templates, plan on three 12x12 or four 8.5 x 11 sheets of cardstock for layers and matting in a color that will go with all of your patterns.  You might squeeze out the 8 or 9 cards with one less sheet of cardstock, but I prefer to have plenty of material for layering.  As far as color goes, I like to choose something with good contrast in case the patterns are busy.

I hope this helps you get started with your stash of 6x6 paper pads! Please leave me a link below if you try it out.  I'd love to see your creations!

P.S. For anyone who wants the templates in a PDF, just click here to download them from box.com.  

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 651 blank and 236 AnyHero (as of 4/28/13)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

OWH Sketch #168

This year, OWH has been collecting sketches from its cardmakers by way of finding great cards on their blogs and asking permission to turn them into sketches.  Cora made the cards that inspired today's Sketch #168.

Paper by KI Memories (Pet Shop), Stamp by SU (Much Appreciated, 2005)

I made a slight change to the size so that the patterned paper was 3x3 instead of 3x3.25.  I wanted to use up some patterned 12x12 papers and not have left over scraps.  I cut up three whole sheets plus a partial sheet I had left from another project.  I made 28 of these cards with various patterns. 

This sketch was fun, easy, and used up paper- a trifecta!  I'll be making a lot more of these, I'm sure.  

This was also a great start to my next OWH box.  Last night, I packed up a box that I'll send on Tuesday.  It has 311 cards and 96 Any Hero notes written by my students.   

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 340 blank and 140 AnyHero (as of 1/7/13)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

A little lovey dino

I used some paper from Big Lots and some very old stash paper to make this dino card.  The stamp is one I received from Pam T a while ago and I think it's adorable!  The heart accents are from Mary.  I also used this week's Sunday Sketch, #167.

 

So, what do you think of the coloring?  How can I improve?  Thanks for your feedback!  
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Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 340 blank and 140 AnyHero (as of 1/7/13)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Spring Swap Kits 2 and 3

Tonight I tackled two more of the kits I got from my Scrap to Treasure swap.  One kit is from Michelle.  The other is still anonymous but I'm hoping the sender will comment here or on S2T so I'll know who sent it.  I added in some of my own papers to make a second card with the left over pieces from each kit.

These two are from Michelle's kit:

OWH Sketch 145

 And these are from the anonymous kit:

OWH Sketch 149

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 340 blank and 140 AnyHero (as of 1/7/13)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Spring Swap 1

I joined a spring card kit swap on FB.  This kit came from Ann M.  It included a sentiment and stamped butterfly, two pp, tan ribbon, punched butterflies, and blue cardstock.   The bling was mine but everything else was from the kit.  I used OWH sketch 157.

Thanks, Ann.  :)  I'll be posting the other 5 over the next week or so. 
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Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 340 blank and 140 AnyHero (as of 1/7/13)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

OWH Sketch #148

I started this card around Christmas when I was visiting my parents but I waited to finish it until today when I found my package of tags.   This is OWH Sketch #148. 

I used papers from the Arctic Wishes mat stack, a Fiskars border punch, and a Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder.  A little ink, a few embellishments, and the card was finished. 

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 340 blank and 140 AnyHero (as of 1/7/13)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Sunday Sketch #154

Here's the first sketch of 2013!  This is sketch #154, available on the OWH blog.  The new year also meant a change for the OWH Sketch mistress.  Julie is "retiring" and moving on to other things.  Marlene is taking the lead on sketches this year.  The other change is that now the sketches will be created based on cards that are already posted to OWHers blogs.  That's some incentive to make awesome cards and post them!  (Previously, Julie invented the sketches and had volunteers make samples.)

Did you complete all of the 2012 sketches?  Do you have a goal for this year?  I have just a couple left from last year that I haven't completed quite yet.  I'll definitely do all of the sketches this year, too.  They're a fun way to get started if you're stuck with no mojo! 

I used scraps of a variety of TPC Studios papers.  The die cut is a Sizzlit that I almost never use, but it seemed fitting for the central element of this card.  The stamp is from an old SU set. 

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 340 blank and 140 AnyHero (as of 1/7/13)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

A Productive Saturday

I hadn't spent a long stretch being crafty in quite some time, so today I let loose and whipped up 51 cards.  My box was nearly ready to go to OWH shipper Kris before my crafting session.  When it was over, I could barely get the box closed!  It will be at the P.O. on Monday.  The box is loaded up with 340 blank cards and 140 AnyHero letters written by my 8th graders.  The letters turned out better this year than last, I think, in part because I shrunk the pages down to be just a half sheet of paper so the kids weren't overwhelmed with too much writing space and too much to color in the time we can allot for the project. 

I made 15 or so of this card which will be perfect for our heroes to send home to children.  Or their dogs.  Whichever!  :)  I might make some for my next box, too, since I have 25 sheets of that patterned paper. 

This was a unique card made from scraps on my desk and OWH Sketch #143. 

Have you had a productive craft session lately?  I hope so! 
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Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 340 blank and 140 AnyHero (as of 1/7/13)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Winter Wishes

I bought some Christmas papers on clearance after the holiday so I can be ready for next year's cards.  OWH has early deadlines for holidays to accommodate the mail transit time necessary for cards to reach shippers, be sorted, travel overseas, reach heroes, and return to the USA.  This means that holiday papers and embellishments don't always hit store shelves before the deadlines.  I didn't get a new pack of Christmas paper to use this year because it wasn't in stores, so I'm setting aside what I just bought for summer.  I did sneak a few sheets to use now, though!

This card is based on OWH Sketch 144!  Since Sandy has challenged us to make at least 20 kids cards, I made 5 of these and used up all of the papers with the seal from the pack. 


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Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: None just yet, but there will be 300+ blank and 140 AnyHero cards in the mail this week!  
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Sunday Sketch!

Julie asked me to make samples for this week's Sunday Sketch.  Be sure to go over to OWH Stars and Stamps to see the measurements for Sketch #142 and all the variations that OWHers come up with.  

Here are my three samples:

I used some washi in my first card.  To make sure it was aligned well, I stuck it to strips of cardstock first, cut those to the banner shape, and then adhered them to the card.  

Target up & up paper tape (washi) from the office supply aisle
Sentiment retired by SU
Punches by SU and EK Success 

I wanted to showcase a sticker card and/or a card without a sentiment, so that's how this one came about.  The orange paper is really Halloween paper, so I would encourage you to look at your stash in a new light to see if your holiday papers are really multi-purpose papers! 

Papers: Pebbles, DCWV
Sticker: Me and My Big Ideas
Ovals: Nestabilities

I'm not usually one to do vintage or shabby chic looks, but many OWHers like this style more than my typically graphic style, so I thought I'd give it a try.  I chose papers from one 6x6 pad to aid in coordination.  I used a Tim Holtz Distress Tool to rough up the edges of the banners.  I softened the sentiment paper by stamping flowers in the background.  Finally, I added some thin buttons tied with twine.  I only used a half tie and a super thin glue dot so they would stay flat enough for mailing.  I also made sure to pop the sentiment on dimensional tape to somewhat even out the thickness of the card overall. 

Papers: My Mind's Eye Honey Cake
Stamps: SU (sentiment from Best Yet) and Unity (flower on sentiment paper)
Buttons: stash
Twine: Whisker Graphics Divine Twine in Peach
Punch: EK Success

Thanks for visiting.  Sorry if you were here at 7:00am and the post wasn't up yet!  Time got away from me yesterday and I didn't get it posted! 
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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero (as of 10/9)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Paper Smooches/ OWH Sketch #135

Paper Smooches challenged us to make a card using OWH Sketch #135.  I'm a big fan of featuring patterned paper on my card, so I did just that and added a Paper Smooches sentiment with a colored in heart covered with Glossy Accents.  

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

OWH Sketch #141

It's Sunday, so that means it's time for a sketch.  I made his and hers cards using scraps of things on my desk.  If I can get two completely different cards out of the leftovers on my desk, it must be time to do a little cleaning in the craft room!

The papers on this masculine card are all Graphic 45 A Proper Gentleman.  Buttons are Making Memories brads.  Nestabilities 8 was used for the fancy shape, an idea I shamelessly stole from Jen, the sketch example maker for the week.

The papers on this girly card are all either DCWV or Fiskars.  I did the edging with deco scissors because they were hanging around on my desk, too.  

 

Here's the link to sketch #141 so you can play along, too.  There's even a bonus sketch there! 

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Bonus Sketch!

Julie posted a bonus sketch on her blog and on OWH Stars and Stamps.  Here's what I came up with: 

The stamp and patterned paper are by TPC Studios. 


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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Candy: Twine and Unity FWF

Here's a card for this week's Unity Friends with Flair.  This stamp (which comes with a sentiment that reads, "I enjoy your company") is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.  The size is absolutely great for cards.

I also posted this card to the Whisker Graphics page because they're looking for projects made with their products.  All the patterned papers on this card are from My Mind's Eye.  The sketch is Operation Write Home #107. 

As part of the Operation Write Home World Card Making Day Bloghop, I'm giving away 10 yards of this gorgeous twine.  Want some?  Here's what you need to do:

1. Comment on this post letting me know you're interested in the prize.
2. Comment on my card on the World Card Making Day post above this one dated October 6th.  (If you're here too early, come back on Saturday to see that post!)

I'll give away another 10 yard length of this great twine for every 50 entries I get.   Winners will be chosen Thursday, October 11. 
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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Last of the 6x6 pad

Tonight I set out to finish up the 6x6 paper pad I started on Saturday.  I originally made 14 cards, then 5 last night, and finished up with 13 more tonight.  All told, I made a total of 32 cards from this $2 paper pad (and a bunch of solid cardstock, of course).  The embellishments came from left overs on my desk for the most part. 

The vellum sentiment on the bottom card was adhered with Xyron create a sticker.  Thanks to the poster of this tip on OWH's wall a few months ago! 

This brad is probably 8 years old and it just got a home on this card!

The card on the right is based on the Tuesday Tutorial "Scrappy Background."

Four of each of these cards in different papers will make their way to OWH. 

Now that I'm done with this paper, I'm going to leave the 6x6 challenge to the side for a while.  I'm a little burnt out from the pressure to finish all of that paper! 

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

More from the 6x6 paper pad

I spent a few quick minutes in the craft room tonight to make some more cards from my 6x6 paper pad that I started working on over the weekend.

This time, I chose OWH Sketch #67.  It's a simple sketch with two papers, a ribbon, and a tag.  It would actually make a good kit card, I think.

I made 5 with different paper combinations.  All use the same ric rac by Wrights and the same SU stamp from Too Terrific Tags.  I colored the tags with Copics and attached them with brads from my stash that I believe are from Fiskars. 

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Snowman Thanks

I based this card off OWH Sketch #37.   If you try the sketch yourself, please note that the vertical strip is marked 2.5" wide but I found that it looked better much narrower (as it's pictured in the sketch), so I changed it to 1.25" wide. 

This was one of those cards where I got 80% finished and couldn't figure out what to do to finish the card.  I picked the papers, cut the background and strips, stamped the sentiment, and could not decide on an image.  I finally found this snowman from Unity that I'd never inked up.  It was part of a grab bag that I got in the spring so I don't know what it's called. 

I used random supplies from my stash to make 18 kits of this card for my party.  That brings my total to 201 including my samples.  I actually have 18 different designs ready, too! 

Papers: K&Co (floral), Fiskars (pink vines), Making Memories (blue), stash (ivory)
Punch: Tonic
Stamps: Unity (snowman- unknown name), Heidi Swapp (thank you)
Coloring: Copics
Sketch: OWH #37
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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

My Mind's Eye 6x6

Kristie shared a tutorial on OWH Stars and Stamps recently in which she explained her strategy of using an entire 6x6 pad of paper to make cards before moving on to a new paper line.  I thought this was a cool concept, though I wondered if I would be tired of the papers before I finished the pad of paper.

On Saturday, I got a new 6x6 pad by My Mind's Eye called "A Happy Heart."  For $2 on clearance, I was ready to see how many cards I would make from one pad.  I didn't have the desire to sit and make 20-30 cards in one sitting, so I stopped halfway through the paper pack.  With 12 sheets of patterned paper used (and at least that many sheets of solid cardstock), I produced 14 cards.  I took my cue from the title and made love cards for the most part.  

Most of these cards come from OWH Sketches.  The others were just designs in my brain!  

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Birthday kit

As I make cards for OWH, I stamp the backs, tuck them in envelopes, and store them in the shipping box divided up by theme.  One reason I do this is it saves me time when the box is full.  Another reason I do this is to make sure I'm getting a good variety of themes made.  I tend to make oodles and oodles of love cards if I don't make an effort to switch it up.  I noticed that the birthday section of my box was very small, so I decided to make a kit of 12 of these birthday cards.  There were lots of layers to cut for this card, so it wasn't a quick kit to assemble, but I like the final look.  I also did the corner punching for the sentiment and adhered those two layers together.  My friends will just need to adhere the layers and make the ribbon embellishment.

This is OWH Sketch #107 turned sideways.   Just for fun, here's the first card I made with this sketch when it was posted in February. 

The papers are from a KI Memories pack I've had for a while.  Ribbon is old MS.  The stamp is from my favorite set of Inkadinkado sentiments.

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Cream in my coffee

Look!  It's a masculine love card!  And it's brown!  Perfect for OWH!  I made 12 kits for next Friday's party.  Oh, I am so ready to be done making kits!  I think I'll do two or three more kit designs this weekend and call it finished.

Sketch: OWH #114
Stamps: TPC Studios Coffee Cafe
Papers: American Traditions Road Trip
Coloring: Copics
Brads: Stash (probably Colorbok)

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 928 blank and 215 AnyHero (as of 6/26)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.