Tutorial - Greeting Card

Hey stampers I just finished a tutorial on how to make those fun greeting card organizers like the one we made at Stamp Club this past weekend.
Basic Supplies:

Rubber Stamp Sets - Calligraphy Alphabet, Favorite Florals

Ink Pads - Que's colors, Pink, Moss Green, and Robins EggPattern cardstock - I used the K&Co Belle collection by Amy Butler

Scor-It tool or a ruler and bone folder

Bind-It-All binding machine and coils

Ribbons - I used the Belle collection and May Arts

Brads - Belle

Paper flower by Prima
Calendar template: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ee/images/tutorials/calendar_organizer_months.pdf
First you need to pick out 6 pieces of double-sised 12x12 pattern cardstock. I am working with the Belle collection from Amy Butler and K&Co. You can find this in our store in the K&Co section. I just, love, love this pattern paper and Amy Butler. I love Amy Butler patterns so much that I had a purse made from her fabric!

Then you will need 2 more pieces for the front and back covers. Cut these down to 7 3/4".
Score the covers in the middle which should be 6", but keep in mind that not all 12x12 paper is actually 12". This paper was a bit shorter than 12" so I just used my large Scor-it to center the paper and scored in half.
Now take your 6 pages and score each one at 4.25"

Turn it to the right once (a quater turn) and then score it at 6".The pages you will fold up the side you scored at 4.25" and then in half at 6" and it should look like this.

They should look like this. Aren't they pretty?
Now is a good time to punch the pages for the coil binding using our Bind-It-All machine from Zutter (we sell in the store in the Bind-It-All catagory). This is an awesome binding machine if you are in the market for one.

OK... so I don't really like to measure pages if I can get away with and I figured out a way for this project;

Place your page in the BIA machine and there is an arrow at the top of machine... line up the arrow with the top of the folded page, then punch. Do this for all the pages. Make sure that you place all the pages into the machine facing the same way or the punched holes will be off.
Here is a close up of that.

To punch the holes on the cover center a page on the cover... the cover is slightly larger than the pages. Then slip them both into the BIA and line up the arrow and the page just like you did with the other pages, and then slip the page out leaving the cover inside the maching then punch.Print out the calendar pages on white cardstock and cut out with your paper trimmer. You will also need a piece of white cardstock 4x2".

Now let's stamp! I was so happy when I found three colors of ink that matched my pattern cardstock pefectly in my Queue collection.

I also used one of new floral stamp sets - Favorite Florals.

We are going to be layering these stamps to create a wonderful background for the cover and all the pages. Let's start with the 4x2" peice for the cover first and start with the green. Then take another stamp and use the blue color and stamp over the 1st green stamping.

Use another image over that using the pink ink. I love how that looks!

Then stamp the word "cards" over that using Jet Black StazOn ink and the Calligraphy Alphabet stamp set.

Here are all the calendar pages after they have been stamped and glued to the pages.

Let's do something fun with the stamped piece for the cover... let's bead it! You will need clear micro beads, heavy duty double sided-tape, sometimes called red liner tape, and a non-stick craft sheet. Brayer and coated scissors are optional.

Lay your stamped piece on your non-stick craft sheet and line up the tape (I am using some that comes on a 2" wide roll) and stick it down.Pull the tape/stamped piece up from the non-stick craft sheet and trim.

I like to use a brayer to make sure the tape is stuck down very well
Peel off the tape liner and dunk the piece in the clear beads.

I also like to use a brayer to make sure the beads are stuck down as well. I then matted the beaded piece with black cardstock and embellished the front cover. I used the fabric covered brads from the Belle collection along with the paper flowers, and some self-adhesive rhinestones.Now let's bind the card organizer together. The coils come in long strips and you will need to cut off a 6 coil section using wire cutters.The coils do have a back side where they meet. To hide that you can have inside the book right behind the cover. To do that flip the back cover over the front cover before you place the coils in the book. The small ends of the coils go inside the holes first.

Place the book with the small coils facing the front and pull down the lever. I am using 1" coils so the machine is set at 1" at the front.

Looking good!

Here is the completed book.
Let's take a look inside!
Here are some details from the cover.

I hope you will try making one of these fun organizers for yourself. Wouldn't they make a great gift? How about for Mothers Day? You could even stamp up a few cards to get her start her out?