'One Layout, Four Cards' Glitter Pot Class Cards

On Saturday I ran a 'One Layout, Four Cards' class at the Glitter Pot - I had a great day with a lovely bunch of ladies!  I very often hear card makers say they struggle to come up with ideas, that sometimes when they sit down to create nothing comes to mind.  I find sketch layouts a wonderful way to kickstart the mojo and a fab jumping off point so I felt that would be a good idea for a class.

I designed a layout and then made four different cards using the layout but altering the design each time by rotating the sketch and using different shapes.  I also changed things up a bit by making each card in a different style.  You don't have to slavishly copy a layout, just keep to the main elements and have fun experimenting with rotating and flipping, using different shapes and moving elements around.

Here's the layout:

Here are the four cards all together.

In the morning the class made the owl card and the flower trio card.  Here's the owl card closed.

Here's the cute and fun style owl card open on display - I used the layout 'as is' but added a fun twist by turning the card into a kickstand card.  This layout is perfect for a kickstand card!  I cut a 5 3/4" square of white CS and then formed the kickstand by scoring an A4 length strip of white CS in half and gluing the back of the strip to the back of the square base.  I covered the front of the white strip with green CS and then added a strip of brown Core'dinations CS that had been embossed with a feathers embossing folder and scuffed with sandpaper.  The owl was paper pieced.  I added punched white circles and bronze gems to the eyes but a few ladies on the class used googly eyes - to great effect!  The feathers under the sentiment were embossed, scuffed and fussy cut.

Here's the flower trio Happy Birthday card.  I chose the colour combo from some of the colours in the pretty butterfly paper.  With this card I flipped the layout upside down and used a clean and classic style.  More fussy cutting with the stamped flowers here!

In the afternoon the class made the kraft flower card and the stars card.  The flower card is in the shabby, distressed style and I rotated the layout to a landscape orientation.  The shabby bloom was made by stacking six die cut flowers which had been spritzed with water and scrunched up.  I fixed the layers together with a brad and covered the brad with a large pearl.  The strip of dotty paper was distressed with an edge distressing tool and I inked the edges of the lavender flower shape and the brown circle with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  I also applied some of the ink to the dotty grosgrain ribbon.  One of the ladies on the class inked around the whole card front with Walnut Stain ink and I thought that looked fab so I quickly inked my card too - but this photo was taken before the class so shows the uninked card!  Thank you Janet M!

Lastly is this clean and simple stars card.  It's totally flat so great for posting - but there's a stylish touch to the card with a cut out aperture.  Here's the card closed.

Here's the card open.  The large die cut silver star was glued to the card front and then a smaller star die was placed over the centre and a star aperture cut out.

Here's what the card looks like on the inside.  The sentiment circle is glued behind the star aperture.

I hope I demonstrated to the ladies that a sketch layout is a valuable resource - especially if  you're having a creative block or you need to create a card in a hurry.  A printout of the layout was given to everyone on the class for them to use in the future.  I am running another 'One Layout, Four Cards' class in April with a brand new layout and set of cards.  I'd love for this class idea to really take off so that I can create a 'Layout Library' - let's wait and see!

Supplies for owl card:
Stamps: Woodware 'What a Hoot'
CS: Glitter Pot thick white CS, Core'dinations CS in 'Crushed Olive' & 'French Roast'
Patterned paper: Doodlebug Hello Sunshine 'Garden Trellis'
Ink: VersaMark, Gathered Twigs Distress Ink, Burnt Orange ProMarker (for colouring beak)
Tools: Crafts Too 'Feathers' 7" x 5" embossing folder, 1/4" circle punch, sponge dauber
Embellishments & accessories: green and brown pencils (for colouring branch and leaves), Papermania Bronze gems, sandpaper

Supplies for flower trio card:
Stamps: Woodware 'Flower Head Selection' & 'Happy Birthday' sets
CS: Glitter Pot Thick White CS, Glitter Pot black CS, Bazzill 'Watermelon', 'Petalsoft', 'Lagoon' & 'Jetstream'
Patterned paper: Pebbles 'Garden Party - Daffodil'
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black
Tools: Woodware Inverted Corner Rounder & Regular Flower punches
Embellishments & accessories: PaperMania clear & black gems, 3D foam pads

Supplies for shabby bloom card:
Stamps: none
CS: PaperMania Kraftstax A4 card, Bazzill 'Heidi' 
Patterned paper: Bo Bunny 'Plum' Double Dot. Echo Park 'Bundle of Joy - Green/Brown'
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Jet Black StazOn, SU! Pool Party, Ranger Tim Holtz Evergreen Bough & Salty Ocean Distress Inks
Tools: Sizzix 'Flowers' Framelits die set, circle Nestabilities die, Tim Holtz Paper Distresser,  1/4" circle punch, paper piercer, spritzer bottle, sponge dauber
Embellishments & accessories: Woodware Lavender dotty grosgrain ribbon, brad, adhesive pearls

Supplies for stars card:
Stamps: Personal Impressions 'Everyday Words - Happy Birthday' set
CS: Glitter Pot Medium White CS, Bazzill Swiss Dot 'Pepper', silver glitter card
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black
Tools: Spellbinder's Stars Nestabilities dies, circle Nestabilities die