Taking Care of Business...

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It's Tuesday and I realized I hadn't had a chance yet to tackle this week's Friday Challenge: Go Green. It's a fun, "green" challenge, and one I like because I love to reuse anything if I can. For my project, I decided to recycle one of my son's multi-grain cereal boxes. We go through these like crazy and so I was happy to have a chance to put the material to good use. The cardboard is the same thickness as a full-size cereal box, and I discovered it's the perfect thickness to make handmade business cards.
To make my cards, I first cut the box into pieces the size of standard business cards (3-1/2" x 2".) I realized later that if I had made them a bit narrower, I could have gotten more cards, but I'll save that tidbit for the next batch! Next, I chose my paper and covered the pieces (Bean Tip: use a good quality glue stick as you will want to make sure the coverage is smooth and adheres completely!) I chose to put my patterned paper on the back of each card and a solid color for the front. I used three different colors for variety.
I really wanted a very clean and simple look, and so I chose my image with care, opting for this pretty daisy as spring is just around the corner. I stamped first and then used a white gel pen to color in the petals and finally sponged a bit of Soft Suede Classic Dye Ink in the middle of each daisy. I actually had to resist adding bling or dimensionals, reminding myself that these were business cards! I created a custom stamp using three font sizes and spelled out my name, blog title, and an email address. Of course, I could have put a mailing address, but I like to think of these as little calling cards, or rather, e-cards!
BEAN NOTES: JustRite My Garden and Times New Roman Small, 15 pt. and 25 pt. Font Stamps; Stampin' Up Soft Suede Classic Dye Ink; Papertrey Ink Pretty Pastels Designer Paper; SU River Rock, Sweet Blush, and Bashful Blue Cardstock; White Gel Pen (generic) HAPPY BEANS: SU Anywhere Glue Stick; Cereal Box