Trend Watch – Shaping Up Your Card Inspiration

Shaped cards are a great way to bring new ideas to your greeting cards.  There are so many new great dies that you can use.  Some of the clever artists we are featuring this week even created their own patterns for these awesome cards.  I have found that in the past, I used shaped cards only for kids cards but there are so many new cool options, you don’t need to be limited at all.  So be prepared to be inspired by cool new shaped cards for something a little different for your greeting cards.

This first card is a great one for a first birthday or a mother to be card.  The shape is a basic one, you can recreate but the details on this baby bib card make it such a stunner.

card by Barbara Schram photo courtesy of Explore. Dream. Discover

Cameras are so trendy right now.  I just love how Laura created the look of an old fashioned camera complete with an appropriately funny camera pun for the sentiment on the front of the card.  Double whammy!

card by Laura photo courtesy of Laura’s works of Heart

This little camper is such an adorable addition to a collection of shaped cards.  The little door opens so you can include treats inside or an invitation for a romantic road trip.  It kind of makes me want to camp even though my Winnebago experiences were less than awesome – but this card seems to make up for it.

card by Erica Cerwin photo courtesy of Pink Buckaroo Designs

Mel does some wonderful things with toast on her blog.  This was my favorite because the crust outline was just too cute.  And really, toast with a face, mustache and glasses is just to cool to pass up.

card by Mel photo courtesy of Doxie Mel Designs

The amount of patience these shorts took must have been incredible.  May actually hand stitched the jean seams in addition to creating her own pattern for the jeans!  They are just awesome.  The sentiment is perfect for these too and you can adjust it depending on the occasion.  Did I mention that the panties come out for another message?  She thought of everything with this card.

card by May Sukyong Park photo courtesy of Mayholic in Crafts

This fun card wishes you many fishes and a big wish.  Okay, I had to work too hard for that pun but I think this card is just so adorable.  It was inspired by a stamp.  Inspiration is everywhere for your next shaped beauty.

card by Amanda Burditt photo courtesy of Pandacream

Ice cream makes everyone happy and this next ice cream cone is no exception.  It is so darling.  I love the detail on the butterfly ribbon and the strings around the cone.

card by Andrea Shaffer Budjack photo courtesy of Creative Paper Trail

 I think this card is so clever for a girlfriend get together.  You can make the front of the card show the sentiment but the tag is such a cute option too.

card by Saundra photo courtesy of Luv Scrapping Together

I immediately thought of a going away card for a coworker when I saw these awesome suitcases.  But they also work really well for a vacation card.  Check out the blog for the simple pattern explanation to recreate these suitcases.

          

invitations by Steph photo courtesy of Crafting in the Rain

Owls are so cute.  I still love them even though we are on the downside of the owl trend.  I just loved that this card is made up of dies and shapes that many of us already have in our craft rooms.  Click on the picture for the pattern specs.

card by Sarah Poulton photo courtesy of Stampin Sarah

Tell me these don’t just make you smile.  Do you remember Underoos?  They were licensed super hero underwear sets for boys and girls that you could wear under you clothes.  I was partial to Wonder Woman.  All of them were awesome.  This superman under armor is just awesome!  Look at the detail in these shorts.  Just love them.

card by Ruthie Nixon photo courtesy of September Ninth

Another great idea for a girlfriend thinking of you card is this awesome retro phone.  Moe used a cut file to create this beauty and she even added an action wobble to the phone dial.  Super fun.

card by Melissa photo courtesy of Moe’s Creations

Shaped cards should definitely be in your repertoire for greeting cards.  You can use anything you love or the person loves for inspiration.  You don’t necessarily need a pattern or a die but you can use those too.  You can also make them work for everyone on your card list.  I hope you found some fun inspiration for this evergreen trend.

So go ahead… make something pretty.

I found a few dies and stamps that can provide even more inspiration for a few shaped cards of your own.