Homemade Cards

UPDATED

A card made independently by one of my students!! He actually did this activity, it was good stuff!



Cuttlebug in action

I have been into scrapbooking and making cards for many years and have always wanted to add it to my curriculum in the classroom, whether for fundraising, just for fun, or even following multi-step directions.  The problem I always faced was that it was kind of cumbersome to set up and get completed in a short amount of class time, and I felt like we wasted a lot of the supplies.  So when starting off this year, I completely through that idea out the window and went on maternity leave as well! haha.  While on leave, I caught up on some cards and scrapbook pages and once again thought there has to be a way to simplify the process but still turn out really cute cards.  A friend suggested we try the Cuttlebug which dry embosses cards and can cut out die cuts. You just place the accessories and paper in the machine and turn a crank that rolls it through. What a great idea! Just paper and glue for these cards. I don't have to worry about stamps, inks, fancy scissors, etc. Not to mention having to clean the stamps off, kids hands off, and even clothes at times! I wanted the kids to make the cards, not me or my staff, so we would teach each step and let them do it. Don't get me wrong, the kids had so much fun using inks, but it was messy and the supplies aren't cheap.

Embossing Folder Design

So I had some classroom money left and needed to spend it quickly otherwise it would get used on other stuff, and Joanns was having a sale on die cuts and machines, perfect!  So I took the plunge and bought the Cuttlebug, some simple embossing folders and die cuts, paper, glue, and some chalk inks (much cleaner than stamping inks).
Our first project was Mother's Day Cards, it went so well I couldn't believe it!!  We made 4 stations: picking your color paper and cutting to size, using the Cuttlebug to design the outside of card, writing sentiment inside, and designing front with a phrase and getting your envelope. We made 18 cards in one class period and every kid could participate and made a unique card for their Mom.  The students only needed some assistance here and there, but I can definitely see that the kids will be independent soon enough with some more practice. And how easy to assess and show progress in following directions and many other vocational skills! Huge thanks to my friend Laura, who suggested this great little machine! I hope to add some pictures of our cards soon (=