3 Creative Ways to Make Housework Fun - Cardmaking Style

Hey Crafty Friends! Amy Tsuruta here. Today, I’m sharing a trio of cards featuring the Shiny New Day Collection. Let’s be honest, real-life cleaning is definitely a chore, but crafting it? Sign me up, especially when using a fresh, happy color palette!

Mess Happens

My first card features a little cleaning scene. Of course, having such cute supplies makes any chore more tolerable. I think this design is perfect for a sorry card, whether you’re apologizing for a literal mess or just sending a note when things in life get a bit messy.

• Dry emboss a Porcelain BetterPress A2 Cotton Card Panel with the Plaster 3D Embossing Folder by Simon Hurley.
• Using the BetterPress Letterpress System, ink up the BetterPress Petitte Criss Cross Press Plate with BetterPress Black ink. Run it through using a Porcelain BetterPress A2 Cotton Card Panel. Trim down a 2 ⅛ x 4 ¼ panel and adhere it to the bottom half of the Plaster panel.
• Cut a ¾ x 4 ¼ strip of Porcelain BetterPress Cotton Card Panel to put at 1 ¾ from the bottom of the card base.
• Cut the bucket from Rainforest and Tutu ColorWheel cardstock. The handle is Silver cardstock with a Peridot bucket handle.
• Heat embossed the sentiment in white from the Shiny New Day Sentiments directly onto the bucket.
• Cut the rubber gloves from Beeswax ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the sponge from Beeswax and Saffron ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the cleaning product from Tutu and Blush ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the scrubber brush from Rainforest, Tutu, and Blush ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the sweeper from Beeswax, Rainforest, and Tutu ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the Petal Fresh flower from Blush, Tutu, and Saffron, and the greenery from Peridot ColorWheel cardstock.
• Arrange all the cleaning products and supplies in the bucket.
• Finish it off with the bloom and foliage.

TIP: White space doesn’t have to be plain. Adding texture, like with an embossing folder, adds interest and depth without overwhelming the design.

Hello New Day

Fresh starts, whether it is a new job, a new home, or just a new day, can really reset your mindset. For me, that clean slate feeling is the difference between starting my day with a clean desk versus a messy one!

• Start with a Porcelain BetterPress A2 Cotton Card Panel.
• Emboss a Rainforest ColorWheel panel with the Dimpled 3D Embossing Folder by Suzanne Hue.
• Use the largest Deckled Rectangle to cut the Rainforest panel and adhere it to the Porcelain panel.
• Using the 2nd largest Deckled Rectangle, cut a separate Porcelain BetterPress A2 Cotton Card panel and adhere it on top of the Rainforest layer.
• Cut the bucket from Blush and Tutu ColorWheel cardstock. The handle is Silver cardstock with a Blush bucket handle.
• The sentiment from the Shiny New Day Sentiments set has been stamped with Garnet BetterPress ink directly onto the Blush portion of the bucket.
• Cut the rubber gloves from Beeswax ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the sponge from Beeswax and Saffron ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the cleaning spray bottle from Tutu, Rainforest, and Peridot ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the scrubber brush from Rainforest, Tutu, and Blush ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the cleaning product squeeze bottle from Rainforest and Peridot ColorWheel cardstock.
• Cut the flower from Petal Fresh set from Blush, Tutu, and Silver, and the greenery from Peridot ColorWheel cardstock.
• Arrange all the cleaning products and supplies in the bucket.
• Add a strip of Fawn to the bottom of the Porcelain BetterPress Cotton Panel to ground the bucket.
• Finish it off with the bloom and foliage.

TIP: I love layering textures! Using the Deckles Rectangles adds a touch of quiet interest, allowing the 3D embossing to step up the overall design.

Buckets of Happy

I had a lot of fun with this final card. To me, buckets of happy = rainbow colors. I knew the Suds & Buds 3D embossing folder would be the perfect bubbly backdrop for this scene. To keep that bubble theme going, I had to add the sentiment to a circle.

• Start with a Porcelain BetterPress A2 Cotton Card Panel as the card base.
• Cut the largest Emerald Cut Label out of a Porcelain BetterPress Cotton panel.
• Cut a Porcelain BetterPress panel with the coordinating Emerald Cut Label interior and then emboss it with the Suds & Buds 3D Embossing Folder.
• Adhere the Emerald Cut Label pieces together and add them to the A2 base panel.
• Cut the bucket three times with Blush + Tutu, Bellini + Color, and Beeswax + Saffron ColorWheel cardstock. The handles are Silver cardstock with Blush, Bellini, and Saffron bucket handles.
• The Petal Fresh flowers are cut from Blush + Tutu, Bellini + Coral, and Saffron + Beeswax. All the flowers have Silver centers. The greenery sprigs are cut from Peridot.
• Stack the buckets pink, orange, and yellow on the bottom. Add the coordinating blooms and the greenery sprigs to the pink and yellow buckets.
• Heat emboss the sentiment from the Shiny New Day Sentiments set in white on Peridot ColorWheel and cut with an Everlasting Circle die.

TIP: If you’re ever at a loss for which colors to use, you can’t go wrong with a classic ROYGBIV stack. Whether you have the whole rainbow to work with or only three of the colors, it’s an instant mood-lifter.

I hope these shiny new designs inspire you to take a little creative break today, even if the real-life dishes are still waiting. You can visit me over on Instagram or www.craftee1.com.

Other supplies

Hero Arts White Embossing Powder, Hero Arts Embossing & Watermark Ink Pad