Interactive Card With Essentials By Ellen Binge Watching Lady

The only thing better than creating & sharing a handmade card might be creating & sharing an interactive card with fun moving parts! We adore the way Kelly Griglione’s creative mind works and we know you are going to love the clever & cool interactive card she is sharing with you today!

Hi Folks! Kelly here with a special card made with the Binge-Watching Leading Lady. I love how even just hearing the term “binge-watching” makes you instantly think of snuggling up on the couch, relaxing, and having nowhere you need to be. Right away you get a warm feeling inside.

Of course I wanted to feature the binge-watching lady with as many of her cute accessories as I could, but I also wanted a TV since that’s what she’s going to be watching. The Instant Photo Frame by Julie Ebersole is perfect for a big screen TV, but the question I was having is what to put on the TV. Then it hit me. Static! Remember way back when once it got to be really late, the network would “sign off” to end their programming for the day, and then there would be nothing but static on the TV? Well I thought that would be a unique way to convey your love for someone special. Your love is so everlasting, that there’s going to be nothing but static on the TV by the time you’re at the end of the programming. 

And to take it a step further, I thought it would be really fun to … animate the static! 

Let’s take a look!

Here are the additional dies I used to build this scene: the Letterboard die for the white wainscotting texture, the Strands die for the static, and the Instant Photo Frame for the TV.

I cut a strip of cardstock with the Strands die and colored the strands with different shades of gray. I kept the negative waves in position on my cutting plate and colored them in different shades of gray as well, and then added darker dots to make the static.

To keep the waves in place I used Jennifer McGuire’s trick of putting a piece of Glad Press ‘N Seal on top, flipping it over, and placing the adhesive on. Then I adhered them to a piece of black cardstock which will go behind the TV.

Now the fun begins …

Placing the strands over the static TV, I punched 3 holes on each side of the TV. Its important to make sure an imaginary horizontal line going through each hole would not intersect with any part of the waves. This will make sure the waves can move freely from side to side. Then I used some black thread and made two giant stitches on each end holding the waves to the TV. At this point I tested everything out by moving the waves back and forth. The stitches allowed the movement, but prevented the waves from moving past the solid portion of the strip of paper.

To ensure smooth movement, I built up the layers of the TV around the waves by adding cardstock to the top and bottom of the TV (the middle pieces shown here). Then I added another Instant Photo Frame on top of everything, making sure to only adhere it on the top and bottom. 

Now that the TV is complete, we need to figure out how to operate it on the card.

By putting the TV all the way to the right, that allows space on the left to hide the mechanics under some wainscotting and the binge-watching lady. Like the TV, I built up layers around the wave mechanism so it would move freely. This is the L shape of cardstock you see in the lower left of the card.

Now when you move the waves all the way to the left, they rest comfortably inside their little space. You  may have noticed that I colored each end of the wave strip in black, AND added the remote control to the right side. Now when you operate the mechanism, you’re actually GRABBING THE REMOTE : ) 

I’m telling you, I was cracking myself up in the craft room that evening!

Would you like to see it in action?!

It works! There is no doubt the extent of your love now … you’ll be there until the wee hours of the morning, when all the programming is finished, and there’s only static left on the TV.

I enjoyed putting all the accessories on top of the TV, like the bowl of fresh popcorn (and the individually die cut pieces of popcorn … adore!!) and the glass of soda. The flower is actually potted in the ice cream container. I just didn’t ink up the cone when stamping it, and now it’s the perfect terracotta pot for your flowers!

Here’s a good look at the ice cream container. Our lady is holding a pack of Gummy Bears (again, she’s here for the long haul!) and a spoon for her ice cream. I added the “just one more” sentiment to her T-shirt in case the recipient plays around with the accessories and removes them from her hand. It will be a nice surprise.

Let’s also talk about the lounge pants … how fun are those to color?! And those furry blue bunny slippers!! 

I hope this article gives you some ideas on how to use your dies in different ways, and also how to add some mechanical features to your cards when you can. I think it gives an extra level of uniqueness for those special projects, and those special people in your life. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Kelly

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