How-To: Moo Card Gift Tag with Liquid Applique

I've already mentioned that I'm trying to use up some of the supplies I already have, and while rooting around in my cabinet I came across an unopened tube of Liquid Applique. I've had this for years, along with a pink tube (also unopened). I probably never used them because once I had them, I really couldn't come up with anything I'd want to use them for. But since the current challenge at make a moo or two is to try something new, I thought I'd give this stuff a go, and I made the little moo-sized gift tag pictured above.

Liquid Applique is really so easy I probably don't need to give you directions here, but since it might be helpful to see before and after photos, just in case you've never used it, here's a brief tutorial.

For my moo card, I first stamped some snow people onto white card stock. That tube of Liquid Applique in the photo below doesn't appear to be white, but I remembered buying white, so I went ahead and tried it anyway.

Next, I simply added the tiniest bit of Liquid Applique to the snowflakes and along the bottoms of the snow people.

Here's what it looks like (below) when it's still wet. Now, the package says you can heat set it right away to puff it up, or for best results you can let it dry overnight before heating it. I decided to let it dry overnight so I could move on to some other things.

The next day, I heated it with my heat embossing tool until it was puffy. You don't want to do this too long, because I've heard that it will scorch. I was pleased to see the Liquid Applique become much whiter after drying and heating.

To complete my gift tag, I added some color with Prismacolor pencils, and put some color into the background with a blender pen and blue ink. If you intend to do much coloring with pencils, you might want to do that before you add Liquid Applique, because it's hard to color around lumpy stuff.

To complete the tag/moo card, I trimmed the piece down and glued it to red card stock, then added a tiny eyelet and a silver cord, as pictured in the photo at the top of this blog post.

Moo Cards - Clocks

The current challenge at Make a Moo or Two is clocks. For my moo cards, I laser-printed a clock onto scrapbook paper, added some stamped images, and completed the project with text printed onto cardstock, and some tiny pieces of mulberry paper. Very quick and easy!

Moo Cards - Wheels

"Wheels" is the topic this week over at Make a Moo or Two. I haven't participated in a challenge in a while, but I've been saving up a sheet of scrapbook paper that features cute vintage illustrations, and I thought the two images above would be perfect for this creative prompt. Have I told you how much I love to make moo cards? They're the perfect size for using up scraps of paper, they're quick and easy, and they're fun to collect and trade. They can also be attached to handmade greeting cards if you think you actually need to use them for something!

Moo Card - Birds

If you love moo cards, you should head on over to Make a Moo or Two, where you can find loads of inspiration in dozens of styles. This week, the challenge topic there is birds. On the moo card pictured here, I've heat embossed a tiny bird in winter white, and simply layered her over some stamped flowers and swirls in cheerful summer colors. As I nearly always do, I've added a bit of knotted ribbon.

Moo Cards - Black and White

Finally, I had time to make some moo cards! I love to work small, and the moo card is probably my favorite format for little pieces of art. The nice thing about moos is that they can stand alone, or can be added to a greeting card or other piece of art. The cards pictured here are for Make a Moo or Two, where the challenge this week is black and white. Here, I've simply done some very basic stamping with black ink on white cardstock, then framed it all up on black cardstock. All stamps and cardstock are from Stampin' Up!.

Moo Card - Cats

Cats are the current theme at Make a Moo or Two. Here, I've stamped my cat with black ink, then colored him with Prismacolor pencils. I added a few fish to the background (what cat doesn't like fish?), corrugated some red cardstock for extra pop, and finished everything off with a silver cord. Now I'm wondering how long that little bird is going to last! Stamps, ink, and cardstock from Stampin' Up!.

Moo Cards - Girls

After returning from 4 days on the road, I'm finally getting around to some artwork. I find it difficult to unpack and get settled back into my routine, even after a short trip like this one. There's always laundry, picking the dogs up from "doggy camp", reassuring the cats that it's not necessary to be angry with us for leaving, and catching up on things like email and other business.

I love making moo cards, so I didn't want to miss this week's Make a Moo or Two challenge, which is Girls. Above, I've used a combination of rubber stamping and things I've cut from inkjet-printed images.

Vintage Moo Cards

The prompt this week at Make a Moo or Two is vintage. For the moo cards pictured above, I simply chopped up a bunch of Dover images and layered them onto cardstock. It's nearly impossible for me to make anything without ribbon, so of course I had to use it on two of my cards.

Dover Publications is a great way to collect free images, and many of them are suitable for cards and collage work. You can sign up for their free weekly downloads here.

Spring Moo Cards

Cold. Again. As we walked the dogs this morning, ice began falling from the sky. The sleet bouncing off their backs didn't phase Jasmine or Harley, but for me, gloves and jackets are getting a bit old. The only sign that it was spring, and Easter Sunday, was the trail of spilled jelly beans in the park.

So, I welcomed the spring theme for the make a moo or two challenge. Lately I've been inspired by pink - it cheers me up and gives me hope that spring really is here!

Moo Cards - Favorite Color

The theme this week at Make a Moo or Two is your favorite color. Today, my favorite colors are green and purple, but that might change tomorrow, or tonight, or maybe even in a few minutes, although green will probably still be on the list. There aren't really any colors I don't enjoy, so my favorite usually depends on my mood, or is perhaps influenced by something I've just seen.

Moo Card - Travel

The challenge this week at Make a Moo or Two is travel. I have a single moo card for this theme, but may add a few more later when I have time. I had no particular destination in mind here, in spite of the New York postmark. It's all about the journey anyway, isn't it? For this card, I've used a bit of hand-dyed mulberry paper, and all cardstock, ink and stamps are from Stampin' Up!.

Moo Cards - Friendship

The theme this week at "make a moo or two" is friendship. These are my first moo cards, and they certainly won't be my last. Although it took some time to get used to cutting out tiny elements and planning the space on such a small scale, I do enjoy working in this size. For those not "in the know", a moo card measures only 2.8 x 7 cm, or approximately 1.1 x 2.8 inches.

I seem to be stuck on turquoise lately. I'll try to move on!