Clothesline card

If you have read my earlier post "house shaped card", you have seen what I started from when making this card. After making the house card, I decided to take it a step further and make a z fold or tri-fold card. I wanted to showcase the paper dolls that I made from Jessica's cut file. She was the first featured artist for the wonderful new Paper Dolls Blog. Jessica made some adorable paper doll svg's in honor of the the first Paper Dolls Challenge. Head over to the Paper Dolls site to get the paper doll cut file and join the die cutting challenge.

So my card started out as a house shaped card....

...then I wanted to add the paper dolls....

...so it grew :)

I added trees, a clothesline, and a laundry basket. And of coarse the paper dolls!

I have a little doll (cut at 2.094 wide and 3.180 high) who is helping her mom (cut at 2.756 wide and 4.185 high) hang clothes on a clothes line.

(For you younger folks...A clothesline is what people used to use to hang their clothes outside to dry)

I remember helping my grandmother hang out her clothes. That was my inspiration for this project.

Here are the deets:

I made the cut files for the card base and accessories. They took a long time to get just the way I wanted. (FYI...the card pictured above is made from my first drafts of the cut files. The pictures below are the revised version)

First, I cut the pieces and scored the card base at the edge of the house,

and the edge of the second tree

This creates the Z fold or tri-fold card.

Then I added the accessories to the house.

(see the "house shaped card" post for those details. Note: the house on this card does not have flower boxes. It just has grass and flowers attached to the house. I also put gray behind the door panel piece to look like a screen door, but wouldn't it be sooo cool to put a little piece of screen behind it!)

Next I added the tree trunks and the bottom layer of grass on the front and back sides of the card base.

A second layer of grass comes next.

Then the clothesline and tree tops.

The taller tree gets the larger set. There are two layers.

Tuck it behind the left corner of the house so it will be able to fold and unfold with the card.

Then the smaller tree.

Then the laundry basket. There is a solid layer and a layer with cut outs.

I put some "laundry" in the basket too. You can also see that I added a little extra piece of grass.

Now for the fun part, the dolls.

I dressed the little girl in a pink scalloped dress (cut at 2.136 wide and 1.777 high) and added a little skirt layer cut a little smaller.

 I folded her arms up and have her holding an extra piece of doll clothing.

For the mom, I cut another scalloped dress and made an apron.  I glued the apron to the front

Then wrapped them around to the back, and attached them. (The edges should meet. You may have to trim the edges.Now take one of the 2 inch by 1/4 inch strips from the apron cut file, fold in half, turn so right sides are facing up, and attach.

For the bow, take a two inch strip and make a loop.

Glue the ends together.

Put a small dot of glue on the inside near where the two ends are glued together.

Use a pencil or anything small to press in the middle of the loop.

You just want glue in the very center. When the glue is dry you will have a bow. I glue a small piece of paper around the middle, wrap it around to the back, trim, and glue to make the middle knot on the bow.

Repeat with the 1/8 inch strips for the top bow.

Well I know this has been a long post. I was just so excited about this card.

I made a document to help you understand what all the little pieces are. You can look at it here and also download it along with the cut files and pdf.

These files can be found on my Etsy store.

Hope you enjoyed it.

This card will be entered in the Paper Dolls Blog Challenge #1.

Please go by their site and check out all the wonderful stuff.

I am already working on another version of this card with a hammock between the tress for a Father's Day card :)