For every shaker card I’ve made, there is at least one that ended up in my trash bin. Here are some shaker cards tips I have learned from my tragic experiences, as seen on the card above.
Planning
Let’s face it: shaker cards require planning. Sometimes, a good idea in your head doesn’t pan out, like the card above.
Has this happened to you? Because it has to me, many times. The idea is cute and neat in my head, but of course, the execution is a different story.
To make a shaker card work, you have to factor in the area where your sequins would collect when the card is vertical, which is how most people would display their cards. So, despite a very cute design, this card was a fail, because the sequins pretty much hid the cat, and I am too much of a perfectionist to let this slide.
If you want to make a shaker card work, plan out how much sequins you will put in, and leave the bottom of the shaker with clear margins so the sequins don’t cover too much of the image.
Salvage The Sequins
Once you glued the window sheet and put foam tape on, you cannot salvage the stamped image, the card front and the window sheet, but you can cut the window sheet to save the sequins. I salvaged just the sequins to make a second card, but had to redo everything else. This time, learning from my mistake, I decided to stamp the cat upside down to avoid the sequins hiding part of it.
Static
There is no way to remove the static once the shaker is glued to the card and the sequins cling to the acetate. To remove static beforehand, you can rub a dryer sheet (like Bounce), preferably unscented, to prep the shaker and the paper so the sequins won’t cling to the acetate.
Pouring the Sequins
Be sure to use a spoon or something small to deposit a small amount of sequins at a time on the paper, preferably in the centre of where your shaker will be, to avoid the sequins getting stuck at the edges. You can pour in a lot at a time, but make sure you squeeze them in the middle, so they don’t get too close to the edge where your shaker will adhere.
That’s the basics of making shaker cards. I don’t make them often, but when I do, I try to remember these shaker cards tips so I don’t waste materials.
