Merry Monday Shaker Cards

I was thrilled that one of my favorite cardmakers started a Merry Monday Sketch Challenge to get us ahead on  Christmas cards - unfortunately, she's on sketch #5 and I have only done one of the previous sketches.  I always have great intentions but then the week gets away from me with other card needs.  So this week, I decided to do it first thing Monday.

The sketch has a basic circle, so I thought I would put together my first ever shaker card.  Sounded like a fun thing to do and then to take up to my cardmaking group this week to duplicate.

NOT fun.

So not fun, that I will likely never do a shaker card again.

It's generally quite easy and there are great tools out there to help (check out the Shaker Frame adhesive by Stampin' Up).  The problem is static!!  Did  you know that if you google "static in shaker cards" you get 11 million hits!!  And the solutions are all ugly.  They all seem to involve old dryer sheets or Swiffer cloths, BUT...you not only have to de-static the little window, you should also pour the little glass beads into a cloth and "gently" roll them around until they are de-staticed also.  Seriously!!??

My 16-year old had to come watch every time that I tried something else, because I would hold the supposedly static-free plastic window over the glass beads and they would come "alive" and leap into the air to stick to the plastic window.

Finally, I read someone's plea for help that said she was at a gathering and they made shaker cards using page protectors, but now she is home using the fancy clear cardstock and everything is sticking.  Ding...ding...ding.  Forget the fancy stuff - I ran down to my husband's office and stole a page protector.  After I swore a few times when the stuff wouldn't punch and would barely cut with a nestability - it actually works!!

This is most definitely a case of expensive isn't better.

If anybody has had better luck or has advice, please let me know.

(Actually...don't let me know...I don't plan on doing these ever again.)

If you have read through that long saga - here's the card...

And I have only just realized that I was going to put three little white glitter dots in the bottom right corner to take the place of the sentiment in the sketch, but this card is most definitely DONE.

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink tag-its #9
• Paper: Stampin' Up Green Galore textured CS, Melon Mambo, My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas dsp
• Ink: Stampin' Up Melon Mambo, Green Galore, Bermuda Bay, Papertrey Hawaiian Shores
• Accessories: Martha Stewart doilies (the package calls them "tags"), Stampin' Up Mambo ribbon, Martha Stewart Glass Microbeads, Stampin' Up Shaker Frames, circle punches, page protector