Fun Fold Autumn Card

Hello friends!  I've been noticing a few more leaves coming down from the trees in the last few days.  We don't have much in the line of fall color right now, but those leaves keep trickling down.  So, I thought I should make a card to showcase that idea. This card uses the Caring Leaves stamp set.  I really like the carefree loose look of the leaves in this set - so artistic to my thinking.  Just pair the leaves with a leafy background designer paper print and it's all set for this time of year.

Here's my fun fold version using the Caring Leaves with Cajun Craze.  My hubby says my cards are getting a little "dark", so I'll have to give this set another try using brighter colors.  But for this one, let's get to the particulars.

The base of this card is 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" as usual.  The scoring is at 2", 3 1/8", 5 3/8" and 6 1/2".  The two outer folds are valley folds, and the two inner folds are mountain folds.  If you remember that, it's all good.  For the base of this card, I chose Old Olive cardstock.  This is just such a basic color for my fall cards.

The print design used on the card is from the Iconic Celebrations Designer Series Paper pack.  The paper is cut just a tickle short of the regular size for a layer.  I wanted a bit more of the Old Olive to show through.  The length of the layers is 5 3/16" (you could cut it to 5 1/4" as usual).   For the width of the layers, the outside two strips are 1 3/4" and the strip for the middle is 2".

This picture gives you a good idea of how the card looks fully opened.  The two DSP strips are attached to the side flaps with adhesive.  The wider strip is positioned on the center area.  If you're using a DSP print that is all one picture, make sure you cut the pieces in order, so the picture is continuous.

The center stamped piece is Very Vanilla that measures about 3 1/2" x 2 1/4".  I used the Stitched Rectangle Dies to cut all three layers.  I like the stitching lines that show up on all three, but if you don't have this die set, I'm giving you approximate dimensions.  The Cajun Craze layer is about 4" x 2 5/8".  The Old Olive layer is about 4 3/8" x 3".

The leaves are stamped with three different fall colors of ink - Old Olive, Cajun Craze, and Blackberry Bliss.  Each of the detail stamps use the ink full strength, but each of the solid stamp leaves are off-stamped to give a lighter version of the color.  

After the three leaves were stamped, markers in the Old Olive and Blackberry Bliss colors were used to flick on some speckles over the design.  This gives it a little added interest.  The layers were all attached together with adhesive.  When attaching the Old Olive layer to the card base, be careful to add adhesive only down the center area of the layer.

The sentiment is from the Layers of Beauty stamp set.  The Very Vanilla piece it's stamped on is about 1 3/4" x 1" and it's stamped with Blackberry Bliss ink.  After stamping, I carefully touched just the edges of the label to the Blackberry Bliss ink pad to add a little color on each edge.  Carefully add Dimensionals only to the area of the label that will be on the layers, not the overhang area.

To finish the card, I added a Very Vanilla cardstock piece that measures 5 1/4" x 2" to the center of the back.  This can have a sentiment stamped on it or can be used to write a little note.

I decided not to add any extra bling on the card.  It already looked a little busy with the speckling of the ink on the center part of the card.

As I was playing around with this fun fold, I wanted to make another one or two cards.  I love playing with DSP and this is a perfect showcase for it.

Here's another card using the retired Flight & Airy DSP from last year.  Don't you love the look of this card?  I just love how the prints really do all the work to make these designs stand out.  Even fussy cutting the flowers and bird wasn't too time-consuming.  I tend to find it rather relaxing just snipping away!

That's my fun fold card ideas for today.   Hope you have fun with this type of fold.  Let me know what you've made using this fun fold.  It's always interesting hearing what others are making.  Hope you have a fun fold kind of day!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Thoughtful Journey Cards X 4

 Hello my friends!  What a beautiful fall day we have today.  But I can still hear the chain saws outside cutting down trees that came down during Hurricane Helene.  Just drove up our block and counted eight homes that had trees down.  Thankfully most of them didn't land on the houses, just in the yards.  But that's still a lot.  Concerning trees, I like the looks of bare trees in the winter - the silhouettes against the sky.  So that was the starting point on the cards, but I branched out from there.  Let's look at the different cards made with the Thoughtful Journey Designer Series Paper.

This is the first card I made.  I decided on the print first and chose colors of cardstock to match it.  This is a little darker style than I usually do, but I love the finished card.

The card base is Lost Lagoon that measures 11" x 4 1/4" and is scored at 5 1/2".  The Basic Black layer measures 5 1/4" x 4".   This addition really makes the other colors pop.  The black layer is attached to the card base with "green glue".

The next layer is Wild Wheat.  It measures 5" x 3 3/4".  This isn't one of my favorite colors, but I found it is a wonderful accent color for many of these Thoughtful Journey prints.  It's attached to the Basic Black layer with "green glue".

The print layer measures 4 7/8" x 3 3/4".  Before attaching to the card base, I die-cut the silhouette trees from Basic Black cardstock.  They are attached to the bottom of the DSP layer using adhesive.  The ends are trimmed on the sides to fit nicely.  The print layer was then attached to the card base using "green glue".

The sentiment is from the So Sincere stamp set.  It's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto a piece of Wild Wheat that measures 1 5/8" x 1".  After stamping, it's attached to the card front with Dimensionals.

The embellishment accent on this card is from the Blooming Pearls in the Annual Catalog.  These are the blue tones gems that I used to enhance the design.

This is the second card in the series.  The card base is Wild Wheat cardstock because it matches so well.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored at 4 1/4".

The layers were added a little differently on this card.  The Lost Lagoon cardstock layer is first and measures 5 1/2" x 2 7/8".  Next a layer of Basic Black cardstock measures 5 1/2" x 2". It's attached down the center of the Lost Lagoon layer using "green glue".  Then the layers are attached to the front of the card using "green glue".  It's attached closer to the left side.

The DSP layer is the leftover piece from the first card.  This is the back side of the print.  It is trimmed to measure 5" x 2 1/4".  "Green glue" was added down the center and then attached to the card front.

The sentiment on this card is also from the So Sincere stamp set.  It is stamped with Lost Lagoon ink onto a piece of Basic White cardstock.  After stamping, it was trimmed close to the wording with my Paper Snips.  It's attached to the card front with Mini Dimensionals.

I tried several different types of bling to accent this card.  As you can see, I ended up using the Brushed Brass Butterflies on the design.  They are small and understated.  Just the right accent for my card.

Let's continue on to the third card made with the Thoughtful Journey Designer Series Paper.

I still wanted to make another card using the tree silhouettes from the Frosted Forest dies, so I found another print that would make a lovely sky background.

To match the print, I chose a Cajun Craze card base that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

The Misty Moonlight layer was cut next.  It measures 5" x 3 3/4".  To add a small frame to this piece, a layer of Basic Black was cut to measure 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  They're attached together with "green glue".  Then they're attached to the card base with the "green glue" also.

The DSP print was trimmed to 4 3/4" x 3 1/2".  Then another silhouette tree cluster was die-cut from a 5" x 3" strip of Basic Black cardstock.  It was attached to the bottom edge of the DSP and trimmed on the two sides to fit. 

The sentiment is from the Simply Said stamp set.  It's stamped with Misty Moonlight ink directly onto the DSP.  After this, the DSP was attached to the card front using "green glue".

The bling on this card is the coral-colored dots from the Opaque Faceted Dots.  Guess these are retired already.  I'm sure you can find a different embellishment for your card if desired.

The last card in the series was designed around a piece of left over print from a previous endeavor.  The Wild Wheat worked with this print too, so it was used for the card base.  The first layer is Lost Lagoon that measures 5 1/2" x 2 7/8".  It's attached to the card base about 1/2" from the bottom edge of the card front.

The layer of DSP measures 5 1/8" x 2 3/8".  To get the skinny frame of black, I measured a piece 5 1/4" x 2 1/2".  These two layers were attached together with "green glue".  Then attached to the Lost Lagoon layer with the same adhesive.

The silhouette piece used here is from the Painted Lavender die set.  It's die-cut from Basic Black cardstock.  

The sentiment is from the Frosted Forest stamp set.  It's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto a 2 5/8" x 3/4" strip of Basic White cardstock.  This is attached with adhesive to the card front as shown.  The black die-cut piece is attached to the card front with adhesive slightly overlapping the sentiment piece.  

The embellishment on this card is also from the Opaque Faceted Gems in the Lost Lagoon color tone to match.

Here's a last look at the four cards in this collection.  I love the focal point being on the Designer Paper prints with the black accents.  Each one is a little different in composition.  Hopefully these will give you some ideas to CASE that are simple but still beautiful.  Just think of the possibilities with different prints and coordinating colors of cardstock.  I wanted to make cards that had an autumn feel to them.  But with the lovely prints of the Thoughtful Journey DSP pack, you could easily make a set of cards for each season!  Have fun coming up with your own combinations.

Thank you for sharing some of your precious time with me.  If you're looking for a demonstrator to help you out, I'd love that job!  Feel free to use the Host Code at the top of this blog.   I'll send you a card with my sincere appreciation for any orders.  Thank you so much for considering me.  If you have questions or need help, please contact me. 

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

sharoncarr50@gmail.com

Cards with a Guest Creator

Hey people!  Glad you stopped by.   With all the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we were without power for six days.  I was worried about getting the cards for the shut-ins at church made in a timely manner.  While talking to my sister bemoaning the fact I was having trouble seeing to create the cards in the semi-dark, she offered to design and cut cardstock for two sets of six cards for me.  (I already had some ready to go so that was all I needed to have enough cards.)  The cards she made really turned out lovely and I wanted to share these with you.  Thank you, Connie!!  You are an absolute lifesaver.

The first one features the gorgeous Splendid Autumn 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper and Moody Mauve cardstock.  It's funny, when I looked at that particular print, I didn't really see much of the mauve in the colors.  But wow, does it ever work together beautifully!  The card base is a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of Moody Mauve.  On this is layered a 5 1/2" x 3" piece of DSP.  It's attached near the left side with just a 1/4" of cardstock showing.

The Pretty Label Punch was used to punch a Very Vanilla label from a scrap of cardstock.  The sentiment is from the Grassy Grove stamp set.  It's stamped on the label using Moody Mauve ink.

The label is attached to the card front with Dimensionals for height.  I prefer to use Dimensionals on my sentiments most of the time, so they really stand out.

I'm not exactly sure which pack of embellishments she used.  But I'm guessing they are from the 2023-2025 In Color Opaque Sparkle Dots found on page 115 in the Annual Catalog.  Of course, I could be wrong, but these gems would work out nicely.

The 2nd set of cards she designed and provided for me also uses the Splendid Autumn Designer Paper.  Love these prints for fall!  For this card, she cut the Crushed Curry cardstock to measure 7 1/4" x 5 1/2".  It is scored at 4 1/4".  This shows off a good amount of the inside of the card for the design.

She cut two pieces of the DSP for the card.  The measurements are 5 1/4" x 2 3/4" for the front flap and 5 1/4" x 1" for the inside edge of the back to show.  You can see the design carries over and matches on the two layers.  Make sure to cut pieces that will lay side by side and match.  They are attached with adhesive.

The fold-over sentiment is a 5 1/2" x 1 1/4" strip of Crushed Curry.  The sentiment is from a non-SU! company.  It's stamped with either Cajun Craze or Cherry Cobbler ink.  I really can't tell for sure, but I'd guess Cherry Cobbler.  I think either one would work here.  It's scored at 3 3/4" and the extra is folded around to the back and attached.  

There are three golden-toned gems used to accent the card.  Not sure what these are either.  You need to use your best guess and find anything that works well with these colors.

Didn't I tell you she designed some beautiful cards for me?  It was fun going to Iowa for a wedding and meeting her and my brother there.  Four of us shared an Airbnb together and got to spend some quality visiting time together.  Plus, she brought the cards to me already to put together tomorrow with my ladies.  Isn't she just the 'bestest' sister ever?!

Thank you for stopping in and spending some time with me.  Hope you enjoyed the special cards today made by my guest designer, Connie Juengel.  It was my pleasure to share them with you.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Hot Cocoa for Autumn

Hello Friends!  It's good to be back home again.  Wonderful visit catching up with family, but it's good to be home.  On the last post I made I said I had more cards made with the More Than Autumn Bundle that I wanted to share.  So that's what I have for you today.  Don't worry, I will move on to other stamp sets, but right now I've been having fun creating with this.

Isn't this a bright and happy card?  Love the color combo used here.  Definitely cheerful!  Let's start with a Lost Lagoon cardstock base that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.

There is a layer of Calypso Coral next.  This measures 5 1/4" x 4".  The So Swirly Embossing Folder was used to give this layer a wonderful swirly background.  It reminds me of a beverage swirling in my cup.  After embossing, the layer is attached to the card base with "green glue".

Next is a print layer from the A Little Latte Designer Series Paper.  This plaid print reminds me of a cozy flannel shirt to stick with the theme.  It measures 5 1/4" x 2" and is attached to the card base with "green glue".  I had a bit of the Lost Lagoon ribbon from a previous catalog left over that works great here.  The ribbon is right around 5" long.  I used adhesive to attach it to the card front lining it up with one of the plaid lines to keep it straight.

The cute mug is cut from another print from the same DSP pack.  It shows a brown liquid in the cup that I was using as hot chocolate for this card.  The stamp set More Than Autumn has a stamp to make a pile of marshmallows that fit perfectly in my cup.  The marshmallows are stamped with Crumb Cake ink and then die-cut with the coordinating die from the set.  They are attached over the top of the cup and then it is attached to the card front with Dimensionals.

The words are from the More Than Autumn set.  The top words are stamped with Lost Lagoon ink on a 1/2" strip of Basic White then trimmed to fit.  It's layered onto a Lost Lagoon strip that measures 5/8" x 2".  This is attached near the top of the card using adhesive.

The 'Hot Cocoa' is stamped with Pecan Pie ink on a 3/4" x 2" strip of Basic White cardstock.  It's layered onto a Lost Lagoon piece that measures 1 1/8" x 2 3/8".  The strip is attached at a slight angle under the cup using Dimensionals.

The final addition to the design was the bling of course.  I tried several.  Yes, I seem to have trouble deciding on what embellishments to add to my cards every time!  This time I chose to use the Opaque Faceted Gems in the Pool Party color.  I know there's no Pool Party on the rest of the card, but I loved the contrast here when I tried it.

Wish you were here so we could get comfy with a cup of cocoa and have a long visit.  But this is the closest we can come to that right now.  Just know that I'm thinking of you my friends and appreciate you so much!  Missing you too!

Things got away from me while I was out of town.  Stampin'Up! is having a 3-day sale October 7-9.  Unfortunately, today is already the 8th.  But you can still get 15% off all stamps in the Annual Catalog only.   If you have time, you might want to check your wish list and see if any stamps in the Annual Catalog need to be purchased by tomorrow.  Sorry for the lateness of this notice!

Thank you for sharing some time with me today.  Hope you like this cozy card and give it a try.  Any questions, leave a comment on the bottom or contact me at sharoncarr50@gmail.com.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Back again!

Did you miss me?  This past week we've had no power and no internet because of Hurricane Helene.  The week with no power sure makes me appreciate turning on lights when it's dark, hot showers at the end of a rough day, internet access, food, and more. Power came on yesterday and we're rejoicing!  We were discussing how blessed we our with all our modern conveniences that we just take for granted.  I'm sure ready for Thanksgiving this year with a very long list of things I'm thankful for.  But we're not there yet.  It's just barely October, so I should stick to cards that are more fall themed.   The More Than Autumn Bundle that is used here is an Online Exclusive and just awesome!  If you don't have it already, I hope you check it out.  Anyway, there are cards sitting here patiently waiting to get posted.  So, let's get to it!

I was having fun playing with the More Than Autumn Bundle when I got the idea to pair it with some wonderful fall color DSP's.  This card uses both the Earthen Elegance and Nature's Sweetness Designer Series Paper packs.  I love this card in person, but it may be a little dark for you.  Personal Preference.

Start with a Copper Clay cardstock piece that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.  To this an interesting print layer from the Earthen Elegance DSP was added.  I love the colors and the look of the carved stylized leaves in this print.  This layer was attached to the Copper Clay base using adhesive.

Next was a layer of Pebbled Path checked print from the Nature's Sweetness DSP pack.  This was a leftover from another project that I thought was a good color blend and the right size for the card design.  This measures 3 3/4" x 2".  This is framed with a layer of Basic Beige cardstock that measures 4" x 2 1/4".  Attach these together with adhesive.  Then attach them to the center of the card front with adhesive.

Making the cup and extra pieces came next.  The cup was stamped onto Very Vanilla cardstock using Pebbled Path ink.  It was colored with Blends before die-cutting.  The cup was colored with Copper Clay Light and Dark, and Ivory.  Some of the Color Lifter was used in the highlight area on the cup.

The whipped cream was stamped with Crumb Cake ink.  Then both images were die-cut with the matching dies.  I also cut "latte" from Pebbled Path and the heart from Copper Clay.  The heart was given a heavy coating of Wink of Stella to accent it.  The word was attached to the middle band of the cup, then the heart added below it.

Both sentiments were stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock.  The top piece measures 2 1/2" x 7/8".  Both Pebbled Path and Copper Clay inks were used to stamp the sentiments from the More Than Autumn set.

A small piece of Very Vanilla was used to stamp the "yum" with Copper Clay ink.  This stamp is from the Ice Cream Swirl set and I thought it went perfectly with the card.  After stamping it was trimmed closer to fit.

The cup and whipped cream were attached to the card front with Dimensionals.  The larger sentiment was attached with adhesive above the whipped cream.  The "yum" was attached near the bottom with adhesive added on the left side and a Mini Dimensional on the right side to keep it flat.

I totally love the look of this card and hope you love it too.  There are more cards ready to share with this same set.  But I won't be sharing anything else for the next several days as we're flying out to Iowa for a family wedding.  But stay tuned and I'll be back by the middle of next week - as long as we have no more crises.  Stay well.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Golden Greenery and Bells

Hello friends!  I hope you're staying dry if you live anywhere in the path of hurricane "Helene".  Oh boy, we've had enough rain for a while, but I don't think it's quitting any time soon.  They've even shut down the area schools because of high winds.  That just gives me a good reason to stay inside and get a blog post in.  Today's card is taking us forward to Christmas again.  It's a simple card with just stamps, ink, and paper.  I did have to add another layer or two just because I couldn't help myself.  Come play with me...

Have you gotten the Golden Greenery set yet?   I've had fun using the evergreen boughs on several different cards, but now I'm finally giving the bells a try.  I was worried about how they would look, but I love them!  And they're so simple to make with 2-step stamping!   You really should give this set a try.

I started with a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock that measures 5 1/8" x 3 7/8" that is used for all the stamping on this design.  The first thing I stamped was the sentiment so the design could be arranged around it.  The sentiment comes from the Perched in a Tree set and is stamped with Cherry Cobbler ink.  It's fairly low and about 1" from the left edge of the cardstock.

Next the evergreen boughs were stamped in.  The more solid branch was stamped three times with Granny Apple Green ink.  There is also a partial image stamped in the top right corner to fill in.  Over these branches, the finer needled image was stamped with Old Olive ink.  This 2-step aspect really fills out the look of the branches.

The bells were stamped next.  There are two sizes, and I used them both.  I practiced with a couple of ink combos to find one I liked.  For this card, I used Daffodil Delight on the solid layer.  Then Crushed Curry was over-stamped to add the details.

The berries were added next.  There are two stamps for the berry clusters - the outline and the solid.  For this card, I used only the solid stamp and didn't add the outline because I didn't think it was necessary this time.  They are stamped with Cherry Cobbler ink to match the sentiment.

I wanted to add to the colors of the card, so I spattered Old Olive ink from a marker over the design.  I love the speckled look this achieves, but you need to keep a light hand, so it isn't overdone.

Speaking of overdone, I think I got a little carried away with the berries and added a few too many.  Reminds me of Heather's first shirt painting class when we were painting watermelon slices on our shirts.  I was painting my own shirt, so I wasn't really paying attention.  She was having so much fun painting the seeds that it was totally overrun with them.  We still laugh about it, but she kept that shirt for years.  Anyway, the lesson is - don't go overboard with too many berries.

The stamped layer was attached to a Cherry Cobbler layer that measured 5 1/4" x 4".  This gave me a very skinny Cherry Cobbler frame around the stamped images.  Then this is attached to a folded Very Vanilla card base.  I used Dimensionals to adhere it together.

I debated about adding some bling, or a bow, or something and really didn't like anything I tried.  So, the only bling added to the card is a coating of Wink of Stella on each of the bells.  So pretty and subtle.

I said this was an easy card to make.  The 2-step stamping on the images really does all the work for you.  I love the finished look of this card and hope you do too.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Sophisticated Skates Card

Happy Saturday my friends.  Awhile back I had been creating with the Sophisticated Sled Bundle.  It seemed everything I made was more on the 'country' side of things.  But I've been playing around with it again and I think I've finally got something that is more of an elegant style.  Tell me what you think about this latest card.

I always love a blue and silver winter card, and this is no different.  My accent of choice for this card is Gray Granite to match the wood-grained DSP on this card.  Let's get creating.

The Gray Granite cardstock used for the card base measures 11" x 4 1/4".  It's scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half.  The woodgrain layer is a print from the Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper.  I love this print and wish I could get my hands on a bunch of it all by itself.  This measures 5 1/4" x 4".  It's attached to the card base with adhesive.

I thought the Countryside Corners Dies would be a good shape for layering the skates.  Misty Moonlight was the blue color I chose for the card.  I used the 3rd largest die to cut the cardstock layer.  

It seemed to be too much dark for the card, so a piece of vellum was cut with a size smaller die than the blue layer.  I liked how the vellum softened and lightened the Misty Moonlight layer.  But it still gave me a good size frame for the skates.

The skates were so easy to put together.  There are separate dies for the boot of the skates, the runners on the skates, and even the laces.  So it was very easy to die-cut each of the pieces I needed to make up the skates.  The boots were cut from Basic White cardstock, the runners from Silver Foil, and the laces are Misty Moonlight.  After cutting all the pieces, it was a simple matter of layering them up to make the skates.  There is a slit in the boot part that the laces slide right into perfectly.  Easy Peasy!

I wanted snowflakes for an accent and there are a set of three different ones in the Frozen Edges Die set.  They're cut from Silver Foil to match the skates.  

The skates needed to hang from a bow made from the Gold & Silver Trim.  To hang the skates, a 4" piece of Baker's Twine was cut, and one end was attached behind each of the two skates with Tear & Tape to hold in place.  

The skates were attached to the layers using Mini Dimensionals.  The bow was attached over the Baker's Twine using Mini Glue Dots.  The snowflakes were each attached with one Mini Glue Dot in the center of each and scattered on the layers.  This was all attached to the card front using Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the Sophisticated Sled set.  It's stamped onto a 1/2" strip of Basic White cardstock using Misty Moonlight ink.  It's been trimmed down and is attached to the card front using Dimensionals also.

I thought about adding some extra bling to this card, but none of the embellishments really enhanced the look.  So, I left the card bare, and I think it's perfect as is.  Almost.  The more I look at the card, I think the bow needs to be trimmed a little smaller.  I'll do that in a minute.

Thanks for sharing some of your time with me today.  It's been so entertaining for me to skip around the seasons and make whatever hits my fancy that day.  Hope you're enjoying the ride along with me.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon