Thanks & Giving Fun Fold Card

Hello friends!  It's chilly and raining today.  Not too bad considering we're getting some of the aftermath of the latest hurricane.  I'm definitely thankful we don't have to worry about flooding anymore.  What a huge blessing that is.  And speaking of blessings, today's card is one of my Thanksgiving cards.  It features two different prints from the Autumn Opulence Designer Series Paper that really are beautiful.  Plus, it's a fun fold, and that always makes the design even better. If you're looking for this DSP or the Thanks & Giving set that I'm using here, you'll find both in the Online Exclusive section when you're shopping.  Let's get creating.

This fun fold is called the Diamond Pillar fun fold and that's exactly what it looks like.  For my card, I started with Blackberry Bliss cardstock that measures 11" x 4 1/4".  This is scored at 1 1/2", 3 1/2", 5 1/2", 7 1/2", and 9 1/2".  That sounds like a lot of scoring, but it's so worth it!  When folding this, the first score is a valley fold, then three mountain folds, and the last fold is a valley fold.  The two end pieces are glued together back-to-back, and the rest of the cardstock makes the diamond shape.

Next is the cutting of layers for the card.

Crumb Cake - 1 7/8" x 4 1/8" (cut 2)

                      - 1 3/8" x 4 1/8" (cut 1)

                      - 1" x 1" (cut 2) score at 1/2"

                      - 3" x 3"

DSP print #1 - 1 3/4" x 4" (cut 2)

DSP print #2 - 1 1/4" x 4" (cut 1)

Very Vanilla  - 3" x 3" for die cut piece

                      - 1 1/2" x 3" scrap - banner

Vanilla (back) - 1 3/4" x 4" (cut 1)

Blackberry Bliss - 2 7/8" x 2 7/8"

Lay the card down flat in front of you with the glued edges to the right.  Attach the two larger Crumb Cake pieces on the left and center sections.  The smaller Crumb Cake piece goes on the right section.  Use liquid glue to attach these sections so you can line them up easily.

Then the two #1 DSP prints are attached to the left and center sections, and the #2 DSP print is attached on the right side.  The liquid glue was used again to easily position each section.

To add the little 1" x 1" tabs to make the card work, attach one scored side to the very edge of the folded card base about in the middle.  Then attach the second one on the opposite side of the fold in the card base. These flaps will fold back on themselves and give you a surface to attach the focal image layers. 

To make the focal image, the Very Vanilla piece was die-cut with the Tile Garden Dies.  The Thanks & Giving wreath image was stamped in the center of this with Blackberry Bliss ink.  Then it was colored with these Stampin' Blends:  Peaceful Pine, Golden Glow, Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Lime Twist.

After coloring, this layer was attached to the Blackberry Bliss layer and then the Crumb Cake layer.  They were all attached with liquid glue.

Then a small amount of the liquid glue was added to the little attaching flaps, and the square layers were carefully set down in the center of the card.  Let this set a minute or more to make sure the layers are well attached to the little flaps.  Set aside.  FYI - in this picture, the little flaps were in Very Vanilla instead of the Crumb Cake that I used on later cards to blend better.

Stamp the sentiment from the Thanks & Giving set on the piece of Very Vanilla for the back.  Blackberry Bliss ink was used for the stamping.  A little Blackberry bliss ink was used along with a Blending Brush to add just a light haze of color on the edges.  This leaves you plenty of room to add a small note later.

Liquid glue was used to attach this to the back of the card.

The Thanksgiving banner was stamped on the last piece of Very Vanilla using Blackberry Bliss ink. A Blender Pen was used to add a bit of ink to the back areas of the banner.  Then the banner was fussy cut.

It was attached over the wreath using Mini Dimesionals to give it a little lift.

Three of the Low-Profile Dots (retired) in a clear gold were added to the design to finish it.

Hope you were able to follow along with my directions.  It's so much easier to teach in a hands-on class where I can show this in person.  If you do have questions, please email me at sharoncarr50@gmail.com and I can try to walk you through it.

This fun fold is quite easy to do when you've got all your pieces cut and ready to go.

I forgot to mention that this card folds flat and fits into a regular A2 envelope for mailing.  Yippee!

Thanks for coming back for another post using the Autumn Opulence DSP.  I've mentioned how much I love these prints and I sure don't have very much of this pack of paper left!  There are a lot of cards leaving this house for friends and family that use this DSP.  I do have one more idea to share with you.  And it's another fun fold!   Oh goodie!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Autumn Opulence Fun Folds

Hello friends!  What a gorgeous, sunshiny fall day.  I just love looking out over the back yard and seeing azaleas just bursting with rosy blooms all over them.  Also, the hummingbirds have been very busy at our feeders, and they are so much fun to watch.  Seems like I've been spending lots of time enjoying life outside now that it's not so blistering hot.  Only a few of the trees around here have started changing colors though.  That is one thing I miss so much about Michigan - the fall colors which are truly glorious!  So instead of seeing the colors outside, I've been making a series of cards using the Autumn Opulence Designer Series Paper.  I know there's always so much going on in the Online Exclusives section of the website that it's hard to miss things.  This DSP seems to be quite overlooked, and I'll be spending a few days highlighting this gorgeous paper.

Today's post features two cards made with any easy fun fold technique, but one is lined up landscape style and the other is set as portrait style.  Both of the cards really focus on the DSP and have very little stamping, so like I said - very easy to make!  We'll start with the portrait style first.

If you don't know, the Autumn Opulence DSP comes with two pre-cut sheets of printed designs that coordinate with the paper.  That's why the cards I'm sharing with you have minimal stamping.  There are lots of pre-made designs for you to use.  But first, let's focus on the prints on the DSP.  Two of them are used on this card.  Don't you just love them?

To make these fun fold cards, you start with an 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of cardstock for the base.  This card uses Pecan Pie.  The base needs to be scored at 1 1/4" and at 5 1/2".  Both are folded in to make an off-set gatefold card.

The DSP print on the left side measures 2 7/8" x 5 3/8".  The plaid print on the right side measures 1 1/8" x 5 3/8".  These pieces are attaches to the front flaps with "green glue" which gives me a little wiggle time to get them on straight.

The base for the focal image on the card is Very Vanilla cardstock that is die-cut with the Sweet Words & Labels dies.  This one is the 3rd largest label in that shape.  When cutting, another was cut using the 4th largest sized label die for the inside of the card.

To be the focal image on the die-cut, the pumpkin with flowers cluster was chosen to use.  I personally don't care for a large white outline around the pre-printed images, so I fussy cut around the image to "give it a closer cut".

The Sweet Words & Labels die set also has some smaller oak leaf dies.  I cut two leaves from Golden Glow cardstock to tuck in around the pumpkin.  The upper one on the design has a little Golden Glow ink added to it with a Blender Brush.  The one tucked in at the bottom has a little Cajun Craze ink brushed over it.  The pumpkin was attached with only two Dimensionals so there would be plenty of room for the leaves and the sentiment to tuck under around this.

The label on the front was adhered to the front of the card with "green glue".  

TIP - next time I make this card, I'd run the side of my Pecan Pie Marker along the outside edge of this label.  This would give it a little better definition between the label and the background.

The sentiment is from the Banner Sayings stamp set.  I only wanted those two words, so it was inked on only them and stamped onto a 1/2" strip of Very Vanilla cardstock.  Early Espresso ink was used to stamp this.  Then it was punched with the Three Banner Punch.  This was tucked under the pumpkin and attached with a couple Mini Dimensionals.

A bow was made with Linen Thread.  This was attached to the pumpkin with a Mini Glue Dot that was rolled to fit under the knot.

There are several retired pearlized, champagne-colored dots added to the design for an accent. 

Just wanted to quick show how the inside was finished.  Both of these stamps are about 20 years old and not Stampin'Up!.  I tend to have trouble finding the sentiments I want to use in my SU! stash.  I do hang on to sentiment stamps forever, but sometimes you just have to hit the contraband stamps too.

BTW, I have no idea why the pic looks like Basic White was used inside the card.  It is not.  It's Very Vanilla all the way.  Now, on to the 2nd card sample.

This time the card base is Early Espresso.  The measurements are the same - 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 1 1/4" and 5 1/2".  This time we're working with a landscape style card, so the opening lands near the bottom.

The DSP is the same Autumn Opulence pack I've been using.  The checked print is the backside of the print used on the first card.  The measurements are the same - larger size 5 3/8" x 2 7/8" and the smaller strip is 1 1/8" x 5 3/8".  They are attached with "green glue".

A strip of Early Espresso cardstock was cut that measures 2" x 4 1/4".  

A strip from a different print from this DSP was cut that measures 1 7/8" x 4".  This was attached to the Early Espresso strip with 'green glue".  Then both of them were added to the card front about an inch from the left side.  Make sure you mark where the top flap ends so you only get the glue on that area and not the bottom area.

Three of the pre-printed images were chosen.  Each of them was fussy cut around the edges to make the white edges less visible.  Then they were arranged on the front flap as shown.  Again, be aware of your placement so no adhesive is on the overlapping areas.  The leaf was attached with adhesive, and the mushrooms and acorn were attached with Dimensionals.

The sentiment used here and inside are from the Thanks & Giving set.  The front one was stamped on a 1/2" wide strip of Basic White using Early Espresso ink.  The right edge was angle cut.  Then the label was added to the design with Dimensionals.

Three of the Earthy Matte Dots in the Cajun Craze color were added to the design.

The inside has a 4" x 5 1/4" layer of Basic White cardstock.  The sentiment is stamped near the top with Early Espresso ink.

There is a 1/4" strip of the checked print DSP added that is the same one used on the front of the card.

Another of the printed leaves in the DSP pack was trimmed and added to the design.

Okay, that's two cards made with the same fun fold and the same DSP pack.  But don't they look different?  I just love how changing colors or orientation can make such a large difference in the finished card.  I never get tired of playing with the same items and seeing what else can be created!

When you're shopping around in the catalog to see what's new, don't forget to peruse the Online Exclusives section of the website.  Sometimes it feels like SU! hides some of the best treasures in that area.  Make sure you look through the whole section, so you don't miss anything.  😊

Thanks for stopping by today.  If you give either the Autumn Opulence DSP or this fun fold a try, let me know what you think.  I'd love to hear from you.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Grateful Fall Fun Fold

Hello stamping friends!  I've just got to get in another fall card featuring the Sunflower Fields Designer Series Paper.  I don't know exactly what it is about this paper pack, but I just love it.  Whether it's the bright and happy prints or the warm autumn colors, I truly love this paper!  And I guess I'll keep making cards with it until I run out!  Today's version is an easy fun fold that really highlights this cute over-all print.  But there's a subtle print tucked in that's almost overlooked.  This is from the Moonlit Flora Designer Series Paper, and it really enhances the look of the card.  Let's check it out and get stamping.

This card starts out with a piece of Golden Glow cardstock that measures 11" x 4 1/4".  It was scored and folded in half at 5 1/2".  To make it a fun fold, 1 1/2" was trimmed from the bottom of the front.

Working on the front of the card first, a panel of the Sunflower Fields DSP was cut at 3" x 4 1/4".  This was actually a piece that was left over from other projects, and the card was made around it.  To make this piece really stand out, a layer of Early Espresso cardstock was added behind it.  This measured 3 1/8" x 4 3/8".  The two pieces are attached with "green glue" so there is a little wiggle room to get this on straight.

These layers were attached to the card base with Dimensionals centered on the card front.  Make sure to keep the Dimensionals only where this layer covers the card front.  No adhesive on the bottom section!

Next the leaves were made.  These leaves were made using the Elegant Leaves stamp bundle.  The larger solid leaf was inked with Cajun Craze ink then off-stamped.  Before stamping, a sponge dauber was used to pounce some Golden Glow ink on the stamp.  Next, "huff" on the stamp and stamp onto Basic White Thick cardstock.  The smaller leaf was colored the same way with a base of Golden Glow ink and then pouncing on Old Olive ink.  (This time I didn't off-stamp before pouncing!)  Lastly, the detailed stamps for both of these leaves were stamped on top of them using Early Espresso ink.  This technique gives a lovely, mottled color on the fall leaves.   Then the leaves were die-cut with the matching dies from the Elegant Leaves set.

The larger leaf was attached with adhesive keeping the glue at the stem and lower part of the leaf.  The smaller leaf has a Dimensonal added at the tip and adhesive on the stem only, so the leaf really pops.

The sentiment on the card is from Elegant Leaves set.  It's stamped on a 1/4" strip of Basic White cardstock using Early Espresso ink.  It's trimmed to about 2 1/2".  It's backed with a layer of Early Espresso cardstock that measures about 5/8" x 2 5/8".  It's attached to the card front with Dimensionals, positioned so it extends beyond the DSP layer.

There is a bow made from the Neutrals Jute Combo Pack in the Early Espresso color.  It's attached over the leaf stems with Mini Glue Dots.

The inside has a piece of the Moonlit Flora Designer Series Paper attached at the bottom.  This measures 1 3/4" x 4 1/4".  This is a lovely subtle accent to the bolder print on the card front.

A piece of Basic White cardstock was cut that measures 3 1/2" x 4".  The sentiment stamped here is from the Sweet Words & Labels set.  It's stamped in Early Espresso ink.

To give the inside some extra interest, the corner frame from the Framed All Around was stamped in diagonal corners.  I love how this "finished" the look on the inside.  

When making the leaves earlier, several extra were made because they were fun to make and looked so pretty.  One of those were picked to attach inside the card.

The embellishments on the front of the card are real "oldies but goodies" from maybe 10 years ago.  Wow.  Oh yes, I still have a few odds and ends of so many embellishments that I go through and use every once in a while.  Seemed like these would be happy on this card design.

That's it for today's posting.  Hope you love this card idea using some of my favorite things.  If you try this fun fold, let me know what you used on your design.  It's really versatile and can be used in so many ways.  Thanks for sharing some of your time with me today.  Hope you're inspired to do a little creating yourself.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

More Painted Pumpkin!

 Hello friends!  Yes, I'm back again with another Painted Pumpkin card idea.  These pieces - stamps, dies, and stencils - are so easy to use when creating.  Unfortunately, they've become rather addicting also.  This darling little card might be the last card I share using these products.  Or not, if the mood strikes again!  Today's card is a cute little 4" x 4" card.  So adorable.

Before we get started, I've got to tell you the pictures have a real problem with the color integrity.  I tried taking pics last night and again this afternoon, and the colors are less than stellar.  I'll be posting all the actual colors I used, so go by that when trying to recreate this idea.  Okay?

The idea for this card started with the new Tile Garden Dies.  I think these decorative square layering dies are so much fun.  The die I used is about 3 1/4" square.  It cut one of the Sunflower Fields DSP prints leaving that cute border.

There were a few pumpkins left over from other projects.  These are stamped with Early Espresso ink.  Then the stencils were used with Crisp Cantaloupe, Pumpkin Pie, and a light layer of Crushed Curry inks.  These looked nice again the DSP.

Because I wanted a small-sized card, Old Olive cardstock was cut for the card base.  It measures 4" x 8" and is folded in half.  (This is where you need to use your imagination - the green definitely doesn't look like Old Olive!)

There are several leaves and vines die-cut from the same Old Olive cardstock.

The design needed a brighter layer between the Old Olive and the Pecan Pie/Early Espresso print.  A 3 1/4" x 4" strip was cut from Two-Tone Crushed Curry cardstock.  (This cardstock is really much richer and golden looking than the photos suggest.)  It was attached across the card front with the darker side showing.  Then the brown striped DSP die-cut was attached to this in the center.  Adhesive was used for these two layers.

The pumpkins, leaves and vines were arranged on the card front.  Both of the pumpkins were attached with Dimensionals.  The leaves and vines were tucked in, on, and around the pumpkins.  They were all attached with adhesive.

The sentiment banner on the card is from the Thanks & Giving bundle.  It's stamped on the lighter side of the Two-Tone Crushed Curry cardstock that I used earlier.  It's stamped with Early Espresso ink.  Then it's fussy cut with paper snips.  

A Blender Pen was used to slightly blend in the fold back sections of the banner.  Then the banner was attached with Dimensionals.

I tried several different forms of embellishments on this design and each of them I tried did nothing for the design and were not used.  

The inside of the card is a layer of Basic White cardstock.  It measures 3 3/4" x 3 3/4" square.  One of the sentiments in the Thanks & Giving set was used on the inside here.  It's stamped with Early Espresso ink.

At the bottom of the white layer, a 1/8" strip of Early Espresso was attached.  Then a strip of Crushed Curry cardstock was added.  This was the same Two-Tone Cardstock used earlier in the darker color.

An itty-bitty pumpkin from the same set was stamped in the bottom corner using Early Espresso ink.  Stampin'Blends were used to color this in using Golden Glow, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive.

Then this layer was attached inside the card with adhesive.  And that's it for this sweet little card.  I will mail it out in a regular sized envelope.  Using a different size envelope requires extra postage when mailing.  So, if the card fits in a regular envelope, that's how I mail it.

I love sending out cards that are a little different and give the recipient a tiny surprise.  Why not try a little different size for a change?  This size of card is so cute, and this design took very little time to put together.

I want to apologize again for the strange color of green showing up on my pictures.  Definitely looks more like Garden Green instead.  I really don't know much about photography at all.  I'm more a point and click kind of gal.  It seems that the natural light coming in my windows doesn't care much for my photos and does what it wants some days. 

Thanks for hanging out with me again today.  I don't know about you, but I seem to be really stuck in the autumn-themed cards lately.  Hope you're enjoying them as much as I am!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Lots of Painted Pumpkins!

Hello stamping friends!  Do you like autumn and especially all the pumpkins in the many sizes, shapes, and colors they grow in?  I do, I do!!  I kind of went a little crazy the last few days playing with the Painted Pumpkins bundle and those fun coordinating stencils.  I seem to have a whole pumpkin patch growing on my worktable and now I'm creating cards with them. So much fun!   Are you ready for a pumpkin patch visit?  I've got five cards ready for sharing already, so instead of a separate post and going in depth on each one, it's going to be a fairly quick overview on each card.  OK? 

I'll start with this one.  Using the stencils and Basic White cardstock, I made two batches of pumpkins.  One batch was using just Crisp Cantaloupe for all three layers of stencils and darkened the color each stencil.  On the last stencil, a little Pumpkin Pie ink was added to it to darken the color on some of the pumpkins.  The fourth stencil makes the stems  which I colored with Crumb Cake and just a tiny bit of Pecan Pie to darken.  (The stencils can make 6 pumpkins at a time.)  

After wiping and drying the stencils, I did the same thing with Crumb Cake ink on the layers of stencils.  On the 3rd stencil layer, a little blush of Pumpkin Pie was added to a few like you can see on the front pumpkin on this card.

All the pumpkins were die-cut along with a bunch of leaves and curly stems.  For the leaves on this card, Lost Lagoon cardstock was used.

A layer of Soft Sea Foam cardstock was stenciled with the all-over leaf background stencil using Soft Sea Foam ink.

The card base is Crisp Cantaloupe that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  The stenciled Soft Sea Foam layer measures 3 3/4" x 5".  It's backed with a Lost Lagoon layer that measures 3 7/8" x 5 1/8".  The two layers are attached together with adhesive then added to the base with Dimensionals.

All six pumpkins and the greenery were attached with adhesive, except for the front pumpkin which was popped up with Dimensionals.

The sentiment was stamped onto a 3/4" strip using Crumb Cake ink.  It's trimmed and added to the card front with Dimensionals.

Several of the 2026-2028 In Color Butterflies were added to the design.  I used the Crisp Cantaloupe and White butterflies for this card.

The next card is very similar in coloring as I was using more of the pumpkins made for the last card.  This time, the Lost Lagoon layer was attached to the card front with adhesive.  Then the stenciled Soft Sea Foam layer was attached to it with Dimensionals.

The fence from the die set was used to cut some Wood Grain Wonder DSP.  This has not only the printed graining, but the die also has graining when it cuts.  The sections of fence were attached with adhesive about an 1" from the bottom of the card front.

Then four of the pumpkins were arranged staggered in front of the fence and attached with Dimensionals.  Lots of the Lost Lagoon leaves and curly stems were tucked in around the pumpkins and the fence.

The sentiment used here is from the Thanks & Giving stamp set that is an Online Exclusive set.  I don't remember where I got the circular die from, but it worked.  The sentiment was stamped with Lost Lagoon ink to match the leaves.  This is popped up in the corner with Dimensionals.

I decided not to add any sort of bling to this design.  It was nice as it was.

For this next card, I went back to the pumpkin stencils and made darker pumpkins.  These started out with Pumpkin Pie ink for the three layers. Then some Cajun Craze ink was added on the 3rd stencil to add more depth to them.  The stems were still Crumb Cake ink.

This time a batch of leaves and stems were die-cut from Mossy Meadow cardstock.

The card base is Crumb Cake cardstock.  There is a layer of Mossy Meadow cardstock that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This was embossed with the new Softly Woven 3D Embossing Folder.  This detail shows up so nicely here.  It was attached to the card base with "green glue" to hold securely.

There is a layer of the checked 2026-2028 In Color Gingham Gallery DSP in Golden Glow cut.  This measures 3 1/4" x 4 1/2".  

Before attaching to the base, a 12" piece of Early Espresso jute from the Neutrals Jute Combo Pack was cut.  Then it was unraveled to get three strands instead of one bulky one.  This was wrapped around the DSP layer and tied into a knot.  Then the layer was attached to the embossed layer with "green glue".  

Next a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock was cut to 2 3/4" x 3".  This piece has some splattering from Early Espresso ink and water mix and flicked on with a water painter.  After it dried, a little Early Espresso ink was blended on the edges with a Blending Brush.

The larger pumpkin was attached with adhesive with the smaller one added with Dimensionals.  The leaves and curlicues were tucked in around the pumpkins.  

The sentiment comes from the Thanks & Giving set. It's stamped on Basic White with Early Espresso ink.  Then fussy cut around the words.  It's attached with Dimensionals.

Three of the Sunset Sparkle Sequins in an orange-y color were added to the design to finish.

I still had more pumpkins to play with yet.  These are two of the Pumpkin Pie/Cajun Craze and one of the Crumb Cake with a blush of pumpkin on it.  This time I die-cut Old Olive leaves and stems to use.

The card base is Golden Glow that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  The wood-grain print is from the Country Woods DSP in a weathered wood look.  It measures 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  It's backed with a layer of Early Espresso cardstock.  This measures 5 1/4" x 4".  The two layers are attached with adhesive, then attached to the card base with adhesive also.

The three pumpkins are arranged on this, then attached with Dimensionals.  The leaves and vines are tucked in all around them.

The sentiment this time comes from the Elegant Leaves stamp set.  They are stamped with Early Espresso ink on a 1/2" x 4" strip of Basic White cardstock.  This is layered onto an Early Espresso cardstock piece that measures 3/4" x 4 1/4".  It's attached with Dimensionals.

A short length of a Neutral Jute Combo Pack in Pecan Pie is tied into a bow.  The ends are frayed.  Then it's attached at the bottom corner of the sentiment strip using a Mini Glue Dot.

Five of the Sunset Sparkle Sequins in the orange-y color are scattered around the design to finish.

Okay, we have come to the last design and the one I think I like the most.  Two of the pumpkins this time are made with Pumpkin Pie/Cajun Craze inks.  The middle one has Timid Tiger added so it's a little brighter.  The leaves and vines are cut from Peaceful Pine cardstock this time.

The card base is Peaceful Pine cardstock.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  There is a layer of Country Woods DSP added.  This measures 5 1/4"x 4".  It's attached to the card base with adhesive.

There is a gate cut from another print of the Country Woods DSP that is quite dark but has a nice, weathered look.  The fence section was not cut this time, just the gate.  It's attached to the card front at the left side with the right edge not glued down yet.  

One of the pumpkins was tucked partially behind the gate, then the gate was fully attached over this.

The other two pumpkins were attached in front of the gate using Dimensionals.  The leaves and vines were tucked around the pumpkins and into the gate.

The sentiment is another from the Thanks & Giving stamp set.  The words are stamped on a piece of Basic White cardstock using Early Espresso ink.  It's die-cut with a small Perennial Postage die. 

After die-cutting, a Blending Brush and Pumpkin Pie ink was added lightly around the edges.

A large bow was made from Linen Thread and attached behind the sentiment.  Then Dimensionals were added behind to hold in place.

Several Low-Profile Sparkle Dots in the dark blue color were added to the design.  I liked how the golden sparkles in the dots really tied in with the warm glow of the pumpkins.

Whew!!  That was a lot to get through.  I hope I gave you enough info to CASe any of these that you would like to try.  If you have questions about any of these specifically, please feel free to contact me at sharoncarr50@gmail.com .  I'm always happy to talk with you about anything I've made or any other questions you might have.

Thank you for spending your time here with me today.  Yes, I've given you a lot to take in, but I truly hope you give this bundle of goodies a try.  I totally love these stencils for coloring the pumpkins.  It's so easy to add a blush of another color over what you've already made, and it changes the look so much.  It's definitely something to play with and try combining different colors for these cool pumpkins.  Time for a color play date!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Another Radiant Sunflowers Idea

Hi friends!  Do you ever get kind of stuck with one stamp set or one pack of DSP that you've just fallen in love with and keep going back to again and again?  That seems to be my problem with the Radiant Sunflowers bundle and the matching Sunflower Fields Designer Series Paper.  I like them both individually, but when you start pairing them up, I'm in sunflower heaven!  So here we go with another card using two different prints from the DSP pack and of course, the sunflower stamp too.  This just says fall to me so much.  Hope you don't mind another idea with this bundle.

I love the mix of the printed paper and the hand-colored focal image.  They just make me happy together.

Start with a Golden Glow cardstock piece that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  This is scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  

Next there is a layer of Cajun Craze that is 5 1/4" x 4".  On this is layered the Cajun Craze print that measures 3 7/8" x 5 1/8".  They're attached together with adhesive.  Then attached to the folded card base with adhesive also.  Looking good so far.

Next is the band that cuts across the card.  The DSP is another print from the Sunflower Fields DSP.  This measures 2" x 4".  To make this strip stand out more, there is a layer of Cajun Craze cardstock underneath it.  This measures 2 1/4" x 4".  These are attached together with adhesive, then attached to the card front with adhesive also.  

Rather than splitting the card in half, these layers are attached about 2/3 of the way down.  I like that better than directly in half.

The sentiment label is one of the dies in the Radiant Sunflowers dies.  It has die-cut a Basic White label to stand out on the card front.

The cute little hello sentiment is from the Elegant Leaves stamp set.  It's stamped with Cajun Craze ink in the bottom right corner.  If you don't have this set, after a quick look at my sets, I noticed at least six other sentiments that would work here nicely.  So, make sure to visit your stash for ideas.

Next the sunflower is stamped onto a piece of Basic White cardstock.  This time I used Cajun Craze ink.  The leaf was stamped three times onto Old Olive cardstock using Old Olive ink.

Stampin' Blends were used for coloring with these colors:

Petals - Golden Glow Light & Dark, Cajun Craze Light

Center - Crumb Cake Light & Dark, Pecan Pie Light & Dark, and a small touch of Cajun Craze light

Next the sunflower and three leaves were die-cut with matching dies.  The sentiment label was attached with Dimensionals.  The sunflower was added next with just one Dimensional in the center of the flower.  The leaves were tucked in around the flower for accents.

The inside of the card is a piece of Basic White that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  Before attaching, the two sentiments were stamped with Cajun Craze ink.  Both of these sentiments are from the Botanical Expressions stamp set.  I like how they work together for this card.

At the bottom is a 1/2" strip of the 2nd DSP print on the front of the card.  It carries some of the design from the front to the inside of the card.

To finish off the design on the card front, several Moody Palette Dots were added to the design.  I thought the old olive colored dots were more eye-catching rather than going with either a gold or rust color.

I hope this gives you more to think about when you take out your Radiant Sunflowers stamps and dies and the coordinating Sunflower Fields DSP.  If you don't have these yet, you might want to get them on your wish list soon.  I'm finding this combo just perfect for autumn birthday cards and get-well cards too.  Thinking they might be good for some of my Thanksgiving cards too!  Definitely a keeper in my honest opinion.

Thanks for stopping in today to see what's going on here.  We've been back up in the 90's all week with no end in sight.  I'm so ready for some crisp fall days watching the leaves change color in a glorious display.  But all in all, life is very good and I'm not complaining!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Neutral Noel Suite CASE

Hey gang!  Today I wanted to share my re-make of one of the cards featured in the new catalog.  Do you ever CASE (Copy And Share Everything) a card when you get a new set and are trying to get a feel for it?  My order came in and the Noel Tidings bundle was part of the order.  I had all these ideas to try until it arrived and I promptly forgot my plans.  Every once in a while, when I don't know where to start with a new set I'll CASE one of the sample ideas.  Get your catalog handy and you can see the inspiration for this card.  Check page 44 to see the inspiration, then read on and see how closely I ended up following the original.

Well, I started out following the card sample, and then I started doing my own thing by the time I finished.  😆😉 The card base is Pecan Pie.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.

The fullest evergreen branch was stamped diagonally on the card front using Pean Pie ink.  Set aside until ready to put the design together.

Next up is the Very Vanilla layer and the 1st change.  I decided to use the new Tile Garden dies.  These square dies are so like the Spotlight on Nature circle dies that I use frequently.  The square I used measures approximately 2 5/8" x 2 5/8".  On this was stamped the bare stem three times using Crumb Cake ink.  Afterwards, all the little berries were added to the stems with the same ink.

Next a 3" x 3" square of Gold Foil was cut for layering behind the vanilla layer.  The gold foil was embossed with the Softly Woven 3D Embossing Folder.  I love this textured look with the foil.  This is the 2nd change. 

The gold foil was attached to the card base slightly at an angle using 'green glue'.  Then the Very Vanilla layer was attached over this using 'green glue' also.  The vanilla layer is attached straight on the design.

The same evergreen branch was stamped twice on Very Vanilla cardstock using Peaceful Pine ink.  The middle-sized evergreen branch was stamped 3 times on vanilla also.  These were all die-cut with the coordinating dies.

The season's greetings sentiment from Noel Tidings set was stamped onto a 5/8" wide strip of Crumb Cake cardstock using Pecan Pie ink.  The words were cut apart at an angle, and the ends were angle cut to match.

The greenery pieces were arranged diagonally on the Very Vanilla layer.  Then they were attached with adhesive.

Next the sentiment was attached over the center of the branches evergreen.  Dimensionals were used for this to give the sentiment more prominence.

I thought the card looked too drab for my tastes.  So, a splattering of Wink of Stella was used over the card front.  This looked so much like snowflakes on the card!  This was another change that I think added so much interest to the card.

The last change was adding a bow.  I used a Gold & White Ribbon that I thought was still current, but it's not.  Oops.  This is a 3/8" woven ribbon that I cut in half lengthwise and made a skinny bow from it.  It's attached to the top left corner of the vanilla layer.  I liked this little bit of extra interest added here.

I thought about adding some form of gold-tone bling, but it seemed just fine without any more extras added to the design.

So that is my version of CASEing a card design.  Yes, I follow the original idea to an extent, then I put my own spin on it.  Don't feel you have to follow someone's design exactly.  Have some fun with it and make it your own design.  And if you really don't like what you did to the design, you can always scrap the idea, pull all the pieces apart and start over.  Now that has happened more than once over here!  😆😆😆

Hope you enjoyed this little walk thru of this card design.  Feel free to use this, or any other card I ever make, as a jumping off place for your own creations.

Are you enjoying perusing the catalog and getting lots of ideas to use?  It's really a treasure trove of ideas that are waiting for you to try.  Of course, if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with me at sharoncarr50@gmail.com

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon