Fun Fun Fold for You

Hey friends!  It seems like it's been forever since I posted anything for you.  It's been a real adventure having the heart surgery and then recovering from it.  Why do the doctors always make it sound like it's no big deal, but it really knocks the stuffing out of you?  It would be helpful to be forewarned that you just can't pick up where you were and get on with life in a day or two.  Today's the first day that I don't feel totally exhausted and in a spacey mind fog.  Hallelujah!  Before I go on, I wanted to give a big thank you to all of you that knew about the surgery and were praying for its success.  I know those prayers made a huge difference for me.  

Okay, let's get on with the card making, shall we?!  Since I made these cards before I went into the hospital and had planned to post them right away, I didn't write down what stamp sets, dies and DSP I used.  So instead of lots of in-depth info, this time around it will be more about the measurements and then you can use the ideas for a jumping off place to create your own masterpieces.   Disclaimer up front:  I was in the mood to use some of my retired DSP to clean up my storage shelves a little.  So, you won't be finding all new stamps and DSP to dazzle you.  Just retired goodies.  Hope that's all right with you.

I love this fun fold because you get to really see and appreciate the gorgeous designer papers that are available.  So often I have trouble cutting into the 12" x 12" sheet because I want to maximize the lovely patterns and don't want a bunch of little strips left over that are hard to use.  For each of the cards I'm sharing today, I started with a print that I liked both front and back together.  That doesn't always work, but I found some prints that I really love together.

First make sure you have the print in the correct orientation if there is a directional print. Cut the DSP to measure 12" x 5 1/2". Then cut a 3/4" strip off on one edge to make it 11 1/4" x 5 1/2".

The next step is the scoring.  Score at:

1", 4", and 7".  This folds up to be a W fold with the short 1" side as the front flap.

Next up was die-cutting the different layers for the front and inside the card.  For the front layers on each on my cards, I used the Branching Out dies.  I love the shape of these and keep going back to them all the time.  The layering cardstock for this card is Petal Pink.  It's cut with the 3rd largest Branching Out die.  The white layer on the front is cut with the 4th largest die in the set.  The inner sentiment layer is cut with the 5th largest die so it can easily tuck behind the larger dies on the front of the card.

The layering on the back inside of the card is just straight cut.  The Basic White measures 2 1/2" x 5" and the Petal Pink layer measures 2 5/8" x 5 1/8".  All of the layers, whether pink or white, were all softened along the edges with Petal Pink ink and a Blending Brush.

For this card, the images and some of the sentiments come from the Happiness Abounds set.  I love how easily these images can be colored with Blender Pens.  The little Fresh Freesia flowers tucked in around the images are from a Forever Florals die.  I like how they add just a little bit of extra color to the design.

The tiny pinky-coral heart embellishments are from a Paper Pumpkin kit from maybe 4-5 years ago.  If I'm honest, it's probably even longer.  Yes, I tend to hang on to things forever.  You never know when they will be the perfect accent you needed to finish the project.

This is the next version of the fun fold I made.  I just love this fruity-floral print on the dark background.  It's so striking!  Alas, it's also retired so it needs to get used to make room for some fresh new ideas.

The layers on this card have all the same measurements as the previous card and used the same Branching Out dies.   The layering on this card uses Secret Sea cardstock.  

Some of the sentiments, along with the pear stamps on this card, are from the Perfectly Pears bundle.  The image on the front was colored with Blending Brushes and ink before being die-cut.  The inner image was colored with Stampin' Blends to get the colors I wanted.

The white layers were all softly colored on the edges with Blending Brushes and Mossy Meadow ink.  They were also spattered with a Mossy Meadow Stampin' Blends.

A little strip of the DSP print was added along the bottom of the back sentiment layer.  That little bit seemed to make a big difference when putting the card together.

Coral gems were added in several places to the card.  These picked up the pretty coral-toned flowers scattered throughout the print.

Do you remember this gorgeous Magnolia DSP?  It's just so lush and stunning that I've been hanging onto it.  I was happy to see I had a complete 6" x 12" piece that I could cut to the correct proportions and use for this card.

Again, the same dimensions and directions for cutting and scoring the DSP.  Also, the same Branching Out dies were used for the front and inner page.  The layering cardstock for the card is back to Petal Pink.  This same color was used in the Stampin' Blends for the flower petals.  The inside of the flower was Light Daffodil Delight.  I totally messed up my Mossy Meadow Blends, so I used the new Peaceful Pine for this.  It's not a great color match, but my replacements have been on backorder for about 2 weeks, and I sort of gave up waiting to finish the card.  Oh well...

This is the last card I made with this fun fold.  Again, the dimensions and directions for scoring are the same for this card as the rest.  The Branching Out dies were the same for this card.

The DSP is something to do with Peonies.  Sorry I have no further details.  

The flowers stamped this time are from the Gallery Blooms stamp set.  Again, just a bit of coloring with Petal Pink Stampin' Blends for the flowers.  Centers are Daffodil Delight Light.  Not sure what I ended up using for the leaves.  Looking at it, I can see both a yellowish green and a more blueish tone used over it.  

I don't know if you noticed, but only the pear card used the stamp set that originally coordinated with the DSP used.  My big take-away from this fun fold post is to find things that coordinate well together.   You don't have to use the same stamp set that originated with the DSP.  Find things that you like together and try something different or unexpected.  Let me know what you try!  I always find it very inspiring seeing (or hearing about) what other people are creating.  Everyone has their own take on projects which inspire the next person.  And on it goes.  And make sure you send out those cards too!  Sometimes I start stockpiling the cards I've made, but that doesn't spread any cheer or encouragement along.  I think that is an important part of being creative - sharing those bits of he'art' with others.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Another Card Template for You

Hey everyone.  Hope you're all doing well and having a great day.  Things have been a little crazy the last few days with my heart again.  I'm learning so much about how my heart works or doesn't work sometimes!  I'd much rather be ignorant and have no heart problems though.  It's really cutting into my stamping time!  I did spend time stamping on Monday when I had a little more energy for a change.  Looking through my card layout ideas, I came across another quick and easy idea that I hadn't used in a while.  Looking at the layout, this idea just popped in my head, and I had to give it a try.  It was so much fun, I made two more.  So, I guess it's time to share and get creating here.

This is what I envisioned and it's as pretty as I thought it would be.  My first thought was to use one of the vases in the Artisan Sketched Garden DSP pack.  I first cut a strip from the bottom of this sheet and cut them into separate sections to use.  

Before there was any coloring done, the colors needed to match another print of DSP.  This time I found a pretty Fresh Freesia and Peach Pie print that would work.  The print is from the Lovely and Beautiful DSP.   I'd used the gorgeous gold-touched prints but really hadn't used the back of the prints.  This print was die-cut with the largest square die in the Stylish Shapes die set.  I cut two right away to make two cards at a time.

TIP:  It's best to use a non-directional print for this layout because you're putting it at an angle.

A Basic White cardstock layer was cut to frame the die-cut piece.  The white measured 3" x 3".  The two pieces were attached with adhesive.

A Basic White cardstock piece was cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" for the card base.  A Fresh Freesia cardstock piece was cut at 5 1/4" x 4" for the layer.  This was embossed with the Beautiful Pattern Embossing Folder to give the layer a subtle pattern to go with the delicate floral DSP print.  This was attached to the white card base with adhesive.  Then the diamond layers were attached a little above center using Dimensionals.  

The coloring on the vase of tulips was with Stampin' Blends:

vase - Fresh Freesia Light and Dark

tulips - Peach Pie Light and Dark

greenery - Granny Apple Green Light & Dark

Then the image was fussy cut which only takes a few minutes.  It was attached to the diamond shape with Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the Banner Sayings set.   This was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto a 3/8" wide strip.  The ends were trimmed to finish it.  Then it was attached to the bottom of the card with Dimensionals.

Three Iridescent Pearls were tucked in around the design for a subtle accent.

Next card uses the same white base with the same embossed Fresh Freesia layer.  The diamond-shaped layers in the middle are the same.  

This time I used some images from the Simply Beautiful set.  They were stamped onto Basic White with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Then they were colored with Stampin' Blends:

flowers - Fresh Freesia Light and Dark

leaves - Granny Apple Green Light and Dark

flower center - Peach Pie Light and Dark

After coloring, the images were die-cut with their matching dies and added to the diamond layers using Dimensionals. 

I thought the sentiment needed to be a little larger to go with these images.  It's stamped on a 5/8" wide strip of Basic White with Fresh Freesia ink.  When trimmed, the ends are a little longer than normal so the pretty gems could be added at each end.

At this point, I wanted to do a little more coloring on those Artisan Sketched Garden DSP, so I reverted back to that paper but kept the same Fresh Freesia color and DSP print.  

I just love these images from the Artisan Sketched Garden DSP.  They are so loose and 'artsy' looking.  They just beckon me to come play with them!  This is another image from that bottom row of the print.  The coloring is Stampin' Blends again.

flowers - Peach Pie Light and Dark

buds - Fresh Freesia Light

greenery - Granny Apple Green Light and Dark

water - Sea Spray Light and Dark  (this is from several years back and I just love this color, so it gets used often)

The image is fussy cut then layered onto the diamond shape with Dimensionals.

For this card, I changed the embossed layer to the Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder.  I love the bolder look of the embossing with the delicate look of the floral print DSP.  It's a nice contrast.

The same sentiment was used as the first card.  It's attached with Dimensionals.  Then three of the Iridescent Pearls were tucked in around the design.

I hope you like this simple card layout.  The diamond shape could be made smaller to fit your take on this layout.  That's part of the process of using layouts to get you started.  Since you are the designer, you can change the layout to fit your needs!

One thing I want to stress here, I absolutely am having so much fun coloring these images from the Artisan Sketched Garden Designer Series Paper!  I need to try colored pencils and water-color pencils too with this.  I was surprised that I could color and fussy cut an image out in about 10 minutes.  Amazing!  And I totally love the look of them.  You might even say I'm getting addicted to coloring them!  I always did enjoy coloring books, and I guess I haven't grown out of that yet.  I hope you enjoy coloring these too.  Let me know when you've tried using this DSP.  I'd love to hear if you like it too.

Thanks for sharing some time with me today.  Hope to see you back soon.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Piles of Thank You Cards

Hello stamping friends!  What a beautiful day we have today!  (that's a little sarcasm there)  Chilly, damp and cloudy.  Sounds like the perfect day to get downstairs and do a little creating, doesn't it?  Well, I do feel a little better today.  My heart isn't quite as rambunctious as it has been lately.  So, I thought I should take advantage of this energy and do something.  Let's see, housework, laundry, or stamping?  Hmmm.  Boy, that was a real hard choice, right?  Are you laughing out loud yet? 

I felt the need to send out some thank you cards for a few gifts I received for my birthday.  Looking at my stash of DSP, and knowing I'll be getting more very soon, I thought I should use some of my retired stash to make more room.  You remember that cute True Blue Florals DSP that was a Product of the Month a couple months back?  I had a bunch of odds & ends pieces that needed to be used up, so that was a really good place to start.

This is a look at most of what I made today.  There are a few others that didn't fit with this grouping of cards.  Maybe I'll share them at a later date.  As you can see, there were several strips of DSP in different prints.  I'm always surprised by how many of those strips are always left over when the paper pack is almost gone.  This was a great way to use some of them up.

On the majority of cards made today, the focal image used was either the larger roses stamp or the single small flower from the Charming Day stamp and die bundle.  Sorry, this is a favorite set of mine and it is retired.  Then I couldn't resist trying out a few images from the Artisan Sketched Garden DSP.   That's in the new catalog and will be available to purchase on May 5th.  Those images are awesome!  You need to fussy cut the images if you want to use an individual design, but that only takes a minute or two.  Not a big problem.

Let's start with two cards that are very similar.  The card base on these cards is Balmy Blue that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  They are scored and folded in half.

The strips of True Blue Florals DSP on each card is about 1 7/8" x 5 1/2".  Both strips are backed with a layer of Night of Navy.  The top card is 2 1/4" x 5 1/2".  The bottom card has a wider layer of Night of Navy - 2 1/2" x 5 1/2".

The sentiment on each of these is from the Wonderful Thoughts stamp set.  (It was on the Last Chance List, but it just sold out.  Bummer!)  It's stamped on a 1/2" strip of Basic White.  Then the ends are trimmed with paper snips.

The roses are stamped with memento Tuxedo Black ink on Basic White cardstock.  They are colored with Stampin' Blends:

roses:  Balmy Blue Light & Dark, and Azure Blue Light

leaves:  Granny Apple Green Light & Dark

I've never colored these roses in blues before, but I love how they turned out!

The card base for this one is Basic White Thick.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  The DSP strip measures 1 3/4" x 5 1/2".  It's backed by a Night of Navy strip that measures 2 1/2" x 5 1/2".

This time the sentiment strip is also layered onto a Night of Navy strip measuring 3/4" wide.  This makes the horizontal strip so much bolder to define it.

This flower is also from the Charming Day set.  When coloring, I also added just a small touch of Blueberry Bushel Light Stampin' Blends to the flower.

The tiny flowers are from the Forever Florals stamp and die set.  They are die-cut from Balmy Blue cardstock to mimic the main flower and also to give more heft to the focal image.  It didn't look substantial enough without the added mini flowers and extra leaves.  A sprinkle of three Rhinestone Basic Jewels was added to finish the design.

This is where things got a little different.  I'd wanted to try the new Artisan Sketched Garden DSP since I saw it.  It finally came in the mail, so why not use it here?  I cut a strip off the bottom of this sheet of designs and picked one to color.  I had a little problem finding a punch or die that could get the whole image but manage to not cut into the surrounding images.  I used my very old Layering Ovals Dies to cut both the DSP and the Night of Navy layer behind it.

The image is colored with the same colors as used on the other images.

The card base is Balmy Blue with a layer of Night of Navy on top of it.  The DSP piece measures 2 3/4" x 4".  It's attached in the upper left corner with adhesive.  The ovals were attached to the center of the DSP layer using Dimensionals.

A small Basic White circle was cut using one of the Spotlight on Nature dies.  The sentiment is stamped with Night of Navy ink.  Three of the new Sunset Sparkle Sequins in a bluish tone were added under the sentiment.

This last card is my very favorite of the whole batch of cards.  This time I have a Basic White Thick base.  It's layered with a full layer of one of the Balmy Blue designs from the True Blue DSP pack.   This time a 1/4" strip of Basic White cardstock was added near the bottom to anchor the vase when it was added.

The vase of greenery is from the same Artisan Sketched Garden DSP.  This time it was fussy cut after coloring.  I used Stampin' Blends again.

water:  Balmy Blue Light

leaves:  Granny Apple Green Light

The Basic White sentiment piece measures 7/8" x 2 1/8".  It's stamped with the new Basic Black Hybrid ink pad.  There is a 1" x 2 1/4" layer of Basic Black attached behind to frame it.  Both the vase and the sentiment are attached with Dimensionals.  Three soft blue pearls are added to the white strip as an accent.  These are Tahitian Tide pearls from several years ago, but I liked the look here. 

Whew!  That's it for my card making marathon today.  Maybe I'll get around to the last several cards if I find the time.  I hope you've gotten some ideas about using those leftover strips of DSP from other projects that you have laying around.  Just check if there is a directional print, then orient your design in the proper direction.

Remember May 5th is the date you can order from the new catalog!  Are you counting down the hours?  I hope you're as excited by the new catalog as I am.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon 

Lily of the Valley Quick Cards

Hello, my dear friends!   I'm still struggling with my health each day.  Several of you got in touch with me and let me know you're praying for my crazy heart to settle down and behave itself.  It surprises me how worn out this makes me when it's not beating in rhythm.  But life goes on, doesn't it?  Just very much slower! 

Lately I've spent some time weeding through card layouts that I've saved over the last many, many years.  It's been fun trying out a few to decide if I like them enough to save the idea.   Several days ago, I made two cards with a similar layout that is another easy idea to have on hand.  Thought today I'd share this with you.  I'm having so much fun playing around with one layout and making small adjustments for a different look.  It's amazing what a change in cardstock color will do to a card.  Let me show you what I mean.

This card follows the original layout that I'd saved.  Plus, it uses one of the new DSP designs - Valley in Bloom. (Yes, this will be one of the last sneak peaks as May 5th is almost here.  Woo hoo!) Isn't it beautiful?  I love lily of the valley flowering plants, and the DSP is absolutely gorgeous in my opinion.  With this card layout, I only stamped the sentiment.  Everything else about the card focuses on the DSP.

The measurements for this layout are as follows:

card base - 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"  folded in half

DSP layer - 2 3/4" x 5 1/2"

cardstock layer - 3 5/8" x 3 5/8"

DSP layer - 3 1/2" x 3 1/2"

sentiment - your choice size and shape

The card base for this one is Garden Green to pick up the darker greens in the DSP.  The strip of DSP going across the card is actually the backside of the focal piece.  I really liked these together.  The watercolor style print against the mini geometric print was an interesting contrast.

For my framing layer, Basic White really made the little bell flowers stand out nicely.  The focal DSP print was attached to the white cardstock with adhesive.  Then these were attached to the card base with Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the Lily of the Valley stamp set.  It's stamped with Garden Green ink onto a 3/4" strip of Basic White cardstock.  The right end was finished by flagging it.  This is attached flat to the card on the left side with a Dimensional under the right end to level it out.

The pretty sparkly new bling was added for an accent.  These are from the new Shimmering Dots pack.  Pretty, aren't they?

I haven't finished the inside yet as I'm not sure what sentiment I want to use.  It always depends on the person the card is being sent to, right?

The next card is very similar with a good number of changes though.

The first big change you notice right away is the cardstock base is different.  This time I went with Granny Apple Green which was one of the colors listed as coordinating with this DSP.  Just that change alone brightened the look of the card immensely.

The strip of DSP across the card base was slimmed down just 1/8".  It was attached to the card base with adhesive.

The focal piece of DSP is from the same piece of DSP as the first card.  The DSP page I used is one of the two border prints in the pack.  This time it's trimmed a little smaller - 3" x 3 1/2".  This meant that the layering piece was also smaller at 3 1/8" x 3 5/8".  This card has Garden Green cardstock for this layer to give it a bit of dark to balance the bright.  By making these changes, a good deal more of the background cardstock is visible which makes the entire card have a lighter feel.

This time the sentiment comes from the Friendly Foliage stamp set.  I love the font used here and this is one of my basic sentiments used for cards.  It's just versatile and seems to cover so many applications.  It's stamped on a Basic White strip that is 1/2" tall with Garden Green ink.  After stamping, the ends were flagged to finish the look.

The same pretty bling was used on this card as the last.  I just love the colors in the Shimmering Dots pack.  They are this Granny Apple Green that I used, Coastal Cabana, and White.  All lovely colors that I'll be using a lot!

Looking at this card with the slightly smaller dimensions, I was thinking it would work well for a portrait style card also.  That will be something I need to try soon!

Here's one more look at the two cards.  This time they're together so you can easily the differences.  Let me know if you try out this layout and add it to your rotation of layouts.  I find there are some layouts I gravitate towards more often.  My old standbys.  But then again, it's fun to pull out another idea you haven't played with in a while for a change of pace.

I can't wait until May 5th when you too can order these fun new stamps and dies and get your hands on these gorgeous new designer papers.  You're gonna love them!!

Thanks for stopping by today.  I really appreciate that you spend some of your precious time with me.  Give these template ideas a try.  It's always a good idea to have some basic layout templates to work with when you get some creative stagnation going on.  They really are a great starting point to get you stamping again!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Another Great Layout

Hello stamping friends!  Felt a little rough this morning but still went about my daily routine.  One of the regular things I do is wander around Pinterest for a while during breakfast time.  Sometimes a color will catch my eye, sometimes it's a layout.  You never know what will appeal to you that you might have overlooked on a different day.  Well, I saw a similar layout used a good number of times with different colors, stamps, and even dimensions.  But they were all similar and that got me thinking.  Which turned into stamping, you know?  I had to make it my way and see how I liked it.  It turned out to be a great layout and I'm happy to share my dimensions with you for the cards I made.  Ready to give it a try?

This is what I came up with first.  I had lots of smallish strips cut off from other projects I've made previously using the Brushed with Beauty Designer Series Paper.  It seemed to be a great project to use some of these.  The strips were all about 1" wide, so I picked two prints that I liked together and cut them down to 5 1/4" long.  I had enough strips to make two cards, so I had fun making them similar but just a bit different.

The card base is Very Vanilla to coordinate with the DSP.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It was scored at 4 1/4".  Then 1" was cut from the front flap to make an off-set opening.  The striped piece of DSP was layered inside the card on the back flap leaving a small border on 3 sides.

The floral print was layered onto the front flap lining it up with the back strip of DSP.

Next, a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock was cut at 2" x 5 1/4".  This was embossed with the Lovely Stripes Embossing Folder so that the stripes would mimic the stripes in the Designer Paper.  After embossing, this was attached to the card front with "green glue".

The sentiment and die-cut label are both from the Unbounded Love stamp and die bundle.  After cutting the label from Very Vanilla cardstock, the sentiment was stamped with Calypso Coral ink.

A piece of Crumb Cake cardstock was cut to 2 1/2" x 1 3/4".  The square corners bothered me, so my trusty, very old Corner Rounder punch was used.  I'm so glad I've hung on to this for a good number of years.  Every once in a while, it is just the perfect tool to have.  The two layers are attached with adhesive.  Then it is layered onto the card front using Dimensionals just where it's attached to the front flap of the card only.

The inside sentiment is from the new Framed All Around stamp set.  This is an Online Exclusive set, so you won't find it in any catalog.  Calypso Coral ink was used for stamping this.  The set has the 2-line corner stamp that I thought I'd try out in the corner.  It's stamped with Crumb Cake ink.  It doesn't really add anything to the design.  Thought I'd like it better. I'll have to work on using that stamp later.

Going back to the front of the card, a bow made with the new Crisp Cantaloupe Bordered Ribbon was made.  Then it was attached to the corner of the label with Mini Glue Dots.  For the added bling on this card, I used three of the Opal Rounds that were in my embellishment stash.  I thought they looked nice on this card.

Keep reading for the 2nd card made with most of the same ingredients.

As you can see, the basic card was put together the same as the first up to the point of orientation.  

The label and sentiments are also from the Unbounded Love set, just different stamps used this time.  The sentiment was stamped in both Calypso Coral and Crumb Cake inks.  The Crumb Cake layer behind this was made the same as previously.  

When it was attached to the card front, I used adhesive and kept it flat to the card.

The sentiment inside the card is from the new Framed All Around set again.  It's stamped with Calypso Coral ink to match.

The Crisp Cantaloupe Ribbon was used again to add a bow to the design.

This time several of the Opaque Faceted Gems in the coral color were added to the front for a little bling.

Need one more look at these two cards?  Sometimes layouts seem to just work better in either landscape or portrait style.  This layout seems to work nicely either way.  Do you have a favorite?

Ok peoples, that's my two-for-one card layout for you to try.  I'm very happy with the outcome and will certainly use this layout again.  I'm just not sure what DSP I'll be using next.  I've probably got at least a dozen print combos that would make up into beautiful cards.  I'll have to start going through my stash with this layout in mind.

Hope you enjoyed this layout.  Is it new to you?  Or is this one of your old standbys?  No matter which, I hope you got just a little inspired to give this a try soon.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Ready for Barely Blush?

Hey there stamping friends!  Here we go with another one of the 2026-2028 In Color cards.  This card will focus on the Barely Blush color which is the last one of the five colors.   It's so soft and pretty, just right for those girlie cards you love making.  If you want to see the other four In Colors featured in cards, check out the previous four posts to see them all.  If you're ready for Barely Blush, then let's get going.

Oh, I almost forgot that yesterday I promised you another easy card layout too.  This card handles both the featured color and a new layout plus there's extra samples of this layout at the end of the post too.  Hope these will really get your creative juices bubbling and get you creating!

Today's card starts with a card base of the Barely Blush.  It's a pretty soft pink color that's very light.  To give the card base a little more interest, the small flower in the Simply Beautiful stamp set was used with Barely Blush ink to stamp an overall design on the front of the card.  It's barely there but just adds a little color and interest to the background.

Here's where the new layout comes in.  I used the 2nd largest rectangle die from the Textured Notes dies to cut a Basic White piece of cardstock.  The inside measurements of this piece are approximately 4 3/8" x 2 7/8".

 

You need two pieces to fill the space in.  The left side measures 1" x 4 3/8".  The right side measures 1 7/8" x 4 3/8".  You can use two different DSP prints, or one print and one piece of cardstock.  It's up to you.

For my card, the left side is Crisp Cantaloupe that picks up some of the color of the flowers. It measures 1" x 4 3/8".  It is embossed with the Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder.  This is attached to the white layer with "green glue" lining it up to the left side.

The right side is a pretty print from the Bloom Boutique DSP.  Yes, it's my new favorite DSP that I've been using all over the place!  This print has gold foil flowers all through the print.  So pretty!  It measures 1 7/8" x 4 3/8" and is attached with "green glue".  

After attaching the two pieces to the white die-cut, the layer is attached to the pink card front using Dimensionals.

Next, the 2nd smallest circle die in the Stylish Shapes Die set was used to cut a Basic White label.  The 3rd smallest die was used to cut a Barely Blush circle to layer behind the white.

The sentiment is from the Cutest Crew stamp set.  The little happy birthday fits inside that circle perfectly.  It's stamped with Peaceful Pine ink.  Then they are attached together with adhesive.

A 6" length of Gold Striped Mesh Ribbon was folded in half and attached to the back of the circles.  Then this was all added to the card front by attaching with Dimensionals.

Lastly a few Flat Pearls were tucked in around the design.

Now that you've seen this layout with some pretty new products, let's take a look at the same layout using retired DSP to get a different look.

The same die-cut from Textured Notes was used here.  The dimensions for the DSP pieces are the same as the previous card.  The DSP used for these two pieces is the Floral Impressions DSP from a year or so ago.  

Instead of stamping on the card base for interest, I added a piece or embossed vellum that is probably 5+ years old at least.  But it still added a nice touch.

The punch is retired and I don't remember the name of it.  The sentiment which is from the Textured Notes set was stamped with Misty Moonlight ink.  Then it was attached to the card front with Dimensionals.

A retired Rainbow Dots in Fresh Freesia was added to the label.

The ribbon is the recently retired Petunia Pop.  I thought it was a better addition than a Fresh Freesia ribbon.

This card is very similar to the one above.  The DSP is also from Floral Impressions pack.

There is no stamping or vellum added to the card base.  I thought there was enough contrast to leave it as is.

The label and sentiment are the same.  The ink is Garden Green.

The ribbon is Pretty in Pink.

Rainbow Dots in the darker pink color were added.

There are a few changes on this card.  First of all, the largest rectangle die in the Textured Notes set was used to cut the Basic White label.  That changed the dimensions of the DSP to:

left side - 1" x 4 7/8"

right side - 2 1/2" x 4 7/8"

The DSP used for this card is from the Lovely Garden pack.

After attaching the two DSP strips to the white layer, a length of Fresh Freesia Seam Binding was wrapped around and tied into a bow.

The 3rd smallest circle in the Stylish Shapes dies was used to cut a piece of Basic White cardstock.  The same sentiment was used with Basic Gray ink.  

This sentiment label is attached flat and tucked in under the ribbon a little.  One of the Fresh Freesia dots from the Rainbow Dots was added for an accent.

As you can see, there are so many wonderful DSP prints that can be used for this layout.  I'm sure you've got a whole pile of possibilities just waiting for you to give it a try.  Let me know if you tried this layout and love it too!

Thanks for stopping by today.  Since all of the new 2026-2028 In Colors have been addressed in the previous posts, it's time to start focusing on some other new goodies in the May - August 2026 Catalog.  Believe me, there's plenty of fabulous goodies to create with next.  Hmmm, what will it be next time?  I can't wait until you can stamp along with all the new goodies too!  If you don't have a demonstrator to order from yet, I'd be happy to fill the spot.  Let me know if I can be of help at sharoncarr50@gmail.com.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Forever Florals and Peaceful Pine

Hello friends!  It's been a little rough going the past several days.  My AFib seems to be kicking up again and that's never easy to cope with as far as I'm concerned.  But life goes on and I do what I can manage.  I did spend a little time working on today's card.  It's actually taken three days to get it where I wanted it.  This morning I made another change after scutinizing the card again.  I'm happier with this latest "improvement" and I think it's time to share it with you.  I'll post the before picture at the end and you can let me know what you think - before, after, or scrap it.

This is the latest incarnation of the card.  I'm still a little iffy about it, but I'll give you the details on how it was made.  The idea started with the Bloom Boutique Specialty Designer Series Paper which I absolutely love.  The print with tiny white flowers on the Peaceful Pine background was used for this card.  It was cut with the frame die in the Forever Florals Dies to create the greenery frame.

I thought I'd like the print on a white background, but it just looked too busy for me.  So next I thought of creating a frame to go over it with just a small amount of the leaves showing through.  A 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Peaceful Pine was cut.  Then the center was die-cut with one of the Branching Out frame dies.  

I liked the look of these two together, but I didn't really care for it on the white background.  After trying a few possibilities, I settled on using Lemon Lolly for the card base.  The two die-cut layers were attached together with "green glue".  Then they were attached to the card base with the same glue.

Using dies from the same set, one each of the two different flower clusters were die-cut from Basic White cardstock.  The leafy stem was cut from Peaceful Pine cardstock.  It seemed to get lost on the card.   So, using Basic White cardstock and a Blending Brush, Peaceful Pine ink was swirled onto the cardstock until I had a slightly lighter green to work with.  Three more of the leaves were die-cut from this paper.

At this point, I used one of the sentiments to stamp on the Lemon Lolly cardstock inside the frame.  Peaceful Pine ink was used.  As you can see on this card, I wasn't happy with it, and I changed it this morning.

The die-cut leaves were arranged in opposite corners and attached with adhesive.  Then the flower clusters were attached with tiny bits of Dimensionals.  

A double strand of White Baker's Twine was used to make a small bow.  This was tucked in under the flowers and attached with a Mini Glue Dot.

Three of the pretty 2026-2028 In Color Butterflies were sprinkled across the card front.  These are the Peaceful Pine color.

And that's what the card looked like until this morning when I die-cut one of the labels in the set from Basic White cardstock.  The same sentiment was stamped on it with Peaceful Pine ink.  

It was then attached with Dimensionals right over the stamped words.  One of the butterflies had been pried off and reattached onto the label.  Much happier with this version.  The white label seemed to help balance the card better.

I did say I would share the before card also.   So, keep scrolling.  It's right there.

Okay, now I need some feedback.  Was I right to add the white label?  Or should I have left it as is?  Please let me know your thoughts on the matter.

Just wanted to remind you that everything I used to make this card is in the new May - August 2026 Catalog.  The catalog will go live on May 5th - yay!  I can't wait until you can get these products too and have time to play and create with them!  I hope you love all these items as much as I do.  Especially the new In Colors.  They are fabulous and the little butterflies are just darling.  You'll want to add them everywhere!

Okay, that's four of the new In Colors that I've shared so far.  Just one more to go.  I've got a pretty card and also a card layout to share with you to showcase the Barely Blush color.  I think you'll like it.

Hope you're inspired to get out your stamps and paper a go create something special.  And then don't forget to drop it in the mail to make someone happy.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon