Fun Fold Scenery Card

Hello stamping friends!   Hope you're having fun creating lately.  I've gone back to the lovely One Horse Open Sleigh Designer Paper for my inspiration today.  It's an Online Exclusive that's available right now.  If you don't have this yet, you really should consider this purchase.  The winter scenes shown on this paper is just gorgeous!  I have trouble cutting into it because I don't want to miss any of this goodness.  But cut away I did, and I love the card that emerged.  So simple yet elegant, and super quick to boot.  When you need all those Christmas cards to fill your list, this card is a winner.

You've got this wonderful wintry look as soon as you pull it out of the envelope.  I hope you can see the pretty white snowflakes sprinkled across the card.  They just add a subtle touch to the finish of the design.  Are you ready to make this card?

Start with a card base of Lost Lagoon cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 2 1/8" and 4 1/4".  Fold the card in half as usual.  Then fold back at the other score line so the inside of the card now is the front panel of the card.

The One Horse Open Sleigh DSP is 6" x 6".  One full print sheet is used to make this one card. First the DSP is cut across the bottom to take off 3/4".  This leaves a length of 5 1/4" to fit the card front.  Next a 2" strip is cut from the left side of the sheet.  This will be the front.  The 4" that are left will be the inside of the card.  You can attach these layers onto the Lost Lagoon card base at this time.  Make sure the top and bottom edges line up nicely.

Next a piece of Basic White cardstock is cut for the inside of the card.  This measures 2" x 5 1/4".  The sentiment for the inside of the card is from the Brightest Glow.  This is stamped with Real Red ink onto the white panel you just cut.  After stamping, attach this inside the card with adhesive.  Make sure the top and bottom edges line up with the other two panels.  This panel gives you plenty of space to write a small greeting to friends or family, but it's totally hidden when the card is closed.

I really like the "joy" sentiment in the Brightest Glow stamp set.  It's stamped on a Basic White scrap using Real Red ink. Then punched out with the smaller oval of the Double Oval Punch.  There was a debate with myself about using the larger scallop oval to punch a Real Red layer but it was decided no.  It made the sentiment area way too heavy looking, so it came off the card and I stayed with simple.  

The snowflake accents were added at this time.  There's one of each of the three sizes.  Oh yes, the snowflakes are an Online Exclusive also.  Make sure you check it out.  The last little bits of bling are the Loose Holly Gems and Sequins that can be found in the new Mini Catalog.  They are just a cute little accent that adds so much to the card.

Here you've got a last look at the finished card standing on a table.  Such a pretty wintry accent just sitting there.  And wasn't that an easy card to make?  Just perfect for getting ready for the holidays.  And yes, I'm just a little obsessed with this One Horse Open Sleigh DSP.  The prints just take me back to my childhood - outside playing in the snow with my siblings.  It was fun, but pretty cold.  This way I can enjoy the look but not freeze my fingers and toes.  😄

Remember, just a few more days before you can get your hands on all the goodies in the new Mini Catalog - September 6th!  And there are so many new goodies to choose from!  I still want to try everything, but I'm trying to exercise some restraint!  Not sure how good that's working out.

Thanks for coming by today.  Happy Christmas card making.  This is one of my very favorite traditions every year.  It just blesses me to think of my family and friends who will be receiving these cards.  Hope the cards sent will bless others too.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Let's Cool Down With An Autumn Card

Hey there!  Are you as hot as I am?  Whew!   I am so not used to such hot weather.  The heat index was over 100 degrees yesterday and I really didn't want to go out of the house.  What did we do before air conditioning?  Since it's been so hot, I thought it was time to work on more autumn cards to cool off.  The All About Autumn 6" x 6" Designer Paper is just gorgeous and has been begging me to play around with it a little more.  So that's what I did yesterday.

The layout on this style of card is super simple, but it gives just enough of a different fold to make it interesting.  For this style of fold, the Designer Paper really does all the work.  And come on, I know you've got lots of DSP just sitting there waiting on you to come and create.

For this card, I started with a base of Crushed Curry cardstock measuring 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" that is scored in half at 4 1/4".  Then a 1" strip is cut from the front flap of the card.  Easy so far, right?  The All About Autumn DSP is cut at 3" x 6", which is then trimmed down to 5 1/4".  I'm saving those 3/4" x 3" pieces for something down the road.  No idea what yet, but I'll be ready when I figure it out.  The layer of DSP is attached to the card front with adhesive carefully lining up the edges.

While we're cutting DSP, I chose another print that will be a nice accent when the card is closed.  This one is Copper Clay with a copper foil design on it.  Gorgeous, isn't it?  This is trimmed at 3/4" x 5 1/4".  It's attached to the outer edge making sure it lines up with the front layer.

The inside of the card has a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock that measures 3" x 5 1/4" just the same as the front so it's totally hidden when the card is closed.  A piece of Very Vanilla was die-cut with the Autumn Leaves Dies.  I like the notched corners of this die-cut.  Just an added little detail.  The sentiment from the Autumn Leaves set was stamped on this using Copper Clay ink.  The inside sentiment comes from the Cheerful Daisies set.  Love the wording and it fits so well the person I'm making this card for.  It's also stamped with Copper Clay ink.  That's it for the stamping portion.  Quick and simple, right?

The sentiment label is attached to the card front with Dimensionals.  Please make sure you keep the Dimensionals only under the front flap area.  The right edge hangs free.

After trying several different embellishments, the Copper & Natural Ribbon Combo Pack was used.  The copper ribbon really enhances the copper foil trim on that little strip we added.  The Neutral Adhesive-Backed Sequins in the copper tone were the perfect little bit of bling to finish.  

There, isn't that just the easiest card to make?  I liked it so much, I tried it again with a different print.  Have a look...

Now which do you like better?  The Crushed Curry with the maple leaves, or the Copper Clay with the forest path?  I must admit, I can't make up my mind.  The Copper Clay card uses the very same strip of copper foiled DSP as the first and it compliments this look perfectly.  But because of the darker cardstock and DSP used, the look is changed quite dramatically.   The same Copper Adhesive-Backed Sequins were used here and still work nicely too.

I cannot make up my mind on which I like better.  I love the nice clean look of the design.  I'm really not one to add multiple layers and lots of doodads.  This is the kind of card I prefer.  They both just make me happy to look at them.  Hope they will make some "someone else" happy too.

Thought you might want another look at the Copper Clay version of the card.  Nice, huh?  I just love the photography that was used for this designer Paper set.  So detailed and simply gorgeous!  Makes me long for autumn to get here soon.

Just a reminder that there are only a few days left to redeem your Bonus Coupons.  Don't forget them!  And... The September - December Mini Catalog is ready for ordering on September 6th!  I hope you're as excited as I am.  I've been enjoying using these new stamps, dies, and Designer Paper so far.  I'll be needing to get a few (ha ha) more stamps to create my Christmas and other assorted cards.  Oh boy!  

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope these cards have given you a chance to cool down.  Unless they got you "fired up" to get creating too.  

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

Scenery Card

Hi friends!  Today's card is just a cute and simple card for you.  Not much stamping at all and I really let the piece of DSP do all the work.  It's funny how long it actually took me to design the card.  And it's so simple!  Why was I trying so hard to make a really fabulous card when this cute little card was just waiting for me to think of it.

See?  Very little to it once the design was in my head.  Way back when, I did a series on using the one sheet of the Fresh As A Daisy DSP that was sort of a quilt block of different designs.  I used up all the other pieces without too much of a problem.  Why was this one piece giving me such fits?

To make this card, start with a base of Wild Wheat cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  This is scored and folded in half.  Next the DSP piece was trimmed down to 5" x 3 3/4".  

I was only going to use a 5 1/4" x 4" layer of Early Espresso cardstock to frame this, but it looked too drab and dark.  A small bit of Basic White shining between the two layers worked just fine.  This is cut 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  The 3 trees needed to be die-cut before I started putting everything together.  The trees are from the Horse & Sleigh set which is only available as an Online Exclusive in the Stampin'Up! store.  I die-cut three of them from Early Espresso cardstock.  Using adhesive, they were attached to the DSP.  Any part that went outside the edges was trimmed off with Paper Snips.  

That big open area in the middle bothered me.  I had to go to my retired stamps to find some birds.  They are from the On The Horizon set from last year.  The birds are stamped with Basic Gray that has been off-stamped before stamping.  I didn't use all the birds on the stamp, just four of them.  I thought that was enough.

The DSP layer was attached to the Basic White layer with "green glue".  This was layered to the Early Espresso layer and then onto the folded Wild Wheat card base.

The sentiment comes from the Trucking Along set which is another of those Online Exclusive sets.  Be sure to check these out online!  The sentiment is stamped with Early Espresso ink onto a 1/2" wide strip of Basic White cardstock.  After stamping, the ends were trimmed.  The banner was curled a little to be higher in the center and swooping down near the ends.  It's attached with two Dimensionals behind it in the center area to keep it lifted up.

The final touch was adding the field of daisies.  These are the Loose Daisy Embellishments found in the Annual Catalog.  They are attached with a Mini Glue Dot under each daisy.  I couldn't quite figure out what to add to the card and these popped into my mind.  What could be better than a field of daisies on a bright blue day?

That's it for this quick and easy card.  It really went together so fast once the idea took shape.  It's a little different from what I usually make, but that's part of what makes it fun.  Thanks for taking time out to spend with me.  I truly appreciate it.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Another One Sheet Wonder

Hello people!  It's been a while since I shared using the One Sheet Wonder idea for stamping a large sheet of cardstock to make background paper.   Then taking that one sheet and building a group of cards from that single piece of cardstock.  I'm always surprised how cool it is when the cards are finished.  For my grouping of cards today, I used the Textured Floral stamp set.  Let me show you how these cards were made.

Here are the four finished cards I made from one single piece of 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of Basic White cardstock.  Of course, there is the additional cardstock used for the card bases, layers, and sentiments.  How fun to be able to make your own DSP using whatever colors you choose.  Pick your favorites and let's get stamping.

This shows the beginning of the design.  Sort of laying in the "bones" of the design, before adding the fill in bits and pieces.   Start with the largest flower from the Textured Floral stamp set.  This is stamped with Flirty Flamingo ink.  Four of the flowers were stamped close to the center, but with enough room left for the leaves to fit in there.  Then seven or eight extra flowers were added.  Some of these flowers are stamped off the edges of the cardstock and angled to get the leaves partially on too.  After the flowers were stamped, the leaves were added with Old Olive ink.  These are pretty bold leaves, so try to get them spread out a little so there's space around the designs.

The next step was the cluster stem of flowers.  The flowers were stamped first using Flirty Flamingo ink that was off-stamped before stamping on the cardstock.  After tucking these in where I could, the stems were stamped using Old Olive ink that was off-stamped also.  This kept the flowers the same color, but a much lighter version.

On to the next flowers.  The next largest flower was stamped with Lemon Lolly ink.  These flowers were used to start filling in all the open areas.  You don't want to use too many of the Lemon Lolly flowers, because there are other things to stamp in the design yet.  But this color is a nice softly bright bit of sunshine in the overall design. 

Next were the Lost Lagoon "daisy" style flowers.  These were off-stamped to keep them light and sort of blend into the background.  Some of the extra leaves were stamped with Granny Apple Green ink that's off-stamped also.  I did a little "fake masking" by cleaning off some of the ink before stamping the leaves so they wouldn't cover the yellow flowers.  The tiny flowers were stamped with Pool Party ink in some of the open areas.  The centers of these tiny flowers were added with Lemon Lolly ink.  The centers of the roses and yellow flowers was added with Pebbled Path - straight on the roses, and off-stamped on the yellow flowers.  The mini speckles are the sand from the Seaside Bay stamp set.  They were added with Pebbled Path ink.  I didn't use the whole stamp for the speckles, just sections.  And keep it very light!

The next step was cutting the cardstock into 5 1/4" x 4" pieces and deciding with color cardstock to use with each one.  Even though the same colors were used throughout, some looked better on different card base colors.  This one has a base of Pool Party cardstock.  The "dsp" was trimmed another 1/8" to give me space for the Basic White layer in-between.

The sentiment is from the Quiet Meadow stamp set.  It's stamped with Pebbled Path ink.  There is a layer of Pool Party to frame it.  Dimensionals were used to attach it.  A Pool Party ribbon is tied into a bow and attached with a Mini Glue Dot.  Some tiny rose-pink sequins were added with Mini Glue Dots too.

This card starts with a Lost Lagoon card base.  The sentiment is from the Biggest Wish set.  The larger hello is stamped with Flirty Flamingo ink with the smaller hello stamped with Pebbled Path ink.  The Basic White is trimmed and layered with a piece of Lost Lagoon cardstock.  Dimensionals attached it to the card base.  Three of the Adhesive Backed Sequins Trio were added for some bling.  A double bow was made from White Seam Binding ribbon.   It was colored with a Lost Lagoon Light Blends to match the card.  This was attached with Mini Glue Dots.

This one has a couple extra twists to it.  After trimming the "dsp" to fit the card base, it was first embossed with the Exposed Brick 3D Embossing Folder to give it some texture.  Then a little Lost Lagoon ink was blended onto the edges with a Blending Brush.  This was done very lightly and mostly in the corners.  

This was layered onto a Flirty Flamingo card base using "green glue".  A banner was stamped with the Quiet Meadow sentiment using Pebbled Path ink.  The right end of the banner was flagged.  Then the edges of the banner were lightly brushed with Flirty Flamingo ink.  It was attached to the card front with Dimensionals.  A bow was made with the white seam binding ribbon that had been colored with the Flirty Flamingo Dark Blends marker.  It's attached with a Mini Glue Dot.  Three Iridescent Rhinestones were added to the card to finish.

The last card was finished with a couple of retired items.  The sentiment layer is a retired scalloped layer that is several years old.  The sentiment is a stamp I've owned for about 25 years and have no idea the company that made it. It's stamped with Lost Lagoon ink.  There is a layer of Basic White added behind the "dsp". Next, a retired Petal Pink Ribbon was wrapped around the card layers and attached in the back.  A 3" segment of the ribbon was folded in half and tucked behind the sentiment layer at an angle.   The layers were then attached to the folded Flirty Flamingo card base with Dimensionals.  Then the sentiment layer was added to the front with Dimenisonals also.  Three Iridescent Rhinestones were added to finish the look.

There you have the four cards made from my own personal "dsp".  Fun, right?  But wait, I made another sheet with the same stamps but with darker colors.  Want to see those too?

Here are four more cards made with this same layout used.  But the colors are much darker as you can see.  That necessitated using darker card bases to match.  You know me and my penchant for pastels.  This was really outside my comfort zone, but it was fun working with different colors for a change. 

The colors used on these cards are:

Berry Burst - rose, Mossy Meadow - leaves, Bubble Bath - medium flowers, Orchid Oasis - daisy, Fresh Freesia - small flowers, Daffodil Delight - small flower centers, Pebbled Path - rose and medium flower centers

The card bases are Orchid Oasis, Berry Burst, and Moody Mauve.  I know, there was no Moody Mauve stamped on the "dsp", but I really thought that one of the segments paired better with that color than the others.

Hope you enjoy this idea and give it a try.  It seems that the sky's the limit when you're choosing your own color combo to put together.  Have fun with it.  Remember to leave some "white space" in your design so the images aren't too crowded.  And I think the light speckling helps to draw the whole design together.  Let me know if you try making your own designer paper.  I'd love to hear how it went for you.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Autumn Leaves Again

Hello friends.  Glad to have you back for another look at the new Autumn Leaves stamp and die set in the new Mini Catalog.  If you know me at all, you know I love fall leaves with their many rich, bright colors.  Today's card uses colors that are more muted than I usually use for fall.  I love how these have turned out though and hope you like them too.  The last post really focused on the All About Autumn Designer Paper and the Distressed Gold Specialty paper.  This time the card is focused on the basics - just stamps and ink.  It's a much more subtle card and I love it!

The card starts with Copper Clay for the base.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", is scored and folded in half.  This is a perfect color for fall.

Next is a layer of Old Olive cardstock.  It measures 5" x 3 3/4" so there is more of the Copper Clay that shows on the card.  This piece is embossed with the new Distressed Tile 3D Embossing Folder.  The texture is so interesting when it's not a complete image, kind of sketchy.  To make this distressed embossing show up even more, I tried something a little different.  I have the new Metallic Enamel Basics. I chose the copper to use here.  A small dime-size puddle of the copper was squeezed onto a piece of foil and used my fingertip to lightly brush over some of the raised areas.  This gives a nice metallic sheen to some of the areas.  Remember to keep it light so it stays just on the raised areas.  I set this aside to make sure it was dry before putting on my card.  TIP:  In case you're wondering, you could put this on one of your clear blocks, but you need to clean it immediately and thoroughly, so you don't have to scrape off residue.  That's why I now use a bit of foil so I can just throw it away when finished and don't have the clean-up hassle.

The next step was to stamp the three maple leaves.  Copper Clay, Old Olive, and Crumb Cake are the ink colors I used.  One of each color was stamped onto Very Vanilla cardstock.  They were die-cut using the coordinating dies.  After die-cutting, the "thankful" sentiment from the Autumn Leaves set was stamped across the Crumb Cake leaf using Copper Clay ink.  It fit perfectly.  It was time to put the card together.

First a 6 1/2" piece of natural ribbon from the Copper & Natural Ribbon Combo was wrapped around the middle of the embossed layer.  It's attached to the back of the layer with Tear & Tape to really hold it in place.  Dimensionals were added to the layer and then it was attached to the front of the Copper Clay card.  The three leaves were all attached to the card with Dimensionals.  As you can see, sections of the leaves were curled with a bone folder before attaching.  This adds so much more interest and texture to the card.

At this point, I decided to add the "for you" to the card.  I found it in the Textured Floral set.  It's part of a larger stamp, so a Copper Clay marker was used only on the words I wanted.  It was stamped on a skinny strip of Very Vanilla cardstock.  It was still trimmed a little more with Paper Snips to fit nicely.  It has Mini Dimensionals under it and it was tucked in under the leaf.

Wanting to stay with the more subtle coloring of the card, I didn't go with gold or copper accents.  The new Speckled Dots in Copper Clay were added instead.  I love the subtle interest they add to the design.

There you have it.  The 2nd installment using the Autumn Leaves Bundle.  Now that Designer Paper is calling me to come back and play with it.  So off I go to the stamp room to see what else I can create with this lovely collection of stamps, dies, papers, ribbons, and other embellishments.  Yes, I know, I've got to get going on all those Christmas ideas that are rolling around in that brain of mine.   And I've got cards to finish and get in the mail.  Whew, the stamping never ends!  😂  Thanks for stopping by today.  Won't you leave me a comment, so I know you've been here?  It's always lovely to hear from you all.  Or is that y'all?

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Autumn Leaves Sneak Peek

Hello my friends.  What a beautiful day it is today.  Sunny and hot.  Just a beautiful summer day!  Then why am I making a post that's labeled Autumn Leaves?  Just because it's warm and full of sunshine today, does not mean it'll be that way in another month or two.  I have to admit that autumn is my favorite season ever.  All the other seasons have their great qualities and there's many of them.  But carving pumpkins, picking apples and drinking hot cider, cooler weather, and wearing cozy sweaters - how can I resist?  Yes, it's my favorite season, so I'm always looking for new stamps and dsp papers to celebrate this wonderful time of the year.  If you like this season too, you're going to love the possibilities in the new Mini Catalog.  Plus, the catalog has fun holiday products - Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas!  It's got it all and you'll love it!  But of course, the first item I ordered from the new mini catalog absolutely had to be fall related.

Isn't this cool?  Love these new leaf stamps and dies and the new DSP is awesome!  I just had to play with them right away.  This is my first project using the new Autumn Leaves Bundle with the new All About Autumn Designer Series Paper.  And that embossing folder used is new too!  Love this so much!  So, let's get down to making this card.

The card base is Copper Clay measuring 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.  The layer of Boho Blue cardstock measures 5 1/4" x 3".  This color was chosen because the DSP print used for the leaves has bits of this blue on it even though it's not listed as a coordinating color.  Doing my own thing here.  Before attaching this to the card base, the new Distressed Tile 3D Embossing Folder was used to give it that wonderful texture.  I added little bits of Crumb Cake ink just to some of the detail by touching the tip of my finger to the pad and lightly rubbing over the detail.  Yes, that does give me dirty fingers, but it was more of the antique look I wanted.  Then it's attached to the base over to the left side using "green glue".

I really planned to only use current products on this card, but it just didn't work out that way.  The retired Rectangle Stitched Dies were used to cut a Distressed Gold DSP piece.  This was the perfect size needed.  It was attached to the card front using "green glue".  Then on to those fabulous leaves.  The Autumn Leaves DSP print I chose has a look of stacked books.  I loved the combo of dark colors with mottled images and a slight striping.  This was an interesting look for die-cutting my leaves.

One of the large maple leaves was cut from this paper along with two of the small maple leaves.  The small leaves have texture cut into them from the die, but not the large one.  For this one, the veining was cut from Early Espresso cardstock with a piece of Adhesive Sheets stuck to the back side.   This made it easy to attach to the large leaf.

The sentiment and coordinating die are both from the Autumn Leaves set.  Very Vanilla cardstock was used for the label.  The sentiment was stamped with Copper Clay ink to the center of this.  The sentiment and leaves were all attached to the card front using Dimensionals.  I did a little curling up of the edges of the leaves for more interest.  The back of the leaves has a copper print on vanilla background, so any of it that showed was a nice accent for the card.

The inside of the card is Very Vanilla cut at 5 1/4" x 4".  A 1/2" strip on the same DSP print was cut and attached near the left edge with adhesive to bring the design inside the card.  I had thought of stamping leaves, but I wanted something simpler.

The sentiment is from the same Autumn Leaves set.  It's stamped with Copper Clay ink.  That is actually two sentiments together.  There are three different choices for that bottom part of the sentiment to fit what you might need.

A final look at the card.  For the bling, I tried using the Speckled Dots that are part of this collection.  Because I went with a Boho Blue accent color, the Speckled Dots didn't really go all that well.  I'll have to save those for another project.  😉  I ended up using the Neutrals Adhesive-backed Sequins in the current catalog instead.  I really like this metallic brown color with the design and was happy with this choice.

Hope you enjoyed this first look at one of the new products in the Mini Catalog.  You should have received your copy by now.  If not, please get in touch with me.  Ordering will start on September 6th, so get those wish lists filled out.  I'm sure some of these new items will be perfect for you and you'll want to create with them soon.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Gorgeous Garden Dies

Hello and happy Sunday to you.  Yesterday I decided that I was finally going to use one of those Gorgeous Garden pieces that I had die-cut several weeks (or was that months?) ago.  I was never quite sure how I wanted to deal with this piece.  I love the leafy background that was die-cut from one of the green/yellow prints of Hello Irresistible Designer Series Paper, but the colors were a problem I hadn't expected.   I loved the DSP, but I just couldn't quite figure out what really enhanced the colors.  Everything I tried just didn't seem right.  I finally settled on this card and I'm pretty happy with it.  It's not my usual soft pastel colors, and maybe that's why I was struggling so much.  Tell me what you think.

I was just organizing all my Fun Fold ideas and thought I wanted to use one of those ideas for this card.  This is another JOY Fold card and I like how it came together.  I've shared more on making JOY Fold cards on the August 7th post if you want to check that out.  Let's start making the card.  Start with a base of Crushed Curry cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.  The die-cut is from a Hello Irresistible Designer Series pack.  The die cut piece actually covered the full card front.  I debated about trimming it down but decided to let it cover the entire card front.  It needed something in between the die-cut and the Crushed Curry.  I tried Basic White, Very Vanilla and finally settled on a piece of Vellum between the two.  This toned down the Crushed Curry and made an all-over softer look.  It's attached to the card front with 'green glue' around the edges and behind a few leaves to hold it in place.  

The Countryside Corners dies were used to cut the side fold-over flap.  The 2nd largest die cut a piece of Crushed Curry.  It's scored from edge to edge to fold under as shown.  The 3rd largest die cut a piece of Lost Lagoon cardstock.  On the Lost Lagoon piece, I laid the die partially off the cardstock edge where the die changes shape.  This gave me a piece with a straight edge that I didn't have to trim off to fit the folded Crushed Curry piece.  This piece was embossed with the Timber 3D Embossing Folder to give it some extra texture, then attached to the Crushed Curry piece keeping the edges matched.

Here you see it with just the right-side flap open.  The flap that is scored on the end is attached to the inside of the card with Tear & Tape to really stick there.  There is a layer of Very Vanilla that goes inside the card which covers where that small end is attached so no one can see it.

Back to the front of the card, the 3rd smallest die from the set cut a piece of Very Vanilla for the sentiment layer.  I used a sentiment from the Layering Leaves set.  It's stamped with Pretty Peacock ink.  I keep going back to this set lately for the sentiment choices.  There are 7 different ones from which to choose and they're all great.

On a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, several of the Layering Leaves were stamped.  Some with Lost Lagoon and some with Pretty Peacock ink.  I used a Water Painter along with the ink to give each of them a wash of color.  While working with the leaves, several extras were stamped inside the card on the Very Vanilla layer.  I stamped these with Lost Lagoon ink, some full strength and some off-stamped.  This gives just a little extra interest to the inside of the card.

There were also some of the flower buds stamped with Crushed Curry ink.  After they were all stamped, the Bough Punch was used to punch out both the leaves and the flower stems.  They were situated around the sentiment until I liked the look.  The sentiment was turned over then I started attaching all the pieces to the back side of the label with adhesive.  Finally, adhesive was used to attach this all flat to the flap.

The sentiment label seemed way too stark when I looked at the finished card.  Speckling worked out quite well to give a softer look.  The Dark Lost Lagoon Blends was used for the spattering to give it some more interest and break up all that vanilla.

After trying a few different gems for bling on the card, I chose to use the green Festive Pearls that carried over from the last catalog.  The green pearlized look didn't fight with the other colors and gave the card a very subtle sheen.  Just right.

Hope you think about dies to cut an extra flap on your cards to make a JOY Fold card.  These dies from the Countryside Corners worked out so nice for this extra touch.  Give it a try and show me what you've made with the idea.  I love it when you share your ideas!

Quick commercial - Redeem those Bonus Coupons soon.

Kits are on sale now through the end of the month.

The new Mini Catalog should be arriving soon if you don't already have it.  Fun stuff in there.  The catalog goes live SEPTEMBER 6TH.  Have fun dreaming about what you're going to make next!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

CASE-ing Peggy Noe

Hello, hello!  Hope you're all doing well and staying happy.  Of course, if you're stamping and creating, you must be happy!  Right?  It always makes me happy to create even when things don't go quite as planned.  You know what I mean?  This morning I was looking at a blog post by Peggy Noe at prettypapercards.com.  I saw a lovely simple card idea and I just had to make it - my way.  Now that it's finished, I might like her version better than mine, but that's all right.  I like to look at someone's idea (or more than one someone's ideas) and go downstairs to my stamp room and create by making my version of "what I remember".  That sometimes really makes me laugh because my version ends up being nothing like the original.  But that's ok too.  So it was with this card.

Here's the simple card I ended up making.  If you go to her blog, you'll see some glaring differences.  First the color.  I changed it from Berry Burst to Pool Party.  Big difference!  I added the card base of Pool Party that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" that's folded in half.  The Basic White layer measuring 5 1/4" x 4" is also cut.

The dragonflies were punched from Basic White cardstock with the current Dragonfly Punch.  One large and 5 small ones were punched.  I kind of got carried away with the number of small dragonflies.

Another large dragonfly was punched from Vellum.  A last dragonfly was punched from a scrap of More Dazzle Specialty DSP in the Champagne color.  The wings were trimmed off this last one to keep only the body.

We're not done punching yet.  The smaller oval in the Double Oval Punch was used on Basic White for the sentiment.  The Bough Punch was used on Basic White cardstock to punch 3 sets of leaves and 3 flower stems.

Next it was time to do some coloring.  Using Pool Party ink and a Blending Brush, a minute bit of color was added to the center of the white layer that was already cut making sure to keep it very light.  The white dragonfly and the 3 flower stems were colored with the same ink and Blending Brush.  This time the color was added more heavily.  Then the sentiment from the Go To Greetings was stamped in Pool Party ink onto the center of the punched oval.  

Just about all that's left to do is assemble it all.  The Vellum dragonfly was attached to the colored one using Mini Glue Dots on the body only.  The glittery body was layered onto this with Mini Glue Dots also.  It was attached to the card front with Dimensionals cut in skinny strips to place under just the body so the whole dragonfly hovers above the card.

The white leaves were trimmed at the stems and tucked under the dragonfly.  The oval sentiment is attached with Dimensionals.  The little dragonflies were attached with one Mini Glue Dot on the center of each body to hold in place.

The Dark Pool Party Blends marker was used to add the spatterings.  Just flick the tip from the inside of the lid to get the spatters.  You can add as few or as many as you like.  Just be gentle with the tip of the marker so it doesn't get ugly and unusable.  This is a juicy new Blends marker that I used so the spatters are fairly large.

Lastly the gems were added to the dragonfly.  Yup, this really upped the glitz factor on the card.  Peggy only used one on her card, but I got carried away again.  These gems are from the Glossy Dots set and are the Pool Party color of course.

Ok, that's my version of her simple card.  It only took about 30 minutes or less to make, so it's a perfect idea for when you're in a hurry and need a card now.  I'm thinking that changing the colors, sentiment, and amount of dragonflies and gems would give you a very versatile card that would be handy to have on hand.  I've still got a few ideas rolling around in my brain about changes to the card idea.  Hmmm, I might have to make another card soon and go with these other ideas.

Okay, today's reminder is about using your Bonus Days coupons.  Don't forget that at the end of August they expire.  So use them soon!  The Kit Sale is going on this month also.  Some really great kits for you to choose for yourself or as a gift, and they're 30% off.  Woo Hoo!  

And last, but certainly not least, your new September - December Mini should be arriving in your mailbox soon!  Yay!!  Ordering will commence September 6th.  Are you excited?  This always gets me revved up to start on my Thanksgiving and Christmas cards.  If you do Halloween cards, there are some adorable ideas that you'll just love.  

Be sure to stop in again soon to see what's happening here.  

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Earthen Textures Meets Joy Fold

Hello Friends!  What a crazy bunch of days we've had lately.  Severe storms with heavy downpours followed by bright sunshine and high tempuratures.  That 2" of rain in 12 hours was a little daunting.  I'd like it if things were just a little more even keeled around here.  But I'm so thankful that we don't have the hassles of flooding in heavy rains anymore.  That's something to rejoice about for sure!  Right?  Today's card is a fun fold that I haven't made in a while, so I had to look for my "cheat sheet" for the cutting dimensions for this idea.  I guess I could put this together without the directions, but having some simple directions really does help.  Do you do that?  Make up a sheet with basic dimensions for cutting and scoring with maybe a picture or a card included?  I find this so helpful when I haven't made a card style in months, or maybe even years!  Yes, when you've been making cards for close to thirty years, a lot of ideas seem to show up every so often.  With a change of colors and stamps, the idea looks all fresh and new.

See what I mean?  Does it look familiar?  Same Joy Fold, but a totally new look.  This card started with the choice of using the Earthen Elegance Designer Series Paper for it.  I chose the print, then started checking the cardstock color choice.  When I started, I planned to use Early Espresso, but the colors together didn't really appeal to me.  After trying several color combos, I settled on Pecan Pie.  There are two pieces needed for the card - 5 1/2" x 7 1/4" scored at 3" for the base, and 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" scored at 1" on one of the sides.

There is a layer of Very Vanilla measuring 5 1/4" x 4" for the inside of the card.  Another vanilla piece that measures 3" x 1 3/4" is for the card front.  

A 3" strip was cut from one side of Earthen Elegance 12" x 12" DSP print.  Make sure the print goes up and down if you have a directional print.  This one strip will be cut into all the extra pieces of DSP used on the card.

Here's a quick peek at the inside of the card.  But I'm getting ahead of myself here!

Let's start by getting the two pieces of Pecan Pie scored and put together.  The smaller side piece has the scored flap attached inside the folded card base.  I used Tear & Tape for this because I really wanted it to stay together.

Next cut the DSP to fit on the left flap of the card.  Cut a piece that's 5 1/4" long.  Trim a 1/4" piece from one of the long sides so this piece fits on the left flap perfectly.  Attach with adhesive.  The next piece is cut at 4".  This will be the inside flap layer.  Attach this with adhesive too.  That leaves you with 2 1/2" left to use on the front of the right flap later.

Let's move on to making the pottery.  The front pot is stamped with Pecan Pie onto Very Vanilla. After die-cutting, the Blending Brush and Pecan Pie was brushed top and bottom and in on the sides.  Leave the middle free for a highlight.  The feathery grasses were stamped with Early Expresso.  After die-cutting, a little Pecan Pie was blended onto this.  The grasses were die-cut from Distressed Gold Specialty Paper.  These pieces were set aside to finish later.

Inside pots - tall one is die-cut from Pecan Pie.  The banding design is cut from Very Vanilla.  After attaching together and trimming ends, the Blending Brush and Pecan Pie was added to the sides and bottom for shaping.

Short pot and handles - were die-cut from Very Vanilla then the pot embossed with the wavy lines.  A good amount of Pecan Pie ink was built up on the pot to show the texture.  After attaching the handles to the pot, an extra bit of blending was done to give the handle section some color and shape.  These pots were attached to the inside of the card with adhesive.

The final pot - was stamped with Early Expresso ink onto Very Vanilla.  Some Pecan Pie was blended onto this to give it a mottled look.  The design band was cut from Distressed Gold Specialty Paper and attached to the pot.  On the inside vanilla layer, a sentiment from Charming Sentiments was stamped in Early Espresso ink.  Along the bottom edge, a few feathery grasses were stamped using Pecan Pie that was off-stamped first to keep it really light.  The Very Vanilla layer was attached inside the card with adhesive.  

Cut the 2 1/2" piece of DSP about in half.  Attach one piece to the top and one to the bottom of the flap.  The Very Vanilla piece that's left over has a sentiment from the Lasting Joy set stamped with Early Espresso ink on the right side.  Along the bottom edge, those feathery grasses were stamped with Pecan Pie ink that was off-stamped first.  It's attached to the flap with adhesive.  It will barely overlap either one or both of the DSP pieces depending on your positioning.  Use Dimensionals behind the pot and grasses to attach it to the front flap.

For just a little bling, three of the Neutrals Adhesive-backed Sequins were attached.  I used the brown color that looked sort of bronze-y to me.  The gold tone ones seemed to jump out at me too much.  Going for subtle here.

Whew!  I think it took longer to write this out than it took to make the card!  lol  Hope you like the looks of this fun fold card.  It's really not too hard to make.  And fun fold cards are always fun to make, but even more fun to receive.  So make someone happy and mail a card today.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope you're inspired to give this card a try.  If you don't want to do the fun fold, the pottery and DSP together are awesome!  Did you hear me singing that?

Just a quick reminder that Stampin'Up! has kits on sale this month.  There are some that I think are fabulous and a terrific bargain.  Check them out.  And USE YOUR BONUS COUPONS when you order!!  Don't let that money go to waste.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

ps - just thought you'd like to know we've got another severe storm warning going on this evening, and it's raining softly right now.  We'll see how it goes.

Ideas for Using 6" x 6" DSP

Hello there!  We've had a small break in the heat, so we were doing outdoor work yesterday.  Can't imagine why I'm so sore today!  lol  But it was all necessary, and it looks so much better than before.  That makes it definitely worthwhile.  I need to start out by mentioning here about the Kits Sale going on now at Stampin' Up!  It started today and runs to the end of the month.  I really haven't paid attention to the percentage off on all the kits, but I know that some are 30% off.  Woo hoo!  What a bargain when you get everything needed to make your cards or projects and usually have some basic items left over too.  It's a great way to quickly make some of those cards you need.  There's even a couple kits with Christmas cards or tags so you can get a real jump on the season.  Ok, enough of that.  Let's get on with the stamping.

If you noticed the title of this post, you know we're starting with one 6" x 6" piece of DSP.  I'm using the Hello Irresistible Designer Series Paper which is an Online Exclusive item to make these cards.  Make sure you check these all out when you're online placing an order.  More items are added often, and they are available until they are sold out.  So far, this DSP is still available, and I absolutely love it.  The print I chose to use is Soft Seafoam with leaves and stems printed on them in the same tone.  The print is more obvious in person.  But either way, it's such a soft and pretty color.  

Here are the other two cards that were made from the one sheet of paper.  I'll have the diagram to cut the Designer Paper farther down in the post.  Cutting it this way will utilize almost every single inch of this paper with only a tiny smidgeon left.

While you're looking around at the Online Exclusives, check on the Tropical Leaf stamp and punch.  As you can see, I kind of love these too!  They made creating these cards so easy.  And the tropical feel of them is perfect for these hot and steamy summer days.

Ok, this is the template for cutting your 6" x 6" DSP sheet.  For these cards to work properly, you need a print that is non-directional.  Think about using this template for easily making Christmas cards.  Or maybe a batch of birthday cards.  It all depends on which DSP you decide to use.

Let's start with the cuts.  Make your first cut 2" from the left side. Then cut off 3/4" from the bottom of this piece.  This gives you the piece for the first card.  Next cut off 2" from the top of the remaining piece.  That 4" x 2" piece will be on your second card.  The remaining 4" square piece is cut diagonally.  This will give you the pieces for both cards 3 and 4.

Each of the four cards started with a half sheet of Thick Basic White cardstock that was scored and folded in half.  The next step was to cut four pieces of Basic White cardstock measuring 4" x 5 1/4".  Each of the four pieces of DSP were attached to the four Basic White pieces using 'green glue'.  Make sure the DSP pieces come right out to the edges on the white layer.  

Next, strips of Lost Lagoon were cut at 1/4" wide.  One strip was attached to each white layer right next to the DSP layer using 'green glue'.  It's easier to cut the strips longer than needed, attach them, and then trim.  After attaching these strips, each layer was embossed with the Timeworn Type Embossing Folder to give it all over texture.  Then it was attached to the folded Thick Basic White card base.  'Green glue' was used for attaching this also.  

Now on to the leaves.  Both sizes of leaves were used.   The solid base of the leaves was stamped in Soft Seafoam ink on Basic White cardstock.  The veins in the leaves were stamped with Lost Lagoon ink.  The large leaves were punched with the coordinating punch, and the smaller ones were fussy cut.  These were set aside until the sentiments were ready.

Some of the Countryside Inn Dies were used to cut some Basic White labels.  There were several sentiment sets used including Hope & Prayer, and Courage & Faith.  Sorry I don't remember where the 'amazing' sentiment was taken from.  The sentiments are all stamped with Lost Lagoon ink.  

With all the pieces ready, the assembly started.  The larger leaves were only attached at the base of the leaf so it could be slightly curled up.  Each card had two leaves under a section of the sentiment label and one leaf over it.  The sentiment labels were attached with Dimensionals to give them some depth.

Each of the cards has a double bow made from 2022-2024 In Color Twine in the Parakeet Party color.  About 14" was used for each bow.  The bows were attached with a Mini Glue Dot.

For embellishments, two of the cards have 2022-2024 In Color Pearls in Parakeet Party green.  The other two cards have Lemon-Lime Twist gems from the new Tinsel Gems 4 Pack.  Even though the colors aren't the same, I think the embellishments work very nicely with the Soft Seafoam color.  (It pays to check all your embellishments even when they don't say the same color because you never know how they'll look together.)

Thanks for stopping by to see what's new.  Just a reminder that you need to redeem your Bonus Days coupons this month.  They will expire at the end of the month.  So if you don't use them, it's like money down the drain and we can't have that!  Check out the kits on sale and use all those coupons!  Happy shopping!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon