Love Nature's Symphony!

Hi y'all!  Just getting ready for the ice storm that will be coming through here this weekend.  So not looking forward to this, but there's not much that can be done about it but hunker down.  Instead, let's do a little creating with one of my new sets that I totally adore.  Nature's Symphony has interesting images, awesome dies, and great wording.  In other words, it has it all and I'm having so much fun using it.

I hope you can see some of the new extras that I've used on this design too.  First of all, I finally purchased the Old Olive Two-Tone 12" x 12" cardstock.  I have a few other colors and finally got this one to add to my stash.  It was cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4" for this card.  

Then I used my new Stone & Vine 3D Embossing Folder to add texture to the Two-Tone cardstock.  Oh, my goodness!  Can you see all this fabulous texture?  This is the lighter side of the cardstock, and the edges of the ivy leaves show the white core of the cardstock.  So very fabulous!  If you wanted more of the white detail to show, you could take a sanding block to it lightly to add even more contrast.

Here's a super extreme close-up of some of the embossed detail.  This really shows how the white core of the paper shows on the edges of the design.  Honestly, I just want to reach out and run my fingers over it because of all the texture.

This layer is attached to a piece of Mossy Meadow for the card base.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.  The embossed layer is attached with Tombow Liquid Glue.

The focal images for the card are the great leafy branches die-cut using the die from the Nature's Symphony set.  The leaves are cut from Mossy Meadow and Old Olive cardstock pieces to match.

I used a strip of Basic Beige that was in my left-over cut pieces.  It measures 4" long and just a bit less than 1 1/4" high.  The sentiment is from the Nature's Symphony set.  (I love both the sentiment and the cute font.)  It's stamped with Mossy Meadow ink onto the far-right edge of the piece. 

When all the pieces were ready, the Mossy Meadow leaves were attached to the card flat onto the card front.  Adhesive was added mostly to the branches and not the leaves.  

Then the sentiment layer was attached with adhesive.  It's covering just a tiny bit of the stems.  The Old Olive leaves were cut into two separate stems.  The longer stem was added first with adhesive mostly on the stem with one Mini Dimensional under the very top leaf.  The smaller stem was also attached with adhesive on the bottom of the stem and then the top three leaves all have a Mini Dimensional holding them up for more definition.

Three of the beautiful Holographic Gems were added to the design to give it a little bit of bling.  These are my absolute favorite gems for cards that are predominantly green.

Still needed a little something.  A small double bow made from Linen Thread was added to the stems to finish the design.  The bow was attached with a Mini Glue Dot rolled into a tube to hold the bow securely.

Once I had the design idea in my head, I was surprised how quickly it came together.  There was almost no stamping and no coloring to take up extra time.  Just a really fast, but still interesting, card idea for you.

Thanks for hanging out with me today.  Hope you were inspired to try a card like this that is full of textures and interest but still so quick it took almost no time at all to make.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

New Card Template to Try

 Hello friends!  I've been going through my stash of DSP trying to figure out what I can use up without having just bits and pieces left taking up space.  I landed on the Floral Impressions Designer Series Paper as the DSP for the cards I'm sharing today, and I played around with even more ideas which we'll get to at a later date.  Now just because I chose this paper which happens to be retired, it doesn't mean you can't use this idea on a multitude of other prints that are in your stash.  Use what you have!!!

First you need to have the dimensions used for this card making template.  It's very basic and so easy to work with once you have everything cut and ready to go.

Card base - 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"      score at 4 1/4"

Inside layer - 4" x 5 1/4"

DSP layer - 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"  (note the length on this and the next two layers!)

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

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

Cardstock for sentiment layer - 2 3/4" x 2 1/4"   or 3" x 2 1/4"

White for sentiment layer - 2 3/4" x 2                 or 3" x 2"

This is your template that you'll be working with today.  For all my cards, I used the same color cardstock for each of the cardstock layers to keep a cohesive design look.  If you'd like to change them and use two different colors, that is totally up to you.  Now let's look at the cards and I'll give you the stamp sets used for the floral accent and the colors used on each design.

This is the first card made using this new template.  The first thing to notice is that the layers are the full length of the card, so the card has a tall sleek look to it.  The sentiment layer also extends to mimic the other layers.  It's just a slightly different look that I found appealing. 

The card base and the cardstock layering pieces for this first card is Strawberry Slush.  I like how it contrasts with the more geometric print layer that comes next.  Make sure your sides line up nicely to enhance the long look of the card.

The next layers on the card showcase the other side of the geometric print.  These flowers make a nice contrast.  Again, be careful lining up the layers to keep a symmetrical look.

The sentiment layers are 2 3/4" wide to match the Strawberry Slush layer under it.  The flower is from the Charming Day set and is stamped with Pecan Pie ink.  It's colored with Stampin' Blends:

Strawberry Slush light and dark, Pretty in Pink light and dark, Daffodil Delight dark, Pecan Pie dark, Call Me Clover light and dark, and the Color Lifter.

After coloring it's die-cut with the matching dies.  The leafy stem is from Charming Day also and die-cut from Garden Green scraps.

The sentiment was stamped with Pecan Pie ink.  Then the leaves were added to the design with adhesive.  And the flower was added with Dimensionals.

Dimensionals were also used to attach the sentiment layers onto the card front.

A final touch was adding several of the darker Strawberry Slush and Pretty in Pink Gems to the design.  

The next card needed two different pieces of the Floral Impressions DSP.  The center floral print was chosen first, then the Old Olive striped print was chosen as the accent piece.  After trying the different green an yellow cardstock colors to use for the card base, I decided that I liked the Lemon Lolly cardstock for the card base the best.  Again, all the layers are the full 5 1/2" long to keep the sleek look going.

When I got to the sentiment layer, I liked the wider overlapping look for this card.  This time the layers are 3" wide.  I'm sorry I didn't write down all the sentiment sets I used for these cards.  Just look for something that fits.  This time it was stamped with Garden Green ink.

The flowers are from the Gallery Blooms set. They were stamped with Pecan Pie ink on Basic White.  Coloring was done with Stampin' Blends:

Lemon Lolly light and dark, Daffodil Delight light and dark, Pecan Pie light and dark, Granny Apple Green dark, Old Olive light and dark, and a small touch of Call Me Clover dark

After coloring, the flowers were die-cut with the matching die in the Gallery Blooms set.  There were also three of the smaller leafy stems cut from Garden Green cardstock with another die from this set.

The flowers were attached to the sentiment layer with Dimensionals.  The extra leafy stems with tucked in around the flowers to fill it out.

The sentiment layers were attached to the card front flat this time using adhesive.  There were three Holographic Gems added to finish the design.  I loved how these gems pick up all the yellows and greens in the design.

For the last card design, I chose Daffodil Delight for the card base and cardstock layers.  The daisy-looking DSP print has the green print on the backside so that was an easy choice.

As you can see, the sentiment layers were cut at 3" wide again.  I really prefer that little bit of overlap.

I really struggled to find a floral accent to match the DSP print.  Surprisingly, the Lifetime of Love set had a darling little daisy spray that worked well.  And wonder of wonders, it is still a current set.  Yay.  You really have no idea how hard it is to only use current sets when finding card ideas to share with you.  I rarely get rid of my retired goodies that I really, really like, so I also tend to grab them when in a pinch.  Anyway...

Flowers were colored with Stampin' Blends:

Daffodil Delight light and dark, Lemon Lolly dark, Pecan Pie light and dark, Call Me Clover dark, and Old Olive light  

After coloring the flowers were die-cut with the matching die from the set.  The sentiments are also from the Lifetime of Love set.  The words were stamped with Garden Green ink.  The sentiment layers were attached flat to the card front using adhesive.  The flowers were attached with Dimensionals.  And some of the Holographic Gems were added to finish the design.

Okay, one last look at all three of the cards made with this easy template.  I hope you're inspired to use some of the gorgeous prints you've got sitting around collecting dust.  Oops, I didn't say that out loud, did I?  This one is too new to have collected very much dust yet.  But I know I've got lots of other DSP packs that are just patiently waiting for me to get around to designing with them.

Oh, I forgot to mention, each of the cards has a layer of Basic White inside for either a sentiment or a newsy note that is long overdue.  At the bottom of each one is a 3/4" strip of DSP that matches the front design.  That just makes such a lovely accent.

Don't forget that there's another week to go to earn Bonus Rewards for your purchases that reach $50.  And that's on top of your regular rewards!!  It's always a win when you can get a coupon for $5 that you use for a purchase next month.  Win win!

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you cut some cardstock and DSP in the beginning of the post and stamped (played) along with me.  Let me know what you used for your creations!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon 

Nature's Symphony Take 2

Hello friends.  I mentioned yesterday that I'd be back today to share the next card made with the Nature's Symphony stamp and die bundle.  Did I say I really love these?  Well, I do and I've really enjoyed creating with them.  Since I had out all the materials yesterday, it made sense to go ahead and make another one.  I mean, the larger frame from the Gallery Blooms dies and extra leaves from the Nature Walk DSP were already cut and waiting, so why not?

I just love everything about this card!  I started again with a card base of Mossy Meadow cardstock.  It looked so nice with the leaves, why change a good thing?

Then check out the changes made to the larger Gallery Blooms die-cut frame that was left over from yesterday's card.  It was embossed with the Timber 3D Embossing Folder which was retired a while back.  I wanted the tight woodgrain design on this frame, and this was perfect.

This time, I wanted more color on the Crumb Cake frame.  Using a Blending Brush, first Crumb Cake ink was added.  Then a light layer of Pecan Pie ink was added to give it a little more color.

Looking for a background for the inside of the frame, I found leftover pieces of the Woven Textures DSP and this one looked just right.  It measures about 5 1/8" x 3 3/4" so it fits nicely behind the frame with no problem.  The subtle linen weave print has just enough visual interest but it's not overpowering.  After attaching the two pieces together with adhesive, they were added to the card front with adhesive too.

Now let's discuss these leaves.  Oh, my goodness!  I cut a strip of the Nature Walk DSP that fit the leafy die. Three different leafy branches were cut from this strip.  Each one of the die cuts have a different mix of these same colors.  One branch was for yesterday's card, the other two were for today's card.  The darker branch was cut apart to tuck in around the lighter branch.  This gave me so much more contrast to play with on the design.

Again, the leaves were attached inside the frame with touches of Tombow Liquid Glue along the stems and a small touch on the base of some leaves.

The sentiment is from the Sentimental Framing stamp set.  It's stamped on Basic White cardstock with Pecan Pie ink.  It was 'fussy cut' around it so it would have a smaller size shape when attached to the 'wood' layer.

The layer it is on is from the Nature's Symphony dies.  It looks like a plank of wood with cool woodgrain cuts in the design.  After die-cutting a Crumb Cake piece, a Blending Brush was used to add some Pecan Pie ink to help define the detail and darken it a little.

This was added to the card front with Dimensionals.  Then the sentiment was added with rolled up Mini Glue Dots.  This gave it just a little added height instead of absolutely flat.

The final touch for this design was adding the Brushed Brass Butterflies to this lovely nature-inspired card.   Don't the butterflies look like they belong there tucked amid the foliage?

I just wanted to share this photo again of the two cards side-by-side.  I love how they have a similar look but are still very different.  Now I'm wondering what else I can create with this set.  I love sets with a nature theme, and this one has some added goodies with four nice sentiments and some very different dies that coordinate.  Very interesting!

Thanks for stopping here and spending some time with me.  I certainly appreciate it!  My hope is that something catches your eye and inspires you to be creative.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Nature's Symphony First Try

Hello, my stamping friends!  I've been so stuck on making blue cards lately that I've started to bore myself.  Ho hum.  I decided it was time to play with a new set I've gotten recently but haven't used yet.  It's the Nature's Symphony stamp and die bundle that so intrigued me.  For this nature inspired card, I really felt greens should be my main color today.  Have you seen the gorgeous new DSP called Nature Walk yet?  It's on page 39 in the January - May Mini Catalog and you really need to check it out.  This is going to be one of my favorites for sure!  Let's get creating and see what we make.

My first idea was to use this mottled DSP print for my leaves, and the design came together from that start.  After cutting the leaves with the die in the Nature's Symphony die set, Mossy Meadow cardstock was chosen for the card base.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored at 4 1/4" then folded in half.

The double frame die in the Gallery Blooms set was used to cut Crumb Cake cardstock.  This matches the color in the DSP print so nicely.  The frame I used here is the smaller, inner frame on the die. The larger die-cut frame would be used in my next card.  Since I was keeping this card design on the simple side, I didn't do any embossing or stamping on the frame but left it as is.  I thought the plain simplicity made the leaves really stand out as the focus.

The frame was attached to the center of the card front using adhesive.  Tombow Liquid Glue was used sparingly on the stems of the leaves and just a little on the leaf base to hold in place.  I wanted the leaves to be a little loose from the card base to look more natural.  The stem was tucked right above the inner frame with the leaves fanning out and over the frame.  Several leaves were slightly finger-curled at the tips to help them stand apart from the frame.

The sentiment is from the More Messages stamp and die bundle.  FYI - these are on the Last Chance list so get it while you can!  This time I stamped the sentiments with Pecan Pie ink and cut with the matching die in the bundle.  And just like that you've got 19 sentiments all ready to use when you need them.  Easy peasy.

Before adding the sentiment to the card front, a large floppy bow was made from Linen Thread.  This was attached behind the sentiment with a Mini Glue Dot in the top left area.  

Then Dimensionals were added behind the sentiment label, and it was attached near the bottom of the frame.

The last touch was adding some bronze dots to finish off the design.  The darker metallic look seemed to work nicely with the natural look of all the other components of the design.

Just a little teaser here.  This shows the next card I worked on with more of the same components as the original.  Come back tomorrow for another installment on the Nature's Symphony bundle.  I hope you love these ideas as much as I do!

Don't forget that Bonus Days are going on this month.  There's still two more weeks to earn your Bonus Days coupon or two (or more!)  For every $50 you spend this month, you receive a coupon worth $5.00 to redeem in February with your next purchase.  Woo Hoo!  And don't forget to hang on to those coupon codes.  You'll need those numbers.  That's the only way you can cash them in!!

Thanks for stopping in today to see what's happening here.  Come back for the 2nd installment tomorrow.  So happy to have you visit.  Please be sure to add a comment and let me know what you think of my designs.  Thank you!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

 

Bee Mine Valentine Card

Hey y'all!   We're having another batch of misty, rainy and cold days, so I thought we need to surround ourselves with a bit of cheery fun.  How does that sound?  I've been working on getting the Valentine cards ready for the shut-ins.  Our little group won't be putting them together.  Instead, the "Groovy Grans" group from church will be putting them together at our meeting in the beginning of February.  Since most of these ladies say they are not crafty in the least, the cards need to be fairly simple with easy instructions.  They are doing this for the outreach segment of the meeting.  Thank goodness there are enough ladies that meet with me each month that now understand basic cardmaking, so they can be divided among the four worktables and keep an eye on what's happening.  Hoo-wee!  Last year was really "interesting" so say the least.  I'm hoping this year will go a little smoother!!

Here's the card the ladies at the first table will be putting together.  This card just makes me happy, so I'm hoping it will bring a smile and some cheer to each person that receives this one.

For the design, start with a Basic White cardstock piece that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.  The first layer is Strawberry Slush that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This is embossed with the new Lovely Stripes Embossing Folder.  I love the dotted stripes in the design that really make it special.  After embossing, it's layered onto the white card base using Tombow Liquid Adhesive.  This is the adhesive I always use when attaching embossed layers as it gives a minute of "wiggle time" and holds very securely.

Next is the large heart that is die-cut using the largest heart die in the new Endless Love bundle.  Isn't the cut circle detail surrounding the heart cute?  The DSP used is from Most Adored Designer Series Paper that's been retired for a while.  I was just looking for a cute pink print, so find one you like.  (If you don't have a pink print you like, the Made with Love DSP in the new mini catalog has several prints that would work out nicely.)  This die-cut was attached to the card front with adhesive, so it lies flat.

Now, on to that darling bee.  It comes from the Bee My Valentine set and matching punch that is still available.  I thought he turned out so darn cute!  First, the bee is stamped with Daffodil Delight ink.  Then the stripes are added with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  There are four different faces so there are lots of choices for your little bee.  The wings for the bee were stamped with Basic Gray ink.  After stamping, I used the coordinating punch to punch the two sections of the bee.  Adhesive was applied on the top of the bee and his wings were attached.  Then three Dimensional were added to the bee and he was attached to the card front.

The sentiment is also from the Bee My Valentine set.  It's stamped with Strawberry Slush ink onto a 1/2" strip of Basic White cardstock.  The ends were flagged to make a label about 2 1/4" long.  This was attached to the heart using Dimensionals.

For the final touch, I added Adhesive-backed Heart Sequins to the heart design.  These are retired, but I thought they were the perfect finishing touch for our bee-utiful Valentine card.  I have to admit, when these heart sequins were going to be retired, I order six packages just because I liked them so much.  So, I think I'll be using these lovely little bits of bling for a good long while yet.

Well, there you have the first of four Valentine cards for the shut-in members at church.  Remember, I need to keep them very easy for the ladies to put together so I hope it's not too boring for you.  Of course, I find it inspiring to see what others make even when the idea is very simple.  There's always inspiration to be found in color combos and layouts too.

Have fun stamping and creating,

Sharon

Product of the Month Plus Extras

Hello friends!  Coming to you from a very damp and chilly South Carolina today.  A gray and rainy 48 degrees feels way colder than it really is.  A good day to stay inside and get another post done.  Right?  Maybe that's why I've been making cards lately that have a lot of blue and gray going on.  Must be something to do with the weather!  I've been trying to figure out how I wanted to present these card ideas in a coherent fashion and here goes.  Instead of breaking this down into several different posts, I've got a main card idea plus 2 extras.  Hope this all makes sense to you as it unfolds.  The main focus on today's post is using the Product of the Month from last December.  I just checked and it's still available at this time.  You need to purchase $75 worth of merchandise to be eligible to buy the True Blue Designer Series Paper Product of the Month which is available only while supplies last.  That means it's not too late to get one of these DSP packs for $5!  Since it is still available, I thought I'd share a couple of card designs I made using this lovely paper.

This is the first card I made with the True Blue DSP.  I love the prints on this piece, so I was looking for a layout that features both sides of the DSP.  This card does it so well.  Since the DSP has a combo of Night of Navy, Balmy Blue, and Basic White, I chose Night of Navy for the card base.  It measures 5 1/2" x 5 1/4" and it's scored at 4 1/4" which gives you a front flap that's only 1" wide.

Next, a piece of the True Blue DSP was cut that measures 5 1/2" x a scant 4 1/4" so it fits inside the folded flap.  Put adhesive inside the flap but not quite to the score line then attach the DSP to this.  Make sure you line up the outer edge with the back of the card so they're even.

I wrapped a Frayed Edge White Ribbon around this and tied into a loose-ish knot.  I really like how the white ribbon stands out against the navy and enhances the design.

The Basic White label on the front of the card was die-cut with the smaller label in the Peace on Earth die set.  I thought the shape and size worked well here.

The sentiment comes from the Hope You Know stamp set.  It's stamped with Night of Navy ink right near the top.  

Both the larger and smaller greenery dies used here are from the Charming Day dies.  They blend in with the print on the DSP but aren't quite the same.  They are cut from Night of Navy cardstock and Balmy Blue cardstock to match the card.  After cutting, they are attached to the label.  The navy one is flat with just adhesive.  The Balmy Blue one has adhesive on the bottom of the stem area and has Mini Dimensionals under the 3 top leaves to hold in place.

The label was then attached to the card front using Dimensionals.

For a little added bling, three Iridescent Pearls were added to the design.

With this fun fold design, I mentioned you can see both sides of the paper.  This is the inside of the card.  Yes, the ribbon goes right around the layers and ties in front.  This way you can enjoy it both inside and out.

The inside layer is Basic White that is cut at 5 1/4" x 4".  The sentiment is from the Comforting Thoughts set and is stamped in Night of Navy ink.

The little branch in the bottom corner is from the Charming Day set and is stamped in Balmy Blue ink.  Isn't it a nice touch?

Ok, this is the first card I'm sharing.  Next is a card using the same layout but using different colors and DSP.

Here you can see them together.  The upper card uses Cloud Cover for a card base and a print from the Peaceful Garden DSP.

I don't remember what cut the white label.  It was just in my stash of left-over die-cut pieces.  It fit the card, so I used it.  The sentiment on this one is from the Friendly Foliage stamp set.  It's stamped with Secret Sea ink.  

I'm not sure where the die for the Cloud Cover branch is from, but the Secret Sea leaf is from the Charming Day dies.

The ribbon is a sheer Secret Sea ribbon that is currently available.  The touch of bling on the card is from the Iridescent Pearls just like the other card.  The inside is the same except for the ink colors used.

This last card reverts back to the True Blue DSP.  The card base is Balmy Blue that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" scored and folded in half.

The Night of Navy layer measures 4 3/4" x 3 1/2".  The three DSP prints measure as follows:

2 1/4" x 3",  7/8" x 3",  and 1 3/8" x 3 1/4"

These three prints were attached to the navy layer with adhesive.  As you can see, it was a little off and I should have used "green glue" to have that extra wiggle time to get it where I wanted it.

After glueing these pieces on the navy layer, I wrapped a Balmy Blue/white ribbon around this and tied it into a knot in the center.  

A Basic White circle die-cut and stamps from the Unbounded Love set was used to stamp the sentiment with Night of Navy ink.  This was attached right at the knot in the ribbon with Dimensionals.

For bling on this card, I used the white dots from the Moody Palette Glossy Dots that will be a new Online Exclusive item on January 6th.

I hope you liked these ideas I've shared.  There is a template for cutting DSP for a card front along with a fun fold that's so easy to use but really makes the pretty DSP prints take center stage.  Give these ideas a try with other Designer Series Papers that you have in that pile you're hiding 😏 and see what lovely cards you can make.

Thanks for taking the time to stop in today.  Let me know what you think of these ideas.  I love to hear from you.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon