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