Pink Poinsettias to Start

 Hello friends!  I'm finally getting around to playing with the Pretty Poinsettia bundle.  I don't know why it took me so long to get to this set, but I finally did make two card yesterday.  I started with one using current items, and the 2nd card has a few changes that use retired products.  Let me know which one you like the most.

This picture gives you a side-by-side look at the two versions.  The upper version is all current items that are available right now.  Let's start with that one.

Start with a Peaceful Pine cardstock piece that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

There's a layer of the beautiful Luxe Foliage Designer Series Paper next.  (This was a September Product of the Month that is still available if you haven't gotten it yet.)  This measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This print is a floral gold foil on Peaceful Pine background.  I figured not enough of the design would show for a floral to be a problem on a Christmas card.  I was just looking for those glints of gold showing through the leaves and around the edges of the design.  The DSP print was attached to the center of the card front with adhesive.

Next a piece of Soft Sea Foam cardstock was cut to measure 5" x 3 3/4".  The leafy border die from the Botanical Expressions set was used to make a diagonal cut on the cardstock.  The edge of the die was about 1" from the bottom edge on the left and about 1/2" on the right edge when cutting to give it that angle. 

The sentiment is from the Pretty Poinsettia stamp set.  It's stamped with Peaceful Pine ink on the bottom right corner. 

The solid edges of the Soft Sea Foam layer were attached to the card front with adhesive.  There is no adhesive on the die-cut area.

Now, for that Pretty Poinsettia.  The 3 largest poinsettia petals were die-cut from Barely Blush cardstock.  Then they were run through the embossing machine again with the Impressions Plate which is a silicone mat.  This gives the petals all that wonderful texture.  The stem and leaves were die-cut from Peaceful Pine cardstock and then run through with the Impressions Plate also.

Before attaching anything, the petals had some White Craft ink brushed over the raised edges to enhance the texture.

The branch of leaves was attached first.  I only used adhesive along the stems, not the leaves so it would be more fluid.  

The largest petal was attached over the leaves using a Dimensional under the center.  The next largest set of petals were attached with a Mini Dimensional.  The last petals were attached with a Mini Glue Dot to hold it well.

The tiny "flowers" were die-cut from Gold Foil Paper.  I cut several to have extra to play with.  One of the larger ones was attached in the center of the poinsettia with a Mini Glue Dot.  Two more were scattered on the design.

A double bow was made from a retired White and Gold Baker's Twine.  It's tucked close to the stem and attached with a rolled Mini Glue Dot.

After this card was finished, I kept thinking it was a little too bland.  I didn't want it to be too bright but just needed a little more color on the poinsettia in my opinion.

For this card, the base and layers were the same.  When I got to the flower, instead of adding white highlights, I dug out a retired Pretty in Pink ink pad and did a little blending on the outer edges of each petal.  It's still a pretty soft pink color, but just a bit darker.

On this design, I also wanted to go a little bolder on the sentiment wording.  Nothing I owned that was current really fit what I wanted here.  So, back to my retired stamps and I dug this one out that has always been a favorite.  I think the boldness balances the card a little better.

I forgot to mention that each of the petals was curved by hand to give the flower more depth before attaching to the card.  I just love how these poinsettias turned out.  These will have to be hand-delivered in my opinion, so they aren't totally crushed by the time the envelope is opened.  But they are so gorgeous, they are definitely worth the effort.

Thanks for stopping by today.  If you haven't heard yet, Stampin'Up! is having a 3-day Flash Sale October 21 - 23.  You can get a 15% discount off selected dies.  This is only while supplies last during this sale.  So check out the availability on some of the dies you are waiting to purchase.  This might be the time to order them.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Crisp Frosted Pinecones Fun Fold

Hello friends.  Ready for a pretty Frosted Pinecones card with crisp, clean lines?  Very simple, but elegant in my opinion.  I've made a few Frosted Pinecones cards, but they all seemed to get fussier as I went along.  So this time, I decided to stay simple with lots of white when making this card.  Let me know what you think.

This is a top-fold card with the focal images taking over the center of it.  Start with an 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of Basic White Thick cardstock.  This is scored at 4 1/4".  Then there is a cut from the bottom of the front up to the score line on each side.  The cuts are made 1" in from each side.  Both of these side sections were glued flat to the inside of the card so only the center flap opens.

Next the Basic White cardstock layers are cut.  You need two at 7/8" x 4 1/8" for the sides.  And one at 3 3/8" x 4 1/8" for the center section.

These three sections are lined up inside the Forever Plaid 3D Embossing Folder, so the lines match up, then embossed.  Next each section is attached to the card front.  I used Tombow Liquid Glue (green glue) for this to hold the embossed sections securely.

Next several of the images from the Frosted Pinecones dies were used.  Pecan Pie cardstock was used to die-cut the larger open detail pinecone.  I love the airy look of just using the detailed portion by itself.

Two different pine needle dies from the set were used to cut Mossy Meadow cardstock for the greenery.

Both the pinecone and two sets of pine needles were arranged onto the card front.  Little dabs of "green glue" were used to hold them in place.

The sentiment is also from the Frosted Pinecones set.  It's stamped with Real Red ink onto a Basic White strip of cardstock.  The strip was trimmed to measure 5/8" x 3 1/2". 

There is a 1" x 3 1/2" strip of Real Red cardstock attached behind the sentiment strip to really make the words pop.  The layers are attached at the bottom of the card opening by using Dimensionals.

The inside sentiment is also from the Frosted Pinecones set.  It's stamped with Real Red ink to match the front.

A couple partial pine branches were stamped at the bottom.  This stamp is from the Noel Tidings stamp set.  They were stamped with Mossy Meadow ink that was off-stamped to be a little lighter.

Just a couple more items to finish of my card.  Three of the small Basic Rhinestone Jewels were colored with Real Red Dark Stampin' Blends.  I liked the red accents better than the clear for this design.

A double tiny bow using the retired White & Gold Bakers Twine was a nice finishing touch.  It was attached with a rolled Mini Glue Dot.  It never hurts to have just a tiny accent of gold on your project.

Hope you like this clean and crisp winter card.  It went together fairly quickly once I had the plan in mind.  It wouldn't be too hard to make up a whole bundle of these cards for Christmas if you liked.  Let me know what you think of this fun fold idea.

Thanks for sharing some of your time with me today.  Hope to hear what you think and hurry back for the next installment of many new Christmas card ideas.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Another Autumn Opulence Fun Fold

Howdy stamping friends!  How're y'all doin?  Just getting into character a little early for a benefit dinner supporting a "horse therapy" ranch tonight.  This place is called Hope Remains Ranch, and they help traumatized and at-risk children and teens.  We're all supposed to be dressed in our cowboy clothes for the dinner.  I don't really have much that is considered cowboy themed to wear but thought I'd work on my "cowboy greetings" instead.  It is fun to be involved supporting this wonderful ministry, and I'm looking forward to more opportunities to help.  Okay, back to the scheduled card instructional post!

Today is another idea that uses the gorgeous Autumn Opulence Designer Series Paper.  Yes, I've mentioned a few times that I love the prints on this lovely fall themed paper.  The colors are rich and earthy.  Just perfect for this time of year.  Add in an easy fun fold and we've got a winner!

The card base for this is Early Espresso cardstock.  It measures 11" x 4 1/4" and is scored at 5 1/2" to make a top fold card.  There is a cut 3" wide from the bottom edge of the card up to the score line.  This leaves a 1 1/4" flap on the right side of the card front.  This flap is glued down so only the left side of the card front opens up.

Next, the layers of Cajun Craze cardstock were cut.  They are 2 7/8" x 5 3/8",  1 1/8" x 5 3/8", and 4 1/4" x 1 1/2".  The first two pieces are for the two sections of the card front.  The last one is for the cross-piece that has the focal pieces attached to it.

The pieces of DSP were cut next.  The dark print with the mushrooms measures 2 3/4" x 5 1/4".  The longer greenish print measures 1" x 5 1/4".  The smaller piece on the cross-piece measures 1" x about 3".

First, layer the dark DSP onto the correct sized Cajun Craze cardstock using Tombow Liquid Glue.  Then attach this to the loose flap on the card front.

Then the greenish DSP layer is attached to the correct sized layer of Cajun Craze using Tombow Liquid Glue.  Then attach this to the right front flap that has already been glued down. 

Next, the last Cajun Craze layer piece that's 4 1/4" x 1 1/2" is attached to the front flap only.  This should fit perfectly across the card and is about 1" up from the bottom edge.

The DSP piece used was positioned between the left, top, and bottom edges evenly.  It did not come out to the right side.  It just happened to be a piece I had left over from another project.

The Autumn Opulence DSP pack comes with sheets of preprinted designs to pop out and use on cards, scrapbook pages, or other projects.  This card used 4 different pieces of these - the autumn leaves, two green leaves, and the mushrooms.  All of the pieces were attached with adhesive on the bottom of their stems with a Dimensional at the top part of the pieces.  This gives them so much depth when looking at them.

For the sentiment, the 2nd smallest square die from the Tile Garden Dies was used to cut a Basic White label.  The sentiment is from the Thanks & Giving set.  It's stamped with Cajun Craze ink in the center.  Then the label is attached flat to the end of the cross-piece of Cajun Craze.  It's just a teensy bit taller than the strip so a little white shows above and below it when the card is open.  As an accent, two of the tiny acorns that are part of the preprinted sheet were attached to this.

For the inside of the card, a piece of Basic White was cut.  It measures 2 3/4" x 5 1/4".  It uses a different sentiment from the Thanks & Giving stamp set.  It's stamped in Cajun Craze ink.

The bottom of this is decorated with a 1/2" x 2 7/8" strip of the greenish print used on the side of the card.  Over this, a 1/8" strip of Cajun Craze was attached.  Then another of the preprinted pieces from the DSP was added.  Love that acorn and just had to find a place for it!

To finish the card with a really rustic feel, a length of the Neutrals Jute Combo Pack in the Pecan Pie color was cut and unraveled to make three strands.  These were tied into a floppy bow and attached at the bottom of the mushrooms with a couple Mini Glue Dots.  

Several of the retired Cajun Craze & Gold Dots were scattered on the card front to add a little bit of shine.

I'm so happy with the outcome of this card.  It's amazing that it turned out pretty much how I envisioned it.  That doesn't seem to happen all the time, so I'm pleased when it does!

If you've followed my blog for very long, you know I prefer to stamp and color most of my focal images instead of using preprinted images.  With this DSP pack, I'm finding it so easy to use all these preprinted images on my cards.  They're great and I'm just crazy about them.

If you like the components of this card, you can only find the Autumn Opulence DSP and the Thanks & Giving stamp set in the Online Exclusives.  They aren't in any catalog.  Sometimes I think SU! puts most of my favorite products in the Online Exclusives section of the store.  Don't forget to check it out on a regular basis.

Thanks for stopping by to see this warm and rustic Thanksgiving card.  If you love easy fun folds, this one is for you!  Leave a comment and let me know what you think of this quick fun fold and the awesome DSP used to make it.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Thanks & Giving Fun Fold Card

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

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

Next is the cutting of layers for the card.

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

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

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

                      - 3" x 3"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Autumn Opulence Fun Folds

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon