Cute Little Fun Fold

Hello Friends!  Today's card is all about bright and cheerful, with a little fun-fold action thrown in for kicks.  I have a friend who's having another surgery soon.  This will be the third in three months.  The surgeries are going well, but it's still a lot of stress and worry.  I was looking for an idea that would be just a little something to cheer her up.  I think this little card fits the bill.

Isn't this a darling little card?  And I do mean little in size.  With it all folded up, it's not even 3" wide and only 4 1/4" tall.  Like I said, little.  But it's just the cutest card when it's standing up with all those folds and angles.  Are you interested in making one of these?  Well, let's get stamping!

The card starts out with a base of Thick Basic White cardstock that measures 4 1/4" x 11".  Then it's scored at 1 1/2", 3", 5 1/2", and 8".  This is folded like an accordion with the first fold going to the back.  Make sure to use your bone folder to get a good crease on each of the folds.

The DSP color is called Shy Shamrock and is in the 2024-2026 In Color Designer Series Paper.  Here are the sizes you need to cut:  

2 @ 1 1/4" x 4"

2 @ 2 1/4" x 4"

1 @ 2 3/4" x 4"

Adhere each of these to the corresponding folds of the card base.  I used "green glue" to attach these pieces.  The two smaller ones go on the front folds, the largest is the back piece, and the middle two go on the middle folds on the card.  Make sure you line up all the top and bottom edges to keep it neat.

Next up are the daisies.  These are from the Cheerful Daisies Bundle.  There is one die that has three daisies and some leaves all connected in the one die.  One of these was cut from Basic White cardstock, then trimmed apart with Paper Snips.   The three layering pieces for these daisies was cut from Basic White.  And several extra leaves and one of the airy fern pieces were also die-cut from white.   Then the fun begins.  On the center of each of the flowers and layers, Daffodil Delight ink was added to them with a Small Blending Brush.  Try to keep the yellow ink in the centers only with the edges of the petals still white.  Another Blending Brush was used to add Shy Shamrock color to the white leaves and airy fern.  This was not a solid coverage at all, but kind of hit or miss, light and dark.

The centers on the flowers were stamped on the layering flower pieces.  Then a little adhesive was added to the center of the top layers and added to the coordinating flower with the darker centers showing through. 

The two smaller flowers were arranged on the front fold with petals slightly overlapping the fold.  They are attached with adhesive.  Two of the leaves were tucked in under the flowers.  Leave a little space between the flowers for a sentiment.

The 2nd fold has the large flower attached with adhesive.  It also overlaps the fold.  The leaves and part of the airy fern were tucked in around the daisy.  When the card is shut, the two layers of daisies overlap the fold and gives the look of a bouquet.

Next was cutting a white layer for the inside message on the card.  I wanted to use the Deckled Rectangle Dies, but they were too wide.  After one was cut from Basic White, I laid the long edge of the die about 1/4" in from the edge and ran it through again.  This gave me the size I needed to fit inside the card without showing through on the front when closed.  It has some triple daisies stamped on opposite corners to bring the yellow inside of the card.

Lastly is adding the sentiment.  I found this perfect little sentiment in the Delicate Forest stamp set found on page 76 of the current annual catalog.  Unfortunately, it was really close together and I wanted it split to use half outside and half inside of my card.  It is stamped onto a Basic White strip using Pecan Pie ink.  First, it's cut in half between the lines with a Paper Trimmer.  Then the ends were angle cut on the card front and attached with adhesive on the left side only, so it overlaps.  The words on the bottom of the stamp were cut in half at an angle and the outer edges of the words also trimmed at an angle to match.  They are attached flat with adhesive leaving plenty of room to write a little note.

Here's the finished card.  As you can see, the daisies overlap onto the under layers.  The large daisy even sticks out past the edge of the card.  Because of the small size of this card, it isn't a problem fitting it into a regular envelope.

I really gave some thought to adding some extra bling to the card.  But after really looking at this little card, I was afraid it would be too busy looking.  It was just perfect as is for what I wanted to mail out to my friend.  Sometimes I find it hard to make a specific card for illnesses and sympathy in the moment.  For me it seems better to have a couple different styles made up ahead of time and just pick one that fits.  But this one was not only fun to make, but I was praying for her surgery and recovery while making it.  Isn't that a win-win?

Thank you for sharing some of your precious time with me today.  This is a darling little card that is so easy to make.  Now that I've made one, I'll have to see what else I can come up with next.  How about you?

Stampin' Up! is having a sale starting today until the end of the month.  This sale features 10% off Bundles and 10% of the Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine.  If either of these things interest you, head on over to the store and see what's available.  If you'd put me down as your demonstrator, I'd be very appreciative!  Thank you.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Easy Collage Cards X 2

Hello Friends!  Hope you're doing great today.  I've been planning possible card ideas for the shut-ins at church for the month of May.  I haven't made a collage card in ages, so I thought it would be a great idea.  I ended up making two of them using a different color palette and different stamps too.  Which one do you like better?

We'll start with the blue card first.  The card base is Basic White cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half to make a basic card base.  The piece of Basic White cardstock that will be stamped on is cut to 3" x 4 1/4".  

The stamps used for this collage are from three different sets.  I was just looking for collage items that would work together.  The leaves are from the Botanical Layers set and are stamped with Crumb Cake ink.  There were four partial leaf stems stamped in different directions on the white.

The second stamp used is the daisy cluster from the Cheerful Daisies set.  It's stamped in Boho Blue ink that has been off-stamped at least once.  So there are some second and third generation stamping to get a variety of colors.

After the blue was added, I went back to the Crumb Cake and the grid stamp from the Notes of Nature stamp set.  This was partially stamped about five times so the grid shows up in multiple areas.

Next the Boho Blue cardstock layer to frame the collage was cut.  It measures 3 1/4" x 4 1/2".  The collage layer is attached to the blue layer using adhesive.  Then it's all attached to the folded card base using adhesive.

The sentiment is from the Quiet Meadow stamp set.  It's stamped on a 1/2" x 2 1/2" strip of Basic White using Boho Blue ink.  It's layered onto a 1" x 3 1/2" piece of Boho Blue cardstock using adhesive.  Then it's popped up with Dimensionals to the right side of the card front.

The final touch for this card is the addition of the blue dots from the 2023-2025 In Color Dots.  I think they make the perfect accent for the card.

On to the second card.  I haven't used Moody Mauve much in my creating even though I really like the color.  So today was the day to get it out and play with it.

The measurements for the Basic White card base and collage layer are the same as the first card.  The stamps used are different though.  The leaves from the Inked & Tiled stamp set were used to stamp four - five leaves with Crumb Cake ink.

The double flowers from the same Inked & Tiled set were used with Moody Mauve ink.  These are also off-stamped, so we have second and third generation stamping again to get the color variations.

The extra stamping on the background is from the Notes of Nature set stamped with Crumb Cake ink.  There are about five of these stamped to fill in open areas.

The collage layer is then attached to the 3 1/4" x 4 1/2" Moody Mauve layer using adhesive.  Then it's attached to the folded Basic White card base using adhesive.  (you could use Dimensionals if you want this popped up, but I didn't)

The sentiment is also from the Inked & Tiled set.  It's stamped with Crumb Cake this time, though I might switch it out to Moody Mauve later.  I think the Crumb Cake might be just a little too pale to show up easily for the people who receive my cards.  The sentiment is attached to a 3/4" x 3" strip of Moody Mauve.  Then it's attached to the card front with Dimensionals.

The gems on this card are from the Tinsel Gems 4 Pack.  They are supposed to match with Berry Burst, but I love how they look here.  They have just a little bit of sparkle added to make them stand out.

There you go, two cards made with a collage technique that is quick and easy to accomplish when you're short on time but want something interesting to send.  Just check in your stamp stash to find some images that work well together and have fun!  Let me know what you make with this technique.  So, have you decided which one you prefer?  Boho Blue or Moody Mauve?  Try either one (or both!) or make up your own combo using your favorite colors.

Thanks for stamping with me.  Hope you're inspired to get out your stamps and create something wonderful today.  Have you gotten all of the retiring items on your list before they are gone?  Time is running out for this.  Of course, that means it's almost time for the new catalog! Yay!!  Ordering from the new Annual Catalog begins May 1st!!  Get your wish list ready and start dreaming about what projects you want to make.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Focus on the DSP

Hello friends!  Another day and more ideas for you.  Today's idea was to share one sheet of the Fresh as a Daisy Designer Series Paper as my inspiration.  Well, I've mostly done that with a slight exception.  The set up for this post will be mostly the pictures without much in the way of dimensions or instructions.  These cards are pretty self-explanatory.  But of course, if you have questions, you can always contact me for more info.  The cards showcase the sheet of DSP that has a patchwork of different patterns and colors.  There are multiple color choices available to use for these cards.  I'm just sharing what I decided to do with this one sheet of DSP.  There are lots of cards to look at, so let's get started right away.

This one took me the longest to create as I really didn't want to cover up any of the design.  The new Bubble Bath cardstock was used for the card base with a layer of Basic White.  The white was die-cut along the bottom edge with a border die.  Doesn't this dress up the card nicely?  

Some White Glittered Ribbon (retired) was used as an accent.  I just wasn't happy with any of the current stash of ribbons I owned.  Hmmm, maybe I need more ribbons??  There's also a sprinkle of Iridescent Pearls added for some bling.  Quick and easy card.

Love this one!  There is a base of Moody Mauve cardstock.  The printed piece of DSP for this was so small there had to be lots of layers involved to make it a card size.  There is a Basic White layer, then a Basic Black partial layer was added to this.  The DSP print only covered part of the black layer.  So some flowers were added that were stamped in Moody Mauve and die-cut.  Then some leaves were inked with Pebbled Path ink which matched the flower centers on the DSP print.   They were off-stamped before stamping on Basic White to keep them lighter.  These were also die-cut.  

The sentiment was stamped with Moody Mauve.  A tiny strip of DSP print (back side) was added under the sentiment.  The centers of the flowers are the new Adhesive-backed Sparkle Gems in black.  So pretty in person.  Just lovely.

This card uses only half of this print of DSP.  The rest is on the next card.  This card uses a base of Copper Clay.  There is a piece of Boho Blue that frames around the DSP.  For the sentiment, a piece of Basic White was stamped on repeatedly with Boho Blue ink.  Then it was stamped again with Copper Clay ink onto a skinny strip of white.  The ends were punched, then it was attached over one of the blue hellos with Dimensionals.

A piece of the Boho Blue Textured Ribbon was wrapped around the focal piece.  Linen Thread was tied to the side to hold it together and keep it fairly flat.  Three tiny flowers were die-cut and attached over the ribbon.  No other bling was added.

This time the card starts with a Petal Pink card base.  A layer of Copper Clay was added.  It has a Boho Blue ribbon wrapped around this before attaching to the card base.

 

The DSP is framed with Boho Blue cardstock and attached to the card with Dimensionals.  The sentiment is stamped with Copper Clay ink on Basic White.  The ends are trimmed up and it's attached with Dimensionals.

For a little bling, three Brushed Brass Butterflies are added to the design.  Subtle, but noticeable.

This time it's a blue and white card.  The base is Boho Blue cardstock.  The DSP print is framed up with Basic White that was die-cut with the Deckle Edge Dies.  It's attached to the card base with Dimensionals.

Two layers of the daisies from the Cheerful Daisies set were die-cut and attached together with 'green glue'.  These were attached flat to the card front.  A sentiment was stamped with Boho Blue ink and trimmed up to fit the card.  It's also attached flat.

There are three gems added to the center of the largest flower for some bling.

I love how elegant this card turned out, just golds and browns.  So very fancy.  This panel was fairly large, so there was little room to do much layering.  Distressed Gold Designer Series Paper was used behind the design to frame it and then layered onto an Early Espresso cardstock base. Another strip of the Distressed Gold DSP was added over the design.  

A small strip of Basic White was stamped with the sentiment using Early Espresso ink.  It was trimmed up and added to the card front with Dimensionals.  

Three of the new Adhesive-backed Sparkle Gems in gold were added for some extra glam.  Easy, but beautiful.

Here's the last one I have for you today.  This has a card base of Shaded Spruce.  I thought adding white and silver would keep this fresh and bright looking.  The Basic White layer is die-cut with the retired Stitched So Sweetly Dies to get the correct size of frame.  It's attached to the card front with Dimensionals.

All the die-cut pieces are from the new Timeless Arrangement Bundle.  I just love these!  The sentiment is stamped with Shaded Spruce ink onto Basic White.  Then all the sprigs and branches are tucked behind.  There are Dimensionals just on the very ends of the sentiment, so it looks flat to the card.  I wasn't sure anything else was needed, but a few of the Iridescent Pearls were added at the end.

I have to admit, it was really fun giving myself the challenge to use this one sheet of Fresh as a Daisy DSP.  I'm more comfortable with all the new colors now that I've played with them.  But I've really struggled with the smaller pieces of the DSP print.  There are still two more pieces that I haven't figured out what to do with yet.  Yes, that one sheet of DSP gives you so many different options in color and design.  In a way it was kind of intimidating, but it was fun too!  I hope these cards get your mind swirling with some fabulous ideas and you can't wait to dive in.

I hope you've heard that Stampin'Up! is having a great sale featuring the fabulous Designer Series Paper they have.  All of the Designer Series Paper packs on pages 129 through 132 are on sale.  They are 15% off for the whole month of June!  You can buy just one package or a whole stack of them and still get the 15% off.  Woo Hoo!  I just love a sale like this!  Please let me know if you have a problems ordering.  Or if you have any questions about today's projects.  I'm always happy to hear from you.  (Just a heads-up.  I've been having trouble with my phone lately with calls not going through or dropped calls.  I've been assured there's nothing wrong with phone, but I'm not happy.)

Thanks for sharing some of your time with me today.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Back to Daisies

Hello Friends!  We've been having rain off and on again lately, so I was looking for an idea that was bright and cheery looking.  I thought making the daisies in yellows would look about as cheerful as I could get.  So that was my idea when I started this card.  Then things changed a bit, as usual.  Still have daisies and still have yellow, but that's about the only part that is the same as my original idea.  Oh well, necessity is the mother of invention they say.  So, what would you call the mother of creativity?  Not having it look right and starting over from scratch??  Yep, that's my idea.  Hopefully you'll like what came out of a mish-mash of ideas and changes.

Here it is.  Isn't this nice and summery and oh, so cheerful looking?  Definitely bright. Let's start with the daisies, because that was the beginning of the whole card.  

The Cheerful Daisies stamp and die bundle is so very easy to work with.  For this card, all three layers of these daisies are die-cut.  The bottom layer is the three daisies that die-cut together and was cut from Daffodil Delight cardstock.  The top detail layer of each flower was die-cut from the new Lemon Lolly cardstock.  I originally was planning on using only the two yellow layers together, but it looked kind of blah.  I liked the white layer peeking out between the other two layers, so the detail layer was cut again using Basic White.  The white contrast really seemed to brighten the look.  While attaching these layers together with 'green glue', make sure that the layers are slightly twisted so that you can see all the colors together.

The flower centers were inked with Daffodil Delight ink, rolled a little on one side in Crushed Curry ink, then stamped onto Basic White cardstock.  The leaves were stamped with Parakeet Party ink on Basic White cardstock.  The leaves were all off-stamped before stamping to keep the color light and bright.  Six of the leaves were stamped, then the leaves and the flower centers were all die-cut with coordinating dies.

Switching gears here, I thought that a white and navy design would offset the daisy colors.  I just received the Countryside Corners stamp and die bundle that I really wanted to try out.  It is just one stamp that has six concentric octagons that stamp all together.  Then there are dies that let you cut those designs into multiple frames.  You can die cut each one separately, or cut them in chunks where 2, 3, or more frames are left together to form a sort of bull's eye effect.  I stamped it in Night of Navy ink onto Basic White cardstock.  I used the second and third dies from the center to cut the dotty frame.  I used the fourth from the center die to cut a Night of Navy piece to frame the white.  Then used the fourth and fifth from the center to cut the stitched white frame. 

I cut another piece of white cardstock that used the third from center die.  The sentiment from the Wonderful Thoughts stamp set was stamped on this using Night of Navy ink.  There are still a few pieces of frames left over for another project.  This was much easier to use than I thought.  An important tip when cutting multiple frames together is to use washi tape to hold the pieces place so they don't shift during the cutting process.  This made them very easy to cut either one or the whole batch at the same time.

At this point, I still thought the card base would be white.  But the more I played around with all the different layers, I changed my mind.  I still kept the card base as Basic White cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  But I added a Parakeet Party layer next instead.  This is cut so there's only a tiny frame of white behind it.  It measures 5 3/8" x 4 1/8".  Before adding it to the card base, it was run through the Basic 3D Embossing Folder using the cross-hatch design.  This is one of those great Online Exclusive items that has quickly become of basic staple in my stamp room.

To finish the card, the Parakeet Party layer was attached to the Basic White card base using 'green glue'.  The octagon pieces were all layered together as shown and attached with 'green glue'.  Lastly, the daisies were attached to the corner of the framing.  They were also attached with 'green glue' except for the flower centers which were attached with one Dimensional in the center of each.

The clear Rhinestone Basic Jewels were scattered across the card front for some sparkle.  

That's it for my post today.  I hope it didn't totally confuse you with the Countryside Corners Bundle.  It's really kind of cool to work with and I'll have to revisit that soon.  More to come on that idea.  Have fun with your stamping and don't fret when some project doesn't work out the way you envisioned it.  It's just a chance to spread those 'creativity wings' and try something a little different.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Love Those Daisies!

Hi there!  Couldn't sleep tonight, so here I am at 1:30 working on a blog post.  I must be nuts.  Or at least on a stamping and creating overload.  😁  My sister Connie has been visiting for a few days and oh boy.  We've been so busy stamping that we hardly even take time out to eat.  We've come up with some fabulous cards that I think you'll like.  I'll be sharing them in the upcoming days.  Like after she goes home, so I've got time to think about something besides stamps and colors, papers and inks!  While she's here, I've got to take advantage of the creativity that flows between us and keep creating. 

Before she arrived, I'd made a graduation card for a young lady at church.  I'd heard she likes daisies, so that's what I used.  I'm absolutely loving the new Cheerful Daisies bundle (page 111).  They can be used in so many different ways, and I'm trying them all.  On this card, there are three layers on each daisy so there is a terrific amount of texture.  It's really awesome in real life.  I just keep touching the finished card because it almost looks like frosting layered on.  Yeah, crazy, right?  Let's get to the details.

The card base is made from Garden Green cardstock that is cut to measure 11" x 4 1/4".  It's scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half.  Next a layer of the Fresh as a Daisy Designer Series Paper (page 130) was added.  It measures 4" x 5 1/4".  It's attached with "green glue".

The next step is cutting all the daisy layers.  You'll need about 1/4 sheet of Basic White cardstock to die-cut all the pieces needed.  There is one die that has all three daisies connected along with some leaves.  Cut one of those.  There are three detailed dies that fit on top of the first set of daisies.  Cut one of each of the three sizes.    The sentiment tag was cut with one of the Tailored Tags Dies (page 167).

Next the solid framing layer of each of the daisies was cut.  For this layer, I used the new Wild Wheat 2023-2025 In Color.  One each of these was cut.  I also die-cut a couple of leaves that were part of the large original die I used.  These were cut from Garden Green cardstock.

After all the pieces are cut, line up the Wild Wheat daisy layers behind each daisy and use a small amount of "green glue" to attach them behind the three attached daisies.  Next line up the detail pieces of the daisies and use "green glue" to attach them to the front of each daisy.  Cool, right?

Trim off the extra white leaves that are attached to the daisies.  You won't need them now, but you could always save them for another project later.

Stamp the sentiment onto the Tailored Tag.  I used a sentiment from the Charming Sentiments (page 18) and stamped it with Pebbled Path ink.  This is one of the colors listed in the DSP, but next time I think I would use Garden Green instead.  Or maybe even Pecan Pie ink.  Either would work nicely.

Next, add color to the center of the daisies.  I used Lemon Lolly Dark Blends first.  Then switched to a regular marker in Crushed Curry to add some shading.  Went back to Blends and used Pecan Pie Light to add dots around the flower center.  Just play around until you're happy with the look.

Arrange the tag and trio of daisies on the card front and attach them all with Dimensionals.  The extra leaves I die-cut from the Garden Green were tucked in around the daisies and attached with adhesive.  

The last step on the card was the bling.  After trying a few that I thought would be perfect, I hit a snag.  I wasn't happy with any of them.  Then I thought of the Pastel Adhesive-backed Sequins.  At first, I thought they would get lost on the card, but the gold ones seem to work out fine.  They really bring out the tiny flowers on the DSP.  I did use five sequins on the card.  A few more than I normally would, but that's what seems to work.

Well, here it is, definitely later!  I'm not going to admit how much time I've spent getting this post together.  I certainly hope you love these daisies as much as I do.  I didn't think I needed another daisy stamp set, but I'm so very happy that I gave this one a try.  It's a real winner.  In the coming days, I'll have more ideas for you using this bundle.  Like I said earlier, there are so many different ways to use this stamp and die bundle and I want to try them all!

Thanks for dropping in to see what's new around here.  Be sure to hurry back in a few days to catch the next installment.  Thanks for taking the time to read these posts.  Your interest and comments are really appreciated and keep me motivated.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

PS - if you find any mistakes, please blame it on lack of sleep   😏😉