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

 

Floral Charm Simplicity

Good day all you lovely people.  It's been an interesting bunch of days lately.  Hope you all enjoyed the 4th of July festivities with picnics, fireworks, etc.  Now that that's all over, it must be time to get back down to business making cards.  What do you think?  Today's card features the new Floral Charm Designer Series Paper that coordinates with the Charming Day stamp and die bundle.   The whole suite of items is new in the Online Exclusive section of the SU! store. This Designer Paper has such pretty prints and they're all in colors that are right up my alley.  Yes, they're all lovely pastels.  Yum!  I just want to continue to look at them and wrap them all around my house so I can enjoy them all the time.  But that's impossible, so I guess we'll just have to cut into them and see what we can create!

This is the first card using this paper.  I wanted the print to be the focal point so there is a good size piece front and center.  Looking at this print, the first color that jumped out at me was the Petal Pink.  So that will be used for the card base which measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored in half at 4 1/4" and folded.

The DSP print is cut at 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" square to be the focal point.  I liked the look of Pretty Peacock cardstock as a great accent for the colors in the print.   The dark color really highlights the pretty print. This was cut to 3 5/8" x 3 5/8" square.  This gave me just a skinny bit of Pretty Peacock showing all around the DSP to frame the look.   

The DSP print was attached to the Pretty Peacock cardstock using adhesive.  For a pretty accent, a 4 1/2"- 5" strip of Petal Pink Metallic Edged Ribbon was wrapped around the layers and attached in the back with adhesive.  Another length of ribbon was used to make a bow that was attached over the strip of ribbon using Mini Glue Dots.  Yes, I know the ribbon is retired.  Unfortunately, I don't get through the spools of ribbon in the allotted time while they're still current.  They are way too beautiful to get rid of, so there you go.  I'm still using those retired bits of ribbon and will most likely continue to do so.

Another cardstock color that looked great with the print was the new 2025-2027 InColor Cloud Cover.  Doesn't this soft blueish/gray fit nicely?  I just love this color!  Okay, back to creating.   I wanted a good bit of the Petal Pink showing on the card, so the Cloud Cover was cut a bit smaller than a regular layer.  It measures 5" x 3 3/4".  

I debated with myself about using an embossing folder on this layer, but decided I wanted a plainer look that wouldn't detract from the print.  So, no embossing on this.  

It was attached to the folded card base with adhesive.  Then the print layers were attached to the card front making sure the top and two side edges were spaced evenly on the Cloud Cover layer.  These were attached with adhesive also so all the card at this time is pretty flat.

I've been enjoying using the More Messages stamp and die set for my card sentiments lately.  The single large stamp was inked with Pretty Peacock ink and stamped onto a piece of Basic White cardstock.  Then the matching die cuts them all out at the same time.  It's wonderful having 19 different die-cut sentiments ready to use that quickly.  I just keep the rest in a little container then pick through and find just what I need when I need it.  Now that's quite handy dandy.

The sentiment is attached in the open area in the bottom half of the card.  For this, I used Dimensionals as I wanted it to stand out from the rest of the card.

For the touch of bling on this card, I chose a retired batch of gems - the Earth Tones Shimmer Gems.  They just matched the Petal Pink portions of the card perfectly.  If you don't have any of those in your treasure chest of gems, you might want to use either the pale pink or clear gems in the Strawberry Slush & Pretty in Pink Gems.  They should work nicely.  Or if you'd like to give the design a more vintage look, the Antique Pearls would look lovely here.

Just wanted to give you a small peek at all the lovely prints in the Floral Charm Designer Series Paper.  Aren't they all lovely?   I don't know which one to work with next!  Decisions, decisions!

The whole Floral Charm Suite is just filled with wonderful items from the Charming Day stamp set and dies to the DSP, ribbon, and gems.  I'm just loving this whole suite and can't get enough of it.  If you like pastels and soft brights along with pretty florals, you're going to fall in love with this suite too.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Two More Floral Impressions DSP Cards

Hello my friends.  Hope you are doing well and enjoying summer.  We've got a heat wave coming so I should be spending more time indoors next week.  With the weather predicted to be in the very high 90s, that's definitely time to find indoor projects to do.  Today I have two cards using one of my favorite prints in the Floral Impressions DSP pack.  I've put off showing these because one was a Mother's Day card that I was using and didn't want her to see.  I think I've waited long enough, don't you?  Where does the time go?  Mother's Day can't have been over a month ago already, can it?  Sheesh!  Well then, on with the show!

This is the first card I made using the pretty blue and purple floral print in this DSP pack.  I think they are so pretty and couldn't wait to create with this.  This is a very easy fun fold design that I've used quite often.

It starts with a 1/2 sheet of Berry Burst cardstock.  This is scored at 2 1/8" and 4 1/4".  This makes the front fold back on itself.

The DSP is from the Floral Impressions pack that is an Online Exclusive item.  The piece for the front folded back flap measures 1 7/8" x 5 1/4".  It's attached to the flap with 'green glue'.  The green striped piece on the inside of the card is the back side of the print.  This measures 4" x 5 1/4" and is also attached with 'green glue'.

The next step is to die-cut two Basic White layers, one for the front of the card and another for the inside.  The 3rd largest rectangle die in the Textured Notes Dies set was used to cut these.  The pieces are set aside until you're ready to work with them later.  The Textured Notes Dies are part of the suite of items in the Botanical Textures Suite that is found only in the Online Exclusives.  All the items in this suite are part of the BOGO 50% off sale that runs until the end of June.

Next the flowers were die-cut with the Impressions Abloom set.  This is also one of the Online Exclusives that is a suite of products.  These are also available to purchase during the BOGO 50% off sale.  The multi-petaled flowers were die-cut from Misty Moonlight cardstock, the smaller flowers were cut from Berry Burst cardstock, the tiny flowers are cut from Pool Party, and the stems and leaves are cut from both Old Olive and Mossy Meadow cardstocks.

Before arranging the flowers on the white layer, the centers of the main flowers were stamped with Misty Moonlight ink.  This helped give the flowers some definition.  Only two of the flowers were attached with Dimensionals.  All the rest are attached with either adhesive or Mini Glue Dots for the tiny flowers.

I'm not sure which set I got the Mother's Day sentiment from, but I know it was retired.  I just hunted through my stash until I found one.  This was stamped onto a 3/8" strip of Basic White using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  The ends were trimmed closer.  Then a small piece of Misty Moonlight was cut to frame the sentiment.  It was attached to the white layer with Dimensionals.

The white layer was laid on the card front to see where it needed to be attached so it was centered properly.  I put tiny pencil marks on the back, then added two strips of Tear & Tape to hold this layer firmly on just the left side.

The second white layer that was die-cut is attached inside the card making sure it is hidden right behind the front white layer.  I used 'green glue' for this so I could maneuver it into place a little.

After attaching the white layer, I chose one of the More Messages labels that were already stamped and die-cut previously.  I had stamped them three different times so far using Tuxedo Black ink, Secret Sea ink, and Pecan Pie.  It's so easy to stamp once and die-cut all the different sentiments at once.  Then you have multiple sentiments on hand when you need them.

For this sentiment, I used a Blending Brush and Berry Burst ink to add a blush of color around the edge of the label.  Then it was attached with adhesive. 

I had lots of leftover flowers, so just a few pieces were added to the inside of the card for a nice accent.

There are two butterflies added onto the front and one inside the card.  There were also three of the darkest Purple Fine Shimmer Dots added to the flower centers on the card front.  Now let's look at the 2nd card.

The colors and stamps are the same on this card, but the cut of the card is a little different.  Start with a 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" size card base cut from Berry Burst.  It's scored at 4 1/4".  Then 1" is cut from the edge of the front flap.

The DSP size for the front flap is 3" x 5 1/4" and it's attached with adhesive.  

The inside of the card has a layer of Basic White that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  A 1" strip of the same DSP print is attached along the right edge, so it shows when the card is closed. 

This time the 4th largest die was used to die-cut the Basic White layer.  Another layer of Berry Burst was cut that measures 2 1/2" x 4".  They are attached together with adhesive.

The flowers are the same color and cut as the previous card.  (Whenever I'm cutting flowers, leaves, etc. for one card, I always make extras and usually make another card at the same time.)

This time when the front layers were attached, I used several Dimensionals on the left half and the middle area, so it's raised from the flap.  It also overlaps about 1/2" over the edge of the flap.

The sentiment is another one from the More Messages set that I already had available.  Very handy dandy.

Ok, that's about it for now.  Hope you made it to the end.  I know this post seemed especially long when I was reading it over to make sure it all made sense.  Hope you're inspired to get out those stamps and play a little today.  Or maybe a lot!

It's fun to make just small adjustments to your card base that will turn it into a fun fold card.  It makes it more interesting for you to make and more fun for the recipient too!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

What To Do With Leftovers

Hello friends and a Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there that have a hand in shaping the world around us.   I hope each of you had/have a mother that is as kind and loving as mine.  I feel truly blessed by her and still miss her every day.  She was a great inspiration and role model in teaching me how to be a good mother and a good person.  I can only try to live up to her example.

Today's card is all about using those leftovers you have after one of those creative marathons.  Or am I the only one that always has leftover die-cuts of stems and leaves, extra sentiments because I changed my mind, and those pieces cut from other projects - the ovals, circles, and rectangles, etc.  On yesterday's card, I cut a large oval from the DSP gracing the front panel of my card.  The oval die is from the new Impressions Abloom set and was used to cut a pretty print from the Floral Delight DSP.  It was much too pretty to throw out, so I used it for the center back-drop for today's card.

That piece of DSP was the starting point.  Let's see where it goes from there.  The DSP print looked nice with Old Olive, so that is the base color for the card.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.

There is another print in that pack of DSP that sort of looked like fabric with different tones of Old Olive in it.  This was cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4".  Then it was embossed/die-cut with the Pattern of Friendship background die.  This added the wonderful striped texture to the DSP.  

The Gold Open-weave Trim was wrapped around this layer and attached to the back with Tear & Tape.  This gave just a bit of subtle sparkle when the light hits it just right.  Then the layer was added to the front of the folded Old Olive base with adhesive.

Now, it's time to play with that oval of DSP that was leftover.  I started playing with different pieces of greenery to see what kind of a focal point could be added to the card.  These are the ones that I chose to use.  The white fern type of branch is from the Beautiful Motifs set.  The olive bolder stem and leaves are from Impressions Abloom.  And the smaller stamped and cut greenery is from the Grow with Love set that is an Online Exclusive set.  I liked how these pieces worked together.  They are all attached near the center bottom of the oval piece.  The oval is then attached to the center of the card base using Dimensionals.

I had just stamped and die-cut the new multi-word stamp called More Messages using Pecan Pie.  That meant I had a whole pile of sentiments to choose from.  If you haven't noticed the More Messages stamp and die bundle in the Online Exclusives, you really should check it out.  It is one large stamp with 19 different sentiments that are great for everyday use.  There is 1 die that cuts all of them at once.  Hence, you have a whole pile of sentiments that are ready to use when you are.  I actually stamped it three times - once with Pecan Pie, once with Memento Tuxedo Black, and once with the new Secret Sea that is a lovely navy/black tone.  I separated each group of sentiments by color and put them in little baggies to use as needed.  So handy.

Ok, back to the card.  I chose a sentiment and attached it with Dimensionals.  A double bow was made with Gold Twisted Thread that is retired.  It's attached just under the sentiment with Mini Glue Dots.

The inside is a layer of Basic White with a 1/4" strip of the yellow checked print from the same DSP pack - Floral Delight.  That bit of yellow is a nice contrasting accent to the rest of the card.  Now on to Connie's version using the very same oval on her card.

She also started with an Old Olive base for her card.

There is a layer of that cute yellow and white check print from the Floral Delight DSP that she added.  (That's where I got my little strip for my card.)  Before attaching, she also has the Gold Open-weave Trim wrapped on her card too.

There is another oval die in the Impressions Abloom set that cuts that skinny frame that is added to her oval.  The Old Olive trim really makes the oval stand out nicely.

She chose to use the same greenery stems that I used.  Then added the Gold Twisted Thread double bow to the greenery with Mini Glue Dots.

She chose a different sentiment from the ones I had stamped and cut earlier.  It's also stamped with the Pecan Pie ink.  This is attached with Mini Dimensionals to the left of the greenery.

Hope you like these two versions that are similar but still different.  It's fun to be stamping with someone and each doing our own thing but encouraging each other and making suggestions too.  

I love having all those little bits and pieces saved from other projects.  It makes it easier to just try out different shapes to see if you like them without having to find everything and die-cut and then not be happy and put it all away.  And then start the search all over again.  Do you do that too?

Anyway, it was fun having Connie here to play and create with her.  We both got so much accomplished and were quite pleased with all we had made.

Let me be honest with you.  I like Connie's card more than my own today.  It has a touch of drama to it that really attracts me.  Which one do you prefer?

You really won't hurt my feelings if you like her card better.

Thanks for stopping by today to see what I've been up to lately.  There are a few more items that Connie and I did together that I hope to get to soon.  I've been doing more creating myself that I want to share too.  I guess I'll be busy doing a lot of blogging in the future!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon