Thoughtful Journey Cards X 4

 Hello my friends!  What a beautiful fall day we have today.  But I can still hear the chain saws outside cutting down trees that came down during Hurricane Helene.  Just drove up our block and counted eight homes that had trees down.  Thankfully most of them didn't land on the houses, just in the yards.  But that's still a lot.  Concerning trees, I like the looks of bare trees in the winter - the silhouettes against the sky.  So that was the starting point on the cards, but I branched out from there.  Let's look at the different cards made with the Thoughtful Journey Designer Series Paper.

This is the first card I made.  I decided on the print first and chose colors of cardstock to match it.  This is a little darker style than I usually do, but I love the finished card.

The card base is Lost Lagoon that measures 11" x 4 1/4" and is scored at 5 1/2".  The Basic Black layer measures 5 1/4" x 4".   This addition really makes the other colors pop.  The black layer is attached to the card base with "green glue".

The next layer is Wild Wheat.  It measures 5" x 3 3/4".  This isn't one of my favorite colors, but I found it is a wonderful accent color for many of these Thoughtful Journey prints.  It's attached to the Basic Black layer with "green glue".

The print layer measures 4 7/8" x 3 3/4".  Before attaching to the card base, I die-cut the silhouette trees from Basic Black cardstock.  They are attached to the bottom of the DSP layer using adhesive.  The ends are trimmed on the sides to fit nicely.  The print layer was then attached to the card base using "green glue".

The sentiment is from the So Sincere stamp set.  It's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto a piece of Wild Wheat that measures 1 5/8" x 1".  After stamping, it's attached to the card front with Dimensionals.

The embellishment accent on this card is from the Blooming Pearls in the Annual Catalog.  These are the blue tones gems that I used to enhance the design.

This is the second card in the series.  The card base is Wild Wheat cardstock because it matches so well.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored at 4 1/4".

The layers were added a little differently on this card.  The Lost Lagoon cardstock layer is first and measures 5 1/2" x 2 7/8".  Next a layer of Basic Black cardstock measures 5 1/2" x 2". It's attached down the center of the Lost Lagoon layer using "green glue".  Then the layers are attached to the front of the card using "green glue".  It's attached closer to the left side.

The DSP layer is the leftover piece from the first card.  This is the back side of the print.  It is trimmed to measure 5" x 2 1/4".  "Green glue" was added down the center and then attached to the card front.

The sentiment on this card is also from the So Sincere stamp set.  It is stamped with Lost Lagoon ink onto a piece of Basic White cardstock.  After stamping, it was trimmed close to the wording with my Paper Snips.  It's attached to the card front with Mini Dimensionals.

I tried several different types of bling to accent this card.  As you can see, I ended up using the Brushed Brass Butterflies on the design.  They are small and understated.  Just the right accent for my card.

Let's continue on to the third card made with the Thoughtful Journey Designer Series Paper.

I still wanted to make another card using the tree silhouettes from the Frosted Forest dies, so I found another print that would make a lovely sky background.

To match the print, I chose a Cajun Craze card base that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

The Misty Moonlight layer was cut next.  It measures 5" x 3 3/4".  To add a small frame to this piece, a layer of Basic Black was cut to measure 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  They're attached together with "green glue".  Then they're attached to the card base with the "green glue" also.

The DSP print was trimmed to 4 3/4" x 3 1/2".  Then another silhouette tree cluster was die-cut from a 5" x 3" strip of Basic Black cardstock.  It was attached to the bottom edge of the DSP and trimmed on the two sides to fit. 

The sentiment is from the Simply Said stamp set.  It's stamped with Misty Moonlight ink directly onto the DSP.  After this, the DSP was attached to the card front using "green glue".

The bling on this card is the coral-colored dots from the Opaque Faceted Dots.  Guess these are retired already.  I'm sure you can find a different embellishment for your card if desired.

The last card in the series was designed around a piece of left over print from a previous endeavor.  The Wild Wheat worked with this print too, so it was used for the card base.  The first layer is Lost Lagoon that measures 5 1/2" x 2 7/8".  It's attached to the card base about 1/2" from the bottom edge of the card front.

The layer of DSP measures 5 1/8" x 2 3/8".  To get the skinny frame of black, I measured a piece 5 1/4" x 2 1/2".  These two layers were attached together with "green glue".  Then attached to the Lost Lagoon layer with the same adhesive.

The silhouette piece used here is from the Painted Lavender die set.  It's die-cut from Basic Black cardstock.  

The sentiment is from the Frosted Forest stamp set.  It's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto a 2 5/8" x 3/4" strip of Basic White cardstock.  This is attached with adhesive to the card front as shown.  The black die-cut piece is attached to the card front with adhesive slightly overlapping the sentiment piece.  

The embellishment on this card is also from the Opaque Faceted Gems in the Lost Lagoon color tone to match.

Here's a last look at the four cards in this collection.  I love the focal point being on the Designer Paper prints with the black accents.  Each one is a little different in composition.  Hopefully these will give you some ideas to CASE that are simple but still beautiful.  Just think of the possibilities with different prints and coordinating colors of cardstock.  I wanted to make cards that had an autumn feel to them.  But with the lovely prints of the Thoughtful Journey DSP pack, you could easily make a set of cards for each season!  Have fun coming up with your own combinations.

Thank you for sharing some of your precious time with me.  If you're looking for a demonstrator to help you out, I'd love that job!  Feel free to use the Host Code at the top of this blog.   I'll send you a card with my sincere appreciation for any orders.  Thank you so much for considering me.  If you have questions or need help, please contact me. 

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

sharoncarr50@gmail.com

Fun Fold with Designer Paper

Hello, hello!  Here we are into May already.  A full quarter of this year has already slipped by.  Whew!  And we're really gearing up for Travel Baseball season where we're on the road a lot of weekends.  This weekend isn't too bad - a little less than an hour to get there.  This isn't a time to forget things you might need because you can't run home quick to get it!  So, every time we go it consists of packing a cooler with water or pop, lawn chairs, sunscreen for me, snacks, etc.  Sounds like we're packing for a trip!  Enough of that.  On to stamping.  It's that time of month for me to get the cards made to send to the shut-ins.  I made an easy fun fold card that shows off both side of the Designer Series Paper.  Liked it so much, I made multiples.  Then I tried it with different DSPs to see how different they would look.  Oh my, with each change of DSP, the rest of the card ended up going through a make-over too.  Let me share what I did.

I wanted to try out the new Unbounded Beauty DSP, so that is what I started with.  This print looked like it needed a good dose of white to off-set the color, so I started with a base of Basic White cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  The length of this was trimmed to 6" long, scored at 4 1/4" and folded.

I cut the DSP in half across the 12" width.  Pay attention to the design of the paper.  You want your design going up and down.  And make sure the back side of the print compliments the front.  The DSP is cut 3" wide.  You need to cut the extra 1/2" from the bottom of this, so it measures 5 1/2".  Keep this to use later on the design.

I added adhesive to the very right edge of the Basic White folded over front of the card.  Line up the DSP along the open right side of the card and have both top and bottom edges even then attach to the area that is taped.  This gives you a full-size card and when opened shows the other DSP print.

The next step is cutting a 5 1/4" x 1" strip of cardstock that will fit in the open area on the left.  I used the new Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder to add interest to this piece.  Then it's attached to the card front.  I used "green glue" for this because I find it works very well holding an embossed design to my card.  

The sentiment on my card is from the So Sincere stamp set.  It's stamped on a 2 1/2" x 1" piece of Basic White using the new Petunia Pop ink.  Such a fun, plummy color!  It reminds me of Sweet Sugarplum that was a few years back, but has a richer look to it.

There is a 6" piece of the new Petunia Pop 3/8" Bordered Ribbon from the new Annual Catalog.  It is loosely folded in half and added behind the sentiment.  The sentiment layer is attached with Dimensionals.

The inside of the card is finished off to bring the design on the front inside.  A Basic White layer is cut 3" x 5".  The 1/2" strip left over from the card front is attached to the bottom area of the white. This is all attached to a Petunia Pop layer that measures 3 1/4" x 5 1/4".  Then they are attached to the center of the inside of the card.  Isn't it a pretty addition that coordinates with the DSP on the left?

After finishing the card, I felt it needed something else added.  I took the spiky leaf die from the Painted Lavender set and die-cut a piece of the new Summer Splash cardstock.  I added adhesive partially to the back of it and tucked it in under the ribbon area.  I liked it so much better.  Then I added a pinkish sequin from the Adhesive-backed Shiny Sequins to the sentiment label.  I loved how this turned out.  I was able to make 4 of these cards with 1/2 sheet of DSP. 

Since I liked this look, I thought I'd try the idea with a piece of Simply Zinnia DSP.   So pretty!  I used the embossing folder that coordinates on the side of this.  The sentiment is from Simply Zinnias and stamped with Melon Mambo ink.  The cardstock piece measures about 5/8" x 4".  The frosted dots are from a few years back, but I liked the pink and yellow colors.

Inside is a layer of Lemon Lime Twist because I like how it goes with the backside of the DSP.  Easy peasy, another 4 cards were finished.

Spoiler alert!  The next card uses some current products, but a lot of retired items are thrown in because they worked!  Don't look if you only want new!!

Next, I tried the Painted Lavender suite of products.  I thought the Crumb Cake cardstock worked well with this DSP print.  An old, retired Meadows Embossing Folder was used for the 1" strip.

For some reason, I just love the spiky leaf stem and die-cut both Gorgeous Grape and Highland Heather pieces.  Then I switched to the floral stem and cut one from the Soft Shimmer Paper Combo Pack.  I also die-cut a few tiny butterflies from this paper.

The label is from the Meadows dies.  It's cut from the new Basic Beige cardstock and stamped with Gorgeous Grape ink using a sentiment from the Quiet Meadow stamp set.  Dimensionals were used to attach it to the card front.

A double bow using Linen Thread is attached to the sentiment with a Mini Glue Dot.  Three Purple Fine Shimmer Gems are attached to finish the card.

There you have a slew of ideas using this easy Fun Fold card idea.  I just tried to find an all-over print that had an interesting and coordinating back side to make these.  Really, the ideas are endless if you have double-sided designer paper like Stampin' Up! has.  Have fun coming up with your own combos with the stash you have at home, or you can always order new DSP through me!!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Thoughtful Expressions Card

Hello there!  Hope you had a lovely weekend.  We had fabulous weather while visiting in North Carolina and came home to hot weather here too.  These jumps in temperatures and heavy pollen count are really playing havoc with my allergies and sinus issues.  Whew - drippy eyes and noses just aren't a whole lot of fun. So, what can a person do?  Today it was stay inside and create another card.  The colors aren't really my usual style, but I'm trying to expand my creative horizons and use brighter colors.  I used one of the awesome dies in the Everyday Details set for the focal part of the card.  I love those circles with the dot cut-outs surrounding them.  So different and very interesting in my opinion.

Granny Apple Green and Calypso Coral together are usually a little bright for my taste, but I think they work well together here and create a nice, cheery combination.  I wanted this card to have the look of summer, and I think I succeeded.

The card starts with a base of Granny Apple Green cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  This is scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

Next is a layer of 5 1/4" x 4" of Calypso Coral cardstock.  Attached to this is a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of the Delightful Floral Designer Series Paper.  This is a water-color wash type of print and so versatile.  The variations of greens on this print are a perfect backdrop for any type of florals, and I thought it would be great for this card.

A retired ribbon in Lemon Lime Twist color was wrapped around the two pieces and tied in a loose knot to the right side.  Then these layers were attached to the card base using a number of Dimensionals.

The Basic White cardstock piece was die-cut with the largest circle die in the Everyday Details Die set.  Doesn't the open-work design really stand out nicely?  I love it!  Two stamps from the Thoughtful Expressions stamp set were stamped onto the Basic White circle.  The sentiment was stamped across the top with Basic Gray ink.  The floral image was stamped to the left and curving around the bottom of the circle.  It is also stamped with Basic Gray ink to give both the image and sentiment a softer look.

Stampin' Blends were used to color in the images:

Flowers - Flirty Flamingo Light and Dark colored on first with a bit of Calypso Coral Light over this to deepen the flower color

Centers - Lemon Lolly Light and Dark

Large Leaves - Granny Apple Green Light and Dark

Small Leaves - Lemon Lime Twist Light and Dark

The stamped circle was added to the card front by using Dimensionals.  Make sure the ribbon knot snugs up next to the edge of the circle.

Three of the Parakeet Party 2022-2024 In Color Pearls were added to the card.  I love how they blend in nicely with the other greens used here.  (They are retiring at the end of the month, so order them now if you want them.)

Two butterflies from the Painted Lavender stamp set were stamped with Calypso Coral ink onto a Basic White scrap.  They are die-cut using the matching die in the Perennial Lavender bundle.  The tiny one is attached with a Mini Glue Dot.  The larger butterfly is attached with a half of a Mini Dimensional to fit underneath it without showing.

This will make a very general style of card that fits many occasions.  And of course, you can change colors on the design to fit your desires.

Thank you for visiting my blog post today.  I'm so happy when you stop by.  Feel free to leave me a message and let me know what you think about my projects.  I love to get feedback.  It always helps me to improve my card designs.

Have you had a chance to peruse the new Annual Catalog?   Oh, my, the wonderful goodies that are in there!  My wish list is growing every time I look through there.  If you haven't yet received your catalog from me, please contact me and I'll get one out to you asap.  Ordering from the new Annual Catalog starts May 1st.  If you'd like to order but you need help, get in touch with me and I'd be happy to help any way I can.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

sharoncarr50@gmail.com

When Is Enough, Enough?

Hey there.  That is my conundrum today.  Well, the question really started yesterday.  I made a card that I'd been thinking about since I ordered the Painted Lavender stamp set.  I was really happy with the outcome of the idea.  But the more I looked at it, I felt it needed just a tiny touch of Berry Burst added to really make it stand out.  And that's where enough turned into I did too much.  Let me show you what I mean.

I should have taken pictures before the tweaking, so you could see it really needed just a bit more color.  Instead, I only have the frustrating 'after' pictures. 

To make the card, I started by cutting the focal image layers first.  These pieces are Basic White cardstock cut with the Deckled Rectangles for the frame.  The 3rd largest and 5th largest dies were used.  A small bit of washi tape held the dies in place to cut the frame evenly.  Another piece of Basic White was cut that measures 4 1/4" x 3".  This goes behind the frame and is where the garden scene was stamped.

I love adding a soft color in the background using the Blending Brushes.  My plan was to add Balmy Blue and Garden Green for the sky and ground.  The colors are darker in the top and bottom and very pale in the center.  

The 'grassy looking' stamp was stamped with Garden Green ink across the bottom of the piece.  Each time the stamp was inked, I stamped twice to get variations of green.

The tiny stamp with 3 stems of flowers was stamped the same way with Highland Heather then some Gorgeous Grape on top of that.  The edges of this piece were trimmed slightly to easily fit behind the frame.  The edges were glued to hold in place.

The base of the card is Soft Sea Foam cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half to make a landscape card.

The sentiment is from the new Simply Zinnia set that is an Online Exclusive item.  I think the sentiment fit nicely with the images here.  It was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink near the bottom of the card front making sure there's plenty of room to add the stamped lavender and frame.  Then the layers were added to the card front using Dimensionals.

The Painted Lavender dies have a leaf spray that was the perfect size.  It's cut from Garden Green cardstock.  I had three little flowers from the set left over already stamped and die-cut from a previous project.  They are a mix of Berry Burst and Gorgeous Grape.  These were added to the card front with Mini Glue Dots.  

The butterflies are from the Painted Lavender set.  They were stamped with Daffodil Delight ink with a bit of Basic Black marker added to the bodies.  Then they were die-cut with the matching dies.  The tiny one was attached with a Mini Glue Dot, but the full butterfly has a Mini Dimensional in the center.  

After looking at the finished card, I knew it needed just a few of the flower stems stamped in Berry Burst to match the flowers on the accent stem.  This is where I really messed up.  Have you noticed my mistakes all along?  I should have masked off the frame, but I didn't.  It never crossed my mind that I'd mess up the pristine white, but I truly did in grand fashion.  I love the added color, but what a mess.  I didn't even realize I did it until I was looking at the pictures and adding the copyright tags on the computer.  So, I tried to take it all apart to make a new frame and it sort of ripped a little.   Oops.  So now I have to either sit down and remake most of the card or pitch it. 

So, when is enough, enough?  Before I added the Berry Burst flowers without masking?  Or when I decided to take it apart and fix it?  My advice is to NOT do what I did!!  😂😏

Other than my mistakes, I hope you liked this idea.  Yes, I will make another card like this sometime because I like the overall idea.  But not today.  I've got other cards I need to make and get into the mail.  Thanks for taking time out of your day to share my tale of woes.  Thank goodness I don't always mess up this badly.  Hopefully the next card creation will come together without all these problems.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Painted Lavender Bouquet

Hello, hello.  I can't believe the sun is finally shining again after several rainy days in a row.  I've had more than enough rain this winter.  Of course, in the middle of a dry, hot summer I'll be praying for some of that rain, won't I?  And instead of whining about the excessive rain, I should be thankful it wasn't all snow!!  Seems like we're still adjusting to things down here, but certainly loving it.  Thinking ahead to spring, I was ready to make a card with the Painted Lavender Bundle.  These pieces make a up a bouquet in no time at all.  

I haven't made a gatefold card in awhile, so that was my plan.  For a summery feel, I chose a card base of Garden Green.  This measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", and it's scored at 2 1/8" and 6 3/8".  Folding these two sides in should give you a nice gatefold card as your base.

There are two pieces of Soft Sea Foam cut to layer onto the sides.  These measure 2" x 5 1/4".  To add some interest to these panels, they were embossed with the Softly Sophisticated Embossing Folder which is one of the Sale-a-bration items.  I love the delicate design on this embossing folder.  Can't tell you how many times I've used it already!  After embossing, the panels were attached to the card front using "green glue" making sure they lined up top and bottom.

Next, the Basic White panel was die-cut with the Perennial Postage dies.  I used the 2nd largest die, but it was still too wide for what I wanted to do.  Taking the largest die, I placed it over my die-cut piece and lined up the postage edge cutting off about 1/2" from one side.  This worked out pretty well.  I used two bits of washi tape to hold it in place while cutting.  A second piece was cut and left the full size to go inside the card for the sentiment.

On the trimmed down die-cut piece, first there is some Soft Sea Foam ink that is added to the center of the white using a Blending Brush.   The leafy stem was stamped with Garden Green ink in this area of the card at least twice and several times using 2nd and 3rd generation stamping to fill in a bouquet shape.  This gives a good base for all the die-cut stems that are coming next.

The die with the two flower stems was used to die-cut most of the pieces.  Stems were cut from Gorgeous Grape and Fresh Freesia cardstock.  There were also a set of stems cut from the Soft Shimmer 12" x 12" Specialty Paper in the Bubble Bath color.  A smaller die was used to cut stems from Highland Heather cardstock.   A Granny Apple Green Blender Pen was used to color the stems in-between the flowers.  

They were layered up in this order: 2 Gorgeous Grape stems, 2 Fresh Freesia stems, 2 Bubble Bath Shimmer stems, and the one Highland Heather stem last.  They were all staggered as they were added so they weren't lined up like soldiers. The stems were attached only on the bottom two-thirds of each stem using "green glue".  This kept the tips of the flowers looser and more natural looking.  After all the flowers were added, the stem ends that were off the card were given a trim with Paper Snips.

Butterflies from the Painted Lavender set were stamped with Gorgeous Grape ink on Basic White cardstock.  They were die-cut with the matching dies from the set and attached with Mini Dimensionals.  The sentiment from Darling Details was stamped with Gorgeous Grape ink onto a Basic White strip.  The smallest Perennial Postage die was used to cut it out.  

The left half of the lavender bouquet label has two strips of Tear & Tape added to the length.  Then it's attached to the center of the card front.  Make sure there is no adhesive on the right side of the label, or it will be glued closed.   And you don't want that!  The birthday label is attached with Dimensionals under the left side only so it's free on the right edge.

The 2nd die-cut label has a faint blush of Soft Sea Foam ink added to the center with a Blending Brush.  Now it's ready to stamp.  I used a sentiment from Everyday Details stamp set.  It is stamped with Gorgeous Grape ink.  Those butterflies that were used earlier are now stamped inside the card with Highland Heather ink, so they are lighter than the sentiment.  The layer is attached in the center of the card with "green glue".

The final touches on the card are the Purple Fine Shimmer Gems.  These are so pretty and there are three different colors of purple in this set.  I used one of each of the colors on my card.  They all matched with the multiple purples I used for the lavender stems.  Can you find them tucked in the design?  There is also a double bow made from Linen Thread.  It's attached with a Mini Glue Dot.

That's my first attempt at creating with the Painted Lavender set.  It's kind of funny that there's almost no stamping on the card, but still a lot going on.  I'll have to try stamping those gorgeous lavender stems the next time around.

Thanks for stopping in to see what's new.  If you're looking for a demonstrator, I'd love to fill the position.  Don't forget the month of February is almost half over so that means Sale-a-bration is almost over too.  I don't want you to miss out on one of the fun Sale-a-bration items for you to earn free.  If you don't know how that works, feel free to contact me.  I'd love to help.  

Hope you enjoyed and were maybe inspired to give this idea a try.  It was fun creating with all of these purple shades on one card, and I love how they look together here.   Today was definitely a creatively fun day!

Have fun stamping and creating,

Sharon