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

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

Another Share a Milkshake Idea

Hi there!  It's been so chilly lately; I can't believe this is the south.  I think you guys in Michigan are just as warm as we are.  Maybe even a touch warmer!  What's going on here??  I was hoping there would be some hot weather to share these ice cream ideas with you, but it's not working out that way.  Oh well...

As you can see, I'm getting a little obsessed with this milkshake idea.  It's just so fun!  Today's card uses a new color - Bubble Bath.  What a fun pink color this is.  I was surprised that it paired nicely with Moody Mauve.  So here we are.  Another milkshake, but different.  

For my card (the one on top) I used Moody Mauve for the card base that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  The Bubble Bath layer is cut at 5 1/4" x 4".  I didn't attach this to the base until the end in case I needed to start over.  Not quite sure what my plan was at this time.  There was going to be an ice cream cone for this card, but when putting the pieces together, I changed my mind. I really didn't like the cone with the white grid pieces.  So back to the milkshake idea. 

This time, the glass was only off-stamped on the detail stamp, not the solid stamp.  This made the glass much darker than the first one I made.  For this one, two scoops of ice cream were added.  The chocolate scoop is stamped with Pecan Pie ink.  I think it turned out great.  The other scoop was my favorite black cherry ice cream of course.  This is stamped with Berry Burst ink.

Both the chocolate and black cherry scoops have some speckles added   I used the speckle stamp from the Quiet Meadow stamp set (page 66) with the same color ink.  I think it added a slight bit of extra goodness to the ice cream scoops.

The Share A Milkshake die set has this awesome grid die that adds so much to the background.  I cut two of them in Basic White Thick cardstock.  They were added to the Bubble Bath layer with adhesive.  I positioned the milkshake where I wanted it, then realized I really didn't have too much room left for a sentiment.  Oops.  But not to worry, there are lots of sentiments in my stash that I could choose from.  I found this sentiment in the Sweet Citrus stamp set (page 32).  I liked the wording, but it was one long stamp that wouldn't fit anywhere.  After stamping it on a long strip of Basic White, it was cut to separate the individual words.  I didn't try to keep them straight when cutting.  It had so much more interest with the slightly different angles.  The words are attached flat on the card front with adhesive.

The Bubble Bath layer was attached to the card front with 'green glue'.  Then it was time to put together the milkshake.  Adhesive was added to the back of the chocolate scoop and positioned on the glass.  Adhesive was added to the back of the black cherry scoop and positioned onto the chocolate scoop.  The straw was tucked in last.  It has some adhesive behind it where it overlaps the ice cream to hold it in place.  Carefully turn the milkshake over and strategically add Dimensionals to hold it all together.  Then add to the card front.

Again, this card has no added bling.  It seemed there was enough going on already and anything more added would just be a distraction.  I am open for suggestions if you feel it really needs something more.  Let me know what you think.

Ok, as you saw in the first picture, Connie made an ice cream cone for her card.  Let's talk about that.

First change is the card base is Berry Burst.  Doesn't the whole look of the card change with just that small difference?  

Connie cut two of the grid pieces from Pecan Pie cardstock.  This carries over the look of the cone.  The cone is also cut from Pecan Pie cardstock.  It already has score lines for folding like a cone.  And it has all that lovely detail embossed right into it!!  How cool!

She also used Pecan Pie and Berry Burst inks for her ice cream scoops.  An Early Espresso marker made the small chocolate chips.  

Cherry Cobbler was used to ink the cherries.  Garden Green marker was used to color the stems.  She also used Pecan Pie and Cherry Cobbler markers to color the sentiment on the side of the card.  A little swish of Wink of Stella over the cherries was the finishing touch.

Hope you like these ideas.  Thank you, Connie, for playing along with me.  It sure was fun.  I'm going to have to move away from the ice cream and milkshakes because I'm going to put on too much weight just playing with them!  😄    I promise the next post will be something besides food.  See you soon!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Dainty Delight in Greens

Hello Friends, hope you're enjoying your day today.  Today I'm sharing a card with some old, retiring items and some that are going to hang around for a while longer which is a good thing in my humble opinion.  I'm using both the Dainty Delight Bundle and the Quiet Meadow Bundle which are both very versatile.  I look at these two sets as basics because both the floral images and the words are very nice, and the matching die sets are truly fabulous and can be used just about anywhere.  Give it a look.

Here's my last hurrah for Pear Pizzazz too.  I'll miss this color so much!  But there are other green colors that I'll soon love just as much.  For this card, I started out with a base of Pear Pizzazz cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.  

Next a layer of Old Olive cardstock was cut.  It measures 5 1/4" x 4".  I used the largest die in the Meadow Die set to cut into the center of this piece.  (thrifty!)  Both of these pieces were set aside until I was ready for them.

That lovely gold-printed paper is called Naturally Gilded 12" x 12" DSP.  There are 6 sheets with 3 patterns, so you get two of each.   This design is gold on ivory, there are silver on white and copper on white designs too.  Simply gorgeous!  The number is #161639 and can be found in the Online Exclusives for $10.  It's worth every penny!

Here you can see how the ivory background was changed to green.  I used Pear Pizzazz ink and a Blending Brush to just swirl color on it until it was as dark as I wanted.  I actually went over it about three times to darken it enough, otherwise the gold print got lost in the green.  I love how you can totally change the look of this paper just by blending in some color over the design.  Just think of the possibilities!  After I was done, this layer was attached to the Old Olive layer that was already cut.  I used adhesive to attach these together.  

A little more die-cutting was needed.  The two thin branches were cut from Mossy Meadow cardstock.  After trying a few different colors including some different gold papers, I ended up with a Glimmer Paper that's been retired for awhile.  It's a lovely green that showed up nicely.  For this piece, I used a die from the Dainty Delight set.  I thought it looked cute here.  All of the die-cut pieces were attached with adhesive.

One last piece was die-cut.  It was the label from the Meadow Dies.  This is cut from Very Vanilla cardstock.  The sentiment is also from the Quiet Meadow stamp set and fits in the die-cut piece perfectly.  It is stamped with Old Olive ink.  Two Dimensionals were added to the back at this time.

Instead of just wrapping a ribbon around for an accent, I cut a 4" piece and a 6" piece of Parakeet Party 1/8" Metallic Woven Ribbon.  Add tape on the back where you want the left side of the ribbon to be.  Thread the ribbon through the center hole then wrap to the back and attach to the tape.  Thread the 6" ribbon through the other side.  Take off the backing from the Dimensionals and center them over the stems.  Then wrap the ends of the ribbon to the back of the right side and attach.  To finish, tie a small bow from the same ribbon.  Use a Mini Glue Dot to attach this where the right ribbon connects to the label.  

All of this is attached to the folded Pear Pizzazz card front using Dimenisonals.   A piece of Very Vanilla was cut to fit inside the card and it was finished.  With the gold printed DSP, sparkly Glimmer Paper and metallic ribbon, I didn't think it needed any more bling.  Now if you're a real 'bling-aholic', you could always add gold sequins or rhinestones.  There are several choices that look really elegant with the card.  Your choice.

Have you been keeping track of all the different colors of green that were used on the card?  I think it's wonderful how so many of the colors blend nicely together.  If you want to know, there are 5 different greens on the card.  Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive, Mossy Meadow, Parakeet Party, and the Mint Macaron of the Glimmer Paper die-cut.  Wow!

That's it for today.  Hope there are a few ideas you might have picked up on here.  Be inspired and be creative!  And have fun!!!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Embossing Paste Background

 Hello Friend!!  A couple of weeks ago one of my grandsons was hanging out in my stamp room inspecting stuff.  Well, he was actually being curious and checking out what I had sitting around.  He wanted to know what the cool palette knives were for and could he play with them.  So we had a little show and tell about Embossing Paste.  I hadn't used it in ages and was surprised it wasn't dried out.  Yay!  Since we added some paste to cardstock using stencils, that means I have a couple pieces of background to create with.  

The background here is a quarter piece of the new Parakeet Party.  I wanted the green color to be a little darker behind the embossing paste, so I used a Water Painter and some Parakeet Party ink to do a wash in the area I'd be putting the paste.  I used the Heat Tool to quickly dry the area so we could play.  

When using embossing paste, there are a couple things that are important to remember.  1.  Take out the amount of paste you think you'll need and close the container right away, so it doesn't dry out.  2.  When using a plastic stencil to make a design, tape it down so it doesn't shift when scraping across it.  3.  Make sure you keep the embossing paste fairly thin on your project.  Scrape off any excess.  4.  Clean your stencil and tools immediately after using so the paste doesn't get dried on like cement.

After taking the stencil off, set it aside to air dry.  This will take a little while, so it's a good idea to make several background pieces at the same time while it's all out.  Then do your clean-up.  Test to check for dryness before handling the piece.  After drying, the piece was trimmed down to 5" x 3 3/4".

To go with the background, I chose to use the Quiet Meadow stamp set and the matching Meadow Dies.  I love the simple organic dies that make a quick, but stunning, image on your card.  I cut two different ones from Basic Black cardstock, and one from some Black Glimmer paper from last Halloween.  I thought the more subtle bit of glittery-ness was a nice touch.  All of these pieces were just attached with Multi Purpose Liquid Glue to lay nice and flat.  Then the whole layer was attached with adhesive to the Basic Black layer that was cut 5 1/4" x 4".

The die set also has this pretty label die that I used to cut a piece of Basic White cardstock.  The sentiment is from the Quiet Meadow set and was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  The label was attached to the card front with Dimenisonals to give it a pop.

The new Parakeet Party 1/8" Metallic Woven Ribbon was used to accent the label.  I cut two pieces about 4"-5" each.   They are threaded through the loops on the die-cut label and attached behind the Basic Black layer with small strips of Tear & Tape Adhesive.  This is a trick I used to do a lot, but sort of forgot about lately.  It does make a pretty little accent though.

The inside of the Basic White card base has a stem of flowers from the Quiet Meadow set stamped at the bottom corner using Parakeet Party ink.  This is an easy way to bring some of the design from the front inside your card.  All the layers are then attached to the Basic White card base using Dimensionals.

As an added bit of bling, three Rhinestone Basic Jewels are sprinkled on the card front.  Just enough for an extra dose of pretty!

That's it for today's post.  I have to apologize about the quality of the pictures.  With all the dreary weather, I haven't been able to get any decent pictures to share with you.  I think each picture I took had some shadowing on it somewhere.  I've tried different lighting and different areas of the house trying to get something decent.  So it's either don't post, or have you deal with sub-par photos.  And you see what you are ending up with.  😒  Sorry!

One last picture for you.  Now that we've played with the Embossing Paste, I'll have to get it out more often.  It really is fun and leaves some wonderful texture on your design.  If you're like me and like to touch the finished card, this is a product you should try.  Have fun and remember to clean up right away!  I just cleaned up in a sink.  Easy peasy.

Thanks for stopping by today.  If you're planning on ordering soon, remember that the 2022 January - June Mini Catalog expires the end of May so you have just a few more days left to order from it.  And please use the current Host Code shown at the top right corner of my blog posts.  You're very appreciated!  Thank you for everything!  Blessings!!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Cool Pinwheel Tower Card

Happy Sunday to you!  Glad you stopped by today.  I have a really interesting fun fold card idea for you today.  Hope you get inspired!  Have you seen this idea?  I think these types of cards are fabulous and I needed to give it a try.

For my card, I started with a card base cut at 5 1/2" x 7".  This was scored at 1", 2", 3", and 4".  When you fold along the score lines, you get a square tube with a 'wing' on one side.  Looks kind of weird at this point, but don't give up.  Next cut 3 more 'wings' at 3" x 5 1/2".  For the card base and 3 wings, I used Mossy Meadow cardstock.  Attach each of the 'wings' to a flat side of the tube.  I used Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue to make sure they really stayed there!  At this time, you have your pinwheel tower and it's time to make it into a card.

I cut 4 layers of Old Olive cardstock to 2 3/4" x 5 1/4".  These would end up layered onto the 'wings'. 

After that 2 Very Vanilla layers were cut a 2 1/2" x 5".  These panels were stamped with the Quiet Meadow stamps.  The front panel uses a collage type of stamping for a background.  I started with the 'sketchy' word background stamped with Pear Pizzazz ink that was off-stamped.  I added some speckles with the stamp using Crumb Cake ink also off-stamped.  Then the wild flower and the sentiment were stamped with Mossy Meadow ink.  Also used a Mossy Meadow marker to add some speckles to this.   A piece of Gold Fine Art ribbon was wrapped around this and tied in a knot in front.  Three pretty faceted glitter gems were attached to finish the front.  This was then attached to the Old Olive panel that was attached to the first 'wing'.

The back side of this tower card was finished similarly to the front, but not exactly.  Instead, the wild flower was stamped with Crumb Cake ink that was off-stamped to give a pretty soft image behind the sentiment.  I didn't do all the collage-type stamping on the background either.  I kept it much plainer with just some speckling with Mossy Meadow and Crumb Cake markers.  The sentiment is also from the Quiet Meadow stamp set.  It was stamped in Mossy Meadow ink.  This was attached to an Old Olive layer using adhesive, then attached to the opposite side panel from the front.

There were still 2 of the Old Olive panels left.  To finish these off, I cut 2 pieces from the retired Dandy Garden 6x6 retired DSP.  These were both die-cut with the coordinating Meadow dies.  The 2 negative pieces were attached to the Old Olive panels and attached to the tower 'wings that were empty.  Hang onto those die-cut pieces though! 

Then 4 side layers were cut to 1 1/2" x 5 1/4" from Old Olive cardstock.  Only two of these were embossed using the Brick & Mortar 3D embossing folder.  After embossing, I carefully added a little bit of Whisper White Craft Ink to the raised bricks using my finger to make the bricks stand out more.  These both were attached to the left side of the stamped panels using adhesive.

 

Ok, with the leftover 2 side panels, attach the die-cut wildflower  you already made to them with Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue.  Then attach these to the left side of the matching negative panels you already attached.

Whew!  That's it.  I hope you could follow my instructions and pictures to make your own pinwheel tower card.  I got my dimensions from...    fortheloveofstamping.blogspot.com.  There are many places on the internet to find these cards and get instructions.  In fact, I've been looking around and want to try another one of these with different dimensions so the card will fit into a regular A2 envelope.  The card I just shared with you does not.  It needs a 6x9 envelope or one you specifically make to fit this card.  So, I'm back to the drawing board on this idea.  But it was fun and challenging to try, and I'm tickled with myself that I actually figured this out.  Any 3D items are not my forte' at all!!!

Please use my July Host Code if you place an order this month.  I thank you in advance!

If you're one of my regular customers, you should be receiving the new July-December Mini Catalog in the mail soon.  The date you may start ordering from this catalog is August 3rd.  There will also be a new Sale-A-Bration flyer included.  Yay, two different Sale-A-Brations this year!  It also starts August 3rd and it goes through September 30th.  So enjoy looking through them and getting your wish list started!  There's lots of wonderful new stamps, dies, papers, and embellishments to dream about!

Happy stamping and creating my friends!

Sharon