Another Radiant Sunflowers Idea

Hi friends!  Do you ever get kind of stuck with one stamp set or one pack of DSP that you've just fallen in love with and keep going back to again and again?  That seems to be my problem with the Radiant Sunflowers bundle and the matching Sunflower Fields Designer Series Paper.  I like them both individually, but when you start pairing them up, I'm in sunflower heaven!  So here we go with another card using two different prints from the DSP pack and of course, the sunflower stamp too.  This just says fall to me so much.  Hope you don't mind another idea with this bundle.

I love the mix of the printed paper and the hand-colored focal image.  They just make me happy together.

Start with a Golden Glow cardstock piece that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  This is scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  

Next there is a layer of Cajun Craze that is 5 1/4" x 4".  On this is layered the Cajun Craze print that measures 3 7/8" x 5 1/8".  They're attached together with adhesive.  Then attached to the folded card base with adhesive also.  Looking good so far.

Next is the band that cuts across the card.  The DSP is another print from the Sunflower Fields DSP.  This measures 2" x 4".  To make this strip stand out more, there is a layer of Cajun Craze cardstock underneath it.  This measures 2 1/4" x 4".  These are attached together with adhesive, then attached to the card front with adhesive also.  

Rather than splitting the card in half, these layers are attached about 2/3 of the way down.  I like that better than directly in half.

The sentiment label is one of the dies in the Radiant Sunflowers dies.  It has die-cut a Basic White label to stand out on the card front.

The cute little hello sentiment is from the Elegant Leaves stamp set.  It's stamped with Cajun Craze ink in the bottom right corner.  If you don't have this set, after a quick look at my sets, I noticed at least six other sentiments that would work here nicely.  So, make sure to visit your stash for ideas.

Next the sunflower is stamped onto a piece of Basic White cardstock.  This time I used Cajun Craze ink.  The leaf was stamped three times onto Old Olive cardstock using Old Olive ink.

Stampin' Blends were used for coloring with these colors:

Petals - Golden Glow Light & Dark, Cajun Craze Light

Center - Crumb Cake Light & Dark, Pecan Pie Light & Dark, and a small touch of Cajun Craze light

Next the sunflower and three leaves were die-cut with matching dies.  The sentiment label was attached with Dimensionals.  The sunflower was added next with just one Dimensional in the center of the flower.  The leaves were tucked in around the flower for accents.

The inside of the card is a piece of Basic White that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  Before attaching, the two sentiments were stamped with Cajun Craze ink.  Both of these sentiments are from the Botanical Expressions stamp set.  I like how they work together for this card.

At the bottom is a 1/2" strip of the 2nd DSP print on the front of the card.  It carries some of the design from the front to the inside of the card.

To finish off the design on the card front, several Moody Palette Dots were added to the design.  I thought the old olive colored dots were more eye-catching rather than going with either a gold or rust color.

I hope this gives you more to think about when you take out your Radiant Sunflowers stamps and dies and the coordinating Sunflower Fields DSP.  If you don't have these yet, you might want to get them on your wish list soon.  I'm finding this combo just perfect for autumn birthday cards and get-well cards too.  Thinking they might be good for some of my Thanksgiving cards too!  Definitely a keeper in my honest opinion.

Thanks for stopping in today to see what's going on here.  We've been back up in the 90's all week with no end in sight.  I'm so ready for some crisp fall days watching the leaves change color in a glorious display.  But all in all, life is very good and I'm not complaining!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Late Glow of Harvest DSP

 Hey friends!  Running late as usual. Yesterday was the final day for getting the Glow of Harvest Designer Series Paper as the Product of the Month.  I was hurrying to get some samples made to share with you and I just ran out of time.  So, for those of you who own this lovely pearlized paper, I'm just sharing a few more ideas for using it.  Because I've got a good size collection, I'm not going into a lot of detail on each card.  Just a quick blurb will have to suffice, but it will give you a starting place if you're interested.

Stamps - Radiant Sunflowers and Botanical Expressions

Cardstock - Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Golden Glow, Basic White, and Pecan Pie

Specialty Papers - Glow of Harvest DSP

Dies - Party Banners and Radiant Sunflowers

Embossing Folder - Softly Woven 3D

Ink - Golden Glow, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Old Olive

Extras - White Gel Pen, Sponge Daubers, Mossy Meadow & Very Vanilla Gingham Ribbon, 2026-2028 In Color Butterflies

Just a quick peek inside.  Stamped edges and cardstock layers along bottom to accent.

Stamps - Poetic Petals (outside sentiment) and Botanical Expressions (inside sentiment)

Cardstock - Basic Beige, Cajun Craze, Basic White, and Early Espresso

Specialty Papers - Glow of Harvest DSP

Dies - Elegant Leaves

Ink - Cajun Craze

Extras - Cajun Craze & Gold Dots, Gold Striped Mesh Ribbon

Quick peek inside.  Skinny strip of DSP layered onto Cajun Craze cardstock for an accent.

Stamps - Radiant Sunflowers and Sweet Words & Labels 

Cardstock - Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Golden Glow, Cajun Craze, and Basic White

Specialty Papers - Glow of Harvest DSP

Dies - Sweet Words & Labels

Ink - Early Espresso and VersaMark (for background stamping)

In case you're wondering, the small oak leaves and the acorns are also part of the Sweet Word & Labels die set.  Awesome!

Stamps - Sweet Words & Labels

Cardstock - Crumb Cake, Pecan Pie, Cajun Craze, Golden Glow, Basic White

Specialty Papers - Glow of Harvest DSP (two different prints)

Dies - Sweet Words & Labels

Embossing - Seasonal Cheer Mini Embossing Folders (leaves)

Ink - Early Espresso and White Craft Ink

Stamps - Radiant Sunflowers

Cardstock - Cajun Craze, Golden Glow, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Basic White

Specialty Papers - Glow of Harvest DSP

Dies - Sweet Words & Labels, Radiant Sunflowers

Ink - Early Espresso

Extras - Linen Thread

As you can see, this is a fun fold card.  The measurements are 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 1 7/8", and 3" from both ends.

The center panels measure 2 1/4" x 5 1/4".  One is DSP and the one on back is Basic White.

The DSP on the side panels both front and back measure 1 5/8" x 5 1/4".

This gives you a cute card that stands up very nicely on its own.

Whew!  That was a lot to take in.  Hope you use this as a resource for using your own DSP.  Pay attention to all the different ways to lay out the elements.  Layers really do stand out in this batch of cards.  Of course, if you like these ideas, you can always change DSP and cardstock colors to match any season at all.  Have fun doing the mix-and-match game to see what prints you like together and what colors really set them apart.

Can you believe it's finally September 1st today?  Seems like I've been waiting forever for it to get here.  But that means all those holidays are coming up one after another, and we better get started on them.  If you have any questions about these cards, I'll be happy to answer them.  Just get in touch with me at sharoncarr50@gmail.com  and I'll get back with you as soon as possible.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Another Radiant Sunflowers Idea

Hello my friends!  Are you tired of ideas using the new Radiant Sunflowers bundle yet?  I sure hope not, because this is turning into a real favorite with me.  I keep thinking up more things to do with this stamp and die set.  And then add in the pretty Sunflower Fields Designer Series Paper to really have a great creative palette to use.  I'm totally hooked on these products and keep coming up with more things I have to try.  Hang in there.  I'll be moving on to something else soon.  I promise!

I love all these muted autumn colors that are so warm and inviting.  This just puts me in the mood for pumpkin patches and cider.  Mm-mmm.  

I wanted to see how this worked with a Basic Beige cardstock base.  That base seemed to make it so much more muted than on either white or vanilla.  It's stamped with Early Espresso ink then colored with Stampin'Blends.

Sunflowers - Daffodil Delight Light, Golden Glow Light & Dark, touches of Crisp Cantaloupe Light

Centers - Pecan Pie Light, (R) dk brown, Crisp Cantaloupe Light

Flower - Golden Glow Light, Cajun Craze Light & Dark

Leaves & stems - Crumb Cake Light

After coloring the image, it was die-cut with the matching die in the bundle.

I wanted to use this checked print from the Sunflower Fields DSP as a backdrop for the image.  It's cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4".  For the card base, a half sheet of Golden Glow cardstock was cut.  This measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

A 6" length of (R) Early Expresso Seam Binding ribbon was wrapped around the DSP approximately in the middle and attached in the back with adhesive.  Then a short length of ribbon was tied into a knot around this.  To finish the look on this ribbon, a length of linen Thread was wrapped around the brown ribbon then tied into a bow.  The look of those two together gave this a more rustic feel.

This layer was attached to the folded card base using adhesive.

The main image was added over the ribbon using Dimensionals.  The card looked a little empty with just the colored image added, so I improvised.  

The Fern & Flora dies have a pretty leafy stem that would fill in a little more.  I die-cut 3 stems from Early Espresso cardstock.  These were trimmed into smaller sections that tucked in under the main image and were attached with adhesive.

The same die set has a tiny die with 3 itty bitty flowers.  I used this to die-cut several tiny flowers from Cajun Craze cardstock.  I wanted a little extra color there, but not too much.  These were added to the leafy areas with just a touch of "green glue" to hold.  Did you notice those bitty flowers?

The sentiment used here is from the Banner Sayings stamp set.  It's stamped on a 1/2" strip of Basic Beige cardstock using Early Espresso ink.  Both ends were trimmed with scissors to finish.  In case you haven't noticed, I really like this stamp set.  All these little sentiments are so easy to tuck into a design, and they see to cover just about any occasion.

It's attached near the bottom of the card. This time Dimensionals were used to make the sentiment more prominent.

The final touches for this card are a few dark brown dots added to the design.  These are from the Earthy Matte Dots.  I think they're a nice touch here.

That's it for today folks.  Yes, I seem to be stuck on this Radiant Sunflowers bundle.  But I'm not apologizing here.  There are just too many ideas for using this bundle that I haven't tried yet.  But I promise I'll move on soon.

Hope you're excited about trying out some of the awesome new products coming out in the next catalog on September 1st.  I know there are a bunch of stamps, dies, and other goodies that I'm having fun with, and I know you will too.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Sunflower Fields with Template

Hey there!  Today I'm back creating with the gorgeous Sunflower Fields Designer Series Paper.  I love the rich autumn colors used with this paper.  Reminds me of driving in Michigan in the fall when all the trees are changing and it's just a patchwork of autumn colors.  The change of colors isn't that dramatic here and I miss all that glorious color!  So, when I saw this paper pack with all the gorgeous color and add in all the sunflowers too, it was definitely a must have item for me.  I've already made a more muted design with this paper.  Now it's time to focus on the color.  Plus, this card uses a template for cutting that you can use over and over.

Doesn't this design just warm you up from the inside out?  Sorry, getting a little carried away here.  The idea here was to keep the DSP front and center but add a little interest to the design.  There are three panels cut consecutively from a piece of DSP.  Each panel measures 1 1/2" x 3 1/2".  Make sure you keep them in order when constructing the card so you can see the total design.

Next a layer of Early Expresso cardstock was cut.  This measures 5" x 3 3/4".  The three panels of print paper were lined up and attached to this. I found that lining them up on the layer and attaching first one side then the other side kind of eyeballing the edges worked the best.  Then just add the center panel in the middle.  Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue works best for me so there's a little wiggle time to get it straight.

The next step was choosing the card base.  Cajun Craze really made the colors stand out, so a piece was cut to measure 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  This was scored and folded in half.

The panel with the DSP was attached to the center of the card base using Dimensionals.

The sentiment used here is from the Radiant Sunflowers set.  It's stamped on a piece of Basic White cardstock using Early Espresso ink.  The white panel is 2" x 1 1/4".

There is a piece of Cajun Craze cardstock added behind the sentiment.  It measures 2 1/8" x 1 3/8".  They're attached with adhesive.  Then this is added to the card base with Dimensionals.

The inside has a layer of Basic White added.  This measures 5 1/4" x 3 1/2" just to be a little different.  

This is another sentiment from the Radiant Sunflowers set.  Again, I used Early Espresso ink to stamp it to keep with the warm colors.

To bring the design to the inside, a 1/2" piece of the same print was added to the bottom of the layer.  This brightens the inside so much.

To finish the front of the card, a bow was made from the new Neutrals Jute Combo.  This jute combo has 5 different colors to fit all the fall cards you want to make.  Several of the colors in the set worked, but I liked the Pecan Pie color the best.  The bow was added with a Mini Glue Dot to hold in place.

Three of the new Gold Adhesive-backed Dots were added to the design.  These are a soft muted matte gold that is so pretty.

So now you've got this versatile template to use with your DSP prints that you've been hanging on to because they're so pretty.  Time to get them out and use them.  Then send them out in the mail so someone else can enjoy it too!

I know this is last minute, but if you're planning on making an order soon, do it by August 21st.  Stampin'Up! is giving double rewards on all orders!!  And there are selected cardstock and DSP packs that are on sale.  Go online and see what basics you might need that are on sale now to take advantage of both sales!!

Thanks for stopping in today for your latest inspiration fix.  I hope you love this template idea and find ways to use it yourself.  There are so many templates that are similar to this.  Some have four panels or even more.  Just play around with the idea and make it work for you.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Radiant Sunflowers Bundle Sneak Peek

Hello friends!  Whew, still in the mid 90's and that's the forecast for the next week at least.  It's so hard to spend time outside when you can't catch your breath and you feel you're melting on the spot.  I want to know why you can't melt off fat while doing this!  The way I feel in the heat, I'm sure I should be at least 10 pounds lighter by now!  😆  Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way, right?  So, with a mind over matter plan, today's card is another fall themed card.  I suppose it could be used for different seasons if you changed the colors, but this card exudes a strong autumn vibe to me.

See what I mean about a fall feel?  The first thing I did with this card was to stamp this flower cluster from the Radiant Sunflowers bundle onto Very Vanilla cardstock.  This bundle is coming in September, and I can hardly wait for you to use it!  I used Pecan Pie ink for this to stay on the warm side.  After stamping, the coloring began.  

Stampin'Blends were used for this part:

Sunflower petals - Daffodil Delight Light & Dark

Sunflower centers - Pecan Pie Light & Dark

Flower - Daffodil Delight Dark, Timid Tiger Light

Leaves - Old Olive Light & Dark

At this point several extra leaves from the set were stamped with Pecan Pie ink and colored with Old Olive Light & Dark Blends.

All the pieces were die-cut with the matching dies in the set.  Now it was time to decide what to add to these flowers to make the card.  The card base is Pecan Pie cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

A wide strip 5 1/2" x 3 1/4" was cut from Crumb Cake cardstock.  A sentiment from the set was used to stamp onto this strip in the far bottom right corner.  Then comes the embossing.   I'm lovin' the new Softly Woven 3D Embossing Folder which was used on this to give lots of texture.

This strip was attached to the folded card front using Tombow MultiPurpose Glue to hold securely.

There are some great prints in the Sunflower Fields Designer Series Paper coming in the catalog in September.  This brown-on-brown check highlighted the flowers nicely.  It measures 2 1/4" x 4".   But it needed something extra to set it apart from all the other brown tones on the card.  

I could have used a cardstock piece, but I remembered a golden yellow print from spring maybe two plus years ago now.  I had a few odd pieces of it left, so it's used here.  It measures 2 1/2" x 4 1/4".  The brown checked print was adhered to this with adhesive.  Then both pieces were added to the card front using adhesive.

The design still needed something else.  The grid from the Lily of the Valley die set was used to die-cut gold foil cardstock.  The two pieces were attached under the sunflower cluster using adhesive.  That bit of gold peeking out at the top and bottom was perfect.  The sunflowers were attached over the grids using Dimensionals.  Then the extra leaves were tucked in around the design to fill it out.

Several Gold Adhesive-backed Dots were sprinkled on the design.  Yep, they're in the new in the catalog coming out in September.

A smallish bow was made from the Crumb Cake color jute in the Neutrals Jute Combo that is also new in the catalog coming in September.  It's attached with a Mini Glue Dot.  The jute really continues the rustic feel of the finished card.

Hope this card idea gets you thinking fall.  Yes, I know there's still a couple weeks left in August for those last summer get-aways or picnics at the beach.  But this heat is so rough on me I'm really praying for cooler weather.  I do thank you for visiting my blog and hope you are inspired to give some of these products a try.  If you're looking for a demonstrator, I'd be happy to work with you.  If you are one of my customers and you haven't received your new September - December 2026 Catalog in the mail from me, please let me know so I can see what's going on.  Most of my customers really do become my friends, and I appreciate each one of you!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon