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

Unbounded Beauty Card

Hello Friends!  I've been busy getting the cards ready to mail to the shut-ins here at church.  I'm so excited that I have five ladies that are meeting with me to put all the cards together, sign them, get them in printed envelopes and into the mail.  It's quite a production when these ladies have little to no knowledge of card making.  But I hope to change all that tomorrow!  Anyway, in the midst of all this craziness, I've still made a couple quick and easy cards that I thought I'd share with you.  Today's card features the Unbounded Beauty Designer Series Paper.  I made these with different color combinations, but then I forgot and some of them are in the mail already.  No pictures!  Oops!  Guess you only get one version today.

I've been so focused on autumn lately and I just needed a break.  So that's why this pretty summery floral card came about.  The card base is Calypso Coral that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored in half and makes a portrait style card. 

Next is a layer of the Unbounded Beauty DSP.  Several of the different prints would work on this card, but I chose this open, delicate design.  It's cut to measure 5 1/4" x 3 1/2".  This is attached to the left side of the card front using adhesive.  

I wanted to use circles for the sentiment and frame so next it was going through my sentiments looking for just the right one.  This sentiment comes from the Simply Said stamp set.  It's very generic so this card can be used in many ways.

The Layering Circles Dies were used for this.  The Basic White circle measures about 1 5/8" in diameter.  The Calypso Coral circle measures about 1 7/8" in diameter.  The sentiment is stamped with Berry Burst ink.  Then the coral circle was slightly edged in the Berry Burst ink to give it more definition on the card.

For this card, I cut a strip of Calypso Coral cardstock about 1" wide and 3 1/2" long.  The one end was scored and folded at 1/2".  The other end was flagged using Paper Snips.  The 1/2" that was scored on the end has Tombow Liquid Glue on the back and is attached about 1 1/2" from the bottom of the card.  This will fold over the front of the card to close it.

The inside of the card is a piece of Basic White that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  There is a small 1/2" strip of the same DSP print that is attached at the bottom to carry the design inside.  The white layer is attached inside the card using adhesive.  If you know what sentiment you plan to use on the inside, I suggest stamping it before attaching it to the card.  (Just in case!)

The card is closed and the flap folds over it.  I find sometimes it's just a little too snug to close nicely.  If so, trim off just a tiny 1/16" off the front flap to help the fit.  You might not need to do this if it closes perfectly.  The sentiment circles were added to this flap.  I just put a strip of adhesive right across the center to hold the circle onto the flap.

To add a little colorful bling to the card, I chose to use the Adhesive-backed Sequins Trio.  I thought the many shades of pink added a pretty touch to the finished card.

Now for more information, I also made this card using either Berry Burst or Petunia Pop for the card base. Both of them worked nice with this print or different ones from the same pack of DSP.  I added some Pretty in Pink color on the flap for interest.

Another change could be the fold-over flap.  This piece could be cut 1/2" shorter and just attached to the card front.  I think I would use Dimensionals to attach the circle sentiment over this.

Hope you liked this pretty summery card for another last hurrah of summer.  Our temps are going back up into the low 90's, so we are definitely not done with summer yet!  In fact, two of my azalea bushes have been in bloom for the last two weeks.  The blossoms are a gorgeous happy Melon Mambo color, and I love looking out my window to enjoy them!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon