Help Me Grow Card

Oh, my goodness.  I had so much fun playing with the new Help Me Grow bundle yesterday!  I hope y'all love this card as much as I do.  You know the feelings of how sometimes things just don't gel right and you can't figure out what is wrong versus when it all comes together easily and you're surprised by the outcome.  I've had both before, but I've been leaning towards the frustrating feeling a lot lately.  Things just haven't look as good as I pictured it in my mind.  But the last couple of days, I feel like I've been on a creative high.  I had no card idea in mind when I sat down to create.  Just wanted to get a feel for the new Help Me Grow set.  You know, do a little coloring on cardstock and playing around with the dies.  I didn't even get around to doing any stamping!  But let me share what I did.

This is it!  I wish you could see this in person.  The photo just doesn't do it justice but let me walk you through the process.

I started with a half piece of Basic White cardstock, a couple of Blending Brushes, and several ink colors.  I wanted some pastel leaves, so I started with blending Soft Seafoam ink over the cardstock.  There were some lighter areas and some I tried to darken as much as possible with this pale color.  Then some swirls of Pool Party were blended in.  Lastly were areas of Old Olive which were kept a little light.  Then I took the leaf cluster die from the Help Me Grow set and started cutting leaves until I had a half dozen of the multicolored leaves to use.  After cutting them, some ink was added to a few of the leaves for a little more color.

Then I moved on to the flowerpot die cut.  It's cut from Crumb Cake cardstock to start.  Using Blending Brushes and Cajun Craze ink, color was blended on with the darkest area in the left bottom corner and working out from there.  It really changes the Crumb Cake color.  It's darkened a little with Pecan Pie ink on the left side and bottom corner.

I love old clay pots with the water marks and dirt to give it character.  So, this was speckled with an Early Espresso marker.  Then with a Water Painter and Craft White Ink, splatters of white were added.  Then with the Water Painter wet with white ink & water, some was dabbed in the corner.

Next was playing around with the leaves and clay pot together.  It needed a darker contrast in among the leaves, so two of the same leaves were die-cut from Old Olive cardstock.  I also cut the trio of separate leaves from Old Olive too.  A touch of Old Olive ink was blended onto some of these leaves to darken and define them more.

Next, I moved to the flower dies.  I cut yellows, pinks, reds, lavenders, and Calypso Coral.  I ended up with a whole pile of different colors to play with.

Now it was time to figure out what the card was going to look like.  I found a 2" strip of a peach/coral print in the Painterly Pears DSP.  It made me think of creating a shabby chic look for the card.  This weathered wood piece is from the Country Woods DSP and paired up nicely with the peachy print.

A Calypso Coral piece of cardstock that measures 11" x 4 1/4" was used for the card base to contrast with the wood piece.  It's scored and folded at 5 1/2".  The wood piece is attached to the card base with adhesive.  Then the peachy print was attached down the center of the card front.

To make the blooming flower pot, adhesive was added to the backside of the pot under the slit.  This way I could place the stems inside the pot and get them placed properly.  I started with the two Old Olive stems in the back.  Then added the blended stems in the front.  A couple of the leaves were taken off the bottom of the stems and were later tucked into the design where needed.

Six of the Calypso Coral flowers were used for the design.  The centers were colored in with a Cajun Craze marker.  They were tucked into the leaves and attached with a Mini Glue Dot behind each one.  I loved the brightness of the flowers peeking out from the leaves.

At this point, the whole flower cluster and pot were attached to the card front using Dimensionals.  In a few areas, I tucked the extra leaves in with a Mini Glue Dot.  Also added a couple Mini Glue Dots behind a few leaves to hold it more securely because most of the leaves were only held by their stems in the back.

The sentiment comes from the Storybook Friends stamp set.  It just seemed to fit perfectly.  It's stamped with Early Espresso ink onto a 1/2" Basic White strip.  It's trimmed to fit and attached with Mini Dimensionals.

Final look at the Help Me Grow creation.  There's no bling at all.  Is that awful?  There is usually some sort of bling on every card I make.  But this time, I just liked it as it was.  

If you're looking for the Help Me Grow bundle, you can find it in the Online Exclusives store.  And if you're looking for a demonstrator, I'd be happy to help you.

Now I need to go back and try using the rest of the set that I didn't even try yet.  Those garden tools especially are calling to me.  This is just the perfect time of year to play with this set.  Bring a little bit of springtime inside to your cardmaking.

Hope you enjoyed hearing how I created this card and will give it a try with your own twist added.  I'm sure you'll have fun making it.  I'd love to hear what you create.  I think the possibilities are pretty endless.

Thanks for sharing your time with me today.  Hope you are inspired to get out your stamps and assorted stamping "toys" and have a good therapy session.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Easy Cross Easter Card

Hello friends.  I don't know if you've seen all the variations of the cross card that is very popular right now.  I've tried 3 of them and wasn't crazy happy about any of them.  Then I saw a video by Terri Gaines that was different.  Instead of having a pop-up cross, she just has the cross on a fold on the card front.  So easy and I love that it stands up nice and straight with no propping at all.  Yay!  And the icing on the cake was the number of samples she made using different DSP prints!  Wow.  I think there were at least eight of them!  To check out her ideas, go to CreatewithTerriGaines.com    No, I didn't copy any of them completely but chose my own papers and had fun.  You should give this one a try too.

Here's the finished card.  I love it!  To make it, I started with an 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of Daffodil Delight cardstock.  It is scored at 1 1/4" and 4 1/4".  You need another piece of the same Daffodil Delight cardstock that measures 3 3/4" x 1 1/4".

The DSP is from the Floral Delight DSP pack.  The olive print has two pieces cut for the base of the card.  These measure 2 3/4" x 5 1/4" and another at 4" x 5 1/4".

The print I used for the cross portion of the card measures 1 1/8" x 5 3/8" for the vertical section and 1 1/8" x 3 5/8 for the cross piece.

Starting with the card base, fold the card in half, and then fold the flap open.  On the front left section and the inside of the card right section, attach the DSP pieces that were cut for the card base.

Now, the DSP gets attached to the cross parts.  The longer one is attached to the folded back part of the card front.  The short piece is attached to the extra piece of Daffodil Delight that was cut.  After attaching the DSP to these pieces, close the card and lay the cross piece over the cross.  You want the right edge to line up with the right edge of the back of the card.  Attach together at the overlap.  I lightly marked with a pencil the area for the adhesive.

The stems and flowers are from the Linked Together Bundle.  There are two sizes of stems.  I cut one of the longer stems and three of the shorter stems out of Old Olive cardstock.  They are attached to the cross with adhesive.  

Then at least five of the flowers were die-cut from Basic White cardstock.   I only used five on my card, but Terri used six on her cards.  Your choice.  There are many other die sets that have stems and flowers that would work.  Just look to see what you have on hand.  I added the flowers with adhesive also. 

The sentiment is from the Storybook Friends stamp set.  For a banner, I cut the 2nd smallest die in the Countryside Corners Bundle from Basic White cardstock.  The greeting is stamped with Old Olive ink way over on the left side of the die-cut.  The right side of the banner is attached behind the cross.  Make sure this doesn't hang over the outside edge of the card.  We want to make sure this card fits into a regular envelope.  

Inside each of the flowers a Rhinestone Basic Jewel was added.  I really wanted a yellow gem, so before adding them, I colored them with the Daffodil Delight Blender Dark Pen to get a nice soft yellow color.  The gems fit inside the tiny hole in the center of each flower perfectly.

To finish the inside of the card, I cut a piece of Basic White at 2 3/4" x 5 1/4".  This is attached inside after stamping a sentiment with Old Olive ink.  This is an old, retired wood stamp, but it's perfect and I'll hang onto it forever.

On the other side, I added an arched die-cut made from the Everyday Arches Dies.  The shape reminded me of the opening to the empty tomb on Easter morning.  This is the 3rd smallest die. The sentiment is not SU!, and unfortunately the stamp is so old that the company doesn't exist anymore.  What a shame.  Make sure this is added to the left side, so it doesn't show when the card is closed.

Just a last close-up look at the cross.  I can't wait to try this again using a woodgrain DSP for the cross.  Wouldn't that be a terrific look?

I hope you give this card idea a try.  It's a very special card for Easter when you want to send something more than a plain card.

Thanks for stopping by to see what's going on over here.  Right now, everything looks a bright Granny Apple Green outside.  It was so dry, but we've had a good steady rain today and all the greenery and flowers are happy again.  It's so wet out there and that means it's a good day to stay inside and create!  Yay, stamping weather!!

If you run into any problems or have questions while making this card, feel free to text me at 313-407-0750 or email me at sharoncarr50@gmail.com.  I'd be happy to help you if I can.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

You Are Remarkable Card

Hello, hello!  What a lovely day today.  I've been spending so much time creating in my craft room that I was forgetting to get some fresh air and sunshine.  Since today is one of those perfect days, I spent a little time out there walking and enjoying the beauty.  It really calms my spirit and lets me breathe fuller.  Things have been a little crazy around here for the past 2 weeks and that walk was just what I needed to clear my brain.

Now, back to stamping.  I was on a roll yesterday with way too many stamps and inks strewn across my desk.  My thoughts kept going back to the yellows.  And then that cute yellow and white checked print from the Floral Delight DSP kept calling to me.  So, here I am with another cheerful card for your perusal.  It's very clean, simple and straightforward and will be used to hopefully cheer up one of my friends.

I think I mentioned yesterday that I'd been on a pastel kick lately, and it shows with this card too.  I started with the You Are Remarkable stamp set and this cute daisy image as the basis for the card.  On a piece of Basic White cardstock that measures 3 1/8" x 2 1/4", the floral stem was stamped using Gray Granite ink.  The bottom of the stem doesn't fit on the cardstock piece, so don't worry.

This flower is a two-step stamp.   It has a stamp that fills in the flower petals and another fills the leaves, so the coloring is done in minutes.  Well, more like seconds not minutes.  The petals are stamped with Daffodil Delight ink.  The stamp produces all this great detail on its own.

The leaves are stamped with Gray Granite ink.  The flower center is stamped with Gray Granite also, but this time it was off-stamped to give a lighter color.  That's it for the coloring.  Told you it was quick!

Time to get that card put together.  The base is Daffodil Delight cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  This is scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  

There is a layer of the yellow and white checked DSP that measures 4 7/8" x 3 5/8".  I used Gray Granite for layering on the card.  The largest piece measures 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  For a little texture on the areas that show, I used the Exposed Brick 3D Embossing Folder.  I like that little bit of texture peeking out on the edges.  The DSP layer was attached to the Gray Granite with "green glue".  Then these two layers were added to the card base with "green glue" also.

There is a layer of the Gray Granite cut to frame the flower layer.  It measures 3 1/4" x 2 3/8". This gives me a skinny frame that is just enough for this layer.

The sentiment used is from the Storybook Friends stamp.  The strip of Basic White that it's stamped on is 3/8" wide.  The sentiment is stamped with Gray Granite ink.  The ends are angle cut to give it a slightly different look.  It's layered onto a 1/2" strip of Gray Granite cardstock.  After attaching together, I trimmed the Gray Granite to match the angles on the white layer.

Both the flower layers and the sentiment layers are attached with Dimensionals to the card front.  The flower is attached more to the left side and the sentiment to the right side.  Try to follow the checked grid of the paper to keep it all straight.

For bling, I added three of the Pebbled Path gems from the 2023-2025 In Color Dots.  I don't have any Pebbled Path on the card, but they blended nicely with the Gray Granite color, so why not use them before they are retired.

That's it for my clean and simple card for today.   I've always liked yellow and gray together.  Using the Gray Granite for the gray gives it a really different look compared to what I was expecting.  It's always good to try new color combos.  You might find another new favorite to use.  Or it could be a bust.  You never know.  Either way, it's just paper.  You can always turn it over and try again or just pitch it!  The fun is in the creative process and trying new things.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Storybook Moments Trio

Hello my friends.  I've been happily crafting with the designer paper as the focal point of the cards.  It's been fun and very relaxing to take a break from fun folds and themed cards.  I had gotten the new Storybook Moments Designer Series Paper but hadn't found the time to play around with it.  I figured it was time and just played for most of two days (in between organizing my stamp room).  These are simple cards with mostly just cardstock, ink, and paper without a lot of fuss and bother.  Hope you enjoy these simple and quick cards.

First card up is so sweet and reminds me of my storybooks when I was young.  Yup, way back in the dark ages! I kept the colors warm and soft to create the cozy feel of cuddling up and being read a Beatrix Potter book at bedtime.

I started by choosing the DSP print with all the adorable cottages.  It's trimmed to 5" x 4".  About 1/4" is ripped from the right edge.  Then that edge is distressed and curled to look old and well-used.

Next was a layer of Pecan Pie.  This was cut to 5 3/16" x 4 1/4".  This was also ripped about 1/4" from the right edge and distressed to fit nicely under the print.

Basic Beige cardstock was cut to be the card base and measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It seemed like it needed another layer on the design, so a layer of Crumb Cake was added between the Basic Beige and Pecan Pie layers.  This wasn't ripped or distressed.  Using adhesive, each of these layers is attached to the one behind it.

The little mouse was an image from another print from this Storybook Moments DSP pack.  Isn't he adorable?  He was fussy cut from the paper and added to this friendly neighborhood.  He's been popped up with Dimensionals.  

The flowering plant was another image that this design needed to round out the design.  It's also fussy cut and added close to the mouse.

The sentiment is from the Wonderful Thoughts stamp set.  It's stamped with Pecan Pie ink onto a Basic Beige 1/4" strip of cardstock.  The right edge was flagged and tucked in under the mouse.  It needed some extra color, so it was pulled out and a Blending Brush added a little Pecan Pie ink on the edges.  It's tucked back in and secured with a couple Mini Dimensionals.

A length of the Wild Wheat Rustic Ribbon was wrapped around the card front on the left side.  This was tied into a knot.  I liked the look of the ribbon along with all the other earthy colors on the card.  Lastly, three tiny Brass Butterflies were added flitting around the neighborhood.  One card design down, on to the next design.

This card seems to throw off a totally different vibe for me.  I can just see this little bunny boy saying "Hey, look at me!  I just found this huge radish!  It must be the biggest in the whole world!"  And of course, he needed a picture taken to record this trophy, so we have it in a frame to display it.

The frame is one of three in the Storybook Friends Bundle.  This is die-cut from Old Olive cardstock.  The bunny was cut from the DSP print with just enough excess to attach to the back of the frame with adhesive.  There's also a small plant and a small mound of blue flowers that were cut out and attached to the bottom corner of the frame with adhesive to decorate it.

The base is Old Olive cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.  A blue & green plaid from the Timeless Plaid DSP was chosen for layering on the card.  It needed a little extra definition between the Old Olive and the print.  A piece of Boho Blue cardstock was attached behind the plaid.  

Some of the Wild Wheat Rustic Ribbon was wrapped around the two layers and tied in a knot.  This was attached to the card base using Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the Storybook Friends set.  It's stamped on a Basic Beige cardstock strip about 5/8" wide using Boho Blue ink.  The left end of the tag is flagged then attached to the right edge of the card using Dimensionals.  

The framed bunny is the last addition to the card.  He's attached with Dimensionals to make sure he's the focal point of the whole card.  If you are looking for a new baby boy card, wouldn't this one be perfect with just a small change of the sentiment?

That's two down and only one more to go.

This last one is super simple because it is totally the DSP doing all the work.  There's no extra die-cuts or anything.  There is a sheet of the DSP prints that is laid out in blocks of different prints.  These can be cut and used separately, or you can forget about this side entirely and just use the all-over green print on the back which is quite nice.  I kind of like these type of print blocks.  They're usually a bit of a challenge to me to use them on cards.  For this card, I used two of the blocks. 

I love the strawberry print as a stand-alone but then couldn't decide what I wanted to use with it. I found a cute little kitten carrying a plate with one large strawberry on it that worked with the strawberries.  The frame was a nice way to add her to the design.  

The base is a 11" x 4 1/4" piece of Old Olive cardstock that's scored and folded in half.  To frame the strawberry print, a piece of Moody Mauve was used.  This measures 5 1/2" x 2 3/8".  The strawberry print was attached to this with adhesive, then it's attached to the side of the Old Olive card base.

The little kitten was fussy cut then she's popped up on the Old Olive frame block. The frame is attached to the right side of the card front using Dimensionals.  To give the DSP paper some rigidity, I cut a piece of Basic Beige cardstock a little smaller to attach behind the frame.

For the embellishment on this design, I used three of the Iridescent Foil Gems.  The kitten needed some glitz, but not too much.  With the iridescent glitter in the gems, there are times you get a flash of pinky-purple that enhances the Moody Mauve layer.

I haven't added sentiments to the inside of any of these three cards yet.  They can be used for many different occasions.  On this last card, I played around with the inside just a little though and like how it turned out.  These little strawberry and flower sections were from the piece I trimmed off to fit my card.  They were fussy cut and added to the corners for fun.  Even if it's just a tiny bit of DSP that you've had to cut off, you might still be able to use it in your design.

Well, I don't know about you, but I had fun playing with this pack of DSP.  I really need to do more of a deep dive into the stamp set too.  I wasn't sure about this set when I first saw it.  It gave me the warm-fuzzies because of childhood memories, but could I use it now.  The answer is turning out to be yes, I can.  And now I need to get going and stamp some more.

Thanks for stopping by today.  As usual, it's appreciated that you spend time here.  Why not leave me a comment so I know who's been here?

Don't forget, there's only 8 more days left to take advantage of all the free items available during Sale-a-bration.  After February 28th it will be no more.  This is always one of my favorite times of the year.  It's so fun to get something free, right!?  Take advantage of this sale while you can.  If you have questions, feel free to contact me through my email - sharoncarr50@gmail.com.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Welcome Baby Card

Hi there.  I don't know about you, but I haven't needed to send a new baby card out for quite a while, like years.  It was fun playing with the Storybook Friends Bundle to create a card to send out to a new grandma.  The little girl was born almost two weeks ago, so I got this bundle just in time!  Now let's get creating so I can get this card in the mail.

I wanted the main color on this card to be Pretty in Pink just because she is a little girl.  And pink is always sweet for girls as far as I'm concerned.  The card base is Pretty in Pink that measures 11" x 4 1/4".  It's scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half.

Next a pink checked layer of the new Wildflower Birthday Designer Series Paper was cut.  It measures 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  It needed a white frame to set it off, so a piece of Basic White cardstock was cut a little bit bigger at 5 1/4" x 4".  These are layered together with adhesive.  

A length of crinkled 1/4" seam binding ribbon was wrapped around this.  A bow was tied to the left side of the card.  The ends were trimmed to fit.  Then this was attached to the folded card base using Dimensionals.

The little girl bunny was stamped onto the center of a piece of Basic White about 2 1/2" x 3 1/4" in size.  Pecan Pie ink was used to give it a softer color than black.  She was colored with Stampin' Blends:

Dress - Pool Party Light & Dark

Fur - Crumb Cake Light & Dark

Ear - Pink Pirouette Light  (this is still my go-to very light pink choice)

After coloring, she was die-cut with the scalloped oval die from the Unbounded Love Dies.  It was the perfect size.  After trying several options to layer behind her, I went with a die from the Stitched Ovals die that have been retired.  It was cut from Pool Party cardstock to match her dress.  These are layered together with adhesive.  Then it was popped up over the ribbon by using Dimensionals.

Here's a better look at the cute little bunny girl.  I guess I should call her Zara after the new baby girl.  Does she look like she could be called Zara Rabbit?

The sentiment on the card comes from the Storybook Friends set.  Perfect for this card.  It's stamped with Pecan Pie ink onto a strip of Basic White cardstock about 1 1/2" wide.  The scalloped oval was punched out with Oval Duo Punch.  The scallops on this matched the previous oval nicely to carry the theme.  It's attached to the card front with Dimensionals.

The sentiment seemed to need a little something more.  After checking through a bunch of stamp sets looking for a small flower die, I found what I was looking for.  The Lifetime of Love has a small die with three flowers that worked well in size for this design.  These are attached with Mini Glue Dots.

The design still needed a little bit of bling.  Three of the Iridescent Foil Gems were tucked around little Zara Rabbit to help her shine.

That's it for grandma's card to congratulate and welcome little Zara.  Hope she likes it.  It's been fun creating a new baby card again.  It's been way too long since we've had a new baby in the extended family.  

Speaking about way too long, I can't believe my oldest grandson is doing the Driver's Ed thing already.  When did that happen?  Wasn't he a little toddler just a short time ago?  In South Carolina kids can take Driver's Ed at 14 and get their license at 15.  Holy Cow!  He's so excited!

As you've read through this post, you probably noted several items that have been retired.  After 28 years of being a demonstrator, I've accumulated a good number of products that I love and don't want to give up.  I know many of you have these items in your stamping stash, so I've been getting a little more lax in what I share on my blog.  I hope you don't mind, but that's kind of where I'm going with this blog.

Okay, so much for today's post.  Hope it gave you some inspiration and made you smile because this bunny is so darn cute.  Sale-a-bration is still going strong.  I'm having fun playing with new items and I'll get around to sharing more of them.  If you're placing an order with me, please consider using the Host Code at the top of this blog.  It's sincerely appreciated.  I'd love to be your demonstrator.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon