Using a Basic Template

Hello friends.  Today I've got a whole pile of cards to share with you.  It all started with a Basic Template using a piece of 6" x 6" DSP to cut all the main pieces.  My template I used is very basic and can be cut either way, depending on the direction of the print and what you want to do with it.  First, I want to show you a picture of the 5 cards that are made from one 6" x 6" piece.  Then we'll get into the cutting and details to make these cards.

The DSP that was used for these cards is maybe my favorite print in the Floral Charm DSP pack that is part of the Charming Day collection.  The roses are a pretty soft color with Night of Navy and Pretty Peacock leaves.  It's just yummy.   Of course, when I create with the other prints in the set, I fall in love with the other designs too.  Guess this DSP pack is definitely my favorite at this point!

Anyway, can you see how just a small amount of this print can go a long way?  It's so pretty even when you've only got a 1 1/2" x 3 1/2" piece!

Let's get to the Basic Template that I used.

Sorry, this isn't all fancy like other people can make it.  When I'm working out a design, I just make a sketch and add dimensions for it.  That's it.  But you can see exactly what you need and how to cut.  Want to give it a try?

The first card up is using the top left piece of the Basic Template.  This measures 3" x 3 1/2".  I decided to use Fresh Freesia for the card base even though that's not one of the colors that are recommended for this.  I just liked how it looked, so that was my choice.  

The DSP is framed with a piece of Night of Navy cardstock that measures 3 1/4" x 3 3/4".  It's attached to the base with Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the Charming Day set and is stamped onto a Basic White circle using Night of Navy ink.  It is die-cut with the Stylish Shapes Dies.  It's backed with the next largest circle cut from Night of Navy cardstock.  The circles are attached together with adhesive.  Then they are added to the card with adhesive where they overlap the DSP and Dimensionals on the right side to keep it flat.

A sheer white ribbon with silver edges was cut in half and then both pieces were tied into a pretty bow.  A trio of Purple Fine Shimmer Gems in the plummy color were added to finish the design.

Next up is one of the two left side pieces of the Template that measure 1 1/2" x 3 1/2".  This time the card base is Bubble Bath.

A 2 1/4" x 4 1/4" piece of Berry Burst was cut for an accent.  About 1/2" was ripped from the right edge.  Then it was embossed with the Distressed Tile Embossing Folder to give it extra interest.  This was attached about 1/2" up from the bottom of the card using Tombow Liquid Glue (green glue).

Next a piece of Night of Navy was cut to frame the DSP.  This measures 1 3/4" x 3 3/4".  They are attached together with adhesive.  Then they're attached flat to the card base right over the Berry Burst layer.  I used "green glue" again for this layer.

The sentiment for this card is from the Unbounded Love set.  It's stamped with Night of Navy ink onto a circle cut from the smallest circle die in the Stylish Shapes Dies.  It's backed with the next largest circle from the same die set.  This is attached over the corner of the DSP using both adhesive and Dimensionals so it lays flat on the card.  

I happened to have a small open leaf die-cut leftover from a precious project that was in Shaded Spruce.  This was tucked in slightly under the Berry Burst layer for some added interest.

There are three gems from the 2021-2023 In Color Dots that are added to the card.  They were originally supposed to match with Moody Mauve, but I loved the look on this card.

This card uses the 2nd small piece of DSP from the left side of the template.  I'll confess, I had quite a time making this card and I'm not sure I got it right.  If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open to hearing them!

This card started with a lovely die-cut from the Charming Day set.  It's cut in Berry Burst so I thought it would go with this idea.  

The card has a base of Pretty Peacock cardstock.  The DSP has a layer of Night of Navy framing it that measures 3 3/3" x 1 3/4".  It's attached near the bottom of the card front using Dimensionals.

The berry die-cut has some Mini Dimensionals under some of the wider areas to give it lift.  Then part of one of the flowers is tucked under the DSP and some leaves are brought forward on the design.

The sentiment used here is from the Perfectly Pears stamp set.  The die used to cut the label is from the same set.  It's stamped with Night of Navy ink.  There are Mini Dimensionals behind this to elevate it to match the rest.

Three of the Pecan Pie & Clear Ribboned Adhesive-backed Dots are added to the design to finish it.

The fourth design features the piece of DSP from the top right of the Basic Template.  This piece measures 2 1/2" x 4".  The layering piece is Night of Navy cardstock that measures 2 5/8" x 4 1/8".  The pieces are attached with adhesive. 

The card base for this design is Bubble Bath cardstock.  The two layers are attached to this with Dimensionals.

There is a die-cut of Pretty Peacock leaves added to the bottom left corner.  It's attached with dots of "green glue" on some of the leaves to hold in place.   

There is an open rose die in the same set that was used to cut this Berry Burst rose.  It's attached over the leaves with several Mini Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the Perfectly Pears stamp set.  It's stamped onto a small label that's cut from the same set.  After stamping, it's attached flat to the card front with adhesive.

There are three of the Pecan Pie & Clear Ribboned Adhesive-backed Dots added as a pretty accent.

This one might be my favorite card of the batch.  At least for now!

This is the last card of the batch.  It uses the DSP piece from the bottom right-hand corner.

The card base is Bubble Bath again.  There is a layer of Berry Burst that measures 5 1/4" x 4".    To add some interest to the layer, I used the Glass & Garden Embossing Folder for texture.  I like how subtle this is, but it does make a difference.

The sentiment is from the Sweet Blooms stamp set.  It's stamped with Night of Navy ink onto a 1 1/4" x 3" strip of Basic White cardstock.  It's framed with a layer of Night of Navy cardstock.

The DSP piece is layered with Night of Navy cardstock.  This piece and the sentiment label are positioned on the card front.  Both pieces are attached with Dimensionals.

There is another leafy sprig from the Charming Day set added here.  It's die-cut from Pretty Peacock cardstock.  It bridges the two pieces and is attached with adhesive under just a few leaves.

The last bits on the card are the Rhinestone Basic Jewels in clear.  I thought they were all that was needed.

Ok, you've now seen all five cards that were made from one 6" x 6" piece of the Floral Charm DSP.  It was challenging to stick with those five pieces and come up with cards I liked.  I found it quite fun to do, so I made another batch of cards using a different DSP.  I'm going to share the cards, but I won't be giving you the rundown of all the materials because I didn't write them down.  It would probably take me another couple of hours to figure that out, so you'll need to just use the cards as ideas to get your ideas flowing.  Let me know what you think of the Basic Template I made and the cards that came out of it.  I'd love to hear what you think.

All five cards from one piece.

top left of template

bottom left of template

top right of tamplate

bottom right of template

Hope these ideas all inspired you to try out this template.  Or even make a template of your own to use.  I keep reminding myself that it's only paper and if I really, really hate it, it can go in the circular file and get recycled!

Have fun with these ideas.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Sneak Peek and Last Chance Together

Hello stamping friends!  This catalog change-over time is always challenging deciding what stamps to use for blog posts.  Today is a bit of a mash-up with a favorite Thoughtful Wishes stamp set paired with the very new Sweet Blooms set and the new Pretty Florals stamp sets.  Oh, throw in some of the new Florals in Bloom Designer Series Paper just to keep things interesting.  In fact, both of the cards today are really focusing on the Florals in Bloom DSP just because I like it!  Oh my, it looks like I got my hands on some new goodies, and I just had to use it all!!  So, let's see what I've been stamping.

Here's my two lovely cards made with Florals in Bloom DSP for the main part of the card.  Don't you love these prints?  It's one of the very first items I needed to pre-order from the new Annual Catalog that you should be getting in the mail right about now.  These prints just scream spring as far as I'm concerned, so why not use them right away?  Let's get creating.  We'll make the pink one on the left first.

Love this print!  It looks like a flower garden just bursting with blooms!  I wanted to go and pick some.  Pretty in Pink is one of the coordinating colors, so this was my choice for the card base.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.

The next layer is Basic White cardstock.  It measures 5 1/4" x 4".  The DSP layer measures 5 1/4" x 4" also.  This is scored on the right side 3/4" from the edge.  It's folded back to reveal these dabs of color that blend with the floral print, then it's glued down to stay put.  This is attached to the Basic White layer keeping the edges even.  I used "green glue" for this.  

A length of about 12"-13" of the Pretty in Pink 3/8" Bordered Ribbon was cut.  Then it's wrapped around the white and print layers and tied into a knot in the front of the card.  Make sure to trim the ends because they tend to fray when tying them.  I also tucked a Mini Glue Dot under the knot to hold it in place.

After adding the ribbon, attach these layers to the folded Pretty in Pink card base.  I used Dimensionals for this.

Next is the sentiment.  This is a nice one from the new Sweet Blooms set.  It's a nice font and I love the sentiment it conveys.  This is stamped on a Basic White label that's die-cut using the Countryside Corners Die set.  This is on the Last Chance List right now.  If you don't own this set of dies, you really should consider getting them while you still can.  I think they're very versatile and use them often.  While cutting the white label, cut a Daffodil Delight label as well.

Stamp the sentiment with Garden Green ink onto the white label.  Using the new Pretty Florals stamp set, stamp three partial stems of the tiny flower spires in Pretty in Pink ink.  I also used Pretty in Pink ink with Wink of Stella to color in some of the petals.  A few of them got two coats to make them a little darker with just a hint of shine.

Layer the Daffodil Delight label off-set behind the sentiment label and attach together with adhesive.  Then use Dimensionals to attach to the card front.  

For a little added bling, add three of the Lemon Lolly Rainbow Dots to the card front.

Ready for the next card?

This is another print from the Florals in Bloom DSP that I'm having fun with today.  This print is matched up with the Peach Pie 2024-2026 In Color and a new 2025-2027 In Color called Secret Sea.  This is a lovely dark navy/black color that will be a great neutral to have on hand.

The Peach Pie card base measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

The Secret Sea layer measures 5 1/4" x 4".  Then the DSP layer measures 5" x 3 3/4".  The two layers are attached together with adhesive.  Then the Peach Pie 3/8" Bordered Ribbon is wrapped around the layers and tied in a knot near the bottom.  

These layers are then attached to the folded base using Dimensionals for a little lift.

For this card, the Stylish Shapes dies were used to die-cut the circles.  The 2nd largest circle die was used to cut the Secret Sea layer.  The 3rd largest die was used to cut the Basic White circle.  The sentiment from Thoughtful Wishes (Last Chance List!) was stamped with Secret Sea in the center of the circle.  The patch of small flowers from the same set were stamped over the sentiment using Peach Pie ink.  I like how these flowers fill in the circle but don't detract from the sentiment.  

The two circles are attached with adhesive.  Then they're attached to the card front with Dimensionals.

It took a few tries to find just the right touch of bling for this card.  The Tinsel Gems Three-Pack have a Misty Moonlight gem that really picked up the blues in the leaves.  The lightly tinted gems are a perfect match here.  Unfortunately, they are on the Last Chance List also.  I think I might have to purchase another pack while I still can. 

Well, there you have the mash-up of old and new.  It's always fun to do a lot of mix and match projects when the old favorites are leaving, and the new goodies are just starting to show up.  Did you have fun with these simple ideas?  Hope you're inspired to get out your stamps, ink, and paper and get creative.

When your catalog arrives, I hope you have fun perusing it and marking all your favorites and must-haves.  Maybe you'll be choosing this gorgeous new Florals in Bloom DSP just like I did!

If I can be of assistance to you or you have some questions, feel free to email me.  I'll get back with you as soon as possible.  Thanks!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

sharoncarr50@gmail.com