Copying Connie Again

Hello Friends!  Hope you're doing well and staying busy.  For today's post, I'm sharing my version of a card my sister sent me and then sharing her card.  I loved the look of her card and knew I had nothing that she used to make it.  Darn!  When talking with her, she challenged me to come up with something close using what I had.  It took me a lot of thinking before I decided to take up her challenge.  First, I'll show you what I've made, then share her idea that I copied and selectively edited.  Then you can let me know if I came up with a viable copied idea.

Here it is!  I love the crisp, clean look of just green and white.  All the lovely layering of leaves really makes this card special.  This is how it's made...

Start with a piece of Basic White Thick cardstock that measures 11" x 4 1/4", scored at 5 1/2".  There is some stamping directly onto this.  Both the Natures's Prints (page 91) and Botanical Layers (page 93) were used to stamp leaves.  The largest stem from the Nature's Prints set was used with Soft Succulent ink to stamp once on the top right side of the card and once on the left bottom of the card.  I used a scrap piece of paper to mask the area where I didn't want the stems to show in the middle of the card.  The thick leafy stem from Botanical Layers was stamped on the left top with Evening Evergreen ink.   The smaller leafy stem was stamped on the bottom right with the same ink.

Over the stamped images, a layer of the Vellum Layering Designs was placed.  I used a piece with subtle, tiny white writing all over it.  It measures 5 1/4" x 3".  It's attached only through the area that the wording will go using a strong adhesive.

Then come the die-cut leaves.  I used the Splendid Stems Dies from the July-December 2022 Mini Catalog.  (I don't know why I thought it was in the regular catalog and still current, sorry!)  Four of the open-work dies were used to cut Basic White, Soft Succulent, and Evening Evergreen cardstock. The leafy spray from Framed Florets Dies was used also.  Some of these needed the stems trimmed to fit.  Then they were attached to the vellum with adhesive making sure all the stem ends were hidden.

For the banner across the card, I started with a piece of Basic White that measured 4 1/2" x 1 1/2".  Using the Basic Borders Dies, a stitched zig-zag was cut to make it about 1 1/4" at the widest tips.  A sentiment from the Splendid Thoughts stamp set was stamped with Evening Evergreen ink close to the center.

A piece of Evening Evergreen cardstock was cut to frame the white piece top and bottom.  It measured 4 1/4" x 1 3/8".  They are attached together with adhesive.  Then it was attached to the card front using Dimensionals for a little height.

Five of the Opal Rounds were sprinkled on for some bling.  I just had to add them!

You know me and left-over strips of paper.  The left-over zig-zag piece was attached to a piece of Evening Evergreen that was only 5/8" wide.  These were attached to the bottom of the inside of the card to carry the design over.

Here's the original card.  If you look closely, you'll see that just about everything on the card has been changed.  Like I said, she used all the things I didn't have.  I love the look of those really big open leaves.  So pretty.  Plus, there's a touch of another color green in there.  Looks like it could be Old Olive.

Now if you want to make your version of this card, go right ahead.  If you'd like to send me a picture of the card to share here, be my guest.  I'd love to see what you're creating, and I'll try to add them to this post.  This could be fun!

Thanks for stopping by again today.  I'm working on more projects to share with you.  I miss you all and feel that this is a good way to stay in touch.  And I truly love to hear from you about not only what I'm sharing with you and what you're doing with the ideas, but life in general.  Love you!

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

Pastel Count on Me Card

Hello there!  Back again with another idea for you.  The card I have would make a lovely card to welcome a new baby, but since I have no new babies to welcome, I chose different wording.  I think my friend might like this card since she's like me and loves pastels.  So here we go...

Isn't this just a sweet card?  The design is a mixture of old and new, so feel free to mix up your designs and use whatever you have on hand.  It's an easy fun fold too, so it's a win-win situation as far as I can see.  You could change up the sentiment, cardstock and DSP colors to use this for just about any occasion you please.  I wanted to use the Count on Me stamp set because I've neglected it badly.  You can find the set on page 61 of the Annual Catalog.  There are six different darling images to choose from and five sentiments to coordinate with them.  Of course, you don't have to use the sentiments just because it's a set.  I chose to use a sentiment from the Catch You Later stamp set from last year's catalog.  I had my friend in mind and thought this worked well.

Start with a card base of Pool Party that measures 11" x 4 1/4".  Score it at 1" and 5 1/2".  Next the Hive 3D Embossing Folder was used to give the front some texture.  After that, fold back the 1" part of the card front that you scored.  I added a piece of the Design a Daydream DSP that is a Host pick in the Annual Catalog.  The little piece was a leftover from a different project and measures 3/4" x 4".  It's attached with adhesive.  Then 3 Dimensionals were placed behind the flap to hold it closed to the front of the card.

Next two rectangles were cut using the Stitched So Sweetly dies.  I used the 2nd largest to cut a Blushing Bride layer, and the 3rd largest die to cut a Basic White layer.  On the white layer, the little hugging koalas were stamped near the top using Gray Granite ink.  To balance them, the sentiment was stamped near the bottom with Gray Granite ink also.  I used watercolor pencils to color the koalas and a Blender Pen to lightly blend the colors.

The two die-cut layers were attached together with Dimensionals.  A length of Pool Party Grosgrain Ribbon was wrapped around the two layers and tied into a bow.  The Pool Party Ribbon is new in the January-April Mini Catalog on pages 15 & 87.  This was attached to the card front with Dimensionals also.  

Three Iridescent Rhinestone Basic Jewels were added to the card front for a little bling.  They were a perfect match for the pastel colors used on this card.

Here's the inside of the card.  A piece of Basic White cardstock was cut to 5 1/4" x 4".  I had a skinny 1/4" strip of Blushing Bride in my scraps that I added to the edge of the card.  I thought it was a nice accent both when the card was closed or open.  It's attached with a bit of adhesive.

I used a stamp from the new Country Bouquet set found on page 10 of the January-April Mini Catalog on the inside of the card.  Since I'll be using this card to send a note, I thought the words fit just right.  They are stamped with Gray Granite ink too.

That's it for today's card post.  If you make a card with this fun fold idea, please share your creation with me.  I'd love to see what you're making.  I'm sorry I used so many retired products today, but I know many of you have those exact things I used.  If you don't, please go through your stash of goodies and find something that will work just as well - or maybe even better.  If you don't have rectangle dies of some sort, try circles or ovals.  The sky is the limit when it comes to stamping!

I don't usually push Paper Pumpkin Kits to you, but there is what looks to be an adorable kit coming up next month.  You might want to think about getting a one-time order just for that kit.  It also coordinates with the Playing in the Rain suite of stamps and products that are so cute.  I've just been playing with them and trying to finish a card or two to share with you.  They really are cute!

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Subscribe to the February Paper Pumpkin Kit between 11 January 2023 and 10 February 2023 by clicking here!

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

Country Bouquet Happiness

Hello, hello!  Hope you're doing well, and life is running along smoothly.  Seems like we're having some bumps in the road all the time lately.  But I guess that's what life is all about, isn't it?  Today I have a card to share that's pulling all kinds of odds and ends together to make a whole.  I had fun making it and hope you like it.

This is so funny - I didn't realize how Christmas-y this card looked until just now.  All because I took the picture on a green tablecloth.  Go figure...  Anyway, I had fun pulling items together to make this card.

It started with the Country Bouquet stamp set.  This is a new set in the January-April Mini Catalog.  I love this floral heart with its two-step image stamps.  It's great getting all this detail on the heart with just two stamps.  I stamped the flowers and hearts with Real Red ink onto a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock just to get a feel for the stamp.  Then stamped the leaves and stems with Garden Green ink.  I was happy enough with the placement of the images that I decided to use the image for a card.

I had recently gotten the Split Card Textures Dies and wanted to try them out.  You can find them on page 86 and on page 174 in the 2022-2023 Annual Catalog.  I die-cut the side of a top-folded Very Vanilla card with the 'plaid pattern'.  I decided that I preferred the pattern on the other side of the card, so turned the card on its side and then inside out with the die-cut pattern along the top of the card.  With having the back-side of the pattern on the front of the card, you now have much more of a textured feel to the card.  I cut a piece of Real Red cardstock that measured 5 3/8" x 4 1/8" to place inside the card to show through.  It was attached to the left side of the card with Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.

The sentiment is from the Cheerful Basket stamp set in the 2022-2023 Annual Catalog on page 35.  I really like this sentiment and it's sure to be one of my favorites in the coming months.  It's stamped with Real Red ink.  A couple of small hearts from the Country Bouquet set were stamped above the sentiment with the same ink.

At this point, I thought some Wink of Stella would be a nice touch.  It's spattered on over the entire card front.  Unfortunately, it didn't show up as much as I thought it would.  But it still gives it a nice touch when the angle of the light is just right.

The original stamped heart that I had made needed to be fussy cut from the Very Vanilla piece as there are no dies for this set.  The heart was so easy to cut out, so that really wasn't a problem.  It did need something between the card front and the heart to make it stand out more though.  After trying several ideas and promptly rejecting all of them, I ran across a 3/8" Real Red organdy ribbon that's retired.  This seemed to be the perfect match for the card.  It gave the heart some definition but wasn't too 'heavy' for the design.  I put several stripes of adhesive across the back of the heart and 'swooshed' the ribbon back and forth.  This looked much better than a bow.  After getting the ribbon situated the way I liked it, the heart was attached to the card front using Dimensionals.  I thought about adding some sort of embellishment but decided against it.

So that's it for today's post.  This is such a fun Valentine set that really doesn't have to be used for Valentine's Day.  I figured if you changed the colors on this, it could be used any time you needed a card to cheer someone up.  After changing the sentiment, it would work nicely for an anniversary card too.  Just put on your creative thinking cap and get stamping!

Reminder - as if you need reminding - Sale-a-bration is going on right now and things are busy.  Many of you were smart enough to pick up the Dainty Flowers DSP for your first free choice.   I think that's an excellent choice.  I know I'll probably end up using all mine up and need to get some more.   😄

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Sneak Peek Hearts

Hello there!  When I got up this morning, I was thinking we ought to consider building an ark.  It was pouring rain and had been raining for several hours.  The creek behind our house was really over the banks - more so than we've seen it since we moved here.  I'm so thankful we live up on a hill, so we don't have to worry about flooding anymore.  If this was going on in Michigan, I'd expect water up to my hips at least.  Thank God that isn't the case anymore!  Wow, the rain is just absolutely crazy right now.  Today's post shares a cute little card featuring the Country Bouquet Bundle shown on pages 9 & 10 in the new Mini Catalog and the pretty coordinating 12" x 12" Country Floral Lane Designer Series Paper.  It's just so sweet.  Hope you like it.

Isn't it cute?  The card starts out with Sweet Sorbet for the base that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  Next there's a layer of Basic White that measures 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  A layer of the sweet Country Floral Lane DSP in Sweet Sorbet with teensy white hearts is next.  It measures 5" x 3 3/4".  This layer is adhered to the Basic White layer to give a very thin frame of white showing all around just to separate the two Sweet Sorbet colors.  Sometimes that skinny little frame is more effective than the larger 1/4" frame.

Before going any further with this design, I spattered this with Wink of Stella.  It's very hard to see this in any of the pictures, but the sparkle it adds is subtle and just right.

Next, I stamped the two hearts with Sweet Sorbet ink and the two leaves with Mint Macaron ink.  They are both punched out with the coordinating Country Bouquet Punch that is part of the bundle. 

I thought a circle shape would look nice under the hearts.  I had a leftover 2 1/2" circle in Mint Macaron from some Christmas cards I made.  Then used the 2nd largest circle from the Stylish Shapes Dies set to cut a stitched circle from Basic White cardstock.  These are just about the same size, so there was no layering here.  Instead, the Mint Macaron circle is offset quite a bit to show it off more.  They are attached together in the overlap area, then attached to the card front with Dimensionals.  The two hearts and leaves were attached to the circles with Dimensionals too.

The sentiments are from the same Country Bouquet bundle.  They were stamped on Basic White with Mint Macaron ink.  The words were fussy-cut instead of using a punch or die-cut.  The first part of the sentiment was attached flat at the top of the card.  The 2nd half of the sentiment was popped up with Dimensionals on the white circle.

The design needed something else.  I tried several ribbons, but they were too much for the design.  I was thinking of using White Baker's Twine, but then I saw the 2022-2024 In Color Baker's Twine assortment.  Oh my, this was just what I needed.  I used two strands of the twine to make the bow.  It's attached to the card front with a Mini Glue Dot.

For bling on this card, I remembered some small red and white tiny hearts from a couple of years ago.  They were the perfect touch and almost the exact size of the hearts on the paper.  When they were added to the card, they were placed right over the existing hearts.  Too cute!

So that's my first Valentine for the year 2023.  My goodness, I'm still trying to remember that we're into another year, and now I'm jumping ahead to Valentine's Day already.  But the Country Bouquet bundle and DSP are darling, and I wanted to make sure you saw it stamped up.  Now I'll have to make something with the set that isn't for Valentine's Day.  I'm sure I can think of something if you give me enough time!  😄 

    

Are you ready?  Tomorrow morning - January 5th - the new Mini Catalog and Sale-a-bration start!   I'm so excited to see what you like.  Let me know what your favorites are, and if I have the sets, I'll try to post a project using them.  Have fun!  If you have any questions concerning any of the products or Sale-a-bration, please contact me.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions.

Happy stamping and creating (and shopping!),

Sharon

Dainty Flowers Bouquet of Cards

 Hi Friend!  Glad you made it back here today.  I'm so excited to share an assortment of cards that are made using only one sheet of the new Dainty Flowers Designer Series Paper.  And guess what?  The DSP is free and only available during Sale-a-bration!  My suggestion is to make sure this is your first pick of Sale-a-bration items.  It's simply gorgeous and I'm thinking it probably won't be available for the full two months of Sale-a-bration.  In other words, it's gonna sell out sugah!  (That's said with a southern accent.)  Silliness aside, it is really a winner!  Let me show you my first session with this gorgeous paper.

This is using just one sheet only, and there's even a strip of DSP left over to make another card or two.   Love it!  The flowers are done with watercolors and have a nicely realistic look.  It feels just like walking through an English country garden.

I'll start out with the very easiest one to make.  The sheet of DSP was cut at 5 1/2" x 12" first.  Do this to cut both sides and you have a strip of DSP from the middle for other cards, or you could make smaller strips to go inside your card.  Then cut the large pieces into 4" sections.  Thus 6 card pieces ready to go as is or make a few adjustments as needed like I did with the other cards.  Let's create!  

The first two pieces I used seemed to have the largest amount of Rich Razzleberry in the flower colors.  I cut the Rich Razzleberry cardstock to measure 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" for each card, scored and folded in half.

The DSP was attached to the card base with adhesive.  The Double Oval Punch was used to punch both Basic White and Crushed Curry pieces for the sentiments.  Some of the sentiments used are from the coordinating stamp set Dainty Delight.  This one is not - it's from the Botanical Layers set found on page 93 of the Annual Catalog.  It's stamped in Rich Razzleberry ink.  The sentiment is popped up on the card with Dimensionals.  A sprinkle of Rhinestone Basic Jewels was added, and it was done. Ok, that's two cards made. Can't get too much quicker for card making than that, can you?

The next two cards have a base of Crushed Curry cardstock this time.  I added a 5 1/4" x 4" layer of Old Olive on these two cards.  That necessitated trimming the DSP 1/4" on one side and the bottom to fit.

Don't remember what set this sentiment comes from.  I was just looking for something long and very skinny here.  It's stamped on a 1/2" strip of Basic White with Mossy Meadow ink.  The one end was flagged with the Banner Pick a Punch.  A 3/4" strip of Vellum was also flagged on the end and attached under the sentiment to help it stand out more.  This time some of the Brushed Brass Butterflies were added to the card for interest.

The other Crushed Curry card used a different sentiment from the Dainty Delight set.  It was stamped on Basic White with Mossy Meadow ink and punched out with a retired ticket punch.  This is layered on a Crushed Curry scalloped oval that was punched with the Double Oval Punch.

For these last two cards, I changed up the cutting again.  I started with a card base of Orchid Oasis cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  A layer of Blushing Bride was cut at 5 1/2" x 3 1/2".  That means the DSP layer needed to be made smaller and now measures 5 1/4" x 3 1/4".  It's attached to the card base with adhesive.  On this card the Double Oval Punch was used again to punch out both the Basic White oval and Orchid Oasis scalloped oval.  The sentiment is from the Dainty Delight set and stamped with Orchid Oasis ink to match.

The bling on this card is the 2022-2024 In Color Matte Decorative Dots found on page 141 of the Annual Catalog.  These Dots have gradient colors, and I chose the lightest of the Sweet Sorbet colors.  They matched nicely with the rosy-hued flowers on this section of the DSP.

Ok, that's it.  All six cards made in one short afternoon.  I think they're all lovely and I will have no problem mailing these out when needed.  I love how the color changes with the cards and the sentiment changes too really make the cards interesting.  As I have them all sitting here in front of me, it's hard to remember they all came from one sheet of Designer Paper.  Like I said earlier, make sure you choose this for your Sale-a-bration freebie early on.  It only requires a $50 purchase and it's yours.  Happy shopping!  And when you shop, please consider using the Host Code shown at the top of the blog page.  I really appreciate that.  Everyone that places an order with me will be getting a card to thank you.  I'll leave the inside blank so you can use it yourself!  Thanks so much!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Landscape Three Panel Card

Hey!  Hope you're getting creative this year.  Yes, I know it's only January 2nd, but it's time to get stamping and creating.  Today's card idea came about because I wanted to make another card like yesterday but realized the pattern on the paper was going the wrong way.  So instead of just putting it aside or coming up with another idea to use the piece of DSP, I figured out the measurements for making the card this way.  I'm not a math person at all, so it was interesting to say the least.  You should see my craft table with the scraps of paper that I was using to measure scattered around.  Yikes, it's time for a clean-up.  But first, the post...

One of the first things I noticed on this card when it was finished and sitting next to yesterday's card was the difference the light color versus dark color on the layering piece.  The first card has very defined strips of DSP on it.  This second card is much softer looking.  I like them both, but there really is a marked difference.

For this card, start with a card base of Old Olive that's cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", then scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  There is a layer of Old Olive cut at 5 1/4" x 4".  This was embossed with the Ferns Embossing Folder.  Then I used a Blending Brush and Old Olive ink to darken the edges a little.  Attach this to the folded card base using Tombow MultiPurpose Liquid Glue.

The yellow piece of cardstock for layering is So Saffron that measures 4 1/4" x 3".  The piece of Artistically Inked Designer Series Paper (sorry it's retired - just use something similar) was trimmed to 2 3/4" x 3 3/4".  This was cut at 1 3/4", 1 1/4", and 3/4" to fit across the piece of So Saffron.  I used the Liquid Glue to attach the pieces.  I find that for me the glue gives me a little bit extra wiggle time to get the pieces straight.  You could definitely use any adhesive you're comfortable with using.  This was attached to the center of the card front using Dimensionals to raise it up.

Next up was the sentiment.  I found this sentiment in the Potted Geraniums stamp set.  I love the wording and it fit with what I needed to send out for a friend.  It's stamped on a 1/2" wide strip of Basic White cardstock.  (Love those little strips that I save just for times like this!)  It's stamped with Old Olive ink.  The ends were flagged with the Banners Pick a Punch.  It was attached across the front of the card with Dimensionals underneath.  

I wanted a very subtle sort of bling on this card.  I found the 2022-2024 In Color Matte Dots were just right.  I used the lightest version of the Sweet Sorbet Dots on this card.  It matches quite well even though the colors of the DSP are different.

The inside of the card was finished with a layer of Basic White.  There was a 1/2" strip of the same DSP print just waiting to be used.  It was added to the left edge.  A retired sentiment was stamped on the white with Old Olive ink. Then it was adhered to the inside of the card to finish it.

Seems like I'm back to needing get well and sympathy cards again.  I think this one will work out great for that.  Thanks for stopping in today to see what's been going on.  I've got more cards ready to share with you tomorrow, so I hope you find the time to check back in then.  The cards are featuring the Dainty Flowers Designer Series Paper that is one of the Sale-a-bration freebies.  And it's gorgeous!  You just have to see this in person.

Sale-a-bration starts January 5th.  Are you ready?  I am!!  Woo Hoo!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Three Panel Card

Happy New Year to you!!  Here we are starting out a brand-new year with some wonderful possibilities ahead.  I plan on making the most of the possibilities that come my way.  I hope you do too.  I figured with the turning of the calendar page, I needed to get serious about posting ideas again.  I was going great, then all the craziness of the holidays descended on me and posting sort of tapered off for a bit.  So, back to my stamping room I went and got busy.     I did a lot of stamping yesterday and again this afternoon, so let's start sharing.

A while back, I had seen a post by Rachel Tessman where she was showing a Three Panel Card.  I had done different versions of this idea over the years (I didn't know it had a name!), but don't remember sharing any of the cards in a long while.  So that's what I'm starting out the new year sharing with you.  Hope you like the idea and give this easy but interesting layout a try.

Let's start with a card base of Soft Succulent that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" that is scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  To give the background some extra texture, I cut another Soft Succulent piece that's 5 1/4" x 4".  This is embossed with the Gingham Embossing Folder.  After embossing, I used a Blending Brush and Soft Succulent ink to darken the edges and define the detail a little.  Then it was attached to the card base using Tombow Multi Purpose Liquid Glue and set aside.

Then a piece of Evening Evergreen was cut at 3" x 4 1/4" for the panels of DSP to layer on.  I used the Fitting Florets DSP for my choice here.  The DSP measured 2 1/2" x 4".  This is a great way to use up those small pieces of DSP that you have sitting around.  This piece was then cut in strips that measure 1 1/4", 3/4", and 1/2" wide.  Carefully lay these strips evenly on the Evening Evergreen piece, then attach each with adhesive.  This was attached to the center of the card front using Dimensionals.

The sentiment I chose to use is from the Splendid Day stamp set.  It was stamped on Basic White cardstock using Evening Evergreen ink.  The plainer punch from the Double Oval Punch was used on this.  Then the scalloped oval part was used to punch an Evening Evergreen layer to frame it.

You could easily add your sentiment at this time and be done, but I wanted to dress it up some.  A piece of Vellum was punched using the Label Me Lovely Punch.  This was attached to the card front using a strip of adhesive across the middle where it will be covered by the sentiment.  

One spray of leaves was die-cut from Soft Succulent cardstock using the Framed Florets dies.  This was partially tucked under the sentiment and attached with adhesive.  Then the sentiment was attached to the Vellum with Dimensionals.  Lastly, three Iridescent Rhinestones were attached to the card front for a little bling.

Update - I keep looking at my card and can't decide if I want to add a stamped and colored flower to the card.  Maybe I should get it in the mail right away so I can quit obsessing over it!  😄

And there you have it.  This layout is really a wonderful way to use up some of those bits of DSP that are really too pretty to throw away, but what can you do with them?  Now you've got a great idea!  To expand on this idea a little, you could use three different prints that coordinate.  Or you could use panels that you stamped to make your own DSP print.  If you try this, let me know what you chose to make.  I'd love to hear from you about this layout.

A few business reminders for you - You may still order from the July - December Catalog thru January 4th.  Then out with the old and in with the new!  The new Mini Catalog is open for ordering on January 5th.  And don't forget about Sale-a-bration which starts the same day.  Sale-a-bration only goes to February 28th this year, so pay attention to the dates on the catalog.  I don't want you to put off your purchases and then miss out.  I want to keep you all happy!

Wishing you a healthy and happy new year!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon