Author: susanfoxbowen

Clean and Simple · Trucking Along

Out for a Test Drive

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It was super fun to take the new Trucking Along bundle by Stampin’ Up! out for a spin. I think my son was as excited as I was about this new set, and HE actually got to christen the stamps by making the very first card design with them. And I’m thinking that I might have to hire him to help out from time to time because he came up with this entire card by himself!

Is this not the cutest card you’ve ever seen? He played around with his design on a piece of scratch paper. He got about halfway done and said, “I’m ready for the real thing now” and proceeded to make this little masterpiece. I love how the trucks look like they’re stopped on the shoulder of a roadway and how he was so careful to stamp all of the little details, like the grass and fence and trees. He had fun digging through ALL of the ink choices to find just the right colors …. and there are a LOT of choices because I have all of the retired colors.

What do you think of his test drive of the new Trucking Along stamp set? I’d say he passed for sure!

Here’s his card recipe:
Basic White cardstock (base)
Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, Early Espresso, Basic Black, Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke, Mossy Meadow, Old Olive, Garden Green, Bashful Blue, Fresh Freesia inks
Nested Essentials die
Dimensionals

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On the way

New Product = New Designs

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A new box of SU! product has arrived and I’m super excited to get started on some new designs. Guess what came in the box? The Trucking Along bundle! This new set, which includes stamps and punch, has been SO popular that it’s been called the “truck that broke the internet!” Many moons ago there was a similar set, which I still have by the way, that I just adored for its versatility and overall adorable images. So I can’t wait to get started on designs with this new bundle!

What else came in the box, you may be wondering? Well, there happen to be some goodies that will be perfect for some Christmas designs. I know what you’re thinking….you too???!!!! But the reason paper crafters get started on Christmas designs in July is because we typically design cards that are a bit more time consuming to create from start to finish. And we’re usually pretty excited about how they turn out and want to share these beauties with you!

So, all of that is to say, brace yourselves for some new stuff that includes Christmas!

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Card Sets · Hello Irresistible

Irresistible Butterfly

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Today features the fifth of five designs in the newest card pack up in the Etsy shoppe. Irresistible Birthday highlights the Stampin’ Up! designer series paper pack called Hello Irresistible. This coordinating pack of paper has just been delightful to work with because it allows you to go so many different directions with designs. Let’s take a look at today’s card.

Funny enough, as I was working with the papers I had originally picked out for this design, it suddenly just seemed all wrong. I couldn’t quite get things to work together. I knew I wanted to have a more neutral design — one suitable for any recipient. But it had to have a wow factor that I just wasn’t finding with my paper choices. As I was flipping and rearranging things, I caught glimpse of the back of a piece of paper and stopped in my tracks. Aha! I found the wow. The grassy background in this card made me think of a fairy garden, but to keep the design more neutral, I focused on a softer, more ethereal feel. I’m thrilled with how it turned out!

To give a little life and depth to the grassy background but still keep the overall design soft and versatile, I cut branches from vellum and tucked them behind the sentiment panel and added a butterfly cut from glimmer vellum. The gold-laced ribbon and white sequins, along with the touch of Wink of Stella around the sentiment panel, add to the magical feel. Can you think of someone who would like this card?

Products used:
Hello Irresistible DSP
Lost Lagoon, Pretty Peacock, Basic White, vellum cardstock
Glimmer vellum (retired)
Gold-laced trim (retired)
All That dies
Special Moments stamps (retired)
Wink of Stella
Adhesive-backed sequins and pearls
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Card Sets · Fun Folds · Hello Irresistible

Irresistible Center Barn Fold

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Today’s card design is the fourth in the Irresistible Birthday card pack series. This designer series paper has been so fun to work with because it lends itself to so many possibilities. And this card leans much more feminine in both palette and overall feel.

I really have a hard time working with shades of orange. Believe it or not, this card base is a shade of coral, and this card came together easily. Hello Irresistible has really been a delight to work with for that very reason.

This design plays to the feminine vibes with all of the sparkle. From the gold-laced ribbon to pops of gold in sequins to the tiniest sparkle around the sentiment panel with Wink of Stella, this card really shines!

This fun fold reminds me of a barn door with the card opening in the center. Don’t you think? If you’re interested in how this design came together, go check it out over on Instagram!

Products used:
Hello, Irresistible DSP
Calypso Coral, Basic White cardstock
Bold Bouquet stamps
Deckled Rectangles dies
Flirty Flamingo ribbon
Adhesive-backed sequins
Wink of Stella
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Download the tutorial here!

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Card Sets · Fun Folds · Hello Irresistible

Irresistible Birthday Garden

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Today we’re taking a look at the third design in the new birthday pack called Irresistible Birthday that will be up in the Etsy shoppe later this week. This design is based on a new fun fold I learned from Sharon Armstrong. The original design has been adapted to exclude a few layers in order to lighten up the design, but it does not lose any of the drama of this unique fun fold.

This showcases yet another sampling of the SU! Hello, Irresistible designer paper. One of the things I really loved about this design was the ability to use every scrap of the gorgeous paper on both the inside and outside panels of the card. And who says a masculine card can’t have a little sparkle? This design is punched up with a few eye-catching features — silver pearls, iridescent sequins, and the touch of Wink of Stella around the edges of the sentiment elements.

Products used:
Hello, Irresistible DSP
Lost Lagoon, Pretty Peacock, Basic White, vellum cardstock
Pansy Patch stamps
Nested Essentials, All That dies
Adhesive-backed pearls
Adhesive-backed sequins
Wink of Stella
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Download the tutorial here!

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Card Sets · Fun Folds · Hello Irresistible

Irresistible Birthday Happiness

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Today I’m sharing another design in the Irresistible Birthday card pack that will be available in the Etsy shoppe at the end of the week. I had a lot of fun learning this new fun fold that my mom shared with me (originally shared by Dawn Griffith). The original design is a square card, and I like to keep all of my designs a standard size that doesn’t require special envelopes or additional postage. So I resized the original to be a standard-sized vertical card. Because I didn’t want to make any mistakes with my “good paper,” I worked on getting all of the measurements and folds just right by using paper from our shredding bin. And now I have a workable template where I scribbled all of the measurements as I went. Do you ever make templates? It helps me to keep all of the instructions I scribble down straight with what they actually make!

I am really loving the versatility of this designer paper. The first design in the Irresistible Birthday card pack really lent itself to being more masculine, but this card is definitely softer and more feminine. It’s the perfect combination of pale pinks and soft, rosey oranges. And I think the fun fold design really adds some fun to this card!

Would you like to know how I made this card? Hop on over to my Instagram feed and check it out! Link over on the right ➡️➡️.

Products used:
Petal Pink, Basic White cardstock
Hello, Irresistible DSP
Vellum
Calypso Coral ink
Pansy Petal, Bold Bouquet stamps
Bold Bouquet, All That, Nested Essentials dies
Wink of Stella
Adhesive-backed sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Download the tutorial here!

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Card Sets · Hello Irresistible

Irresistible Birthday

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Howdy, everyone! It’s been a busy week in the studio. I’ve been taking a social media class and practicing what I’m learning. So there is lots of new content, exciting features, and new designs headed your way!

Today we’re taking a look at the first design in a new birthday pack called Irresistible Birthday that will be hitting the Etsy shoppe next week.

This set of designs is based on the SU! designer paper series called Hello Irresistible. The designs in this paper pack are divine! A mix of florals and hippie vibes but nothing too feminine, as you can see here with this more masculine design.

This card came together pretty quickly. As I mentioned earlier this week, “practice makes progress” and I’m certainly getting faster at pairing patterned papers. Filming the making of this card so I could show you the design process in an Instagram reel is what took the longest. (See, I’m putting my training to work!) I’m still getting the hang of how to set things up and working through how to have the right supplies at hand so filming goes smoothly .

Wanna see what it takes to put this card together? Head over to my Insta feed! (Link on the right ➡️)

Products used:
Pool Party, Basic White cardstock
Hello, Irresistible DSP
Bold Bouquet stamps & dies
All That dies
Adhesive-backed sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Card Sets · Fun Folds

Zany, Bright, and Beautiful Birthday

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I’m working more with combinations of patterns with the latest designs. It’s still quite a challenge for me, but I do feel like designs came much more easily with this set. And what could be more fun than bright designs and fun folds?! This newest card pack called Bright and Beautiful Birthday will be available in the shoppe later this week.

I focused on the SU! Bright and Beautiful and Zoo Crew designer series paper packs in designing this set. As I was sketching out design ideas, it seemed natural to focus on a birthday theme. The bright colors and fun patterns just lent themselves easily to it. And to me, birthday designs call for fun folds! Let’s take a closer look at each card.

Something to Celebrate flap fold:
Blueberry Bushel, Shimmer White, Basic White cardstock
Bright & Beautiful DSP
Zany Zoo stamps
All That dies
Circle punch
Lemon Lime, Smoky Slate ribbon
Adhesive-backed sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Birthday Confetti angled gate fold:
Night of Navy, Basic White cardstock
Bright & Beautiful, Zoo Crew DSP
Shimmer vellum (retired)
Special Moments stamps (retired)
Scallop punch
Adhesive-backed sequins
Wink of Stella
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Birthday Balloons angle fold:
Lemon Lime Twist, Shimmer White, Granny Apple Green cardstock
Bright & Beautiful, Zoo Crew DSP
Shimmer vellum (retired)
Zany Zoo stamps
All That, Nested Essentials dies
Adhesive-backed sequins
Wink of Stella
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Koala Cupcakes angle fold:
Lemon Lime Twist cardstock
Bright & Beautiful, Zoo Crew DSP
Shimmer vellum (retired)
Stitched Stars dies (retired)
Wink of Stella
Adhesive-backed sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Birthday Fox angled trifold:
Night of Navy, Basic White cardstock
Bright & Beautiful, Zoo Crew DSP
Shimmer vellum (retired)
Wink of Stella
Pansy Patch stamps
All That, Nested Essentials dies
Adhesive-backed sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Card Sets

Inked Botanicals Set

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I’ve always found working with patterned paper to be a bit challenging, particularly when working to use multiple patterns in one design. So I decided to challenge myself by creating a pack of cards using multiple patterns on each design. As I tell my son when he encounters a challenge, “practice makes progress.” And naturally, practice also allows us to feel more comfortable within a particular challenge.

I received the SU! Inked Botanicals designer series paper as part of one of my most recent supply orders. I was really drawn to the cheery designs included in this paper pack and how they could lend themselves to all types of occasions. I was also a little surprised to discover that using floral patterns does not necessarily equate to a feminine design. My biggest take-away while designing this card pack is that working with several patterns is easier when you focus on combining smaller and larger patterns into one design. This way, the patterns compliment one another rather than competing for attention.

This lovely card pack is now up in the Etsy shoppe and available for purchase.

Products used:
Basic White, Pretty Peacock, Lost Lagoon, Petal Pink, Calypso Coral, Shimmer White cardstock
Inked Botanicals DSP
Gold shimmer vellum (retired)
Zany Zoo, Pansy Patch, Bold Bouquet stamps
Deckled Rectangles, Zany Zoo, All That, Bold Bouquet, Stitched Nested Labels (retired) dies
Gold trim, Flirty Flamingo, Petal Pink ribbon
Adhesive-backed pearls & sequins
Adhesives
Dimensionals

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