Thankful Blossoms

January 6, 2026January 5, 2026 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome in, friends! I hope your week is off to a good start. This is the first full week I will have had since the flu and the holidays. And I’m still not sure what day it is! *snicker* All of the kiddos in our area are returning to school today so the roads are back to being busy.

This week, I’m playing with some of my new January Mini Catalog goodies with an up-close look at the new Lovely Blossoms bundle by Stampin’ Up! This terrific bundle includes it all — stamps, dies, embossing folder, paper, embellishments…the works! And one of my favorite things about the paper in this set is the sheet of ready-made card elements. With a pretty tight schedule these days, it’s nice to have ways to still make handmade smiles without hours in the craft room.

Today’s fun fold card starts with a base of Secret Sea cardstock. I’m using the barn fold here which places the flaps opening squarely in the center of the card front. But I used an overly large overlay panel to give the look of a traditional cohesive card front. Isn’t that such a fun twist on this barn fold?! I used one of the largest ready-made panels from the Lovely Blossoms sheet and cut it down just a smidge with the largest Textured Notes die. The panel is then matted with Secret Sea glimmer paper and the full panel is adhered just to the left flap of our barn fold. The sentiment from the Lovely Arrangements stamp set is stamped in Secret Sea on white cardstock and then diecut with the Words of Beauty middle-sized sentiment panel die. The sentiment is adhered over a twist of the new white with gold ribbon in the bottom corner of our front focal panel. And we add bits of sparkle with some of the brand new Secret Sea sparkle dot essentials.

Now comes the fun part — the inside of our card. The message panel has a flower image from the Lovely Arrangments set stamped in the bottom corner. Each of the flaps is covered with a coordinating lighter floral and vine patterned sheet from the Lovely Blossoms set. And then we cover the exposed part of our front card panel with a coordinating Secret Sea patterned sheet from the Lovely Blossoms paper pack.

I just love how this one comes together. You could even add an inside sentiment on the left inside panel. That would be a really nice variation actually. *making note to self* Tomorrow we’re going to be making another fun fold with this suite and getting a sneak peek at a few more new products. I hope you’ll drop in and see!

Products used:
Secret Sea, Basic White cardstock
Lovely Blossoms, Peaceful Garden glimmer DSP
Textured Notes, Words of Beauty dies
Lovely Arrangements stamps
Secret Sea ink
White with gold ribbon
Sparkle dot essentials
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Botanicals

Golden Sentiment

September 17, 2025 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Happy midweek, friends! This week we’re exploring a fun design theme – all that glitters is gold. And we’re using all kinds of golden crafty goodies, new and old, to create our projects. Today’s clean and simple design uses a die negative as the star of the show and combines some Gathering Together products with the Sentimental Framing stamps.

We get started with a neutral base of Very Vanilla cardstock. Our focal panel is the backdrop of our card front and combines a sheet of the Gathering Moments paper pack with some gold textured metallic paper. The largest leaf die from the Gathering Moments die set provides our negative that allows that beautiful gold focal image to take center stage. Our sentiment from the Sentimental Framing stamp set is stamped in Early Espresso and then cut out with the Stylish Shapes banner die using the extension method. I really love the play on words with this sentiment and the negative space of this card design – it really couldn’t have worked out more perfectly! The sentiment is adhered at the bottom-third of the card with dimensionals over a double twist of Mossy Meadow & Gold ribbon. We finish things off with some green Traditional Sparkling sequins – a perfect way to tie it all together.

I’ll be bringing you some more shiny goodness tomorrow. I hope you’ll drop in and check it out!

Product List

Very Vanilla 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166784]

$14.00

Gathering Together 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[165969]

$16.50

Textured Metallic 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper

[163772]

$8.50

Gathering Moments Dies

[165979]

$37.00

Stylish Shapes Dies

[159183]

$30.00

Sentimental Framing Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[165475]

$24.00

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

[147114]

$9.00

Mossy Meadow & Gold 1/4" (6.4 Mm)

[166158]

$9.50

Traditional Sparkling Sequins

[165875]

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Botanicals · Traditions of Christmas

Glittering Bouquet

September 16, 2025 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Howdy, everybody, and happy Tuesday to you! This week we are exploring a new design theme – all that glitters is gold. And we’re using all of the sparkly gold goodies in our crafty stash. Today’s card combines the new Traditions of Christmas paper with a few classics, like Nature’s Sweetness and some gold foil.

What I love about the new papers is that, while they lean easily toward holiday project designs, they are equally as versatile in making more general projects, as well. Today, for instance, we’re using Christmas greenery to create a thinking of you card.

We get started with a base of Cloud Cover cardstock. The background panel is a sheet of the Secret Sea & Cloud Cover stripe from the Traditions of Christmas paper pack and cutting it with the Sentimental Framing dies. The focal panel in the center of our card front starts with a double stack of the foiled script sheet from the Nature’s Sweetness pack. I liked the picture-in-picture look of the nesting rectangles with the top layer on dimensionals. These two panels are matted with some Misty Moonlight glimmer paper from the Peaceful Garden glimmer paper pack. Our focal image combines three dies from the Christmas Greenery set. The background greenery is cut from gold foil and mounted behind the focal spray which is diecut from a sheet of the Traditions of Christmas paper and mounted over the greenery sprigs with dimensionals. The sentiment from The Right Words set is stamped in Secret Sea on Cloud Cover and then diecut using the Stylish Shapes banner die using the extension method. The sentiment is popped up with dimensionals for extra eye-catching height. We finish things off with a scattering of Traditional Sparkling sequins.

We’re going to be pairing up some more fun glittery gold products from the crafty stash tomorrow. I hope you’ll drop by and check it out!

Product List

Cloud Cover 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[165621]

$14.00

Traditions Of Christmas 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[165853]

$16.50

Nature's Sweetness 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[162616]

$16.50

Peaceful Garden 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Glimmer Paper

[165929]

$10.50

Gold Foil Sheets

[132622]

$5.00

Christmas Greenery Dies

[165872]

$36.00

Sentimental Framing Dies

[165476]

$38.00

Stylish Shapes Dies

[159183]

$30.00

The Right Words Cling Stamp Set (English)

[165316]

$26.00

Secret Sea Classic Stampin' Pad

[165285]

$9.00

Traditional Sparkling Sequins

[165875]

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Botanicals · Florals in Bloom

Coming Up Flowers

July 21, 2025 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks around here in Song Sparrow land. Between completely redecorating my son’s room (minus the paint – that’s still on the to-do list!) and then prepping to go on vacation, let’s just say I was chasing my tail and had zero brain cells left for creative work!

But in the end, the kiddo was over the moon with his new room setup and we had a fabulous time on vacation. The vacation was, of course, the highlight for the adults because we traveled to a place we’ve been to many times (and love) that provides oodles of things for the kiddos to do without a screen. And for people who love to be outside fishing and enjoying the great outdoors, it was heaven! So all in all, I would call the hiatus from designing a win.

I don’t really feel like I did the last design theme a lot of justice with only 3 designs using the Florals in Bloom suite. So this week, we’re going to continue creating with this beautiful combination of products. And to spice things up, because you know that’s how I roll, we’ll be bringing in other sets as we go to keep it all interesting. For today’s design, we’re pairing the Florals in Bloom paper with The Right Words stamp set and the Beautiful Butterflies and Everyday Arches die sets.

We get started with a base of Highland Heather cardstock. The background panel is a combination of the small purple floral pattern from the Florals in Bloom paper pack and a mat of Highland Heather glimmer paper that I’m fortunate enough to still have in my stash. I tied a bit of Petunia Pop iridescent ribbon around the bottom of the background panel to help bring out the subtle shades of pink and lighter shades of purple. The background panel is adhered to the card front with dimensionals. The focal panel is cut from white cardstock using the Everyday Arches dies and turned on its side. I’ve then stamped the sentiment from The Right Words set in Gorgeous Grape on the side up and adhered the panel against the far edge of the background panel. A beautiful, dainty butterfly cut from pastel ombre and silver foil paper using the Beautiful Butterflies dies adds the perfect pop of sparkle and bit of visual interest that draws the eye directly to our focal panel. It’s adhered to our focal panel with a double-dose of dimensionals for an extra boost. A few purple sequins scattered about the card front in strategic places give the bits of sparkly interest so your eye moves across the design.

This design is clean and simple and comes together in a snap but lacks nothing in the drama department – which is just my style!

Product List

Highland Heather 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[146986]

$14.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Florals In Bloom 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[165175]

$12.50

Three Color Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper

[162813]

$10.50

Pastel Ombre Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper

[164851]

$12.00

Silver Foil 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Pack

[163096]

$10.00

The Right Words Cling Stamp Set (English)

[165316]

$26.00

Gorgeous Grape Classic Stampin' Pad

[147099]

$9.00

Everyday Arches Dies

[164629]

$29.00

Petunia Pop 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Iridescent Ribbon

[166203]

$9.50

Purple Adhesive Backed Sequins

[164970]

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Botanicals

The Best

April 2, 2025 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

It’s wonderful Wednesday and we’re halfway through the week. And it was quite the busy hump day for me today. Between performing a set for my professional music group and plugging away at work, it was a go-go-go day today! But in a few down moments, I thought about how we could use some of our newer goodies in the crafty stash to give a little ode to spring, and I think the Thankful Garden bundle definitely does the trick!

I don’t know about you, but there are certain sets — and florals, in particular — where I like to do a bit of research on color patterns and combinations to help with a more realistic look. And I knew I wanted to have more pink in the hydrangeas today. I think the combination of Flirty Flamingo, Pretty in Pink, and Melon Mambo is perfect for pulling out all of the subtle shading in these flower bunches.

We get started with a base of Berry Burst cardstock and use a sheet of the lighter pink floral pattern from the Unbounded Beauty patterned paper pack as the mat for our focal panel. Using the Thankful Garden stamps, I stamped a floral bunch in each of the corners and used the decorative masks to color them. I stamped a full bunch of hydrangea on a separate sheet of paper, shaded using masks, and then cut it out with the coordinating dies. I stamped a portion of the floral bunch two more times, shaded, and then diecut with the smaller detail die from the Thankful Garden dies to create a more realistic-looking floret to serve as our focal point in the center. Layering the dimensionals really helps with the more realistic look and feel to the hydrangea stem. The sentiment from the Pattern of Friendship set is stamped in black on white cardstock and then diecut with the smaller sentiment die in the Autumn Leaves die set. I stamped an identical panel from the berry Beautiful Bokeh and then cut it in half and mounted it under the sentiment panel to serve as a mat. I added a few pink Blooming Pearls for an eye-catching pop of sheen. The sentiment panel is adhered with dimensionals to help it catch the eye. I finished things off by adding some floral centers of foiled regal dots across our hydrangea florets.

Although it was pretty challenging to figure out the proper orientation of the smaller detail die for the hydrangea, once I did, it was a breeze to get the detail pieces cut. And to help myself remember the orientation the next time, I marked the image in my stamp case. A similar hack works well for the placement of the decorative masks.

I hope you’ll tune in tomorrow as we continue our ode to nature!

Product List

Berry Burst 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[144243]

$11.50

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

$13.00

Unbounded Beauty 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[163372]

$12.50

Beautiful Bokeh 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[164607]

$12.50

Pattern Of Friendship Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[165383]

$18.00

Thankful Garden Bundle (English)

[165534]

$64.75

Autumn Leaves Dies

[162185]

$38.00

Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad

[101406]

$10.50

Pretty In Pink Classic Stampin Pad

[163807]

$9.00

Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad

[147052]

$9.00

Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad

[147051]

$9.00

Summer Splash Classic Stampin Pad

[163809]

$9.00

Shy Shamrock Classic Stampin Pad

[163808]

$9.00

Regal Foiled Adhesive Backed Dots

[164038]

$8.50

Blooming Pearls

[162238]

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Botanicals

Heartfelt Thanks

March 25, 2025 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

This week, we’re trolling through the crafting stash and creating designs that are nature-themed. I love this theme because (1) I get to revisit some of my favorite older sets and (2) it makes it a little easier for me to whip up cards during a work travel week.

Today, we keep the layout simple. We’re once again combining the Sale-a-Bration paper called Bloom Impressions and this time I’ve pulled the Mixed Media Florals Memories & More pack for the focal image and sentiment. I love having Memories & More products in my stash because they make it quick and easy to create lovely cards in a jiffy.

We get started with a base of Crushed Curry cardstock and layer a sheet of the yellow floral pattern from the Bloom Impressions paper pack as the backdrop. The focal panel consists of two circle panel that are diecut using the Spotlight on Nature dies—one from red Festive glimmer paper and one from a foiled sheet of Nature’s Sweetness designer paper. I chose the small floral bunch from the Memories & More sticker sheet as the focal image and layered a sentiment from the sticker sheet on top. I added a twist of Cherry Cobbler & Gold metallic ribbon and Daffodil Delight satin ribbon behind the focal image for a little extra pop of red and yellow. Some red iridescent discs add another little element of sparkle and tie the red elements together.

I’ll be taking a break for a couple of days while I’m out of town attending a training event. Although I contemplated crafting on the road, the packed schedule for the conference just didn’t allow the free time. So I’ll see you Friday for more nature inspiration!

Product List

Crushed Curry 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[131199]

$11.50

Bloom Impressions 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[164944]

$12.50

Nature's Sweetness 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[162616]

$16.50

Festive 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Glimmer Paper

[164106]

$12.00

Mixed Media Florals Memories & More Card Pack

[164657]

$11.50

Spotlight On Nature Dies

[163580]

$35.00

Cherry Cobbler & Gold 1/2'' (1.3 Cm) Metallic Ribbon

[156312]

$8.00

Daffodil Delight 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Satin Ribbon

[164715]

$8.00

Iridescent Adhesive Backed Discs

[161954]

$7.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Botanicals

Everyday Magic

August 3, 2024July 29, 2024 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

I couldn’t think of a better way to close out our In the Garden series of cards than with this knockout card, which was inspired by Mitosu Crafts. Don’t you just love the layers of white on white? So elegant. And what a terrific way to showcase a beautiful focal image and sentiment!

A piece of white cardstock serves as our card base. Various sizes of circles are diecut from a sheet of white cardstock using the Spotlight on Nature dies. I made sure to vary the edge patterns while still keeping things symmetrical. Layers of dimensionals allow the various circles to stand on different visual planes, adding interest to our card front. Our focal image is the zinnia bunch from the Simply Zinnia stamp set and is stamped in black on white cardstock, colored with Stampin’ Blends, and then diecut with the coordinating die from the Simply Zinnia die set. I added Wink of Stella over each bloom for a subtle glimmer. The sentiment from Something Fancy is stamped in black on white cardstock and then diecut with the Greetings of the Season die using the extension method. I used the zinnia to cover the tag hole in our sentiment panel. A few shiny sequins scattered on our card front draw the eye across the stunning design.

I hope you’ll tune in next week as we head back to school and use our stamps in some unconventional ways!

Products used in today’s card:
White cardstock
Simply Zinnia, Something Fancy stamps
Simply Zinnia, Spotlight on Nature, Greetings of the Season dies
Stampin’ Blends
Wink of Stella
Shiny sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

$13.00

Simply Zinnia Cling Stamp Set (English)

[163472]

$25.00

Simply Zinnia Dies

[163479]

$33.00

Melon Mambo Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[153112]

$11.00

Shaded Spruce Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154903]

$11.00

Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154883]

$11.00

Calypso Coral Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154881]

$11.00

Spotlight On Nature Dies

[163580]

$35.00

Something Fancy Cling Stamp Set (English)

[160416]

$23.00

Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad

[101406]

$10.50

Greetings Of The Season Dies

[164112]

$32.00

Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush

[141897]

$9.00

Adhesive Backed Shiny Sequins

[163484]

$7.50

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Botanicals · Sketchy Fridays

Sketchy Fridays: Nothing Fancy

August 2, 2024July 29, 2024 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

This week has been quite the whirlwind. And how did we get to Friday so quickly?! Whew. The weekend is now upon us and we’ll be closing out our last week of summer break next week. Anyone have any ideas for fun things to do with a preteen?

It’s time for another installment of Sketchy Fridays, where each week we’ll be using a card sketch to design our featured card. Right now, we’re working through a full series of designs using the card sketches found on page 22 of the current Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog.

This week’s card is based on Sketch #10 and features the Unbounded Beauty designer series paper by Stampin’ Up!. While I have found this paper to be challenging to incorporate into designs, what I have found is that I simply needed to look at the paper differently. Sometimes the paper gives design inspiration on its own, but I work better with this pack when I have a solid design and then work with sheets that fit. That was true with the tuxedo fold and grid designs, and it’s true for today’s sketch where the backdrop of the focal section allows for a busy pattern. So let’s see how this comes together.

We get started with a simple card base of Basic White cardstock. I was drawn to the sheet of Unbounded Beauty designer paper that resembled the lavender stem from the Painted Lavender die set. We pull out the darker pink of the patterned paper in several ways. First, we use a piece of Petunia Pop glimmer paper diecut with the Nested Essentials dies to serve as the banner behind the sentiment panel. Next, we use Petunia Pop cardstock to cut small flowers for our Summer Splash floral stems that are diecut using the Painted Lavender die set. Our floral stems are tied with linen thread to bring a natural element to the design. The sentiment from Something Fancy is stamped in black on white cardstock and then diecut using the Radiating Stitches dies. Our floral bunch is then adhered next to the sentiment. A faux bow of diagonal trim sits behind the sentiment over the sparkly banner. A few carefully placed In Color shimmer gems finish things off by drawing the eye to the focal panel in the center.

Isn’t this the perfect sketch for just about any sheet of patterned paper? No more fumbling for ideas for how to use that busy pattern. Here’s an easy, go-to sketch that will suit even the busiest pattern!

Tune in tomorrow as we close out our week in the garden with a clean and simple zinnia design! It’s a knockout!

Products used in today’s card:
Petunia Pop, Summer Splash, Basic White cardstock
Unbounded Beauty, In Color glimmer paper
Something Fancy stamps
Painted Lavender, Radiating Stitches, Nested Essentials dies
White diagonal trim, linen thread
In Color shimmer gems
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

$13.00

Unbounded Beauty 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[163372]

$12.50

2024–2026 In Color™ Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper

[163771]

$11.00

Petunia Pop 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[163801]

$11.50

Summer Splash 8 1/2" X 11 Cardstock

[163797]

$11.50

Something Fancy Cling Stamp Set (English)

[160416]

$23.00

Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad

[101406]

$10.50

Painted Lavender Dies

[162596]

$32.00

Radiating Stitches Dies

[161595]

$30.00

Nested Essentials Dies

[161597]

$34.00

Petal Pink & White 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Diagonal Trim Combo Pack

[163417]

$10.00

Linen Thread

[104199]

$5.00

2024–2026 In Color™ Shimmer Gems

[163781]

$8.50

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Mini Glue Dots

[103683]

$7.25

Add All to Cart

Botanicals

Incredible

August 1, 2024July 29, 2024 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

We’re moving right along here in our tour of the garden this week. And today, we’re keeping things simple with a focal image taken directly from the Nature’s Sweetness designer paper pack by Stampin’ Up! Did you know that SU! will often have at least one pattern in a 12×12 pack of paper that can be divided evenly into 6 card front panels? Several current packs that include a sheet like this are Nature’s Sweetness, Perennial Lavender, and Flowering Zinnias. These types of sheets are what I often refer to as one sheet wonders, where one sheet of paper creates 6 cards. I’m sure other stamps refer to these sheets by other names, but that’s how I like to think of them.

For today’s card, we get started with a base of Moody Mauve cardstock. Our background panel is a sheet of Pretty Peacock cardstock that is cut slightly smaller than our card front and is then machine embossed using the Dotted Circles embossing folder. Our focal image mat is the gold-flecked bookprint sheet from the Nature’s Sweetness paper pack that has been diecut using one of the largest circles from the Spotlight on Nature die set. I then pulled the one sheet wonder pattern sheet from the Nature’s Sweetness designer paper pack and cut one 4-inch strip and then cut the two-image panel in half in order to use one image for our card front. The image is colored using Stampin’ Blends and then cut out using paper snips before being adhered to the diecut circle. Our sentiment from Happy Little Things is stamped in black on white cardstock and then diecut with the Everyday Details dies using the extension method. The mat is Moody Mauve luster paper diecut with the smallest Deckled Rectangle die, also using the extension method. The sentiment is adhered over a faux bow of gold trim using dimensionals. A few shiny sequins finish things off with a little sparkle.

The beauty of these one sheet wonder patterned paper sheets is how quickly you can make a whole stack of cards without sacrificing a single bit of ooo-la-la. And speaking of ooo-la-la, you must tune in tomorrow to check out the newest installment of Sketchy Fridays.

Products used in today’s card:
Moody Mauve, Pretty Peacock, Basic White cardstock
Nature’s Sweetness, Moody Mauve luster DSP
Happy Little Things stamps
Spotlight on Nature, Deckled Rectangles, Everyday Details dies
Stampin’ Blends
Gold trim
Shiny sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List

Moody Mauve 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[161723]

$11.50

Pretty Peacock 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[150880]

$11.50

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

$13.00

2023–2025 In Color™ 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Luster Specialty Paper

[161746]

$11.00

Nature's Sweetness 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[162616]

$16.50

Dotted Circles 3 D Embossing Folder

[163789]

$12.00

Spotlight On Nature Dies

[163580]

$35.00

Deckled Rectangles Dies

[159173]

$30.00

Everyday Details Dies

[162864]

$34.00

Happy Little Things Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[163706]

$25.00

Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad

[101406]

$10.50

Shaded Spruce Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154903]

$11.00

Pretty In Pink Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack

[163824]

$11.00

Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154882]

$11.00

Gold & Silver 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Trim Combo Pack

[161633]

$9.00

Adhesive Backed Shiny Sequins

[163484]

$7.50

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Botanicals · Terrific Tuesdays

Busy Florals

July 31, 2024July 30, 2024 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

We are already halfway through this week. Every time I get to Wednesday, I feel like the week is just whizzing by! Maybe it’s because it feels like we still have so much to do before the regular routine of school days gets started. Or maybe it just comes with getting older.

This week, we’re tiptoeing through the garden as we make cards inspired by the beauty of nature. And today, I’m going to show you ways to use “difficult” patterned paper. Do you ever fall in love with a pack of patterned paper but then find yourself stumped when it comes to actually using it? That’s precisely what has happened to me with the Unbounded Beauty paper pack by Stampin’ Up! I fell in love with the patterns but then just haven’t been able to find designs where the patterns make sense. Until now.

In this week’s episode of Terrific Tuesdays, we are using two card layouts to showcase that paper that you are finding hard to use. We get started with a card that I like to call the tuxedo fold. We choose two complimentary paper patterns, bearing in mind the backside of one sheet will be visible and must also be considered in our paper choice. And one sheet will be folded to reveal a portion underneath so that it almost looks like the collar of a tux shirt on each end. Then our sentiment panel sits on top as a prominent feature on our card. Suddenly, our overwhelming pattern now fits perfectly in a design — no longer overwhelming but instead a beautiful backdrop.

Our second design literally cuts our busy patterns down to size. I like to call this design a patterned paper or designer paper (DSP) grid since we use strips of busy patterns to build a grid on our card front, leaving the center section for a small sentiment. The patterned paper strips can be of any size from 1- to 2-inches, depending on how large you wish to make your center sentiment. Not only does this design tame some wild patterns, it also allows you to use up scraps of even your favorite patterned papers.

To see the tuxedo fold and DSP grid designs at work, tune in to this week’s episode of Terrific Tuesdays where we made 2 cards from scratch using these two card layouts.

Tomorrow, we’re making things easy with the Nature’s Sweetness paper. Pop by and check it out.

Products used in card above — tuxedo fold:
Summer Splash, Pretty in Pink, Basic White cardstock
Unbounded Beauty DSP
Inspiring Snapdragons, Something Fancy stamps
Spotlight on Nature, Inspiring Snapdragons dies
Pretty in Pink ribbon
In Color shimmer gems, tinsel gems
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Products used in card above — DSP grid:
Basic White cardstock
Berry Burst, Unbounded Beauty DSP
Unbounded Love stamps
Everyday Details dies
Iridescent striped trim
Iridescent discs
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List

Summer Splash 8 1/2" X 11 Cardstock

[163797]

$11.50