Father's Day · Fun Folds

Absolute Best Dad

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. For every big thing and small thing that you do for your family, you are loved and appreciated!

We’re wrapping up our special Father’s Day card series with a variation on one of my favorite fun folds – the step card. Today’s card is the side step fun fold that combines the lovely Thoughtful Journey patterned papers with the new Online Exclusive Scenic Adventure and More Messages bundles.

We get started with a base of Smoky Slate cardstock. The side step fun fold consists of a single cut and some scoring to create a tall panel on the left and smaller graduated panels on the right, which happens to be perfect for creating this mountain scene. I cut a sheet of the Thoughtful Journey patterned paper to fit the L-shaped front panel of the fun fold and then used the scrap to cut the grass and trees for the two smaller side steps using the Scenic Adventure dies. I happened to have several other scraps of Thoughtful Journey and chose one that coordinated with the primary sheet here in order to cut the mountain for the back side step panel. The trees are cut from a combination of Mossy Meadow and Pecan Pie and I chose to shade one of the larger trees with Wink of Stella for a little extra pizzazz. The small tree is adhered to the center side step panel with a dimensional. I layered the larger trees and had the pair in the foreground a wee bit higher and oriented to overlap the side step panels. The sentiment panels are stamped using the More Messages and He’s the Greatest sets and are diecut using the More Messages die. I finished things off with a few drusy embellishments for a bit of sparkle because even dad deserves some oo-la-la!

Isn’t this variation of the center step fun fold super fun? And I especially love it with the Scenic Adventure stamp & die bundle. You can download the tutorial for today’s fun fold here.

Next week is all about sentiments. I hope you’ll drop in a see what that’s all about!

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Father's Day

Simply Incredible

I hope you’re enjoying our design theme this week as we pull out our crafty stash to create some lovely cards to honor the special fellas in our lives. Today’s card is a combination of several products, including Trusty Tools and More Messages, to create this tribute to an incredible dad. This card uses a super fun color palette of Coastal Cabana, Peach Pie, and Strawberry Slush. Can you spot all of the colors?

We get started with a base of Crumb Cake cardstock. Our focal panel begins with a sheet of Country Woods woodgrain paper and is matted in Coastal Cabana. A strip of the newsprint from Nature’s Sweetness adds a nice eye relief in the center of the panel to add our focal elements. The paintbrush is created using the Trusty Tools stamps and dies. I stamped the brush handle on Country Woods woodgrain. The bristles are cut from Crumb Cake. The dripping paint on the end is stamped in Peach Pie and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder to give the look of being wet. To give the look of a freshly painted stripe of paint, I cut Peach Pie glimmer paper with the Friends for Life smudge strip. It’s adhered just above the newsprint to create a nice border in the center of the card. The paintbrush is adhered directly to the focal panel.

The sentiment is a combination of the new More Messages you’re simply incredible sentiment, cut out with the coordinating die, and the DAD sentiment from Trusty Tools stamped in Coastal Cabana on pastel ombre glimmer paper, heat embossed with clear embossing powder, and then cut out with paper snips. The sentiment is layered and adhered with dimensionals to the left of the paintbrush. I used a few leftover hearts diecut from Summer Splash glimmer paper with the Sending Love dies to add some nice sparkly accents on either side of our focal section. The Strawberry Slush gems add a nice pop of color that stands out against the rest of the color palette and draws the eye across the focal section perfectly.

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Father's Day

Amazing Dad

Woohoo, we’ve made it to Friday! It’s been a rainy week here in North Texas, so lots of the usual outside activities have been put on hold. So we’re hoping for a respite from the predicted weekend rain showers. And I’ve got lots of things on the to-do list for the weekend. What about you? I’m super excited to have a card class on my to-do list. And this time, I get the privilege of being the student. *grin*

This week, we’ve been digging in our crafty stash to create cards for the awesome dads in our lives. And today we’re taking it outside by pairing up the new Scenic Adventure bundle with a super fun (and easy!) faux watercolor technique I learned over at On Y Go to create a lovely sunset scene.

Our card gets started with a base of Crumb Cake cardstock and then I cut a window using the Textured Notes die. To create the sunset in the background, cover a clear block with a combination of Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, and Flirty Flamingo ink and then spritz with water before stamping on the quarter panel of Very Vanilla cardstock. For some extra interest and a touch of mystical sparkle, add some Wink of Stella to the panel before adhering to the back of the front panel so that it peeks through the window. The trees and grass are cut from a combination of Mossy Meadow, Shaded Spruce, and Crumb Cake using the Scenic Adventure dies. The grass is adhered directly to the front panel, while the trees are adhered with dimensionals to give some depth to the scene.

Our sentiment is in two parts. The top sentiment you’re amazing from Scenic Adventure is stamped in Versamark on Crumb Cake and then heat embossed with copper. I cut around this sentiment using paper snips. The sentiment panel is adhered to a sheet of pastel ombre glimmer paper and then cut to mat the sentiment. The full panel is adhered to the top of the sunset using dimensionals. We cut our bottom sentiment panel from Pretty Peacock glimmer paper using the Nested Essentials dies. The bottom DAD sentiment from He’s the Greatest is stamped directly in the center of the peacock panel in Versamark and then heat embossed with copper. This panel is mounted with dimensionals in the center of the card at the bottom of the front panel over some linen thread. We finish things off with some In Color flat pearls and riverside pearls.

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Father's Day

Greatest Dad Plaid

This week we’re honoring the fellas who answer to DAD. What big, special shoes they fill! And whether a real dad, a bonus dad, or someone who just stands in the gap for a dad, each and every one is worthy of a little something special to let them know they’re loved and appreciated for all they do.

Today, we’re paying homage to dad’s closet as we pull out the Timeless Plaid and tuck a note in the pocket of dad’s favorite shirt. This card comes together in minutes and is sure to bring a smile.

Everything gets started with a base of Misty Moonlight cardstock. I chose two different plaid patterns from the Timeless Plaid paper pack to make the shirt. I really like the contrasting patterns and perfect complimentary color schemes of these two plaids. This 6×6 paper is two-sided, and I chose to have the collar of the shirt match the pocket. So to start, I turned down the top corner of the shirt to create the collar and then cut a piece of the complimentary pattern to cover the pattern on the flap. I chose to adhere the collar directly to the shirt, but you could use a dimensional to give the collar a more realistic look against the shirt. I cut the pocket using the Countryside Corners dies and placed mini dimensionals on the back and set aside. Next up, using the Notes & Totes dies and Very Vanilla cardstock, cut the notecard to tuck in the pocket. The sentiment is a combination of He’s the Greatest and She’s the Greatest stamps and is stamped in Misty Moonlight. A few heart sequins are affixed on either side of DAD. To give some relief between the two contrasting plaid patterns, I added a strip of Misty Moonlight linen thread at the top of the pocket, tucked the sentiment between the dimensionals, and then adhered the pocket to the shirt. We finish things off with some decorative buttons on the pocket and down the shirt using silver faceted gems.

Tomorrow we’re painting the sky just for dad using a fun new technique. I hope you’ll pop by and check it out.

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Father's Day · Fun Folds

Dad’s a Catch

Welcome in, friends. We’re having fun trekking through the crafty stash this week to create Father’s Day designs, and today we’re headed to the pond. Today’s fun fold design uses the Gone Fishing bundle by Stampin’ Up! While the Gone Fishing bundle is quickly on its way out via the Last Chance List, it’s hard to resist this opportunity to create a fun card with this bundle, especially when you have avid fishermen in your family!

This standard sized card begins with a base of Mossy Meadow cardstock cut so that it opens in the center. Each of the bottom corners is cut at an angle. The top flaps of each side are turned down and affixed to the card front. A few Industrial Trinkets serve as the buttons at the top. This combination gives the look of a shirt or jacket. The pockets for the fishing jacket are cut from Mossy Meadow cardstock using the Countryside Corners dies. Each shape is then cut in half to create the four pockets. The pockets are each adhered to the card front with foam strips, ensuring that the top of each pocket is open to slide our tackle in. Using a combination of foil and glimmer papers and the Gone Fishing dies, I cut and assembled lures to tuck in each of the pockets. I used the Lost Lagoon soft cording to serve as a twist of extra line. The sentiment from the Gone Fishing stamp set is stamped on the pocket. HOT TIP: Be sure you stamp the sentiment before you decide to adhere the pocket to your card front. Otherwise, you’re going to have to punt in order to cover up your stamping boo-boo! *wink*

When the Gone Fishing suite first released, I saw so many cute designs. And one of the ones that really caught my eye was creating a fishing jacket. I didn’t get around to trying it out while the full suite was current, but I think the dies did a nice job of creating this fun card.

Tune in tomorrow as we take a trip through dad’s closet. You’re going to love it!

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Father's Day

Best Tool in the Chest

Happy Monday, everyone. I hope you enjoyed your weekend. It was a busy one for us with the start of the kiddo’s summer bowling league and then some other family obligations. But we enjoyed the time together and are now ready to hit the ground running for this brand new week.

This week, we’re going to be digging in our stash of crafty goodness to create Father’s Day cards. It’s hard to believe that we’re already on the doorstep of Father’s Day, but I’m here to help you be prepared to knock his socks off with a personalized tribute. When the new Stampin’ Up! catalog released in May, I was thrilled to see that the Trusty Tools bundle carried over. It’s especially perfect for the dads in our family as all of them excel at working with their hands!

We get started on today’s card design with a base of Poppy Parade cardstock. The front panel of the card is machine embossed using the Timber embossing folder. The focal panel is a quarter panel of Misty Moonlight cardstock that is diecut with the Textured Notes dies. I stamped the nuts and bolts from the Trusty Tools stamp set in Misty Moonlight on opposite corners before diecutting the panel. The sentiment panel is cut from white cardstock using the Trusty Tools dies and then the sentiment from the coordinating stamp set is stamped in the center in a combination of Misty Moonlight and black inks. I stamped the pencil, tape measure, and hammer images on white cardstock using black ink and then used a combination of the filler stamps and Stampin’ Blends to color each of the images before cutting them out with the coordinating dies. They’re all affixed to the focal panel with tear-n-tape. The focal panel is adhered to the front panel with dimensionals. A few industrial trinkets in opposing corners of the focal panel finish things off perfectly.

Tomorrow we’re headed to the pond. I hope you’ll pop in and see what we catch!

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Coming Soon

The Best Dad

This week, we’re getting a sneak peek at some of the newest products that Stampin’ Up! is set to release next week. And today we’re once again pairing up some current products with what’s soon to come to create this super cool scene. I love the sunset mountain hues of blues and purples, and the Splendid Autumn paper pack has some terrific sheets to choose from to create our scene using the Scenic Adventure bundle.

We get started with a base of Misty Moonlight cardstock. A sheet of the Splendid Autumn paper serves as our sunset backdrop for the mountain scene and is matted with a sheet of the Thoughtful Designs specialty paper. I used the Scenic Adventure dies to cut mountains and trees from coordinating scraps of the Splendid Autumn papers. I also added the ripples of the lake in the foreground with the dies, along with the faint stars and moon in upper-right corner. And I stamped some clouds in the distance using the Scenic Adventure stamp and Pool Party ink. The mountains and trees are layered with dimensionals to give depth to the scene and Wink of Stella gives the perfect amount of subtle twinkle to the the tops of the trees and mountain, the ripples in the water, and the moon in the sky. The sentiment from She’s the Greatest and He’s the Greatest is stamped in Misty Moonlight on white cardstock and diecut with the smaller Sentimental Framing die. I added some blue linen thread behind the panel before adhering to the card front with dimensionals. We finish things off with two tone sparkle gems in opposing corners to ensure the eye passes over the whole design.

Next, we’ll be taking it to the beach. Pack your flip flops and come along!

Products used in today’s card:
Misty Moonlight, Basic White cardstock
Splendid Autumn, Thoughtful Designs DSP
Scenic Adventure bundle (coming soon)
She’s the Greatest, He’s the Greatest stamps
Sentimental Framing (coming soon) dies
Natural tones linen thread
Two tone sparkle gems
Wink of Stella
Dimensionals

Masculine Designs · Trucking Along

Just Beachy

Today, we’re wrapping up our week of touring some of the Stampin’ Up! sets that lend themselves to making great Father’s Day cards. And it seemed only fitting that we finished off with the “truck that broke the internet.” If you’ve followed along here for a little while, you’ve heard me mention this before. For those who are new, when the Trucking Along bundle was first released by Stampin’ Up!, it was so popular that it sold out in hours on release day and quickly sold out each of the next several times it came back in stock.

So today’s card features the Trucking Along bundle and a super cute design layout that I’ve borrowed from fellow demo over at Stamp It Up With Jaimie. For the beach lovers or the fellas who just love some summertime fun, this card design screams of summer relaxation.

We get started with a card base of Pool Party cardstock. A piece of Lemon Lolly is diecut using one of the largest circle dies in the Spotlight on Nature die set. I thought the radiating edges represented a big sun really well. Our sand is represented by a strip of the white woodgrain pattern paper from the Country Woods paper pack. I chose to make a one-layer focal image using the Trucking Along stamps and filled our truck with the beachy accoutrements. The truck is filled in with the coordinating filler stamps, while the items in the truck bed are colored with Stampin’ Blends. Everything is fussy cut and then adhered to the background panel with dimensionals. The sentiment from Trusty Tools is stamped on white cardstock and then cut with a combination of paper trimmer and snips and then adhered in the center over the “sand.” Everything is finished off with the swirl dots and shiny sequins embellishments.

This card comes together in no time flat and could easily be adapted for other occasions, like birthday, graduation, etc. And it’s perfect for any recipient, whether guy or gal. I love having designs like this in my inspiration folder for those times when I need a card I can put together quickly but delivers on the cute and fun!

I hope you’ve enjoyed all of the Father’s Day cards we’ve made this week and maybe got an idea or two for the fellas in your life. Tune in next week as we unwrap the Country Flowers bundle.

Products used in today’s card:
Pool Party, Lemon Lolly, Basic White cardstock
Country Woods DSP
Spotlight on Nature dies
Trucking Along, Trusty Tools stamps
Stampin’ Blends
Swirl dots, shiny sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Dies · Masculine Designs

Father’s Day in the Grove

We’re continuing our tour of Stampin’ Up! products that help us make the perfect Father’s Day cards. And today, we’re enjoying a quiet walk in the woods with the two grove sets — Grassy Grove and In the Grove. I really love these two sets because they allow you to create a whole myriad of beautiful scenes. I spent a lot of time in the woods growing up, and it’s fun to paint these pictures of memories in cards.

I wanted to give a lot of realism to this scene, so I combed through my designer paper stash to find just the right sheets for the background and leaves, and I found the Meandering Meadows paper pack to be the ticket.

We get started with a card base of Early Espresso cardstock. The background panel for our woodsy scene is a sheet of Meandering Meadow designer paper that, to me, very much resembles a morning sky. It’s been diecut with the largest Deckled Rectangles die. Next, using the grove of trees die from the Grove die set and the largest Deckled Rectangle simultaneously, I cut a quarter sheet of Early Espresso cardstock. This serves as the base for the leaf panel, which will sit above it for depth of field. Adhere this to the Meandering Meadow base. Using a sheet of green patterned paper from the Meandering Meadow paper pack, I diecut another grove of trees — this time without the Deckled Rectangle border. From this sheet, remove all of the branch portions of the green paper. Then cut this panel to size so that the Deckled Rectangle edge of the Early Espresso mat is revealed around the edges once the two layers are adhered together. Apply dimensionals to the back of the green panel and then adhere to the Early Espresso mat, ensuring that you line up the leaves of each layer precisely. From Crumb Cake cardstock, diecut a rabbit, squirrel, and deer using the Grove and In the Grove die sets. Adhere between your two tree layers using glue dots. Stamp the sentiment from Trusty Tools in Early Espresso ink on Crumb Cake cardstock and diecut using the Happy Little Things Banner die. Adhere at the center of the base of the focal panel using dimensionals.

Tomorrow we’re going to be trucking in some Father’s Day fun. I hope you’ll stop by and check it out!

Products used in today’s card:
Early Espresso, Crumb Cake Cardstock
Meandering Meadow DSP
Trusty Tools stamps
Grove, In the Grove dies
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Masculine Designs

Dad’s Trusty Tools

We continue our look at a good sampling of the Stampin’ Up! products that stand to make great Father’s Day cards. Today we’re revisiting a terrific set called Trusty Tools, which includes a photopolymer stamp set and a set of coordinating dies (sold separately). When I first bought this set, I only bought the stamps, but then I found myself fussy cutting way more than I really like to do when making projects. And I also realized that the set of dies includes things like a peg board and a tool box that really help give my stamps even greater value. And this set can go well beyond just Father’s Day designs.

This super fun design begins with a base of Daffodil Delight cardstock. The background panel mat is Basic Black. The background panel is a strip of Daffodil Delight stamped tone-on-tone with the nuts and bolts from the Trusty Tools stamp set and then a panel of white cardstock that has been diecut using the peg board die from the Trusty Tools die set. Each of these smaller panels is adhered directly to the black mat. The tools are diecut from a combination of black cardstock and silver foil specialty paper. I felt like this really gave the tools a more realistic look. The tools are adhered over the peg board using varying heights of dimensionals so that you really feel like you’re sitting at the tool chest. The sentiment panel is the bottom portion of the toolbox die and cut from Daffodil Delight. The word DAD is stamped in black in the center. The Happy Father’s Day sentiment is stamped on a banner diecut using the Happy Little Things dies. The design is finished off with some industrial trinkets to keep with the tool-look.

Tune in tomorrow to check out a brand new fun fold and fun outdoorsy theme!

Products used in today’s card:
Daffodil Delight, Basic Black, Basic White cardstock
Silver foil specialty paper
Trusty Tools stamps & dies
Happy Little Things dies
Industrial trinkets
Dimensionals
Adhesives