Tag: More Messages

Techniques

Spotlight on Paper

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome back, my friends. I hope you’re enjoying your weekend. It’s been a busy one for us so far, but we’ve gotten to enjoy lots of time together. So although we’ve been on the go, I’ll count together time a win any day!

This week, we’re exploring the spotlight technique and looking at all the different ways you can shine a spotlight on your focal points. Did you know you can use the spotlight technique with paper and not just stamps? Today we’re using dimension to highlight a beautiful section of a sheet of the Splendid Autumn paper.

We get started with a base of Blackberry Bliss cardstock. A beautiful dusky scene from the Splendid Autumn paper pack serves as our focal point and cut just shy of a quarter panel for the card front. I chose a 2-inch section in the center to highlight with dimension and a small mat of Lemon Lolly shimmer paper. I ran a panel of white cardstock through with the More Messages die to create some sentiment panels and chose a banner for this card. The stamp set from the 2025 Advent Calendar gives us our decorative flowers and the sentiment. The sentiment panel is adhered with dimensionals and glue dots at the bottom of the spotlight panel. And then we finish things off with a pop of sparkle with some pearlized faceted circles.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning some of the different ways that you can spotlight elements of your card designs. And remember, there’s never a right or a wrong way to do it. So have fun and just play! Next week, we’ll be hopping into a couple of Easter designs in between all of the Holy Week activities I have coming up.

Product List
Blackberry Bliss 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 133675 ]
[133675]
$14.00
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Splendid Autumn 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 164173 ]
[164173]
$12.50
Pastels Shimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 167198 ]
[167198]
$10.00
More Messages Die [ 165472 ]
[165472]
$33.00
12 Days Of Crafting Advent Calendar (English) [ 167335 ]
[167335]
$99.00
Fresh Freesia Classic Stampin' Pad [ 155611 ]
[155611]
$9.00
Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147094 ]
[147094]
$9.00
Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147101 ]
[147101]
$9.00
Pearlized Faceted Circles [ 166978 ]
[166978]
$8.00
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Mini Glue Dots [ 103683 ]
[103683]
$7.25
Add All to Cart
Fun Folds · Tutorials

Incredible Fan Fold

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

This week, we’re having some fun exploring a whole new crop of fun folds that I’ve been dying to try. Today, we’re working on a “faux” fun fold I learned from my fellow Luv 2 Stamp team member Patti Dolan called the Fan Fold. I call this a faux fun fold because it’s made to look like a folded fan but doesn’t actually involve any special folding.

We’re working the lovely Floral Delight paper pack for this new fun fold design. And we get started with a base of Mossy Meadow. The card front uses two patterns from the Floral Delight pack — the daisy and fleur de lis patterns. Our fan element is created by cutting our card base and paper panels and then adhering them together to create the fan look. I used a More Messages sentiment and accented with Daffodil Delight satin ribbon and some Peach Pie glimmer paper. Drusy embellishments on either side draw the eye to the sentiment.

Our peek-through panel from the inside card panel also uses a sheet of the Floral Delight paper and is mounted on a quarter sheet of Cloud Cover to bring together the outside and inside color palettes.

This fun “fold” looks a little complicated but is super easy to put together. You can download the free tutorial here.

Product List
Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 133676 ]
[133676]
$14.00
Cloud Cover 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 165621 ]
[165621]
$14.00
Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 131202 ]
[131202]
$14.00
Floral Delight 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 164700 ]
[164700]
$12.50
2024–2026 In Color™ Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 163771 ]
[163771]
$11.00
More Messages Bundle (English) [ 165473 ]
[165473]
$52.00
Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147113 ]
[147113]
$9.00
Daffodil Delight 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Satin Ribbon [ 164715 ]
[164715]
$8.00
Drusy Adhesive Backed Embellishments [ 164223 ]
[164223]
$9.00
Tear & Tape Adhesive [ 154031 ]
[154031]
$7.00
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
florals · Florals in Bloom

Birthday Blooms

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

We’re wrapping up our week(ish) of designs featuring the Florals in Bloom products by Stampin’ Up! I love the vibrant colors in the papers and the versatility of the stamps and dies. I decided to round out the design series with a card that really allows this suite to shine. Helping us out for this card are the Country Woods paper and More Messages stamps and die.

To keep the color palette lighter and brighter, we get started with a base of Cloud Cover cardstock. I’m not sure I’ve talked too much about the new In Colors, but this is probably one of my favorites of the bunch. Cloud Cover is the perfect combination of grey and blue that allows you to transform the mood of the card easily with just a few changes in your helper colors. In this case, I chose the moody blue of the Secret Sea hashed-pattern sheet from the Florals in Bloom paper pack. Our focal panel is broken into three interwoven sections. The opposing corners are a piece of the cheery hyacinth patterned paper from Florals in Bloom that is matted with some Brushed Silver to help give some definition between the two busy patterns. The center portion of the focal panel is where all of the action takes place. A sheet of the Pool Party woodgrain from the Country Woods pack – also matted in Brushed Silver – serves as our stage. It rests atop a bow of Petunia Pop iridescent ribbon. Our purple-hued flowers take center stage with the sentiment tucked quietly underneath. A few Petunia Pop shimmer dots add a touch of twinkle to the center of our floral bunch, while the silver drusy embellishments on opposing corners give the eye a path to follow down and across.

I hope you’ve enjoyed getting a closer look at this beautiful product suite. Next week, our design series is all about fun folds. I have a stash of them in my gotta-try-it folder that we’re going to take for a test drive! I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

Product List
Cloud Cover 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 165621 ]
[165621]
$14.00
Petunia Pop 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 163801 ]
[163801]
$14.00
Blackberry Bliss 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 133675 ]
[133675]
$14.00
Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 122924 ]
[122924]
$14.00
Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 131202 ]
[131202]
$14.00
Brushed Silver And Gold Foil 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 164861 ]
[164861]
$10.00
Florals In Bloom 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 165175 ]
[165175]
$12.50
Country Woods 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 163393 ]
[163393]
$12.50
Pretty Florals Dies [ 165178 ]
[165178]
$37.00
More Messages Bundle (English) [ 165473 ]
[165473]
$52.00
Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147113 ]
[147113]
$9.00
Petunia Pop 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Iridescent Ribbon [ 166203 ]
[166203]
$9.50
Charming Shimmer Faceted Dots [ 166139 ]
[166139]
$8.50
Drusy Adhesive Backed Embellishments [ 164223 ]
[164223]
$9.00
Mini Glue Dots [ 103683 ]
[103683]
$7.25
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [ 144108 ]
[144108]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
florals · Florals in Bloom

Anything Florals

susanfoxbowen2 Comments

Well, yesterday saw a very exciting and emotionally-draining end to the day. Just as I was turning into our section of the neighborhood, I caught a strange sight out of the corner of my eye. And I realized that the gentleman I was seeing on the ground on the curb by his mailbox was not picking weeds but was, instead, in great distress as he sank down and face-planted into the grass as I made the corner and threw the car into park. I had hung up on the hubby to jump out and rush across the street, but it didn’t take hubby long to track my location and appear on scene. When all was said and done, several neighbors also came to aid and we managed to get the gentleman up into his garage and out of the sun as the ambulance arrived to check him out. We bid adieu and headed for home after his son-in-law arrived to serve as translator for the paramedics. So needless to say, I didn’t really have any emotional energy left to design once I got home and finally settled down after the rush of adrenaline.

But I’m back at it today. This week, we’ve been using the Florals in Bloom suite to create our designs. And today we’re pairing up the dies in this suite with the Plaster Painting embossing folder and More Messages stamps & dies to create this lovely encouragement card.

We start with a base of Secret Sea cardstock. The background panel is a quarter sheet of Secret Sea that has been machine embossed with the Plaster Painting embossing folder, and then I used some silver metallic ink to bring out the details in the embossed panel. The focal section consists of florals cut using the Pretty Florals dies and a combination of Strawberry Slush, Pretty in Pink, Pool Party, and Pretty Peacock cardstocks. To add some extra shimmer to the flowers, I cover the Strawberry Slush blooms with Wink of Stella before adhering the detail Pretty in Pink pieces on top. The floral centers are a cluster of the Strawberry Slush gems. The sentiment from More Messages is stamped on Smoky Slate cardstock in Gray Granite ink and then diecut with the coordinating More Messages die. I adhered a twist of silver trim behind the sentiment before adhering it to the side of the blooms off-center on the card front. We finish things off with some silver drusy embellishments to tie everything together and draw the eye across the design.

I designed this particular card with our office intern in mind and I can’t wait for her to receive the card on the farewell day of her summer internship!

Product List
Secret Sea 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 165624 ]
[165624]
$14.00
Strawberry Slush 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 165625 ]
[165625]
$14.00
Pretty In Pink 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 163793 ]
[163793]
$14.00
Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 122924 ]
[122924]
$14.00
Pretty Peacock 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 150880 ]
[150880]
$14.00
Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 131202 ]
[131202]
$14.00
Plaster Painting 3 D Embossing Folder [ 164656 ]
[164656]
$12.00
Pretty Florals Dies [ 165178 ]
[165178]
$37.00
More Messages Bundle (English) [ 165473 ]
[165473]
$52.00
Gray Granite Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147118 ]
[147118]
$9.00
Gold & Silver 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Trim Combo Pack [ 161633 ]
[161633]
$9.00
Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [ 141897 ]
[141897]
$9.00
Drusy Adhesive Backed Embellishments [ 164223 ]
[164223]
$9.00
Strawberry Slush & Pretty In Pink Gems [ 165615 ]
[165615]
$8.50
Tear & Tape Adhesive [ 154031 ]
[154031]
$7.00
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
birthday · Sentiments

Birthday Backgrounds

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

This week, we’re having fun with sentiments. Each of our designs has the sentiment take the stage in all new ways. And today’s card is devoted to text with the combination of the More Messages and Layered Thoughts stamp sets by Stampin’ Up!

I don’t know about you, but when I see card designs that use text in new or innovative ways, I always think, “why didn’t I think of that?!” I especially love designs that create a background panel from scratch. And when I realized that the new More Messages set is actually a single image rather than separate sentiments, I knew just what I wanted to do — create a fun background panel. For me, the whimsy and fun for this design comes from the angled stamping and festive color palette.

Our card begins with a base of Summer Splash cardstock. You could also use Coastal Cabana with equal flair! The focal panel is a piece of white cardstock diecut with the Textured Notes die and then stamped with the More Messages stamp. I used a combination of Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, and Crushed Curry. The background panel is matted with a sheet of orange and pink Beautiful Bokeh paper. I wrapped some Summer Splash, Daffodil Delight, and gold ribbons around the panel toward the bottom. The sentiment from Layered Thoughts is stamped in a combination of Versamark and Crushed Curry on yellow Beautiful Bokeh paper and then heat embossed with some glitter powder. I used paper snips to cut around the sentiment, leaving a nice border for that extra pop of yellow. The sentiment is mounted over the ribbon on the focal panel with dimensionals and then the focal panel is mounted to the card base with dimensionals, as well. I finished things off with a scattering of In Color shimmer gems across the background panel and some rhinestone basic gems.

Tomorrow we’ll try our hand at a sketch and a sentiment and see where we end up. Won’t that be fun?!

Product List
Summer Splash 8 1/2" X 11 Cardstock [ 163797 ]
[163797]
$14.00
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Beautiful Bokeh 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 164607 ]
[164607]
$12.50
Textured Notes Dies [ 165555 ]
[165555]
$31.00
More Messages Cling Stamp Set (English) [ 165471 ]
[165471]
$25.00
Layered Thoughts Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 165346 ]
[165346]
$20.00
Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147051 ]
[147051]
$9.00
Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147086 ]
[147086]
$9.00
Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147087 ]
[147087]
$9.00
Versamark Pad [ 102283 ]
[102283]
$9.50
Summer Splash 3/8" (1 Cm) Bordered Ribbon [ 163786 ]
[163786]
$7.50
Daffodil Delight 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Satin Ribbon [ 164715 ]
[164715]
$8.00
Gold Twisted Thread [ 164603 ]
[164603]
$7.50
2024–2026 In Color™ Shimmer Gems [ 163781 ]
[163781]
$8.50
Rhinestone Basic Jewels [ 144220 ]
[144220]
$6.00
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Father's Day · Fun Folds

Absolute Best Dad

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

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!

Product List
Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 131202 ]
[131202]
$14.00
Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 133676 ]
[133676]
$14.00
Pecan Pie 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 161717 ]
[161717]
$14.00
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Thoughtful Journey 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 163303 ]
[163303]
$12.50
Scenic Adventure Bundle (English) [ 165468 ]
[165468]
$49.50
More Messages Bundle (English) [ 165473 ]
[165473]
$52.00
He's The Greatest Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 165684 ]
[165684]
$17.00
Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad [ 101406 ]
[101406]
$10.50
Drusy Adhesive Backed Embellishments [ 164223 ]
[164223]
$9.00
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [ 144108 ]
[144108]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Father's Day

Simply Incredible

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

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.

Product List
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
2024–2026 In Color™ Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 163771 ]
[163771]
$11.00
Pastel Ombre Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 164851 ]
[164851]
$12.00
Country Woods 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 163393 ]
[163393]
$12.50
Nature's Sweetness 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [ 162616 ]
[162616]
$16.50
Trusty Tools Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 163274 ]
[163274]
$24.00
Trusty Tools Dies [ 162722 ]
[162722]
$37.00
More Messages Bundle (English) [ 165473 ]
[165473]
$52.00
Sending Love Dies [ 162879 ]
[162879]
$35.00
Friends For Life Dies (English) [ 163364 ]
[163364]
$34.00
Peach Pie Classic Stampin Pad [ 163810 ]
[163810]
$9.00
Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad [ 101406 ]
[101406]
$10.50
Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147097 ]
[147097]
$9.00
Basics Wow! Embossing Powder [ 165679 ]
[165679]
$21.00
Strawberry Slush & Pretty In Pink Gems [ 165615 ]
[165615]
$8.50
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [ 144108 ]
[144108]
$4.25
Add All to Cart