Tag: paper crafts

birthday

Birthday Best

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We made it to the weekend! I hope your weekend has gotten off to a good start.

Today, we’re taking a look at one of the complementary birthday designs that I mentioned yesterday. As I was working on September birthday cards for friends, I found myself in a groove making a set of complementary birthday cards.

You’ll notice that this design also has a base of Lost Lagoon cardstock and that the gold elements from the Expressions in Ink Ephemera serve as the focal point of the design. The pattern of the designer paper is more delicate in this design, as are the focal elements. The leaves and berries complemented the designer paper pattern well. I have found that, with a little creativity, you can use just about every element in the ephemera set, even the negatives that may have otherwise been discarded. Here, I’ve used two negatives and selected them because of the interesting details in the interior corners. To me, it feels as though these details point to the sentiment, which is embossed on vellum to allow all of the beauty underneath to show through. I added some sequins for a bit of sparkle and to help the eye move more easily across the entire design.

Products used:
Lost Lagoon, vellum cardstock
Ever Eden DSP (retired)
Expressions in Ink Ephemera (retired)
Gold embossing powder
Dimensionals
Adhesives

birthday

Birthday Buzz

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Do you ever get in a groove when you’re creating projects? As I was making a whole host of birthday cards for my friends with September birthdays, I found myself making a complementary set of designs. When I’m designing cards for friends, the designs are usually very reflective of the person. In the case of this set of complementary designs, the colors and sparkle were “just right” for each card recipient.

Here, a sheet of Lost Lagoon cardstock serves as the card base. I really love how it pulls the lighter details from the designer paper to the forefront. The Expressions in Ink Ephemera provides so many different looks depending on which of the gold elements you use. I wanted the gold elements to have more prominence and weight, and I especially loved using the solid centers as accents to the detailed hexagons in the middle. The sentiment is heat embossed in gold on vellum to allow the sentiment to be part of the geometric focal point without covering the beautiful details. A scattering of gold sequins helps draw the eye across the design and ensure the gold accents in the designer paper catch the eye, as well.

Products used:
Lost Lagoon, vellum cardstock
Ever Eden DSP (retired)
Expressions in Ink Ephemera (retired)
Gold embossing powder
Adhesive-backed sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Thinking of You Week

Rustic Joy

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If you’re following me over on Facebook, you might have caught mention of the new Office Assistant in-training that has joined our family. Earlier this week, we adopted a 6-week old kitten from the local animal shelter. I’m a cat person and have had cats for years, but the last 4 cats we’ve adopted have all been adults. So needless to say, I’ve forgotten just how much work kittens are – they’re just like having toddlers! And Nolan, when he’s not napping, is into EVERYthing so I’ve been thrown off my usual routine this week. So I hope you’ll hang with me as we all adjust and get back into the swing of a normal routine.

I really loved getting into the groove of Thinking of You Week last week. And having some new supplies certainly added to the fun. The Heartfelt Hexagon bundle that Stampin’ Up! just launched was perfect for the occasion, and today’s design is another take on a clean and simple design using this bundle and the new Tartan Foil designer paper.

I have a hard time using Cajun Craze, but this was the perfect card to pull it out and use it as the card base. I wanted this design to feel very fall-like, so I stuck with a simple color combo of oranges and browns. The sentiment panel is punched from a sheet of Crumb Cake and the sentiment is heat embossed in copper. The natural wavy trim served as the perfect compliment to the sentiment panel. I added a little sparkle and tied it altogether with the copper thread and brown sequins. I just loved how this turned out & plan to make several for my personal stash of cards.

Products used:
Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake cardsock
Tartan Foil DSP
Heartfelt Hexagon stamps & punch
Natural wavy trim
Copper thread (retired)
Adhesive-backed sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Christmas

Holiday Greenery

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Our family makes it a point to gather together often and especially for holidays. One of my favorite things about Christmas gatherings is dressing the table, and my favorite part of table dressing is a fresh holiday centerpiece.

I designed this card with a holiday centerpiece in mind. A piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock serves as the card base. I chose a sheet of Joy of Christmas designer paper that resembled a bed of greenery, and I love the surprise of it being printed in shades of red rather than green. The sentiment panel is heat embossed on vellum to allow the lovely patterned paper to shine through. To provide a more realistic look of holiday evergreens, I pulled several different shades of green from which I diecut each branch. The evergreen branches are tied together with both sheer ribbon and twine. The gold sequins provide a touch of sparkle and allow the eye to pass easily from left to right.

I’m super pleased with this design because it reminds me of my grandmother’s Christmas dinner table! ❤️ Do you have any favorite parts about preparing for holiday dinners?

Products used:
Cherry Cobbler, Granny Apple Green, Mossy Meadow, Shaded Spruce, white cardstock
Joy of Christmas DSP
Vellum
Magical Meadow, Nested Essentials dies
Merriest Trees stamps (sentiment)
Sheer ribbon
Gold embossing powder
Adhesive-backed sequins
Adhesives

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Christmas · Clean and Simple

Joy to the World

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I love making designs that are out of my comfort zone, particularly when I know a design is going to require a bit of “winging it” when I don’t have the materials to copy it exactly. When I saw the inspiration design for this card, originally posted by Linda Dalke on Instagram, I was immediately struck by it. It was so simple and not my usual style.

The base is a simple piece of white cardstock. I loved the natural look of the gold woodgrain pattern from the Joyful designer paper pack, which is a substitute for the more streaky gold pattern of the card base from the inspiration card. The beautiful starry night sky is diecut from a sheet of Shining Brightly DSP using the Nested Essentials dies. I wanted the star element to be more ethereal so I chose to diecut each layer from a sheet of gold shimmer vellum using the Stars at Night dies. As I was arranging the layers, I felt like the dimensionals behind the middle layer added more visual interest and depth to the panel, particularly when paired with the star trinkets. The sentiment is stamped directly on the card base below the star panel with the blue and gold glittered ribbon completing the visual triangle.

I just love how this turned out and the gold elements really shimmer in the light in person!

Products used:
Basic White cardstock
Shining Brightly, Joyful DSP
Gold shimmer vellum (retired)
Stars at Night, Nested Essentials dies
Papertrey Ink Christmas Blessings stamps (sentiment) (retired)
Night of Navy & Gold glittered ribbon
Star trinkets
Gold pearls
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Christmas · Fun Folds

Sparkle Barn Fold

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It was fun to take a little break from holiday cards last week to participate in the Thinking of You card challenge to send at least 7 cards in 7 days. I really hope that the cards received spread a little joy and made some folks smile. Did you participate in the challenge? Were you a recipient of a card?

Now I’m circling back to designing for a few upcoming craft fairs and working on a custom order for a dear client. Today’s design is a fun take on the barn fold. I love the versatility of this fun fold and how just a little tweak or two can make all the difference in how a card feels when it’s finished. This card feels like you’re pushing through the lush evergreen forest to see what awaits you at the end of the trail, don’t you think?

A piece of Crumb Cake cardstock serves as the base of the card to keep with the natural feel. A sheet of A Walk in the Forest designer paper provides the lush evergreen background of the two front panels. The sentiment panel and mat were diecut using the Nested Essentials dies. The pop of red of the sentiment panel, cut from a sheet of Joy of Christmas designer paper, provides the perfect backdrop for the gold embossed sentiment. The twigs of greenery diecut using the Magical Meadow dies tie everything together nicely. What do you think?

Products used:
Crumb Cake, Shaded Spruce, Mossy Meadow, Granny Apple Green, Cherry Cobbler, white cardstock
A Walk in the Forest, Joy of Christmas DSP
Nested Essentials, Magical Meadow dies
Magical Meadow stamps
Adhesive-backed sequins
Wink of Stella (red berries)
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Thinking of You Week

A Big Dillo

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When you have kids, you suddenly learn and use a lot of punnies in your day-to-day. Have you noticed this, too? Perfect example: it’s your birthday and it’s a big dillo. As in, it’s a big deal-io. I know, I know. Slow clap, right?

Well, that little pun is the inspiration behind this birthday card with the cute armadillo bringing the birthday gift. This little fella is one of the characters included in the Zoo Crew designer paper. And I knew it would be perfect for my friend who celebrated a birthday last week.

A sheet of Pretty Peacock serves as the card base and the hearts from the Delightfully Eclectic designer paper pack is the perfect backdrop for the birthday theme. Since pink is my friend’s favorite color, I wanted to make all of the pink elements *pop*. I used the ombre sheet of pink stripes from the Bright & Beautiful designer paper pack to serve as the sentiment panel and base for the cute armadillo, which is fussy cut from the Zoo Crew DSP. Some Wink of Stella on the package really helps it shine. The faceted pink gems keep the focal point tight. And the gusseted taffeta Pretty in Pink ribbon adds an additional feminine touch to the design. But my favorite part of the whole design is that armadillo! Maybe it’s the Texan in me….

Products used:
Pretty Peacock cardstock
Delightfully Eclectic, Zoo Crew, Bright & Beautiful DSP
Faceted gems
Linen twine
Pretty in Pink ribbon (retired)
Wink of Stella
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Thinking of You Week

Let’s Eat Cake

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This week I’ve enjoyed having the opportunity to use the newly released Heartfelt Hexagon stamps and punch on some of my latest designs. This bundle is one of the featured sets to be used in the virtual stamp-along Stampin’ Up! is hosting as part of World Card Making Day on October 7.

September is a busy birthday month for us, so I’ve made quite a few birthday cards over the last several weeks. For this design, I was pleased to discover that the Heartfelt Hexagon paired so well with the Ever Eden designer paper and Expressions in Ink Ephemera accessories. I really love how all the bits of gold work make this design feel so festive.

Products used:
Lost Lagoon cardstock
Ever Eden DSP (retired)
Heartfelt Hexagon stamps & punch
Expressions in Ink Ephemera (retired)
Gold trim
Adhesive-backed sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Thinking of You Week

Love and Hugs

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We’re about halfway through Thinking of You Week. Are you participating in the challenge to send 7 cards/notes to 7 people this week? I’ve enjoyed making a list of people I haven’t touched base with in a while and designing cards especially for them.

I designed this card for some very dear friends of ours. We’re roughly the same age and have kids the same age, and we get the families together regularly and even have some holiday traditions we share together as “framilies.” When I saw this sentiment in the new Heartfelt Hexagon stamp set, I knew it would be perfect for their little note.

This sheet of Delightfully Eclectic designer paper coordinates perfectly with the Pretty Peacock card base. A few of the hearts are a very light pink, so I used the sentiment panel and accents to draw out the pink elements. Keeping everything simple really keeps your eye on the sentiment. Much like yesterday’s design, simplicity was the name of the game because the sentiment needed to stand out and take center stage in both designs.

Products used:
Pretty Peacock, Petal Pink cardstock
Delightfully Eclectic DSP
Shimmer vellum (retired)
Heartfelt Hexagon stamps & punch
Adhesive-backed sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Thinking of You Week

Sending Love

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Today is Day 3 of Thinking of You Week, which was introduced by the American Greeting Card Association to encourage people to send handwritten notes to friends and loved ones to spread love and cheer. The goal is to send 7 cards or notes in 7 days. Are you up for the challenge?

Today, I thought I would share with you one of the cards that I’m placing in the mail this week. Aside from sending out birthday cards to some friends I haven’t spoken with in a little while, I’m also sending some handmade hugs.

This design uses several new releases from Stampin’ Up! I used a sheet of Pretty Peacock as the base and am so excited to get to use the brand new Tartan Foil designer paper as the gorgeous backdrop for the sentiment panel. The sentiment panel gave me the opportunity to break in my brand new Heartfelt Hexagon bundle, which is one of the signature stamp sets and punches for the upcoming SU! stamp-along for World Card Making Day. Don’t you just love it?!

Products used:
Pretty Peacock cardstock
Tartan Foil DSP
Heartfelt Hexagon stamps & punch
Adhesive-backed pastel sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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