I’m back again with another fun fold card that’s new to me – it’s called a Bay Window Card. It uses a half sheet of A4 cardstock and with 5 easy scores you have a fun fold card.
This card design has been around for awhile and was so easy to make. It folds flat so is a good design if you need to post it rather than give in person.
You can see why it’s called a ‘Bay Window’ card from this angle. It’s a great way to showcase our wonderful Designer Series Paper (DSP). Here I’ve used two designs from the Beauty of the Earth paper. The three centre panels really show off the paper.
And here’s a view from the top. The front panel tucks in behind the small label (die cut from Stitched So Sweetly) which is attached with dimensionals to the base of the card.
I’ve put my sentiment (from Color & Contour) at the bottom of the inside panel instead of my normal middle to allow me an uninterrupted space to write my message.
I had fun making this card – I’ve seen some other variations of this card so might just have to give them a go too.
Who knew the Chalk Pastels were so versatile? Today’s project features another technique for you to try with the Chalk Pastels and an Embossing Folder. I’ve chosen the Seashells 3D Embossing Folder. These aren’t normal colours I would have chosen to use with this folder but I actually really like how it turned out. The Chalk Pastels come in a box of 8 colours
For my card I’ve used all the colours – some images have two colours combined.
First off I dry embossed a piece of Basic White with the Seashells 3D Embossing Folder then die cut it with the coordinating Seaside Seashells die – some of the images needed a bit of ‘fussy cutting’ to get them as individual pieces. Next the colouring. With the Chalk Pastel flat I rubbed it across the embossed image. To begin with I was disappointed with the look as only the ‘raised’ portions of each image had been coloured. Using a trusty Cotton Bud I spread the chalk dust so that the entire image was coloured – much happier with this technique. I then went over the top again to add more definition. The shell on the far right was first coloured with Mango Melody and then I added a bit of Poppy Parade to create a more ‘orange’ colour. The underwater ‘greenery’ is a mix of Mossy Meadow and Granny Apple Green.
You can check out the previous two techniques I’ve shared here and here using the Chalk Pastels. I hope these projects have inspired you to try out the Chalk Pastels. If you’re interested in ordering them or anything else head on over to my online store or contact me directly.
I came across a card idea I’d saved from years ago and decided to recreate it to fit our metric cardstock and current products.
The original card used half a sheet of cardstock for the base and the flap. What I wanted for my card was to recreate the ‘flap’ on the side and still have the card being a standard sized card. To achieve this I added an extra bit of cardstock for my ‘flap’.
And here is my finished card featuring products from the Pansy Petals Suite. I used a half sheet of cardstock (10.5cm x 29.7cm) scored in half with the fold being on the right hand edge. I then attached the ‘flap’ to the left hand side of my base. The ‘flap’ measures 10.5cm x 7.5cm – scored at 2cm. Before creating my decorative edge I adhered a piece of Designer Series Paper (DSP) measuring 10.5cm x 5.5cm. The Basic Borders Dies has six different designs – I liked the scalloped stitched edging to coordinate with the scalloped circle mat behind the pansies. The ribbon is adhered to the back of the card on top of the join so looking at the back you wouldn’t know the ‘flap’ had been added. All the components for the front were bits I had lying around on my desk – I’ve given myself a challenge to use them up and not have them just ‘sit’ there and then eventually get thrown out.
To break up the ‘whiteness’ of the inside I adhered another piece of coordinating DSP from the Pansy Petals but you could stamp another image on here if you liked or use it for writing your message. When I use a White or Vanilla base I like to add a coloured mat to the insert so for this card I used the same colour as the ribbon – Polished Pink.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this new quick and easy fun fold – until next time …
I’ve got another technique to share today using our Chalk Pastels, VersaMark, a Sponge Dauber and a Cotton Bud.
For this card I stamped the large image from Forever Blossoms with VersaMark to the largest tag from the Tailor Made Tags dies. To apply the Chalk I ‘scribbled’ some to my desk pad and then using a Sponge Dauber picked up the chalk dust and applied it to the image in a dabbing motion. I also used a Cotton Bud in the same way to apply to the smaller parts of the image so as to stay within the lines.
I’ve used Gorgeous Grape for the flowers, Granny Apple Green for the leaves and Mossy Meadow for the stem. I wasn’t going to purchase the Stitched Greenery Die as I wasn’t use how much I’d use it – well this is now my ‘go to’ for backgrounds. It’s quick and easy to transform a plain white background into a subtle white background.
And then for the inside I restamped a portion of the large stamp and coloured it. I like having my inside images going ‘off the page’. Did you notice the Granny Apple Green ribbon on the tag? This was created by colouring the White 1/4″ Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon with my Granny Apple Green Stampin’ Blends. That means I can get whatever colour I want using my Blends.
I hope that you can see the possibilities that the Chalk Pastels offer to creating wonderful projects.
Today’s card is another variation on a Gate Fold card – it uses the Delightful Tag Topper punch to create the closure. I love it when our products have more than one use. I’ve created a number of this style of card in the past and previously I had used the Scallop Tag Topper Punch – you can check out a previous design here which also uses the punch to create a ‘chocolate’ holder.
This card uses a standard size card base 14.8cm x 21cm. Before you can score your centre fold you need to create the closure. I make a pencil mark on both edges so that I can then line the punch up to ensure the ‘flaps’ are in the same position. For this card I decided to punch extra ‘flaps’ from the Designer Series Paper (DSP) and cover them rather than leaving them as just cardstock.
I’ve used the Nothing’s Better Than stamp set for my card along with DSP from the In Good Taste paper pack. I couldn’t decide which colour to use for my card base so have used a favourite – Gray Granite which has a coordinating ribbon which I used to secure the card closed. I carried the cups and saucers – which could be for tea or coffee – to the inside and stamped the sentiment at the bottom to allow room to write the message.
Having been in lockdown here in Auckland for going on 5 1/2 weeks and still another 1 1/2 to go I plan to send this card to a friend to book in an ‘in-person’ coffee when we are able.
Did you know we now stock an assortment of Chalk Pastels? They can be found on page 126 of the Annual Catalogue. I bought mine back in July and final got them out of the wrapper – how bad is that? There are 8 colours – Night of Navy, Granny Apple Green, Coastal Cabana, Mossy Meadow, Gorgeous Grape, Poppy Parade, Mango Melody and Daffodil Delight.
I’ve used the Color & Contour bundle along with the Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody, Poppy Parade, Granny Apple Green and Mossy Meadow Chalk Pastels. I wanted a nice dark black stamped image so used Jet Black StazOn ink. NB: remember to clean your stamp with StazOn cleaner when using StazOn ink. The flowers have been coloured in with a mix of Daffodil Delight and Mango Melody with a small amount of Poppy Parade and then blended together. You can either use you finger or a Cotton Bud. For the leaves I used Granny Apple Green and a touch of Mossy Meadow – again blended together. I deliberately went over the lines when I was blending the colours to give the overall image a softer look.
For the inside I stamped one of the other images from the set partly off the cardstock and coloured it the same way. The Artistry Blooms Adhesive-Backed Sequins were the perfect finishing touch for my project – they come in four colours – Calypso Coral, Coastal Cabana, Rich Razzleberry and Mango Melody.
I hope to have another play with the pastels and try the other methods I mentioned above – so keep an eye out for more projects with this product. Don’t forget to check them out on page 126.
One of the good things about sharing fun fold cards with you each week is that I get to revisit and recreate projects that I haven’t done for years. Todays project isn’t a ‘fun fold’ card as such but has a fun fold element to go on your card and is another great way to use your gorgeous Designer Series Paper (DSP).
What do you think? – isn’t this a great alternative to highlight your stamped images or as I’ve done create a 3D image with stamped components. The Pansy Petals Suite worked so well for this card – DSP, stamps and dies.
The Folded Paper Frame is easy to make and requires a 4 1/4″ square of DSP. I used my Simply Scored Scoring Tool to make it easier to score the diagonal lines that create the fold back flaps to the frame. These lines are scored at 1″ and 1 1/2″ on all four sides. The inside square that you can stamp or attach your stamped images to is a 2 7/8″ square.
When I started making this card I wasn’t sure what I was going to put ‘inside’ my frame. The answer was already on my desk. I found some stamped and die cut images from a previous project so all I needed was the stem to create my floral arrangement. To soften the background for the image I applied Pacific Point ink with my Blending Brush for a sky effect.
The Folded Paper Frame can be attached to a landscape or portrait card as shown in this blog post.
I hope you give this fun fold frame a go – I’d love to see how you decorate it.
I fellow demonstrator recently shared a card she had made that had only one layer – the card base – so I thought I’d give it a go. It’s actually harder than it seems – getting some depth to your project by just using stamps and ink. This was a first for me.
To start I created a mask around the edge of the card leaving a 3/4″ border using Post-It Notes. Using Pacific Point and a Blending Brush I applied ink to fully cover the unmasked area. TIP: once you’ve inked up your brush start off your project on your scrap paper and slowly work in a circular motion onto the area you want coloured. This will help to get an even application of ink. If you need to reink your brush repeat the process. If you start on your project 9 times out of 10 you’ll be too heavy handed with the pressure and end up with a dark patch – trust me I’ve learnt the hard way.
Once you’re happy with the coverage stamp your image. The foliage stamp from the Beauty of Friendship set is a two-step stamp which means there are two different images that get stamped to make up the full depth of the foliage. For this example I stamped both images in Mossy Meadow and then added some ‘blossoms’ using Flirty Flamingo. After stamping my tree I felt my project still needed something more and knowing it was a ‘one layer’ card I searched my stamp sets and found the ‘birds’ from Beautiful Moments. Having the birds at two different heights gives the card some depth too.
I had fun making the first card so thought I’d try a ‘take two’. This time I changed the orientation so that I could stamp more trees. The process was the same with the Post-It Notes and applying ink. TIP: previously when I’ve wanted some ‘sky’ I’ve used Balmy Blue but haven’t been completely happy with the colour so I tried Pacific Point which I feel gives a truer ‘blue’. I’d never used it before as I thought it would be too bright but when applied with a Blending Brush it ticks the box.
The middle tree trunk is stamped at full strength but the left and right trunks have been stamped with the ‘stamped off’ technique as used in this blog post. For a more ‘spring’ look I used Granny Apple Green for the foliage using only one image for the left and right trees. This image gives the effect of two stamps – part of the image is solid and part is lighter – I love this effect. For the centre tree I stamped part two of the two step in Garden Green for extra definition and depth. You can just see the inside tree which has been partially stamped off the card base.
Well there you have another technique to try – can you create a one layer card with only stamps and ink?
As mentioned yesterday we held our first ever virtual training day via Facebook Live and Zoom. We all had a ball and managed to learn lots and spend time together. We are definitely looking forward to when we can meet in person. #teamdayoutnz
Our original plan was to meet in person with some team members still having to do the projects virtually as they couldn’t make it to Auckland. With that in mind I created a project that could be created with alternative supplies. You all know my love of fun folds so that was my starting point. Then to decorate it I added in a technique.
This fun fold is called a ‘Book Fold’ card. I’ve made a few of this style of card but mainly using Designer Series Paper (DSP) to decorate the front. This time I’ve gone with the Partial Embossing Technique as shown in this post here. The embossing folder I used is one from the July-December Mini Catalogue called Merry Melody 3D Embossing Folder and works perfectly with a number of sentiments from the For Unto Us stamp set – also in the mini.
It’s always nice having something on the inside of your card – either a stamped image or like this card I’ve carried the embossing theme to the inside and embossed one line of the music at the bottom of the insert.
As an extra for my project I included this cute Pillow Box which coordinates with the card and makes a lovely gift. The Pretty Pillow Box die includes the die to cut the Pillow Box plus a number of accessories to help ‘dress’ the box. I used some of the flowers on the card and the two labels on the box are also from the set. The sentiment on the box is from Tidings and Trimmings which is in the Annual Catalogue.
You can check out the other projects we made here. If you’d like to be a part of this fun community I’d love to have you join my team. You can check out more information on my Join My Team page.
Check back tomorrow when I’ll have another technique to share.
Yesterday we were meant to have had an ‘in person’ team training event but due to Covid we had to ‘pivot’ as they now say. So rather than cancel we went online which meant more people were able to attend. It was a fun day with presentations done via Facebook Live, a game via Zoom and then a catchup at the end of the day via Zoom.
I was one of the presenters which had been fine for when we were going to meet in person but with the change to virtual I had to do a crash course on doing a Facebook Live. Thankfully the ‘Photographic Department’ (aka hubby Phil) was able to supply a tripod that I could use and we were all go. On the whole it went well – I have a few things to sort out – so watch this space, I may be brave enough to start some Facebook Lives with you.
We made five projects – four featuring products from the July-December Mini Catalogue and one from the Sale-A-Bration Brochure.
This was the first of three projects presented by Jacque Williams featuring the Peaceful Place Designer Series Paper and the Deer Builder Punch. This Gate Fold card has an interlocking closure which was fun to create.
This project was presented by Angela Palmer and features products from the Gingerbread & Peppermint Suite. Angela showed us how to dry emboss using the Decorative Masks. Unfortunately I don’t have these so I used the Checks Embossing Folder and a sentiment from For Unto Us.
Jacque’s second project features the Blackberry Beauty Suite with a stunning masking technique using Blending Brushes. I love the colours of this suite. I used the Dragonfly Gardens stamp set as an alternative. Jacque also taught us how to make envelopes for our two square cards.
This was my project featuring a fun fold and technique of partial embossing. For a number of attendees this was the first time they’d done this technique. They also got to make this cute Pillow box which is part of the Gingerbread & Peppermint Suite.
Jacque’s last project is this fun card using the Penguin Playmates Designer Series Paper (DSP) which is one of the FREE items in the Sale-A-Bration brochure when you place an order of NZD$110 or more between now and the end of September. This is a great layout that can be used with any number of DSP’s.
We thoroughly enjoyed our day #teamdayoutnz and are very thankful we were still able to meet even – we are all hanging out to be able to meet ‘in person’.
Well that’s all from me for now. I’ll be back tomorrow to share more photos of my project.
It’s been some years since I made a Buckle Card and I’ve managed to recreate it with current products. Previously we used either the Word Window Punch or the Classic Label Punch to create the buckle but I managed to find a die that worked a treat from the Tasteful Labels dies.
To create this card start off with a base measuring 14.8cm x 17.2cm (instead of the normal 21cm) and score at 9cm. To decorate the front I used a piece of Designer Series Paper (DSP) from the Hand-Penned pack. One side of the paper is floral and the other a design and the Daffodil Delight design worked perfectly with my Pacific Point card base. The DSP measures 6.5cm x 14.3cm. Once adhered I then die cut the slit through all thicknesses. I really like the stitched effect from this die.
The ‘belt’ part of this card measures 4.8cm x 14cm and is scored at 9cm. I found it easiest to slot the long end through the hole and then adhere the small section to the card base – this way you get it lined up. Adhere you card insert and decorate away. I’m really loving the versatility of the Turtle Friends bundle. For this guy I stamped him in Memento on Basic White then coloured him in with Mint Macaron Stampin Blends. I restamped his outline on a scrap of Basic White then stamped the shell in Early Espresso and applied Shimmery Crystal Effects. After letting it dry overnight I coloured his shell with the Dark Crumb Cake Stampin Blend and attached with mini dimensionals. Mr Turtle is sitting on a scalloped rectangle die cut from the Stitched So Sweetly dies which has had Daffodil Delight ink applied using our Blending Brushes – if you don’t have a set of these you need to add them to your next order.
Aren’t these little guys cute – I think they just finish off the inside of the card. Now it’s ready for you to write a birthday greeting. On behalf of my company I send out birthday cards to all our staff – we now have over 200 – so my cards are always put to good use.
I hope you give this card style a go. How will you decorate your card?
Today’s technique is an easy one we can all do – it’s called CASEing (Copy And Share Everything). We often see a card design, a colour combination or a stamp set that inspires us for our own creation or we copy it exactly. This means we’ve CASEd someone else’s work and it’s great to give credit to that person and admit our card idea isn’t an original. CASEing is a great way to get the creative juices flowing again if you hit a wall with inspiration. Let me show you some examples of CASEing.
This was a card we made at a team training last year taught by my upline Jacque Williams. The banners are made using the now retired banner punch and DSP from First Frost and the In Color papers. The image is from the Queen Anne’s Lace set which is still current. The wider banners measure 2″ and the smaller one is 1″. This is a classic layout so I CASEd this design for another card using the same measurements and layout but changed the colours and stamp set.
As you can see my recreation is the same as the original – except I left the twine and sequins off. For this card I used the ‘Father/Daughter’ image from A Good Man and added a sentiment from Well Wishes. This layout design is a great one to use when you need a quick card plus it’s another way to use your DSP scraps – I’ve used two textures from In Good Taste.
As I was thinking about sharing this technique I decided to give this design a bit of a twist by rotating it 45 degrees so that the banners were horizontal. This is another form of CASEing – using a design but changing the orientation to better suit the stamp set you want to use. My new creation is a fun one using one of the Sale-A-Bration stamp sets and dies.
Isn’t this a cool card? The previous card designs were still my inspiration but I stepped it up and swapped the banners for current products – the Tailored Tags dies. The largest tag became my ‘canvas’ and I created my farm scene using the Counting Sheep stamp set and Sheep Dies from the Sale-A-Bration brochure. I swapped the two DSP banners for tags die cut from Granny Apple Green and Pacific Point cardstock.
I love how the Sheep Dies come with extra dies that can be used to create fun projects. The balloons have been die cut from Granny Apple Green, Pacific Point and Mango Melody while the sun is Daffodil Delight. I stamped my sheep with Memento Black as I wanted to colour him in with Stampin’ Blends. I used Gray Granite on his body and legs and Basic Black on his ears and feet. I’m so in love with our Blending Bushes and these were great for creating the backdrop for my ‘farm’.
Well there you have a lesson on CASEing – don’t forget to go back through some of your own favourite creations and CASE yourself by swapping out a stamp set, changing a colour combo or just recreating the project as you first did. Remember – if you do CASE from somebody else it’s always good to give that person credit where you can.
Don’t forget – if you place an order of NZD$110 or more with me between now and 30 September you get to select a FREE item from the Sale-A-Bration brochure.
Today’s card came together really quickly – thanks to some pieces already on my crafting desk. I knew the style of fold I wanted to share but hadn’t thought how to ‘dress it’ until I looked on my desk and saw some bits left over from a previous project.
As you may know I love fun fold cards and I’d seen a few of this design online and wanted to give it a go. It uses a sheet of cardstock measuring 14.8cm x 29.7cm for the base and then I used some of the left over for the belly band.
And here’s what it looks like when it’s opened up – I love that it can stand on it’s own. I altered the measurements a bit to make it easy to replicate. Score your base at 9.5cm and 20.2cm. Measure down 4cm from the top left and top right corner and make a pencil mark. Place your base in the trimmer and cut from the score line to the pencil mark – this creates the top angle. For the second measurement come in 2 1/2cm from the bottom left and bottom right. Place your base back in the trimmer and cut from the newly created point to the pencil mark to create the second angle.
The front left hand panel has been dry embossed with the Tasteful Texture Embossing Folder while the right hand panel has some Designer Series Paper (DSP) from the In Good Taste pack and a stamped image from the Beauty of Friendship set. The DSP measures 9cm x 14.3cm and is cut in the same method and with the same measurements as the card base.
My tag was already created and you can see my post here as to how I did that. The colours for my tree are Cajun Craze and Bumblebee and I used a length of Early Espresso Faux Suede Trim for the tie on the tag. The sentiment is from the Turtle Friends set.
I have another couple of these tags on my desk so I think I might make up another couple of cards using them over the weekend. What crafting plans do you have ready for the weekend?
Today I have another way for you to use your Designer Series Paper (DSP) and cardstock to create quick and easy cards. I’ve called this technique the ‘Puzzle Card’ technique. Read on to find out why.
For this technique you need 3 pieces of DSP (or a mix as I have here) measuring 9.5cm x 13.8cm. Stack them on top of each other then place in your trimmer and cut into three different sized pieces. The fun thing with this technique is you don’t need to measure – just place your stack on an angle and cut so that you have one smaller piece and one bigger piece. Place the bigger piece back in your trimmer and cut in two. One thing I would say is don’t cut right into a corner as it makes it a bit tricky when you put your pieces together. You will now have 9 pieces – mix them up so that you have one of each design then piece each set of three to complete a full card front. I’ve adhered mine to a Night of Navy mat measuring 10cm x 14.3cm then adhered this to a Thick Basic White card base.
I used two different designs of paper from the In Good Taste paper pack and a piece of Balmy Blue. Once the pieces were cut I dry embossed the Balmy Blue with three different embossing folder – here I used the Bark folder
and here I used the reverse side of the Hammered Metal for some real texture
and finally the Tasteful Texture folder. The sentiment is from Sweet Ice Cream and has been die cut using one of the dies from the Tasteful Labels dies. I’m going to use these cards for some of the work birthdays. It’s a quick and easy design to use when you need a stack of cards. As you can see you can use a portrait or landscape orientation with this design.
I hope you give this technique a go – it’s an easy puzzle to complete with only three pieces.
Last Friday I shared a Vertical Centre Step Card and today I have another variation on this design – it’s a Centre Step Easel Card that I found online created by a UK demo – Joanne James.
Isn’t he cute? The Turtle Friends bundle is so versatile – it doesn’t have to be just for the younger generation. It’s Father’s Day here in New Zealand in a couple of weeks so I wanted to be prepared. When I went looking for a sentiment I had to dig out the retired Well Written set as I don’t have any current sets with Happy Father’s Day.
I was so pleased to find a tutorial with metric measurements – the creation process is the same as last weeks card except this one has one more score line to make it into an Easel Card.
I thought this sentiment went so well for a Father’s Day card. My Turtle has been stamped in Memento Black then coloured in with the Gray Granite Stampin’ Blends before being punched out with the coordinating punch. I stamped a second outline with the shell then ‘fussy cut’ the shell out and adhered it with dimensionals. The clouds are created with Balmy Blue and my ‘go to’ cloud mask which has been die cut using the Basic Border Dies. I’m loving using the colour combo of Gray Granite and Merry Merlot – these colours work well for masculine cards.
Well that’s all for now. I hope you give this fun variation to a Centre Set Card a go. I look forward to seeing some of your creations.
