Posted in Cardmaking

Holiday Tri-Fold Card – Tutorial

When I saw this sentiment set and this die, I knew I wanted to create a dramatic tri-fold card. I actually made two of these as I was trying to figure out the best way to create it. I will share with you my tips and tricks.

I used the following products to create this card:

~The Nativity wafer die set

~Stacked Holiday Sentiments stamp set

~A2 Arches

~Gold Embossing Powder

~Fog cardstock

~ Blue cardstock

~ Dark grey cardstock

~12 x 12 gray cardstock (or blue)

Directions:

  • Die cut The Nativity die 2 times from gold glitter card stock. Save one of the gold stars that cut out – this will be used on the last panel.
  • Using the largest A2 Arch die, cut 6 arches from a dark grey cardstock.
  • Using the next size smaller A2 arch, cut 3 blue arches.
  • Using the Nativity die as a guide, find the closest A2 arch to match it, and die cut 2 from Fog cardstock. (when I first made this, I used vellum, but the glue showed through, so I opted for the Fog cardstock. I think the Fog cardstock gives the illusion of vellum.)
  • Emboss the “Silent Night” sentiment, in gold embossing powder, centered on the bottom of one of the blue panels. I masked the “Holy Night” off a post-it so I only inked up the “Silent Night” portion. Then I did the opposite to emboss “Holy Night” to the bottom, center of another blue panel.
  • On the third blue arched panel, I embossed the “All is calm, All is bright” sentiment. I added a gold star from step one above the sentiment.
  • Adhere the fog arches to the blue panels above the sentiment and then adhere the glitter gold Nativity on top of the fog arch. See photo below for placement guidance.
  • Adhere the blue arch, centered onto the larger grey arch.
  • Using a 12 x 12 piece of cardstock, cut a strip 3″ x 12″.
  • Score that piece at 4″ and 8″ and zig zag fold it. This will become our “hinges” that hold the card together.
  • Adhere the first panel of the card to the first 4″ section of the “hinge” piece. Be sure to line up the bottom of the panel with the bottom of the hinge and make sure you have room to fold the next panel. (refer to my completed card to get the proper fold sequence, photo below). You will repeat this process with the next two panels. You may need to trim a tiny bit of the “hinge” edges once this step is complete.
  • Now it is time to cover up the “hinge” from the back side view. Simply match up the other three, blank grey panels on to the back of each blue panel, mimicking the front design. Be sure to take your time and you will end up with a neat, crisp finished card.
  • If you wanted to add even more dimension, you could use foam tape to pop up the blue from the grey arch. You could also cut a few more Nativities, out of scrap cardstock, and layer those together. This card is a bit on the heavier side, so keep that in mind when thinking about adding more dimension.

I hope this helps explain how I created this card. If you have any more questions, please leave me a comment or message me directly.

Thanks for stopping by!

Posted in Cardmaking

Fall Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop: Pumpkin Spice Time

It’s that time again! Time to hop along and get inspired. I was inspired to create a pumpkin spice/Fall themed card.

I used the following products from Newton’s Nook Designs:

Autumn Coffees stamps and dies, Autumn Postage stamps and dies, Postage Stamp Layout die and the Framework die set.

A friend recently gave me a recipe to make Pumpkin Spice Lattes at home. I thought I’d share this with you.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

  • 2 shots espresso or ½ cup cold brew or strongly brewed coffee
  • 1 cup milk, any kind
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Heaping ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, plus more for dusting
  • Pinch sea salt
  • Whipped cream, for topping, optional
  • Cinnamon sticks, for garnish, optional

Directions:

  1. In a small pot, combine the espresso, milk, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Whisk over low heat until well combined and warmed through.
  2. Pour into a mug. If desired, top with whipped cream and a dusting of pumpkin pie spice and garnish with cinnamon sticks.

I hope my card and this recipe inspire you! Enjoy the hop and thanks for stopping by!

Mary

Posted in Cardmaking

And Everything Nice Release from Simon Says Stamp (and giveaway!)

Simon Says Stamp has just unveiled their latest release, and it is filled with fresh products perfect for holiday papercrafting and beyond. I couldn’t wait to dive in and create with the stunning new products!

This clean and simple card features the brand new Peacebird stamp set and the Hopeful Peacebird wafer die set.

To create this card, I started by die cutting the Hopeful Peacebird out of Simon Says Stamp white glitter card stock. I also cut it 3 more times out of white scrap card stock. I adhered those together using liquid glue. I die cut the leaf branch 5 times out of green card stock. Next, I added glitter texture paste to the leaves to add a little sparkle. While the paste was drying, I cut a gray panel to 4″ x 5 1/4″. I layed out my die cut pieces to determine where I wanted the sentiment to be placed. I stamped the sentiment from the Peacebird stamp set with embossing ink. I heat embossed it with white embossing powder and then adhered the die cuts. Lastly, I adhered the gray panel to a top folding A2 card base. A matching envelope makes this card extra special!

I have a special giveaway for one of my blog readers: the adorable Warm Thoughts stamp set ! Please leave a comment and I will pick a random winner on Sunday, November 9th.

Be sure to check out the entire new release here: https://www.simonsaysstamp.com/collections/and-everything-nice

Thanks for stopping by!!

Mary

Posted in Cardmaking

Sugar and Spice Release from Simon Says Stamp

It’s release day over at Simon Says Stamp and it’s full of all kinds of goodness! If you are looking to create gorgeous, holiday cards, this release has everything you need from stamps, dies, stencils, and embossing folders to inks.

Today I am sharing a card featuring a few brand new products:

~Leafy Wreath embossing folder

~Label Slides Christmas stamps

~Label Slides die set

~Twisted Arch Tree die set (previously released)

Isn’t this wreath so pretty? I used the blackout technique to create my card. I love how quickly this came together. On the debossed side, I used various Distress inks to add color to the leaves. Then using my brayer, I used dark blue inks to fill in the background. I love the mottled texture this gave to the background. The blue is a nice compliment to the oranges and yellows of the leaves. Have you tried this technique?

Be sure to check out the whole release here: https://www.simonsaysstamp.com/collections/sugar-and-spice

Thanks for stopping by!

Posted in Cardmaking

It’s STAMPtember!

It’s the most wondeful time of the year! Get ready for a month-long celebration of stamping, inspiration, and community. I can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on!

Today’s card features two new products from Simon Says Stamp: Haunted Pumpkin die set and Dotted Spiral embossing folder. I loved combining these two new products to create this spooky card.

Step 1: Create the Background

Cut a piece of black cardstock to 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″. Lightly spritz the cardstock with water, place inside the embossing folder and run it through your die cutting machine. Be sure to use the proper “sandwich” for a 3D embossing folder.

Next, splatter the embossed piece with Pawsitively Perfect White Splatter Medium. Set aside to dry.

Using a white pigment ink pad, gently run it across the top of the black embossed panel. Be careful to not push hard on the ink pad – you just want the raised areas to get inked.

Step 2: Diecutting

Die cut 3 ghosts from white cardstock. If you want to add more dimesion, die cut a couple extra of each ghost and stack them together with liquid adhesive.

Trim the black embossed panel to 5 1/4″ x 4″. Cut another piece of black cardstock to 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″.

Choose a sentiment from the Spooky Salutations Reverse Sentiment Strips (or anothere set) and trim it out. Color the white edge of the strip with a black marker.

Step 3: Assemble Card

Adhere the black embossed panel to the center of the larger black panel. Adhere the sentiment to the center of the spiral pattern. Next, adhere the ghosts around the sentiment. Add a few silver sequins or stars to add a little more sparkle. Lastly, adhere the whole thing to an A2 card base.

Super quick and spooky cute!

Be sure to check out the entire new STAMPtember release here: https://www.simonsaysstamp.com/collections/stamptember

Simon Says Stamp is having a huge Instagram party tomorrow! Lots of freebies and tons of inspiration. See you there!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Posted in Cardmaking

Simon Says Stamp: Friend Like You New Release – Blog Hop

Welcome to another day of inspiration, this time featuring the beautiful Dahlia Background stamp. This large floral is so pretty and very versatile! It could be colored with various mediums, simply stamped or stamped and embossed. It is stunning!

The Dahlia Background is the star of this card! I love this gorgeous illustration and the detail it adds to my card. I stamped it with embossing ink and heat embossed with white embossing powder onto a kraft A2 card panel. Next, using the A2 rectangles, I diecut a frame out of white cardstock. Several flowers were cut using the Fine Floral die and a few different colors of cardstock. I adhered those to the corners of the frame. I did pop up the red flower using thin adhesive squares. To complete the card, I stamped the sentiment from the EZ Strips Everyday stamp and die set, in Simon Says Stamp Punch ink. This set gave me lots of sentiments all ready to add to lots of cards. (Such a time saver!!)

I loved this stamp so much, I created another card featuring it!

This time, I stamped the Dahlia Background stamp onto watercolor paper. Using Tim Holtz’s watercolor pencils, I watercolored the dahlias. Watercoloring is very relaxing and I don’t attempt it enough. Since I wanted the dahlias to be focus, I decided to make center step card. I used this die to create the card base and cut the image panels. The little banner is also a die from this die set. The sentiment is again from the EZ Strips Everyday stamp and die set. It fit nicely on the bottom of the card panel.

Isn’t this fun? And it folds flat to fit into a standard A2 envelope. I love how this turned out.

***Simon Says Stamp is offering a free gift with any purchase from this release. The adorable “You 2” stamp set will be added to your cart, while supplies last, or through June 29. Also, one lucky commentor on this post will win a $25 gift card to Simon Says Stamp! So be sure to leave a comment below for your chance to win. One winner will be chosen from each blog. Winners will be announced July 2nd on the Simon Says Stamp blog.***

Your next stop on the hop is: Enza Gudor You are going to love what she created!

Be sure to check out the entire release here: https://www.simonsaysstamp.com/collections/friend-like-you

Thanks for stopping by! Don’t forget to comment for a chance to win.

Posted in Cardmaking

Three Floral Cards : Simon Says Stamp Friend Like You New Release

I am so excited to share a few cheerful floral cards I created for the brand new Friend Like You release from Simon Says Stamp. These cards spotlight the gorgeous new Rose Branch die. It is safe to say I am smitten with these bold, textured leaves. It is such a versatile die that works beautifully for birthdays, anniversaries or everyday notes. I needed to refill my stash of birthday cards, and these examples will show you how quickly and easily these can come together.

Card 1: Just For You A7 Card

This larger A7 card embraces rich, earthy greens, bright yellow, and a touch of gold. To begin, I die cut lots of the Rose Branch leaves out of green cardstock and carefully inked the edges of the leaves to add depth. I layered two branches to fill the background and cut a additional leaf to place behind the flower. The flower was created by diecutting different cardstocks with the Bold Flowers Wafer die. The warm colors of the flower bring a sunny contrast to the dark green card base. I added some dots to the center of the flower using an embossing ink pen. Then, I added gold embossing powder and heat set it. The gold heat embossed sentiment is from the EZ Strips Everyday stamp set (also newly released) and was layered onto gold cardstock cut with the A2 Rectangles Wafer die set.

Bonus Cards:

For this card, I brought back the happy yellows, but swapped the background for clean white and made this card a standard A2 size. The contrast between the bright flower and the white space really pop. To fit more leaves, I cut a few off of the stem and tucked them in the right corner. The sentiment is from the Celestial Wishes stamp set and stamped in Simon Says Stamp Honey Pawsitively Saturated Ink. To make it extra special, I plan to mail it in this pretty yellow envelope.

This blue version is very similiar to the previous card and is an even more clean and simple card. This time, I used the branch more like a stem for this floral card. This just shows how you can get lots of different looks from one die. I stamped the sentiment in Simon Says Stamp Ocean ink. Again, I added a matching envelope to make this birthday card even more special.

The whole release can be found here: https://www.simonsaysstamp.com/collections/friend-like-you

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope these cards inspire you to try out the Rose Branch die and bring a little handmade joy to someone’s mailbox. Be sure to come back tomorrow for more inspiration and a special offer!

Posted in Cardmaking

Simon Says Stamp: Moments In Time Release

It’s time once again for another spectacular release from Simon Says Stamp! This release truly has something for everyone. There is lovely seasonal inspiration and fun products and tools for year-round creativity.

I always need lots of thank you cards. Do you? I thought creating a thank you card for this release was a perfect way to combine new and old products.

I used the following products to create my card:

~Giggle Thank You die

~Bright Butterflies die set

~Flourishing Bloom Plate die (previously released)

~Pawsitively Saturated Ink in these colors

I rarely use orange, but these ink colors are so pretty! I was going for an ombre effect with the butterflies. I really like how this turned out.

I hope you will check out the whole release here: https://www.simonsaysstamp.com/collections/moments-in-time

Thanks for stopping by!

Mary

Posted in Cardmaking

Simon Says Stamp You Are My Favorite Release

Welcome to day one of the You Are My Favorite release hop. Simon Says Stamp is offering a FREE gift when you order $30 or more from the new release. See the graphic below for details.

Sympathy cards can be some of the hardest to create, but also the most meaningful to send. Today, I am sharing a soft and subtle design using products from the new release at Simon Says Stamp. I thought these products were perfect for expressing heartfelt thoughts during difficult times.

I used the following Simon Says Stamp products used to create this card:

~Fresh Sprigs embossing folder

~Inside Greetings stamp set

~Fog card stock

I started by cutting a piece of Fog card stock to 4″ x 5 1/4.” I lightly spritzed it with water, placed it inside the Fresh Sprigs embossing folder and ran it through my Spellbinders Platinum machine.

Next, using finger daubers, I lightly inked up the flowers in Pawsitively Saturated ink in Dew and inked the greenery with Pearfection. I stamped the sentiment from the new Inside Greetings stamp set using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

To finish the card, I adhered the completed panel to a top folding A2 card base.

If you are looking for a versatile sentiment set, Inside Greetings is a must have. It has a variety of sentiments and they are in such pretty fonts.

Be sure to check out the entire release here: https://www.simonsaysstamp.com/collections/you-are-my-favorite

Let me know in the comments what your favorite new product is! Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon to every stop on the hop from your blog comment section – so be sure to leave a comment! And tomorrow there will be another amazing blog hop!!

Simon Says Stamp Blog
Caly Person
Barbara Tarayao
Heather Hoffman
Keisha Charles
Lisa Addesa
Emily Midgett
Emma Williams
Mindy Eggen
Bobbi Lemanski
Lorraine Aquilina
Rachel Alvarado
Barb Engler
Nicki Baxley
Dana Joy
Mary Reiner

Thanks for stopping by,

Mary

Posted in Cardmaking

Happy Easter! Rain or Shine Release from Simon Says Stamp

Spring has arrived and what better way to celebrate than with an adorable Easter card? Simon Says Stamp’s Rain or Shine release is filled with fresh, cheerful products perfect for the season! Today I am sharing a card that features some of my favorites from the collection.

This card features the Darling Duckling wafer dies and the Argyle Builder stencil set. The Darling Duckling is the star of this card. It was so easy to die cut and now the dies have no tabs to snip. That is such a great feature!

The soft, textured background, created by using the 3 piece Argyle Builder stencil is giving this card a classic, Springy look. Stenciling is a fun and simple technique that always gives great results.

I also used the following Simon Says Products:

~Hippity Hoppity stamps and dies (sentiment)

~Spring Time Celebration Plate (floral accents)

~Seafoam and Surf Pawsitively Saturated Inks

Combining all of these products made the sweetest Easter card.

Have you started making your Easter cards yet? Be sure to check out the entire release: https://www.simonsaysstamp.com/collections/rain-or-shine

Thanks for stopping by!