October 20, 2011: Established Elegance Step Card

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I actually made this card for a swap this past summer, and I ended up making a bunch extra so I had them for other occasions. I even sent one as a birthday card for Shelli Gardner (the co-founder of Stampin' Up!). I hope she liked it!

I used my favorite Crumb Cake as the base for my step card, and accented it with Baja Breeze Seam Binding. My panel is Very Vanilla, and I sponged the edges with Baja Breeze Classic Ink.

For the panel, I stamped images from Established Elegance and French Foliage in Soft Suede, Crumb Cake and Baja Breeze. My embellishment is more images from Established Elegance in Soft Suede and Baja Breeze, punched out with the 1 1/4" and 3/4" Circle Punches, and topped with an Antique Brad. So vintage!

August 10, 2011: Tri-Shutter Hope Card

Pin It Now! I really love tri-shutter cards, but boy - are they hard to photograph! I'm never able to get the inside the way I want. :)

This one was actually my original design for my fun folds class in June, but I ended up going with a different tri-shutter card. For this one, I used a base of Very Vanilla, and added circles to the front in Soft Suede and Regal Rose cut with my Circle Scissor. I Sponged all the edges in Regal Rose, and stamped the words from Strength & Hope (in the Summer Mini Catalog, with $2 for each set sold going to Breast Cancer Research!) in Soft Suede and Regal Rose on all the panels. I also added the H from Strength & Hope in Soft Suede to the back.

For my front, I stamped the butterfly from Strength & Hope in Regal Rose on So Saffron Cardstock and cut it out, and added a Decorative Label Punchie in Very Vanilla from Four Frames in Soft Suede. The sentiment in the center is from the now-retired Silhouette Sentiments in Regal Rose.

My center panel is Very Vanilla matted on Soft Suede, and I clipped the edges with the Ticket Corner Punch and added a sentiment in Regal Rose from the stamp set Word Play.


I really liked this one - but I did think it was a little busy. And way too much Sponging for a large class with only one Regal Rose Ink Pad!

July 17, 2011: Flip Flop Card on Etsy

Pin It Now! Another card from my Fun Folds class last month. I've seen a lot of names attributed to this card, but I think it is most often called a flip flop card?? Anyway, I think it's a great fun one and people love receiving one!

For this card I used a base of Chocolate Chip Cardstock cut with the Big Shot and the Top Note Die. I topped the front with another Top Note in Very Vanilla, and matted the inside with a third Top Note in Baja Breeze. Whenever I do dark cards I always put in a light lining - and the Top Note Die is a super simple way of doing just that!

For my front, I stamped in the script from Strength & Hope in the Summer Mini Catalog in Baja Breeze, and added a fancy daisy to the front. For the daisy I used the Daisies #2 Die with Rose Red and Baja Breeze cardstock.

The center is the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch in Chocolate Chip; I punched out four and ran them each four times through the Paper Crimper to break down the fibers. Then, each ones peels apart into two layers. I layered all eight together and punched the middle with my 1/16" Handheld Punch, then stuck them together with a Silver Brad. Each flower layer is then bunched and gathered straight up, then fluffed to make a carnation shape - or, in this case, a fluffy flower center!

It's a bit thick for an envelope - more of a hand delivery card - but I think its great fun. I listed this one on Etsy, too, if you would like your own!!

July 16, 2011: Open House Day

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It's here!! My first Open House tarts at 2PM today. I'm not quite ready yet, but I will be! See you there. :)

This is another of the cards I made for my Fun Folds class last month. This one is also available on my Etsy shop. :)

I love easel cards. They fold flat (hugely important for mailing purposes), but can stand up on their own for a shelf or desk. What more can you ask from a card?!?! For this one, I wanted to focus on fun, bright summery colors.

My base card is Whisper White, and I used the standard formula for easel cards: fold in half, then fold one end in half again. This always makes a perfect easel! I stamped the flourish from Elements of Style in Regal Rose Classic Ink on Regal Rose cardstock and matted it on the lower front. The butterfly from Strength & Hope (In the Summer Mini Catalog) is also stamped in Regal Rose Classic Ink on a strip of Regal Rose Cardstock to make my "stop" for the card.

The butterfly is a little long for the 2 1/2" Circle Punch - Stampin' Up!'s largest punch. So I put each end of my strip through the bottom of the punch one at a time to clip the ends. Almost like a 3" Circle Punch. :) The stop is mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals for lift.

For my focal image, I used Tempting Turquoise Cardstock and the Clear Scallop Square Bigz Die, and cut a strip off the bottom to make it fit my A2 card. On top, I matted a So Saffron Cardstock square with strips of Regal Rose Cardstock, mounted it on Stampin' Dimensionals and topped the whole thing with Whisper White cut with the Lattice Bigz Die. I LOVE this die! So versatile and beautiful.

My central image is the script from Strength & Hope stamped in Regal Rose Classic Ink on Whisper White, topped with the H from the same set in Soft Suede Classic Ink. I punched it out with the Wide Oval Punch and just barely touched the edge with the Soft Suede Ink Pad and mounted it on a Stampin' Dimensional.

This one has a ton of pop!

July 9, 2011: Stepped Panel Card - FOR SALE!!

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This was another favorite from my Fun Folds Class last month. I've seen this card under several different names, but I think it is commonly called a stepped panel card.

For this one I used a base of Crumb Cake, again cut with a sliding Paper Cutter. Using a Bone Folder is super important to get crisp score and fold lines!

For my Very Vanilla panel, I stamped the bottom in Pink Pirouette with the scrolly stamp from Strength & Hope from the Summer Mini Catalog, then pieced the frilly little tutu on top. The tutu top is Pink Pirouette punched with the Round Tab Punch - SOOOO versatile!! - with a little bit of the end notched out with the 1" Circle Punch to make a neckline. The top is then stamped with Always Elegant in Crumb Cake and embellished with a tiny bow of Pretty in Pink 1/8" Taffeta (now retired). The bow sticks on easily with a Mini Glue Dot.

The skirt is punched with the Blossoms Petal Punch from Vellum, some of which I sponged with Perfect Plum Classic Ink. It's hard to see in the picture, but sponging vellum gives it a beautiful, mottled look; just make sure you give it plenty of time to dry before punching!

The card is finished off with a strip of Victorian Lace. One of my all time favorite color combos!

This card is for sale in my Etsy Shop HERE. :)