It’s All About The Candy

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It’s all about the candy, right? I’m talking about Valentines Day. Where would Valentine’s day be with out the heart shaped box of chocolates or the fun little pink and red treats?

Valentines Day may be all about candy but so is this sheet of Stampin’ Up!’s Sweet Talk Designer Series Paper. This sheet of paper is perfect for this easy-peasy Fun Fold!

This card isn’t so much a Fun Fold as it is a unique card design. The cardstock portion of the card isn’t the usual 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ scored at 4 1/4″. The cardstock portion of this card is 5 1/2″ x 5 1/4″ with the score mark at 1″ on the 5 1/4″ edge.

The designer paper is cut at 5 1/4″ x 4″ and adhered to the 1″ flap of the cardstock. In the second photo that I’ve posted here you can see that the designer paper is not butted up against the fold of the cardstock. To get the designer paper lined up properly, I opened the cardstock and centered the designer paper on the large section. I placed my adhesive on the 1″ flap (being careful not to get it too close to the center fold) and then closed the cardstock so the adhesive adhered to the designer paper.

There are a couple of things you want to remember when working with the white insert for your card. First of all want to cut it slightly smaller than 5 1/4″ x 4″. You do this to make sure that none of the white shows when the card is closed.

The second thing to note is that you’re not going to just place adhesive on the back of the white cardstock and adhere it to the inside of the card. You’re going to place the adhesive on the back of the white cardstock and then center the front of the white cardstock on the backside of the designer paper. Once you have the white cardstock centered, you will close the card and your white cardstock should be perfectly centered on the inside of the card.

This card design will work for any of your favorite patterned papers. I’ve written up step-by-step directions for this card which include dimensions and supplies. You can view them here. Have fun creating your own Designer Paper Card Front Fun Fold card! Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

You Make Me Happy!

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Happy New Year! Yes, It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. Life got busy and I decided I needed a little down time. I have to admit it was wonderful not stressing about making samples and sharing them online. But, I’m back! Recharged and ready to go!

Stampin’ Up!’s January – June Mini Catalog and the new Sale-a-bration Brochure

It’s a January and in Stampin’ Up!’s world that means it’s time for a new Mini Catalog and Sale-a-bration! What a wonderful time of the year!

The Mini Catalog is full of fabulous new products that I know you’re going to love. You can view the online catalog here or you can head on over to my online store to view all of these wonderful products.

During Sale-a-bration you can choose a free Sale-a-bration product when you spend $50 or $100 (before tax and shipping). How often do you get to choose free products when spending money? Ha! There are some really cute items for you to choose from. You can view the Sale-a-bration Brochure online here or you can head over to my online store and view the items here.

Rainbow of Happiness Bundle Card Sketch

It’s Thursday so that means it’s Card Sketch Day! Today’s card is made using products from both the Mini Catalog AND the Sale-a-bration Brochure! How’s that for coordination?!

The sentiment is from the Rainbow of Happiness stamp set and the rainbow is die cut using the Brillian Rainbow Dies. The designer paper I used on the card is from the Sunshine & Rainbows package of Designer Paper that is one of the items you can choose for free from the Sale-a-bration Brochure!

This package of paper has some really fun designs that are perfect for coordinating with the Rainbow of Happiness Bundle or just using on their own. I chose one of the simpler designs that coordinated with the colors that I used in my rainbow.

Here’s the card sketch that I used. I really like using these sketches because they’re fairly simple. I have a hard time doing simple and this gives me practice with it.

This card came together pretty quickly. Click here to view a PDF that has supplies used, dimensions and directions on making the card.

Get those supplies out and create your own card using this sketch. I’d love to see what you create! You can either post your photo in the comments or email me your card at cindy@stampbystampcreations.com.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping! Don’t forget that you make me happy! 🙂

It’s Gorgeous!

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Late last week I received my order that contained the absolutely GORGEOUS Ever Eden Specialty Designer Series Paper.  The only colors in this pack of paper are Evening Evergree, Soft Succulent, Basic White and Gold Foil.  Be sure to check out this paper here.  Did I mention that it’s gorgeous? 😊

Needless to say, I had to use it on today’s card.  Actually, I have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot of projects made with this paper in the next three months.  I can’t seem to get enough of it!  Let’s get to today’s Make it Mine project.  It shows off one of the lovely patterns of this paper pack.

Ever Eden Card

The paper pattern on this card is one of the ones that has gold foil on it. It’s hard to tell but the little dots around the leaves are the gold foil. Working with this paper is so easy because there are only a few colors that you’re working with.

As you can see on both pictures, I used one of the dies in the Eden Dies to cut the leafy pattern on the edge of the card front. So pretty. The decorative edge really makes the card and ties in nicely with the designer paper.

Here you can see the card that inspired me. I definitely made it into a “Cindy card” with all of the layers I added. The things I did take from Jaimie’s card was the designer paper (although I did use a different pattern) and the decorative edge on the card front.

Both Jaimie and I used sentiments from the Eden’s Garden stamp set. The sentiments are one of the things that really drew me to this stamp set.

Jaimie stamped her sentiment on a label that was die cut using the Eden Dies. The labels on my card are from the Tasteful Labels Dies and a Layering Circle Die.

I’ll finish this post by once again telling you how much I love this Ever Eden Designer Series Paper. Don’t forget that this paper is only available through Jan 3rd or while supplies last!

Have a great day. Take care and Happy Stamping!

Full Panel Gatefold Card

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Full Panel Gatefold Card

Last Spring I started sharing Gatefold cards with you and there were many different types.  Today’s card is a slight modification to the original Gatefold card.  To see my post on the original Gatefold card just click here.

Today’s Full Pane Gatefold card differs from the original Gatefold card in that the front focal piece of the card is larger.  It’s also slightly easier to make because on the original Gatefold card you decorate both side panels with designer paper and need to place them so they align together at the center opening.  On today’s modification you just need to choose your favorite piece of designer paper, layer it on a coordinating piece of cardstock and adhere it to the left flap of the card.  Easy Peasy!  This card is a great way to showcase Stampin’ Up!’s gorgeous designer series papers while at the same time featuring a fun fold.

Here you can see the inside of this fun fold. The base of the card is the regular 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″. Instead of scoring in half at the 4 1/4″ you want the card folded at 2 1/8″ from each side. To make sure the edges of my card meet up perfectly in the center when closed I make one score mark at 2 1/8″. I then fold the card along that score line and then instead of scoring another mark I just fold the right side of the card closed and make sure the edges meet up and then just crease well. This way you know those edges will match up perfectly. Sometimes when you score you may not have the paper lined up exactly and the edges don’t meet up exactly. Just a quick little tip.

I used the same supplies on this card as I did on a Make-It-Mine card a few weeks ago. I love this pattern of the Beauty of the Earth Designer Papers and this color scheme. The sentiment is from the Time of Giving stamp set.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

It’s a Cat and Dog Card Sketch

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Are you a cat lover or dog lover?  Maybe you just love animals in general.  If so, then the Sweet Stockings suite of products in Stampin’ Up!’s July – December Mini Catalog is for you!   The stamp set and the designer paper are all about cats and dogs (and a few other critters)!  The designer paper is adorable and has some great designs on the sides that don’t feature animals.  I don’t have the stamp set/bundle but I do have the paper and decided I wanted to try for this card sketch.

Pretty darn cute if you ask me!  You’ve got to love the critters hanging out of their stockings!  To darn cute.  I paired that with one of the patterns and a sentiment to complete my card.

Enough about these cute critters! We’re suppose to be talking about card sketches today. Ha!

What do you think? Did I stick close to today’s sketch? I only added one extra layer and changed the orientation of the card. I think that’s a win! This sketch was perfect for highlighting cute designer paper. Give it a try with your favorite designer paper!

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Grateful

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Sparkle of the Season Fall Card

Grateful.  It’s something we should always be.  No matter how tough things can get there is always something, big or small, that we can be grateful for.  One thing I am grateful for is that I get to play with all of my crafting supplies and create things to share with you.

Today I wanted to share a Fall wreath with you using Stampin’ Up!’s Sparkle of the Season Bundle.  I’ve seen lots of cards made with this versatile bundle but the card that inspired me had pumpkins on it so that’s the direction I went this week.

When you view the card that inspired me you will notice that there aren’t a lot of similarities between the two cards. I took a lot of creative license with this Make-It-Mine project.

The first thing that I saw on this card by Karen that I wanted to use was the Cork Specialty Paper. It adds that special little touch to a project. The second thing I wanted to incorporate on my card was the double wreath. The second wreath adds another level of dimension to the card.

Instead of copying what Karen did, I combined those two points of inspiration into one. I die cut one of the wreaths on my card from the Cork Specialty Paper. I love how it turned out! When I set it against a Early Espresso colored wreath the cork really popped.

The only other thing that I really took from the inspiration card to my own was to include the three pumpkins on my wreath. Other than those few things there aren’t a lot of other similarities between the cards. That’s ok though. The whole point of Make-It-Mine Monday is to get inspired and find a starting point for my project.

Give it a try. Go get inspired! Maybe start with my card and move on from there. I’d love to see what you come up with! Have a great day. Take care and Happy Stamping!

The Colors of Fall Strap Fold Card

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Ah, the colors of Fall.  That’s what I like best about Stampin’ Up!’s Beauty of the Earth Designer Series Paper….the colors!  This Strap Fold fun fold was the perfect choice for highlighting this paper because I got to use two large panels of it.  Doesn’t this paper design remind you of a pile of leaves that you can jump in?  Ok….that your kids or grandkids could jump in?

This fun fold is pretty easy to make.  You just need to be a little strategic when adhering the strap so that you don’t see it when you open the card.  For the card itself, not including the focal point label and leaf and the inside piece for you message, you only need three pieces of cardstock and two pieces of designer paper.  Here are the dimensions:

Cardstock:  5 ½” x 4 ¼”, 4 ¾” x 3 ½” and 1 ½” x 4 ¼” scored at 1 ¼”

Designer Paper:  5 ¼” x 4, 4 ½” x 3 ¼”

The small section of the strap will be sandwiched between the large base piece of cardstock and the large piece of designer paper.  When you adhere the strap to the cardstock be sure to line up the folded edge of the strap with the left edge of the cardstock.

The large section of the strap will be sandwiched between the smaller front piece of cardstock and the small piece of designer paper.  To make sure I got everything lined up straight I used temporary adhesive to adhere the top piece of cardstock to the base.  A sticky note or two will work also.  I then folded the strap over the top piece of cardstock and used a pencil to lightly draw around the edges.  This showed me where to place the adhesive on the cardstock piece.  Once I had applied the adhesive I again “closed” the strap and then adhered the small piece of designer paper.  The basic card is now complete and ready to be decorated!

The label on my card is die-cut using the Tasteful Labels dies and the leaf is die-cut using the Stitched Leaves Dies.  Such a fun card!  The inside piece of Basic White cardstock is 4 ½” x 3 ¼”.  It needs to be slightly smaller than the front piece of cardstock so it doesn’t show when the card is closed.

Happy Fall Y’all and enjoy those colors!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

A Winter Wonderland Card Sketch

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Ah, Winter! Ok, I’m really not ready for Winter yet but I love this designer paper and it was perfect for today’s card sketch. Unfortunately, my photograph doesn’t do the card justice. Not only is there white snow on the trees, there is also silver snow on the trees to complete the gorgeous scene. I embossed the sentiment with silver embossing powder to coordinate with the silver on the trees.

The background is a piece of the Peaceful Place Specialty Designer Series Paper. (#156394 $15). This paper is gorgeous!  Grays, black, white and silver.  The sheet of paper that this scene came from had four different 6” x 6” sections with the same scene.  Perfect for those easy cards! The sentiment is from the Heartfelt Wishes stamp set (#156541 $21) in Stampin’ Up!’s July – December Mini Catalog. I love the font!

I wanted to use black ink on a strip of Basic White cardstock, but the background of the trees has a little too much gray in it and the white just didn’t look right.  My next choice was black, and it worked perfectly!

It is Card Sketch Day, so I should probably share with you the sketch I was trying to copy.  Did you notice that I used the exact number of layers on my card as the sketch shows? Unbelievable! Ha! The only thing I changed was the orientation of the card. I made my card in a landscape orientation so I could use the gorgeous Peaceful Place paper.

What supplies are you going to use to try your hand with this card sketch? Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Make It Mine: Pretty In Pink

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It’s time to step away from Fall, Halloween, and Christmas for a bit.  I love making cards and projects for those occasions but today I felt like switching it up.  With the days becoming shorter and cooler it’s time for a little pretty in pink to brighten things up.

This color combination is one of my favorites and I love the contrast between the two colors.  The little window with a peek at the outline of the flower bouquet is gorgeous.  The flower bouquet outline is from Stampin’ Up!’s Artistic Dies.  Of course you can’t go wrong adding a little sparkle with a bow made with the Black Glittered Organdy Ribbon.  This card makes me smile!

I had seen the card that inspired me (thank you Arlene!) months ago and had saved it on my computer in a special place so I could Make It Mine at some point in time. Lucky you that today is that day!

When I saw Arlene’s card I knew I had to recreate it.  But being me, I had to change some things up.  I really only changed a few things.  I changed the color of the card base from pink to black for a little more contrast on the card.  I did the same with “frame” for the window changing from white to black.  The last thing I changed was leaving the sentiment off the front of the card. 

I hope this card brightens your day as much as it did mine.  Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Cookies and a Fun Fold

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I love fun fold cards!  They make an ordinary card a bit more special.  When I find a fun fold that I want to recreate and it’s only called “fun fold” the hard part begins.  What do I call it? How do I describe it to you?  That’s where my unoriginal descriptive names come in.  Ha!

I am calling today’s fun fold the Side Flap Fun Fold because…it has a side flap.  Yep.  Original.  Whatever….let’s forget about the name and talk about how to make this fun card.  Basically, you take a regular-sized card, trim the front and add the side flap.  Easy peasy.

The base is 5 ½” x 7 ½” or a regular 5 ½” x 8 ½” card base with 1” trimmed off the front of the card.  The side flap is 3 ½” x 3”.  Score at the 3” mark on the 3 ½” side.  The ½” section of the flap is the part that gets adhered to the inside of the card back. 

After you’ve folded the card base along the score line it’s time to adhere the flap.  Fold the flap all the score line.  With the flap still folded, place adhesive on the small section.  Now, with the card base open, line up the fold of the flap with the right edge of the card base.  Adhere the flap to the card base.  That’s it.  You’ve made the Side Flap Fun Fold.  Now it’s time to decorate.

I used products form Stampin’ Up!’s Gingerbread & Peppermint Suite of products.  The sentiment on the inside of the card is from the Frosted Gingerbread stamp set and the “cookies” on the flap of the card are cut using the coordinating Gingerbread dies.  I love how you can die cut the “cookie” and the intricate “frosting”.  I just wish I could make cookies that look so good.  Ha!  The designer paper is from the Gingerbread & Peppermint Designer Series Paper pack.  Gotta love all that coordination!  The jewels on the “cookies” are Wonderful Gems.

Here are some additional dimensions for the layers on the card.
Basic White:  5 ¼” x 4”, 5 ¼” x 3”, 2 ¾” x 2 ¾” Designer Paper:  5” x 2 ¾”

This was a pretty easy fun fold card to make.  I hope you’re enjoying fun folds as much as I am.  Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Just In Case

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Happy Tails

My cousin’s dog moved on to Doggy Heaven last week and I wanted to make them a doggy sympathy card.  Luckily, I had saved the Happy Tails stamp set as well as the Dog Punch.

I’m calling today’s card Throwback Thursday and a Make It Mine Card Sketch because:

a) The stamp set and punch I used are retired

b) Two of the embossing folders I used on my project are retired

c) The dies I used are retired

d) I made up my own card sketch (Ha!)

As you can see, I used a lot of retired products on this card.  This is why my craft room is so messy.  I hang on to a lot of retired items….just in case!  You never know when you might need that embossing folder that you liked but only used once or that designer paper that you absolutely loved but don’t want to use because it’s so pretty.  And the list goes on.  How many of you are just like me and save way too many older products….just in case?

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Make It Mine: Inspired Thoughts

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Wow!  Are you in for a treat today.  You’re getting the combo post.  What?  It’s Make It Mine Monday but the card I made also uses last week’s card sketch.  It’s a twofer…two for one!  Ha!

Enough silliness (although I do that fairly well…)! Let’s get to the card!  Isn’t it lovely?  The colors are beautiful and the design is simple.  Thank you to Mary H. for the inspiration.

Mary used the Beauty of the Earth Designer Series Paper as the background for the die-cut trees. Some of the designs from this package of paper are absolutely gorgeous! This is one of my favorite designs. The die-cut trees are from the Inspiring Canopy Die Set.  The sentiment is from the Inspired Thoughts stamp set which can be bundled with the Inspiring Canopy dies. If you haven’t checked out this bundle of products (pg. 52 of Stampin’ Up’s Annual Catalog) please do. The stamp set is all lovely sentiments for various occasions.

Here’s my take on Mary’s card combined with last week’s card sketch. As you can see, I switched things up a bit from both cards that inspired me, but not too much.

It’s so fun and easy to create when you’re inspired by others (and/or yourself…). Give it a try! Take care and Happy Stamping!

A Squirrely Fun Fold Card

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Window Double Card Fun Fold

I was going through my stash of cards the other day and came across this Fun Fold that I call the Window Double Card Fun Fold.  It’s a rather easy fun fold and I decided to give it a try for today’s card.  Next was to figure out what supplies to use on it.  As I searched my shelf of stamps, I came across the adorable Nuts About Squirrels stamp set from the current Mini Catalog and knew it was perfect for this fun fold.

The little squirrels in this stamp set are so dang cute and the sentiments are cute too. The outline of the squirrel is stamped in Early Espresso and the shading of the squirrel is in Cinnamon Cider. The insides of the acorn are stamped with Soft Suede and Crumb Cake.

This fun fold gets it’s name because it’s basically two cards in one.  You have the outside decorative card and then you have another piece of cardstock folded into a card on the inside of the card.  The outside of the card is a basic 5 ½” x 8 ½” piece of cardstock folded in half.  The inside piece is a 4 ¾” x 7” piece of cardstock folded in half. 

I added the designer paper (from the Beauty of the Earth package) to the front of the card before die-cutting the circle.  After die-cutting the circle I die cut the circular frame to fit around it.  I started by die-cutting the larger circle and then chose the next smallest circle die from my Layering Circles Dies.  The outside of the smaller die fit the edges of the die-cut larger circle perfectly.  The leaves on the front of the card are stamped on Basic White cardstock and then cut out by hand.  Fussy-cutting isn’t my favorite thing but these little leaves finished off the front of my card perfectly!

This fun fold could easily be made without the window in the front but the little peek-through makes it so fun!  Have a great day.  Take care and Happy Stamping!

A Spooky Card Sketch

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Boo! Stampin’ Up!’s Cute Halloween Designer Series Paper has so many cute designs! I am having so much fun using it on my Halloween projects this year.

I know I say this a lot but working with card sketches makes card making SO easy! The Freshly Made Sketches that I am using really make it easy because their designs are so simple. For this card I simply layered a piece of designer paper on cardstock and adhered it to the front of the card. Then I finished it off with the sentiment. So fun! So easy!

If you’re in a card-making rut or don’t know where to begin on your next project give a card sketch a try. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you come up with!

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Fall Inspiration With Gorgeous Leaves

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Fall has finally come to Colorado! The highs are finally only going to be in the 60’s so I can finally get my long-sleeves and jeans out! Woo Hoo!

This lovely fall card made with Stampin’ Up!’s Gorgeous Leaves stamp set and the Intricate Leaves Dies was my inspiration for today’s Make It Mine Monday.

I love how Linda masked portions of the card before stamping her background of leaves. So pretty! To do this take a piece of scrap paper and with either washi tape or a removable adhesive, adhere the scrap paper to the portion of the card front you don’t want stamped. Don’t use too much adhesive, just enough so the scrap paper doesn’t move while you are stamping. On this card, you want to mask both at the top and the bottom.

Confession time….I wanted to try to recreate Linda’s card but it just wasn’t working. My background just didn’t turn out as nicely as hers the rest of the card wasn’t working out the way I wanted so I really changed things up.

To start with, I stamped my leaves background vertically instead of horizontal and kind of framed it with strips of cardstock. As I liked the masked edges on Linda’s card, mine wasn’t working but when I added the frame of Old Olive cardstock it really made my leaves background pop.

Then instead of using the intricate leaf dies to add a leaf to my card I stamped the leaf and die cut it before adhering it to the card from. This added a little bit of dimension to the leaf.

I definitely made Linda’s card my own. The only thing on my card that remotely resembles her card is the leaf background. That’s ok though. I was inspired! I may just have to take another run at recreating Linda’s card. Her design is so “clean”.

Trying to recreate Linda’s card reminded me that even when you’re trying to recreate someone else’s card as close as possible it’s ok to go off on your own tangent. Go where your creative juices are leading you!

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!