“Celebrate” card using Lovely & Beautiful DSP and Simply Beautiful bundle, stamped & sponged

At first, the large prints of flowers in the Lovely & Beautiful DSP pack and corresponding Simply Beautiful stamp and die set were so intimidating! The prints were beautiful though so I decided I needed to get over that. LOL

I embossed the background using the floral embossing folder from the Cheers & Sips Suite of products. And then I stamped the large floral and two sets of double leaves on a piece of scrap white cardstock and die cut them out.  I used finger daubers to add color, purposefully making the color uneven in places. The gold strip and gold flower centers all pull together with the gold on the printed DSP. A small “celebrate” message (from the Banner Sayings stamp set and corresponding punch) set the tone for a celebration.

Here’s a close up of the background embossed panel. I love how an embossed background adds a touch of elegance and fills the background without being too busy:

And here’s a close up of the coloring of the focal flower and the sentiment was also sponged to match. I purposely tried to let go and not try to make every petal of the blossom and leaves have an even coverage. I rather like the way the flowers turned out!

And in closing, a second card made in the same way:

I hope you enjoyed these cards…I loved making them! Thanks for stopping by 😉

Florals in Bloom fun fold Double Triangle Card

I saw this card design on many a card making website so I don't recall which I accessed for the measurements of this card. I love it but had a dickens of a time getting everything "even". I'm in love with the look but...I may never make another one again! But I suspect it's one of those that are easy once you make a second and third one...I am just not there! (yet?? LOL)

I should have used a different pattern from the DSP pack, but I was drawn the vibrancy of this pattern on a red card base, so that was what I chose to create with.

Since I hate when you write inside a card and it shows when the card is closed, I added a decorative panel as well as a white cardstock angled panel so that you could write a personal message inside and yet know what the boundaries of your writing should stay within. Here's what the inside looked like:

And since I don't know who I will send this card to, it remains without sentiment for the time being. But it is a pretty card, isn't it? 

Thanks for stopping by...have a wonderful day!

Florals In Bloom HUGS cards

My first cards using the Florals in Bloom DSP pack  used  two of my favorite prints from it.  I love how the tone was set based on the colors of each print:

This DSP pack has some fun and cheery floral prints, with some intriguing reverse prints:

Here is a close up of the red card...it grabs your attention and the focals just pull you in! Lots of energy in the colors of this card!

And here is the "blue" card...softer, more thoughtful...calmer. 

The insides of the cards were done like this:

These made for some simple but sweet cards!

Thanks for stopping by...have a wonderful day!

Mountain View Fun Fold - Dainty Delight Birthday Card

I love making special fun folds for special birthdays and this one is no exception. I found a wonderful tutorial on Pinterest by France Martin (“Mountain View Fun Fold” dated Jan 9, 2023). Her examples didn’t include the paper I was using though and I changed it up a little inside as well.

Inside, I added some panels of embossed card stock and since I was traveling when I finished off the card, I was missing a stamp for “and”, so I had to draw that in using a blending pen and ink spot. Not happy with the way that turned out but, this is a handmade card after all and no one can dispute that! LOL Here’s the inside:

Please check out France Martin’s blog at  Frenchiestamps.com (search for “Mountain View Fun Fold”) to get the directions making this fun fold. It’s easier than it looks!

Thanks for stopping by…have a creative day!

Cherry Blossom cards - softly watercolored with pencils

I remember this stamp set each year around this time in spring, but I often don’t get around to using it. I love it and can’t get rid of it but…actually use it?? Hmmm….LOL I don’t even remember the name of the set anymore as I just kept the stamp!! But I love the way the cards turned out and am so happy to have used the set again and so, I am sharing it here.

On the left, I did the cards in coral (Calypso Coral to be exact!)  using the Stampin’UP! watercolor pencils and brushed over the color with a water painter brush. When I was done with coloring, I embossed the panel using the Textured Textile Embossing Folder in the Cut & Emboss machine. I love the subtle texture that this embossing folder imparts, without becoming too overwhelming with the rest of the card. The punch used for the sentiments is the Double Oval and the Thinking of You sentiment came from the Paper Pumpkin kit Pick of the Crop from June 2022. I added jewel-like sequins to the card to complete the cards. Here’s a close up of the coral card design:

After I finished the coral cards, I decided that I needed to make some in a soft pink, which is more the typical cherry blossom color. So I used the Melon Mambo watercolor pencil fairly lightly and matched it with Bubble Gum card stock and a soft pink ribbon as embellishment. Tiny faceted rhinestones completed these cards:

 

And I forgot to photograph the insides and the envelopes separately but I stamped the lower bottom insert in the card with a cluster of  buds. And you can see the envelopes peeking out from behind the card also have the flower branch stamped on it.

If you like coloring with pencils and/or the softer watercolor look, try the watercolor pencils and a bit of water on a brush. See the supply list at the end of this post. Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies used for this card include:

-Basic White card stock 8.5x11”  #159276

-Calypso Coral cardstock 8.5x11” #122925

-Bubble Gum cardstock 8.5x11” #161718

-Watercolor pencils assortment 1 #161700 & assortment 2 #149014

-Double Oval Punch #154242

-Water Painters #151298

-Paper Trimmer #152392

-Cut & Emboss machine #149653

-Calypso Coral Classic Stampin’ Pad #147101

-Stamp set: retired (name unknown)

-Ribbon: white or pink organza ribbon (from my stash) 

Flowering Zinnia friendship card

I have to admit that when I first saw this DSP pack called Flowering Zinnia….I thought…yikes, BRIGHT...perhaps a bit too bright for me...??  This was at the beginning of March in the depths of gloomy and dark rainy days in the Pacific Northwest! But I bought a pack of the DSP anyhow. And wow, I opened it and LOVE IT so! Yes, it’s got some bold and assertive coloring going on but how cheery and fun! I needed 3 thank you cards for an upcoming class and I came up with this design.

Flowering Zinnia DSP cards

Sadly I gave away the cards before jotting down the measurements of each piece!! The zinnia DSP panel is approximately 2.5” x 5”. And to save DSP, I used two thin purple panels instead of one larger one since it just got layered behind the focal panel. Those measure approximately 4x1” and 4x1.5”. The tougher part of aligning the two so that it LOOKED straight (like it was one piece of printed paper). I aligned it on my a sheet from the Stampin'UP! grid paper and that made it so much easier! The green  striped background  panel is 4x5.25”. And last but not least, and it’s punched out using the Hexagon punch.

And here’s a closeup of the card again:

Oh almost forgot: the wonderful sentiment is from the retired Grace's Garden set. So perfect for a floral card...

Definitely a cheery feel good card! Hope this easy card inspired you today to create...thanks for stopping by.

Notes of Kindness Kit Alternates

I’ve been trying to use up items in my stash….and came across this neat kit from years back called Notes of Kindness. The kit made thank you cards and came with an exclusive stamp set. But I decided to make birthday cards instead. The kit made note sized cards 3.5”x5” but AFTER making them, I decided to revamp them into standard A2 cards. So I mostly trimmed and added a backing and some embellishments and turned them into these:

The top left card is mounted on an embossed Basic White panel (Textured Textile) and card base. The sentiment panel is mounted on dimensionals and is from the Beautiful Friendship stamp set (retired). A few pearls and a bow completes the card. Here’s a closeup of it:

The top right card has a card base in Blackberry Bliss with a panel in Bubble Bath and embossed with the Distressed Tile embossing folder. I added a velum lace panel and applied some Blackberry Bliss ink using a sponge dauber. I really like the way this one turned out:

And last but not least, the third card was created using a card base in Bubble Bath, adding a Blackberry Bliss panel, a velum lace square (non colored) and everything adhered to the card base on an angle: 

I doubt there are many of these kits floating around still unused, but if you do have one, it’s a wonderful kit so …start creating! And I hope these alternate designs inspire you to adapt the kit to make A2 sized cards instead. 

Petal Park -Trio of birthday cards

Ever have one of those months when you need a surprising number of cards? That's how September has been! I discovered that I needed 8 birthday cards this month! I've been playing with the Petal Park stamp set and punch lately and while I usually avoid solid stamps, I decided to try the trio of solid flowers in the Petal Park stamp set. Here are the cards I created:

The first one, on the left is the simplest of the cards. Just one mat under the focal layer. And only the trio of flowers punched and added on top. Even the sentiment was stamped on the card front itself. I liked how it turned out so I decided to keep working on it. Here’s a close up of that first card:

Second was the card on the bottom, in Calypso Coral. Similar to the first card but I embossed the top layer using the Exposed Brick 3D Embossing Folder. Then I decided to stamp the greeting and punch it out with the Double Oval punch and added a simple twine bow:

Last is the card on the right with a split design of flowers along the top and bottom with the greeting stamped in the middle. Highland Heather and Fresh Freesia along with Coastal Cabana colors. Love that combination:

If you received one of these cards from me for your September birthday, I hope you liked the card! As always, I had fun making them. Thanks for stopping by & have a wonderful day!

Birthday pink & black floral bridge card using Paper Florist Dies

I received a new set the other day...I love flower dies and this one is no exception. Though I have only used one type of flower from the set, I love it already! There are so many elements to this set and many many variations of blossoms that can be created. So here's that first project: a bridge card: 

Here's a top view of the card:

I kept the flowers only slightly dimensional...I wanted it to fit in the standard A2 envelope but it wasn't going in the mail, so the card in the envelope didn't need to be 1/4" thick or less. Here's the card flattened and about to be placed in the envelope:

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

Dainty Flowers DSP Another Mountain Fun Fold Card

 Here’s another Mountain fun fold card I created recently. This one uses the DaintyFlowers DSP (printed paper pack). This paper pack was one of the free items available with a $50 purchase during Salebration earlier this year (Jan-Feb 2023). 

The greeting on the belly band is from the retired Flowers of Friendship stamp set and the large sentiment in the center of the card is from the Happiest of Birthdays stamp set, also retired. The card base is Old Olive and the mat layers are Fresh Freesia. If you’d like the dimensions for this card so that you can make your own Mountain Fold card, please check my earlier blog entry about the Mountain Fun Fold. I’ve included some rough photos of my card’s template there.

And if you're interested in a 6x6" Sampler DIY Card Making Kit that includes all 6 of the beautiful double sided papers in this printed paper pack, please see my Etsy shop at www.kikumidesigns.etsy.com

Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Dainty Flowers friendship card Salebration freebie with purchase

Stampin'UP! has a sale called Salebration every year where they offer freebies with every $50 purchase. This year the sale runs from Jan 5th until Feb 28th, 2023. There are several wonderful choices but the favorite pick has surely been the 12x12 printed paper pack called Dainty Flowers. One of the six designs in this paper pack has 6 wonderful oval wreaths of dainty watercolored flowers. Very little needs to be done with this beautiful paper to make a gorgeous card and here is my first card made with one of the 6 beautiful watercolor designs:

The card base is Mint Macaron card stock, with a mat layer of Rich Razzleberry. The center sentiment is from the Flowers of Friendship stamp set and is stamped in Rich Razzleberry. I then die cut it using one of the labels in the Painted Labels Dies set and then adhered it slightly offset and also raised with dimensionals. The lacy edge is also from the Painted Labels Dies. A strip of retired ribbon and a few pearls finish off this card. 

This free paper pack with a $50 purchase has sold out however I will have sampler card kits available on my Etsy shop hopefully starting in early March. My sampler card kits have 6x6” of each double sided design in the paper pack (a total of 6), coordinating 5.5x4.25” card stock, ribbon and embossed panels so that you can start creating cards immediately. 

Thanks for stopping by…hope it’s inspired you to create something to share today.

Black and pink floral birthday card with Hand Penned Flower Dies

Oh my, it’s been a while since I posted. It’s definitely not that I haven’t made any cards in the last month or two but just no time to post anything! And then after the holidays is the usual required clean up of an  incredibly messy craft room! Mostly done but I got fed up of cleaning up so the last bits remain cluttering the craft table while I decided to work on something else.

With the reorganization and clean up of craft supplies after the holidays, my stash of pretty DSP (Designer Series Paper)  caught my attention! Especially some straggling last pieces that I couldn’t just toss in the recycle bin.  So I’ve been trying to use up those supplies! And oh, there’s a new mini Catalog that just got released….Let me just say that it’s way easier to buy craft supplies than it is to use them up…So I made a concerted effort to use up the last few sheets of a pretty black and white Hand Penned DSP that I had laying around.  

I hadn’t done a black and pink card in a long while so I decided that would be the theme of the last few sheets of this paper pack. I paired it with Polished Pink card stock and a die cut from the Penned Flower Dies is the focal on the front of the card.

The Happy Birthday greeting is from the Heron Habitat stamp set. A few pink embellishments and a bow tied finish off the card. 

And I try to put something coordinating inside the card as well as on the envelope…usually it’s simple like a stamped image or an extra strip of the printed paper…

And on the envelope, I added a die cut from this set:

This is the Hand Penned bundle of stamps and Penned Flower dies. It’s one of my all time favorites and I’ll no doubt be posting more cards using this wonderful set:

Hope you enjoyed reading about one of my recent creations. Thanks for stopping by & have a wonderful day!

“Heal your Heart” Peony Garden Condolence Card

Condolence cards are so hard to make! I never know what to say, and then, do I even have a stamp other than the perfunctory “sending sympathy” ?? YES I ACTUALLY DO! I have an older Sale-a-Bration set called “Heal your Heart” with several support and sympathy stamps and even a handwritten script Thank You stamp!

I used one of the pretty soft gray floral prints from the Peony Garden DSP pack and created a simple gatefold on a light gray card base. The sentiment label gets its shape from the Label Me Lovely punch and a length of gray ribbon from my craft stash finishes this off. Inside I adhered a leftover strip of the printed DSP inside and stamped another sentiment from the same stamp set. 

If you’d like to purchase a card like this, please email me. I’m currently busy prepping for the holiday season and won’t make time to list this one on my Etsy shop (KikumiDesigns.Etsy.com) for a while! 

Thanks for stopping by & have a wonderful day!

Hydrangea Hill Barn Door Birthday Card

Have you ever bought a paper pack that was too pretty to start using? That was this paper pack for me. Hydrangeas are so beautiful! And this paper pack captures the lilacs, blues and pinks of this flower so well. I decided to do a barn door card. Why is it called a “barn door”? It’s because the card opens like this:

 

A simple but neat design! I started with cardstock in Fresh Freesia (11”x4.25”). I scored the card stock at 5.5” then used my paper trimmer to cut along the score line from the top of the card down 2 1/8”. The piece that was cut off was trimmed down to 1 7/8 x 5 and then run through the Cut & Emboss machine using one of the Meadow embossing folders. 

Inside the card is a Basic White panel 4 x 5.25” and three pieces of the DSP measuring 1 5/8 x 1 3/4. To decorate the white area beneath (and the envelope) is a flower stamp from my craft stash. The sentiment is from the Boho Indigo set atop of Highland Heather grosgrain ribbon. A few small pearls finish off the card!

This card is available at my Etsy shop, while quantities last at https:KikumiDesigns.etsy.com

Thanks for stopping by! Hoping I’ve inspired you today!

Bouquet in a Bottle

Yes you can put a message in a bottle but I prefer some pretty flowers! I made this cute card at a friend’s card making event (back in June) using the Bottled Happiness stamp set and coordinating Vintage Bottle Punch to introduce the new incolors for 2022-24. It uses Tahitian Tide, Sweet Sorbet, and Parakeet Party. The flowers and leaves are part of a “two step” set…one stamp includes the flowers and a second stamp has all the leaves and supporting stems! Because it’s a clear stamp, you can see through it and position the stamp perfectly!

Here’s a close up of the sentiment and a great way to add a background to a die cut - and it works with almost any punch or die cut! All I've done here is to punch out a second piece of the same shape, cut it in half then reattach it so that it looks like a border around the top and bottom of the sentiment piece. Works like a charm without having to use another punch or die cut and looks neat!