“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 😉

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.

Card Class August 2023

Today I'm sharing today three cards that were made in my card class last month. It was the first class for most of the attendees and I think everyone had a fun time! And though I haven't posted the class projects before, I've been offering card making classes since June of 2022. 

The first card involved a quick lesson in stamping, gluing, dry embossing using an embossing folder and my Stampin'UP! Cut & Emboss machine and punching. It featured the beautiful Designer Series Paper (DSP) called Awash in Beauty on a Balmy Blue card base. For a subtle effect, a small panel of Balmy Blue was embossed using the Pretty Flowers embossing folder and added to the front  The greeting was stamped and punch with the Double Oval punch and branches were punched using the Bough punch:

The second card is a favorite split angle design and featured the gorgeous Hues of Happiness DSP. This card introduced the concept of adding dimension to a card by using double sided foam stickers. Three flowers from the DSP pack were fussy cut and then added on top as the focal:

The last card we made was a Z-fold using the Sweet as a Peach DSP...I had to share this fun paper since it was peach season! Everyone stamped the branch & leaves, and then the peaches using clear photopolymer stamps. Some folks opted to use the flip side of the DSP (which was white dots on a peachy background) while others kept it at the same peach design for both the front panel as well as the inside panel. And I shared a tip on positioning the white inside panel exactly so as to not show when the card was closed!

While I’ve designed these cards and prepped its components, I always encourage everyone to change up the design if they want to, to make it their own! Some do, and others prefer to make it as the example. It's all good!

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into one of my classes and that it inspires you! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day.

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!

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!

Cards using the Texture Chic Memories and More Set

I bought the Texture Chic Memories and More cards the other day. I don't usually buy the Memories and More sets but I really wanted to get something from the Texture Chic Suite, without getting the entire suite of products. The Memories and More set was offered at a reduced price as one of the weekly specials in September. The Memories and More set is a collection of cards in various sizes that use the same patterns as the printed paper pack (DSP). I added card bases in white or Petal Pink then added a 4x6' card from the set for the front of my card (cut down to 4x5.25"), and a strip of the remaining card to inside. Some times the words were perfect so I save a few of those! Here are a some of the cards I made with this kit:

And there remained plenty of other material to use on more cards (or scrapbooking pages)...but that's for playing another 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!

Hues of Happiness Simple Fun Fold

I love love love this Designer Series Paper (DSP) called Hues of Happiness! This simple fun fold is an easy way to create a quick card that shows off the gorgeous paper!

I started with a white sheet of heavy cardstock for the base and added a mat of mint macaron card stock. I then added an 8.25” x 3.5” piece of the DSP which was scored at 4.75”. Add a label with a sentiment, embellish it as desired and there you have a simple fun fold!

 

Here I used Magenta Madness ink for the Happy Birthday sentiment, which is from the Flowing Flowers stamp set. The dies for the labels are from the Hippo And Friends die set and the Melon Mambo flower was created  using the bloom punch. This is the card opened:

 

On the envelope, I stamped one of the florals from the Happiness Abounds photopolymer stamp set, also in Magenta Madness. 

If you don’t have a lot of time to figure out a design but need a card quick and have some gorgeous double sided printed paper, this layout is simply wonderful!

Thanks for stopping by…have an awesome day!

Wisteria Wishes Card

We used to have wisteria growing in our side yard at our previous home. I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with it. It grew so vigorously…It was admirable. I would prune it back several times a year and yet, it would grow back quickly each time. And the blossoms were so beautiful! But ...it would always bloom on my neighbor’s side of the fence and not mine …so I’d have to go visit to see them! Luckily I got along well with my neighbor… 

So when I saw this set in the annual catalog, I absolutely HAD to get it! I wanted to recreate the look of the vines and blossoms against the backdrop of brick so I used the Brick and Mortar 3D Embossing Folder on the background mat. But first, before embossing, I stamped the “Happy Birthday” sentiment. Sponge daubers and Crumb Cake ink added a bit of definition to the raised bricks, just a little here and there. The leaves were cut using Old Olive. 

For the  wisteria blossoms, I used Fresh Freesia but also used a sponge dauber with Highland Heather and Orchid Oasis randomly before die cutting the wisteria. I had the perfect ribbon from my stash and to finish it off, sequins from the retired Expressions in Color Ephemera Pack.

Inside the card, I used the Stitched with Whimsy dies to outline the inside of the card. I  propped up the front of the card and made it into an easel card using the leaves stamp and die from the Wisteria Wishes set and adhered it using a foam dimensional so that the card front had something to grab on to to stay propped up. (Sorry I forgot to photograph the inside before sending the card off! I'll make another one and post an update to this entry.)

If you haven't sponged with finger daubers or brushes, give it a try. It's loads of fun!

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

Uniquely Artistic - Thank you Card in Bermuda and Heather

Hello there. Happy Monday! I’m sharing a card made with a new stamp set called Uniquely Artistic. First of all, I find a title like that a little intimidating as I’m crafty but don’t consider myself artistic. (Okay, I am nitpicking on the definition of a word…I will let that one go.) I’ve had this stamp set a few months and this is my first attempt at using it. And I don’t remember the last time I’ve used Bermuda Bay, although I love the color! I was trying to mimic the look and feel of a card I made ages ago that was teal and lavender with an old Stampin’UP! set called Petal Parade. I no longer have the card but I loved it and so, I’m sure the look isn’t anything like THAT card, but I’m using similar colors. So here are some photos:

 

 

The Basic White card base is the standard 8.5x5.5” scored at 4.25” to create a 4.25x5.5” card (A2 size). I added a mat layer of Bermuda Bay card stock measuring 4 x 5.25”.  The top Basic White layer is 3.75x5”.

 

It's stamped quite simply with the tall branch & leaf in Bermuda Bay along the left edge and again along the bottom. A single leaf it stamped in the corner. Then using a craft knife, I actually CUT a partial outline of a leaf here and there along the stem. The leaves I partially cut were curled by hand. Hope you can see it in the photo below:

On a scrap piece of paper, I stamped the main floral image in Highland Heather twice, and fussy cut them, staying close to the edge of the stamped design. Then I cut into the flower along the petal lines, but not all the way through so that it stayed in one piece. I rolled the edges of the petals in various directions to give the petals lots of dimension. I repeated this with the second flower and then I adhered them together slightly offset, and then onto the stamped piece. 

The “Thank you” sentiment comes from the Flowing Flowers stamp set and I finished the front of the card off with Pearl Basic Jewels.  Last but not least, I attached the top piece to the Bermuda Bay layer using dimensionals. I loved the resulting clean lines and look but thought it turned out quite elegant too. 

Here's the stamp set with my card design:

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this card design and that it inspires you to create. If interested, you can purchase supplies and tools to make this card from my Stampin’UP! shop at https://PaperFunTogether.stampinup.net 

Have a wonderful day!

Cathy