Hallowe’en cards: Scary Silhouettes Pop up Card

I created these Hallowe’en cards for my great nieces and nephew, all of whom live on the eastern half of the continent! I usually try to make an interactive card of some kind to entertain the little ones but I hope they liked the dimensional aspect of this one. The main dies used are from the Scary Silhouettes Dies set:

For the side panels, I used some ombre papers from a Salebration freebie from a couple of years ago. To recreate the gathering night time sky, I used blending brushes and Pacific Point and Highland Heather inks. And the bats were stamped using craft white ink. Here’s a closeup of both cards:

No room on front to write anything but there is a panel on the back:

Here’s a top view of the card so you can see how dimensional it is: 

And of course these cards fold flat for mailing like this (it kept wanting to pop up again but I think you can get the idea…)

Thanks for stopping by. Hope your Halloween was fun!

Bamboo Beauty beachy scenic card

Here’s a scenic card I created recently and it’s another that falls under the “SIP” category (Stamps, Ink & Paper): 

These are the “before” and “after” shots adding some twine on the card front as an accent. Otherwise, they’re exactly the same card in both photos (and the shows the difference that lighting makes!) This card was mostly CASEd (Copy And Share Everything) from a YouTube created by a demonstrator named Michelle Zindorf…you can see her original card and tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijqpcXfos-Y  and you’ll then notice that I’ve added my own tweaks to the card design. 

It’s ingeniously created using a sticky notepad sheet!! Using blending brushes, you apply several ink colors —you would never have guessed it was applied on a base of Basic White cardstock! Add some foliage on the side with the Bamboo Beauty stamp set and a few birds flying low…what a peaceful scene!

I used ink colors of Pacific Point, Balmy Blue, Crumb Cake, So Saffron and Old Olive on a square of Basic White. This was then mounted directly on an Old Olive card base. 

Sadly the Bamboo Beauty set has retired but I’m sure you can still find it on online websites. 

Thanks for stopping by & have a wonderful day!

 

Bamboo Beauty - simple any occasion card

A beautiful stamp set of bamboo stalks and leaves, this set was a “must buy” for me as soon as I saw it. But I had a hard time breaking it out of the stamp case! This is my first card made with the set a while ago. It’s a style known as SIP (Stamps, Ink & Paper) and demonstrates how beautiful a card can be without fancy die cuts or umpteen layers (which is usually more of my typical style!)  

I wanted a simple card, added a hint of a shaded background (created using a blending brush and a Pacific Point stamp pad). The bamboo and leaves were inked with Garden Green and the mat is also Garden Green. I added a pearl but left it without sentiment as I wanted it to be for any occasion. I ended up creating a dozen of these for donation to a handmade card fundraiser for a local senior center lunch program. 

And here’s the stamp set:

Stay tuned…My next post will showcase a beautiful beach scene card featuring this set….

Shaker Valentine with Sweet Talk

Here’s a fun Valentine shaker card I made recently and mailed off to some special little friends. I used a variety of supplies…The heart is die cut using the larger heart from the  Bouquet of Love Hybrid Embossing Folder set. The red dot paper is from the Flowering Fields Designer Series Paper pack and I used the Window Sheets to create the “window” for the heart shaker. I then used foam adhesive strips to follow the shape of the heart on the underside, added some faceted sequins (retired) on the card base, centered over where the heart would be positioned, then adhered it to the front to the Basic White card base. Oh and before adhering anything to the card base, I stamped the hearts along the top and side. The conversation hearts and Happy Valentine’s Day sentiment are all from the Sweet Talk photopolymer stamp set (retired). 

Here is a list of the non-retired supplies used to make this card (at the time of posting):

Basic white cardstock 8.5x11” (item #159276)

Bouquet of Love Hybrid Embossing Folder (item #157641)

Flowering Fields DSP (item#157670)

Window Sheets (item #142314)

Foam Adhesive Strips (item#141825) 

Tombow Multipurpose Glue (item#110755)

Poppy Parade Stamp Pad (item #147050)

Daffodil Delight Stamp Pad (item #147094)

Polished Pink Stamp Pad (item#155712)

Highland Heather Stamp Pad (item #147103)

Let me know if you have any questions! Thanks for stopping by. 

HoHoHo Santa Holiday cards

I’ve been busy lately working on the Oct 2022 Paper Pumpkin kit. If you’re not familiar with Paper Pumpkin, it’s a monthly subscription box usually making 9 cards, but some kits create treat boxes, tags for gift giving, etc. October’s kit makes 9 cards of 3  different designs. The kit includes everything to make these cards:

I made a few modifications to two of the designs (of course) and transformed them into these easel cards. Here’s the first card close up, beside it is the instruction sheet for the card made as shown in the kit.

And here’s the card opened up into its easel position:

Converting it to an easel design was fun so I decided to convert the second one too. Here is that card, close up and flat (as if just out of the envelope):

And that same card opened and propped into easel position: 

Just a little change to the original designs but I love making standard cards into fun folds. 

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. 

Count Dracula Cute Halloween Card

PANIC MODE!! I needed a cute halloween card…and QUICK!! I had to make it AND mail it ASAP and with the distance it was going to, it likely still won’t make it before Halloween. Darned. Just goes to prove how the best laid plans can and do go awry! The original card was a pull up spider card with big googly eyes that I had finished before going on vacation…I was so proud of myself for having finished it “early”! But first day back from vacation, when I put it in an envelope…I realized it was thicker than 1/4”, which meant that postage fell under the “thick envelope/package” category. Sending it to Canada (even thought it was light and only 1 ounce) and would cost $14!! (And that’s just the card without any Halloween candy!) So, despite the card being specially made, I needed an alternate Halloween card super quick! This is what I came up with:

The printed papers come from last year’s Cute Halloween DSP pack. I just sold out of my DIY Sampler kits of this on Etsy but I’m sure someone else on Etsy or eBay will have it if interested. I created a folded flap and couldn’t decide until the last moment whether to glue it down or not. Final decision was to NOT glue it down. 😆 

The punch art “Count” body is the larger shape from the Penguin Punch and his face is the smaller of the larger shapes from the same punch. The horns are from the Whale punch!! I free hand drew the face features and used a tiny scrap of the printed DSP to cut out a bow tie. The “Boo” stamp is from my stash…

And here’s the inside:

though I added a sentiment from the Frightfully Cute stamp set after I took the photo that said “You’re so sweet…it’s SCARY!!” 

And yes, I blotched the stamp impression but it was already glued in so there were no easy redo’s. So off it went to a dear great niece in Canada. Hope she  likes it (and that it doesn’t arrive too late). My next post will be the original pull up spider card that WILL get sent to a special great niece and nephew on the east coast (where it’s not crazy expensive to send a thick envelope!).

Hope this post made you chuckle! 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!

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!

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

Bamboo Beauty Friendship Card

Happy Saturday! Hope you’re enjoying your weekend. Today I’m sharing another simple card design that I made multiples of recently to donate to a card sale fundraiser for a local senior lunch program. 

I first used a blending brush and Pacific Point ink on a panel of Basic White card stock to create a light blue background. I then used two stamps from the Bamboo Beauty set and Garden Green ink to stamp the bamboo and leaves. Next I stamped the “friendship” kanji in Poppy Parade ink. I matted the focal panel on Basic Black then stamped the sentiment on a scrap piece of Basic White using Basic Gray ink and punched it out using the Timeless Label punch (now retired). I punched a  second label in Poppy Parade card stock and adhered it behind the sentiment to create a bottom/side border that matched the ink used for the “friendship” kanji. The sentiment label was adhered using foam dimensionals to raise it off the card base. Last but not least, I added a pearl from the Pearl Basic Jewels package.

 I used my Stamparatus tool to make it easy to stamp multiples of this card front for donation.

These are some quick directions, if you’d like more detailed steps, please contact me using the form on the right margin. You can also purchase supplies and tools to make this card from my Stampin’UP! shop at https://PaperFunTogether.stampinup.net

Thanks for stopping by!