sunrise sailing mask card

sunrise sailing mask card

We are busy! So please forgive the lateness of this post, I was building some IKEA furniture for my new studio late into the night and this morning and totally forgot to post this!

For those of you that do not know me well., I moved a a small lake town in Pennsylvania three years ago and we gutted a lake front property and designed and build our forever home. We had plans to do it in phases and we finally are almost done with the second phase!
We added on some space to the back of the house to include my dream stamping studio – and we are probably a month out from moving day! I am super excited and will share the project at it’s completion sometime in June/July!

Today’s card is a fun masking technique that I have done before taking a negative space from a die cut and creating a mask from it.

Measurements:
BASE: Cloud Cover CS: 5 1/2″ x 11″
scored at 4 1/4″
Basic White CS: 4″ x 5 1/4″
scrap for additional masking at least 4 1/2″
wide
Secret Sea CS: scraps for the boat dies

Cut a large circle die – I used my favorite die set the Stylish Shapes dies and cut a circle in the top center of a 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ piece of Basic White cardstock.
Place over the 4″ x 5 1/4″ piece.
Using Blending brushes and 3 inks: I used Strawberry Slush, Flirty Flamingo and Gorgeous Grape, blend through the mask creating a sunset circle.
Die cut the larger boat from the Sunrise Sailing die set in Secret Sea CS.
Place the boat where you will be adhering it on the card and stamp the water ripple image in Azure Afternoon ink below the boat.
Using a scrap piece of cardstock that is wider than the Basic White layer, plav=ce it across the paper directly above the ripple stamped image.

Blend with Azure Afternoon ink below the scrap mask or use masking paper!

Adhere the boat to the card above the ripple image.
Stamp the bird images around the sunset in Azure Afternoon ink.
Stamp congratulations from the Sunrise Sailing stamp set on the top of the card layer in Azure Afternoon ink.
Adhere the Basic White layer to the Cloud Cover card base.
Stamp a sentiment on the inside of the card!
Add Basic Rhinestones around the sentiment for the final sparkly touch and you are complete!

Try this simple masking technique today and see what you can create – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

florals in bloom sketch #102 card

florals in bloom sketch #102 card

Sketches are one great way to stretch that creative bone in your body that either needs some motivation or inspiration. When you are feeling like you need a little assist there are so many ways to get help!

Many demonstrators and groups post card sketch challenges or online databases of sketches, Pinterest is another great resource and I will be posting occasional card sketches to give my customers inspiration as well!

This card sketch is a SUPER simple one but is awesome for maximizing your 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper you can make 9 of these cards out of one 12″ x 12″ piece of paper!

And just by changing out the DSP the cards look totally refreshed and new!

Measurements:
BASE: Pretty Peacock 4 1/4″ x 11″
scored at 5 1/2″
DSP: 4″ square piece cut in half to make
(2) 2″ x 4″ pieces
Basic White CS: 4″ x 5 1/4″ and 1/4″ x 4 1/4″

I usually place a Basic White layer on the inside of the cards I make that use darker colored cardstock to make it easier to write on the inside of the card.
Cut the DSP in half paying attention to the DSP pattern and keeping the design together so the pattern flows once you adhere the DSP to the card front.

Take the top patterned piece and adhere it to the top of the card front leaving an 1/8″ border on the sides and top of the card stock.

Adhere the bottom DSP piece to the bottom of the card front leaving an 1/8″ border on the bottom and sides of the card front.
I stamped the horizontal sentiment stamp from the Blooming Phrases Online Exclusive stamp set that debuted this month in Pretty Peacock ink. I stamped the leaves at the end of the word line in Granny Apple Green ink on the Basic White strip.
Pop up the strip and adhere to the center of the card spacing it evenly in between the top and bottom DSP panels.
I added some two-toned sparkle gems to the card to finish this easy and lovely card!
This is another version with another DSP design from the Florals in Bloom collection.
Just changing the paper can make an entirely different card look!
Try this simple design with your stash of papers and see what you can design – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

more color mondays – secret sea, boho blue and cloud cover

more color mondays – secret sea, boho blue and cloud cover

Today’s More Color Mondays color challenge is all about something old and something new – all in hues of blue! The 2023-2025 In Colors are making their last appearance and taking their final bows and going quickly as of writing this yesterday the Boho Blue ink, cardstock and refills, Pebbled Path cardstock and refill and Wild Wheat cardstock and refill are all SOLD OUT the rest are availabel while supplies last!

I am combining them with two debuting colors from the 2025-2027 In Colors collection: Secret Sea and Cloud Cover!

Also debuting on May 6 is a gorgeous new suite called Beautiful Gallery. The 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper steals the show with art gallery inspired painted and sketched designs.

Measurements:
BASE: Secret Sea CS: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 2 1/8″ and 4 1/2″
Boho Blue CS: (2) 4 1/8″ x 5 3/8″
scrap for sentiment banner matte
Cloud Cover CS: 4″ x 5 1/4″
Basic White CS: 2″ x 5 1/5″ and
scrap for the sentiment piece
DSP: 6″ x 6″

I embossed the Cloud Cover layer in the beautiful new Damask Designs embossing folder and adhered it to one of the Boho Blue layers.
Base your cuts of the 6″ x 6″ DSP on the composition of the painting. You want to cut 3/4″ off of one end to make it 6″ x 5 1/4″ and then cut it into 2 pieces 2″ and 4″ basing the 4″ piece as the front of your finished card.

I cut the 2″ piece down to 1 1/4″ x 5″ as I wanted a little embossed layer border the entire way around the DSP layer.

Adhere the 2″ x 5″ DSP piece on the right-hand side of the embossed layer.

I used a 2″ x 4″ scrap piece of Basic White CS for the left-hand side of the embossed layer and stamped a sentiment from the Beautiful Motifs stamp set in Secret Sea ink – this is a beautiful deep misty navy quite different from our Night of Navy. I adhered it to the side of the DSP.
Adhere this embossed layer to the inside of the z-fold card.
Take the top portion of the 6″ x 6″ DSP piece that you initially cut off and cut it down to 3/4″ x 5 1/4″ and adhere to the 2″ x 5 1/4″ piece of Basic White CS to the middle. Adhere this piece to the middle layer of the z-fold card.
Take the 4″ x 5 1/4″ piece of DSP and adhere it to the second layer of Boho Blue CS then place adhesive on the front panel of the z-fold and attach this layer so that the top, left-hand side and bottom are equally aligned to the front z-fold panel.
Using the back side of this DSP scrap stamp a “just a note” sentiment onto the scrap in Secret Sea ink and cut a banner edge on the right-hand edge. Adhere to a scrap piece of Boho Blue CS and cut a banner edge on the right-hand side to match the DSP banner edge.
Pop up the sentiment piece onto Stampin’ DImensionals and place in the upper left-hand corner of the card front or elsewhere depending on the DSP composition you choose.
I added five new In Color embellishments in Cloud Cover and Secret sea to the card front there are also embellishments which are part of this Beautiful Gallery suite called Pressed Flower motifs and they would have gone nicely with this project as well. All of this will be available to customers in early May! Love it and want to have it now? Join my team and you are able to order it in the pre-order period!

I love the way that extended Z-fold fun fold cards look like a normal card but surprise you when they are opened!

Try this easy fun fold and go and create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

Reminder this post is going live prior to the new In Colors being available so the sneak peak items will not be in the order icons below – these are only available currently to current demonstrators to order in a pre-order but will be available once the 2025-2026 Annual Catalog goes live May 6th,2025!

beautiful butterflies spotlight technique

beautiful butterflies spotlight technique

I have always loved this technique it was one of the first techniques I learned over 23 years ago when I was brand new to stamping and it is just as simple and impressive today!

TO SPOTLIGHT:a projected spot of light used to illuminate brilliantly a person, object, or group on a stage. b. : public notice or attention.
While the dictionary definition helps the crafting term uses color instead of light to illuminate a small piece of the entire stamped image to create notice or draw attention!

What better stamp set to use this technique with than the Beautiful Butterflies!

Measurements:
BASE: Crushed Curry CS: 4 1/4″ x 11″
scored at 5 1/2″
Basic Black CS: (2) 4″ x 5 1/4″ and 2 3/4″ x 4 1/4″
Basic White CS: (2) 3 3/4″ x 5″ and 2 1/2″ x 4″

Place the two Basic White layers of cardstock smaller one on top and evenly spaced in the center of the larger layer.
Place the uninked large butterfly image over the layers and decide where you would like to place two partial images of the butterfly.
Ink up the entire butterfly image with Memento ink and stamp over both layers of cardstock press VERY firmly as you are stamping on two separate pieces of cardstock and need to get the image on the bottom layer as well as the smaller top layer.
(Do not worry if the image does not stamp just to the outside of the smaller layer this will be covered by the smaller Basic Black layer)
Color the butterfly images on the smaller layer ONLY! This is your SPOTLIGHT area.

I used Daffodil Delight light first then dark then light Stampin’ Blends markers to blend.
Then I colored the rest of the butterfly images on the smaller layer with the Pumpkin Pie Stampin’ Blends in the same order as with the Daffodil Blends. I went over the entire image with the Dark Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Blends to finish the blending of the butterfly spotlighted image.
Adhere the smaller Basic White layer to the smaller Basic Black image.
Adhere the large Basic Black image to the Crushed Curry cardstock base and then adhere the larger Basic White layer to the card base over the Basic Black layer.

Adhere the smaller spotlighted layers to the larger Basic White layer matching up the images as best you can.
Stamp the sentiment in Tuxedo Black Memento ink in the center of the two spotlighted butterfly images.
Stamp two smaller butterflies in Tuxedo Black Memento ink on the top and bottom diagonally on the other large Basic White CS layer.
Adhere to the second 4″ x 5 1/4″ Basic Black layer and after stamping the sentiment adhere to the inside of the card base.
Apply Wink of Stella to the colored wings.
Adhere embellishments to finish off this spotlighting technique card!

I just LOVE the way this turned out – this is just one way to spotlight – try stamping and spotlighting one of your stamped images and see what artwork of your own you can create – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

simple stamping – cut, flip and add a strip cards

simple stamping – cut, flip and add a strip cards

When you first start stamping coming up with a card design can be the most difficult thing. Perusing pinterest and blogs is fun but time consuming and if you are in a pinch and need a card in a hurry this is a fun little trick for fast, easy and beautiful designer series paper cards.

One of the tings I LOVE about our Designer Series Paper beside the fact that the artist’s designs are gorgeous works of art is the fact that the artists strive to make the front and backs of each piece of DSP coordinate! This technique plays into that strength!

This card making technique is called cut-flip and add a strip I first saw it years ago from a fellow demonstrator named Patti B and I thank her for the original inspiration!

Measurements:
BASE: Colored CS to coordinate with the DSP
5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ scored at 4 1/4″
DSP: 4″ x 5 1/4″, 3/4″ x 4″
Basic White CS: scrap for the sentiments

I made four different cards in a flash with this technique! Three using the Fruit Salad Level One Sale-a-bration DSP and one using the Bloom Impressions Level One Sale-a-bration Rewards!

This one used Pumpkin Pie CS for the base.

I cut the ^” x 6″ piece of DSP to 6″ x 5 1/4″ cutting off the bottom 3/4″ then cut the remianing piece to a 4 ” x 5 1/4″ piece.

Cut the 4″ x 5 1/4″ DSP piece into two sections 2″ x 4″ and 3 1/4″ x 4″.

I adhered the larger piece to the bottom of the card front.
Flip the smaller DSP piece over to the opposite pattern and adhere above the other DSP piece on the top of the card base.
Because I was making multiple cards I took the remaining 3/4″ x 6″ pieces cut from the bottoms of each of the cards and swapped them so I would have a different pattern of DSP for the strip piece but you could easily add a coordinating color of cardstock as the strip as I do in the last example – your choice!
I adhered the DSP strip over the place where the two pieces of DSP meet.
I stamped a sentiment and border from the Hugs for You bundle in coordinating Pumpkin Pie ink and punched it out with the bundle To the Point punch!
I popped up the sentiment punch on Stampin’ Dimensionals and added it over the strip.
I added Sunny Day Iridescent Dots embellishments to finish off this first card!
This second card uses the Fruit Salad Sale-a-bration DSP as well but I backed it on a Daffodil Delight CS base.
I cut and flipped and adhered the DSP to the card stock base.
I added a strip of DSP in between the two dsp pieces.
I stamped a different sentiment from the Hugs for Love bundle in Daffodil Delight with a different border around the words from the complimentary stamp set called Bright Borders which is also designed to work with the To the Point Punch from this bundle and popped it up over the center of the strip.
I added Sunny Day Iridescent Dots embellishments to finish this card as well.
The third card uses a Coastal Cabana base.
I also stamped the sentiment in Coastal Cabana to coordinate.
Cut the DSP as before flip and adhere to the card base.
Adhere the strip over where the two pieces of DSP come together.
I popped up the sentiment punch over the strip and added the Sunny Day Iridescent Dots in the blue hue.

This used the sentiment from the Hugs for Love stamp set and the border from the Bright Borders stamp set.

The last card uses the Bloom Impressions Sale-a-bration DSP and colored cardstock for the strip.
Cut the DSP and adhere the bottom piece to the base card.
Flip the smaller piece of DSP and adhere over the larger piece on the top half of the card base.
I used a 1″ x 4″ piece of Flirty Flamingo Colored cardstock over the area where the two pieces of DSP come together. Then I fussy cut both ends of a 3/4″ x 4″ piece of Berry Burst CS and adhered it over the Flirty Flamingo strip.
I stamped the sentiment in Berry Burst ink and punched out the stamped image with the To the Point punch. I popped it up on Stampin’ Dimensionals and placed it int he center of the strips. I added Sunny Day Iridescent Dots to finish off this last quick and easy card!

Try this technique to make designing a sweet DSP card a snap! Now go and create a card with some DSP you have lying around your craft space! Create some artwork – one stamp at a time.

Happy Stampin’
Natalie