watercolor paper - nataliegramleystamps

beautiful gallery watercolor gate fold card

by nataliegramleystamps | May 30, 2025 | card samples, die cutting, fun fold, In Colors, new catalog, techniques

Happy Friday! I am back in PA after settling my youngest in New England for a summer internship and after spending the day cleaning up dry wall dust that is EVERYWHERE! I took a much needed crafting break and created this gate fold watercolor card! Hope you like it!

Measurements:
BASE: Timid Tiger CS: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 2 1/8″ in from each end
Fluid 100 paper: (2) 1 1/2″ x 5 1/2″
Basic White CS: scraps for die cuts and
sentiment strip and 4″ x 5 1/4″ inside layer

I used a retired block (sorry I forgot that we had retired the I acrylic block) but you can use any size you have on hand!
I added color to the top third of the block by pressing the ink pad directly onto the acrylic block.

I applied Timid Tiger ink directly onto the middle of the acrylic block (it is ok to overlap a darker ink color but you will contaminate the ink pad if you stamp a lighter ink color over an existing darker color!)

I applied Poppy Parade to the bottom of the acrylic block.

I sprayed the acrylic block with water from a Stampin’ Spritzer and placed the two pieces of Fluid 100 paper together and stamped the block of ink directly onto the middle of the papers. I held the block in place for a few seconds to allow the water and ink color to penetrate the fluid 100 Watercolor paper.

Score the base card 2 1/8″ in from each side of the 8 1/2″ side of the card. Fold inward until the two sides meet in the middle – this is called a gate-fold card.
I added the 4″ x 5 1/4″ Basic White layer to the inside of the card.

I stamped an image from the Gallery Blooms stamp set to the bottom of the Basic White layer for a little added interest!

I adhered the Fluid 100 papers right up to the inside edges of the gate fold.

I die cut two images from the Beautiful Motifs die set in scrap Basic White cardstock and adhered one to each side of the gate fold.

I stamped a thank you sentiment from the Beautiful Motifs stamp set in Timid Tiger to the left hand side of the 1″ x 5 1/2″ Basic White strip and added some flower images from the Gallery Blooms stamp set in Crushed Curry to the right hand side.
I adhered only the left hand side of the sentiment piece so that the card will still open.

I adhered three 2025-2027 In Color Flat Pearls in Timid Tiger to finish off the first version of this card.

I decided to add a little sparkle and depth to the card by adding a splatter technique by tapping the brush tip side of the Poppy Parade Stampin’ Blends over the card front.

I brushed the leaves and petals of the two die cuts with Wink of Stella and the wet brush moves a little of the ink color over the dies as well as added a fine sparkle that is gorgeous but subtle and it does not show well in these photos but trust me it is amazing!

Such a fun card and I am glad to be home and crafting again!

Try this fun fold and some of the techniques I shared and create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

Product List

Beautiful Gallery Suite Collection (English)

[165217]

$139.25

Beautiful Motifs Bundle (English)

[165206]

$45.75

Beautiful Motifs Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[165198]

$18.00

Gallery Blooms Bundle

[165213]

$53.00

Gallery Blooms Photopolymer Stamp Set

[165211]

$19.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper

[149612]

$9.00

Timid Tiger 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[165626]

$14.00

Timid Tiger Classic Stampin' Pad

[165278]

$9.00

Stampin' Glass Mat Studio (Imperial)

[163987]

$60.00

Paper Trimmer

[152392]

$28.00

Bone Folder

[102300]

$8.00

Stampin' Seal

[152813]

$8.00

Stampin' Seal+

[149699]

$12.00

Tear & Tape Adhesive

[138995]

$7.00

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

$6.00

Mini Glue Dots

[103683]

$7.25

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

[144108]

$4.25

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Paper Snips

[103579]

$12.00

Blending Brushes

[153611]

$15.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

$130.00

Beautiful Motifs Dies

[165205]

$33.00

Clear Block F

[118483]

$19.00

Clear Block I

[118488]

$13.00

Poppy Parade Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154958]

$11.00

Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush

[141897]

$9.00

2025–2027 In Color™ Flat Pearls

[165192]

$8.50

Stampin' Spritzer

[126185]

$6.00

← tent-fold stepper card more color mondays - petunia pop, azure afternoon and gorgeous grape →

onstage 2025 beautiful butterflies swap card

by nataliegramleystamps | Mar 5, 2025 | card samples, card swap, online exclusives, techniques

I signed up for three special swaps for the upcoming 2025 OnStage event in Raleigh, North Carolina and then it sold out before I had the chance to sign up – I am so sad – I went last year with my sweet friend Barb and we had so much fun and I learned so much. Oh well my friend Michael that I met last year at OnStage is hosting the special swaps and this sweet man allowed me to send him my swap cards and he did not take my name off his lists! So this is one of the special cards I designed for the Demonstrator’s Choice Swap that I am in.
I chose components from some of my favorite new sets: Everyday Arches dies, Beautiful Butterflies bundle and the Elements of Text which is slowly becoming one of my new favorite background sets!

Although this card has a bunch of layers it is not difficult but I have some paper saving tips to make this – so follow along!

Measurements:
BASE: Coastal Cabana CS: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 4 1/4″
4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ piece for die cut
Lemon Lime Twist Layer: 4″ x 5 1/4″
Basic White Layer: 3 3/4″ x 5″
scrap for sentiment piece
Fluid 100 paper: 5″ x 7″ sheet

I choose three consecutive arches dies and cut the middle arch out of the center of the Lemon Lime Twist layer and then adhered that layer to the Coastal Cabana card base.

I cut the smallest consecutive die chosen from the center of the Basic White layer and adhered it to the Lemon Lime Twist layer on the card front.

I die cut from the Coastal Cabana layer the largest consecutive die chosen and adhered it over the die openings on the card layers on the card front.

I stamped the circle text image from the Elements of Text stamp set in the center of the Basic White Everyday Arches die in Coastal Cabana ink.
I adhered the Basic White Arch die to the Lemon Lime Twist die and adhered both of them to the Coastal Cabana Arches die on the card front.

I used some of the left over watercolor Fluid 100 paper that I created for the Beautiful Butterflies More Color Mondays card from my February 3rd blog post.
I colored the Fluid 100 paper with Blending brushes in Azure Afternoon, Coastal Cabana and Lemon Lime Twist and then splattered the paper with water from a Stampin’ Sprintzer and a water painter.
I then die cut smaller butterfly dies from the Beautiful Butterflies die set.

At the time I created that early February post I had a lot of scrap watercolor paper left over so I cut smaller butterflies from the scraps and this is what I designed to use up all those spare die pieces!

I used three smaller butterfly detail dies and one medium background butterfly die for each swap card.
I adhered one of the small detail butterflies to the background butterfly and adhered all three dies to the top portion of the Elements of Text stamped die piece.

I stamped the sentiment in Coastal Cabana ink and then colored the background of the paper in Lemon Lime Twist with a Blending Brush.

I fussy cut the words out to adhere to the card
at the base of the Basic White Everyday Arches die.

I added Iridescent Adhesive-Backed Discs to the card in the green hue to coordinate with the card.

After evaluating the card I decided I wanted a little more color on the sentiment piece to balance out the color used in the top of the card. So I removed the sentiment piece and brushed the edges with a Blending Brush and Coastal Cabana ink leaving some of the Lemon Lime Twist background peeking through.

This finished out the card and created a nice balance of color and textures on the card.
Hope they like my swap card!

Now go and create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

Product List

Beautiful Butterflies Bundle (English)

[164615]

$59.25

Everyday Arches Bundle (English)

[164630]

$45.00

Elements Of Text Cling Stamp Set

[164774]

$26.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

$13.00

Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[131297]

$11.50

Lemon Lime Twist 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[144245]

$11.50

Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper

[149612]

$9.00

Azure Afternoon Classic Stampin' Pad

[161663]

$9.00

Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad

[147097]

$9.00

Lemon Lime Twist Classic Stampin' Pad

[147145]

$9.00

Paper Trimmer

[152392]

$28.00

Bone Folder

[102300]

$8.00

Stampin' Seal

[152813]

$8.00

Stampin' Seal+

[149699]

$12.00

Tear & Tape Adhesive

[138995]

$7.00

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

$6.00

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

[144108]

$4.25

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Paper Snips

[103579]

$12.00

Blending Brushes

[153611]

$15.00

Small Blending Brushes

[160518]

$14.00

Stampin' Spritzer

[126185]

$6.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

$130.00

Beautiful Butterflies Hybrid Embossing Folder

[164614]

$42.00

Everyday Arches Dies

[164629]

$29.00

Iridescent Adhesive Backed Discs

[161954]

$7.00

← mixed floral bokeh blended card memorable blooms naturally gilded floating element card →

stamp and spritz watercolor technique

by nataliegramleystamps | Jul 26, 2024 | card samples, Christmas card ideas, embossing folders, stamps ink paper, techniques

Watercoloring techniques are many and varied.
This following technique is called Stamp and Spritz. It creates a soft stamped image.

Measurements:
BASE: Pretty Peacock CS: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 4 1/4″
scraps: for sentiment mattes
Lemon Lime Twist: 4″ x 5 1/4″
Watercolor paper: 3 1/2″ x 5″
Basic White: scraps for the sentiments

Stamp one of the base foliage stamps in Lemon Lime Twist ink. Spritz the stamp surface with water. Stamp the images on the half sheet of watercolor paper.

Stamp in Garden Green ink with the top stamp of the two step stamping over the Lemon Lime Twist ink.

Stamp the bottom foliage stamp in Lemon Lime Twist ink and the top stamp in Pretty Peacock ink.
Stamp the sentiment in Pretty Peacock and Lemon Lime Twist ink. Fussy cut the sentiment. Mount the sentiment onto Pretty Peacock CS.
Pop the sentiments up onto Stampin’ DImensionals.

Emboss the Lemon Lime Twist with Birch Wood 3D embossing folder.

Adhere the embossed layer onto the Pretty Peacock cardstock base.

Adhere the watercolor paper onto the embossed layer.

Adhere the Pretty Peacock sequins from the Adhesive-Backed Sequins Trio to finish off the card.

Try this watercolor technique the next time you create some artwork of your own.

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

Product List

Golden Greenery Bundle

[164117]

$56.50

Golden Greenery Photopolymer Stamp Set

[164331]

$24.00

Greetings Of The Season Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[164325]

$25.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

$13.00

Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper

[149612]

$9.00

Lemon Lime Twist 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[144245]

$11.50

Pretty Peacock 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[150880]

$11.50

Lemon Lime Twist Classic Stampin' Pad

[147145]

$9.00

Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad

[147089]

$9.00

Pretty Peacock Classic Stampin’ Pad

[150083]

$9.00

Paper Trimmer

[152392]

$28.00

Bone Folder

[102300]

$8.00

Stampin' Seal

[152813]

$8.00

Stampin' Seal+

[149699]

$12.00

Tear & Tape Adhesive

[138995]

$7.00

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

$6.00

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

[144108]

$4.25

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Paper Snips

[103579]

$12.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

$130.00

Adhesive Backed Sequins Trio

[161206]

$8.00

← bokeh background with golden greenery more color mondays - pool party, calypso coral and basic beige - faux suede technique →

thoughtful journey and unbounded beauty memories and more cards

by nataliegramleystamps | May 22, 2024 | card kits, card samples, memories and more, new catalog, product reviews, stamps ink paper

With this new catalog, Stampin’ Up has separated their products into three categories – step-by-step, quick and easy options and creativity your way! The step by step options feature quick paper crafting with full instructions in our kits collection choices and a subscription service called Paper Pumpkin delivering a full crafting experience in a box delivered to your door once a month!
The Quick and Easy options include our new Mix and Match products for easy craft coordination without a lot of time and space necessary! One of the quick and easy options is the Memories and More series which we are continuing with two gorgeous options: Thoughtful Journey and Unbounded Beauty.

These card packs come with two different sizes of double sided cards:
Thoughtful Journey Memories and More Card Pack (#163318) 28 Double-sided cards in 3″ x 4″ and 4″ x 6″ sizes. $11.50
and
Unbounded Beauty Memories and More card Pack (#163388) 28 Double-sided cards in 3″ x 4″ and 4″ x 6″ sizes. $11.50
These double sided cards fit perfectly onto the Basic White Assorted Memories and More Cards and Envelopes (#159234) $11.50
Add cards from Memories & More Card Packs to these card bases to simplify your cardmaking.
Use small card bases with 3″ x 4″ (7.6 x 10.2 cm) Memories & More cards. Use large card bases with 4″ x 6″ (10.2 x 15.2 cm) Memories & More cards. 20 total Memories & More card bases and 20 total envelopes: 10 small and 10 large.

Below is a photo of the Basic White Memories and More Cards and Envelopes.

Here are the Thoughtful Journey Memories and More Card Pack.

Here are the Unbounded Beauty Memories and More Card Pack.

The cards are super easy to put together.
Putting the small cards together with the small bases make beautiful quick and easy cards.

Placing one of the large memories and more cards on a card base is as easy as can be! I added just one die cut to the card to finish it off.

Another memories and more card using a large memory card and a large base card. Adding the larger die cut and popped up the sentiment piece over the die. Adding pearls to the sentiment piece finishes off this easy card.

Using two small memories cards creates another totally different look.

Another card using one large and one small pre-printed memories cards to finish this card.

The Unbounded Beauty is the second set available. These cards were created with this set. The next photo used the small cards on the small bases.

The last two cards used the large printed memories and more cards on the large bases.
First one used just one card , the second used a small card and one large card.

These are great cards, easy and quick and beautiful!

Try some cards with these Memories and More card packs. Go and create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time.

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

Product List

Thoughtful Journey Memories & More

[163318]

$11.50

Unbounded Beauty Memories & More (English)

[163388]

$11.50

Thoughtful Wishes Bundle (English)

[163314]

$55.75

Thoughtful Wishes Cling Stamp Set (English)

[163305]

$25.00

Thoughtful Journey 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[163303]

$12.50

Basic White Assorted Memories & More Cards & Envelopes

[159234]

$11.50

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

$13.00

Paper Trimmer

[152392]

$28.00

Bone Folder

[102300]

$8.00

Stampin' Seal

[152813]

$8.00

Stampin' Seal+

[149699]

$12.00

Tear & Tape Adhesive

[138995]

$7.00

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

$6.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Paper Snips

[103579]

$12.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

$130.00

Thoughtful Wishes Dies

[163313]

$37.00

← more color mondays - wild wheat, lost lagoon and mossy meadow tri panel slider card with thoughtful journey dsp →

happy valentine’s day

by nataliegramleystamps | Feb 14, 2024 | card samples, embossing folders, my favorites, sketch challenge, stamps ink paper, techniques

Happy Valentine’s Day! Today’s blog post is all about a great combination technique – a baby-wipe watercolor paper technique.

Grab a wet baby wipe and add a few drops of re-inker. Rub in a circular motion applying ink to a portion of the watercolor paper. Repeat this with a new baby wipe and a new color, overlapping the previous color. I chose three colors for a berry milkshake effect – Flirty Flamingo, Berry Burst and Gorgeous Grape re-inkers.

Measurements:
BASE: Mambo Melon CS 5 1/2″ x 7 3/4″
scored at 4 1/4″
Basic White CS: 3 1/8″ x 5 1/2″ and
scraps for dies
Watercolor paper: 4 1/2″ x 5 1/2″

After the watercolor paper is completely dry, i die cut the ice cream scoops for the milkshake from the Share a Milkshake bundle.

I stamped the milkshake glass two step stamp in Mambo Melon and stamped off for the base portion.

I stamped the decorative glass portion of the base stamp in full strength Mambo melon ink and also stamped a straw and cherry as well.

Die cut all of the desired pieces for the card front.

Score the card base at 4 1/4″ and fold over so that the short side is at the front.

Stamp the Be My Valentine sentiment on the lower left hand corner in Tuxedo Black Memento ink.

Cut a 1″ x 5 1/2″ strip from the watercolor paper so you get all three colors and emboss it with the Basics 3D embossing folder.
Adhere to the right hand edge of the inside base of the card so that it peeks out when the card is closed.

Cut a 3 1/8″ x 5 1/2″ Basic White cardstock layer for the inside of the card to the left of the 1″ strip.
Stamp the “You’re the cherry on top” sentiment in mambo melon ink on the upper center of the layer and adhere to the inside of the card.

Start adhering the dies to the front of the card – make sure you place the glass image low enough to accommodate the amount of ice cream scoops you die cut!

I adhered the ice cream scoops in a gradient effect and placed the straw on the bottom scoop and the cheery on the top!

I added Opaque Adhesive-Backed Gems to finish off the card!
Now to write a sweet note to the love of my life – SHHHHHHH don’t tell him I snuck it into his backpack last night so he’ll find it today at work!

Hope you were able to create cards for those you love – it’s what this paper craft is all about!
If you didn’t yet and you have someone special that needs to hear it – go and create some artwork of your very own and let them know – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’ and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Natalie

Product List