Monday, January 26, 2026

ELEGANT SIMPLICITY

This week it is TEMPLATE TIME!

All the cards I share this week, both here and on my YouTube video, will be created using the same sketch.  I have been creating cards for many years, and about a year ago I started creating sketches for some of my favorite layouts.  I number them so I can easily find them. Do you have certain layouts that you find yourself gravitating to time and time again?

This week I am using my Sketch #7, and I'll be honest, it is not one that I gravitated to for years.  Rather, I found it in a magazine last year when I was purging "treasures" -- like very, old Cardmaking magazines.  I thought it looked very interesting, so before I tossed the magazine, I decided to create a sketch so I could remember the layout when I wanted to try it.


In fact, I liked the layout so much that I used it as the challenge for my Coffee Club when it was my month to pick the challenge.  This was BEFORE I had tried to make a card using the sketch.  

I'll admit!  My first attempt at using this sketch was awful, and my coffee club friends weren't crazy about the sketch either.  My card ended up in the trash, but seeing the cards that the Coffee Club gals made inspired me to try the sketch again.  Their creations were less literal, and seeing their cards gave me hope!


Today's card uses a technique that I have always loved -- all white or all Very Vanilla cards.  The only cardstock I used on this card was Very Vanilla.  I did use Thick Very Vanilla for my card base because I still have some left, however, there are so many layers on this card that using Thick cardstock for the base it totally unnecessary.

What I love when creating cards in this style is using tons of texture.  Each layer was embossed with a different embossing folder.  I did end up putting a non-embossed layer between each layer to give a narrow separation of the different textures.  (All the dimensions are in the tutorial.)


This technique of using the same color with different textures results in a very elegant, clean and simple card.  My touches of gold are vellum elements from the Beautifully Adorned Ephemera Pack.   The sentiment was heat embossed with Gold Embossing powder.  I love this sentiment from Peaceful Pie, but admittedly, its font is probably a little small for heat embossing.


I continued the Sketch #7 layout on the inside of the card by putting the message layer in the upper left corner rather than centering it on the embossed layer behind it.  The sentiment is from the Banner Sayings stamp set.


A list of the products I used is shown below.

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Thursday, January 22, 2026

ADDRESS FUN

Today's card features the balloons from the Addressed to You stamp set.  And what is a better way to use balloons than to make a birthday card.


To make my large bouquet of balloons I stamped the balloons six times.  Then I colored them with Night of Navy, Balmy Blue and Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blends.

If you are not someone who likes to fussy cut, you are not going to like the next step for this card!  Yes, since this stamp set does not have coordinating dies, I fussy cut the six balloon groups!


I wanted the background for my balloon to look like swirling air, so I used the So Swirly embossing folder and brayered Balmy Blue ink on it before embossing the Basic White cardstock.

The Brayering an Embossing Folder Technique is easy, and it really brings the design of whatever folder you use to life.  If you have never tried this technique, watch the following technique video to see just how quick and easy it is.

I provide a few tips to insure you get a nice clean embossed imprint on your cardstock.

The simple Happy Birthday sentiment strip was double-matted with Night of Navy and Granny Apple Green cardstock -- colors picked up from the balloon bouquet.  A bow made with Night of Navy ribbon and three Night of Navy Opal Rounds, placed to highlight the sentiment, complete the card front.


I purposely made my brayered/embossed technique sheet a little larger than needed for the card front.  When I trimmed it to the finished size this provided a little strip to decorate the inside of the card.

I used the oval border die with a stamped bouquet of balloons to highlight my greeting on the inside of the card.  This "Wishing you GOOD THINGS" greeting is from the Banner Sayings stamp set.

You can see a portion of the envelop in the background with is decorated with the same oval border and balloons.  the stamp with lines is also included in the set.  For someone who cannot write in a straight line (like me) this stamp is very helpful!

Use this link to download a copy of the FREE TUTORIAL.  

A list of the product I used is shown below.  Click on any image to learn more about that product or to visit my Stampin' Up! store.

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Location: Commerce Township, MI, USA

Monday, January 19, 2026

ADDRESS STAMPS, INK & PAPER

This week I decided to use the unique Addressed to You stamp set.  I'm always looking for interesting ways to decorate my envelopes and the inside of my cards, and this stamp set seemed like the perfect solution.  I suspect it was actually designed for that purpose.

But can it also be used to make the total card?  Let's try!


I'll admit, at first, I was a bit stymied.  So, I went to my typical places for inspiration (Pinterest & Google) but didn't find a lot.  It is a new stamp set in the Spring Mini, so there weren't a lot of ideas out there, yet.  Many times, when I have a creative block, I grab my Designer Series Paper (DSP) and see if I can find inspiration there.  My search led me to the Beautiful Bokeh DSP.  


I decided to use the rectangle border from the stamp set and the pretty Bokeh DSP seemed like it needed some flowers to go with it.  This Addressed to You stamp set includes various designs to decorate the corners of the borders, but flowers seemed appropriate to coordinate with the DSP.


I used the colors in the DSP, Fresh Freesia and Balmy Blue, to create my double mat for the focal point.  Then as I was digging through my ribbon stash, I came across this gorgeous Iridescent Petunia Pop Ribbon.  Can you believe I TOTALLY forgot that I had it?

When I found that ribbon and realized that it coordinates beautifully with Fresh Freesia, I decided to color the flowers with Fresh Freesia and Petunia Pop Stampin' Blends.  A few Basic Rhinestones on the flower centers add some additional sparkle. (There is a lot of sparkle in that ribbon!)

I used the same rectangle border and flower stamps to decorate the inside of my card and the front of the envelope.  


It makes a really nice coordinated stationary set, don't you think?

The sentiments on the card front are from the Addressed to You stamp set and the inside sentiment is from The Right Words stamp set.

Use this link to download a FREE TUTORIAL.  It provides all the dimensions, step-by-step directions and a list of the products used.

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