Monday, June 15, 2026

A VELVET MEADOW QUILT

This week I am featuring the Flowering Meadow Bundle with the Velvet Meadow Specialty Paper.


This was the first card I made using products from the Velvet Meadow Suite.  I knew I wanted to use the gorgeous designer series paper (DSP), but honestly, I could not decide which design to choose.  So rather than choosing one design, I decided to make a "quilt" so I could show off several of them.


A few weeks ago I saw a similar "quilt" design on a card, but with no dimensional information available, it took a little "figuring" to know what size to cut each of the quilt "blocks".  Then I had to figure out which way to cut the diagonals.  

So needless to say, there was a little trial and error involved.  Fortunately, I remembered to start with some old, retired scraps of cardstock, so I didn't "mess-up" this gorgeous velvet DSP.  Yes, this Specialty Paper has areas of flocked, velvety texture.  One side has flocking -- but not too much.  The "backside" of the paper is smooth with a variety of small patterns that create an appearance of texture.  Colors are Basic Beige, Berry Burst, Bubble Bath, Cloud Cover, Daffodil Delight and Peaceful Pine.  Click on the link in the product list below to get a better understanding of all the pretty designs.


The center focal point of the card was made with Sweet Words and Labels Dies and one of the floral images from the Flowering Meadow Bundle.

For all the details and dimensions please reference the tutorial that can be downloaded here.


The flower on the inside of the card is also made with the Flowering Meadow stamps & dies.

A list of the products used is shown below.


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Location: Commerce Township, MI, USA

Thursday, June 11, 2026

MOONLIT FLORA WITH PHRASES & FRAMES

While Monday's card was bright and cheery, today's card is a little more sedate.  It uses the Moonlight Flora Designer Series Paper and the largest and smallest frames from Phrases & Frames.


The frame was created by layering the die-cut frame three times using Golden Glow cardstock. Only the top layer was embossed with the Impression Plate.

If you have not used an Impressions plate and are hesitant about trying it, which this video to learn some tips and tricks to get beautiful results.


Once the frame was made, the rest of this card couldn't be easier.  I just framed a beautiful section of my favorite design from the Moonlit Flora DSP.


The colors of this particular DSP sheet are colors that I probably never would have combined--Mossy Meadow, Golden Glow/Pecan Pie and Berry Burst.  But aren't they striking together?

I debated back and forth between using a Berry Burst card base vs. a Pecan Pie card base.  You can see in the video that I used Pecan Pie for that card.  Both are pretty, but they definitely each have their own personality.  Which do you like best?


For the sentiment, I used another of the dies from Phrases & Frames along with the Impressions Plate.  It is a little difficult to see in the photos, but I hope you can get some understanding of how pretty the embossed frames are.  The added texture provides a bit of WOW that you don't get with a flat frame.


The inside of the card, decorated with a DSP scrap, was kept simple -- but never naked!  There is plenty of room to write a heartfelt message to someone who needs a hug!

If you would like a tutorial for the card, use this link to download a FREE COPY!

My tutorials are always free, and if you ever have questions or don't understand something, please reach out to me.  I'm here to help.

My tutorials are not always perfect so please don't hesitate to ask questions if something is not clear.

A list of the products used on this card is shown below.  Click on any image to learn more or make a purchase.

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Location: Commerce Township, MI, USA

Monday, June 8, 2026

PHRASES & FRAMES WITH BEAUTIFUL ORDINARY LIFE

This week I am featuring the Phrases and Frames Bundle.  It is difficult for me to pass up a nice sentiment stamp set, but this bundle had the extra bonus of having dies that make beautiful, embossed frames for those sentiments.

With these dies you die cut the frame first and then, without removing the cardstock from die, you run it through the Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine again using an Impressions Plate to create the embossed pattern on the die cut.   

An Impressions Plate is a silicon mat, and personally, I would call it more of a "pad" than a "plate" because it is soft and flexible.

Since I really wanted to keep the frame as the focal point, I decided to keep the rest of the card simple.  I've had this new Beautiful Ordinary Life Designer Series Paper(DSP) for a few weeks but hadn't even opened it.  WOW!  I LOVE IT!  This is my kind of DSP.  The colors are bright and happy on one side, and the backside is all different black and white designs.  If you haven't checked it out yet, you are going to want to take a closer look.


I used one of the black & white patterns that is various stem foliage designs.  I colored several stems with Lost Lagoon and Pretty Peacock Stampin' Blends and then fussy cut them to decorate my frame.  After everything was assembled, I decided the card needed a bit of shimmer and shine, so I coated the leaves with clear Wink of Stella.  It was just what it needed.


For the inside of the card I colored a strip cut from the same stems design Black & White DSP.

Use this link to download a tutorial with step-by-step directions and all the dimensions.

A list of the products I used is shown below.  Don't forget to take a closer look at the Beautiful Ordinary Life DSP.  There is nothing "ordinary" about it.  I'm glad I finally opened my pack!

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Thursday, June 4, 2026

FERN & FLORA WITH THE DOUBLE BRAYER BACKGROUND

A little change of pace since Monday's card.  Monday's card had lots of stamping and coloring.  Today's card has minimal stamping - only the greeting.  

I recently saw a technique called the Double Brayered Background.  It was new to me so decided to give it a try for today's card.

What a FUN technique!  I love it!  It gave me a whole new appreciation for the brayer.  Sometimes getting brayered surfaces to turn out the way you want can be a challenge.  But with this technique there is NO STRESS!

I made a short video to show you how it's done.  Take a look and you will see just how quick and easy it is!

As I mentioned in the video, all you need is two ink color buddies, a brayer, and an embossing folder, so the required supplies are also minimal -- always a nice bonus.

My color buddies were Crumb Cake and Pecan Pie, and I used the Forever Plaid embossing folder.

If you decide to try it I suggest that you play with different colors and embossing folders as it will totally change the result.

The die cuts were all made with dies from the Fern & Flora Bundle.  If you own the bundle and had been wondering how to make the little flowers (like I was) I also show you how to assemble all those little die cuts.


You may have previously seen me use what I call a Faux Bow on my projects.  This card uses Linen Thread to create a Faux Bow.  I also took a couple of minutes in the video to show you how I make my Faux Bows.  It is much easier than a regular bow -- at least for me, and I like the "fuller" look of it than a standard bow.  


When I created the background Technique Sheet, I made it a little larger than needed for the card front.  This gave me a "scrap" that I could use to decorate the inside of the card.

Use this link to download a tutorial with all the dimensions and step by step directions.

A list of the products I used is shown below.

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