ThePowerOfACard

Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Clean and Classic Cards

The term Clean and Simple is often used to describe cards and while I like them, I often think that simple is the incorrect term. They have a lot of "white" space but some of them are far more advanced than what I think card makers are looking for, especially beginners. Instead, I am using the term Clean and Classic and here are the characteristics I have used to make my samples:

Mostly neutral colors
Layers (lots of them!)
Texture
Small pops of color
No patterned paper
Designs that are more simple than complicated.

In the video, I am making a Smoky Slate card and my samples include Basic White, Basic Black, Basic Beige, Very Vanilla and Crumb Cake. You could also use Night of Navy, Secret Sea, Pecan Pie, or really, any solid color you would wear in slacks or a skirt. As I show you the many examples (11 of them!), I give some useful tips along the way. I am also showing many of the new products that were just released on September 1! I think you'll find plenty of inspiration, whether you're a beginner or seasoned card maker.

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Smoky Slate 8-1/2" x 5-1/2", 3-3/4" x 5", 3-7/8" x 5-1/8"
Stamp Bundle: Poetic Petals
Stamp: Fragrant Layers
Ink: Memento Black
Embellishment: Natural Matte Dots
Adhesive and Tools

As you can see, this card comes together in a jiffy. I love this new bundle, which has three different floral designs in a square and three squares, each with a different edge stitching. You can pair them to make a framed flower motif, or use them individually. The sentiments from this set are awesome and quite versatile.

From the smallest layer of Smoky Slate, cut out the flower of your choice. I positioned mine near the lower right corner, making sure I had enough space below the die cut flowers for my sentiment. Stamp the sentiment below the cut out portion and add this layer to the larger piece of Smoky Slate with Dimensionals (and Mini Dimensionals behind the flowers). Don't be skimpy with these as you don't want your card to sag in the middle. Add these two layers with even more Dimensionals to your card base, which you've folded in half and creased with a bone folder. Add a few embellishments to the flowers. Normally, I add my embellishments in odd numbers, but decided that just the centers of the flowers were perfect. I think the shadows you get from adding dimension between layers make this simple card so very interesting.

To finish the card, I stamped my get well message on the inside with black ink. I also used a flower and leaves from the retiring Fragrant Layers bundle to add a coordinating touch to the inside and to the envelope. If you don't already have this bundle, check out the Last Chance List. It's one of my all time favorites and I am sad to see it retire!

My original card was made using Crumb Cake, which is my second most used neutral color of cardstock. I stamped in Secret Sea and chose the same color for my embellishments. The only difference is the envelope where instead of the flower, I stamped the words "Take Care".

We have a new set of square dies that come in a variety of edges and sizes. They are very similar to the circles in the Spotlight on Nature set. I stamped in Berry Burst using the Radiant Sunflowers stamp set, then added this to another square of white using Dimensionals. Before popping it up on my card base, I tied a knot with the Berry Burst Shiny ribbon around the card base. I finished by adding another butterfly on the inside and along the left edge of the envelope. I really love how you see the shadows from the cutouts on the die.

My next sample was inspired by the August Paper Pumpkin kit. (And if you don't have a subscription to this, I would highly recommend it because everything you need is included and it's like getting a fun card class delivered to your mailbox every month!) The five strips of Very Vanilla (3-7/8" x 7/8") were embossed with the Lazy Daisy 3D embossing folder before being added to the card base with Dimensionals. Then a label was punched from the new Advent Labels punch. This has an optional hole you can add for ribbon. I used Mossy Meadow and Very Vanilla Gingham ribbon, which was then tied with some Vanilla Baker's Twine (from the Essentials pack). I stamped in Mossy Meadow ink with stamps from Scalloped Blooms (another great sentiment collection). I added a strip of embossed cardstock to the in inside and embossed the envelope flap with the same folder.

You may have heard that Stampin' Up! recently released the Stampin' Hot Foil System and we have a great selection of hot foil dies, many of them with coordinating stamps! The Echos of Detail bundle is full of textures that are great for making shabby chic backgrounds. I used one of them to make a border along one edge of my raised white panel. Before adhering it to my card, I added a piece of Black Iridescent Ribbon. The Fern & Flora bundle was used for the label, sentiments and ferns. This makes a fantastic masculine thank you card!

I used a fun technique to make my next card. When you take Two Tone Cardstock, which has a white core, and a sanding block, you can make the paper look like it is linen! Run the sanding block (another new product) back in forth in one direction. Then rotate the paper 90º and repeat. The result is a very cool cloth-like look! I added this layer directly to the card base, but you could certainly raise it up too.

My focal point was made using the Fragrant Layers dies (aren't they gorgeous?). The frame was popped up over the second die cut piece of mostly solid flowers. To get the alignment, I peeled off the backings of the Dimensionals on the left side of the frame and stuck it down. This allowed me to slip the second piece under and get it perfectly in place under the flower outlines. Then I went back and removed the rest of the backings so the frame was attached fully. The sentiment was heat embossed in white and also popped up. I cut out more flowers/leaves in white and attached them to the inside, while I stamped flowers/leaves on the envelope in Crumb Cake ink.

https://ThePowerOfACard.blogspot.com Karen Sliwinski Stampin’ Up!®

The Sunflower 3D embossing folder has been around for a while and it's such a lovely pattern with very deep impressions. I added a panel directly to the Basic Beige card base, then added a plain strip with my sentiment stamped in Early Espresso and a sunflower from the Radiant Sunflowers set. Both of these were popped up with Dimensionals. To color the flower, I used the Shimmer Brushes in Golden Glow and a little Crisp Cantaloupe. The final touch on this strip were the Radiant Gems. I left the inside blank, except for a strip of embossed cardstock and the envelope flap was also embossed.

Another favorite embossing folder is Swirls of Magic. After embossing my Basic White panel, I spritzed it with the Hydrangea Hue Shimmer Brush. To do that, simply have the brush tip primed with ink and smack the pen against your bone folder edge. Be careful because the splatter goes where it wants to! Then I cut two circles from the Stylish Shapes dies, stamping my sentiment from the Balloon Festoon set on the smaller one. I adhered the larger circle directly to the embossed panel, then added two strips of Hydrangea Hue Bordered Ribbon around the panel, and finally, popped up the smaller circle. I stamped off the stars on the inside and envelope flap, then stamped Happy Birthday in full strength ink.

My first popped up layer was created by cutting out an arch (Everyday Arches dies) and embossing it with the new Softly Woven 3D embossing folder. I used the Words of Beauty bundle to do my sentiments (layering the because with white as the middle layer) and using black ink. Before adding these with Dimensionals to the arch, I added linen thread. It's helpful to add some Seal under the words - this really holds down the thread. Lastly, I added dots from the Adhesive-Backed Bats Ghosts & Dots embellishments. More embossed strips of Basic Beige were added inside and to the envelope.

To add texture on this next sample, I first scored five parallel lines on the top and bottom of a panel of Crumb Cake cardstock. You can do this with your Paper Trimmer or a score board. Then I used a Blending Brush to add a little color to the outside edges - first with Crumb Cake ink, then to make it a little deeper, just a touch of Pecan Pie. The branch, from Nature's Symphony bundle, was stamped in Versamark ink, cut out, decorated with a little Linen Thread Bow, and popped up on the card front. The sentiments are stamped in Pecan Pie ink and more stamped branches complete the inside and envelope.

The Pretty Poinsettia bundle is one of my favorite new sets for Christmas! By using the Impressions Plate, the petals and leaves of the flower are so striking! I adhered four layers of petals with Mini Glue Dots, plus the center and tucked in a sprig of leaves with glue to my card base. My sentiment was stamped in Cherry Cobbler, then matted with a slightly larger piece of white. Note - each layer is popped up. A stamped poinsettia decorates the inside and envelope. Boy do I love this card!

My last sample features the use of die cut pieces to add texture to a panel. I cut out a full spider web and two partials from the Web of Fun bundle. Before adding them to my popped up panel of Basic Black, I spritzed them with shimmer ink. Several years ago, we had this ink and I still had some of it in a spritz bottle. You could also use Wink of Stella to add shimmer. My letters were cut with the Party Alphabet dies and stamped with Smoky Slate (second generation stamping). I popped them up over the

spider webs, then added little bats (more from the Bats Ghosts & Dots embellishments) and a big die cut spider. The inside panel has Happy Halloween - I used the happy from A Family Celebration stamp set. Another spider web adorns the envelope corner.

So now that you've seen so many samples of Clean and Classic cards, are you going to make some yourself? Which one is your favorite? Do you have a go-to neutral that you use? Please let me know in the comments of the video! Happy card making!

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

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Product List

Poetic Petals Bundle (English)

[168271]

$41.25

Fragrant Layers Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[167150]

$24.00

Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[131202]

$14.00

Natural Matte Dots

[167510]

$8.00

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

$6.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

[144108]

$4.25

Paper Trimmer

[152392]

$28.00

Basic White Medium Envelopes

[159236]

$15.00

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Make Vibrant Backgrounds with Watercolor Paper & Stamping

Watercoloring is one of my many hobbies, so when I can use a watercolor technique in my card making, that's just a bonus! When you combine stamped images, especially background stamps, with watercolor paper and a water spritzer, you get really vibrant backgrounds!

The key to this technique is using watercolor paper. I've used Fluid 100 watercolor paper, which comes in a pack of ten 5" x 7" sheets. This paper has texture, so just stamping on it may not give you perfect images like you are used to getting. But - when you spritz it with water, the colors come alive as they bleed and blend together. It's important to select colors that look good when blended and that's why I suggest using analogous colors, which are colors next to each other on the color wheel. Another thing to note is that the inks in our ink pads are not the same as watercolor inks and they may consist of several pigments. Sometimes, these pigments separate into other colors you might not expect. For that reason, it's always best to test out your colors on a piece of scrap watercolor paper before you make your larger piece.

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Pretty Peacock 8-1/2" x 5-1/2"; Basic White 3-3/8" x 4-5/8", 4" x 5-1/4"; Lost Lagoon 3-3/4" x 5"; Fluid 100 Watercolor 3-1/4" x 4-1/2" and a scrap for the sentiment
Stamps: Gears & Textures, You're the Best
Inks: Pool Party, Lost Lagoon, Pretty Peacock
Adhesive and Tools

You will want to work on a protected surface like the silicone mat I use for watercoloring. Start by stamping the swirly design with Pool Party on the watercolor paper. The goal is to have even disbursement of images, some going off the edge. Then switch to Lost Lagoon and stamp some more, overlapping on what you've previously stamped. Finally, stamp with Pretty Peacock to fill in gaps and add the final color.

Clear your workspace of anything you don't want getting wet and spritz the paper. It is better to spritz further away so you get a light coating of water. You don't want the paper to become totally soaked - just enough water to activate the ink and get the colors to come alive. Now comes the hard part - waiting for this to dry! I like to let it air dry, but sometimes I get impatient and use my heat tool to speed up the process. Once it is dry, you may notice that you need some additional color like I did in the video. If that's the case, just add more stamping, spritz again and let dry. I also stamped my sentiment and spritzed this just a little bit to give it the same watercolor feel.

Before assembling the layers, I try to flatten out the watercolor paper as much as possible. It gets warped because it was wet. If flattening it with your fingers isn't enough, you can run it through the Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine. I like to use Seal to adhere the watercolor paper to the Basic White mat. By running the adhesive close to the edge and all along all four sides, this will help it lay nicely on your card front. Add the layer of Lost Lagoon with glue, then glue this to the card front (which I folded and half and creased the edge of the fold with my bone folder). Flag the end of the sentiment and add this with Dimensionals.

To finish the card, I stamped the same image in all three colors so they overlapped on the bottom of the white inside panel and along the left side of the envelope. I stamped my sentiment in Pretty Peacock, then added the layer to the inside. This card is for Penny, who just reached a big milestone in her Stampin' Up! business - I think she's going to love it!

The first card I showed with this technique was done in Strawberry Slush, Timid Tiger and Melon Mambo. I love working with these colors together!! For this one, I also used sentiments from Reason to Celebrate and Sending Salutations. I hate to pick a favorite between these two, but I'd have to pick this one because the color combo is just so bright and happy. Which one is your fav?

Staying with the same Gears & Textures stamp set, here is another one with a fall colors vibe. I used Early Espresso, Pecan Pie and Cajun Craze. The warmth and vitality these colors get when spritzed is so wonderful. I think the Early Espresso is so much richer when spritzed with water! And the Pecan Pie almost takes a Golden Glow appearance. I used regular paper for my sentiment, which comes from Balloon Festoon, and is cut with a die from Stylish Shapes. A tip for the linen thread is to run the thread over the Pecan Pie stamp pad, rolling it as you pull it across. You won't get the even coloring like you would get with Blends, but a mixture of light and dark tones that I find quite appealing. For my inside panel and envelope, I used scraps of watercolor paper and did the same thing as I did on the front.

Since it still summer, I used the Simply Leaves Bundle for this next card, but chose shades of green instead of fall colors. I stamped my background with each of the three patterns of leaves using Lemon Lime Twist, Granny Apple Green and Garden Green. I also stamped and punched out one of each using Basic White. After matting my watercolor paper, I used the Garden Green Chevron Ribbon (it's on sale in the Last Chance section of my store!), then added my sentiment strip and those three cut-out leaves and put it all on a base of Crumb Cake. I stamped more leaves on the inside panel and envelope, just like I did in the video.

My last card uses the Note Cards & Envelopes, something I often forget to use. These are a great size to work with, especially when you want to make a quick and simple card. I used just a scrap of my watercolor paper and stamped images from the Bordered in Beauty Bundle. The designs from this set are smaller in scale and work better on this smaller piece of paper. My sample used Gorgeous Grape, Fresh Freesia and Azure Afternoon. But my first attempt at this card had Berry Burst instead of the Fresh Freesia. I just didn't like how that one looked. Maybe with other stamped images, it would have been OK, but I was much happier after I switched my color combo. My sentiments are from the Framed Violets stamp set.

Over the years, we have had a lot of stamps that would work wonderfully for this technique. Look for stamps used for backgrounds rather than line art. These will get more ink on the paper, which will allow for more blending of colors. Have fun experimenting! If you want to know more about the watercolor supplies I used, just let me know and I can share that too.

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

Shop my Store! (or use the QR code below)

If you don’t have an on-line account with me as your demonstrator, please go to my store and get one.

https://ThePowerOfACard.blogspot.com

Images Copyright Stampin’ Up!®

Find me on Facebook - The Power of a Card or

Join my Facebook Group (The Power of a Cardmaker): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1042676296088278/?ref=share

Product List

Gears & Textures Photopolymer Stamp Set

[166851]

$20.00

You're The Best Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[167798]

$21.00

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

[150880]

$14.00

Lost Lagoon 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[133679]

$14.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper

[149612]

$9.00

Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad

[147107]

$9.00

Lost Lagoon Classic Stampin' Pad

[161678]

$11.00

Pretty Peacock Classic Stampin’ Pad

[150083]

$11.00

Stampin' Spritzer

[126185]

$6.00

Stampin' Seal

[152813]

$9.00

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

$6.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Paper Trimmer

[152392]

$28.00

Basic White Medium Envelopes

[159236]

$15.00

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Layouts with Squares make Great, Simple Cards!

I love making cards with squares of patterned paper for several reasons. Firstly, these layouts are great for beginners as the cutting is simple and the layout is easy to follow. Secondly, squares use Designer Series Paper (DSP) efficiently because 3" or 4" squares can be cut evenly with no waste from a 12" piece of paper. Lastly, these layouts with squares are wonderful for mass production, like when you're making Christmas or Thank You cards and you need to make a lot! I mentioned that I'm working on an order of 1200 cards for a friend of mine and three of the layouts I'm showing in the video, I'm also using on his cards!

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Lemon Lime Twist 8-1/2" x 5-1/2"; Basic White 3-1/4" x 4-1/2", 4" x 5-1/4"; Artisan Sketched Garden DSP 3" square, 3/4" x 4"
Stamp: Nature's Symphony
Inks: Lemon Lime Twist, Memento Black
Embellishment: Shimmering Dots

This simple layout is one of my favorites! We have so many gorgeous printed papers and for this one, I'm using the Artisan Sketched Garden paper pack. It has floral patterns on one side and mainly geometric patters on the reverse, all in black and white. In the video, I paired it with Lemon Lime Twist, but my original sample used Poppy Parade. Pick your favorite bright color and your partnering options are plentiful!

Since I am working with a 3" square of black and white paper, I glued it to a piece of Basic White that's 1/4" wider than the square and proportional to the card base, which is a half sheet of paper folded in half. This leaves a good sized space at the bottom to add a sentiment (and a few embellishments!). Of course, you could also use colored cardstock instead of white and if it's too dark to stamp on, then just heat emboss your sentiment!

I added Dimensionals to this layer and attached it to the card front. You could add ribbon, or even a focal point (like a circle with flowers) if you want, but the card looks quite lovely without any further additions. For the inside white panel, I stamped leaves from the stamp set in Lemon Lime Twist and a little Thank in black ink. While the leaves aren't identical to the ones in the paper, they are quite similar and pair well. I added a 3/4" strip of the same paper. The envelope was decorated with a few more leaves. My original card (shown in Poppy Parade) was stamped with Forever Florals.

A fun fact about 3" squares is that when you turn them diagonally, they fit perfectly across the width of a standard 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" card. For this beauty, I used the Pretty Poinsettia bundle to make a non-traditional colored Christmas card. The dies in this bundle use the new Impressions Plate to create the deeply detailed petals and leaves of the poinsettia. I used a square of 2026-2028 Gingham Gallery DSP as a backdrop for the flower. The leaves were cut apart and tucked beneath the petals, while the sentiment was stamped on a 1-1/2" circle. In Color Dots and a Hydrangea Hue Bordered ribbon add the final touches. The flower was a little time consuming to make, but you could easily substitute an element from one of the ephemera packs and turn this into a quick card.

Staying with the 3" square turned on point, these next two cards start out with bases that are 4-1/4" x 11", scored at 5-1/2". Since the square of DSP fits perfectly, I trimmed the base so that you could see the inside of the card at the corners. To do this, score the top at 2-1/8" from the right side. Then make a mark on the right edge half way down (2-1/8"). Cut from this mark to the score line at the top and bottom edge. This will take off two triangles of the card base. After adding the coordinating DSP (from the Moonlit Flora pack), add the 3" square. It will fit perfectly over the base and line up with the edge you just cut. I used Blends to color the flower cluster from the Fern & Flora Bundle (Berry Burst, Bubble Bath, Smoky Slate and Old Olive) and added that with a label. The gems used to decorate the card are Dewdrops Embellishments. The envelope flap was embossed with the Fern& Flora 3D embossing folder.

For the next sample, I decided to show you some the new products coming to you in September! Unlike the first variation of this card, I simply cut off 2-1/8" from the right side of the card (instead of scoring and trimming off the triangles). Then I cut a 3" square of Cajun Craze and a 2-3/4" square of the Sunflower Fields DSP and glued them together. I cut a piece of Golden Glow and embossed it with the new Softly Woven 3D embossing folder and added that to the left side. Then I added dimensionals only on the left side of the sunflower square and attached it to the card front. I added a little sentiment from the Radiant Sunflowers stamp set and tied a knot with the Mossy Meadow & Very Vanilla Gingham ribbon. Adding just one more layer to the square is an easy way to step up your card to the next level.

I started this next card with a 3" square cut from the Wood Grain Wonders DSP pack (which is a great one for making masculine cards and one you may have missed in the catalogs). I then cut it in half both ways to yield 4 squares. I placed two of them with the dark side up, then added the flip side in the middle to make the backdrop for the pine boughs (and leaving one square unused). The Festive Cheer bundle has a variety of stamps and dies to make holiday cards, as I've shown here. I liked using the ornament in place of the O in Noel!

Now I'm switching to bigger squares! I love this layout for colorful prints that are bold in design and color. After cutting your 4" square, cut it on the diagonal and glue each triangle to the card front, leaving a diagonal gap. I've used a die from the Nested Essentials set, but you could easily have used a punch, or just a rectangle piece of cardstock for your sentiment. My card base is Secret Sea and I used a blending brush to add a little Timid Tiger ink to my label to coordinate with the flowers. My sentiments are from Scalloped Blooms and are stamped in Secret Sea.

This card started out with a base of Pool Party that is 4-1/4" x 11. Always remember to score the mid point when you are making cards with this orientation in order to get a nice crisp fold. The alignment of fibers in the paper prevent a nice fold unless you score (unlike when you start with a 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" base that folds easily without scoring). From the square of Beautiful Ordinary Life DSP, cut off the bottom inch. Adhere these to the card base, leaving a space for your sentiment. I stamped mine in Basic Gray ink and it's from You're the Best stamp set. For my ribbon, I didn't have one in Calypso Coral, so instead, I used the Barely Blush Bordered ribbon and colored it with a Stampin' Blend to turn it into a Calypso Coral ribbon! This is a great tip for getting more out of your supplies.

Next, I took a square from the Valley in Bloom DSP pack and cut it into four strips, each one inch wide. I angled them on my card base and glued them down. The sentiment, stamped in Granny Apple Green, is from Lily of the Valley. After flagging the ends, I added a thinner strip of Pool Party behind the sentiment for a pop of extra color. The Shimmering Dots make a nice addition to the label. Not all papers have designs that works great together when you use both sides at once, but when you have it, it makes this layout so simple to make! As a little bit extra, I used Wink of Stella on my flowers that I stamped on the inside. While you can't really see that in the video, the sparkle does show up in person!

My last sample shows off two new paper packs that are being released in September. The first one is called the Autumn Opulence Specialty DSP. It has five double sided designs, plus two different sheets of pre-stamped images you can punch out and add to your cards for fast and fabulous card making! I cut my square into four one inch strips and flipped two of the pieces over. Before adding them to the card, I used a little transparent tape to hold them all together - this makes for perfect placement when you need to glue them to the card base. To add a little extra to this layout, I used a small strip of the new Radiant Foils Specialty DSP to the bottom of the square. My sentiment is from the Radiant Sunflowers I used earlier.

I hope you've learned a few fun ways to use squares (especially 3" and 4" sizes) for your cards. They really are quite versatile (and I didn't really get into variations with using the triangles you can get when you cut them up!). Use up your paper and make lots of cards, then send them out so people get happy mail!

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

Shop my Store! (or use the QR code below)