ThePowerOfACard: April 2021

Saturday, April 17, 2021

Birthday Wishes - A Fast and Simple Fun Fold

I am posting this early, so if you read it before April 21st at 7 am, you won't have access to the video. The reason for that is I am moving and the movers will be at my house on the 20th and 21st! With all the packing and sorting and donating and moving things into the apartment or storage unit, it has been super crazy here! I had to film the video early because as you might imagine, packing up my stamping supplies took just a little bit of time. At any rate, I hope you enjoy these cards.

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Purple Posy 5-1/2" x 11"; Basic White 3-1/2" x 5-1/4", 4" ish x 1"; Ice Cream Corner DSP 4" x 5-1/4", 3 x 5-1/4"
Stamp: Sweet Ice Cream
Ink: Blackberry Bliss
Banners Pick a Punch
Blackberry Bliss Ribbon 20"
Adhesive and Tools

Our card base is different from the normal base and it actually needs to only be 10-3/4" long, but I like to cut this after I do the scoring because sometimes, it's fun to cut off a tiny slice to add to the inside as you can see in the video (and some of the photos with other papers).

The first thing you need to do is score this piece at 3-3/4" and 7". Fold and burnish with the bone folder. Take the larger piece of DSP and trim off 1/2" on the right side. Adhere this small strip to the edge of the white panel. Adhere the remaining larger DSP piece to the front panel. When the card is fully assembled and folded, the pattern will appear continuous.

Add the 3" piece of DSP to the second flap. It's fun to add a contrasting design - there are so many to select from! Before adding the white panel, decide if you want to add a sliver of the card base color next to the strip of DSP. If so, place the card in its folded position into your trimmer and cut off a tiny slice of the card base on the right side. Then trim the folded card to 4-1/4" wide. Now adhere the white decorated panel.

Fold your ribbon in half and place the fold at the left side of the card, near the bottom third of the card. This position may change depending on the size of your label. When you like the position, add a little Seal+ on the front of the card to hold the ribbon under where your label will go.

Stamp your Happy Birthday sentiment on the 1" white strip with Blackberry Bliss and trim with the Banner punch and trimmer. Using dimensionals, add this to the front of the card over the ribbon. Stamp your interior sentiment and tie the ribbon into a bow. That's it! So fast and simple.

As I mentioned in the video, you could add a glue dot to a gift card and stick it to the second panel to make this a real treat of a card. Here are some other cards I made with this layout. It is a fantastic way to showcase your DSP and the presentation is so lovely, your recipient will think you worked really hard to make their card!

ThePowerOfACard.blogspot.com Karen Sliwinski ©Stampin’ Up!

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

Etsy Shop: The Power of a Card

https://karensliwinski.stampinup.net

Images Copyright Stampin’ Up!®

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

My current host code is: FEUZGJPR Please use this for orders less than $150 and you’ll get a special treat from me. For order over $150, you will qualify for host rewards from Stampin’ Up! (plus a treat from me!).

Product List

Sweet Ice Cream Photopolymer Stamp Set

[154456]

$17.00

Purple Posy 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[150881]

$8.75

Ice Cream Corner Designer Series Paper

[154567]

$11.50

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

$9.75

Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad

[147092]

$7.50

Blackberry Bliss Striped Ribbon

[154569]

$7.00

Banners Pick A Punch

[153608]

$23.00

Stampin' Seal+

[149699]

$12.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.00

Paper Trimmer

[152392]

$25.00

Bone Folder

[102300]

$7.00

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

$4.00

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Blends + Vellum + Alcohol = Spectacular

I have a winning formula for you! Start with Stampin' Blends on Vellum, add some alcohol and you end up with spectacular!! I have long admired alcohol inked backgrounds, but I never tried making them. But then I saw a friend of mine (Kelly Acheson - thank for the inspiration!) make some cards with SU products I have in my stamp studio, I knew I had to give it a try. I LOVE this technique!! Watch my video on how to make gorgeous, one-of-a-kind cards with supplies you probably already own.

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Basic Black 5-1/2" x 4-1/4" plus a scrap; Basic White 3-3/8" x 4-5/8", 3-3/4" x 5", and a scrap; Vellum 3-1/4" x 4-1/2"
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Magenta Madness, Granny Apple Green
Stamp Bundle: Nothing's Better Than
Stampin' Blends: Magenta Madness, Granny Apple Green, Mango Melody
Adhesive and Tools
91% Rubbing Alcohol
Paint Brush
Paper Towel

Start by coloring splotches of color on your vellum. You can go all over or mostly do a diagonal path like I showed in my video. Pour some of the alcohol into the cap and dip your paintbrush into the alcohol and dab it onto the vellum. The more you drop onto the vellum, the more bleeding and blending you will get. This is where you can experiment - my first one was more "watery" (shown on the left) and the one in the video was more contained. Never will you get the same look, which is part of the fun of this technique. One comment if you decide to do multiple colors - think of how they will look blended. Sometimes, they will look gray or brown when they mix. If you want to facilitate the color blending, use a straw to blow the alcohol around on the velum before it dries.

Once the vellum is dry, adhere it to the white panel that is just a little larger than the vellum. I used liquid glue (a tiny amount) that I smeared a bit to smooth it out and before adding it. You really want the edges to be stuck down and now bow. Alternatively, you could put glue onto the silicone craft mat and use a sponge to spread it on the vellum.

Stamp your cocktail on the scrap of white with Tuxedo Black ink and die cut. Color your image with the stamps or Blends or both and adhere to the vellum with mini and regular dimensionals. On the scrap of black, die cut the word Cocktails and adhere this to the front at an angle. Then add this panel to your card base of basic black with glue.

Stamp the words "Today is a" and "Kind of day" in black on your scrap of white and trim close to the words. I chose to add Foam Adhesive Strips to the back of these strips and then mounted them to the front of the card.

For the inside, I stamped another cocktail glass (and colored it with stamped off Magenta Madness ink, and Mango Melody/Granny Apple Green Blends) and added another sentiment.

My next sample used Mossy Meadow and Cinnamon Cider Blends - isn't this just wonderful? I made the vellum wider so that I could cut off 1/2" and use it on the inside. For this card, I colored all of the velum. I added a simple sentiment and tied a knot with Mossy Meadow Braided Trim. A die cut leaf sprig from the Forever Fern dies looks great for this masculine birthday card.

For the next card, I chose to make a strip instead of a center panel. Bermuda Bay was my choice and I finished the card with stamps and dies from the fabulous Pretty Perennials bundle. This card is actually for the designer of that set, Dena Rekow, who happens to be my wonderful upline!

Lastly, I colored a bunch of scraps of vellum in a variety of colors. When they were dry, I glued them to white cardstock, and then cut them with the Pierced Blooms dies. This one was so very fun to make as I had all these beautiful flowers and leaves that I could arrange any way I wanted. I made a panel for the card front by embossing it with the Subtle folder because I liked the added texture around my flowers.