ThePowerOfACard: Designer Series Paper Card Base

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Designer Series Paper Card Base

Our Designer Series Paper (DSP) is often so lovely, it is hard to decide which side to use when making cards! Well, this video shows you how to use the DSP as your card base which allows you to showcase both sides at once. I think you are going to love it!

Before I get started, I just wanted to share the happy news that my daughter and her husband welcomed a baby boy into our family on November 7th. I was privileged to be part of the delivery of baby William Louis and it's been just a little exciting around our homes since then! As a result, this blog may be a little shorter than usual as I seem to spending a lot of time with my new grandson! Imagine that!

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Celebrate Everything DSP 4" x 12" plus scraps; Basic White 3-3/4" x 5-1/4", 3" x 1-1/2"; Basic Black 4" x 1-1/8", 2" x 3-3/4"
Stamp: Inspired Thoughts
Die: Seasonal Labels
Ink: Jet Black Stazon
Ribbon: 1/4" Black and White Gingham 8", Baker's Twine Essentials (Black) 10"
Embellishments: Rhinestone Basic Jewels
Adhesive and Tools

Normally, the cards I make are 4-1/4" by 5-1/5", but this one is just a little smaller at only 4" wide. The reason for this is that you can get three cards out of a sheet of 12" DSP rather than only two. When cutting your paper, pay attention if you have a directional pattern. In my example, I needed my trees to be standing vertical for my card. Don't forget to look at both sides before cutting to be certain that they don't both have directional patterns!

After deciding which side of the DSP you want on the front of the card, score at 1" from the right side - this will fold back and decorate the front of your card. You could score at 5-1/2" too, but I just held my edges together (after folding back the 1" flap) and creased it with my bone folder. Add the 1-1/8" x 4" piece of black under the flap and glue in place.

The rest of the card is super easy - cut your labels and stamp the sentiment on the right side of the white label. From a scrap of the DSP, fussy cut a few trees to decorate the label (and top them with a few tiny rhinestones). Cut the gingham ribbon in half and tie a bow around the middle with the twine. Adhere this to the flap and trim the ends. The white panel for the inside gives your card the stability it needs (since DSP is far lighter in weight than our cardstock). To finish off the inside, I added a sentiment and added another tree in the corner. One more tree on the corner of the envelope is the final touch - just make sure to add glue all over the piece.

There are so many ways you can change up this layout as you can see from my examples. You can sandwich a ribbon under the flap before gluing it down. How about changing the width of the coordinating color that peaks out or changing it altogether by using a border die? Try having the bolder side of the paper on the inside of the card. Once you get started making cards with this design, you won't want to stop. It's a fabulous way to showcase the paper and a great way to use up your stash!

I mentioned some of the die sets that have borders in the video, but in case you missed them, here is that list: Gingerbread House, Blossoming Happiness, Basic Borders, Deckled Rectangles, Eden, Fancy Frames, Delicate Edges, Palms, Penned Flowers, Scalloped Contours, and Stitched with Whimsy.

My final one is just so lovely with the glimmer paper cut with the Basic Border dies. The Boughs of Holly paper is some of my favorite Christmas paper this year! Please share your cards on my Facebook Post for this video!