ThePowerOfACard: May 2023

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Tearing it up!

Today's card features a new stand-alone set of dies called Wanted to Say and a technique that is as old as the hills - paper tearing. You might have overlooked these new dies from the new annual catalog because they don't pair with a stamp set. You can find them on page 167, as well as in some card samples on page 35. I love that they have the sayings (Happy Birthday, Feel Better Soon, Celebrate and you're too kind) and the outline piece to fit behind them. There are some extra dies (flower, stars, hearts, present and bow) too which makes this a very useful set of dies to own!

I really like the technique of tearing - there are just so many ways you can do this and it doesn't require any special tools. Some notes about the Stampin' Up! papers - our cardstock is colored throughout, which means the core of the cardstock will be the same color as the surface. Not all cardstocks are this way. This is not the case for Designer Series Paper (DSP) which has the pattern inked onto the surface. This means that when you tear DSP, you will see the white core. This is a different look from cardstock and makes the tear more obvious because you will have both a texture and color change.

When you tear your paper, pull it toward you in small segments, as I demonstrate in my video. You can tear in as straight a line as you want, or add as many bumps and valleys as you want. As you experiment with tearing, you will see just how much interest it will add to your cards.

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Thick Basic White 5-1/2" x 8-1/2"; Glorious Gingham 6" x 6" DSP 4" x 5-1/4", 4" x 3/4", 5/8" x 6"; White 4" x 3", 2" x 3-1/2"; Berry Burst 2" x 3-1/2"
Ink: Berry Burst
Dies: Wanted to Say
Stamp Set: Share a Milkshake
Glossy Dots Assortment
Tools and Adhesive

Prepare your card by folding the base in half and creasing with a bone folder. Add the large piece of Gingham DSP on the top with adhesive. Technically, you could've used a smaller piece of DSP here since the top and bottom portions are covered with our torn white layer, but I find it better to have the full layer there as it makes placing other pieces on top easier.

With the 4" x 3" piece of Basic White, tear it in half, tearing toward yourself. In the video, I tore it in the middle so that both pieces were about the same size. For my sample (in Blueberry Bushel), I made the top segment smaller - the choice is up to you. Add these two pieces to the top and bottom of the card front with Dimensionals (make sure you place them on the "wrong" side and avoid the mistake I made in my video which hid the beautiful torn edge!).

From the small pieces of White and Berry Burst, die cut the words Happy Birthday and the shadow on the Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine. Adhere the words to the shadow (I love that the dot of the i is attached!!). Add this to the center of the DSP section with Mini Dimensionals and decorate with a few gems using your Take Your Pick tool. For the Blueberry Bushel card, the embellishments are Tinsel Gems.

I finished my card by adding the 3/4" strip of DSP to the bottom and adding a sentiment from the Share a Milkshake stamp set. My tip for getting my inside sentiments centered is by using an H rectangular block and positioning the sentiment in the middle. Because it's just about the width of the card, this makes centering the saying quite easy. The final touch is to add a 5/8" strip of DSP to the side of the envelope - just make sure it's adhered well so it doesn't get caught in the postal machines.

My next example features the Earthen Textures Bundle and Earthen Elegance DSP. My base is Pecan Pie (what a great addition to our lineup!). I tore the DSP on both sides and like I explained above, here you do see the white core of the paper. I think it really shows off the technique, don't you?

For this lovely card, I used the Taylor Made Tags, Petal Park stamp set, Sentimental Park Bundle and the Bright & Beautiful 6" x 6" DSP. The DSP was torn to make a diagonal strip and then cut with the same tag die. The dots allow you to line it up perfectly on the tag. I added an embossed piece of black (using my favorite cross hatch from the 3D Textures Embossing Folders) and some Lemon Lime ribbon from the Ribbon Duo Combo pack. I really liked how the combination of Bubble Bath and Berry Burst look for the flowers!

Father's Day is coming up soon, so I used the He's the Man bundle to make this card. I embossed the piece of Misty Moonlight (welcome back!) with the Timeworn Type embossing folder, then tore the bottom edge at a diagonal. After mounting it to the piece of Crumb Cake, I wrapped some linen thread around the panel before adding it to my card base. I popped up the sentiment and finished with a spritz of Misty Moonlight. I'm all set for next month!

Lastly, I layered three 2" x 6" pieces of Hello, Irresistible 6" x 6" DSP. Trim the top piece, which is not torn, to 5-1/4". Tear the bottom two pieces before cutting them to 5-1/4" and save the scraps to use on the inside of the card as I show in the video. Adhere the lightest piece to the Lost Lagoon card base at the top, then add the middle and bottom torn layers. The sentiment and leaves are from Botanical Layers and were stamped with Lost Lagoon and Pretty Peacock and cut with the Something Fancy dies.

I hope you've enjoyed this video and the glimpse into several new stamps and dies! Have fun tearing it up!

Karen

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Product List

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock

159229

$9.00

Glorious Gingham 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

163170

$10.50

159276

$10.50

144243

$10.00

161594

$39.00

Share A Milkshake Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

160394

$19.00

147143

$9.00

110755

$5.50

104430

$4.25

144108

$4.25

158827

$8.00

144107

$11.00

102300

$7.00

152392

$26.00

149653

$128.00

159236

$8.50

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Countyside Corners Bundle Tips and Card Ideas

It is always so exciting when a new catalog is released! I totally loved it when I was a customer and I think I love it even more as a demonstrator. There are always so many new products I want (which is an excellent reason to become a demonstrator because the discount allows you to get more for less). So where do you start when there are so many wonderful new items to choose from?

When I saw the preview of our new annual catalog, there was one bundle that intrigued me. It wasn't because it was adorable, or had the perfect sentiment - it was because I thought it would be versatile, yet intimidating to many of my customers! If you've seen my videos, especially ones that feature dies, you'll know I like to show lots of ways to use them. My hope is to inspire you to greater creativity and make the products we offer more valuable because they aren't a single function item. Click to watch the video.

What's so different about this bundle? Well first of all, there is only one stamp set, but seven dies. Secondly, it has no sentiments, but pairs beautifully with almost any sentiment stamp you may have. Thirdly, the dies are nesting in size, but can be used in groups or individually. Have I piqued your interest? I want to begin with some tips that will help you with both the stamp and the dies.

Before I show the cards I made with this bundle, I want to talk a little about the stamp. It is large (like many of our background stamps) and can difficult to handle. I used the F block, the biggest block I own. It's big and a bit unwieldily to handle. Another option is the Stamparatus (which has been discontinued but many of you own). This works great! But what if you don't have either? You can still use this stamp! Simply turn it upside down, ink it up and place your paper on top and press gently (another smaller block is perfect to glide over the paper and give a good impression). Lift the paper straight up (don't slide it off or it will smear).

My next helpful tip is with the dies. Stamp the image onto a piece of copier paper. Ideally, you have a magnetic sheet (I use these to store my dies) to place the stamped image on. Next, place each die on top, cutting side down, to perfectly align with the stamped image. The magnet will hold it in place until you have all six nesting octagonal shapes in position. Then take a six inch piece of low tack tape and stick it to your clothing to reduce the stickiness a little more. Then place the tape across the middle of all the dies. This will allow you to pick them up all together and stamp all of them at once without having to align them each time!

For my first three cards, I stamped in black ink and cut all six shapes out of Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Lemon Lime Twist, Azure Afternoon, Berry Burst and Gorgeous Grape. This gave me a whole lot of pieces to play with! So I started with a rainbow of all of them on a black card base. I used the Cheerful Daisies bundle to create a beautiful counter accent to all the bright colors.

Next, I used just a single frame in Poppy Parade I added sentients and flowers cut from the Sending Smiles stamp set and dies. The result is very striking and I think the thin frame is the perfect addition for this card.

Then I had lots of fun laying the rainbow shapes onto a white card base. They remind me a little of the rapid transit maps of DC when my daughter used to live there and we would go all over the city. The hardest part of this card was deciding which piece would go under and which would go over the next color! I found that if you start with tacking down just a little part of the biggest piece and using post it notes, it was not too difficult to make little snips to slide a portion under another section. I used the smallest piece for my birthday greeting (from Best Family Ever).

My next card is what I'd say is the more traditional use of the dies - just to make a backdrop to some stunning flowers and simple sentiment. I used Daffodil Delight and Granny Apple Green to go with my daisies that were embossed in white on Fluid 100 Watercolor paper and colored with water painters. I spritzed the yellow piece before adding the flowers and greenery on top.

This next card uses the wonderful Bright & Beautiful 6" DSP paper and the Irresistible Blooms Bundle. For this one, I stamped Berry Burst on Berry Burst cardstock for a more subtle look. Then, I added a smaller white shape which I embossed with the Timeworn Type embossing folder and popped up. These two together made the perfect place to hold those beautiful flowers and sentiment (from the Wonderful Thoughts Bundle).

Crafting for You Bundle is so fun to play with (particularly for people like me who like all the crafty things in this set!). I cut out a set of shapes, and one more of just the largest in plain Basic White. Then I embossed two rings with my favorite of the Basics 3D embossing folders and adhered them to the large shape. The embroidery hoop is cut from the new Pecan Pie color - what a great color addition to our lineup!

Lastly, I went back to the Bright & Beautiful DSP where I took off the largest of the die cut shapes from my taped grouping and cut if from the middle of a 4" x 5-1/4" piece. After adhering this piece to my Bubble Bath card base, I added the rings, popping up each alternate ring. For the center piece, I stamped Celebrate! from the Share a Milkshake set and popped this up with double dimensionals. This card is so simple to make, but looks so cool!