ThePowerOfACard: September 2025

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Check out the Lights of Aurora Suite!

Seeing the Northern Lights in person has always been on my bucket list. So when I saw the Lights of Aurora Suite, I knew I had to get it! There are 11 sentiments and 9 dies in the bundle, a beautiful Balmy Blue Sheer ribbon, Frosted Iridescent Dots and my favorite, the Lights of Aurora 6" DSP pack. The paper pack has six different Northern Lights patterns, with "solid" pastel colors on the back - eight sheets of each double sided design.

The dies are designed to build landscapes. When I first started using them, I cut them out of six inch wide scrap paper so I could play with the pieces. There are three clouds, two tree scapes, two mountains and two pieces that make ground/water. However, if you turn some of them over, you can get even more options. I encourage you to do the same. As you layer them together, you'll come up with different combinations and you'll be able to determine just how wide each layer needs to be in your card. I also recommend using our Two-Tone cardstock as it is lighter weight than our normal cardstock and gives you more color options. I show how to use the layers in the video as well as in the card samples below.

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Azure Afternoon 8-1/2" x 5-1/2"; Basic White 2" x 5-1/4", 2" x 2-3/4"; Lights of Aurora 6" x 5-1/4"
Stamp: Light & Wonder
Die: Nested Essentials
Inks: Azure Afternoon, Berry Burst
Ribbon: Balmy Blue Sheer
Embellishment: Frosted Iridescent Dots
Adhesive and Tools, including transparent tape

The card we are making is a fun fold that shows off almost the entire pattern of the DSP. Start by scoring the card base at 1-1/2" and 4-1/4". Fold the card in half, then bring the flap back and press the creases with a bone folder.

Take the full sheet of DSP and cut off 3/4" from either the top or bottom. Then with the 6" side at the bottom, cut at 2-3/4" and 1-1/4", keeping the pieces in order. Add glue to the flap of the card base and adhere the left most piece of DSP as shown. Then open the card fully and add the second piece right next to the first piece. For the final piece, I like to tape it to the white rectangle on the back so that it is easier to place on the right inside of the card.

Cut out the second largest rounded rectangle die using the Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine. Stamp the sentiments in Berry Burst and Azure Afternoon. Add seal to the back of the label and zig zag the ribbon. Adhere the label to the card flap, making sure you only put Dimensionals under the right side of the label so they won't show when the card is open. Finish by stamping the sentiment on the inside white panel and adding Frosted Iridescent Dots to the label. Use the leftover DSP piece to decorate the side of the envelope.

My next card also shows off the paper. The card base is only a quarter sheet of paper and the DSP folds down. By adding a label on the flap and one directly below it on the "inside", you have a simple card that really shows off the lights! My sentiments and label are from the Label Me Grateful bundle. As an FYI, I found that I needed two Mini Glue Dots to hold down the ribbon.

This one features gorgeous sky and uses the large tree die. I used the back sided of one of the DSP sheets to cut the trees - they look almost black, but are really Blackberry Bliss. The Die Brush Tip for the Take Your Pick tool helps get all the little pieces of paper out of the dies. The trees look fabulous with that sky! I added a little sentiment and a knot of ribbon so that my sky is really shining. For my envelope, I borrowed some trees from the Ornamental Christmas Stamp Set.

My next card features snow capped mountains and Secret Sea trees. Because the sky was so light, it was the perfect spot for the sentiment. On the inside, I used the leftover paper from cutting the trees and a blending brush to add a tree line at the bottom of the white panel. I was going to show this in the video, but had misplaced it. I colored a few trees, moved it and colored some more. It's a great way to tie the inside of the card to the front.

For my next card, I didn't use any of the DSP, but chose to use Two-Tone Cardstock. My mountains were created by using the same die on Pretty Peacock paper. I layered the "big mountain" and "pointy mountain", then added the large trees in front in Granny Apple Green. For the water, I used Blueberry Bushel and the two ground/water dies. The finishing touch was the addition of two clouds and a thin sentiment.

I decided to really think out of the box and make this Christmas card! For my mountain, I cut a the "pointy mountain" out of Basic Gray, Then I placed the scrap paper that had the snowy cutouts on top of it and added versamark ink right from the pad. I added white embossing powder and set it with the heat tool. I added the small trees cut from Shaded Spruce and a sentiment from Greetings for You Mix & Match Ephemera pack. Before layering that onto the Balmy Blue sky, I used a sponge and added some wisps of clouds using a White Craft ink. Before adding it to the card front, I tied a bow with the Sheer ribbon.

My last sample uses the DSP that was cut into five 1" x 3-1/2" strips. Even though it's not really a Northern Lights sky, the colors make a beautiful backdrop for the flower from the Charming Day Bundle. The flower and leaves were colored with Stampin' Blends in colors to match the paper. I cut the leaves from the DSP and tucked them in to add more texture and interest. I loved pairing the birthday sentiment with the Wishing you a year of Light sentiment.

My goal for this video was to showcase this beautiful suite and give you some tips for using the dies. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Karen

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Product List

Lights Of Aurora Suite Collection (English)

[165768]

$81.25

Light & Wonder Bundle (English)

[165763]

$51.25

Azure Afternoon 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[161719]

$14.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Lights Of Aurora 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[165755]

$12.50

Nested Essentials Dies

[161597]

$34.00

Azure Afternoon Classic Stampin' Pad

[161663]

$9.00

Berry Burst Classic Stampin' Pad

[147143]

$9.00

Balmy Blue 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Sheer Ribbon

[165767]

$8.50

Frosted Iridescent Dots

[165766]

$9.00

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

$6.00

Stampin' Seal

[152813]

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Paper Trimmer

[152392]

$28.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

$140.00

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Ready for a Taste of Fall?

Fall is my favorite season! There is so much I love about it - cooler temperatures, gorgeous fall colors in the trees, football, the availability of fall and winter craft beers, hoodies, and of course, the new mini catalog and September On-line Exclusive release! There are quite a few fall sets and while I got quite a few, I certainly didn't get all of them. I decided to give you a sampling of cards that feature four of the bundles I purchased early - Amber Autumn, Gathering Moments, Beautiful Pumpkins and Label Me Grateful. I'm also showcasing a stunning pack of DSP called Gathering Thoughts Specialty - it has gold foiling on half of the sheets and the most beautiful fall leaves! You will see how easy it is to mix and match all of these products and I know you'll love these cards.

I decided to make a masculine birthday card in the video. This one is comprised of two simple layers and is monochromatic. It would be quite simple to add more colors or jazz it up with ribbons or gems if you wanted to make it more feminine. You'll see just how quickly it comes together too!

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Basic Beige 8-1/2" x 5-1/2", 3-7/8" x 5-1/8", 3-3/4" x 2"; Old Olive 4" x 5-1/4", 3-7/8" x 2-1/8"
Stamps: Amber Autumn, Layered Thoughts, The Right Words
Ink: Old Olive
Adhesive and Tools

Fold the card base in half and crease with a bone folder. Ink the acorn and leaf stamp in Old Olive and stamp randomly all over the large Basic Beige rectangle. Make sure you rotate the stamp and paper to get a variety of orientations for the image. If there is a gap at the edges, simply add a snippet of leaf to fill it in. While you have the stamp inky, add a cluster of leaves/acorns to the corner of the envelope too. Adhere this piece to the large layer of Old Olive and add this directly to the card front.

Stamp Happy Birthday (don't you love the sketchy look of these stamps?) on the small rectangle of Basic Beige. Usually, I would add the layer to this piece but for a different look, I added the layer to the card front. Then I added Dimensionals to the back of the Happy Birthday piece and then added that to the Old Olive layer. Finish off the card by stamping the inside sentiment with Old Olive ink. My original sample was done with Pecan Pie, but acorns are green when they are on the tree, so I did green for the video. Which one do you prefer?

For my first sample, I show a helpful tip to add stitching to the large leaves from the Gathering Moments Bundle. I used a tapestry needle (mine came from a pack that was sized 18-22) to stitch the veins of each leaf with Linen Thread. The Gathering Together Suite contains linen thread in Old Olive and Early Espresso, which would also look great. To easily thread the needle, cut a thin strip of copy paper and fold the end over the end of your thread, which will feed into the eye of the needle. Secure the end of the thread to the back with transparent tape and backstitch the veins. I fussy cut the word Gather and decorated the inside and envelope with a strip of leaves, acorns and berries in a variety of fall colors. I love the look of that!

I must confess that the whole reason I purchased the Amber Autumn Bundle was for this large leaf die! This was the first card I made once I received my order. I used Blending Brushes to color a panel of Basic White using Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie and Real Red. After cutting it out and adding it to my Basic Black card base, I didn't want to cover up the pretty leaves, so I just added a small sentiment. The leaves on the inside and envelope are from Gathering Moments. Then because I wanted a card with more vivid colors, I did one with watercolor paper and some more intense colors. For a switch on the card base, I used Early Espresso instead of black. I pulled in the Label Me Grateful Bundle for the inside.

And because I just couldn't stop playing with this die, I made one more card for you. I die cut a smaller piece (3-5/8" x 4-7/8") of out Pumpkin Pie and adhered it to a 3-3/4" x 5" piece of the same color to give a textured background. The label is from the Branching Out dies (which has six nesting dies of this shape!) and stamped the words and images with Gathering Moments. Even using the die for this subtle background, I love it!

Now I'm getting into some of that gorgeous DSP I showed in the video. I know the paper has gold foiling, but I decided to use copper embossing powder (part of our Metallics set) to emboss the pumpkin grouping from the Amber Autumn Bundle on watercolor paper. I then colored this piece to pop up over the label (Label me Grateful Bundle) and Mossy Meadow & Gold Trim. I used Iridescent Foil Gems to add just a bit more bling. Love this one too!

I'm finally showing the the Beautiful Pumpkins Bundle. Again, Im using the Gathering Together Specialty DSP paper and because I didn't want to cover up so much of it, I used a die from Styling Shapes to cut out the square to add on the white panel. I tried to cut it out so that the pattern of the plaid would align and I think I did pretty good! I stamped the pumpkin in Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight. I found that it is easier to stamp the more shaded stamp in the darker color first, then add the lighter stamp second. I embossed the sentiments (Amber Autumn) in gold embossing powder to highlight the gold in the paper.

Since Pumpkins some in lots of colors, I used Lost Lagoon and Soft Sea Foam for my large pumpkin and Peach Pie (stamped off for the more filled in part of the pumpkin). I did stamp my stems onto the pumpkins (rather than stamping them individually and using the dies), so I had to fussy cut the combo. I added some patterned paper from the Subtles 6" x 6" DSP pack and Pretty Peacock and Soft Sea Foam card stock and sentiments from Label Me Grateful to complete the card.

My last card shows off the stunning leaves from the DSP pack. Again, I didn't want to cover up much of the paper, so I used a small label from Unbounded Love Dies. My sentiments and leaves are from the Gathering Moments Bundle and the gems are Adhesive Backed Metallic Gems. I added a touch of Wink of Stella on the envelope berries which almost made it look like gold to match the paper.