ThePowerOfACard: April 2026

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Shadowed Strips

I've been seeing a lot of cards on the internet with this technique, so that inspired me to make this video for you. I'm not sure if this is the "official name" of the technique, but it works for me! Often, you see the Shadowed Strips made with paper that has a scene on it. But as you will witness, you can make it with a variety of papers, even embossed cardstock! I have a special tip that makes adhering the strips easy and with precision! The card I make in the video uses Dimensionals, but my sample used Foam Strips, which definitely give more lift and shadow. I show you both side by side so you can decide which look you want. Let's get started!

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Basic Beige 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" scored at 4-1/4", 3" x 4-1/4"; Pretty Peacock 3" x 4-1/4", 2-7/8" x 5-1/2"; Nature Walk DSP 2-1/2" x 5-1/2"
Stamp Bundle: Nature's Symphony
Ink: Pretty Peacock
Ribbon: Linen Thread 37"
Embellishment: Antique Pearls
Blends: Dark Pretty Peacock
Adhesive and Tools

After folding your card in half, cut out the large leaf cluster from Basic Beige and Pretty Peacock. Set these aside until we prepare the panel of strips. Cut the piece of DSP into 1/2" strips, keeping them in order until we can adhere them. One thing to note is that whatever piece you cut into strips must be evenly cut into 1/2" increments. (For example, you can't evenly cut a horizontal piece of paper that begins at 4" x 5-1/4" because you'll be left with a 1/4" strip.)

My helpful tip is to use Glad Press'n Seal to assemble the strips. This is a thin film that has a light adhesive that isn't too sticky for paper, but will adhere to your containers in the kitchen. Turn your strips over, one at a time and place them on the piece of Press'n Seal. Keep adding strips right next to each other, making sure there are no gaps and that the tops and bottoms align. When your have all the strips on the Press'n Seal, you can add glue to every other strip, then pick up the entire arrangement and add it to the larger piece of Pretty Peacock.

Carefully peal back the Press'n Seal, keeping the unglued strips in place. Add either Dimensionals or Foam Strips to the back of the first strip and add it to the end of the panel. Repeat with each unattached strip until they are all adhered. I like to do the strips one at a time so they don't get out of order. Set this panel aside as we work on the leaves.

For the leaves, I kept one intact, but cut the second one (Basic Beige) into two pieces. Use a Silicone Craft Sheet to work out your arrangement of the leaves. When you get them positioned as you like, use Mini Glue Dots to adhere them together. This will allow you to pick it up as a single unit.

You'll need just over 3 feet (not yards like I said in the video!) of Linen Thread. If you use a fresh dryer sheet (not used in the dryer) to rub over the thread, it will help remove some of the curls and smooth it out. Wrap it around the Shadowed Strips layer twice and tie in a bow. Add this panel to the card front with glue. Then you can slip in the leaves, position as desired, and adhere with more Glue Dots to the strips.

To finish, stamp the sentiment in the lower right corner with Pretty Peacock ink. I decided to leave this sample without an inside sentiment so that when I need to use this card, I can customize it for the occasion - birthday, graduation, retirement, etc. I did stamp some leaves (stamped off for a lighter version) on both the inside of the card and the envelope.

Paper with scenes are so great for this technique! Here I have the musical bugs from the Cute as a Bug DSP. After cutting it into strips and mounting them to the piece of Old Olive, I added a few more bugs, which were cut using the dies from the Sweet Bugs Bundle, on the elevated strips. The sentiment straddles several strips and is from a new set called Exciting Times.

Instead of patterned paper for this card, I used the Greenery Lane Washi tape on a piece of Basic White. From the Greenery Lane stamp set, I used the small flowers to stamp on my card base around the edges in Lost Lagoon ink. The strips were mounted on Pretty Peacock and the sentiment was embossed in white on a panel of the same color. I added a few more leaves from the washi tape to finish the card.

For this next sample, I wanted to show a completely different look. First, I embossed a panel of Basic White with the Sunflower 3D embossing folder. Then I cut it in half on the diagonal. On my trimmer, I placed the cut edge of the diagonal piece at 3/4" and cut a strip. I repeated this process until I had four pieces for each half of the embossed panel. Then I adhered them in the same manner to a piece of Golden Glow, one of the new In Colors. Before adding this to the card front, I tied a bow with Golden Glow Bordered Ribbon. I embossed the sentiment from Friendly Foliage and decorated with 2026-2028 In Color Dots. I embossed two more strips of Basic White to place on the inside and envelope.

This next sample is a variation of the Spotlight technique (which has only a portion of the paper colored). I stamped the Flowers Fair image in black on a panel of Basic White. After cutting it into strips, I colored every other panel with Stampin' Blends in Hydrangea Hue, Crisp Cantaloupe (not cucumber 🤣), and Granny Apple Green. As I adhered them to the panel of Hydrangea Hue, I did not peel off the backing of the lower end of the strips so I could tie a strip of ribbon around the lower strips. When that was done, I adhered the strips with Dimensionals over the ribbon to create a woven look. Lastly, I added that panel to a piece of Basic White and glued it to a Crisp Cantaloupe card base. My sentiments are from Phrases and Frames and I used more 2026-2028 In Color Dots.

This sample features one of my favorites from the new Online Exclusives for May - Silly Old Bear Suite. While I seem to prefer layouts with vertical strips, I decided to make this one with horizontal strips. There are a lot of great scenes on the Silly Old Bear DSP but this one was perfect for Eeyore. I placed the strips on Early Espresso paper which was matted with Hydrangea Hue. The card base is Very Vanilla and the sentiments are from Sweet Words & Labels. I made this a gift card holder by adding a rectangle embossed with the Hundred Acre Woods folder. I pulled in a stamp from the Gears & Textures stamp set to add texture to the envelope flap and strip on the inside.

My last card features the paper from the new May - August Mini Catalog called Scenic Coast Specialty DSP. It is so lovely that I hate to cut it into smaller pieces! That makes it perfect for this technique so you can still see a large portion of the paper. I kept it simple by putting the strips on Blueberry Bushel and adding it to a Daffodil Delight card base. I used the Sunset Coast bundle for my sentiments and sailboat. By trimming the sentiment with my snips, I covered up less of that pretty sunset.

I hope I've given you plenty of ideas for trying out this technique. It's super fun and so easy when you use the Press'n Seal! Have fun!

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

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Product List

Nature's Symphony Bundle (English)

[166926]

$46.75

Basic Beige 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[164511]

$14.00

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

[150880]

$14.00

Nature Walk 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[166912]

$12.50

Linen Thread

[104199]

$5.00

Pretty Peacock Classic Stampin’ Pad

[150083]

$9.00

Pretty Peacock Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154895]

$9.00

Antique Pearls

[164679]

$8.50

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

$6.00

Mini Glue Dots

[103683]

$7.25

Take Your Pick

[144107]

$12.00

Basic White Medium Envelopes

[159236]

$11.00

Paper Trimmer

[152392]

$28.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

$140.00

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Start Simple, Then Step it Up!

I just got my notification from YouTube that I've been making videos for six years!!! It's hard to believe it's been that long, but I started during the pandemic and have made a video every two weeks (and some more in-between) all of that time. Wow! It's not always been easy and it's challenging to predict what gets views, but I have had some wonderful support from subscribers all over the world and that's been pretty cool!

I have been stamping a very long time and I often hear people who are new to stamping say that they could NEVER make cards like me. Well, that's just not true. Everyone starts out without all the stuff and not knowing techniques. So that's why I've made this video. I will make three cards with essentially the same layout. The first one will be simple, the next one will add some things to step it up and the last one will be have even more stuff (both techniques and embellishments). I'll have some tips along the way and my hope is that you will find success in starting out with simple cards and only step it up when and if you want to!

Gather your supplies for Card 1:

Cardstock: Thick Basic White 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" scored at 4-1/4"; Basic White 2-3/4" x 4", 3/4" x 2-1/2"; Strawberry Slush 3" x 4-1/4"
Stamps: Fragrant Layers, Reason to Celebrate
Ink: Memento Black
Adhesive and Tools

My goal for this card is to keep it simple with SIP - Stamps, Ink and Paper. I choose two stamp sets as great starter stamps because they are versatile. The flowers can be simple line images, or filled in with color and between the two sets, you have a good variety of sentiments.

When you start out, it is helpful to make yourself a set of card layers. The typical card front size is 4-1/4" x 5-1/2". I made a series of layers, most of them 1/4" smaller on both dimensions. If you make them in different colors, it's helpful to see how the layers will combine. After mounting the large cluster of flowers, I saw that it would fit very well on a 2-3/4" x 4" piece. Then the next size up becomes 3" x 4-1/4". While you may not always use these sized layers, understanding how to layer is foundational for card making.

This simple card will be black and white with a pop of color, one of my favorite combinations. Fold your card base and half - it's good if you have a bone folder to press the crease. Place your stamp on a block and ink. Because it's a large stamp, I like to turn the block upside down and hold the ink pad with my hand to apply ink. Your goal is to tap, tap, tap and only get ink on the stamp, not the block. That doesn't always happen, but if you do get ink on the block, the ink is likely to get in places you don't want! Stamp the image on the white rectangle, then glue this to the Strawberry Slush rectangle. You don't need a lot of glue - a thin line of it will suffice. You want to avoid having glue ooze out from the edges. I like using glue because it's economical and it allows you to move the pieces a bit before the glue sets. Glue our floral piece to the card front, centering it (but just eyeball it, don't measure).

On the small piece of white, stamp the sentiment. You could just glue this to the card front if you want, but I added a few Dimensionals (double sided foam adhesive hexagons) and positioned it near the bottom of the floral piece. For the inside, stamp Happy Birthday in black. I inked the large floral image again and stamped that in the corner of the envelope to finish the card.

Your goal at this stage of your stamping journey is to hone your stamping skills - no ink on the block, no smearing of the ink when you stamp, full ink coverage and no glue oozing from your layers. If you want, practice on scrap paper until you feel confident in the inking/stamping process. Make your own set of layering guides to assist you.

Gather your supplies for Card 2:

Cardstock: Thick Basic White 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" scored at 4-1/4"; Basic White 2-3/4" x 4", 3/4" x 2-1/2"; Basic Black 2-7/8" x 4-1/8", 7/8" x 2-5/8"; Strawberry Slush 3-1/8" x 4-3/8"
Stamps: Fragrant Layers, Reason to Celebrate
Inks: Memento Black, Strawberry Slush, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight
Adhesive and Tools

We start out the same by folding the card base and stamping the large floral image on the white rectangle. Then use the stamps to fill in the flowers in Strawberry Slush, leaves in Granny Apple Green and flower centers with Daffodil Delight. These filler stamps provide a watercolor look to our focal point. Instead of one layer, this panel will have two. The first one is black, which is only 1/8" larger than the white. Glue these together, then add the Strawberry Slush layer. Before adding this to the card front, add Dimensionals so this entire element is popped up.

For the sentiments, both on the front and inside, stamp in Strawberry Slush. Mat the outside sentiment with the black and pop it up by adding one Dimensional in the lower right corner and glue where it overlaps the flower piece. For the envelope, stamp the flowers in Strawberry Slush.

This stepped up approach uses more ink colors, layers and dimension. You can introduce Designer Series Paper (DSP) instead of cardstock. Patterned paper is lots of fun and adds a lot more interest. A good way to expand your ink colors is by getting a collection of Stampin' Spots which are mini ink pads. They come in several sets, but are also part of Paper Pumpkin and other Kits. I like building in color families (Brights, Subtles, Regals, Neutrals or In Colors) - you can get an assortment of cardstock in each of the families, and all of colors are coordinated across the product lines.

Gather your supplies for Card 3:

Cardstock: Strawberry Slush 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" scored at 4-1/4"; Basic White 2-3/4" x 4", 3/4" x 2-1/2", 4" x 5-1/4"; Daffodil Delight 2-7/8" x 4-1/8"; Basic Black 3-1/8" x 4-3/8", 7/8" x 2-5/8"
Stamps: Fragrant Layers, Reason to Celebrate
Ink: Memento Black, Strawberry Slush, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight
Ribbon: Strawberry Slush Faux Linen
Embellishment: 2025-2027 In Color Flat Pearls
Adhesive and Tools

For our last card, we are using several techniques to step it up. The first is to use a colored cardstock for our card base and to stamp the large floral image in the upper left and lower right corners with Strawberry Slush ink, adding interest and subtle texture. For the floral element, stamp and color the flowers as we did in card 2, then mat with Daffodil Delight. Before adding the last mat (black), distress the edges as shown in the video with scissors.

Wink of Stella is a glittery pen with a paintbrush tip. It will add just a gentle sparkle to the flower petals (I almost forgot to add it in the video, but it's best to do it at this point in the process). If you have to squeeze the pen to get more glitter into the nib, be careful as it is easy to get a big drip! Before adding the floral element to the card, tie a knot of Strawberry Slush ribbon near the bottom, then add to the card front at an angle with Dimensionals. Add some Strawberry Slush flat pearls around the flowers. I prefer to add gems in odd numbers as this is more pleasing to the eye.

Stamp the sentiment for the card front in Granny Apple Green, mat with the black and add to the front like we did in Card 2. Because our card base is not white, stamp the Happy Birthday onto a panel of Basic White. Ink the Birthday in Strawberry Slush by using the edge of the ink pad to only ink part of our sentiment. Stamp on the white panel, then clean the stamp well before the next step. Ink Happy in Black and stamp above Birthday. Glue this panel to the inside of the card. Stamp the flowers on the envelope corner as we did before.

Obviously, we have done more techniques with this card (Wink of Stella, distressing paper edges, tone on tone stamping, and stamping a sentiment in multiple colors) and have added embellishments (ribbon and pearls). Changing the positioning of the focal point is another way we have stepped up this card. Even with all of those things, we still haven't branched out into other tools or techniques that require more equipment. If you want to do dry embossing or die cutting, you will need a Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine. Once you get that, your possibilities for stepping up your card design really kick it up a notch. You can also invest in other coloring techniques (Stampin' Blends, Watercolor Pencils, or Ink Refills to do watercoloring). And then there is heat embossing, which is magical!

The possibilities are nearly endless and oh, so much fun! I hope this basic tutorial has helped you in your stamping efforts, or given you some tools to help introduce stamping to a family member or friend. I'm here to help you along the journey, whether you prefer simple stamping, or want to step up your skills!