ThePowerOfACard: Layouts with Squares make Great, Simple Cards!

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Layouts with Squares make Great, Simple Cards!

I love making cards with squares of patterned paper for several reasons. Firstly, these layouts are great for beginners as the cutting is simple and the layout is easy to follow. Secondly, squares use Designer Series Paper (DSP) efficiently because 3" or 4" squares can be cut evenly with no waste from a 12" piece of paper. Lastly, these layouts with squares are wonderful for mass production, like when you're making Christmas or Thank You cards and you need to make a lot! I mentioned that I'm working on an order of 1200 cards for a friend of mine and three of the layouts I'm showing in the video, I'm also using on his cards!

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Lemon Lime Twist 8-1/2" x 5-1/2"; Basic White 3-1/4" x 4-1/2", 4" x 5-1/4"; Artisan Sketched Garden DSP 3" square, 3/4" x 4"
Stamp: Nature's Symphony
Inks: Lemon Lime Twist, Memento Black
Embellishment: Shimmering Dots

This simple layout is one of my favorites! We have so many gorgeous printed papers and for this one, I'm using the Artisan Sketched Garden paper pack. It has floral patterns on one side and mainly geometric patters on the reverse, all in black and white. In the video, I paired it with Lemon Lime Twist, but my original sample used Poppy Parade. Pick your favorite bright color and your partnering options are plentiful!

Since I am working with a 3" square of black and white paper, I glued it to a piece of Basic White that's 1/4" wider than the square and proportional to the card base, which is a half sheet of paper folded in half. This leaves a good sized space at the bottom to add a sentiment (and a few embellishments!). Of course, you could also use colored cardstock instead of white and if it's too dark to stamp on, then just heat emboss your sentiment!

I added Dimensionals to this layer and attached it to the card front. You could add ribbon, or even a focal point (like a circle with flowers) if you want, but the card looks quite lovely without any further additions. For the inside white panel, I stamped leaves from the stamp set in Lemon Lime Twist and a little Thank in black ink. While the leaves aren't identical to the ones in the paper, they are quite similar and pair well. I added a 3/4" strip of the same paper. The envelope was decorated with a few more leaves. My original card (shown in Poppy Parade) was stamped with Forever Florals.

A fun fact about 3" squares is that when you turn them diagonally, they fit perfectly across the width of a standard 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" card. For this beauty, I used the Pretty Poinsettia bundle to make a non-traditional colored Christmas card. The dies in this bundle use the new Impressions Plate to create the deeply detailed petals and leaves of the poinsettia. I used a square of 2026-2028 Gingham Gallery DSP as a backdrop for the flower. The leaves were cut apart and tucked beneath the petals, while the sentiment was stamped on a 1-1/2" circle. In Color Dots and a Hydrangea Hue Bordered ribbon add the final touches. The flower was a little time consuming to make, but you could easily substitute an element from one of the ephemera packs and turn this into a quick card.

Staying with the 3" square turned on point, these next two cards start out with bases that are 4-1/4" x 11", scored at 5-1/2". Since the square of DSP fits perfectly, I trimmed the base so that you could see the inside of the card at the corners. To do this, score the top at 2-1/8" from the right side. Then make a mark on the right edge half way down (2-1/8"). Cut from this mark to the score line at the top and bottom edge. This will take off two triangles of the card base. After adding the coordinating DSP (from the Moonlit Flora pack), add the 3" square. It will fit perfectly over the base and line up with the edge you just cut. I used Blends to color the flower cluster from the Fern & Flora Bundle (Berry Burst, Bubble Bath, Smoky Slate and Old Olive) and added that with a label. The gems used to decorate the card are Dewdrops Embellishments. The envelope flap was embossed with the Fern& Flora 3D embossing folder.

For the next sample, I decided to show you some the new products coming to you in September! Unlike the first variation of this card, I simply cut off 2-1/8" from the right side of the card (instead of scoring and trimming off the triangles). Then I cut a 3" square of Cajun Craze and a 2-3/4" square of the Sunflower Fields DSP and glued them together. I cut a piece of Golden Glow and embossed it with the new Softly Woven 3D embossing folder and added that to the left side. Then I added dimensionals only on the left side of the sunflower square and attached it to the card front. I added a little sentiment from the Radiant Sunflowers stamp set and tied a knot with the Mossy Meadow & Very Vanilla Gingham ribbon. Adding just one more layer to the square is an easy way to step up your card to the next level.

I started this next card with a 3" square cut from the Wood Grain Wonders DSP pack (which is a great one for making masculine cards and one you may have missed in the catalogs). I then cut it in half both ways to yield 4 squares. I placed two of them with the dark side up, then added the flip side in the middle to make the backdrop for the pine boughs (and leaving one square unused). The Festive Cheer bundle has a variety of stamps and dies to make holiday cards, as I've shown here. I liked using the ornament in place of the O in Noel!

Now I'm switching to bigger squares! I love this layout for colorful prints that are bold in design and color. After cutting your 4" square, cut it on the diagonal and glue each triangle to the card front, leaving a diagonal gap. I've used a die from the Nested Essentials set, but you could easily have used a punch, or just a rectangle piece of cardstock for your sentiment. My card base is Secret Sea and I used a blending brush to add a little Timid Tiger ink to my label to coordinate with the flowers. My sentiments are from Scalloped Blooms and are stamped in Secret Sea.

This card started out with a base of Pool Party that is 4-1/4" x 11. Always remember to score the mid point when you are making cards with this orientation in order to get a nice crisp fold. The alignment of fibers in the paper prevent a nice fold unless you score (unlike when you start with a 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" base that folds easily without scoring). From the square of Beautiful Ordinary Life DSP, cut off the bottom inch. Adhere these to the card base, leaving a space for your sentiment. I stamped mine in Basic Gray ink and it's from You're the Best stamp set. For my ribbon, I didn't have one in Calypso Coral, so instead, I used the Barely Blush Bordered ribbon and colored it with a Stampin' Blend to turn it into a Calypso Coral ribbon! This is a great tip for getting more out of your supplies.

Next, I took a square from the Valley in Bloom DSP pack and cut it into four strips, each one inch wide. I angled them on my card base and glued them down. The sentiment, stamped in Granny Apple Green, is from Lily of the Valley. After flagging the ends, I added a thinner strip of Pool Party behind the sentiment for a pop of extra color. The Shimmering Dots make a nice addition to the label. Not all papers have designs that works great together when you use both sides at once, but when you have it, it makes this layout so simple to make! As a little bit extra, I used Wink of Stella on my flowers that I stamped on the inside. While you can't really see that in the video, the sparkle does show up in person!

My last sample shows off two new paper packs that are being released in September. The first one is called the Autumn Opulence Specialty DSP. It has five double sided designs, plus two different sheets of pre-stamped images you can punch out and add to your cards for fast and fabulous card making! I cut my square into four one inch strips and flipped two of the pieces over. Before adding them to the card, I used a little transparent tape to hold them all together - this makes for perfect placement when you need to glue them to the card base. To add a little extra to this layout, I used a small strip of the new Radiant Foils Specialty DSP to the bottom of the square. My sentiment is from the Radiant Sunflowers I used earlier.

I hope you've learned a few fun ways to use squares (especially 3" and 4" sizes) for your cards. They really are quite versatile (and I didn't really get into variations with using the triangles you can get when you cut them up!). Use up your paper and make lots of cards, then send them out so people get happy mail!

Karen

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