Monday, August 3, 2026

FERN & FLORA TEMPLATE TIME

This week I am going to use the Fairless Stampin' Flair sketch #9 to create the cards.  Sketches (or Templates) are a great resource when you are having a creative block.

For the last couple of years, when I came across a card with an interesting or unique layout I'd create a quick sketch so I wouldn't "lose track of" the idea.  

The sketch for this card has several pieces which provides a great way to show off pretty designer series paper.

After I make the sketch sometimes I attempt to add dimensions to the sketch as reference.  I'm not sure if having the dimensions is helpful or if it tends to limit the creativity.  In making the cards for this week, I think it is a little bit of both.  I found myself modifying the sizes to better fit the card and to accommodate the design of the paper or the "tool" I was using.

For example, in this card I wanted to use a Stylish Shape die or a punch cut the circle, but I did have a die or a punch that was 2-1/4" in diameter.  I used a Stylish Shape die, but the circle is closer to 2-1/2" in diameter.  With the slightly larger circle some of the other rectangles also looked better balanced if I changed their size.  

My advice is--use the sketch for inspiration, but don't necessarily take it too literally.

I used various designs from the beautiful Moonlit Flora Designer Series Paper (DSP).  There are so many gorgeous designs in this collection that choosing which ones to use was the most difficult part.


The butterflies for today's card were made using the Butterfly Flight Hot Foil Bundle.  The bundle includes the butterfly Hot Foil Dies and coordinating decorative masks that you can use to color the butterflies after foiling them.  It makes five different butterflies at once, so it gives lots of options for size and shape of the butterflies.  I used one on the front, one on the inside and one on the envelope.  Happily I have 2 left over to use on other projects!

The sentiments on this card were all from the Prayers & Promises Stamp Set.  You can learn more about all the products used on the card by clicking on the images in the list below.

For the specific dimensions that I ended up using on this card download the FREE TUTORIAL at this link.

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Thursday, July 30, 2026

SCENIC COAST FUN FOLD

Today's card, admittedly, is a bit over the top.  But sometimes a product suite deserves over-the-top cards because the suite itself is so spectacular.


Last month I took the Scenic Coast Craft Class that Stampin' Up! offers and one of the things we learned in that class was using Watercolor Paper to die cut the lighthouse.

Below is a photo of the card we made in the Stampin Up! class where the instructors demonstrated how to use water coloring to bring the lighthouse to life.

Before we open today's card and take a look at the inside fun fold, let's take a closer look at the card front.

You can see that I used totally different colors for my lighthouse, but the class was very valuable in teaching the technique and providing the inspiration.  

If you have never considered one of Stampin' Up!'s Craft Classes, I would highly recommend trying one of them.  You will definitely learn some new tips, tricks and techniques!

Now let's open the card and take a look at the inside Fun Fold.

I have made a very similar fun fold previously with smaller squares on the inside, but these larger ones provide a nice space to make four pretty focal points that could each stand alone on their own card.

I wanted to use as many of the die cuts and products from the suite as I could and these four inside rectangles provide the perfect way to do that.  

The best way to share this card is with lots of pictures and fewer words, so let's look a little closer.

Above are the two rectangles on the left of the inside and below are the two on the right.

And here are all four of them lying flat with the card fully open.

You may be wondering, where do I write my personalized note?  Well, remember, every piece of paper has two sides, so every card also has a front and a back.

On the back on this card there is a pocket where you can tuck your message layer.

You may be wondering... with all of these layers, how thick is this card?  It definitely is on the thicker side, so that is why it is held closed with a ribbon.  It will fit into a standard A2 envelope, but you will need to add extra postage if you want to mail it.  Or you could hand deliver it!

Are you thinking "this Fun Fold looks way too complicated"?  It's not!  It actually is quite simple.  Yes, this particular card did take a while to create due to the details on each rectangle, but the basic fun fold is simple.

I've made a video where I make a simple template version of the Fun Fold.  This video will show you how the fun fold is made.  It is then your choice how much detail you want to add on each of the sections.

Use this link to download the PDF Tutorial with all the details for today's card.  Don't let the length of the tutorial scare you.  Each of the 4 elements on the inside are basically a card, so the tutorial gets a little long to cover it all.

A list of the products used is shown below.  Click on any image to learn more about a specific product.


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