Thursday, June 18, 2026

VELVET MEADOW FUN FOLD

On Monday I indicated I was having a difficult time choosing which of the beautiful Velvet Meadow Designer Series Paper (DSP) designs to use.  Well, I'm still having trouble!  They are all so pretty that it seems impossible to select just one.

So I went on a search of a card design where I could use several of the pretty designs.

I found this card by Sharon Armstrong in my Creativate Tutorial's file.  She shared it during the Spring Creativate Retreat, and when I saw it I knew immediately that this was the fun fold I needed to use.

The fun fold is made using a standard card with an added flap on the right.  Initially, I was a little intimidated, but it turned out to be extremely easy to put together.  Using the designer series paper made it even quicker to complete--which was good because I was running out of time.  

If you want to see just how easy it is, watch my short video.

I did add additional mat layers that Sharon did not use on her examples.  It is an easy modification once you have the basic instructions, and I love the detail it adds.

In this close-up of the card front you see the DSP design that is probably my favorite.  I'll admit, it was difficult to cut into this particular piece of DSP.

Open the flap and you see these two DSP designs.

Open the card front and you see the inside of the card.

I actually was able to use five different DSP designs from Velvet Meadow collection.  

The card front and the flap have a different design on each side, and the flower on the center message layer was die cut from a fifth design.  

Yes, there are coordinating dies for some of the flowers in the DSP.  

The only step in making this card that requires a bit of extra attention is when to add the ribbon the ties it closed.  Just be sure to lay the ribbon over the flap before you add the DSP assembly to the front of the flap.  I didn't and learned that lesson the hard way.  Guess I should have paid better attention to Sharon's instructions!

Use this link to download a PDF Tutorial.

Ad list of the product used is shown below.

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Monday, June 15, 2026

A VELVET MEADOW QUILT

This week I am featuring the Flowering Meadow Bundle with the Velvet Meadow Specialty Paper.


This was the first card I made using products from the Velvet Meadow Suite.  I knew I wanted to use the gorgeous designer series paper (DSP), but honestly, I could not decide which design to choose.  So rather than choosing one design, I decided to make a "quilt" so I could show off several of them.


A few weeks ago I saw a similar "quilt" design on a card, but with no dimensional information available, it took a little "figuring" to know what size to cut each of the quilt "blocks".  Then I had to figure out which way to cut the diagonals.  

So needless to say, there was a little trial and error involved.  Fortunately, I remembered to start with some old, retired scraps of cardstock, so I didn't "mess-up" this gorgeous velvet DSP.  Yes, this Specialty Paper has areas of flocked, velvety texture.  One side has flocking -- but not too much.  The "backside" of the paper is smooth with a variety of small patterns that create an appearance of texture.  Colors are Basic Beige, Berry Burst, Bubble Bath, Cloud Cover, Daffodil Delight and Peaceful Pine.  Click on the link in the product list below to get a better understanding of all the pretty designs.


The center focal point of the card was made with Sweet Words and Labels Dies and one of the floral images from the Flowering Meadow Bundle.

For all the details and dimensions please reference the tutorial that can be downloaded here.


The flower on the inside of the card is also made with the Flowering Meadow stamps & dies.

A list of the products used is shown below.


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Thursday, June 11, 2026

MOONLIT FLORA WITH PHRASES & FRAMES

While Monday's card was bright and cheery, today's card is a little more sedate.  It uses the Moonlight Flora Designer Series Paper and the largest and smallest frames from Phrases & Frames.


The frame was created by layering the die-cut frame three times using Golden Glow cardstock. Only the top layer was embossed with the Impression Plate.

If you have not used an Impressions plate and are hesitant about trying it, which this video to learn some tips and tricks to get beautiful results.


Once the frame was made, the rest of this card couldn't be easier.  I just framed a beautiful section of my favorite design from the Moonlit Flora DSP.


The colors of this particular DSP sheet are colors that I probably never would have combined--Mossy Meadow, Golden Glow/Pecan Pie and Berry Burst.  But aren't they striking together?

I debated back and forth between using a Berry Burst card base vs. a Pecan Pie card base.  You can see in the video that I used Pecan Pie for that card.  Both are pretty, but they definitely each have their own personality.  Which do you like best?


For the sentiment, I used another of the dies from Phrases & Frames along with the Impressions Plate.  It is a little difficult to see in the photos, but I hope you can get some understanding of how pretty the embossed frames are.  The added texture provides a bit of WOW that you don't get with a flat frame.


The inside of the card, decorated with a DSP scrap, was kept simple -- but never naked!  There is plenty of room to write a heartfelt message to someone who needs a hug!

If you would like a tutorial for the card, use this link to download a FREE COPY!

My tutorials are always free, and if you ever have questions or don't understand something, please reach out to me.  I'm here to help.

My tutorials are not always perfect so please don't hesitate to ask questions if something is not clear.

A list of the products used on this card is shown below.  Click on any image to learn more or make a purchase.

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Monday, June 8, 2026

PHRASES & FRAMES WITH BEAUTIFUL ORDINARY LIFE

This week I am featuring the Phrases and Frames Bundle.  It is difficult for me to pass up a nice sentiment stamp set, but this bundle had the extra bonus of having dies that make beautiful, embossed frames for those sentiments.

With these dies you die cut the frame first and then, without removing the cardstock from die, you run it through the Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine again using an Impressions Plate to create the embossed pattern on the die cut.   

An Impressions Plate is a silicon mat, and personally, I would call it more of a "pad" than a "plate" because it is soft and flexible.

Since I really wanted to keep the frame as the focal point, I decided to keep the rest of the card simple.  I've had this new Beautiful Ordinary Life Designer Series Paper(DSP) for a few weeks but hadn't even opened it.  WOW!  I LOVE IT!  This is my kind of DSP.  The colors are bright and happy on one side, and the backside is all different black and white designs.  If you haven't checked it out yet, you are going to want to take a closer look.


I used one of the black & white patterns that is various stem foliage designs.  I colored several stems with Lost Lagoon and Pretty Peacock Stampin' Blends and then fussy cut them to decorate my frame.  After everything was assembled, I decided the card needed a bit of shimmer and shine, so I coated the leaves with clear Wink of Stella.  It was just what it needed.


For the inside of the card I colored a strip cut from the same stems design Black & White DSP.

Use this link to download a tutorial with step-by-step directions and all the dimensions.

A list of the products I used is shown below.  Don't forget to take a closer look at the Beautiful Ordinary Life DSP.  There is nothing "ordinary" about it.  I'm glad I finally opened my pack!

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