As card crafters, I know that we share one thing in common, even if I don’t know you personally!
I’m referring to the “paper stash,” all of the pretty patterned paper that we save and refuse to cut up, in fear of using that last favorite piece! At Stampin’ Up! we call it DSP, or Designer Series Paper, and every season new papers come out, so it’s easy collect a lot in a short time. The thing is, as an SU! demonstrator, these papers retire quickly and even though I can always use it for my personal work, I can no longer show it for projects that people may want to copy exactly, because it’s no longer available.
However, I am going to show you a card that I made today, using some of my retired DSP and ribbon, precisely so I can encourage you to pull some patterned paper out of your storage. It doesn’t matter if you have the exact same paper or ribbon that I have because the key here is to use this layout idea to make some quick but elegant cards:
I need a few birthday cards this month, so I started with some of this retired DSP with a Jocobean floral pattern. I cut the white cardstock lengthwise, giving me a long, skinny piece 11″ x 4 1/4″ and then I scored and folded it in half. This gives you a slightly different style of card, with the fold on the short side. It can be used either vertically, or horizontally as I did here.
I cut a piece of Marina Mist cardstock 5 1/4″ x 4″ to mount on the front, and then I trimmed down the DSP to 5″ x 3 3/4.” Before I attached it to the middle of the blue panel on the front of the card, I cut a 5″ strip of multicolored organdy ribbon and attached it to the back of the DSP with tape on each end, then attached the DSP panel to the front of the card.
I stamped a greeting from the Garden in Bloom photopolymer set (139433) on Whisper White cardstock in Marina Mist ink, then die cut it with one of the Lots of Labels Framelits. I cut another label from that set one size larger, using Marina Mist cardstock. I attached both labels together, punched a hole at one end, then cut another 5″ strip of ribbon to go through the hole and tie around the flat ribbon on the front of the card.
The greeting inside uses one sentiment from the Garden in Bloom set, and another (the Happy Birthday) from the Butterfly Basics photopolymer set (137154.) It’s easy to combine greetings by positioning two photopolymer stamps together on one acrylic block!
Aside from the retired DSP and ribbon, here are the supplies that I used to make my Feeling Special birthday card:
Gorgeous card. So elegant. Loooove the paper you have used. I have so much pretty paper and I am guilty of not using it “just in case”. You know when I was growing up we had certain clothes that you could only where for best and it is the worst thing to get stuck in your head. You end up with beautiful things, clothes, shoes, craft products!!!! that never get used. Need to get using it. Thanks for the inspiration as always.
Hugs Flo x
Guilty as charged! I have more paper than some small shops…. I really love this design, and am wanting to make up some quick cards to add to my mum’s stash. She only has like about 20 left so thinks she is running low!! I think you have just helped out massively with this – thanks!
Super! That’s my goal, to put an idea out there that might be helpful to someone else. I’ve been thinking of making up a set of cards for my mom to use – I don’t know if you had mentioned that you’ve done that for your mother, or if “great minds think alike” and it just came to me!
Definitely the ‘great minds’ option!
🙂