Tag Archives: nature

Quarter Fold Peaceful Place Card

December 1, 2021 R'Chel Leave a comment

Because they are so much fun, here’s another Quarter Fold Card. This one has a Live demonstration to go with it on the My Inky Paws FB page, too. Link is at the bottom. These adorable cards open and close just like cardboard box flaps and open to reveal additional decoration and a large writing panel. Kids love to help make, these, too! Because they are kind of box as well as card, they would make amazing gift card holders as well as hold small flat gifts such as magnets, bookmarks, cash, etc.

You’ll have enough card stock for 2 cards, just double the cut instructions for coordinating cardstock and DSP to have 2 cards worth.

Cut List:
Cardstock
8-1/2 x 5-1/2 inches (cut a sheet in half shortwise)
Score at 2-1/8 and 6-3/8

11 x 4-1/4 inches (cut a sheet in half longwise)
Score at 2-3/4 and 8-1/4

Coordinating Cardstock
5-1/4 x 2-1/2 (need 4 of these per card)
4 x 1-7/8 (need 4 of these per card)

Cardstock you can write on
5-1/4 x 4

DSP
5 x 2-1/4 (4 total per card)
3-3/4 x 1-5/8 (4 total per card)

I’m working with both the Peaceful Deer stamp set, and the Peaceful Place premium Designer Series Paper for this card. Peaceful Place is gorgeous paper with silver foiling on one side of every sheet. It features snowy evergreens, rustic cabins, buffalo plaid, and snowflakes. Whether you’re creating holiday cards, winter birthday cards, or cards for your favorite outdoors lover this paper is perfect!

This card fits in an A2 sized envelope, and you’ll definitely want to add non-machinable postage if you’re mailing it because the center can easily attain 8 or more sheets of paper and card stock in thickness by the time you decorate the outside and inside, too.

For the Live demo for this card stop by My Inky Paws Facebook page The Supplies list for this card is here. Thanks for hanging out with me! Happy Crafting to You and see you next time with a new project!!

Artistic, Card Tutorial, Fun Techniques

Handcolored Succulents on Vellum Cards

November 24, 2021 R'Chel Leave a comment

A couple of weeks ago was Stampin’ Up!s Onstage at Home event. This yearly conference was tons of fun and we always get to see new projects, new supplies, and interact with other demonstrators. For the Stamp and Share project this year I grabbed supplies I already had on hand. I was working at my store that day and knew I wasn’t going to have as much focus as I wanted to have, and that I wouldn’t have long concentrated periods of time. With that in mind I grabbed some vellum and markers. I can color in short spans of time between customers right? It worked!

Any time you want to turn the ordinary into extraordinary just reach for the vellum. Vellum is a media that I absolutely adore working with. If you have a paper that is too bold then layer vellum over it. Super bold? Add dimensionals and move the vellum farther away from the paper to diffuse the image or color even more.

These cards were done with the layouts shown to all of us. It’s always intriguing to watch a room full of people use the same cut sheet and watch them create vastly different projects. That’s what happened this time as well. As I watched the images for cards created I admired the diversity and beauty. I was far from being the only one who wasn’t using the stamp set demonstrated.

The vellum die cuts were colored with Stampin’ Blend markers. Stampin’ Write markers could also be used, though I’d have colored on the back side of the vellum to diffuse the image a little more with them. I realized when I was assembling the cards that I had forgotten embellishments so I grabbed the little stash of random embellishments that I keep in my office desk drawer. These cards really created a warm spot in my heart. I know it’s not the season to create with summer succulents…or maybe it’s exactly the right season to do so!

This card fits in an A2 sized envelope with standard postage.

For more cards and Live demos, stop by My Inky Paws Facebook page The Supplies list for this card is here. Thanks for hanging out with me! Happy Crafting to You and see you next time with a new project!!

Artistic, Card Tutorial, Fun Techniques, Quick & Easy

I’m With You – Polar Bear Card

November 16, 2021 R'Chel Leave a comment

As soon as I saw the Arctic Bears Bundle this card was in my head. I knew this combination of stamps and dies would lend itself perfectly to the highlighting blending brush technique I used for the Winter Storm and Watching You Watching Me cards last year.

I love the look of whisper white used with a blending brush to lighten up a focal area of a design. It really elevates the card to art status for me and provides some added drama to create depth. The center area of this Pacific Point cardstock base was lightened to several shades paler using Whisper White Ink. Blend out from the center carefully to avoid any lines of demarcation.

Using Basic White cardstock for the foreground pieces adds more depth. I chose to use Memento Black for the contrast and starkness that echoes in the landscape.

The stamp set and dies are rich in imagery. This is the largest bear. There are cubs, and a smaller bear in the die cuts. There are a couple more detailed background images in the stamp set, a sun/moon die, and a variety of landform dies to stage your bears on. I can’t wait to play with this set some more. I will probably combine the bears into some holiday cuteness as well. This card is a little somber in sentiment, though I needed to make this card for personal use. I hope you enjoy the technique and post me pics of anything you create, too!

This card fits in an A2 sized envelope with standard postage.

Watching You Watching Me Spanner Peekaboo Card

Card Tutorial, Fun Folds

Fall Explosion Card

November 2, 2021 R'Chel Leave a comment

Explosion cards are so much fun! As with most fun fold cards, they appear much more complicated than they are and that enhances their appeal!! Kids love to get these, but they’re perfect for all ages and especially for cards celebrating something fun.

Below you’ll find a template for cutting and scoring the explosion panel. I used the current Host Reward DSP Pack (Pattern Party #155426) because it has beautiful colorful images on one side of the paper, and black and white images on the other that can be colored to match your season or occasion. The fishtail and stripes are from the colored side while the leaves are all hand colored from the black and white side. The stamp set I used is also a current hosting special and is called Seasons of Fun (#156576.) It features kids and pets playing in a variety of outdoor scenes. I chose to colorize with Stampin’ Blend Markers for this project

This card fits in an A2 sized envelope, and you’ll definitely want to add non-machinable postage if you’re mailing it.

Card Tutorial, Fun Folds, Holiday

Seasons Bring Wonder TS

October 31, 2021 R'Chel Leave a comment

Trifold Shutter Cards have been around for awhile now, and while they may look intimidating if you haven’t given them a try yet please consider adding them to your fun fold arsenal. They are also a great way to use up those little bits of a favorite DSP!

Below you’ll find a template for cutting and scoring the card, as well as a cut sheet for sizes of DSP and card stock. This is a wonderful card to use up those little bits of DSP that we all have in our scrap bins. If you don’t have a scrap bin I highly recommend a small tub that you can add your bits and bobs to because crafting from the scrap bin can be a joy in itself!

This card fits in an A2 sized envelope, and you’ll probably want to add non-machineable postage if you’re mailing it. Additional writing panels can be added to the back side as well if you’re adding a personal greeting you don’t want displayed. The display factor is one of the reasons I love this card. I enjoy cards that become pieces of décor, and this one really fits the bill!

The Live tutorial is up on My Inky Paws Facebook page and Supplies list is here. Thanks for hanging out with me! Happy Crafting to You and see you next time with a new project!!

Artistic, Card Tutorial, Fun Techniques

Just Breathe

September 3, 2021 R'Chel Leave a comment

A Sunday Cards & Coffee Live tutorial from Stampin’ Stuff with My Inky Paws Facebook Page.

This card was actually created at the same time as Missing You at Home. As I was die cutting that card I was seeing this one come together in my head. That’s kind of a thing with me and it’s both a blessing and a curse. Oftentimes I look at a stamp set (or a die set) and a card pops into my head fully formed right down to the embellishments. That card has to get out of my head, aka become physically crafted, before I can move on to see other possibilities. Does this happen to you, too? I’d love to know it’s not just one of my (many) idiosyncrasies.

So….as did MYaH, this card started out with 3 successively smaller die cuts using Diorama contour nesting dies on 3 colors of card stock. I used Pacific Point card stock for the card base and did a front only embossing with the paint texture embossing folder. I like the paint texture as it lends itself to many different applications (and I could digress and expound on its virtues for a whole post…maybe I will, but not this one…)

The trees are punch art in two colors of card stock using the Evergreen Border punch. One of the stamps in the Evergreen Elegance Stamp Set is a small tree that is just the right size for adding some texture (I used Evening Evergreen ink) and giving it more of a tree-look rather than just plain cardstock paper-doll-type trees.

The why of this card (which maybe should have been the intro of this post) and the reason I couldn’t get it out of my head is this: I have a couple sisters, and we are ALL workaholics. We all have different careers (though 2 of us had the same for awhile) and we basically hand ourselves over completely to our careers. It’s how we’re wired. I was one of the 2 of us with same job and in a sudden moment of clarity, inhaled one day and looked around me and basically said “F this S, I’m going back to working for me,” and so here I am. I have always definitely liked my boss and working conditions better when I am self-employed but I’m no less a workaholic than when I am paychecking in my more traditional career path.

But back to my workaholic sisters. One in particular….she needs a break. She needs a real vacation. She’s not going to get it, and so when I cut out those cardstock diorama pieces I saw an island. With this card I created her an island surrounded by deep blue water with peaceful forests of trees to get caught up in. She can keep this on her desk and go there in her mind when she can’t physically get away from her work life.

As is my personal signature, the envelope and the inside of the card are stamped with a small grove of trees from this set. I never leave an envelope naked as I feel the joy of receiving a card should start the moment it touches the recipients hand with just a hint of what waits inside!

I hope this card inspires you to create and I’d love to see your cards and hear their stories, too!

Come on over to the My Inky Paws FB page and give me a Like and Follow for more Cards & Coffee Live Tutorials.

Artistic, Card Tutorial, Fun Techniques

Missing You at Home

September 2, 2021 R'Chel 1 Comment

A Sunday Cards & Coffee Live tutorial from Stampin’ Stuff with My Inky Paws Facebook Page.

While the subject matter might be a touch melancholy (for when aren’t we a little sad when our loved ones are away) this card is a fun one to create by channeling the joy they bring you into the image!

This card started out with 3 successively smaller die cuts using Diorama contour nesting dies on 3 colors of card stock. The image was stamped from the 2021 Fall Sale-a-Bration Feels Like Home stamp set (free with $50 purchase.) Sentiment is also from Feels like Home and punched with 1-1/2 inch circle punch.

I love the Diorama dies for their versatility! We’re not going to let the part we cut out go to waste either. Next time we’ll make another card using those pieces.

In coloring this card there are any number of ways to approach it. I chose a subtle colored pencil palette to just bring hints of color that tied in the cardstock diorama tones – enough color to draw the eye to the image without getting fussy over the shading.

Dyeing seam ribbon is one of my favorite “prep” things to do, and so I gently spotted damp seam ribbon with a few of the colors (use your markers for this) used in the focal image. As the ribbon dries the ink travels and blends and softens in tone. You can create the perfect ribbon for any project this way.

As is my personal signature, the envelope and the inside of the card are stamped with the coordinating pot of flowers stamp from this set. I never leave an envelope naked as I feel the joy of receiving a card should start the moment it touches the recipients hand with just a hint of what waits inside!

I hope this card inspires you to create and I’d love to see your cards, too!

Come on over to the My Inky Paws FB page and give me a Like and Follow for more Cards & Coffee Live Tutorials.

Missing You at Home Card — Missing You at Home

Artistic, Card Tutorial, Fun Techniques

Watching You Watching Me

August 12, 2021 R'Chel Leave a comment

This is a card I did last winter, and now the DSP I used is back (in the clearance section.) The Feels Like Frost DSP is beautiful so if you are going to create wintery cards this year think about picking it up.

Watching You Watching Me is a Window Card. The illusion is formed by cutting a 1-1/2 inch gap and then adding a 2 inch x 5-1/2 inch piece of clear window acetate between the cardstock and the DSP panels on the card front. The sentiment bar spans the front making it look as though it’s what is holding the card together. Cool effect and has a lot of other applications too!

Before stamping the deer on the inside I used white pigment ink on a blending brush to lighten the cardstock area and the result looks like a snowstorm in the moonlight. I added some stamping around the perimeter with a dot stamp. You could even add a few well placed “flicks” of white ink after stamping the deer to give a feeling of snow in the air, too. Vary the pressure of the blending brush and keep layering to get the brighter “snow” in the foreground.

Supply list can be found at https://s.tamp.in/zRvBeA

Artistic, Card Tutorial, Fun Techniques, Holiday

Evergreen Elegance

August 10, 2021 R'Chel Leave a comment

I have so much fun with the Evergreen Elegance cling stamp set. A few simple evergreen trees, stars, some awesome sentiments, some beautiful DSP, and some trial & error coupled with a little imagination and you have some great cards for holiday, for the guy in your life, for nature-loving friends…you get the picture! Have fun friends!!