Origami Shirt

CAS924 - Texture

For my card, I pulled out a piece of designer paper from my stash that I am working hard to use up and created a fun origami shirt as the focal point. The folded shirt adds wonderful dimension and a touch of whimsy to the design. To help it stand out, I layered it onto a Swiss Dot embossed panel, which adds subtle texture without taking attention away from the shirt. A bright pink strip of designer paper tucked beneath the shirt brings in a cheerful pop of color and helps anchor the focal image.

Next, I layered the completed panel onto a bright pink card base that coordinates perfectly with the accent strip. To dress up the shirt even more, I added three bright pink pearls for a bit of elegance and shine. I also scattered two bright pink sequins around the shirt to create visual balance and add a touch of sparkle to the overall design.

To finish the card, I stamped a birthday sentiment and popped it up with dimensional adhesive on the pink designer paper strip. The raised sentiment adds depth and completes this fun and festive birthday card perfectly.

Thank you for stopping by to see my card today. Your thoughtful comments are always appreciated. If you leave a note, a visit to your blog will follow.

Origami Shirt

Graduation Balloons

FS1031 - this week's incredibly talented, featured stamper on splitcoaststampers.com is Barb Deichl (aka barbaralynn). I found this INSPIRATION.

I was immediately drawn to the wonderful textured background that Barb used, so that became the inspiration and starting point for my card. Rather than using an embossing folder or texture paste, I decided to create my own dimensional background with paper. I dug into my scrap bin and punched out a variety of balloons, then stacked each one five layers high before adhering them to a panel of white cardstock. The raised balloons created lots of texture and interest while keeping the design fun and celebratory.

Once all of the balloons were in place, I covered the entire panel with blue acrylic paint. After the paint dried slightly, I brushed a watered-down layer of white paint over the top. This softened the blue and allowed the texture from the stacked balloons to become even more prominent, creating a unique background with plenty of depth and character.

When the panel was completely dry, I layered it onto a red mat and then attached everything to a white card base. To finish the design, I die cut a graduation cap from Jaded Blossom along with a "Congratulations" sentiment from Spellbinders. A few scattered blue sequins added the perfect finishing touch and just a bit of sparkle. I love how all of the texture and dimension come together to create a festive card that's perfect for celebrating a special graduate!

Thank you for stopping by to see my card today. Your thoughtful comments are always appreciated. If you leave a note, a visit to your blog will follow.

Graduation Balloons

Thanks So Much Dog

IC1092 - Lone Fox - Inspiration

This card has a special purpose behind it, as I need to add a few more dog-themed cards to my pet donation collection. When I saw today's inspiration, it was the perfect opportunity to pull out this adorable bulldog image from Hunkydory and give it a starring role on a cheerful thank you card.

To create the design, I reached into my ever-growing stash of designer papers and selected a couple of patterns that worked beautifully together. Since one of my crafting goals this year is to use more of my paper collection, it was especially satisfying to incorporate these papers into the layout. I layered them onto a bright green cardstock background, choosing the color to coordinate with the vibrant tennis ball held by this sweet pup.

Once the layout was assembled, I matted the bulldog image with the same bright green cardstock to help tie all the elements together. The "Thanks" sentiment was then added with dimensional foam adhesive, giving the focal point extra depth and helping it stand out against the patterned papers.

To finish the card, I scattered a few green gems across the design for a little sparkle and added visual balance. I love how the bright green accents draw your eye around the card while keeping all the attention on that lovable bulldog and his favorite tennis ball!

Thank you for stopping by to see my card today. Your thoughtful comments are always appreciated. If you leave a note, a visit to your blog will follow.

Thank You So Much Dog

Shark!

 

WT1130 - Be inspired by Little Mermaid

USEIT2026 - shells

For my card, I simply could not resist using these adorable shark slipper die cuts to create a fun and lighthearted birthday card. I die cut all of the pieces for the legs and slippers, then carefully layered the elements together to give them dimension and bring the design to life. The playful slippers are definitely the stars of this card and are sure to bring a smile to the recipient's face.

For the background, I selected a lovely patterned paper from my stash and layered it onto silver mirror cardstock for a touch of shine and elegance. The finished panel was then attached to a blue card base, which perfectly picks up the blue tones in the socks and helps tie the entire design together.

To finish the card, I stamped a Happy Birthday sentiment and popped it up with dimensional adhesive for added depth. As a final embellishment, I added several tiny seashells along the bottom of the card from my tote of crafting treasures that I am working to use up. These little accents complement the shark slippers perfectly and add an extra touch of whimsy and coastal charm to the finished design.

Thank you for stopping by to see my card today. Your thoughtful comments are always appreciated. If you leave a note, a visit to your blog will follow.

Shark!

Thank You

SC1139 - this week's sketch on splitcoaststampers.com

For this card, I reached into a patterned paper pack that I am determined to use up this year. The beautiful papers made it easy to create a card with plenty of color and interest while following the sketch design. I cut all of the layers needed for the layout and added dark brown cardstock mats behind each element. The darker color helped define the individual pieces and allowed the patterned papers to really stand out against one another.

Once all of the layers were assembled, I adhered the completed design to a white card base. The crisp white background provides a nice contrast and keeps the overall design feeling fresh and balanced.

To finish the card, I stamped a simple thank you sentiment and mounted it with dimensional adhesive for a little extra depth. As a final touch, I added flowers accented with Nuvo Drops in the centers, bringing texture and a bit of shine to the design. These small details help pull everything together and give the card a cheerful, polished look.

Thank you for stopping by to see my card today. Your thoughtful comments are always appreciated. If you leave a note, a visit to your blog will follow.

Thank you

Another Year...

 

CAS923 - Trains, Planes, or Automobiles

I had a lot of fun creating this clean and cheerful card featuring an adorable airplane die from Spellbinders. I die cut all of the pieces from shades of blue and bright red cardstock, then assembled the airplane before setting it aside while I worked on the background.

For the card front, I started with a panel of white cardstock and lightly sponged soft clouds across the surface to create the look of a bright sky. This simple technique adds just enough detail while keeping the focus on the airplane. I then stamped a wonderful sentiment from DRS Designs that perfectly complements the flying theme.

To finish the card, I attached the airplane with dimensional adhesive, allowing it to stand out from the background and adding extra depth and interest to the design. The popped-up airplane appears ready to soar right across the card front, bringing a fun and playful feel to the finished project.

Thank you for stopping by to see my card today. Your thoughtful comments are always appreciated. If you leave a note, a visit to your blog will follow.

Another Year...

Grad Mouse

 

FS1030 - this week's featured stamper on splitcoaststampers.com is Whitloca aka Carol. I found this INSPIRATION.

My daughter-in-law's sister will be graduating from college in just a few months, so I am already starting to build my stash of graduation cards for the occasion. Carol's beautiful card was the perfect inspiration and reminded me that I already had some wonderful graduation-themed supplies tucked away in my craft room. I pulled out this adorable House Mouse image and spent some relaxing time coloring it with Copic markers. Once the coloring was complete, I trimmed the panel down and layered it onto black cardstock to help the image stand out and give it a polished finish.

The script background is actually a page from an old dictionary that a friend was planning to discard when he moved. I was delighted to rescue it because the aged print makes such a wonderful addition to handmade cards, especially for academic and graduation themes. To coordinate with the image, I layered the dictionary page onto red cardstock to highlight the red accents in the focal panel, then mounted everything onto a black card base for a bold and classic look.

To finish the design, I added several dimensional stickers from my stash. They brought extra texture, depth, and visual interest to the card while helping reinforce the celebratory graduation theme. I always enjoy finding ways to incorporate treasured supplies into a project, and this card was a fun combination of coloring, layering, and a few special embellishments that came together to celebrate an exciting milestone.

Thank you for stopping by to see my card today. Your thoughtful comments are always appreciated. If you leave a note, a visit to your blog will follow.

Grad Mouse