Whip it up Wednesday Archives

Design Process with Desert Details

Posted on February 8, 2023February 8, 2023 by dayinker

How do you decide what to create with new products, like the Desert Details bundle once you’ve unboxed your order? How do you commit to cutting the paper? I’m an advocate of the Stampin’ Up! kits and Paper Pumpkin because they clear that hurdle for you by providing some preplanned projects. But I also enjoy seeing where the products take me, finding out what I can create from scratch. I’m going to walk you through my method in a gallery style. I started with an intention to create a masculine birthday card. I’m almost completely out and I have some birthdays coming up.

Delicate Desert DSP

First, I opened the Delicate Desert paper pack and flipped every other page so I could see all the patterns along with the Desert Details stamp set. I loved the colors. Gray Granite called to me, as well as the rustic Cajun Craze pattern. From the stamp set, I decided to use the “Let the fun begin” as one of my sentiments. But I would need a Happy Birthday sentiment from another stamp set. I could worry about that later.

Desert Details Dies

Next, I considered what die cuts I might want to use from the Desert Details dies. I decided pretty quickly that I didn’t want flowers for this project. I liked the details on the two panel dies and the aloe plant shape would be a nice contrast to all those hard edges. I couldn’t ignore the cool geometric banner piece which I decided would be perfect for a sentiment in a small font. I wanted to use the long edge die too. Perhaps on the inside.

Narrowing the choices

Once I had an idea of the elements, I started to make some selections and draft a layout. Returning to the DSP, I decided which patterns I would use for each layer. I pulled a sheet of each color of cardstock I thought I might use: Cajun Craze, Gray Granite, and Soft Succulent. I really liked the die that would add cut-outs with a diamond pattern, but it didn’t work for this card as I already had a lot going on.

Desert Details with Cajun Craze, Gray Granite, and Soft Succulent card stock.

Die-cutting the Desert Details

Next, it was time to cut the paper. I cut a 4″ strip from the Cajun Craze pattern paper and a 3″ strip from the Gray Granite pattern for my banner pieces. I cut the cardstock in half and then the Gray Granite and Soft Succulent halves in quarters. This saves paper by leaving me usable pieces for card bases or layering. I cut small strips off one of the quarters of the Gray Granite and the Soft Succulent paper so I didn’t run the entire quarter sheet through my cutting/embossing machine. That can leave marks from the plates on the scrap making it unusable.

Stamping Time

Now that I had all the paper I needed to create my card, it was time to stamp. You may notice I have a quarter sheet of white card stock cut 4″x 5-1/4″. That piece is going inside my card. I also have a strip of white paper that I planned to use for my tiny sentiment. More on that soon.

Stamping with the Desert Details stamp set.

Heat Embossing to the Rescue

I found a sentiment that would work with a little fussy cutting in the Beautifully Happy set currently available through Sale-a-bration. Heat embossing with a metallic powder, like Copper, let me add some bling to my masculine card without making it too fussy. I was also able to cut just the “happy birthday” from the sentiment that read “for a very happy birthday.” I love masking stamps or cutting the part I need in order to really customize my cards. You’ll also notice in the upper right of this picture, that when I did my stamping, I added a little detail to the envelope. A decorated envelope announces to the recipient there’s something special inside.

Heat embossing the Beautifully Happy birthday sentiment in copper.

The Inside Desert Details

Here is how the inside of the card looks. In retrospect, I probably would make two changes to this. I would stamp the sentiment in Cajun Craze and the detail stripe in Soft Succulent. Second, I would have flipped my die cut so that the “teeth” hung over the edge of the base and the Cajun Craze card could peep between them. Next time, I’ll try that and let you know.

The inside of the Desert Details masculine birthday card.

The Final Desert Details Masculine Birthday Card

Here is the final card. Instead of the Gold Faceted sequins that come with the Delicate Desert Suite, I used the Brushed Metallic dots from the annual catalog. The Gray Granite banner is popped up on Dimensionals and so is the leafy plant. That was a labor of love because I had to cut the mini-dimensionals into thirds to make it work. Talk about fussy!

Overall, I’m very happy with how this card came out. I told you about the minor changes I would make to the inside, but I think the front of the card is exactly what I wanted—interesting without being too fussy.

Let me know if you liked this post and would like more behind the scenes with the designer posts. If you’d like to purchase any of these products, there is a shop with me code on the right. Until next time: Ink up!

Fine Art Floral and Golden Garden Birthday Card

Posted on May 19, 2021May 19, 2021 by dayinker

Fine Art Floral patterned paper with matching acetate overlay by Stampin Up used to create a birthday card. — Fine Art Floral birthday card

This gorgeous card relies on Fine Art Floral patterned paper and a matching Golden Garden acetate overlay. The paper combo is so pretty. It makes sense to keep everything else minimal, so the full impact isn’t diminished. This design could easily be switched up as a wedding congratulation or anniversary card by swapping out the sentiment. I don’t know about you, but my summer seems to fill with these kinds of events, and I always need another card.

The Instructions

Start with a base of Petal Pink and then add a layer of Old Olive cut to 4″x 5-1/4″. Next, you’ll need to match up the 12×12″ sheet of Fine Art Floral paper with the correct sheet of Golden Garden acetate. Then cut them both at 3-3/4″ x 5″. I used glue dots in discreet areas under the gold images to adhere the acetate to the paper.

That’s the basic card. Rather than ribbon, I used a 1/2″ x 3-3/4″ strip of Old Olive paper. Next, I punched out the sentiment using the Everyday Label punch. The sentiment is stamped in Tuxedo Black ink, and I added a couple of partial flower images to the edges using Petal Pink ink. The label is on Dimensionals. For a final embellishment, I added three gold Metallic Pearls.

If you love this card, order the paper and acetate now. The mini catalog products are retiring at the end of the month, but the stamp set and dies are in the new catalog. So you have plenty of time if you like the entire suite, like me. Let me know what you think about this card or if you have any requests for techniques or other cards you’d like to see explained. I’m happy to do the research and experimentation. Until next time…Ink up!

Stencil Alternates for the Here’s To You Paper Pumpkin

Posted on April 7, 2021April 7, 2021 by dayinker

Here's To You March 2021 Paper Pumpkin cards by Stampin' Up! made as designed. The kit included bonus stencils, but they aren't used for these samples.

Paper Pumpkin celebrated another anniversary in March. This means that subscribers got a gorgeous custom box, fantastic project designs (as always), and a bonus stencil set with a sponge. These are the two cards the kit made, including custom envelope liners. I love the outdoor theme—we all need a little more fresh air. The stamping was super simple, so the cards came together very easily.

The alternatives I have for you this month focus on using stencils. Stampin’ Up! has a full-sized set of stencils in the annual catalog and is coming out with a second set in the new catalog in May. Maybe you haven’t tried to use stencils in your crafting. If not, this kit was a great inspiration to jump in!

Sunburst Stencil Card

Alternate card using the sunburst stencil from the Here's To You Paper Pumpkin kit.

Before starting this card, I cut my sponge into four pieces. It’s easier to hold and makes stenciling more manageable. I started with the back cut from one of the Petal Pink cards in the kit. I taped down the lower corners with old Washi tape on my workspace, which I covered with scrap paper. Stenciling is an inky endeavor. Then I taped the sunburst stencil toward the top of the card stock. The cool part was that I could get a little messy because I trimmed the card at the end to get “perfect edges.”

I started by inking my sponge, tapping it once on my scrap paper, and then, using a combination of pouncing, dapping, gentle rubbing, I filled in the image. This one is a little tricky because the spokes want to lift. But slowing down and taking my time allowed me to get a good image. In fact, I like the variation in the coverage because it looks more like a sunbeam.

After I finished with the stenciling part, I trimmed my card stock to 3-1/2″ x 4-3/4″. I used the bottom of one of the envelope liners cut to 1-1/4″ x 3-1/2″ to place at the bottom and hide any over-inking. Before I added the card to the base of Bumblebee, I added some of the linen thread in the kit at the seam of the DSP and the card. Lastly, I stamped some birds on the pre-punched pieces and put them at the top of the card on Dimensionals. Happy Birthday is stamped in Pretty Peacock.

The Slimline Artistic Alternate

A slimline style alternative for the Here's to You Paper Pumpkin it that uses the clouds stencil.

This card uses a couple of interesting stamping techniques as well as the cloud stencil from the kit. I decided to go with a slimline layout to have plenty of room for my trees. The card’s base is Calypso Coral cut at 8-1/2″x7″ scored on the 7″ side at 3-1/2″. I used Basic White card stock for the stamped layer cut to 3-1/4″ x 8-1/4″.

To begin, I stamped the trees in Pretty Peacock about an inch in from the edge. Without re-inking, I stamped to the left and right and left to fill in a forest-like space. I repeated that at the other end of the card. I frequently use second-generation stamping to control the intensity of the image, but this was a good way to give a sense of depth to the collection of trees.

Next, using Bumblebee ink, I used just the top of the flower stamp in the kit to create a meadow effect between and under the trees.

The Stenciling

For the clouds, I just held the stencil in place, starting at the top of the card, and with the stencil off the edge, I sponged Seaside Spray along the edge of the stencil opening, just along the round parts. The trick with clouds is that you’re inking in the negative space to define the white areas to give the impression of big fluffy white clouds. I moved the stencil over and then down, repeating the process so I had about three rows of clouds. Stagger them so they aren’t all lined up, and watch the straight edges of the stencil to avoid having harsh lines.

After I finished all my inking, I cut the pre-printed image from the front of the card I used in the Sunburst card. I layered that on over a couple of boo-boos. I added the pre-punched trees on Dimensionals. To fill in a big white space to the left of the image, I added some of the birds in Smokey Slate. Lastly, I stamped one of the sentiments and layered it on a scrap of the Petal Pink card. To lift that piece, I put it on Dimensionals.

Stencils are a lot of fun. They can be used with ink, with embossing paste, a cutting guide if you’re brave, even heat embossing. I hope I’ve inspired you to give them a try. Happy crafting