Foldover Card Template

Hey, another week has passed and it's time for another card template! Once again I'll be using a design from the Stampin' Up! Convention I attended in Denver this summer. The main card is actually a variation of the design, but I really love the color Blue Bayou so I wanted to feature it.

The original card is the first one on the left below, and it was a Convention Make & Take, done with the Wanted set. On that card, the foldover flap actually opens to show the inside of the card. The foldover card above, as well as the Happy Birthday foldover card below, both feature pull out cards (with tabs). The Happy Birthday pull out tab is shown separately below, so you can see how to fit a gift card in between two Slit Punch tabs.

When making vertical foldover cards, cut a sheet of card stock or designer paper to 4-1/4" x 11", then fold in half to 4-1/4" x 5-1/2". Score 1-1/4" from the open end of the front flap, and fold over. If you want to create a pull tab, you'll want it to be no bigger than 3.75" x 5".

When making horizontal foldover cards, cut a sheet of card stock or designer paper to 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", then fold in half to 5-1/2" x 4-1/4". Score 1-1/4" from the open end of the front flap and fold over. Again, your pull tab will fit best if it is no bigger than 3.75" x 5".

There are a few ways to keep your card closed if you want to do a pull tab. Two methods pictured here are tying ribbon around the card, and using a staple at each side of the card. You can also use eyelets or brads, but remember that you may have to adjust the size of your pull tab section to fit between the items you are using to hold the card (pocket) closed.

The scalloped edge under the main card was made by removing the plastic corner "guide" from the 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, and punching along the edge of a piece of Soft Sky card stock. The scalloped edge was placed under the edge of the fold before it was adhered.

Blue Bayou Thank You Card Supplies: Short & Sweet stamp set, Blue Bayou card stock, Soft Sky card stock, Blue Bayou Prints Designer Series Paper, Blue Bayou ink, Soft Sky Double Stitched Ribbon, 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, Round Tab Punch, staples.

Wanted Thanks Card Supplies: Wanted stamp set, Fundamental Phrases stamp set, Naturals Ivory card stock, Really Rust card stock, Outlaw Designer Series Paper, Chocolate Chip ink pad, Really Rust ink pad, Chocolate Chip Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, Pewter Jumbo Eyelets, 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, Crop-a-Dile, Scallop Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Fun & Fast Birthday Gift Card Supplies: Purely Pomegranate card stock, Groovy Guava card stock, Purely Pomegranate ink pad, Groovy Guava ink pad, Groovy Guava Double Stitched Ribbon, Blender Pens, 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, Round Tab Punch, Slit Punch, staples.

A Unique Birthday Card

My baby girl is officially a teenager today! She has long outgrown pink, frilly, and cute things, so making a birthday card for her is becoming increasingly difficult. Oh sure, she puts up with her mom's efforts, and even applauds them, but I wanted to come up with something that was really unique this year.

My daughter's favorite color is black, and she is into the "goth" look...which to me just means something that is victorian, and black! It dawned on me this morning that I could use the star in the free Wanted stamp set I got from convention, because a lot of "western" stuff has a victorian look to it. I also took out the Star Punch, and the 3/4" and 1" circle punches to experiment. I wanted something swirly in the background, so I borrowed a flourish from the Sweet Shapes stamp set. You can also just barely see the flourish which has also been stamped around the white layer of the greeting.

I stamped the stars and mounted them on the circles, then mounted the circles onto the flourish-stamped background. Then I went around the edges of the card front and trimmed the overlap from the punched pieces. The greeting is layered and then mounted onto the front of the card with Stampin' Dimensionals to give it some height. I sure hope she likes it!



Stampin' Supplies: Wanted stamp set, Sweet Shapes stamp set, Sincere Salutations stamp set, Whisper White card stock, Basic Black card stock, Basic Gray card stock, Basic Black Classic ink pad, Star Punch, 3/16" Corner Punch, 3/4" & 1" Circle Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Wow--you guys are soooo nice :-)

First, I just want to thank everyone for sending me such lovely comments. I hope you all don't mind, but at this point I don't intend to post comments that are just compliments. I DO very much appreciate receiving them, but I would feel a little too self-aggrandizing if I showed them off publicly. Just know that I had *huge* reservations about starting this blog, and you guys have helped wipe away my fear that no one would be interested in what I had to offer. As they say on those credit card commercials, that's PRICELESS ;-)

The types of comments that I do intend to publish will be those which contain extra ideas to add to the samples or card templates that I post, or which add information that I did not include. In that way, we can reserve the comments section for more stamping inspiration! So, if you have a favorite color combination or alternate stamp set that you just *love* and want to share, I will make sure to publish that information in a comment.

Also, if you really like a card template, and you stamp a wonderful variation on it for yourself, I'd love to see it. If you have it published in your own gallery, please submit a comment under the post with the card template you used, sending me a link to your card. If you do not have web space to publish your creation, but can send me a scan or picture, I can upload your card to my own space and link to it.

Thanks in advance for sharing with my blog!!

My First Blog Card!

Just for kicks, here is a simple card I made to trade at Convention 2007, which I attended from July 25th-July 28th this summer.

This is an easy and quick card template anyone can use with success. The base card is standard size (4-1/4" x 5-1/2"), the squares are made from 1-1/4" punched pieces layered on 1-3/8" punched pieces.

The two strips on the left are 1/2" x 5-1/2" pieces. I found that I liked the look best when I placed one strip slightly overlapping the other. There are two regular office staples at the top of the strips, and one at the bottom.

Color coordination was made easy by use of the following current In Color ink pads and card stock: River Rock, Groovy Guava, Bayou Blue and Wild Wasabi. The smaller square images were stamped on Very Vanilla card stock.

You can use this template as is, or get a different look from varying different elements. For example, try alternate color combinations, turn the card horizontally, use layered circle punched pieces in lieu of the squares, and/or use alternate embellishments instead of staples, such as brads or eyelets.

Here are a few examples of cards which are a variation on this theme:

Bug Card Supplies: Cute As A Bug stamp set, Lovely Lilac ink and card stock, Ballet Blue ink and card stock, Real Red ink and card stock, Green Galore card stock, and Whisper White card stock, (the dragonfly in the background is stamped in Lovely Lilac ink on the Green Galore card stock), 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" square and circle punches.

Frog Card Supplies: Unfrogettable stamp set, Certainly Celery ink and card stock, Handsome Hunter ink and card stock, Always Artichoke ink and card stock, Very Vanilla card stock, 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" square punches.

Celebrate Card Supplies: Circle of Friendship stamp set, Wonderful Words stamp set, Bashful Blue ink and card stock, Ballet Blue ink and card stock, Night of Navy ink and card stock, 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" circle punches.

Givin' it a chance afterall.

Well, I've had a ton of people ask me if I have a blog, so I guess I can't avoid it anymore. I need to give my adoring fans something to cherish ;-) Just kidding.

Actually, I've been told that I have some great stamping ideas, and people want to borrow them. Hey--that's fine by me, I'm all about sharing! Just to let you know, my blog will only contain samples which can be made with Stampin' Up!® current product. This means, next year you may see archived articles featuring stamped art using sets and accessories which are no longer available, but whatever you see reflected in the most current posts will be current merchandise available from the Stampin' Up!® Catalog. Anything current can be ordered through yours truly.

The samples I intend to share will focus on simple designs and layout, and go into basic product usage. If you are already creating works of art all on your own, you probably won't need to visit my blog. On the other hand, if you are either a newbie stamper, or you are way into keeping it simple (for instant gratification) then you will love my blog!