Oct 30

October 30, 2018

Detail of accents added to stepped up version of card design using Rooted in Nature by Stampin' Up!

Simple Tips to Step Up Your Card Design

Sometimes, all you want is a clean and simple card design. And sometimes you want to step up your design. Here are a few simple tips to do just that.

This is a clean and simple card design that I made for an open house event. The tree is from the Rooted in Nature stamp set and is stamped in Blackberry Bliss on Whisper White card stock. I lightly edged the card stock with ink, rather than add a mat. Do this by lightly swiping the edge of the paper across the ink pad. (Rooted in Nature is one of my favorite sets from the Annual Catalog. Here’s another card with this set.)

The card base is Grapefruit Grove. Both colors were chosen to match the piece of Nature’s Poem designer series paper, which is also lightly edged in ink. As an added touch, I added a twine knot. It’s a simple square knot. The piece is adhered to the card front with stampin’ dimensionals. It’s a simple design with unusual colors to draw interest.

Clean and simple card design using Stampin' Up! Rooted in Nature stamp set.

Now, here is the stepped up version of this card.

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Oct 19

October 19, 2018

Country Home: vintage style that’s on trend

The Country Home stamp set is one of my favorites from the Holiday catalog. It’s not exactly vintage and its not exactly rustic, but it is definitely on trend. It seems that every store I go into these days has milk cans and cotton plants!

I’ve made lots of cards with this set and this is one of my favorites.

Card featuring Country Home stamp set by Stampin' Up and designed by Paula Cannon, using watercolor technique.

With a tall image like this you can change up a basic layout with a simple square mat that doesn’t frame the focal image. For this card I used the coordinating Country Lane Designer Series Paper. I also used the DSP to inspire the colors in my foliage. For the milk can, I stayed on trend and kept it traditional with the smoky slate gray.

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Oct 12

October 12, 2018

Rooted in Nature card featuring two colors by Paula Cannon for Vintage and Fresh

How to Balance Two Colors on a Card

Balancing two colors can sometimes be harder than it sounds. Monochromatic is easy and multiple colors give you more options. With two colors, you seldom want a 50/50 balance. Here’s how I balanced the two colors in this card.

Card stamped in two colors using Rooted in Nature set by Stampin' Up

I love the Rooted in Nature stamp set, and I think the Nature’s Poem Designer Series Paper that goes with it is beautiful. The pattern with the brown leaves is my favorite of the designs. It’s soft, neutral and has a nice vintage feel to it.

TIP: Using the colors from a package of DSP is a simple way to get color inspiration.

That’s one of the reasons I chose Rich Razzleberry to pair with the browns. While there are two purples in the Nature’s Poem DSP package (Rich Razzleberry and Blackberry Bliss),  I also had the lovely Rich Razzleberry velvet ribbon, so it was an easy decision as to which purple to use!

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Sep 27

September 27, 2018

Spooky Bats Specimen Display card using Stampin' Up! Spooky Bats Punch and DSP, by Paula Cannon.

A Spooky Bats Specimen Display

Real life bats can be spooky, but paper bats can be fun. Especially when they are so easy to make with the Spooky Sweets stamp set and Spooky Bats punch. Bats are a Halloween staple, so a bat punch is a good item for your craft stash.

My spooky bats specimen display is a little different than bats flying through the sky.

Spooky Bats Specimen Display card using Stampin' Up! Spooky Bats Punch and DSP, by Paula Cannon.

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Jun 9

June 9, 2018

Card featuring new Subtles colors from Stampin' Up! and the Balloon Celebration stamp set. Designed by Paula Cannon for vintageandfresh.com

Seeing Some Subtles Celebrate Color

Today I will have you seeing some Subtles …. from the new Color Revamp. My design was inspired by the card on page 74 of the new annual catalog. I love the translucent look of the balloons, over-stamped using just the solid balloon images. I thought it would be a good way to show off some of the new Subtles colors.

 

Card using Balloon Celebration stamp set from Stampin' Up! using new Subtles colors. Designed by Paula Cannon for Vintage & Fresh.

 

I managed to use all four of the brand new Subtles colors, plus the returning Mint Macaron. I played around on scrap paper to see how I wanted to place both the balloons and the colors and settled on the arch shape with the greens seperated.

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