Eastern Beauty Cards

I love the combination of stamps and die cuts, and the Eastern Beauty stamps from Stampin' Up! also remind me of the medallion stamps I love so much from England.  There are so many pieces in this set that it is almost overwhelming!  I had some a-ha moments as I was creating these cards, and thought I would share some with you.

One of the patterned papers is pretty bland (in my opinion) and I was not sure what to do with it.  A google search later, I found that two of the stamps perfectly nest in the open spaces so you can go wild and customize it to be as patterned as you would like.

Two of the stamps fit perfectly in the little spaces of the petals on the medallion die cut, so I had fun playing with that stamp.  I also found that the petal medallion embosses wonderfully, so the first one isn't cut.

This one uses a peek-a-boo approach to color with circles on the back.

This one uses cut outs entirely - just snip around the die cut to pop it out from the paper.  The papers here are from Club Scrap except for the Very Vanilla for the card base and front.

Just having some fun playing with the patterned papers here.  I also discovered that both of the shapes can be layered to have that fun double layer peeking out behind.

Finally, I had some fun mixing and matching some of my paper scraps and the stamps to see what else I could create and using the tassels (not my first choice of embellishments!).

This is a really versatile kit, and I've enjoyed seeing what others have come up with using it.  I hope you enjoy some of these ideas.  My supply list is:

• The Eastern Beauty stamp and die bundle
• Eastern Palace patterned paper
• Eastern Gold vinyl stickers
• Very Vanilla cardstock (love the thick weight for the card bases!)
• Fresh Fig, Tranquil Tide, and Lemon-Lime Twist ink
• Mini Tassels
• Gold 1/8" ribbon
• Celebrate Today (Happy Birthday sentiment - retired SU!)
• Assorted Club Scrap papers from retired kits

Succulents card - Club Scrap

I created this card using the cut aparts from the Succulents kit, and a card base from Paper Wishes. These bases are great for creating intricate cards because they take all of the work out of measuring.  In a bit of serendipity, the "Happy Birthday" greeting perfectly covers the inside greeting when the card is flat.

Valentine's Day - Cards for 2017

My husband and I have been a bit remiss for some holidays lately, but we revived our tradition of making cards for each other on Valentine's Day this year.

My husband is a master quiller, and created this lovely bouquet of spring flowers.  This year, it even has a woven basket!  I've recently cleaned the craft room, so he was able to find everything he needed this year without frustration...  I'll definitely keep it clean, it if keeps him giving me gorgeous cards!

My card uses a fancy fold to make a step card.  I'm not quite this patient, however, and I used a card base that was pre-cut and scored to make this beauty.  The design challenge this month at Club Scrap is fancy folded cards, so I was inspired to use these die-cut cards from Hot off the Press to easily make my card.  My paper and stamps are all from vintage Club Scrap kits, and I experimented with a little foil on the heart.

I hope you had a lovely Valentine's Day - spring is just around the corner!