It’s the last day of August and the seasons are definitely changing in the garden. But while autumn settles in I still need to think ahead if I’m to get all my Christmas plans done. So I wanted to come up with some quick and easy card ideas. These cards will all use no more than a quarter of a 12″ x 12″ sheet of Designer Series Paper (DSP). Why a quarter? well that means I can get 4 cards from each sheet, or 48 cards from a complete pack of DSP. It also gives me the option of using 6″ x 6″ paper for the same layout. So to get me started on my quest I created this card covered in pretty pine cones.

PAINTED CHRISTMAS

You’re probably not familiar with this gorgeous pine cone paper. If you think it looks hand-painted that’s because it was, by one of Stampin’ Up!’s team of artists. It’s one of twelve patterns in the Painted Christmas 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper pack, and is probably my favourite.

For this card design I cut the DSP sheet into four 6″ x 6″ pieces. I set three pieces aside for later and cut the last one into smaller pieces.

First I cut off 3″ x 5-1/2″ of the DSP then using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I mounted it onto a 3-1/8″ x 5-1/2″ layer of Evening Evergreen Card.

TIP – Just recently I’ve noticed that the Medium Envelope flaps can be slightly deeper than 2-1/4″. So instead of cutting a strip of DSP 2-1/4″ x 6″ I now attach a 3″ x 6″ strip. Then, after trimming off the excess I cut the piece for the inside of my card from what’s left. So while I may say the inside piece is 3/4″ wide in reality it could be a shade narrower than that.

With that in mind, I took the second 3″ x 6″ piece of DSP and fixed it to the flap of a Basic White Medium Envelope with liquid glue. Then with Paper Snips I trimmed off the excess with Paper Snips using the edge of the flap as a guide.

Now I could trim the leftover piece close to 3/4″ wide by 5-1/4″. Then, using liquid glue I attached it along one long edge of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Basic White Card. To finish off I added a 1/8″ x 5-1/4″ strip of Evening Evergreen Card along the edge of the DSP.

Finally I cut and scored some Thick Basic White Card, folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder to create a card base. Then I glued the assembled layer on the inside.

CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS

Now I was ready to start on the front of the card, beginning with the sentiment.

I found “Christmas Blessings to you and yours” in the Happy Holly-Days Stamp Set. It was long but not too tall, perfect for what I had in mind.

I opened up the card base and then rested the mounted pine cone piece on the front with the top of the layer up against the crease. Now I could see exactly how much space I had left to stamp my sentiment using Evening Evergreen ink.

To finish off the card I wrapped some gold cord from the Simply Elegant Trim pack around the layered DSP and tied it in a simple bow. Then using Stampin’ Dimensionals I fixed the assembled layers onto the card base and my project was complete.

I have to say that I love how this card turned out. It’s clean and simple but that Designer Series Paper is definitely the star of the show. OK, I admit that four cards from a 12″ x 12″ sheet hardly qualifies as a ‘one-sheet-wonder’. But while getting 8-12 cards from a single sheet of DSP might sound great, for me there’s something extra special about a handmade card where the inside of the card and the envelope has been decorated too. What do you think?

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – The Happy Holly-Days Stamp Set is available by itself or as part of a bundle with the Holly Border Punch (not used today). Buying both items together using a single ‘bundle’ item number will save you 10% off the cost of buying the two items separately. I’ve included a link to the bundle in case you want to explore that option.