When it comes to patterned paper my crafting has certainly evolved. There was a time when I rarely used it, and certainly not in multiple layers. But as time has gone on I find myself reaching for it more and more. So I was delighted to see Stampin’ Up! offering 15% off selected packs of Designer Series Paper (DSP) this month. I couldn’t resist, and have some new packs due for delivery next week. Meanwhile I created this simple gender-neutral birthday card using several patterns from the Countryside Inn pack.

COUNTRYSIDE LAYERS

My plan was to use up some scraps of DSP and so I began by pulling out all the cut pieces from my Countryside Inn DSP pack. I chose some of the less flowery scraps and settled on the mostly Night Of Navy pattern for the bulk of my design.

First I cut a 2-1/4″ x 6″ piece of the paper and fixed it to the flap of a Basic White Medium Envelope using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow). Then I trrimmed off the excess with my Paper Snips, using the edge of the flap as a guide.

Next I used my Paper Trimmer to cut a 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ piece of Night of Navy Card. With the long side at the top I scored the card at 4-1/4″ using the scoring blade on my trimmer. Then I folded the card along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder to create an A2 card base.

Going back to my original piece of Countryside Inn DSP I now cut a 3/4″ x 5-1/4″ strip. Then I glued it down the right-hand side of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Basic White Card. With that done I glued the layer inside the card base and was ready to start work on the front.

Still using the same DSP pattern I cut one last piece at 2″ x 4-3/4″. For contrast I then cut a 2-1/8″ x 4-7/8″ piece of Basic White Card and glued the DSP on top.

Finally I chose a lighter more graphic pattern from my Countryside Inn scraps and cut that at 2-1/4″ x 2-1/2″. As before I cut a Basic White mat layer (2-3/8″ x 2-5/8″) and glued the DSP on top.

FOX FUN

Next I used liquid glue to layer the two mounted pieces of DSP together. While I liked how things were coming together I thought I needed a bit more interest. So I cut a piece of Basic White 3/4″ Herringbone Ribbon, wrapped it around the layers and secured it on the back with Tear & Tape Adhesive. That was much better and I fixed the assembled layers to the card front using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

For my sentiment I chose the bold “Happy Birthday” from the Celebrate With Tags Stamp Set. Using Night of Navy ink I stamped it onto a 1-1/4″ x 2-1/4″ piece of Basic White Card. Then I glued it onto a 1-3/8″ x 2-5/8″ piece of Night of Navy Card, before adding to the card front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

I could have left it there but as I looked down at the DSP scraps still on my desk I noticed some with foxes along the cut edges. I thought it would be a shame to waste these so I grabbed my Paper Snips and cut around a couple. One was a long image of a fox that had had his legs cut off. No problem, I glued him along the bottom edge of the white layer inside my card.

The other fox was sitting, but again the bottom part had been amputated while making another project. So having cut him out I added some tiny pieces of Stampin’ Dimensionals to the back. Then I tucked him under the top edge of the sentiment. At last my simple card was complete and now I can’t imagine it without those fun foxy images.

PRODUCT LIST

15% OFF SELECTED DSP – The Countryside Inn DSP used today is one of 13 packs included in the Designer Series Paper sale this month. From June 1 to 30 save 15% off selected paper packs (while stocks last).