It’s the first Wednesday of the month and time for another IDEAS blog hop. This month our theme is “fast & fabulous”. I decided to create all my projects using the Fresh As A Daisy 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) shown on pages 110, 111 and 130 of the 2023/2024 Annual Catalogue. I designed three cards and a bonus gift tag for the IDEAS Tutorial Bundle PDF, and another card for today’s blog post. This paper is simply gorgeous and makes it really easy to create eye-catching projects.

DAISY DESIGN

Like my projects in the IDEAS Tutorial Bundle this birthday card began with a 6″ x 6″ piece of DSP. That means I could get four cards with decorated insides and envelopes from one 12″ x 12″ sheet. For this card I chose the colourful yellow, green and white daisy pattern.

Fast & Fabulous Tip #1 – Did you know that if you don’t extend the ruler on the Stampin’ Up! Paper Trimmer the distance from the cutting blade to the ledge on the left is exactly 6″? I use this fact to help me cut 6″ x 6″ pieces of DSP in seconds. Having made one cut of the 12″ x 12″ sheet I stack the two 6″ x 12″ pieces before cutting them down to 6″ x 6″.

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

Next I cut a 3/4″ x 6″ piece from the DSP and trimmed that down to 5-1/4″ long. Then using liquid glue I attached the strip down the right-hand side of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Basic White Card. This would line my card base later but for now I set it aside.

Finally from what was left of my 6″ x 6″ piece of DSP I cut a 3″ x 5-1/2″ piece for the card front. So osing liquid glue I mounted it onto a 3-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ piece of Lemon Lolly Card leaving an even border at the sides.

BIRTHDAY LAYERS

Now I needed a card base and for that I chose Early Espresso Card to coordinate with the flower centres on the DSP.

Fast & Fabulous Tip #2 – I save time by cutting, scoring and folding card bases in batches. For A2 cards (4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ when folded) I begin by scoring sheets of card on the short side at 4-1/4″. Then I cut the sheets on the long side at 5-1/2″. Next I quickly fold the cards along the scored lines and stack them. Finally using a Bone Folder I press down firmly on the stack of folded cards before turning the stack over and pressing down once more.

For a quick example of this process see this short video.

Having got my card base I used liquid glue to fix the daisy decorated Basic White layer on the inside. Then I added the larger layered daisy piece in the centre on the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

For my sentiment I chose the medium-sized “Happy Birthday” from the Go To Greetings Stamp Set. After stamping it onto Basic White Card using Early Espresso ink I cut around the words with my Paper Snips.

Between the daisy background and the sentiment I wanted subtle layers so I decided to cut them from Vellum Cardstock. First I cut the Vellum using the #3 and #4 circles from the Stylish Shapes Dies (counting from the smallest up). Then using liquid glue I fixed the two words onto the smaller circle with liquid glue. Next I flipped the vellum over so I could put liquid glue on the back, but only where it would be hidden by the words. With that done I mounted the smaller circle onto the larger one. Then I flipped the layers over to put liquid glue on the back, but again only where it would be hidden by the sentiment.

After attaching the layered sentiment to the card front I added some Daffodil Delight embellishments from the Glossy Dots Assortment. In next to no time my final fast and fabulous card was complete.

DAISY CARDS AND SO MUCH MORE

So with my blog project out of the way let me tell you a little more about this month’s IDEAS Tutorial Bundle. The May “Fast & Fabuilous” PDF contains 54 pages featuring 39 projects from 11 different designers. The collage below provides a little sneak peek of what’s inside. Can you spot part of one of the projects I contributed to this great bundle?

If you’d like a copy of the Tutorial Bundle for your own personal use, or even to use in your classes, there are three different ways to get it:

• Place an order via my online store for $45CAD (before shipping and taxes) using my May 2023 Host Code 9S7XYYVR. Make sure to allow Stampin’ Up! to share your contact details so I can e-mail the tutorial to you. If your order is over $200CAD don’t use the Host Code or you’ll miss out on Stampin’ Rewards. However, so long as I have access to your contact details I’ll still send you the PDF.
• Join Stampin’ Up! and my Crafty Canadians team, and you’ll get this IDEAS tutorial for free.
• Buy the tutorial. Contact me at tutorials@papercraftwithme.com for more information.

Once you’ve received the bundle, please remember not to share or distribute printed or electronic copies of the tutorials. We’ve worked hard to provide these exclusive projects for your personal use. However if you know someone who would like their own copy of the tutorial bundle, please ask them to contact me about it. Thank you for your support.

So that’s it from me for today, but please visit Debbi Green on the next leg of the blog hop by clicking on the ‘NEXT’ button below.

PRODUCT LIST

Here are links to all the products I used to create the card shown today. Product lists for the three cards and gift tag created for the Tutorial Bundle are included there.