There was a time when I didn’t use much patterned paper. In fact there was a time when I didn’t understand why people would ‘add cost’ by adding layers. But over the years my card making skills have developed and things are quite different now.

Today’s card, while very simple, is one I would never have made in those early years. It combines plaid and argyle patterns, but by mounting the pieces onto card mats everything seems much more coherent.

COUNTRY CLUB PATTERNED PAPER

I found the plaid and argyle patterns in the Country Club 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack. Many of the designs have a golf theme, but the reverse of the sheets are more generic.

In my head I wanted to create a simple masculine birthday card, and use up some of my scraps of patterned paper. First I found the plaid piece and only had to trim it slightly to 2-7/8″ x 4-5/8″. Then with Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I mounted it onto a 3″ x 4-3/4″ piece of Balmy Blue Card.

Next came the argyle piece trimmed down to 2-1/4″ x 2-1/4″. To keep the border the same size I glued this piece to a mat 2-3/8″ x 2-3/8″.

Looking at the remaining scraps of patterned paper I found I had enough of the plaid design to use as my coordinating feature. So I began by cutting a piece 2-1/4″ x 6″ and glued it to the flap of a Whisper White Medium Envelope. Then using Paper Snips I cut the DSP to shape using the edge of the flap as my guide.

All I had left to cut was a 3/4″ x 5-1/4″ strip of the plaid design. This was glued down the right-hand edge of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ layer of Whisper White Card.

QUICK AND EASY ASSEMBLY

For my card base I cut a 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ piece of Night of Navy Card using my Paper Trimmer. Next with the long side at the top I scored the card at 4-1/4″. Then I folded the card along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder.

With the card base made I used liquid glue to fix the Whisper White layer on the inside. More liquid glue was then used to attach the layered plaid piece onto the front of the card with an even border on the left side and at the top and bottom.

The argyle piece came next attached using Stampin’ Dimensionals so the right hand edge of the layer was 1/4″ from the right-hand edge of the card base and about 1″ from the bottom.

For my “happy birthday” sentiment I turned to the Peaceful Moments Stamp Set. Using Night of Navy ink I stamped the sentiment onto a 1-5/8″ x 2″ piece of Whisper White Card. Then I used liquid glue to mount it onto a 1-3/4″ x 2-1/8″ piece of Balmy Blue Card.

Finally I used Stampin’ Dimensionals to add the sentiment to the card base, remembering to stack them two high where it extended past the edge of the argyle layer.

In no time at all my simple masculine birthday card was complete. and I love how it turned out. I was worried that the dark plaid would be too sombre, but using a lighter colour for the mat layers really allowed each piece of patterned paper to stand out.

This card also reminds me to look at all the patterns in each of the Designer Series Paper packs from Stampin’ Up! Sometimes the best patterns get overshadowed by the ‘themed’ ones in the pack. What do you think?

If you’d like to see some more examples of using ‘non-themed’ patterns from other DSP packs check out these previous blog posts:

• Finding a little Parisian Romance
• Using up some poppy pieces
• Under my umbrella today
• Lovey Lipstick is leaving soon

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Peaceful Moments Stamp Set in a bundle with the Poppy Moments Dies (not used today). This saved my 10% off the cost of buying the two items separately. I’ve included a link to the bundle in my product list in case you want to look at this option.