Easter Brings A Dahlia-Fold Cross!

I went to a card class this past week-end hosted by Dara Peterson and Luci Kirschbaum, a team two Stampin' Up demonstrators in my area.  Most of our samples to make were miscellaneous 3D items (a berry basket, a bunny box, and a candy purse), but there was one card designed by Luci that featured the Dahlia-Fold Technique, using punched and folded circles.  Most Dahlia-fold circles are made into flowers, but our sample introduced this technique used to make an Easter cross.  

I love this technique and it isn't very difficult.  I especially like the look of it in the form of a cross, which is so perfect for Easter cards.  If you are interested in learning the Dahlia-Fold technique, it can be found on YouTube, Pinterest and Splitcoast Stampers, and here is a link to Splitcoast Stampers:  http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/dahlia_fold/

I did make a few minor changes to my card rather than making it exactly like Luci's, but my card still retains the look of the original design.  My first change was actually to correct an error I made in stamping and embossing my papers.  Now, you all probably remember the rule. . .stamp before embossing?  Well, guess what. . .I forgot all about the little EASTER sentiment in the lower right corner and away I went embossing, and making my Dahlia fold cross.  After I had it all assembled, I realized my mistake.  

To fix the problem, I decided to stamp the EASTER part of my sentiment on a small piece of Whisper White cardstock and punch it out with my Washi Label punch.  I wanted my word background much smaller than that the Washi Label punch provided, but not to worry. . .I had an idea.  After I stamped my EASTER word with the Mint Macaron coordinating ink and then punched it out, I cut the label narrower and then punched the ends shorter by lining it up and punching again to achieve my desired length. . .first on one side and then the other.  A little trick I learned long ago in order to handle a short and/or small piece of paper in a punch is to use a post-it note and stick it to your paper piece, which allows you to maneuver and position the small paper piece easier in the punch.  I think I like the way my EASTER turned out even better than the original design where it was stamped directly on the card front with the embossing on top.

My next change was to add a Mint Macaron layer between the card base and the card front.  This picked this color in the mini resin flower, the EASTER ink color, and the happy die cut.  Adding this layer did require me to cut a new and larger card base.  My final change was to add a bit of sparkly glitz by using glitter adhesive on my happy die-cut word and to the mini resin flower.  I'm likening my results, and I thank Luci for the original design that I tweaked just a bit!

I finished off my card by creating an inside coordinating design and finding the perfect Stampin' Up stamp for its verse.

Recipe:  Stampin' Up Products:  Papers - Cardstocks--Crumb Cake, Mint Macaron, Whisper White; Pattern-2015-2017 In-Color DSP Stack/ Crumb Cake dots.  Stamps--Crazy About You; Suite Sayings (verse).  Ink--Mint Macaron, Crumb Cake (insde).  Hello You Thinlit dies/ happy.  Softly Falling Embossing Folder.  Punches: 2-1/2" Circle (cross base); 2" Circle (cross side/top arms); Washi Label (Easter sentiment); Curvy Corner punch (inside).  2015-2017 In-Color Blossom Accents.  Dazzling Details Glitter Adhesive.  Recollections Pearls.

Holly Jolly Christmas!

I am, once again, on my let's use some of that old stuff that been hanging around for several years, some of which has never even had the box cracked!  About time wouldn't you say!

Trying to decide what old stuff I should use, I started thumbing through my Stampin' Up Christmas stamp collection.  I came across a cute little set, Tags 4 You, that addressed a little bit of this holiday and a little of that one, from Halloween, to Thanksgiving, to Christmas, to Valentine's Day!  Though this particular stamp set has retired, its coordinating punch, Label Bracket, has not.  Wow! at least maybe I'll use the punch before it retires!  In this card, I even incorporated an old embossing folder, Stripes, that was introduced in the 2011-2012 catalog year, but retired two years ago. 

Next, I needed to decided on what papers and what colors to use.  There is something about the words "holly jolly" that makes me think of Santa, and immediately, that means red and white to me.  After playing with those two colors, I knew that I had to add a pattern to the card's design and maybe some glitz!  I ended up with festive red and white dots from the Polka Dot Parade designer paper, which retired after several years running in 2014.  I paired it up with a current paper, the glitzy Gold Foil, which I intended to emboss to add some depth and dimension.  After all my playing and trying this and that, I think I'm pretty happy with the end results.  Don't you just love that shimmery stripe organdy ribbon that I found in my stash and added at the last minute?

Recipe:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Real Red, Whisper White; Polka Dot Parade dsp (retired); Gold Foil sheets.  Stamps:  Tags 4 You (retired).  Embossing folder:  Stripe (retired).  Other:  Pink Posh sequins.  Stash: Red Shimmery Organdy ribbon.