Do you ever start out with an idea for a card and end up with something entirely different, like I did making this Easy Card with the Garden Impressions Paper?  I planned to STAMP a card front much like this designer paper, but as I started looking at and pulling out the designer paper, various ideas came to mind.  Since I was short on time at the moment, I chose the easy route!  And there’s nothing wrong with that because with Stampin’ Up!’s pretty designer paper and coordinating paper and accessories, you can make a quick and easy card that looks beautiful!  Especially to the recipient who will love it because it’s from you, and because they will wonder how you could make such a beautiful card that they think they couldn’t possibly make (except WE know they could!).

I’m not sure I’m in love with the brand new color Petal Pink.  Maybe I just haven’t found the right coordinating colors with it. So for this card and this designer paper pattern, I chose to use Powder Pink, one of the In Colors from last year. This designer paper, Garden Impressions 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper, has so many pretty patterns in it! I wasn’t sure I would like it at first, but I think I do!  It has bigger, bolder patterns of flowers and also smaller patterns of colors. Also, there are lots of coordinating colors that go with it.

For this card (or actually the card I planned to make) I chose Powder Pink Cardstock for the card base.  Then it was just a matter of cutting the designer paper with the big flowers to 4″ x 5 1/4″ to fit the card front. I chose the Shaded Spruce ribbon from the Metallic Ribbon Combo Pack. Although it’s a bold color, it coordinates and it is narrow so not overwhelming.

The greeting is from the Abstract Impressions Stamp Set.  There are a lot of nice greetings in that stamp set.  I stamped it in Melon Mambo, another coordinating color, die cut with the Layering Circles Framelits Dies and layered that on a scalloped circle. The card was done!

Just looking at the designer paper gave me all sorts of card design ideas, not to mention the Stampin’ Up! catalog itself.  Be sure to use the resources you have right in front of you for ideas and inspiration if you need it!  Some days you will need inspiration and other days you will not!

I could have even added a bit more embellishment to this card, maybe with some pearls or dots or other bling or a little Wink of Stella on the flowers.  But most of the time, simple is plenty good enough!

Try your hand at making an easy card like this one using designer paper, maybe some ribbon, and a greeting.  You will have a beautiful card in minutes!  Here are some similar card design ideas I made with using designer paper (this particular paper just retired, but it’s the idea).

Just be sure you are using Stampin’ Up! supplies because the color coordination is one of the best features of the products.

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Now that my nieces have received their graduation cards, I think it is safe to post these, just in case you are still looking for graduation card ideas for 2018. The three sisters all graduated together – two twins and one graduating a year early!  What a wonderful time in their lives!

You may notice that some of these products I used are now retired, but maybe you already have them or they will just give you some ideas to come up with your own card ideas.  I wanted to kind of keep the cards similar since they were going to three sisters, but I also wanted each to be different.

Obviously I have used the Large Number Dies (retired) but another idea if you have the Large Letters Framelits would be to spell out “GRAD”.  If you don’t have dies or alphabet stamps, you can always use your computer and print what you want on cardstock and use that!

Use what you have!  The balloons come from the Happy Birthday Gorgeous Stamp Set.  The little black graduation cap is simply a black cardstock square with just a hand cut shape of a tassle.  There are fancier styles you can make if you are interested.  The card with the Gold Glimmer Paper is punched with the Star Confetti Punch (retired).  Use whatever appropriate stamp you have for the greeting, whether “Congratulations” or “Best Wishes” or “Good Luck”, etc.

Click HERE to see another graduation card I made last year.

I always say stars and hearts are good for most any occasion so don’t feel you must have a “graduation” stamp set.  A lot of other things will do!  The most important thing is that you make a card from the heart and send your best wishes for their future! Make a graduation card or two to have on hand in case a graduation announcement is on its way to you!

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I think I could have kept on stamping and playing making more cards like these In Color Springtime Impressions Die Cut Butterfly Cards.  These two were fun to make, not to mention, easy! I wanted to try out the butterfly die in the Springtime Impressions Thinlits Dies.  Yesterday I posted a card using the other die in the set, the very flowery corner piece die cut and the one little flower.  Of course all the dies can be combined, also, on a card or project!

Today I started with the new In Color Grapefruit Grove to make a 4 1/4″ x 4 1/4″ card. I stamped the flowers at the bottom of the Grapefruit Grove card using the same color ink with a stamp from the Love What You Do Photopolymer Stamp Set.  I die cut the butterfly from the In Color 6″ x 6″ 2018-2020 Designer Series Paper.   After I had the butterfly ready to place on the card, I decided I would prefer a Whisper White card base and just a layer of Grapefruit Grove.  I’m sure it would have been fine to continue with just the Grapefruit Grove card, but a stamper can change her mind!  I cut off the stamped piece from the rest of the original card and then cut it down a little bit to fit on my Whisper White 4 1/4″ card base.

I mostly just put Snail Adhesive on the middle of the butterfly and a little bit out from the middle, but I wanted the wings to be “free” to look like they could fly!  Then I added a small greeting from the perfect Itty Bitty Greetings Stamp Set.  I think this is a must-have stamp set with such a large number of greetings!!  I didn’t want to cover up my stamped flowers at the bottom of the card very much so this size was perfect.  Then I punched it out with the Classic Label Punch and cut off the one end to align with the edge of the card.

After I made the Grapefruit Grove card, I wanted to see what the butterfly would look like against a piece of the designer paper in the new green, Call Me Clover. I decided it probably needed a bit of white behind it to help it stand out, so I die cut a large oval for a background. It did the trick!  The greeting is also from the Itty Bitty Greetings Stamp Set. I just stamped it on a scrap strip of Whisper White. Then I used the Classic Label Punch to punch a piece of Call Me Clover.  To make it “fit” better under the greeting, I cut it in half and had each end stick out from the greeting.  Nobody can see underneath that it doesn’t go all the way across underneath! And for a final touch, I couldn’t resist using some Faceted Dots on each card!

Both cards are very simple and easy to make! When you get all your In Colors, try making a card for each In Color. Get our your Big Shot and new dies and colors and make some cards like these In Color Springtime Impressions Die Cut Butterfly Cards.

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To make this card, I chose the new Garden Impressions 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper and picked a coordinating color for the card base, Melon Mambo.  I wanted to see what a designer paper would look like die cut with the new Springtime Impressions Thinlits Dies.  And I think my verdict would be that it looks very pretty! Of course it depends on the paper design, but I chose one that would almost look like I watercolored the die cut flowers. That’s what makes this card so easy, really.  Just run some paper through the Big Shot with this flowery Springtime Impressions Die and you have a beautiful piece to adhere to the card front. Then you are almost done except for adding a greeting and embellishing a little bit if you like.  I can see so many possibilities with this die!  There is also a butterfly die in this set, and that will be really pretty to use as well. Plus this one single little flower that I added to this card!

The greeting is one that is included in the Abstract Impressions Photopolymer Stamp Set and layered on Layering Ovals Fraemelits Dies.  The Abstract Impressions Stamp Set has some nice, and different, greetings in it, not to mention the 2- or 3-step stamping flowers. We had a similar stamp set years ago and the color combinations of ink for stamping the flowers were endless. You don’t have to be precise with stamping the flowers because they are meant to have the “abstract” look!  You can purchase this stamp set and these Springtime Impressions dies in a Bundle, the Abstract Impressions Photopolymer Bundle. Every Bundle saves you 10%!

I could have just had the die cuts and a greeting, but I decided to embellish the card a little bit. I popped the greeting up on Stampin’ Dimensionals and “swished” some Whisper White 1/8″ Sheer Ribbon back and forth behind the greeting. I also added some of the new Share What You Love Artisan Pearls in Petal Pink.

The new Stampin’ Up! 2018-2019 Annual Catalog is LIVE now since Friday so you are free to start shopping!  To see the new catalog online, just go to my catalog page HERE.

If you are interested in purchasing Stampin’ Up! products and would like a complimentary copy of the catalog, please email me at Karen@KarenStamps.com with your contact information. I would be happy to be your Demonstrator!

As you look through the catalog, consider the beautiful Garden Impressions Suite of products. I know you will love using the Springtime Impressions Dies to make easy but pretty cards like this Flower Die Cut Thank You Card with Springtime Impressions.

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