New Susan's Garden Painted Garden Release

Happy New Year Paper Gardeners!   We are starting off the new year with a new release from Susan's Garden.  This release is her Painter's Garden which includes five new flowers -- Bird of Paradise, Carolina Allspice, Gerbera Daisy, Zinnia, and Pansy --  plus a beautiful Bamboo Trellis embossing folder.

My card today showcases the new Bird of Paradise, Carolina Allspice die sets and the Bamboo Trellis embossing folder.  I created a frame, using one of Susan's tutorials, out of design paper from my stash.  On the inside of the frame, I glued in a piece of Kraft cardstock that was embossed with the Bamboo Trellis embossing folder.  To highlight the design, I used a gold rub-on paste over the design.  To highlight the cords on the lattice, I used a brown marker.

To create a vase for this bouquet, I used the Spellbinders Zen Garden Welcome die set.  Its was die cut using gold mirror card stock.   I used the insert that is normally discarded in this die cut for the vase.  It was put on a Score Board and three embossed lines were drawn on the top portion.  On the bottom, a piece of glossy black cardstock was cut into a small strip and attached to the bottom, and Spellbinders gold embellisments added for extra texture.

The Bird of Paradise die set was used to create two flowers.  There is a tutorial by Susan on the 'Susan's Garden Club Budding Paper Gardeners"  FaceBook page on how to create these beautiful flowers.

The new Carolina Allspice die set was used to create the maroon flowers. I always use Susan's Specialty Cardstock to die cut all my flowers and OLO markers were used to color them.  They are shaped using Susan's Flower Tool Kit and Kids Choice Glue used to assemble them.

Susan's Oriental Lily die set was used to create three yellow flowers.  Pollen was added to the end of the stamens.  The lily die set is from Susan's Summer Flora release.

Even though a lot of us have lots of snow and winter weather, we can start thinking about Spring creating these beautiful flowers from  Susan's new Painter's Garden release.  I have the new release linked below.  

Have fun creating with Susan's new release!

Z-Fold Pop Up Card

Good Morning Friends.  It is four days before Christmas.  I have run out of Christmas themed cards but thought I would post this card I created earlier this year when Susan showed how to create this style card, July 28 of this year, on her Susan's Garden Club Facebook Video.

To decorate the card, I used design paper from my stash for the panels.  Susan's Dogwood die set was used to create the dogwood branch.  The flowers were die cut using Susan's Specialty Cardstock.  Susan's Tool Kit was used to shape the flowers and Bearly Art Glue used to assemble the flowers.    

Below are a few more pictures of the card.

I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.  

Black Letterbox with Jasmine

Hello Paper Crafters.  I have loved creating cards with Susan's Letterbox die set.  

This is a 6x6 inch card.  I used a black and white gingham design paper for the background.  An older Spellbinders Rose Diamante die set was used for the doily die cut.  One of Susan's Winter Garden stamps was used for the sentiment.

The Letter box die set was used for the letterbox and pole.  Black pearlized cardstock was used to die cut the letterbox and Kraft cardstock used for the pole. 

The Jasmine die set was used for the flowers.  They were die cut using Susan's Specialty cardstock and shaped with her Flower Tool Kit.  Kids Choice Glue was put in the SILI glue pod and used to assemble the flowers.

The Juniper die was used to die cut four branches and blue berries were added.  The berries, are small styrofoam balls, and were colored with alcohol ink and glued to the branches.  Snow was added tothe pole, mailbox and bottom of pole then sprinkled with glitter.

Red Pearl Embellishments from Spellbinders were used to finish the card.

Slimline Christmas Card

Well I am finally ready to get my Christmas cards ready for mailing.  This is my last one for this year.  This is a slimline card designed using Susan's Poinsettia and Jasmine die sets.

Along the bottom of the card, I used the Spellbinders Christmas Foliage Strip & Borders die set.  I did some scoring along the top of the card.  

The Poinsettia die set was used to create the poinsettia.  I used small styrofoam balls for the bracts - added a yellow prill on each then some red pollen.  I used Susan's Specialty Cardstock for the die cuts and her Flower Tool Kit for shaping everything.

The Jasmine die set was used to die cut the white Jasmine.  The Whitepine die was used to die cut five branches and the Winter Bough & Evergreen die set used for the branch.  Berries were added to the branches.

One of Susan's Winter Garden sentiments was stamped with VersaMark and red embossed on a Spellbinders Fluted Classic Oval.  It was attached with dimensional tape.

I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas.  We will be back in January with Susan's new release.

Twisted Easel Card

Good Morning. December really bright in winter at our house.  We just has 18 inches of new snow.  It does look a lot like Christmas outside.   Today I have a Twisted Easel Card designed using Susan's Garden Letterbox and Jasmine die sets.

This is a 6x6 inch card.  To create the Twisted Easel, the top panel is scored in half from upper left corner to bottom right corner.  A label die was used to attach to the lower half.  Another piece of design paper was die cut and glued over the label die cut.  There is a raised sentiment on the inside of the card to help hold the decorated portion of the card up.

The letterbox die set was used to die cut the letterbox and the pole.  The letterbox was die cut using black pearlized card stock and the pole die cut using a wood grain cardstock.  The pole was attached using dimensional tape.

The Jasmine die set was used to die cut the jasmine.  It was die cut using Susan's Specialty cardstock.  The flowers and leaves were shaped using tools from Susan's Flower Tool Kit and Kids Choice Glue used to assemble them.  I store some of the glue in the Sili Glue Pod to store the glue.

The Ferns & Ivy die set was used to die cut the ferns.  

The same design paper was used on the inside of the card.   One of the stamps from Susan's Winter Garden stamp set was used for the sentiment.  It was stamped using VersaFine black ink and die cut with a small label die.  It was attached with dimensional tape so it would be raised to hold the bottom of the top of the card when folded back to form the twisted easel. 

This is a very easy fun fold that shows off the decorated panel.  The card folds flat and is mailed in an acrylic box.

Sympathy Card

Today I have a sympathy card I created for a dear friend.  This is Multi Diamond Panel card.  I followed the instructions on Sam Calcott YouTube Video to create this card.  The card is very easy to create.  The front of the card is a piece of clear acetate and the design on the front is created with squares attached to the acetate.  

There are a total of eight small squares attached to the acetate front with dimensional dots.  Four squares have design paper from my stash.  Four  squares were embossed with the Altenew Garden Harmony 3-D embossing folder on Spellbinders Graphite card stock.    In the center, is a three layerd square.  I used a stamp from my stash for the sentiments.  Spellbinders silver embellishments were used on the corners of the squares and a few around the flower.  

I used Susan's Garden Sunflower die set to create one flower.  It was colored to match one of the colors in the design paper.  Oh no, I just realized I used leaves from the Gaillardia die set. The sunflower and gaillardia flowers are very similar.  

  

Susan's Ferns & Ivy die set was used to die cut three ferns that are tucked under the top of the flower.

This is the back of the card.

This picture shows the paper spring used to keep the card from opening too far when it is standing up.  If you look closely you can see the acetate on top with the squares attached.  

I think you will have fun creating this beautiful card design.  Be sure to watch Sam Calcott's YouTube Video for instructions.

Decorated Letterbox

Good Morning friends. I have a good start on my holiday decorating.  My tree is up, and the garlands are are hung.  There is more to do, but our house is starting to look like Christmas.  It almost time for me to get Christmas cards ready to send.  How are you doing getting all your Christmas cards ready?  Today I have another card designed using Susan's Garden Letterbox die set.  

This is a 5x7 inch card.  On the inside, I used a piece of P13-Cosy Winter design paper.  For space to write a greeting, I added an oval using the Spellbinders Picot Petite Oval on the inside.  The design matches the die cut border on the front the card.  I used the Spellbinders Christmas Foliage Strips & Border die set and die cut the design on the front panel.  Then I die cut the same strip and attached for additional design.  It was glued on the card front matching the curves on the edge of the card.  

Using Susan's Letterbox die set, the letterbox was die cut using a silver cardstock.  The pole was die cut using a piece of woodgrain cardstock.  Looks like someone has received some Christmas Letters!  Three small pieces of cardstock were added for envelops and a black marker used to create address and stamp.

Susan's Pinecone die was used to to create one pinecone and her Whitepine die was used for the pine branches.  Snow paste was used for the snow.  For the berries, I used tiny bean bag styrofoam balls that I colored red with acrylic paint.  This was attached to the top corner of the card.  A few whitepine branches and berries were attached on the letterbox pole.

One of the stamps from Susan's Winter Garden stamp set was used for the sentiment.  It was die cut using a small oval die.

OLO Marker Holiday Offer

Today I wanted to tell you about a special sale right now on the OLO markers that Susan uses for coloring her flowers. You can receive a 10% discount by using the promo code susan (use lower case letters), Plus OLO has a  Holiday Offer until December 5th - With every $125 purchase (excluding shipping) you will receive a $25 gift card for future purchases. This card can be used to purchase additional markers, refill cartridges, or accessories.  More info on the OLO site.

One of the reasons you will love OLO markers is because each OLO marker contains nearly two times more usable ink than any other alcohol marker.  You can order different color ink cartridges  (with either brush and/or chisel tips) and combine with a connector ring, which comes with each two cartridges.  This allows for more compact storage.  There are 128 colors available with rich hues and varied depth.  You can shop individual colors, collections and accessories. Another great feature of these markers, is how simple it is to add a new ink cartridge when you run out of ink.  There is more info at OLO.com.   

To start my collection, I ordered the markers in Susan's garden collection, plus a few others and two green ink refill cartridges (I use a lot of green coloring leaves for every flower).  I ordered all the markers with brush tips for great blending.  OLO sent connector rings so I have connected two different colors on each marker.  There is one marker in the picture without the second marker attached.  One of the colors I ordered is on back order and will be shipped to me later.  I also ordered the 64pc OLO marker stand to store my markers.  

I have to tell you I am so impressed with the Top Notch customer service at OLO.   When you call, you actually get to talk to a customer service representive.   I had questions, so called and had the friendliest person help me. Also, I was amazed at how quickly I received my order - it was shipped out the same day as I ordered. 

I am excited to keep adding to my OLO marker collection.   It is nice we can watch Susan's Garden Club Videos, and have the exact markers she uses in her tutorials.

For great savings, be sure and check out this great promotion. 

Faceted Diamond Easel Card

I am happy you came to visit my blog today.  It is a very, very cold day here today so I decided to create another Christmas card.  In Susan's Garden Club Facebook Live Video, she showed how to create a faceted diamond easel card.  Using her directions, I created one of these cards.  

Silver metallic card stock triangles were added to the diamond cut outs in that fold in on the center of the card.  

Before adding the front panels to the card, a strip of acetate was added across the center of the card.  This is what the square that holds the poinsettia is attached to.

The design paper I used is from the Paper Heaven-White As Snow 6x6 inch pad.  For the mats I used Silver Metallic Card Stock. 

For the side panel on the inside of the card, I used a piece of dark green cardstock for the mat and then used the Spellbinders Scenic Poinsettia 3-D embossing folder to embossed a piece of silver metallic card stock.  I added a piece of heavy weight white cardstock under the embossed piece.  This piece was attached using dimensional tape.

 I die cut a 3" white square, a 3 1/4" silver square and glued them together.  In the middle of this square, I used the Spellbinders Essential Diamond  Etched die set to die cut a silver diamond.  It was attached in the middle of the squares.  This square was attached to the piece of acetate that goes across the center of the card.  

Susan's Poinsettia die set was used to create a white poinsettia.  It was die cut using Susan's Specialty Card Stock.  For the bracts,  added light green styrofoam balls then glued a small yellow Prill to the top of each ball.  To shape the poinsettia, I used Susan's Flower Tool Kit then assembled using Kids Glue.

Susan's Winter Evergreen Foiliage die set was used to die cut the Whitepine branches.  I used white styrofoam balls for the berries, then used a fine tip pen to press down on the end of each berry.

As a final touch, I added snow paste to the white pine branches then sprinkled on Twinkletts glitter.

Decorated Tiered Tray

Hello Friends,

Last week on Susan's Garden FaceBook Live, she created a beautiful card using the Spellbinders Tiered Tray and Accessories die sets.  If you are interested in a chance to win her next Garden Club Release - Painted Garden, she has given you a challenge to create something using the Spellbinders Tiered Tray die set and any of Susan's Garden flowers.  She will be giving away three sets of her release.  The winners will be chosen by a random drawing.  I hope my card will give you some inspiration to enter this challenge.   You can see Susan's Tiered Tray instructions and get all the information about the challenge at this LINK.

For my card, I used the Spellbinders Orgami 3-D embossing folder to embossing the background.  

The Tiered Tray die set was used to die cut the tray out of gold mirror card stock once, and again to die cut the tray twice from heavy weight white card stock.  The pieces were glued together for dimension.  In Susan's video, she explains how to create a taller tray.

Susan's Poinsettia die set was used to create three poinsettias.  They were die cut using Susan's Specialty Cardstock and red ink was brushed on using the Waffle Flower Stencil Mat and brushes.  The were shaped using Susan's Flower Tool Kit and assembled using Kids Choice Glue. I have my glue in the Spellbinders SILI Glue Pod.  You will love this little container for your glue!   The stamens were created using tiny styrofoam balls.  

The Evergreen Foilage die set was used to die cut the Whitepine branches.  They were colored then cut apart to tuck under the poinsettias.

The Winterberry and Mistletoe die set was used to die cut the Winterberry.  Red stryrofoam balls were used to create the berries.

The Feathered Friends die set was used to die cut the cardinal.

The Tiered Tray Accessories die set was used to die cut the little gnome.  

The sentiment from Susan's Winter Collection Stamp Set was green embossed and backed with a piece of gold mirror cardstock.  It was attached with dimensional tape.

I hope you will watch Susan's Club FaceBook Video and create a card using the Spellbinders Tiered Tray for a chance to win a set of Susan's next Garden Club die sets.  Good Luck!

Sunflowers & Woodland Leaves

The weather has been crazy.  It was very cold with snow in the mountains, and today the sun is shining and the colorful autumn leaves look beautiful.

Today I decided to duplicate some of the beautiful autumn leaves to show off these sunflowers.

This is a 6x6 inch card.  I used a piece of embossed metallic card stock for the base card.  A piece of vanilla card stock was cut slightly smaller and scored around the edges.  On this piece I stenciled on a design then added another piece of the embossed metallic cardstock, which was also scored around the edges.

Susan's Woodland Leaves die set was used to die cut the maple leaves, using Susan's Specialty Cardstock.  They were brushed with marigold, orange, and brown inks.  Dots were added for a realistic appearance.  The leaves were attached to one side of the metallic cardstock.  

Susan's Berry branch was die cut and small red styrofoam balls, that were colored dark red, were added to the branches.  They were attaced under the autumn leaves.

Using Susan's Sunflower die set, three sunflowers were created. They were die cut using Susan's Specialty Cardstock.  They were brush with yellow inks on the Waffle Flower Media Mat then shaped with tools from Susan's Flower Tool Kit.  They were glued together using Kids Choice Glue that was put in the Sili Glue Pod.   Both Prills and Pollen were added to the center of each flower.  A few sunflower leaves were added around the flowers.

Decorated Christmas Lantern

Good Morning.  The holidays will be here before we know.  Today I have another Christmas card decorated using Susan's Garden Lantern and her pretty poinsettia die sets

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 This is a 6x6 inch card.  The design paper used is from the Paper Heaven-White As Snow - design paper pad.  A dotted scallop circle was die cut and inside I  another die cut using Spellbinders Brillante Rondelle die set, which I think is now retired. 

Using Susan's Garden Lantern die set, the lantern was die cut using a smooth gold glitter card stock.  It was die cut again using gold mirror card stock and the trim around the window and at bottom of lid were cut out using scissors, then glued to the lantern.   In my stash, I have a background die by Momenta, that I used to cut out part of the design to place behind the window openings.  This was die cut using gold mirror card stock.  Spellbinders gold embellishments were used for the top and knob of the lantern.

The Poinsettia die set was used to die cut a poinsettia out using Susan's Specialty Cardstock.  It was brushed with red ink on the Waffle Flower Media Mat and shaped using Susan's Flower Tool Kit.  Small styrofoam balls were colored, using acrylic paint.  Tiny red Prills were added to the top of each ball then a light dusting of yellow pollen was glued to the bracts.

Susan's White Pine die was used for the greenery.  The Pine Cone die set used to create two pine cones.  Susan's Star Jasmine die set used to create several jasmine stems.  For the berries, small styrofoam balls were colored with blue acrylic paint and glued to Susan's Berry Branch die cut.  

All these die cuts were arranged at the base of the lantern.  Once the arrangement was dry, I added dots of Bearly Art Glue around it then sprinkled on Twinklets Diamond Dust.  

Have you started creating your Christmas Cards yet?

Pumpkin Bouquet

Today I decided to create a pumpkin using oval dies.  I used an oval die that is approximately 3 inches wide (short sides), and die cut 5 of them out of the Spellbinders Persimmon cardstock.  Around the edges I brushed on Distress Fired Brick Oxide Ink.    To arrange them, I used one for the center then two on each side, that were slightly tipped in on the top.  A stem was can cut, using green card stock, then brushed with brown ink.  

Using Susan's Sunflower die set, a flower was created.  It was die cut using Susan's Specialty Cardstock and color brushed on the petals.  For the center, Prills were added then dots of glue around the edge and brown Pollen added. For the adhesive, I used Kid's Choice Glue, which I squeezed into the Silli Pot (linked below). 

The Chrysanthem die set was used to create three yellow flowers.  The petals were shaped by using the fine tip tweezers, that are in the Flower Tool Kit,  and pinched up.  The leaves were die cut using watercolor paper, color brushed on and shaped using the tools in the Flower Tool Kit.

Susan's Berry Branch die was used to die cut the berry branch.  I used small styrofoam balls for the berries.  

Long narrow strips of green cardstock was used to create the curled vines around the flowers.

Susan's Woodland Leaves die set was used to die cut the autumn leaves.  They were colored, shaped then brushed with Clear Crystal Glaze.  

The Ferns & Ivy die set was used to die cut the lvy.  It was cut apart and placed under the flowers.

Window Arrangement

Hello my crafty friends.  Today I decided to create another Christmas card.  Have you started making your cards for the holidays?  All my friends look forward to receiving my Christmas cards because they always have pretty arrangements I created using Susan's Garden die sets.

This is a 6x6 inch card.  The base card is tan.  For the background, I used the Sizzix Impresslits A2 Cut & Emboss Folder.  Once it was embossed, I used a sponge and lightly sponged on light gray ink over the stones. Inside the window cutout, I added a piece of Paper Heaven-Golden Dreams design paper.  To create the green shutters, I used the cut & emboss folder and a piece of green card stock over the shutter portion, and ran through the die cutting machine.  The outside of the shutters was cut out using scissors, then glued to the white shutters.  Two small gold Spellbinders embellishments were added for the knobs.

Susans's White Pine die was used to die cut nine branches.  They were sponged using green ink on the Waffle Flower Media Mat,  and each pine needle cut in half using the scissors in Susan's Flower Tool Kit.  Snow was added to the tips.  Susan's Berry Branch was die cut using white card stock, and sponged green.  For the berries, I colored small white flat backed pearls with a dark red Copic marker.  

One pine cone was created using Susan's Pinecone die set.  It was die cut using brown card stock and the tips were brushed with white pigment ink. 

Susan's Poinsettia die set was used to create the pink/white poinsettia.  It was die cut using Susan's Specialty Cardstock.  A pink Copic Marker was used to color the center of each petal.  Using Susan's Flower Tool Kit, the poinsettia was shaped.  For the bracts, I added both yellow and green Nuvo drops.

I have links below for the products I used.