Summer Fun

I'm still loving the Cherry on Top designer series paper stack.  Such bright colors and cheerful designs (although if you look, the Tip Top Taupe is in there to give you a little neutral to play off of.) 
  Here is another card I made for the Creative Crew challenges for July.  The theme is picnics, summer, and the new in colors Watermelon Wonder and Cucumber Crush.  Of course, those color names and themes, you can't possibly resist doing a watermelon card...here's one I made with a very simple layout and lots of fun patterns:

The cherries and the green hatch-mark patterns are both from Cherry on Top. 

I used the old neutrals color stack for the bottom layer.  I do like the way it looks--less contrast means that the eye is not drawn away as much from the main features of the card.  However, you may like the crisper look of the white polka dots in the new color stack, or a different pattern altogether.  Try it with the Watermelon Wonder pattern on the bottom.

The card stock is Watermelon Wonder and Cucumber Crush. You can get these together in the new Cherry on Top co-ordinated Card Stock Assortment Pack.
I also used some Whisper White to line the inside of the card, and for the little watermelon cutout.

I used an oval framelit for the pulp of the watermelon, then snail-taped it to a scrap of Whisper White, and fussy cut.  Then I layered it onto some Cucumber Crush and did the same, making the rind a little bit thicker than the white part.

I had tried cutting out the rind with the next larger framelit, but I didn't like the proportion, so I went ahead with the scissors.
The seeds are just drawn on with the soft end of my Basic Black Stampin' Write marker.
The watermelon is popped up with dimensionals.

 

  The "hello" is cut out with the "Hello You" thinlit in both Watermelon Wonder and Cucumber Crush, and layered them on to create a shadow. 

I recommend using white glue for this. (Like Tombo.) Place a blob of glue on a piece of scrap paper.  Dip the tip of your pokey-tool (officially known as a paper-piercing tool) into the glue, and use it to spread tiny dots of glue onto the back of your die-cut.  This will avoid big smears of glue ruining your project, or tearing the die cut by attempting to spread glue stick on the back.

Birthday Wishes

Build a Birthday is a simple, super-fun stamp set that co-ordinates with the Cherry on Top dsp stack.  However, on this card, I ended up using only the stamps and the card-stock, and not using any of the paper stack!

Taking the colors from the dsp, I used
Crushed Curry for the base,
Bermuda Bay for the mat,
Whisper White for the center, and
Watermelon Wonder for the flag.

The ink colors are the same, with Cucumber Crush added for the dotted candle, as well.
Versamark and white embossing powder were used for the sentiment.

The banner was popped up on dimensionals, and I used a retired small dots embossing folder for the card base, but you could choose any one of a number of folders instead.  Try the Decorative Dots,
Lucky Stars, or Chevrons for a fun variation.

Quick, easy, fun!

Happy Birthday--MoreFun with Paper Pumpkin and Latch Cards

I really enjoyed the May Paper Pumpkin stamp set, and knew I wasn't done with it when June rolled around.  When I needed a birthday card, it was the first thing I reached for.  Pairing that with the bright colors and fun designs of the new Cherry on Top designer series paper stack was a natural.  If you haven't seen one yet, it's really a must-have for whipping out a quick, cute card for a congratulations, celebration, or any happy occasion.

Here is an easy card using the latch card design, and three different scraps from the Cherry on Top dsp stack.

The rest of the Supplies:
Cardstock:
Cucumber Crush,
Watermelon Wonder
Crushed Curry
Whisper White

Stamp Set:
May 2015 Paper Pumpkin stamp set

Accessories:
Paper Trimmer,
Paper Snips,
Round Punch 1 1/4"
Dimensionals
Paper Scoring tool

Remember, to make a latch card, cut your card stock to 5 1/2 x 7 1/4 and score across the long side at 4 1/4.  After you fold, the shorter side will be the front, and the longer will be the back.  Score 3 lines very close together at 6".  (I usually score one line, then move the card over just 1/16" putting the scored line in between two grooves on my scoring plate, and then score a line on either side of the first one. Do NOT fold or crease those lines; they are just for flexibility.)
In the above picture, the balloons hang over the front to latch the card closed, but they are not taped down on the left side.  Only the right half of the balloons are stuck to the back panel with dimensionals.

As you can see when the card is opened, the side decoration serve double duty to adorn the inside of the card as well as the outside, and the balloons still hang slightly over the back panel.