Tutorial - Paper Pieced Pups

Paper piecing is a fun way to add colour and interest to your handmade cards.

All you need is a stamp, a sharp pair of scissors and a collection of coordinating papers or cardstock.

1. Start by choosing some papers. The amount you require will depend on your stamp and how many different sections you'd like. I've chosen four, which means I'll have four different patterns on each image.

2. Stamp the image you're working with on each of your patterned papers.

3. Carefully cut around each image with a small pair of sharp scissors. Try not to cut away too much of the stamp outline.

4. Now it's time to disect the image. It's up to you how many sections you divide your image into, but if you're careful, you can mix and match all the different parts to reform all four images.

5. Prepare some cardstock for your images. If you wish, you can stamp a base image on each piece of cardstock to help you position and reassemble your image.

6. Mix up the colours for a patchwork effect. Secure the paper to the cardstock with glue.

7. If desired, add a little colouring and shading to your images.

8. Now they're ready to become card toppers or embellishments for layouts.

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Thinking Of You

Gold highlights and pretty embossing really help to elevate this simple card. I added some dimension by popping up a couple of the loose blossoms and the die cut sentiment.

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For You

Pretty patterned paper makes up the majority of this card. I just embellished with a simple sentiment, a few die cut flowers and some white butterflies.

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Birthday Pug

A simple card for a great friend!

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For the Love of Reading

The colours that come to mind when I think of love are a combination of pink, red and white... just like Valentine's Day. So it seemed to me that since I love reading so much, they would make the perfect palette for a book-themed card!

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Best Wishes

The large flower stem from the cherry blossom set is perfect for creating pretty borders. I used my guillotine to cut the stem up the middle, then secured each half to a strip of gold mirror board topped with some white card cardstock. The two pieces then became the top and bottom frame for my card.

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Layout - "Her Smile"

When creating layouts, I try to coordinate the papers, cardstock and embellishments with the colours in the photo... not always an easy task! Fortunately, I found a lovely photo containing reds, pinks and greens that coordinate nicely with the Cherry Blossom product range.

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Tutorial - Corner Tuck Fold Cards

A basic card with a fun pocket closure that can be adapted to almost any size and shape. You can move the pocket to either corner and you can orient your card horizontally or vertically depending on your overall design.

1. Start with an A5 tent-fold card blank (or 4" x 6" if you prefer).

2. Cut the front of the card in half. The part you cut off becomes the front panel of your card.

3. You'll also need a triangle of cardstock for the pocket. I started with a 21/4" square of cardstock, and cut it in half on the diagonal. (You don't have to make it quite as large as I did, but you must ensure the corner of your front panel can tuck inside the pocket.)

4. Cut several pieces of patterned paper for the different pieces of cardstock. I keep mine slightly smaller than my cardstock so I'll have a narrow border around all the edges. You can choose coordinating pieces or use the same design on all sections if you prefer.

5. Place glue on the back of the panel, ensuring it only covers half the area. Secure it to the front of your card making sure none of the adhesive has drifted over to the right side - you don't want to glue your card closed!

6. Apply glue on the 90 degree angle of the triangle piece, leaving the long edge clear. I've added pencil marks so you can see the correct placement for the glue. The triangle will form the little pocket to hold your card closed.

7. Decide on the placement of your pocket. I've positioned mine at the top, right-hand side of the card, securing it to the inside edges of the card. Allow the pocket to dry fully before opening and closing.

8. Now decorate! I used an image from the Old Books set of stamps as well as one of the sentiments.

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Dimension and Texture

You can add dimension to your cards by building up layers with foam tape and by adding embellishments that are three dimensional, like little pearls, buttons and wooden elements. Texture comes from adding different surfaces and finishes, such as dry embossing, fabric and torn edges. 

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