5 Ways to Use Paper Strips for Card Making {Plus See what's NEW from Simon Says Stamp}

 "I'm in love! I'm in love! And I don't care who knows it!" (Please say it like Buddy the Elf, while throwing your hat in the air. Thank you.) I'm honestly pretty smitten with today's die set. It checks a lot of boxes for me: Simple to use (check.) Totally versatile (check.) Helps me make a bunch of cards at once. (check check.) In today's post you'll find some helpful tips for mass-producing cards and using paper scraps - so stick with me as we look at FIVE different ways to use the new Stripped die from Simon Says Stamp for an adorable card set. 

This blog post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links, I receive compensation at no cost to you. Thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart!

Let's start at the beginning, shall we? Here's our starting point. Five 6x6 sheets of patterned paper and this awesome card-sized die, called Stripped, that will perfectly trim a striped background. (HERE'S A TIP: However many pieces of paper you start with is how many card bases you'll end up with. I used five patterns, to create five cards.)

Step One: Die cut the Stripped die from each piece of patterned paper. I recommend laying the strips out in some semblance of organization to make life easier as you assemble. You can see my piles in the photo below, as I've started assembling my first card. Once you have those piles, simply start mixing and matching to create the background of your card. I recommend using glue for this, because you can gently slide your pieces if something isn't stuck down quite right. Start with one strip all the way at the end of your card, make sure it's straight, and then just go from there. 

I do believe I promised you FIVE different ways to use this set so let's look at the first card idea. (All of today's cards also feature the Just Sayin' stamp set and coordinating dies - so adorable!) 

1. Straight Up!

This first card is just straight forward, striped goodness and a stamped/die-cut sentiment. 

2. Straight Up But Sideways

Whether you use this set horizontally or vertically, the process is still the same. I rounded the bottom corners on this cutie just to be a little different. 

3. Trim it and Mat it

Rinse and repeat for number three EXCEPT, adhere the strips on a flat panel of cardstock, and then trim the edges to create a smaller area to mat on your card base. Plus - don't miss the inlaid die-cutting happening on this card. After trimming the panel, consider die cutting a shape from the center. It created a perfect dimensional landing spot for my sentiment.

4. Die-cut it and then Die-cut it Again

How about using a striped die-cut panel and cut a shape from it? In the last idea you saw the negative space left behind, but this time let's use a panel to make a giant heart.

5. Make Stripes From Your Stripes

Another way to make different use of your striped panel, is to only use part of it. Cut it in half as shown below, or even into smaller strips for a striped stripe. (How's THAT for a tongue twister?)

Crafty friends, these are only just a few of the ways you can use this Stripped die from Simon Says Stamp. And remember - if you don't have this die, everything I did here could be created with papers from your scrap bin and a paper trimmer. BUT I gotta say, it was so nice working with these pieces that all cut exactly the same. It removed all the math and guess work - so mass producing a whole variety of cards was much less frustrating and a lot more fun!

If you're pretty sure you can't live without today's cute products - you're in luck! They're part of the new DieCember release at Simon Says Stamp. I hope you'll go check out all the new items and enjoy all kinds of inspiration. 

Don't Miss Out on the Fun:

• Stop by the Simon Says Stamp website to see the entire DieCember collection. 
• Join the SSS YouTube Live Stream at noon EST on Thursday December 4th. Click HERE to be notified when they’re live.
• Don't miss the two-day blog hop Friday Dec 5th and Saturday the 6th! 
• Check out the Instagram hop on Monday, December 8th.

Shop the Supplies on Today's Cards

(all sold at Simon Says Stamp)

Stripped die 

Just Sayin' coordinating stamps and dies

(you can also purchase just the stamps or just the dies - but trust me, 

you want it all, and it's a very reasonable price!)

Bold Floral Embossing Folder

Just Sayin' 6x6 Printed Paper

(it's just a coincidence that this SB patterned paper has the same name 

as the SSS stamp/die set - but dang, they sure look cute together!)

Platinum 6 die-cutting machine

Spellbinders Mirrored Arch Labels die set

Spellbinders Linear Touch Rectangle die set

I'm so glad you stopped by today! Which striped idea is your favorite? Any ideas for MORE ways to use this die? I'd love for you to share them in the comments! 

Looking for more inspiration with Simon Says Stamp?

You might love these too!

Showboat Thank You Cards

The Latest Holiday Inspiration from Simon Says Stamp . . .And Everything Nice!

Sometimes it just feels good to get ink on your hands...and maybe a few splashes of watercolor...a spritz of shimmer, and maybe even a splatter of paint. Today's holiday cards got a little artsy, but the good news is that whether it's your style or not, today's products lend themselves to every style from clean and simple to layered and messy, and it's all brand new (and SUPER CUTE) from Simon Says Stamp. Let's take a look at this new holiday collection, called And Everything Nice!

This blog post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links, I receive compensation at no cost to you. Thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart!

Both of today's cards begin with the same background, the Leafy Double Garland Embossing Folder. This is a great background for holiday and winter card making. I went BOLD for these backgrounds, but this would also be beautiful as a subtle texture behind a clean and simple holiday card. After embossing a piece of watercolor paper, I used watercolor paints as well as Simon Hurley Solar Spray, and Spellbinders Splatter White to add all kinds of messy color to this background. 

Here's a TIP: When working with watery paints, keep your heat gun or a hair dryer handy to quickly dry sections if paint starts running or blending where you don't want it to! Sometimes even a quick dab with a tissue is helpful if it your artsy gets a little too fartsy. ;)

To finish this card, I added the new Brilliant Cardinal die, as well as a heat embossed sentiment from Stacked Holiday Sentiments. 

This closeup photo shows the pearly shimmer of the Solar Sprays nicely! Such a fun fancy detail!

Next up, same background, and same colors but I started out a little different. For this card, I actually put some watercolor straight onto the embossing folder, sandwiched my watercolor paper in, and carefully put it through my die-cutting machine. This presses the color right into the paper. It wasn't quite enough color, so then I went back and added more paint, water, and then Solar Spray, plus another sentiment from Stacked Holiday Sentiments. This time I added the sentiment onto vellum. 

Here's a TIP! If there's a bit too much background showing through, add a second layer of vellum to make the words pop. Another vellum tip - staples are a great way to adhere vellum to a card, with no pesky adhesive to hide!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you're feeling inspired to get your hands a little messy and embrace the spritzy, splattery, shimmery side of the holidays! 

Don't Miss Out on the Fun:

• Stop by the Simon Says Stamp website to see the entire And Everything Nice collection. 
• Join the SSS YouTube Live Stream at noon EST on Friday, November 7! Click HERE to be notified when they’re live.
• Don't miss the two-day blog hop Friday, November 7th and Saturday the 8th! 
• Are you on the gram? Check out the Instagram hop on Thursday, November 13th.

 

Shop the Supplies on Today's Cards

Leafy Double Garland embossing folder

Stacked Holiday Sentiments stamps

(there are also coordinating dies available!)

Brilliant Cardinal Die

Simon Hurley/Ranger Solar Spray

Spellbinders Essential Arches dies

Spellbinders Splatter White

Platinum 6 die-cutting machine

Looking for more holiday inspiration with Simon Says Stamp?

Check out this post too!

Simon Says Stamp Sugar and Spice Release {Cute Christmas Card Making!}

Christmas card season is coming in HOT - it's TIME, friends! It felt great to get a few holiday cards made to begin this year's stash, and the stamps and dies from the new Sugar and Spice release at Simon Says Stamp gave me some fresh inspiration to share! I'm just thrilled to be blog hopping along with some of my favorite card makers for day 2 of Simon's Sugar and Spice release blog hop. If you're feeling merry, read on!

This blog post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links, I receive compensation at no cost to you. Thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart!

Both of today's cards feature the Plaque Slides dies and coordinating Plaque Slides Christmas stamps, as well as the Narrow Holly Cluster dies. Let's chat about the Plaque Slides first. These sentiments are adorable, well-sized for cards, and will coordinate perfectly with a variety of styles. You'll want to die-cut a whole bunch of the coordinating die shapes and add these cuties to all kinds of cards, tags, gift wrap, and goodies. I super love that there's some versatility with the rounded rectangle shape - you'll see for today's first card, I trimmed off the edges to just keep the rectangle, but on my second card you'll see how easily you can slide a ribbon or twine to attach it. Love that versatility! 

Here's TWO tips if you'd like to recreate this Merry and Bright card:

• Planning to mass produce your cards? Consider stamping the sentiments across the background of an entire 8.5x11 sheet of cardstock. Then, simply cut it into four (or more) pieces to create your cards. 
• Depending on the colors of ink you use, sometimes a very busy colorful background can become, well, TOO busy. If that's the case, add a layer of vellum. It'll probably be just enough to make the background less overwhelming, and adds another layer of interest. (I love to use my tiny stapler to easily attach vellum without messing with adhesive that might show through.) 

(Note: I layered my sentiment onto a cute scalloped tag from Spellbinders. You can find the Make a Wish Arch Labels die set at Simon Says Stamp.)

Next up, you'll see that Plaque Slide die with the twine strung through. This is going to be such fun on gift wrap and packaged holiday treats, but clearly adorable on cards too. Although I used the Narrow Holly Cluster for the greenery up above, on this card the holly is front and center, and makes a bold statement cut from metallic cardstocks. Again, another versatile die set - cut it into pieces and use the holly as an accent, or use the whole cluster as a focal point. I love to have options! 

Friends, you don't want to miss a stop on today's blog hop. First of all, there's so much AMAZING inspiration, but secondly Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon to one commenter on EACH blog! Winners will be posted on the SSS blog on Wednesday October 15th. 

 

Don't Miss a Stop on the Hop!

Simon Says Stamp Blog 
Nichol Spohr
Caly Person
Suzy Plantamura
Amy Rysavy
Sandi MacIver
Emily Midgett
Lisa Addesa
Emma Williams
Lea Lawson
Kath Stewart
Laura Williams <<you are here!>>
Hanh Nguyen
Nicki Baxley
Susan Valle

Shop the Supplies on Today's Cards

Plaque Slides Christmas Stamps and Plaque Slides Dies

(also available: just the stamps

or just the dies) 

Narrow Holly Cluster dies

Spellbinders Make a Wish Arch Label dies 

Spellbinders Essentials Modern Ovals dies

Platinum 6 die-cutting machine

Looking for more Sugar and Spice inspiration from Simon Says Stamp? 

You might love this post too:

Merry & Bright Winter Card Ideas with Stencils

Merry & BRIGHT Winter Card Ideas with Stencils {NEW from Simon Says Stamp}

Stencils are a beautiful way to add texture to the background of your cards, and a creative way to make a relatively flat (and therefore easy to mail) card with lots of personality. Today's cards are packed with crisp, cool winter vibes - but thanks to the versatility of stencils, you can take this idea and recreate it in any color palette you choose! 

This blog post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links, I receive compensation at no cost to you. Thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart!

Today's cards feature the Large Snowflake Cutouts stencils from Simon Says Stamp. This set includes two large snowflake stencils (and bonus. . . Simon also sells a coordinating die for even more creative possibilities!) Here's the magic about card inspiration - if this wild winter color palette isn't your thing, then try this idea in whatever winter shades rock YOUR fuzzy socks off. Already have a snowflake stencil? Try it with what you have, or play around with a completely different stencil. 

The Large Snowflake stencils include two different styles. Let's look at the two stencils first, and then I'll show you the difference. The stencil on the left has a large rectangle of negative space, (which happens to be the exact size of a standard card.) For the Merry and Bright card, I laid the stencil down on my cardstock and added shades of blue and green ink (with my favorite blending brushes.) This leaves the snowflake white but fills the card base with color. 

The second stencil has more of a circle format, creating a white snowflake with color only around the edges. This one is perfect for overlapping snowflakes, as I did below. On both cards I added sentiments from the Plaque Slides Christmas stamps, and the coordinating Plaque Slides dies. (I trimmed the little slides off the sides of the rectangle one above, which just adds to the versatility!)

Both of these card ideas will be simple to pop in the mail, and will be perfect for Christmas or basically any other occasion this winter season! Love that! 

Lastly, here's a collage-style card that shows a layering idea with the snowflake stencil. It's a bit more subtle and it demonstrates a way to fill some white space using a stencil. I hope these cards have inspired you to take a look at the stencils in your stash, (or you know. . .do a little bit of shopping for something new!)

Today is release day of the Sugar and Spice collection at Simon Says Stamp. Man, is this collection packed with all sorts of great winter items, but also some super cute products to use all year long. I'll be back on Saturday with some more projects to share but in the meantime head on over to Simon Says Stamp and check out the entire collection! 

Shop the Supplies on Today's Cards:

Large Snowflake Cutouts Stencils

(also available: Large Snowflake Wafer Die

also available: stencil/die combo!)

Plaque Slides Christmas Stamps and Plaque Slides Dies

(also available: just the stamps

or just the dies) 

Large Blending Brushes

I absolutely love these large blending brushes. 

They are super soft and apply ink to cardstock really smoothly!

Platinum 6 die-cutting machine