FLORAL GATEFOLD

I truly do love fussy cutting. You? Not so much? Have you ever really given it a try? Have you taken on paper piecing? 

Paper piecing is when you stamp an outline image onto patterned paper. After fussy cutting the image, you adhere it over the same image that you'd stamped onto the piece you are creating. It gives the illusion of realism, the effect of fabric, say.

I used paper piecing in this card, both on the flower and the stem/leaves. The pattern is subtle, so you need to examine it to see it. But it is there, and it is pleasing to look at.

This card is in the gatefold style, meaning that it opens at the center rather than from the right side. So many variations can be tried with this type of fold. 

You can see in the photo below that the card is partially open. 

Follow along for a tutorial on how to create a gatefold of this nature.

SUPPLIES:

Cream paper

Light blue cardstock

Cream cardstock

Blue patterned paper

Green patterned paper

Outline flower stamp

Black ink

Big Shot

Scalloped rectangle die

Fine scissors

Words embossing folder

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut a piece of cream-colored heavy paper to 5 1/2" x 8 1/2. Score it at 2 1/8". Flip it and score again at 2 1/8". Crease the score lines well with a bone folder. Fold towards the center to form the gatefold.

Cut two pieces of light blue cardstock to 5 1/4" x 1 7/8". Emboss both pieces with an embossing folder with words on it.

Add both of the embossed pieces to each of the gatefolds.

From the same cream paper as the base, die cut a scalloped rectangle that measures 3 1/4 x 4 1/2". Set this aside for now.

Stamp the flower portion of your image in black ink onto blue patterned paper with words on it. Fussy cut this flower.

Stamp in black ink the leaf/stem portion onto green patterned paper with words on it. Fussy cut this piece.

Adhere the two fussy cut pieces to the scalloped rectangle.

Adding adhesive only to the left side of the rectangle, add the completed flower piece to the left gate of the card.

Inside the card, add a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of cream cardstock.

Fussy

Smiles.

I realize it's been awhile since I posted one of my greeting cards. Since the last time, I have been going through one medical issue after another. Although it's not all settled quite yet, I decided it was high time I offered you another card with tutorial.

Doesn't this raccoon look like he REALLY cares? I mean, look at him worriedly wringing his little hands! 

SUPPLIES:

White cardstock

Red cardstock

Black and White Gingham Patterned Paper

Sentiment Stamp

Raccoon Stamp

Black Ink

Big Shot

Circle dies

Label dies

3/4" red grosgrain ribbon

Dimensionals

INSTRUCTIONS:

Fold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of white cardstock in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

To this white card base, add a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of red cardstock, and to that, adhere a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of black and white gingham patterned paper.

On white cardstock, stamp in black ink a raccoon. Use an appropriately sized circle die to cut the little guy out.

From red cardstock, cut out a larger circle. Adhere the two circles together.

Use Dimensionals to add it to the black and white piece, leaving equal borders at the top and sides.

In black ink, stamp a sentiment. Use a die that fits the sentiment to cut it out.

Cut a 3 1/2" piece of 3/4" red grosgrain ribbon and adhere it to the back side of the sentiment piece.

Use Dimensionals to add it to the card  below the raccoon.

There! Now, send it off to make someone feel better!

Kind

Smiles. 

THE DAILY BIRD - AUGUST 2025

Hey all! I know I've been missing for a bit. But I'm back -- with a handful of bird portraits I've done, this time from August 2025.

As I always do in these birdie posts, I will include the name of the bird as well as where on earth they can be found living. 

If you ever have any comments on my drawings, I would dearly love to hear from you!

Here goes:

white-crowned pigeon

the caribbean

red-cheeked cordon-bleu

tropical sub-saharan africa

ruddy shelduck

southeastern europe and central asia

stripe-throated bulbul

tropical southeastern asia

great thick-knee

asia

red-legged seriema

south america

grey peacock pheasant

bangladesh, northeast india, southeast asia

scaly-breasted kingfisher

indonesia

collared trogon

mexico, central america, south america

And there is a very small taste of what I drew during August, 2025. Hopefully September will have a better showing.

Please respect that these are quick photos of my origiinal artwork and cannot be used in any way without my express permission. Let me know if you'd like a print!!

Once again, I am always grateful to have you accompany me on my exploration and drawing of the world's birds. If you ever have an idea for a bird I should draw, let me know!

I should just mention that besides drawing birds as part of Terry Runyan's #dailycreating group on Facebook, I also finished a personal challenge, #365birds, during which I drew a bird each day for an entire year. Once I finished that challenge, I immediately segued right into another personal challenge, The Daily Bird. The drawing I did tonight was Day 665 of The Daily Bird! I am well over 1,100 drawings of birds!! Yay me!

Birdie

Smiles.

LEAFY BREATHS

Here in central Wisconsin, most of the colorful leaves have fallen. No!!! That means winter is next!

Sometimes with all the various aspects of life, we need to be reminded: just breathe. So, here is your sign to do just that. 

SUPPLIES:

Tan cardstock

Darker tan cardstock

Assorted fallish patterned paper

Just Breathe stamp

Black ink

Tan ink

Big Shot

Textured Embossing Folder

Gems

Dimensionals

INSTRUCTIONS:

Fold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of tan cardstock in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

Emboss a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of a darker tan cardstock with a textured embossing folder. Add this textured piece to the card base.

Cut a piece of subtle patterned paper which coordinates with the other colors to 1 1/2" x 5. Adhere this over the textured cardstock, leaving even margins at the sides and the top.

Go through scraps of autumn-colored patterned paper. The papers can't be too dark in color because you will be stamping on them. I looked for one in an orange, one in a gold and one in green. Stamp a maple leaf on each of these colors. After fussy cutting the leaves, removing the stems, use Dimensionals to adhere them evenly across the 1 1/2 x 5" strip. Start with the placement of the two end leaves, ending with the center one.

On a 1" x 5" strip of the lighter tan cardstock, stamp a sentiment in the darker tan ink. Use Dimensionals to add this to the bottom of the card.

Finish by placing a faceted gold gem on either side of the sentiment.

Leafy

Smiles.

BURLAP LEAF

When creating a card, I love to incorporate surprising or odd elements, things you may not think of for papercrafting.

In this example, I used two stranger things (hey! That should be a television program!). They are wire-edged burlap trim and a fallish napkin.

Check out my tutorial on how I used these two oddities.

SUPPLIES:

Light neutral cardstock

A detailed oak leaf stamp

VersaMark Ink

Embossing Buddy

Gold Embossing Powder

Heat Tool

Paper Snips

Wire-Edged Burlap Trim

Fallish Napkin

Glue Stick

Dimensionals

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut a piece of light neutral cardstock to 4 1/4" x 8 1/2". Fold it in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

Cut a piece of light-colored scrap cardstock to 3 3/4" square.

Peel away only the top ply (layer) of a fall-flavored napkin. The one I used is very delicate, so, if yours is also delicate, use a lot of caution when doing the following steps. Crush the napkin in your hands, then almost flatten it. Repeat this process three times. Using a glue stick, cover one side of the 3 3/4" square cardstock, bringing the glue to the corners and edges. Gently press the napkin to the gluey surface, centering it as well as possible. Do not smooth out what little texture you have. NOTE: If you use a heavier napkin, you will get more pronounced texture. Just gently tap on it so it adheres to the glued area. Fold the excess napkin edges to the back of the cardstock and secure it in place with glue stick, mitering the corners.

Attach the napkin piece to the card front.

Cut a 3 1/4" piece of wire-edged burlap trim. I got my roll at Dollar Tree. Carefully adhere this to the napkin portion. Use glue sparingly on the edges to secure it in place.

On the same cardstock as the card base, stamp in VersaMark Ink a fall oak leaf, after rubbing an Embossing Buddy over the cardstock first. Use gold embossing powder to heat emboss the leaf.

Fussy cut the leaf, leaving white edges rather than cutting right up to the gold lines. This makes for easier cutting.

Use Dimensionals to add the leaf to the burlap piece.

Fall

Smiles.