Sale-a-Bration is in full force, and I have a couple more tips to help you make the most out of your Sale-a-Bration purchases, including a one-of-a-kind offer you don’t want to miss. First, though, a card.
Today’s card features Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (one of many items you can earn during Sale-a-Bration) and a sentiment from the Oh, Hello! stamp set (one of the fresh new sets available in the Spring Catalog). This is my “thank you” to you for being such great blog readers and customers. Whether you are heavily involved or just a casual passerby, I appreciate you.
Tips, Tricks and Reminders:
Create your card around a Designer Series Paper. We all struggle at times to design a card. “Argh! What colors do I want to incorporate? What shapes do I want to feature? This is so hard!” Wow! You really complain a lot! Make it easy on yourself – pick a piece of Designer Series Paper and let it guide your decisions. The star of this card is definitely the Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper. Here’s how it helped me to complete this card:
- The colors. Without this DSP, I would have NEVER put these colors together. Thank goodness for Sycamore Street because I love them! Because the DSP features such beautiful colors, I was able to repeat the colors in the rest of my card. That took a big burden off my shoulders. Colors – check!
- The patterns. The graphics on this particular page were dizzying, but I challeged myself to use it. I like the pattern, but I wanted to find a way to soften it a bit. I played around with an entire 12″x12″ sheet (snipping and standing back with squinted eyes and snipping some more). In the end, I decided to cut along the squares in the pattern and position them slightly apart from each other. This forces your focus to the center star (so that you aren’t dizzy and lost in the never-ending patterns).
- The complexity. The complexity of the design drove the simplicity of the rest of the card. I didn’t dare add too many elements (dry embossing or other texture, ribbon or buttons) to the rest of the card. Nothing could compete with the complexity of the design, so why try?
Stamp set: Oh, Hello! Inks: Tangerine Tango Papers: Sycamore Street, Island Indigo, Summer Starfruit, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Sahara Sand Accessories: Stampin’ Dimensionals
An Amazing Swatch Book Offer
By now, you’ve read about my Designer Series Paper Swatch Books. You’ve seen the pictures and you’ve seen the video. All of your friends ordered them and are loving them in their craft space and at their workshops.
During Sale-a-Bration, I’m making you an offer you can’t refuse (well, you can refuse it, but then you’ll force Bandit to tilt his head to the side, questioning your decision). Here’s my offer to you:
- With a $50 product order at www.stampwithbrian.stampinup.net during Sale-a-Bration (January 22-March 22), I’ll send you a set** of these great DSP swatch books for only $6.95. That’s $6 off the orginal price, and I pay for the shipping!
- WIth a $100 product order at www.stampwithbrian.stampinup.net during Sale-a-Bration (January 22 – March 22), I’ll send you a set** of these great DSP swatch books for free (including shipping).
After your order, simply email me ([email protected]) to request them. One per person, please.
**A set includes five DSP’s (4 from the Spring Catalog and one from Sale-a-Bration) and the DSP paper stack from the Spring Catalog. Please let me know if you have any questions. By the way, I’ve now added Sycamore Street to the collection!
Quick Pointer on your Sale-a-Bration Order: When you place your product order, this screen will pop up in the bottom, left corner to let you know that you’ve earned Sale-a-Bration items (the fourth bullet point on this blurry image). Click on CLICK HERE to enter your Sale-a-Bration items. 
Brian, I just love what you did with the DSP! Really shows off this print and the card is great!
This card brings a bit of sunshine on this very frigid Vermont morning!!
Memories of my grandmother’s wonderful quilts come to mind looking at you card. That’s a very good thing! Glad you did all that squinting for us so we wouldn’t get dizzy. Luv Luv that you snipped out the star and popped it up in the middle and ever so slightly offset it to reveal more points from the squares below. I need to practice flagging my cardstock more, it adds so much. I give you yet another ‘thumbs up’ my friend.
Lisa, Brian… I was going to say the same thing. I love how you popped up that middle star design and off set the angle; that really does make it be the center of attention. I also love how your colored layers are not exactly the same width.from each other. What measurements are those layers? Great card!
Oh, Bobbi! When I set out to make this card, I wanted to make certain I measured everything so I can give y’all the numbers. But I trimmed a little off this side and a little off that side to the point that I don’t have distinct numbers to give you. I’m working on getting better at that. 🙂
Beautiful Brian, this card looks like a quilt, really!! I’d say it again, your paper snipping skills are fabulous!! This is indeed, very beautiful paper, love the colors and your layout. Another “thumbs up” from me too.
I actually didn’t like this paper design at all until I saw your card. Well done!
Wonderful card Brian. I hope bandit doesn’t get dizzy from the head tilting! Wishing you a wonderful SAB.
Hi Brian! Ditto what everyone else said. Love your style. Love your blog! I’m already looking forward to your next post 🙂 Have a fabulous day!
Brian, I love this Design Paper so much that I have ordered it 3 times already!! Your card is da bomb! I love the squares and the popped up star! and your design and layout are superb…mwah! Cest magnifique!!
Love what you did with the DSP so I didn’t get lost there! 🙂 You did a great job of showcasing a very busy pattern. Now, for those without swatchbooks, I love mine! Once you have them you can’t live without them! And Brian has a great offer out there as well. I keep mine in my tote bag and even when we’re watching tv or something I will page through and get loads of wonderful ideas. You could never do this with 12 X 12 sheets. They’re the perfect companion to your stamping supplies. I can’t wait to hear if he is going to do them for the next catalog!
You are so welcome and I love your card!!!! Brilliantly done I must say! 🙂
Okay Brian…just stop ! You know I have an addiction to designer paper ! Now look what you`ve done !!! Honestly, I have a real struggle not to order stuff every week then an intervention got me into SUOA… Now, I`m thinking i have to change what I was going to get for my freebie because that paper is calling to me …Shoot !! now I have to start all over again …I need a support group..Oh and by the way…Super card …really really. And lastly …what if I already have the fantabulous swatchbooks ? Can I still get some more?? btw…I love mine …but I wouldn`t mind extras because I have two stamp rooms !!! just asking….
This is a wonderful card, Brian! I love how you popped up the center bit and yes, it does remind me of my great-grandmother’s quilts! Love it!
BTW: Thank you for your great email about the swatch book order. I’m so excited to get this and I think it’s a fantastic idea! Put me down as someone who wants one for ALL the catalogs!
Great creation Brian! I have to try this design. It brings DSP into a whole new light!
HI Brian: I’m a quilter and that card really blew me away. I would love to duplicate the design in fabric. The color combos are just amazing. I can never figure out how to perfectly place squares on a card as you did with the individual square of the DSP. Mine are always just a wee bit off. How did you manage to place the 4 squares so perfectly spaced? AND, needless to say, the popped out star was the coupe de gras on this card. Just gorgeous.
I too like you was a little iffy about the color combos in this DSP pack until I received it and started making cards with it. To date, I have made 11 different 6 x 6 cards with it. Each one unique and I think lovely. And to think it was free, that makes it even better.
Fab card, love that you cut out the center star and popped it up. I agree that this is cross your eyes paper..but I just received it and will use your ideas to soften the designs! Thank you and I will let you know when my swatches arrive, very excited!
Oh my gosh, I was drinking my 1st cup of coffee this AM when I sat down to read your blog as usual, Brian, and saw your card for today. Apparently I wasn’t awake enough because I didn’t see the four squares of DSP! I only saw it as one bigger square. I guess that means that your card is even cooler than I thought it was 😉 And I LOVE all your matting layers!!!