For this week’s Global Design Project Sketch Challenge #GDP558, I was inspired by my July Paper Pumpkin kit. This month’s kit featured easy-to-create easel cards, and I absolutely fell in love with the flowers, sentiments, and coordinating add-on dies. They were the perfect combination for bringing this week’s sketch to life.
I decided to stick with the same beautiful color palette from the kit: Hydrangea Hue, Timid Tiger, Melon Mambo, Darling Duckling, and Old Olive. I love how bright and cheerful these colors are together. While the Paper Pumpkin cards used softer tones, I created a similar look by stamping some of my images at full strength and others stamped off for a lighter shade.
Creating the Floral Panels
The sketch featured four rectangles separated by narrow spaces, so I reached for the Rounded Rectangle Punch to create my four panels.
I started with Basic White cardstock, stamping the leaves in Old Olive around the corners before adding flowers in Melon Mambo and Timid Tiger (stamped off). My goal was to create a floral frame around each rectangle while leaving the centers clean and open.
Next came my favorite part—adding dimension!
Using the coordinating add-on dies, I cut flowers from Hydrangea Hue, Timid Tiger, and Darling Duckling, along with leaves in Old Olive. Instead of leaving the leaves attached to their stems, I snipped them apart and tucked them throughout the design anywhere I wanted a little extra greenery.
Several of the flowers were popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals for added depth. I even allowed some of the flowers to extend past the edges of each panel before trimming them flush once everything was adhered. This helps create the illusion that the floral arrangement continues beyond the edges.
The finished panels were attached to a 3¼” × 5″ piece of Basic White cardstock using additional Dimensionals.
Adding the Sentiment
For the greeting, I stamped “hooray” in Melon Mambo on Basic White cardstock and carefully fussy cut it. The “it’s your day!” sentiment was stamped in Timid Tiger and cut using the Triple Banner Punch.
To pull everything together, I wrapped Crisp Cantaloupe Ribbon around the center of the card and tied it with White Baker’s Twine.
One thing I love about Stampin’ Up! products is how well many of the colors coordinate, even when they aren’t exact matches. The Crisp Cantaloupe ribbon paired beautifully with the softer stamped-off Timid Tiger images and tied the entire card together.
Creating the Easel Card Base
The card base is Hydrangea Hue cardstock, cut to 11″ × 4¼” and scored at 5½” and 2⅛” to create the easel fold.
I wanted to recreate the subtle plaid background from the Paper Pumpkin cards, so instead of embossing with the Forever Plaid 3D Embossing Folder, I tried a different technique.
I inked the embossing folder, laid my cardstock onto the inked surface, and rolled over it with my Stampin’ Brayer. This transferred the plaid pattern without adding texture, which kept the fold nice and smooth while still giving me the look I wanted.
To finish the front, I adhered only the bottom portion of the white panel to the lower section of the card base so the easel mechanism could function properly.
Finishing the Inside
For the inside, I added a 3¾” × 5″ piece of Basic White cardstock.
I stamped the grid image three times in Timid Tiger, then stamped the “hugs & wishes” sentiment in the same color and punched it out with the Triple Banner Punch.
I attached the banner with Stampin’ Dimensionals, allowing it to act as the stopper that holds the easel card upright—just like the original Paper Pumpkin design.
Final Thoughts
This was such a fun card to create, and I know I’ll be reaching for these stamps and coordinating dies again soon. It’s always exciting to take inspiration from one project and transform it into something completely new.
If you’ve ever thought about trying Paper Pumpkin, now is a great time! New subscribers who sign up for the pay-as-you-go subscription by August 10 will receive 25% off their first kit. Even better, once you’re a subscriber, you’ll have access to purchase many past kits and refill kits while supplies last.
Check out this sneak peek of what’s to come!
No matter where your creative journey takes you, I’m so glad you’re here. Let’s learn, create, connect, and grow together—one project at a time. 🦋
Stampin' With Candice 