How to make handmade cards using patterned paper and sketches

If you are new to card making, keep reading this post; as I will show you how to make handmade cards using patterned paper and sketches! 

Also, today I am participating in an awesome blog hop with lots of demonstrators around the world!! so I know you will get lots of ideas to keep you busy crafting!

I know that when you are starting making cards, it can be overwhelming. Specially not knowing how to start of how to come up with ideas. Not to mention that it can be very daunting even thinking what to use.  This is why today I want to share with you some of my tips on:

How to make handmade cards using patterned paper and sketches

So the first thing to do is to select a suite of products to use. Typically companies have either paper packs or collection of products that coordinate well together. So make sure you pick the patterned paper collection of your choice and coordinating card stock and elements. 

I will be honest with you, I think that this is where Stampin’ Up! is a great resource! as all their products coordinate perfectly, from the colors to the themes. It sure is easy to make cards knowing all elements will coordinate beautifully. 

So today’s cards will focus on the Ornate Garden suite which contains designer series paper (DSP) a.k.a. patterned paper, two sets of dies and a coordinating embossing folder, two stamp sets, a pack of ribbon and gilded gems. Now, I didn’t use all the elements on the suite, I for instance change the ribbon to a gold ribbon which I thought would coordinate beautifully with the gold foil paper I used in my cards.  

Once I decided which sheets from the designer series paper I would use for my cards, then I selected the colors for my cards. Again, since all products from Stampin’ Up! color coordinate, it is easy to pick the colors from the designer series paper to select the card stock and embellishment colors.  

The Color Combo  

So the color combo I used for these cards is the following

• Mint Macaroon 
• Early Espresso
• Terracotta Tile  
• Whisper White 
• Gold

Sketches and other details 

Once you have selected the patterned paper, the card stock and the embellishments, then you can choose the sketches to use for your cards. 

The biggest tip I can share with you when choosing sketches, is to pick simple sketches! Don’t try to pick the ones that have a lot of layers or elements, as this can be overwhelming. Specially when substituting all the elements with your products at hand. 

Below you will see how easy the sketches are for each of the different cards I am showcasing today. 

Handmade card #1 and the sketch 

     

For this card I wanted something simple, yet elegant. Using the white with gold foil design helped a lot in getting the look I was looking for. I also die cut one of the borders with gold foil paper and then I cut it out so I would have two pieces for the frame. When you cut out the borders, make sure you follow a flower pattern. 

As you can see this card is mainly made with the patterned paper, this is the easiest way to make a handmade card, as the cutting is easy, you just need a rectangle that covers the card front and then add embellishments.  Since the design on this patterned paper is all in gold I wanted to have a sentiment that would stand up, therefore I used a large sentiment. I also stamped it in Early Espresso to bring back the color of the card base. 

Handmade card #2 and the sketch 

     

The second card shown here is again using a simple sketch, as you can see it has two circles that could easy be changed for other shapes or you can even mix it up, for instance, you could used a circle and then a daisy flower on another one, so that you can still have two elements following the sketch, but get a completely different look. When you look at sketches, always think how you can change it, that will open up your possibilities. 

I die cut the border using the ornate borders on this card to get that little gold foil edge in the card. By sing the gold foil paper, it accentuates the gold foil in the design of the patterned paper. I think that if you use a color from the patterned paper for your edge, it helps your design flows better. 

Also note how I added the gilded gems to the card as well as the bow, though these pieces were not in the sketch, you can always add little elements to complement this card. In my case, I look for areas that are open. For instance, the Early Espresso of the card base was showing too much, and adding the three gems gave a little more balance.

One change i could have done as well, was adding the patterned paper on the opposite side of the handmade card. This would have made that area busier and therefore I probably would not have added the gems on this area. So always play with the sketch and see how you can swap the elements to get even more looks.

Handmade card #3 and the sketch 

      

For the third card, you can see that the sketch is very simple as well.  I cut the card base smaller (7″ x 5 1/2″) but I scored it at 4 1/4″ of an inch. The smaller part of the card is the front. I glued the border to the front of the card stock and then glued the designer series paper on top of the border. This will add a more professional look to your card when you open it. 

This tweak made this card kind of a fun fold; which is another tip to show you how to make handmade cards using your patterned paper and sketches!  

You can find a list with the full supply list below 😉

If you liked these cards and the suite of products I used to make these cards, then you might want to check the Mega Tutorial Bundle that is available at my store using these products. 

This Bundle includes 90 tutorials using only the Ornate Garden suite! I know you will love all the cards in this Mega tutorial bundle! 

You can read more information here 

 

 

Also I did these cards on a Facebook live, however my internet was not the greatest so it skips a lot, I am sharing the link, but please note that this is more for you to give you an idea on how these cards are made, specially the last one, however the quality of the video is not the greatest.. you can watch the video here .

If you want three more simple and easy-to-follow sketches with ideas for additional cards using mainly patterned paper, make sure you check this post.  

Finally if you loved the idea of making cards using designer series paper and sketches you can see this post, where I shared how you can create a sketch by casing cards you see on internet or Pinterest. You will learn how to get different card looks by switching the patterns of your paper or switching some of the elements using the same sketch! 

Blog-Hop Line up 

Don’t forget to visit all the blogs participating in this blog hop! I know you will enjoy seeing all the projects and I am sure you will get lots of inspiration! – Below is the line up of all blogs participating in today’s blog hop. 

The supply list 

Below you will find the full supply of items I used for these cards, you can click on any of these images to shop any of this items on my online store. I really appreciate your continuous support  🥰

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