If you’ve been wondering how to make Artisan Sketched Garden Designer Series Paper Cards stand out, my Live on 11th June was all about turning Designer Series Paper into the focal point of your card rather than simply using it as a background layer.
The Artisan Sketched Garden Designer Series Paper has been very popular, and it’s easy to see why. While many of the sheets feature beautiful black and white designs that work perfectly as backgrounds, one sheet in particular can also become the star of the show with just a little colour, shimmer, and creativity.
Artisan Sketched Garden Designer Series Paper Cards with Colour and Shimmer
For these cards, I selected individual the flower and plant images from one of the sheets of Designer Series Paper and coloured them using Stampin’ Blends and the new Shimmer Brushes. Once coloured, I carefully fussy cut the images and layered them over a softly blended oval background.
Adding the sponged, coloured oval behind the image helps draw your eye to the focal point and creates a simple but effective design. The coordinating border, embellishments, and colour choices help tie everything together without making the card feel complicated.
I used the five new In Colors:
- Peaceful Pine
- Hydrangea Hue
- Golden Glow
- Crisp Cantaloupe
- Barely Blush
Each colour gave the same layout a completely different look and feel.
Inspired by Coffee & Cards
These cards were originally created for my monthly Coffee & Cards sessions at Vero Café. Coffee & Cards is designed to be simple, achievable, and fun, making it perfect for both newer and experienced card makers.
Held on the first Tuesday of each month and the Thursday that follows, Coffee & Cards is an opportunity to connect with others, enjoy some creative time, and make a couple of handmade cards while sharing coffee and conversation.
One of the things I enjoy most about these sessions is seeing how a simple layout can be adapted with different colours and images. Even when everyone starts with the same basic design, the finished cards often look quite different.
If you’re not local to Auckland, or you’re unable to attend Coffee & Cards, my weekly Facebook and YouTube Lives are a great way to stay connected, see some of the projects we create, and gather ideas and inspiration to use with your own supplies at home.
Watch the Full Demonstration
Rather than turning this into a step-by-step tutorial, I encourage you to watch the replay where I demonstrate how I coloured the images, added shimmer, created the soft blended backgrounds, and shared several different colour combinations using the same simple card design.
You may even find some black and white Designer Series Paper in your own stash that could be transformed into a focal point card.
Here are the supplies I used.
Here is the Artisan Sketched Garden Designer Series Paper. you can see the first sheet, (top left corner), is the one I used for these cards.
The Finished Cards
Below are several close-up photos so you can see the different colour combinations and images used on each card.
Crisp Cantaloupe:
Peaceful Pine:
Golden Glow:
Barely Blush:
My favourite colour, Hydrangea Hue:
My favourite part of these cards is how versatile the idea is. You can use flowers, foliage, vases, jars, or any other image from your Designer Series Paper. Simply add a little colour, a touch of shimmer, and a softly blended background, and you have a beautiful handmade card that’s both simple and effective.
Why not have a look through your paper stash and see what images could become the focal point of your next card?
These Artisan Sketched Garden Cards are a wonderful reminder that Designer Series Paper doesn’t always have to stay in the background. If you would like to purchase any of the products used, visit my online store or please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.