Have you ever had a hard time cutting into a beautiful sheet of 12 x 12 paper? Sometimes I find it especially challenging if it's a large scene. That was the case with this gorgeous paper from the Otterly Adorable paper pack from Stampin' Up! ® ™ (Get yours here while supplies last!) Here's a picture of the paper and how I cut it up:
Basically, I made two cards from each row (using the leftovers on the insides of the cards - didn't take pictures of those):
Below is a closer look at each of these 6 cards.
Card #1:
I started cutting from the bottom of the page, and that's the way I started making my cards, too. This first card is a slimline (finished size 3 7/8" x 9") - with the main patterned paper cut from the lower right corner of the paper. I made sure it was cut just smaller than my card front so I would have a white edge around it. Before adding it to my card, I wrapped a piece of white 1/8" ribbon around the left side - then tied a bow and added it. Next I found a strip sentiment (from Sassy's LLC) and trimmed the ends the way you see them. I used the Otterly Amazing cutting dies to cut out some little fish and sea weed pieces. I colored the fish with Pumpkin Pie ink, and the sea weed with Old Olive ink. Before gluing everything in place, I took a very fine black marker and added eyes for the fish.
Card #2:
I really love the way this card turned out and it just goes to show that a little piece of patterned paper can really make a nice card. The patterned paper used here was from the lower right corner. I matted it on white, then on an embossed piece of Lost Lagoon card stock before adding to the front of my card. Then I used one of the Otterly Amazing cutting dies to cut out a portion of one of the other pages in this paper set - giving me the cute focal you see here. Finally, I used a stamp from the Otterly Amazing stamp set to stamp the sentiment, die cut with an old Spellbinders die in my stash, inked the edges of my sentiment with green ink, and added the sentiment with dimensionals.
Card #3:
This next card was made from the left piece of the middle row. This time I made it into a 5 x 7 card. I found a scrap of light tan patterned paper in my stash - no idea who made it - and used it to create a mat around my otter paper piece (but before I did, I cut out the center of this paper in case I wanted to use it for something else). I then matted this with white - then with Early Espresso card stock. BUT, before I added the matted pieces to that last piece of card stock, I did two things. First, I wrapped a piece of thin twine around the lower left corner and tied a bow. Second, I cut the center out of the Early Espresso and saved it so I could use it on something else. Turns out I DID need some of that light tan paper. I used it to die cut a sentiment (cutting die was an old one from Creative Expressions), before also cutting it a second time out of white (to use as a shadow). After layering the two sentiments slightly offset, I glued them in place. And this card was complete.
Card #4:
This A2 card uses the other main panel cut from that center strip. I inked the edges of the panel with brown before matting it on white and then the leftover Early Espresso from card #3. BUT, before I glued it all in place, I cut out the center of the Early Espresso again in case I needed it. It turns out that I did! I die cut some decorative pieces from it to decorate the corners (old Spellbinders dies), then I cut a rectangular piece to mat my sentiment - which I typed up and printed from my computer because I thought that would make a great greeting for this card.
Card #5:
And now we arrive at the panels cut from the last strip of patterned paper - the one at the top. This card comes from the upper right corner. It's such a darling picture that it doesn't need much else. I matted it on more of the Lost Lagoon card stock - yup, cut out the center and saved it for later. Before gluing to the card front, however, I made my border. I die cut a fancy mat for my sentiment from Pecan Pie card stock (using an old Spellbinders die from my stash). Then threaded my brown twisted paper trim through it before taping the ends in place behind the mat. After gluing the whole thing to the card front, I added the stamped sentiment (stamp from an old JustRite stamp set) with dimensionals.
Card #6: