Using 6 x 6 Scenic Papers

Today we're looking at using scenic 6 x 6 sized papers.  I have some from a retired set called Meandering Meadows that I need to use up, so I started looking for good ways to use papers like these.  All products used were from Stampin' Up!® (and images © Stampin' Up!) unless otherwise noted.

 

Card #1 (see above):  I found instructions for a "Spanner Card" in a You-Tube video by Glenda Calkins.  It was pretty cool, and I adapted it for this first card (see above).  Especially for scenic papers that have a path, I LOVE this way of using them.  Here's what I did:

• I took a 5 1/2” x 8 1/2” piece of Crushed Curry cardstock and scored and folded it in half to make an A2-sized card base.
• I sliced JUST THE FRONT of this card at 1 1/4" on each side from the bottom to the fold: 
• I glued a 1" x 5 1/2" piece of acetate to JUST the bottom of these side pieces (don't get glue on the middle section!)
• I trimmed the scene to 4" tall (carefully choosing where to cut based on the scene itself), then cut this 4" tall piece it from left to right: 1" strip,  2 3/4" strip, 1" strip.  (There was a bit left over which I saved for later).  I glued the 1" strips centered on the side sides flaps of the card front and the larger piece to the middle flap (you could mat them first if you wish).
• Then I die cut some pieces for a fence and gate using an old Spellbinder's cutting die (Garden Gate).  I carefully glued this in place so that glue only touched the sides and the acetate - and so the gate itself was not glued shut.  See picture above.  This completed the main part of the card structure.
• I stamped a greeting toward the top of the middle section (Spellbinders Sending Sunshine Sentiments), added a piece of white to the inside, and decorated that with a small strip from my leftover pieces - using the back side of the paper this time. Here are a couple of pictures that show opening the card:

Card #2:

This card is made similarly - using Fresh Freesia cardstock and a different patterned paper from the same set.  I had intended to try a black fence, but forgot and cut it out of white again!  Probably for the best anyway.  As you can see, this time instead of just stamping my sentiment on the patterned paper itself, I created a matted greeting (stamp from Spellbinders Welcome Sign and Sentiments).

 

OSW #1:   I next decided to see what I could do to make more than one card from a single sheet.  I chose to call it a 6 x 6 One Sheet Wonder and made 3 cards from the single sheet.  Here's how I cut up my patterned paper:

 

I actually ended up using the reverse side for one of the cards, so what I actually used was more like this: 

Below are the 3 cards that I made from these pieces.

OSW Card #1:

I used the middle strip to make my first card.  I matted it and glued it to the right side of the card front.  Then I created a sentiment using some oval shaped dies and a Stacked Happy Birthday die (Creative Expressions).  I used Cherry Cobbler cardstock for the matting and sentiment.  I also added a couple of strips of this card stock to the inside of the card for a bit of interest:

OSW Card #2:

This next card started as an A2 card base from Garden Green cardstock.  After scoring and folding it to make the A2 size, I cut off 1 1/2" from the right side of the card front.  I added a white cardstock panel to the inside of the card and then a 1/4" strip of the cut off piece to the right side to add interest that would show through to the card front. I matted my patterned paper on white and added it to the left side of the card front.  Finally I created a sentiment using Melon Mambo and white cardstocks, Melon Mambo ink, and a stamp from Changing Leaves stamp set.  The inside looks like this:

OSW Card #3:

This last card used the reverse side of the remaining pieces from the OSW AND scraps from the Garden Gate make (see #1 above).  I started with a piece of Pecan Pie cardstock as a base mat layer (from which I cut many of my mat pieces before gluing it in place).  Then I added a piece of Petal Pink cardstock on top of that.  I matted the 3 patterned pieces with Pecan Pie cardstock (after trimming 3/4" off the bottom of the largest one). and glued them in place as you see in the picture above.  

Next, I created a focal piece - 2 3/8 circle punched from Pecan Pie cardstock forms the bottom layer, then a 2" scalloped circle punched from white cardstock.  This was my base for adding a cluster of small die cut flowers and leaves - cut from the scraps!  I used dies from Otterly Amazing die set for my leaves and from Impressions Abloom die set for the little flowers.  (I die cut some extras which I saved for the inside of the card).

Finally, I created my sentiment piece from strips of white and Pecan Pie cardstock and Pecan Pie ink. I used a stamp from the discontinued Sentimental Rose kit and punched the ends using a retired punch called Lovely Labels Pick a Punch.

 Inside:

As you can see, I added a couple strips of Pecan Pie cardstock and some leaves/flowers to complete the inside of this card.

OSW #2:

I made a 2nd set of cards using the same cutting guide, but a different sheet of patterned paper - and minor variations in the way I made them.  Here are the 3 cards I got from it.

OSW #2 Card #1:

This time, I matted with Blueberry Bushel cardstock and used Blueberry Bushel ink for the sentiment.  I also added a piece of twine near the top of the patterned paper panel.  As you can see, instead of a die cut sentiment, I simply stamped onto the left side of the card front (using a stamp from an old JustRite set called Special Gifts Labels Twenty-Nine.  

OSW #2 Card #2: 

This time I used Balmy Blue cardstock for the card base and matting.  I added a freebie strip greeting from Sassy's LLC.  I decided a cute little critter would complete this card nicely, so I added one from my stash (made from Karen Burniston's Woodland Animals die set).

OSW #2 Card #3:

This one was more difficult, though I ended up making it in a similar way to OSW#1.  The problem was that the flip side of this paper was VERY dark and really didn't coordinate that well with any of the cardstocks because of the way the colors were blended.  I ended up choosing to use a Shaded Spruce cardstock panel that I cut just smaller than an A2 card front - then embossed with the Cane Weave 3D embossing folder.  I then added some Pretty Peacock and Night of Navy inks using a blending tool.  This became my background.  I matted my patterned pieces with white before adding them as you see here.  The sentiment is another of Sassy's LLC - matted on Night of Navy and white card stock. The football was from my stash (created from Spellbinder's Sporting Goods die set).

So, there you have several different ways to use 6 x 6 scenic patterned papers.

Build a Scene

Previously I showed how you can make pretty cards by just cutting up the paper - even if you get partial animals that way!  Today I'm looking at how you can BUILD YOUR OWN SCENE using your patterned papers.  Again, I'm using paper from the Otterly Adorable paper pack.

Card #1 (above):  Unfortunately, I did not remember to get a picture of the panel BEFORE I cut it up. I started by fussy cutting pieces from the panel - one large scene, a log, and a pair of otters sleeping,  Then I started to decide what I wanted to do with them.  I created a bit of a sandy beach (or river bank) using a piece of white card stock and some Crumb Cake ink (applied with a foam applicator).  I nestled my sleeping otters in the lower corner, and glued the scene in place on the "sandy" cardstock.  The log nestled perfectly along the edge of the bank.  

I tried what I had against a white card front and decided I wanted some blue for the sky - so added a piece of Balmy Blue cardstock.  I wanted clouds in the sky and decided I wanted to put my sentiment on one of them.  That was a bit tricky, since I didn't have a stamp that said what I wanted to say.  So, I printed my saying onto white cardstock and die cut it with a cloud die (not easy since the particular die I used was not an "open" one, so I couldn't see where my message was).  Anyway, I got my message in the cloud and added another to complete my scene.

Then it was a simple matter of inking the edges of my panel and gluing it to my card front.  I sure hope my recipient likes it! 

Card #2:

 

This isn't as much of a scene, but what scene there is, I built using materials from two different papers from the pack.  The structure really makes the card, and is quite easy.  On the card front, I simply marked the mid-point of the right side, the left side, and the bottom.  Then I ran score lines from the top corners to the midpoint of the bottom, and then from the midpoints of the sides to the midpoint of the bottom.  I folded the first as mountain folds, and the rest as valley folds - creased them well, then glued them in place.  

It was pretty easy to cut the decorative paper, too.  I cut the paper to 4" x 5 1/4", then marked the midpoint along the bottom edge and sliced it from the upper corners to that midpoint (you may be able to see the results more clearly in the next picture.  I cut around some playful otters from another sheet in this set of papers, then stamped a greeting in Pecan Pie ink on a piece of Balmy Blue cardstock - matting it all on white before adding with dimensionals.  The stamp I used was from Spellbinders Typewriter Adventure Sentiments.  Here's what the card looks like when opened:

Card #3:

Here's another for which I didn't get any BEFORE pictures - which is a shame.  I'll still try to describe what I did.  

First, I fussy cut along the top of the scene - bushes and otters, then cut along the edge of the "river" - which was at a bit of an angle on the lower edge.  

I found some scraps in my stash of tan paper with some specks that I thought would look good as a riverbank and glued it in place along the lower cut edge.  Then I added a piece of Pool Party cardstock at the top to serve as sky.  

Then I fussy cut a small otter and die cut the pair of otters with weeds from another piece of the paper pack and added them along the lower edge of the "river".  I decided to add 3 Riverside Irregular Pearls (adhesive backed) - just because.  I inked the edges of the panel with Pecan Pie ink before adding a piece of Lost Lagoon cording across the top of the panel (taping it in place in back with regular transparent tape).  Finally, I stamped a greeting using Pool Party ink, cut the shape you see, and inked the edges before adding it in place over the cording using dimensionals. 

Card #4:

This time, I DID get a BEFORE picture:

 

You can see that at the top of this panel, the head is cut off of the otter.  This is the piece I focused on for this card!  I started by cutting off the bottom portion which was a nice scene. I saved this for a different card.

 

I used the top part of the panel and glued it to the bottom of a piece of Pool Party cardstock that was cut just a bit smaller than an A2 card.  Then I embossed just the top with the Soft Waves 3D embossing folder.  I inked the waves and the edges of the panel and it looked like this:

 

 

Then came the fun part!  I looked through my various cut-outs from a different page and found some pieces I wanted to use to cover up those otters that were missing , and die cut a few rocks and a bit of plants using dies from the Otterly Amazing die set.  I arranged all on my card as you can see in the picture below.

Before adding the panel to the card front, I criss-crossed some Lost Lagoon cording near the top of the card.  I created a sentiment piece using a stamp from the Otterly Amazing stamp set, some white cardstock, and Pool Party ink.

 

It's a lot of fun to take these gorgeous papers and make your own scene with them!

Chop Up Those Adorable Otters! - Part 2

My last post showed how I created some pretty cards using a single sheet of patterned paper from Stampin' Up! - their Otterly Adorable set.  I promised I'd demonstrate that it didn't matter how I cut up the sheet.  

This time I didn't pay any attention at all to the pattern (except to make sure the pattern was not sideways or upside down).  I simply cut the paper into 9 pieces.  For the first three pieces, I cut the paper horizontally at 5 1/4" - then cut that into 3 pieces each 4" wide.  The next three panels were cut the same way from the next 5 1/4" strip.  The final 3 pieces were cut from the remaining 1 1/2" strip - again cut into pieces 4" long.  I ended up with six 4" x 5 1/4" pieces and three that were 1 1/2" x 4" as you can see in the picture below:

So, what did I do with these?  Did I end up with fewer cards this way?  You'll see in the cards that follow.  

Card #1: (from row 1 number 1)

It really is easy to turn these papers into gorgeous cards.  For this one, I simply took the panel, ran a piece of ribbon across between the two "otter scenes", added a matted sentiment (from Changing Leaves stamp set - Stampin' Up punch set & Pretty Peacock cardstock).  I matted all with Pretty Peacock before adding it to the card front.

Card #2 (row 1 number 2):

Split Face Pocket Card - This card structure creates a place for a gift card on the inside.  It starts with a piece of white cardstock that is 4 1/4" x 11".  After scoring it in half and folding to create a standard A2 vertical card base, I sliced the card front from the bottom to the fold at 1 1/2" from the right. After gluing this narrow piece on three sides (leaving the left side open for the gift card), I inked the card with Pecan Pie to provide the look of mats. To decorate, I sliced 1 3/8" off the right side of the patterned paper panel and glued both pieces in place as you can see.  The sentiment (from Spellbinders Typewriter Adventure Sentiments) was stamped on a 3/4" x 3" piece of white cardstock using Pecan Pie ink - which I also used to ink the edges before gluing to the left side of the card.  The final step was adding a little twine bow.

Inside:

 Here you see a cardstock stand-in for a gift card.

Card #3 (row 1 number 3):

This time, I added a border strip and matted stamped greeting (Calypso Coral & stamp from Changing Leaves). 

Simply by chance, due to the way the page was printed, I ended up with the pieces in row two being very much like those in row one.  I decided to cut the panels up further to make my cards, so they would look different from the previous ones.

Card #4 (top part of row 2 number 1):

This time I made an easel card.  Simply a standard A2 sized card - with a fold in the center of the card front and the focal only attached to the part below the fold so it can "stand up" (see next picture).  To make this card I simply matted my patterned paper piece on Pretty Peacock cardstock, wrote the word "Hi!" with a Pretty Peacock Stampin' Write Marker, and matted it before adding near the top of the focal piece.  I then took the "bubbles" stamp from the Otterly Amazing stamp set and stamped it on the card front multiple times using both Balmy Blue and Pool Party inks.

Opened:

When opened for display the card looks like this.  The most important part on the inside is some sort of feature added with dimensionals to hold the card front in place.  This time I used a strip of Pretty Peacock card stock and a sentiment stamped with Pretty Peacock ink (sentiment from Sentimental Rose kit - unfortunately discontinued) that I added with dimensionals.  Then I did a bit more stamping on the inside - more bubbles in the bottom corners and a second sentiment from the So Sincere stamp set.

Card #5 (top part of row 2 number 2):

The remaining piece of the panel serves as the focal for this card.  This Cut, Turn, Paste card was created from a 4 1/4" x 11" piece of card stock - again folded in half to create an A2 card.  I sliced off the right side of the card front at 2 3/4" and turned it sideways to mat the focal.  I inked the edges of both the patterned paper and the white mat using Balmy Blue ink.

I created the background using a 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" panel embossed with the Soft Waves 3D embossing folder.  I cut this embossed panel at 2 5/8" from the left, then inked it before gluing it in place.  I glued the focal panel to JUST the left side of the card - then added the sentiment using dimensionals. The sentiment was created using a JustRite's Botanical Swirls Labels stamp with Calypso Coral ink on white card stock - matted on Calypso Coral cardstock - shaped by using the double oval punch.

Card #6 (bottom part of row 2 number 2):

This Fold Back card started as a piece of 4 1/4" x 11" piece of white cardstock folded in half to create an A2 card.  I scored the front panel at 1 1/2" from the right and folded it back giving the look of a cutaway card. I cut a panel from Old Olive cardstock that was 5 1/8" x 3 5/8" and embossed it using the Fern 3D embossing folder. I then trimmed off the right side so the left side measured 3 5/8" x 3 3/4", gluing the larger piece JUST to the fold-back part of the card front, and the narrow piece on the visible part of the inside. The focal on this card was created from the lower part of the panel cut to 2 5/8" x 3 1/4".  Since I glued it in place before realizing it really needed another mat, I used a Stampin' Write Marker (Early Espresso) and a ruler to draw an edge around the panel.  I stamped the sentiment (from So Sincere stamp set) in Old Olive on a 1/2" x 3 1/4" strip of white cardstock, rounding the corners and inking them with the same Old Olive ink.  I finished the card by adding die cut "sea weed" cut from Old Olive cardstock using dies from the Otterly Amazing die set and inked with Garden Green ink.

This picture gives a hint of what it looks like when opened.

Card #7 (top part of row 2 number 3):

This Fancy Accordion 2 card base started as a piece of white cardstock that was 4 1/4" x 11".  It was scored at 2 3/4", 4 1/4", 7 1/4", and 8 1/2" - then folded as mountain, valley, mountain, valley.  To this I added 3 pieces of Early Espresso cardstock.  Front panel = 4 x 4, sentiment panel = 2 3/16" x 4", middle panel = 2 15/16" x 4" - which I turned into a frame by cutting out the middle with a rectangle cutting die and glued to the center of the card.  The focal was cut to 3 1/4" square and matted on a 3 1/2" square of white before being glued to just the left-hand side of the card - extending past the fold.  The sentiment was stamped on a 3/4" x 4" piece of white cardstock using Early Espresso ink and centered on what was visible of the back flap when the card was closed.  To finish the inside panel (where writing will be) I fussy cut a part of an otter from scraps of a different paper in the pack.

Card #8 (bottom parts of row 2 number 1 AND row 2 number 3):

My intention for this card had been to have the entire card out of the Balmy Blue cardstock with bubbles die cut out of the center of the card front (I could have used the small bubble die that came in the Otterly Amazing die set, but had an older die in my stash that was a bit bigger and I chose to use it (Stitched Rectangles Dots & Stars by Crafti Potential).  I obviously had my mind elsewhere, though, because when using the cutting die, I cut through BOTH layers of the card (front AND inside).  Oops!  I've learned over the years that figuring out what to do about mistakes is part of the process.  To fix things this time, I ended up cutting my Balmy Blue cardstock in half and using one piece as the panel to add to a plain white card base - saving the other for another time.  Back in business!

Next, I trimmed my two pieces of patterned paper just a tad to fit the way I wanted them above and below these bubbles.  After gluing them in place, I created my greeting a stamp from Sentimental Rose kit (discontinued) and die cutting it with a older die from Spellbinders Celtic Accents die set.

To finish, I took some of the balmy blue "bubbles" that were the cut outs from the die cutting and added them to the patterned paper pieces.  Finally, I die cut some more fish from Calypso Coral cardstock using the die from the Otterly Amazing set and added a few of them.

Card #9 (all of row 3 pieces):

This time, I used the reverse side of the pieces and layered Old Olive strips between them before adding some die cut otters from one of the other papers.  I matted this and the sentiment with Calypso Coral cardstock.  I added three little punched circles of it at the bottom right corner - adding tiny circles of white to the centers.  The sentiment stamp came from JustRite's Vintage Rose and it was die cut using Spellbinders Celtic Accents dies.

As you can see, I got the same number of cards cutting the paper this way as I did when I cut the paper more carefully, and they are just as pretty - just different.

So there you have it.  Eighteen beautiful cards made easily from two sheets of the gorgeous papers from the Otterly Adorable paper pack.

Chop Up Those Adorable Otters! - Part 1

Previously, I showed you one way of using a 12 x 12 scenic paper to make cards.  But what if your paper isn't a single scene like that one was.  What if it is instead a bunch of repeated smaller scenes all over the page?  I'm going to show you that it REALLY doesn't matter how you cut up papers like that!  To demonstrate this, I've used two identical 12 x 12 sheets of paper from the Otterly Adorable set of papers from Stampin' Up! ® ™  (All products used are from Stampin' Up! unless noted otherwise.)  

From the first piece of paper, I carefully cut out smaller scenes so they would fit on an A2 size card, but wouldn't necessarily fill it.  Here's a picture of the paper and how I cut it up:

Ignoring the smallest pieces, I had 2 panels from the first column, 4 panels from the 2nd, and 2 from the 3rd for a total of 8 which I used to make 9 cards.  Below you'll see the cards I made from this sheet.  I could have gotten pretty cards by just making standard fold cards, but I chose to make several into "fancy fold" cards as you will see.

 

Card #1 (column 1 panel 1): 

 

This first card is pretty straight forward - standard card base, matted focal panel with ribbon from my stash.  Matted stamped sentiment (from Mixed Labels stamp set with Mossy Meadow ink and Old Olive cardstock mat -  used double ovals punch).

Card #2 (column 1 panel 2 - top part):

 

 

Next up I have a gate fold card.  I started with 4 1/4" x 11" white cardstock & scored each end at 2 3/4".  After folding ends in to meet in the middle, I cut two pieces from another paper in the same paper pack, inked the edges, and glued to each side.  I inked the edges of my focal paper and matted it on a piece of white card stock.  I stamped my greeting (stamp from Sentimental Rose kit), punched it out with a 1 3/8" circle punch, and then inked the edges before gluing it just to the focal portion of the card. So far, all ink used on this card was Pretty Peacock, but then I die cut a small rock, colored it with Gray Granite, and added it to the lower left corner of the focal to complete this card.

 

Card #3 (column 1 panel 2 - bottom part):

 

This looks similar to a card I made last month, but instead of the right edge being folded over, this is actually a gap card.  I started with a 4 1/4" x 11" piece of white cardstock folded in half to form an A2 card.  With this piece width-wise, I trimmed the last 1 3/8" from the card front - then another 2 3/4", leaving only 1 3/8" of the card front left. 

 

This time I decorated with Calypso Coral cardstock and ink.  I started with 2 pieces of the colored cardstock that were 1 1/4" x 4 1/8".  I embossed these with my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder and then glued one to the narrow cut-off piece and one to the remaining flap of the card front.  I cut another piece that was 2 5/8" x 4 1/8" and again embossed it before gluing it to the remaining 2 3/4" x 4 1/4" piece from the card front.  I turned this sideways, and glued my piece of patterned paper in the center.  I then glued the left side to the card flap, and the right side to the narrow piece - bridging the gap with my focal.  Last, I stamped a greeting on a scrap of white card stock, punched it out with a scalloped 1 3/4" punch, and inked the edges before adding it to the card (being careful that I only glued the part of it that would have some card front to attach to!)

 

Card #4 (column 2 panel 1):

 

 

This is another standard card base - but this time I used the reverse side of the patterned paper to use as a backdrop.  As you can see, I matted it with Old Olive cardstock & used another strip of it for a border across the top.  The sentiment was stamped using a stamp from Forever Ferns, punched with an oval punch, and the edges inked (Old Olive ink).  I fussy cut the otters from another paper in the set, and die cut a log (Otterly Amazing dies - inking it with Pecan Pie ink) to finish the scene.

 

Inside:

And by the way, don't throw away all those little scraps.  They work great to add a touch to the inside of the cards!

 

Card #5 (column 2 panel 2):

 

This style of card is called a barn door because the lower half swings open like a barn door.  It is made by cutting away the top portion of the card front.  In this case, I trimmed off the top 1 1/2" of the card front. 

 

I cut a piece of white cardstock that was about 1 3/4" x 5 1/4".  Then I took a damp sponge and added a bit of Balmy Blue ink with it to create the soft background you see.  After inking the edges, I glued this to the top of the INSIDE of the card.  I inked the edges of my patterned paper panel and glued to the card front.  Then I used Balmy Blue ink to stamp my greeting onto one of the other papers in this set ("Happy Birthday" from Sentimental Rose kit and "to you" from a Divinity Designs stamp & die set called Many Blessings), and punched it out with a 1 3/4" scalloped circle punch.  I punched a 2" circle mat from white card stock, inked the edges of both circles with Balmy Blue ink, glued them together, and then glued both to just the remaining piece of card front.

 

Card #6 (column 2 panel 3):

 

 

This time, I embossed a Calypso Coral panel (Divine Swirl embossing folder from Cuttlebug), added the patterned paper, and ran a piece of white ribbon across the border between the two.  I used black ink to stamp the sentiment (from Otterly Amazing stamp set), and used a punch to cut a black mat and stamped sentiment piece.  I added 3 die cut fish (Otterly Amazing dies colored with Calypso Coral).  I like the way it turned out, but wish I had used Early Espresso rather than black.

 

Card #7 (column 2 panel 4 & top part of column 3 panel 1): 

 

This is a fold back card - 4 1/4" x 11" piece of white card stock scored at 5 1/2" and at 9 1/2".  I folded at the 5 1/2" score line to create an A2-sized card, then folded the card front back along the 9 1/2" score line.  I cut three Old Olive mats - two were 3 3/4" x 4 1/16", and one was 2 1/16" x 4 1/16".  These served as the mats for my three pieces of patterned paper - BUT I used the back side of the piece that went on the inside middle of the card and matted it on white before adding it to the green mat.  After all patterned pieces were matted, I glued them in place - the first to just the front flap of the card, extending to the left, the second on the inside, and the last on the far right on the inside.  You can see what I mean better in the next picture.

Finishing touches: I added an inked die cut log and some inked die cut "sea weed" (both used cutting dies from the Otterly Amazing die set) to both the card front and the right side of the inside that shows through.  I stamped a sentiment using Pecan Pie ink, and this card was complete.

 

Card #8 (column 3 panel 1 - bottom part):

 

This card is called a "matchbook" card.  It started as a 4 1/4" x 11" piece of white cardstock, but scored a bit differently than normal.  With the card stock horizontal, I scored at 4 3/4", 9 1/2", and 10".  The 4 3/4" score is the main fold for the card, the 10" score line is the little bit that folds up to form the bottom of the "matchbook", and the 9 1/2" score line is folded back a bit (don't crease) to make it easier to open and close the card.  After I folded up the lower part, I used a couple of staples to hold it closed (arranged so the clean edge of the staple faced the back.  Then I covered this with a strip of Old Olive cardstock (7/8" x 4 1/8").  I added another piece of the same cardstock to the main front flap.  I used a Tattered Lace die called Georgette Squares to create a fancy mat/frame out of white cardstock.  I glued this to the card front as you see.  Then I trimmed my focal piece of paper to a square shape, matted it on more Old Olive cardstock, and glued it to the center of the white mat.  I created a strip sentiment by using a stamp from Typewriter Adventure Sentiments (from Spellbinders) and gluing it to the center of the lower part of the card.  Finally, I die cut some "sea weed" using Otterly Amazing dies, and inked them before adding them to the scene.

 

Card #9 (column 3 panel 2): 

 

Here I started with a standard A2 sized white card base.  For my front panel, I started with a piece of Pretty Peacock cardstock (4 1/8" x 5 3/8" in size).  I glued my patterned paper to the right side leaving just a small mat around on the three sides.  Then I added a Peacock and Gold ribbon along the left side of my patterned paper, wrapping it around to the back and adhering it to the back of the panel.  I cut a piece of white cardstock that was 1" x 5 1/4", stamped my greeting on it (stamp Standup4Sentiments - The Stamps of Life), then glued it on the left of the panel - centered in the remaining space.  Finally, I added this panel to the front of my card, and then added die cut rock & fish (Otterly Amazing die set) to complete the card.

As you can see, careful cuts gave me some nice cards.  BUT, I could have gotten away without all that carefulness!!!  Stay tuned for Part 2!