Stamping Inkspirations Blog Hop - Fun Fold Time!

Hello and welcome to my blog! Today I am taking part in a blog hop with some fellow enthusiasts who love sharing their creative talents using their Stampin' Up!® products. This month the Stamping Inkspirations blog hop is all about Fun Folds.

I love making fun fold cards and for this blog hop we were encouraged to make a fun fold card that is new to us. I am looking forward to trying out some new recipies from the other participants.

Whilst it is true that new and unique cards can be made simply by revamping the stamps and papers used with old favourite folds, I'm always on the look out for a new favourite fold! I saw Connie Stewart demonstrate this one, and knew that I had to try it myself.  She called it a book fold explosion card and I can see many possibilities!

From the outside this looks just like any other book fold card, except it's a little more bulky! The front of the gorgeous Grape base card is divided such that the right hand side is a square and it's decorated with Painted Lavender Designer Series Paper on a matting layer of Pretty Peacock. The spine part has a layer of Pretty Peacock decorated with an embossed layer of Gorgeous Grape card. I used a new 3-d embossing folder from the new Annual Catalogue called Eyelet. I also used a strip of embossed card beneath the sentiment, using the dots as a sort of punctuation mark!

The Linen Thread coordinates perfectly with the background of the DSP, which is also adorned with some Purple Fine Shimmer Gems and a couple of extra stamped butterflies. 

Opening the cover reveals the first page of the book which I've decorated simply with a birthday message and a couple of stamped and die cut butterflies.

Turning the next page of the book unveils my favourite page! I used the second largest of the Perennial Postage dies to cut a square matting layer - the die is rectangular in shape, so you have to shorten it by doing two passes through the die cutting machine to create the square shape.

The embossed layer is made from the new Basic Beige card, which is a colour that I already love. It is decorated with a little lavender posy and some more of the Purple Fine Shimmer Gems. 

I think that this panel really deserves to be on the front of the card! 

Finally, the last page opens upwards - hence the explosion part of the name! Here there are a further two postage squares stamped with more butterflies and another birthday greeting. There is plenty of space to write a message. Both sentiments on the card are from a new set appearing in the new Annual Catalogue - it's called Simply Said. There are a mixture of fonts and sayings, which I know are going to be so useful.

The exploding piece of DSP is folded in to quarters and to allow it to fold up like a book one of the fold lines is cut from the outside edge to the centre (as shown by the white line). This side of the paper has an obvious direction so it is important to check that the orientation is correct before you stick it into the book and attach the layers! Perhaps, using a non-directional pattern would be easier next time.

I hope that you are inspired by my card today and that you will continue along the hop to see what the others have created too. Enjoy the projects. We would love to hear from you and so if you have been inspired, please leave a comment.

Aurélie Fabre ● Tricia Butts

Leonie Stuart  ●  Danielle Kassing   ●   Kim Fee

Marga Bultena  ●  Karen Henderson  ●  Rebecca-Jo Unwin

Mo Rootes  ●  Jan Musselman  ●  Judith Patterson

Do you need any of the products  used on today's cards? If you live in the UK please take a look in my online Stampin' Up! shop. You can follow the link or click on the pictures below of the products I have used today.

Stay safe and as always, happy crafting,

If you would like to order any supplies, and you live in the UK, I would love to be your demonstrator. Use the current hostess code (April 2024 code: 9WCSE4QX) to get some free product (it will follow in the post after the end of the month). If your order is over £150 do not use the code as you become the hostess and get the rewards. To place an order please visit my online shop HERE. 

If you would like to join my team, you can choose your starter kit HERE and if you have any questions, please contact me at furrycatdesigns@gmail.com

Click on the images of the products I have used today to purchase them in my online shop:

Rembember to use the current hostess code.  

April 2024 code: 9WCSE4QX