Sunday, March 8, 2026

Paper Rose Fun Fold and Pop-up Cards

 


Hello! Welcome back to my blog. I am honored to be invited again as a Guest Designer on the Paper Rose Studio Blog. I am featuring the Cake Time Collection. I used the 12x12 Paper Collection and the Die Cuts on my cards. The themes of my cards are fun fold and pop-up. I had so much fun creating with this paper line that I was able to create 3 cards. 


On my first card, I did an interlocking fancy fold card. I got interested to create one after seeing Gina K created a card using this fold. 


With this kind of card, there is an opportunity to add more embellishments like the large cut apart on the center and the 3x4 cut apart on the left tab. I fussy cut a cake on the same 3x4 cut apart sheet to embellish the right tab. I also added pieces from the die cut pack.


Since the 12 x 12 patterned paper is double sided, I was able to choose which side to use on this card. On the center cake piece, instead of adding an additional paper to matte the cake panel, I trimmed a frame off the edges of the 4" x 6" cake panel using nesting rectangle dies. Since this paper is double sided, I flipped the frame revealing the B side of the paper. I pieced it back to the large cake panel. 

Another new thing I noticed that Paper Rose has in this 12 x 12 Paper Collection is that they added a cut apart sentiment strip 12x12 paper on the back of the cover paper. Such a neat idea! 


I trimmed a pink cardstock at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" and adhered this to the back of the card. I used a stitched die to add details to this panel. This piece makes the card sturdy that can make the card stand for display. This part also is where a personal message can be written for the recipient. 

I adhered a sentiment and a flower die cut from the die cut pack to embellish this panel.





For the second card, I kept the card front simple to keep the focus on the large cake from the Cake Time D patterned paper. I trimmed this to 4" x 5 1/4".


 I added details to this panel by running it through the die cut machine with a texture plate. 


The wow of this card is when you open it. It reveals a pop-up cake standing on the center of the card, a technique I learned from Jennifer McGuire. The cake is from the Cake Time A paper. Since I have 2 of these patterned paper in the pack, I have a back to back version of the cake. But these are not mirror images so part of the B side of the paper will show. I adhered the cakes to a light weight white cardstock to cover the B sides and add more stability to the cakes. 

I used the colored side of the registration strips of the patterned paper to add a border strip to the inside of the card. I fussy cut one of the sentiment strips on the backside of the cover sheet and adhered it to the strip.





My last card which is a pop-up box card fits an A7 (5 1/4" x 7 1/2") envelope when folded. It could fit an A2 envelope but I wanted to add a sentiment. The sentiment was going to stick out of the card box base. I used an A7 envelope as a guide to adhere the sentiment so I don't go beyond the dimension of the envelope.


I die cut the paper using a box die. I selected the pieces from the die cut pack that I will adhere to the layers of the box. I am trying to mimic a cake shop display with this card. 

I created a signage using a photo frame die. I used alpha stickers for the letters. I adhered the die cut pieces to the layers. 

I die cut the greeting using the Paper Rose Happy Birthday To You Layered Metal Cutting Die. I was able to curve the sentiment die cut making it fit the back panel of the box die cut. 


I die cut an extra piece for the back of the pop-up box on pink cardstock. I adhered this to the back to cover the mini cakes of the patterned paper. I adhered a sentiment strip from the back of the cover sheet on this panel. This will be the place to write your personal message for the recipient.




I hope you like today's cards. I truly enjoyed creating with this collection. Don't think that you are limited to birthdays with this collection. There are sentiment pieces for other occasions as well. 

Thank you for visiting my blog. Thank you, Paper Rose Studio for allowing me to create with one of your lovely paper collections.

Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

I shared this card at



















Thursday, March 5, 2026

Girt Card Holders

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. I was commissioned to create birthday gift card holders that are gender neutral. I created a variety of 6 gift card holders. I hope you like it.


I used a die from Honey Bee Stamps on the gift card holders above. I went outside the box on how the die set was intended to be used for. I punched a cardstock with the We R Memory Keepers Envelope Notcher. This will serve as the holding place of the gift card.


On the red gift card holder, I was inspired by The Stamp Market die in creating this trifold gift card holder. The slot for the gift card is on the top inside part of the card which can be seen better on the video below.






These coffee cups were cut using a die set from Honey Bee. I went outside the box again to come up with 2 different designs using the same die set.


I used the same notcher on the teal gift card holder. The brown gift card holder has a mini card inside. A glue dot is needed to attach the gift card to the inside flap of the mini card.






These last two cards were created with different designs and no dies. It is mostly trimming and scoring.


The green card is a double slider greeting card while the blue card is a pop-up card. 



I hope you enjoyed watching the short videos showcasing the gift card holders I made. Thank you for visiting my blog.

Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.










Monday, March 2, 2026

Magic Mini Stamps with Kriti


Hello! Welcome back to my blog. I had the opportunity to join another Altenew virtual workshop last Friday. What's really special about this workshop is an AECP Educator candidate, @craftyromantic, gets to teach us with her final project. 

The focus of the class is the use of small stamps. I don't have the flower stamp Kriti used on her card. I used the Altenew Charming Bouquet stamp set which is a freebie from Altenew. This stamp set was especially mailed separately by Altenew and it was also created especially for the recipient because it includes a stamp of your name. 

I stamped the floral cluster on a light weight cardstock 3 times since the card being created has a wreath. I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink which is a Copic friendly ink.


This is when the hard work starts for my hands. I colored the floral bundle image using the colors Kriti used on her flowers. She used the Altenew Alcohol markers which I don't have so I used my Copic markers which are also alcohol markers. I used 4 shades of red on the flowers (R05, R17, R29, R59), 2 shades of yellow green (YG01, YG03) and 2 shades of green (G21, G28) for the leaves. I don't think I have colored this much in a short span of time. 

Even though I tried my best, I still went over the lines when coloring the flower centers. A trick I learned in the class is to use gold gel pen to color those centers and over the alcohol markers. Such a great tip.

I have to fussy cut the bouquet since it does not have a matching die. More exercise for my hands.


I used a different embossing folder for my background panel since I don't have the embossing folder Kriti used on her card. I used the Altenew Raised Sentiments embossing folder. I embossed a shimmer white cardstock using this embossing folder.

I heat embossed a large sentiment from the Altenew Build A Garden: Sulfur Cosmos stamp set. I stamped the sentiment on white cardstock using a black pigment ink. I poured clear embossing powder onto the wet ink then heat set it. I die cut the sentiment using the matching die. I die cut two extra pieces on white cardstock. I stacked and adhered this to the back of the stamped sentiment.

I arranged the bouquet of flowers on the embossed card panel the same way as Kriti's wreath on her card. I adhered the flowers and the sentiment to the panel.

I was not able to create the second card which is an easy watercolored card. The technique of adding a light wash of halo around the watercolored images is something I will consider doing in my future watercoloring projects. 

I had a great time especially at the end when Erum was open to questions regarding the AECP workshop. She and the rest of the group were very encouraging. I just really need to pick a date and host my own workshop.

I hope you like today's card. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.
 

Sunday, March 1, 2026

Eclipse Background Greeting Card



Hello! Welcome back to my blog. It is time for a new sketch at Stick It Down Scrapbook and Card Making Challenge on FB. As always, there are 3 sketch options to choose from. Pick one or better yet pick all 3.


I have two cards created for this month's sketch with one of them being an accident. I overlooked the sketch and thought there were 5 squares on the background only to find out there were only 3. I already cut the patterned paper. I did not want to put this aside and potentially forget about it. I just went ahead and created it into a card as a different interpretation of the sketch.

I did the eclipse technique on the background of both cards. Eclipse technique is when you pop up a die cut creating a subtle dimension on the card. 

After I trimmed the patterned paper into 4 1/4" x 5 1/2", I die cut the rectangles on this panel using a Hero Arts nesting rectangle die set. I kept the dies together using a less tacky tape to maintain the distance of the rectangles. I die cut 2 more white 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" cardstock panels using these arranged rectangle dies. I die cut 2 sets for each card. 

I adhered the white cardstock die cuts to the back of the patterned paper rectangle die cuts but only to the die cuts that are patterned on the sketch. The outer rectangle is layered. The one next to it is not. So on and so forth until I get to the inner rectangle. Both cards have a total of 2 dimensional frames.

For the frames that were not raised, I pounced the frame die cut to an embossing pad. I poured holographic embossing powder over the sticky ink and heat set it until the powder was melted. I had to repeat it again since some of the glittered powder was blown away by the heat gun. I don't think that was a wise choice since some of the glitters from the frame got stuck to the embossing pad. Oh, well.


I used an Altenew die for the flower and leaves. I die cut these on patterned paper and colored cardstock based on a color from the plaid pattern. I did a bit of ink blending on the base layer of the flower and leaves using a small blending brush. I only added glue to the center of the detailed flower die cut and the spine of the detailed leaf die cut so I can zhush this layer for an additional dimension. 

For the sentiment, I did foiling which is really hard work for me. Somehow, I always end up with trial and errors before coming up with a nice foiled piece. I used a blue foil on a red cardstock for the red card, and a silver foil on blue cardstock for the other card. I used a craft knife to cut the foiled sentiment leaving a small border around it. I fussy cut the curved corners. This foil sentiment set is from Altenew which has a matching die available.


 

To compare my cards with the sketch, I used a rectangle instead of a square card. I also used a vertical sentiment instead of a horizontal one.

I hope you like today's cards. Please join this month's challenge. I can't wait to see your take on the sketches.

Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

I shared these cards at

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Pastel Fussy Cut Striped Card

 

Hello! I am back at the Blank Page Muse Blog with this card. The stamps I used on this card are the BPM Beyond the Border Mixed Media Set 1 clear stamps and the BPM Happy Birthday Phrase rubber stamp


Instead of using foam strips on this card, to add dimension to the fussy cut borders, I stacked several strips of scrap white cardstock cut at 1/4" wide. I stacked three pieces of the strips. In using strips, I created dimension without too much bulk a foam strip creates. The paper strips does not get squished flat like the foam adhesive when sent by mail. Best of all, I get to use my scrap paper stash. 


I adhered the stacked strip to the back of the fussy cut stamped border.


I adhered the stacked borders to a 4" x 5 1/4" white cardstock panel.


I adhered the borders alternating the colors until the panel is filled with the borders.


I adhered the panel to an A2 top folding note card. The sentiment was heat embossed on vellum using gold embossing powder. 

I hope you like today's project. Please visit the BPM Blog for more details on how I created this card. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

I shared this card at


Saturday, February 14, 2026

Valentine Pop-up Interactive Card with Stickers


Hello! Welcome back to my blog. I created this project to participate in the Paper Source Stuck On You Valentine's Day Card Making Contest. The only requirement is to use any sticker in the design to be considered to win. I just inherited some craft supplies from my coworker Christina. These are craft supplies of her late mother. I am very much impressed on how organized her mom was with her supplies. 

I chose some stickers from the stash which I used on this project. It will be a very nice way to remember her mom. Too bad, this project needs to be mailed to Paper Source because if not, I would have given it to Christina. 

I also used some left-over Paper Source stickers which I used on a Valentine's class giveaway project when my youngest son is still in 4th Grade. The sticker set has been been discontinued.


I usually sketch my design on my notebook especially when it involves a lot of products that comes from different manufacturers. It helps me organize my creative process, which part of the project I should make first.


The interactive portion of this pop-up card is the pull-out hearts from the mailbox. Most of the die cuts I used are from Lawn Fawn. 

I adhered the stickers back to back with the embroidery floss sandwiched in between the hearts. The back portion of the hearts is stamped with a message which you can partly see on the photo below. 

The heart stickers and flowers are from Christina's mom's craft stash.

I had to permanently glue the flag of the mailbox. I usually will add a brad to this to make it move but I am afraid that this will hinder the mechanism of the pull-out hearts if I use a brad. 


I thought I had a fence die but since I don't, I die cut these posts on white cardstock using a Hero Arts Wood Frame Infinity Die. I snipped one edge to have a triangular edge. I adhered the posts on a strip of white cardstock to connect the posts together to create the fence.

I added a mini note card on the back to write on. I adhered another stick from the Christina's mom's stash. I stamped a simple message on the front and added stitched embossing to the front. 


I added floating cloads on the back. The cloud frames were cut on white cardstock. I adhered it on acetate strips to make it float. 


The size of the platform card, when collapsed, goes beyond the size limits of A2 and A4 envelopes. I used the We R Keepers Envelope punch board to create an envelope for the pop-up card. I adhered more stickers to the inner flap. I wanted to jazz up the outside of the envelope but the last time I did that, it was rejected by the post office. 


I hope you like today's card project. Below is a video of this pop-up interactive card.

Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

I shared this project at

Challenge 214~Inspired by Book, Movie or Song
Inspired by Nicholas Sparks Book "Every Breath". The novel is inspired by the Kindred Spirit Mailbox where visitors leave notes, letters and journals.






Sunday, February 8, 2026

Heart Shaker Card & Stencil Pack Giveaway Winner


Hello! I am back at the BPM blog with this card. The BPM products I used are:


I repeatedly stamped on a white cardstock panel to create a heart frame.


I used alternate colors of ink for some variation. 


I also did a watercolor resist technique to create the background panel of the shaker.


I lately am doing a trick on adding a faux matte behind my card panel. Instead of using a full sized A2 panel, I cut paper scrap strips at 1/2". I adhere these strips to the edges of the panel using the lines on the glass board to make sure the panel and the strip are aligned. Since my panel is cut at 4" x 5 1/4", adding the faux matte made it into a 4 1/2" x 5 3/4" panel. I used a die to cut this back into a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" panel. You can also use a paper trimmer if you like. This is not only a great way to save paper (not like I don't have more than enough paper) but it is also a great way to use those left over paper.


I added gems to the frame for additional bling. It is always satisfying to hear the sound the shaker elements make.


There are more details on this project in the blog. Please visit the BPM blog if you like. 

As mentioned on the post title, it's time to announce the winner of the giveaway. There are 6 comments on all 3 posts. I utilized the roulette from the wheelofnames.com. I entered each commentor's name and spinned the wheel. The lucky commentor winning the BPM stencil set is...


Congratulations, Bo! To claim your prize, please email me at gmbatan@gmail.com with stencil winner as subject. Please include your name and address in the email. You have until February 28 to claim your prize. I am hoping you are a US resident. In case you are not, I will give you a $20 BPM store credit instead. 

I hope you like today's project. Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

I shared this card at
 

Love Letter #IB374-Inspired by the heart and the sketch.