June 2024

Authentique Wishes 6×6 Paper Pad

I was at a craft supplies yard sale and picked up the Authentique Wishes 6×6 paper pad. I was excited since I rarely come across Authentique papers at such great prices. Based on the collection name and a quick look at the prints, I thought it would be perfect for feminine birthday cards. Once I got started I realized it was going to be more difficult than I thought. While I liked the individual prints I struggled to combine them. I ended up only making 4 cards – 2 of each design before moving on to my next project.

The first card features the number print as the focal panel. For contrast I used the red birthday wreath print for the banner across the card. The paper pad includes coordinating solid color paper and I debated on whether to use the red or pink for the background. I liked the red paired with the number print but the banner seemed to get lost. Instead I went with a pink background which kept the card light and bright. For a bit of shine I added a long thin flag cut from red metallic cardstock down the left side of the card. The sentiment is stamped in Verafine Onyx black ink on a scrap of the pink background paper.

The second card features the number print as the focal panel again paired with the red birthday wreath print. This time I used the wreath print as the background. I have to say I do like the number print paired with the darker background. For the small strips across the card I used more of the solid pink paper. I decided to leave off a sentiment as the background paper has that covered.

Overall I like how the cards turned out but whether I enjoyed using the paper enough to keep it in my stash I’m not sure. I might hang on to it for a bit to see if it grows on me or maybe I’ll pass it on to someone else. While it didn’t work for me, I think the paper pad would be great for someone making birthday party decor – cupcake toppers, banners, favor boxes, etc.

Authentique Darling Boy 6×6 Paper Pad

For my next few cards I pulled out the Authentique Darling Boy paper pad. When I purchased this several years ago it was because of the colors – navy blue, lime green and bright orange. Once I looked at the cute prints, it was a “must” purchase. It’s easy to find paper for feminine cards but it always seems harder to find more masculine and less floral prints. While I don’t tend to make a lot of children’s cards, I thought the colors and images would work well for general sentiment masculine cards.

For the first card I knew I wanted to use the tricycle print as the focal panel. I paired this with the green/blue dot print as the background and the blue diamond print for the horizontal strip across the card. Once all of the pieces were assembled, the top of the card looked too empty. I thought about adding some brads or enamel dots but there was already a lot going on with the prints. Also, for masculine cards I try to keep embellishments to a miniumn. Instead I opted for a simple navy blue banner in the upper left corner.

The next card used the border strip print as the focal panel. I again used the green/blue dot print for the background. With the large orange stripe in the focal panel, I wanted to bring in another print with some orange. After trying a few combinations, I liked the multi-color houndstooth print the best. I added another bit of orange with the 3 small brads next to the focal panel. This card used one of my favorite sketches and turned out to be my favorite card from this batch.

Since I had a large piece of the blue diamond print left, I decided to use it as a background. As my choices of prints was limited I used more of the tricycle print. For the banner, I used orange cardstock. With the focal print being so busy bringing in another print for the banner would have been too much. A large “hello” sentiment and a few more small orange brads on the bottom corner of the focal panel finished the card.

After using the paper pad, I have to say I found it a bit challenging. At first glance I thought there were several prints that I could use as focal panels. Once I got started I realized that some of the images (cut-aparts, newpaper print) that while cute, wouldn’t work for the type of cards I wanted to make. Once those were eliminated as focal panels I was left with mainly busier prints. The prints worked as background panels but could be a bit much if more than 2 were combined on a single card. By using larger blocks of the prints I think I was able to make it work and really do like how the cards turned out.

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