1 Card, 3 Styles: Forever Fern, WaterColoring, and Patterned Paper

From simple to chic to oh là là, these three cards feature a simple card design. Starting with an easy card to make and then advancing to a more in-depth card, and finally to a Wow! card. The first card shows off our beautiful patterned paper - the Forever Greenery Designer Series Paper. The other two ideas for cards use easy watercoloring ideas. I have a card making video showing you exactly how do these simple watercolor techniques and at the bottom of this post, I have two more alternate card designs. So, on y go! Let's get stamping.

Cutting Dimensions for this simple card design

All of these cards use the same simple card design and have the same cutting dimensions.

• Pretty Peacock (or Calypso Coral) Cardstock: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4"
• Pear Pizzazz (or Cajun Craze) Cardstock: 3 11/16" x 4 15/16"
• Patterned Paper or White cardstock: 3 1/2" x 4 3/4"
• ​Vellum and Whisper White cardstock: scraps

Beginner: Easy Card Idea with Patterned Paper

This simple Birthday Card idea uses the Forever Greenery Designer Series Paper to make a statement. This patterned paper is filled with luscious greens, ferns, and other plants. It matches perfectly with the Pretty Peacock and Pear Pizzazz cardstock. (And it would be awesome for scrapbooking hikes in the woods as well!) 

The card front is tied together with the Forever Greenery Ribbon Combo Pack. I love this two-pack of ribbons. Be sure to watch the card making video for tips on how to use the gold cord without frustration!

The greeting is from the Here's a Card stamp set and is stamped in Pretty Peacock ink on a piece of 1" x 2 1/4" Whisper White cardstock. I layered the white cardstock on a piece of 1 1/4" x 2 3/8" vellum cardstock being careful to only put adhesive where the Whisper White cardstock was covering the vellum. The sentiment is then attached to the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Casual: Easy Watercoloring Technique

This faux water coloring is so easy! And it's one of my favorites - you can see another sample here. This is definitely watercolor painting for beginners! I inked my stamp with Soft Sea Foam, Pear Pizzazz, and Pretty Peacock inks, starting with the lightest and added the darker colors to only part of the stamp. Then, I spritzed it with some water and stamped it on watercolor paper. I love the different looks you get from this watercolor technique depending on how much ink and water are on the stamp. 

I finished this card similarly to the first card. This time, I stamped the greeting from the Here's a Card stamp set on a piece of Whisper White cardstock that I had punched with the Label Me Fancy punch. I layered this on a piece of 1 3/8" x 2" vellum. I let the punched shape hang off the right edge of the card front and trimmed off the right side. 

Advanced: Watercoloring Die Cuts

For my final WOW! card, I cut 5 ferns from watercolor paper using the Forever Flourishing dies. Then, using the medium Water Painter, I watercolored the dies with Soft Sea Foam, Pear Pizzazz, and Pretty Peacock inks using a simple wet-on-wet watercoloring technique. I let the die cuts dry and then adhered them to my Whisper White card front. I trimmed the edges and filled in the sides where there were holes.

This card has the same Forever Greenery Ribbon on the front. For the greeting, I stamped the Happy Birthday with Pretty Peacock ink on a piece of Whisper White cardstock that I had cut in an oval using the stitched shape dies. I layered this on a slightly larger vellum oval also cut with the dies. Like the previous cards, I let the edge of the sentiment hang off the right side of the card front and trimmed the edges to align with the Pear Pizzazz cardstock. This is a fantastic birthday card idea for someone special.

Supply List for The Cards Using this Simple Card Design

Click here to see the complete supply list for these cards using the Forever Greenery suite. Plus, it's easy to order directly from the supply list. Just check the items you need and click add to cart. 

Even More Card Making Ideas

I promised some additional card making ideas using this simple card design. I used the rubber stamping techniques from the second two cards with a different color combination to create a fall look. For these cards I used, Bumblebee, Calypso Coral, and Cajun Craze ink and cardstock.