Step Card Tutorial- G45 Secret Garden

Hi There! I hope you all had a terrific Easter. Hopefully you got some scrappy time in over the long weekend! Shell Carman with you today with a tutorial on how to make a Step Card. If you are a fanatical embellisher or love to layer then you will enjoy making this type of card! Here is one that I just finished for one of my Best Friends that turns 30 this week! I used the new Graphic 45 collection Secret Garden which I think is completely DROOL WORTHY! I am a purple fan & it has gorgeous lavenders mixed with a bit of apricot, green & blue. There are soooooo many beautiful vintage images to fussy cut throughout this collection too!

Step Card Tutorial

You will need for the base

X1 sheet cardstock (or pattern paper)

something to score the cardstock (if you don't have a proper scoring tool then try the corner of a wooden ruler)

Cutter to measure out inches

1. Cut the cardstock to measure 10.5 X 5 inches

2. Score at 1.25, 2.5, 4.25, 6 & 8.25 inches

3. Fold each score mark like an accordian. Make sure that the very first fold is folded down

3. Cut a piece 6X5 inches from the leftover cardstock. Stick this piece onto the larger size fold at the back

The card is now ready to decorate! The sky's the limit on how you want to decorate but if you would like to follow my card here is what I did You will need Tape Graphic 45 Secret Garden chipboard Graphic 45 Secret Garden Alphabet Stickers Graphic 45 Secret Garden Meadow Lark paper Graphic 45 Secret Garden May Flowers paper Graphic 45 Secret Garden Springtime paper Graphic 45 Secret Garden Secret Garden paper Kaisercraft Wooden Flourishes Iron Gate Kaisercraft Mini Blooms Iceberg loopy style border punch scissors gesso Impasto Shimmerz Periwinkle Foam Brush Liquid pearls yellow Pearls X3 in green Foam Tape Glue Ribbon (purple) 1. Fussy cut the left side of the fence from  the Secret Garden paper. Stick this to the first small flap of the base. 2. Use the reverse side of the Secret Garden paper. Cut 5X6 inches. Distress the edges. Stick this to the larges back flap of the base 3. Cut a piece 2X5 inches from the Meadow Lark paper using the green/white pattern side. Punch a loopy style border along the top. Stick this to the second flap on the base 4. To decorate the gate first paint with a coat of gesso. Make a mixture of gesso/impasto. A small blob of each with slightly more Impasto than gesso. Use a foam brush to mix it together. The mixture needs to be fairly thick. If it is runny you will not get a textured look. Use the foam brush & dab/sponge the mixture onto the gate. The texture should be lumpy & uneven. Once this is dry use the foam brush (or a paint brush) to apply Shimmerz in Periwinkle. Roughly dab/paint the shimmerz on so the coverage is uneven. Put it aside to dry. 5. Fussy cut the rectangle box from the May Flowers paper of the image of the little girl. Distress the edges 6. Make a small pocket at the back of the May Flowers piece with some cardstock approx 4X3 inches. Stick the pocket to the back of the May Flowers piece on 3 sides only. Do not stick the top of the pocket. I used a fine bead of glue on the 3 sides so that I could slide another sheet of paper up & down. You could also use a very thin piece of tape 7. Fussy cut the rectangle with flowers along the top & the butterfly stamp at the bottom.Cut right up to the green border so that it measure approx 3.5 X 5.5 inches. Distress the edges. Sick a chipboard tab along the top. Slide it in the May Flowers pocket 8. Stick the May Flowers piece (with the pocket & insert) onto the large flap at the back of the base. Stick it to the left hand side 9. Fussy cut the bird,flowers & cage from the Springtime paper (top left image) Stick on back flap of base with foam tape. Stick the chipbaord sunshine piece with glue so it partially covers the cage & flowers. Place a pearl on the chipboard piece 10. Make a small bow from ribbon. Stick this on the back flap of base at the bottom of the cage. Stick X2 mini blooms around bow 11. Take X2 purple squares from chipboard. Stick on back flap of base on left hand side. 12. Take the gate which should now be dry. Glue on second flap of base 13. Take a chipboard Tab. Use mini green alphas from alphabet sticker sheet & words Friendship (snip the hip off) & Flowers. Spell out If Friends were flowers Id pick you. Use Foam tape to stick on Friends & Flowers 14. Use glue to stick chipboard Tab onto centre of gate. Stick X 2 green pearls either side of Tab. 15. Use some yellow liquid pearls to decorate centres of flowers throughout  Here are some closeups of the card

(This pic shows the Insert that slides up & down. You can write your message on this piece)

Products From Sassy Scrappers

Graphic 45 Secret Garden chipboard Graphic 45 Secret Garden Alphabet Stickers Graphic 45 Secret Garden Meadow Lark paper Graphic 45 Secret Garden May Flowers paper Graphic 45 Secret Garden Springtime paper Graphic 45 Secret Garden Secret Garden paper Kaisercraft Wooden Flourishes Iron Gate Kaisercraft Mini Blooms Iceberg Shimmerz Periwinkle You can find Graphic 45 Secret Garden in the shop here. Check out the new look of the shop with easy to use categories shopping by Brand or product type! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you decide to have a go at this I'd love to see it. Make sure you post your work on the Sassy Scrappers FB page. Or you can enter our Show us your stuff competition every Wednesday on our Blog (link your project on the side bar) If you would like to see more of my work you can check out my blog here! Thanks for looking Cheers!