The final Thursday in August has all the sunny vibes and creative energy with a Paper Party Live session to celebrate the tail end of summer—and what a party! It’s all about a fun fold card that truly captures the essence of sandy beaches, warm sunshine, and that magical time when summer starts to wind down but still lingers in the air.
This Z-fold card starts with a Basic Beige card base, folded to create a striking layered front. When the card opens, the inside panel reveals a beautifully clean design with Night of Navy and Basic White layers, perfect for writing a heartfelt message or stamping something special. The outside panel mirrors the size of the inside panel and cleverly hides the message within when the card is closed.
The real showstopper is the Country Woods DSP—a multi-colored woodgrain pattern that immediately sets the tone. Layered over Night of Navy, this panel gives a rustic yet colorful backdrop for the scene. The large stitched circle from the Stylish Shapes Dies holds all the summer magic: the sentiment “Sending Warm Wishes” from the Notes & Totes stamp set stamped in Night of Navy, a cheerful sun in Daffodil Delight, and a touch of Crumb Cake sand.
Shell and starfish die cuts in Pool Party and Pretty in Pink, shaded softly with coordinating Stampin’ Blends, bring dimension and charm to the scene. A few Holographic Resin Dots and a sweet Linen Thread bow finish it off with the perfect amount of texture and sparkle. And yes, there’s a free downloadable PDF tutorial so you can recreate it at home!
I’m entering this card into two fun online challenges: A Place to Start August 2025 challenge where the theme is Summer Things and Try It On Tuesday for the Going Round in Circles challenge.
Of course, there are two other projects to share! They both showcase the same Z-fold layout, one using panels of Irresistible Designs Specialty DSP, which I blended with soft colors of Gorgeous Grape, Berry Burst and Fresh Freesia using Blending Brushes to let that embossed beauty shine through (for the online challenge for the August Triple B photo inspiration challenge) and a fun mix of the patterns from the DSP combined with the 3-2-1 Recipe for the Double Trouble #198 challenge.
The third card is a seasonal sneak peek, highlighting brand-new products from the Amber Autumn suite—an absolute stunner for the upcoming cooler months from the new Stampin’ Up! September-December 2025 Mini Catalog. This stunner of a card is being entered into Ellibelle’s Garden Party No. 6 – Anything in or From a Garden challenge and Time Out Challenges #296 where the theme is Friendship/Encouragement/Support. I think that’s part of what card making is about, don’t you? I absolutely love the sentiment on this card for that very reason!
If you missed the Live, you can catch the replay on my YouTube channel.
Be sure to grab your free PDF tutorial:
Let’s squeeze every last drop of summer into our crafting before we dive into fall together!
Supplies used (also listed in the Tutorial):
All are absolutely beautiful and fabulous inspiration! Thanks so much for joining in the fun at our Triple B challenge! Good Luck and we hope you’ll come back often.
Darlene
DAR’S CRAFTY CREATIONS
Triple B Challenge Co-Owner
Thank you so much, Darlene!
I love the beach vibes of your first card. The others are very lovely too. Thanks for joining us at Try It on Tuesday. Your card is a lovely addition to this challenge. hugs-Erika
Thanks, Erika! So much fun. Glad to join in with Try It on Tuesday!
Love the patterns on all of these but the pink and purple one is my favourite – so very pretty! Thanks for sharing with us at Double Trouble 🙂
Thanks so much, Alyson! I sure appreciate your kind comments.
Your end-of-summer z-fold card is lovely. I like CAS designs, and this one is perfect. I also find the color integration to be quite nice! Thanks so much for sharing with us at A Place to Start!
Hugz,
Chana Malkah, Owner
Thank you so much!
Love the pretty colors on your Double Trouble card, such a nice layout for a Z-fold card! Thanks for joining us and hope you’ll play along again soon!
Thanks so much, Melanie! A Z-Fold always works! Thanks for stopping by.
Thank you for linking your card with us at Try it on Tuesdays, its a fantastic design shape.
Thanks, Meggymay!
Wonderful cards and such great color choices. Thanks for sharing at Double Trouble.
So. Many. Cards. Sometimes it’s hard to stop when inspiration strikes, isn’t it? Thanks for your kind comments, Larelyn.
Love your patterns and combination of colors in your card, CAS and beautiful. Thanks for sharing your beautiful card with us at Double Trouble.
Thank you so much, Suzanne!
Your cards are all so beautifully made and I love the fun folds, Julia. Thanks for sharing the ‘sneak peek’ one with us at Time Out.
Thanks so much for your kind comments. Fun Folds are always a great card layout. I enjoyed joining in with the Time Out challenge.
Your “Forever Friends” card is beautiful, the patterned papers you selected are stunning. And the ribbon and gemstone embellishments set it off perfectly. Thank you for sharing with us at Double Trouble.
Thank you! I truly appreciate your kind comments.
I am loving each one of these beautiful creations, such great details on each!
So great to see you at my Garden Party and hope you stop by again soon!
Ellie
Ellibelle’s Corner
Thank you so much! Your comments made my day!
This post is filled with such stunning cards! Love your take on our Friendship theme. The colors and details are just lovely. Thank you for joining us at Time Out!
Awww – thank, Nonni! That’s so nice.
These are beautiful cards, Julia. Your Time Out project is perfect for our theme, and fits so beautifully in the transition to Autumn. Thanks so much for playing with us.
Thank you, Stephanie. I appreciate your kind comments.