I had an email from a stamper last week that jumped off the screen at me. Like I was sitting there and BAM – there it was screaming for attention!

Cheryl asked me this question…

I've been stamping for about two years. I have a lot of supplies but I feel stuck. Is it even possible to make a card anymore that doesn't have to take me all afternoon to make?

This is the first part of her email and I am going to hit the pause button and answer it here. I answered her email, but I thought about you.

I thought you might be sitting there wondering the same thing.

And the answer is yes! Yes, it IS possible to make a great card in an afternoon. Yes, it IS possible to make a card in under an hour. Yes, it's even possible to make a killer card in under 5 minutes!

Want to know how?

Here we go…

Less is often more.

There we go. That's the secret to making killer cards in under 5 minutes.

Let that soak in for just a bit.

When you start grabbing every supply in your craft space it becomes too much to choose from.

This is why I LOVE items that are designed to coordinate. Stamps that match punches. Images that have dies. Patterned paper that coordinates with card stock. It's a simple concept that mystifies so many card makers.

And I FORGET to talk about that on a regular basis.

So I'm committing to doing more of that 🙂

For today's card, it's a matter of supplies that were meant to work together. A set of stencils and blending brushes.

The ones I'm using are layering stencils that are back in stock at the time I am writing this. And I don't think they will stay in stock for long. So if you don't have them, do yourself a favor and grab them with the links below.

The sunflower images gave me my color palette, so that helped with choosing colors.

Then all that's left to do is grab the blending brushes and the stencils and go to town!

The Project

Okay, this better be a killer card, right? I mean I said it was, and to me it is, so let's see what you think.

Is that bright and fun or what?!?!

You may think that there is no way it can be made in under 5 minutes, but here's how.

The stencil work took me under 3 minutes to do all four layers. I was able to do that because when I bought the stencils I took a few minutes and wrote down possible color combinations.

Here's another concept that I could talk about for hours, but today I will share the abridged version…

“We are more creative when we can't create.” – Meg D.

It's kinda fun to quote myself, lol! And like I said a bit ago, I will go into detail on this more in an upcoming post.

The blessing in waiting for an order to ship is that you have all that time to think and dream. To think and to plan. So as I was waiting for the order with these stencils to arrive, I planned out several color combinations for the sunflowers. Then I went totally next level. Wanna know how?

I put an asterisk next to my favorite!

We tend to overcomplicate things in the crafting space, just as Cheryl alluded to above.

Because I already knew my favorite color combination for these stencils, I was able to grab the ink pads I needed and go to town. The thinking work was already done!!!

So it was less than 3 minutes to use the four layers of stencils.

Under a minute to stamp my sentiment and die cut it. (How? While I was waiting for the stamp set to arrive, I had already planned out which dies and punches I could use with it.)

Then under a minute to assemble the card.

That's it!

This is a card that I would joyfully mail out time and time again. It's a card I am proud of and I feel confident in.

My Question to You

Do you feel proud and confident with the cards that you are making?

I would LOVE it if you would let me know. You can leave a comment below… but I get that you may not feel confident to leave a comment that says you aren't confident. But I would challenge you to do it anyway! If not, you can email me (meg@iteachstamping.com).

When you comment, let me know what you don't feel confident about with your card making. Is it your design? Your color combinations? Lack of confidence in your buying choices? Stamping quality? Coloring options?

These are a few things that I know many stampers struggle with and…

I want to help!

I'm a helper, so puh-lease let me help!

Ready to Make This One?

If you are ready to make this card, you will need some supplies. Because card making requires supplies or else we send out an envelope of nothing, right?

This one features items that many card makers already have – inks!

But here is the full list of what I used and what you will need to make this card in no time at all.

I no longer have product links for this company.

What About The Rest of Her Email?

I'm happy you asked. It's going to be addressed in another blog post. For now, I would love for you to make some sunflower cards. They are quick and fun, PLUS they allow you to make killer cards with just a few supplies. I can't wait to share part 2 with you, so check back for more! XOXO, Meg