May 2025 Release from Concord & 9th

The new Concord & 9th release is out now! To see the whole new release, take a look at this link here.

I usually have a hard time deciding which things to use first from a new release. (It is like Christmas morning-level fun!) Because I’m overdue with some graduation cards - and have more to make - I thought I’d start there and use the really fun Pennant Party products. Some years I feel like I’m only making grad cards with green, while this year has started with red and orange. No two of the grad cards I make are exactly the same, but you’ll see below that there are some things I stick with as I go.

card 1 - Pennant Party Z-Fold

Techniques:

I stamped the large pennants (with the words I wanted) in both Cranberry and black so I had options. For the top two, I also stamped the edge detailing in the alternate color.
For the “Did it!” pennant, I wanted to add the edge detailing with cardstock instead of stamping, just to make it different and to help it stand out a bit. I realized that the new Finishing Touches dies from Kristina Werner Design would add the perfect stitched edge, so I used one of the dies on black paper, and then cut out the pennant edge so the stitching lined up where I wanted it.
There is a really fun “you” banner, but I didn’t want four large banners on the card front, so I used a small “YOU” from the Proud of You stamp included in the set, and embossed it in white on a small die cut pennant. This small one allowed me to add the words I wanted, while crating a good visual flow. I attached the “You” and “Did it!” pennants with thin foam tape to add a little bit of dimension and interest to the focal point.
I wanted to keep the background simple, but felt the front of my z-fold base was a little too plain. I had the idea to use the Simple Pop-Up dies for texture. Just as adding wood trim helps finish a room, I added background detail to the card with these. I pieced them together to create a texture with a good pattern and rhythm that doesn’t distract from the pennants. (Before attaching them I did reinforce the score lines on a few of them as needed, to be sure the pattern would show.)
I used a piece of the Simple Pop-Up die strips that I didn’t need, added a secondary score line 1/16” away from one of the existing score lines, and created a hinge for the back of the fold out “Hooray” pennant. The secondary score line gave it the depth at the hinge side to lay flat on the card front when closed.

Colors:

ink: Concord & 9th Cranberry.
cardstock: Concord & 9th Cranberry, Dove, White, Black.

card 2 - platform pop-up pennants

Techniques:

This card uses the Lawn Fawn Platform Pop-Up interactive base as the structure and function of the card. I die cut and assembled that with black cardstock. (If you haven’t used it before, or for a while, there is a video with instructions on the Lawn Fawn website for the product, and Jennifer McGuire has one as well.)
I stamped the large pennants and edge detailing, die cut those so they were ready.
I chose my heaviest acetate and cut a couple of strips from it that would put my pennants at the height I wanted them. (My pieces for this design were 4.5”h and 3.75”h, both at 1.25”wide.) I secured the bases of those where I wanted them in the pop-up base, and (once that was dry) attached the pennants. I used a combination of double-sided tape with a touch of Connect glue to the side of it to secure the pieces to the acetate. The tape gives it immediate hold, but I like the additional security of the Connect glue as well.
I added a few stars, and my favorite numbers to finish it off. The numbers are retired, but in case you have them or can find them somewhere, they are the All the Numbers dies from Concord & 9th. There are also other great number dies available from Concord & 9th or any of the other numbers. These are just my go-to.
When I give these pop-up platform cards, I usually flatten it and slide it into a clear treat bag or card protector sleeve, inserting the top of the card down in first, and then securing it on the back. That way when the recipient opens the seal to pull it out, they are squeezing it so it stays folded until it is out of the package and it won’t get stuck or bent.

Colors:

ink: Concord & 9th Marmalade, Mushroom. Versafine Clair Nocturne.
cardstock: Concord & 9th Marmalade, White, Black. Altenew Glitter Cardstock Moonstone & Silver.

card design 3 - card stacks base

Techniques:

These cards are very much like the previous, except on the Card Stacks Base dies, from Concord & 9th. (These are more simple to make and use also.)

The pennants were prepared the same way. You can see in some of the angled photos from above the card below, but here’s the order of the layers:

“YAY” is glued directly onto the top back layer of the main base structure.
The second pennant down (“You”, or “Hooray” are attached with one of the pop-up elements from the Simple Pop-up dies set. (see photo here)
The lower half of the“Did it” pennant and “congrats” die cuts are attached to the largest of the stacked base layers.

The front layer (medium stack layer in the orange card, small stack layer in the red card) holds the numbers.
The great thing about this card is that the whole thing folds flat to slide into an envelope. The base structure fits into an A2, but I used A6 for a little extra room since my top pennant is attached above the base.

Colors:

ink: Concord & 9th Marmalade, Brickyard, Poppy, Mushroom, Dove. Versafine Clair Nocturne.
cardstock: Concord & 9th Marmalade, Cranberry, White, Black. Altenew Glitter Cardstock Silver.