Unleash Your Creativity and Make Stunning Cards with the Stack Cut Shuffle Technique: Video Tutorial

Have you ever found yourself staring at your beautiful patterned papers, not quite sure how to pair them together or make the most of them? I’ve been there too. Sometimes I buy a 6x6 paper pad I love—the colors, the florals, the textures—and then it just sits on my shelf while I wait for the “perfect idea.” Well, this week I challenged myself to pull out the Peony Garden 6 x 6 Pattern Paper Pack and the coordinating Peony Garden Basics Pack from Paper Rose Studio, and I used a favorite technique that never fails to spark creativity: Stack, Cut, and Shuffle. It’s a fantastic way to create four cards in one go, and the best part? No overthinking required.

I’ve shared the full process in today’s video tutorial, but in this post, I want to walk you through the highlights of the project, the design choices, and a few tips I’ve picked up along the way to help you get the most out of your paper stash.

Unleash Your Creativity and Make Stunning Cards with the Stack Cut Shuffle Technique:

A Technique That Does the Work for You

One of the things I love most about the Stack, Cut, and Shuffle technique is how it practically designs the cards for you. For this set, I started with four sheets of patterned paper—two bold floral prints from the Peony Garden pack and two more subtle tone-on-tone prints from the Basics pack. I trimmed each to 4 x 5.25 inches and stacked them all together before cutting them into a few strategic sections.

Here’s where the fun begins. Once everything is cut into smaller pieces, you shuffle those pieces in a specific order so that each resulting “stack” includes one piece of each pattern. It’s like crafting magic—each new card front comes together with a perfect balance of color, print, and style.

If you’ve ever struggled with mixing and matching patterns, this method is an absolute game-changer. You get variety without chaos, and it’s such a satisfying way to use up papers from the same collection. No waste. No mismatched layers. Just four perfectly coordinated card fronts.

Creating a Simple, Dimensional Focal Point

With the card bases ready (I used Top Fold Basic White A2 Pre Cut Card Bases to keep things quick), I wanted each card to have a focal point that popped but didn’t overpower the patterned paper. So I die cut four stitched circles using the Stitched Circles Metal Cutting Dies and reached for one of my favorite floral die sets from Paper Rose Studio—the Etched Blooms 2 Metal Cutting Dies.

Here’s a little tip I’ve learned over time: when you’re unsure what colors you want your flowers to be, start with white cardstock. I cut all my flowers, leaves, and centers from Basic White A4 Cardstock and ink blended each element using Paper Rose Ink Cubes in Bubblegum, Berry, Lemon, Tangerine, Lime, and Grass. Starting with white gave me full control of the colors and helped everything coordinate beautifully with the patterned paper I had already used.

This part of the process is one of my favorites—sitting down with a few blending brushes and adding that soft pop of color to each little piece. It’s therapeutic, and honestly, it’s where the cards start to feel yours.

Bringing It All Together

Once the flowers were assembled, I tucked in a few ink-blended leaves and layered the florals onto the stitched circles. Each card got one floral arrangement, giving the front just enough height and interest without feeling heavy. To finish the sentiment, I used one of the cut-apart sheets from the Peony Garden pack, trimming out simple text phrases and popping them up with foam squares for added dimension.

Of course, no card is complete without a little sparkle, so I added three pieces from the Crystal Clear Shaker Embellishment Mix to each card front. It’s subtle, but that soft shine adds the perfect finishing touch.

Why You’ll Love This Method

If you’re looking for a way to create with intention but without overcomplicating things, this technique is it. It’s fast, it’s fun, and it really stretches your supplies. And honestly, after making these four cards, I had to stop myself from cutting into more pattern paper and making another set.

This is the kind of project I love to do when I need a creative reset. You can use almost any patterned paper combo, and once you get going, you’ll find yourself making card sets for every occasion—thank yous, birthdays, encouragement cards… the sky’s the limit.

Be sure to watch the video to see how it all comes together from start to finish. And if you try this technique, I’d love to see your version—feel free to tag me or share it in our crafty community.

Happy creating, and remember—you don’t have to wait for the perfect idea. Sometimes all it takes is a good paper stack, a few cuts, and a little shuffle.

Unleash Your Creativity and Make Stunning Cards with the Stack Cut Shuffle Technique Video Tutorial:

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(Wondering what I used in this video? Everything is linked to multiple sources in the thumbnails at the end of this post, or in the text below. Compensated affiliate links used when possible). As always I appreciate your support of my videos!

Materials Used:

Here you will find the list of supplies that I used to create today's card. All supplies are linked to supply sources below. Compensated affiliate links may be used at no cost to you.

Happy Stampin'

Rick Adkins

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