Wonder & Light Sampler from Lights & Wonder

I was trying to find a picture the other day to show someone and was completely flummoxed (yes, I know… what a word!) to realize it wasn’t on my blog. Clearly, it was time to correct that oversight.

Before Christmas, I held a class that I was supremely excited about—a long time in the making. Over the years, many people had asked whether I had ever done a sampler class. The answer was always no. Until I retired, I simply didn’t have the capacity to figure out how to approach such a monumental project. With more time on my side, it became a goal. One I’m happy to say I achieved—and honestly, I think I hit it out of the park.

Lights & Wonder was a set that immediately caught my attention. Northern lights are breathtaking, and one particular family member has a slight obsession with them (sorry for outing you, Pat ❤️). That sealed it. This set had to be the focus of my first sampler.

When the products arrived, I didn’t get to play right away. It turns out the rumors are true—retirement can be busier than ever. When I finally sat down at my craft table, I had a clear mission: I wanted this sampler to showcase as much of the DSP as possible. The challenge? I had avoided using 6" x 6" DSP for samplers because the largest panel on a 9" x 9" sampler is 8" wide. Dilemma. How do you make that work?

Time to problem-solve.

I started by choosing the base colours for each panel. The base panel dictates many of the design decisions that follow, so I turned to my Two-Tone 12" x 12" cardstock collection. Over time, I’ve built this up by purchasing the multipacks released alongside scrapbook sets. It’s been a great way to collect a wide range of colours without committing to large quantities—or the full cost—of single packs.

Since the Lights of Aurora DSP needed to be the star, I went straight to Basic Black. Two-Tone cardstock is unique in that it offers two versions of the same colour, and I chose the lighter side to build on. I cut it down to a 9" square and kept every scrap handy for later.

Next, I turned to the front panel of the Lights of Aurora package. Did you know that Stampin’ Up! lists all the coordinating colours right there on the insert? It’s such an easy way to pull together a cohesive palette—one of the reasons I love their products. From that list, I chose Balmy Blue. I loved the contrast with the black, and also… blue is just the best. I added a layer of regular Basic Black cardstock between the blue and the DSP. That slim black edge gives the paper a crisp frame and really helps it stand out.

With my colours decided, I cut all of the panel layers. A few years ago, I finally got tired of guessing and hunting for scribbled measurements, so I did the math once and made templates for 8", 9", and 12" square samplers. They give me a solid starting point every time. For this sampler, I cut two small squares, two medium panels, and one large panel from both Balmy Blue and Basic Black. The blue layers were the largest, the black stepped down by ¼", and the DSP would be another ⅛" smaller—but more on that in a bit.

I glued together all of the blue and black layers and decided to work from the smallest panels up. I knew the real challenge would be figuring out how to handle DSP on that 8" wide panel. Using scraps of the Two-Tone Basic Black, I tested the tree dies from the bundle. There are two sizes, and my years of teaching art kicked in immediately: smaller trees should sit behind larger ones to create depth. The dies cut wider than the panels, so one of each was all I needed. Even better, the two-sided cardstock allowed me to flip the background trees, adding subtle contrast between the layers.

I did realize—after the fact—that I’d cut the smaller trees a bit too short. The DSP was peeking through in places I didn’t want it to. A bit of scrap paper solved that problem nicely, hidden completely behind the top layer. Crisis averted.

Next came choosing the DSP. I flipped through the designs looking for one that would shine behind the trees. The one I chose had vibrant colour, movement in the lights, and enough visual interest to hold its own in a small space. For once, I ignored my usual “use every scrap as efficiently as possible” mindset and cut the paper purely for what looked best on the panels.

The DSP was trimmed to be ⅛" smaller than the black layer, which kept a visible outline while maximizing the paper itself. I layered the trees, trimming the sides to fit—except where I could let them extend past the edge in a more organic way. Don’t be afraid to break the boundaries in a sampler. The panels work together as a whole, and those overlaps help create flow and connection across the entire piece.

For the medium panels, I decided to highlight the sentiments from the bundle. Since Light & Wonder would be featured on the main panel, I chose Love and Magic for the smaller ones. After seeing another demonstrator use the Sign Design punch with these sentiments, I gave it a try. I added layered punched shapes for dimension and colour, then fussy cut the words themselves so they could really stand out—and so more of the DSP could shine through.

The cloud dies in the set were too good not to use, so I cut several and added them in groups of three, varying the shapes, flipping some over, and letting a few drift off the edges. I laid the panels beside the small squares as I worked to make sure everything still connected visually and didn’t compete.

Finally, it was time to tackle the large panel. Years of sampler-making have taught me that letters look best when they don’t rely on dimensionals. Instead, I cut multiples of each letter and stack them. I’ve used this trick for years—on samplers and even bulletin boards—because it gives the letters strength, depth, and a clean shadow effect. For this piece, I stacked six black layers beneath a Balmy Blue top layer. That subtle shadow makes an enormous difference.

The DSP challenge still remained, but I had a plan. I selected two pieces of DSP, paying close attention to colour and the direction of the lights. I cut them to the correct height and kept them full width. Using the grid on my glass mat, I aligned them to the proper overall width—then came the fun part. I cut each piece diagonally from corner to corner, creating two odd-shaped quadrilaterals that fit together perfectly. For the class, I even included a diagram in the tutorial so everyone could see exactly how this works.

The letters were easier to arrange than they might look at first glance. I decided that Wonder & Light flowed better, so that became the layout. Using Multipurpose Liquid Glue, I attached the first and last letters first, paying close attention to keeping the spacing consistent from the edges of the panel. A straight edge helped keep everything aligned across the panel. From there, I added the remaining letters one at a time—Wonder working left to right, and Light working right to left—so I could maintain even spacing between the letters. Once both words were in place, the ampersand (&) was added last, splitting the distance between the two and tying everything together.

With all the panels finished, it was time to assemble the sampler. I use straight edges, grid paper, or the grid on my glass mat to help with alignment. I usually pop the panels up with dimensionals, starting with the top and bottom panels. The middle ones naturally fall into place by evenly splitting the remaining space.

I truly hope you love this sampler as much as I do. I love the colours, the overall design, and especially the challenge it presented. It reminded me—once again—that with a bit of patience (and yes, math!), problems can always be solved. And hey kids… you will use the math you learned in school.

If you’re interested, I have a PDF tutorial with all of the measurements and step-by-step instructions available for $10. You can also add the video tutorial and receive both for $20. Even if this particular paper is no longer available, the methods and techniques are easily adaptable to any DSP you choose. And I can confidently say—I won’t hesitate to use 6" DSP for samplers again.