Cards

Making-It-Mine Monday: Summer Splash and Spotlight on Nature

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It’s been a while since I’ve done a Make-It-Mine Monday post, and I’ve missed it.  I love getting inspiration from other people’s projects and Make-It-Mine Monday is the perfect way to showcase that!

I try to write an email newsletter every week which I send out on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.  I try to share a project each week. 

(If you you’d like to be on my email list to receive my newsletter as well as other emails, please sign up in the box to the right of this post or in the pop up box when it appears.) 

In last week’s newsletter I shared this card that I made at Stampin’ Up!’s On Stage event in March.  I had explained how it was a very nice card, but it just wasn’t me.  The combination of colors isn’t me and the design itself isn’t really me.  The card did inspire me though.

It inspired me so much that I had to make it mine!  Nothing against Stampin’ Up! designers, but I do like my card better.  Their card was way outside of my comfort zone.  The Stampin’ Up! designer used the new Spotlight in Nature (#163579 $23) which will be in the 2024-2025 Annual Catalog and since I had that stamp set I used it on my card too.  For my card I decided to stick with a single color and white.  To choose a color I started with the designer paper that I used on the layer behind the flowers.  I used the new Unbounded Bounty Beauty Designer Series Paper (#163372 $12.50) which you can find on page 55 of the new catalog or in my online store starting on Wednesday.  The color I used is the new 2024-2026 In-Color, Summer Splash.  So pretty!

The angled pieces that the flowers are on aren’t something that I would usually use on a card but I did find the technique intriguing, so I decided to give it another shot.  It’s not hard to line up the two images after stamping them, the hard part is stamping them and making sure that the two pieces will fit on the layer underneath them.

I could have heat embossed the sentiment in white on a piece Summer Splash cardstock but I think my layered sentiment works a little better on this card. 

As I mentioned above, I love being inspired by other people’s work.  It’s nice to have a starting point and go from there.  Give it a try!  Take my card and make it your own by changing a little something about the card or a lot.  The choice is yours!  Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Five Cards, One Design: Working Smarter, Not Harder

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We all should really work smarter, not harder in whatever we do.  Life is too short to do otherwise.  Why “reinvent the wheel” when you can just change things up a little.  In today’s blog post I want to show you how I made 5 similar, yet different cards with one design.

Bee My Valentine Card #1

This is the card I started with.  It’s one we’re making in class this week. (Actually, I got the idea from a friend, but we won’t go into that. 😊)  It’s an easy Valentine card made using the Bee My Valentine Bundle and the coordinating Bee Mine Designer Series Paper.  Such fun products!  These little bees are adorable!

In the second photo, you can see all five of the cards I made.  Once I got started, I could barely stop.  I wanted to see how many different designs I could come up with.  Alas, life got in the way, and I had to move on to other things that needed to get done.

The two cards in the first column look the same, but if you look closely, you can see that the bottom one is a gate fold card that opens in the middle.  The two cards in the middle column are similar.  They look alike, but the bottom one is a gate fold card. 

I have five cards from one main design.  I’ve worked smarter, not harder!  What a great idea!  I need to do this more often!  How about you?  Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Bee My Valentine 5 Cards

A Die Tip With Translucent Florals

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My mother-in-law’s birthday is today and I chose the Translucent Florals stamp set and the coordinating Delightful Florals Designer Series Paper to make her card.  There is also a set of dies that coordinates with them.  These three items are Online Exclusives found only in my online store.  My favorite item of these coordinating products is the designer paper so that is what I chose for the focal point of my card.  I fussy cut this floral image from the paper.  So pretty! 

I knew that I was going to mount the fussy-cut image on white so I wasn’t too worried that there may have been a little white around the edges.  I did have to get my X-acto knife out to cut out the small area by the stem of the small flower

The Berry Burst card front is stamped with the larger floral image from the stamp set with the same color ink and the strip of Pretty Peacock cardstock is stamped with the foliage image in the Pretty Peacock ink.  Stamping cardstock with the same color image gives a nice subtle background design.

One of the dies (the sixth largest) from the Deckled Circles die set was the perfect size for the floral image and the card.  After die-cutting it, it seemed a bit boring, so I needed to figure out how to add a little something to it.  I tried drawing a dotted circle just inside the die-cut edge, but my drawing skills were a bit lacking.  I tried to find something circular that I could draw around but came up empty.  Then I had an epiphany.  I could simply draw around the inside of the Deckled Circle die!  I placed the die on my cardstock and using sticky notes, I was able to keep the die in place.  The sticky notes need to be moved as you draw around the circle.  You can either draw the circle before you die-cut it or draw it after as long as you keep the sticky notes in place.  I will definitely be trying this technique with other dies.

The Berry Burst card front is stamped with the larger floral image from the stamp set with the same color ink and the strip of Pretty Peacock cardstock is stamped with the foliage image in the Pretty Peacock ink.  Stamping cardstock with the same color image gives a nice subtle background design.

Sentiments used on both the inside and the outside of the card are from the Sentimental Park stamp set.  There is a birthday sentiment in the Translucent Florals stamp set but it was a little too large.  Sometimes you need to look through your stash for just the right item.

Happy Birthday to my MIL!  I hope you all have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Today is the Day!

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Today is a big day! It’s Sale-a-bration Time at Stampin’ Up! What a wonderful time of the year for a paper crafter!  Sale-a-bration is a way to earn FREE products from Stampin’ Up!!  There are three different ways to earn FREE products.

#1.  SHOP!  Choose a FREE Sale-A-Bration product from the Sale-a-bration brochure (p. 4–15) with every $50 or $100 you spend (before tax and shipping).   You can place your order from me directly or shop in my online store.  There are items at the $50 level and there are a few items at the $100 level.  You can view the Sale-a-bration Brochure here.

#2.  HOST!  Host a qualifying party and select an additional $30 in FREE products (p. 18)!  Host a party with sales of at least $300 to earn this benefit.  A personal order of at least $300 also qualifies for this benefit.

#3.  JOIN!  I’m really excited about this benefit.  Once again, you have a couple of different options when you decide to join my team of SASsy Stampers and the Stampin’ Up! family. 

“Join Stampin’ Up! as an independent demonstrator and help others discover the joy that comes with creativity! When you join during Sale-A-Bration, you can build your Starter Kit  by choosing $125 of products for only $99 (includes shipping). Plus, you’ll get to choose one of the two FREE bonus options shown on p. 17.”

Option 1 – STAMPIN’ GLASS MAT STUDIO (RETAIL VALUE: $60) free! (See Photo Below) GLASS MAT 17″ x 14″ (43.2 x 35.6 cm). 5 mm thick. Heavy-duty,  safety-tempered glass crafting mat with raised nonslip rubber feet. Features a white background printed with a gray grid. Heat and scratch resistant. Wipes clean with water or alcohol.  SILICONE MAT 8-3/8″ x 6″ (21.3 x 15.2 cm). Nonslip, multiuse mat.  Waterproof and heat resistant. Features 4 palette squares for custom color mixing. White.   CLEANING CLOTH 8-1/4″ x 8-1/4″ (21 x 21 cm). Reusable cleaning cloth makes chemical-free cleaning easy: just add water and wipe.  Durable, thick, lint-free. Dark gray.

Glass Mat Studio

Option 2 – Your choice of an additional $30 in FREE products to add to  your Starter Kit.

Sale-a-bration is such an exciting time!  I hope you take advantage of these opportunities to earn free products from Stampin’ Up!.  Please contact me with any questions you may have!

Stampin' Up! January - April 2024 Mini Catalog

Today is also the day that Stampin’ Up!’s new January – April 2024 Mini Catalog goes live! Woo Hoo! More new products!

Click here to view this amazing new mini catalog!

I hope you enjoy these two new publications! Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Happy New Year

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Happy 2024! It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here on my blog. Sorry I’ve been away so long. It’s a new year now and the perfect time to get back to posting. I hope you’ll continue to check back and read my posts.

I wish you all a new year filled with peace, happiness and joy!

Journey With Color: Azure Afternoon

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It’s time to start talking about brand new colors by Stampin’ Up! in our Journey With Color.  We’ll start with Azure Afternoon.  Afternoon Azure is a lovely brighter light/medium blue.  It’s the color of the sky on a beautiful day.  As I was writing this post I happened to look out the window and guess what color the sky was….yep, Azure Afternoon.  I looked up the definition of Azure and it’s definition is:  “the blue of a clear or unclouded sky”.  😊

In this first photo you can see how Azure Afternoon compares to some of Stampin’ Up!’s other blues.

This second photo shows Azure Afternoon with other Stampin’ Up! colors.  I like it best with some of the brighter colors.

The last photo shows some of the color combinations that Stampin’ Up! has in their Color Coach.  My favorite combination is the last one with Calypso Coral and Crushed Curry.  As I mentioned above, I like it best with the bright colors.  What is your favorite combination?

40 Card in 40 Days: Nothing’s Better Than Chocolate Card

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Last but not least!  Day 40 of my 40 Cards in 40 Days.  The Nothing’s Better Than stamp set and the coordinating Love You More Than dies are my choice for this final day.  So fun!  If you love chocolate, cookies, coffee or cocktails you may need to grab these products before they retire.  I’ve only made cards using the cocktails stamps so for it’s last hurrah I decided to go with chocolate.  You can’t go wrong with chocolate!  To make the chocolates and the “chocolate” pop on my card I die cut the images three times and glued them together.  I did this because I knew I’d never get Stampin’ Dimensionals on the back of the word.  This was a fun card to make but it makes me sad to know it’s retiring.  At least I can keep it in my stash!  😊

40 Cards in 40 Days: A Fishy Card

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The A Fish and a Wish stamp set was one of the first items I purchased from Stampin’ Up!’s 2022-2023 Annual Catalog and is perfect for Day 39 of my 40 Cards in 40 Days.  The Fish Builder Punch coordinates perfectly with the stamp set although I didn’t use it on my card.  The colors I used on my card are Old Olive and Granite Gray.  I used a Blending Brush and Pool Party ink to give a more watery look to the Basic White cardstock that I stamped on.  To stamp the fish I first inked it in Granite Gray ink and then lightly added some Old Olive ink to the stamp with a Sponge Dauber.  The background on the card was made using the Splatters Embossing Folder from the Stripes & Splatters 3D Embossing Folders pack. 

40 Card in 40 Days: Sweet Full of Love Card

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Only three days left of my 40 Cards in 40 Days!  For Day 38 I used Stampin’ Up!’s Full of Love stamp set.  This stamp set has some sweet images and sentiments.  It was snowing when I created this card the other day so I made sure I chose some nice Spring colors and designer paper.  The designer paper I used is from the Awash in Beauty Designer Series Paper pack.  The colors of Stampin’ Blend Markers that I used were Polished Pink, Daffodil Delight and Granny Apple Green.  The Radiating Stitches Dies from the Online Exclusives were the perfect choice to highlight my focal point.  Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!  Think Spring!

40 Cards in 40 Days: Two-Tone Flora Fun Fold Card

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Fellow Demonstrator Tena Lynch loves her fun folds.  She created this Drapery Fun Fold card for last week’s stamp camp using Stampin’ Up!’s Fancy Flora Suite Collection.  It’s an easy fun fold and perfect for Day 37 in my 40 Cards in 40 Days.  I’ll have to create a tutorial to share with you.  The Fancy Flora Designer Paper is amazing.  All of the patterns are beautiful and for Stamp Camp, Tena designed this card using most of them. Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

40 Cards in 40 Days: A Sweet Citrus Fun Fold

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Card 36 in my 40 Cards in 40 Days is made with the Sweet Citrus stamp set and the Sweet Citrus Hybrid Embossing Folder.  What is a Hybrid Embossing Folder?  It’s a folder that embosses and die-cuts at the same time!  So fun!  I do have to admit that I have not used one yet, but I want to!  It looks like they can make creating so easy!  Two steps in one! This fun card was created by fellow demonstrator Nancy Rosner for last week’s stamp camp.

Nancy’s card is a Book Binding Fun Fold Card. As you can see in the second picture, it opens like a book! Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

40 Cards in 40 Days: A Simple Eden’s Garden Card

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The Eden’s Garden stamp set and the Eden’s Dies are used on Day 33 of my 40 Cards in 40 Days.  This pretty card was designed demonstrator Glenda Timkovich for our recent Stamp Camp.  Just some simple stamping, a few layers, and a little bit of die-cut silver foil to make the card pop!  If I was making this card the hardest part for me would have been the random stamping of the leaves and the flowers.  I have a difficult time doing random.  Ha

40 Cards in 40 Days: Pastel Easter Bunny Card

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The Easter Bunny is making it’s appearance on Day 32 of my 40 Cards in 40 Days.  This fun little card was designed by demonstrator Janet Muse for our recent Stamp Camp.  Janet used Stampin’ Up!’s Easter Bunny Bundle on her card.  She also used the beautiful Fancy Flora Designer Series Paper.  I almost could have designed this card with all the layers it has.  Ha!  I love it!

40 Cards in 40 Days: Beautiful Desert Details Card

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Day 31 in my 40 Cards in 40 Days brings a card from the Stamp Camp that my Sassy Stampers & Friends group put on this past Saturday.  Today’s card was designer by demonstrator Jan Myers.  Isn’t it lovely?  It a fun Tri-fold Card.  I’m going to have to make a card with this design and figure out all the details.  Jan used the Desert Details bundle to make her card.  I love how she used the Vellum Basics Designer Paper for the flame-like die.  It really makes the rest of the die-cut images pop.  So fun!