Stamp By Stamp Creations

A Fun Fold and Stamped Ribbon

February 4, 2022 by Cindy

It’s Fun Fold Friday! Not only do I have a fun fold card for you but it’s a swap card as well. This fun fold is very similar to one I showed you back in October. You can view that post here. I called that fun fold in October the Side Flap Fun Fold. This card is the same idea but the flap is a different size and in a different location on the card.

The image on the front of the card is from the Amazing Silhouettes stamp set in Stampin’ Up!’s January – June Mini catalog. The “thanks” is from the Biggest Wish stamp set in the Annual Catalog.

I have to tell you that my favorite part of Melissa’s card is that she stamped the sentiment directly on the ribbon! I have never done that. Have you? I’m especially impressed because this ribbon is very textured.

I was going to tell you that you should probably use StazOn ink when stamping on ribbon but then I thought I’d give it a try with regular Stampin’ Up! ink. Guess what? It worked just fine! Check out the second photo.

I didn’t expect it to turn out so well! When I placed the inked stamp on the ribbon I held it in place for a few seconds and then lifted the stamp straight up. No problems at all! Hmm…I may have to try this on one of my own cards!

If you’re wondering, this ribbon is the White Frayed Ribbon (#158138 $7.50) found on page 33 of Stampin’ Up!’s January – June Mini Catalog.

Here’s a photo of the inside of Melissa’s card. I like the way she used the Sale-a-bration paper, Daffodil Afternoon, to add a little something extra to the inside of the card.

No naked envelopes and no naked insides of your cards! If you’re going to the trouble of making a special card, make the envelope and the inside of the card special too.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

A Leafy Card Sketch

February 3, 2022 by Cindy

After you’ve chosen a card sketch what’s the next step? Do you first choose colors, stamp set or embellishments? For me, it depends on what first comes to mind.

With this card sketch I knew it needed designer paper for at least one of the layers. Of course I then had to decide which package of designer paper and from there which pattern.

Luckily I happened to have the new All Together package of designer paper right next to me so I started flipping through all of the patterns. The fun part of this package of paper is that it’s all in black and white and there are tons of patterns to choose from. I came a cross a leafy pattern and thought that was a good place to start.

The next step was finding a single stamp for the stamped image. I didn’t want anything too large or too busy. A branch of leaves would be perfect. Then it was off to my stamp shelf!

This image from the Forever Fern stamp was perfect! Not only is it a beautiful image but it was similar to the branches on the designer paper!

I thought about using another piece of designer paper to layer my leaf on but it got too busy. Maybe if the leaf stamp wasn’t so detailed that might have worked. The plain black layer works perfectly!

Did you notice how well I did following the card sketch? I only added one additional layer! Ha!

Be sure to check out the fun All Together designer series paper. You can find it and the other items in the All Together Collection here.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Journey With Color: A Major Change

February 1, 2022 by Cindy

Wow! This week in our Journey With Color we’ll be talking about a major overhaul to Stampin’ Up! colors. With their 2010 – 2011 Catalog, Stampin’ Up! not only changed up the colors but they also changed the names of the color groups as well as the number of colors in each group.

The last big change to Stampin’ Up! colors was back in the 2005-2006 Catalog. This change is even bigger. It starts with the color groups themselves. The names were change and the number of colors in each group went from 12 down to 10. Bold Brights became Brights. Rich Regals became Regals. Soft Subtles became Subtles and Earth Elements was combined with Neutrals to become the Neutrals group.

In this chart you can see the four new color families and the colors included in them. I like Stampin’ Up!’s short description of the new color families that includes what type of projects they’d be good for.

Overall, Stampin’ Up! moved 8 colors from one color family to another, got rid of 31 colors and added 16 new colors. Of the 16 new colors 10 of them were former In Colors so only 6 of the colors were ones we’ve never seen. The brand new colors (not former In Colors) were Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso and Crumb Cake.

There was also a change to In colors with this catalog. The first change was that they only introduced five In Colors instead of six. The second change to In Colors was that they would now have a life span of two years instead of just one. This will bring the total number of colors available in any given year to 50. Forty core colors and ten In Colors, except for this 2010-2011 catalog which only has five In Colors.

The first five In Colors with a two year span were Poppy Parade, Concord Crush, Peach Parfait, Blushing Bride and Pear Pizzazz. Of these colors, my favorite was probably Concord Crush. It was a gorgeous deep purple. Which one of these five colors is/was your favorite?

Make It Mine Monday: Calming Camellia

January 31, 2022 by Cindy

It’s Make It Mine Monday! I’ve enjoyed sharing with you some of the swap cards that I’ve received. I hope you’ve enjoyed them too. I’m not done sharing swaps with you but it’s time to switch things up a bit again.

Isn’t the flower stamp on this card gorgeous? It’s from the Sale-a-bration Host Set Calming Camellia. You can choose this stamp set for free when you place a party order or personal order of $300 or more.

Calming Camellia is one of Stampin’ Up!’s DistINKtive stamp sets. Basically, this type of stamp is very realistic looking with lots of dimension and shading. I think they’re gorgeous! What do you think about DistINKtive stamps?

The second card here is the card that inspired me. I love how Vicki used the Wild Roses Background stamp on her card. It coordinates so well with the Calming Camellia stamp. Instead of using a gold layer and gold embellishments I only used Gorgeous Grape on my card.

The Basic Rhinestone Jewels on my card are colored with the Dark Highland Heather Stampin’ Blends marker and then of course I had to add ribbon.

Both my card and Vicki’s card are fairly simple. No dies or punches, no fussy cutting and not too many layers. While I had the stamp set out I wanted to try and make the card even more simple.

Check out the third photo. It’s just the stamped image and a coordinating layer adhered to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals. Simple, yet stunning. It really shows off the floral image.

This simple card would be perfect for any occasion. Just add a sentiment to the inside.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Artfully Layered Tropics

January 28, 2022 by Cindy

Tropics are definitely on the brain this week. With two days of snow this week I’m ready for a tropical vacation. Since I don’t have one scheduled, I’ll just look at this lovely tropical card and imagine a Mai Tai in my hand and the sandy beach under my toes!

It’s Friday today and I usually do Fun Folds on Friday. This swap is perfect to share today. My downline Karen created this card for our Mini Catalog Swap. Didn’t she do a nice job? The Fun Fold may look familiar. I shared it with back in September. It’s funny how different the fold can look when you use different products. You can view the original post on this Overlapping Flap Fun Fold card here. The original post will give you dimensions as well as a quick video on how the fun fold was made.

One fun feature that Karen added to her fun fold was the Velcro-type fastener to hold the top flap closed. Sometimes with a lot of layers things don’t stay closed like you want. Another option that would have worked would be tiny, thin magnets to hold things closed. The nice thing about magnets is that you can hide them under cardstock. I like the fasteners that Karen used because they’re almost clear. You can hardly tell that they’re there.

Karen used some of the products from the Artfully Composed Suite in Stampin’ Up!’s new Mini Catalog on her card. So much fun to be had with Artfully Layered stamp set, the Tropical Layers dies and the gorgeous and fun Artfully Composed Designer Series Paper! I love the soft colors and bold designs of the paper and can’t wait to play with it.

Are you itching for a tropical vacation after seeing Karen’s card? I sure am! Have a great day. Take care and Happy Stamping!

Simply Marbleous!

January 27, 2022 by Cindy

If you’re looking for a versatile Level 1 Sale-a-bration choice, then the Simply Marbleous Designer Series Paper is the choice for you! This marbled paper is so fun! So many colors too! There are 8 sheets each of 6 double-sided designs. Purples, pinks, blues, greens, grays and yellows!

I love this paper because the designs are simple and can be used in so many different ways. What comes to mind when you see these designs? I will admit that when I see the lighter gray piece I think “countertop”. Ha!

From this card you can see that the blue and green designs are perfect for creating water for the ADORABLE Awesome Otters. TSC! Too Stinkin’ Cute!

This is another swap card that I received. Rose-Ellen used the less busy side of the paper for her card and show how this side is perfect for stamping on. It could be pretty difficult to see stamping on the busy side depending on the color of paper and ink you were using.

I had to smile when I first saw Natalie’s swap card using the Simply Marbleous paper. Of course it’s absolutely perfect for scoops of ice cream! I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have come up with this use of the paper on my own. That’s why I love participating in swaps. I get so many great ideas to use and share!

With these cards you’ve seen two totally different ways to use the fun Simply Marbelous Designer Series Paper. What ideas do you have for using it? Let me know. I’d love to hear your ideas!

I hope your day is Simply Marbleous! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Journey With Color: In Colors

January 25, 2022 by Cindy

In the 2006-2007 Annual Catalog, Stampin’ Up! first introduced us to In-Colors. This is how In-Colors were described in that catalog:

“This year, we’re delighted to introduce In Color ™, an exciting palette of six trend-savvy colors available only this year! Use these exclusive colors to create unique hand-stamped cards and gifts. These colors look terrific in a monochromatic color scheme, or in combination with many of our other colors!”

As it says in the above paragraph, when the In Colors were first introduced, they were only available for one year. Lucky for us, In Colors are currently available for two years instead of just one. This gives us more time to enjoy them.

The first six In Colors were Vintage Violet, Buckaroo Blue, Cool Caribbean, Marigold Morning, True Thyme and Cranberry Crisp. My favorite was Cool Caribbean. It’s quite close to Coastal Cabana (both in name and color!) I still get the two names mixed up. Sheesh!

Do any of you remember these first In Colors? Which was your favorite?

The second batch of In Colors came out in Stampin’ Up!’s Fall-Winter 2007 Annual Catalog. (Yes, there were a couple of years that Stampin’ Up! tried going with two annual catalogs per year). This group contained some softer colors. Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi, River Rock, Groovy Guava and Purely Pomegranate. Which of these six is your favorite? In this group I’d have to go with Blue Bayou or Purely Pomegranate. Also, in this catalog Basic Gray was added to the Neutrals Collection. It’s a darker gray than Going Gray.

There were two more catalogs that contained the In Colors that lasted a year. In the 2008 Fall-Winter Catalog the In Colors were Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango, Pink Pirouette, Pacific Point and Riding Hood Red. As you can probably guess, Pink Pirouette was my favorite color from this group.

The 2009-2010 Annual Catalog added Soft Suede, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry and Bermuda Bay. You probably recognize some of these colors.

Take a look at these four sets of colors. You can see that the colors in each group work well with each other. I’m not sure I’d use all six of any set together on one project but you can definitely use at least 2-3 of them at one time. When Stampin’ Up! develops a set of In Colors they make sure that the colors in the group not only work well together but will work well with the current group of 48 that they offer.

Coordination. It’s one of my favorite things about Stampin’ Up!.

Who’s Feeling Island Vibes?

January 24, 2022 by Cindy

Island Vibes. What a perfect name for a stamp set with a tropical feel. What says tropical better than a pineapple and palm fronds? The Island Vibes stamp set is one of Stampin’ Up!’s Level 1 Sale-a-bration items which means that you can choose it for free when spending $50 in my online store.

The two cards I’m sharing with you today are from another swap that I participated in with fellow demonstrators. Both of these cards were made using the Island Vibes stamp set. I have to admit that the stamp set didn’t do a whole lot for me when I first saw it in Stampin’ Up!’s Sale-a-bration brochure. Of course, now that I’ve seen these two lovely cards, as well as many samples online, I’m going to have to put it on my next order

What I love about these two cards is how similar, yet different they are. Both Katherine and Janet used the palm fronds in similar positions on their cards as well as using jewel embellishments to complete their card designs. Beyond those similarities their own styles take over. So fun!

There’s only a little over a month left of Sale-a-bration so don’t miss out! Put that order together!

We’re suppose to get snow here in Colorado tomorrow so I just may be thinking about that tropical sandy beach and umbrella drink. How about you?

Have a great day. Take care and Happy Stamping!

Valentines You’ve Got To Love

January 20, 2022 by Cindy

How can you not love a valentine made with this adorable Sale-a-bration otter? This little critter is TSC! Too Stinkin’ Cute! I think I’m in love. 🙂

This card is another one that I made for a swap and it’s one of my favorites. This little critter’s outstretched hands are just crying to hold a string of hearts (or any other small item you may want on your card). The fun heart-filled designer paper from the Sweet Talk pack is the perfect compliment to this little valentine otter.

The Awesome Otters stamp set is a Level 1 Sale-a-bration award. When you spend $50 during Sale-a-bration (now through February 28) this is one of the items that you can choose. This cute stamp set was actually the first Sale-a-bration item that I chose.

When you’re making any type of card you don’t want to forget the inside. On my card I found the perfect way to include another otter from the stamp set. Since it’s a valentine card I used the Heart Punch Pack to punch out my second otter for the inside of the card.

“You make my heart happy” is the perfect sentiment for these little otters and their valentine. It’s from the Catching Butterflies stamp set which is another Level 1 Sale-a-bration item. It’s so fun to mix and match products on your project.

This post is about stinkin’ cute valentines and as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I can’t get enough of the Nuts & Bolts robots! Like the otters, they’re adorable!

This cute valentine is a swap card I received and was made by Natalie Travis. She used the same Sweet Talk designer paper on her card. The fun little tag was die cut using the Tailor Made Tags dies. The sentiment and the robot fit on the tag perfectly! It’s hard to tell from the photo but the stamped robot is heat embossed with silver embossing powder before it was colored.

Have you started making valentines for your friends and family? I know I’ve given you some fun ideas recently. Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Journey With Color: Change

January 18, 2022 by Cindy

Last week, our introduction to Journey With Color was about the beginning of Stampin’ Up! colors which didn’t happen until their 1997-1998 catalog. This week’s step of the journey will be about the first changes that Stampin’ Up! made to their color collection.

There were two small changes made Stampin’ Up!’s color collection in their 2000-2001 catalog. The first one was replacing Rocket Red for Real Red (which is still with us today!). I don’t remember Rocket Red but from the old catalogs I’ve looked at it was a bit brighter and not as deep of a color. The second change in this catalog was removing Lucious Lime for Creamy Caramel. They were pretty short on shades of brown in their catalogs back then and had quite a few greens.

The Neutrals grouping of colors first showed up in a Stampin’ Up! catalog in the 2004-2005 edition. It included White, Vanilla and the new Basic Brown.

To keep current in the world of color Stampin’ Up! made a big color change in their 2005-2006 Catalog. Stampin’ Up! is all about stamps, ink and paper and color is a big part of these items. It was important for them to keep the colors fresh. The 2005-2006 catalog saw 9 colors retired and 12 colors added as well as some switching of colors from one grouping to another. Below is a little summary of these changes.

Brights

There was only one little change made in this color group. Positively Pink was exchanged for Pixie Pink, a slightly bolder and brighter shade.

Earth Elements

Going Gray and Basic Black were moved from this group to the newer Neutrals group. Not Quite Navy moved from the Rich Regals group to this group and the new color Pumpkin Pie was added.

Rich Regals

The most changes happened to this group. I’ve already mentioned that Not Quite Navy left this group for the Earth Elements. The colors that were retired from this group were Eggplant Envy, Forest Foliage, Baroque Burgundy, Rose Romance and Marvelous Magenta. This left room for the new colors Handsome Hunter, Always Artichoke, So Saffron, Regal Rose, Bravo Burgundy and Elegant Eggplant.

Soft Subtles

Here three colors retired and three colors were added. Mauve Mist, Mint Melody and Bliss Blue left and Apricot Appeal, Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue were added.

Neutrals

This new group is where Going Gray and Basic Black were moved to. White and Vanilla got their new names of Whisper White and Very Vanilla. (You don’t want to lose that alliteration!). The new color Sahara Sand was added to the group.

I wanted to share a form with you that had all of these new colors on it but thought I might be easier just to send you to an electronic form of the catalog. This way the pages of the catalog have only been scanned once and you might get a better idea of what the colors actually looked like. So click here and then scroll down to pages 8 & 9 to view Stampin’ Up!’s colors with this change.

Which of these new colors is your favorite? Which color were you sad to see go? I’ll say that Pixie Pink was probably my favorite addition as I do love PINK! Forest Foliage was probably the color I most hated to see go. How about you?

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

My Blog is Being Hijacked!

January 17, 2022 by Cindy

My blog is being hijacked….by me! I’ve recently participated in three different swaps and I’ve received (or will be receiving) lots of fun samples of many of the new products in the new January – June Mini Catalog and the Sale-a-bration Brochure. I’m going to enjoy looking at them all but I think you may enjoy seeing them too! Therefore, I am hijacking my usual weekly posts to share these swaps with you. I’ve been inspired by the ones I received so far and I should receive more this week. I want you to be inspired too!

Since Valentine’s Day is coming up pretty darn fast I thought I’d share a couple of Valentine cards with you today.

This first card is made using the fun Sweet Talk Suite of products. Carn used the Sweet Talk Designer Paper along with the Sweet Conversations Bundle. Look at all the different sizes of hearts that you can die cut with the Sweet Heart Dies! If you like Valentines, this suite of products is definitely for you. You can view all of the products included in this suite here in my online store.

The second card I want to share with you today is made with the adorable Nuts & Bolts stamp set. How can you not love these little robots! This one comes with it’s own valentine heart!

Mindy’s card uses a few new products. The stamp set is new as are the little hexagon embellishments. These are part of the Abstract Beauty Suite of products (which I just purchased and can’t wait to play with!). They come in Basic Black, Just Jade and Blushing Bride. The designer paper that Mindy used is the Simply Marbleous paper and is a Level 1 Sale-a-bration item that you can choose with a $50 purchase. Gotta love Sale-a-bration! 🙂

I hoped you’ve enjoyed these cards that I didn’t make. Check back later this week for some other great samples! Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Pocket Fun Fold ValentineCard

January 14, 2022 by Cindy

I love Fun Fold cards and the easier, the better! The complicated ones can be amazing but it’s so much easier to duplicate the easier ones. Last week’s fun fold was very simple and this week’s Pocket Card comes pretty darn close.

This fun fold makes a really cute valentine but just change up the stamp set, dies and designer paper and you can make any type of card. I’ve used this design for a sympathy card.

The pocket portion of this card is only one piece of cardstock! 4 1/4” x 11” scored at 1 ¼” and 5 ½”. The insert for the pocket is 5” x 3 ¼” and you can choose to put a “handle” to grab on the top or leave it off.

If you’d like to recreate this project you can view my step-by-step instructions for this Pocket Card Fun Fold here. These instructions also include a complete supply list.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Amazing Silhouettes Card Sketch

January 13, 2022 by Cindy

I love the simplicity of today’s card sketch and how easy it was to work with. I didn’t even have to add a layer although I did shift the focal point to the side. 🙂

I’ve been wanting to use the Amazing Silhouettes stamp set and this card sketch was perfect for it! I’ve had this stamp set since this fall. I either received it with my On Stage event registration or with the registration add-on that I purchased. That’s the great thing about being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator. You’re able to get your hands on products ahead of their release! (If you’ve ever considered becoming a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator please contact me so I can give you the whole scoop!)

The Amazing Silhouettes stamp set is one of Stampin’ Up!’s DistINKitive stamp sets. DistINKtive stamps create different opacities in a single stamped image. So beautiful! The sentiment is from the Quiet Meadow stamp set. I stamped it on the Mossy Meadow cardstock with the White Craft Ink and then heat embossed it with White Embossing Powder. A little tip for you when heat embossing: rub a dryer sheet over the cardstock before stamping the image. This way the embossing powder will only stick to the inked image.

I really like this quick and easy card. I may have to make more of them! Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

A Journey With Color: The Beginning

January 11, 2022 by Cindy

In my newsletter last week, I talked about the Journey With Color that we are going to be taking. We’ll be talking about Stampin’ Up! colors, their history, working with them and coordinating them. This journey will happen here on my blog, on my Facebook Page and in my newsletter. If you don’t follow me on Facebook, you’ll want to click here and if you’re not on my email list click the link to the right to get on it. You’re going to want to check out all three places to not miss any part of this journey.

Stampin’ Up! was founded back in 1988 but they didn’t have their own ink pads, paper or stamps. They were selling products made by other companies. Stampin’ Up! didn’t come out with their own colors, ink pads and paper until their 1997-1998 Catalog. (How many of you were stamping back then?) In this catalog they premiered 48 colors in four different color families: Rich Regals, Bold Brights, Soft Subtles and Earth Elements. These four families are very similar to the current families of colors: Brights, Neutrals, Regals and Subtles.

Stampin’ Up!’s alliteration of color names began with these original colors. Who remembers Chocolate Chip, YoYo Yellow and Marvelous Magenta? Click here to view these original 48 colors. The swatches of color will be a little off because I didn’t get this photo straight out of a catalog. You can get a good idea of the variety of colors though as well as what colors were in each family.

In case you’re having trouble viewing the link, here’s a rundown by color collection:

Rich Regals: Not Quite Navy, Eggplant Envy, Forest Foliage, Baroque Burgundy, Night of Navy, Bordering Blue, Rose Red, Brocade Blue, Rose Romance, Ballet Blue, Marvelous Magenta and Taken With Teal.

Bold Brights: Glorious Green, Green Galore, Gable Green, YoYo Yellow, Only Orange, Rocket Red, Pink Passion, Positively Pink, Orchid Opulence, Lovely Lilac, Brilliant Blue and Tempting Turquoise.

Soft Subtles: Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Blush Blossom, Mellow Moss, Barely Banana, Sage Shadow, Lavender Lace, Mauve Mist, Almost Amethyst, Mint Melody, Bliss Blue and Pretty in Pink.

Earth Elements: Chocolate Chip, Close To Cocoa, Really Rus, Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, More Mustard, Summer Sun, Luscious Lime, Old Olive, Garden Green, Going Grey and Basic Black.

How many current colors can you find in this original list of colors? If you counted 4 (which includes Basic Black) then you are correct. Night of Navy, Old Olive, Garden Green and Basic Black. Four out of the 48 have survived 14 years of color changes!

It’s fun to look back at these original colors. I hate to admit it but I remember these colors! A few of the colors that I still kind of miss are More Mustard and Forest Foliage. More Mustard was just the perfect deep yellow-gold for Fall cards. Forest Foliage was a gorgeous Blue-Green (or Green-Blue). The color swatch doesn’t do it justice. It was a nice rich color like the current Shaded Spruce but with more blue in it.

How many of you remember these original colors? Which colors do you miss?

Make-It-Mine: Awesome Otters Birthday

January 10, 2022 by Cindy

I’m in love with Stampin’ Up!’s Awesome Otters Sale-a-bration stamp set! These little critters are adorable! This stamp set was one of my first Sale-a-bration choices.

I was so excited when I saw this birthday card to copy. Not only did it have the Awesome Otters Sale-a-bration item it but the designer paper, Simply Marbelous, is also a Sale-a-bration choice! Thank you, Monika, for the inspiration!

As much as I loved Monika’s card, I just couldn’t get the angled cardstock to work for me. I can’t do random and I’m not good at angles either. I decided to go with my strength which is lots of layers (that line up). Ha!

On Monika’s card it looks like she stamped the hat on the otter’s head before cutting it out. I didn’t want to try to line up the hat on the head since the Awesome Otters is a cling stamp set. I took the easier way out. I stamped and colored the otter and hat separately, cut them out and lined them up when I put them on the card.

Either one of these cards will be perfect for the next birthday on your calendar, especially if you like to color and fussy cut! Remember that you don’t have to do all of the fancy shading with your Stampin’ Blends if you don’t want to or don’t have the time. You can see that Monika did a much better job of shading on her otter than I did but that’s ok.

If you like my card you can click here for step-by-step instructions.

Now go get that Stampin’ Wish List started so you can choose both the Awesome Otters and the Simply Marbelous Designer Paper Sale-a-bration items on your next order! Have a great day. Take care and Happy Stamping!