30 Days of the Annual Catalog – Day 1!

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Hello! I’ve been away from my blog for a little bit and it’s time to get back to it. I’m actually away from craft room which is why you haven’t heard from lately. I’m in Minnesota with my parents as my mom has some health issues.

I want to share ideas with you using the products in Stampin’ Up!’s new annual catalog but since I’m away from my craft room, I’m going to share projects that other demonstrators/crafters have shared online.

I think it’s a great solution for both you and me. We both get to see these fabulous new products and how to use them.

The first product(s) I want to share with you is the He’s The Man Suite that can found on pages 78-79 of the catalog. Father’s Day is coming up fast so I thought this masculine suite would be perfect to share with you today.

One of the fun things included in this suite of products is the He’s The Man Specialty Designer Series Paper. It’s a specialty pack because it includes two sheets of die cuts that coordinate perfectly with the other products!

A big thank you to Ginny Harrell for designing this fun card and using so many items in the suite. The fun frame that Ginny used on the front of the card is die cut using the Fabulous Frames Dies found on page 171 of the catalog.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the first of my 30 Days of the New Annual Catalog! Come back tomorrow for Day #2!

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Make It Mine Monday With Sentimental Swirls

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Stampin’ Up!’s Sentimental Swirls stamp set is a fun and simple stamp set that can be found in the January – June Mini Catalog. It is a stamp set perfect for the beginner stamper.

The flowers that you see on this card are punched out with the Flowers & Leaves Punch. There are also smaller flowers in the stamp set that can be punched out with the Strawberry Builder Punch.

As I was scrolling through Pinterest I came across this card by Carol Brown that caught my eye. I knew I wanted to recreate it for Make It Mine Monday. Pink flowers with a touch of black. Of course it caught my eye! 🙂

As you can see on my card, I made pink the prominent color and black is just an accent. The card came together easily. I started with the black swirl and went from there. The flowers were stamped on a scrap of Basic White cardstock and then colored and punched out. I set them around the swirl where I was going to adhere them so I could figure out where to stamp the leaves.

The stamp set is photopolymer so it was quite easy to stamp the outlines of the flowers, leaves and bird and then use a second stamp to stamp the colored portion. Two step stamping at it’s best!

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

It’s In The Stars Card Sketch

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When I came across this card sketch I knew it was perfect for using my Stitched Stars Die Set one last time before it retires. 🙁

A star isn’t a shape that I use often when I make a card but it’s one of those basic ones that is nice to have on hand. The Stitched Stars Die Set will definitely stay as part of my “stash”.

The Tidings and Trimmings Bundle came to my mind first when I saw this sketch so I got out my bundle with the coordinating designer paper and ribbon and created a card. Then I happened to check out Stampin’ Up’s List of Last Products that are no longer available and this bundle was on the list. It was time to go back to the drawing board.

My next thought for using a star was “patriotic”. You know, red, white & blue and stars and stripes.

If you compare my card to the sketch you can see that I kind of flipped it. I also added the ribbon. If you’re wondering how I got my designer paper on the card front so straight, let me tell you my secret. I cut a piece of Real Red cardstock 5 1/4″ x 4″ and a piece of designer paper 5 1/4″ x 3 7/8″. I then adhered the designer paper to the cardstock. Easy Peasy! Sometimes I scare myself when I come up with these solutions. Ha!

I love the challenge of card sketches. The sketch gives you the basic starting point but then the sky is the limit! If you haven’t tried them yet, give them a shot. I think you’ll enjoy them!

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Journey With Color: A Tropical Oasis

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Stampin’ Up!’s 2022-2024 In Colors

Stampin’ Up!’s new 2022-2024 In Colors are perfect for creating a Tropical Oasis!  They are gorgeous and I love them all! 

A little over a week ago, Stampin’ Up! created riddles for us to guess the names and the colors.  Each morning for five days they posted a riddle and a photo in gray tones in our Demonstrator Planning Place on Facebook. In the evening of each day they then colored the picture like you see below and told us the name.  It was fun to try to guess what color it was going to be as well as the name. I enjoyed seeing all the different guesses people came up with. Some of them were pretty funny.

Stampin’ Up!’s 2022-2024 In Colors

Parakeet Party “Don’t let my feathers fool you—I’m a social butterfly! Bright, bold, and beautiful is my motto. This is one bird who doesn’t have time for siestas, but that’s because me gusta la fiesta! Who am I?”

Isn’t this a pretty green?

Sweet Sorbet

“I’m a delicious treat on the tip of your tongue. Creamy yet dairy-free is the life for me. Strawberries, watermelon, raspberries, oh my! Just blend a little fruit juice, water, and sugar for a frozen surprise. What’s my name?”

Pink! Woo Hoo! I love my pinks!

Tahitian Tide

“I rise and fall with the sun and the moon. I’m a fun splash mid-afternoon. If you’re looking for a slice of paradise and that tropical aura, then I recommend a sweet escape to Bora Bora! Can you guess my name?”

Stampin’ Up! hasn’t had a turquoise color in a long time!

Starry Sky

“Like billions of fireflies shining so bright we work together to light up the night. Connect us together and we make up dazzling constellations. Shared with someone you love we’re quite the romantic destination. Who am I?”

Such a pretty blue!

Orchid Oasis

“I bloom in perfect symmetry. Elegant, fragrant, vibrant—I’m a flower fit for royalty. Together we can celebrate friendships, new beginnings, and affection. Think of me as your wellspring of tranquility and personal connection. What’s my name?”

This is almost a Periwinkle Blue. If you follow the Pantone colors of the year, this is spot on! This year’s color is called Very Peri and it’s pretty darn close to this!

So what do you think of Stampin’ Up!’s newest colors? I love the way these colors all coordinate together. Do you like them as much as I do? I can’t wait to get my hands on them! Then the fun will begin!

Which of these five colors is your favorite?

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Make It Mine With Dahlia Days

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Dahlia Days

Dahlias are a favorite flower in my family. My mom used to grow them in her garden and her dad used to grow them and enter them in the Minnesota State Fair. He even won awards with them. So when I saw the new Dahlia Days stamp set in Stampin’ Up!’s January – June Mini catalog I knew that I had to get it. Then when I saw it on my stamp shelf it was time to create a card or two with it.

Not only do Dahlias come in different sizes and shapes but they can come in many different colors too.

This is my inspiration card. I love Tarabeth’s card but it’s Make It Mine Monday and I had to change it up.

The basic layout of my card is the same as the inspiration card but I did add another layer (of course!). It’s hard to tell in the photo of my card but I used the Gingham Embossing Folder like Tarabeth did.

I added another flower to my card. You know, that Rule of 3 that I’ve talked about before. This rule says that elements in groups of 3, or at least odd numbers, are more pleasing to the eye.

Tarabeth’s card gave me the inspiration that I needed. That’s why I love checking out other people’s cards. I may not copy them exactly, but they give me the little boost I need to get started.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

A Hybrid Fun Fold Card!

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Horizontal Angled Gate Fold Card

I’m calling today’s card a hybrid because it looks just like last week’s card but it doesn’t have a pocket and it’s a Gate Fold Card because the two sides fold in like a gate.  Here’s the link to last week’s Angled Pocket Card and here’s the link to a Belly Band Gate Fold Card that I made.  If we have to give this hybrid a name, let’s call it the Horizontal Angled Gate Fold.  I like to name the fun folds so that I can tell them apart.  😊

Tulips Dies Chart by Lisa Schmid

I love the way this card turned out.  It screams “Spring!”.  Just like on last week’s Angled Pocket Card (see link above), I wanted to find a piece of designer paper that I could use both sides.  Flowering Fields Designer Paper to the rescue!  Since I was using the tulip designer paper, I decided to try my hand with the Tulip Dies.  Instead of trying to figure out what dies I needed to use to make the different tulips I did a little search online and found a chart.  Thank you Lisa Schmid! 

The base of the card is made just like last week’s Angled Pocket Card.  The only difference is that you don’t make the pocket.  Stop before you reach that point.  Then you need to make a belly band and a focal point.

For the belly band I used 2 pieces of 6 ½” x 1 ½” pieces of Pumpkin Pie cardstock.  I adhered the pieces together by overlapping the pieces by about 1/2” or so.  With the card base closed and laying on top of the belly band (seam centered) I carefully wrapped the belly band around the card.  It should be snug but not too tight.  I then adhered the two ends together.  You should use a strong adhesive like SEAL + or Tear & Tape to make the belly band.

The focal point of my card started with a die from the Hippo & Friends Dies (which is retiring).  The tulips are added to the largest Layering Circles die.  So fun!

To add a little texture to my die-cut tulips I used a Blending Brush to add a little Pumpkin Pie ink to the Mango Melody pieces before assembling them.  I think this softened the Mango Melody cardstock a little.

The Flowering Tulips stamp set and the Tulips Dies are both continuing into the upcoming 2022-2023 Annual Catalog.  However, the Flowering Fields Designer Paper is not.  

I hope you enjoyed this lovely, springtime fun fold card!  Have a great day.  Take care and Happy Stamping!

It’s All About The (Tri)Angle!

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Today’s Card Sketch is all about the (Tri)Angle! I’ve had my Stitched Triangle Dies for a while now and they’ve never been used. (I know….I shouldn’t admit things like this!) Today’s sketch was the perfect chance to see how they worked.

There are 19 different dies in this set including four different sets of nesting triangles! That’s a lot of triangles!

I knew that I wanted to use designer paper for my triangles but the big question was which papers?

Small designs was what I needed for my triangles. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to see the design. I finally decided on the Flowering Fields Designer Series Paper. All three designs are from this package of paper.

If you compare the card sketch to my card you can see that the first big change I made was to the size of the card. The sketch is for a square card and I made my card the usually 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ front.

The only other real change I made was to add a couple of layers, but then that is kind of what I do, right? 🙂

It was fun playing with those triangles. I may have to get them out again soon and play some more! Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Journey With Color: A Good-bye

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Tomorrow is a big day for us Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators.  We will get to view a pdf of the Stampin’ Up!’s 2022-2023 Annual Catalog!  Woo Hoo!  I can’t wait!  With each new catalog comes five new In Colors.  Another Woo Hoo!  Of course, this means that we’ll be losing the five 2020-2022 In Colors.  Boo Hoo!

The five In Colors we’ll be losing this week are Bumblebee, Cinnamon Cider, Just Jade, Magenta Madness and Misty Moonlight.  Which color do you really hate to see leave?  I would have to say that Misty Moonlight is the color that I used the most over the past two years.  I do like Just Jade but I haven’t used it that often and of course Magenta Madness is PINK!  😊

If you like any of these colors and don’t have them yet, now is the time to purchase them.  Stampin’ Up!’s Last Chance list comes out on April 1st and the retiring In Colors are some of the first products that are sold out.  Buy the paper, buy the ink pads and don’t forget the ink refills!

One thing to think about while you’re deciding which of the retiring In Colors to purchase is that some of these colors are in the designer papers in the January – June Mini Catalog.  That could mean that if there is a designer paper that you want to use on a project you may not be able to get the coordinating cardstock or ink.

Here’s a rundown of the Mini Catalog Designer Papers that include the retiring In Colors:

Hey Sports Fan – Bumblebee

Abstract Beauty – Magenta Madness

Heart & Home – Misty Moonlight and Cinnamon Cider

Artfully Composed – Just Jade

New Horizons – Misty Moonlight

If there are any of these soon-to-be-retired 2020-2022 In Colors that you want, I encourage you to purchase them prior to April 1st.

Here’s a little teaser for you:  I’ve seen 4 of the 5 new 2022-2024 In Colors and they’re gorgeous!  The last one will be revealed to all of us Demonstrators today.  I think you’re going to love them! I know I do!

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

A Springtime Thank You

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Ah, Springtime! It’s finally here! Ok…snow is actually forecast for here in the Denver area today but the calendar says Spring! Woo hoo!

Flowers of Friendship is the stamp set I used on today’s card. It’s Make-It-Mine Monday so I did get my inspiration for today’s card elsewhere. You’ve got to love Pinterest. We Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators also have the Demonstrator Planning Place Facebook Page where we can share ideas with each other which is nice.

The fun gingham designer paper is from the Pansy Petals Designer Paper in the current Annual Catalog. I do love my gingham!

The stitched, scalloped rectangle was die cut using the Scalloped Contours Dies.

AnaMarie’s card definitely caught my eye and is so lovely, but I have to be honest, I couldn’t get over the Soft Succulent green flowers. That’s why I chose to change the main color to Fresh Fresh Freesia.

I kept most of the elements on the card the same but changed up the label and sentiment. It’s rare that I simplify a card instead of adding to it. Ha!

Happy Spring! Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Angled Pocket Fun Fold Card

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Angled Pocket Fun Fold Card

Today’s Fun Fold is an Angle Pocket Fun Fold.  So fun and easy if you follow the instructions.  Below you will find step-by-step instructions with photos on how to make it.  I do have a disclaimer…on my samples in the instructions the card stock base doesn’t really match the rest of the parts of the card but I wanted to make sure you could see the different steps.   

For the base of this card you need to start with a full sheet of cardstock.  With the long side of the cardstock at the top of your score board, score at 5 ½”.  The next step is to cut the card stock in half along the short side (at the 4 ¼” mark) so that you have two pieces of cardstock that are 4 ¼”x 11” and scored in half.  At this point you want to make sure that both pieces are the exact same size because they will overlap.

Place one of the 4 1/4″ x 11″ pieces of cardstock vertically on the Paper Trimmer (short side towards the top).  Start at the top left corner and cut diagonally to the right side of the score line.

On the second piece of 4 1/4″ x 11″ cardstock start at the right side of the score mark and cut diagonally to the bottom left corner.

Fold both pieces along the score lines making sure that edges and points/corners line up straight.  Lay the two pieces horizontally with the angled pieces to the outside.  Adhere the two rectangular sections together, making sure all edges line up square.   

The angled sections of the card need to be decorated before you complete the pocket.  It’s easiest if you start with a piece of designer paper that you want to use both sides of.  Cut the designer paper to 5 ¼” x 4”.  If the patterns you want to use aren’t on the same sheet of designer paper, you will need to cut two different 5 ¼” x 4” pieces.  The side of the paper facing up will be adhered to the angled section on the right side of the card.  Cut the designer paper diagonally from the upper left corner to the lower right corner. If the designer paper has a pattern where it matters if something is upside down, be sure to take this into consideration before cutting the paper.  You will notice that on my card at the beginning of this post that the leaves are pointing down.  Lucky for me this doesn’t really matter with leaves. (I forgot to take my own advice! Ha!).  In the sample photo to the left you see that it will matter if the peaches are upside down so I had to take that into consideration.

Adhere the designer paper pieces to the angled sections of the card base.  Make sure you have the sections in the “closed” position so you don’t adhere the paper to the wrong side of the section.  I like to use liquid glue so that I have to a little room to slide the piece and make sure I get it in the correct position.

To make the pocket, place a strip of Tear & Tape adhesive as close to the bottom edge of one of the angle sections as possible .  You will want to adhere the adhesive to the angled section that will be “underneath” and will be covered by a portion of the other angled section.  In this example photo I placed my adhesive on the left angled section.  Remove the backing from the Tear & Tape, fold the section over towards the center and adhere.

To adhere the second angle section over the first, place a piece of Tear & Tape adhesive close to the bottom edge of the first angle section (which is already adhered to the center of the card).  Make sure not to get too close to the left side (in my example) so that the adhesive doesn’t show when the angled piece is adhered.

For the pocket insert cut the base piece 5 1/8” x 3 ¾”.  The Basic White piece which you will decorate/write on should be cut 4 7/8” x 3 ½”.

Despite my lengthy instructions and all of the photos, this card is pretty easy to make. Have fun recreating it!

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

An Adorable Easter Duckling

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This adorable Easter duckling makes me smile. How about you? You can find this little duckling in the Easter Friends stamp set along with a little chick and a bunny.

Does the designer paper I used on this card look familiar? It should. It’s the same paper I used on yesterday’s 40 Projects In 40 Days card over on Facebook. It’s from the Waves of the Ocean Designer Series Paper. Did you click on the link to check it out? This paper is so fun!

The duckling is stamped in Soft Suede and then colored with the Light Daffodil Delight and the Light Pumpkin Pie Stampin’ Blend Markers. Images that you want to color with your Stampin’ Blend Markers don’t have to stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. They just need to be stamped with a water-based ink which is what Stampin’ Up! inks are.

It’s Card Sketch Day and here you can see the card sketch that I followed. I added my usual layers to my card as well as the sentiment. There was just a little too much white space for me. Having the sentiment on it’s side at the top adds a little something different to the card too.

Card Sketches are such a fun and easy way to get inspired. I usually pick a card sketch that I like and then try to figure out what stamps, dies and papers to use on it.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Journey With Color: So Many Colors!

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With so many colors and so many shades of colors sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin.  Most of the time you have an idea of the basic color(s) you want to use on a card but how do you choose a shade of that color? 

Currently, Stampin’ Up! has 11 different greens for us to choose from!  Green wins the prize for the most shades.  Check out the chart I made.  You can see how the greens go from a very soft and light Soft Seafoam to the deep and rich Evening Evergreen.  We all have our favorites.  The greens that I probably use most often are Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive, although it depends on the project.  If I was going to pick a favorite green it would have to be Evening Evergreen.  A chart like this make it easy to see all of the greens together so you could maybe try a new shade.

Check out the lovely card that my friend Janet made.  She used Soft Sea Foam along with Balmy Blue.  Personally, I don’t care for Soft Seafoam, but it really works on this card.  I get a nice, relaxed feeling when I look at it which is probably what Janet was going for when she chose these two colors to go with her stamped images.  If I recreated this card and went with my go-to green of Pear Pizzazz it wouldn’t have worked nearly as well.  You just wouldn’t have that same relaxed feeling.

Different colors and different shades of colors are going to give you different feelings.  As I mentioned, the soft colors of Janet’s card make me feel relaxed and peaceful.  If I tried making this card with Granny Apple Green which is a fun, bright, in-your-face color it definitely wouldn’t make you feel relaxed.  Bright colors give you more of a happy and excited feeling.  They would be better suited for a birthday card or something like that.

When you’re choosing a color or shade of color you also want to think about how it’s being used on your project.  Are you using a certain ink color to stamp an image or are you using a blending brush to apply the ink color on cardstock?  Are you just using the colored cardstock for layers?  These questions are important to think about when choosing the right color/shade for your project. 

In a previous paragraph I mentioned that my go-to light green, Pear Pizzazz, probably wouldn’t have worked on Janet’s card.  I’d like to change that thought up a bit.  If I recreated Janet’s card as is, Pear Pizzaz wouldn’t have worked.  If I changed up the card so that I didn’t use any Pear Pizzazz cardstock on the card and just used it on the focal point it might work.  I’d be able to blend the Pear Pizzazz lightly enough with my Blending Brush to get that same soft look. Sometimes you have to experiment and see what’s actually going to work for your project.

Stampin’ Up! has so many choices of greens for our projects.  Don’t always head for your favorites.  You may even see me using Soft Seafoam on one of my upcoming projects!  Give those other shades a try.  Think about the feeling you’re trying to project.  Stampin’ Up! already does this for us with their Designer Papers.  Check out some of the papers and see what kind of feelings you get. 

Color and combinations of color are powerful.  Think about the feeling you want your card to project before choosing your colors.

Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

A Masculine Card for Make It Mine Monday!

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While I was scrolling through Pinterest looking for cards to make for my 40 Projects In 40 Days (find them on my Facebook page), This card caught my eye and knew I had to Make It Mine!  It seems that I have a thing for trees.  I seem to purchase any stamp set that has some type of tree in it.  😊

I love how Rose used the Birch background stamp on her card with the die-cut trees. I also love how she stamped and cut out the “happy birthday” from the Biggest Wish stamp set.

As you can see, I flipped the card and added a layer. It looks like Rose used grays on her card but I used Crumb Cake. The die-cut trees are from the Majestic Mountain dies. My card only has two tree on it to keep it a little more simple.

There’s a tip that I want to remind you of. I shared it with you last fall in my newsletter. What? You don’t get my newsletter? You may want to go to the sign-up box at the top of this page and get on that list today so you don’t miss anything!

Anyway, the tip that I want to remind you of is that when you are cutting around a stamped word like “birthday” here on my card you should lightly sketch around the word so that your scissors have a line to follow. It really makes a difference. The image here on my card was my second attempt. I forgot to trace around the word the first time and really messed it up. Another tip would be to remember to use Adhesive Sheets when die cutting the trees or other intricate images. It makes life a whole lot easier!

This turned out to be a perfect card for a guy. I’m going to have to make a few more of them to keep in my stash! Have a great day! Take care and Happy Stamping!

Easy & Elegant Pocket Fun Fold Card

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Easy Pocket Fun Fold Card

Today’s card is a Pocket Fun Fold and it’s easy!  The base of the card is one piece of 5 ½” x 8 ½” card stock scored at 2 ½” and 6 ½”.  That’s it!  Fold along both score lines to the center of the card.  The smaller 2” section will form the pocket of the card.  You will need to use a strong, narrow adhesive like Stampin’ Up!’s Tear & Tape close to the edges of the cardstock so that you have room for the card insert.  Once you have the card base formed you will notice that closed card is only 5 ½” x 4” instead of the usual 5 ½” x 4 ¼”.  This is because the larger flap overlaps the pocket portion of the card.

Easy Pocket Fun Fold Card

To decorate the card you need to pieces of coordinating designer paper.  The larger piece is 5 ¼” x 2 ¼”.  The smaller piece is 5 ¼” x 1 ¾”.  I used the Abstract Beauty Designer Series Paper on my card.  I love the black and gold together.  The flowers on my focal point were punched using the Strawberry Builder Punch.  The centers were punched with a ¼” Circle Punch (retired).

The gold foil portion of the card insert is 4 ¾” x 3 ¾”.  The Basic White portion of the insert is 4 ½”x 3 ½”.  Both sentiments that I used on my card are from the Peaceful Moments stamp set.

Fun and simple.  My kind of fun fold!  I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s card!  Have a great day.  Take care and Happy Stamping!

A Colorado Card Sketch

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This card definitely reminds me of my home state of Colorado. Gotta love those mountains!

I’ve had the Mountain Air stamp set and the Majestic Mountain Dies for a while and haven’t used them much. My 40 Projects In 40 Days challenge has got me looking at, and trying to use, all of those unloved stamp sets on my shelves.

It may be hard to tell from the photo but I used the dies on my card. I stamped each row of mountains separately, die cut them and layered them on a piece of Basic White cardstock that I had added a little color to with a Blending Brush and Balmy Blue ink.

The water is stamped on a separate piece of Basic White cardstock with Balmy Blue ink and the “water” stamp from the Oceanfront set. The trees are stamped over the water with Mossy Meadow ink. I then used a circle die from the Layering Circles die set to die cut the area of lake and trees that I wanted to use on the card. I did this because I knew that my die wouldn’t go through more than a few pieces of cardstock.

Once the I had my die-cut lake and trees I adhered them to the mountains. I lined up the same circle die around the edge of the water/trees and ran the cardstock and die through my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. Most of the circle was die cut but I did have to use paper snips on a few areas that had more than a couple layers.

Here is the card sketch that inspired me today. I stayed pretty true to the sketch. The only changes I made were flipping the design and adding one more layer. Not bad for me! Ha!

Have you tried using sketches yet? I hope so! They are a great way to get those creative juices flowing!

Have a great day! Take care and Happy stamping!