In Color Bouquet - Stampin' Up! Beautiful Bouquet

  Today's card is showing off all of the new In Colors that will be available tomorrow when the 2018-2019 Stampin' Up! Annual catalog goes live.  I really like these bright colors and look forward to all the new color combinations that we will be able to create.

  Sometimes it's hard to create a card using 5 colors and could be especially hard with such bright colors as this set of In Colors.  But I thought the Global Design Project challenge was a good starting point.  It's a CASE the designer challenge so I decided to use the layout of the bouquet as my starting point.  And always lots of white space with bright colors!

  Using the Beautiful Bouquet stamp set and Bouquet Bunch framelits I stamped and cut out various flowers and 2 little leaves and layered them all on the stamped Call Me Clover stem.  I used 4 of the 5 colors on the bouquet and couldn't leave out Blueberry Bushel so I use it for the layer behind the flowers as well as the sentiment and 1/8" grosgrain ribbon bow.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Beautiful Bouquet, Itty Bitty Greetings

Ink: Lovely Lipstick, Grapefruit Grove, Pineapple Punch, Call Me Clover, Blueberry Bushel

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Blueberry Bushel

Accessories: Bouquet Bunch framelits, 1/8" Blueberry Bushel grosgrain ribbon

More Nature Thanks - Stampin' Up! Rooted in Nature

  Since I only got 3 stamp sets from the annual catalog preorder and one of them is a sentiment set you're going to be seeing a lot of the same sets in my cards for the near furture.  But I hope they are different enough to show the versatility of the stamps.

  I needed a thank you card to send to a young man in our church who generously made me a paracord bracelet over the weekend while we were all on a church campout for Memorial Day Weekend.  Well I should be honest;  the guys camped and I just went for the day on Saturday.  Someone had to stay home at night for the dog.  Yeah. That's the reason and I'm sticking to it! :)

  I joked that now I can rescue my husband if he falls off a cliff.  I just have to unravel the bracelet and haul him up with my bare hands!  Anyway the bracelet is super cool and of course I needed to send a thank you!

  I pulled out Rooted in Nature (again) because well camping, trees, leaves, outdoors etc.  And used the Paper Players challenge sketch for my layout.

 The card base is Soft Suede stamped with Soft Suede leaves.  Then I used a panel of the Nature's Poem DSP.  All the designs in this pack are beautiful and I really had to talk myself into cutting a sheet!  But it's worth it!  I stamped off the wood round once and then stamped it and cut out.  I added a few embossed and diecut leaves over a length of retired Tranquil Tide ribbon.  

  The sentiment from Itty Bitty Greetings is stamped in Tranquil Tide and popped up with mini dimensionals.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Rooted in Nature, Itty Bitty Greetings

Ink: Soft Suede, Tranquil Tide

Paper: Soft Suede, Whisper White, Tranquil Tide, Nature's Poem DSP

Accessories: Nature's Roots framelits, dimensionals, Tranquil Tide ribbon (retired)

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Nature Thank You - Stampin' Up! Rooted in Nature

  I'm continuing to enjoy my Stampin' Up! preorder goodies and trying to make a lot of samples to show my stampers at my new catalog party in a few weeks.

  The Rooted in Nature stamp set and coordinating Nature's Roots framelits will be used a lot I can already tell.  It's a big set with lots of different trees and leaves and some of the dies do embossing as well.  So many possibilities!

  I was just playing around with some different elements for this card.  I love the detail of the these leaf stamps.  All the veining and light shading make them very realistic.

  The card base is the new color Gray Granite which I think is kind of a mix of Sahara Sand and Smoky Slate.  It's a great neutral- just think for all those guy cards!

  I stamped the leaves onto Whisper White in Gray Granite ink and then backed the panel with a piece of So Saffron.

  The Rooted in Nature set has has a beautiful wood cut cross section stamp.  Again the details are beautiful!  I stamped that with Gray Granite onto Gray Granite cardstock and then fussy cut it.  I layered the rest of the card elements on top of the wood.  The leaf is embossed and cut in So Saffron cardstock, the small leaf cluster is stamped in Gray Granite and cut out.   A scrap of Whisper White for the long narrow sentiment.  Change out the sentiment and it could be a Father's Day card!

  I found the little scrap of retired Poppy Parade ribbon in my scrap bin from back in the day when Poppy Parade was an In Color.  Never throw away ribbon scraps...you never know when like 7 years later you'll need it! :)

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Rooted in Nature

Ink: Gray Granite

Paper: Gray Granite, So Saffron, Whisper White

Accessories: Nature's Roots Framelits, dimensionals, Poppy Parade ribbon (retired)

Pretty in Pink Vases - Stampin' Up! Varied Vases - Fab Friday 138

  It's definitely a Fab Friday since we are back with a brand new Fab Friday challenge for you!  Now I'm generally a "pinks only in small doses" kind of girl but this color combo grew on me the longer I had the colors in front of me.

    I did design my card with a healthy dose of black and white to keep it from getting into the Pepto Bismol realm.  In our first house the previous owners had painted one of the bedrooms exactly Pepto Bismol pink and it was so atrocious that we kept that bedroom door closed for a good 6 months until we got around to painting it.  The pink glow would seep under the door and visitors would ask us what the heck was going on in there!  We found out later that they had let their young daughter pick out the paint color.  We filed that lesson away as a definite heck no for when we had kids!  

 I'm loving the Varied Vases stamp set from the preorder and hope to be able to make a lot of samples for my upcoming new catalog party.  I put all of the vase outlines in a row onto a clear block and stamped them across the background panel.  Then I filled in some of them with our challenge colors.

  The hello panel just has the vase outline with 2 stems and then I stamped the flowers separately, filled them in and then fussy cut.  They are popped up with mini dimensionals and I added a black faceted dot to each flower center.  A bit of the almost retired Powder Pink ribbon accents the sentiment behind the scalloped frame.

  I hope to see your fabulous Pink! creation in our Fab Friday challenge gallery soon!  Check out the rest of the Design Team for more inspiration;  they never disappoint!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Varied Vases

Ink: Melon Mambo, Flirty Flamingo, Powder Pink

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White

Accessories: Layering Squares framelits, dimensionals, faceted dot, Powder Pink ribbon

  

Pop of Poppy - Stampin' Up! Varied Vases

 We've had a busy few days here at our house and I haven't had a moment to share a card since last Friday!  We've had various family visiting since last Friday night until this morning and I had to prepare for my monthly stamp club in the middle of all of it so it's been hard to find a moment of quiet to blog.

  My husband asked me to make a card for a coworker who was celebrating 20 years with his company.  They were going to do a little surprise party to honor her and of course they needed a card for the group to sign.

  I am itching to get all of the new catalog products I've been eyeing since my first peek at the full catalog but for now I need to be content with the few products I got in the preorder.  I think Varied Vases is my favorite so far.  I can't resist a well designed stamp set with a coordinating punch!  I stuck with a black and white card with a pop of color.

  The return of Poppy Parade made me happy as I was lukewarm on it for most of its In Color run back in the day and shortly before it retired for some reason I decided that it was a great color.  Of course by then it was on it's way to retiring so I was a bit sad over it.  Now I can renew my excitement for this bright bold red.  It's a great red to go with a black and white card isn't it?

  Nothing fancy on this one just a few small details like the stitched square, light Pool Party Stampin' Blends for the water in the vase and the 2 blossoms are fussy cut and popped up.  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

  Stamps: Varied Vases, Itty Bitty Greetings

  Ink: black, Poppy Parade, Versamark

  Blends: Pool Party light

  Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Basic Black, Petal Passion DSP

  Accessories: Reffled embossing folder, Layering Squares framelits, Stitched Shapes framelits, white embossing powder, rhinestones, adhesive

Birdhouse Neighborhood - Stampin' Up! Flying Home

 After 5 inches of rain the last day it's a good thing these birds live in houses up on stilts!  It has been rainy and wet for a few days with storms rolling through but last night it was just rain here in Richmond but a lot of it! All. Night.  They even cancelled school today due to flooding in our county.  The dreary weather hasn't done anything to help my photography either that's for sure.  And it looks like more of the same for the next few days!

 This is a simple design with just some easy stamping and coloring with markers.  I used a bit of the Sale-A-Bration Bubbles and Fizz DSP to back the stamped birdhouses.  That little rooster wind vane just cracks me up!  If you like the Flying Home set don't wait to order it as it will be retiring at the end of the Occasions catalog sale period on May 31.

  I pulled my colors from the Delightful Daisy DSP and used markers to color.  Even though the colors in the paper are softened to more of a pastel hue I think they translate well into a more bold and saturated look here.

  The sentiment is from the Sunshine Sayings set and is stamped on a piece of Pool Party.  I added a Night of Navy baker's twine bow and some retired Night of Navy candy dots because I still have a TON of them left!

  Stay dry!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Flying Home, Sunshine Sayings

Ink: Black

Markers: Calypso Coral, Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake, Tranquil Tide, Pool Party

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Bubbles & Fizz DSP (retired), Pool Party

Accessories: dimensionals. Night of Navy bakers twine, candy dots (retired)

Work of Art Father's Day- Stampin' Up Work of Art

  Now that we have Mother's Day firmly in the rearview mirror it's time to look towards Father's Day. Now a lot of people might think that guys just don't really care about getting handstamped cards but I'm here to say that some of the nicest compliments I've heard about my stamping are from guys.  Maybe because it's a bit unexpected but it almost seems like the guys are just floored that someone made something with just them in mind.  I always figure that everyone deserves something special to celebrate their day!

  A great go to guy stamp set is the Work of Art set.  It's retiring in a few weeks so don't wait to order it if you've always wanted it.  It's got some fun splooshes and splashes and the zig zag stamp is a great one as well!

  I pulled a few colors and just layered them up on the card front.  Now here is where the also soon to be retiring Stamp-a-ma-jig comes in really handy.  I got the 3 different zigzags lined up just right.  You could also use the Stamp-a-ratus but alas my Work of Art set is woodmount so that doesn't work.

  The sentiment badge is stamped in black using the Thoughtful Banners which makes for tons of sentiment combinations.

  Now head to those stamp rooms and get going on your Father's Day creations!  Lots of time to design something to wow those guys in your life.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Work of Art, Thoughtful Banners

Ink: Garden Green, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Sky, black

Paper: Pear Pizzazz, Garden Green, Whisper White

Accessories: circle punches/dies, dimensionals, Pear Pizzazz shimmer ribbon

Purple Palette Mother's Day - Stampin' Up! Petal Palette

  Now that I have all of my new colors integrated into my storage systems it's been fun playing around with some new and carry over items together on projects.

 I made this card for my mother in law for Mother's Day.  I do the designing and my husband does the message writing so we're both showing our love!  She adores purple and flowers so I always try to incorporate both into the cards I make for her.  Hopefully she isn't sick of it after all these years!  When the Color Revamp was announced I was very pleased to see the 2 new purples (Gorgeous Grape and Highland Heather) as well as the returning Blackberry Bliss.  They will add some freshness to my designs for sure.

  The card design is pretty simple letting the beautiful flowers be the star of the show.  The card base is Whisper White thick with a layer of the beautiful Petal Passion DSP.

  The sentiment is a retired one from the Delightful Dozen set stamped in black and cut out with the Layering Ovals framelits and back with a scalloped oval in black also cut with the Layering Ovals framelits.

  The Petal Palette flower cluster is stamped in black and cut out with the Petals & More thinlets.  It's colored in with ink and blender pens.  I used Highland Heather with a little bit of Gorgeous Grape and Old Olive for the leaves.  The new design of ink pads doesn't easily allow for pressing the inside of the lid into the pad to pick up a little pool of ink to color like with the old design.  To watercolor with the new ink pads just press a clear block to the ink pad and there you have your ink to work with.  Clean the block with Stampin' Mist and your Stampin' Scrub.  Done and done.

  The new Polka Dot tulle ribbon is a perfect little embellishment to add to the card but not take away from the flowers so I added just a simple knot next to the popped up flowers.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Petal Palette, Delightful Dozen (retired)

Ink: Black, Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape, Old Olive

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Petal Passion DSP

Accessories: Layering Oval framelits, Petals & More thinlets, Polka Dot tulle ribbon, dimensionals

Christmas in May - Stampin' Up! Lovely As A Tree

  Sometimes you just have to start super early on Christmas cards and I saw a challenge over at Merry Monday last week to help me get a jump start on winter!  The challenge is already closed but that doesn't mean you can't make a card for it anyway.  The challenge was to make a card with stars and I can definitely do that.

  I decided to combine the classic Lovely As A Tree with the new set Rooted in Nature.  They pair beautifully together as they are the same style.  It's wonderful to have another offering in the classic style of Lovely As A Tree (LAAT) but expanded and with coordinating framelits.  I know I will be getting a lot of use out Rooted in Nature.

  The card base is Cherry Cobbler, then a layer of Very Vanilla, then a layer Wood Textures DSP stamped with the smaller pine trees from Rooted in Nature.  I used the returning color Mossy Meadow.  

  The large pine is from LAAT and cut it out with a scalloped oval framelit.  I backed it wiht a slightly larger oval cut from Gold Glimmer paper.  A larger gold star was cut with the Wood Crate framelits. and tops the tree using a dimensional.

  I added a bit of linen thread for a more rustic look and then sprinkled some leftover kit star sequins on the card front.  

  One Christmas card down 75 more to go!  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, Rooted in Nature

Ink: Mossy Meadow

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Wood Textures DSP, Gold Glimmer

Accessories: linen thread, Layering Oval framelits, Wood Crate framelits, star sequins, dimensionals

Varied Vase Line Up - Stampin' Up! Varied Vases

Happy Friday!  Let's roll into the weekend with a new Fab Friday challenge!  We've got a versatile sketch challenge this time around.  Just in time for you demos out there who have already received your preorders!  

 I used the new Varied Vases bundle again (check out yesterdays post to see another card made with this sweet set!).  Not only did I want to play with my new stamp set and punch I wanted to use some new colors too!  I'm debuting Highland Heather and Soft Sea Foam for the first time here.  What do you think?  When I saw Highland Heather listed on the color revamp list I must admit to squealing a bit for 2 reasons; first, because it's a lovely color and I had been wanting a new softer purple for ages. The second reason for the wee squeal was due to the name 'Highland Heather'.  I've recently discovered the Outlander series of books and the tv show so it seems I'm drawn lately to all things Scottish Highlands.  I wonder if whomever chooses the color names at Stampin' Up! is also an Outlander fan??  Inquiring minds want to know!

 Nothing fancy going on here just some layered vases stamped in Soft Sea Foam on Whisper White with the last vase made with both Soft Sea Foam ink and cardstock.  The outline of the flowers are stamped with Highland Heather with the centers filled in also with Highland Heather but stamped off once for a paler version.

  All of that is layered on top of a piece of Wood Textures DSP which I'm so glad they decided to carry over.  For the scalloped detail I used the fun lacy like detail die from Petals & More thinlet set.

  To keep the background subtle I embossed a piece of Whisper White cardstock with the Layered Leaves embossing folder.

  A white bakers twine bow and some adhesive pearls finish off the details for this card.  

  Head on over to Fab Friday to get some more inspiration from the rest of the design team and then get working on your own creation to share with us.  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Varied Vases

Ink: Soft Sea Foam, Highland Heather

Paper: Soft Sea Foam, Whisper White, Wood Textures DSP, Highland Heather

Accessories: Vase Builder punch, Layered Leaves e.f., pearls, baker's twine, dimensionals, Petals & More thinlets

Clean & Simple Orchid Vase - Stampin' Up! Varied Vases

Just a quick post to share this fun card made with a bit of my new catalog preorder.  The Varied Vases bundle is super cute and combinations of vases and flowers seems pretty endless.  And paired with the Itty Bitty Greetings set which is also a new product makes for even more choices.

I used the current Global Design Project challenge for my colors on this card.  The bold, bright combo was perfect for some Mother's Day flowers.

 I kept the design very clean and simple and just used a lot of layers to set off the image.

 You'll definitely be seeing more of this fun Varied Vases bundle from me in the future (hint...maybe tomorrow!).

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Varied Vases, Itty Bitty Greetings

Ink: Pool Party, Lemon Lime Twist, Melon Mambo, black

Paper: Pool Party, Lemon Lime Twist, Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Whisper White

Accessories: Vases Builder punch, faceted dots

Tea for Two - Stampin' Up! Balloon Celebrations

  The whole point of participating in challenges is to stretch yourself and your supplies to create something that is outside of your comfort zone.  I saw the Tea Party theme over at The Paper Players and thought for sure that this is one that I would skip since I don't have any tea related stamps.  Then I started looking and digging and reading all of the sentiments I owned and decided that yes I think maybe I could participate in this challenge.

  The only tea stamp I had is in the Balloon Celebrations stamp set so that is what I went with by default.  It's stamped in Soft Suede and then I cut the banner and did some faux stitching.  The card base is the soon to be retired Soft Sky with the front embossed with Quilt Top embossing folder.

  I layered a little bit of Garden Green cardstock behind a strip of Coffee Break DSP.  Then I fussy cut  2 cups from another of the papers.  I popped the cups up on some punched circles and that's it.  

  I think I should go back and add some ribbon or something.  I think I was so intent on making this tea card out of my limited supplies that I missed some embellishment opportunities!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Balloon Celebrations

Ink: Soft Suede

Paper: Soft Sky, Garden Green, Whisper White, Coffee Break DSP

Accessories: Quilt Top embossing folder, circle punches, dimensionals

Bold Peony - Stampin' Up! You've Got This

 There are good things and bad things about this time in the Stampin' Up! year.  The bad is that when you pull all of the retiring products off of your shelves you get a bit sad because it seems. like. so. much. stuff.  And then you realize how you didn't use a lot of it as much as you wanted to and you get a bit more sad.  But the good part is that you then go on a mad rush to use some of the retiring products whether just to use up the last few pieces of a DSP pack or to make that one card you always had in your mind but never got around to doing.

  I decided to use the retiring You've Got This stamp set for one last hurrah.  I found some time to participate in a few challenges and came across the one over at Color Throwdown which seemed like the perfect one for the big blossom. Coral, Green and Kraft. Done and done!

  This stamp was made for coloring!  I used my Stampin' Blends to color it in and then cut it out with my Oval framelits.  The rest of the card is basic....Crumb Cake base and a bit of the Petal Passion DSP.  I have used this DSP a lot and still have a bunch left.  I see more black and white elements on my cards for the next 3 weeks!

  A Pear Pizzazz Shimmer ribbon bow detail and a bit of Wink of Stella in the flower center finish this card off. 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: You've Got This

Ink: black

Blends: Old Olive, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight

Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Petal Passion DSP

Accessories: Oval framelits, Shimmer ribbon, Wink of Stella

Tailored Rainbow Celebration - Stampin' Up! Tailored Tag Punch

  My grand plan for the weekend was to buckle down and make some cards for Mother's Day and maybe get a head start on some designing for my May class.  I made it into the stamp room which was a big step as the weather was so nice this weekend that I kind of wanted to just sit outside with a cold drink and my book.  But I didn't get very much stamping done as my 2018-2019 Annual catalog preorder arrived on Friday afternoon so I had a huge box of new supplies just sitting there staring at me.  What to do? What to do?

  What I did was end up just organizing and not stamping!  Best of intentions huh?  I had to put the stickers on all of my new inkpads, re-arrange my ink pad storage (if you're in the market for a wall mounted ink pad storage check out this post with instructions from my wonderful husband on how to make your own), re-do all of my paper storage and make new labels etc.  By the time I had it all figured out it was time to make dinner!  At least I have all the new colors and color collections set up!

  So I'll just have to share the last card we did at my April class and maybe I'll have time later today for some stamping!

  Since it's graduation season I thought it would be kind of fun to use some products that you wouldn't necessarily think of for that occasion.  We created this fun rainbow background with the Tailored Tag punch and lots of paper!  The supply packets were bulging for this project!  

  You need 2 Tailored Tag punch shapes for each color and you simply layer them starting at the second row.  We adhered all of our shapes onto a layer of Whisper White that was cut slightly smaller than the card front.  After you adhere all of the rows you'll have some overhang which you simply trim with a paper cutter or scissors.

  The Tempting Turquoise and Tangerine Tango rows were stamped first with the confetti stamps from Picture Perfect Birthday.  A graduation is certainly worthy of some celebration confetti.  And I thought the sentiment works for not only a birthday but a graduation as well.

  The clouds are punched out with the Tree Builder punch in Shimmery White cardstock.  We added a bit of sparkle with some rhinestones and a bit of silver ribbon.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Picture Perfect Birthday

Ink: black, Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango

Paper: Perfect Plum, Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise, Lemon Lime Twist, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White, Shimmery White cardstock

Accessories: Tailored Tag punch, Layering Oval framelits, Tree builder punch, rhinestones, silver ribbon, dimensionals

Bluebird Flying Home - Stampin' Up! Flying Home

 A while back I posted this Flying Home card and mentioned how we have a camera in our bluebird box and were hoping to see another pair build a nest and raise some babies.  Well we did have a lovely couple move in and start a family!  We've been watching the babies get bigger and bigger day by day and they will be fledging any time now.

  My stampers got to watch the bluebird family at my last stamp club and I purposely put this card at the table in that room so they could see all the action.

  This card was a last hurrah for several products and colors before they retire and are gone for good.  The Flying Home set didn't make the carry over list to the new annual catalog which I'm sad about so I wanted to be sure my stampers used it in class to see how cute it is.  The leaves stamped in the background are from the Rose Wonder set that is also retiring.  That big rose stamp and coordinating thinlets are just gorgeous.  Take another look just in case!

  Some colors on this card are also retiring; Wild Wasabi (colored leaves and the leaf background panel), Island Indigo (narrow band across the front and some of the flowers), Marina Mist (the bird and some flowers), Dapper Denim a retiring In Color (flower buds) and lastly Tangerine Tango (the bird beak).

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Flying Home, Rose Wonder

Ink: black, Wild Wasabi 

Markers: Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, Marina Mist, Tangerine Tango, Wild Wasabi, Dapper Denim

Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Island Indigo

Accessories: Stitched Shapes framelits, dimensionals, Whisper White classic weave ribbon

Springtime Wings - Stampin' Up! Watercolor Wings

  Way back when, I snagged a pre-order slot for a Stamp-a-ratus and then the day finally came when it showed up on my doorstep.  And I ripped open the box and lovingly unpacked it.  And there it sat on my stamping desk for weeks!  I didn't have a lot of time to play around with it when I first got it but I was bound and determined to design a card using it for my April stamp club.  I wanted my stampers to get some hands on time with it to see it in action.

  I think it was a great introduction to the Stamp-a-ratus and they all did great with it.  I'm happy to say that they all learned from me what 'not' to do with the magnets!  Needless to say some replacement magnets will be on my order as soon as the new annual catalog goes live.  I told them that's why I'm the demo and get the stuff first so I can figure it out and save them time and hassle lol! I take my job very seriously!

  The Watercolor Wings stamp set is beautiful but does make for some challenging stamping; especially once the photopolymer gets a bit stained.  It can be hard to see to line up the edges of the different layers when using lighter colors inks.  The Stamp-a-ratus makes it so easy to get each layer just where it needs to be.

  I knew my stampers could handle it so we used 3 different inks to create this beauty.  The first layer which is the most solid one is Pink Pirouette, then So Saffron along the edges and finally Peekaboo Peach for the center and dot details.

  The rest of the card is a snap as well; Pink Pirouette dots along one edge of the card front, a square of the Petal Passion DSP (they got to pick their pattern-- so fun to see the different card looks depending on the design chosen).  A sentiment banner in Peekaboo Peach with some pearl accents and a bit organza ribbon for a tail on the butterfly.

  I acutally saw a butterfly in my yard yesterday so this card is timely!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Watercolor Wings

Ink: Pink Pirouette, So Saffron, Peekaboo Peach, black

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Petal Passion DSP, Peekaboo Peach

Accessories: pearls, dimensionals, organza ribbon, Bold Butterfly framelits

Sparkling Birthday Wit - Stampin' Up! Birthday Wit

 I can always use more birthday cards so I try to always have a birthday card design at my monthly class.  As soon as I read the sentiments in the Birthday Wit stamp set in the Occasions catalog I knew I needed to order it.  They are cute and a little 'fresh' so it's a great change from the "many beautiful blessings on your birthday" kind of sentiments.  More traditional sentiments aren't bad but sometimes you've got someone in your life that a sweet, flowery message just don't work for.

  Since the sentiments are clearly the stars of this stamp set I wanted to present this one front and center.  It just made me laugh as when you really think about cards they are paper folded in half...albeit usually pretty paper with a nice crisp fold but paper nonetheless!  

  The sentiment is first stamped in Dapper Denim (will miss this In Color for sure!) and then again in Berry Burst to just get the "happy birthday" block to cut out and pop up on dimensionals.  

  The card base is Pool Party with the little burst stamped in Pool Party ink.  A strip of the turquoise Myths & Magic Shimmer paper makes a nice sparkly flag for the sentiment to go over.  

  I pulled in the Picture Perfect Birthday stamp set to make the Lemon Lime Twist/Pool Party bow which is fussy cut and popped with a dimensional.

  The final decoration to this party in a card are a few of the Tutti Frutti sequins.  I love the adhesive already on these sequins...makes it really easy for classes since there isn't any dry time for glue.

  The inside of the card just has the "happy birthday" sentiment with more of the bursts stamped around it.

  Remember you don't always have to have a large image stamp as the focal point to a card.  Let the sentiment be the star sometimes and use some smaller images as accents.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Birthday Wit, Picture Perfect Birthday

Ink: Dapper Denim, Berry Burst, Pool Party, Lemon Lime Twist

Paper: Pool Party, Berry Burst, Whisper White, Myths & Magic Glimmer paper

Accessories: dimensionals, Tutti Frutti sequins

Crate of Petals - Stampin' Up! Petal Palette

  It looks like the Richmond area is heading straight to summer weather today!  I think spring was only a week long or so.  I saw a funny meme the other day that said, "if I knew spring was only going to last for 3 days I would have enjoyed it more."  Sums it up!

  Todays card is another that we did last month at my stamp club.  I wanted to try to combine some annual catalog products with some Occasions catalog items.  I thought making a little wood crate holding some flowers would be a sweet spring (or for this week, summer) card.

 The card base is the retiring Marina Mist with a layer of Whisper White embossed with the Pinewood Planks embossing folder.

  The crate is so easy to make with the Wood Crate framelits.  My class picked from the Wood Textures DSP and just cut out the front part of the crate and trimmed off any extra.  To make a whold crate you need to die cut 2 full pieces and put them together.

  The flowers from Petal Palette in the Occasions catalog are stamped in Basic Gray for a less heavy and bold look that you get from back ink.  Using Blender pens the flowers were colored with Calypso Coral ink and Peekaboo Peach ink.  The leaves are colored with Pear Pizzazz ink.  After coloring the image is cut out with the coordinating Petals & More thinlets.

  Now before we put the crate on the card front we adhered a bit less than half of a paper doily folding over the edge on the back of the crate.  Using dimensionals the crate and flowers are popped up.

  A little Calypso Coral shimmer ribbon from Sale-a-Bration finishes off this all purpose spring/summer card.  I left a few extra of this design blank so I could just add what I need before popping it in the mail.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Petal Palette

Ink: Basic Gray, Calypso Coral, Peekaboo Peach, Pear Pizzazz

Paper: Marina Mist, Whisper White, Wood Textures DSP

Accessories: Petals & More thinlets, paper doily, dimensionals, Wood Crate Framelits, Calypso Coral shimmer ribbon (SAB), Pinewood Planks embossing folder