Framed Kindness - Stampin' Up! Timeless Arrangements

   Last week I had to buckle down and design my projects for class this week so I was browsing some challenges to just spark some ideas and see what I could come up with and I looked at the Tic Tac Toe Challenge.  They always have a great choice board giving 8 different combos of elements to use.  I started putting something together to see if it would work for a class card.  It ended up that I loved the results but I did so much die cutting to create it there was no way 20 people would be able to make it in a class.  Oh well.  But check back tomorrow to see how I used elements from this card on different design for class!

  I ended up using the middle down column: Frame it, gold or silver and leaves.  Can you see now why this wouldn't work for a big group class??

  I started with a Very Vanilla thick base and then another layer of Very Vanilla embossed with the new Distressed Tile embossing folder.

  The frame is made with Pretty Peacock cardstock and 2 of the Deckled Rectangle dies.  I popped the frame on dimensionals.  

  Next is more die cutting with the Timeless Arrangements die set to get all the leafy elements; 2 of each to go around the sentiment and the sentiment itself which is stamped in Pretty Peacock.  After arranging all the leaves I tore a strip of Distressed Gold Specialty paper to go behind the whole arrangement.  Finally a few dimensionals adhere it to the card front.

  My retired embellishment stash held a few faceted gold gems so I scattered them around the leaves for a bit of shine.

  All of the current items used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  Items marked with a * will be available September 6, 2023.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Timeless Arrangements

Ink: Pretty Peacock

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, Pretty Peacock, Wild Wheat, Petal Pink, Distressed Gold Specialty paper

Accessories: Timeless Arrangement dies, Deckled Rectangle dies, dimensionals, Distressed Tile embossing folder*, gold faceted gems (retired)

Autumn Layers - Stampin' Up! Layering Leaves

   I used the fabulous fall colors from the current Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge to design this card that my customers made in class this week.  These could also be great colors to base a masculine card on.

  I started with a Very Vanilla thick base and then embossed a piece of Very Vanilla with the soon to be released Distressed Tile embossing folder and adhered it to the card front.

  For the strips I used Midnight Muse, a piece of the new All About Autumn DSP in a Copper Clay/ metallic copper design and a piece of Pecan Pie.  The Midnight Muse and Pecan Pie are both stamped with the same color ink with stamps from the Layering Leaves stamp set.

  On top of the strips I added a tag made with the Tailor Made Tags dies.  The sentiment is stamped in Pecan Pie.  A bit of Copper Clay textured ribbon and vanilla bakers twine are tied on before adhering it with dimensionals.

  2 leaf sprigs are stamped; one in Misty Moonlight on Very Vanilla cardstock and the other in Copper Clay ink on the same color of cardstock.  Both are punched out with the Bough punch.  A bit of highlight coloring on both springs with Blends markers.

  Finally a tiny bough is punched from the new Oxidized Copper specialty paper and the 3 boughs are added to the side of the tag. A few mini dimensionals at the top of the sprigs help secure them to the card front.

  Final details is an adhesive-back speckled dot at the base of the stems.

  All current items used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  Items marked with a * will be available starting September 6, 2023.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Layering Leaves

Ink: Pecan Pie, Misty Moonlight, Copper Clay

Blends: Misty Moonlight light, Copper Clay light

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Very Vanilla, Pecan Pie, Misty Moonlight, Copper Clay, All About Autumn DSP*, Oxidized Copper Specialty paper*

Accessories: Bough punch, Distressed Tile embossing folder*, Tailor Made Tags dies, dimensionals, Copper Clay textured ribbon, very vanilla twine, adhesive-back speckled dot*

Musical Bird Birthday - Stampin' Up! Bird's Eye View

     I'm playing along with Seize the Birthday and their fun topping theme of of "make it musical".  I had to combine a bunch of different products to get this one to be musical because I don't have a musical theme stamp set that I could focus on.  But it is called a challenge for a reason!

  I started this one with a Very Vanilla thick base which I've used a lot lately since it's now kind of the autumn season and that seems to be the only time I use Very Vanilla with any regularity.  It's like my fall version of white for some reason.  During the rest of the year Vanilla just isn't crisp enough for me so I rarely use it unless matching a DSP.  But it works for now right?

  I pulled out the little music note stamp from the Sweet Songbirds set and stamped it on a narrow strip of Pool Party and paired it up with a strip from Let's Go Fishing DSP, a piece of Very Vanilla embossed with the Merry Melody embossing folder and then finally a strip of Joy of Christmas DSP which is kind of a woodgrain and music notes pattern.  I adhered these onto a square of Very Vanilla and adhered it to the card base.

   Since birds sing and make their own kind of music I decided to use one of the birds from Bird's Eye View as the focal image o go with the theme a little bit more.  It's stamped in Pecan Pie ink onto Very Vanilla and then colored in with Blends markers.  It's then fussy cut and popped up on a bit of twine and a Tree Rings Hybrid die cut that I had in my orphaned card parts bin.

  The sentiment also comes from the Sweet Songbird stamp set and is stamped in pecan Pie under the strips.

  Finally I added a few retired Pale Papaya gems (they always looked more yellow than orange so they work well with these colors.)

  All of the current products used to make this card can be ordered in my ONLINE STORE.  Items marked with a * will be available starting September 6, 2023.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Bird's Eye View, Sweet Songbirds

Ink: Pecan Pie, Pool Party

Blends: Pool Party light & dark, Daffodil Delight light & dark

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Very Vanilla, Pool Party, Let's Go Fishing DSP, Joy of Christmas DSP*, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Tree Rings Hybrid dies/embossing folder, Merry Melody embossing folder, dimensionals, twine, gems (retired)

Summer Fun Birthday - Stampin' Up! Silly Goose

   I pulled out a carry over stamp set from the spring mini catalog to use for my card today.  In my neck of the woods school has already started so the summer fun is over but the weather is still very much "summer" so I thought I would play along with the As You See It Challenge and give this carry over set  some love.   The Just Add Ink Challenge had a great layout that was perfect for this image.

    The Silly Goose stamp set is cute and super easy to color and since the theme is summer I went with the sweet little goose enjoying some time on the water with a friend.

  

  I started with a Blueberry Bushel base, then a piece of Bright & Beautiful DSP backed with a piece of Lemon Lolly.  The wavy pattern went perfectly with the water on the stamp and gave me a lot of colors to incorporate with my Blends markers.  I cut a second circle from a different pattern in the Bright & Beautiful pack and used it as the sky and added a few clouds die cut with the Zany Zoo die set.

  The sentiment is from a retired set called Itty Bitty Birthdays and was the right scale to fit with the sketch.  I stamped it in Berry Burst and cut it apart and popped it on dimensionals.  The "birthday" has a bit of Lemon Lolly sheer ribbon behind it for some detail.

  

  A few sparkle gems finish off the details for this summer birthday card.

  

  All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased through my ONLINE STORE.  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Silly Goose, Itty Bitty Birthdays (retired)

Ink: Memento Black, Berry Burst

Blends: Azure Afternoon light & dark, Lemon Lolly light & dark, Berry Burst light & dark, Lemon Lime Twist light & dark, Bubble Bath light, Crumb Cake light, Daffodil Delight dark

Paper: Blueberry Bushel, Lemon Lolly, Bright Beautiful DSP, Basic White

Accessories: Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals, Zany Zoo dies, Lemon Lolly Sheer Ribbon, Sparkle Gems

Colorful Tree Fun - Stampin' Up! Wishes All Around

  For my card today I was inspired by a new to me challenge site called Time Out Challenges and their current theme is "colorful".  A few of my stamping friends have shared cards inspired by this site and I thought it was high time to add it to my list.  You can never have enough inspiration right?  And it's 2 week challenge which is nice because sometimes I just can't do a one week turnaround lol!  

  I used the Wishes All Around bundle again today and I definitely love how this one came out but I think it might be a one and done kind of design lol!  It's a bit fussy and time consuming even with the 3 tree dies in the set (which I love, definitely makes things go faster but still...21 trees!).  For my local customers who attend my classes; don't hold your breathe, we won't be doing this one in class!

  The actual design is very simple with a Basic Black base topped with a piece of Whisper White embossed with the coming soon Snowflake Sky embossing folder.

  Next I stamped the trees 3 times in each of my 7 colors (listed below).  I was happy to use up a bunch of small scraps for the trees so that's always a good thing! Then comes the die cutting for the trees.  

  The sentiment banner is stamped with one of the sentiments from another new set; Merry & Bright.  I stamped it in Versamark and then embossed it in white on Basic Black cardstock.  One of the banners from Stylish Shapes dies cuts it out.

  Now I'm ready to assemble the card.  Not gonna lie here, I took a bit of time to arrange the trees and banner to get a feel for spacing and such.  I used my grid paper to help line things up and to try to maintain spacing.  Once I had everything set I added a mini dimensional to the back of each tree and some regular sized ones to the banner.  I started adhering at the bottom row and from the 2 outside trees in towards the middle to help maintain even spacing.  Then I worked my way up the card with the banner and 2 other tree rows.  I think I did ok and only see one tree that's a little wonky.

  After that it was just a matter of adding a few embellishments.  I added a Sweet Sorbet baker's twine bow and then some of the new Iridescent-Backed Discs.  They are actually more white but the iridescent pink tones showed up in the photo so it looks like they don't quite match.  And that's that, another Christmas card for the stash.

  All of the items used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  Items marked with a * will be available starting September 6, 2023.  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Wishes All Around*, Merry & Bright*

Ink: Versamark, Mossy Meadow, Pretty Peacock, Pool Party, Sweet Sorbet, Flirty Flamingo, Daffodil Delight, Lemon Lolly

Paper: Basic Black, Basic White

Accessories: Snowflake Sky embossing folder*, Wishes All Around dies*, Iridescent-backed Discs*, Stylish Shapes dies, white embossing powder, Sweet Sorbet baker's twine, dimensionals

  

Merry Tree Wreath - Stampin' Up! Wishes All Around

   You can't go wrong with a wreath stamp set especially for Christmas cards.  I really liked the look of the Wishes All Around stamp set and especially the coordinating dies for having 3 different shaped wreaths to choose from.  I paired it up with the Color Throwdown challenge which has us using aqua, green and gray.  I translated those colors to Stampin' Up!'s Pool Party, Garden Green and Smoky Slate.

  I started this one with a Pool Party base, then embossed a piece of Smoky Slate with the new Snowflake Sky embossing folder.  Then I lightly drug my Whisper White craft ink pad over the raised parts to have them stand out a bit more.

  Next I stamped the tree wreath in Garden Green and cut it out with the matching die as well as another one in Garden Green ink.  I layered them with the Garden Green one in the back and offset and popped it up on dimensionals.

  I stamped the sentiment from the Wishes All Around set in Smoky Slate onto Pool Party then cut it out with a Stylish Shapes circle die.  I added a length of the new white iridescent ribbon behind it and also popped it on dimensionals.  

  Using the individual snowflake dies from the set I cut 3 out of Textured Shimmer paper and added them to the card front with a retired Pool Party gem in the center.

  All of the current product used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  Items below marked with a * will be available for purchase on September 6, 2023.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Wishes All Around*

Ink: Craft white, Garden Green, Smoky Slate

Paper: Pool Party, Smoky Slate, Garden Green, Basic White, Textured Shimmer paper

Accessories: Wishes All Around dies*, Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals, White Iridescent ribbon*, Pool Party gems (retired)

Falling Leaves Thanks - Stampin' Up! Autumn Leaves Bundle

   I found some fantastic inspiration for my card today over at Global Design Project with their "CASE the Designer" theme.  We're to case the card shown which was made by Emma Goddard.  Her card is an adorable floral card in a straightforward layout.  I took the larger, popped up letters for the sentiment as well as the images behind the sentiment for my inspiration but made it a fall card.

  I went with a little bit of a non-traditional fall color combo but I think it works!  I started with a Very Vanilla thick card base then topped it with a panel of Petal Pink.  

  Using the smaller leaf dies from the Autumn Leaves die set I cut a variety in different papers and shapes.  I used Calypso Coral, Old Olive, Very Vanilla and Oxidized Copper Specialty paper.  I adhered them to the background panel similar to the inspiration card and then trimmed off any overhang.  The smaller sizes of some of the leaves in this die set are great to have on hand for accents on lots of fall projects.  The Oxidized Copper Specialty paper is just gorgeous and on a more simple looking card like this the pop of metallic is a perfect accent.

  The letters are made with Basic Black cardstock layered onto a foam adhesive sheet and the Alphabet a la Mode dies.  I took my time lining them up on the card front before finally adhering them and I think I got them mostly even!

  The final bit to this card is the smaller sentiment from the Autumn Leaves stamp set stamped on Very Vanilla in Memento Black and popped on dimensionals.

  All of the current items used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE. Items marked with * are available for purchase starting September 6, 2023.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Autumn Leaves*

Ink: Memento Black

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Petal Pink, Calypso Coral, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Oxidized Copper Specialty paper*

Accessories: Autumn Leaves dies, foam adhesive sheets, Alphabet a la Mode dies, dimensionals

Festive Giraffe - Stampin' Up! Festive & Fun

   Christmas stamping might not be in full swing just yet but I am definitely getting more than just my toes wet!  The Christmas products that I ordered in the demonstrator pre-order have been really fun to create with and the Festive & Fun stamp set is no exception.  The adorable animal images are perfect for those light and fun Christmas card designs.

  I used a now closed Christmas Challenge from 52 Christmas Card Throwdown for the layout inspiration.  This is a fantastic challenge site that gets you stamping all year round for Christmas so (theoretically) you don't have a mad scramble in December.  The long skinny panel on the righthand side was perfect for the tall giraffe!

  I started this one with a classic Real Red base, then I added 3 panels of Textured Shimmer paper in Shaded Spruce for a nice subtle effect.

  Next the giraffe is stamped in Memento black and then colored in with Blends markers and some accents of gold with a Wink of Stella.

  The sentiment is stamped in Real Red and cut into a skinny banner.  A bit of retired gold twine is added to one side before popping the banner on dimensionals.  A few gold sequins are added to complete the details.

  All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE. Items below marked with a * will be available for ordering on September 6.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Festive & Fun*

Ink: Memento Black, Real Red

Blends: Daffosil Delight light & dark, Bronze, Pecan Pie light, Old Olive light & dark, Real Red dark, Shaded Spruce light & dark, Crumb Cake light

Paper: Real Red, Textured Shimmer paper, Basic White

Accessories: Wink of Stella gold, gold sequins, dimensionals, gold twine (retired)

Simple Jack 'O Lantern - Stampin' Up! Pick of the Patch

  It's always hard for me to resist a pumpkin set or a wreath set so of course I bought both in the demonstrator preorder and have combined them for my card today.

   I tried to keep this one clean and simple so I started with a Basic White thick card base and stamped the pumpkin directly onto it in Pumpkin Pie and added the stem and vine in Old Olive.  I embossed the face and the sentiment in black for a nice glossy accent.

  Next I cut the wreath using the Wishes All Around dies in Crumb Cake and colored the little berries with my Old Olive marker and adhered it around the pumpkin.

  Finally I embossed the crow in black and fussy cut it and colored the beak.  It's popped on a dimensional.

  All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  Items marked with a * will be available starting September 6.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pick of the Patch*

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Versamark

Paper: Basic White thick, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Wishes All Around dies*, dimensionals, black embossing powder, Old Olive marker

  

Autumn Change - Stampin’ Up! Autumn Leaves

 I’m back to sharing fall cards in the heat of summer today!  The Autumn Leaves bundle will be seeing a lot of ink in the coming months.  I’m already planning out some birthday cards and a few designs for Thanksgiving.  The whole All About Autumn Suite is just gorgeous so if you’re looking for some great products for fall stamping definitely check them out in the new Sept.-Dec. 2023 mini catalog coming out on Sept. 6.

  I had noted this color combo in the spring and it seemed kind of a fresh take on a fall palette so having a lot of different leaves to work with in this bundle was a perfect time to try it out.

I started with a Cajun Craze card base and then topped it with a piece of Very Vanilla embossed with the new Distressed Tile embossing folder (I’ve used this one a lot already and I hope you don’t get sick of seeing it but it’s just so pretty I can’t help myself!).

  I stamped off each of the leaves for a lighter version with the ribs stamped in the full strength ink for a darker, contrasting look and then cut other leaves from card stock in all the colors and arranged them in a bit of a circle on the card front.  

  I cut 2 lengths of ribbon; a bit of copper and a bit of Pool Party and layered them adhering with a bit of Tear & Tape across the leaves.

  The sentiment is stamped in Cajun Craze and then die cut with one of the label dies in the Autumn Leaves die set.  It’s then popped on dimensional.  I found a few retired Pool Party gems and added those around the leaves.

  All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  Items below marked with a * will be available for purchase September 6, 2023.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Autumn Leaves*

Ink: Cajun Craze, Wild Wheat, Calypso Coral

Paper: Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla, Pool Party, Wild Wheat, Calypso Coral, Petal Pink

Accessories: Autumn Leaves dies*, Distressed Tile embossing folder*, Copper & Natural ribbon combo pack*, Pool Party grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals, Pool Party gems (retired)

Citrusy Birthday - Stampin’ Up! Sweet Citrus

  I’m taking a break from posting out of season cards and I’m going to share a bright summer-y card to go with this hot weather.  The Hand Stamped Sentiments team has a great inspiration board to work with this challenge.  I just loved all the bright colors and citrus theme but I couldn’t choose just one citrus fruit to create around so I decided to do three!

  Using the Sweet Citrus stamp set, embossing folder and dies I gave the citrus fruits some love!

  I started with a Parakeet Party base, then embossed 3 panels in my colors with the embossing folder and lined them up on a piece of Basic White to created the background.  I stamped an orange, lemon and lime and die cut them.

  The sentiment is stamped on Basic White and then the banner is cut out with Stylish Shapes dies.  I dug around in my retired ribbon and found some Crushed Curry baker’s twine from way back in the day and wrapped that around the embossed panel then popped the banner and some of the citrus up on dimensionals.  A few retired milky dots are the final pieces to this zesty birthday card.

  All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sweet Citrus

Ink: Memento Black, Pumpkin Pie, Parakeet Party, Daffodil Delight

Paper: Parakeet Party, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Basic White

Accessories: Sweet Citrus embossing folder, Sweet Citrus dies, dimensionals, baker’s twine (retired), milky dots (retired)

Fa La La Fun - Stampin' Up! Festive & Fun

   The Inspired By Challenge has us using "alphabet" as the prompt this time.  They were intending it to be a bit of a back to school theme I think but I totally went straight for Christmas again!  I made a big sentiment with my Alphabet A La Mode dies and added an adorable moose to go with!

  This one was a lot of fun to make with the bight colors and bold metallic letters.  I started with a Melon Mambo base, then cut a piece of the new Merry Bold & Bright DSP with the Basic Borders die for a nice curved edge.  I added some retired seam binding ribbon before adhering the DSP layer.

  The letters are cut out of Melon Mambo foil sheets (coming soon in the new mini catalog) and foam adhesive sheets for a nice popped up look.  Look how shiny they are!

  Next I stamped this adorable moose from the new Festive & Fun stamp set.  I colored him in with Blends markers then fussy cut him and popped him on dimensionals.  The final detail are a few Iridescent Adhesive-backed Discs sprinkled around the moose.  I love these discs as they are very flat so will be perfect for mailing come Christmas time!  

  I'm so happy with the way this design turned out.  Almost exactly how I had it planned in my mind.  That doesn't always happen (like never!!) so I'm tickled about it!

  All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  Items below marked with a * will be available for ordering on September 6, 2023.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Festive & Fun*

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Pecan Pie light & dark, medium deep, Granny Apple Green light & dark, Shaded Spruce dark, Melon Mambo dark, Deep, Basic Black dark

Paper: Melon Mambo, Basic White, Melon Mambo foil*, Merry Bold & Bright DSP*

Accessories: Alphabet a la Mode dies, foam adhesive sheets, dimensionals, Iridescent Adhesive-backed Discs*, crinkled seam binding ribbon (retired)

Light & Bright - Stampin Up! Merry & Bright

   It's never too early to start making Christmas cards so August it is!  I mean the kids go back to school in a few days so that means it's fall and that means that Christmas is right around the corner right??? The Color Throwdown challenge this time was just begging for a Christmas card so I pulled out a brand new set (soon to be available to customers) and got to work.

  How cute are these big fat Christmas tree lights?  The Merry & Bright stamp set is a fun mix of 2 types of Christmas lights as well as a great variety of sentiments.  Add in the coordinating dies and you can have even more fun creating!  

  I started with a Basic White base embossed with the new Snowflake Sky embossing folder for a nice clean background with a bit of texture and detail.  I stamped the light bulbs in Daffodil Delight and Real Red and then die cut them.  The wire and bulb bases are die cut from Garden Green cardstock.  After putting the pieces together I adhered the strands to the card front with dimensionals.

  The sentiment is stamped in Memento Black and then fussy cut and popped on dimensionals.  

  All of the current products used to create this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  Products below marked with a * will be available for customer ordering starting on September 6, 2023.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Merry & Bright *

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Memento Black

Paper: Basic White, Garden Green

Accessories: Merry & Bright dies*, Snowflake Sky embossing folder*, dimensionals

Copper Leaves - Stampin' Up! Autumn Leaves

   The weather is still super warm here and there is no fall color in sight but I received my mini catalog preorder so we're getting into fall and Christmas cards now!  I'm using the Freshly Made Sketches layout for this one.  I thought that the circles would be great to show off some of the leaves in the new Autumn Leaves stamp set.

  I started with a Pretty Peacock base and then embossed another layer of Pretty Peacock with the new Distressed Tile embossing folder.  Next I cut 2 circles from the new Oxidized Copper Specialty paper and trimmed off the overhang.

  The maple leaf is stamped off in Copper Clay and the 2 oak leaves are stamped off in Cajun Craze and Moody Mauve.  All of the veins are stamped in Early Espresso.  Using the coordinating Autumn Leaves dies I cut out the leaves and added them to the card front with dimensionals and trimmed off the over hang.

I stamped the sentiment in Early Espresso and fussy cut it.  It's popped on dimensionals and then accented with 2 new Moody Mauve Speckled Dots.

 The All About Autumn Suite is just gorgeous, with rich colors and beautiful copper accents.  Definitely check it out for all your fall card making needs!  You'll definitely be seeing a lot of sample from me in the coming weeks!

  All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  Products below marked with a * will be available to order starting September 6, 2023.

Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Autumn Leaves*

Ink: Early Espresso, Moody Mauve, Copper Clay, Cajun Craze

Paper: Very Vanilla, Pretty Peacock, Oxidized Copper Specialty Paper*

Accessories: Distressed Tile embossing folder*, Autumn Leaves Dies*, Adhesive-backed Speckled Dots*, Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals

Pumpkin Patch Blessings - Stampin' Up! Pick of the Patch

   My card today is the the first preview of new products coming soon in the Sept.-Dec. 2023 mini catalog.  I thought the sketch at Global Design Project was a great one to highlight a few of the adorable pumpkins/gourds in the new Pick of the Patch stamp set!

  All of the new products will be available for customers starting September 6 so get your wish lists ready!

  I started this one with a Copper Clay card base then added a strip of All About Autumn DSP across the center.  It's hard to see in the photo but it's a cool metallic copper pattern; the whole pack is really beautiful with the specialty copper accents on one side of the DSP and the other side has beautiful photography of autumn colors and textures.  It will be hard to decide which pattern to use!

  Next I embossed a piece of Very Vanilla with the new Distressed Tile embossing folder and backed it with a piece of Mossy Meadow.  

  For the stamping I used 2 of the images, one pumpkin and one gourd and stamped them in Copper Clay ink.  The pumpkin is stamped off once for some contrast.  The leaves and stems are stamped in Mossy Meadow with one stamped off as well.  Using the Pick of the Patch punch I punched the stamped pumpkin and the leaves and stems.  I also used a piece of the same All About Autumn DSP and punched a smaller pumpkin.  The gourd is fussy cut.  The pumpkins and gourd are arranged on top of the sentiment which is embossed with copper embossing powder.  The DSP pumpkin is popped on dimensionals.

 A small Copper Clay 2023-2025 In Color Dot accents the side of the sentiment as the final touch.

  Current items used to create this card can be purchase in my ONLINE STORE.  Items marked with a * will be available for ordering starting on September 6.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp?

Stamps: Pick of the Patch*

Ink: Copper Clay, Mossy Meadow, Versamark

Paper: Copper Clay, Very Vanilla, All About Autumn DSP*

Accessories: Distressed Tile embossing folder*, Pick of the Patch Builder punch*, dimensionals, copper embossing powder, 2023-2025 In Color Dots

Daffodil Sentiments - Stampin' Up! Sentimental Park

   While I was (not so) patiently waiting for my mini catalog preorder to arrive I distracted myself from refreshing the tracking information constantly by playing along with the Just Us Girls color challenge.  It's blue, green and yellow this time and there is really sooooo much you can do with these colors.  Since I didn't have any Christmas stuff yet I went in the opposite direction and did a floral card with the Sentimental Park set.

  The Stampin' Up! colors I chose to use are Azure Afternoon, Daffodil Delight and Shaded Spruce.  My card front is first covered with a piece of Bright & Beautiful DSP in a pretty Azure Afternoon color wash pattern.

  Then I embossed a piece of Basic White with the Cane Weave embossing folder.  I edged the one side with a strip of Shaded Spruce Textured Shimmer paper.  This paper carried over into the Annual Catalog from the spring mini so definitely check it out if you missed it the first time around.  You get a white, Balmy Blue and Shaded Spruce sheet in each pack and they are 12x12 so a lot of bang for the buck.  And it's so pretty for some subtle detail!

  Next I stamped the stem/leaves and die cut it and backed it with a Shaded Spruce scalloped circle.  The flower out lines are all stamped in Daffodil Delight and then filled in with the 2 step stamp with Daffodil Delight ink but stamped-off once.  They are all the die cut.  The small flowers are from the coordinating Petal Park stamp set.

  Some Azure Afternoon Sheer ribbon is added to the back of the circle and then the whole thing is popped on dimensionals.  The flowers are added to the circle also with dimensionals and the rest are sprinkled down the card on a diagonal.

  The sentiment from Sentimental Park is stamped in Azure Afternoon and die cut with the detailed rectangle die in the Timeless Arrangements die set.  And there you have a cheerful, floral birthday card ready to be mailed out!

  All of the current products used to make this card can be order in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sentimental Park, Petal Park

Ink: Azure Afternoon, Daffodil Delight, Shaded Spruce

Paper: Basic White, Bright & Beautiful DSP, Shaded Spruce, Shaded Spruce Textured Shimmer paper

Accessories: Cane Weave embossing folder, Sentimental Park dies, Timeless Arrangement dies, Sheer Ribbon, dimensionals, circle dies (retired)

Blueberry Bubble Blooms - Stampin' Up! Textured Floral

   The team over at TGIF Challenges has a great color combination for us to work with this week.  It's definitely not one I would have come up with on my own but love how it turned out on my card.  Blueberry Bushel, Bubble Bath and Parakeet Party are a fun look when paired with the Textured Floral stamp set.

  This one starts with a Bubble Bath base and then I created my own DSP by stamping on a piece of Basic White and filling the whole panel with the flowers and leaves.  Some of the images are stamped off and some are full strength ink.

  I pulled out some narrow scraps in each colors and snipped the ends at angles and then adhered them to the card front.  Next the sentiment is stamped in Blueberry Bushel and cut out with s Stylish Shapes circle die.  

  The small flower is stamped in Bubble Bath with a Blueberry Bushel center and Parakeet Party leaves.  Once the images were die cut I popped them up along with the sentiment circle on dimensionals.  A Blueberry Bushel Tinsel gem is added for just a touch of sparkle as the final touch.

  All in all a really quick card to make that gets all the 'pop' from the stamping!

  The products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Textured Floral

Ink: Blueberry Bushel, Bubble Bath, Parakeet Party

Paper: Basic White, Blueberry Bushel, Bubble Bath, Parakeet Party

Accessories: Stylish Shapes dies, Textured Floral dies, dimensionals, Tinsel Gems

Thank You Petals - Stampin' Up! Petal Park

   The team over at Just Add Ink has a gorgeous set of colors to work with this time around.  I'm going to be saving this one for some spring cards as I love the softness of these 3 colors together.  Lost Lagoon, Pool Party and Fresh Freesia.

  I hadn't used the Petal Park set in a while and these colors seemed like a great fit so I got to work.  This one starts with a Lost Lagoon base stamped in the same color of ink with the open leaf stamp all over.  Next I die cut a panel with the Countryside Corners dies and stamped a large thank you on it from the Good Feelings stamp set in Lost Lagoon ink.  

  Next I stamped the open leaves again on a piece of Basic White and did the 2 step stamp fill in using Pool Party ink. then fussy cut around the image.  I adhered that to the bottom of the thank you panel.  The flowers are then stamped in Fresh Freesia and are colored in with Stampin' Blends.  After they were punched out they are added to the card front with some popped on dimensionals and others glued flat.

  A Pool Party ribbon tied in a fork bow is added to one side and a bunch of Fresh Freesia sequins are sprinkled over the card front.

  This set doesn't disappoint and with these colors I think it's a stand out!

  Current items used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Petal Park, Good Feelings

Ink: Lost Lagoon, Pool Party, Fresh Freesia

Blends: Fresh Freesia light & dark

Paper: Lost Lagoon, Basic White

Accessories: Petal Park Builder punch, Countryside Corners dies, dimensionals, Pool Party ribbon, Fresh Freesia sequins (retired)

Soaring Celebration - Stampin' Up! Beautiful Balloons Dies

   I loved the colors they are playing with over at The Color Hues Challenge; Teal and Orange.  But I can't say that I feel terribly successful with my attempt lol!  But I used a mix of current and retired products so it's always a win to use something that was tucked away for a "just in case" situation!  

  This one starts with a Basic White thick card base.  Then I die cut a piece of retired Enjoy the Journey DSP with the newer Patchwork Pieces dies.  I put the pieces back together onto a slightly larger piece of Basic Black.

  Using the Beautiful Balloon dies and some retired Bermuda Bay Glimmer paper I cut a balloon and popped it with dimensionals on the card front.  I added a black bakers twine string and a tag stamped with a sentiment from the retired Itty Bitty Birthdays set.  A few matte black dots are added just because I didn't know where else to go with this one lol!  Sometimes you've just got to call it when it seems finished even if you don't feel that it is finished!

  All of the current products used to make this card can be found in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Itty Bitty Birthdays (retired)

Ink: Memento Black

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Basic Black, Enjoy the Journey DSP (retired), Bermuda Bay Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: Beautiful Balloons dies, Patchwork Pieces dies, Tailor Made Tags dies, dimensionals, black bakers twine, matte black dots (retired)

Inspired by Step - Stampin' Up! Sentimental Park

   I was recently in Asheville, NC and visited the Asheville Art Museum and enjoyed a few hours taking in all kinds of art.  I'm always in awe of people who can paint and sculpt and carve and I'm so glad they share those talents with the world!  One of the paintings that caught my eye was Step by Kenneth Noland with its chevrons and rich colors.  I snapped a quick photo as I thought it might provide me with some stamping inspiration in the future.  The current CAS Colours & Sketches challenge popped up and I figured why not?

  The challenge shared 2 of the 3 painting colors so I went with it and did my version in card form.  I started with a Very Vanilla thick card base, then a layer of Very Vanilla.  I die cut 3 squares with the largest of the Stylish Shapes square dies and then cut out the centers with a smaller square die so I got the stitchd details on the inside and the outside of the frame.  I adhered each point getting smaller as I got to the Wild Wheat (if you know, you know!).

  I trimmed off the excess portions of the squares to make them chevrons then ran the whole panel through my die cutter using the retired Subtle embossing folder.  I love this texture and especially for this design it's almost like a canvas.

  The final bit is the sentiment from Sentimental Park stamp set stamped in Pecan Pie.  I wanted something very small and subtle in a clean font as anything else wouldn't have complemented the style.

  Here is my inspiration:

Step, 1965 - Kenneth Noland - Asheville Art Museum

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sentimental Park

Ink: Pecan Pie

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Very Vanilla, Pecan Pie, Cajun Craze, Wild Wheat

Accessories: Stylish Shapes dies, Subtle embossing folder (retired)

Birds in Circles - Stampin' Up! Bird's Eye View

   My card today was a challenge for sure as I didn't really have many supplies that fit within the parameters!  Addicted to CAS is having us work with "shapes" this time.  And being that it has to stay clean and simple (CAS) makes it even more of a challenge!  I didn't have any stamp sets with a shape to even get me to a starting point.  After thinking on it for a bit while I was tidying up the stamp room it came to me!  

  I dug around in my files and found a circle stencil I had made for another project and used that to lightly blend my colors onto a piece of Basic White cardstock.  I used Daffodil Delight, Parakeet Party and Balmy Blue.  Next I embossed in black 3 of the birds from the Bird's Eye View stamp set.  The raised detail is a nice touch when you are making a CAS card but don't want it to be too flat.

  After the embossing I darkened the wings on each bird with the match Stampin' Blends marker.  I added the very brief and simple "hi" from the Just My Type stamp set and then rounded the corners and adhered the panel to a Basic White thick card base.  I didn't make this one a one layer card since the Blends markers would bleed through a bit and I didn't want that to be seen on the inside of the card if it was one layer.

  All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Bird's Eye View, Just My Type

Ink: Versamark, Daffodil Delight, Parakeet Party, Balmy Blue

Blends: Daffodil Delight light, Parakeet Party light, Balmy Blue light

Paper: Basic White, Basic White thick

Accessories: circle stencil made with circle dies and acetate, black embossing powder, corner rounder (retired)

Green Gator Birthday - Stampin' Up! Zany Zoo

 I'm squeaking in this card to the Paper Players Tic Tac Toe challenge which is closing tomorrow.  I've done the middle down column using green, die cuts, and masculine.  Can't ever have too many masculine cards in the stash!

  Some greens and a tiny bit of blue bring this fun card together.  I started with a Granny Apple Green base and then used the Basic Borders dies across a Basic White panel set my scene upon.

  I die cut the trees out of Garden Green and popped the small ones up with mini dimensionals and then added a stamped strip of Azure Afternoon as a sort of roadway for the bike rider.  After stamping the gator in Memento black ink I colored it in with Stampin' Blends and then die cut it as well.

  The sentiment is stamped then cut out with the little banner die.  A bit of Parakeet Party bakers twine on the top of the banner finishes up this birthday card.

  All of the products used to make this card can be found in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Zany Zoo

Ink: Memento Black, Azure Afternoon

Blends: Granny Apple Green light & dark, Azure Afternoon light, Basic Black light, Smoky Slate light, Daffodil Delight light, Crumb Cake dark

Paper: Granny Apple Green, Basic White, Garden Green, Azure Afternoon

Accessories: Basic Borders dies, Zany Zoo dies, baker's twine, dimensionals