Cup of Healing - Stampin' Up! Cup of Tea *SNEAK PEEK*

   I'm at that weird in between season of Stampin' Up! when I want to play with my new pre-order items but also feel compelled to give some last bits of love to retiring products.  So the only way to address that is to design projects that use both old and new!  

  I designed today's card for my Quick & Easy Card Class.  If you're in the Richmond, VA area and want to give stamping a try for the first time or just want to enjoy some more stamping time with other crafters check out my calendar and see if an upcoming date works for you!

  This get well card uses the new Cup of Tea stamp set and that matching Teacup dies (both available on May 3) and it pairs perfectly with the soon to be retired Hand-Penned DSP.  I punched the circle out of the DSP and then put a piece of Basic White behind it to stamp the sentiment in Mint Macaron.

  The tea cup is stamped in Highland Heather and then die cut.  It's popped on dimensionals and then a piece of Mint Macron ribbon is threaded through the handle.  A large Brushed Brass Butterfly decorates the ribbon and a small one highlights the sentiment.

  I'm not even much of a tea drinker but I know this bundle will be really fun to create with to make all kinds of cards.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Cup of Tea*

Ink: Mint Macaron, Highland Heather

Paper: Highland Heather, Basic White, Hand-Penned DSP

Accessories: circle punch/die, dimensionals, Teacup dies*, Mint Macaron ribbon (retired), Brushed Brass Butterflies

*Available May 3 in the Stampin' Up! 2022-23 Annual Catalog

Special Day Songbird - Stampin' Up! Sweet Songbird *Sneak Peek*

  I made an unboxing video the other day showing all the products that I ordered from the demonstrator pre-order and at the end I asked which stamp set I should use first.  Two of my local stampers voted for the Sweet Songbirds stamp set so that's what I did.  If you'd like to watch the video you can see it on my Instagram: @didyoustamptoday  Stop over and say hi when you find me!

  I saw the current challenge at Global Design Project and liked the layout but didn't end up making a slim line card so I won't be sharing it over there but wanted to give credit for the layout to the team over at GDP.

 Every thing on this card except for the Soft Suede ink, Crumb Cake cardstock and sequins are new products coming out in the upcoming 2022-2023 Annual Catalog.

  The Sweet Songbird stamp set is paired up in a bundle with the Songbird Builder punch.  I used the punch for the bird, wing, and beak on this card.

  I also used a few new In Colors.  Can you spot them?  The card base, bird and sentiment strips are all Tahitian Tide.  The leaves are stamped in Parakeet Party and the DSP is also Parakeet Party and you can find it in the (also new)Tea Boutique 6x6 pack.  The last new In Color that I used is Starry Sky ink to stamp the sentiment strips.

  What a fun set and I'm so glad that I ordered it!  It will be fun to play around and create fun bird cards.  

  If you're into bird stamps then check out the soon to be retiring bird sets: Birds & Branches (#152570) and Free as a Bird (#149468).  Order now while supplies last and they will tide you over until you can get your hands on the Sweet Songbirds bundle!

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sweet Songbirds

Ink: Tahitian Tide, Parakeet Party, Starry Sky, Soft Suede, Mango Melody

Paper: Tahitian Tide, Tea Boutique DSP, Basic White, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Songbird Builder punch, Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals, sequins

Unique Special Day - Stampin' Up! Uniquely Artistic

   One of the many great things about being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is being able to sign up for demonstrator only events hosted by Stampin' Up!.  Throughout the year SU puts on various events for us to show off new products, give business tips and generally just build on the community feelings.  By signing up for an upcoming event we received a new stamp set from the upcoming 2022-2023 Annual catalog.  It was a surprise which stamp set we would receive and I was the recipient of the Uniquely Artistic stamp set which is a two step, distINKtive style set which I am excited to play around with.

  I've not had a lot of stamping time lately but I did get to put some ink on the Uniquely Artistic set and came up with this pretty blue/pink combo.

  I gave my Misty Moonlight quite a workout with this one by stamping the background using the large flower and smaller leaf stamps.  I then stamped the leaf twice more on a die cut circle.  I stamped another flower and then filled it in with Polished Pink and then fussy cut it.  I popped it up on dimensionals slightly overhanging the edge of the circle.

  The sentiment is also stamped in Misty Moonlight onto Polished Pink cardstock.  It's also popped on dimensionals with a length of Misty Moonlight ribbon behind it.

  I added a few Champagne Rhinestones for a bit of sparkle to finish up the details.

  I'm excited to try out some more ideas with this stamp set.  I see it becoming one of my go-to all purpose sets.  If you're interested in learning more about the benefits of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator please reach out.  I'd love to share the positive impact it could have for you!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Uniquely Artistic, Inspired Thoughts

Ink: Misty Moonlight, Polished Pink

Paper: Misty Moonlight, Basic White, Polished Pink

Accessories: dimensionals, Misty Moonlight cotton ribbon, Champagne Rhinestones, Stitched Shapes dies (retired)

 

New Horizons Sympathy - Stampin' Up! Beauty of Friendship

  Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a fun and/or restorative weekend!  We were on spring break last week so it's even harder to get back in the swing of things today!  This week is crazy busy with a ton of commitments for the entire family so I'm trying to gear myself up to be super organized and productive so nothing slips through the cracks. Of course sharing cards is always one of my priorities so I'm back today with another card I made a while back since there was no stamping last week on vacation!

  The New Horizons DSP makes a great background for sympathy cards.  I highly recommend using this paper and creating several sympathy cards to have on hand 'just in case'.  You never want to have to send them but you will always need them.  It's best to design and stamp them when there isn't sadness or a time pressure involved.

  I paired the soft watercolored background with a tree stamped and die cut with the Beauty of Friendship bundle.  The trunk is Soft Suede and is stamped directly onto the the DSP and the tree top is two step stamping with Soft Succulent and Evening Evergreen and then die cut.

  The birds are from the On the Horizon stamp set and the sentiment is from Inspired Thoughts.

  The Beauty of Friendship stamp is carrying over to the new catalog but the coordinating Beautiful Trees dies are retiring.  Don't ask me why they both aren't carrying over but if you want this bundle order it soon before it's too late.  You have until May 2 to place orders from 2021-2022 Annual Catalog.  Many items on the retiring list are on sale so head over to my shop and place your order today.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Beauty of Friendship, On the Horizon, Inspired Thoughts

Ink: Soft Suede, Soft Succulent, Evening Evergreen, Misty Moonlight

Paper: Soft Succulent, Basic White, New Horizons DSP

Accessories: Beautiful Trees dies, dimensionals, Misty Moonlight ribbon (retired)

Scalloped Rainbow - Stampin' Up! Rainbow of Happiness

  I made today's card a while back and never got around to sharing it.  Every card made with the Rainbow of Happiness bundle is so cute and I don't think you can go wrong with a rainbow card for most occasions.  This card could be a basic hello or even a birthday card.

  I love that the Brilliant Rainbow dies have these fun scallop dies to add a bit detail that echoes the arches of the rainbow elements.  For this card I used the long open scallops down the card front and the little full scallop strip under the stamped image.

  This card just makes me smile with the cheerful colors, texture from the Stripes & Splatters embossing folder and bit of sparkle from the Artistry Blooms sequins.  I hope it brought a smile to your face too!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Rainbow of Happiness

Ink: Magenta Madness, Mango Melody, Granny Apple Green, Bermuda Bay

Paper: Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Basic White

Accessories: Brilliant Rainbow dies, Stripes & Splatters embossing folder, Artistry Blooms sequins

 

Horizon Cards - Stampin' Up! On the Horizon Bundle

   Just popping online to share 2 super easy cards using the On the Horizon bundle.  Using just one sheet of the of the New Horizons DSP you can get 2 beautiful cards.  Cut the DSP in half down the center and trim to fit the length of a card front and use one piece on each card.

  I used the bird stamp on both cards and the trees on the bottom card.  I used the dies to add some hills and mountains to the top card.  Both have sentiments popped on dimensionals.

  What did I say about easy??  I don't think you can ever go wrong with the New Horizons DSP!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: On the Horizon

Ink: Memento Black

Paper: New Horizons DSP, Basic White, Misty Moonlight, Evening Evergreen

Accessories: Horizon Dies, dimensionals

Island Birthday Vibes - Stampin' Up! Paradise Palms

   Now that the weather is getting warmer and we are looking towards spring and summer it was high time that the Paradise Palms bundle was used for one of my classes.  I got my color inspiration from this card by Su Mohr.  I loved the use of the purples to create the tropical scene.

  It's another poor photo from a dark and dreary day but trust me that in person this card looks better!  The clouds were all stamped in Fresh Freesia in varying degrees of stamped off ink.  The palms trees are stamped in Blackberry Bliss and the 'land' is cut from a piece of Heart & Home DSP.  The bottom edge is torn for an easy bit of texture.

  The birthday greeting is stamped in Garden Green and cut with the Tasteful Label dies and a bit of retired Blackberry Bliss ribbon (any matching current ribbon could be substituted or color your own with Stampin' Blends markers)

  A few Iridescent Rhinestones add a bit of sparkle around the palm trees for a finishing touch.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Paradise Palms

Ink: Fresh Freesia, Blackberry Bliss, Garden Green

Paper: Soft Sea Foam, Blackberry Bliss, Basic White, Heart & Home DSP

Accessories: Tasteful Labels dies, Palms dies, dimensionals, Iridescent Rhinestones, Blackberry Bliss ribbon (retired)

Dutch Door Windmill Scene - Stampin' Up! Tulips Fields

   My stampers made this fun card at my last class and I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did designing it.  I wanted to show off the adorable windmill dies in the Windmill Fields die set and also use some of the Flowering Fields DSP.  The DSP can be a bit busy if using too large of a piece and I didn't want the windmill to get lost among all the bright flowers so I decided to make the card front a bit of a scene with a split front, kind of like a dutch door, to show off the different elements to their best.

  With a piece of Basic White thick I cut off the top half of the front fold so you can see the Pool Party insert on the inside of the card giving the scene a nice sky with some stamped clouds as well as some die cut clouds.  This allows for the top of the windmill to show up better and not be lost amongst the tulip pattern at the bottom.

  Once the windmill was die cut and and the pieced adhered we used a brad to allow the arms to spin and then popped the bottom of the windmill up on the flap with dimensionals.  Make sure you are careful with your dimensional placement so none of them will adhere to the insert or you won't be able to open your card!

  The inside and outside sentiments are from Happy & Heartfelt and a few Brushed Brass Butterflies embellish the card front.  Change out the sentiments to whatever you need and it's a great all occasion card!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Tulip Fields, Happy & Heartfelt

Ink: White craft, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz

Paper: Basic White thick, Pool Party, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Flowering Fields DSP, Basic White

Accessories: Windmill Fields dies, Brushed Brass Butterflies, dimensionals