Framed Birdhouse Birthday - Stampin' Up! Country Birdhouse

   I used a few challenges yesterday to get some ideas flowing and came up with this pink heavy birthday card.  Pink isn't a color that I usually gravitate towards unless the image really calls for it but the just closed Color Hues challenge had brown and pink so it was necessary! And it's alway good to challenge ourselves to use all of our supplies!  I also used the Just Us Girls prompt of "Frame" to add some nice detail to the background behind the birdhouse.

  It's really hard to see in this photo but the background is actually a piece of Country Lace DSP in a very subtle Basic Beige design.  Next the Countryside Corners dies are used to make the frame out of a piece of 2024-2026 In Color DSP in Pretty in Pink.  I love how the birdhouse fits just perfectly inside the shape.

  I used a bit of Country Woods DSP to cut out the birdhouse and added the details in Crumb Cake (with the edges sponged with Crumb Cake ink) and Basic White scallop trim.  

  In their weekly demonstrator newsletter yesterday Stampin' Up! reminded me of the "no line coloring" technique so I used that for the flower clusters.  I stamped the flowers in stamped off once Crumb Cake and then colored with Blends. The idea being that you end up not seeing the inked outline very much.  I'm not an especially good color-er so I'm not sure this is the best example of the technique but overall the flowers are acceptable lol!

  I added a die cut Flirty Flamingo bow to the top of the birdhouse and the sentiment at the bottom stamped in Flirty Flamingo.  Swap out any other sentiment for a great all occasion design.

 A few sparkly faceted gems are added for even more pink.  These are retired and are listed as Calypso Coral but they definitely read more pink to me so work well on this project.  Don't let the listed color keep you from using an embellishment if it matches!

  All of the current supplies used to create this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  The Country Woods DSP and Country Lace DSP are both currently on sale until the end of August.  Don't wait to order your packs!

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Country Birdhouse

Ink: Crumb Cake, Flirty Flamingo

Blends: Flirty Flamingo light & dark, Pretty in Pink light & dark, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight dark

Paper: Country Lace DSP, Country Woods DSP, Crumb Cake, Basic White, 2024-2026 In Color DSP, Flirty Flamingo

Accessories: Country Birdhouse dies, Countryside Corners dies, dimensionals, circle punch, Fine Sparkle adhesive-backed gems (retired)

Happy Bee Day - Stampin' Up! Choose Happy

   Since some Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper is on sale through the end of August I was looking through the ones I have on hand and realized that I hadn't used the the carryover Bright & Beautiful DSP in quite some time.  I love that this paper has all the great colors that were introduced or reintroduced in the 2023-2024 annual catalog and it's still available and right now at a discount.  If you're a fan of these colors then you might want to add a pack onto your August order!  I used it as the basis for this design which was my customer thank you card for all who ordered from me in July.

 Isn't this sweet??  I started with a Blueberry Bushel card base and then took strips of the Bright & Beautiful DSP and staggered them across the card front.  They are give or take a half in wide and I just trimmed some shorter than others.  A great way to use up thin scraps and not have to choose to show off just one or 2 designs!  I saw another demo Lou Kitzelman do this and knew I had to give it try!

  After I got all my strips layered I cut a Berry Burst frame using 2 of the Stylish Shapes dies.  The sweet bumblebee From the Choose Happy set is stamped on Basic White and colored in and the frame is added over the top.  

  Since the Choose Happy set has mix and match sentiments I put these together for a cute punny greeting to go with the bee.  The end is flagged on the sentiment strip and I added a Lemon Lolly baker's twine bow.  The finishing touch are a few Tinsel Gems in Berry Burst.

  So check out that sale DSP in my Online Store and order a pack today!  All of the other supplies used to make this card can also be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Choose Happy

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Lemon Lolly dark

Paper: Blueberry Bushel, Berry Burst, Basic White, Bright & Beautiful DSP

Accessories: Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals, baker's twine, Tinsel Gems

Sweet Happy Birthday Hugs - Stampin' Up! Hearts & Hugs

   Now that the Olympics have concluded and the 'get the kid off to college shopping/packing/moving in' is almost here I hope get back to some what of a regular posting schedule without so many distractions!  I was able to stay focused just long enough the other day to make this cute little birthday card.  I combined two challenges; the theme of "Cute Critters" is from Seize the Birthday and the layout is from TGIF Challenges.

  The card base is Berry Burst and then a layer of Basic White.  I choose a fun watercolor pattern of the Full of Life DSP (on sale now until Aug. 31!) and followed the challenge layout to trim  it down three panels.

  The little quokka (or guinea pig/mouse/gerbil) is just adorable and fit the theme perfectly.  I stamped it in Pecan Pie and then colored it in with Blends markers.  It's adhered to a Berry Burst Spotlight on Nature circle die.  I added a bit of Striped Iridescent Trim to the back before popping it on dimensionals.

  The sentiment from Sweetly Scripted is stamped in Melon Mambo (and now I'm not sure why I didn't just use Berry Burst but Melon Mambo looks good too!) and then fussy cut and adhered it across the card front.  You can find this set in the Online Exclusives section of the store.

  I dug around in my embellishments and still had a few Iridescent Adhesive-Backed Discs in white so I added a few of those around the card front.  The photo makes them look more pink but they kind of reflect the colors around them.

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

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Hearts & Hugs, Sweetly Scripted (Online Exclusive)

Ink: Melon Mambo, Pecan Pie

Blends: Pecan Pie light & dark, Ivory

Paper: Berry Burst, Basic White, Full of Life DSP, 

Accessories: Hearts & Hugs dies, Spotlight on Nature dies, dimensionals, Striped Iridescent Trim, dimensionals, Iridescent Adhesive-Backed Discs

6x6 DSP Fun Fold - Stampin' Up! Wildflower Designs

   I'm always on the lookout for fun things to teach my stampers and I came across this fun way to use DSP to make a little folded pouch for your card.  I have no idea what the name of this fold is called and where I saw it on Karen Titus' website she didn't have a name for it either so if you know please leave a comment so I can update.

  My stampers made this at my last class pairing up the Wildflower Designs stamp set and Wildly Flowering DSP.  Now if you have 6x6 DSP this card will be even quicker to make if you don't have to cut down a 12x12 piece.

  This is the card front with the DSP pouch closed.  I love how you get to see both patterns on the DSP with the folded flaps showing the inside pattern even while closed.

  This is the card front with the pouch opened and a pretty allium stamped on the inside.  You can change the inside up however you'd like and make it as elaborate or as simple as you want.  

  Check out this super quick video on my YouTube channel showing how to create this fun fold.

  We used some other supplies on this card to pull it all together.  The Dashing Designs embossing folder give a nice texture to the Moody Mauve card front.  The inside die cut circle is made with the Spotlight on Nature dies and fits perfectly in this space.

  The embellishments used on this card are a few Adhesive-Backed Textured Dots and some retired In Color ribbon.  

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

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Wildly Flowering

Ink: Early Espresso, Moody Mauve, Mossy Meadow

Paper: Moody Mauve, Early Espresso, Basic White, Wildly Flowering DSP

Accessories: Spotlight on Nature dies, Dashing Designs embossing folder, Adhesive-Backed Textured Dots

Full of Life Occasions - Stampin' Up! Attention Shoppers

 Last week I had my monthly class and I designed this project which I called a "choose your own adventure" card.  My stampers got to choose all the elements of the card to make it whatever they wanted.  I wanted to show off the Full of Life DSP but I couldn't decide which patterns to use because each sheet is just as gorgeous as the one before.  So I took that hard choice and just gave it to my customers!  They got pick which pattern they wanted to use, which sentiment and which image.  All I did was cut the neutral cardstock pieces and they did the rest!  And if you haven't gotten the Full of Life DSP yet it will be on sale starting August 6th so make sure to add a pack to your August order!

  

The bright colors and beautiful watercolor style of the Full of Life DSP really pair well with the images from the Attention Shoppers stamp set.  Because the images are smaller they are quick to color using some of the colors in the DSP using Stampin' Blends.

  Once my stampers chose which Full of Life DSP design they wanted to use they cut the 6x6 piece in half so they would have a 3" x 6" panel.  Then they cut that down to 3" x 4.5" and then cut this panel into 3 1" strips to mount onto the Basic Black panel.

The sentiment choices come from the Online Exclusive set Sweetly Scripted which are a lovely mix of script fonts and  are nice and long so they can go across a whole card front in both orientations.  For this design I cut strips of paper long than was needed for the portrait orientation and my stampers just trimmed off the ends as needed. 

  Once the image from the Attention Shoppers stamp set was chosen to go with the sentiment it was also stamped in Memento Black and colored in.  I had almost my whole Stampin' Blends collection out to use during class as the Full of Life DSP has so many colors in it.  So like I was saying my stampers had a lot of decisions to make on this card!

  Some iridescent ribbon and sparkle gems are added for a tiny bit of sparkle and shine.

  If you make card sets for gifts or to sell this would be a fantastic design and group of products to use to make them.  No two card sets would be exactly alike with all the mix and match possibilities!

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

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Attention Shoppers, Sweetly Scripted (Online Exclusive)

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: various colors

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Basic Black, Full of Life DSP

Accessories: Attention Shoppers dies, dimensionals, Iridescent 1/2" striped trim, adhesive backed sparkle gems

Thoughtful Birthday - Stampin' Up! Simply Said

   I've started a little stamping challenge on my customer Facebook group to get people sharing more projects and to just give them inspiration for their stamping.  Every other week I'm going to alternate between a layout and a color combination and hopefully we are all inspired to create by the challenge and seeing what others have shared!  I posted the first challenge yesterday and was able to play along today with this card.

  The challenge layout is one of the ones that Stampin' Up! has shared on page 22 of the Annual Catalog and it is just begging to have DSP used for the 3 large strips.  I obliged and pulled out a piece of the Thoughtful Journey DSP - which will be on sale starting August 6 if you haven't gotten a pack yet!!! - and used that as my starting point.

  The card base is Pool Party, then a layer of Basic White.  The DSP panels are added with a Pool Party banner separating the first and second panels.

  I used the Stylish Shapes circles to cut one in Cajun Craze.  I used the Textured Floral dies to cut the 2 leafy branches; one in Wild Wheat and one in Basic White.  

  The sentiment is stamped from Simply Said is stamped in Pool Party on a scrap of Basic White.  I then dug through my ribbon scraps and found a bit of burlap twine and added that to the back of the sentiment and then popped it up on dimensionals.  A few retired Fine Sparkle gems are the final touch.

  Hopefully this card and layout have inspired you to make a card!

  All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE. Remember the Thoughtful Journey DSP is on sale from August 6-31, 2024.

 Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Simply Said

Ink: Pool Party

Paper: Thoughtful Journey DSP, Basic White, Pool Party, Cajun Craze, Wild Wheat

Accessories: Stylish Shapes dies, Textured Floral dies, dimensionals, burlap twine, fine sparkle gems (retired)

Layout from Stampin' Up! 2024-2025 Annual Catalog page 22

Hey Happy Summer - Stampin' Up! Choose Happy

   I designed this fun summer themed card for my last class.  I wanted to highlight the Choose Happy and Saying Hey stamp sets as they could easily be overlooked for some of the bundles and big suites that are in the Stampin' Up! annual catalog.  

  This one starts with an Azure Afternoon base, then a layer of Melon Mambo.  On the top layer I used Azure Afternoon again and stamped the big 'hey' from the Saying Hey stamp set in Azure Afternoon ink.  I love how this big sentiment looks as a background.

  Next the sun and sailboat from Choose Happy are stamped onto a Basic White Heartfelt Hexagon punch in Memento black.  The images are colored in with colored pencils and blended with a blender pen.  A second Heartfelt Hexagon is punched in Daffodil Delight and is cut in half and added to the back of the other hexagon giving it a nice bright frame.  The hexagon is then popped with dimensionals.

  The sentiment is stamped in Melon Mambo ink using more stamps from the Choose Happy set and then trimmed to fit to the side of the image.  

  A few Adhesive-backed Dots for Days are added as a final touch.

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

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Saying Hey, Choose Happy

Ink: Azure Afternoon, Memento black

Paper: Azure Afternoon, Melon Mambo, Basic White, Daffodil Delight

Accessories: Heartfelt Hexagon punch, dimensionals, colored pencils, blender pen, Adhesive-backed Dots for Days

Bird & Flower Birthday - Stampin' Up! Country Birdhouse

   I had a bit of time after my morning stamping class and decided to tear myself away from watching the Olympics for a little while and make a card.  I had the Just Add Ink sketch in mind when I started so I looked through my DSP and found a few pieces that worked for the layout.  I used up most of the Frames & Flowers specialty paper back in June but there was still plenty to use for this card.

  I pulled my colors right from the DSP and went with a Lost Lagoon base, then layered the strips of DSP.

  The bird from Country Birdhouse stamp set is stamped in Pretty Peacock and then colored with Stampin' Blends.  The bird is mounted on an Unbounded Love label.  The leaves are also in the Unbounded Love die set so I cut 4 of them in Pretty Peacock and tucked them under the bird.

  The flowers are in the Country Birdhouse die set and I used 2 different dies and Petal Pink and Calypso Coral cardstock then layered  them at the feet of the bird.

  I stamped the sentiment in Pretty Peacock and tucked that in under the flower. An Iridescent Faceted gem is added to the center of the flower for some sparkle.

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

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Country Birdhouse

Ink: Pretty Peacock

Blends: Lost Lagoon light & dark, Petal Pink dark

Paper: Lost Lagoon, Frames & Flowers Specialty DSP, Basic White, Calypso Coral, Petal Pink

Accessories: Country Birdhouse dies, Unbounded Love dies, dimensionals, Iridescent Faceted gem