Spend Time With a Friend: TGIF Sketch

March 14, 2023Leave a comment

Yes, this is the second sketch challenge in two days, and one that I dreamed about. So to stop obsessing over it when I should be sleeping, I had to stamp it to get it off my mind.

It started with the #tgifc411 sketch last Friday:

Then I looked at my stamps and saw the Warm Welcome set on my shelf that needed some attention. The door is just so inviting and the sentiment is ideal for welcoming friends into your home, so I imagined an open door and hot cocoa.

Take a look at the Enjoy the Journey Designer Series Paper and see it in a new way: through a window or door, it makes a great background! And the patterns on the opposite sides of the scenery are fun for wallpaper or accents. I even used a piece to stamp the “Hello” sentiment on.

The Warm Welcome bundle includes all sorts of dies that make creating an open-door policy fun…and you can color the small pieces (like the hands holding the mugs) with any markers. I used Stampin’ Blends (not listed in the supplies), but the images are tiny enough a Stampin’ Write marker would work as well.

Don’t miss the new BASICS 3D Embossing Folders (new to my online store); as a set of 3, you can choose from flowers, hobnail-glass dots or this very nice crosshatch design. It gave the background a subtle texture that helped pull the design together. Surely these patterns will be showing up in my crafting often.

Send this card to a friend and invite them over to craft and chill sometime!

Product List

Warm Welcome Bundle (English)

$50.25

Enjoy The Journey 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

$12.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock

$8.75

Sahara Sand 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Garden Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Petal Pink 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Soft Succulent 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Sahara Sand Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Polished Pink Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Stylish Shapes Dies

$30.00

Basics 3 D Embossing Folders

$30.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

$125.00

Three Twine Combo Pack

$7.50

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

$4.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

$4.25

Mini Glue Dots

$5.25

Sometimes it helps to see a few more samples with a stamp set, so here are some with the Warm Welcome bundle:

Sweet Songbird Nest Treat Favor

February 20, 2023February 20, 2023Leave a comment

With only 8 more days of our ONLY Sale-a-Bration of 2023, and with the sun shining today, I chose to show you a project fit for SPRING!

This Sweet Songbird next was inspired by some that I had seen previously, and was reminded of when I discovered the Junior Mint Eggs at Dollar Tree! The green is a perfect Mint Macaron color and I wanted to put a next into a Mint Macaron tree.

Because Stampin’ Up! added a few catalog products to the choices for Sale-a-Bration, the Songbird Builder Punch is on the list you could choose free with your $50 US order before February 28, 2023, and while you don’t need the stamp set to create cute birds with the Country Gingham Designer Series Paper, the Sweet Songbirds stamp set does give you options for sentiments, nests and branches.

This would be a sweet favor at Easter dinner or, with the “Welcome” sentiment, at a baby shower, or Spring craft day with friends!

Measurements for the papers:

Mint Macaron: 2-1/4″ x 3-1/2″
Soft Suede: 3″ x 1-1/2″, scored at 1/4″ along the long sides, and at 1″ and 2″ from end to end to create the “nest”
Soft Suede scrap to stamp a nest on and cut out.
Scrap of Crumb Cake for sign
Country Gingham DSP: 2-1/4″ x 2-1/4″ to punch out bird

Here’s a how-to video (from my Lunchtime LIVE crafting video on YouTube & Facebook 2/20/23):

I had to use up the scraps of gingham paper on my desk, so I also made a slimline card…not a very “little” note of thanks when the finished card is 8-1/2″ x 3-1/2″!

IF YOU CHOOSE THE SONGBIRD BUILDER PUNCH AS A FREE GIFT before the end of February 2023, use item #164422 and order the Sweet Songbird stamp set #158721 as part of your $50 order to qualify for the free punch!

Product List

Sweet Songbirds Bundle (English)

$34.00

Country Gingham 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

$12.00

Mint Macaron 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Soft Suede 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Pale Papaya 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Mini Glue Dots

$5.25

Stampin' Dimensionals

$4.25

Tear & Tape Adhesive

$7.00

Paper Trimmer

$25.00

Pick Your Freebie Fast and Sale-a-Bration Challenge

February 17, 2023February 17, 2023Leave a comment

As Stampin’ Up!’s biggest sale of the year winds down, things start to sell out… yesterday the Dainty Flowers Designer Series Paper Sale-a-Bration exclusive product was the first to go. Have YOU picked your freebie yet? Don’t forget that you get to choose a product with each $50 purchase through the end of the month!

Thanks GOODNESS it’s Friday! The #tgifc408 challenge was to use a Sale-a-Bration product, but it’s too difficult to choose just one, so I chose TWO: the Thanks a Bunch stamp set (free choice with $50) and the Dandy Designs Designer Series Paper (a mega-pack that you could choose with a $100 order). TIP: When you order $150, you can choose both PLUS earn $15 Stampin’ Rewards! It’s a good time to stock up on adhesive, envelopes, card stock and don’t forget to check the clearance rack.

The Tailor-Made Tag was a terrific piece for my garden of carrots! Makes me want to pick one.

Have you noticed that long carrots are sweeter and tastier than baby carrots? You can argue, but it’s true.

Since I loved the layout of this card, I had to try it with a different piece of the Dandy Designs paper and another favorite new set… Sweet Citrus:

Two of the colors I used (Pale Papaya on the carrot card base and Fresh Freesia on the grapefruit card layer) are RETIRING in April. These popular In Colors are known to sell out quickly once the retiring list is released in March (if not before), so remember to add an ink refill for your ink pads and stock up on card stock or coordinating accessories now, while you can take advantage of free products during Sale-a-Bration, and before they are sold out, too.

While some of our Sale-a-Bration products are dwindling, there are additional items to choose from the annual catalog:

Product List

Thanks A Bunch Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

$18.00

Sweet Citrus Bundle (English)

$49.50

Dandy Designs 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

$30.00

Tailor Made Tags Dies

$22.00

Mini Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

$63.00

Pale Papaya 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Calypso Coral 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Petal Pink 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Fresh Freesia 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$10.25

Pale Papaya Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Mango Melody Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Petal Pink Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Fresh Freesia Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Pale Papaya 3/8" (1 Cm) Open Weave Ribbon

$7.00

Fresh Freesia 3/8" (1 Cm) Open Weave Ribbon

$7.00

Three Twine Combo Pack

$7.50

Fun Flowers Resin Shapes

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

$4.25

New at SU! Legendary Ride

February 15, 2023February 15, 20236 Comments

We took the challenge to show you our favorite bundles from the newest January-April Mini catalog…without using Basic White card stock!

Thanks for pausing along the path of our February New at SU! hop- I’m so glad you’re visiting and hope all the ideas you save or PIN will give you inspiration for your next stamping project.

Basic white is a wonderfully smooth paper to stamp on, but did you know it has a lovely cousin, VERY VANILLA? I’m rarely without a full backup package of either of these stamping staple card stocks, but Vanilla is often overlooked, so I think you’ll see a lot of her today:

The Legendary Ride bundle is part elegant, a bit retro and all high adventure! The glossy black “Ready to Ride” Designer Series Paper that coordinates with the bundle captures it all.

For this card, I embossed the shorter (top) side of a Vanilla card (5-1/4″ x 7-3/4″, scored at 4″) with the Thanks embossing folder, then scored a 5-1/4″ x 4-1/2″ piece of the checkered Designer Series Paper at 1/2″ on the bottom of the directional side (so the images face up when you open it). Next, cut the top with a die from the Basic Borders and adhere it behind the Vanilla card before mounting it to the basic black card stock mat.

Before I cut my letters out, I adhered an adhesive sheet behind a piece of 4″ x 1-3/4″ Very Vanilla card stock and lined up my letters as close as I could. TIP: Hold them in place with a strip of washi tape. Adding the letters to my motorcycle card was easy: Just peel off the adhesive backing and they stick like STICKERS!

BONUS PROJECT:

Then I was left with the negative, which I adhered to a piece of the Sale-a-Bration Favored Flowers Designer Series Paper (a choice free with $50 order before 2/28/23) and cut with the same Basic Borders Die. I added a piece of Gorgeous Grape ribbon (currently in the Clearance Rack in my Stampin’ Store) before attaching it to a Very Vanilla card base:

Die cut once and get two cards!

Now on to more stamping adventures with our design team around the world…click on each one and save your favorites:

February 2023 New at SU! Blog Hop: J-A Mini Catalog Bundles, Without Basic White Cardstock

Previous Blog Next Blog

1.scraphexe (DE) – Ginkgo Branch | Gingko

2.Tricia’s Stamping Creations (US) – Something Fancy Bundle

3.I Heart Cards 2 (US)- New at SU! – Marigold Moments

4.Joni in the Spotlight Stamping (US)-Petal Park Suite

5.Terryfic Cards (CAN) – Share a Milkshake Bundle

6.Creative Juice by Loni (US)- Legendary Ride

7.Playing with Papercrafting (CAN)- Greatest Journey Silhouettes

8.Carterie Plus (CA)- Faut fêter ça

9.The Tantalizing Stamper – (UK)- Decorative Borders

10.247Inkspiration (US) – Flowers

11.De Kijkkast (NL) – Queen Bee

12.Stamping Flair (AU) – Easter Bunny

If you are in the U.S. and don’t have a demonstrator currently serving you, I’m happy to act as your craft supplier and have listed the items needed for the Legendary Ride card here:

Product List

Legendary Ride Bundle (English)

$50.25

Ready To Ride 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

$15.00

Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$10.25

Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Basic Borders Dies

$29.00

Thanks & Hello Embossing Folders

$8.00

Alphabet à La Mode Dies

$42.00

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

$6.00

Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Adhesive Sheets

$11.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

$125.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

$4.25

Rain or Shine- a Fancy Fun-Fold Card

January 30, 2023January 30, 2023Leave a comment

Faux (pronounced FO) means “an imitation” and in my own way of thinking, it also means “a better idea than the original”. This is certainly true of this unique card fold, because this “fake” version is so much easier than the one with a lot of tricky cuts and scores!

While I used the Rain or Shine suite for my card, I look forward to seeing how YOU use this easy tutorial:

Did you catch that the February Paper Pumpkin craft-kit-in-the-mail “Sunshine & Smiles” coordinates with the “Rain or Shine” Suite that is full of the cutest critters? Make sure you are subscribed by February 10th for this kit that will create 9 radiant cards with a peek-through component!

PLUS, there is a coordinating add-on die duo you can pre-order for the February Paper Pumpkin kit…while supplies last:

Product List

Rain Or Shine Suite Collection (English)

$85.25

Balmy Blue 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Mini Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

$63.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

$4.25

Stampin' Seal

$8.00

Love- and So Much of It

January 23, 2023January 24, 2023Leave a comment

One of the designs for my last card class was so versatile, I wanted to share a tutorial! This card using the new Love for You bundle could be a Valentine for a cherished friend, an anniversary celebration, a thank you or a congratulations.

Was it serendipitous – or cleverly designed by Stampin’ Up! – that the Design a Daydream host-exclusive Designer Series Paper coordinates beautifully with the Love For You bundle in the Jan-April Mini Catalog? Using the colors from the paper – Blackberry Bliss, Old Olive, Petal Pink and Daffodil Delight (I substituted So Saffron) gave me a starting place for the theme.

REMEMBER to always check the products that are only available for “hosts”- or when your order is over $150 US – that you can choose as STAMPIN’ REWARDS! The paper is especially beautiful and usually a wise choice, because it matches so many of our favorite stamp images. Look at the colors when ordering to make sure you order the same ink pads.

In the video tutorial, there are a few tips to making this 2-step stamping set easy and fun to craft with, and how to get different shades of color with one ink pad:

The bold greeting reminds the recipient that they are adored and appreciated!

Product List

Love For You Bundle (English)

$46.75

Design A Daydream 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Host Designer Series Paper

$18.00

Petal Pink 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Blackberry Bliss 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$10.25

Petal Pink Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

$125.00

Petal Pink 3/8" (1 Cm) Soft Polyester Ribbon

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

$4.25

New at SU! Coming Up Carrots for Sale-a-Bration

January 18, 2023January 18, 20234 Comments

It’s Sale-a-Bration time at Stampin’ Up! and everything’s coming up CARROTS!

The New at SU! design team is back to show you some creative ways to use the products you can collect FREE during January-February 2023 (with your qualifying orders). We will show you CARDS & COORDINATING ENVELOPES with Sale-a-Bration products, and I’m showcasing the “Thanks a Bunch” stamp set AND the Dandy Designs Designer Series Paper!

First, did you know carrots come in different colors?

Okay, maybe not Balmy Blue, but while we mostly see orange carrots in grocery stores today, that color only emerged in the 1600s. Purple and yellow were originally the most prevalent colors, and heirloom carrots are making a big comeback in gardens!

For this card, I grabbed the complimentary color across the color wheel from orange (= blue) and used the grid pattern from the Dandy Designs Designer Series Paper to use as my background (and on the flap for my coordinating envelope):

To make space on the front of your envelope for an address, just use a post-it note (cut to 1-1/4″) wide to mask off the center of the envelope and stamp your images over the top, then remove the post-it note:

I couldn’t stop with just one…there are 24 different patterns (48 sheets, 4 each of 12 double-sided designs) in the mega-pack of the Designer Series Paper, so I wanted to show you a few more:

I just had to add the bunny from the “Playing in the Rain” stamp set on that one! It’s a simple card with stripes of the patterned paper as the background and on the envelope. For the bunny’s rain coat, I stamped on a scrap of Mango Melody card stock and fussy cut it out, then glued it on. You could order the Playing in the Rain BUNDLE or SUITE and choose the Thanks a Bunch stamps as your free Sale-a-Bration reward!

All the supplies are listed at the bottom of this post, and if you don’t currently have a US demonstrator, I’m happy to serve you!

Now don’t miss the other Cards + Envelope projects from our talented demonstrator design team:

January New at SU! Hop: Sale-a-Bration + Matching Envelope

Previous Blog Next Blog

1.scraphexe (DE) – Beautifully Happy | Blütengruß

2.Playing with Papercrafting (CA): Adorable Owls Project Combo

3.De Kijkkast (NL) – Dreaming of Spring with Scenic Garden

4.iheartcards2 (US) – Sale-A-Bration + Matching Envelope

5.Creative Juice by Loni (US) – Coming Up Carrots for Sale-a-Bration

6.Stamping Flair (AU) – In the Country

7.Nature’s INKspirations (US) – Beautifully Happy

8.Stampin Xime (DE) – Beeindruckende Blumen | Favored Flowers

9.247Inkspiration (US) – Day At The Farm

10.Tricia’s Stamping Creations (US) – Day At The Farm

11.Carterie Plus-(CA) – C’est ta journée/ It’s your day!

12.One Stampin’ Mother Tucker (US)- Dainty Flowers

P.S. In case you didn’t hear, The Rain or Shine Suite coordinates with the February 2023 Paper Pumpkin kit! Subscribe by February 10th to get this cute craft kit in the mail:

Product List

Thanks A Bunch Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

$18.00

Dandy Designs 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

$30.00

Playing In The Rain Bundle (English)

$54.75

Pumpkin Pie 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$10.25

Mango Melody 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Basic White Medium Envelopes

$7.50

Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Evening Evergreen Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

$6.00

Whisper White Craft Stampin' Ink Refill

$4.50

Basics Embossing Powders

$18.00

Heat Tool (Us And Canada)

$30.00

Mini Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

$63.00

Baker's Twine Essentials Pack

$11.00

Pastel Adhesive Backed Sequins

$8.00

Pale Papaya Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

$9.00

Smoky Slate Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

$9.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

$4.25

Stampin' Seal

$8.00

Ride On Birthday Card

January 9, 20232 Comments

Often I am pleasantly surprised by a suite of Stampin’ Up! products that I didn’t expect to love. The Ready to Ride Suite is a perfect example!

While my single motorcycle riding experience didn’t endear me to riding the big bikes, I can see where the wind-in-your-hair-open-road-big-sky kind of day could be very appealing. This collection of products: Legendary Ride stamps and coordinating Dies, Metal Plat Embossing Folder and most spectacularly, the Ready to Ride 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper…all come together in SUCH an AWESOME way for some revved-up greeting cards like this one I demonstrated today:

There are a few tricks I wanted to show you about easily cutting and adhering the pieces to create a very detailed motorcycle…and the video begins with an unboxing of a LIMITED EDITION Boho Blue Mini Cut & Emboss Machine (with details on how you can get it!):

To help you put it together, I made this Motorcycle piece guide. You can change colors and “chrome” as desired…on my card, I used the gunmetal silver foil sheet and the bright silver is shown below. Feel free to print off the picture and slide it into your die envelope or stamp case to refer to when building your bike!

If you are “Ready to Ride”…these are the supplies you’ll need:

Product List

Legendary Ride Bundle (English)

$50.25

Ready To Ride 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

$15.00

Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$10.25

Silver Foil 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Pack

$10.00

Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Basic Gray 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Pumpkin Pie 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Adhesive Sheets

$11.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

$4.25

Did that Boho Blue Mini Cut & Emboss call your name? Join my team during Sale-a-Bration (January-February 2023) and you could choose Starter Kit option #1 to receive this Limited Edition machine PLUS choose $175 in products for just $129!

If you have questions about the starter kit or any of the products/techniques used here, shoot me a message and I’m happy to help!

Framed Pop-Up Shadow Box Card

January 2, 2023January 2, 2023Leave a comment

When you want to mail something a bit fancier than a regular birthday card, try this very versatile design: It folds flat to fit into an envelope, but pops open to stand up and the frame makes it feel like a piece of art:

It’s simple to create and I made the video to help you step-by-step:

Just push in the folded sides to slide it into an envelope:

While the Framed Florets bundle (stamps and dies) are also in the Stampin’ Up! 2023 January-April Mini Catalog which goes live for customers on January 5th, THE BEAUTIFUL Designer Series Paper is a preview exclusive only through January 4th, so DON’T MISS IT.

Product List

Framed Florets Bundle (English)

$54.00

Fitting Florets 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

$12.00

Basic White 12 X12 (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Cardstock

$8.25

Blushing Bride 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.25

Evening Evergreen Classic Stampin' Pad

$8.00

Simply Scored

$30.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

$125.00

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

$4.00

Tear & Tape Adhesive

$7.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

$4.25

Mini Glue Dots

$5.25

Baker's Twine Essentials Pack

$11.00

Basic White Medium Envelopes

$7.50

Glad you stopped by…Hope you are in your stamping studio EVERY DAY of 2023!

We Need a Little Citrus

December 6, 2022December 13, 2022Leave a comment

You’re up to your neck in Christmas, but what is Christmas without an orange in the stocking? Or in this instance, a whole case of citrus fruit?

This was another situation where the inspiration woke me up early to create a card! The Global Design Project #gdp372 challenge was to CASE (Copy and Selectively Edit) a project by Kayla McCreadie:

I reached for my new signature stamp set (coming in the January 2023 Mini catalog!) SWEET CITRUS:

With a coordinating Hybrid Embossing Folder and dies, I guarantee you are going to see a LOT of this set from me!

Lest you think it’s not timely for the holiday season, let me show you a Christmas card I showed in yesterday’s live video: This one features a sentiment from the Cozy & Bright Kit currently available in my Stampin’ Store…and highly recommend you collect this kit before it’s gone, so you can use the sentiments from the kit with the Sweet Citrus bundle next year, plus, it’s a very easy kit to assemble and could still afford you time to send Christmas Cards this year.

In addition to the Sweet Citrus bundle (which will be available on January 5th…or you can join my team and order it now!), these are the supplies I used for the Christmas Card:

Product List