Radiating Stitches In Color Birthday Card

Have you taken the time to explore the new Online Exclusives in my Stampin’ Up! Store? Some things have been so popular, they are already backordered and we are waiting for more!

One new item I wanted to share with you is the Radiating Stitches Dies…these cutting tools will take ANY stamps you already have and give them a pretty frame or add a bit of whimsy with a layer of “stitching” around the edges of your layers:

I chose to follow the Freshly Made Sketch #576 during my Live Crafting today and used two In Color Combinations to demonstrate the versatility of starting with a sketch, and the ease of using a combination of colors curated in a color “family”.

It happens that from today through Mid-April, I have 10 family birthdays (and about 15 friend and team birthdays) to celebrate, so this was an opportunity to get prepared!

This version I turned sideways and used the 2022-2024 In Colors as my palette. A sketch can be turned any which-way!

And this card followed the portrait layout of the original sketch, plus I used a base of Very Vanilla with my colors from the (retiring) 2021-2023 In Colors. All supplies listed below to make it easy to add to your cart!

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Daffodil Dies: Add a POP of Color

Black & White is a classic, elegant color combination, but when you add a POP of color, a card becomes stunning!

In my LIVE broadcast today, I teach you how to stack the individual pieces from the Daffodil Dies to craft a bundle of flowers on top of a black & white polka-dot background. While I chose Melon Mambo as my “POP” of color, you could use yellow, purple or bright blue!

Having a few shades of the pink really helped these flowers feel real (lightest to darkest: Blushing Bride, Polished Pink, Melon Mambo).

It certainly brightened my day to make these fabulous cards!

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Peek-a-Boo Pocket Card

Every crafter loves the feeling of using up *every*scrap* of pretty paper. It’s a magical feat of unparalleled proportions! That’s how I feel today, after successfully finishing off a whole pack of Favored Flowers Designer Series Paper from Sale-a-Bration.

After using up a bunch of this pretty paper for cards to swap at StampFest, I had just a few long strips and edges left that seemed a shame to waste, so I came up with the Peek-a-Boo Pocket card:

Starting with a Basic White Envelope, I cut off one end to create a pocket, then punched a shape for my greeting to peek out of. To finish it off, I embellished with pieces fussy cut from the Designer Series Paper. I demonstrated this for my Monday Lunchtime Live project today:

While the Favored Flowers paper is only available through February 28, 2023 as a free gift option with qualifying order, you could create the Peek-a-Boo Pocket with any Designer Series Paper and punch, like I did with the Hues of Happiness and Heart Punch:

Try this in your craft room and you’ll feel fancy, fast!

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PSSST! Sale-a-Bration ENDS TOMORROW, FEBRUARY 28th! Click below to shop & earn today!

Sweet Songbird Nest Treat Favor

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!

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Valentines Day on Taco Tuesday

An opportunity such as this won’t happen again for 12 more years- the next time Valentine’s day is on a Taco Tuesday isn’t until 2034!

Our family has a classic comfort meal…and yes, it’s TACOS. We’ve eaten tacos for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. It’s time to bring them to the day of LOVE & affection. Luckily, my husband shares our obsession, because this card will be for him:

This Double-Z fold card was fun to make at Stamp Club last night, too! The crafters didn’t even complain about fussy cutting or “stuffing” the taco with lettuce, cheese and tomatoes:

A scalloped circle die, a standard hole punch and a few scraps of paper make it easy to create the taco toppings: Scrunch up a few scalloped wedges of Granny Apple Green card stock and glue it behind the taco, then stuff in the other pieces with a dot of liquid glue.

A sheet of craft foam with an adhesive sheet adhered to the back can be cut out on the Cut & Emboss Machine and adhered to the front to give it a chunky texture!

If you haven’t made this type of card before, here are the measurements for this one:

  • Card base: 4-1/4″ x 11″, scored at 2-3/4″ and 5-1/2″
  • Smaller Z-Fold: 2-3/4′ x 10″, scored at 4-1/2″ and 7-1/4″
  • Designer Series Paper: 4″ x 2-1/2″ and 4″ x 5-1/4″
  • I added a piece of 3″ x 3″ Basic Black card stock

Want to create your own version? Here are the supplies I used for my Spec-Taco-Lar Valentine:

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Rain or Shine- a Fancy Fun-Fold Card

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:

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A Zesty Birthday, with Stripes!

Put on your sunnies for this amaZING birthday card, with a lot of ZEST!

Why not have ALL the citrus? I’m squeezing the most out of this Sweet Citrus bundle from the mini catalog…it’s been so much fun to play with!

I’m going through my strips of card stock now, looking for more ways to incorporate bold stripes on my projects, because this one turned out just so cheery! Make your own by printing out the tutorial below.

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Love- and So Much of It

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!

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Beautifully Happy Watercolor Background

After a decade of drought, Southern Utah is enjoying an unbelievable amount of rain, so on this wet day, it just feels like I should be creating with WATERcolor!

In my Live crafting video, I demonstrated how to make a unique background in two ways for the Beautifully Happy Sale-a-Bration stamp set, and it’s easier than you may think:

I’m not a professional…it just amazes me what can be made with paper, ink and a bit of water! Which one appeals most to you, left or right?

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Remember to check your ink refills and card stock supply when you place an order, and you could choose the Beautifully Happy set FREE during Sale-a-Bration!

Ride On Birthday Card

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:

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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!