Showing posts with label Kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kids. Show all posts

Friday, November 15, 2024

Woven Birthday Hey - Stampin' Up! Saying Hey

 With all the focus on Christmas cards lately I've found that my birthday card stash for men is getting a bit sparse so I decided to use the colors at the Color Throwdown challenge to make a quick one to have on hand.  The Saying Hey stamp set is a nice casual all purpose sentiment set to have on hand for these kinds of cards.


  The colors to use for this challenge are listed as mustard, red, and slate blue.  I choose to use Misty Moonlight, Crushed Curry and Cherry Cobbler as my Stampin' Up! colors.  This is a nice design to use up those narrow 1/2" strips of cardstock that we all save but rarely use.  I use woven them together in a simple crisscross pattern and then used glue to adhere it to a piece of Basic White.  Using glue gives you wiggle room (literally!!) to adjust the strips so that they are even.

  The Basic White panel is adhered to a Misty Moonlight card base.

  Using the Saying Hey set I stamped the 'hey' in Misty Moonlight and then fussy cut it and popped it on dimensionals.  The 'happy birthday' is stamped directly onto the Basic White panel.

  A few Gold Textured Adhesive-Backed Dots are a nice match to the Crushed Curry so I added a few of those for a nice understated embellishment.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

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

Stamps: Saying Hey

Ink: Misty Moonlight

Paper: Misty Moonlight, Cherry Cobbler, Crushed Curry, Basic White

Accessories: Gold Textured Adhesive-Backed Dots, dimensionals



Monday, October 14, 2024

You're Super - Stampin' Up! Tune In

   I saw this color combo last week on a challenge and I didn't get a card make in time to share it but I thought the colors were perfect for a bit of a retro look with the Tune In bundle.  So thanks to the Just Us Girls challenge for the inspiration!  Since my oldest is now a freshman off at college I'm trying to be good about designing cards that I can send to him.  The color combo of Balmy Blue, Basic Gray and Lemon Lime Twist seemed like a good start for a card for him.


  My son has never seen a TV that looked like this in real life but he does have a bit of an affinity for "older" tech so I think he'll appreciate it.  He likes listening to records and has dabbled with 90's camcorders and VHS players.  Who knows he might show up one day with an old wood box tv set from the thrift store lol!

  The card base is Basic Gray and the background layer is a piece of Balmy Blue with the stars stamped in Versamark and embossed in white to create the background.  I die cut a few stars in Lemon Lime Twist and added them as well.  Before adhering it to the card base I added a length of ribbon and tied a knot.

  The tv and antenna are stamped in Basic Gray and then colored in with Blends markers.  The sentiment is stamped in Basic Gray and then to make it pop a bit I outlined it with my Lemon Lime Twist Stampin' Write marker since the pen tip is a fine point and I didn't want a thick line around it.

  The tv is popped on dimensionals and accented with Lemon Lime Twist starburst die cut.  A faceted gem is added to the center for just a bit of sparkle.  It is for a teen boy after all I can't go too crazy lol!

  This was such a fun card to put together and the colors are so cool I just might have to try a Christmas card with them for nice retro vibe.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

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

Stamps: Tune In

Ink: Basic Gray, Versamark

Blends: Smoky Slate light & dark, Balmy Blue light, Lemon Lime Twist light & dark

Stampin' Write Marker: Lemon Lime Twist

Paper: Basic Gray, Balmy Blue, Basic White, Lemon Lime Twist

Accessories: Tune In dies, dimensionals, white embossing powder, Lemon Lime Twist ribbon (retired), faceted gem (retired)

Monday, September 16, 2024

Mouse Hug - Stampin' Up! Hearts & Hugs

   I needed to get some more cards made to have on hand to send to my oldest who just started his freshman year at college so I used the Tic Tac Toe Challenge this week.  One of the board choices is Border, Masculine and Markers/Pencils and I thought those were great elements to use for a card of this type. 


  I looked through some saved color combinations to find one that worked for a masculine card and decided upon Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Summer Splash and Pretty Peacock.

  Basic Gray is the card base and then I used the other 3 colors to make a border using the retired Basic Borders dies.  If you cut the lengths long than you need it makes it easy to tuck them against each other and then just trim the overhang at the ends. 

  I tied a length of retired baker's twine around the card front then mounted the large circle which holds all the focal points of the card.  The mouse from Hearts & Hugs stamp set is stamped in Basic Gray and colored in with colored pencils and the large heart is colored with Blends markers.

  I added the sentiment above the mouse and then a few die cut hearts in Pretty Peacock.  Since this will be going to an 18 year old boy I left off any other embellishments and kept it clean.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

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

Stamps: Hearts & Hugs

Ink: Basic Gray

Blends: Summer Splash light

Paper: Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Summer Splash, Pretty Peacock. Basic White

Accessories: Hearts & Hugs dies, Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals, baker's twine (retired), Basic Borders dies (retired)



Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Hello Birdy - Stampin' Up! Bird's Eye View

   It's been a hot minute since I used the Bird's Eye View stamp set but it was time to take a break from the Christmas cards since the temperatures are back up in the 90s this week.  Talk about a hot minute right??Sometimes it's hard to create 'Christmas' when it's this hot but these cool greens and blues on this card are soothing aren't they?  The prompt over at TGIF Challenges is to use the Full of Life DSP on your project.  The hardest part about using this DSP is trying to decide which pattern to use; they are all gorgeous!!  If you haven't gotten this one yet or you need another pack don't wait to order it as it's on sale until the end of August!  Woo-Hoo!


  The Full of Life DSP pattern that I chose was this nice green/blue color blocks which I thought would give me some great colors to use for my bird and leaves.  I used just a small piece of the 6x6 sheet and adhered it to the side of my Lost Lagoon card base. 

  The images are all stamped in Memento black ink on Basic White cardstock and I used Stampin' Blends markers to color everything in (colors listed below).  Then I fussy cut everything and arranged it on the card front using dimensionals to adhere it all.

  The sentiment from Simply Said stamp set is stamped in Memento on Pool Party cardstock and then cut out with one of the nice label dies in the Unbounded Love die set.  I added a little baker's twine bow and also colored over the bird's glasses with clear Wink of Stella which you can't see at all in the photo but is a cute touch.

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

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Bird's Eye View, Simply Said

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Pecan Pie light & dark, Lemon Lolly light & dark, Pool Party light & dark, Shaded Spruce light, Granny Apple Green light, Lemon Lime Twist light

Paper: Lost Lagoon, Basic White, Full of Life DSP, Pool Party

Accessories: Unbounded Love dies, dimensionals, baker's twine, Wink of Stella



Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Back to School Hug - Stampin' Up! Choose Happy

   We dropped off my older son at college last weekend for his freshman year so now I need to have some cards ready to go in the mail for him.  I told him he will need to check his mailbox fairly regularly as I know his grandparents will be sending him fun mail also.  I'm using the Paper Players Clean and Simple Fruit challenge as well as the Back to School theme at TGIF Challenges for my card.


  Since this is a clean and simple (CAS) challenge there isn't too much to talk about design-wise.  The card base is Pool Party.  And I made my own sheet of notebook paper with a bit of Basic White and the light Pool Party and light Calypso Coral Blends markers.  I used a ruler to help keep my lines even and spaced and then I used my little hole punch that I have for punching paper for my planner.  I know notebook paper only has 3 holes but I didn't want to try with a handheld punch and goof it up.

  The sweet little apples are from the Choose Happy stamp set and I colored them in with more Blends markers and then fussy cut them.  They are popped on the notebook paper with dimensionals.

  And finally the sentiment from Hearts & Hugs is stamped in Memento Black ink. 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Choose Happy, Hearts & Hugs

Ink: Memento black

Blends: Pool party light, Calypso Coral light, Real Red light & dark, Daffodil Delight light and dark, Granny Apple Green light & dark, Pecan pie light & dark, Mossy Meadow light & dark

Paper: Pool Party, Basic White

Accessories: dimensionals, hole punch




Tuesday, August 13, 2024

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



Monday, August 12, 2024

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





Friday, July 26, 2024

Hey Birthday - Stampin' Up! Hats Off

  Going back in time a bit with my card today!  The Hats Off stamp set retired in 2022 but for some reason I thought it had been longer than that!  Stamping years go by faster or something?!?  I also used the current set, Sayin' Hey for the sentiment .  I thought they paired up nicely for a birthday card for my nephew.  The layout is inspired by the Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge this week.


 Blueberry Bushel makes a nice card base and I used a larger panel of the retired Textured Shimmer paper in Balmy Blue and then a smaller panel of the retired Flowers & More DSP.  I'm trying to be better about using retired paper when I can one small piece at a time!  

  I stamped and cut out 2 hats, one in Azure Afternoon and one in Basic Beige using Azure Afternoon ink and fussy cut them so I could have a blue brim with a beige crown.

  The patch is inked up with Stampin' Write markers and stamped on Basic White.  Once it was cut out I popped the whole hat on dimensionals.

  The 'hey' is stamped in Azure Afternoon and fussy cut and popped.  The 'happy birthday' is stamped in Versamark onto Daffodil Delight and embossed in white.

  And since this card is for a teenage boy I kept the sparkly embellishments to a minimum and just added 2 very small gems above the 'hey'.

  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: Sayin' Hey, Hats Off (retired)

Ink: Azure Afternoon, Versamark

Paper: Balmy Blue, Basic White, Basic Beige, Textured Shimmer paper (retired), Flowers & More DSP (retired)

Accessories: Hats Off dies, dimensionals, Stampin' Write markers, gems, white embossing powder



Monday, July 15, 2024

Celebrate with Cake - Stampin' Up! Attention Shoppers

 This week is a week of birthdays at our house!  Both of my boys have birthdays in the span of 4 days so there is a lot of gifts, good food and cake in our house right now.  I used a combo of older and new supplies to make this star filled birthday card for my oldest.


  This panel of Bright & Beautiful DSP (which is a carryover from the last Annual Catalog that you can find in the Online Store) seemed like a fun inspiration to get this card started.  I pulled my base color, Blueberry Bushel, from it and then added a panel of the same color embossed with the Dotted Circles embossing folder so you can see some texture peeking out the sides.

  The sentiment is from Heartfelt Hexagons and is stamped in Blueberry Bushel ink and then punched with the Heartfelt Hexagon punch.  I punched a second hexagon to be a base for the cake.

  I used the cake from the Attention Shoppers stamp set and then colored it in with Blends markers adding a tiny little bit of gold Wink of Stella for the flames.  Once it was colored I fussy cut the cake (because I totally forgot there was a die for it!) and popped it on the the hexagon with dimensionals.

  A long retired star punch was used to punch out a few more stars in some of the DSP colors.  I colored them with clear Wink of Stella so they have a nice sparkle to them in real life.  The stars are all added to the card front with dimensionals too.

  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: Heartfelt Hexagons, Attention Shoppers

Ink: Blueberry Bushel

Blends: Azure Afternoon light & dark, Lemon Lime Twist light & dark, Lemon Lolly light & dark

Paper: Blueberry Bushel, Basic White, Bright & Beautiful DSP, Azure Afternoon, Lemon Lolly, Lemon Lime Twist

Accessories: Dotted Circles embossing folder, Heartfelt Hexagon punch, dimensionals, Wink of Stella, small star punch (retired)

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Badger Birthday - Stampin' Up! Hearts & Hugs

   I recently sold a ton of my card stash to family members so now it's time to re-stock my bins and since birthday cards are always a need for me (and apparently my family members!) I decided to use the Hearts & Hugs bundle to make a sweet badger birthday card to get started.


  Don't have a lot of time for coloring or just don't feel like doing a lot of coloring with this set?  It's easy to just emboss or stamp the animal images onto neutral or colored cardstock and you're finished!  For these badgers I embossed them with white embossing powder onto black cardstock and did a tiny bit of coloring with just a white watercolor pencil around their eyes.  So easy!

  The card base is a Basic White thick, then a layer of Summer Splash and the top layer is also Basic White.  On the top layer I lightly blended some Summer splash ink with a blending brush to give the badgers a bit of a background.  I popped them up with dimensionals then added some stamped hearts to the side also in Summer Splash ink.

  The sentiment from Simply Said is stamped in Memento Black onto Summer Splash card stock and then die cut with the banner die in the Hearts & Hugs die set.  I tucked the banner under the badgers feet and adhered it with dimensionals.

  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, Simply Said

Ink: Versamark, Memento Black, Summer Splash

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Summer Splash, Basic Black

Accessories: Hearts & Hugs dies, dimensionals, blending brush, white water color pencil

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Hey Good Lookin' - Stampin' Up! Saying Hey

   My card today is a bright, cheerful hello card that was inspired by the prompt of 'critters' over at Addicted to CAS challenge.  I used 2 stamp sets that you might overlook when paging through the catalog.  The Choose Happy and Sayin' Hey stamp sets are both on page 24 and have mostly word stamps but have a lot of versatility for every day cards for all year round.  If you journal or keep a planner the Choose Happy might be just thing to jazz up your calendars and to-do lists!  


  Since this challenge is a clean and simple one I stayed with a plain Basic White card base and used the rest of the colors pretty sparingly.  I stamped the Hey in Blueberry Bushel and the sun from Choose Happy in Daffodil Delight and then colored it in with Blends markers.  I cut the images out with a Stylish Shape square. Next I stamped the penguin (also in Choose Happy) and fussy cut it and popped it up on another die cut square in Poppy Parade.

  The rest of the sentiment is stamped in Versamark on Blueberry Bushel and then embossed in white and cut into a banner with the Stylish Shapes dies.

  I arranged the squares and banner roughly following one of the sketch samples on page 22 of the Annual Catalog.  And it being a clean and simple card I left off any other embellishment.

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

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sayin' Hey, Choose Happy

Ink: Blueberry Bushel, Versamark, Memento Black, Daffodil Delight

Blends: Daffodil Delight light & dark

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Blueberry Bushel, Poppy Parade

Accessories: Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals


Thursday, June 6, 2024

Thank You Cap - Stampin' Up! Cap & Gown

   I used the Global Design Project to get this card started.  They have a CASE the designer challenge and I took the layout to use to make a set of thank you cards for my son to use.  He has quite a few thank you cards to write after graduating high school last week.  


  I pulled together some retired, current and new supplies to make this card.  I made a set of 10 using different black and white papers from the retired All Together DSP.  The black is a great complement to the Summer Splash which is the main color of his high school.

  I used the Cap & Gown stamp set which carried over to the online store from the Jan.-April mini catalog.  I just stamped the cap and colored it in with Blends then fussy cut it.

  The sentiment is from the new stamp set My Small Business and I stamped it on one of the Unbounded Love dies labels.  The cap and label are popped up on dimensionals over some retired twine.

  I dug through my retired embellishments and pulled out a whole assortment of colors that kind of match the Summer Splash.  Some were Bermuda Bay and some are Pool Party and I think a few are even Lost Lagoon.  I'm always happy to use up odds and ends of supplies!

 All of the current supplies can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Cap & Gown, My Small Business

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Summer Splash light & dark, Daffodil Delight light & dark

Paper: Basic White thick, Summer Splash, All Together DSP (retired), Basic White

Accessories: Unbounded Love dies, dimensionals, twine (retired), gems (retired)

Sunday, May 26, 2024

Shamrock Birthday Balloon - Stampin' Up! Hot Air Balloon

   I'm always thankful when a great all-purpose stamp set like Hot Air Balloon gets carried over and I can keep using it.  And it gives my customers some more time to decide to get it.  I came across 2 challenges this weekend that both call for balloons so I was glad to have a balloon set so I can play along!  The Addicted to CAS and the Just Add Ink challenges call for balloons.  The Just Add Ink is a 'choose 2' of the 3 prompts given and I realized that I used all 3.  Hope that's ok with them!


  The Just Add Ink 3 prompts are Balloon, Bright Colors, and Birthday.  I think when I started this card it was going to be a hello card but by the time I got to finishing it I just grabbed a birthday sentiment not thinking about it!  Oh well!

  I started with an Azure Afternoon card base and then used the retired Basic Borders dies to cut a cloud edge along the bottom corner.

  The balloon is stamped with what I think is a great color combo: Shy Shamrock, Azure Afternoon and Daffodil Delight.  Nice bright colors right?  The basket is in Azure Afternoon as well.  Once the pieces were die cut I popped them up with dimensionals and added a baker's twine bow as a ver simple embellishment.

  And of course the sentiment is stamped in Azure Afternoon.  

  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: Hot Air Balloon

Ink: Shy Shamrock, Azure Afternoon, Daffodil Delight

Paper: Basic White, Azure Afternoon

Accessories: Hot Air Balloon dies, dimensionals, Basic Borders dies (retired), Crushed Curry Baker's twine (retired)




Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Walrus Hugs - Stampin' Up! Hearts & Hugs

 I think the cutest stamp set in the new 2024-2025 Stampin' Up! annual catalog is the Hearts & Hugs stamp set.  All the little critters are just adorable and have gotten a lot of "aw's" from my stampers!

  We used Hearts & Hugs at a private class last month and used an easy coloring technique to add some shading to the walruses.


  The new Summer Splash color is a nice bright card base and complements the Gray Granite used for the image.  Once the walruses were stamped we used the Basic Gray colored pencil to go over the the natural shading lines on the image and then softened them with a blender pen.  The gray is also used on the snout along with black for the nose and white for the tusks.  Just that little bit of coloring really adds a lot!

  After the walruses were colored and cut out we gave them a nice spot to hang out.  On a piece of Basic White we lightly added some Pool Party ink with a blending brush. Next we tore the edges from 2 pieces of Basic White and layered them to look a bit like snow and tucked the walruses behind the back layer.

  The sentiment is stamped towards the top in Pool Party ink and the one side of the image panel is edged with a piece of another new In Color, Petunia Pop. Bringing a bit more Petunia Pop to the card we added a few die cut hearts in the new In Color Glimmer paper.

  Not to get ahead of the calendar and all but I think this set would make adorable Valentine's Day card if you're that much of planner!

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

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Hearts & Hugs

Ink: Gray Granite, Pool Party

Paper: Summer Splash, Basic White, Gray Granite, Petunia Pop, 2024-2026 In Color Glimmer Paper

Accessories: Hearts & Hugs dies, blending brush, blender pen, colored pencils

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Peach Pie Cutie - Stampin' Up! Hearts & Hugs

  Last week I was able to introduce the 2024-2026 In Colors to my stampers at my monthly class.  I think they were overall well received and people seemed to like that they were brighter and more cheerful than the 2023-2025 set which are definitely more muted.  I designed one of the class projects so that they could choose one of the new In Colors to work with.


  I didn't take a photo of each of the other colors but just imagine the exact same card just with the other In Colors.

  This one is showcasing Peach Pie with a Peach Pie base, then a layer of the 2024-2026 In Color DSP with the same color stitched ribbon tied around it.

  Using the arched heart die and a Stylish Shape circle the hearts are cut from the top.  Then a piece of Peach Pie cardstock is placed behind the heart cut outs.  The circle is then popped on dimensionals.

  The little hamster (or as one of my customers pointed out a quokka) is stamped in Pecan Pie ink onto Crumb Cake cardstock.  We used a Pecan Pie and Melon Mambo colored pencils and a blender brush to give the little cutie some color.  Then he's die cut and popped on the circle with dimensionals.

  The sentiment is stamped in Basic Gray under the strip of DSP.  It was fun to see which colors my customers gravitated towards.

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

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Hearts & Hugs

Ink: Pecan Pie, Basic Gray

Paper: Peach Pie, Basic White, 2024-2026 In Color DSP, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Hearts & Hugs dies, Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals, Peach Pie Stitched ribbon, colored pencils, blender pen

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Pretty Pink Hugs - Stampin' Up! Hearts & Hugs

 After checking my calendar I realized that I need to get my butt in gear to design projects for 2 upcoming events as well as making more samples to show at my new catalog open house at the beginning of May!  I really need to just say no to house work and cooking for a few weeks right??  Since that won't happen I'll have to be efficient when I'm in the stamp room.  So without further ado here is my card that was prompted by the Color Hues challenge to use yellow and pink.


  I thought the new In Color Pretty in Pink would be perfect paired up with Lemon Lolly for this challenge and I think I was right!  As a side note Pretty in Pink seems like an exact match for the retired Pretty in Pink from back in the day.  Not sure if Stampin' Up! did that on purpose or what but if you have product in that color I think they will be interchangeable.

  For this card I used a Lemon Lolly base and then embossed a full panel in the same color with the Dotted Circles embossing folder.

  The mouse from the upcoming new set Hearts & Hugs is stamped in Early Espresso and then colored in with Blends markers.  Once it was die cut I popped it on dimensionals over a strip of retired Iridescent ribbon.

  I punched a heart out of Pretty in Pink cardstock and stamped the sentiment then tucked that behind the mouse. Using the little hearts dies in the Hearts & Hugs die set I added a few more smaller hearts to the card front. A few Iridescent adhesive backed discs are also added for some shine.

 Current items used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  Items marked with * will be available starting May 1, 2024 with the release of the 2024-2025 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog. If you'd like the opportunity to order these items early you can join my Stampin' Up! team and get preorder benefits!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Hearts & Hugs

Ink: Early Espresso

Blends: Pretty in Pink light & dark*, Crumb Cake light & dark, Petal Pink dark

Paper: Lemon Lolly, Basic White, Pretty in Pink*

Accessories: Hearts & Hugs dies*, Dotted Circles embossing folder*, dimensionals, Iridescent adhesive-backed discs, heart punch (retired), Iridescent ribbon (retired)



Thursday, April 11, 2024

Hamster Hug - Stampin' Up! Hearts & Hugs

   I'm finally getting around to playing with some of my new supplies from my preorder.  One thing after another kept popping up that kept me from stamping.  The current Freshly Made Sketches layout looked like a good one to start with today so I got to work with the upcoming Hearts & Hugs bundle and one of the new In Colors; Petunia Pop.


  The weather here is gray and dreary so I apologize for the photo!  The Hearts & Hugs bundle was one that we got a preview of at the OnStage event last month.  I love the cute animal sets so of course it made it's way into my preorder!

  To stick with the 'fresh' challenge mandate I kept this one very simple.  The base is Basic White thick, then a layer of Basic White embossed with the new Eyelet embossing folder.

  I stamped the hamster (though some might say it's a gerbil if we can't see the tail!) in Pecan Pie and then colored it in with a combo of Blends markers and then die cut it.  It is adhered onto a Stylish Shape circle die cut.  

  I used some of the fabulous new In Color Glimmer paper in Petunia Pop to cut out the arch of hearts and adhered them around the hamster.  The circle is then popped on the card front with dimensionals.  The sentiment strip is added to the side.

  The part of the sketch that gave me fits were the 2 leaf details to the side of the circle.  I knew I didn't have to use leaves exactly but I just could not make anything work.  And when I mean anything I had all sorts of punches and die cuts in different shapes scattered around so I finally decided on a single Petunia Pop bordered ribbon knot on that side.  I know it's not exactly the sketch but it's as close as I could get it while still liking the result!  I hope you can see the sketch in my design regardless.

  Current items used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  Items marked with * will be available starting May 1, 2024 with the release of the 2024-2025 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog. If you'd like the opportunity to order these items early you can join my Stampin' Up! and get preorder benefits!

Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Hearts & Hugs*

Ink: Pecan Pie, Petunia Pop*

Blends: Pecan Pie light, Medium Deep Natural Tones, Petal Pink dark

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, 2024-2026 In Color Glimmer paper*

Accessories: Eyelet embossing folder*, Stylish Shapes dies, Hearts & Hugs dies*, dimensionals, Petunia Pop bordered ribbon*




  

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Starry Sky Balloon - Stampin' Up! Hot Air Balloon

  I was so happy to see that the Hot Air Balloon stamp set and dies will not be retiring (bundle pricing will end on April 30)!  I've used these products for so many different kinds of cards and my stampers used it again last week for a masculine birthday card with what I think is a fantastic color combination!  Coastal Cabana, Parakeet Party and Starry Sky!  No boring neutrals on this guy card!


  If you've been holding off on buying any of the In Color Starry Sky items don't wait!!  This color (along with other 2022-2024 In Colors Sweet Sorbet, Parakeet Party, Orchid Oasis and Tahitian Tide) is retiring for good on April 30 and some of the products may sell out before that.  I love this rich blue and it makes a great backdrop for a bright hot air balloon!

  This design starts with a Starry Sky card base, then a layer of Parakeet Party and then another layer of Starry Sky.  The top layer of Starry Sky has the same color ink blended around the edges with a blending brush to add a kind of shaded frame.  Next my stampers used white craft paint (non-Stampin' Up!) and a water painter brush to flick drops of the paint onto the cardstock (do this before adhering the panel to the card front!).  Once the drops dried (we used a heat tool to speed things along but you can also let it air dry) we added the other elements.

  The balloon is stamped in Coastal Cabana and Parakeet Party and the basket is also Parakeet Party.  After the balloon was die cut it's popped on dimensionals over a punched cloud (this punch is also retiring).

  The balloon is embellished with a Starry Sky die cut banner and a baker's twine bow.  The final touch is the stamped sentiment in white craft ink.  The sentiment comes from the retiring Beautiful Balloons stamp set.

  All of the products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  Items marked retiring will not be available after April 30 and are while supplies last.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Hot Air Balloon*, Beautiful Balloons (retiring)

Ink: Starry Sky (retiring), Parakeet Party (retiring), Coastal Cabana, White craft

Paper: Starry Sky (retiring), Parakeet Party (retiring), Basic White

Accessories: Hot Air Balloon Dies*, dimensionals, In Color Baker's twine (retiring), Cloud punch (retiring), white craft paint

*The Hot Air Balloon bundle will no longer be offered at a 10% off discount price after April 30

Monday, February 19, 2024

Birthday Balloons - Stampin' Up! Beautiful Balloons

   It's taking me a bit of time to get back into the swing of things in my stamp room after being down sick for a few days.  The colors over at the Just Add Ink challenge caught my eye so I thought I would see what I could do with them! Tahitian Tide and Gorgeous Grape (along with white) is a fun combo and nice and bold and bright!

  I thought these colors would look great as balloons and also give me an excuse to add to my dwindling birthday card supply!


  I leaned heavy into the Tahitian Tide since I always have some regrets when an In Color retires and I feel like I didn't use it enough (or have so many supplies in the color that I realize I over-bought!).  Soon the 2022-2024 set of In Colors will be retiring so I've got to try my best to use them now!

  I started with a Tahitian Tide card base on which I stamped the streamer stamp from the Beautiful Balloons stamp set all the way down the front. 

  I added a Basic White frame made with the Countryside Corners dies to give a bit of an anchor for the balloon elements.  One balloon is in Gorgeous Grape with the sentiment in Tahitian Tide and the other one is stamped in Tahitian Tide on Basic White and then has some of the same color ink blended on the edges.

  For the accents I used the retire 2022-2024 In Color Glimmer paper to cut the large star as well as some of the smaller starts sprinkled in the corner (the others are of course Gorgeous Grape).  The tassel is also in Gorgeous Grape and the string is Tahitian Tide baker's twine.  

  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: Beautiful Balloons, Hooray for Surprises

Ink: Tahitian Tide, Gorgeous Grape

Paper: Tahitian Tide, Gorgeous Grape, Basic White, 2022-2024 In Color Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: Beautiful Balloon dies, Countryside Corners dies, dimensionals, 2022-2024 In Color baker's twine



Friday, February 16, 2024

Birthday Piñata - Stampin' Up! Taco Fiesta

 I've been down and out with Covid for the last week so I haven't had much time in the stamp room but I had to rally myself for this card today because I'm a Guest Designer over at As You See It Challenge!  It's so exciting to be asked to join this fun challenge after this card was a top pick a few weeks back.  For this challenge the team has a recipe for us to use!  All 5 elements on the graphic must be included as part of the design of your card.  


  I ended up starting my card by finding the only current plaid DSP I had in my stash!  I knew I had some retired Christmas themed plaids but I'm not ready for all that in February!  This pretty Daffodil Delight plaid can be found in the Bee Mine DSP.  It's a versatile design that works for more than just Valentine's day.


    The rest of the card came together using colors that worked with the Daffodil Delight and then bringing in each ingredient from the recipe list.

  For the die cut element I went with 3 Stylish Shapes die cut circles.  The largest one in Pool Party is also embossed with the Sale-a-bration (SAB) Softly Sophisticated embossing folder so that takes care of the embossing folder ingredient.

  The piñata from the Taco Fiesta stamp set is stamped in Memento black and colored in with Blends markers and fussy cut and popped up on a Basic White circle.  The sentiment from Zany Zoo is stamped in Versamark on a Flirty Flamingo circle and heat embossed in white.

  For the last 2 ingredients (twine/ribbon and rhinestones/dots) I used long retired Pool Party baker's twine to "hang" the piñata and 2 SAB Opaque Faceted Gems in Pool Party.

  All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased or earned for free with purchase in my ONLINE STORE.

  I hope to see your card made with this fun recipe in the As You See It Challenge gallery!  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Taco Fiesta, Zany Zoo

Ink: Memento Black, Versamark

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

Paper: Bee Mine DSP, Basic White thick, Pool Party, Basic White, Flirty Flamingo

Accessories: Stylish Shapes dies, Softly Sophisticated embossing folder (SAB), Opaque Faceted Gems (SAB), dimensionals, white embossing powder, Pool Party baker's twine (retired)