Author Archives: Karen Fontinelle

Bridge Card Technique For a Birthday Card

I wanted to make a special birthday card for my daughter, and I had seen pretty cards like this design, but I didn’t know what they were called. After some sleuthing, I found out this card design is called a Bridge Card. With the new, beautiful Share What You Love Designer Series Paper, I was able to come up with this Bridge Card Technique For a Birthday Card. It’s very easy, really!

This card is really just half a sheet of cardstock, some scoring, and a strip that goes across the front. It even folds flat for mailing and fits in our Medium Envelopes. Amazing!

Start with a piece of cardstock for the card base that is 8″ x 4 1/4″. Score at 1 1/4″, 2 1/2″, 5 1/2″ and 6 3/4″ on the long size of the cardstock. Fold and crease the score lines so that the card would stand up as you see in the photo.

Cut strips of designer paper to fit each of the panels. I used the new Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series Paper. You’ll need four strips that are 1″ x 4″. They can all be the same pattern or two different ones as I did on this card. For the wider center panel, cut either a piece of Whisper White or Very Vanilla Cardstock or, as I did, designer paper at 2 3/4″ x 4″.

For the “bridge” part of the card, cut a strip 1 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ of cardstock. Add a strip of designer paper if you like, 1″ x 5 1/4″. Adhere all the designer paper on the panels and then get ready to do the bridge piece. You can adhere it so it is all the way at the bottom of the card or up a little higher. It just depends on the design you want. To assemble, adhere the left side of the bridge piece to the left edge of top folded panel. Then, if you open up the right side of the card, flat on the table, you can adhere the right end of the bridge piece to the right side edge of the card. Make sure you only have adhesive on the parts of the bridge piece that will cover the left front panel and the right front panel. Now you card should be able to open up and stand!

Embellish your card however you like. I added birthday greetings and some flowers that I cut out of the designer paper. I used the Happy Birthday Gorgeous Stamp Set for the greetings. If you would like an area to write a note or sign your name, make a panel to fit on the back side of the card and you will have plenty of room.

Once you try making one, you will easily see how it all goes together! It seems amazing that it folds flat for mailing. Speaking of mailing, if you want to decorate the envelope flap, cut a piece of designer paper that would completely cover the flap and adhere it to the flap. Then take your scissors and trim off the excess around the flap! Now it’s your turn to try the Bridge Card Technique for a Birthday Card!

Supplies Found at Stampin’ Up! Online!

In Color Springtime Impressions Die Cut Butterfly Cards

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I think I could have kept on stamping and playing making more cards like these In Color Springtime Impressions Die Cut Butterfly Cards. These two were fun to make, not to mention, easy! I wanted to try out the butterfly die in the Springtime Impressions Thinlits Dies. Yesterday I posted a card using the other die in the set, the very flowery corner piece die cut and the one little flower. Of course all the dies can be combined, also, on a card or project!

Today I started with the new In Color Grapefruit Grove to make a 4 1/4″ x 4 1/4″ card. I stamped the flowers at the bottom of the Grapefruit Grove card using the same color ink with a stamp from the Love What You Do Photopolymer Stamp Set. I die cut the butterfly from the In Color 6″ x 6″ 2018-2020 Designer Series Paper. After I had the butterfly ready to place on the card, I decided I would prefer a Whisper White card base and just a layer of Grapefruit Grove. I’m sure it would have been fine to continue with just the Grapefruit Grove card, but a stamper can change her mind! I cut off the stamped piece from the rest of the original card and then cut it down a little bit to fit on my Whisper White 4 1/4″ card base.

I mostly just put Snail Adhesive on the middle of the butterfly and a little bit out from the middle, but I wanted the wings to be “free” to look like they could fly! Then I added a small greeting from the perfect Itty Bitty Greetings Stamp Set. I think this is a must-have stamp set with such a large number of greetings!! I didn’t want to cover up my stamped flowers at the bottom of the card very much so this size was perfect. Then I punched it out with the Classic Label Punch and cut off the one end to align with the edge of the card.

After I made the Grapefruit Grove card, I wanted to see what the butterfly would look like against a piece of the designer paper in the new green, Call Me Clover. I decided it probably needed a bit of white behind it to help it stand out, so I die cut a large oval for a background. It did the trick! The greeting is also from the Itty Bitty Greetings Stamp Set. I just stamped it on a scrap strip of Whisper White. Then I used the Classic Label Punch to punch a piece of Call Me Clover. To make it “fit” better under the greeting, I cut it in half and had each end stick out from the greeting. Nobody can see underneath that it doesn’t go all the way across underneath! And for a final touch, I couldn’t resist using some Faceted Dots on each card!

Both cards are very simple and easy to make! When you get all your In Colors, try making a card for each In Color. Get our your Big Shot and new dies and colors and make some cards like these In Color Springtime Impressions Die Cut Butterfly Cards.

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE!

Flower Die Cut Thank You Card with Springtime Impressions

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To make this card, I chose the new Garden Impressions 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper and picked a coordinating color for the card base, Melon Mambo. I wanted to see what a designer paper would look like die cut with the new Springtime Impressions Thinlits Dies. And I think my verdict would be that it looks very pretty! Of course it depends on the paper design, but I chose one that would almost look like I watercolored the die cut flowers. That’s what makes this card so easy, really. Just run some paper through the Big Shot with this flowery Springtime Impressions Die and you have a beautiful piece to adhere to the card front. Then you are almost done except for adding a greeting and embellishing a little bit if you like. I can see so many possibilities with this die! There is also a butterfly die in this set, and that will be really pretty to use as well. Plus this one single little flower that I added to this card!

The greeting is one that is included in the Abstract Impressions Photopolymer Stamp Set and layered on Layering Ovals Fraemelits Dies. The Abstract Impressions Stamp Set has some nice, and different, greetings in it, not to mention the 2- or 3-step stamping flowers. We had a similar stamp set years ago and the color combinations of ink for stamping the flowers were endless. You don’t have to be precise with stamping the flowers because they are meant to have the “abstract” look! You can purchase this stamp set and these Springtime Impressions dies in a Bundle, the Abstract Impressions Photopolymer Bundle. Every Bundle saves you 10%!

I could have just had the die cuts and a greeting, but I decided to embellish the card a little bit. I popped the greeting up on Stampin’ Dimensionals and “swished” some Whisper White 1/8″ Sheer Ribbon back and forth behind the greeting. I also added some of the new Share What You Love Artisan Pearls in Petal Pink.

The new Stampin’ Up! 2018-2019 Annual Catalog is LIVE now since Friday so you are free to start shopping! To see the new catalog online, just go to my catalog page HERE.

If you are interested in purchasing Stampin’ Up! products and would like a complimentary copy of the catalog, please email me at Karen@KarenStamps.com with your contact information. I would be happy to be your Demonstrator!

As you look through the catalog, consider the beautiful Garden Impressions Suite of products. I know you will love using the Springtime Impressions Dies to make easy but pretty cards like this Flower Die Cut Thank You Card with Springtime Impressions.

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE in the NEW CATALOG!!

Paper Pumpkin Kit Meets Stampin’ Up! New Catalog Suite

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Paper Pumpkin meets a Stampin’ Up! Suite in the new catalog, and now that the new catalog is live, we can reveal the name of the suite! It’s the Broadway Bound Suite on pages 68-69 of the Stampin’ Up! Catalog. The upcoming June Paper Pumpkin Kit will coordinate with this suite in the catalog.

You don’t have to have this suite to make your June Paper Pumpkin Kit, but it offers an opportunity to expand your creative possibilities! This Broadway Bound Suite looks really cute to me, and I put it on my order today so I have it ready to go when my Paper Pumpkin Kit arrives! Using this catalog suite along with your kit will give you more variety and a way to step up your projects. Sometimes all you need is an idea to get you started and maybe a few more materials to make more cards and things. You’ll even be able to make alternative projects along with your kit!

If you are already signed up for Paper Pumpkin, your kit should arrive at the usual mid-month time. Then you can consider if you want to order the Broadway Bound Suite (or maybe you already know you want it!).

If you aren’t getting the monthly papercrafting kit known as Paper Pumpkin, try it out now! Join and try it for a month! See if you like it. If not, just cancel before the next month. If you are busy one month, just put your subscription on hold for a month.

Each month is a surprise (on rare occasions, Stampin’ Up! gives us a sneak peek!) but it is often cards. Other times we have gotten party favors, home decor, treat containers, little gift bags, pinwheels for July 4th, etc. I think it’s fun to find that red box in my mail! It’s a treat for me! You deserve a treat every month too…….and some crafting time that is easy enough for everybody, with no planning or preparation required! Everything you need is in the box!

You get an exclusive stamp set, an ink spot for stamping, and all the supplies you need, usually even the adhesives! You don’t have to design a project to make, unless you want to strike out and make some alternative projects with your kit! Sometimes I make several of the designed projects and then maybe I make a few alternate projects that maybe I saw online. You also get a video from Stampin’ Up! that shows how to make the project.

Click HERE to see just one month’s example of a Paper Pumpkin project!

If you are interested, now or later, in the Broadway Bound Suite, note that it doesn’t come with the Paper Pumpkin Kit, you just order the products you want on any Stampin’ Up! regular order. You will get a flyer inside your kit to remind you. It is separate from the Paper Pumpkin Kit but just adds additional creative ideas! I think it will be fun!

JOIN PAPER PUMPKIN TODAY!

Deadline to sign up is June 10th, but if this offer turns out to be really popular, it could sell out early, so join soon!

A Hello Card with Accented Blooms to Welcome the New Stampin’ Up! Catalog Today!

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Today is the day we’ve been excited about – the launch of the new Stampin’ Up! 2018-2019 Annual Catalog! To welcome the new catalog, I made a Hello Card with the Accented Blooms Stamp Set! I think it is a bright and happy card which reflects the way we feel today about a new catalog available to us!

Perhaps you have received your own copy of the new Stampin’ Up! catalog or seen new products used online. In just a few more hours, you will finally be able to order those new products you have been longing for!

The Stampin’ Up! ordering website is currently unavailable online while they transition to the new products. Ordering should begin by Noon (MT) – I always say “Stampin’ Up! Time” because they are located in Utah, in the Mountain Time Zone. That will be 1:00 PM Central, 2:00 PM Eastern and 11:00 AM Pacific. This is a day for patience as a higher number of customers may be ordering!

To make this card, I used a new stamp set, Accented Blooms, available to Demonstrators during our pre-order period. It’s unique in that a couple of the greetings in the set FIT into a space created by the stamp – which also fits the Tailored Tag Punch. I decided to make a 4 1/4″ x 4 1/4″ sized card using the bright and happy new In Color Pineapple Punch!

Instead of using Whisper White cardstock for the card layer, I used Shimmery White Cardstock so I could do some coloring. The flowers are stamped with Stazon ink, making a comeback in the new catalog! I’m thrilled! If we are watercoloring, we need to use Stazon ink, not Memento. Then, for a change of pace, I used my Watercolor Pencils and an Aqua Painter to color the flowers and leaves. You just apply a little bit of color with the pencils and blend it with either the Aqua Painter or Blender Pen.

The Hello greeting is stamped in Pineapple Punch Ink. I punched it out with the Tailored Tag Punch, but then I trimmed it a bit along the edges so I could layer it on a Tailored Tag in Basic Black. Then this is popped up in the open space with Stampin’ Dimensionals. For a finishing touch, I added the new 5/8″ Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon around the bottom and just tied a knot. A bow was too much.

It’s like the world has stopped this morning while we await the new catalog transition at Stampin’ Up! and can begin ordering from the new catalog! If you are interested in Stampin’ Up! products and do not have a Demonstrator you are currently working with, I would be happy to help you and mail you a complimentary catalog if you would like one. The catalog will also be available online in a few hours! Just email me with your contact information at Karen@Karenstamps.com.

Enjoy the NEW CATALOG DEBUT DAY!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online today at Noon MT!

Last Day! Stampin’ Up! Birthday Blooms Floral Card For You

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In just about twelve hours, the current Stampin’ Up! Catalog will end at Midnight (Mountain Time)! I decided to have one more post with a beautiful stamp set from that outgoing catalog using the Birthday Blooms stamp set to make this Birthday Blooms Floral Card For You.

It’s really a quick and easy card to make with some coloring with the Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers. I started out making a monochromatic card, paying tribute to the outgoing Pink Pirouette color, but I didn’t like the way I layered it so I started over and made this card instead! I loved doing the coloring anyway! The largest stamp is stamped in the lower right-hand corner with a small portion of the same large stamp stamped in the upper left-hand corner. This Birthday Blooms Stamp Set is just one of those simple, beautiful stamp sets that can be used in most any way, plus it has some nice simple greetings in it.

For a little embellishment, I added some Metallic Enamel Shapes to the card. I couldn’t stop with 3, so I added 5! These are also retiring and are discounted.

By the way, the Stamparatus should be available to order tomorrow! You want one!! If you pre-ordered one but it’s still in your shopping cart, you can either place the order today, or it will be removed from your cart and you can just begin fresh with the new catalog by adding one to your order.

Current color Stampin’ Blends Markers are available now. Just type Blends in the Search Box to find them. New colors will not be available until maybe mid-June. You want these, too! So fun!

So here’s the schedule!

TODAY, May 31st. Last day to order from the current Stampin’ Up! Catalog and Occasions Catalog. For Last-Chance Products, click HERE.

TODAY, May 31st. Last chance to order the Share What You Love Bundles, a pre-release from the new catalog. Products will be available in the Suite in the new catalog but not in Bundles with free gift(s). Read more about them in my blog post yesterday.

***Online Ordering will be down from midnight tonight until tomorrow, June 1st, noon (MT) (Stampin’ Up! Time)… which is 1pm central time, 2pm eastern time and 11am pacific time. So you will have the morning to finalize your Wish List for the first day!

New Stampin’ Up! 2018-19 Annual Catalog Begins June 1st, no later than Noon (MT)!

Bring your patience if you want to order tomorrow because the online ordering will probably be pretty busy. If it doesn’t work for you, just wait a few minutes or awhile and come back. DO NOT fill out an order TODAY or TONIGHT on the ordering system and expect it to work tomorrow. It will not. Just start fresh tomorrow. Maybe the system will be up before Noon MT tomorrow or it could even be delayed. But we will keep our fingers crossed!

***Once the new catalog goes Live tomorrow, the ONLINE CATALOG should also be up! We’ll have to wait until tomorrow for that link.

If you are new and interested in Stampin’ Up! products and would like a complimentary copy of the new catalog, please contact me with your name and mailing information at Karen@Karenstamps.com. I would be happy to be your Demonstrator to answer any questions or help in any way!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online For Last Minute, Last-Chance Products today until MIdnight (Mountain Time)!

To Do Checklist For Last Two Days of Stampin’ Up! Catalog!

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Today and tomorrow are the last two days of the current Stampin’ Up! Catalog! Remember how excited we were when this catalog came out??! There were such happy colors on the cover with the Naturally Eclectic Suite of stamps, paper and dies. And now a year has passed and we are ready for a brand new catalog!

Don’t forget! The Occasions Catalog ends on the same day, May 31! Some products, of course, are carrying over to the new catalog.

Stampin’ Up! discounted a few retiring products, so check the list!

As long as you are ordering, always check the Clearance Rack just in case there is a great bargain that you want!

The Share What You Love Suite is in the new catalog but the products are not bundled together like they are now during May! Each Bundle has at least one free gift. If you want these products, check out the Bundles before May 31 and get free gift(s).

You can order the new In Color Ink Pads right now in the new style of ink pad!

Join Paper Pumpkin by June 10th, just because! Just because it’s fun to get the box in the mail and have a project ready to make! In June, Stampin’ Up! is coordinating the kit with a new Suite that you might like to purchase from the new catalog to make even more projects! (Notice the theme??) The Suite will be revealed June 1st.

Stampin’ Blends (in CURRENT COLORS ONLY) are now restocked in the Online Store! Type Blends in the Search Box to get to the page or click HERE. The whole Collection in one set is not available so you will have to type in the numbers, but there is no price difference! New colors will probably not be available until mid-June in the new catalog.

We are past the date that Stampin’ Up! will make MORE stamps if they sell out, so check the retiring stamps for a true last-chance!

All BUNDLES are retiring from the old catalog because new Bundles are coming in the new catalog! Some products in the Bundles now will carry over to the new catalog but will not be bundled and discounted, so if you want the 10% discount on any current Bundles, order them now.

CHECKLIST!

☐ Stampin’ Up! Catalog retiring Thursday, May 31.

☐ Occasions Catalog retiring May 31.

☐ Some Last-Chance products discounted.

☐ Clearance Rack bargains.

☐ Share What You Love Suite Bundles end May 31.

☐ New In Color Ink Pads available now.

☐ Join Paper Pumpkin by June 10th.

☐ Current Stampin’Blends alcohol markers are restocked.

☐ Retiring Stamps only while supplies last.

☐ Retiring Bundles discounts available until May 31.

Easy Z-Fold Card Using Share What You Love Paper

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Use the Share What You Love Bundle to make this Easy Z Fold Card Using Share What You Love Paper. These are the last few days to purchase one of the Share What You Love Bundles and get a free gift(s). Beginning June 1st, you can purchase any of the products in the Share What You Love Suite, but you won’t get the free gift. Regardless, you will want to get your hands on this beautiful Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series Paper because it is gorgeous!

I think the Z-Fold card is super simple and looks impressive! Basically all you do is make a card base, and then fold the front of the card back on itself! So after you make your card base, score that front of the card at 2 1/8″ (down the center) and fold back. Embellish with whatever designer paper you like on the card panels and make a greeting that will hang off the fold. Just be sure to only glue it to the panel since the other half will hang over that fold. If you put glue on all of it, it will adhere itself to the inside of the card and the recipient won’t be able to open it!

The card base is made with the returning Mint Macaron cardstock, but there are a lot of colors to choose from that coordinate with this designer paper. Of course I used the Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series Paper to decorate the card. The greeting is found in the Love What You Do Photopolymer Stamp Set. Doesn’t that make such a happy card?!

The greeting is die cut with the Stitched Shapes Framelit Die and layered on a larger Layering Ovals Framelit Die that has scalloped edges. See how only about half of this greeting is adhered to the card front so that no adhesive is put all over the back. For a little extra embellishment I added some Share What You Love Artisan Pearls.

Click here to see another card I made with products from the Gotta Have It All Bundle!

You can only get all of these products in the Gotta Have It All Bundle, available until May 31 only! With this whole Bundle you get three free gifts! You get the Statement of the Heart Single Stamp, Very Vanilla Medium Envelopes, and the Share What You Love Embellishment Kit! In fact, the Statement of the Heart stamp is only available this way. It’s a beautiful sentiment, even if you aren’t a Demonstrator. In fact, I’ve heard people use it in graduation cards because what can be a better message than to “Share What You Love……..in this we make a difference.”

Check out this flyer with information about the Share What You Love Bundles!

Remember, the last day for Last-Chance retiring products is Thursday, May 31!

Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers, in current colors (not new yet!) are back in stock in the Online Store!

(The way to find them is to type “blends” in the search box and then they will come up, or click on my link in the line above. The “Collection” is not available but there was no price break in that so it doesn’t matter, except for entering all those numbers, to order the markers separately or in the Combo Packs of two.)

The 3-day weekend is over so let’s get back to stamping! Make a “Happy card” to send to someone whose day you might brighten when they find it in their mailbox like this Easy Z-Fold Card Using Share What You Love Paper.

Honor Memorial Day 2018

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Eclipse Technique Graduation Card 2018

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This may seem like a bit of an odd card, this Eclipse Technique Graduation Card 2018, but I was trying to incorporate a stamp set I hate to see retire, the Heart Happiness Photopolymer Stamp Set, plus the Large Numbers Framelits Dies.

I don’t know why Stampin’ Up! is retiring the Large Number Dies because they are perfect for a card like this! These Large Numbers are great for special occasions and birthdays to denote the year or age or anniversary years.

I also loved the Heart Happiness Stamp Set in the Occasions Catalog. Even though it may have been thought of as a Valentine set, I know hearts are good for many occasions! And it has all styles of hearts to use! For this graduation card, you can use whatever the school colors are and stamp on the card front. I just used the same heart randomly stamped with Pacific Point Ink. For the Eclipse Technique just die cut the numbers on the top card layer. Adhere a darker layer underneath. Then adhere this layer to the card base. Using Stampin’ Dimensionals or perhaps Mini Dimensionals, adhere the die cut numbers back into their spaces but popped up. This way you can see a little bit of the dark color underneath.

The greeting is from the stamp set Special Celebrations. For this card I just left the strip as is and popped it up with Stampin’ Dimensionals. Then for a little bling and contrast to all the blue, I added two little stars in the Metallic Enamel Shapes.

This is the LAST week for the current annual Stampin’ Up! Catalog as well as the Occasions 2018 Catalog! Don’t forget to check both of these catalogs to make sure you have what you want. It’s best to go to the Online Store. If it is shown there, then it is still available. If not, it is gone.

Remember, it is graduation time at all levels so be sure you have some graduation cards ready to go! It doesn’t always have to be a card with a graduation cap either as you can see with this Eclipse Technique Graduation Card 2018!

A Stamp Set You Gotta Have: Itty Bitty Greetings!

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One of my most used stamp sets has been Teeny Tiny Wishes, with greetings to cover almost any occasion or sentiment you would want to put on a card, but with it being one of the Last-Chance retiring stamp sets this year, I highly recommend as A Stamp Set You Gotta Have: Itty Bitty Greetings! I think it will easily take the place of Teeny Tiny Wishes and be so useful for your cards and other projects!

Just look at all the words you can use in this stamp set! It will be on page 46 of the new Stampin’ Up! Catalog at the top so don’t miss it! You could make a template by punching out a piece of cardstock with the Classic Label Punch and then hold it over the words on the stamp case and see which words or phrases will fit inside that punch. For the larger ones, you can use something like an oval punch or oval framelit.

Here is a card I made recently for Easter using Teeny Tiny Wishes for the greeting. You can see how well it fit on the Classic Label Punch. In fact, before May 31 you might want to order Teeny Tiny Wishes just to be perfectly covered with all kinds of useful greetings!

It seems we can never have enough stamps with the proper words or phrases that we seem to need. Sometimes I like a stamp set but know I won’t have much use for the words. Sometimes I really like the sayings but don’t care for the stamped images. Although there has been a trend toward very large sentiments, sometimes (usually) we often need a smaller greeting so this Itty Bitty Greetings Stamp Set will be very helpful!

It may not seem like the most exciting stamp set to order since it has no pretty images with it, but I’m sure you will find it to be a stamp set you can really use. Be sure to put Itty Bitty Greetings on your Wish List when the new catalog goes live in just one week, June 1st!

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Waterfront Stamp Set Mountain and Island Scenery Cards

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Sometimes you have to just “stop the world”, as I like to say, and stamp for fun, which is what I did when I made all these Waterfront Stamp Set Mountain and Island Scenery Cards. I may have overdone mine a little bit, but it was just fun to play. Actually, playing is the best thing to do with this stamp set, Waterfront. Stamp a little or stamp a lot. Stamp a couple more mountains, then maybe stamp a few more. Stamp more mountains off in the distance by stamping off. Stamp a mountain or two closer in the foreground. Add a stream. Add an ocean. Is there grass, or maybe sand and dirt. How about a little cabin? A few trees? Palm trees? Lots of trees? Just do whatever you want to do!

All but one of these cards are 4 1/4″ square cards made with Thick Whisper White Cardstock because I was planning to stamp directly on the card, not have a layer. This Waterfront Stamp Set has different watercolor-y looking shaped stamps that you can use to make shapes that look like mountains or sky or water or grass and more. You can try different colors of ink depending on the look you want for your mountains. For the mountains I used various combinations of Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, and Smoky Slate. For the water I used Pool Party and Dapper Denim. The sun was So Saffron and one was Crushed Curry. The green grass and trees were Lemon Lime Twist, Garden Green and Pear Pizzazz. The sky was stamped with Soft Sky, sometimes using an upside down mountain shape, sometimes the straighter grass shape and sometimes I experimented with other colors to make a sunset sky.

On one card, I decided to make mountains in the background and then an island in the ocean. I put a little cabin on the island with some palm trees. Just play with this stamp set and see what your imagination comes up with!

This Waterfront Stamp Set from the Occasions Catalog has carried over into the new upcoming Stampin’ Up! Catalog! It was one of the most popular stamp sets in the Occasions Catalog this spring! I have seen numerous beautiful cards made with this stamp set. This stamp set would be great to use for summer vacation scrapbook pages!

Try the Waterfront Stamp Set and see what you come up with! You will look like an artist on your first use of the stamp set! It gives somewhat of a watercolored look without watercoloring! You can order this stamp set now or from the new catalog! Then you can make some mountain and island scenic cards and much more!

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Naturally Eclectic Mini Treat Bag

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One of my favorite products that I hate to see retire are the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Dies, which I used to make this Naturally Eclectic Mini Treat Bag. Through the years that Stampin’ Up! has had these dies, I have used them a lot! And you can even make some variations, like folding over the top of the bag or cutting it down to make it shorter, even making somewhat of a 3D bag out of it! You can use it to just put a card inside for a note or greeting, or you can slip a gift card or check inside for a gift. It’s just a fun thing to make that is a little different that the recipient will not be expecting!

This mini treat bag is made with the retiring Naturally Eclectic Designer Series Paper. Just two pieces of paper need to be cut to make the bag. It scores the bag pieces for you. Just fold and glue! Then embellish how you like. I made a belly band with a one inch strip of Emerald Envy Cardstock and stamped an embellishment with the Label Me Pretty Stamp Set and the Pretty Label Punch. I made a card to slip inside with an Emerald Envy back and Whisper White on the front ready for a greeting or note.

If you would like to have the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Dies, be sure to put them on your order before May 31st! You’ll be glad you did!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online For Last Chance Retiring Products & More!

A Quick and Easy Thank You Card

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If you want to make a Quick and Easy Thank You Card, here is a very simple one! Or you can use this design, of course, for any kind of card. In this card, I am showcasing the Share What You Love Bundle that is available now for customers until May 31. These products will be in the new catalog separately, but if you would like one of the Bundles and a free gift(s) with each Bundle, you must order before the new catalog goes live.

Now I, of course, chose the Gotta Have It All Bundle! Shouldn’t that actually be a slogan for all of us stampers?! The card base is Mint Macaron and with a layer of the Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series Paper. I used the opposite side of the pearlized pattern, but it’s what spoke to me today! The little tag comes in the Share What You Love Embellishment Kit. The ribbon is new, the beautiful Rich Razzleberry 1/4″ Velvet Ribbon, and I ran it through the sides of the tag. The greeting is stamped in Rich Razzleberry Ink with a stamp from the Love What You Do Stamp Set. I suppose I could embellish the card even more, but I was keeping it a quick and easy card. Not everything we make needs to be a masterpiece, so remember that when you make a card. The recipient will love “simple” just as much as “elegant”. Sometimes “simple” IS “elegant”!

There are two other Bundles you can choose from, the Just Getting Started Bundle, good for the newer crafter probably and the A Little More Please Bundle, with…..a little more! Click on the links to see all the details. Remember, you get a free gift(s) with each Bundle so check them out and see if that is something you want! As I said, the entire Share What You Love Suite is in the new catalog and will be available June 1st, the products just will be sold separately rather than in the Bundles.

If you need more inspiration, check out these birthday cards made really in the same way, just slightly different placement. You can always start with these simple ideas and then embellish more if you like.

When you need a quick and easy card, whether for a thank you card or any other occasion, remember this simple design that you can make in minutes!

Shop the Share What You Love Suite Bundles!

Graduation Gift Card Money Holder Idea

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It’s graduation time and you might need a Graduation Gift Card Money Holder Idea for a graduate! It’s graduation time for everyone from pre-school and kindergarten all the way up to college and PhD’s! And most often we gift them with cash, a check, or a gift card. If you are a cardmaker and papercrafter, you undoubtedly want to make something special for the graduate in which to give your gift. This is a very easy pattern and you can decorate and embellish it any way you like. Change the embellishments and colors to make it for any occasion, like birthdays or Christmas.

Start with a 4 1/4″ x 12″ piece of paper. I used Whisper White Cardstock. If you don’t have 12″ x 12″ cardstock, you could also use designer paper. Score this strip of paper at 4″ and 8″, basically in thirds since the paper is 12″ long. Then on the end section, cut from the score line down to the corner on a diagonal. This can be on either end of the card.

Put a strip of Tear & Tape Adhesive on the bottom of that section with the diagonal cut. Then fold that diagonal piece over to the inside panel next to it. Stamp or embellish the inside of this gift card holder however you like. I used the words in the Happy Birthday Gorgeous Stamp Set. (If you are interested in this stamp set and the Happy Birthday Thinlit Die, purchase the Happy Birthday Gorgeous Photopolymer Bundle and save 10%. The Bundle – ALL Bundles– in the current catalog are retiring May 31 – even if the stamp set is continuing on to the new catalog. The Bundle is just being taken apart to make room for the new catalog Bundles!)

Now let’s go back to the front of the graduation gift card holder cover. Of course you would want to use school colors if you knew them, otherwise black and white with maybe some gold or silver is always appropriate.

My gift card is on a black background but the card base itself is Whisper White Cardstock. There is a layer of Basic Black with another layer of Whisper White on top of that. I stamped three balloons from the Happy Birthday Gorgeous Stamp Set and punched them out with the Balloon Bouquet Punch. For some extra bling, I punched two more balloons in Silver Foil. The strings are just hand drawn with the narrow tip of the Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker. The “Congratulations” is stamped from the Flourishing Phrases Stamp Set and layered on another piece of Silver Foil.

If you need another idea that can hold a graduation greeting and some monetary gift, check out this Graduation Pocket Card I made HERE.

Even though I labeled this gift card holder for graduation, you can see how you could copy it exactly and it could be for a birthday or other gift-giving occasion! It will only take you a few minutes to make the basic money holder and you can decorate it appropriately however you like. If you are looking for a Graduation Gift Card Money Holder Idea, try this one out!