Since the Stampin' Up! retiring stamp sets list came out yesterday, I thought it would be fun to pick a stamp set on that list to make a card. Ornate Blossom #117094 is just a single stamp that I bought because I saw a demonstrator at the Stampin' Up! Convention making some cute and easy cards with it.  I'd have to go back and look at my Convention photos to remember exactly what she made, but this card today is copied from the example in the Stampin' Up! catalog.  I may have added a little too much "bling", but who knows, maybe some of you will like it this way!

The greeting on the card is from Grateful Greetings #116511, another retiring stamp set and one that I will miss!

To see the Stampin' Up! Retiring Stamps List, click HERE.  The print will be small but it is a pdf file so click on your computer setting to zoom in to see it larger!  Lots of stamp sets on there!  Stamps will be available until May 31st.

The retiring Accessories List will be revealed April 25th.  Definitely Decorative and Simply Adorned are already known to be going away…so if you want any of those pieces, go ahead and order ahead of the announcement!

The stamp set, paper and fabric brad used on this card are all from the Summer Smooches Suite by Stampin' Up! It's a sneak peek of what will be in the new Stampin' Up! catalog in June….yes June! But you can purchase any of the items in the suite during the month of April! (The fabric brads will not be available in the catalog, so get them while you can!)

Mostly people are using the stem I stamped as flowers, but I thought they could look like cherries on a stem! It reminds me of Mary Englebreit, an artist from St. Louis…surely you know who Mary Englebreit is! I've always loved her illustrations and colors…and being from St. Louis doesn't hurt either since that is where I grew up!

To add some dimension, I added a bit of Crystal Effects #101055 to each cherry.  If you look at the photo again, you can probably notice the shininess (is that a word?) of the cherries. It takes a few minutes to dry and then it becomes a high-gloss image.  Crystal Effects is also useful as an adhesive….sometimes around the house!  No stamper should be without it, so put it on your next order…with the Summer Smooches!

This card came about because I got this Easter Egg template in my junk mail one day! I used the template to trace and cut around it on Whisper White card stock and then used strips of Twitterpated Designer Series Paper to decorate it.  It's a great way to use scraps, of course.  I even used some border punches to decorate a few strips. You could also run it through the Big Shot in an embossing folder for another look.

Here's how the egg started.  I cut out the template, applied Tombow Multipurpose Glue on portions and laid down the strips. This is the backside.

Then when you trim off the strips overhanging the template, this is the pretty thing you end up with!

Have fun making some paper Easter eggs!

If you need any stamping supplies, you can order from my Online Store HERE.

Today is the anniversary of the Pony Express!  On this day in 1860 the first official delivery began in St. Joseph, Missouri with a mail pouch holding 49 letters, five telegrams and other papers. A new horse was provided every  10-15 miles and a new rider every 75-100 miles.  It took about ten days for the mail to reach the west coast.  The Pony Express only operated about 18 months until the telegraph was built.

I'm glad we have better mail delivery these days, although really it sounds like the Pony Express was pretty speedy!  I look forward to the mail coming every single day! It used to be you could look forward to a letter from your mother, your grandmother or a friend.  

So why not surprise someone, or brighten someone's day, when they go to the mailbox in a couple of days?  In honor of the Pony Express today, send a card to someone!  Just stamp a simple card and get it in the mail….or stamp a sheet of paper and write a short note or nice long letter!

Here's a simple card I made with the Designer Cuts Cards & Envelopes Set in the Occasions Mini Catalog.  It already comes with the laser-cut heart. I added a piece of Twitterpated Designer Series Paper behind the heart and added a piece of Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon and a Vanilla Rosette.

If you send a card to someone, please leave me a comment below and tell us about it!

It's time for Summer Smooches!!  The ones from Stampin' Up! anyway! Summer Smooches is a whole collection of coordinating products that will be in the new Stampin' Up! catalog in June!  But you can start playing this month!!  No need to wait!

There is a stamp set Bright Blossoms, designer paper, ribbon, digitale elements for My Digital Studio, brads, fabric and a stencil!  Be sure to check it all out on the flyer HERE.

I decided to make a card with colors that probably not everyone would pick at first…Real Red and Island Indigo.  I always love red and Stampin' Up! has the best red in the world!  I just layered some of the new Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper, used the Eyelet Border Punch #119853 on the bottom for some interest, stamped some flowers with the Bright Blossoms Stamp Set (and punched out with the 1" Square Punch #124094 and the Postage Stamp Punch #122344.

To order your Summer Smooches products and get a head start on the new catalog, just place your online order HERE at my Stampin' Up! store.