Today, June 20th, is the first day of summer….at least it will be by 7:09 PM (EDT). What better way to celebrate the first day of summer than with mouthwatering popsicles!  In this case, the popsicles are stamped with the cute Mouthwatering stamp set!

If we had "smell-o-vision", maybe you could smell the Cherry Scented Stampin' Emboss Powder #127035 embossed into the center popsicle! Yum! Stampin' Up! says the scent should last up to 2 weeks.

After tying on the Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine #125572 with a Pumpkin Pie Brights Designer Button #119747, the card still needed something.  I chose the little heart stamp in the new Make a Cake stamp set, using the same ink colors I used for the popsicles, but "stamping off" first for a lighter shade. I think it made the card look fun and cute! The popsicle colors are Wild Wasabi, Melon Mambo, and Tangerine Tango.

Why not make a bright and fun card today to celebrate the first day of summer?!

It's a rainy, cooler day in Houston, TX today so not our typical hot, hot, hot summer day….but I'll take it….because tomorrow the summertime heat could return!

Still playing with the new In Colors! The card base is Primrose Petals and the layer is Summer Starfruit.  Then Whisper White is embossed with the Polka Dot folder for a little interest.  The ribbon is the new 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon in Gumball Green #126848.  (p. 172)  Really cute!

I used two stamp sets:  Layered Labels (p.103) for the "Create" at the bottom, cut out with the Apothecary Accents Framelits Die (p.191) (#127003).  I stamped it again in Gumball Green so I could use the 1" Circle Punch for the word "Create" and popped it up with a Dimensional. The flowers are from Everything Eleanor (p. 112), a free stamp set we got at Stampin' Up! Leadership!  It's been a long wait until we could use it! But it is a beautiful stamp set with a little bit of lots of stuff….a label, a flourish, flowers, a little bird and a lovely circle design….well, you have to look at it yourself HERE.  The flowers I stamped in different colors and cut out by hand….it wasn't too bad!  Paper Snips #103579 make all the difference if you are cutting little things.

You could put some other greeting on this card and have something for almost any occasion!

Which card do you like better?  I couldn't decide so I made each one different….perhaps each label goes better with the color of the bird!  The bird, flowers and stem are stamped with Betsy's Blossoms (p. 72).  The label is from Layered Labels (p. 103), but I only punched out the center greeting with the Large Oval Punch #119855.  On the first card I mounted the label on the Scallop Oval Punch #119856.  On the second card I just mounted the oval straight onto the card.  I think maybe the second one goes better with the lighter colored bird, and maybe the Raspberry Ripple Scallop Oval goes better with the darker Midnight Muse bird!

These are little 3"x3" cards that can be used for little notes or a gift tag. Once you make one it's easy to keep making more and you should because they are handy to have on hand!

Want to get your hands on these new Stampin' Up! In Colors?  Shop Online HERE!

These cascade cards seem to be the popular thing right now in the stamping world so I finally gave it a try by making this Mother's Day card using the Mixed Bunch stamp set. This stamp set was in the Occasions Mini but is one that is being carried over to the new catalog and Stampin' Up! is keeping it available in the meantime! So you can order it even now!  It is available in wood-mount or clear. And of course you must have the Blossom Punch to match these Mixed Bunch flowers! The paper I used on this card is Everyday Enchantment (some of the most beautiful paper ever….I hope you got some!), from Sale-A-Bration, as are the brads. I punched the leaves with the Blossom Petals Builder Punch #121808 and stamped the leaves with the Build a Blossom stamp set.

 Here's what the cascade card looks like from the side.

And this is what I stamped on the backside.

And what's great is that the card folds down nicely for mailing….as long as you watch how you place things that stick out on the sides!

A new stamp set, new In Colors, and new ink pads from Stampin' Up! I decided to make a card where I used each one of the new In Colors: Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse, Gumball Green and Raspberry Ripple. The new foam ink pads are wonderful to use as well….I'm afraid I will want to change out all my ink pads to the new ones! This is a new stamp set called Betsy's Blossoms.  I stamped the bird on a scrap of paper in another color and then cut out the wings to add a little 3-D, popped up on a dimensional.  I also stamped a portion of the very large flower on the inside corner of the card.

But don't forget about the retiring stamps and accessories because time is running out to get those! It's Mother's Day tomorrow…..don't you deserve something you "really" want??!  

Go HERE to order your retiring items from my Online Store!