Category Archives: Cards

Delicate Dahlias Thank You Card

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Delicate Dahlias Thank You Card

This Delicate Dahlias Thank You Card is one that you can make if you earn the Delicate Dahlias Stamp Set during these last two weeks of Sale-A-Bration at Stampin’ Up! During Sale-A-Bration you can qualify for a FREE product in the Sale-A-Bration Brochure with every $50 purchase, or with a $100 purchase, you can earn an extra special $100 Level product such as this Delicate Dahlias Stamp Set. This stamp set has been quite popular because the flowers are so beautiful! As I write this, it is still available, but I wouldn’t wait until the last minute! Sale-A-Bration ends on Thursday, September 30. Don’t miss the fun!

I envisioned this card having a background of a black and white stripe with bright colored flowers to contrast. As I started looking through my designer paper, I found this paper in the Beautifully Penned Designer Series Paper, one of the $50 Level products you can earn for FREE during Sale-A-Bration. This paper coordinates with the Hand-Penned Designer Series Paper in the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog except it is in black and white! Sometimes it is fun to leave it as is and sometimes it is fun to color in or use any of various coloring techniques. The card base is Basic Black with this scalloped pattern paper as a layer,

The dahlias were all stamped in Memento Black although perhaps Stazon would have been the better ink choice with watercoloring. It wasn’t exactly watercoloring but I used a Blender Pen and added ink from an ink refill bottle in the lid of the ink pad. The colors I used were Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, and Daffodil Delight. I didn’t worry about proper shading or anything like that! I just colored in with the ink letting some areas be lighter if I was running low on ink on the Blender Pen and darker if I just touched it to the ink. There are no dies so I just cut the flowers out by hand using my Paper Snips! The trick is to just relax and enjoy the experience! Don’t try to cut perfectly because there are lots of ins and outs with these flowers. A little white showing on the edges of the petals is no big deal. Same way with the coloring. If you leave some white spaces, don’t worry about it! I also stamped and colored the leaves in the set.

Before adhering the designer paper to the card base, I wrapped the Black & White 1/4″ Gingham Ribbon around to the backside of the paper. Then I tied a separate bow and adhered it to the ribbon with Mini Glue Dots.

Two of the flowers are glued right on the designer paper using Multipurpose Liquid Glue. The yellow dahlia is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals®. I just placed the leaves around randomly.

The greeting is in the stamp set and I cut it out with the Messages Die. You can just cut one greeting using the die, you don’t have to stamp and die cut the whole sheet!

On the inside of the card, I stamped a partial dahlia in Daffodil Delight in the lower right-hand corner on a layer of Basic White. You have to have a white or light-colored card layer inside with a black card base!

If you wanted to make this card a little easier, you could just stamp the flower outline in whatever color(s) you wanted and then not color them in. You can also stamp with the two-step stamp. Lots of choices!

So if you want to earn this FREE Delicate Dahlias Stamp set, you must place a $100 Stampin’ Up! order and then you can choose this stamp set as your Sale-A-Bration choice. Or you can choose 2 $50 Level products. You will get a reminder to choose the free Sale-A-Bration items you are entitled to as you place your order online. Then you can have fun making a card like this Delicate Dahlias Thank You Card or use one of the other greetings for another occasion.

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE HERE!

Be Dazzling Pretty Pumpkins Halloween Card

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Be Dazzling Pretty Pumpkins Halloween Card

Here’s a fun Halloween card, the Be Dazzling Pretty Pumpkins Halloween Card, that came about simply because I found a square Pumpkin Pie card base already in my Pumpkin Pie cardstock. I immediately got the idea that I would make a quick card out of it right away. I don’t know if this one was quick in my fiddling with the words in the greeting, but it would be an easy one for you to copy since I already did the design!

Beyond the 4 1/4″ x 4 1/4″ Pumpkin Pie card base and putting a pumpkin on the front, I didn’t know exactly how it would all come together. Just to start, I looked through the Blackberry Beauty Specialty Designer Series Paper simply because it was laying out on my desk. Right away I saw the backside of one of the gold foil accented papers, probably one of the prettiest papers. We often don’t use the “other side” of the fancy or themed paper but sometimes we have to sacrifice the pretty side in order to use the “other” side! I immediately liked the herringbone design of this paper for a background. It is cut at 4″ x 4″.

The pumpkin is die-cut from the Sale-A-Bration Be Dazzling Paper using the Detailed Pumpkins Dies. As I write this, this paper is not coming up in the Online Store so it may not be available any longer. However, if you can’t get it, you can use a Gold Foil Sheet or any other metallic papers which will look just as pretty! This particular die is SO pretty and detailed! If you think ahead, it would be best to use an Adhesive Sheet on the back of the paper before you die cut it so that you don’t have to put teeny tiny drops of glue on the back to adhere it.

The greeting is in the Cutest Halloween Stamp Set and is quite lengthy in size. Just for fun, I decided to cut up the individual words and see if I liked that on the card. With the pumpkin taking up a lot of room on the card, front and center, it was a little difficult to arrange the words to my liking. Finally, I decided to go with a placement I liked and stamped and cut out a ghost as well from the same stamp set.

Sometimes, even when you are not totally pleased with a card, it is the addition of some little embellishment that just makes the card satisfactory! In this case, since I had struggled with the word placement and the ghost, it wasn’t like this was my favorite card of all time, but when I added the Cute Stars Adhesive-Backed Sequins, that was the final touch! I think the stars added so much and I loved the card then!

Sale-A-Bration ends on September 30, a Thursday, two weeks from yesterday! That’s all the time you have to get your free products with every $50 or more purchase! It always seems like we have lots of time in the beginning but now the end is coming up fast! Don’t disappoint yourself by forgetting or not getting free products during this favorite promotion!

Be sure to shop soon and hopefully get something FREE during Sale-A-Bration!

SHOP STAMPIN ‘ UP! ONLINE!

Be Dazzling Pretty Pumpkins Halloween Card Closeup

Harvest Meadow Pretty Pumpkins Card

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Harvest Meadow Pretty Pumpkins

This year it seems to be trendy to have pumpkins of non-traditional colors so I thought I would try that with this Harvest Meadow Pretty Pumpkins Card. I’m not even sure how I came up with this particular idea but I pulled out the Harvest Meadow Designer Series Paper and played around with the various papers to see how these would work as pumpkins. I also was very interested in using the die in the Detailed Pumpkins Dies.

The card base is Old Olive mainly because I had already cut out the leaves in the Detailed Pumpkins Dies from an Old Olive scrap on the table while I was cutting out the pumpkins. I cut out the pumpkins and played around with their placement and combinations just on the table before I tried to put them on a card.

The background layer is the striped pattern in the Cute Halloween 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper. I just was looking through various papers to see if there was something I wanted to use for the background layer or if maybe I would use cardstock and emboss it in a folder to add some texture. At first, I didn’t think there would be anything in the Cute Halloween Paper but found this striped paper that was pretty subtle but had Old Olive in it, one of the colors I was already using. I think it provides some interest in the background without clashing with the prints on the pumpkins.

The pumpkins are cut out with the outline die in the Detailed Pumpkins Dies. I chose some patterns from the Harvest Meadow DSP that I thought could look okay as pumpkins, even the blue! The one pumpkin is die-cut from Calypso Coral Cardstock with the die with the slits. I wanted another color behind those slits, so I traced the die cut on a scrap of Bumblebee Cardstock and then cut it out with Paper Snips just inside the pencil lines so it wouldn’t stick out from the Calypso Coral cardstock. A couple of the pumpkins are popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals® as are a couple of the leaves.

The greeting is in the Pretty Pumpkins Stamp Set. I stamped it in Old Olive ink on a scrap of Basic White Cardstock. I kept it simple by just leaving it as a rectangle. I didn’t want to take up too much more room on the card or take away from the pumpkins.

Here is another card on my blog that I made recently using non-traditional colors (but now trendy!) for the pumpkins. This was a fun card to make and I liked how it turned out with the different colors. When you make a fall card with pumpkins, take some artistic license and see what new colors you can use for the pumpkins! Just have fun with it! Experiment, like I did on this Harvest Meadow Pretty Pumpkins Card, until you are happy with your result!

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE HERE!

It’s the Holiday Paper Pumpkin!

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PP Square Ad Oct 2021 2

Some of my favorite Paper Pumpkin Kits are the holiday ones! I already love this box and can’t wait to see what the card designs are!

When you picture a peaceful Christmas, what comes to mind? Do you see snow outside your window, softly swirling through the sky? A tree trimmed with tinsel, a fire crackling nearby? Maybe you’re dreaming of decorating a holly jolly gingerbread house. Can you catch a whiff of Christmas cookies wafting through the air?

Whatever it is you think about when Christmas comes to town, picture a peaceful Christmas with the Peaceful Christmas Paper Pumpkin Kit! This glimmering and gleaming kit is your creative kickstart to Christmas cardmaking. With sprinkles of snow, shimmering silver skies, and heartwarming holiday wishes, you’ll have enough elements and embellishments to create 10 Christmas cards and coordinating envelopes.

Speaking of coordination, make even more Christmas magic with Peaceful Place products! Our stunning Peaceful Place Suite Collection (item 156277) pairs perfectly with the kit’s components. Brew a cup of cocoa, snuggle up with a soft blanket, and prepare for a cozy craft night in!

Details

The kit contains enough elements to create 10 Christmas cards—5 each of 2 designs—and coordinating envelopes. This all-inclusive kit includes printed card bases, die-cut paper pieces, embellishments, adhesive, and more!

October’s kit arrives in a cute collectible box covered with enchanting evergreen trees. Use this special, limited-edition box to store your holiday handicrafts, or transform it into a well-wrapped package for a present!

The kit’s contents pair perfectly with the Peaceful Place Suite Collection (item 156277). To continue your Christmas crafting, combine the kit’s components with the suite’s patterned paper, shimmery sequins, and more!
Card size: 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ (10.8 x 14 cm)
Envelope size: 4-1/2″ x 5-3/4″ (11.4 x 14.6 cm)
Coordinating colors: Basic Gray, Real Red, Shaded Spruce, silver foil

Sign up by October 10th!

JOIN PAPER PUMPKIN TODAY!

Blackberry Beauty Slimline Floral Card

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Blackberry Beauty Slimline Floral Card

This Blackberry Beauty Slimline Floral Card is what happens when you open a package of designer paper you just received and you didn’t realize this pattern was in the package and you just say to yourself, “Wow! That would make a beautiful, simple card!” Sometimes just seeing a sheet of paper inspires you to make a certain card design.

This designer series paper, Blackberry Beauty Specialty Paper, is so popular it has been back-ordered multiple times! It is beautiful paper for fall with its gold foil accents! This particular pattern is one of those with an empty space down the middle of the 12″ x 12″ paper so you can just cut it in half and then possibly make six cards out of that paper. When I saw these tall flowers (are they Queen Anne’s Lace?), I knew I was going to make a slimline card and that this pretty pattern wouldn’t really need much else!

The card base is Early Espresso. To make a slimline card, just start with a piece of cardstock 6″ x 6″ and fold it in half so the card is 3″ x 6″. This will fit in a regular envelope you might have in your desk at home. I cut the designer paper at 5 7/8″ x 2 7/8″ to just leave a narrow margin around the edge. You can cut the designer paper to take the best advantage of the placement of the flower or flowers on your card front. For example, you wouldn’t want half of this big flower cut off if somehow the way you cut the paper made that happen.

For the greeting, I stamped one from the Pansy Patch Stamp Set on a die-cut piece of Basic White. This is a small rectangle die from the Stitched So Sweetly Dies. I needed something very small for this card since there isn’t much space! This greeting is part of a longer sentiment so I colored only the part I wanted with the Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker. You’ll find this marker in the Neutrals Stampin’ Write Markers.

To add a little bling to the card I just added a strip of the Gold 3/8″ Shimmer Ribbon under the greeting. It just adds a little more sparkle of gold to go with the gold foil sparkles on the paper. You could use another gold ribbon if you like. Since the Early Espresso card base is pretty dark, I added a layer of Basic White for a stamped or written message on the inside of the card.

Certain designer papers are just made to be used all by themselves, I think, like this one! It would even be very pretty without the greeting on the front. We don’t always need to make a very fancy, fussy card when just a simple one that shows off the paper or some other element is all that we need for an elegant card.

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE HERE!

In Remembrance of September 11

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Special Edition God Bless America Stamp

When September 11th happened twenty years ago, I was a Stampin’ Up! customer, not a Demonstrator yet. My Demonstrator told me about this Special Edition stamp Stampin’ Up! was selling to benefit those affected by the events of 9/11. Of course, I wanted to order one and I have always loved this stamp.

As I pondered what I should put on my blog for September 11th, I happened to think of this stamp. Perfect. As you can see in the photo below, I cut the words off the stamp and anchored them on the side of the wood block. Then I could use the flag image by itself or use the words separately. I colored on the stamp with markers since I wanted to use more than one color. I used Night of Navy and Real Red.

The stamped image is layered on Real Red cardstock, Night of Navy, and then Gold Foil. The Night of Navy border is really just a background for the photo but actually, I like it as part of the card. I didn’t actually make a card, just a card front, which really could be put in a frame.

God Bless America Special Edition Stamp

The company raised more than $1 Million for the September 11th Fund.

This was one of those events when we all remember almost every detail of what we were doing that day, what all happened, and how we felt. My boys had gotten off to school and I was home cleaning up the kitchen with the Today Show on TV. Once I realized what was happening, all I could think of was I wanted my kids and husband home, but I wondered if the schools even knew what was going on. One mom went to the high school to pick up the carpool and I went to pick up my middle-schooler and his friend that we carpooled with. I remember the parking lot full and cars all over the place picking up kids and the secretary saying there was no need to take the kids home. But we all wanted our loved ones home and close to us because we really didn’t know what else was going to happen. I didn’t want to scare my son and his friend too much since they barely, if at all, knew what was going on, so I purposely stopped at Taco Bell to pick up some lunch for them so things would seem “normal” and not too crazy. His friend, just that summer, had visited New York City and had visited the Twin Towers. My daughter was away at college but one of her best friends was in school in NYC so she called her and remembers hearing sirens in the background. I didn’t think there would be school the next day or work or anything going on, but the President decided life was going to go on, so our country continued on with our normal routines.

I love that Stampin’ Up! came up with this stamp and offered it as a way to help others. “Making a difference” has always been one of Stampin’ Up!’s values and that’s good to know about a company.

Cute Halloween Trick or Treat Ghosts Card

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Cute Halloween Trick or Treat Ghosts Card

I just had to make another fun Halloween card, this Cute Halloween Trick or Treat Ghosts Card. I started by picking out the designer paper and played around from there! I have a trick for how I made one ghost go in a different direction from the one stamp!

This card base is Old Olive Cardstock with a layer of basic black. I chose the designer paper with the little houses and tiny moons and ghosts! This is the Cute Halloween 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper. So many cute patterns to choose from! I decided to make the designer paper narrower than the card front and have the ghosts floating along the edge. Then I decided to cut a decorative edge with a scallop die in the Penned Flowers Dies. Next, I selected another designer paper, the one with black dots, to go along the edge, after considering several options. This card opens from the top but it would be the same if it opened from the side.

The greeting is stamped from the Cutest Halloween Stamp Set on Basic White and then die cut with a die that fits inside the Basic Black die-cut, both of which are in the Ornate Frames Dies. I popped up the greeting on Stampin’ Dimensionals® and added two Elegant Faceted Gems.

For the ghosts, I stamped two ghost shapes in the Cutest Halloween Stamp Set on Basic White and then turned over the cardstock and stamped one ghost on the back where it didn’t overlap the ghosts stamped on the front. I also added the faces and little arms just on the ones on the front of the cardstock! So cute!! I cute out the ghosts by hand with my Paper Snips. Now you can purchase the Halloween Punch and get both the stamp set and punch in the Cutest Halloween Bundle and save 10%. So I cut out the two ghosts on the front of the white cardstock who were both facing the same direction. I cut them out with a bit of the black ink outline showing as it would if I had used the punch. Then I turned the paper over and cut out the ghost outline. But here’s the trick… after cutting out the ghost shape, I turned it over so it would be facing the opposite direction from the other two ghosts and stamped the face on it. Now, this ghost doesn’t have the black ink outline on it since I am using the unstamped side. But if you want that black ink outline, just take a black marker and run it around the ghost along the edge to get some black marking along the outline. Or, maybe it doesn’t really matter to you and you can skip that step! Out of the three ghosts, I wanted one facing the other direction.

I originally planned to adhere the ghosts right along the edge of the green designer paper, but in the end, I liked the placement you see better. I also turned the Ornate Frame die in portrait position and stamped the greeting in that direction which I think fits better than landscape position. Either way would be fine, though! Just play and see what looks good to your eye! Here is another Halloween card using the Cute Halloween DSP except with the sheet with ghosts! Order the Cute Halloween Paper on your next order so you have plenty of time to create “cute” Halloween cards and projects to send out, like this Cute Halloween Trick or Treat Ghosts Card.

New Christmas Whimsy Kit Today!

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Christmas Whimsy Kit Banner

“Christmas Whimsy’ is a new kit in the Stampin’ Up! Kit Collection, just being released today! You probably noticed photos of it in the Holiday Mini Catalog on page 6, with another kit coming that is shown on page 7. I suppose they are releasing these a little later than the catalog to get a little closer to the holidays!

Christmas Whimsy is an adorably festive card kit with a modern design! Santa’s elves might be hard at work in the North Pole but with this all-inclusive kit, the hard work is done for you! All pieces are printed, die cut, and ready for you to craft. The simple steps of this kit are perfect for beginner crafters and kids, too! Grab a kit or two and gather around for a simple Christmas activity that everyone will enjoy. The kit contains everything you need to create eight elf-centric Christmas cards including printed card bases, die cuts, embellishments, an exclusive stamp set, a Night of Navy Classic Stampin’ Spot, and more!

Christmas Whimsy Kit (158166) $19 USD

DETAILS
Kit contains enough supplies to create eight cards—4 each of 2 designs.
Includes printed card bases, printed die cuts, adhesive, embellishments, gold foil die cuts, gold twine, and coordinating envelopes with gold foil accents.
Includes an exclusive stamp set and a Night of Navy Classic Stampin’ Spot.
Finished card size: 5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″ (14 x 10.8 cm)
Coordinating colors: Balmy Blue, Basic Gray, Crumb Cake, Evening Evergreen, Gray Granite, Misty Moonlight, Poppy Parade, Real Red, So Saffron, Soft Succulent, Soft Suede

Christmas Whimsy Kit Contents

SHOP THE STAMPIN’ UP! KITS COLLECTION!

Cute Halloween Happy Haunting Card

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Cute Halloween Happy Haunting Card

Make this easy Cute Halloween Happy Haunting Card and send to a spooky friend for Halloween! It’s a basic card design, but as usual, the designer paper makes it extra special! If you are a Halloween lover, be sure to get this paper and make some fun cards to send for Halloween!

This cute designer paper is the Cute Halloween 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper. I just love all the whimsical Halloween characters plus the more generic designs to pair with them. This Cute Halloween Paper is really CUTE! I could have used just the piece of paper with the black cats and pumpkins, but then the black and orange striped paper I knew would look so cute with it, too!

The card base is Pumpkin Pie with a layer of Basic Black under the designer paper. I cut the designer paper with the cats and pumpkins at 5″ x 3″ and the striped piece at 5″ x 2″. This way there was room for the two papers to overlap so I could glue them together before adding the ribbon. If you cut them exactly to the space, then you likely should glue the designer papers to another piece of cardstock the same total side so you can tie a ribbon around the seam.

Look at your designer paper with designs like this one carefully before you cut. Look at the images on the paper and see how you can maximize those and maybe not cut through too many of them. For example, instead of cutting off 1/4″ on one side and really cutting into an image you like, maybe you can cut 1/8″ off each side instead of 1/4″ of one side. That might help you preserve more of the images on the paper. Just look and see how you can place your cuts to get the best images on your paper where you want them! Maybe cut a piece off the top of the designer paper before you cut anything else to position the images on the paper.

I used the Black & White Gingham Ribbon to tie around the seam in between the two papers. I love this ribbon! I tied the bow separately and adhered it with Mini Glue Dots.

The greeting is found in the Banner Year Stamp Set. I looked at several greetings in a couple different sets and decided on this one for size and appropriateness. I stamped this in Memento Black ink on Smokey Slate Cardstock. It is die cut with one in the Stitched So Sweetly Dies. I tried layering this greeting on various colors but decided it was fine just by itself.

I love fun and whimsical Halloween things and this Cute Halloween Paper is perfect for me! Put it on your next order so you can make a few Halloween cards or projects in plenty of time!

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE HERE!

Whimsy & Wonder Traditional Christmas Card

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Whimsy & Wonder Traditional Christmas Card

The Whimsy & Wonder Suite in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog uses soft pastel colors in it, but for this Whimsy & Wonder Traditional Christmas Card, I decided to just use the traditional Christmas colors of red and green!

The card base is Garden Green with a layer of Real Red Cardstock. Real Red has been my favorite color forever! If you buy a red somewhere else, like the big box craft store, you will find that their red does not compare to the perfect red of the Stampin’ Up! Real Red! I know because I bought a big package of red cardstock and envelopes when I first started stamping. When I saw how it compared to the Stampin’ Up! Real Red, I threw out the store-bought red paper!

The stamped layer is Shimmery White, my other favorite paper! It has just the slightest glimmer to it and works well with any medium, even some watercoloring. I stamped the tree from the Whimiscal Trees Stamp Set in Garden Green Ink. Old Olive would also look good. Then I overstamped it with the dots to look like little red ornaments or lights on the Christmas tree. I couldn’t resist stamping the holly and berries up in each corner of the card. I just stamped them in Garden Green and then went back in with a Blender Pen and added green ink to the leaves and red ink to the berries. Just very lightly and carefully because I didn’t want the initial stamping to smear.

The greeting is stamped from the Banner Year Stamp Set. It is stamped on Shimmery White and layered on a strip of Real Red, punched at each end with the Lovely Labels Pick a Punch. The greeting itself is popped up on Dimensionals but the Real Red punched piece is adhered directly on the card front. For some embellishment, I added the smallest Gilded Gems to each end of the red piece.

Since the tree doesn’t come with a trunk, I didn’t really like it just floating in the air, so I added a bow with the Real Red 3/8″ Sheer Ribbon. I might have preferred a really narrow ribbon but since this one is sheer, I thought it looked light enough to put in between the tree and the greeting. And since my tree needed a star at the top, I looked through my retired punches and found the right size little punch with a star and punched some Gold Foil.

The lesson here is that even though this stamp set, Whimsical Trees is “whimsical” doesn’t mean you can’t make it “traditional” with color and embellishment! Here is another card I made with the same stamped tree and the new Whimsy & Wonder Specialty Designer Series Paper in the less traditional colors. I love this card as is, but if you are looking for the red and green of Christmas, you can certainly use this tree and change up the colors. If you are looking for a more traditional Christmas card or at least a few for certain people, then try this Whimsy & Wonder Traditional Christmas Card with red and green!

Monochromatic Shaded Summer Thank You Card

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Monochromatic Shaded Summer Thank You Card

I was taking inventory of all my cardstock colors before I got an order ready for Stampin’ Up! and I came across this embossed layer in the bag with the other Pool Party Cardstock. I immediately thought that would be pretty on a simple card and this Monochromatic Shaded Summer Thank You Card turned out! Sometimes it’s your scraps that turn into something interesting!

This card has a Basic White Cardstock base, which is difficult to see in the photo. I added a Pool Party Cardstock layer to go behind the embossed layer. Another extra piece I saw with the Basic White paper was this already die-cut Scalloped Contours Die so I thought it would be perfect to use!

The floral bouquet is stamped with the Shaded Summer Stamp Set. You will find this stamp set in the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog on page 75. It has two pretty floral stamps and a lot of useful greetings. Another interesting thing about this stamp set is that you can earn the coordinating dies FREE during Sale-a-Bration with a $100 purchase. The die set is called the Summer Shadows Dies. Not only does it have dies to cut out the stamped flowers, but it has other flower dies, too! I didn’t even own the stamp set, but with the opportunity to get the dies free, I went ahead and ordered the Shaded Summer Stamp Set. Maybe I’ll get lucky and they will carry over the dies after Sale-A-Bration! Either way, it will be a useful combination to own.

After diecutting the flowers, I popped them up with Stampin’ Dimensionals on the die cut Scalloped Contour piece. I tied a piece of White 1/4″ Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon around the stem of the flower piece, plus added some small, white Elegant Faceted Gems around the flower.

The greeting is in the Shaded Summer Stamp Set. As I looked at my dies to see what I would like to use, I decided on the Messages Die. You don’t have to have a whole page of stamped greetings in order to use this die that cuts out an amazing number of greetings all at one time! I just placed the little scalloped die area over my stamped greeting to see if it fit, and ran it through my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. It was perfect for this card! It fit perfectly without covering up too much of the pretty embossing on the card layer. By the way, the folder is the Ornate Floral 3D Embossing Folder. So pretty with all the little embossed flowers and leaves! I had already embossed it to use on another card but didn’t like it. Then it ended up being perfect on this card, actually inspiring the creation of this card!

Remember, if you want to keep things easy, a monochromatic card can fit the bill! I only had to stamp the floral image, not color in the flowers and leaves! Here is another monochromatic card I made a while back, that was simplest to make with just one ink color.

This is the last month for Sale-A-Bration this year! Whether you spend $50 or more to earn a FREE product in the Sale-A-Bration Brochure or spend more and get a $100 level choice, you will be sure to find something fun to spur your creativity, like this Monochromatic Shaded Summer Thank You Card.

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! and SALE-A-BRATION ONLINE HERE!

A Second Chance To Get the August Paper Pumpkin Kit! Don’t Miss It!

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SPECIAL OFFERING FOR THE SHELLI HOPE BOX

From Stampin’ Up!:

Due to a glitch in our system, customers were unable to subscribe to Paper Pumpkin’s Shelli Hope Box between July 31– August 5. We are sorry for any inconvenience that caused, but we would like to make it up to you!

(In case you are new to Stampin’ Up! history, Shelli Gardner, along with her sister, is the CoFounder of Stampin’ Up! We always love Shelli’s creative ideas!)

From August 24 – August 31, we will be offering the Shelli Hope Box to all North American customers, regardless of subscription. (Normally you would have to have a subscription to purchase a past kit, but for this one week only, you do not, you can just buy it!!) 

The kit can be purchased through the Paper Pumpkin Refills and Past Kits section of the online store from 12:00 AM (MT) August 24 to11:59 PM (MT) August 31. If you were not able to purchase the kit, it’s available for this limited time! Shelli Hope Box refills will continue to be available to subscribers only. After this limited offering, the Shelli Hope Box full kit will only be available on the regular past kit schedule for subscribers only. 

SO… Even if you are not a subscriber now, you can order this August Paper Pumpkin Kit on your Stampin’ Up! order. What a great time to try out a Paper Pumpkin Kit without a subscription!  Mine just arrived the other day and although I haven’t gotten to make it yet, the contents look fantastic!  There is even a roll of special Blackberry Bliss ribbon included in this kit! Purchasing this kit may even help you earn a free Sale-A-Bration product!

Here is Shelli’s original video describing the August Paper Pumpkin Kit, Shelli’s Hope Box!

HOPE BOX PAPER PUMPKIN PAST KIT  #158541

Golden 50th Anniversary Card

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Golden 50th Anniversary Card

This Golden 50th Anniversary Card is one I just made recently although with some retired products. I don’t usually use retired products on my blog posts, but I’m starting to find that hopefully, I will be needing some 50th wedding anniversary cards coming up in the near future so I thought maybe some of you will be, too!

One of my favorite family memories is of my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary and the surprise party my mother threw for them! My other grandparents didn’t make it that long so that was bittersweet. My mother wasn’t necessarily planning to do anything like a party for her parents until their next-door neighbor said she “had” to have a party for them! Relatives and friends came from out of town from all over! My grandma’s sister and her husband came ahead of time, as if they were just visiting, so she could be in place at my grandparents’ house. Another long-time family friend came from Kansas City and stayed at our house. She made really good fried chicken, I remember! The day before the party, my grandpa drove over to our house with his visiting brother-in-law to stop in! This lady had to go hide down in the basement, but then my grandpa and uncle went down in the basement for some reason so she had to hide in the bathroom and hoped they wouldn’t come in there!

On Sunday everyone showed up to surprise my grandparents at their house! It was such a fun party with relatives, friends, and neighbors! I thought my brother and I shouldn’t have to go to school on Monday because we were at this party all afternoon and evening on Sunday, but my mother sent us! Now my brother and I have some of the Golden Anniversary gifts that our grandparents received as remembrances.

Recently my sister-in-law and her husband celebrated 50 years of marriage! This is the card I sent them. You wouldn’t have to use all gold, of course, but why not?! The card base is Basic White with a layer of Basic White. Then there is a layer of Gold Foil with another layer of Basic White. The Basic White is covered by a piece of the retired Golden Garden Designer Specialty Acetate from the Spring Mini 2021 Catalog in the Fine Art Floral Suite. To the side of the acetate is a gold striped piece of designer paper from the Expressions In Ink Specialty Designer Series Paper. I covered the seam with a piece of Gold 3/8″ Shimmer Ribbon.

The numerals are made from the retired Large Numbers Framelits and cut from Gold Foil. The “50” is layered on a die cut circle of Basic White and layered on a scalloped circle of Gold Foil. That is all layered on top of a die cut from the Tasteful Labels Dies.

The “Congratulations” is embossed with Gold Embossing Powder and cut by hand to fit the gold layer. It is in the Hand-Drawn Blooms Stamp Set. I used the dies in the Banner Blooms Dies, just the banner in the bouquet, for that gold foil layer behind the greeting. Probably had to trim it by hand also!

And that’s all! Sounds complicated to write up, but if you copied it, it wouldn’t be that hard because you would already have the design. It’s pretty amazing when a couple celebrates their 50th golden wedding anniversary so they deserve a special card! Maybe you should look ahead and see if any family or friends of yours are coming up on that special milestone and think about a special card you can make, like this Golden 50th Anniversary Card!

Cute Halloween Ghost Boo Card

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Cute Halloween Ghost Boo Card

My first Halloween card of the season! I love this cute pack of 6″ x 6″ paper with Halloween designs! I love the cute and whimsical Halloween styles, not the scary, dark ones. I’m hoping we can have normal trick-or-treating this year because I love handing out candy to the little ones, especially. Last year I had to block off my front door and put out a sign saying “See you next year!”

This card uses the Cute Halloween Designer Series Paper which is the 6″ x 6″ size. I just picked out the top sheet in the pack with these cute flying ghosts with their trick-or-treat bags! Isn’t that cute??!!! When I turned the paper over, I saw the design was the tiny printed “Boos”. I just had to use that on the front of the card along with the ghosts! That section started out being wider but I didn’t want to cover up much of the ghost paper.

The card base is Highland Heather with a layer of Basic Black. I played around with those two colors and Pumpkin Pie to see which ones I wanted to use and in which order. I think any other combination would also look good. I ended up with a very thin strip of the Boo paper on the left side of the card. To cover the seam and to add another color, I cut a very thin strip of Pumpkin Pie cardstock in between the two designs.

For a greeting, I got the idea to cut out the letters to spell “Boo” with the Playful Alphabet Dies. I haven’t used these dies much, but I love how they turned out on this card! I cut the letters and exclamation point out of Pumpkin Pie cardstock and layered them on one of the Tailor Made Tags Dies. You would think I shouldn’t use Highland Heather as a color for the tag because it blends into the background color of the designer paper too much, but I kind of liked that because it helped the letters stand out without detracting too much from the ghosts. I popped up the tag on Stampin’ Dimensionals® and tied on a piece of the Black & White 1/4″ Gingham Ribbon.

Sometimes you make a card and it’s just fine and you like it, and sometimes you make a card and LOVE how it turned out! That is how I feel about this Cute Halloween Ghost Boo Card and I hope it will inspire you to make some fun Halloween cards with this cute Cute Halloween paper!

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE HERE!

Pretty Pumpkins Gather Together Fall Card

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Pretty Pumpkin Gather Together Fall Card

I just love the possibilities of this pumpkin stamp set and dies with my first attempt being this Pretty Pumpkins Gather Together Fall Card. On my first opportunity to order from the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog I chose only holiday things and left fall and Halloween until later. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this stamp set. As it is rightly named “Pretty Pumpkins” I think you will be able to make many pretty pumpkins on your fall cards and projects!

My card has a Pumpkin Pie card base and I started off planning to make it a horizontal card rather than this vertical. But I often change my mind as I go! I also started with a Basic White layer for the background. It definitely needed something and what I came up with was using my Blending Brushes to add color to the white paper! I got the idea from the bottom sample in the Holiday Catalog on page 48. The colors of ink I used were Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Granny Apple Green, and Rich Razzleberry. I only added the colors lightly, rather randomly around the white cardstock and I just LOVED those colors together! If you don’t have the Blending Brushes yet, you can use a sponge or Sponge Daubers.

As you may have guessed, the stamp set used on this card is the Pretty Pumpkins Stamp Set. If you want the Detailed Pumpkins Dies too (and yes, you do!), then purchase the Pretty Pumpkins Bundle and save 10% on the set. The sparkly pumpkin is die-cut out of the Sale-A-Bration Be Dazzling 6″ x 6″ Specialty Paper. You may think this paper looks sparkly in this photo, but I guarantee you, you will not believe how sparkly it is until you see it yourself! You can get it FREE with a $50 purchase during Sale-A-Bration through September, but don’t wait until the last minute in case they run out. Dazzling describes this paper well.

When you die-cut the Be Dazzling Paper, there is a note in the catalog that cutting glittered paper leads to dulling of the blades. I say take a chance and don’t worry too much about it. Maybe if you are going to cut the whole stack of paper with the same die, you might wear out your die. One thing I did with my pumpkin was tearing off the backing paper before die-cutting. That makes the glittered paper a little thinner and is a tip I learned a long time ago with specialty paper like this. It would also be wise to use the Adhesive Sheets on the back of the glittered paper so that the delicate design will already have adhesive on the back. Otherwise, just use teeny tiny drops of Multipurpose Liquid Glue on the back.

Now for the stamped pumpkins! I stamped the printed pumpkin with Pumpkin Pie Ink on Pumpkin Pie Cardstock. Then I used the die to cut it out. I also stamped the group of pumpkins on Pumpkin Pie but I cut them apart by hand and only used the small pumpkin. I also stamped two groups of leaves with Granny Apple Green Ink on Granny Apple Green Cardstock. After die-cutting them, I cut some of the leaves apart to make them fit how I wanted them. The greeting is stamped directly on the card in Pumpkin Pie Ink from the Pretty Pumpkins Stamp Set.

For a little bling, I also added a few 2021-23 In Color Jewels to fill in the space a little bit and add a little more sparkle! Your rhinestones and jewels don’t always have to match exactly as you can see. I doubt people pay attention to the exact color of the jewel as they do to the total look of the card with the sparkle. This Pretty Pumpkins Gather Together Fall Card has it all for fall!

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE HERE!