Category Archives: Cards

Poinsettia Petals Merry Christmas Card

I finally had some time to play and make this Poinsettia Petals Merry Christmas Card. Not knowing exactly what I would ultimately need, I stamped extra flowers of two sizes, many leaves of two sizes, and the yellow flower centers. This worked out well because I was able to make two cards, slightly different, and I already had the pieces stamped and cut out.

If you like poinsettias during the holidays, this whole Poinsettia Place Suite is for you! The papers, stamps and dies in this suite just provide so many opportunities for cardmaking and creativity!

To make this card, I used a Real Red card base. Real Red has always been my favorite Stampin’ Up! color. You will not find a more perfect “red” color anywhere! I’m still not happy that they moved it out of the Brights Family and put it in the Regals!

I was going to put a Whisper White layer on the card base, but then I decided to add the beautiful Plush Poinsettia Specialty Paper on top of the Whisper White. This Plush Poinsettia Paper is just gorgeous! It has very pretty flocked designs on six sheets, 2 each of 3 designs.

Next I assembled my poinsettia stamped with the Poinsettia Petals Stamp Set in Real Red Ink on Real Red Cardstock. I used the largest flower for the bottom layer and the next smaller one for the top. On the bottom flower, I tried out the embossing piece for the leaves in the Poinsettia Dies. The flower center is Daffodil Delight Cardstock. Before I glued the poinsettia petals together I kind of folded the petals a little bit and worked them with my fingers a little bit just to make them stand up a little bit and not be completely flat. Same with the Garden Green leaves, also die cut.

In the catalog, I saw that on one of the card samples the poinsettias had little red berry sprigs stuck out the sides of the flower. I noticed there was a die for them and I discovered it matches up with certain sprigs on the one patterned designer paper in the Poinsettia Place Designer Series Paper. I actually cut a strip of the designer paper all the way across and was able to die-cut three of the sprigs out of the strip. When you study the paper, you will find the exact sprigs that fit in the die and you will see how they repeat across the 12″ x 12″ paper. See the photos below.

Poinsettia Place Designer Paper Red Sprigs

Here you can see how I found one with a partial sprig that I could still die-cut and use on the corner of this paper so that was handy!

Poinsettia Place Paper Red Sprigs Die — See how the die fits the sprig in the lower right corner of the paper.

After die-cutting the cute sprigs, I just stuck a couple under the flower.

The greeting is also in the Poinsettia Petals Stamp Set. I happened to pull out a 3/4″ wide strip of Whisper White Cardstock and stamped the greeting in Real Red Ink. Then I used the new Lovely Labels Pick A Punch. I tried ideas for a green layer under the greeting, but decided I liked it as it was.

Poinsettia Petals Merry Christmas Card Closeup

You can purchase the Poinsettia Petals Stamp Set and Poinsettia Dies in the Poinsettia Petals Bundle and save 10%! That discount is also included in the price of the Suite if you decide to get the whole thing. Or you can order whichever products you would like individually.

And for the inside of the card, add a Whisper White layer for a greeting or personal note. This greeting is also in the stamp set and I stamped the smallest poinsettia in the corner.

Poinsettia Petals Merry Christmas Card Inside

Nothing says Christmas like poinsettias, so if you like them, get an early start on your poinsettia cards and projects this year. Use my Poinsettia Petals Merry Christmas Card for your inspiration or I’m sure you will come up with many of your own ideas!

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE IN THE NEW STORE HERE!

Don’t Forget About Paper Pumpkin!

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Paper Pumpkin August 2020 Banner — Click to go to Paper Pumpkin!

In all the excitement over the new Stampin’ Up! August-December 2020 Mini Catalog that went live yesterday plus the new look to the Stampin’ Up! Online Store, I want to be sure you don’t forget about Paper Pumpkin, the monthly papercrafting kit from Stampin’ Up! The last day to subscribe to Paper Pumpkin is always the 10th of every month.

The August Paper Pumpkin Kit, World’s Greatest, will be one that is so appropriate for the time we are in now. I don’t know if they planned it this way or it is a coincidence. How often in the last many months have we all talked about the Heroes in our lives and working in our communities?

This August Paper Pumpkin Kit is designed to celebrate and appreciate life’s champions and everyday heroes. You get to decide who those people are to you. Especially during this time, this is something anyone can do to make a difference. The August kit makes it easy!

ABOUT THE AUGUST KIT

Name: World’s Greatest

Details: Kit contains enough supplies to create nine cards and coordinating envelopes.
Card size: 4-1/4” x 5-1/2”
Envelope size: 4-1/2” x 5-3/4”
Coordinating Colors: Bumblebee, gold, Mint Macaron, Pacific Point, Soft Suede, white
The kit’s stamp set includes Distinktive stamps. These cards have a masculine feel to them.

And of course, when you get a Paper Pumpkin Kit, all you have to do is open it up, look at the supplies, and decide what you would like to do with them! Follow the directions exactly, veer off slightly, or do whatever you want with the supplies. Every month Stampin’ Up! gives us some alternate ideas of how to use the materials plus as soon as Demonstrators and stampers get their kits you will find other ideas online as well. There is even a video every month for you to follow if you like.

You can subscribe by the month to Paper Pumpkin by signing up on the Paper Pumpkin website HERE or you can purchase a Prepaid subscription in the Stampin’ Up! Online Store for different periods of time. For some, there is a slight discount. This prepaid subscription in the Online Store will count toward your order total, so it might help you reach Stampin’ Rewards!

Paper Pumpkin costs $22 a month for the kit and that includes the shipping. With your very first kit, you will receive a special acrylic block on which to mount the stamps included in the kit. A small ink spot is included as well as adhesives, plus all the materials to make the cards or whatever the project is. Paper Pumpkin is always a lovely presentation with tissue paper inside wrapping up the packaged supplies. It’s a gift you give yourself every month! Or you can even have a kit sent to a friend or loved one and do Paper Pumpkin together…maybe virtually or socially-distanced right now!

If you would like to receive the August Paper Pumpkin Kit, just click the link below to subscribe. If there is any month that you would rather not receive a kit, all you have to do is go into your account and tell it to skip a month. Every kit is guaranteed by Stampin’ Up! No risk, no obligation! Easy, peasy!

SUBSCRIBE TO PAPER PUMPKIN!

(This is my personal link to Paper Pumpkin to make it easy for you. If you have another Demonstrator you want to sign up under, please go to the Paper Pumpkin website and find their name.)

New Holiday Catalog Today and New Online Store!

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August-December 2020 Holiday Mini Catalog — Click to View the Catalog PDF Online!

Big day at Stampin’ Up! The August-December 2020 Mini Catalog is LIVE with all kinds of fall and holiday seasonal products that I am sure you will love! Click the link or the catalog photo to view all the pages of the catalog!

SHOP the Holiday Catalog!

AND…..

We have a new look to the Stampin’ Up! Online Store today!

SHOP The New Online Store!

Click the link above and it should take you to the Home Page of the Stampin’ Up! Online Store! Please check to see that my name, as your Demonstrator, shows up at the top on the left side. If not, you will have an opportunity to choose me as your Demonstrator before you place your order. After that, my name should come up as your Demonstrator.

I can’t wait to hear how you like it! Just take some time to play around in the new website! You can even click a tab on the side and leave Feedback for Stampin’ Up! if you have problems or simply want to leave a comment, good or bad.

If your computer normally remembers your password, it likely will not log you in to your account because it is a new website. If you KNOW your password, just type it in manually along with your email. If you do not remember or know your password, that’s okay! Just click on the “Forgot Your Password” link and an email will be sent to you to reset your password. If it doesn’t seem to show up, check your Spam folder.

BONUS COUPONS! Remember, starting today you can use your Bonus Coupons you may have earned in July! You will see where to add them on your order page. If you have more than one, you can use all of them or you can use only one or whatever you want. Just remember they expire August 31.

Coupon codes will now be entered one at a time in the Coupon Code section of the Order Summary window (by entering it into the field and clicking “apply”).

If you have a large order and reach $150 or more and earn Stampin’ Rewards, remember that using the coupons will reduce your total so you will need to have $150 or more total AFTER coupons are added in. Let me know if you have questions.

HAVE FUN SHOPPING AND PLAYING!

Christmas Gleaming Deck the Halls Holly Card

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If the designer paper on this card looks familiar, it’s because it was in the Holiday Mini Catalog last year! This paper and the stamp set was carried over as were a few other products from last year into the upcoming August-December 2020 Mini Catalog. I had too many ideas in my head with too many new things and couldn’t think of a single card to make so I looked at the new holiday catalog and “got inspiration” for this Christmas Gleaming Deck the Halls Holly Card on page 19. And then I changed it up a little bit!

The card base is Pretty Peacock, one of the 2019-2021 In Colors. Then I used this striped pattern of the beautiful Brightly Gleaming Specialty Designer Series Paper (150429) for the card layer. I only left a 1/8″ margin around the edge of the card.

The focal point of the card is this Very Vanilla layer stamped with images from the Christmas Gleaming Stamp Set, also on page 19. I stamped the holly leaves in Memento Ink and colored them with Stampin’ Blends markers. I used Granny Apple Green with a touch of Daffodil Delight first on the leaves and a little bit of Mossy Meadow to draw over the leaf veins. The berries are Real Red, of course!

The greeting is stamped in Real Red Ink and die cut with the Tasteful Labels Dies. I loved the circle die in this set. After it cuts out the circle with the pretty edge, there is also a pretty edge left on the paper you cut the circle out of. I cut out another circle out of Real Red to layer behind the greeting, off center since it is the same size as the greeting.

Before I adhered the greeting to the Very Vanilla panel, I thought it needed a little something more so I used the stamp with tiny dots and stamped that randomly in Mossy Meadow. I added a piece of Real Red 3/8″ Double-Stitched Satin Ribbon folded over so it sticks out behind both sides of the greeting and layer. I popped up this greeting with Stampin’ Dimensionals®. I think it would also be fun to spritz the card with Champagne Mist Glimmer Paint in a Spritzer. I might try that if I make some more of this design!

After you get your new Holiday Catalog products and you make a Christmas card you really like, you might want to make maybe 5 cards and then you’ll have five cards made real easily and you can still make multiples of other designs! I usually like to make several different designs of cards!

On the inside of the card you will want to put a Very Vanilla layer since the card itself is a dark color. You can stamp a greeting for the inside of the card or use a strip of the designer paper or stamp one of the ornaments from the stamp set. You could also stamp an ornament on the envelope while you have everything out!

Don’t forget to use the wonderful Stampin’ Up! catalogs for inspiration! Copy exactly or change it up if you get a slightly different idea.

The August-December 2020 Mini Catalog (otherwise known as the Holiday Mini!) goes live Tuesday, August 4th! If you don’t have a copy you will be able to view it online on that day or just see all the products in the Online Store! If you already have this designer paper and stamp set from last year, you can duplicate this Christmas Gleaming Deck the Halls Holly Card right now!

Christmas Gleaming Deck the Halls Holly Card Closeup

Masculine Plaid Tidings Birthday Card

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The plaid paper on this Masculine Plaid Tidings Birthday Card is coming soon in the August-December 2020 Mini Catalog on August 4th. Now when I first saw it in the holiday catalog, I wasn’t too thrilled and might have passed it up. I did notice it could be used for Christmas, fall, or Halloween and probably other things but I wasn’t that excited about it. But I did order it and when I opened the package, I just loved the paper!!

The Plaid Tidings 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper package has all kinds of plaids in it. There is a long list of coordinating colors! Although we might think of it as holiday paper, whether for Christmas or the oranges for Halloween, Fall, or Thanksgiving, I decided to use a sheet for a birthday card. While it could be for anyone, the plaid gives it a masculine look in this case and we’re always looking for things that work well for masculine cards for the men in our lives. The red on this paper is Cherry Cobbler and the green might be Shaded Spruce or Mossy Meadow. I wasn’t sure!

The card base is Cherry Cobbler and the red and green plaid paper is adhered to that. The greeting is from the Many Mates Stamp Set. It is stamped in black Memento Ink. It’s an outline stamp and you can leave it as is or in this case I colored in the letters. I used my Cherry Cobbler and Mossy Meadow Stampin’ Blends markers.

I stamped the greeting on Whisper White and die cut it with the Stitched Nested Labels Dies . Then I made layers with the same dies out of Cherry Cobbler and Mossy Meadow.

Due to not having the right colors of ribbon, I decided to just use some 1/4″ strips of cardstock scraps for tails hanging from the bottom of the greeting panel. I even cut the little bitty flagged ends with my Paper Snips. You could use more or less strips. I started thinking three would be good and ended up with five! After adhering the strips on the back of the layers with our new Stampin’ Seal Adhesive, I popped the whole thing up on Stampin’ Dimensionals®. Even then I wanted another little something, so I used two gold Metallic Pearls.

This is actually a pretty easy card to make! If you didn’t have the particular dies, you could use rectangles or ovals or circles or even just cut rectangle layers. Just stamp a greeting and choose your favorite plaid paper for the occasion!

You’ll find the Plaid Tidings Designer Paper in the Holiday Catalog, now known as the August-December 2020 Mini Catalog on page 57. I think you will be surprised how much you like this paper and how often you can use it for your projects, like this Masculine Plaid Tidings Birthday Card.

Easy Stamped Painted Poppies Thinking of You Card

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This was one of those times that I absolutely didn’t know what to make for a card so finally I remembered my own advice when you need inspiration and looked in the Stampin’ Up! Catalog! I found cards somewhat like this Easy Stamped Painted Poppies Thinking of You Card that I eventually came up with, keeping it simple and just stamping! The catalog sample cards had other cardstock on the side and a fancier greeting, but once I got going on this card I was happy with it!

I decided to make my poppies Calypso Coral so I chose Calypso Coral Cardstock for the card base. I thought about adding a layer of Pear Pizzazz Cardstock to match the leaves, but I didn’t.

I used the “blob” stamp in the Painted Poppies Stamp Set to stamp the color for all the flowers. I inked up the stamp with Calypso Coral, then stamped it lightly on scrap paper to take off some of the ink so the stamped image would be lighter. Then I stamped over these color “blobs” with the two different outline poppy stamps in black. As you can see, this method and the shapes of the stamps makes it imperfect. But that’s okay! The flowers look artsy! I even fit in an extra poppy that is not exactly over the color and it all still looks okay!

Then I did the same thing with leaves. You can do it either way. I stamped the leaf outline in black and then stamped over that with Pear Pizzazz ink with the kind of dotty image in the stamp set. Again, it all doesn’t match up perfectly but that’s how it is supposed to be. If you want the perfect look then you would stamp the outline image and then color in.

The greeting is from the Many Mates Stamp Set. This is a great new stamp set with common messages you will want to use in different fonts and designs. Some of the sentiments will be good for using inside the card or as kind of a sub-greeting on the front of the card. I think this will be a favorite stamp set for greetings.

This card is “just stamping” which is nice to do sometimes! No die-cutting, no embossing, no embellishments. Those are all good things but when you are just starting up and you only have limited supplies, it’s good to know you can make pretty cards with just stamps, ink, and paper like this Easy Stamped Painted Poppies Thinking of You Card.

REMINDER: TODAY and TOMORROW!! Last two days for Bonus Days! With every $50 you spend in July you will receive a coupon code to spend on your orders in August. Stampin’ Up! will send you an email with the coupon codes so be sure to watch for it, look in your spam folder if you don’t get it, or contact Stampin’ Up! Make sure your email is correct with Stampin’ Up!

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE HERE!

Frosty the Snowman Christmas Tag

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There is a fun stamp set in the August-December 2020 Mini Catalog that I just had to order and enjoyed making this Frosty the Snowman Christmas Tag for you. I think a lot of people might overlook this stamp set just paging through the catalog. I certainly did until I noticed it in a video. When I went back and looked at it closely, I saw it had funny and cute sayings for the holidays. There was even a saying I had seen at a craft show years ago, wrote down, and still have on a small piece of paper in my stash! So how could I resist this stamp set?!

Just to give you a sneak peek before the mini catalog goes live on Tuesday, August 4th, I made this little tag with one of the funny sayings from the Don’t Stop Believin’ Stamp Set (153332). It would also make a cute card, of course!

The tag is made of Crumb Cake Cardstock since we are talking about hot cocoa. The top is punched with the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch. The Frosty the Snowman image is stamped on Whisper White Cardstock along with the saying. I colored the melted snowman with just a few Stampin’ Blends in the tiny spaces. For a little extra, I added some Snowflake Sequins (150443) with tiny dots of Multipurpose Liquid Glue. You may remember the Snowflake Sequins from last year’s Holiday Catalog and if you already have them from last year you are ahead of the game. It’s great that they are returning to this year’s holiday catalog because you can re-stock for this year’s fun projects!

August 4th is coming soon, next week! In the meantime, I want to remind you that we are in the last few days of July Bonus Days! With every $50 you spend on a Stampin’ Up! order until July 31, you will receive by email a coupon code to spend in August. These will significantly help with the cost of your holiday order in August! Stock up in July on some essentials or new products from the Annual Catalog and then you’ll have coupons to spend in August! The Holiday Catalog is jam-packed with products and a few returning favorites from last year.

I just got some more copies of the Holiday Catalog so if you are in need of either the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog and/or the August-December 2020 Mini Catalog (Holiday Mini), send me your contact information if you are interested in being a Stampin’ Up! customer and I’ll mail you complimentary copies.

Perhaps this Frosty the Snowman Christmas Tag will tickle your funny bone a little and also cause you to look closely at all the stamp sets in the catalog because you never know what you might find!

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE!

Gnome For the Holidays Christmas Card

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I just got my Holiday Catalog pre-order late Saturday night (love that UPS now delivers on Saturday!) so I chose this gnome stamp set for my first project with my new things, Gnome For the Holidays Christmas Card.

I never was really into gnomes and not sure I am now exactly, until last Christmas when I started following a craft lady, @thelittlegreenbean, on Instagram, who was making stuffed gnomes. Even then I wasn’t into gnomes, but I liked her and finally could resist no longer and bought myself one of her gnomes. Then another time I went back and bought two more for Christmas gifts, plus later, one for Valentine’s Day! So when I saw this gnome stamp set in the new August-December 2020 Mini Catalog (the Holiday Mini!) I decided to get it, maybe because I especially liked the little gnome house with the Christmas lights!

I also loved this Heartwarming Hugs Designer Series Paper from what I could see of it online. It belongs in a suite but it just has generic Christmasy designs in red, white, and green Christmas colors so you can use it for all kinds of cards. It doesn’t have a theme, except Christmas! And some of the papers are really generic so you could use it any time of the year.

The card base is Real Red with a layer of the top paper that was in my Heartwarming Hugs package! See what I mean about the paper….even this page you could use on a birthday card or all-occasion card!

I stamped the gnome house with Memento Ink and die cut with a Layering Ovals die with the house stamped near the top because the house is not completely drawn in at the top. Then I used Mossy Meadow are a layer underneath with one of the scalloped oval dies.

The cute little gnome is stamped and cut out by hand just because I wanted him separate and popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals®. Of course, I colored in everything with Stampin’ Blends, my favorite method of coloring!

You can use whatever colors you like. I primarily used Real Red, Crumb Cake, Granny Apple Green, gray, Daffodil Delight, Ivory, and some others.

The greeting comes in the set and I punched it out with the new Banners Pick a Punch. This is a punch that you don’t “have” to have really, but I wanted the Banner Year Stamp Set that is in the Banner Bundle, so I figured I might as well get it!

There are some really big, beautiful suites in the holiday catalog, but sometimes it is fun to look for the stamp sets that probably won’t get as much attention. The holiday catalog is coming on Tuesday, August 4th! I think this gnome stamp set is going to be a popular one because gnomes seem to be “in” these days! I hope you enjoy my little gnome and gnome house on my Gnome For the Holidays Card!

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE!

Flowers For Every Season Thank You Card

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If you are in need of a cheerful, bright, and happy card, you most likely will want to choose this designer paper I used on my Flowers For Every Season Thank You Card. The bright florals on this piece of designer paper goes with the new In Color, Magenta Madness and that’s about all you need!

The card base is Whisper White with a Magenta Madness layer. I added a strip of the Flowers For Every Season 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper just to the side. You can make it whatever width you want. Almost any of the papers in this package are sure to brighten someone’s day!

The greeting is stamped with Magenta Madness ink on a piece of Whisper White Cardstock with the So Sentimental Stamp Set. This greeting fits perfectly in this die from the Stitched So Sweetly Dies. I love the stitched border around this die!

This is such a simple card design! Anyone can make it and you can change the greeting for lots of other occasions. And for just a little embellishment, I tied a bow with the Magenta Madness 1/4″ 2020-2022 In Color Ribbon and adhered it with a couple of Mini Glue Dots.

If you like the Flowers For Every Season Designer Series Paper, here is another card I made using this paper.

When you need some quick and easy cards, this card is the way to go!

This is the last week for Bonus Days at Stampin’ Up! For every $50 you spend in July, you will earn a $5 coupon to use in August! Bonus Days ends Friday, July 31!! Don’t delay!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online Here!

Prized Peony 3D Flower Friendship Card

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I finally tried out the new Peony Dies to see how difficult it would be to make this Prized Peony 3D Flower Friendship Card. And you know what? It wasn’t difficult at all! If I had just gotten the die set and hadn’t seen other videos describing how to use the dies, I don’t know what I would have thought! But really, it is extremely easy to die cut these peony petals and put them together to make a beautiful flower!

Here are the die-cut pieces, made with the Peony Dies. The flower petals are Petal Pink and sponged with some Petal Pink Ink. The leaves were Pear Pizzazz and Granny Apple Green.

To assemble the flower, use the pieces in order by size. You can start either with the largest piece or the smallest piece. Just slide them inside each other, lining up the bottom edges of each piece. Look at the photo above. This is the back side of my flower with just two pieces. I didn’t push the one piece down all the way so you could see how the bottom edges match! You can see all the curves and imagine pushing that piece down even with the other piece. The bottom edges would line up perfectly! Do that with all four pieces and you will have assembled your peony!

Leave the assembled pieces exactly how they are….flat. OR foof them up a little bit to make the flower look 3D! Use a Bone Folder or even your fingers to try to kind of lift or roll the petal edges. You can also stick some Stampin’ Dimensionals and Mini Dimensionals behind the petals to left them up.

Prized Peony 3D Flower Friendship Card Closeup

In the photo above, not only does the shading give some definition to the flower, but lifting up the petal edges really adds something!

The card base is Petal Pink with a layer of Whisper White. I used one of the Greenery Embossing Folders to emboss just the left side of the Whisper White. The peony is popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals with the leaves underneath. Then I decided to have a ribbon tied around the lower portion of the card and attach a bow. But that seemed to take away from the flower, so I pulled off the strip of ribbon and just tied a bow to put at the base of the flower.

Then I risked everything (don’t do as I do, do as I say!) and stamped the greeting on the otherwise finished card! If I had messed up I would have just stamped the greeting on another piece of paper and made a layer and covered up my mistake. But it’s not a good idea to do the stamping when the rest of the card is finished! You can imagine why! By then it might be too late, like with this flower, to use the Stamparatus to make sure my stamping was perfect. I got lucky and stamped the greeting in the Prized Peony Stamp Set right on to the card!

You can get the Prized Peony Stamp Set and the Peony Dies together in a Bundle, the Prized Peony Bundle, and save 10%! And if you want it ALL, get the Peony Garden SUITE! Just put in the number for the Suite (154129) and get everything without having to put in all the item numbers! But if you only want some of the items, you can certainly just add those to your order as usual.

Do NOT be afraid of the Peony Dies because they are as simple as can be! Order whatever peony products you like! If you order by July 31, you will receive Bonus Coupons to use in August for every $50 you spend on an order in July! After you place your Stampin’ Up! order, watch for the email that contains your coupon codes. Make sure you get this email and keep track of it so you don’t lose those codes. So nice to get a little extra something when you order!

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE HERE!

Banner Blooms Colored Flowers Birthday Card

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This Banner Blooms Colored Flowers Birthday Card is another example of how I did something different than I planned to! I originally thought I would color this die-cut by sponging on some color, maybe in a very soft look. But when I went to actually color on the die-cut, I grabbed my Stampin’ Blends markers instead and went to town!

When I stamp, I am always, always, always using Grid Paper on my table. It is handy for lining things up and especially for measuring quickly and easily. When I took a decorative painting class years ago, the teacher had us put down a towel on the table and after that, I couldn’t paint unless I had a towel underneath my project! Now you can even choose from several kinds of Grid Paper from Stampin’ Up!, even colorful ones! For coloring these die-cut flowers, I needed a plain white paper underneath (and you always need a paper underneath when coloring with Stampin’ Blends because they do bleed through the paper) so I could see the die-cut well. I simply turned my Grid Paper over to the other side.

This card uses Melon Mambo Cardstock for the card base. I chose it after coloring the flowers. I used Shimmery White Cardstock, my favorite, for the die-cut and also for the card layer, because it is good to color on and it has a very subtle shimmer to it. The paper is very pretty all on its own!

I die cut the flower bouquet with the Banner Blooms Dies. This die is really different from the ones we have had. I found that it works best placing the die cutting side up with the paper on top rather than face down on the paper. I don’t know why, but it does! I also ran it through my machine three times and after that, almost all the pieces popped out on their own and the few that were left I used the Take Your Pick Die Brush Tip to roll over the die cut piece and also over the die to get out just a few pieces of paper that remain in the die.

As I said, I planned to use maybe Sponge Daubers to lightly sponge on ink colors on the flowers and leaves over the die, not really being precise, just adding color. But then I grabbed my Stampin’ Blends Markers and had fun coloring the whole thing! I didn’t try to be absolutely perfect but used mostly the brush tips of the markers to quickly color in the different areas. On the really narrow areas, I used the tip ends of the markers. I usually started with the Light color and also added the Dark for a tiny bit of shading. Since I LOVE coloring with these markers I didn’t find the coloring tedious.

To make the banners going across the bouquet, just stamp the greeting in the Hand-Drawn Blooms Stamp Set on a scrap piece of paper. Then line the die up over the stamped greeting (but you don’t need a full piece of paper or you’ll be wasting it). You will end up with the portion with the stamped banners. Then just trim these off the rest of the bouquet and adhere to the bouquet you have just colored. The greetings in the stamp set are doubled-up to fit perfectly on the banner areas. You could also cut out the banners and use stamps from other sets that would fit.

The banners are stamped in Melon Mambo ink. I popped them up on Stampin’ Dimensionals®. I added two Magenta Madness 2020-22 In Color Enamel Dots to the banners.

The whole bouquet is adhered to the card with lots of teeny tiny dots of Multipurpose Liquid Glue. I placed the bouquet on the Silicone Craft Sheet which held it steady and it didn’t matter if a little glue got on the craft sheet.

A good thing to use for delicate die-cuts like this is the Adhesive Sheets which you adhere to the paper before die-cutting and it turns the die-cut into a sticker when you remove the backing paper. I just never think ahead to use it!

Here is another card I made with the Banner Blooms Die using Rainbow Glimmer Paper, another great option if you don’t want to color in!

Remember, we only have about a week left of Bonus Days! When you spend $50 on any order, you will receive via email a $5 Bonus Coupon to use on an order in August. No limit to how many coupons you can earn with every $50 you spend! Bonus Days ends on July 31.

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE HERE!

In Good Taste Navy Z-Fold Thank You Card

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I always think it is fun and impressive to make a card with a different fold and this In Good Taste Navy Z-Fold Thank You Card uses the easiest one there is! I was working on another project with this same designer paper which I really like so I used it on this card. You can use any designer paper and change the sentiment for almost any kind of card. You can even change the shape of the greeting layer on the card.

The basic z-fold card is so easy to make! The card base starts off like any card, 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″, scored and folded at 4 1/4″. But then you will fold the card front back on itself, in half. After scoring the card normally at 4 1/4″, next score the front of the card at half of that, 2 1/8″ and fold that part back like you see in the following photos in this post.

Next, decide on what designer paper you want to use on your card or even stamp the panels you want to add. Just do whatever you like or whatever the occasion requires. This card base is Night of Navy and the designer paper is the In Good Taste Designer Series Paper. This designer paper comes in a large package with many patterns – 12 designs, 2 sheets of each! When I first saw it in the catalog, wasn’t really interested, but after I saw how many different textures were captured on this paper, I was quite intrigued. This Night of Navy print resembles tile or china I think.

Since that folded back front panel measures 2 1/8″ x 5 1/2″, you probably want your designer paper or panel to measure 2″ x 5 3/8″ for a narrow margin around the edge or 1 7/8″ x 5 1/4″ for a wider margin. Figure it just like you would for a card.

Since the cardstock is dark, I added a Whisper White layer inside the card and put a strip of the designer paper along the edge. This was just a scrap, but it is about 1/2″ wide by 5 1/4″.

For the greeting on the front of the card, I wanted to use something kind of large. I chose one from the So Sentimental Stamp Set. It is stamped in Night of Navy ink. The die-cut scalloped rectangles I used are in the Stitched So Sweetly Dies set. When you adhere it to the front of the card, remember to only add adhesive to half of the back of the greeting so it only sticks to that folded front panel and not the rest of the card. If you are going to have a greeting on the inside of the card, you probably want that front greeting to cover up what is inside the card.

For a little bling, I added some Misty Moonlight 2020-22 In Color Enamel Dots. They are not the exact same color as the Night of Navy used on the card, but I thought they were close enough.

I could have added another color with the greeting layer and the enamel dots and ink if I didn’t want it to be the monochromatic look.

Here’s another card I made with the z-fold using really pretty designer paper from 2019, some ribbon, and a different shaped greeting on the front of the card, just to give you another idea.

Here are some other views of this card so you can see how the folds go.

In Good Taste Navy Z-Fold Thank You Card Inside

In Good Taste Navy Z-Fold Thank You Card Folds

Try your hand at making an easy Z-Fold card like this In Good Taste Navy Z-Fold Thank You Card.

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE!

Ornate Garden So Grateful Card

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For this card, I was in the mood to use the paper in the Ornate Garden Suite and this Ornate Garden So Grateful Card is what turned out! This is a great all-occasion card that has a little different style than maybe you normally make. It’s also a great way to use up some smaller pieces of designer paper! Just change the greeting for a birthday or congratulations or even sympathy.

The card base is Mint Macaron, one of the coordinating colors for the Ornate Garden Specialty Designer Series Paper. Some of these sheets in this collection have gold foil accents.

At first I was going to just adhere the floral strips directly to the card base, but it’s a little easier to adhere to another piece of cardstock first, whether it shows or not. I started with a Whisper White piece under the floral strips with a narrow margin showing but I wasn’t crazy about that. Then I realized Terracotta Tile, another coordinating color, very evident in these floral strips, might be perfect!

You might want to make your card pieces slightly different sizes, but here are the sizes I used:

Floral Strips 1 1/4″ x 4″, Terracotta Tile layer under strips 3 7/8″ x 4 1/8″.

For the greeting, since I was using the Ornate Garden paper, I decided to use a greeting in the Ornate Thanks Stamp Set. First I stamped it in Terracotta Tile on Whisper White but I didn’t like it. I thought it looked too bold. I changed it to Mint Macaron and I could have changed the layer to Mint Macaron but I just used the Terracotta layer.

Before adhering the layer with the paper strips, I adhered a piece of ribbon around to the back on both sides and then added a separate bow. Just use a Mini Glue Dot or two to hold the bow on the card. Often this works easier than trying to tie the bow with the ribbon on the card. This white ribbon is in the Flowers For Every Season Ribbon Combo Pack. It looks like a linen ribbon and is very pretty with this paper.

I forgot to mention, I cut the sheet of Mint Macaron Cardstock in half lengthwise, rather than horizontally, so it is 4 1/4″ x 11″, scored at 5 1/2″. This produces a top of the card fold rather than the usual side fold. You can do it either way, it’s just something a little different!

Here’s another card I made using the Ornate Garden Suite, using one of the papers with larger flowers. You can use whichever floral pattern you are in the mood for!

Get out whatever designer paper you like or scraps you have and see if you can make a card similar to this one. Once you get started you may change the idea completely! It’s up to you! Start with my Ornate Garden So Grateful Card to possibly give you an idea and then let your own creativity take you wherever it wants to go!

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE!

Forever Greenery Thank You Card

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Talk about a quick and easy card to make, this Forever Greenery Thank You Card is one! I don’t think I’d even gotten around to using this designer paper so I thought it was about time.

I think every green color Stampin’ Up! has is included in this Forever Greenery Designer Series Paper. I love the new In Color 2020-22 called Just Jade. Normally I’m not a big fan of green, but I really like this color. Just Jade is the card base with a layer of Whisper White Cardstock. Then I added the designer paper layer. Originally, I planned to just have a very thin margin of the Whisper White to kind of separate the designer paper from the Just Jade. But I liked more of the white showing so I made all the standard layers.

Before adhering the designer paper layer to the Whisper White Cardstock, I wrapped around a strip of Just Jade 1/4″ Ribbon and adhered it to the back. After the layer is adhered to the card, you can tie a separate bow and adhere it to the ribbon with a Mini Glue Dot.

The greeting is stamped with Just Jade Ink with a stamp in the So Sentimental Stamp Set. This is a great stamp set for greetings! There are large ones and very small ones! Then I cut out the greeting with a Stitched So Sweetly Die.

To set off the greeting a little bit, I punched a strip of Just Jade Cardstock with the Lovely Labels Pick A Punch. Then of a little bling, I added a Gold Glitter Enamel Dot on each end.

That’s all there is to making this card! And so many pretty patterns to choose from in the Forever Greenery Designer Series Paper!

Check out all the new Stampin’ Up! catalog items and when you place your order, remember the Bonus Days promotion going on during July! With every $50 you spend in July, you will receive a $5 coupon to spend on your order in August! Be sure to look for the email from Stampin’ Up! right after you order!

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE!

Stamping With Karen

Having Fun With Paper, Ink, and Stamps

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