Last Day to Join 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, which is today!

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! Be sure to set up your account TODAY to get the August Kit.

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.)

Prized Peony All-Occasion Square Card

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Prized Peony All-Occasion Square Card

I started out looking at the peony designer paper but couldn’t come to a decision of what card design to make, so I looked in the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog at the Peony Garden Suite for ideas. Finally I settled on this Prized Peony All-Occasion Square Card that was inspired by a square card I saw on page 84.

It’s really a very easy card. I cut the Melon Mambo card base to 8 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ and folded in half. The Peony Garden Designer Series Paper is cut at 4″ x 4″ for a layer on the card base. I wanted something not too plain in the background but not too big that the big flower would not stand out.

The focal point on the card is the stamped and die-cut Prized Peony. I stamped it in Memento Ink and colored in with Melon Mambo Combo Stampin’ Blends markers and the leaves with the Granny Apple Green Combo Stampin’ Blends markers. The flower is stamped with the Prized Peony Stamp Set and cut out with the Peony Dies. You can purchase both together in the Prized Peony Bundle and save 10%.

Now there is a package of Square Vellum Doilies in the Suite, which I bought, but I couldn’t find them! So I substituted a large die-cut Vellum Cardstock circle to put behind the peony. Normally it is difficult to glue down vellum because the adhesive almost always shows in some way behind it, but in this case, I knew I could put some adhesive on the vellum behind where the flower would go and it wouldn’t show at all. The peony is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals®.

The greeting is stamped from the Lovely You Stamp Set in the Annual Catalog on page 22 with Melon Mambo ink. I lined one end up with the edge of the card layer on the right and punched the other end with the Lovely Labels Pick a Punch. (This punch on backorder but coming next week). You can purchase the Lovely You Stamp Set and Lovely Labels Pick a Punch in a Bundle for a 10% savings (but backordered as I write this). This greeting is popped up also with Stampin’ Dimensionals right over the stem of the peony. For a little bling I added a Clear Epoxy Droplet to the tag.

You can change the colors, the paper, and the greeting to make a similar card for another occasion. Sometimes it is fun to make a square card instead of our usual design just for a something a little different!

Here is another card I made with the Prized Peony Stamp Set and die using a different pattern of the Peony Garden Paper and using different colors.

There are so many possibilities with this Peony Garden Suite for cards and other projects that you will enjoy making like this Prized Peony All-Occasion Square Card.

Ghoulish Goodies Halloween Clear Tiny Treat Box

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Ghoulish Goodies Halloween Clear Tiny Treat Box

For my first, of probably many, Halloween posts for this year, here is a Ghoulish Goodies Halloween Clear Tiny Treat Box. Who knows what Halloween will look like in this pandemic year, but you can still make Halloween treats for your family or even yourself! Thank goodness the grocery stores are still able to deliver craft supplies, such as chocolate candy for treats!

As always, I love and highly recommend keeping a package or two of the Clear Tiny Treat Boxes on hand! They are only 2″ x 2″ x 2″ but food safe and have enough room for a decent treat without being too big. Or add some other small gift inside for any occasion. These boxes come flat, protected by a piece of plastic you remove, then assemble and decorate. Couldn’t be easier!

For this Halloween treat box I wrapped around a piece of the Plaid Tidings 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper. Now you may have figured out that a 6″ long strip will not wrap all the way around the box. I cut two strips, then realized I needed the plaid design to march up if I wanted to be picky about it (and of course most of us do!). Actually my strips were only about 1/8″ off so I matched them up, adhered the ends together then trimmed off the excess on each side. It worked fine. Or you can wrap the 6″ strip around from the front to each side and add another piece for the back. Make it longer so you can adhere the ends inside the side pieces to make it look neater.

The tag is stamped in Pumpkin Pie ink on Whisper White with a stamp in the Ghoulish Goodies Stamp Set. What a perfect saying for Halloween treat packages! I die-cut it with a die in the Tasteful Labels set of dies. Then I wanted some kind of layer, so I cut another label which was too small, but I cut it in half lengthwise and added it to each side of the treat tag. This is the Pumpkin Pie piece. To cover up the back, I adhered the whole thing onto a rectangle of Basic Black with just a small margin and simply cut those corner curves by hand. Doesn’t have to be perfect! The tag is already almost too big for the treat box so I couldn’t keep adding larger layers.

To attach the tag and further decorate the box, I used the beautiful Black 3/8″ Glittered Organdy Ribbon. It’s almost too pretty to use on a treat box but it does look great! I punched a small hole in the top of the tag, put a piece of Linen Threat (or whatever twine I had laying around here) through the tag and tied it on to the ribbon, then finished tying the ribbon in a know. You could do a bow instead.

To decorate the front of the box (and to use another new stamp!), I stamped the black cat from Ghoulish Goodies. Then I colored in its eyes with a Granny Apple Green Stampin’ Blend marker and the collar with Pumpkin Pie. I just punched out the cat with my 1 1/2″ Circle Punch and then layered it on a die-cut from the Tasteful Labels Dies again. Love those scalloped circles in that set!!

Put your treat or gift in the box before you tie it up! Luckily I had fresh chocolate kisses wrapped in purple (dark chocolate), perfect for Halloween! These candies are meant for crafting, of course! (Or for after lunch or dinner as a digestive, of course!).

Here’s a super-simple treat I made with the Clear Tiny Treat Boxes recently.

Yes, it’s time to start having fun with Halloween because now that it is August, it is really almost September and you know Halloween isn’t far behind! Check out the Ghoulish Goodies Stamp Set and others in the new holiday mini, August-December 2020 Mini Catalog. If you need a copy, send me your contact information at Karen@Karenstamps.com Then you can start making your own Ghoulish Goodies Halloween Clear Tiny Treat Box or something similar!

Gilded Autumn Fall Thanks Card

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Gilded Autumn Fall Thanks Card

I was anxious to play with this gorgeous designer paper in the new August-December 2020 Mini Catalog from Stampin’ Up! The designs are so pretty, the colors beautiful, and all of it accented with copper and gold foil. How can you resist?

This beautiful paper is the Gilded Autumn Specialty Designer Series Paper in the new Holiday Catalog. You’ll find the whole Gilded Autumn Suite on pages 44-46. All Suites in this catalog get a three-page spread! The Suite contains the Beautiful Autumn Bundle with stamp set and three punches, ribbon, Brushed Metallic Cardstock, and Acorn Trinkets. You can order the whole thing with one Suite number or order any of the products individually.

I loved the sample in the catalog on page 44 with the three panels of designer paper on it, center of page. I changed mine a little bit and figured out my own measurements. The card base is Whisper White, although you could also use Very Vanilla. The Copper Foil layer underneath the designer paper is cut at 5″ x 3 3/4″. The strips of designer paper are cut at 1 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ so there is a tiny margin around the edges and in between the pieces. You can vary this and have the papers side by side or even a little larger with a larger foil layer underneath. When I finished gluing these pieces with my new Stampin’ Seal+ I ended up trimming just a slight bit off the side of the copper foil just to even things up.

The greeting is stamped from the Gather Together Stamp Set, a “returning fave” it says in the catalog, from last year in Mint Macaron Ink! We all did love that stamp set and cards we made with that set last year so I’m glad it is back! I die cut it with one of the Tasteful Labels Dies and used another longer one to cut out a strip of Copper Foil to go behind it. This is a great die set!

The catalog sample card has some greenery sticking out from the side of the greeting. I don’t know how they did theirs, but I just cut some greenery out from one of the sheets of the Gilded Autumn Paper. It wasn’t so easy, but it worked! And I put it on both sides of my greeting.

And then, just because I loved the paper with pumpkins and gourds, I had to cut out a pumpkin and add it to the card. I wasn’t sure! What do you think? I popped it up with a Dimensional to match the greeting that was also popped up, but I put the Dimensional only in one spot to it would be even with the greeting. I meant to add some sequins or some little bling but I forgot!

Here is a card I made last year with the Gather Together Stamp Set. I think I could use this same basic layout and make something with the new Gilded Autumn Paper! I might try that!

I think it is a fairly easy card to make, especially if you use my measurements and don’t have to figure it out. Maybe you could die cut some other greenery for a similar look without cutting by hand if you didn’t want to do that. You could die cut the greeting in a different shape. Lots of possibilities with this Gilded Autumn Fall Thanks Card.

Remember, we have a new look to the Online Store! If you haven’t used it yet, you need to either KNOW your password to get into your account if you want to order (you can look around without logging in) so you can type it in manually OR you need to click on the “Forgot Your Password” Button to reset it. After that you can have the site remember the password….and maybe a good idea to write it down!

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE!

Poinsettia Petals Merry Christmas Card

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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!

Coming Soon! Tomorrow! New Look to the Online Store!

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Coming Soon Announcement

We all know that tomorrow, August 4, 2020 is the first day of the new August-December 2020 Mini Catalog for the holidays, but it will also be the first day of the new Stampin’ Up! Online Store! Yes, the Online Store is getting a makeover and from what I have seen of it, I think you will be pleased! When you log in tomorrow to shop the new holiday mini after 7 AM Mountain Time (that’s 8 AM Central Time, 9 AM Eastern Time, and 6 AM Pacific Time) you will see the new look!

Your assignment for today, to get ready for the new Online Store website, is to either make sure you have your password written down or that you know it, OR click on the “Forgot My Password”. The first time you log into your Online Store account on the new website, the website won’t “remember” your password so you will have to enter it yourself. If you don’t KNOW what it is or have it written down in a super secret location, just click on the FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD link and follow the steps to get a new password. If you don’t receive the email soon after, check your SPAM folder in case it went there!

SU Change Password

As you can see in the photo below, my password is encrypted so if I didn’t have it written down I might not remember exactly what it is. Since the store will essentially be a new website, you have to sign in yourself the first time. You will have to type in your password yourself.

If you are doing this today, Aug. 3rd, you CAN also sign into your account as it is today, then click on “My Account” in the upper right corner. Scroll down a tiny bit to MY ACCOUNT, then click on the tab for EMAIL/PASSWORD and change it in there. Be sure to click to SAVE changes! Then WRITE DOWN YOUR PASSWORD. The first time you log in to the new store you will have to put in your password yourself so you have to know what it is. If you need help, let me know!

IF you have bookmarked the Online Store, your bookmark might not work tomorrow (or maybe it will?).

If you have previously chosen me as your Demonstrator, I think it still should show me as your Demonstrator. If not, you have an opportunity to choose me as your Demonstrator. Or if you clicked on a product link on my blog to my Online Store, it should show me as your Demonstrator. In any case, you might want to check that you see my name on your Store page.

If you are new to shopping online at Stampin’ Up, during the ordering process you will have a chance to choose a Demonstrator. You can look up a name or search by location. Here is my name: Karen Fontinelle #54345 Houston, TX

If you just want to check out as a Guest, Stampin’ Up! will assign a Demonstrator near your location just for that one order, as all orders go through a Demonstrator, but I think you can choose if you want any further contact from that Demonstrator or not.

There are some great new features coming in the new Online Store! Product photos will be bigger, you can sort in various categories, like color or price, you can mark Favorites, you can even have a Wish List that you could share with someone! I think it will be pretty intuitive and I think we will like it!

The main hurdle will be knowing your password in order to sign in since it will be a new website and your browser will not recognize it like it does most websites you frequent. Just so you remember to do it and save yourself the hassle later, either check what your current password is so you can log in or click on the Forgot Password button and then change it. This also might be a good time while you are in your account, to make sure your address is up-to-date as I can not go into your online account to change any of your information and you don’t want your order going to the wrong location!

You are welcome to call Stampin’ Up! as well if you need help. 1-800-STAMP-UP You probably should expect phone lines to be jammed tomorrow, however, with the new website and new catalog!!

ALSO….BONUS DAYS!! TODAY, August 3rd, is actually the LAST DAY to order and receive $5 bonus coupons to use in August. I may have said July 31 was the last day but then I remembered it did run through August 3rd! For every $50 you spend during Bonus Days, you will receive a $5 Bonus Coupon to spend on an order in August.

The new Holiday Catalog, the August-December Mini, begins tomorrow so get your list ready!! If you are new and interested in Stampin’ Up! products and would like a complimentary catalog (or even the Annual Catalog as well), I would be happy to be your Demonstrator and send copies to you! Just send your contact information to me at Karen@Karenstamps.com.

I hope you are as excited for tomorrow as I am! The Holiday Catalog is jam-packed with products! The link to that catalog will go up tomorrow plus, of course, you will see the products in the new Online Store!

Let me know if you have any questions about the new Online Store or Holiday Catalog! Thanks for shopping with me!

Christmas Gleaming Deck the Halls Holly Card

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Christmas Gleaming Deck the Halls Holly Card

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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Easy Stamped Painted Poppies Thinking of You Card

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!

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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!

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Gnome For the Holidays Christmas Card

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Gnome For the Holidays Christmas Card

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!

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Flowers For Every Season Thank You Card

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Flowers For Every Season Thank You Card

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!

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Prized Peony 3D Flower Friendship Card

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Prized Peony 3D Flower Friendship Card

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!

Peony Die Cut Pieces

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.

Peony Pieces Assembly on Back

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!

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