Nutz about Stamping

How to find color inspiration for your next card

Recently a customer emailed me to ask where I find color inspiration for my cards. I am going to share one of my design tips today! 

In today's video (see the bottom of this blog post), I want to show you how to make a lovely thank you card, but you can change the phrase to make it a birthday card, thinking of you card, friendship card or any other occasion that you need. My card features the Bloom by Bloom stamp set found on page 25 of the Occasions Catalog:

Bloom By Bloom Photopolymer Stamp Set
$17.00

This super cute set has no phrases so combine the images here with phrases from other sets that you love. 

I was inspired for the colors on my card from the Happiness Blooms designer paper:

Happiness Blooms 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper
$11.00

 

This paper has bold and bright florals and patterns, using the following Stampin' Up! colors: Call Me Clover, Calypso Coral, Lovely Lipstick, Night of Navy, and Pineapple Punch. So I chose two of these colors for my card. 

During my video I mention a stamping term: fussy cutting. Basically this means stamping and cutting out images using your paper snips, which is how I created the flower images for my card. A pair of high-quality scissors is a crafters must-have so don't cut costs for this item!

For my card I chose Lovely Lipstick and Pineapple Punch for my focus colors. Here's my card:

Bloom by Bloom greeting card

Supplies

Stamp sets: Bloom by Bloom #148820; Love What You Do #148042

Ink: Pineapple Punch, Lovely Lipstick

Paper and cutting dimensions:
          Whisper White: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"; 3 3/4" x 5"; three pieces 1 3/4" square (large flowers);
          three pieces 1 1/2" square (small   flowers)

Accessories: SNAIL adhesive, Stampin' Dimensionals, Paper Snips

And as promised, here's how I decorated the inside of my card - using one of the small stamps in the Bloom by Bloom set. 

Would you like to see how I created my card? Here's a video to show you how:

Announcing new, time sensitive Sale-a-bration products

I am so excited to announce that Stampin' Up! will be release a second set of Sale-a-bration products this week and you can earn them for free with a qualifying order beginning February 15th!

Click on the photo of the Sale-a-bration brochure below for a sneak peek of these additional items;

As demonstrators, we get the opportunity to acquire these items a couple of weeks before you so that we can create some sample ideas to share. So that's what I did.

The sample below uses the Painted Seasons bundle - and I chose a strip of the designer series paper to feature on my masculine birthday card. When I saw the patterns on this particular design I immediately thought of Lovely as a Tree so chose that for my set.

My one issue was that the Painted Seasons paper has Whisper White as its neutral color and when I first laid out my card design it seemed too white. So I grabbed one of my Stampin' Sponges and brushed Early Espresso and Call Me Clover around the layers to give them a more vintage and less stark look. 

I also used my Early Espresso and Call Me Clover Stampin' Write Markers to color and stamp the pine cone image from Lovely as a Tree. Each time I inked this image I stamped off onto a scrap piece of paper before stamping onto my card layer to achieve a more muted and vintage look there as well. 

Here's my Lovely as a Tree card: 

 

Some of you have emailed me to ask me to show you what I would do for my card insides as well. I usually keep the insides pretty basic because I love to write a note as well. Plus I am aware that a lot of extra bits add weight which will affect my costs for mailing.

Here's what I did for the inside of my card:

 To place a qualifying order and earn the Painted Seasons bundle for free, click the image below to link over to my online store! Let's have fun crafting together! 

How to create a Valentine for your manly man

Are you looking for a more masculine Valentine idea for your 'manly' man? I have a fun idea to share with you today - it is really easy to create and you man will love it especially if he loves hot-rods, choppers or loves to build things. 

What makes this Valentine masculine? First, the colors chosen: Crushed Curry and Tranquil Tide. The neutral is Very Vanilla which adds an antique neutral feel. 

The Geared Up Garage bundle and Classic Garage designer paper continue that masculine tone; don't you love the patterns in the designer paper? 

Geared Up Garage Cling Bundle
$48.50

Classic Garage 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper
$11.00

And because this is a Valentine's Day card for your manly man, a new hearts are in order too, using the Be Mine Stitched framelits. If you want to order these products click on any of the product photos to link over to my online store. 

Be Mine Stitched Framelits Dies
$35.00

And here's the masculine Valentine - what do you think? I think the phrase is super fun and your man will love it! Under the card photo is a list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions. Have fun! 

Supplies: 

• Stamp Sets – Geared Up Garage (148590); 
• Card Stock – Crushed Curry (131199); Tranquil Tide (144246); Very Vanilla (101650); Silver Foil (132178)
• Stamp Pads – Basic Gray(149165) 
• Misc. – Classic Garage Designer Series Paper (DSP)  (148482); Garage Gears Thinlits Dies (148521); Be Mine Stitched Framelits Dies (148527); Dimensionals (104430);  Fine Tip Glue Pen (138309); Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets (144106)

Measurements:  

• Crushed Curry:8 1/2” x 5 1/2”, scored at 4 ¼”
• Tranquil Tide: 5 ¼” x 4”; scraps for hearts 
• Very Vanilla : Scraps for hearts 
• Silver Foil:  Scraps for die cut
• DSP:                       5” x 3 ¾”

  Instructions:

1. Start with die cutting your hearts.  If you want to make them easy to adhere, I recommend using the adhesive sheets –put your cardstock on it and then cut.  (I keep a container with cardstock that I’ve add the sheets to just for this purpose!)  Cut out the ones in both Very Vanilla and Tranquil Tide.  Choose the sizes you prefer (I used the 2 medium sized ones with the scallops –cut them out  together with the smaller one inside the larger one to get the heart frame.  For the green ones I used the 3 largest ones without the scallops).  
2. Die cut out the foil piece. (I also used the adhesive sheets on the back )
3. Stamp the sentiment on the Very Vanilla solid stitched heart using Basic Gray ink.
4. Attach the background hearts in whatever direction you choose by either removing the adhesive sheet backing or fine tip glue pen.
5. Attach the heart with the sentiment using dimensionals.
6. Attach the silver foil die cut on the top of the sentiment heart.
7. Stamp the inside with either an anniversary or valentines sentiment.  (If you prefer to add a sheet of very vanilla to the inside, cut a piece 5 ¼ x 4” and then stamp your sentiment)  

Want to know how to fit crafting into your busy life?

I have the perfect solution!

Introducing Paper Pumpkin . . . a Stampin' Up! Monthly Kit Program. Each month a surprise kit arrives on your doorstep in a sweet box! 

Each kit contains all you need to create pinable projects, including stamps, ink, paper, and accessories. Create projects like cards, journals, décor, and more! See below for Stampin' Up!s sneak peek video on what's coming this month! 

It’s so easy to get started. Simply sign up for the program by visiting here to create an account, then simply click SUBSCRIBE.

***Sign up by February 10 to get our unique February kit.

Just think of the anticipation of creating a fun project to pin, showoff, and share with your friends and family – every month!

Of course, you’ll want to know more. So here are the fine details:

• Each month Stampin’ Up will send you a unique, surprise kit with a project – cards, journals, décor, and more! (They’ve even color-coordinated, measured, and cut everything for you! How great is that!)
• Each kit includes stamps, ink, paper, and accessories – everything but scissors.
• Each kit gives you a 30-minute creativity escape – who doesn’t need that?
• Stampin’ Up will ship your Paper Pumpkin on or around the 15th of the month.
• You need to sign up for a kit by the 10th of the month to get that month’s kit. If you sign up after the 11th of the month, your first kit will come the following month. 
• A Paper Pumpkin membership is $19.95** per month (and shipping is included!)
• There’s no commitment, you can cancel your monthly Paper Pumpkin at anytime. You can also skip a month if you want by logging onto the website and putting that kit on hold.

Ready to join? Go here to subscribe and get your Paper Pumpkin Welcome kit!

As promised, here is a sneak peek of the February kit - introducing the designers for this kit:

Six ways to make a beautiful card

This week's Paper Craft Crew card map challenge has six layers to it - and the combination of all of the layers will help you make a beautiful card!

I was excited about this challenge and decided right away that I wanted to use my Beauty Abounds stamp set for the card:

Beauty Abounds Cling Stamp Set
$23.00

Next I chose to use some left over All My Love designer paper and that colors in this paper then determined what colors I would use for my card layers:

All My Love 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper
$11.00

To color the butterfly and to stamp the phrase I chose Soft Sea Foam, Lovely Lipstick and Flirty Flamingo. This card could easily have been a Valentine if I had chosen a different phrase but I needed a thank you card. Did you know I make and mail a thank you card to everyone who places an online order through me? It's the least I can do to thank everyone who supports my online business! 

Here's my Beauty Abounds card. You can click here to see what the other design crew members created using today's challenge!

How to create a fun (and easy) thank you card

The card I want to share today was so fun and easy to create, thanks to my Big Shot. I love this tool and use it almost every week to show you a card idea on my YouTube channel.

If you have been following my blog for a few weeks you will also know that I am so in love with the Happiness Blooms card pack. Yes these cards were designed for memory pages but Stampin' Up! titles these projects as Memories & More. One possibility for more is for card making. 

I wanted to create a thank you card for an online order I received last week and so that was my goal. First I found a super cute card in the Happiness Blooms pack which I layered onto Night of Navy:

Happiness Blooms Memories & More Card Pack
$10.00

 

Then I die-cut a Night of Navy 'thanks' using the Well Written dies:

Well Written Framelits Dies
$40.00

I also decided to emboss the Whisper White card base using the Scattered Sequins folder because the pattern reminded me a bit of the flowers on the Happiness Blooms card:

Scattered Sequins Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
$10.00

 

I added a Lovely Lipstick bow and two punched flowers using the Bitty Blooms punch pack (LOVE THESE!):

Bitty Blooms Punch Pack
$23.00

and my thank you card was done! 

If you want to order the products I used to make this fun (and easy!) thank you card, click the link to my online store below:

 

 

Why not try this unusual color for Valentines?

Valentines don't have to be pink or red - they can be other colors too! So why not stretch yourself for this upcoming special day and try this card creation below. 

This Forever Lovely card is very simple in design but it is the color choice that makes is so pretty: Highland Heather and Gorgeous Grape. 

Three hearts were diecut (Be Mine Stitched framelits) using these two colors, and then for some added bling two sparkly hearts were added. What pulls this card together is the Gingham Gala paper strip at the bottom of the card and the Highland Heather bow is the crowning touch. Remember to add some dimensionals underneath for added pop and interest to the eye. 

Here are some other color combinations to try:

• Mango Melody and Grapefruit Grove
• Balmy Blue and Night of Navy
• Smoky Slate and Basic Gray
• Daffodil Delight and Crushed Curry
• Lemon Lime Twist and Soft Sea Foam

What other color combos do you think would make beautiful valentines? Add your combo suggestions in the comments section below - let's add to the list!

Forever Lovely Valentine

Supplies:  

• Stamps – Forever Lovely (148624)
• Paper – Whisper White (100730), Highland Heather (146986), Gorgeous Grape (146987), Sparkle Glimmer Paper (146957), Gingham Gala 6x6 Designer Series Paper (148554)
• Stamp Pads – Highland Heather (147103)
• Misc.- Big Shot (143263), Be Mine Stitched Framelits Dies (148527), Organdy Ribbon Combo Pack (149623), Paper Snips (103579) Mini Glue dots (103683), Multipurpose Liquid Glue (110755), Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals (144108)

 

Measurements:  

• Whisper White - 8 ½” x 5 ½,  ½” x 2”
• Gingham Gala DSP – 4” x 1 ¾”
• Highland Heather ½” x 4”, scraps for hearts
• Gorgeous Grape – scrap for heart
• Sparkle Glimmer Paper scrap for small hearts

 

Instructions:

1. Use the Be Mine Framelits to diecut all hearts from scraps of cardstock and glimmer paper.
2. Add DSP to bottom of card and add the Highland Heather strip to cover the seam. 
3. Stamp sentiment in Highland Heather on strip of white.
4. Flag the left edge and add to card where shown.
5. Add the large hearts with liquid glue and the smaller hearts with Mini Dimensionals.
6. Tie a small bow with the Highland Heather Organdy Ribbon and add to Highland Heather strip with a Glue Dot. 

Show all your love with a simple valentine

In the video below, I am going to show you how to create a very beautiful but very simple Valentine card. You don't need a lot of Valentine stamp sets and other products to make this card - you can use the supplies you have on hand. 

The card below also has a simple layout but the pattern in the All My Love paper makes the card really pop:

All My Love 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper
$11.00

 

The paper was my starting point then it was time to think of the phrase - pretty easy for me to figure out because I wanted to use my Well Written framelits again:

Well Written Framelits Dies
$40.00

I decided to combine the 'love' framelit with the 'you' framelit and this combo will be my card phrase. The rest was easy: I used Lovely Lipstick because it was the main color in the All My Love paper 

Here's my card and underneath you will see a list of supplies and cutting dimensions and a video tutorial!

Supplies

Stamp set: none

Ink: none

Paper and cutting dimensions:
          Lovely Lipstick: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"; 2" x 1 1/4" (love); 1 1/2" x 1" (you); two strips 4 1/4" x 1/4")
          Whisper White: 2 1/2" x 4 1/4"
          All My Love designer series paper (148576): 1 1/2" x 5 1/2"

Other: Big Shot, Magnetic Platform, Well Written framelits (148534), Multipurpose Adhesive sheets, SNAIL adhesive,  Take Your Pick tool (144107)

Here's a video showing you how to make this card, along with some bonus tips! 

Was your valentine meant to be?

Some of you have been so lucky to meant the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, through good and bad, joy and sorrow. That special person is your 'meant to be' valentine! 

Which is also the perfect name for a stamp set, so you can send messages from the heart on Valentines Day and throughout the year:

Meant To Be Cling Stamp Set
$24.00

 

The Meant to Be stamp set is perfect for those happy occasions in life. It has 13 cling stamps and the set is available in English, French and German!

Note: cling stamps are a brand new product by Stampin' Up!. Click here to see my video introducing cling stamps. 

The card below uses the Meant to Be bundle (save 10%) which includes the stamp set AND a set of framelits for quick and easy die-cutting:

Meant To Be Cling Bundle
$53.00

 

I can see so many uses for those awesome heart dies - scrapbook pages (memory keeping), treat bags and boxes, etc! I especially love the fact that I will never have to try to cut a perfect heart free-hand - ever again! (And I love the many sizes too)

This is the week to purchase the Meant to Be bundle so you get it in time to create fun Valentine ideas without that time-crunch stress. You can click on the bundle photo above to link over to my Online Store. 

Here's your Meant to Be Valentine card, which also uses the All My Love designer paper. See a full list of instructions under the card photo and then keep scrolling down for a peek at the inside design!

Supplies: 

• Stamp Sets – Meant to Be Bundle (150587)
• Card Stock – Lovely Lipstick Card Stock (146970); Crumb Cake Card Stock (120953); Whisper White Card Stock (100730)
• Stamp Pads – Lovely Lipstick Ink Pad (147140)
• Misc. – All My Love Designer Series Paper (DSP) (148576); Lovely Lipstick 1/8” Grosgrain Ribbon (146952); Dimensionals (104430); Mini Glue Dots (144108)

Measurements:  

• Lovely Lipstick Card Stock: 7 1/2” x 5 1/2; larger scrap for heart
• Crumb Cake Card Stock: 5 1/4” x 3” 
• Whisper White Card Stock: 5 1/4” x 2 3/4”; scrap for heart
• All My Love DSP: 5” x 2 3/4” 1” x 5” (coordinating pattern)

Instructions:

1. Score the 7 1/2” x 5 1/2” Lovely Lipstick card base at 4 inches (the front is the short side)
2. Adhere the Crumb Cake piece to the front of the card base
3. Adhere and layer the larger DSP piece to the card front
4. Stamp the 5 1/4” x 2 3/4” Whisper White layer with the Meant to Be stamp in Lovely Lipstick.  Adhere that section plus the 1” x 5“ piece of coordinating DSP to the inside of the card.  
5. Stamp ‘Happy Valentine’s Day on the white scrap and cut with the Be Mine Stitched Framelits 
6. Cut a Lovely Lipstick heart using the stitched heart that is slightly larger than the white heart
7. Adhere the two hearts together and attach to the front of the card with dimensionals.  Make sure you only apply then to the left side of the heart so you don’t glue your card shut.
8. Tie a small bow with the Lovely Lipstick Ribbon and attach it to the heart with a Mini Glue Dot

Here's one idea for the inside of this card - and a great way to use up additional bits of designer series paper:

Come and join the excitement with Stampin' Up!

Twice each year Stampin' Up! holds major events only for demonstrators. Picture this: 2000 excited crafters streaming into a huge convention center; music perfect for dancing greeting us and a huge main stage where new products and ideas will be presented over two fun-filled days.

Exciting? You bet! But it gets even better. 

Now picture another hallway filled with displays from a brand new catalog that just happened to be waiting in a super cute tote bag that you got when you signed in at the registration desk. 

And inside that bag? Three brand new stamp sets that you will get to craft with during the event, and take home with you when the event is over. 

Loving it so far? Just wait. 

Now back to that main stage. Sitting in your seats watching an amazing presentation on how to use some of those products in that new catalog. And when the presentation is over, several demonstrators in that audience win those products from a prize patrol! And one of them is YOU! 

And if that isn't enough, several times during those two days, everyone in attendance wins even more products!

Now if that hasn't got you excited I don't know what would. How about all the new friends you will meet from so many amazing places in the world? Sharing business tips and tricks with each other and swapping cards and other crafting projects?

Whew. Exhausting but oh, so memorable!

Now let's have a bit more fun here! I am registered for one of these super fun On Stage events. Do you know where it will be held? Check out my hints below and write your guess in the comments below! 

 

 

I have a better idea! Join my team and come along to these fun events with me! What an amazing time we will have. Learn more here!