Nutz about Stamping

Time is running out on the current mini - don't be disappointed

The July–December 2022 Mini Catalog will be retiring soon! It’s always bittersweet to see a classic Stampin’ Up! catalog take a trip to retirement. But, I am looking forward to all the new products on their way—and I hope you are, too!

To say goodbye to this Mini, Stampin' Up! is offering two important lists:

1. Last Chance list - most of these products are retiring forever. Some will be coming back but no longer as a bundle. Click on the list below and be ready to place your order on 1 December! 

2. Carryover List - as the title suggests, these products are not retiring. Some will appear in the next catalog, but some will not. So review this carefully so you know what is what. Click on the list below to see the list of carryover products:

Stock up on your favorite products before they’re gone for good! Save up to 60% on essential craft supplies. Remember: this selection of Last Chance Products is only available while supplies last. Some are already gone but some are still available.

Click here to see what you can still order today!

Then place your final Mini catalog order at one of my online stores:

 

Introducing a playful new love themed stamp set: Love Cats!

I am back with another Paper Craft Crew card sketch challenge - featuring love, Valentines, wedding, friendship and more!

 

I knew right away which stamp set I wanted to use for this week's challenge. Introducing Love Cats! 

 

Now even if you are a dog person I am pretty sure you will still admit how cute this stamp set is for those of us who also love cats. I also love how versatile this set is - perfect for many different occasions. 

I don't have any large heart stamps or heart dies so thought it would be fun to creating something different for my main 'heart' feature. I added some layers, mixed pink and red for my colors and then die-cut the cat image and layered it as well.

I hand cut the phrase banner, added 2 heart pearls (yummy!!!) and my card was done in a flash. Tip: watch my Instagram Reels as I videoed my card as I made it and will post my video next week. 

 

And, yes, now it is your turn! What can you create using this week's card sketch? I am pretty sure that most of the crew members are back from Christmas holidays so why not pop over to the Paper Craft Crew website to see what we all created. You are welcome to add your card idea too! 

Country Floral Lane – this beautiful bundle is not just for Valentine’s Day

The Country Floral Lane Suite is featured in the new January – April Mini-Catalog - and I can guarantee that it will be a popular bundle too!

This suite is unusual in that it has two packs of Designer Series Paper. One features hearts, flowers, and bikes as well as beautiful generic patterned papers. The other pack is a 6” x 6” pack of pretty ginghams. There is also a combo pack of red and burlap ribbon and some pastel backed sequins.

The bundle in the suite features a photopolymer stamp set and a coordinating punch. The punch not only matches some of the images in the stamp set, but also punches out images from one of the Designer Series Papers.

This pretty suite is perfect for creating cards and treat holders for Valentine’s Day, but that is not the only occasion that these pretty papers and coordinating products can be used.   

Friendship Card

This hinge card uses papers from both packs of papers, as well as using the punch with the Designer Series Paper to create the floral image on the front stitched circle. Both ribbons have been used in the card and two different sentiments from the stamp set. One of the sentiments is on the front of the card in a stitched banner and the other stitched banner and sentiment is on the inner flap.

A few hearts have been punched from some gingham paper to add decoration around the inside banner

This card would be great as a thank you if a friend had been really supportive, or even as a Birthday card for a friend.

Congratulations Card

This congratulations card is created with the two-step stamping heart image from the Country Bouquet stamp set. This Sweet Sorbet and Parakeet Party image has been teamed with some of the Gingham paper. The congratulations sentiment comes from the new “Something Fancy” sentiment stamp set.

This would be a great card for an engagement or wedding.

Birthday Card

This birthday card again uses the two-step stamping heart, but this time with Fresh Freesia and Parakeet Party ink. The heart has been fussy cut and added to a piece of Basic White card on top of a thin strip of Parakeet Party cardstock and two sets of leaves which were punched from Parakeet Party card stock. Some small hearts have been stamped around the flower in Fresh Freesia ink.

The Happy Birthday sentiment is also taken from the “Something Fancy” stamp set.

The Fresh Freesia card base has a Parakeet Party mat on the top. The Basic White card is added to the card base on an angle and faux stitching added around the edge with a Parakeet Party Stampin’ Write marker. A bow of Parakeet Party metallic ribbon is the finishing touch on this pretty Birthday Card, which is perfect for a friend or loved one.

This pretty suite of products is so versatile and will be a useful addition to everyone’s craft room - don't you agree? 

This is a fun and easy angled card to create for the holidays!

I know that you love fun folds so I am back with another fun idea to try. This Christmas card idea will certainly add a little pizzazz to your holiday cards this year. 

 

**It looks like the Kindness Gnomes bundle is all sold out (still available in French!) but don't worry - use what you have on hand and give this fun fold a try! 

Stamps: Kindness Gnomes Bundle (1596260)

Paper with cutting dimensions: Bermuda Bay CS (131197) 5 ½ X 11, sc 3 3/8 on both ends, ¾ X 10, Basic White CS (159276) 4 X 5 ¼ and scrap, Storybook Gnomes DSP (159615) (4) pieces cut at 3 1/8 X 5 1/4 two for front and two for inside flaps.

Ink: Memento Black (132708), Stampin’ Blends: Bermuda Bay (154878), Night of Navy (154891), Smokey Slate (154904), Balmy Blue (154830), and Soft Suede (154906).

Accessories: Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine (149643), Paper Trimmer (152392), Paper Snips (103579), Silicone Craft Mat (127853), Multipurpose Glue (110755), Seal Adhesive (152813), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430), Fine Sparkle Adhesive Back Gems (159967).

 

Instructions:

1. Using your Stampin’ Trimmer cut the Bermuda Bay CS to 5 ½ X 11 sc 3 3/8 on both ends and burnish with Bone Folder.

2. Lay the right score line onto the trimmer track. Move the right top card point down to 1 ¼” and cut at an angle.

3. Move the top point (above) to the trimmer track and hold in place. Move the bottom right corner to the 1” mark and cut.

4. Do steps 2 & 3 to the left side of the card.

5. Cut 4 DSP to 3 1/8 X 5 ¼”

6. Take two pieces for the front of the card stacked together. If you want the same design for both sides, flip the bottom piece over. Lay in Paper Trimmer repeat steps 2 & 3.

7. Adhere to front flaps using your adhesive.

8. Take the next two pieces of DSP for the inside flaps and repeat step 6. If you want the DSP to be different images, then place them face up together and cut.

9. Adhere the above to the inside flaps using your adhesive.

10. Stamp your Gnome on your 4 X 5 1/4 bottom corner of Basic White and color as desired using your Stampin’ Blends. Attach to the inside of the card using your adhesive.

11. Stamp a second Gnome on a scrap of Basic White and run through the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss machine with coordinating die.

12. Using your Stampin’ Blends color as desired.

13. Wrap the ¾” X 10 CS (belly band) around the card leaving it slightly loose to allow it to slide off. Add adhesive to end and close

14. Add your Gnome using Stampin’ Dimensionals to Belly Band.

15. Using your Memento Black ink stamp sentiment on a scrap of Basic White and cut using your Paper Snips or Paper Trimmer. Add SU Dimensionals and place them on the belly band.

16. Add a few of the gems to your card and belly band to complete your card.

Here's what this card looks like inside: 

 

Breaking news!!! You don't want to miss this special announcement

I am so excited to announce a 1-day FREE SHIPPING offer - Today only! 

Here's the link to my online store: https://bit.ly/2DG39Cv

You don't want to miss this week's card challenge - it's a fun one.

How fun is this!

 

I seldom take the time to have a look at other design team members blogs so this gave me a really fun opportunity to do so. After a lot of looking around, I chose this card by Melissa:

I have the fabulous Fitting Florets bundle and thought it would be fun to see what I could create using Melissa's card idea as a guide. 

I didn't get the entire collection but I certainly did get this beautiful bundle. Are you looking to say it all with flowers that last? Say it all and more with this Framed Florets set. These delicate flowers can be used alone for a simple, elegant look. Or put them together in a variety of ways for a fancy floral bouquet—it’s up to you! And the best part? The open, line art images can be custom colored using your favorite Stampin’ Up! coloring technique! Pick your favorite florals, then add one of six heartfelt sentiments for a handcrafted card that says it all!

I love Melissa's layout and of course changed it up to be a card in more of my style, which is what this challenge is all about. Here's what I created: 

 

And now it's your turn: we challenge YOU to visit one of our blogs and find a card you want to re-create at home in your style. Which design crew member will you choose? 

To check out other challenges and creations by the Paper Craft Crew, click here. 

Are you looking for a fabulous and festive fun fold card idea?

Everyone loves fun folds; they can really dress up a handmade card.   This is one of my favorite fun folds, it is easy to put together and looks like it took lots of time to create!  This fold is called a Diagonal Joy Fold.

Supplies: Paper Trimmer; Real Red cardstock; Shaded Spruce cardstock; Boughs of Holly designer series paper; Basic White cardstock; Adhesive; Leaves of Holly Bundle; Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine; Real Red Ink; Bone folder; Wintry 3D Boughs – Pine/ Tree embossing folder; Stampin' Dimensionals; Wink of Stella                

Measurements:

Real Red – 5 ½” x 8 ½” scored at 4 ½” and 3” x 8” score at 4”

Shaded Spruce – 4” x 5 ¼” (cut 2); 2-3/4″ x 3-3/4″ (x2); scrap pieces

Boughs of Holly DSP – 3 ¾” x 5” (cut 2)

Basic White - 2-5/8″ x 3-5/8″ (x2); scrap pieces

Here's how to make today's project:

• Cut the Real Red card base diagonally from the top left by the SCORE line to the lower right. Crease well with bone folder
• Cut the Shaded Spruce diagonally from the top left to the bottom right
• Cut the DSP diagonally from the top left to the bottom right
• Adhere all the diagonal pieces to real red card base

• Adhere the Shaded Spruce to the inside of card, DSP on top of the Shaded Spruce

• This is what it should look like when you have completed the above

Small­ card

• Fold 3 x 8 in half and crease well with your bone folder
• Adhere thee Shaded Spruce to the top and inside the small card
• Put basic white in embossing folder and run it through the big Boss
• Adhere to front of card
• Cut 2 Shaded Spruce small, outlined leaves (The small boss works well)
• Stamp the berries in Real Red on a piece of basic white scrap paper and cut it out with the die cut and small boss
• On the 2^nd piece of 2 5/8 x 3 5/8 of basic white, stamp your sentiment; adhere it to the inside of card.
• Add a 3/8” piece of DSP to the bottom of the basic white
• Adhere the leaves to the front of the card
• Add Stampn' Dimensionals to the berries and attach to top of leaves

• Attach the small card to the inside base card. (Make sure it is centered)
• Hit the Wink of Stella against the bones folder adding some subtle sparkle to your card

Front of card

The inside of diagonal flap

The inside of card

Are you looking for the perfect holiday gift idea this year?

Stampin’ Up’s range of All Inclusive Kits are perfect for different groups of people, for different reasons. These all-inclusive kits arrive packaged in their own sturdy box. Inside is everything you need to create the projects – except for possibly a pair of scissors. This makes them perfect for crafting on the go whether in a waiting room; in hospital; watching children in their out of school activities or perhaps on holiday.

They are also just the PERFECT gift for family and friends who would enjoy some crafting time. The styles and contents of the kits vary and mean that there is something for everyone, regardless of their age or interests.

One of the groups of people Stampin’ Up specifically had in their mind when they launched the Kits Collection, were people new to Paper Crafting. They give the recipient everything they need to create beautiful projects that they can be proud of. Alongside all the elements for the project, there are simple to follow step-by-step instructions and links to videos for the specific kit and more general stamping basics.

New kits are regularly being added to the collection and you can see all the available kits in the online store. If they are showing in the store, then they are available to order. If you can’t find a kit listed there, then unfortunately it is no longer available. 

Timeless Greetings

The latest kit to be added to the collection is the Timeless Greetings Kit. This allows you to celebrate the people in your life who mean the world to you. It is an all-occasion card kit you can use year-round! This unique kit features an elegant pocket watch and globe design in neutral colors, along with heartfelt sentiments that are sure to inspire lasting memories. These cards are perfect for wishing happy birthday, saying thank you or sending a friendship note in style.

The two cards feature printed card bases and envelopes with black printed layers. The globe stand and watch case are both pop out die cuts in silver foil. Both the globe itself and the watch face need stamping, but the stamp set, ink spot and block are all included and the pictures in the instructions demonstrate exactly where to stamp.

The sentiment strips are also pop out die cuts and there are spares in case of any stamping mishaps. There are a variety of sentiments, so this allows for variety when creating the cards.

Like all kits, all the adhesive you need is included, and this kit has Stampin' Dimensionals and glue dots. The instructions even illustrate where to position your adhesive.

If someone is feeling a little more confident with their kit, there is no reason why they can’t use the components of their kits and experiment with different layouts. Of course, once all your cards are created you will still have your stamp set and ink spot left to play with and probably other spare pieces. A pack of notecards and envelopes is always a good addition to your kit order, because these are perfect for creating more cards with your leftover supplies.

Click here to check out more kit options as gift ideas this year! 

It's another fun Tic Tac Toe challenge! Which 3 will you choose?

It's time for another Paper Craft Crew Tic Tac Toe challenge! 

I love this kind of challenge because it helps me look at my stamp sets and dies in different ways. I immediately knew that I wanted to use my Framed Florets bundle on this card - I am sure you can see why. 

 

It's super fun to use the frames in the die pack: you can add an unexpected touch to your next handcrafted card with these to quickly and easily die-cut a detailed frame and floral embellishments that are perfectly suited for all kinds of sentiments and greetings. The framed dies create detailed edges on both the outer frame and the inside oval, so none of your valuable paper goes to waste!

I just know I will be using this bundle a LOT this year and it is especially fun that we can preorder it now - you too! Click on the bundle photo above to order it at my online store. 

And yes, it's your turn now: which 3 will you select for this week's challenge? If you want to see what the other design crew members created this week, click here to head over to the Paper Craft Crew website. 

 

 

Why not celebrate one of the prettiest winter themes – snow!

It’s the winter holiday season! But, at a time of the year when most people are involved in gift-giving, the one type of card I don’t seem to see enough of isa thank you card. So this year, besides taking lots of time to make holiday cards and gifts for friends and family, why not plan to take the time to make thank you cards so you'll be prepared to send them out to all of those who have done something nice during the holidays.

Something I try to do when making thank you cards for the winter holidays is to use more of a winter theme than a holiday theme. Winter is all around, so why not celebrate one of the prettiest winter themes – snow!

Stampin’ Up! has made it easy for us to create cards with a snow theme this year with their Joyful Flurry Bundle, including the Joyful Flurry Stamp Set and the Frosted Flurry Dies. Add in the Snowflake folder in the Wintry 3D Embossing Folder set, and you can almost feel the snowflakes in today’s card.

 

Have you ever inked up the inside of an embossing folder before running it with cardstock through your Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine? It is so much fun, and clean-up is a lot easier than you might think. For the center strip in this card, tap your Starry Night Ink Pad all over one side of the inside of the embossing folder. That one side is the side that has the Stampin’ Up! logo on the outside. When you ink up that side, you’ll see that the indentations in the design don’t pick up most of the ink that you’ve tapped onto the surface.

The next step is to get your paper into the embossing folder without smearing any ink. The easiest way to do that is to place it against the side that’s not inked up and then press the inked side up to close the folder. No adjusting after that! Run the folder with cardstock through the machine. Then carefully open the folder and peel the cardstock away from the inked side.

To clean the folder, just run in under a faucet until there’s no more ink (it doesn’t take more than a few seconds), dry it and you’d never know you’d inked it up. A word of caution: Red colored inks may not be as forgiving as other colors. But even though they may leave a slight stain, there won’t be any ink left to get onto anything else that you use the folder for.

Here’s the sketch for this card. While the inked center strip is shown as 2-3/4” x 5-1/2”, the piece of Basic White Cardstock that I embossed was 3-1/4” x 6”. After it was all inked up, trim it down to the final size.

Supplies:

• Joyful Flurry Bundle (Joyful Flurry Stamp Set and Frosted Flurry Dies)
• Go To Greetings Stamp Set (Thank You stamp)
• Starry Night Cardstock, 8-1/2” x 5-1/2”
• Starry Night Classic Stampin’ Pad
• Basic White Cardstock, 3” x 5-1/2”, 3-1/4” x 6”, 4” x 5-1/4”, large scrap for Stamping and Die-cutting
• Rhinestone Basic Jewels
• Stampin’ Dimensionals
• Multipurpose Liquid Glue
• Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine

Directions

1. Fold card base to create a 4-1/4” wide x 5-1/2” high card base.
2. Using the Starry Night ink, ink up the inside of the Snowflake Wintry Embossing Folder. The side to be inked has the Stampin’ Up! logo on the outside.
3. Insert the 3-1/4” x 6” piece of White Cardstock into the folder and run it through the Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine.
4. Trim the embossed paper to 2-3/4” wide x 5-1/2” high.
5. Using Multipurpose Glue, adhere the embossed layer to the 3” x 5-1/2” piece of White Cardstock. Then adhere this grouping to the card base, centering right to left.
6. Using Starry Night Ink, stamp “Thank You” onto the large scrap. Die-cut the sentiment with the larger frame from the Frosted Flurry Dies set.
7. Using Stampin’ Dimensionals, adhere the sentiment to the front of the card as shown.
8. Apply Rhinestone Basic Jewels to the center of the three largest embossed snowflakes.
9. Using Starry Night Ink, stamp a vertical line of small snowflakes from the Joyful Flurry Stamp Set along the right side of the 4” x 5-1/4” piece of White Cardstock.
10. Using Multipurpose Glue, adhere the stamped White Cardstock to the inside of the card as shown below.

 

Today is the BIG day - the first day of the retiring sale

The July–December 2022 Mini Catalog will be retiring soon! It’s always bittersweet to see a classic Stampin’ Up! catalog take a trip to retirement. But, I am looking forward to all the new products on their way—and I hope you are, too! To say goodbye to this Mini, Stampin' Up! is offering two important lists:

1. Last Chance list - most of these products are retiring forever. Some will be coming back but no longer as a bundle. Click on the list below and be ready to place your order on 1 December! 

2. Carryover List - as the title suggests, these products are not retiring. Some will appear in the next catalog, but some will not. So review this carefully so you know what is what. Click on the list below to see the list of carryover products:

Stock up on your favorite products before they’re gone for good! Save up to 60% on essential craft supplies. What are you waiting for? Start shopping on 1 December! After all, this selection of Last Chance Products is only available while supplies last.