Nutz about Stamping

Our heartfelt tribute to a very special person

Yesterday was a sad day for many Stampin' Up! demonstrators, due to the sudden death of one of our friends. Her passing was a shock to all of us and because of the pandemic most of us were unable to attend her funeral and offer our condolences to her family.

Ilona person was very special to me, but not because I knew her well. When I moved to the Netherlands I immediately reached out to Stampin' Up! demonstrators for friendship and support as I know from my many years of living in the US and Canada that joining Stampin' Up! is like being welcomed into this huge creative family. And sure enough the demonstrators in the Netherlands didn't disappoint. I found myself going to Illona's house within the first year of moving here, to attend a team meeting she was holding. 

Although there was a language issue, I felt immediately welcomed and comfortable and had a fabulous time at her event. Ilona was like that. Calm, funny, caring and oh, so creative. She was well loved (as you can see) and was happy to share her creativity at Stampin' Up! regional events. I always sought her out at these events, to trade sample card and project ideas; I knew I would come home with a gem of an idea from her creative mastermind. 

One of her Stampin' Up! team members, and very close friend of Ilona, suggested a card posting on our private Facebook group to honor Ilona on the day of her funeral. I think this is a wonderful tribute to a very special person, don't you? 

For my card I chose the Art Gallery bundle:

The large flower image in this set is perfect for the two-step stamping technique (leave me a comment if you want to learn this technique). I chose Flirty Flamingo and Poppy Parade for flower. 

The Art Gallery bundle has a matching designer paper pack, called: Fine Art Floral. I chose the patterned side of one of the floral papers for a background layer:

I spent of bit of time thinking about what to use for a phrase. I finally decided to use 'I'm thinking of you', because I am. Here's my card that I posted as a tribute to Ilona:

It is always a sad moment to have to create a sympathy card for a special person. Somehow creating this card helps to take a bit of the sadness away.

There are so many fun possibilities with this simple card map challenge

Today's Paper Craft Crew card map challenge is super fun! There are so many possibilities to use:

 

I knew right away what I was going to use too. On my daily walks I have been encountering many different flowers along my way, and on one particular walk I spotted these beauties blowing in the wind: 

I know these are not daisies but right away I thought of my daisy punch. And when I had a look at my card map challenge for the week I immediately thought: not butterflies. I can try daisies! 

So I grabbed my two Daisy punches and got right to work. I pushed six daisies - 4 small ones and 2 large ones and then used my Blending Brushes and Fresh Freesia ink pad to add color:

I  am telling you - if you have not used these brushes before then you are seriously missing out! Blend ink beautifully using our FAB Blending Brushes. Apply extremely light shades of ink or create soft gradient backgrounds with no lines. Or use them with Decorative Masks or stencils. The velvety soft bristles blend ink perfectly.

In mere seconds I had all daisies colored, attached together and ready for my card front. At that point I decided to use my Timeworn Type embossing folder to emboss the layer for my card. 

I love love love the look that this folder creates. Once I embossed my Fresh Freesia layer and added my daisies then I popped on a stamped and die-cut phrase and 6 lovely In Color Jewels. 

Here's my card:

I am crazy about my card - and hope that it will make a special friend feel better when she receives it. 

Why not join our card map challenge this week? And if you want to see what the other design crew members created for this week's challenge, click here to head on over to the Paper Craft Crew site. 

 

How to use up your crafting supplies with a super fun design

This week's Paper Craft Crew card map challenge will help you use up lots of your supplies with a super fun design:

 

You have several layers, different colors and can embellish to your heart's content. 

For my card I chose some left over bits of my Beauty of the Earth designer series paper. I am proud to say that I have used almost the entire pack - a rare thing for me, the scrap-a-holic that I can be:

And this is kind of funny: I had my design all figured out, turned over the layer of Beauty of the Earth paper that I had chosen and in the last minute reversed sides - the one that should have had glue applied ended up being the layer that you see on my card photo below. 

I also dusted off my Dandy Wishes dies - gosh I find these really hard to use. But I love the two 'tree' sizes on my card front. 

The phase comes from the Art Gallery stamp set - love the font. 

And here's my card map challenge card. As unusual as it looks, I still LOVE it! 

PSST: if you want to purchase any of these products from me, click on the photos to hop on over to my online store!

Why not give our card map challenge a try this week - use up some of those supplies and end up with a card you love too! If you want to see what the Paper Craft Crew created this week for this challenge, click here. 

 

Have you ever been uncertain about a stamping technique? Don't miss out.

Watercoloring.

Just reading the word on this week's Paper Craft Crew challenge made me shudder. Watercoloring is one stamping technique that I don't feel comfortable with...yet. 

And as much as I tried to avoid it, I didn't have the supplies for any other row or column. So I did what I usually do - avoid. Until the last minute and then I had to face it head on. 

After a good night's sleep I pulled out my Water Painters and watercolor paper and stared them down. 

I knew that I wanted to use the beautiful tree and birds dies and a phrase from the Beauty of Friendship bundle: 

So I convinced myself that I do have an inner artist and to just give it a try. I grabbed some ink pads and tries to create a sunset on a piece of watercolor paper, after I die cut it using the Scalloped Contours dies. 

And you know what? I kind of like it! So much in fact that I decided that my card didn't need any additional elements on it. What do you think? I would love some encouraging words if you don't mind leaving me a comment. 

The moral of this story: Have you ever been uncertain about a stamping technique? Don't miss out. Give it a try and you just might fall in love with your own creative abilities! 

Hint: if you want to see what the other Paper Craft Crew design team members created for this week's challenge, click here to head on over to that site. 

 

What would you choose for this week's easy card map layout?

I could not be happier with this week's Paper Craft Crew card map. Want to know why? Because this past weekend my Big Shot died. A violent death. I have nobody to blame but myself either. I used the wrong 'sandwich' for a thicker embossing folder and thought I could still squeeze it through the machine. Nope. It literally exploded! I heard this loud BANG as a bolt sheared off in half and flew across the room, kind of like a bullet! 

I thought I could still use my machine but clearly not. It is dead. I have to say it has lasted me 7+ years! And since it was my own mistake I forgave myself and ordered the Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine straight away. 

And then I realized that I had a card map challenge for the week and I always use my Big Shot for each challenge! Oh oh. So imagine my delight when I realized that I didn't need my Big Shot for this layout: 

 

And since the Annual Catalog is retiring soon (see my announcement here), I thought this was also the perfect chance to use up some of my products. You see that little banner strip on the card map? I thought right away that it could be a phrase so chose one out of my Art Gallery stamp set (not retiring but not sold as a discounted bundle in the next catalog):

Then for the squares I immediately thought of the Well Suited paper - it is definitely retiring so I had better get cracking on using it up. You see, I have seen the new catalog and its new paper packs. And I am in big trouble! 

If you want to order either or both of these products, click on one of the photos to link directly to my online store. 

Now for my card map, the rest was easy. Cutting some squares with my paper cutter and here is my final card:

What will you make with this week's card map challenge? Why not give it a try too? If you want to see what the other crew members created using the same challenge, click here to link over to the Paper Craft Crew site. 

How to layer paper to make a bright and colorful card

Do you ever look at a card map and know exactly what products you want to use for your next card? Although it doesn't happen often, that's happened to me this week. 

As soon as I saw this Paper Craft Crew card map challenge:

I knew immediately that I wanted to use my Art Gallery bundle:

And instead of a plain background layer I chose a colorful Fine Art Floral paper pattern:

Instead of a circular image on my card front, I chose a Whisper White stitched rectangle to help my flower image stand out. Add a phrase and ... it's done!

Do you want to see what the other Paper Craft Crew members created for this week's challenge? Click here. 

Where I get my crafting ideas from (part seven)

Today I want to share a seventh idea to show you where I get my crafting ideas from. I get ideas from my embellishments. 

Every time Stampin' Up releases another catalog, I end up buying a lot of embellishments and love to use them. 

Today's ideas come from the In Color Faceted Dots:

2019-2021 In Color Faceted Dots
$3.90

 

 

 

 

This pack is retiring very soon - look at the discounted price - WOW! There are five colors in the package: three sizes of each color in three different sizes. 

• Pretty Peacock
• Purple Posy
• Rococco Rose
• Seaside Spray
• Terracotta Tile

I challenged myself to make a five cards, using each of the colors in the pack. I chose to use my Daisy punches for my cards - the layout would be similar but each card is a bit different:

Daisy Punch
$18.00

Medium Daisy Punch
$16.00

 

I love these punches - they make quick floral embellishments for cards! I don't have a lot of gift tags/cards tucked away so decided I would create five of these to tuck away for a variety of occasions. 

Gift Tag 1 = Terracotta Tile

I also used some leftover Mosaic Mood designer paper and punched two daisies for the front. 

Gift Tag 2 = Pretty Peacock

For this gift tag I used the retiring Label Me Bold stamp set for the background image, and stamped it three times using Pretty Peacock ink. 

Gift Tag 3: Rococco Rose

On this gift card/tag I embossed the front of the card and the punched a Rococco Rose and a Whisper White daisy. I added the strip of Whisper White across the front of the gift card for added contrast. 

Gift Tag 4 = Purple Posy

On this gift tag I embossed a layer of Whisper White using the Tin Tile embossing folder. Then I punched one large daisy and two small daisies for my floral image. 

Gift Tag 5 = Seaside Spray

For my final gift card, I used a stamp from the Daisy Delight stamp set and stamped it across the top and bottom of my card. Then I added a Seaside Spray/Whisper White flower for the front. 

I hope that these cards gave you some inspiration and that you will have a close look at your embellishments to see what inspiration they can provide. Happy crafting!

Where I get my crafting ideas from (part five)

Today I want to show you another way I get crafting ideas - from the product suites in our catalogs. In this blog post I want to show you a several ideas using the Magnolia Lane product suite, on pages 36-39. 

Magnolia Lane Suite Bundle
$134.75

 

 

 

The photo above shows you everything in the suite, in one cost-savings bundle but, you can buy each product separately too. 

What I want to feature today is part of this suite: the Magnolia Lane Memories & More Card Pack:

Magnolia Lane Memories & More Card Pack
$11.00

 

 

 

Note: this card pack is retiring on 2 June OR earlier - as supplies last!

Although it might seem to you that this card pack is for scrapbooking or memory keeping, my ideas today show how you can use this pack for cards too!

Each one of the cards below has been created using cards from this pack:

Sample one:

Simple but pretty right? I added some Baker's Twine (also in the suite) and a layer of coordinating Magnolia Lane paper and my card was done. 

Sample two:

This card is similar to the one above but I layered the card onto one of the Magnolia Lane Large Specialty Memories & More Cards & Envelopes. I love the silver rectangle on the card base as it makes the card I attached really stand out. Again, a piece of Baker's Twine and the card was done. 

Sample three:

This pretty thank you card has a layer of the Magnolia Lane paper and one of the flower stickers from the card pack. 

Sample four:

This card features one of the larger 4" x 6" cards in the pack. I trimmed it down to fit a card base, added the stamped and layered phrase oval and then two flower stickers from the card pack. 

Sample five:

This is my fave! I love the Petal Pink card base, which I stamped for added interest. Then the usual layered card and then to complete this card I added two stickers: one that is a flower and the second one is the border sticker at the bottom of the card base.

I hope you now see that the Stampin' Up! card packs are very versatile and will give them a try soon! You won't be disappointed. 

How to add beautiful elements to your cards

In today's video I am going to introduce a brand new product from the Holiday Catalog and show you how to use this product along with the Flourishing Phrases stamp set to make a greeting card. 

Here are the main products I used for my card:

Mosaic Mood Specialty Designer Series Paper
$14.50

Flourishing Phrases Cling-Mount Stamp Set
$37.00

 

The layout I chose is lovely and as I laid things out I decided that one of my layers needed something a little extra. So I decided to use my brand new Hammered Metal 3D embossing folder to create visual interest that nicely matched the Mosaic Mood paper:

 

Hammered Metal 3D Embossing Folder
$9.00

Here's my Flourishing Phrases Sympathy card and how to make it! (hint: change the phrase to match the occasion you need)

Stamp set: Flourishing Phrases (set of 2, 151407)

Ink: Terracotta Tile

Paper and cutting dimensions:
        Crushed Curry: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"; 1 7/8" x 5 1/8"
        Mosaic Mood: 1 7/8" x 5 1/8"
        Terracotta Tile: 4" x 5 1/4"
        Very Vanilla: 3 1/4" x 2 1/4"

Other: Hammered Metal 3D embossing folder (150646), Stitched Shapes framelits (145372), Paper Snips, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals, Mosaic Mood designer series paper (149478), Mini Glue Dots, Crushed Curry 3/8" Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon (149444), Tear & Tape Adhesive, Die-Cutting machine

Here's my video, showing you how to make this card. Listen throughout for extra crafting tips!

You need to try this beautiful embossing folder technique

I had some very sad news today. One of my Stampin' Up! team members lost her husband this week and we are all very sad for her. 

I wanted to make her a special sympathy card, to let her know that even though I am miles away I am thinking of her through this very difficult time. 

The card I made used a beautiful embossing folder technique. If you want to try this at home you will need to the following supplies:

Country Floral 3D Embossing Folder
$9.00

Sponge Brayers
$8.00

Rococo Rose Classic Stampin’ Pad
$7.50

Well Written Dies
$40.00

I also used my Itty Bitty Greetings stamp set for the tiny phrase - which I trimmed to match the sympathy die-cut. 

Here's the technique - try this idea for occasions too:

1. Using the sponge brayer, apply a layer of ink inside the Country Floral embossing folder (to the side without the Stampin' Up! logo)
2. Lay the Whisper White card stock inside the embossing folder, close the folder and emboss as usual

And that's it! 

For the phrase layer I also used an edge die from the Stitched Labels dies. I just felt that the stitched edge would add to the elegance of card. 

Here's my card and matching envelope: 

I hope my team member will appreciate my small gesture and feel a bit of comfort when she receives it. 

 

How to create a beautiful sympathy card

In today's video I am going to show you how to create a beautiful sympathy card using the Lasting Lily stamp set. I am also going to introduce a set of matching framelits (Lily framelits) that Stampin' Up! revealed on March 1st. 

Lasting Lily Photopolymer Stamp Set
$0.00

Lily Framelits Dies
$27.00

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These two products are only available until March 31st AND only as supplies last. Sale-A-Bration has been a whirlwind this year and many products are no longer available (sad face). So don't wait and be disappointed. If you love Lasting Lily earn it now before it is gone for good!

To coordinate the colors on my card I used a narrow left-over strip of Gingham Gala paper - I LOVE this paper for all sorts of card ideas: Easter, spring, birthday and yes, sympathy too. 

Gingham Gala 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper
$11.00

 

Here's my Lasting Lily card - don't miss my video tutorial at the bottom of this post! (change the phrase to suit your needs)

Stamp set: Lasting Lily (149717)

Ink: Lemon Lime Twist, Highland Heather

Paper and cutting dimensions:
          Whisper White: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"; 3 6/8" x 5 3/4"; 2 3/4" x 1 1/2" (for phrase)
          Highland Heather: 5" x 3 3/4" 
          Gingham Gala (148554): 3 6/8" x 3/4"

Other: Big Shot, Magnetic Platform, Lily framelits (150071), Stampin' Sponges, Silicone Sheet, SNAIL adhesive, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Here's my video - thanks for watching!

 

How simple card layers make an outstanding design

This week's Paper Craft Crew card map challenge is a delight! I love the layers and embellishments and knew exactly what products I wanted to use to make it. 

Someone asked me recently how to make a simple card that looks complicated or sophisticated. Here's one way: use a variety of layers to add depth and interest:

First, I chose the Happiness Blooms designer paper for the strip across the front and that choice determined which colors I would use on my card: Pineapple Punch (I have used it a lot this week!), Night of Navy and Call Me Clover. 

Next I chose my stamp sets: Itty Bitty Greetings and Bloom by Bloom. Stampin' Up! coordinates sets, paper and embellishments to help with our card designs so I often purchase everything in a product suite for easy card making.

The one 'twist' I did make to the above card map was to turn my smallest square in its side to become a diamond and I didn't use the smallest strip at the bottom of the phrase layer. But consider a strip of coordinating designer paper or washi tape if you want to follow the map exactly. 

Here's my card! I complete the remaining bits by using the Itty Bitty Blooms punch pack and the Best Route Enamel Shapes for the three little dots.

Bloom by Bloom friendship card

If I wanted to add some ribbon, I would have two choices for 1/4" Grosgrain: Pineapple Punch and Call Me Clover. For now, I am happy with how my card turned out!

If you want to see what the other Paper Craft Crew design team members made for the above map, click here. And if you want to see other projects using the Happiness Blooms product suite, click here, here and here. 

You need to see our beautiful textured stamps

This week I created a Facebook Live video to introduce Stampin' Up!s Distinktive stamps. Distinktive stamp sets are created using a special manufacturing process to create photo realistic images. Each stamp has a special texture to it, giving it depth and dimension - all in one stamp. 

These stamps are really fun to create with but when using them the first time there are some tricks you need to know. Click here to watch my video and see my inking trick. 

Now that you know how to ink these stamps, check out the card idea below - along with a full set of instructions:

Here's some exciting news! The Lasting Lily stamp set is FREE with a $50 product order at my online store! This set is part of Stampin' Up!s biggest promotion of the year: Sale-a-bration. Click here to read more about Sale-a-bation and to see the other products you can also earn for free!

Supplies: 

• Stamp Sets – Lasting Lily (149717)
• Card Stock – Whisper White (100730), Poppy Parade (119793)
• Stamp Pads – Poppy Parade (147050), Old Olive (147090), Basic Gray (149165)
• Misc. – Big Shot (143263), Lakeside Framelits (146351), Detailed Trio Punch (146320), Poppy Parade ¼” Striped Ribbon (146938), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

Measurements:  

• Whisper White (base): 4 ¼” x 11”, score at 5 ½”
• Whisper White (layer): 3 ½” x 4 ¾”
• Whisper White” scrap
• Poppy Parade: 3 5/8” x 4 7/8”
• Ribbon: 20”

Instructions:

1. Stamp the single stem using Old Olive ink on the Whisper White cardstock layer. Stamp the twist, large leaf image using Old Olive ink, along the stem.
2. Stamp the stem/leaf image using Old Olive ink next to the previous stem.
3. Stamp the full lily image using Poppy Parade ink on each of the stems.
4. Adhere the Whisper White layer to the Poppy Parade layer. 
5. Stamp the greeting using Basic Gray ink on Whisper White scrap cardstock. Die cut the greeting using the label from the Lakeside Framelits.
6. Using the Detailed Trio Punch, punch a small hole on each side of the die cut label. Thread the ribbon through the holes, wrapping it around the cardstock layers. Finish by tying a bow on the left-hand side a shown. 
7. Adhere the cardstock layer to the card base using Dimensionals. 

A heartfelt message on a beautiful sympathy card

Losing someone you love is so hard. I have been through it more times than I care to admit, beginning with my mother when I was 18.

Someone I used to work with just lost her father this week so I decided to make a special card for all of us to write comforting messages inside. My friend loves flowers and so I chose paper and an image that would reflect this. I really like the Healing Hugs stamp set but the phrases didn't suit so I combined it with my Sorry for Everything set for the words. 

 Here are some of the products I used. Click here to link over to my Online Store to place an order for these or other products! 

Healing Hugs Clear-Mount Stamp Set
$21.00

Sorry For Everything Clear-Mount Stamp Set
$20.00

Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series Paper
$27.00

 

The layout I chose was easy - I copied one of my own cards that I recently made - click here to see this same layout using some of the same products!  

 Healing Hugs Sympathy card

I decided to choose the larger 'sorry' phrase for the envelope rather than on the card itself. I do love how my card looks even though it is for a sad occasion. Try my layout idea the next time you craft a card. 

How to help someone through a hard time

This week a good friend at work lost his father which makes all of his friends feel very sad for him. I decided to make a sympathy card using this week's Paper Craft Crew card map challenge:

The perfect stamp set for sympathy and get well cards is Sorry for Everything. This set has been around for a while but it has taken me a while to add it to my collection and for times like this I am grateful that I did. 

Here are some of the products I used to make my card - remember that if you place an order of $50 or more in August you will get a $5 coupon to redeem in September (perfect timing for the Holiday catalog launch). 

Sorry For Everything Clear-Mount Stamp Set
$20.00

Twinkle Twinkle Designer Series Paper
$11.00

Silver & Pool Party Baker's Twine
$4.00

 

I decided to keep my colors muted to feature the 'Sorry' phrase. The Twinkle, Twinkle designer paper pack had the perfect pattern and colors for my card: Pool Party and Gray Granite - both of which have a more masculine feel to me. As I decided not to have three phrases on my card front to match the card map perfectly, I ran a long strip of Gray Granite across the front of the card to break up the two phrase pieces. The coordinating Silver & Pool Party Baker's Twine add the final touch to complete my card. 

Here's my card:

 

What would you create using this week's card map challenge? Click here to see what the other members of the design team created! 

Have you seen this delightful product suite?

I am delighted to share a brand new product suite coming in the new Annual Catalog! Introducing: Nature's Poem! This gorgeous product suite includes the Rooted in Nature stamp set (two containers, 16 pieces), Nature's Poem designer paper and stunning accessories. Rooted in Nature is a year-round bundle (12 framelits) inspired by nature; it works well for both men and women. It was designed to coordinate with Lovely as a Tree!

I love this suite so much that I am sharing one card idea with you today. This 'thinking of you' card uses the paper, Rooted in Nature stamp set and Leaves Trinkets. All of these products (and more!) will be available for you to order on June 1st - not long now!

Here's how to make this card:

Supplies:

• Stamp Set: Rooted in Nature (146479 – wood; 146482 – clear block)
• Cardstock and Paper: Tranquil Tide (144246), Crumb Cake (120953), Whisper White (100730), Nature’s Poem Designer Series Paper or “DSP” (146338)
• Ink: Soft Suede (147115), Mint Macaron (147106), Tranquil Tide (147146)
• Miscellaneous: Layering Circles Framelits (141705), Crumb Cake 3/8” Classic Weave Ribbon (144162), Nature’s Twine (146342), Leaves Trinkets (146343), Faceted Dots (146910), SNAIL Adhesive (104332), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430), Mini Glue Dots (103683), household tape

 

Measurements:

• Tranquil Tide card base: 4-1/4” x 11”, scored at 5-1/2” then folded
• Soft Suede: 4” x 5-1/4”, 3” x 3”, 2-3/4” x 2-3/4”
• Designer Series Paper: 3-3/4” x 5”
• Whisper White: 3-1/2” x 3-1/2”
• Ribbon: 7”
• Mint Macaron and Crumb Cake twine: each 7-1/2” and 3”

 

Instructions:

1. Choose DSP sheet with Tranquil Tide background with stripes on reverse. Cut vertically 1-1/4” making sure stripes are vertical. Using SNAIL adhere the two pieces of DSP to the Soft Suede piece so they are touching.
2. Run SNAIL along DSP seam and adhere Crumb Cake ribbon. Attach to back of cardstock with SNAIL.
3. Lay Crumb Cake and Mint Macaron twine over ribbon and attach to back of Soft Suede piece with household tape. Tie one short strand of each twine onto lower portion of long twine. Set aside.
4. Stamp off twice then stamp assortment of leaves with Mint Macaron, Tranquil Tide and Soft Suede onto Whisper White cardstock taking care to cover area at least 2-3/4” for later die-cutting.
5. Using full strength Tranquil Tide, stamp sentiment on top of the background you just stamped. Cut out with 2-3/8” circle from the Layering Circle Framelits.
6. Using the 2-1/2” scalloped circle and 2-3/4” circle dies, cut out two Crumb Cake circles.
7. Adhere sentiment piece to scalloped circle with SNAIL. Adhere that piece to lower circle with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
8. Adhere sentiment piece to front of card with Stampin’ Dimensionals taking care to straddle the twine (and not adhere on top of it).
9. Adhere Soft Suede piece to card base with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
10. Affix Mini Glue Dots to a copper leaf trio trinket. Slip stem into one twine knot then press down to adhere Mini Glue Dots to twine or card front.
11. Place three Mint Macaron Faceted Dots onto upper left of card front.