Nutz about Stamping

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. 

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. 

 

 

It's time to say goodbye to autumn with this fun card sketch challenge

Where I live it is definitely time to say goodbye to autumn! Our leaves are almost all gone and our weather has turned cold. The perfect timing for this week's card sketch challenge:

To be honest I struggled a bit with my design. I used my Beauty of Friendship stamp set and some fall color combos for ink. 

This set was designed to celebrate good times and good people. Choose a sentiment to help you say what you feel. Add a few hand-stamped trees, and you’ll make a card that will lift anyone’s spirits. This stamp set is also available in French.

This is a Two-Step Stampin’ set; it allows you to layer two or more images to create one final image with extra texture and dimension in the colors you want.

 

Here's my card: 

 

 

Now it's your turn! See what you can create with this week's card sketch -  your special design to say goodbye to fall. And if you want to see what the other design crew members created this week, click here. 

 

 

Let's have fun with the shape possibilities for this week's challenge

This week's card sketch challenge has so many possibilities! When I saw it I immediately thought: nope, not squares for me!

I recently got the Framet Florets stamp set and decided to use flowers instead of squares, and to stamp directly on the layer instead of die-cutting each one to pop it up (although that would be pretty). 

The Framed Florets bundle is an early release from the next Mini Catalog and it is gorgeous! If you love to color then this is the bundle for you! 

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!

And that's exactly what I did for my challenge card. I chose the designer series paper and let those colors guide me for coloring the flowers with my Stampin' Blends: 

You know the drill: it's your turn to try our card sketch challenge and see what you can come up with. If you want to see what the other design crew members created this week, click here. It's always fun to see our different takes on the same sketch challenge. 

Your crafting opportunities are wide open with this card sketch challenge

When I saw this week's sketch challenge, I thought: HUH? So simple. 

 

But there's beauty in simple so I quickly turned my HUH into YEAH! 

This is the perfect time to introduce a brand new bundle, Framed Florets, that you can order now, before it comes out in the next Mini Catalog!

There are so many possibilities with this bundle and I love the birthday phrases, something I was really in need of (shock). 

Are you looking to say it all with flowers that last? 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 - cheers for Stampin' Blends, my fave! Pick your favorite florals, then add one of six heartfelt sentiments for a handcrafted card that says it all!

Add an unexpected touch to your next handcrafted card with these Framed Florets Dies. Use them 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!

Tip: click on the photo above to order this gorgeious bundle at my online store! 

Here's just one card idea that you can create using this amazing bundle. 

Just a quick word from the wise (or should I say 'wiser'): Line up your insert oval before stamping the phrase so you are not crookedy like I am here. It still looks fine but keep that in mind. 

Want to see another pretty card I posted using the Framed Florets bundle? Click here!

Now it's your turn. What will you create with this super simple card sketch 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 site. 

 

This paper is designed to please everyone who loves traditional holiday colors

This week's card challenge is a color challenge - with a Christmas theme! 

I love a good color challenge, how about you? And this set of colors matches perfectly with the Boughs of Holly paper pack which means I can use up some leftover strips!

This pack has so many Christmas like colors in it, designed to please everyone who loves traditional holiday colors: Cherry Cobbler, Evening Evergreen, Mossy Meadow, Old Olive, Poppy Parade, Real Red, Sahara Sand, Shaded Spruce, Soft Succulent, Soft Suede

My card design I chose the Cottage Wreaths bundle: 

You can make elegant holiday wreaths for tags or put them on cards to celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The wreaths look lovely paired with the festive greetings in this set, or you can use them alone to make them suit any occasion.

As I have so many Christmas cards to make each year I decided that was my challenge theme. Here's what I created:

The challenge colors I selected were: Mossy Meadow, Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler - rich tones, right? 

And now it's your turn! Try this week's color challenge and see what you can create, Christmas or not. If you want to see what they other design crew members created this week, click here to head over to the Paper Craft Crew website. 

If you want to see more card ideas using the Boughs of Holly paper pack, scroll back through my blog. I have LOTS to share with you!

See how to let your designer paper be the standout feature on your cards

In the midst of the fall excitement and with winter around the corner, I am sure that many of you pop by my blog looking for Thanksgiving or Christmas card ideas. I am also in the full swing of getting ready for Christmas! 

But. 

Everyone in my family has a birthday in November. So of course I need to step away from Christmas card making to create birthday cards to mail. That made me think that perhaps some of you are in the same boat as me. 

Today's Paper Craft Crew card sketch helped me come up with birthday card #1:

 

This is a bit out of the normal layout that I would normally design so that added a bit of a challenge into the mix. Today's card was created for my stepmother, and she LOVES flowers and gardens. Her zen zone is her garden and she spends hours outside puttering about here and there. 

When designing her card I chose the Hues of Happiness paper pack for it's beautiful floral designs. 

I selected a bold pattern for the background layer and kept the rest of the layers plain. And for my phrase I used the Dragonfly Garden stamp set - I am sure you can see why I chose this particular phrase (it's the perfect match!). 

Here's my card:

Now it's your turn: try our card map challenge for the week and see what you can create using it. And if you want to see what the other crew members created, click here! 

And check back here to see birthday card #2 - coming soon!

Your holiday cards don't have to be complicated to be pretty

Using this week's card sketch I have simple but very pretty Christmas card idea to share with you, showing that you don't have to create complicated cards to wow your friends and family this year. 

 

And of course I chose my Cottage Wreaths bundle for this week's project.

 

I have used this bundle so much and am getting such great value for my $$! As I have already pointed out, you can create elegant holiday wreaths with the Cottage Wreaths set. You can make wreaths for tags or put them on cards to celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The wreaths look lovely paired with the festive greetings in this set, or you can use them alone to make them suit any occasion.

I will say this card sketch is one of my favorite all time layouts. No matter what I create using this layout I always love the product! Try this idea using the holiday paper you have on hand, then try it again using birthday paper - you will love it too! 

Here's my card: 

If you want to see what the other design crew members created for this weeks challenge, click here. And we ALL hope you will give it a try too!

Here's a fun challenge that will make you think of home for the holidays

It's time to get our Christmas on with this week's challenge!

Yes, holidays could include Halloween and Thanksgiving, but I am going all out and am going to create a Christmas card for my challenge card. I decided on a simple layout, one that let's my Cottage Wreaths bundle be the star:

You can ceate elegant holiday wreaths using this bundle, wreaths for tags or put them on cards to celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The wreaths look lovely paired with the festive greetings in this set, or you can use them alone to make them suit any occasion.

The dies include wreaths along with a variety of shapes you can use to embellish them. Cut out leaves, bows, and more; they're perfect for the holidays, but they can also be used throughout the year just by changing the color scheme. 

To add a touch of brightness to my card I also chose a patterned paper from the Boughs of Holly pack:

If you know me at all, I am not a bold patterns kind of crafter so I challenged myself to go bold this week and let my paper be the standout. I crumpled it several times to break down the fibers and add an eye-catching background layer look. 

I also stamped the branches on the layer under my wreath - to give that layer a bit more visual interest. I LOVE how my card turned out, do you? It was so easy to make that I am thinking of making several to mail this year. 

Now it's your turn! Try this week's challenge and see what card you can make the represents 'home for the holidays'. If you want to see what the other design crew members created this week, click here. 

Here's how to make a lot of beautiful Christmas cards in a very short time

If you make a LOT of Christmas or holiday cards every year, this is the challenge for you! 

Simple stamping is just that: minimal layers and products. Yes, perfect for the beginner stamper but also for a very busy stamper who has a lot of people to make cards for this Christmas. 

Here's what you do:

1. Purchase a pack of gorgeous designer series paper, like Boughs of Holly:
   
   
   
   
2. Next: purchase two or three solid colors of cardstock and one pack of Basic White cardstock. I chose Mossy Meadow and Real Red for my solids but if you wanted to coordinate with the above designer series paper colors you could also choose: Cherry Cobbler, Poppy Parade, Evening Evergreen and Shaded Spruce. 
   
   
3. Then: select a stamp set that has (perhaps) more than one Christmas phrase. Think about phrases that are a bit larger than usual as this will be a simple layout and the word(s) will be the main attraction. I chose Leaves of Holly, because I can use the smaller phrases for the inside of my cards too: 
   
   
   
   Yes, I bought the entire bundle because I want to make a few 'not so simple' cards this year as well. But you don't need the bundle if you are a simple stamper! 
   
   
4. Unpack your favorite sparkly embellishments.
5. Now, cut all layers for the cardstock, phrase layers and designer paper layers. Set up an assembly line and create bunches of cards over just a few days! 

Here's my simple card idea for this week's challenge:

I used several Iridescent Pearl Basic Jewels on my card - just for that final elegant (and simple!) touch. Now it's your turn. Try this week's challenge and see what you can create at home. If you want to order any of the products I featured today, click on that photo to head over to my online store. 

And if you want to see what the other design crew members created for this simple stamping challenge, click here. 

What 3 colors would you choose for this week's card challenge?

I love a good color challenge because it helps me do something that I don't do very often: color! Which is odd to admit because I find coloring so satisfying - when it's done. So this week I rolled up my sleeves and decided to join the fun: 

 

When I looked at my stamp set collection, however, I realized why I don't color so much. I don't have many line art stamp set; I am more of a stamp and go crafter so most of my collection are solid images that don't take a lot of time to use. 

But. I do have the Happy Hedgehogs set and found a fun image to color. 

I chose of couple of these images and my Stampin' Blends: Crushed Curry, Old Olive and Crumb Cake. I also used 2 Brushed Brass Butterflies as my metallic choice - I deliberately added them a bit 'crooked' so that they look like they are in flight. 

When I first created the layers for my card and laid out the pieces, the base seemed really plain. So as a final touch I used my Splatter embossing folder (from the Stripes & Splatters embossing folder set) to add some texture and detail. 

Here's my card:

And now it is your turn - see what you can create this week using this fun color challenge. And if you want to see what the other design crew members create, click here to head over to the Paper Craft Crew site. 

How many ways can you use this week's card sketch challenge? Here's 1 possibility

This week's Paper Craft Crew card sketch has unlimited possibilities! I went for the obvious (that's me!) but I hope you will use your imagination when you give it a try. 

 

Of course, when I saw this sketch I immediately thought of the Tailor Made Tags:

You can mix, match, and layer tags in different sizes and colors which is what I decided to do. Create tags for any occasion you need: cards (not just birthday), goodie bags, gift packages. Stamp sentiments from your favorite stamp sets, then cut out. 

I also decided to use my Cottage Wreaths stamp set for the phrase.

 

Did you know that 1 October is World Card Making Day and Stampin' Up! is holding a special card making event? One of the sets they will be using is.....Cottage Wreaths! Read more about this event in yesterday's blog post. 

For my paper strip I chose to use a leftover strip from a paper pack that you could have earned for free in Stampin' Up!s July-August Sale-a-bration event, called: Rings of Love. I made a promise to myself that I would use up what I have on hand for each week's card sketch challenge and I am doing pretty well with this promise. 

To make the background a bit more interesting I used one of the Stripes & Splatters embossing folders. I love the texture this folder created!

Here's my challenge card: 

Now it's your turn! See what you can create using this week's card sketch, AND using up what you have on hand. If you want to see what the other design crew members created for this week's challenge, click here. 

See how to celebrate good times and good friends with this versatile set

This week's card map challenge will help you to see your sets and supplies in a different way! It's our....

What does this mean? Dust off your catalog and flip through to find samples using a stamp set or bundle that you own. Next look at the catalog samples. See one you like? Recreate it but.....add your own twist somewhere (or completely!). 

When I designed my card I chose a stamp set that was great for the fall and was a set that I haven't used in a while: Beauty of Friendship. 

 

 

Celebrate good times and good people with the Beauty of Friendship set. Choose a sentiment to help you say what you feel. Add a few hand-stamped trees, and you’ll make a card that will lift anyone’s spirits. This stamp set is also available in French.

The sample I chose to 'copy' is on page 104 of the Annual Catalog. It's the card in the top left corner. 

My card colors were decided by the paper scrap I decided to use, from the Boughs of Holly designer series paper:

There's a pattern in this pack that I thought would make a nice background layer. Then I chose my colors: Sahara Sand, Gray Granite, Mossy Meadow and Soft Suede. I added a bow, and taa daa, my card is done! 

Here's a second view:

And now it's your turn! Grab your catalog and see what you can make. And if you want to see what the other design crew members made for this week's challenge, click here! 

Learn how to combine 2 simple products and create a beautiful card design

You should know by now how much I LOVE a card sketch, right? Today's project is a Thank-You card created using this card sketch:

Like all sketches, these act as a starting point for your creativity. You can change the orientation and get creative with the shapes and elements you add to them.

This card sketch has been used with the monochromatic Perfectly Pencilled Designer Series Paper.

This paper features sketchy flower designs alongside fabulous backgrounds, such as stripes, dots and other repeating patterns. The papers can be used as they are, or you can add colour to them by sponging or spritzing and you can also colour in the flowers with any of your colouring tools. For this project they have all been left as black and white designs.

To create this card, a piece of Designer Series paper with a small all-over flower design has been used for the background. A strip of striped paper has been added onto this horizontally and the corners trimmed. This is then added to a standard sized Basic Black card base.

Instead of circles, the mats in the centre of the card are stitched squares from the Stylish Shapes Dies. A bow of Black Twine was added to the back before they were stuck in place with dimensionals.

A section of flowers was cut from one of the papers and sections of this were cut out and layered onto the squares. Some pieces were added with liquid adhesives and other pieces raised up with dimensionals. Two butterflies from the paper were also cut out and added

A sentiment from the Nature’s Harvest stamp set was added to the bottom of the centre panel. To finish, a few Classic Matte dots were added in Black and White.

And here's the final card, thanks to this fun sketch!

These papers are beautiful and provide so many creative opportunities. Whether you use these papers, or experiment with a totally different selection of products do give the sketch a go. Just by changing elements and colours you can use the same basic layout yet create totally different looks.

Do you want to know why I love card sketches so much?

You know why I love card sketches so much? 

Card sketches:

• offer me unique layout ideas, ones that I might not have thought of before
• challenge me to look at my existing crafting supplies in a new way
• help me use up what I have on hand (so I have room for new supplies!)
• save me time on designing layouts
• help me to think in a brand new direction and to be flexible with the sketch elements
• help me to see what other crafters created using the same sketch, giving me new ideas to try

This week's Paper Craft Crew Sketch is no exception:

At first that swirl in the background. I don't have a swirl stamp anymore. Then I remembered not to think so literally, to be flexible on the card sketch elements. At that point I decided to use my Bamboo Beauty stamp set:

 

Tip: click in the set photo above to order it at my online store. 

This set is perfect for creating a serene escape with the brushstroke style. The bamboo images in this stamp set are sized perfectly for cardmaking; either stamp the branches in a random pattern for a minimal look (which I did) or use the bamboo and branch images together to create a bamboo forest! The authentic kanji symbols translate to “friendship” so be sure to send a card to all your favorite friends as this stamp set is gender neutral.

I have often wondered what the bamboo stalks would look like if stamped and cut out so thought I would try that as my 'swirl image'. I love how it looked out!

The other elements on my card are super easy: I used Versamark to stamp the bamboo leaves on the card base and that paper strip is from a retired pack that came out just over a year ago, originally created to coordinate with Bamboo Beauty. As I am always encouraging you to use up your supplies, I am sure you will forgive me for doing the same, right?

Here's my Bamboo Beauty sketch card:

Why not give this week's sketch a try too? I would love to see what you create - leave me a comment with a link to your post so I can pop by and leave you a comment too! 

 

 

Combining 3 different products can bring an interesting result

I have to admit that the jury is out on today's card that I created using this week's card sketch challenge:

 

I think this challenge is one of the more unique ones and for a while I drew a blank. At first I thought that the paper strips could be designer paper, and they could. But that didn't speak to me so I cancelled out that idea. 

Then I spotted:

 

This canvas-looking Hues of Happiness paper features illustrated and painted flowers on one side with all-purpose patterns on the other side. Designed to represent the Stampin' Up! color spectrum, the repeating patterns can be used as focal images or as accent pieces on your card bases and scrapbook layouts. Or create elegant backgrounds with the color gradient patterned sheets. And that's what I decided to do! 

Fun Fact: If you are on Instagram, check out this official Stampin' Up! video, showing how the Hues of Happiness paper - so cool! 

Right. Paper chosen. 

Next: the strips. I immediately thought of my Sending dies. I chose the shorter tag die which I would use instead of paper strips. 

 

And now for the phrase. That also came easily - from the Beauty of Friendship stamp set:

 

 

Combine these three products and you can make this card too: 

I would love to see what you create using this sketch challenge, especially if you use uneven lengths of the strips. I just couldn't do it - maybe you are braver than I!