Sneak peek: Pick a Pennant

I'm back today with another sneak peek set from the upcoming 2018-19 Stampin' Up! catalog: Pick a Pennant. This is a versatile photopolymer set with two different style banners -- triangle pennants and rounded pennants -- and several ways to customize them. There is a capital serif alphabet (including some duplicate letters) and numbers, patterns to add to the pennants and accents like bows, a tassel, hearts and stars, a small bunch of flowers and even a little bird that can sit on your banner. Several of the images have outline and "filler" stamps so you can quickly and easily add color to the image.

I have three cards to share today: two featuring banners and one without just to show another possibility with this set. Both of my banner cards are for birthdays, since that's the type of card I use the most, but this set would also make perfect cards for weddings/engagements, a new baby or any type of celebratory event.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Pick a Pennant
Paper: Coastal Cabana, Night of Navy, Lemon Lime Twist, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Night of Navy, Lemon Lime Twist, Coastal Cabana
Accessories: Clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, Lemon Lime Twist ombre ribbon, Dimensionals

I'm so excited that Coastal Cabana is returning to Stampin' Up! color line-up as one of the core colors. It looks great with Lemon Lime Twist, which will be around for one more year as an In Color. I "grounded" those two bright colors with Night of Navy, which is a little softer than black. Night of Navy (along with return Mossy Meadow and new Merry Merlot) will be moving to the Neutrals collection in the next catalog. That may seem strange at first, but I often use Night of Navy as a neutral, like in this card.

Speaking of this card, I stamped one of the banners twice in Lemon Lime Twist and Coastal Cabana and then used Night of Navy to add the letters and stars to the pennants. I added more stars in Lemon Lime Twist and Coastal Cabana to the white background and then painted them with clear Wink of Stella glitter (which you can't see in this photo). I matted that piece with Night of Navy and added a small Lemon Lime Twist card stock banner in the upper right corner.

For the card base I used Coastal Cabana and stamped a few little stars along the bottom. I adhered a piece of Lemon Lime Twist ribbon across the card base and attached the focal panel with Dimensionals.

Since this was kind of a "boyish" color combo, I decided to try one that was a little more feminine, too.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Pick a Pennant, Tabs for Everything
Paper: So Saffron, Whisper White card stock
Ink: So Saffron, Crushed Curry, Flirty Flamingo, Melon Mambo, Pear Pizzazz, Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Metallics sequins assortment, linen thread, Dimensionals

For this card, I stamped several of the banners with rounded pennants using Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron and Flirty Flamingo (which will be added to the core color collection in the upcoming catalog). Then I added some of the pattern stamps using Wild Wasabi (which will be retiring), Crushed Curry and Melon Mambo. I stamped the birthday sentiment (from another set) in Melon Mambo between a couple of the banners.

To embellish the panel, I wrapped a piece of linen thread around the left side three times and tied it off in a bow. I also added a several iridescent sequins scattered around the panel. I used Dimensionals to attach the whole piece to a So Saffron card base.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Pick a Pennant
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo, Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Whisper White card stock; Neutrals Designer Series Paper (DSP) stack
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Flirty Flamingo, Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Stitched Shapes and Layering Circles Framelits dies, Calypso Coral twine, rhinestones, Dimensionals

The little bird and flower images from the Pick a Pennant set are cute on their own, so I made a simple card featuring just those two images. I stamped each image twice with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Whisper White card stock and then used the "filler" stamps to add the color. (I did use markers to color the birds' beaks and the center of the flowers.)

I die-cut each image with a small stitched circle die and then matted it with a scalloped circle cut from coordinating card stock.

I used Thick Whisper White card stock for the base and added a layer of black and white polka dot DSP (from a retired DSP stack). I arranged the four circles in a grid and attached them near the top of the card with Dimensionals. I wrapped Calypso Coral twin around the bottom of the card base twice and tied it off in a bow. I finished off the card with simple rhinestones placed on three of the white polka dots.

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek. Thanks for stopping by!

Sneak peek: Animal Outing

If you've followed my blog, you probably know that I love animal stamps, especially cute, drawn animals. And if you know that, you can imagine how excited I was to receive the new Animal Outing stamp set at the Stampin' Up! OnStage event I recently attended. The set, which will be in the upcoming 2018-19 catalog, has four animal images perfect for coloring and several sentiments in a mixed font. (There also will be coordinating Framelits dies in the catalog.) I had a chance to play with the set on Sunday (while it snowed. all. day.) and made two fun cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Animal Outing, Artisan Textures
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Old Olive card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Soft Sky; Blendabilities: Soft Sky, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Skin Tone Assortment
Accessories: Layered Leaves embossing folder, Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, linen thread, Stamp-a-ma-jig tool, Dimensionals

Eeep! How cute are these guys? I just love them. I actually combined a few different stamps to get these images. The frog on the tree branch is one stamp. I knew I wanted to add the giraffe, so I stamped and colored her on a separate piece of white card stock, cut her out and added her over the branches. Then I stamped the frog/tree image again, colored and cut out the lower branch and adhered it over the original image so it looks like the giraffe is peeking through the branches (and having a lovely conversation with her froggy friend). I left one of the giraffe's ears and a couple of the leaves "un-glued" to add a little dimension to the image.

To get the bird on the branch, I inked just part of another stamp from the set (see the card below for the whole image) and stamped and colored it on white card stock. Then I stamped and colored the branch just beneath the bird. Perfect!

For the card base I used Soft Sky card stock. This is one of the colors that will be retiring at the end of May, and I'm so sad to see it go; it's such a lovely, soft blue. For the background I stamped a "splatter" image from the upcoming set Artisan Textures - a second sneak peek! This was the set I won during Prize Patrol, and it's another great one from the upcoming annual catalog. It has five different "texture" stamps that are perfect for backgrounds.

Along the bottom of the card I added a strip of Old Olive card stock embossed with the Layered Leaves embossing folder. I love how it brings out the leaves and the green from the stamped images. I wrapped linen thread around the card base above the embossed piece and added my three die-cut circles with Dimensionals. So cute!

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Animal Outing
Paper: Thick Whisper White card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Blends: Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie, Calypso Coral; Blendabilities: Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Smoky Slate; journaling pen
Accessories: Tutti-Frutti adhesive-backed sequins

For the second card, I wanted to make a clean and simple, single-layer card. I started with a Thick Whisper White card base and stamped the image of the rhino with the bird. He's so sweet! I colored him with Blends and Blendabilities alcohol markers. You can see some of the coloring through the card stock when you open the card, so if that bothers you, stamp and color the image on a separate panel and adhere it to the card base. Or you could use colored pencils instead of markers for a softer look.

I stamped the sentiment just above the image and then, since the card felt like it needed "something," I doodled a border around the card front with a journaling pen. For a little pop of color I added three bright green self-adhesive sequins.

There is one image (and a few sentiments) in the Animal Outing set that I haven't used yet: a kangaroo with a koala peeking out of her pocket. How adorable! (If I were a squeally-type person, I would have squealed when I saw that.) Watch for a card with that image sometime soon, and thanks for stopping by!

Sponged starry balloons

Winter won't end! I'm sitting at my computer and watching our second April blizzard. It started with rain yesterday, but it's been snow all day today. I know I should go out and do a round of shoveling, but it's so windy that it would all just blow right back. Sigh. And I just opened a Dove chocolate that had the message "Hello spring" inside. Not funny, Dove. Not funny.

On a happier note, last weekend I went to Milwaukee for one of Stampin' Up!'s regional OnStage events. I got to see a great friend, meet new people, and see lots of new Stampin' Up! products and colors. I haven't had a chance to make anything yet with the goodies I brought home, but I'm hoping to do that tomorrow. If I don't have to spend all day shoveling. In the meantime, here is a bright, fun birthday card:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Birthday Messages (Simon Says Stamp), Party with Cake
Paper: Lemon Lime Twist, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White card stock; Irresistibly Yours Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Lemon Lime Twist, Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, white gel pen
Accessories: Balloons dies (Simon Says Stamp), Streamers embossing folder (Taylored Expressions), crochet thread (DMC), Tiny Attacher (Tim Holtz), Ink Blending Tool (Ranger), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Dimensionals

When Lemon Lime Twist was introduced last year, I really didn't think I would ever use it. But as it turns out, I really like it, especially with these tropical shades of blue.

I blended all three colors onto a piece of Irresistibly Yours Specialty DSP and then used a tissue to rub off the excess ink and reveal the embossed stars, which are perfect for a birthday card. Using a set of balloon-shaped dies, I cut out several balloons in different shapes and sizes. I added a little light reflection on each balloon with a white gel pen.

For the card base I used a piece of Lemon Lime Twist card stock and added a layer of Bermuda Bay embossed with streamers. I rounded the corners of the embossed layer to let a little more of the Lemon Lime Twist peek through. I adhered three balloons to the front of the card -- the largest one has a white bow and is attached with Dimensionals -- and stapled on a narrow banner stamped with a sentiment. I colored the sentiment with markers to make it extra festive.

Inside the card I added a panel of Whisper White card stock stamped with a sentiment. I'm not always a fan of the filled-in letters like this font has, but for some reason I think it works with the balloons. Speaking of balloons, I added two more of the sponged and die-cut balloons on the inside panel.





Thanks for stopping by -- and I hope your day is snowstorm-free!

Happy bug day!

Spring has been elusive in Minnesota this year. We had a few warmer days, and a lot of the snow had melted, but thanks to a lovely April snowstorm, we now have several more inches of white stuff on the ground. Sigh. I am ready to see the backside of winter, so to get in a more spring/summer frame of mind, here is a fun "bug day" card for the kiddos:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Bugs & Kisses, Beetles & Bugs, Birthday Greetings
Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Dapper Denim card stock
Ink: Dapper Denim, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip

I really like how this card turned out, and if you noticed my supply list, I didn't use any embellishments! What? That's crazy talk.

I actually thought about adding something as I was finishing the card, but my go-to sequins wouldn't work at all (sad face). I suppose I could have used some clear droplets to look like dew drops. Or some small wooden elements of some sort. But in the end I just liked all the stamped bugs parading around the card stock, so I left well enough alone.

Speaking of stamped bugs, I used Chocolate Chip ink to stamp the outline of each bug. For the larger bugs, I added one color (Dapper Denim, Tangerine Tango or Old Olive) with the detail stamps. For some of the details, I stamped the image on scratch paper first to lighten the ink and create two tones of the accent color.

I did run my bone folder along the edges of the white card stock to distress them and add a bit of texture. Then I layered the white piece on Dapper Denim card stock and adhered the whole panel to a Crumb Cake card base.

I used the same size and colors for the layers inside the card. I stamped the sentiment with Dapper Denim in and added two little bugs -- I'm pretty sure they got lost and are looking for their friends.

Without the birthday sentiment, this card would be cute for other occasions, such as good luck wishes for a science fair, or an encouraging lunch box note. You could even modify the sentiment on the front of the card to say just "Sending worm wishes" to make it even more general.



Thanks for stopping by!

March's Christmas card

I had the day off work today (the first of a long stretch - yippee!), and I was hoping to get some stamping done. I couldn't seem to stay very focused, but I did manage to make my March Christmas cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Quick Critters Winter stamp and die combo (Taylored Expressions), Gorgeous Grunge
Paper: Soft Sky, Whisper White, Old Olive, Real Red, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Real Red, Soft Sky
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, Stitchced Hillside and Forest Borders dies (Lawn Fawn), red and white twine (Target), red sequins (unknown), Art Glitter Glue (AIG), Dimensionals

First off, I apologize for the poor photographs. I was hurrying to finish the cards and take the pictures before dinner, so I didn't have the best setup or lighting.

Back to the cards. I used the Quick Critters Winter stamp and die combo for this group of cards. The set has three different critters -- a snowman, a moose and a penguin -- as well as several different sentiments. I made two cards with each critter using the same basic layout.

I really like these critters stamp and die combos (I have another set as well). The dies cut out the animal shapes, and then you just stamp the faces. Quick, easy and definitely cute! For these cards I made the critters a little scene with snowy hills and green trees, and I gave them each a scarf made with red and white twine.

For the card bases, I used a splatter stamp from the Gorgeous Grunge set to make a subtle, snowy-looking background. Three red sequins add a little pop of color.

So far I'm three for three with making Christmas cards each month. I have to admit I'm a little surprised, but definitely pleased. At this rate they'll be done by October! Thanks for stopping by!