Sneak peek: Varied Vases

When I first paged through the upcoming 2018 - 19 Stampin' Up! catalog, one of the sets that I immediately liked was Varied Vases. The photopolymer set contains three different vases each in different styles (outline, solid and patterned images), various flowers (with outline and solid images), decorative scallop edges and several sentiments. There is even punch that coordinates with the stamp set.

I was excited to find that this bundle was one of the items we could preorder, and I had a chance to play with mine last week.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Varied Vases
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Coastal Cabana
Accessories: White polka dot tulle ribbon, pearls, Dimensionals

For my first card I wanted to use black and white with a pop of color from the flowers. I love the end result.

I stamped one of the scallop images on a panel on Whisper White card stock to act as a "table." Then, using the outline images, I stamped three vases along the edge and added three different flowers inside the vases. Using the solid, fill-in images for the flowers I added Poppy Parade (returning to the core color line-up!), Daffodil Delight and Coastal Cabana (another returning color). I finished the stamping with a birthday sentiment in the upper right corner.

I used Dimensionals to attach the stamped panel to the upper portion of a Basic Black card base. Around the bottom portion of the card front I tied a piece of white polka dot tulle ribbon (another sneak peek). I also placed a tiny pearl in the center of each blue flower.

I didn't take a picture of the inside of the card, but I stamped another sentiment from the set -- "Hoping your day blooms with happiness!" -- and added one vase with flowers.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Varied Vases
Paper: Pool Party, Blueberry Bushel, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Pool Party, Blueberry Bushel, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive
Accessories: Vases Builder punch, Layering Circles and Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, Pinewood Planks embossing folder, rhinestones, Dimensionals

I love the color combination of blue and yellow, so that's what I decided to use for my next card. I stamped two of the patterned vases with Blueberry Bushel ink (a new In Color) and one with Pool Party and punched them out with the coordinating punch. I adhered the two dark blue vases onto a Whisper White die-cut circle and then stamped a stem and leaf between them using Old Olive ink. Using Dimensionals, I attached the third vase so the stem is coming out of the vase and then added a stamped and punched-out yellow tulip. Tulips are my favorite, and this little pop of yellow makes me smile.

I adhered the completed focal image to a Blueberry Bushel scalloped circle and attached that to a Pool Party card base embossed with the Pinewood Planks embossing folder. (This picture is a little wonky, so it looks like the embossing is crooked. But in person it's all good.) I wanted to add a sentiment, so I stamped a greeting from the set on white card stock, cut it into a banner and added it along the right edge near the bottom of the card. I finished everything off with three rhinestones.

I hope you have a great week, and thanks for stopping by!

April's Christmas card

Well, look at that! I'm ahead of schedule this month and not rushing to post my Christmas card at the last minute. I actually made these last week, but I had other things that I wanted to share first, like the sneak peeks at upcoming stamp sets. (I'll have a couple more of those coming soon!) And even though I used an older stamp set for my April Christmas cards, you will see a few other upcoming products.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Bright & Beautiful
Paper: Delightfully Detailed note cards and envelopes; Blackberry Bliss, Mint Macaron card stock; gold foil
Ink: Blackberry Bliss, Mint Macaron, VersaMark
Accessories: Stars Framelits dies, gold embossing powder, gold sequins (Paper Pumpkin leftovers), Nature's Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

First of all, Mint Macaron and Blackberry Bliss will be coming back as part of Stampin' Up!'s core color lineup. Yippee! And these note cards are one of the fun new accessories available in those colors. The note cards come in a pack of twenty (five each of four designs) and are printed with a watercolor wash in either Blackberry Bliss or Mint Macaron over Very Vanilla (the inside of the cards is white).

I love using note cards, especially when I have to make a lot of cards at once. So even though I know they're not exactly your typical Christmas colors, I wanted to try using a couple of these note card designs for Christmas cards.

Using one of the images from the Bright & Beautiful stamp set, I embossed three gold stars on Mint Macaron card stock and three on Blackberry Bliss card stock. I die cut the stars and added a little twine knot to the center of each star with a Glue Dot. (The twine is another sneak peek. It will be available in a pack of four colors that also includes Crumb Cake and Grapefruit Grove.) The twine was a little too thick for what I wanted, so I pulled apart a few of the strands to make my knots.

To finish off the cards I adhered gold foil banners near the middle of the card bases and then used Dimensionals to attach the stars over the banners. I added three gold sequins and stamped "joy" in the lower right corner using the coordinating ink.

That brings my total of completed Christmas cards up to twenty-five so far. Not too shabby! Thanks for stopping by!

What a difference a week makes

Welcome to April in Minnesota. Last weekend we were in the midst of a full-fledged blizzard. It was cold, windy and snowed for basically two solid days -- about two feet worth when all was said and done. Fast forward a week, and we have sunny skies and temperatures in the 60°s F (I think the high was 71°F today). Perfect. I've been eating lunch outside and sitting at the picnic table and reading after work. There are some lingering piles of snow in the places that don't get quite enough sun, and I know that we may still see cooler temps and frost, but it's definite progress. Thank goodness!

In honor of what almost feels like tropical weather, here's a fun little island scene:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Waterfront
Paper: Whisper White, Pool Party card stock; Tutti-Frutti 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Pool Party, Crum Cake, Calypso Coral, Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, Crushed Curry
Accessories: Burlap trim, rhinestones, Tiny Attacher (Tim Holtz), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Strands die (Essentials by Ellen), Dimensionals

I took a break from playing with my new sneak-peek goodies to play with some supplies I ordered months ago and hadn't used yet. The waterfront stamp set is so much fun -- the possibilities with this build-a-scene set are endless, and I'm pretty pleased with how my first attempt turned out. I would love to be relaxing on this beach!

I used Pool Party card stock for my card base. To bring out the color of the cabana, I added a layer of Calypso Coral patterned DSP. Then, using the Strands die from Essentials by Ellen, I created some "waves" out of Pool Party card stock and adhered them to the right side of the card base. A few rhinestones create the impression of the sun sparkling on the water.

To add a little texture to the card, I stapled a small piece of burlap trim to the upper left corner of the stamped piece. Using Dimensionals I adhered the focal layer to the left side of the card base.

This card makes me smile, and I know exactly who will be receiving it. Thanks for stopping by!

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!