A Merry Little Christmas

Hi Stampers,

Even though it's 90 degrees outside, it's not too early to start your holiday cards!  The twenty-fifth of every month is Christmas for my stamp class.  Here's one of the cards we made this month:

Kind of makes you feel cooler just looking at that little penguin standing on the snowbank, doesn't it?
I love the crisp combination of Whisper White & Pool Party together.

Here are the details:
Stars Framelits - use the second largest size to cut the white card front, then run it through your Big Shot using the Softly Falling Embossing Folder.  Mount it to an A2 size card base made out of Pool Party cardstock.  The snowbank is from the new Thoughtful Branches stamp set, stamped in Pool Party ink then outlined with liquid Tombow glue and sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  The cool penguin dude is from the Snow Place stamp set.  He's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black, and his feet & beak are colored with Peekaboo Peach on a Blender Pen.  The scarf and earmuffs are stamped in Pool Party and all 3 pieces are die-cut with the matching Snow Friends Framelits.  The greeting I used is from a retired set called Cozy Christmas.  I stamped it on a 4" square piece of Pool Party cardstock using Whisper White craft ink and embossed with White Stampin' Emboss Powder. Then simply die-cut it with the same Star Framelit and it will fit perfectly inside the cut-out on the card front.  Smaller stars punched from Dazzling Diamonds and Silver Glimmer Paper complete this card.

Don't forget to use your Bonus Days coupons when placing your August order!  Also, Thoughtful Branches is available beginning August 2.  Take a close look at this set - it would be a wonderful addition to your collection!

Have a great week & thanks for stopping by,

Pat

Thoughtful Branches Hydrangea

Hi Stampers,

I'm so excited to share with you today a sneak peek at the new, limited edition Thoughtful Branches Bundle!  You can purchase it beginning August 2 through August 31, while supplies last.  As a demonstrator, I was able to order it early and begin using it right away.  Did I mention how awesome it is to have early access to new products and catalogs?  One of the many perks of being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.  I love my job!

As soon as I saw this stamp set, all I could think of was using it to create beautiful hydrangeas (one of my favorites)!

I love these colors together.  The background cardstock is Smoky Slate with some random Gorgeous Grunge dots stamped in Smoky Slate.  I always reach for Gorgeous Grunge whenever I feel like there's something missing from a card.  I hope that set never retires - I would be so sad!  My hydrangea is mounted on a 4" square of Shimmery White cardstock that has a light watercolor wash of Sweet Sugarplum.  The squiggly frame is one of the design elements from Tin of Cards.  The leaves are die-cut from Pear Pizzazz, my favorite go-to green.  The star of the show is in 2 layers - I stamped it  first using Sweet Sugarplum ink on Sweet Sugarplum cardstock.  Then I die-cut it and cut a second one (not stamped) from Rich Razzleberry which I mounted behind the stamped layer to give it depth.  It doesn't show in the photo (darn!) but the entire flower head is covered in a beautiful, shimmery coat of clear Wink of Stella.

Almost as lovely as the real thing...

Don't forget about Bonus Days - just under two weeks left to earn discounts!  For every $50 of Stampin' Up products you purchase by July 31, get a $5 off coupon to use in August.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I would be honored if you choose me as your Stampin' Up demonstrator.  

Happy stamping,

Pat

From Land to Sea Shaker Card

Hi Stampers!

I had a request this week to create a special "under the sea" themed card for a 40th birthday.  I love special requests - gets the creative juices flowing!  I designed this shaker card using only three colors but five different stamp sets, what fun I had making it!

Can you name the five stamp sets I used?  (Answer at the end of this post!)

The three colors are Bermuda Bay, Soft Sky and Perfect Plum!  The front of the card is created from Soft Sky cardstock, although it photographed much lighter than it actually is.  The two lighter colored sea turtles are stamped in Soft Sky and the spatters are Bermuda Bay.  The sea fan is stamped in Versamark & heat set with clear embossing powder.  Then I sponged Bermuda Bay & Perfect Plum over top of it - this technique is called "emboss resist" because the embossing powder resists picking up the ink.  The main sea turtle is stamped in Perfect Plum on Bermuda Bay cardstock.

I found some iridescent sequins at my local craft store that I really like because they pick up the other colors.  In addition to those I separated some from my reel of Bermuda Bay sequin trim and also found some matching seed beads at the craft store.

I hope you like this!  Everyone loves shaker cards - they're as much fun to make as they are to receive!

Here are the five stamp sets:  From Land to Sea, Gorgeous Grunge, Time of Year (hostess only), By the Tide (retired), and Mixed Borders.  OK, it was a trick question because Mixed Borders is on the inside of the card for the greeting!  Even though By the Tide is retired, the sea fan could be replaced by the jellyfish that's included with the From Land to Sea set.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pat

Flirty Flamingo Pocket Card

Hi Stampers!

I've been on a flamingo kick this week, I love the new Pop of Paradise stamps!  Today I wanted to show something a little different than the basic A2 sized card and this is what I came up with:

The pocket is die-cut using the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits and the 2016-2018 In-Color Designer Series Paper Stack.  The color is Flirty Flamingo, of course! The black & white banner with the lovely words is from the Neutrals Designer Paper Stack.  On the Whisper White insert I stamped a sentiment from Love & Affection "you are every lovely word I could possibly think of" - talk about coordination!

The leaves and flowers on the insert are stamped in Mint Macaron and Flirty Flamingo.  The sentiment on the Basic Black banner is embossed in gold, and the gold sequin trim really makes it "pop"!

The black and gold stripe along the bottom edge of the insert is washi tape from the Pop of Pink Suite.  There are so many things to love about this project!  One of my favorites is how the flip side of the designer paper peeks out from the top of the pocket.  Another is that the pocket is sized to fit perfectly inside an A2 envelope for easy mailing.  Still another is the versatility of the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits die - this little pocket could hold so many things - use your imagination!

Check out this video from Stampin' Up for more ways to use the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Dies:

Have a great day!

Pat

Partying with Pop of Paradise!

Hi Stampers,

I was so happy when I saw the Pop of Pink Suite in the new annual catalog!  Pink, Black & Gold is such a striking color combination, and who can resist a pink flamingo?

My card for today has three flamingo friends heading to a birthday party!

The flamingos are stamped in Flirty Flamingo (of course), Blushing Bride & Calypso Coral. I used a black Stampin' Write marker to color the beaks. The polka dotted designer paper is from the Pop of Pink Suite, as is the black & gold washi tape stripe. The sentiment is from Balloon Celebration and the stars are from the Metallics Sequin Assortment.

REMEMBER!  Bonus Days are here!!

For every $50 you spend July 7-31, you'll get a $5 coupon to spend in August!

COMING SOON!

The Thoughtful Branches Bundle is so versatile, you'll reach for it again and again! 

 Available August 2 - 31, while supplies last.  Don't miss out on this limited time exclusive!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Pat

Earn more Stampin' Up! During Bonus Days

Hi Stampers!

Remember when the Weekly Deals went away and I said there would be better promotions in the future?  The future is here!

For every $50 you spend in between July 7 and July 31 (before shipping and tax), you’ll get a $5 Bonus Days coupon that you can use August 2–31. 

Did you get everything you want from the new annual catalog yet? Since it only came out a month ago, you probably still have some items on your wish list, and this is great news for you!  Stampin' Up! has never done anything like this before. Use this time to stock up on essentials like adhesives and cardstock, or splurge on your wishlist items!  Once August rolls around, you'll get to have fun shopping again with all your Bonus Days coupons.

 An email address is required to participate in this promotion; Bonus Days coupon codes can only be delivered via email.  It is strongly recommended that participants both save emails containing their Bonus Days coupon codes AND write down the coupon codes in a safe place. Codes cannot be resent if the email is lost, and lost codes cannot be recovered.

Spoiler Alert

You can use your Bonus Days coupons to purchase an Exclusive, Limited-Time Bundle that will only be available in August!  It's called Thoughtful Branches and it is gorgeous!  Check back often for more on this...

Adventure Awaits

Hi Stampers,

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!  We enjoyed spending time with friends at cookouts and campfires.  Life is good!

My youngest son is off on another adventure, and I was inspired to create a card for him:

The stamp set is called Places You'll Go and I love all of the sentiments that go along with the images.

I was really pleased with the way the globe turned out.  I started by spritzing water on a piece of watercolor paper.  Then I used my Aqua Painter to drip some Dapper Denim ink in the areas that would be ocean on the globe.  I let that dry a few minutes then went back and did the same thing with Lost Lagoon ink in the areas that would be land.  After both colors were dry, I stamped the globe image on top of the watercoloring in Smoky Slate, then added the sentiment in Memento Black.  I cut it out with my 2" circle die and added an enamel heart in Dapper Denim.  The base of the card is made from Dapper Denim.  The banner is Sahara Sand, embellished with a piece of Linen Thread.  The designer papers are from a stack called Going Places, which was in the 2016 Occasions catalog.  A 1/8" stripe of Silver Foil Sheet separates the black designer paper from the Dapper Denim cardstock.

I hope you're inspired to create a special card for someone you know who is going on an adventure.

Happy stamping!

Pat

Congrats on your new Home Tweet Home

Hi Stampers,

Buying a first home is a milestone in life and a definite cause for celebration!  This week a lovely young couple that I know moved into their very own first home and I made this card for them.

Aren't those little birds sweet?  I started with a piece of Whisper White and sponged on a few clouds using a stencil I cut by hand and some Soft Sky on a Stampin' sponge. The branch, birds and flowers are from Swirly Bird.  The leaves are from a different stamp set called Love & Affection. Colors are Emerald Envy, Dapper Denim, Peekaboo Peach and Daffodil Delight.  "Congrats to You" comes from Tin of Cards.

Here's how I made the birdhouse - I think you're gonna like this!

I started by stamping a piece of Dapper Denim cardstock with Dapper Denim ink and the Hardwood background stamp.  Then I cut a strip 1 1/2" wide to fit into the middle slot of the Triple Banner Punch.  

This is how the back of the punch would normally appear when you slip the cardstock in it -

But, if you take the leading edge of the cardstock and pull it out of the punch like this-

You get a birdhouse as tall as you like!

The roofline is just as simple.  In this case, I cut a 2" wide strip of Crumb Cake cardstock and punched it with the Triple Banner Punch as you normally would.  Then without ever removing it from the punch, simply slide it forward and punch again: 

You end up with a roof that fits perfectly on your birdhouse.  The bottom of the birdhouse is another piece of Crumb Cake cardstock cut 2" x about 1/8" on your paper trimmer.  I stamped a simple design on both pieces from the Tin of Cards stamp set for a little extra interest.  I turned the birdhouse, roof & bottom over and used Tear & Tape adhesive to attach the 3 pieces together on the back.  The last step is to punch a small hole in the center and adhere a piece of Basic Black cardstock behind it. When you are ready to adhere the birdhouse simply take the backing off of the adhesive and mount it on your card front.  An enamel heart shape in Peekaboo Peach is the finishing touch.

These little birdhouses are fun and easy to make using the Triple Banner Punch because the pieces fit perfectly together.  I want to try another card like this with multiple birdhouses in different heights and widths.  Maybe these ones will be on posts in the ground with flowers growing up around them!

Thanks for looking!
Pat