Encre, papier, ciseaux

Going the Distance

So here is the scrapbook page that I made before using my scraps to create the card I shared yesterday. The picture was taken with one of my oldest friends from high school. We only see each other sporadically now since we don't live in the same city anymore, but it's always a blast to see her and we pick up right where we left off.

I would like to point your attention to the bottom left of the page, where I used one of the new items from the annual catalogue: the Dots & Stripes decorative masks (p. 205). I paired them with my own turquoise spritz I have created using the emty Spritzers we sell. I like the soft, gradient colour it created.

 

 

 

 

I was inspired to create one more quick card with the leftover papers because I had a bird image on a scrap that I thought would look nice and I found a small square card base in my Soft Sky cardstock folder, so this card came toghet in a matter of minutes.

The sentiment and bubble come from the Timeless Talk stamp set. I used Baked Brown Sugar ruffled ribbon on both sides of the image, Sweet Dots on the polka dot patterned paper and the new In Color Sequins on the flower and the sentiment bubble.

A matching envelope was created using the Envelope Punch Board. We've had many envelope-creating systems offered over the years, but this one is my favorite ever because you can honestly create envelopes of all sizes. The card I made is 4-1/4 x 4-1/4 so it's a different format from the ones I usually use.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Timeless Talk, Simple Serif Alphabet
Cardstock Soft Sky, Tango Tangerine
Patterned Papers: Fancy Pants Designs
Ink: Baked Brown Sugar, Soft Sky
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Dots & Stripes Decorative Masks, Spritzer, Sweet Dots,
In Color Sequins, Stampin' Dimensionals, Baked Brown Sugar Ruffled Ribbon,
Big Designer Buttons, Baked Brown Sugar baker's twine, Flowers, Alphabet stickers, Alphabet rub-ons,
Stampin' Write Markers, Felt Button, Buttons, Die-cuts, Toppers CutUp dies, Ticket Corner Punch

 

Best Fishes

Today's card was created using leftover pieces from a scrapbook page I finished yesterday (and which I have yet to photograph and share with you here). Whenever time allows, I just love doing that because it saves time on pairing papers and cardstock with embellishments and such since everything is already out on the table.

Two challenges were paired to get this card: Sweet Sunday Sketch #225 and Paper Players #202. The Paper Players challenge was a tic-tac-toe and I used the top row: Twine + any shade of blue + birthday.

Since the patterned papers could be made to work for a masculine design, I decided that's what I wanted to aim for since I never seem to have enough masculine cards to keep up with the demand. I used the Reel Experts stamp set for the main image and stamped my background cardstock with the Hardwood background stamp to match the fishing image. There were some good sentiments in that set, but none were small enough to fit in a tab like on the sketch, and none were birthday-oriented, so I looked through my English sentiments and found "Best Fishes" in another Cat's Pajamas set called , well, Best Fishes! Perfect. I embossed it with Tango Tangerine Stampin' Emboss powder on brown patterned paper.

All of the edges were daubed with Baked Brown Sugar ink for a grungy look and I added a piece of Early Espresso baker's twine at the top and bottom of the main strip. Two buttons were added at top to finish the look, and a matching envelope was made using the Envelope Punch Board.

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Best Fishes, Reel Experts (Cat's Pajamas), Hardwood (SU!)
Cardstock: Tango Tangerine, Very Vanilla, Soft Sky
Patterned Papers: Fancy Pants Designs
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), VersaMark, Soft Sky
Accessories: Buttons, Daubers, Tango Tangerine Stampin' Emboss Powder, Envelope Punch Board,
Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Corner Rounder Punch, Markers

 

Stampin' Up!'s 2014-2016 In Colors - Lost Lagoon and Hello Honey

This card was inspired by a card Brandy Cox shared in a video, where she made 10 cards in 20 minutes. Her design was black and white and she used another stamp set, but even though I adapted the design, the idea is totally her own.

I wanted to showcase the new In Colors, so I paired Lost Lagoon and Hello Honey with Very Vanilla. I used the Daydream Medallions stamp set to create the focal point and also to create the border at left (created by using the strip of cardstock left when cutting the card base to size).

What I liked the most about Brandy's design was the fact that the cardbase is just a single layer of cardstock and the part of the card that opens is glued directly on it. A small detail that really makes the card unique.

I was looking for an appropriate sentiment to add to the card and I spotted one of the new hostess sets, in which a sentiment reads, "I would like to thank you for all you do". How perfect, since the cards I made all went to my first-level downline members to congratulate them on another year of work with SU! (our SU! year ends in June).

The small flower in the center of my focal point is from the new Bitty Accents punch pack newly added to the catalogue.

 

 

Color Combo: Lost Lagoon + Hello Honey + Very Vanilla

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Daydream Medallions, Fais ce qui te plaît
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon
Ink: Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon
Accessories: Bitty Accents Punch Pack, Pearl Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Vanilla Envelope, Circle Punches, Scallop Circle Punches

 

Birthday Mustache

Today's card is totally copied from a design shared by Erica Cerwin on her blog (Pink Buckaroo Designs). I liked the simple, streamline design, the fun factor added by the mustache and the masculine card factor. It was a quick design and it allowed to stamp a little something quickly before bedtime. The only change I made to the design was add Coastal Cabana baker's twine behind the image (a last-minute idea). By the way, you're going to love that new twine - if you got the Sweet Sorbet Accessories pack during Sale-A-Bration, this is the same stuff and it's awesome! It's a little thicker than the other baker's twine we carry and it's very easy to handle and tie. I strongly recommend adding some to your stash! We have some great colors, but if you have to pick where to start, I'd say Baked Brown Sugar and Coastal Cabana will get you far. The first is a great neutral and the second one seems to be a recurrent color in SU!'s Designer Series Papers, so those are probably a good place to start.

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Fête de famille (retired)
Cardstock: Real Red, Night of Navy, Whisper White
Designer Series Papers: Maritime
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: Mustache die, Large Dots Embossing Folder, Envelope Punch Board,
Ticket Corner Punch, Coastal Cabana Thick Baker's Twine, Corner Rounder Punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig

 

Stampin' Up!'s Sea Street - Nautical Flags

I needed something cute and current to mass-produce to send to my team so I came up with this design based on the CAS(E) this Sketch challenge #81. This is another design I worked on during my stamping day with Magdeleine. I hope my downline members like it!

I took advantage of the double-sided paper and folded the edge over to reveal the nautical knot pattern underneath. I didn't glue the torn edge down to keep the dimension.

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Sea Street
Cardstock: Real Red, Whisper White, Night of Navy
Designer Series Papers: Maritime
Ink: Real Red, Night of Navy, Coastal Cabana
Accessories: Banners Framelits Dies, Circle Punches, Artisan Label Punch, White Envelope

 

Stampin' Up!'s Life's Adventure - Welcome!

The new hostess set Life's Adventure is turning out to be a new favorite. I've made yet another card with it, this time using the cute house with the welcome greeting. I figured this would make a great card to welcome new downline members to the team. Heads-up to anyone who's been thinking about signing up with Stampin' Up!: if you're the next member to join my team, this card will be coming your way! *smile*

Speaking of downline, I created this card during the day off we had for St-Jean Baptiste Day. I had invited my downline member Magdeleine to come over for a day of stamping and it so happened that it was rainy that day, so it was a perfect day to stay inside and create. The wonderful color combo was inspired by the Color Throwdown challenge #297 and the design came from the Sweet Sunday Sketch #223.

I used the new Blendabilities markers (which are now available to order in six of the colors plus the skin tones pack for customers) to color my image. Even though right now we are limited in our color selection, I still very much enjoy coloring with those fabulous markers and I cannot wait to add more colors to my collection. I hope you get to give them a try, because they really are fun to use and produce amazing results quickly. Totally different from watercoloring and well worth the investment.

The card background was stamped with the Dictionary background stamp, the Bermuda Bay cardstock was embossed using the Mosaic embossing folder and the Basic Grey strip was embossed with the Alphabet Press embossing folder.

To create the tab, I used the Artisan Label punch folded in half and added a Bermuda Bay Designer button on it. Daffodil Delight baker's twine was added as well. The main image was die-cut using the Ovals Collection Framelits dies.

 

 

 

 

 

Color Combo: Bermuda Bay + Daffodil Delight + Smoky Slate +
Basic Grey + Whisper White

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Aventure du quotidien (Life's Adventure), Dictionary
Cardstock: Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight, Basic Grey, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Smoky Slate
Accessories: Alphabet Press Embossing Folder, Mosaic Embossing Folder, Daffodil Delight Baker's Twine,
Ovals Collections Framelits Dies, Stampin' Dimensionals, Blendabilities Markers,
Regals Designer Buttons, Artisan Label Punch, Paper Piercer and Piercing Template, White Envelope

 

Stampin' Up!'s Sea Street and Work of Art - Nautical Father's Day

This card was inspired by the Paper Players sketch #201. I wamted to use the Sea Street stamp set to create a masculine card, and I decided to combine it with the Work of Art stamp set to create the background. I stamped the brushstroke image in alternating colors (Real Red and Marina Mist) then added the flag image and the rope image in Night of Navy on top. I matted the strip with Night of Navy cardstock and added it to my Marina Mist cardbase on which I stamped the Hardwood background stamp in Night of Navy.

I wanted this card to have a Father's Day sentiment on it, so I had to reach for an older retired set to have something of a substantial size that would work for my design. I inked the stamp with Stampin' Write markers, stamped it on White cardstock, rounded the corners with a punch and I added a piece of Real Red cardstock die-cut with the Window Frames Collection Framelits dies underneath. I added a red Sweet Dot to the letter O.

The first pennant at top was created by stamping the anchor image in VersaMark on Real Red cardstock and embossing the image with White Stampin' Emboss powder. I then used the pennant from the Hearts a Flutter Framelits dies and matted the die-cut with White cardstock. The second pennant was die-cut with the Pennants Framelits dies and embossed with the Arrows embossing folder, then matted with Marina Mist cardstock. It was popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals and I added two Marina Mist Sweet Dots in the center of the arrows.

A white medium envelope was stamped to match.

 

 

 

 

Color Combo: Real Red + Marina Mist + Night of Navy + Whisper White

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Sea Street, Work of Art, Hardwood, Fêtes diverses (retired)
Cardstock: Marina Mist, Night of Navy, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Marina Mist, Night of Navy, Real Red
Accessories: Window Frame Collection Framelits dies, Pennants Framelits dies,
Hearts a Flutter Framelits dies, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sweet Dots, White Stampin' Emboss powder,
Stampin' Write markers, White envelope, Stamp-a-ma-jig

 

Featuring Stampin' Up!'s Tap Tap Tap - Talk to Me

Today, I'm sharing with you my very favorite new set released in the annual catalogue: Tap Tap Tap. Instant love the minute I leafed through the new catalogue. I always love vintage typewriter images, but what took me over the edge was the alphabet type background and the "tap tap tap" sentiment, which is so adorable.

Needless to say, this went on my very first catalogue order and I was eager to get it inked. I drew inspiration from the Create with Connie and Mary challenge #308, the Friday Mashup challenge #165 (word bubbles) and the Paper Pals Arts sketch #208. When I saw the sketch, I figured I could do a long sheet coming out of the typewriter to reflect the long vertical strip on the sketch. I first thought the typewriter itself would represent the circle on the sketch, but then I got a better idea: use the Word Bubbles Framelits to add the tap tap tap. Way better!

The color combo from the challenge was right on point because I had also added the new Crushed Curry Stampin' Emboss powder to my order and was itching to try it out, as I thought the yellow would look really pretty embossed - and it does! I chose to add Basic Grey as a neutral to have the yellow embossing powder on a darker background so that it would really pop.

Another new item from my order is the cotton ribbon SU! is selling is a nice variety of colours. I was curious to see this one up close so when I was trying to choose which colour to order, I chose Real Red because I'm out of current ribbon in that colour and then I thought I would get Whisper White as well and try dying it with Blendabilities markers. I've got good news: it works like a charm. Used the medium shade from the Daffodil Delight collection and it matches my project nicely. The big advantage of using this method of dying ribbon is that it won't bleed on your project. I can't stress that enough, after many unsucessful tries at dying ribbon using inks or reinkers. No matter how I tried to set the colour, using an iron, my heat tool or letting it sit for a couple of days, the ink always seem to bleed back into the cardstock later and I ruined a few projects this way. So my dying days were over, but now there's hope yet.

See that cute polka dot background on the Bermuda Bay cardstock? It's the Large Polka Dot embossing folder. Who doesn't love polka dot? It's a great addition to our embossing folders line.

Last detail that came to me as I was putting the card together - I spotted my fringe scissors on the table and thought, hmm, maybe I could add a border with fringes of some sort, like shredded paper? So I used the lined paper stamp from the set and added my little "shredded paper" border. Isn't that cute?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Tap Tap Tap
Cardstock: Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Real Red, Whisper White, watercolor paper, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay, Smoky Slate, Going Grey, Black StazOn
Accessories: Blending pen, Crushed Curry Stampin' Emboss Powder, Word Bubbles Framelits dies,
Stampin' Dimensionals, White Cotton Ribbon, Blendabilities Markers (Daffodil Delight Collection),
Fringe Scissors, Large Polka Dots Embossing Folder, White Envelope

 

Stampin' Up!'s Something for Baby - Welcome Little Angel

Today's card is inspired by the following challenges: Color Throwdown #296 and Paper Craft Crew Card Sketch #97. Isn't the inspiration picture just fabulous? The color scheme really spoke to me and I kept thinking about a baby-theme project, although I'm sure this color combo could work for other themes as well. In a sense, I'm not surprised I was drawn to this color combo, as Kiwi Kiss and Cool Caribbean are at the top of my list of favorite In Colors. I can't believe that SU! didn't bring back either one of them when they changed their color families. I suspect it is because we had similar shades coming in the new families, but still, if we could vote for colours we wish would make a comeback, I'd certainly vote for those two. I'm torn between using the colors on projects since I like them so much and hoarding the small quantity of cardstock I have left for both shades. I know it's silly, but I'm sure some of you can relate!

That being said, I used the Something for Baby stamps set and matching Framelits (which are offered at a reduced price when bought as a bundle) for the accessories. This set doesn't include sentiments, so I pulled out the Baby, We've Grown stamp set for the sentiment. I stamped the "little angel" in grey ink and colored it with markers. Then, I used the Petite Pairs stamp set to add "welcome" before it. I used markers to omit the words I didn't want and only ink "welcome." The sentiment was framed with a die-cut made with the On Film Framelits dies.

A paper doily was folded in half and decorated with rhinestones of various sizes. A small Designer button was added to the baby bib, and a bow was made out of Kiwi Kiss organza ribbon (from a past Sale-A-Bration promo).

The card background was embossed with the Scallops embossing folder and since I was making a 5-1/4 x 5-1/4 square card, the embossing folder wasn't large enough to cover the whole width, so I stamped the safety pin image in the unembossed space at left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Something for Baby, Beau petit chou (Baby, We've Grown), Quelques lignes (Petite Pairs)
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss, Cool Caribbean, Whisper White
Ink: Smoky Slate, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Stampin' Write Markers, Subtles Designer Buttons, Kiwi Kiss Organza Ribbon,
On Film Framelits dies, Baby's First Framelits dies, Rhinestone Basic Jewels,
Paper Doily, Stampin' Dimensionals, Scallops Embossing Folder, White Square Envelope

 

Stampin' Up!'s Let Your Hair Down (Hostess)

I hadn't done a shaker card in ages, so I decided to use the shaker frames in combination with the new Let Your Hair Down hostess set. I also pulled the beautiful Monnlight Designer Series Paper Stack.  The design was inspired by this week's Mojo Monday sketch (#349).

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Fais ce qui te plaît (Let Your Hair Down)
Cardstock: Smoky Slate, Basic Grey, Lost Lagoon, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Moonlight Stack
Ink: Stampin' Markers (Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey)
Accessories: Shaker Frames, Neutrals Sweet Dots, Window Sheet, Circle punches, Scallop Circle punch,
Silver brads, Neutrals glimmer brad, Banner Punch, Lost Lagoon and Hello Honey satin ribbons,
Champagne Glass Glitter, White Envelope

 

Stampin' Up!'s Life an Adventure - The Fox Says... It's Raining!

The new hostess set Life's an Adventure is just so adorable, I had to use it again and ink another one of its images. I chose the fox this time around and paired it with the colour combo from the Nacho Average challenge #92 and the Deconstructed Sketch #154.

I decided to use my new Blendabilities markers (the alcohol-based markers SU! released in its new catalogue) to color the little fox image. I hope down the line, SU! will keep releasing new colors over time until we have a fuller line, but for the time being, I select colors that are as close to my cardstock as possible, even if they are not perfect matches. Here, I used the Rich Razzleberry Collection, the Coastal Cabana Collection and the Daffodil Delight Collection, which still match Perfect Plum, Island Indigo and Crushed Curry quite nicely. I also used the Pumpkin Pie collection for the fox's fur.

It took me a little bit of time to find my stride with this card. I started layering papers and cardstock and my image but the card still felt a little drab to me. Then, I thought I could add rain so I tried to decide between raindrops created with Crystal Effects or with Dazzling Details. Then, it hit me: I could use the Cupcake punch to punch raindrops out of Silver glimmer paper. Recognize that shape? It's the flame on the candle! Works brilliantly, doesn't it? This little detail totally makes the card, I feel. I've ordered the new Dazzling Diamonds glimmer paper but I haven't received it yet. I think it would work great to create the raindrops as well.

The back of my card is stamped with the Dictionary background stamp and the Perfect Plum cardstock is embossed with the Arrows embossing folder, and I tied Indigo Island baker's twine at the junction of the two colours.

The center panel was created with a piece of Indigo Insland Designer Paper matted with Gold cardstock. I added a piece of Gold Designer Vellum on it.

 

TIP: Vellum can be hard to glue down without the adhesive showing, but since this vellum has patterns on it, I recommend simply applying your adhesive behind the stripes, dots or hearts.

 

 

 

 

Color Combo: Perfect Plum + Island Indigo + Crushed Curry

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Aventure du quotidien (Life's Adventure), Dictionary
Cardstock: Island Indigo, Perfect Plum, Crushed Curry, Whisper White
Designer Paper: island Indigo
Ink: Crushed Curry, Tuxedo Black Memento
Accessories: Island Indigo Baker's Twine, Regals Designer Buttons, Linen Thread,
Crushed Curry Chevron Ribbon, Gold Designer Vellum, Arrows Embossing Folder,
Clouds Embossing Folder, Blendabilities Markers, Silver Glimmer Paper, Cupcake Punch,
2-1/2" Circle Punch, Envelope Punch Board, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

A little Dash of Joy

I thought the inspiration piecture from this week's Merry Monday challenge (#111) was gorgeous. I love candy-colored Christmas card, they're a fresh and modern take on the usual cards.  I pulled out a retired set called Scandinavian Season from a few years ago. I embossed it in Silver powder on watercolor paper and colored it with a Aquapainter brush and ink.

The sentiment was created with the photopolymer stamp set Endless Wish. I used the Scallop Tag Topper punch on the patterned paper and added a piece of Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon. For my embellishment, I used a Baja Breeze corduroy brad, which I topped with a small star punched out of Silver Glimmer Paper using the Itty Bitty Accents punch pack (new in this year's catalogue).

 

 

 

 

 

Color Combo: Wisteria Wonder + Strawberry Slush + Pool Party + Silver

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Scandinavian Season, Endless Wishes
Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder, Strawberry Slush, Silver, Watercolor
Patterned Papers: Merry & Bright (Carta Bella)
Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Pool Party, Strawberry Slush
Accessories: Adorning Accents Edgelits and embossing folders, Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon,
Silver Glimmer Paper, Itty Bitty Accents punch pack, Baja Breeze Corduroy Brad, White Envelope,
Corner Rounder Punch, Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder, Stampin' Dimensionals, Aquapainter Brush

 

Stampin' Up!'s Hamburger Box Die - I Heart You

I had preorder the Hamburger Box Die and hadn't given it a try yet. I was curious to see the size of the box in person, so I used the color combo challenge on the Create with Connie and Mary blog (#306) as my starting point for the box.

The die includes a tag with a punched heart on it so that is what I used to decorate the top of the box. I cut the sides of the tag and embossed it with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. I traced the heart with a pencil on Wild Wasabi cardstock and then I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to center a sentiment (from the Petite Pairs stamp set) in the center of the heart. I stamped and embossed the sentiment with Pool Party embossing powder and I used my paper piercer to add a piercer border inside. I erased my pencil marks and then layered the heart piece with Stampin' Dimensionals.

I wanted to stamp the box to make it more interesting. Since the piece of cardstock you use is quite long (9-1/2"), if you want to use a background stamp, you'll need to stamp it twice on your piece of cardstock. With that in mind, I stamped two background stamps side by side, so that the top and the bottom of the box wouldn't have the same pattern: Hardwood for the top and Dictionary for the bottom. A piece of Wild Wasabi stitched ribbon (now retired) was used to tie around the box, but as a decorative piece, because the box already has tabs that you slide in slits to keep it shut.

I will say that I really like the size of this box, because in the past, a lot of our box dies have produced really small packaging. This one can contain something a little more substantial, so I feel like this will be a nice addition to my collection.

 

TIP: You need to use adhesive in the folds on the sides of the top and bottom of the box. I tried three different adhesives on the box to test them: Mini glue dots, Fast Fuse (the new adhesive added to our line) and Multipurpose glue. I noticed the Multipurpose glue tended to squirt out of the folds and you needed to hold it in place for quite a while before the glue set, so I didn't like that option. The Fast Fuse is starting to come apart after a day. Although this new adhesive holds better than Snail, it is not strong enough for 3D projects (as confirmed by the info shared in the video SU! issued about this new adhesive.) The mini glue dots hold well, but they don't lay as flat and give dimension to the folds. Next time, I plan on using the Sticky Strip to put the box together. There's no going around it, it remains the best adhesive for any kind of 3D project.

 

 

 

 

 

Color Combo: Perfect Plum + Wild Wasabi + Coastal Cabana

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Hardwood, Dictionary, Quelques lignes (Petite Pairs)
Cardstock: Perfect Plum, Coastal Cabana, Wild Wasabi
Ink: VersaMark, Perfect Plum
Accessories: Pool Party Stampin' Emboss Powder, Wild Wasabi Stitched Grosgrain ribbon,
Hamburer Box Die, Stampin' Dimensionals, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder,
Eyelet, Paper Piercer, Crop-a-Dile

 

Stampin' Up!'s Work of Art - Framed Work of Art

A quick creation made with the new Work of Art stamp set. This one is going to be fun to use! And a great set to make fast cards with a lot of punch. It's an instant favorite for me!

I used Tango Tangerine Stampin' Emboss powder on the sentiment to make it stand out of the Soft Sky brushstroke.

 

 

Color Combo: Soft Sky + Tango Tangerine + Pear Pizzazz

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Work of Art, Notes de saison (retired)
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Tango Tangerine, Very Vanilla
Inks: Soft Sky, Tango Tangerine, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Designer Frames Embossing Folders, Stampin' Dimensionals, Big Designer Button,
Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding, Tango Tangerine Stampin' Emboss Powder, Vanilla Envelope

 

Berry Christmas Wreath

Today's card is a little out of the blue since it's a Christmas card in June and one that doesn't use any new supplies at all. The reason this card was created today is that I really liked the inspiration picture shared for the Festive Friday Challenge #32 and I wanted to create a little something inspired by it. I didn't have anything from the recent release that fit, but I thought the Candlelight Christmas DSP from last year and the retired Berry Christmas stamp set would work great. The Berry Christmas set found its way into my collection because we were given this set by SU! at a Regional event. This is not something that I would have thought to order for myself because it's style is very streamlined and graphic, which is not the style I usually go for and usually have trouble creating with. This set turned out to be such a wonderful surprise for me and I got quite a good use out of it. Years later, I still like to pull it out once in a while (and considering my vast collection of Christmas stamps, I think this says a lot).

I paired the first challenge with last week's Freshly Made Sketch (#138), which I thought would work great for the streamlined look I was going for based on the inspiration picture and stamp set used. I really like how the card turned out, which is good because I usually have a hard time feeling satisfied when I put together a simpler card.

The sentiment comes from the (also retired) Tous mes voeux pour Noël stamp set.

 

 

 

   

 

 

Inside of the card

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Berry Christmas, Tous mes voeux pour Noël
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Real Red, Very Vanilla
Specialty Designer Series Papers: Candlelight Christmas
Inks: Old Olive, Real Red, Early Espresso
Acccessories: Designer Button, Silver thread, Early Espresso satin ribbon,
Envelope Punch Board, Corner Rounder Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stamp-a-ma-jig

 

Stampin' Up!'s Something for Baby - Lagoon Onesie

Okay, confession time... When I saw the Moonlight Paper Stack in the catalogue, I wasn't too impressed with it. In my defense, the way the papers are pictured doesn't show them very well, especially in the electronic version of the cattie. Then, this pack was part of the preorder and since I had an item I could get at 50% off, I was looking for a little something inexpensive to finish off the order with and decided to take a chance on the paper stack. Boy, am I glad I did! The papers are beautiful. All of them. Love the colors, love the designs, love the practical size... I'm hooked. Be warned: this won't be the last card you'll see using these gorgeous papers.

I really liked this week's Create with Connie and Mary sketch and figured I could take my retiring flower die out for a last spin. Which was what I intended to do when I pulled out my supplies, but then I got inspired to use the baby onesie from the Something for Baby stamp set as the big image instead, and then got the idea that I could add a pierced heart shape on the second piece of paper as the second piece from the sketch. I guess I was itching to use my new stuff. But after focusing on retiring stuff the whole month of May, I think I've done good and earned that right!

We have a new Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack, which I used to punch the little heart out of Silver Glimmer Paper. (On a side note, you might have noticed that the Silver Glimmer paper was on the retiring list and that it is now in the new catalogue with the mention "New" beside it. It's because SU! has changed the color of the Silver paper. I haven't seen the new one up close just yet, but my guess is that it is more grey than the current one, and we now have a Dazzling Diamonds glimmer paper, which is more white, so more glittery options to choose from! Which is good because we LOVE our glimmer paper!)

Back to the card, the sentiment comes from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set. Three new In Colors are also featured on this card: Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey and Blackberry Bliss. I've used the matching satin ribbon to add a matching bow. I can already tell that Hello Honey and Lost Lagoon will be easy to include in a lot of color combos. Those two shades are instant favorites for me.

 

 

 

Color Combo: Smoky Slate + Lost Lagoon + Hello Honey + Blackberry Bliss

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Something for Baby, Voeux mignons (Teeny Tiny Wishes)
Cardstock: Lost Lagoon, Blackberry Bliss, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Moonlight Paper Pack
Ink: Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey
Accessories: Piercing Template and Paper Piercer, Silver Glimmer Paper, Teeny Tiny
Accents Punch Pack, Sweet Dots, Lost Lagoon and Blackberry Bliss satin ribbons,
Stampin' Dimensionals, White Envelope, Corner Rounder Punch

 

 

 

The New Catalogue is Here!

Today's an exciting day, as the new 2014-2015 Stampin' Up! just launched! Lots of exciting new stuff to add on our respective wish lists.

In the spirit of new releases, I used some of my preorder items for the first time on the card I am sharing with you, which was inspired by Mojo Monday Sketch #348. The image come from the cute stamp set Sea Street, which has an assorted paper pack called Maritime Designer Series Paper, and the sentiment comes from a new hostess set called Let Your Hair Down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Sea Street, Fais ce qui te plaît (Let Your Hair Down)
Cardstock: Real Red, Night of Navy, Whisper White, Silver
Designer Series Papers: Maritime
Ink: Night of Navy, Real Red, VersaMark
Accessories: Silver baker's twine, Envelope Punch Board (to round corners), Circle punch,
Clear Stampin' Emboss powder, Stampin' Dimensionals, White Stampin' Emboss powder,
Silver Metal Button, White Envelope

 

Stampin' Up!'s Love & Laughter - Wedding Bliss

One of the online challenges this week (from Paper Players, challenge #198) was to create a wedding project, which was great timing since the Love & Laughter set is retiring and I wanted to create a last-minute something with it. I paired it with the Afternoon Picnic Designer Series Papers and the Natural Composition Specialty Designer Series Papers (which are both retiring).

The dress was stamped in Wisteria Wonder ink and embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. I added a flower punched with the Itty Bitty Punch Pack and dotted the center with a pearl. The bottom of the dress was trimmed with Victoria Lace Trim.

 

Retiring items used on this card:

• Afternoon Picnic Designer Series Papers
• Natural Composition Specialty Designer Series Papers
• Summer Starfruit Satin Ribbon
• In Color Dahlias
• Jumbo Pearl Basic Jewels
• Circles Bigz Die
• Victoria Lace Trim
• itty Bitty Punch Pack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Éclats de rire & d'amour
Cardstock: Pool Party, Very Vanilla
Designer Series Paper: Afternoon Picnic
Ink: Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, VersaMark
Accessories: Gold Embossing Powder, Circles Bigz Die, Summer Starfruit Satin Ribbon,
In Color Dahlias, Subtles Sweet Dots, Pearl Basic Jewels, Victoria Lace Trim,
Iridescent Ice Stampin' Emboss Powder, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Envelope Punch Board