September Stamping Project: Sunflower Blessings

My brother is finally seeing the results of all his careful tending of his sunflowers this summer - bright, beautiful blooms. I was thinking of him when I designed this card since we're both autumn babies. Fall itself, despite all its splendid colours, tends to get lost between back to school, Halloween and Thanksgiving. Of course I'm partial to the new designer series paper in the 2017 Stampin' Up holiday catalogue and couldn't wait to order some. In this card we can take advantage of the watercolour look of the Painted Harvest set and do some two step stamping.


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Supply list for two cards

• Very Vanilla 8.5x11" cardstock (2 sheets or 1 sheet and scraps)
• Painted Autumn DSP (green striped sheet)
• Early Espresso ink
• Crushed curry ink
• Daffodil Delight ink
• Sahara Sand ink
• Garden Green ink
• Wild Wasabi ink
• Leaf Punch
• Mesh stamp from Best Birds
• Sunflower stamps from Painted Harvest
• Sentiment stamps from Count My Blessings
• Adhesive, Stampin' Sponges and Stampin' Dimensionals plus scissor snips

1. Score an 8.x5x11” sheet of Very Vanilla cardstock down the middle. Do not fold. Cut in half to make 2 4.25x5.5” card bases.
2. Stamp all over the front of the cards with the mesh stamp from Best Birds in Sahara Sand ink.
3. Load up a Stampin' sponge with Sahara Sand ink and sponge around the edges and towards the top of the card front.
4. Cut one 3.25x8.5" panel from the green striped sheet from the Painted Autumn DSP package and cut in half to make two panels sized 3.25x4.25". Adhere each panel to the card front aligned to the bottom centre of the card front.
5. Stamp the "When I count my blessings" sentiment stamp on the inside of each card in Early Espresso ink.
6. On another sheet of Very Vanilla cardstock or a large scrap piece, stamp the "Thinking of you" sentiment stamp twice from Count My Blessings in Early Espresso.
7. I freehanded the banner shape - draw very lightly around the sentiment and cut out. Sponge around it with Sahara Sand.
8. Here's where you can really utilize your Very Vanilla scraps - we all have that box of them! Load up the more solid leaf and stem shape from Painted Harvest with Wild Wasabi ink and stamp 7-8 of them. Then load up the other leaf and stem shape with garden green and carefully stamp on top of the other stamped image. Punch each one out with the Leaf Punch.
9. Again on Very Vanilla, stamp the more solid sunflower shape with Daffodil Delight ink six times. Load up the other sunflower shape with all the petals with Crushed Curry and carefully stamp on top of previous image. Stamp the centre with Early Espresso. I used a brown marker to fill in the centre more, by the way. Fussy cut out each sunflower with scissor snips.
10. Time to assemble the rest of the card. Adhere the punched leaf shapes at the top of the green striped panel and save one for below the sunflowers. Adhere two sunflowers side by side and then use one or two Stampin' Dimensionals for the flower on the middle. Then adhere the banner down and you're done!

Well, winter's chill is on the doorstep, so stay tuned for some wintery greetings next time!

August Stamping Project: Sending Lots of Love Card

I missed blogging in July because July was full of tough stuff. One of my pets died, a family member had surgery and one of my SU team mates took ill and passed away. What do you - what does anyone - say in these heartbreaking times? Saying the right thing is so important and often we can find ourselves at a loss for the right words. Even Google can’t help sometimes. Fortunately I could lean on my Stampin’ Up collection for the perfect thing to say for one situation. Crafting definitely saved my sanity in July and August!

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Supply list for two cards

• Cherry Cobbler cardstock
• Pink Pirouette 8.5x11" cardstock
• Whisper White 8.5x11" cardstock
• Vellum cardstock
• Fresh Fig ink
• Melon Mambo ink
• Powder Pink ink
• Berry Burst ink
• Mesh stamp from Best Birds
• Large dragonfly stamp from Dragonfly Dreams
• Small flower stamp from Touches of Texture
• Large sentiment stamp from Lots of Love
• Ruler and craft knife or Stampin' Trimmer
• Adhesive and Stampin' Dimensionals plus scissor snips

1. Score an 8.x5x11” sheet of Pink Pirouette cardstock down the middle. Do not fold. Cut in half to make 2 4.25x5.5” card bases.
2. Stamp all over the right side of the sheet with the mesh stamp and Power Pink ink.
3. Stamp large dragonfly from Dragonfly Dreams in Fresh Fig on front of card bases. I used a Stamp-a-ma-jig to position the dragonflies.
4. Cut two 3.5x5" strips of vellum and stamp randomly all over it with the small flower stamp from Touches of Texture in Melon Mambo ink. Cut the strip in half when done.
5. Stamp two Sending So Much Love stamps on Whisper White cardstock and fussy cut around it with scissor snips.
6. I freehanded two hearts from Cherry Cobbler, but you could use one of the hearts from the Sweet & Sassy Framelits Dies set. You may want to add more hearts.
7. Time to assemble! Centre the vellum strip on the card base and adhere with tear tape in the middle. Affix the heart to the right side of the card. Use a few Stamping Dimensionals and mount the sentiment to the top of the card.

I hope this blog post finds you all well and until next time...

July Stamping Project: Canada Day Card Crafting

Happy Canada Day! I made these cards earlier in June, then I took ill with a cold that lasted forever, so I didn't get a chance to give them to anyone. They were easy to design and made with just a few supplies. Sometimes there are some stamps that one uses a lot and I find myself always breaking out the Vintage Leaves stamp set. Maybe it's because I'm a nature lover or that I love the versatility of this set for any occasion. These Canada Day cards would be perfect for invitations to a celebration or barbecue. While there is a matching die set for Vintage Leaves, I fussy cut the leaves out with Paper Snips.

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Supply list for flag card

• Real Red 8.5x11" cardstock or 12x12" sheet
• Whisper White 8.5x11" cardstock
• Real Red ink
• Powder Pink ink
• Vintage Leaves maple leaf stamp
• Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies
• Stamping Sponges
• Ruler and craft knife or Stampin' Trimmer

This is a great way to use up leftover strips of Whisper White in your scrap bin!

1. Score a sheet of 8.5x11" Real Red cardstock down the middle. Do not cut in half.
2. Stamp all over the right side of the sheet with the maple leaf stamp and Real Red ink.
3. Cut sheet in half to make a 1 4.25x6" card base (12x12" Real Red cardstock works better - it is now sold in a "best of" pack). Trim the card base to make a 4x6" front facing card.
4. Cut a 2.5x4" strip of Whisper White cardstock sheet and stamp all over it with the maple leaf stamp in Power Pink ink.
5. Sponge Power Pink ink around the edges of the white strip.
6. Stamp a maple leaf in Real Red ink on Real Red cardstock and die cut or fussy cut.
7. Die cut a stitched circle using the 3" circle from Whisper White cardstock.
8. Time to assemble! To maintain the flag ratio, adhere the white strip in the middle, about 1 5/8" from the left side. Affix the maple leaf to the circle. Use dimensionals to pop up the circle.

You could also had a white panel inside for your message or choose another sentiment stamp too.

Supply list for celebrate card

• Real Red 8.5x11" cardstock
• Whisper White 8.5x11" cardstock
• Real Red ink
• Powder Pink ink
• Vintage Leaves maple leaf stamp
• Birthday Blast celebrate stamp
• Stamping Sponges
• Ruler and craft knife or Stampin' Trimmer

Birthday Blast was a 2017 Occasions stamp set, but you can use any other similar greeting.

1. Score a sheet of 8.5x11" Whisper White cardstock down the middle. Do not cut in half.
2. Stamp all over the right side of the sheet with the maple leaf stamp and Power Pink ink.
3. Cut sheet in half to make 2 4.25x5.5" card bases.
4. Fold card bases in half and sponge around the edges of the card in Power Pink ink.
5. Stamp a maple leaf in Real Red ink on Whisper White cardstock and die cut or fussy cut.
6. Sponge Real Red ink around the inside of the maple leaf.
7. Stamp sentiment in Real Red ink on Whisper White cardstock and die cut or fussy cut.
8. Cut a 1x4.25" strip of Real Red cardstock and stamp all over it in Real Red with the maple leaf stamp.
9. Time to assemble! Centre the sentiment on the Real Red cardstock strip. Position it 1" from the bottom edge of the card and adhere. Use dimensionals to pop up the maple leaf above it.

Until next time!

New Catalogue Favourites Part 3

My last favourite product from the new Stampin' Up catalogue is the Pinewood Planks Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. It may be a funny product to spotlight given all the new, exciting stamps, but it's exciting to me. In the past, woodgrain embossing folders and texture plates were always too detailed and weakened the piece of cardstock. The result was very bendy! I like the Pinewood Planks Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder because it leaves a realistic woodgrain background without completely compromising the cardstock. Maybe I also love it because I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and it's perfect for any Western themed idea!

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New Catalogue Favourites Part 2

My next favourite product from the new Stampin' Up catalogue is the circle tab punch. A collective oooooh went up from the crowd at OnStage when it was revealed! It's easy to forget that punches still exist in this whiz-bang world of cutting dies, but they are still very versatile and easy for little hands to use. What can you do with a circle tab punch? Plenty:

• Make tabs for your planner, sketch book or index cards
• Make quick holders for your Stampin' sponges
• Affix other die cuts to the tab for pocket cards
• Hole punch to make tabs for a mini album
• Just use as a fun shape!

There is also a matching stamp set called Tabs for Everything.

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New Catalogue Favourites Part 1

Huzzah! It's the best time of the year in Stampin' Up land - the new catalogue is officially out! I received the new catalogue back in April at OnStage, but had to keep it's wondrous surprises under my hat until June 1st. I am so jazzed about the five new in-colours. They are vivid, bold and playful. Two purplish colours? Yes please!

Even though I am a demo, the amount of items available for pre-order were limited, so I could only order things on June 1st too. They arrived yesterday, just in time for the weekend. I am going to highlight some of my favourite new items from the catalogue and I'll start with the exciting stamp set I won during the Prize Patrol at OnStage - Oh So Electic.

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I was so thrilled to win this set because I love nature designs and the variety of stamps allowed for so many possibilities, plus there's a matching die set if you want to bundle up! Once my new 2017-2018 In-Color ink pads arrived, I pulled out a sheet of Whisper White and just stamped all over the page to try them out! I don't know if this sheet will end up as cards or a background for scrapbooking, but I am so in love with Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist, Fresh Fig and Powder Pink. Stay tuned for Part 2!

May Stamping Project: Quick and Easy Project Life Dividers

Sometimes stamping projects don't have to be greeting cards - they can be other fun ideas too! I bought a Project Life 6x8" album and quickly realized what it was missing - dividers! This is such a great chance to just have fun with new stamps and stamp all over a page. Tip - Project Life supplies won't be carried over into the new catalogue.

Supply list for 5 dividers

• 2016-2018 In-Colour cardstock (1 8.5x11" sheet per colour)
• 2016-2018 In-Colour inks
• Your favourite stamps!
• Craft knife, cutting mat and ruler or Stampin' Trimmer
• Hole punch

How I made the dividers:

1. Measure a 6x8" album page protector against the sheet of cardstock and make a small mark where to cut. Trim the sheet of cardstock down.
2. Trace the holes in the Proejct Life page protector and punch out with a hole punch. I had to punch two overlapping circles.
3. Load up your favourite stamps with ink and just stamp all over. Go crazy!

Simple supplies!

 

Simple stamping fun!

Annnnnd that's pretty much it! You could create layers or labels or tabs as well. I only mention this project because it's so quick and simple and great for kids. Instead of cutting each sheet down to size, score and fold where you would cut. Bend the paper backwards and stick down the edges to create a pocket behind the divider. Have fun!