If you can’t be around friends and family this Easter, sending a sweet, warm greeting is a great way to remind loved ones that you’re thinking of them.
This pretty set of hand stamped cards is sure to brighten their holiday. The beautiful blossoms from the Forever Blossoms stamp set and coordinating dies is featured on each project. The sentiments are borrowed from the A Wish for Everything set — a convenient go-to set with many holiday greetings –and the coordinating Word Wishes dies.
Each project has been taken to the next level with soft Metallic Edge Ribbon and Petal Pink Gems.
Champagne Foil adds the pop to showcase the sentiment and single blossoms stamped with Memento Black Ink and colored with Petal Pink, Mint Macaron and Old Olive Stampin’ Blends.
It wouldn’t be Easter without cute bunny rabbits. The momma and baby bunny were pulled from the adorable Wildly Happy 9-piece stamp set.
Embossed vellum is layered over a sheet of scripty Parisian Blossoms Specialty Designer Series Paper.
These Easter cards will created along with a small circle of stamping friends during a live #CreativeCards class. Each guest will make eight stepped-up cards and will receive a pretty thank you gift of Cherry Blossom Green Tea in a hand-crafted holder. If you would like to receive information for upcoming live classes or It’s In The Mail kits, join my mailing list using the form on this page.
Bees and beehives are all the buzz right now. Did you know they fly more than once around the world to gather one pound of honey. They truly are worker bees!
To produce my small collection of Honey Bee Friendship cards, I turned to some interactivity. I wanted to pay homage to this absolutely sweet suite from Stampin’ Up! It’s a special stamp set and coordinating dies.
Shutter Card with Beehive Belly Band
Honestly, the amazing Golden Honey Specialty Designer Series Paper steals the show. And to think, this paper is FREE during the annual Sale-a-Bration promotion. Note the special Daffodil Delight 1/4″ Ruched Ribbon. I love the width.
Here’s a peek inside. The shutter technique is actually simple to create. Gold foil paper cropped with the Layering Circle dies adds simple elegance. Love the short and succinct sentiment.
#SimpleStamping Card
One panel of patterned paper, one narrow black strip, two buzzing bees and one sweet sentiment created a very simple card. The bees that have been die-cut and adhered with Stampin’ Dimensionals look like they require advanced stamping skills. It’s actually how the stamp is engineered. Distinktive stamps lay down the ink at different opacities to give the finished image more depth. There’s nothing tricky about how to apply the ink: just ink the surface lightly for a perfect photographic finish.
I added a couple strokes of Daffodil Delight with a Stampin’ Marker to the bee’s body, and Wink of Stella to the wings for shimmer.
Intricate Die Cuts
The star of the Thank You card is the intricate bee with the amazing black wings. They were easily cropped with one die-cut and a single pass through the cutting machine. I layered the black wings over a yellow die-cut of the bee’s body. Note the beautiful Ruched ribbon (again!).
Interactive Shaker Card
Shaker cards take a little more time to construct, but they’re well worth the extra time and effort. They are special and recipients love them. This card for a sweet friend features sparkles from the Peaceful Poppies Sequins embellishments.
This set of friendship cards was created along with a small circle of stamping friends during a card class. Here’s a sneak peek of an upcoming class featuring the spring Forever Blossoms stamp set and dies. The class will include 8 pretty Easter cards with warm sentiments.
If you would like to receive information for upcoming live classes or It’s In The Mail kits, join my mailing list using the form on this page.
Tulip Stamp Set and Coordinating Punch Make a Pretty Set of Thank Yous
Here’s a set of thank you beauties to show thankfulness in a cheerful, simple way. The bright colors, perky flowers and clean design also make these thank yous simple to create.
Start with bright, quality card stock that has been cut to standard card size: 5 1/2 x 8 1/2.
The next layer of a bright white scallop rectangle unifies each design in the set. Cheerful tulips in three stages of flowering have been stamped directly on the scallop rectangle. Pear Pizzazz-colored stems and leaves have been stamped on each design … another unifying element to the set of cards.
Good news! The stamp set has a coordinating punch that cuts out the big, bold tulip in one quick pop. The same punch also cuts a tulip petal that doubles for a curvy leaf. Stick a Dimensional on the back and Viola! Dimension has been added to the picture.
One bold, petite word communicates in a huge way. Thanks and friend have been die-cut from black card stock. Bold and bright collaborate to succinctly convey a kind message.
Soft white twine wrapped twice and bow-tied completes the simplicity of this set of thank yous. The reasons for popping one of these in the post are infinite. Have you whispered “thank you” to a friend today?
This set of thank yous was created along with a small circle of stamping friends during a card class. If you would like to attend a live class (or learn when you can pre-purchase a kit-to-go), join my mailing list by completing the form at the upper right of this page.
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It’s the treats, the decorations and the crafty opportunities. I love the build up of excitement that lasts for the next two months.
Stampin’ Up!’s Boo To You made me think of lots of friends, some crafty and some artsy. Here’s my attempt at bringing a smile to the artsy friends’ faces.
Here’s How I Created the Cute & Creepy Handmade Halloween Card
Love the Andy Warhol repetitive style. I inked the walking zombie on Pumpkin Pie, Granny Apple Green and Gorgeous Grape cardstock using the Versamark Pad and heat set with Black Embossing Powder. Next, I used bleach and an old Blender Pen to bleach areas of each zombie.
Each zombie was die-cut with a Stitched Rectangle.
Cute? Or Creepy?
Here’s Another Cute & Creepy Handmade Halloween Card
Another Halloween choice in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog is the Monster Bash Suite. Everything is adorable. The Designer Series Paper is irresistible.
I paired the haunted house pattern with the Brick & Mortar 3D Embossing Folder. The cute/creepy monster was colored using Stampin’ Blends. Yes, it was hand-snipped—twice. First the entire monster, then just the head to pop up with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
Here’s a card from Halloweens past. It’s more cute than creepy.
Here’s What I Used to Create the Cute & Creepy Halloween Cards
Click below to get the details on supplies for both of these cards.
Whether you are the Thanksgiving guest this year, or you’re welcoming guests into your home, this pretty autumn pillow gift box makes a perfect token of appreciation. Slip a small gift for the hostess inside, or fill with mints or chocolates to set at each table place setting.
Kraft Pillow Boxes
Start with a printed die-cut pillow box. Found on page 172 of the current Stampin’ Up! catalog, the boxes are packaged in sets of 10 for only $5.
To coordinate with the color combination from the Come To Gather Designer Suite, add color, Pretty Peacock, to the box before decorating. The Sponge Brayer makes it clean and simple.
Leaf and Label Die-Cuts
To decorate, stamp and die-cut the large leaf from the Come Together 10-piece stamp set using Crushed Curry and Pretty Peacock cardstock and ink. Cut a set of the smaller leaves from the Gathered Leaves Dies from a Gold Foil Sheet.
A large label from the Stitched Label Dies in Mint Macaron cardstock pulls together the beautiful leaves.
Crop the medium-size Stitched Label in Very Vanilla. Stamp the sentiment with Pretty Peacock ink. Insert the sentiment label into the leaf arrangement using Stampin’ Dimensionals.
Final Touches
One small feather from the Tags and Feathers Elements adds natural texture to the layer of leaves.
Two types of ribbon finalize the pretty package. To secure the box, Gold Metallic-Edged Ribbon does the job. Add color to the Very Vanilla ribbon using the Mint Macaron Stampin’ Blend. This technique enables you to create coordinating ribbon for any project.
One itty-bitty bow tied from Linen Thread completes the leaf and feather display.
Here’s Everything I Used to Create a Pretty Autumn Pillow Gift Box
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It’s not too soon to start thinking of special ways to deliver your annual greetings to friends and family. Here’s a hand-made Christmas card with Jolly Santa reminiscent of my early Christmas memories.
When I first eyed this stamp set in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday catalog, I fell for this Santa. Seeing that the set has a companion die-cutting set won me over to place my order.
Since the stamp set includes both images and sentiments, it’s simple to whip up cheery hand-made greetings with just one product suite. The patterned papers clinch the deal. There are so many patterns in traditional Christmas style and colors, I know I’ll be using Every. Single. Sheet.
I took a few minutes to add color to the line art Santa with Stampin’ Blends. They’re my favorite coloring tool because I get beautifully blended images with no streaks.
I chose to add a strip of Old Olive “ribbon” across the patterned paper to anchor Santa and the Christmas greeting that was stamped on a Stitched oval. Overall, it’s a fun card with little fuss. Friends and family will be impressed with this hand-made Christmas card with Jolly Santa.
Here’s What I Used
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Beautiful Friendship Card Project | Stampin’ Up | Just Stamp Birthday Card
Having birthday cards at-the-ready makes it easy to remember friends and family on their special day. There’s nothing like receiving a hand-made card — it is a keepsake that will cheer the recipient beyond their special day.
The combination of bright colors and white makes this birthday card perfect for your card stash. I loved the look so much that I created a collection of cards in the same pretty style and colors.
The hand-stamped birthday card collection in Impressionism style was created with the Beautiful Friendship stamp set by Stampin’ Up! It’s a 13-piece set of flowers —hydrangeas and rose, I think, and sentiments presented in a pretty combination of script and block letters.
Just Stamp Birthday Card | Stampin’ Up! Beautiful Friendship
There is no coordinating punch or die set, but it’s not needed. The photopolymer stamp set stands alone. If you must layer, you can fussy cut. Or, stamp the sentiment on a shape and pop it on with Stampin’ Dimensionals. I used dies from the Wild Rose and Layering Ovals dies sets for the card below.
Just Stamp Birthday Card | Stampin’ Up! Beautiful Friendship
The colors and design lend themselves to cards for many occasions. Here’s a congratulatory and best wishes cards with an array of small buds and wisteria. Notice the delicate cross stitching extending from the sentiment. It was created with a die from the Stitched Labels die set.
Just Stamp Best Wishes | Stampin’ Up! Beautiful Friendship
The Beautiful Friendship stamp set was created in the striking Distinktive style that Stampin’ Up! has mastered. One inking of one stamp stamps an image that appears to have highlights and shadows. Beautiful Friendship is one of many stamp sets in the Distinktive style.
It’s the best time of the month at Studio 5425. Mid-month I’m eagerly awaiting the arrival of my monthly surprise, the One Stop Box for Creativity. Paper Pumpkin has been getting better and better each month for several months, and June was no exception. Take a look at the projects Paper Pumpkin sent me this month.
The 16 tropical designs with sparkly sea stars and sand dollars make sweet cards to share with a gift or as thank you notes for the hair dresser, gardener, dry cleaner, barista or all kind souls. The kits includes a handy carry case for the small cards.
For those who don’t think they need 16 small cards, I offer three full-size alternates for the June Paper Pumpkin. You can create these with just the addition of Silver Foil-Edged Cards & Envelopes (item 147900, $10).
You’ll also need a Stampin’ Sponge.
Full-Size Alternate Card 1
Swaying palm trees remind me of quiet moments in Kauai.
I stamped the scene using one die cut from the kit and the negative that would typically be tossed in the rubbish bin. I used this as a stencil to sponge repeatedly on one foil-edged card. The Gray Granite ink spot from April’s kit was used for sponging. I started with the center tree using a fully inked sponge and tapped lightly with the stencil in place. The tree to the left was created by moving the stencil slightly over, thus masking the full-sponge tree. I tapped lightly again, without reinking. Finally, I repeated the process one last time. I did have to lightly reink the sponge.
Next I stamped the ground using the sand stamp from the kit and Gray Granite ink.
I then lightly sponged Coastal Cabana above the sand.
The sentiment was stamped on a small piece of one of the pre-printed cards using the Coastal Cabana ink, and adhered using Stampin’ Dimensionals. One coral die cut and sea star were added, along with a bow tied from the Natural Twine.
Full-Size Alternate Card 2
Beach elements create the focal point for a second alternate. Coral, sea stars and sand dollars were stamped using Gray Granite. One Coastal Cabana envelope was deconstructed for a 2 1/4″ circle on which I stamped sea stars in Coastal Cabana.
The sentiment was stamped on the same pre-printed card scrap from Alternate Card 1.
Natural Twine was adhered behind the circle, which was adhered to the card base with Stampin’ Dimensionals. All other elements were adhered with Glue Dots.
Full-Size Alternate Card 3
A lone palm tree with textured fronds creates another serene scene. This card features more sponging in both Gray Granite and Coastal Cabana. Next, I used my stencil to ink the trunk of the palm tree. One vellum detailed circle was placed on the card base after sponging. Palms were added using Glue Dots to construct the tree. A sand dollar, sea star, coral and Natural Twine bow were added using Glue Dots.
Just Stamp Paper Pumpkin Club
I am loving Paper Pumpkin, and I think you’ll love it too. Click HERE if you’d like to subscribe to this fun monthly surprise. It’s a relaxing 30-minute escape, or a leisurely date with friends. It’s compact and portable, and it has everything needed to get started creating. Your first kit even includes the clear block to use with your monthly kit.
Each month I’m offering alternative project ideas monthly, either here on my blog or on Facebook. I also have a monthly drawing for my active subscribers.
Winner! Winner!
Here’s this month’s winner: Alicia M.
Congratulations, Alicia. You will receive your own Silver Foil-Edged Cards & Envelopes in the mail. Thanks for subscribing to Paper Pumpkin through me!
