Blooming Thank You With Botanical Gardens Suite

By | April 11, 2016
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BotanicalBloomsTY2

One Stamp Set, Two Looks

Stamps and tools should offer lots of options when you invest in them. The Botanical Gardens suite meets the criteria.

Today’s project, a thank you card, again uses Botanical Blooms and the coordinating framelits. However, today I added two additional framelits to create an alternate look:  the single tea cup die from A Nice Cuppa  as a vase to arrange the flowers in and the Striped Scallop Thinlit to create a lattice background. Mossy Meadow and Hello Honey cardstock (retiring) make an encore appearance, but today’s design delivers an English cottage flavor instead of a tropical feel. Here’s the tropical feel.

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I like both. I also like the fact that I finally used the Striped Scallop Thinlit purchased months ago. What held me back? I don’t know because I love it. The scallops work upside down, right-side up, side-to-side …

Just Stamp Tips

  • The Precision Base Plate and Big Shot Die Brush come to the rescue in cutting and releasing the scallop thinlit from the Whisper White cardstock.
  • The Wisteria Wonder and Rose Red blooms were die cut, daubered (is that a verb?) and shaped using a bone folder and stylus for dimension.
  • The thank you sentiment is stamped on the small heart print Wisteria Wonder DSP from the Have a Cuppa paper stack. I used VersaMark to ink up, then heat embossed using white powder.
  • Basic Pearls add the finishing touch.

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Supplies are listed below. Click on any image to hop to my Stampin’ Up! store.

Once These Colors Are Gone, They’re Gone!

By | April 9, 2016
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BotanicalBloomsTY

Retirement is Approaching

Good-bye Hello Honey and Mossy Meadow! Be warned. Some of the colors in Botanical Gardens will be sent off into retirement come May 31. Hello Honey and Mossy Meadow, both found in the Botanical Gardens DSP, are part of the 2014-2016 In Color Collection that will retire. Once these colors are gone, they’re … well, GONE. That means ink pads, refills, designer papers, embellishments, accessories … everything … will no longer be available after May 31.

Here’s another warning: Many products sellout as soon as the Retirement List is published. This year, the List will be released on April 18. This means some of the products will NOT be available until the May 31 date posted on the catalogs. When they sell out, they’re gone.

Today’s Project

Not only am I bringing birthdays back, I’m trying to bring Thank You back.  Today’s card is a nice way to express thanks.

 

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I based my layout on Mojo Monday sketch 442.

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The mix of colors and florals in the Botanical Gardens suite creates a dreamy tropical papercraft. Everything in this suite offers endless possibilities for cards and projects. The photopolymer stamp set is perfect for spot on stamping precision.  The Botanical Builder Framelit Dies eliminate fussy cutting stress to produce flowers, leaves and a cool border. And the Botanical Gardens DSP steps up to make color choice easy. The suite will take you through summer in creating cards for all occasions.

Just Stamp Tips

The sentiment and contrasting layered circles were cut using the Circle Collection Framelits. It’s wonderful that you can produce 10 sizes of circles with one framelit set versus 10 punches that could quickly brake the bank.

There was no need to fussy cut the Mossy Meadow leaves and tropical flowers; the Botanical Builder Framelit Dies do the job in a couple passes through the Big Shot.

Vellum creates a soft, transparent layer between the texture of the wide jute ribbon and the popped up sentiment circle.

Stamping veins and spots on the leaf cut-outs adds more dimension.

Click here to shop for the suite and retiring products.

 

Create 9 Easy Cards in Just Two Hours

By | April 6, 2016
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AprilClass

Sending hand-made paper greetings is getting easier and cheaper by the day thanks to my upcoming All Occasions Cards class on Saturday, April 18.

Here’s the Easy

In just two hours, we’ll create thank you, birthday and thinking of you cards that your recipients will love. Based on a recent Paper Pumpkin kit, the designs are clean, simple and a tad trendy. There’s the easy.

Here’s the Cheaper

On April 10, the cost of sending a “real” greeting card will actually decrease. Yes! In what the U.S. Post Office is calling a historic turn of events, the cost of mailing cards and letters will drop from 49 to 47 cents.

No More Excuses

Let the tradition of sending hand-made paper greeting cards that goes back to the ancient Chinese thrive. Producing the hand-made cards is easy when you join this class. And now it’s even cheaper to cover the cost of the postage stamp.

Click here to reserve your spot. Seating is limited.

Final Week to Snag Free Sale-A-Bration Favorites

By | March 27, 2016
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If you love free stuff, you’ll want to act quickly to take advantage of the best promotion of the year — Sale-a-Bration ends on March 31. For every $50 in product you order, you earn a free Sale-A-Bration pick. Here are my top favorites this year.

 

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Botanicals For You Stamp Set

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Party Pants Stamp Set

Honeycomb Happiness

Honeycomb Happiness

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Metallics Glitter Tape

Click here to see all the choices or to place an order on-line. If you spend $100, you earn two picks. Spend $150 and you earn three picks, plus $15 in Stampin’ Rewards. Don’t delay — Sale-A-Bration ends Thursday. If you need help, please contact me. I’d love to hear from you.

 

Tags Week: Easter Lamb with Hello Life

By | March 23, 2016
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Easter Lamb Tag

I love tags! One step down from greeting cards, tags are no doubt my Number Two most needed papercraft.

Today I combined the sweet Easter Lamb with Hello Life. Admittedly, it’s my first time inking up the largest image of Hello Life. As you can see, I only PARTIALLY inked it. Love the “happy.”

Just Stamp Tips
Start with a 2-inch strip of card stock and punch with the simple Ornate Topper punch. Next, stamp the lamb to create a horizontal tag. Then, it’s easy to selectively ink with photopolymer stamps. I used my Versamark pad, then sprinkled white embossing power on the card stock. Petite background posies from the Number of Years stamp set are inked and embossed the same way to create the base layer of the tag.

The lone lamb becomes the black sheep with the Archival Basic Black pad used to both stamp the image, and watercolor it with the Aqua Painter. I added strokes of Wink of Stella Clear.

Easter Lamb Tag Crop

 

One adorable Bow Paper Clip backed with Watermelon Wonder ties the coordinating Envelope Paper for a bright pop of color.

Supply List
Click on any image to order or get the details.

Join me for a relaxing break to create some greeting cards.

Hello Sunshine!
All Occasion Cards Class

041616Class

  • date: Saturday, april 16, 2016
    time: 1-3pm
    place: Studio 5425
    price: 15.00
    rsvp: April 10, 2016

Class fee includes materials to create 9 cards and adorable coordinating envelopes. Click here for more details and to RSVP.

Happy Spring! It’s Tags Week at Just Stamp

By | March 21, 2016
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BunnyTags

The first day of spring introduces Tags Week at JustStamp. It’s the perfect time to showcase tags since Easter baskets need to be crafted this week.

Just Stamp Tips
Paper
Corrugated Paper  is a new item in the Share The Fun catalog, page 148. The cardstock-weight paper with the crimping makes a sturdy base for a tag. The package includes two colors: white and Kraft. My favorite is the Kraft, but the white comes in handy for textured clouds and icing.

Tools
Cucumber Crush card stock become blades of grass with the help of Fringe Scissors. For the best results, open the scissors and insert the card stock to the center of the cutting blades.

Handpicked Framelits make the Happy Easter sentiment pop up from the grass.

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I’d love to hear from you. Add your comments by clicking on the Comments link at the top of the post.

Here’s the supply list. Click on any image to hop over to my Stampin’ Up! store.

Teeny Tiny Wishes Clear-Mount Stamp Set
$27.00
Sprinkles Of Life Photopolymer Stamp Set
$21.00
Kraft And White Corrugated Paper
$7.00
Cucumber Crush 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock
$7.00
Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock
$8.50
Have A Cuppa Designer Series Paper Stack
$8.00
Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad
$7.00
Cucumber Crush Classic Stampin’ Pad
$6.50
Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin’ Pad
$6.50
Melon Mambo Classic Stampin’ Pad
$6.50
Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin’ Pad
$6.50
Scalloped Tag Topper Punch
$23.00
Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack
$17.00
Large Oval Punch
$16.00
Extra-Large Oval Punch
$18.00
Fringe Scissors
$10.00
Handpicked Framelits Dies
$25.00
Cucumber Crush 1″ Dotted Lace Trim
$6.00
Very Vanilla Thick Baker’s Twine
$3.50
Melon Mambo 1/4″ Cotton Ribbon
$6.00
Honeycomb Embellishments
$5.00
Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker
$3.50

Exclusive Love You Sew Set Card Ideas

By | March 16, 2016
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Love You Sew Cut Above

The exclusive Stampin’ Up! host set called Love You Sew is a perfect go-to set. The images and sentiments pair together for sweet hand-made cards any friend would love to find in her or his snail mail box.

Just Stamp Tips
The layout is clean and simple. The sentiment pops through the circle punch out, while the coordinating prints from the Cherry on Top paper stack create a background and border.

Tools
The scalloped border was created with one element from the Cutie Pie Thinlets. Double up the paper for a single pass through the best tool ever: the Big Shot. Paper Snips make the fussy cutting around the scissors easy. Remember to turn the paper, not the snips for easy trimming.

Love You Sew Thread

The puns don’t stop. Here’s another quick creation with Love You Sew. I love the zig zag stitching that did not require whipping out the sewing machine. Included in the stamp set are three types of stitching. Love!

Shopping List
Click on any image to hop over to my store for product details.

Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals! Save up to 25%
Click here to check out this week’s offerings.

Sale-A-Bration Count Down
Only 15 days til the best Stampin’ Up! promotion of the year ends. Don’t miss out! Snag your FREE products before it’s too late.

15-Year Anniversary as Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator

By | March 14, 2016
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Heavenly Days

Fifteen years can fly by. This month I celebrate my 15-year anniversary as a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator. Signing up as a demo was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Of course, it was pure serendipity.

Here’s My Stampin’ Up! Story
Soon after relocating to my hometown, my dear mother invited me to a workshop being held by Kim, an SU! demo. Kim provided a totally hands-on workshop where we made simple projects: a cute Halloween card, a treat bag and an all-occasion card with the sun, moon and stars.

There were about six other women and we spent a relaxing couple hours stamping and snacking. I LOVED it! I bought one little stamp set and the catalog.

In the coming weeks, I studied the SU! catalog and determined I wanted it all. I was smitten. The stamps, the tools, the inks, the papers. I wanted to create every project in the catalog.

I decided to sign up, but it took me nearly six months. That’s my ONE regret. I should have asked more questions because my delay cost me perks I could have received if I had signed up just one week earlier.

Heavenly Days
The card above was stamped with one of my first hostess sets. It’s a great study on the evolution of both the rubberstamping craft and my personal style. I smile at the folk art style image and the wavy border created with the decorative scissors that made it a challenge to cut a straight line. The sentiment, however, still warms my heart. Each day is a gift—that’s why it’s called the present.

The Gift of Sharing Time With Friends
Over 15 years, my stamping affinity has brought many wonderful women into my life. I look forward to my three monthly clubs when the club members get together to share their lives, their wisdom and their time. Thanks to my clubs, I know strong women who have been placed in my path for reasons only God knows.

Earning Income and Benefits
Although I signed up to get the demonstrator discount, I now earn a part-time income that subsidizes my stamp hobby, gym membership, the running tab at Anthropology and lots of other amenities in my life.

Here’s The Current Deal You Don’t Want to Miss
Now is the perfect time to join Stampin’ Up! Purchase the Stampin’ Up! kit for only $99 but choose $125 of products. That’s $30 more in products for free. Plus, the kit ships for FREE! It’s the best time of the year to join Stampin’ Up! The offer ends March 31, 2016.

Before you blink, you too could be celebrating a 15-year anniversary. Click here to get more details about the Stampin’ Up! opportunity.