Lately I’ve been creating with the new In Colours. So far it’s mainly been with Rococo Rose and Pretty Peacock, but this week I had an idea that used all 5 In Colours. The idea came from a card I made a few years ago using a smaller flower that was quite simple; just some ink and the punched flowers. So when the idea popped into my head I immediately thought of the Daisy Punch.

With the idea of using the 2019-21 In Colours for this card, I decided to keep the rest of it very simple in order to help the colours really stand out. I used Whisper White and Smoky Slate cardstock and I also stayed neutral with the ink (Smoky Slate) that I used to stamp the paint splatter for the background and phrase for the same reasons.

I started by stamping all my paint splatter and the phrase first in order to let it have time to dry. Once dry I used the Daisy Punch as well as the Delightful Tag Topper Punch. From there it was pretty quick assembly. The daisies I adhered to the card front using SNAIL Adhesive and for the phrase Stampin’ Dimensionals. I also added the large Clear Faceted Gems to the centre of the daisies for a bit of bling and an added layer of dimension (plus they look a lot like the centre of a flower).

Here’s the project sheet, complete with the list of supplies and step by step instructions.

2019 Butterfly Wishes & Daisies Project Sheet

Like most of you I have a number of Paper Pumpkin boxes in my house. Some of them have what’s left of kits I’ve finished… some of them have kits that I’ve just about finished and some of them actually have kits that I haven’t even started!

I’ve been wanting to get them organized and see if I could shrink my pile of boxes for a while now. I finally took some time while I was off with my oldest munchkin just a week or so ago to get it done.

I decided to use a Memories & More album and pocket pages to store my Paper Pumpkin stamp sets. I thought the different sized pockets of the pages would work well since the stamp sets tend to be different sizes as well.

I had to trim a few of the acetate and plastic sheets that the stamp sets are on to help them fit into some of the pockets, but for the most part they fit very easily!

I’m thinking of printing some labels or small sheets of paper to tuck in with the stamp sets with the name of the kit/stamp set and when it was released. (That project will have to wait for now)

In the end, this album ended up holding all the Paper Pumpkin stamp sets I have up until March of this year. So I’ll have to pick up another one so I can keep this going.

Although I discovered a few more unfinished kits than I would have liked, I’m happy with how it turned out. I went from having 20+ boxes/kits down to 15 boxes!

Next is to work on finishing off the Paper Pumpkin kits I still have and to find some clear envelopes to store the instructions and leftover supplies in. I’ve seen some people use ones they bought from Amazon or Office Depot. I think I’ve also seen something at Dollarama, so I’ll have to figure out which option would work best. I’ll do another post once I get that figured out. I hope that you’ve found this helpful!

With this week’s project I took a very feminine direction. Petal Pink has really caught my eye lately and I’ve been really liking the Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper so I thought I’d use those along side of Rococo Rose (one of the new In Colours).

The stamp set for this project is the Free As A Bird cling stamp set and I decided to stamp for the most part with Crumb Cake to help balance out all the pink by bringing in the real colours of nature. (You could do this even more by colouring the leaves with either Mint Macaron or Granny Apple Green.) The “thank you” I stamped with Rococo Rose and the flower with Petal Pink.

I then coloured the flowers on the branch using a Blender Pen with the Rococo Rose and the birds with Petal Pink, again using a Blender Pen. (Make sure to give your ink pad a good squeeze before you open it.)

To continue to bring the colours of nature and pink/femininity of the card together I used some Linen Thread and the Rose Metallic Thread to make a couple of bows to the left of the “thank you”.

I also coloured the flower next to the “thank you” with the Wink of Stella Glitter Brush to add a bit of bling to the card. (Unfortunately in the picture the light hit it so that it looks pink/yellow instead of clear/sparkly)

Click on the project sheet link to get a complete list of supplies for this project as well as step by step instructions!

2019 Free As A Magnolia Project Sheet

So you want to start stamping, but aren’t quite sure what the difference is between the different kinds of stamps. Hopefully this will help make it a bit more clear so you can decide which way you want to go when building up your stamp collection! I’ll start with wood stamps as these were the first kind of stamps available.

There are three pieces that make up a wood stamp; the red rubber that the stamp design is on, the foam and the wood block. The foam helps give a nice even stamped image and often the wood blocks are contoured to make it easier to hold the block as your stamping.

Now before I move on to the other kinds of stamps I want to briefly mention clear stamps as clear stamps are still readily available, however Stampin’ Up! no longer carries them.

Clear stamps still use the red rubber for the stamp images/phrases and have the foam cushion like wood stamps, but they don’t have their own block. For these stamps you need separate acrylic blocks that you would stick your stamp to when stamping and then peel off when finished. The acrylic blocks are often also contoured to make stamping easier, depending on where you get yours.

The one downfall with clear stamps is that when you stick the image sticker to the back of the stamp so you can “see” what you’re stamping they sometimes do not stick to the acrylic block for very long.

Cling stamps are new on the scene! Stampin’ Up! just launched them earlier this year. They’re very similar to the wood and clear stamps in that they have the foam cushion like wood stamps and you use acrylic blocks like with clear stamps. The bonus of cling stamps is that once you’ve attached the sticker image to the back of your stamp they stick to your acrylic blocks much better than clear stamps do.

*For those with a latex allergy the above stamps may not be your best bet.*

The other option with stamps is photopolymer. Similarly to clear and cling stamps you would use a separate acrylic block when you’re stamping and then you simply peel it off when you’re done. With this combination of photopolymer stamp and acrylic block you’re able to see through which makes it easier to line up your images and phrases and, heaven forbid you make a mistake, you can stamp over an image that maybe didn’t quite come out as clearly as you would have liked.

There isn’t a foam cushion like with the other kinds of stamps, so you may want to have a piece of foam (which you can easily find at your local dollar or craft store) or a paper piercing pad underneath when you’re stamping.

Photopolymer stamps are only available through Stampin’ Up! with your Paper Pumpkin subscription, but they are still available elsewhere.

I hope this has been helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions as I’m happy to help!

I  haven’t had as much of a chance to play with the new In Colours that were launched with the new Annual Catalogue as I would have liked and so this week I decided to create a simple card focusing on one of the colours.

For this card I went a little smaller than my usual cards (4″ x 4″) and chose to use Whisper White cardstock to help make the Pretty Peacock really stand out. As for the images and phrases I went with the Free As a Bird cling stamp set.

To start off I simply stamped the phrase and images with Pretty Peacock ink and created a bit of a frame with the Pretty Peacock cardstock. For the smaller pieces of cardstock I also ran them through my die cutting machine using the Stitched Shape dies and popped them up using Stampin’ Dimensionals. Finally I added a bit of bling with a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Here’s the project sheet… complete with supply list and step by step instructions. Post a pic of your project in the comments!

2019 Free As A Bird

I was asked a few weeks ago by a colleague if I could make a card for a bridal shower for her and she wondered about an envelope or something that she could use to put the monetary gift she was giving in that would keep it safe. I looked for some templates online and found an idea of what I wanted to do and so I thought that I would share it!

The template/measurements I used calls for a 7″ x 7″ piece of Designer Series Paper. I used some Botanical Butterfly DSP that I had leftover from Sale-a-bration for these, but you can use whatever Designer Series Paper you would like depending on the occasion and colour(s) you want.

To start make sure to score the DSP so when you fold/crease the DSP the design you want to see is on the outside. For this envelope I wanted the butterflies on the outside of the envelope and so I scored and folded the DSP with the black and white checkers facing up.

You’ll want to score the DSP at 3/4″ along the bottom, 1 1/4″ along the top, then at 2″ and 5″ for your side flaps.

Once you’ve scored your DSP, cut off the corners along the score lines as shown in the picture below on the left. If you like you can leave the edges square or you can use scissors, a corner rounder or even a circle punch like I did to create rounded edges.

When using the circle punch to round your edges don’t use the guide as you usually would when wanting to punch a circle, simply insert the corner of the paper directly into the punch so only the corner you want rounded is in the punch.

Now you’re ready to start using your adhesive! One option would be to have the bottom fold on the inside of the envelope like I did for this one which would mean you would put your adhesive on the bottom flap in order to adhere the first side flap and then add some more adhesive to the inside edge of the side flap to adhere the other side flap. The other option is to have it on the outside in which case you would simply use adhesive on the side flaps first and then adhere the bottom. Then fold the flap over to close the envelope.

Here’s the one I made recently for my colleague. I used some Gingham Gala Adhesive Backed Sequins propped up on some Mini Glue Dots so that the Whisper White Solid Bakers Twine was able to wrap around to close the envelope without too much fuss. Just make sure one end of the twine is under one of the glue dots to ensure that it stays in place.

I decided to take a stab at this month’s #simplestamping challenge. I’ve done a few so far and I enjoy when Stampin’ Up! adds a twist to things because sometimes I find it hard to stick just with the stamps, ink and paper that we’re usually allowed to us. For this month’s challenge they threw in that we’re able to use like Designer Series Paper.

I actually ended up creating two projects, using the Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper for both. As for the stamp sets, for the first one I chose to use the Beauty Abounds cling stamp set and for the second (scroll down for that pic) I decided to use First Frost.

In terms of cardstock and ink colours, I pulled from the Magnolia Lane DSP and went with Mossy Meadow and Petal Pink.

With the first project I simply used 4 squares with each one featuring a different design from the DSP. Then in keeping with the square theme I stamped a phrase onto a larger square and then used the 4 as a background. I wanted to add a little bit more to the project so I decided it would be nice to stamp some bubbles using Petal Pink ink and then a phrase on top using Mossy Meadow ink.

I really like how it turned out and I’m thinking I may step this project up even a little bit more. Here’s the project sheet for you…

2019 Magnolia Abounds Project Sheet

And here’s the second project I created for this challenge…

With wedding season upon us I thought this might be nice. I simply used a strip of Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper and then placed the word congratulations on top to create a banner.

For this week’s project I was inkspired to pair one of the new In Colours with the Beautiful You cling stamp set. Initially I was thinking of using two of the new In Colours for this project, but really liked the idea of adding some twine and so I ended up going with Pretty Peacock and Mint Macaron. I’ll admit this is an unlikely colour combination, but I think it works nicely…. it moves towards a monochromatic effect but not quite.

As always I started with stamping my images and phrase, which all come from the Beautiful You cling stamp set. I used Mint Macaron to stamp the phrase as well as the squiggle underneath the woman and Tuxedo Black Memento Ink to stamp the woman. Once my woman had dried I used my Blender Pens to colour her hat and dress using Pretty Peacock.

I then used a couple of the Stitched Nested Labels Dies for the phrase and it’s border and popped it up using some Stampin’ Dimensionals. I then used some of the Mint Macaron twine from Nature’s Twine and then topped the project off with a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Here’s the project sheet… complete with a list of supplies and step by step instructions. Enjoy!

2019 July Beautiful You

My creative energy and inkspiration has been running a little low these past couple of weeks. Leading up to my munchkins school fun fair (where I had a table) I was creating a lot of different projects (cards, recipe tins, bookmarks/tags and even some home decor pieces) and with everything leading up to the end of the school year being so busy I ended up draining myself and my inkspiration.

Thankfully this past weekend we were going up to my in laws farmhouse and I was able to get some much needed rest and relaxation! I also knew that I would want to do some crafting while I was up there (it’s not often there are three other adults around to keep my munchkins occupied and so I wanted to take advantage).

Without much inkspiration to come up with a new project I dipped into my pile of old projects I hadn’t finished. I’m sure I’m not the only one that has started a project (or two or three) and thought you were going to make more than you did or you ran out of time/energy to finish and so you have extra pieces that have yet to be put together. So I packed what pieces I had and the supplies I would need to finish these off and was feeling pretty good about my plan.

As an added bonus my inkspiration and creative energy started coming back and I ended up tweaking a couple of the designs. I’m happy with how they turned out…. I’m also even happier that they are done and I won’t have them hanging around my craft space anymore reminding me that I didn’t finish them.

A couple of weeks ago I had a table at my munchkins’ school fun fair. As part of that I created some tags, or bookmarks, and I thought that this week I would share how I made them as they were fairly simple to make and I’m really please with how they turned out!

I have fallen in love with the Butterfly Wishes stamp set which is a cling stamp set as well as a DistINKtive stamp set (this means that the stamped images come out in much more depth and are more realistic images) and immediately thought of it when I had the idea to create this project. I also used the Strong & Beautiful cling stamp set which is filled with great positive and motivational phrases.

For the tag itself I used Whisper White cardstock and the new Delightful Tag Topper Punch. For the colours I used one of the new 2019-2021 In Colours, Rococo Rose, and Soft Suede.

Then to add some more “layers” to the tag I used my Aqua Painter to add a little bit of the Rococo Rose to the flowers as well as the Scripty 3D Embossing Folder. I also added a Rhinestone Basic Jewel, some of the 1/4″ Copper Trim and some Rose Metallic Thread.

For a full list of supplies and step by step instructions make sure to grab the project sheet below! Then share your project in the comments.

2019 Butterfly Wishes Tag Project Sheet

A few months ago I found some cute little chalkboard clipboards at a local Dollarama (love this place!!) and I knew exactly what I wanted to use them for…. end of year teacher thank you cards!

I knew that I wanted to emboss “thank you” onto the clipboards and I really like the one from the retired Tin of Cards stamp set (you can really use any stamp set provided the word fits onto the clipboard), so all that was left to figure out was what was going to go behind the clipboard.

I decided to use the Crafting Forever cling stamp set so that I could emboss supplies on some Basic Black cardstock and create a chalkboard effect. To do that I simply stamped the images on the cardstock using Versamark ink. Then I sprinkled White Stampin’ Emboss Powder all over the stamped images and used my Heat Tool to set the powder. There were the odd specks of random white embossing powder, but I think that added to the chalkboard effect.

I then chose to use Crumb Cake cardstock for the card base to help emphasize the chalkboard effect, but also because most basic clipboards have a base of this colour.

I just love how these turned out! Hopefully my munchkins and their teachers will like them just as much.

A colleague this week asked me if I could make them a card for an upcoming bridal shower. Obviously this isn’t it (I will share that one in another post), but this is a version of it. I used two different techniques in this project (sponging and embossing) but otherwise kept the card fairly simple.

To start off I used Whisper White and Highland Heather cardstock. I used the Highland Heather inkpad for the sponging and stamping (all except the phrase that is). For the phrase I decided I wanted to emboss that so I stamped first with Versamark and then used Silver Stampin’ Emboss Powder and my Heat Tool.

For the images and phrase I used two different stamp sets. I used Beauty Abounds for the images and Strong & Beautiful for the phrase. Both of these sets are cling stamp sets.

I also used some Stampin’ Dimensionals and a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels to give the card a little something extra!

For a list of supplies and step by step instructions check out the project sheet below. Please post pics of your projects in the comments… I would love to see them!!

2019 Strong and Beautiful

I’ve seen this done before and thought I would try it for the chance to create something other than a card. It looked fairly easy to do and it definitely was. It’s simply stamping and embossing just as you would on a piece of cardstock.

The tins I used I had picked up on clearance just before the end of last year when I first had the thought for this project, but this could easily be done with the Copper Tea Tins in the current catalogue.

For the images I wanted to choose something that would be fairly neutral, so I decided to use one image from the  Free As A Bird cling stamp set and one from the recently retired Humming Along stamp set; some good alternatives to this image would be one from the  Good Morning Magnolia cling stamp set, the Modern Heart cling stamp set or the Beautiful Day cling stamp set.

I started by wiping my Embossing Buddy over the front of the tin where I intended to stamp my image in order to keep the embossing powder where I wanted it. Then I stamped my image using my Versamark inkpad and sprinkled White Stampin’ Emboss Powder on top. I then used my Heat Tool to set the image.

For inside the tin I decided to create some dividers and used  Very Vanilla cardstock (you could also use Whisper White cardstock if you wanted). I cut the cardstock at 6 1/2″ x 5″ and then simply traced a divider I had from a previous project and cut along the traced line to create the tab. Finally I used Tuxedo Black Memento ink to stamp a design on the tabs using the retired Tin of Cards stamp set. If you have a small straight design you could stamp that across the top or simply leave it blank. I’m not one to be able to free-hand a design (at least not without an eraser by my side) so I was glad I kept this stamp set.

I really enjoyed creating these tins and I think next time I’ll use the Crafting Forever stamp set. If you create your own tin I’d love to see it!! Post a pic in the comments.

With Father’s Day coming up this weekend, I decided to stick with more masculine colours and a neutral design. The idea for this card came together pretty quickly once I decided on a stamp set.

For this card I used both the Beauty Abounds cling stamp set and the Itty Bitty Birthdays cling stamp set. The paint splatter and and bubbles provided a nice background on both pieces of Whisper White cardstock and I had my choice of phrases to work with. When I stamped on the smaller piece I didn’t look at what I had already stamped on the larger piece of cardstock and the randomness turned out really cool!

For the colours I initially chose to use Night of Navy, Mint Macaron and then also decided to throw in some Smoky Slate ink. I used Night of Navy to stamp the paint splatter and Mint Macaron and Smoky Slate for the bubbles. For the phrase I stamped using Mint Macaron.

I also decided for this card to keep things simple and use the 2 1/4″ Circle Punch, instead of my Stitched Shapes thinlits dies, and some Stampin’ Dimensionals to help the phrase stand out.

For all the supplies and steps for this project make sure to check out the project sheet and then share yours in the comments!

It’s Your Day Project Sheet.docx

I really enjoy colouring, whether it’s my stamped images or a page from a colouring book. In fact I find it very relaxing when I’m having a tough day, although I admit I don’t get to colour as often as I would like. So when I saw the no line watercolouring technique I just had to try it!

I used some of the images from the Free as a Bird cling stamp set and for ink I started with Soft Suede. First I stamped off the images onto a scrap piece of paper I had and then I stamped onto the Watercolour Paper.

After a few minutes to allow the ink to dry I used my Aqua Painter to add some colour to the stamped images.

I used Crumb Cake for the branch, Mossy Meadow for the leaves, Rococo Rose for the flowers and the bird’s tummies and Seaside Spray for the rest of the bird.

To get the ink onto the lid and make this easier, simply squish the inkpad while it is still closed to get the top and bottom to touch (you may have to squish fairly hard). Also with darker colours (like Mossy Meadow) or when you want a light shade (like I used on the bird’s tummies) dab a bit of the colour off before you put ink to paper. You can always add more colour if you want to.

Here’s a picture of my final project….

I used a piece of the Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper for the background and stamped a phrase from the Beautiful You cling stamp set using Soft Suede again. Then I used a couple of the Stitched Nested Labels dies to cut out both the phrase and the image. Finally I added a Rhinestone and put it in a 5×7 frame. (This one I picked up at Michael’s, but you can pick whatever frame suits you)

I’m hoping that with summer around the corner and some much needed vacation, I can play with these great products from the new catalogue more often!!