This week I’m sharing a project using a few different retiring products. Sadly, the He’s All That stamp set and dies are retiring. And so is the Delightfully Eclectic Designer Series Paper pack. Now you may not immediately think of using this pack of patterned paper for a masculine themed card. But there are a couple of designs in this pack of DSP that do work well.
So that’s where I started for this card design… with the patterned paper design. Once I had that I chose my colour combo, which in this case is pretty simple because they’re all neutral colours. My card base is Gray Granite. And then I layered a couple pieces of the black and white DSP on top using some Stampin’ Dimensionals. To make these two pieces, I started with a 4″ x 5 1/4″ piece of the DSP. Then I lined up one corner at the 2″ mark and cut across on a diagonal to about the 1.4″ mark. To get the other piece I just flipped it around and repeated the same thing.
Behind the pieces of the Delightfully Eclectic DSP, I stamped one of the images from the Season of Chic stamp set in Gray Granite ink. Then I stamped a sentiment from the He’s All That stamp set in Tuxedo Black Memento ink and die cut it with one of the coordinating dies. And I layered this on top of the bottom piece of DSP.
I’m hoping to do a couple more projects with the Delightfully Eclectic DSP before it retires. But in the meantime, check out another project I made using He’s All That here.
As I write this, the He’s All That stamps and dies and the Delightfully Eclectic DSP are still available. You have until April 30, or maybe sooner, to get these before they’re gone. Don’t wait!
Over the next few weeks I’m going to be sharing projects using some of the products that are retiring very soon. This week I’m using the Quiet Meadow stamp set and Masterfully Made Designer Series Paper to make a handmade thinking of you card. This is also the theme for this month’s #SimpleStamping challenge from Stampin’ Up! For this challenge we can use some DSP along with the usual stamps, ink and paper.
I used my patterned paper design choice to lead to my ink and cardstock colours. The Fresh Freesia design in the Masterfully Made DSP pack has been my favourite, so I’m using some of my last pieces for this design. I’m also using some Crumb Cake to tone down the brightness of the Fresh Freesia to keep with the more subdued theme of the thinking of you card.
So the card base is Crumb Cake cardstock with some Fresh Freesia layered on top for the card mat. Then I stamped some Crumb Cake ink splatter to create a simple background. On top of that are two pieces of the Masterfully Made DSP Fresh Freesia design. I thought it’d be fun to layer some diamonds on top of the background. The centre diamond is a Fresh Freesia flower from the Enchanted Butterfly stamp set… which sadly is also retiring. I popped up all three diamonds with some Stampin’ Dimensionals. Then to finish it off I added the “thinking of you” from the Quiet Meadow stamp set in Crumb Cake ink. I added that right on top of the flower. And then I fussy cut a Fresh Freesia butterfly, also from the Enchanted Butterfly stamp set.
To step up this #SimpleStamping handmade thinking of you card, you can simply add a few Brushed Brass Butterflies. Or maybe a couple of die cut butterflies from the coordinating Meadow dies.
Keep checking back for more projects featuring some of the soon to be retired products. And as soon as I can, I’ll share some projects with some things from the upcoming new Annual catalogue.
For some reason I’ve never made a Spring sampler. I’ve made a few different ones over the years… for summer, Christmas, Valentine’s Day even. And so I’ve been itching to make one recently. I’m using the Fresh like a Daisy Designer Series Paper pack as my feature. It’s so bright and has lots of floral designs. So it’s perfect for something like this! And I love one of the design especially because one side looks like it was designed to be cut up into panels. I’m using a couple of these designs on the top and bottom of my Spring sampler. And then I’ve got a couple other designs to fill in the top and bottom.
In the middle are three Basic White panels that are framed with Garden Green cardstock. The centre panel has images from the Notes of Nature and Bee My Valentine stamp sets. And the word “Spring” was made using the Garden Green cardstock and the Playful Alphabet dies. These dies are already retired, but you can easily swap in a different set. Then on either side of this panel are 2 small squares. The one on the left has a ladybug I made using the Ladybug Builder punch on top of some Bubble Bath flowers from the Hello Ladybug stamp set. And on the right is a bumblebee I made using the Bee My Valentine stamps and coordinating punch on top of some Wild Wheat honeycombs.
All these pieces are on a 12″ x 12″ piece of Basic White cardstock. And the only elements I popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals are the ladybug and bumblebee. But I did add a few Brushed Brass Butterflies in the centre panel to add a little bit of bling.
This was such a fun and simple Spring Sampler to make!
Sadly the Fresh like a Daisy Designer Series Paper is retiring soon. Along with Hello Ladybug and it’s coordinating punch. Check out a card I made using this paper pack and another retiring stamp set, Season of Chic, here.
Handmade Easter treat boxes are definitely more my thing than Easter cards. My munchkins always get a little something from the Easter bunny. And so of course the Easter Bunny (aka me, lol) likes to make something pretty to put them in.
For these cute boxes I’m using my favourite image from the Excellent Eggs stamp set from the January-April Mini catalogue. Although I do love the bunny too, he’s super cute! Anyway… instead of making them all just one colour I thought I’d use 2. And to pick my colours I needed to pick my patterned paper first. I wanted a simple design to show off the detail in the egg. So I used a Boho Blue design from the Fresh like a Daisy Designer Series Paper pack. And a Gorgeous Grape design from the Perennial Lavender Designer Series Paper pack.
From here, I heat embossed the bunny egg design on the coordinating cardstock using white embossing powder. Then I die cut the eggs with the coordinating die. Next I stamped “Happy Easter” in the same ink colours (Boho Blue and Gorgeous Grape) on some Basic White cardstock.
To put it all together I wrapped the strips of Designer Series Paper around the Envelope Treat Boxes to make a belly band. Then I added on the white embossed eggs and stamped sentiment. Just make sure to be careful where you put your adhesive! Otherwise you might end of with the pieces sticking to the box which would make it hard to slide the belly band off.
I’ll be posting a video on my YouTube channel showing off these cute handmade Easter treat boxes in about a week. So check out my channel or watch here for an update.
In the meantime, check out a cute card I made using the Excellent Eggs bundle here.
While I don’t do as much crafting for Waster as I used to, I still enjoy this time of year. And when I saw the Excellent Eggs bundle in the January-April Mini catalogue I got excited. It’s super cute! Perfect for some handmade Easter cards!
And for this card I’m using some not so traditional Easter colours. But I am sticking with bright colours for the most part. I’m using 2 In Colours, Tahitian Tide and Parakeet Party. Then for the card base I’m using Basic Black to really help those colours pop.
To start I stamped a couple eggs in the background using Tahitian Tide and Parakeet Party. Then I heat embossed another egg with white embossing powder on a piece of Tahitian Tide cardstock. I die cut it with the coordinating die and then popped it up with a couple of Stampin’ Dimensionals. Next I stamped my “Happy Easter” with Tuxedo Black Memento ink. Then I framed it with a little bit more Basic Black cardstock and popped it up with a few more dimensionals. And to finish it off I added a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels.
I actually have a few more handmade Easter cards to make because I’ll be at a Spring craft show next weekend in Milton. If you’re in the area come by and say “hi!”
In the meantime if you want some more Spring inkspiration, check out this cute spring basket I made a few years ago here.
I finally tracked down my Hooray for Surprises dies! And so I’m excited to use all the different dies in the set. There are some more typical dies in this set. But there’s also some that will make a different kind of card. Here’s my first fun card with Hooray for Surprises… the dies AND stamps.
For this first card I’m using the die that makes a “pull me” kind of card. It’s kind of like when you pull a tab to open a box or envelope… except way more fun! And so with that idea in mind, I thought I’d use one of the designs from the Masterfully Made Designer Series Paper pack that looks like it’s torn. This one is Berry Burst, one of the retired colours that came back in last year’s Colour Refresh. I die cut the “pull me” tab towards the bottom of the design. And I stamped my sentiment in Berry Burst ink on a piece of Basic White cardstock to put behind it.
The card base is Fresh Freesia. Which is also my other ink colour. I used it to stamp two flowers. Then I die cut them and popped them up with some Stampin’ Dimensionals. To finish it off I added a few Iridescent Pearl Basic Jewels.
Check out another fun card with Hooray for Surprises that I made here.
The Z-fold card is one of my favourite cards when I want to craft something a little different without too much fuss. So I’m excited to share this double Z-fold card with you. It’s also fairly simple and straight forward. I also like it because it’s a nice way to show off some patterned paper.
For my card design I’m using the Flight and Airy Designer Series Paper from the Sale-a-bration catalogue. This is such a pretty pack of patterned paper. I just love all the birds… they’re so cute! But this time I’m using one of the floral designs. From there I decided to use Misty Moonlight for my ink and cardstock.
The main card base is 4 1/4″ x 11″ and scored at 2 3/4″ and 5 1/2″. Then the smaller piece that makes it a double Z-fold is 3″ x 9″ and scored at 3″ and 6″. The best tip I can give you when putting yours together is to adhere the smaller piece to the centre of the largest piece of the main card base first. Then close the card base to adhere the other end to the outside of the card base.
I used the Notes of Nature stamp set for the images and sentiment. And I popped up the sentiment after die cutting it with one of the Something Fancy dies. Then to finish it all off, I added a few Brushed Brass Butterflies.
There really isn’t anything tricky about the double Z-fold card. I hope you’ll give it a try and share it here if you do.
And if you’d like to see another somewhat simple fun fold card, you can check out the book fold card I made here.
Handmade masculine cards are the ones I hear people struggle with the most. And I put myself in that group too! I’m always looking for a good masculine themed stamp set and fun patterned paper. So I was excited when I saw the Trusty Toolbox Designer Series Paper in the Sale-a-bration catalogue. And with this card design I’m able to make 3 cards at once!
To make it I pulled 3 different designs and cut them each into 4″ x 5 1/4″ pieces. Then I cut each design into 3 pieces. I didn’t measure exactly, but you don’t really need to. You just need to get close. Then I mixed and matched the 3 different designs so that each card has a Real Red, Crushed Curry and Lost Lagoon design.
Once I stuck them to the Gray Granite card bases, I fussy cut a few of the tools. Thankfully they’re pretty easy to do that with. But you can use the Trusty Tools dies for some of them instead if that’s easier.
Then to build up my stash of handmade masculine cards I used 3 different sentiments from the He’s All That stamp set. I stamped them with Gray Granite ink. And then I die cut them with the coordinating dies and popped them up with a mix of Stampin’ Dimensionals and the minis.
I totally forgot about the Brushed Metallic Dots. Those would look great if you like to add a little bling to your handmade masculine cards!
Check out another card I made using the He’s All That stamp set here.
It’s time for another team card swap! And even though there’s two catalogues right now, for this swap we’re focusing on the January-April Mini Catalogue. So for my card design I’m suing the Hooray for Surprises bundle. I’m excited to make some fun cards with these dies. But for the swap I’m keeping it simple!
I’m using Basic White cardstock for my card base. But this card base is a little different. I cut the cardstock so that the front panel doesn’t line up with the back panel. Then for my colours, I pulled from the Bee Mine Designer Series Paper pack. I like the design with the small flowers because it matches one of the images in the stamp set. So from this design I decided to use Pool Party as my ink colour.
Next I stamped a sentiment in the bottom right hand corner of the “inside” of the card. This way no matter whether the card is open or closed you can see it. Then I stamped the heart with the flowers in it and die cut it. To attach it to the front/outside panel, I added a couple of Stampin’ Dimensionals to one side of the heart. Just make sure you double check which side you put them on. You don’t want to accidentally get it stuck to the inside of the card. Then to finish it off I added a couple Brushed Brass Butterflies.
I’ll share some of the cards I got from m team here and on my socials (Facebook and Instagram). So stay tuned!
In the meantime, check out a simpke birthday card I made using the Hooray for Surprises stamp set here.
Purple is one of my favourite colours. And I love to plant lavender in my garden. So it won’t surprise you when I say that I love the Lovely Lavender Paper Pumpkin kit. The card designs are so pretty! And you can use these cards for a number of different occasions… Valentine’s Day, weddings, anniversaries or even just because.
So far I’ve made two alternative card designs. The first is a shaker card, I love making shaker cards! And it was pretty easy to do. I used some Crumb Cake cardstock for my card base along with one of the kit card fronts. Then I just added a piece of Window Sheet and a bunch of the Iridescent Shaker Circles.
For my other design, I took some inkspiration from a couple of the alternative projects on the back of the instructions. I used one of the brown card bases along with the Gorgeous Grape half of another to start. Then I layered a square die cut with purple foil and created a bouquet of lavender that I tied with a little bit of burlap ribbon. I also added one of the Paper Butterfly Accents from the January-April Mini catalogue and a couple of pieces I die cut using the add-on dies. Then to finish it off I added a few of the Purple Fine Shimmer Gems which are also from the mini catalogue.
This one is my favourite I think. Check out my Facebook page to see how I made both of these cards.
And if you missed out on the Lovely Lavender Paper Pumpkin kit, don’t worry. You can still get this month’s kit Sweet Springtime. Just sign up before February 10th. Once you’re signed up you can get past kits and refills.
pp kit
You can also check out the alternate projects I made using the All the Best Paper Pumpkin kit from December 2023 here.
I think I might be almost done with my Valentine’s Day crafting for this year. And part of me is kind of sad about it because I’ve been having so much fun! But before I’m done I need to share a cute Valentine’s Day card with Hello Ladybug. And while this isn’t necessarily a Valentine’s Day stamp set per se, it’s easy enough to add a “Happy Valentine’s Day” to these cute ladybugs.
For my colours I’m pulling from one of the designs of the Sale-a-bration Flight & Airy Designer Series Paper… Fresh Freesia and Bubble Bath. Not exactly traditional Valentine’s Day colours, but I love the combination and I think this patterned paper will make pretty wings.
My card base is Bubble Bath. And then I used a little bit of both for my ink colours. The little hearts around the edges are Bubble Bath. Next I layered a piece of Basic Black cardstock and a piece of the DSP. I made my bumblebee with Bubble Bath and Tuxedo Black Memento ink. And for my ladybug, I used some Basic Black cardstock and some of the DSP.
When I first say the bumblebee builder punch, I saw speech bubbles instead of the body. So I used that idea to add a cute sentiment for each bug. And then I popped them all up with some Stampin’ Dimensionals.
I’m so glad I remember to make a Valentine’s Day card with Hello Ladybug. These bugs are just too cute!
Check out another Valentine’s Day card I made using the Bee My Valentine bundle here.
I can’t believe that February starts in just a couple days! Can you?! I’ve been busy with all kinds of Valentine’s Day crafting lately. Have you started yours yet? If you haven’t then you’ll want to keep reading. Today I’m sharing my favourite Valentine’s Day stamp sets.
The January-April Mini catalogue definitely has a few stamp sets that’ll work great for Valentine’s Day. But my favourite has to be the Bee My Valentine stamp set. The obvious reason why I love this stamp set is the super cute Bumblebee and different expressions that you can give it! Aside from that, there’s a number of different Valentine’s Day sentiments using different fonts. I love a stamp set that has lots of images and sentiments like this one. So versatile too… it doesn’t have to be just for Valentine’s Day.
The Sending Love stamp set is also really nice for Valentine’s Day. A lot of great sentiments in this one too. I think my favourite are the circular ones. And the mailbox is a really fun image to use!
There aren’t as many Valentine’s Day stamp sets in the Annual catalogue. But there is one that would make some fun Valentine’s Day cards… Hello Ladybug. Ladybug… love bug… am I right?! Now it maybe doesn’t have a “Happy Valentine’s Day”, but it does have other sentiments that could be used (“you can bug me anytime”) if you don’t have one already in your craft stash. And the ladybug is pretty cute!
Thanks Stampin’ Up! for these super cute projects!
Do you have any favourite Valentine’s Day stamp sets? I’d love to know if you do! In the meantime, check out one of the Valentine’s Day cards I made using the Bee My Valentine stamp set here. And you can find all of these stamp sets, along with everything else you need for your Valentine’s Day crafting, in my online shop.
I’m getting back to some #SimpleStamping with this card. As much as I like using patterned paper, die cuts and embellishments, pretty cards don’t have to be complicated! This month’s challenge from Stampin’ Up! is to make a #SimpleStamping birthday card with a Sale-a-bration item. I had a hard time choosing because there are so many great products to choose from right now. But for this card I’m excited to stamp with one of the new stamp sets from the January-April Mini catalogue… Hooray for Surprises. And so I’m using the Pool Party Crinkled ribbon as my Sale-a-bration item.
For my card base I’m using Pool Party cardstock of course! I’m pairing it with Daffodil Delight to keep the colour combination nice and bright. Plus it’s a great colour for all the candle flames.
To make my background, I stamped a bunch of candles, using Pool Party and Daffodil Delight ink, around my sentiment… which is in Pool Party ink. Then I stamped a birthday cake on a smaller piece of Basic White cardstock using more Pool Party. The candle and flame are in Daffodil Delight. I framed that with another piece of Pool Party cardstock and then popped it up with a few Stampin’ Dimensionals on top of my Sale-a-bration ribbon. To finish it off, I added a little bit more of the ribbon with a simple know.
I’m so tempted to add some Wink of Stella to this #SimpleStamping birthday card. Or maybe even a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels. Heat embossing the flames would be another great way to level up this card design.
Check out another one of my #SimpleStamping cards here.
Maybe it’s because of a New Year’s resolution. Or maybe it’s because you just wanted to try something new. Whatever the reason, I’m always excited when I meet someone who’s new to stamping. There are so many great ways to be creative, but I also know that it can feel intimidating, making it hard to know where to start. So I thought I’d share what I think are the top 5 things every beginner crafter needs!
First up is a good paper trimmer. YOu’ll want something that can cut cardstock and patterned paper up to 12″ x 12″. And you’ll also want something that you can get replacement blades for. Eventually the blades do get a little dull and you end up with fussy edges. I really like Stampin’ Up!s new paper trimmer because it’s relatively compacet and has an arm that extends for the bigger sheets. Anotehr reason I like this trimmer is because I can cut OR score my cardstock and patterned paper.
Next is a couple of different kinds of adhesive. There are ALOT of different kinds of adhesive out there, but when you’re starting out you probably only need one or two. So to start I would recomment a tape runner, like Stampin’ Up!s Stampin’ SEAL, and Stampin’ Dimensionals. Stampin’ SEAL will cover most of your needs for your projects and it’s nice and strong. Plus you don’t end up with blobs like you can with liquid glue. And the Dimensionals are fun to pop things up and add more layers to your projects. As you get more into paper crafting you can add in other adhesives like Mini Glue Dots or Tear & Tape Adhesive.
Every crafter also needs a good pair of scissors of course! This is a tool that you’ll use a lot so you want to make sure it’s a good pair! You’ll use it for simple cutting/trimming, for fussy cutting images and cutting twine, ribbon, etc. The paper snips from Stampin’ Up! are great for all of these and they’re not too big so they easily fit into your craft bag. And the cover will make sure the sharp blades don’t poke any holes in anything. If you end up using a lot of ribbon for your projects, you may want to get a separate pair of scissors for that. Stampin’ Up! used to have a pair of craft scissors that I use for mine. but you can easily find a pair at a local craft store.
Number 4 is one tool that I always have with me… my Bone Folder. This really helps get a nice crisp fold which comes in handy especially when you’re doing a fun fold! It also works great if you need to reposition your cardstock or patterned paper. As long as you catch it quickly.
And last, but definitely not least is the Take Your Pick Tool. This is a tool that I didn’t know I needed until I had it. And now I can’t imagine crafting without it. The putty end is great for picking up sequins and gems. I also use this end when I need help positioning my stamped image in my punches. It comes with two different sized scoring ends. As well as a paper piercing and spatula tip. Either one of these works great for picking up adhesive-backed gems and the paper piercing end is ideal if you ever need help getting that paper off the back of the Glue Dots and Dimensionals. There’s a brush tip to help get all those little bits out of your dies. And if all that wasn’t enough there’s a craft knife tool and a perforating disc tool. I’m sure there’s ones that I’m forgetting, but you get the idea!
So these are my suggestions for the 5 things that every beginner crafter needs. I hope you find this helpful!
If you’d like more stamping tips and project ideas, sign up for my weekly newsletter here.
And if you’d like to grab any of the tools I talked about here you can do that in my online shop.
I’m having a lot of fun crafting Valentine’s Day cards! And the Most Adored Specialty Designer Series Paper pack makes it really easy to make a pretty handmade Valentine’s Day card. The colours are perfect for Valentine’s Day. And I just love the gold foil designs. So I had a hard time picking what designs to use for this card.
The inkspiration for this card design came from a picture I saw in a Facebook group I’m a part of. It’s such a great way to show off pretty patterned paper like this! I’m keeping the card base neutral with Crumb Cake to help the colours from the Designer Series Paper stand out. Once I picked my designs I stuck them to a piece of Basic White cardstock.
My “Happy Valentine’s Day” comes from the Bee My Valentine stamp set in the January-April Mini catalogue. I stamped it with Crumb Cake ink. Then I added some cute little hearts from the same stamp set with Flirty Flamingo ink. Finally I popped up that piece of cardstock with a couple Stampin’ Dimensionals.
I love that Stampin’ Up! has a pack of patterned paper with gold foil as one of the free products in the Sale-a-bration catalogue this year! Check out another handmade Valentine’s Day card I shared using some of the other Sale-a-bration products here.
And you can find everything you need to make your own handmade Valentine’s Day cards in my online shop.
