Bloom Impressions

I gotta say, at first I wasn’t so sure about the Bloom Impressions Designer Series Paper from the new Sale-a-bration catalogue. Part of me was wondering if some of the patterns were too busy. But I’m glad I got it anyway! Yes, there are a couple designs that aren’t my favourite, but there are lots of other great designs in this pack of patterned paper. So I decided to use if for the Make and Take for my catalogue launch party last weekend.

I used a card design that let me use a couple different designs of DSP. And the two I chose are actually on the same sheet, just different sides. From there I pulled a couple of the colours from the Designer Series Paper for my colour combo; Peach Pie and Shy Shamrock. I haven’t used the newest In Colours in a while so this was fun! They’re bright and colourful just like the DSP. And these colours are great for Spring, which is only 6 weeks away!

The card base is Peach Pie. Then I layered a piece of Basic White and Shy Shamrock cardstock on top. On top of that I layered the two different designs of patterned paper. Next I wrapped some of the White 1/4″ Diagonal Trim from the combo pack (the other colour is Petal Pink) around all three layers and added a bow. Then I popped it all up with a bunch of Stampin’ Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the new Hugs for Love stamp set. I stamped that with Peach Pie and then used Shy Shamrock for the fun border. Then I punched it out with the coordinating punch and layered it on top of my Designer Series Paper. To finish it off I added a few Brushed Brass Butterflies. I love these little guys! And not just because I love butterflies. They just add a little something when you want something but don’t want to use jewels or gems.

Bloom Impressions

The Bloom Impressions Designer Series Paper pack has definitely won me over! I’m looking forward to crafting with it some more.

In the meantime, check out another card I made using another great pack of patterned paper, Beautiful Bokeh, here.

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Beautiful Bokeh

The new catalogues are here! So lots of new, fun things to get crafty with! And the new Beautiful Bokeh Designer Series Paper pack from the Beautiful Butterflies suites is one of my favourites! Lots of great colours in this patterned paper pack. And I love the bokeh design. This is a great patterned paper to use as the focal point of your card design. And that’s what I did with this design.

I’m using the Berry Burst design for this card. So I used Berry Burst ink to stamp my sentiment from the new Hugs for Love stamp set. Around the sentiment I stamped a fun border from the same set with Tuxedo Black Memento ink. Then I used the coordinating punch and popped it up with some Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Behind the Designer Series Paper I have a Basic Black card mat. It really helps that Berry Burst Designer Series Paper stand out. And the card base is Basic White.

On top of the Designer Series Paper I didn’t add too much. It doesn’t need much. I popped up a couple of Paper Butterfly Accents by cutting some Mini Stampin Dimensionals in half. Then I added a few Brushed Brass Butterflies.

Beautiful Bokeh

I just love the Beautiful Bokeh Designer Series Paper! It’s super easy to make beautiful handmade cards with a pack of patterned paper like this.

Check out another card I made using the Paper Butterfly Accents here. And stay tuned for more from this suite.

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Loaded Envelope

So last weekend I had my small but mighty team over to my place for a Christmas party! We played some fun Christmas themed games, we had yummy treats and of course we did some crafting. And as a way to show some my team how much I appreciate them I always give them some extra goodies. It’s usually a combination of crafting supplies and chocolate. This year I created a Loaded Envelope for each of them. Inside I was able to fit a flavoured pack of hot chocolate, some transparent sticky notes, a gel pen and some ribbon, amoung other things.

I’ve made this once before and I really like it for a couple of reasons. The big one is because of how much stuff I can fit into it… I probably could have fit more! And the other reason that I really like making loaded envelopes is because of how easy they are to make. All you need is a 12″ x 12″ piece of patterned paper and whatever you want to add on to decorate.

For mine I used designs from the Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper. To create it you’ll score the patterned paper at 3 1/4″ on the left and right hand side. Then at the bottom, you’ll score it at 3 3/4″. Next you fold in the two sides and then fold the bottom up. Before you secure it all with Tear & Tape Adhesive, fold out the corners at the top of the envelope.

To decorate I added a bird from a different design from the Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper pack. And for the sentiment I used the Christmas Labels bundle.

Loaded Envelope

Everyone loved their loaded envelope… and all the goodies inside! I’ll definitely be making this again.

If you want to check out another project I made using the Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper, you can check that out here!

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Basket Weave Technique

I really like the Take a Bow pack of Designer Series Paper. But I didn’t get it at first because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get the punch that goes with it. I do love the idea of being able to make my own bows! But with a full time job, 2 kids (4 if you count Leo and my partner) and all my cardmaking, I just don’t have the time. In the end I decided to just get the Designer Series Paper pack. And one of the first ideas I had for a card design uses a basket weave technique.

So for this design I chose 2 fairly simple designs. And for colours, I chose to use 2 different coloured designs; Real Red and Garden Green. This card would also look nice with designs with different shades of the same colour.

To create the basket weave technique I simple wove one strip in front of and behind the other. And then with the next strip I wove that design in front of and behind the ones I didn’t with the last strip. Then I just repeated this until I used up all my strips of patterned paper.

To adhere it all to my piece of Very Vanilla cardstock I used Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue. I definitely like that it gives you some time to get things in place! Behind this I have a Real Red card base and a Garden Green card mat. On top of all that, I kept it very simple! I just stamped a sentiment from the Christmas Labels stamp set with Garden Green ink. Then I die cut it with one of the coordinating dies. (I’m so sad this bundle is retiring!) To finish is off I popped it up with some Stampin’ Dimensionals. And then I added a couple Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Basket Weave Technique

The basket weave technique is a great way to use up all those scraps of patterned paper! And we all know we have plenty of those in our craft stash, lol! Plus you don’t need to add much of anything else on top… just a sentiment.

Check out another card I made using the Christmas Labels bundle here. And don’t forget this bundle, like all the others that are retiring, are only available while supplies last!

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Quilting Technique

I dipped back into my stash of Winter Meadow Designer Series Paper for my recent Fancy Fold Christmas Card class. And it remined me how much I love this pack of patterned paper! So when I was thinking of what card designs I wanted this week, I decided I wanted something that let me feature the Designer Series Paper. In the end, I chose to do the quilting technique.

I pulled from the Winter Meadow Designer Series Paper pack for my colours. For my strips of patterned paper I’m using Misty Moonlight, Pretty Peacock and Smoky Slate. And for my card base and ink I’m using Misty Moonlight. This is one of my favourite colours!

To create the quilted card front I cut long 1/2″ strips and layered them onto a piece of Basic White cardstock. The quilting technique isn’t a difficult one. But you do want to take your time. I started with the 3 strips across the centre and then switched the angle for the sides. To maximize my patterned paper, I only do a few strips at a time. That way I can use almost all of the strip.

On top of that I added a sentiment from the Christmas Labels stamp set. I stamped it using Misty Moonlight ink. Then I die cut it with one of the coordinating dies. Next I popped it up with some Stampin’ Dimensionals. And then to finish it off I added a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Quilting Technique

I think the next time I try the quilting technique, I’m going to try a different pattern. Doesn’t this one look like a wrapped present?!

Check out another card I made using Misty Moonlight and the Winter Meadow Designer Series Paper pack here.

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Monochromatic Christmas Card

I’m definitely getting into the Christmas spirit with my crafting! And one pack of patterned paper that I love for this time of year is the Winter Meadow Designer Series Paper pack. I’m so glad that Stampin’ Up! decided to keep it after last year’s Holiday Mini catalogue. The colours and designs are so pretty and it’s not you’re traditional Christmas paper. So for this design I wanted to show it off the paper and this design is a great one for creating a background. It’s also great for a monochromatic Christmas card!

So Misty Moonlight is the main colour for this one. And then on top of the Designer Series Paper I layered on a piece of Basic White cardstock. The sentiment is from the Christmas Labels stamp set and of course it’s stamped in Misty Moonlight ink. Then on top of that I stamped the pair of birds from the Winterly Tree Tops stamp set. I die cut it with the coordinating die and then sadly there isn’t a Misty Moonlight Watercolour Pencil, so I lightly coloured them with Night of Navy. And added a little more in certain spots for some shadows and depth.

Finally to finish it off, I popped up the birds with some Stampin’ Dimensionals. And then added a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Monochromatic Christmas Card

I love a monochromatic card! And so crafting this monochromatic Christmas card was a nice bonus.

As we get closer to Christmas I’ll share some more Christmas cards. But in the meantime sign up for my weekly newsletter! Right now we’re in the midst of my 12 Weeks of Christmas. Extra, exclusive, holiday themed projects to help you get ready for the holidays and avoid some of the stress that comes with it! Sign up here.

You can also check out another card I made using the Winterly Tree Tops bundle here.

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Shoebox Swap using Winterly Tree Tops

I’m finally starting on my Christmas crafting! Maybe I’ll even get my Christmas and Hannukah cards done before December! And it’s all starting with the card design for my team shoebox swap using Winterly Tree Tops. I just love these little birds from the Winterly Tree Tops bundle and it’s starting to get a little frosty around here so I thought why not make it a Christmas card. What’s a shoebox swap you might be asking… It’s similar to a regular card swap in some respects where you make the number of cards to match the number of people in your group. That way everyone gets one of each person’s card designs. But for a shoebox swap you prepare all the bits and pieces needed for people to make your card and you put them in a shoebox, or another container.

Our team swaps also have a couple of extra rules. One is that the products be current and no online exclusives… as much as we all love them the availability is somewhat unpredictable. So I’m featuring the two birds on a branch from the Winterly Tree Tops bundle. And that’s where I started with this design. I wanted to make them blue so I used my Pool Party Stampin’ Blends. Pool Party is also my card base colour and the ink colour for my sentiment from the Christmas Labels stamp set.

Behind my pretty little birds I have a piece of the Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper that coordinates with this bundle. I also dry embossed a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock using the Cane Weave 3D embossing folder. Then to match with the DSP, I added a Crumb Cake card mat behind the embossed cardstock as well as a little bit to frame the sentiment.

Shoebox Swap using Winterly Tree Tops

I hope my team members like my shoebox swap using Winterly Tree Tops!

Check out one of the other cards I made using the Winterly Tree Tops stamps and dies here.

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Winterly Tree Tops

I’m slowly working my way towards my Christmas crafting. And the Nest of Winter suite is a great one to ease in with. I can’t resist these cute birds! I especially love the Winterly Tree Tops dies that are part of this suite.

For this card I’m using the largest die in the bunch. So of course one of my colours is green. In this case, I’m using Garden Green. And my other colour is Crumb Cake for my card base. In between these two layers I have a piece of Basic White cardstock. On that piece I stamped some bud branches and some little flowers using Crumb Cake ink. The bud branches come from the Winterly Tree Tops stamp set. And the flowers are from the Layering Leaves stamp set.

On top of all that, I fussy cut a bird from the Nest of Winter Designer Series Paper pack. Then for my sentiment I pulled one from the Layering Leaves stamp set and stamped it in Crumb Cake ink. I die cut that with one ofthe skinnier Something Fancy dies. And both got popped up with some Stampin’ Dimensionals. To finish it off I added a few of the smallest Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Winterly Tree Tops

I can’t wait to use all the Winterly Tree Tops dies! Especially since I thing they will die cut some of the images in the Designer Series Paper Pack.

Check out another card I made using the Nests of Winter suite here.

I’m slowly working my way towards my Christmas crafting. And the Nests of Winter suite is a great one to ease in with. I can’t resist these cute birds! I especially love the Winterly Tree Tops dies that are part of this suite.

For this card I’m using the largest die in the bunch. So of course one of my colours is green. In this case, I’m using Garden Green. And my other colour is Crumb Cake for my card base. In between these two layers I have a piece of Basic White cardstock. On that piece I stamped some bud branches and some little flowers using Crumb Cake ink. The bud branches come from the Winterly Tree Tops stamp set. And the flowers are from the Layering Leaves stamp set.

On top of all that, I fussy cut a bird from the Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper pack. Then for my sentiment I pulled one from the Layering Leaves stamp set and stamped it in Crumb Cake ink. I die cut that with one of the skinnier Something Fancy dies. And both got popped up with some Stampin’ Dimensionals. To finish it off I added a few of the smallest Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Winterly Tree Tops

I can’t wait to use all the Winterly Tree Tops dies! Especially since I think they will die cut some of the images in the Designer Series Paper Pack.

Check out another card I made using the Nests of Winter suite here.

Have you started your Christmas crafting yet? If you’re eager to get started and are looking for some inkspiration, sign up for my weekly newsletter! Over the next few weeks my subscribers will get exclusive holiday themed projects sheets you won’t find anywhere else. There’s still lots of projects to come so sign up here!

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Colouring with Winterly Tree Tops

I just love these cute little birds and am so excited to be crafting with them! And of course I couldn’t resist colouring with Winterly Tree Tops either. For this first card I’m colouring with Stampin’ Up!s Watercolour Pencils. It’s definitely on my radar to dig out my Stampin’ Blends at some point.

This week I seem to be into Crumb Cake and Coastal Cabana as my colour combination. I’m definitely a fan of pairing blues and browns, so why not these two?! I’m using Coastal Cabana as my card base and then layering on a piece of patterned paper from the Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper pack for my card mat.

On top of that I layered some Basic White and more Coastal Cabana cardstock. But not before I added a sentiment in Crumb Cake ink on one piece. With the other piece I stamped the image of the two birds on a branch using Crumb Cake ink. Usually I use Tuxedo Black Memento ink when I’m colouring. But since I’m not using my Stampin’ Blends I thought it’d be a nice, subtle alternative. Then I coloured the branch with the Early Espresso Watercolour Pencil. The berries are Cherry Cobbler and the birds are, of course, Coastal Cabana. I coloured the beaks with Brushed Curry. To smooth out any lines from my colouring, I went over it all with a Blender Pen. Then to finish it off, I popped up the sentiment and then added a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Colouring with Winterly Tree Tops

This is such a fun suite to craft with! And I can’t wait to pull out the dies as well as do some more colouring with Winterly Tree Tops.

Check out a clean and simple card I made using the Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper here.

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Clean and Simple Handmade Card

As much as I love adding bling, different embellishments and layers to my cards, sometimes I like a clean and simple handmade card! Who says that you have to have multiple layers and ribbon and jewels to make a pretty card?! I’ve always felt that simple cards can be just as beautiful. So as I ease myself towards my Christmas crafting I’m digging out my pack of the Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper. The birds are so pretty and so are the rest of the designs in this pack of patterned paper! Sometimes it’s nice to just let the paper do the talking.

For this card I’m using a Crumb Cake card base and a Garden Green card mat. On top of that I have a piece of Basic White that I’ve just stamped 3 times with an image from the Layering Leaves stamp set and some Crumb Cake ink. I made sure to spread them out so I wouldn’t cover them with my next layer. My next layer is a simple circle of the woodgrain design that I popped up with a few Stampin’ Dimensionals. Next I fussy cut one of the birds from one of the other sheets in the Nests of Winter DSP pack. There are so many to choose from. But for this card I wanted just one bird and I just love the blue and pink on this little guy.

Clean and simple handmade card

I have to admit, I’m still getting used to all the blank space. But I do like how this clean and simple handmade card turned out!

I’m excited to get to some more crafting with the Nests of Winter suite! In the meantime, check out another card I made using the same stamp set, Layering Leaves here.

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More Than Autumn

If you’ve been following me for a little while, you’ll know that I love joining in my large team’s card swaps. They’re such a great way to find inkspiration. AND it’s a great way to see projects with products you don’t have! A new catalogue is here so that means we’re having another card swap. The big things to remember are to use a stamp set from the new catalogue (e.g. More than Autumn), no online exclusives and make sure to add an embellishment.

For my design I’m using the More than Autumn stamp set. It’s such a fun stamp set and really versatile. My colour combination is inspired by fall. So I’m using Crumb Cake for my card base and Pumpkin Pie for my card mat. For all my stamping I’m using Very Vanilla. I really like the softer, more subtle colour for Fall themed cards.

I stamped my sentiment at the top and bottom of my card front using both Crumb Cake and Pumpkin Pie ink. Then on top of that I layered a strip of Country Woods Designer Series Paper. Next I stamped my Pumpkin Spice latte with Crumb Cake ink. The pumpkin is stamped with Pumpkin Pie ink of course. And then the whipped cream is stamped with Basic Beige. I coloured the cup and pumpkin with the Watercolour Pencils (assortment 1). If you’re light with your pressure the Early Espresso works well as an almost Crumb Cake. Then I framed it with another piece of Pumpkin Pie cardstock and popped it up with a few Stampin’ Dimensionals. To finish is off I added Wink of Stella to the whipped cream and a few of the orange Faux Glass Dots.

More than Autumn

Once I get all the cards from my team’s card swap, I’ll pick a few of my favourites to share here.

In the meantime, check out another card I made using the More than Autumn stamp set here.

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Something for Everything

One of the new things that Stampin’ Up! launched with the new Annual catalogue back in May are ephemera packs. These are filled with images or sentiments and all you have to do is pop them out and stick them to whatever you’re working on. There are 4 different packs to choose from. One is filled with different sentiments, one is filled with different shaped and coloured labels and the other two are full of images. I thought it’d be fun to try the Something for Everything ephemera pack. And just in case you’re wondering… the other pack is floral themed.

For this card I thought I would make a birthday card with the really cute cupcakes. I’m pairing it with the Hooray for Surprises stamp set. For the colour combination, I’m using the cupcakes. So Lemon Lolly and Pool Party.

The card base and candle flames are Lemon Lolly. Then I stamped the sentiment and the candles in Pool Party ink. I also added a strip of the Bright & Beautiful Designer Series Paper behind the cupcakes. Next I popped up the cupcakes with a few Stampin’ Dimensionals. And to finish it off I added a bunch of Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Something for Everything

There are so many other great images in the Something for Everyone ephemera pack! And you get 2 of each of the four different sheets.

I’m excited to make some more cards with the Something for Everything ephemera pack! In the meantime, check out a card I made with the Hooray for Surprises stamp set here.

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Layering Leaves

One of the newest stamp sets that I added to my craft stash is Layering Leaves. I had the chance to use it at our large team’s in-person playdate back in June and I loved it so much that I put it at the top of my wishlist.

For this card design, I’m pairing it with one of the designs from the Perennial Lavender Designer Series Paper pack. This is one of just a couple designs that doesn’t have any purple in it. It does have a few different shades of green in it… Pretty Peacock, Lost Lagoon and Shaded Spruce. And for my card base and ink colour I went with Pretty Peacock. Then Lost Lagoon as my secondary ink colour.

On top of my piece of patterned paper, I layered a Pretty Peacock sentiment and some small Lost Lagoon flowers that I punched with the 2 3/8″ Circle Punch. I also added a few leaf branches that I punched with the Bough Punch. The outline of the leaves is Pretty Peacock and then I used Lost Lagoon to fill then in. Two step stamp sets like this make it really easy to make it look like you coloured your images! And I popped all of it up with some Stampin’ Dimensionals. Then to finish it off I added a couple Brushed Brass Butterflies.

Layering Leaves

I’ve made a few cards using the Layering Leaves stamp set. And it’s definitely become a fast favourite!

Check out another card I made using a sentiment from the Layering Leaves stamp set and a different design from the Perennial Lavender DSP pack here.

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More Crafting with Perennial Lavender

This week’s card design comes from the Paper Craft Crew. It’s been kind of hectic around here lately so I haven’t joined in any challenges for a while. But I thought this was a fun design, so I’m giving it a go, even if I’m not joining in. The inkspiration for my colours, etc. came from my recent visit to a local lavender farm. While I was there I felt the need to do more crafting with Perennial Lavender. It’s such a pretty pack of patterned paper!

For my cardstock and ink colour I wanted to use a colour from the pack that I haven’t used yet. So I’m using Blackberry Bliss… one of my favourite colours! On top of the Blackberry Bliss card base I added a piece of one of the darker Designer Series Paper designs. Then on top of that I added a small piece of Blackberry Bliss cardstock and a sentiment from the Sketched Butterflies stamp set that I stamped on some Basic White cardstock with Blackberry Bliss ink. I popped these up with some Stampin’ Dimensionals.

To finish it off I added a few Basic White butterflies using the Sketched Butterflies dies. And of course a little bit of bling with a few Iridescent Pearl Basic Jewels.

More Crafting with Perennial Lavender

I’m loving this pack of patterned paper! And can’t wait to do even more crafting with Perennial Lavender, so keep checking back.

Check out another card I made using this beautiful pack of Designer Series Paper here.

Heads up… this pack of patterned paper, along with about a dozen or more packs, will be on sale starting next week. I’ll share more details in my next post.

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Simple Flip Card

I’m not really sure if you can call this a fun fold card. And I’m not sure if this design has a name. So I’m calling it a Simple Flip card because the card front flips open. this is also a fun card design because it doesn’t have a full card front like the cards I usually make. So pare of what’s on the “card front” is also part of the “inside” of the card.

I’m big into Lost Lagoon monochromatic card this week. So I pulled a Lost Lagoon design from the Winter Meadow Designer Series Paper pack. I added that to the part of the card that flips open. Next to that I stamped a few of the little butterflies from the Sketched Butterflies stamp set.

then on top of the piece of patterned paper, I added a couple more butterflies using the stamp and dies. I popped them both up with some Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals along with the sentiment. The sentiment is from the Layering Leaves stamp set. And I die cut it with the Something Fancy dies. To finish it off I added a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Simple Flip Card

If you can think of a better name than Simple Flip card, let me know. Or if you know the actual name of this card design, let me know. I usually try to capture the name in the pictures on my phone, but somehow this one disappeared.

Check out another card I made using the Sketched Butterflies stamp set here.

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