Another Christmas in July Card

Hey!  Thanks for stopping by today.  Things are a little different today.  I was working with a layout that I hadn't used in a while and couldn't remember the sizes I needed.  So I was playing with retired DSP for the first card just to get a handle on the size I wanted to cut the layers.   Since there was nothing wrong with the papers and the size I cut, I decided to make up this card first and then go on to the Christmas card I wanted to share.  Here's the prototype:

The card base is Shaded Spruce and the DSP is from the retired Forever Greenery.  The plant pot is from the current Plentiful Plants, and the greenery is from the Forever Fern set.  I used the dies that coordinate with the stamp sets.  The ink used for the plant pot is Soft Suede, and Shaded Spruce & Granny Apple Green were used for the plants.  I tied a double Linen Thread bow as an accent.

Cutting for Layers:  2 different DSP prints 

each cut at   2 1/4" x 3 1/2"

This is a very simple layering technique and I've used it so often in the last 20+ years I've been making cards.  It's also a great way to use up some of those bits of DSP that are left over from all the other projects you've made!

Ok, that's nice enough, but let's get to making the Christmas card and using NEW stuff!

Again the DSP layering is a focal point and but those weren't  the color choices I actually used.  This card has a base of Early Espresso with a layer of Soft Succulent cardstock over it.  This is just attached with adhesive to lay flat.  

The two pieces of designer paper are from the lovely Painted Christmas 12" x 12" Designer Paper.  These both are more on the subtle side of the prints in the pack, but all of them are just really gorgeous!   Even though there is an extra layer of cardstock on this card, the two pieces are still cut at 2 1/4" x 3 1/2".  Decide which one goes under and which over, then attach with adhesive so it is still flat.

I'm loving the Christmas Season Bundle with the terrific hand-painted look to the images.  For the pinecone, I started with Crumb Cake cardstock and stamped the 1st image with Crumb Cake ink.  The detail stamp that goes over it was stamped with Early Espresso ink, then die-cut with the coordinating die.  

The larger bunch of leaves were stamped with Shaded Spruce ink and the smaller ones were stamped with Mint Macaron.  Like I mentioned, these aren't listed on the matching colors for the DSP, but I liked how they looked on the finished card.  The leaves were also die-cut with matching dies. 

 Let's put the card together now.  The pinecone is attached with a couple Dimensionals.  Both of the leaves were tucked in underneath and attached with Glue Dots.  A small knot of the Gold Fine Art Ribbon is tucked slightly under the pinecone also and attached with Glue Dots.  I liked the subtle shimmer of the ribbon to add just a bit of elegance.  If I were looking to make it more country in feel, I think I'd use Linen Thread, doubled and tied in a bow.  That would give the card a really different feel to it.  Three of the iridescent 2021-2023 In Color Jewels added just the right touch.  Both of the greens worked, but I chose the Evening Evergreen ones.

The inside of the card was finished with adding a layer of Basic White cardstock.  The bottom corner was stamped with a pinecone using the same colors as before, Crumb Cake first, then Early Espresso over it.  I masked this and stamped the smaller bunch of leaves using Mint Macaron ink.  

I love how simple this card was to finish and could see me making multiples of this for my own cards.  We'll see what else I can come up with before I make a decision on which card(s) to make for our family.  Decisions, decisions... but the sooner I get started, the better off I'll be.  Maybe I'll even get them in the mail early for a change.  Oh no, not a good idea - I have some friends who'd probably have a heart-attack if I mailed them too early!  *huge grins*

There's still a one day left to order some of the Designer Series Papers that are on sale.  It's a great bargain and I don't think you can ever have too much DSP!  shhh... But don't tell my hubby I said that!  If you are placing an order this month, please use my July Host Code.  I appreciate your orders greatly!

July Host Code

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Thanks so much for stopping by again today.  Are you ready for the new July - December mini catalog to start?  Just a few more days - August 3rd!  And don't forget about the 2nd around of Sale-A-Bration that also starts August 3rd.  Boy, good things are in store for you and I'll have lots of new ideas to share with you using the new products.  Have fun stamping this summer.  All this heat is a good reason to stay indoors and stamp!  *grins*

Happy creating!

Sharon

Dragonfly Birthday Card

 Hi there.  Glad you dropped by again.  Today's card is all about salvaging a really big oops!  I saw a fun fold card design that I really liked and thought I'd give it a try.  First cut I measured wrong, and it all went downhill from then on.  Or did it?!  Actually I love the finished card even though it really isn't the right size at all.  Maybe I need to make one using the correct dimensions.  But it's fun sometimes to see what you can do with those oopsies.  Come on now, you can't tell me you never have any mistakes, right?  This is how I salvaged my mistake, and I love it!

It has the look of a little square card, but it's really 4 1/2" x 4".  That's where I made my first mistake - it should have been cut at 5 1/2" x 11".  I cut it 1" too short at only 4 1/2".  That meant making adjustments to all the other dimensions.  Here are the dimensions I used for this card:

Card Base -  Bumblebee  4 1/2" x 11" 

scored @ 1 3/4",  3 1/2",  5 1/4", and  7"

Bumblebee  3" x 6"

DSP -  1st pattern   (4)  1 1/2" x 4 1/4"

            2nd pattern  (2)  2 3/4" x 2 3/4"

Basic White - inside - 3 3/4" x 4 1/4"  

                     - plus scraps

After scoring the long piece of cardstock, I did an accordian fold.  On the four sides that are 1 3/4" wide, I attached one of the strips of designer series paper.  For this card, I used the Dandy Garden 6" x 6" DSP.  Sorry, it was in last year's catalog so it isn't available anymore.  One of my friends uses this DSP so often, I keep forgetting it isn't current now.

With the DSP on all four panels, you get to see the pretty paper no matter which way you look at the card.  

Next was the 3" x 6" piece of cardstock.  This was scored and folded to make a 3" x 3" piece.  Laying it flat, attach the two 2nd pattern pieces to this with adhesive.  From the pictures, I think you can see how it's attached in the middle of the front.  Then it's attached inside the card on the 4th panel.  When the card is folded flat, there is an even margin all around the 3" x 3" showing on the front (see the first picture).  

The sentiment is from the Peaceful Moments stamp set.  It was stamped onto a Basic White scrap using Night of Navy ink.  It is punched out with the Rectangular Postage Stamp punch.  The dragonfly from Dragonfly Garden stamp set was stamped on white using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  I added some color with the Smoky Slate, Balmy Blue and Night of Navy Stampin' Blends.  The dragonfly was also given a brush of shimmer with the Wink of Stella.  It was punched out using the Dragonflies punch.  Both the label and dragonfly were attached to the card front using Dimensionals.

The inner panel is Basic White cardstock and stamped with one of the sentiments in the Dragonfly Garden stamp set.  This time I used Mossy Meadow ink.

Wasn't this a fun card fold idea?  Julie Davison showed this fun fold and I just loved it.  Of course, now I have to go back and actually try making it again using the correct dimensions.  I'm sure I'll love that one too.  But I've got to admit, there's just something special about these smaller cards.  I think they're just too cute.

And just in case you're wondering why I chose blues for the dragonfly body, well let me tell you...  We have a fish pond at our new home and I just love it.  I do spend much time just watching the fish and frogs.  But we also have a large group of dragonflies always flitting about.  And their bodies are almost a neon blue - just gorgeous!  So that my reasoning.  This card is a salute to my very own nature preserve.  It's not too big, but I love spending time communing with nature at it's finest.

If you're planning on ordering this month, please use the Host Code shown here.  And don't forget, the nine Designer Series Papers that are still on sale until the end of July.  You don't want to miss out!

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Thank you for coming and hanging out with me for awhile today.  Love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let me know what you're thinking about.

Happy stamping and have fun creating!

Sharon

Merry Monday

 Hey there!  It's almost the end of July, so I wanted to get a quick "Christmas in July" card in while it was still July.  The card today uses a new stamp set and die bundle that will be available in seven more days when the new July-December Mini Catalog goes live on August 3rd.  This is the first set that really caught my eye when I saw the new mini catalog.  The images are bold and look just like I might have painted them by hand.  And there's dies to match!  Oh heavens!  I love how quick and easy it is to make all the components for my card.

This is just my first card using the set, but it definitely won't be my last.  I decided to use the Tidings of Christmas 6"x6" Designer Series Paper as a backdrop for these gorgeous images.  This one is soft enough that it doesn't fight with the images, but is quite substantial on it's own for other ideas.  I've already got an idea for it floating around in the 'gray matter" .  *grin*

The card base is Real Red cardstock folded in half.  There is a skinny layer of Basic White cardstock separating the print paper from the bold red giving it a nice frame.  An afterthought is the 1/2" strip of Evening Evergreen cardstock going across the card front underneath all the die-cut pieces.

All the images are from the Christmas Season set, and the dies are all from the coordinating Seasonal Labels Dies.  (Think savings with bundles!)  The 2 sizes of pinecones were stamped on Crumb Cake cardstock first with Crumb Cake ink, then the detail stamp with Soft Suede was used,  The 2 sizes of holly leaves were all stamped in Shaded Spruce ink.  The berries were stamped in Real Red ink.  The sentiment comes from the Best Year stamp set that is a carry-over from last year's catalog.  It has eleven sentiments that cover many occasions and both the inside and outside wordage for your cards.  Very versatile!  All the pieces were die cut.  Quick and easy.  The sentiment was stamped with Real Red ink.  It still needed something on it, so I used a Real Red Marker to add stitching lines outlining it.  Much better.  

The sentiment label was attached with Dimensionals then everything was positioned around it.  A few of the items were just tucked under and attached with adhesive.  The larger pinecone, two larger holly leaves, and the berries all have Mini Dimensionals attaching them to the card front.  

At this point, I decided to add some Wink of Stella to the card by flicking it on.  Make sure the brush tip is pretty loaded with the Wink of Stella, then tap it against the cover so that the fluid flicks off.  This will kind of go everywhere - especially places you don't want it to.  So always move things out of the way, or flick into a box to contain it!

The last addition to the card was the teeny tiny Red Rhinestones scattered about.  These are really small (only 3mm) so I actually put four on the card.  I'm still deciding about adding another one or two.

I really like how the card turned out.  It actually took three days to finish because I kept changing my mind about positioning the die-cut images, whether to add more or take some away.  That means I now have several more pinecones, holly leaves, and berries all ready for the next project.  Woo Hoo!

Thanks for stopping by to see what's happening here.  We've got a lot of coughing going on around right now.  The boys were really worn out when they got back from church camp last Friday and that has translated into coughs all around - me included.  Hate those summer colds and coughs.  They seem to be the hardest to get over.  But so far it hasn't stopped us from having fun!

If you're planning on placing an order yet this month, please use the code shown here:

July Host Code

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Miss you all so much and love hearing from you.  Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know how you like my cards.  Or let me know what you'd like to see me make, or any special products to use.  Call anytime with questions or just to gab.  If I can't talk right then, I'll be sure to get back with you asap.  Happy stamping and creating!

Hugs,

Sharon

Simply Succulents

 Hi there!  Here it is, Saturday already.  This week has flitted by so fast, and July is easing toward the end.  We've had several of our families birthdays this month.  So many cards have been going out in the mail to all of the birthday people.  Today's card I'm sharing was one of those many cards that went out this month.  Hope you like it.  I wish I had better pictures of the whole card, but it was in the mail before I realized some of the pictures I took were all blurry and ugly.  I also figured out that I never took down measurements either.  Oh nuts!  (for those of you ladies at Guardian, you can ask Barb for the dimensions.  I think this card went to her.)  So this is what you get today...

This card marries two different Designer Paper packs from two different catalog years, but they look like they were made for each other.  At least that's what I thought when I was digging around in my papers looking for something to go with the alcohol ink look of the Expressions In Ink Designer Series Paper.  You know how it is when you know you want to use a certain paper on a project and it takes awhile to find just the right piece to coordinate with it?  That's what happened here.  I was so excited when I came across a bit of the Forever Greenery DSP from last year's catalog.  The colors went together perfectly and I was able to get this card made.

The card starts with a base of Shaded Spruce cardstock cut in half.  I'm guessing that I cut off about 1 1/2" from the right edge.  There's a layer of Basic White attached to the inside of the card with adhesive.  The inside sentiment was stamped with Shaded Spruce ink.  Now for the front of the card...  

The pretty leafy print from the Forever Greenery DSP was cut to 5 1/4" tall, and a 1/4" smaller in width than the front flap of the card.  The print has leaves in Soft Seafoam on a Shaded Spruce background.  It was attached using adhesive. 

The focal point was made using the Simply Succulents stamp set and dies.  The flower pot was stamped on Pumpkin Pie cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and lightly shaded with Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends.  I was trying to get the look of a clay pot.  The cactus flower was stamped on Basic White with Soft Succulent ink.  The coloring was done with Stampin' Blends also, Soft Succulent and Fresh Freesia.  Then these pieces were die-cut with the Potted Succulents die set.  The 'aloe plant' was die cut from Shaded Spruce cardstock.

The Expressions in Ink was cut at 2 1/2" x 4".  I used the backside of the paper with no gold on it.  This is layered onto a Shaded Spruce piece of cardstock cut 2 3/4" x 4 1/2".  Both the aloe plant and the flower pot were attached flat to this.  The little cactus flower was attached with a Dimensional.  This was attached to the card front lining up the edges so a little of the Basic White layer inside the card shows nicely on three sides.

The sentiment comes from the Sharing Sunshine stamp set and was stamped onto a Basic White strip using Shaded Spruce ink.  The ends of this were trimmed with the Banner Pick A Punch.  This is one of my very favorite punches and very handy to have around.  If you hate cutting those banner ends by hand and can never get them straight, then this is a must have tool.  The banner was then attached to the card front using Dimensionals.  

That's it for this card.  It's fairly simple, but because of the cut section on the front flap, it has a little more interest than a regular card.  Hope this gives you an idea for making little differences in your cards to make them just a little bit different and memorable.

If you'd still like to place an order in July, the Designer Papers are still on sale til the end of the month.  It's always a smart idea to pick up your designer papers on sale when possible.  They are so versatile and can be used for the main focus on your card, or just a snippet to add some interest.  Remember too that the new July - June Catalog will go live on August 3rd!  Woo Hoo!!  If you do place an order, please use the Host Code shown here.

July Host Code

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Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope you have a fabulous Saturday and can find some time to be creative, whether it's stamping, cooking, or gardening, etc.  It's good for the soul and makes you happy.

Hugs,

Sharon 

Penguin and Friend

Hi friends!  Are you ready for a little sneak peak?  Most of you have probably received your new catalogs in the mail from me.  Have you been drooling over anything?  I sure had my eye on some lovely new stamps and dies.  Oh yes, and gorgeous designer papers too!  I can hardly wait to get my hot little hands on some of them.  Being a demonstrator, one of the perks is being able to pre-order from new catalogs.  And that's just what I did.  The goodies came last week, and I finally had time to play.  I've had this idea in my head every since I saw the Penguin Place stamp set and punch bundle.  I usually go for the more traditional stamps, but this set was just too cute to pass up.  It makes me smile just thinking about it.  And when I saw there was a Sale-A-Bration designer paper that matched these little guys, I just had to get it too.  Here's my first card - and I didn't even really use the stamp set except for the words!  How funny!

Aren't these little guys just adorable?  Both the polar bear and penguin were fussy cut from the (free!) Penguin Playmates Designer Series Paper.  The cute little fox didn't make it onto this card, but maybe it will the next time.  The soft trees in the background are actually the backside of the paper the little guys were cut out from.  Fun paper and interesting colors to use for Christmas instead of the traditional red and green.

To make the card, start with a base of Misty Moonlight cut to 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.   Next a piece of Basic White cardstock cut at 4" x 3 1/2".  Using the Basic Borders Die set, I chose the curvy die and cut the two snowdrifts from this keeping the width at 4".  After playing around with the snowdrifts, I decided to cut the trees designer paper to 4" x 3 1/2" so there would be enough overlap when layered onto the card base.   I started with the trees dsp attached to the top of the card and centered nicely.  Next I guessed where the two white layers would be and attached them to each other.  Lastly, the two white layers were attach directly to the card front overlapping onto the trees dsp.

The sentiment was stamped with Misty Moonlight ink onto the skinny strip of Basic White cardstock.  It was then trimmed up into three separate pieces and layered onto Misty Moonlight bits and cut skinny to fit.  Both the polar bear and penguin were attached to the card front using Dimensionals.  And the three sentiments were scattered over the card and attached with Mini Dimensionals.  The 2021-2023 In Color Jewels in Fresh Freesia were added to give the card a little bling.

The inside of the card starts with a layer of Basic White cardstock.  This has the Christmas sentiment from the Banner Year stamp set stamped with Misty Moonlight ink.  Then the cute sentiment from the Penguin Place set was stamped below it also using Misty Moonlight ink.  The little sparkly snowflakes were stamped in Fresh Freesia ink to match the scarf on the polar bear.  You know how I love everything to match just so!

It was so much fun to make my first Christmas cards of the season.  It might be in the 90's outside, but I'm still thinking of snowy days and cold weather inside.  Hope this starts you thinking ahead to Christmas and the fall holidays ahead.  It's never too early to get started on all those cards, favors, tags, and all the rest.  Time always seems to have a way of slipping by too quickly.  So get those thinking caps on and start planning all your holiday stamping projects!  Make sure you look at all the possibilities in both the July-December Mini Catalog and also the Sale-A-Bration flyer.  There's sure to be some goodies that you're going to need.  If you'd like to order from me, please use this host code.  I'd really appreciate it!  

Host Code  

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Just want to thank you for stopping by to see what's new.  It's been fun doing a little holiday stamping.  Looking forward to hearing from you.  Thanks again.

Hugs and blessings,

Sharon

Friendship Friday

 Hi again!  Seems like I've really been slipping up here and not posting all the wonderful cards that have been coming in the mail lately.  Since I have such a large grouping, I'll only post half today and catch up next week.  At least that's my plan at this point in time.  We'll see how that works out!  Some of the card components are really new, and some have been retired for ages (but are still wonderful!)  Isn't it fun to look over what other ladies are making?

created by  Shirley Krone

created by Roxanne Owen

created by Shirley Krone

created by Kathy Hintz

created by Barb Eisenman

created by Barb Eisenman

created by Shirley Krone

Aren't all these ideas fun?  They are such creative ladies and we've had so much fun stamping together over the years.  Almost all of the stamps and materials are from Stampin'Up!  Do you remember any of these from the distant past?  It's so much seeing them used again, and so creatively too!  Excellent work ladies!  Each and every card you send brightens my day and makes me miss each of you all over again.  Looking forward to when we'll see each other again - either here or in heaven.  Love you all so much!!

Thank you,

Sharon

Happy All Squared Away

Hi friends!     This is not what I thought I'd be sharing today.  But when I got in yesterday's mail, there was a card from a friend.  It was for no reason in particular, just a happy card.  I had been having kind of a funky day, and it just made me smile.  Isn't that one of the main reasons we actually make cards and send them to family and friends - to make them smile?  Then I got to thinking that it would be a good idea to send out a card to one of my friends, for no reason whatsoever.  Just to make her smile.  So I set out to make a 'be happy' card and I think it went well!

I had gotten the new All Squared Away stamp and die bundle recently, but hadn't used it yet.  I thought this would be the perfect reason to use it.  All bright colors were chosen to fit the happy mood - Flirty Flamingo, Daffodil Delight, Highland Heather, Coastal Cabana, and Granny Apple Green.  Don't those colors make you feel happier just looking at them?

Pool Party was the base of the card cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored and folded in half.  I thought this color would enhance and showcase all of the brighter colors without taking away from them. 

I had been kicking around the idea to use the Pattern Party Designer Series Paper (a perk for hostesses to choose if desired) to cut out all of the square floral designs.  One of the paper's backside was this very nice green on green print. This way there is some design to all the greenery and that made me happy.  I just love that look!  Very subtle, but still there.

Next up was to choose the flower colors which I already listed.  I wasn't sure which color I wanted for each flower, so I die-cut more than I needed so I could pick and choose which way to use them.  And it's never a bad thing to have a few extra flowers on hand to quickly add to something when needed.

The Basic White layers were cut at 2" x 2" to frame up the lovely framed greenery.  I used Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue to attach the greenery to the white cardstock.  

Then played around with the flowers to my satisfaction.  Almost everything is attached flat to the card.  One of the daisies was folded in half and added to the top flower.  The folded over section has a glue dot to hold it closed, but still give it a tiny bit of dimension.  Only one of the Highland Heather flowers has a Mini Dimensional behind it to make it stand out a little bit.

I think I found the perfect sentiment in the Lovely You stamp set.  I like the look of two different fonts in the same sentiment, and these are really lovely.  *grin*  It was stamped on a 3/4" strip of Basic White using Granny Apple Green ink.  Then my trusty Banner Pick A Punch was used on both ends to 'fancy it up' a bit.  This was also attached to the card front using just adhesive to keep it flatter.

I have just a few of those darling retired ladybugs left, and thought this would be the right time to use one of them.  It was attached with one little Mini Glue Dot.  They're so adorable and I'm sort of rationing them because I have so few left.  I don't want them all to fly away just yet!  I know, silly, silly me. 

The inside of the card has a layer of Basic White cut to 5" x 3 3/4".  I chose one the sentiments from the All Squared Away set and stamped it in Granny Apple Green ink.  Then since I had one little Highland Heather flower left, I attached it right near the sentiment. 

That's it for this happy card.  I hope it makes my friend smile when she opens the envelope!  If so, my job is complete.

If you're planning on ordering this month, please choose me for your demonstrator and use the Host Code shown beneath.  It is greatly appreciated!  Thanks!

July Host Code

73KERJRP

Hope you're enjoying your lovely summer days and nights.  We're adjusting to the heat in South Carolina.  Since the humidity is fairly low, I don't feel like I'm melting out in the sun.  I think it feels more like I'm baking.  I'll be keeping the sunscreen companies in business all by myself!  Get out there and enjoy yourself.  Life is too short to mope about.  Make a friend a 'happy' card and get it in the mail.  Your friend will thank you for it! 

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Simple Plentiful Plants

 Hi ladies!  Hope you're all doing well and staying cool.  Today I have a pretty simple and straight-forward card for you.  I've gotten the new Plentiful Plants stamp and die bundle and it's fabulous!  It's so simple to put together a card really quick and it still looks like tons of time and effort went into it.  Here's my simple card for today...

I love this hanging plant with a macrame hanger.  It brings back so many memories of being newly married in my very first home and decorating with plants in macrame hangers that I made.  Oh my - so many years ago that was!!  And this one was made so much quicker than the real one also.  *grin*

To start out, there is a Soft Succulent cardstock base cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" and then folded in half.  I chose one of the interesting patterns from the Pattern Party DSP that party hosts can earn.  Lots of lovely patterns to choose from in this pack! I had thought to use the other side of this one to keep it bright and happy, but ended up liking the black and white print on the card much more.  

The white layer is about 2 1/2" x 3 3/4".  To give it some texture, it was embossed with the 3D Brick & Mortar embossing folder.  To help the brick texture show up, I used my Blending Brushes with Gray Granite ink.  I think either Smoky Slate or Crumb Cake would work out nicely too. 

Now for the lovely plants and hanger.  The pot was stamped with Soft Suede ink on a Very Vanilla cardstock.  The plants were stamped using both Soft Succulent and Mint Macaron inks on Basic White cardstock.  The pot and plants were all die-cut using the Perfect Plants die set.  Then the macrame holder was die-cut from Sahara Sand cardstock.  I thought this looked similar to what I had actually made years ago.

To assemble the plants in the pot, I put adhesive on the back of the pot and attached first the smaller Mint Macaron leaves.  After adding adhesive to the back of those leaves, I tucked in the larger Soft Succulent leaves peaking out behind.  I liked the two different shades of green working together on this.

The macrame holder has Multi-Purpose Liquid Adhesive lightly along all the back lines.  This was attached onto the front of the pot and plants.  It probably would have been easier to use the Adhesive Sheets behind the Sahara Sand cardstock before I die-cut, but I forgot.  Oh well, it got done just as well this way!

The sentiment is also part of the Plentiful Plants stamp set.  It comes with seven sentiments that cover all your everyday card needs.  The dear friend one I chose can fit any number of reasons for sending out a card and I'm sure I'll have no trouble finding someone to mail it to!  The sentiment was stamped onto a skinny strip of Basic White that was just a tickle wider than 1/2".  I used Soft Succulent ink for the stamping.

The Banners Pick A Punch was used on only one side of the sentiment strip.  I find that this punch tends to sit out on my table because it's so perfect to use on so many different cards.  This is definitely a go-to punch for me.  The other end of the sentiment strip was lined up on the right edge of the DSP layer and was attached with Dimensionals.

To finish the card, I cut a teensy strip of Sahara Sand and attached one end to the plant hanger and tucked the other end behind the white cardstock layer.  Then this whole layer was attached to the card front using Dimensionals.

The inside of the card has a 3 1/4" x 4 1/2" layer of Basic White cardstock for writing your message.  I did stamp a small pot and different greenery from the set down in the bottom right corner to dress up the inside.  After looking at this card for several days, I might just go back and add a tiny bow of Linen Thread at the top of the macrame hanger.  Not sure if it will work, but we'll see.

That's it for this simple card.  It's amazing how quick you can pull a card together when Stampin'Up! has all the right materials and tools for you to use.  I really loved making this card and feel the need to play around with more cards using plants.  This bundle is just so much fun to use!

If you're planning on ordering this month, please use the Host Code shown below.  I thank you in advance!

July Host Code

73KERJRP

Hope you enjoyed this little card and you're maybe inspired to give it a try.  It's definitely fun and all the lovely green colors you have to choose from will give you a different look for your plants each time!  I can hardly wait to get back at it and try something different on the next project.  If it's too hot an muggy to be outside, why not bring nature inside and stamp yourself a garden?

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Cool Pinwheel Tower Card

Happy Sunday to you!  Glad you stopped by today.  I have a really interesting fun fold card idea for you today.  Hope you get inspired!  Have you seen this idea?  I think these types of cards are fabulous and I needed to give it a try.

For my card, I started with a card base cut at 5 1/2" x 7".  This was scored at 1", 2", 3", and 4".  When you fold along the score lines, you get a square tube with a 'wing' on one side.  Looks kind of weird at this point, but don't give up.  Next cut 3 more 'wings' at 3" x 5 1/2".  For the card base and 3 wings, I used Mossy Meadow cardstock.  Attach each of the 'wings' to a flat side of the tube.  I used Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue to make sure they really stayed there!  At this time, you have your pinwheel tower and it's time to make it into a card.

I cut 4 layers of Old Olive cardstock to 2 3/4" x 5 1/4".  These would end up layered onto the 'wings'. 

After that 2 Very Vanilla layers were cut a 2 1/2" x 5".  These panels were stamped with the Quiet Meadow stamps.  The front panel uses a collage type of stamping for a background.  I started with the 'sketchy' word background stamped with Pear Pizzazz ink that was off-stamped.  I added some speckles with the stamp using Crumb Cake ink also off-stamped.  Then the wild flower and the sentiment were stamped with Mossy Meadow ink.  Also used a Mossy Meadow marker to add some speckles to this.   A piece of Gold Fine Art ribbon was wrapped around this and tied in a knot in front.  Three pretty faceted glitter gems were attached to finish the front.  This was then attached to the Old Olive panel that was attached to the first 'wing'.

The back side of this tower card was finished similarly to the front, but not exactly.  Instead, the wild flower was stamped with Crumb Cake ink that was off-stamped to give a pretty soft image behind the sentiment.  I didn't do all the collage-type stamping on the background either.  I kept it much plainer with just some speckling with Mossy Meadow and Crumb Cake markers.  The sentiment is also from the Quiet Meadow stamp set.  It was stamped in Mossy Meadow ink.  This was attached to an Old Olive layer using adhesive, then attached to the opposite side panel from the front.

There were still 2 of the Old Olive panels left.  To finish these off, I cut 2 pieces from the retired Dandy Garden 6x6 retired DSP.  These were both die-cut with the coordinating Meadow dies.  The 2 negative pieces were attached to the Old Olive panels and attached to the tower 'wings that were empty.  Hang onto those die-cut pieces though! 

Then 4 side layers were cut to 1 1/2" x 5 1/4" from Old Olive cardstock.  Only two of these were embossed using the Brick & Mortar 3D embossing folder.  After embossing, I carefully added a little bit of Whisper White Craft Ink to the raised bricks using my finger to make the bricks stand out more.  These both were attached to the left side of the stamped panels using adhesive.

 

Ok, with the leftover 2 side panels, attach the die-cut wildflower  you already made to them with Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue.  Then attach these to the left side of the matching negative panels you already attached.

Whew!  That's it.  I hope you could follow my instructions and pictures to make your own pinwheel tower card.  I got my dimensions from...    fortheloveofstamping.blogspot.com.  There are many places on the internet to find these cards and get instructions.  In fact, I've been looking around and want to try another one of these with different dimensions so the card will fit into a regular A2 envelope.  The card I just shared with you does not.  It needs a 6x9 envelope or one you specifically make to fit this card.  So, I'm back to the drawing board on this idea.  But it was fun and challenging to try, and I'm tickled with myself that I actually figured this out.  Any 3D items are not my forte' at all!!!

Please use my July Host Code if you place an order this month.  I thank you in advance!

If you're one of my regular customers, you should be receiving the new July-December Mini Catalog in the mail soon.  The date you may start ordering from this catalog is August 3rd.  There will also be a new Sale-A-Bration flyer included.  Yay, two different Sale-A-Brations this year!  It also starts August 3rd and it goes through September 30th.  So enjoy looking through them and getting your wish list started!  There's lots of wonderful new stamps, dies, papers, and embellishments to dream about!

Happy stamping and creating my friends!

Sharon

A Purple Kind of Day

 Hey friends!  I'm back with a birthday card that is a fun fold.  My sister Barb has been a purple fanatic since we were little girls.  So of course, her birthday card absolutely needed to be Purple!  Now, I do like purple myself, but I can't just do an all purple card.  I've got to make sure there are some pastels there that I love!  The card I made has very little stamping on it, because the lovely Hand-Penned Designer Series Paper is the real star here.  

Isn't it just gorgeous?  I really think she'll like this one. And it's a fun-fold card too!  So what's not to absolutely love?  Here's what I used to make it.  Start with a base of 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" cardstock.  I used Gorgeous Grape for this layer.  It's not one of the colors listed for the Hand-Penned DSP, but I thought it still worked quite nicely.

For the DSP layering, cut a piece to 5 1/4" x 12".  This is then scored at 1", 4", and 8".  Do an accordian fold with the paper, attaching the bottom to the card base having the DSP fold on the left side.  I used Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue for this.

Attach the 1" fold back on itself so the pretty back of the paper shows on the front of the card.

Now comes the interesting part - the die-cuts and stamping.  I like the sentiments in both the Peaceful Moments stamps and the Simply Succulents stamps.  They said just what I wanted to say, and have a really fun font too.  All of the sentiments were stamped using Gorgeous Grape ink so it blends nicely with the card.

The label for the front sentiment is from the Tasteful Labels Die set cut from Basic White cardstock.  It is layered with adhesive onto a swirly label from the Painted Labels Die set.  This was die-cut from Gorgeous Grape cardstock to help it stand out from the background prints.  Lastly, I added a butterfly from the Brilliant Wings Die set.  This was die-cut from Highland Heather to contrast with the swirly label.  It was attached to the labels using just a skinny bit of Dimensionals under the body so it's floating over the sentiment.

Here is the fully opened card.  The center section looked too bare with nothing stamped on it.  I didn't want to cover up the pretty DSP, so I only used a small sentiment. The sentiment is from the Simply Succulents stamp set.  It was stamped onto a label from the coordinating Potted Succulents die set that was cut from Basic White cardstock.  The sentiment was attached with adhesive to keep it flat.

The last section of card has a sentiment label die-cut from Basic White cardstock using a Stitched Rectangle die.  The sentiment was stamped in Gorgeous Grape ink.  This was then layered onto a Stitched So Sweetly die cut from Gorgeous Grape cardstock and attached to the inside of the card using adhesive.  

When it was all put together, I thought a little bling would be nice.  So I tried the lovely iridescent 2021-2023 In Color Jewels.  I chose to use the Fresh Freesia gems and think they look just perfect with the card.  There you have it - a purpley birthday card made especially for my sis.  Hope she loves it as much as I enjoyed making it for her!

One last item, if you're planning on ordering this month, please consider using the Host Code shown here.  I really appreciate all of your orders.  You ladies are the very best!

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon
 
   

Alcohol Inks on Vellum

 Hey there!  Glad you stopped by.  Have you tried the technique that uses the Stampin'Up! Blends Markers on vellum to make awesome alcohol ink backgrounds?  I was a little leery about trying it, but it was lots of fun.  Kind of messy, but fun anyway!  I have to admit, the first one I tried ended up in the trash.  I spritzed way too much alcohol on the vellum and everything blended into nothingness and the vellum curled up too much to get it flat ever again!  There are wonderful videos out on You Tube that show in detail how it is done.  Not everyone does it the same, so it's interesting to get ideas from several people.  And no matter how you do it, no two finished vellum pieces will ever be identical.  You can look at that as being a creative plus, or it can drive you right up the wall if you want to do multiple cards the same - it just can't happen!

After playing around some, I thought I'd try a background with blues on half and greens on the other half.  So this is it.

I started with a piece of cardstock vellum which is quite thick and SU! sells it.  I used Stampin' Blends in these colors for the greens - Old Olive, Mossy Meadow, and Shaded Spruce.  For the blue colors -  Balmy Blue, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay.  These were all the darker Blends.  

Scribble each of the colors in sections close to each other, but I didn't go over other colors.  I kept them barely separate.  After the colors were scribbled on, spritz with 90% Isopropyl Alcohol.  Don't over saturate like I did the first time!  

I used a Water Painter dipped in more alcohol to dab around in the separate colors to move them and get that awesome alcohol ink look.  I love how the colors moved and changed.  It's just like magic.  Thought it was interesting that the Shaded Spruce in the green area started looking like Bermuda Bay!  

After I liked how it looked, it was set aside to dry a bit.   This is when I realized the Inspiring Canopy dies would work perfectly here.  The trees were die-cut from Early Espresso cardstock and set aside.

When the vellum was dry, I flicked on some marker colors.  I used Pool Party and Bermuda Bay on the sky, and Old Olive and Mossy Meadow on the land areas.   After this I flicked Wink of Stella onto the vellum.  I got very impatient waiting for the Wink of Stella to dry, even used a heat tool to hurry it along.  I stayed sort of sticky.  Hmmm, what about some Gold Leafing???  I played around with that some and found there were some areas that it really stuck on nicely, some areas not so great.  So I've got this lovely designed alcohol vellum background with little speckles and some bigger blobs of brilliant gold - I love it!  What a happy outcome!

The vellum was attached to a Basic White layer using Adhesive Sheets.  This helps to keep the vellum layer nice and flat. The die-cut trees were attached at this time.  The Basic White layer was attached to Bermuda Bay cardstock with adhesive.  Linen Thread was wrapped three times around and then tied in a knot.  Then it was attached to the folded Early Espresso folded cardstock base using Dimensionals.  The last thing to do was cut Basic white cardstock to go inside the card.  I added 1/2" strips of Bermuda Bay cardstock to each side of the white layer inside to give it more color and interest inside the card.

Hope you can see how pretty the alcohol ink looks.  And I just love the bits of  gold leafing on it.  I've got to admit I was kind of scared to try this technique, but I reminded myself - it's only paper!  If you don't like it, pitch it and try again.  I'll have more ideas to share with you soon using more pieces I've already made.  They're much more colorful and I'm trying to figure out what to do with them!  *grins*

If you're planning on placing an order this month, please consider using the Host Code for this month.  Thank you to all you wonderful ladies that are ordering.  I appreciate you so much!

Thanks for stopping and I sure hope you give this technique a try.  It's a real winner and so much fun!

Happy creating!  It's good for the soul.

Many hugs,

Sharon

Meadow Dies Meets Fine Art Gallery DSP

Thanks for checking back in today.  You know how sometimes you have little bits and pieces left over from other projects and they just sit on your table?  Well, maybe you don't have things sitting around like that, but I sure do.  I had two 1 1/2" x 4" strips of the gorgeous Fine Art Gallery DSP sitting on my work table.  They'd been sitting there a couple weeks (maybe I shouldn't admit to that!)  *grin*  And not only was the DSP there, but two pieces of the matching gold overlay was sitting there too.  I just had to do something with it.  It's too pretty to not create with it!!  So that's just what I did - two cards that are similar but still different.

First choice to make was what color of cardstock would go nicely with the bits of DSP, but would look different enough when finished not to look totally identical.  I decided on Blushing Bride and Pool Party for the two cards.  Old Olive gave me a nice base color for them both.  

Both of the layers were embossed.  Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the embossing folder.  When we moved many of my old retired catalogs were done away with, so I can't even look it up!  Nuts!  After embossing, I used my fave Blending Brushes to add color to the edges and corners of each piece using the same colors of ink to just give it a slightly darker look.

These were attached to the folded Old Olive card bases using adhesive.  The gold overlay pieces had Mini Glue Dots added behind the gold areas and then attached to the DSP.  Ooops!  If you look closely, the gold overlay on the pink card actually got put on upside down.  I tried to remove it, but it started to rip, so I just left it as is.  If you aren't looking for the mistake, I don't think you'd notice it.  At least I hope not!

Next up was die-cutting the Meadow Dies.  I just love these and tend to tuck them in and under all kinds of different images to give a fuller look.  The leafier branch was cut from Old Olive cardstock for both of the cards.  The single long stems were cut from Crumb Cake on this card and Soft Suede for the pink card.  They were attached to the cards using either Multi Purpose Liquid Glue or Mini Glue Dots.

The sentiment comes from the Dragonfly Garden stamp set.  I really like it when the sentiment incorporates two different styles of font.  It always looks so much more interesting to me.  It was stamped on a 3/4" strip of Basic White cardstock using Old Olive ink.  The ends were all cropped using the Banners Pick A Punch.   The banners were then attached with Dimensionals to pop them up over the stems.

The finishing touches for the pink card were the retired faceted Butterfly Gems in Rococo Rose, and a double bow made from linen thread.  This was attached with a Mini Glue Dot.

The Pool Party card has a double bow made with the retired Snail Mail pink baker's twine.  I also used a smattering of the retired Woven Threads Sequins from last year's catalog.  They were just the perfect color for this card.  Looks like I need to invest in some new, up-to-date embellishment bling.  Pretty much all I have on hand is now retired.  Oh dog-gone it, time to do some shopping.  *huge grin*

Here it is another month with another Host Code for you to use if you so choose.  I would really appreciate your order!

Just a big heads-up for you -  This month Stampin'Up! is having a lovely 15% off sale on select Designer Series Paper.  There is no limit on how many you can order - 1 or ??? Whatever you need.  Here is the list for you:

155841  Beauty of the Earth                             $9.78

155696  Bloom Where You're Planted              $9.78

155499  Hand-Penned                                       $9.78

152494  In Good Taste                                    $17.85  

155817  In The Wild                                         $9.78

155807  Pansy Petals                                        $9.78

155605  Sweet Symmetry                                 $9.78

155718  Tidings of Christmas                           $9.78

155686  You're A Peach                                    $9.78

This is an awesome grouping of Designer Paper to choose from and who doesn't love a sale?  With even a Christmas DSP to choose from here, you can always get a head start on those Christmas cards you want to make this year.  The sale lasts from July 1st thru August 2nd.  Make sure you don't miss out on this awesome sale.

Another reminder...  If you're one of my customers, you should be receiving the new July - December Catalog in the mail.  Because of a backlog of shipping problems, this catalog will not be 'live' until August.  And you'll also be getting the new Sale-A-Bration catalog!  Woo Hoo!  Two Sale-A-Brations this year!!  More information will be coming your way, so keep an eye out for it.  If you're not one of my customers and would like a catalog, please get in touch with me so I can get one to you.

Thanks so much for hanging in there with me through this long post.  Lots of great and important information!  Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon