Another Seagull Fun Fold

Hello friend!  I'm having fun playing with the Sale-a-bration set called Friendly Seagulls.  For some reason they just make me smile and think of silly ideas.  So today, you've got one seagull trying to get the attention of the second one.  If any of you are moms, you know the annoyance of kids saying, "Mom.  Mom.  MO-O-O-O-OMM!"  That was going through my head as I was designing this card and remembering those days with a mixture of fondness, but also relief that my grown kids don't do that anymore.  Well, except when they're fooling around.  😏 So, this card is sort of a remembrance back to those days of little people running around the house.

I thought this idea would translate well into a fun fold card, so that's what this is.  It looks like a regular, unassuming card, but there's a little twist to it.

The color for the card base is Pebbled Path, one of the In Colors.  It's cut at 11" x 4 1/4", then it's scored in half at 5 1/2".

At this point, you need to add one more score line.  This goes from the bottom corner of the center score line you just made up to the opposite upper corner on the right to create the fun fold.  It looks weird now, but trust me, it is fun.

Next a layer of Basic Beige cardstock is cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4".  Cut two of these - one for the front and one for inside the card.  This is what all the stamping is on.  On the piece for the front, die-cut a circle from a scrap of Basic White cardstock using the smallest die from the Stylish Shapes Dies.  This will be a mask that you will add some sky around.  Using a Blending Brush and Balmy Blue ink, lightly blend on some color around the "sun" and fade out to nothing.  Save this mask!

On both the pieces, use a Blending Brush and Wild Wheat ink to softly add a sandy beach on the bottom edge.  On the front I colored a larger area and built it up on the side a little more.    Both pieces also have the little pebbly sand stamp added to the sandy area.  Use Crumb Cake to lightly ink the stamp and stamp several times before reinking.  Randomly cover the sandy area while still leaving some open spaces.

The flying seagulls stamp is used to add some Pebbled Path birds in the sky.  I off-stamped before stamping the seagulls to keep them very light.  This was done on both inside and outside pieces.

The seagulls were from the batch I made the other day.  These are stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Stampin' Blends:  Daffodil Delight Light, Gray Granite Light and Dark

After coloring they were fussy cut.

The strip of plaid on the left side is from the Timeless Plaid DSP.  It's 3/4" x 4".  To define it better on the card, a layer of Old Olive cardstock was added behind it.  This measures 1" x 4".  These are attached to the edge of the Basic Beige cardstock using adhesive.

The sentiments added to the front are a combination of stamping and markers.  For the first hey, I only inked that word before stamping, then did the full sentiment under this.  I couldn't find a sentiment that I wanted for the 2nd bird, so he's just done by hand.  Not perfect, but it gets the point across.  Actually, the sentiment looks kind of cranky to me.  The seagulls were added to the front at this time using Mini Dimensionals.

The inside was finished next.  The mask was used for the sentiment inside the card.  If it's not blue enough for your taste, blend a little more of the Balmy Blue ink on it.  The sentiment is from the Hope You Know sentiment stamp set.  It's stamped with Pebbled Path ink.  Then it's popped up near the bottom corner using a Dimensional.  I checked placement with the front of the card before attaching.

There is another of that flock of seagulls added inside just because they make me smile.  He's attached with adhesive, so he sits nice and flat.

When trimming the plaid DSP for the front, there was a 2" x 3/4" piece left.  I decided to punch three small hearts from this and add them to the inside of the card.  This brought the colors and design from the front into the card.  Plus, when the card is sitting up in its fun fold glory, you can see those three little hearts from the side.  They're attached with adhesive.

Then the card sections are ready to put together.  The Pebbled Path cardstock was folded shut.  Adhesive was added inside the edges of that bottom right side triangle.  Keep the adhesive at least a 1/4" from the edge!  Lay the Basic Beige layer onto this lining up all four sides to keep it in the center of the card.  Make sure the adhesive is holding it securely.  Open it slightly and fold on the crease to tuck the bottom edge under the sentiment.  Voila!

I added some Riverside Irregular Pearls to the scene for a little bling. These are an Online Exclusive item. They seem to pick up and enhance a lot of the yellows and greens from the card.

Here's a final look at my Friendly Seagulls.  In Michigan there always seemed to be bunches of them in the parking lots and parks.  And always loud and squawking to get attention.  This design just seemed appropriate.

Just a reminder that this set is one of the Sale-a-bration free items!  And it's definitely fun to create with as I have so thoroughly learned.

I'd love to help you with any of your stamping needs or questions.    If you have questions, send me an email and I'll get back to you.  If you'd like to order, please use the Host Code at the top of this post, and I'll send you a card and surprise as a thank you.  

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today. I hope you found something to make you smile and maybe something to inspire you too.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

sharoncarr50@gmail.com

Book Binding Fun Fold

Hello, my stamping friends.  I'll let you in on a little secret.  I've been chuckling to myself ever since I made my oldest grandson's Valentine card.  He's very close to 15 and says he way too old for cutesy kittens and bears but doesn't want all the frills, flowers, and hearts of traditional Valentines.  Sooo....  What does he like?  Baseball, but I've made way too many baseball-related cards for both of the boys over the years and I'm so ready to move on to something else.  They just stopped over for a short visit and on the way had to get him some french fries because he was hungry, as usual.  Oh yes, he loves french fries and eats them as often as possible.  And there my idea was born.  Want to see the silly Valentine I made for him?

Like it?  Did it make you smile?  I had so much fun coming up with the idea and then making it.  This is a book binding fun fold card.  It's very easy but just gives you a slightly different card for fun.

The card base starts with Gray Granite cardstock that measures 11" x 4 1/4".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and 5 1/2".  There is some "green glue" used to hold closed the section to the left of the card front.  This gives you the book binding fun fold base.

I love this plaid paper from the Timeless Plaid DSP.  I used the colors that coordinated with this to make my color choices.  The darker gray color is Pebbled Path which is an In Color that I like but haven't used too often.  Don't these colors blend well together even though they are not mentioned on the back of the DSP as coordinating colors?

The Pebbled Path layer was cut at 4" x 4", and the plaid print was cut at 3 3/4" x 3 3/4".  They are attached together with adhesive, then attached to the card front with adhesive also.

There is also a piece of Pebbled Path cut to measure 1" x 4".  This is attached to the book binding area to the left side of the card front using adhesive.

Next came the seagulls.  I wasn't sure which colors I wanted to use, so I made a whole flock of the three different seagulls.  All totaled, there were 15 that were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink then colored with Stampin' Blends.  I used a mixture of Smoky Slate Light & Dark, Gray Granite Light & Dark, Pebbled Path Light, Crumb Cake Light & Dark.  I also used Real Red Light & Dark and Daffodil Delight Light & Dark.  

For the seagulls on this card, Smoky Slate Dark and Gray Granite Light were used on the wings.  After trying several options, the french fries were colored with first just a light layer of Light Crumb Cake, then added a light layer of Light Daffodil Delight over it.  That's about as close as I could come to the color of fries. 

The Basic White layer for the focal point was cut with the Stylish Shapes Dies.  Some pebbly sand was added to this where the seagulls would be standing.  Crumb Cake ink was used for this.  

A frame was added under the white by cutting a piece of Real Red cardstock 2 1/2" x 2 1/2".  They're attached with adhesive.

Next the sentiment sections were stamped on strips of Basic White.  The upper sentiment was stamped with Pebbled Path and the lower sentiment with Real Red ink.  They were trimmed to fit the card.  

The seagull with the biggest mouth has a box of fries tucked in.  A Dimensional was added behind to hold this in place.  Both the seagulls were attached with Mini Dimensionals.  The upper sentiment was attached flat slightly tucking under the upper seagull.  The "fries" sentiment was attached with Dimensionals.  Lastly the whole thing was attached with Dimensionals to the front of the card.

The inside of the card carried on with the theme.  A piece of Basic White was cut at 4" x 4".  This sentiment comes from The Hearts of Elegance Bundle which is an Online Exclusive.  It's stamped in Real Red ink close to the middle of the card.  The heart is die-cut from the Marbled Excellence DSP.  It's attached flat to the layer.  

Pebbly sand is stamped on the bottom left side just like the card front.  This gives the 3rd seagull a place to stand. He's attached with adhesive.  Some seagulls were stamped in the sky with Gray Granite ink.  This whole layer was attached inside the card with adhesive too.

Just to kind of tease my grandson with something just a little girlie, I wrapped a ruffled Real Red Ribbon around the book binding part of the card.  It's tied in a loose knot.  This ribbon has been retired forever, but it seemed to work for the card.  No other bling was used on this card.  I had to let him keep some of his dignity so there was absolutely no adding lots of glitz!

This picture gives you a great look at the fold and how it works.  

Hope this card gives you an idea or two.  It was really fun making this card specifically for this picky grandson of mine.  I hope it makes him smile and think his grandma is a little quirky and has a slightly strange sense of humor.  Gotta stay one step ahead of those teenage boys.  Oh, excuse me, that should read young men.

Did you realize the Friendly Seagulls stamp set I was using is one of the Sale-a-bration items you can earn free right now?  It's one I wasn't sure I wanted, but I'm so happy I got it.  Now that it's in my stash I've got a few more ideas percolating that I want to try.  I hope you get this set too.  It's just plain fun!  And it can be yours with a $60 order right now.  If these silly seagulls aren't your cup of tea, there's plenty more options to choose.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I appreciate you taking the time to see what I've been doing.  If you'd like to place an order, I'd be happy to be your demonstrator.  And please use the current Host Code at the top of this post.  It would be so appreciated!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon 

Welcome Baby Card

Hi there.  I don't know about you, but I haven't needed to send a new baby card out for quite a while, like years.  It was fun playing with the Storybook Friends Bundle to create a card to send out to a new grandma.  The little girl was born almost two weeks ago, so I got this bundle just in time!  Now let's get creating so I can get this card in the mail.

I wanted the main color on this card to be Pretty in Pink just because she is a little girl.  And pink is always sweet for girls as far as I'm concerned.  The card base is Pretty in Pink that measures 11" x 4 1/4".  It's scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half.

Next a pink checked layer of the new Wildflower Birthday Designer Series Paper was cut.  It measures 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  It needed a white frame to set it off, so a piece of Basic White cardstock was cut a little bit bigger at 5 1/4" x 4".  These are layered together with adhesive.  

A length of crinkled 1/4" seam binding ribbon was wrapped around this.  A bow was tied to the left side of the card.  The ends were trimmed to fit.  Then this was attached to the folded card base using Dimensionals.

The little girl bunny was stamped onto the center of a piece of Basic White about 2 1/2" x 3 1/4" in size.  Pecan Pie ink was used to give it a softer color than black.  She was colored with Stampin' Blends:

Dress - Pool Party Light & Dark

Fur - Crumb Cake Light & Dark

Ear - Pink Pirouette Light  (this is still my go-to very light pink choice)

After coloring, she was die-cut with the scalloped oval die from the Unbounded Love Dies.  It was the perfect size.  After trying several options to layer behind her, I went with a die from the Stitched Ovals die that have been retired.  It was cut from Pool Party cardstock to match her dress.  These are layered together with adhesive.  Then it was popped up over the ribbon by using Dimensionals.

Here's a better look at the cute little bunny girl.  I guess I should call her Zara after the new baby girl.  Does she look like she could be called Zara Rabbit?

The sentiment on the card comes from the Storybook Friends set.  Perfect for this card.  It's stamped with Pecan Pie ink onto a strip of Basic White cardstock about 1 1/2" wide.  The scalloped oval was punched out with Oval Duo Punch.  The scallops on this matched the previous oval nicely to carry the theme.  It's attached to the card front with Dimensionals.

The sentiment seemed to need a little something more.  After checking through a bunch of stamp sets looking for a small flower die, I found what I was looking for.  The Lifetime of Love has a small die with three flowers that worked well in size for this design.  These are attached with Mini Glue Dots.

The design still needed a little bit of bling.  Three of the Iridescent Foil Gems were tucked around little Zara Rabbit to help her shine.

That's it for grandma's card to congratulate and welcome little Zara.  Hope she likes it.  It's been fun creating a new baby card again.  It's been way too long since we've had a new baby in the extended family.  

Speaking about way too long, I can't believe my oldest grandson is doing the Driver's Ed thing already.  When did that happen?  Wasn't he a little toddler just a short time ago?  In South Carolina kids can take Driver's Ed at 14 and get their license at 15.  Holy Cow!  He's so excited!

As you've read through this post, you probably noted several items that have been retired.  After 28 years of being a demonstrator, I've accumulated a good number of products that I love and don't want to give up.  I know many of you have these items in your stamping stash, so I've been getting a little more lax in what I share on my blog.  I hope you don't mind, but that's kind of where I'm going with this blog.

Okay, so much for today's post.  Hope it gave you some inspiration and made you smile because this bunny is so darn cute.  Sale-a-bration is still going strong.  I'm having fun playing with new items and I'll get around to sharing more of them.  If you're placing an order with me, please consider using the Host Code at the top of this blog.  It's sincerely appreciated.  I'd love to be your demonstrator.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Two Linked Together Cards

 Hello friends.  Coming to you from the frozen, but still lovely South Carolina.  The temps hit a high of 27 degrees today and there's snow in the forecast.  Hmm, does that sound right for the south?  I don't think so.  It's a good thing I packed my snuggly warm winter jacket and gloves when we moved.  Oh, yes, there it is - snowing out there as I write. It was definitely chilly when I was out doing errands this morning.  So, this afternoon, I figured it would be a good day to make some spring feeling cards and that's what I did.

Here are the two cards I made with the awesome lattice die from the Linked Together Bundle.  This is one of the new items in the Jan-April Mini Catalog.  It intrigued me when I saw it and had to have it for my creating.  I love the openwork dies and the lovely backdrop they leave to build your creations.  I love florals too, so this set has it all - word stamps along with the lattice, flowers, and stems dies.  What fun.  Let the creating begin! 

I saw a card created by Mary Anne Cowan last week that inspired me to leave my hearts on the shelf and play with something else for a while.  The Soft Sea Foam card is based on her designs with some changes just because I can't help myself.  The yellow and olive card is the next one I made.  Let's take a closer look at each of them.

Since I made this first, this is the one we'll dissect first.  The card base is Soft Sea Foam that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.  There is a layer of Basic White next that is 5 1/4" x 4".  Then a layer of the Wildflower Birthday Designer Series Paper comes next.  It measures 5 1/8" x 4 7/8".  The DSP is attached to the white layer with adhesive.  Then both of these are attached to the folded card base with adhesive.  Looking at the finished card, I think I'd like it better if I'd attached the white layer with Dimensionals instead.  Just a thought.

The Soft Sea Foam lattice was cut next.  I added a piece of Adhesive Sheets under the area to be cut.  After cutting, I easily placed this onto the center of the card.

Next was cutting the stems and flowers with the dies included in this set.  There are two different sized stems and two different choices for flowers too.  Old Olive cardstock was my choice for the color of the stems.  Several of each size were cut to have available.  

I only die-cut the smaller flowers in Basic White cardstock for this card.  The die cuts four flowers at the same time, but again I cut more to have on hand.   I never know exactly how many flowers are needed for a card until I start placing them.  It's always better to have extra instead of not enough as far as I'm concerned.

The stems were placed and attached with tiny dots of "green glue" along the stems.  The flowers were slightly "cupped" in my hand, then placed on the stems with a Mini Glue Dot on the center back of each.

The sentiment here comes from the Unbounded Love set.  It's stamped on Soft Sea Foam cardstock with Old Olive ink.  There's a matching die in the Unbounded Love die set that cut it.  I also used the same die to cut a Basic White label.  When cut, the label is two pieces, the center and the frame around it.  I took the white frame and added Dimensionals to the back, then tucked the seafoam piece inside where it rested on the edges of the Dimensionals too.  This holds both pieces in place together.  Then it was attached to the card front.

A silver bow was made from the Gold & Silver Trim duo.  It's a nice thin size to fit with the more delicate stems and flowers.  It's attached with a Mini Glue Dot that's rolled to fit behind it.  A tiny Iridescent Pearl was added to the center of each flower to finish.

On to the next card with the bright and sunny Daffodil Delight details.

This card looks similar, but with a good number of changes though.  This time I started with a Basic White base.  The first layer is Old Olive.  It measures 5 1/4" x 4".  The next layer is a 5 1/8" x 3 7/8" piece of the Floral Delight Designer Series Paper.  I love this tiny print for a pretty background.  

The lattice from the Linked Together set was cut from Old Olive cardstock this time.  After laying this against the DSP print, I decided it needed some vellum to soften the look.  The Graceful Greenery Vellum pack had the perfect vellum.  It has smudges of white printed on the vellum.  This is so pretty and looked great on this design softening the design but still allowing it to show through.  These two pieces were attached to the center of the card front with adhesive on just the outer edges of the pieces.

Another change on this card is the oval that's cut from Basic White cardstock.  The die is from the Linked Together set.  It's a good backdrop for the flowers and stems.  Before adding them, one of the cool scripty stamps from the Elements of Text stamp set was added.  It's stamped with Crumb Cake ink that was off-stamped before stamping on the oval to keep it very soft.

After stamping, more stems were die-cut from Old Olive cardstock.  The different flowers were all cut from Daffodil Delight cardstock to brighten the card.  The stems are attached with adhesive and the flowers with Mini Glue Dots.  Two of the larger flowers were added to the right bottom corner too.

The sentiment comes from the Unbounded Love set.  This set has so many great sentiments and I keep gravitating towards it lately.  This time it's stamped on a 5/8" strip of Basic White using Old Olive ink.  The ends were trimmed with Paper Snips.  It's attached to the card front with Mini Dimensionals.

There is a bow made with the Daffodil Delight 1/8" Ribbon that's added.  It's attached with a rolled Mini Glue Dot to hold in place.  The gems are two different sizes of the Low-Profile Gems in the golden tone.  The smaller ones are attached to the small flowers and the larger size are added to the two daisies.

Well, there you have it.  Hope you enjoyed a little taste of spring amid these freezing temperatures.  Two ideas using the new Linked Together Bundle and also a little look at the Elements of Text stamp which makes a wonderful background.

If you'd like to order any of these items, I'd love to be your demonstrator.  When you place an order, it would be very nice if you'd use the Host Code at the top of this post.  Any questions, feel free to call and leave a message and I'll get back to you.

Don't forget about Sale-a-bration going on right now.  Just a reminder that the base purchase is $60 to earn a free Sale-a-bration item.  There are so many fun items to choose from that it's sometimes hard to decide!  What a problem!  😄

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

More Heart Shaped Cards

Hey there.  Are you tired of this stamp set and all the cards being made using it?  Or are you loving it as much as I am??  Today I have three more cards to share with you.  All of them are using parts that I die-cut from the cardstock with all the blended colors the other day.  But each have their own color palette and style.  Hope you are inspired by what you see and try this yourself.

This is the next card that was made with these extra pieces.  This color palette consists mostly of Fresh Freesia and Petunia Pop.  The card base is Petunia Pop and measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  The heart was also die-cut from the same cardstock at this time.  The die comes from the Hearts of Elegance Bundle that is an Online Exclusive.  The 4th largest heart die was used for this.  

The next layer on the card is Basic White.  It measures 5 1/4" x 4".  On top of this is a layer of Fresh Freesia cardstock that measures 5 1/8 x 3 7/8".  I liked the look of just a tiny white border to separate them.

On the Fresh Freesia layer, I stamped one of the word stamps from the new Elements of Text stamp set.  This set is sort of easy to overlook in the Mini Catalog, but well worth looking for it.  It's stamped 5-6 times using Fresh Freesia ink so it's not real noticeable.  On top of this, one of the splatter stamps in the set was stamped randomly.  For this I used Petunia Pop ink but off-stamped it before stamping on the cardstock to get a lighter version of the color. These two layers were attached together and then to the card base using adhesive.

The label tag on the card is from the Greetings of the Season Bundle with Basic White cardstock.  The word 'love' is from the Hearts of Elegance set.  I only used part of the stamp and Petunia Pop ink.

The hearts layered up are the Petunia Pop heart, the inner cut-out from the heart wreaths, and the smallest heart from Hearts of Elegance in Basic White.  The 'xoxo' is also from the Hearts of Elegance set and is stamped with Petunia Pop ink.  The flower is one of the many that were cut from my blended cardstock.  The label tag and the large heart are popped with Dimensionals.

The gem accents on the card are new and they are the Two-Tone Sparkle Gems that are an Online Exclusive item.  These are so pretty and fairly flat to make the card easy to mail.  

Okay, one down.  On to the next.

This time the color palette was changed up to be more of a rosy look.  The card base is Bubble Bath cardstock.  The layer of DSP is next.  It's from the Beautiful Bokeh Designer Series Paper.  It measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This pack of DSP is just beautiful and will make lovely backgrounds on many cards.  It is embossed with the Plaster Painting 3D Embossing Folder before attaching to the card front.  This gives so much gorgeous texture to the card.  It's attached with "green glue".

The label tag is the same one used in the previous card.  The sentiment is from the Hearts of Elegance stamp set and is stamped with Berry Burst ink.

One of the heart wreaths that I had made the other day was used here.  It's attached to the tag with dots of "green glue".  Inside this wreath was added another heart.  It's the 2nd smallest die from the Hearts of Elegance set and was die-cut from the Marbled Elegance DSP.  It's attached to the tag with Mini Dimensionals.  Then the tag was added to the card front with Dimensionals too.

For an accent, the gold ribbon from the Gold & Silver 1/8" Trim pack was used to make a bow. It was added to the tag with Mini Glue Dots to accent the gold on the DSP.

Several of the Adhesive-back Heart Sequins were added to the design.  One was left plain gold; the others were colored with a Melon Mambo Blends for some added color.  Love how this card turned out.

Last card for the day.  Back to the Fresh Freesia and Petunia Pop color palette.  Start with a base of Fresh Freesia.  Add a layer of Petunia Pop that measures 4 3/4" x 3 1/2".  Then cut a layer of Basic White to measure 4 1/2" x 3 1/4".  The white layer is embossed with the Forever Plaid 3D Embossing Folder.  Love the geometric plaid look behind the hearts.  These are layered onto the card base using Dimensionals.

The 4th largest heart die was used again to cut another Petunia Pop heart.  Layered onto this is another of the extra heart wreaths I made a couple days ago.  In the center is a Basic White heart cut with the smallest heart die from the set.  This has the same 'xoxo' stamped with Petunia Pop ink.

The sentiment is from the same Hearts of Elegance set.  It's stamped on a piece of Fresh Freesia cardstock that measures 3/4" x 2 3/4".  Petunia Pop ink was used for stamping.  This is layered onto the card front using Dimensionals.  The layers of hearts are then added slightly overlapping the sentiment.  Dimensionals were used for the hearts also.  

For an accent on this card, I used the lovely Purple Adhesive-backed Sequins.  I love all these pinky-purply colors on the sequins!  So pretty. The sequin pack is one of the free Sale-a-bration items you can choose when you spend $60 or more.  These are really a good bargain.  You'll love them!

Okay.  One last look at all three of these Valentine cards.  The ones with the purple tones are definitely going to my sisters.  They both love purples, so I thought these would work out just right.  Next, I need to make some Valentines for my grandsons who really are getting too old for all this "girlie stuff".  Hope I can come up with something more geared to teen boys.

Lots of new items were used on these three cards.  When you're shopping, make sure you check out the Online Exclusives and Kits, so you don't miss anything.  There's so much new that is added it's hard to keep track of it all.  If you don't have either the new Mini Catalog or the Sale-a-bration brochure, please let me know.  I'd be happy to get one to you.

Thanks for stopping by today and getting immersed in lots of hearts.  Be sure to check in in another day or two to see what I've been stamping up for you.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon 

sharoncarr50@gmail.com

Heart Shaped Cards Again

 Hello my friends!  Back again with a couple of cards using the Heart Shaped Sale-a-bration bundle.  It's definitely my favorite and seems to be a favorite of pretty much everyone else too.  The card I shared previously used it for a non-Valentine purpose.  Today's cards follow that idea, and one is an anniversary card for my daughter and son-in-law.  The other one is a just because card.  I love making generic cards like that because you can always add a sentiment that fits the need.  

Before I made the cards, there was a little prep work to do ahead of time.  Back a number of months ago I shared a technique that requires several coordinating ink colors and Blending Brushes to match.

This is a half piece of Basic White cardstock.  The colors on the right were brushed on first.  I started with the lightest color, Petal Pink, and made random circles that were about 1 1/2" or more in size.  The next color added was Pretty in Pink.  Then circles of Melon Mambo were added last.  Keep all the inks fairly light so nothing jumps out at you when you look at the finished paper.  Yes, I know it looks kind of 'blobby' right now but just wait until you start die-cutting pieces out of this!  Wow!

On the other half of the paper, I brushed on sections of Bubble Bath, Fresh Freesia, and Petunia Pop.  You might notice in one section I got a little heavy-handed with the Petunia Pop color.  But it still all worked out fine when I used it on the projects.  What surprised me the most with this was that the colors worked well together when my die-cut piece overlapped onto the two sides.  You never know what might surprise you!

I worked with two colors at a time because I wasn't sure what I was making with them or how it would all turn out.  Right now, it looks sort of like a mess.  But now the magic happens when this cardstock is die-cut into piles of heart wreaths, the "wishing" word die-cuts, and bunches of small flowers.  You should see the oodles of pieces I have to work with now - such fun!

This is the first card made with these die-cut pieces.  The base is Basic White cardstock.  Next is a layer of Petal Pink that measures 5" x 3 3/4".  This is attached flat to the card base with adhesive.  

The next layer is Basic White measuring 4 3/4" x 3 1/2".  Using the largest Stylish Shapes circle die, cut a circle centered on the upper part of this layer.  This layer has a Petal Pink Ribbon wrapped around the bottom half and then tied into a knot.  It's then attached to the card base using Dimensionals.

On the circle that was cut out, use the Blending Brush to lightly add some Petal Pink ink to the center.  Attach this back inside the circle opening using adhesive.  This will make the circle piece sunken into the front.

Next, I went through my stash of die-cut hearts to find the one with just the right color combination on it.  This was added to the center of the circle with little drops of "green glue" added to the wreath.  

Three of the flowers were chosen for the card.  They were slightly curled and then added to the wreath using Mini Glue Dots.

The sentiment is from the Heart Shaped bundle.  It was stamped on a scrap of Petal Pink cardstock using Pecan Pie ink to keep it lighter.  Then it was die-cut using the die that coordinates with it.  This was popped up over the wreath using Mini Dimensionals.

Three small pearls were added to the center of the flowers for an embellishment.

Okay, that's the first card.  It only used one heart and three small flowers, so I still have lots more to use.

This is the anniversary card I made.  As you can see, the colors look very different on this card.  The wreaths were cut from the left side of my blended paper so there's all kinds of lavenders and purples to use.

The "wishing" die is part of the Delightful Wishes bundle along with the sentiment I used.  There were three "wishing" words that were cut from my paper.  I chose the one with the most Petunia Pop ink on it.

The card has a Basic White base.  The layer is Petunia Pop.  It's been embossed with the Distressed Tile 3D Embossing Folder to give it interest.  Then it's attached to the card base with adhesive.

Two of the heart wreaths were chosen and added to the card front.  I used touches of "green glue" again to hold in place.  Then two flowers were shaped and added to the design.  They are attached with Mini Glue Dots.

The sentiment was stamped on Basic White cardstock using Petunia Pop ink.  It was die-cut using the die from the Heart Shaped bundle.  The more detailed "Wishing" is die-cut from the paper I made and is backed with a "bubble" word in white to make it stand out.  It is attached to the card front using a bunch of Mini Glue Dots to hold in place.

One of the plain Rhinestone Basic Jewels is added to the center of each flower for an accent.

Thought you needed one last look at these two lovely cards.  I'm so happy with how they turned out.  This technique of brushing color onto cardstock to make any color combination you need or want is so much fun to do.  I don't know why I don't do it more often!  But since I did do this, I now still have three extra heart wreaths, two more "wishing" words, a small pile of flowers, and even the inside of the heart wreaths that I intend to play with some more.  If all goes as planned, I'll have some cards to share with you tomorrow using more of these pieces that are left.  I certainly can't throw them away.  But if I put them away somewhere, I'll forget about them and never get around to using them.  So, this is what I'll be sharing again.  If this isn't your cup of tea, I'm sorry.  Give me a few days and I'll start creating with something else.  Okay?

Did I mention that Sale-a-bration is going on right now?  And did I happen to mention this is my very favorite set?  I hope you get this free item and use it well.  And fall in love with it like I have!!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Pick a Season Happy Tree

Hello all you wonderful people!  Hope your month is going great so far.  I've still got my hacky cough holding me back, but I'm definitely back to stamping!  The ideas are just percolating at a rapid pace and I'm having trouble keeping up.  There have been some orders coming in this month, so I needed to make some cute thank you cards for them.  What better to use that the new Sale-a-bration set called Pick a Season.  This is such a cute set that is very versatile.  I was going to use different colors on each of the cards.  But after starting out with the Peach Pie color, I liked it so much that's what I used for all of them.  I'll have to revisit this set and use some of the other stamps in the set and different colors too.

I started by stamping the tree on Basic White cardstock that measures 3 1/4" x 4".  The trunk was stamped first with Pecan Pie ink near the bottom.  The leaves were stamped next.  It was inked with Lemon Lime Twist ink then the bottom portion of the stamp was tapped onto the Granny Apple Green ink pad to blend the colors.  I like the lighter color at the top.  It reminds me of sunlight on the upper branches.

Then the triple flower stamp was used with Peach Pie ink to fill in each opening in the leaves.  I kept twisting the stamp, so the flower cluster wasn't all lined up the same way.

The grass stamp was inked in Granny Apple Green ink and stamped multiple times to get different shades of green.  It also filled in the grassy area a little bit.

Granny Apple Green was chosen for both the card base and the layering piece.  The measurements are 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  This is scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  The layer is 4 1/4" x 3 1/2".  The stamped piece is layered onto this with adhesive.

Now the decision for the background layer.  After trying a few options, the 2024-2025 In Color 6" x 6" Designer Paper was chosen.  I couldn't decide which print of the four to choose, so I tried out two different ones and liked them both.  Dilemma - which one to choose.  In the end both of the prints were used on my stack of cards, and I was happy.

The sentiment is from the Mixed Labels stamp set.  It's stamped on a Peach Pie 1/2" strip of cardstock and trimmed to fit.  Pecan Pie ink was used.  It's attached with Dimensionals.

For this card, peachy colored gems from the Party Dots were used for an accent.  Then a Peach Pie Bordered Ribbon was tied into a loose knot and attached with Mini Glue Dots to the card.

The inside of all the cards were finished the same way.  A sentiment from Mixed Labels was stamped with Pecan Pie ink.  One of the flower clusters was stamped with Peach Pie ink.  And one of the small leaf sets was stamped with Granny Apple Green ink.

Did I mention making several changes on the cards as I went because I couldn't make up my mind on some of the choices?  Thought you'd like to see a slightly different version...

Can you spot the changes?  The leaves have more of the Lemon Lime Twist showing on this one so it's a little brighter.  

The background DSP is a stripe instead of an overall print.  It's still from the same pack of paper though.

The gems used are the 2024-2025 In Color Shimmer Gems. 

All these add up to just minor changes, but it does make a difference.

Here's a last look at them together. Which one do you prefer?  I'd like to hear from you.

If you didn't know, the Pick a Season set is one of the Sale-a-bration free choices.  It's so dog-gone cute and so easy to use.  You'll just love it if you choose to get this set.  I will definitely be making more cards with this.  There are tiny eggs, shamrocks, hearts, and of course the flowers I used.  There is also a fence and clouds.  Just think of all the possibilities!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Fun Fold Valentines

Hello friends!  Hope you're staying warm and dry.  It's snowing today!  Woo Hoo!  It's not like we get snow too often here in South Carolina, so this is a treat for me.  Especially when I can stay inside and enjoy how pretty it looks.  Just about everything is closed because of the weather - no school, some businesses and doctor's offices are closed, etc.  So yes, I'm sitting by my French doors to the deck and watching the show.  Everything is turning white and I'm thinking I should be sharing Christmas cards instead of Valentine cards.  😀 But not today.  A couple days ago I noticed a YouTube video from Tami White with a darling fun fold.  Her design was for Halloween, but I changed it into Valentine cards.  She has an easy-to-follow video that was a big help.  You can find it here if you are a more visual learner.  I'll share all the dimensions that I used for my cards.  Some of them are a little different from Tami's.

Here are two of the cards made with just a few differences between them to give you an extra idea.  When I saw the fun fold originally, I thought it would be hard to make.  But I was so wrong.  It's very easy to make and is so cute when finished.  I think this is an idea I'll be going back to often.

You can see that the basis of the card is Melon Mambo cardstock and the Marbled Elegance DSP with accents from the Hearts of Elegance stamp and die bundle.  The stamps, dies, and DSP are all in the Online Exclusive section of the SU! online store.  Aren't they just gorgeous with that marbled paper and all the gold accents swirled throughout?  These prints are a beautiful mix of reds and gold - perfect for Valetine cards.

Before you get started, I would suggest that you use a piece of scrap paper the first time you try to make the card.  Once you master it, it's very easy to replicate and you should have no problems.  

Here are the directions for the actual card:  The Melon Mambo card base is 11" x 4 1/4".  It is scored at 2 1/4" and 5 1/2".  On the section with the 2 1/4" score line, measure in 1" at the line and cut out the rectangle shape.  Do this on the other side to match.  This will leave you a flap that is 2 1/2" wide that can fold backwards and forwards.

This picture shows you the outside of the card.  You can see the two 1" x 2 1/4" sections that are cut out.  The card folds on the 5 1/2" score line and the flap stays flat.  When you open the card, the flap swings and you can see the front design on the inside of the card.

There are three pieces of the Marbled Elegance DSP cut for the card.  They measure one at 4" x 5 1/4" and two of them at 4" x 3".  The two smaller pieces are attached to the left flap, both outside the card and inside.  The larger piece is attached to the inside back area.

The layered sentiment areas both outside and inside are the same measurements.

Melon Mambo is 4 1/4" x 2 1/2"  (2)

Brushed Gold is 4 1/8" x 2 3/8"  (1)

Basic White is 4" x 2 21/4"  (2)

(I used Brushed Gold on the outside layers, but not inside the card.  You could use in both places if you wanted.)

The sentiment on the front layer is from the Hearts of Elegance set.  It's stamped with Melon Mambo ink.  The inside sentiment is another of the stamps in this set.  After stamping both sentiments, attach the proper layers together with adhesive.  I used "green glue" as it's easier to manipulate the layer edges with this glue.

Looking back to the third picture, close the card with the flap to the right edge.  Add adhesive to only the squarish flap.  Then line up the top layer's right edge to the edge of the card front over the flap to cover it.  Now the front layer sits across the card front when it's closed but can swing to the inside of the card when it's open. 

For the hearts across the front of the sentiment layer, I used three different heart dies from the Hearts of Elegance set.  The heart on the left is cut from the Marbled Elegance DSP.  This print is the backside of the print I used on the card.  It uses the die with the stitched design in it.  The heart on the right is cut from Basic White cardstock.  It has a trio of flowers stamped across it using a stamp from the Heart Shaped SAB set.  They're stamped with Melon Mambo ink.  The same ink was used with a Blending Brush to add a little color around the edges.  The center heart is the smallest heart die and is cut from Melon Mambo cardstock.  There is a flower die-cut from a marbled print scrap.  It's attached to the heart with a Mini Glue Dot.

The finishing touches were the Brushed Gold Flat Hearts that are also part of this suite in the Online Exclusives section of the store.  Aren't they just the perfect addition to the design?  And they're flat so you don't have to worry about bulky cards going through the mail.

Whew!  Did any of that make sense?  Like I mentioned in the beginning of the post, Tami White made a video giving excellent directions for making these cards.  This one was difficult to just write instructions without lots of visuals.  If you have questions about making this fun fold, please contact me by email at sharoncarr50@gmail.com.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

New Heart Shaped Set

Hello friends.  Back again using a new product from Stampin'Up! that I'm really loving - the Heart Shaped Bundle.  It is so easy to create using this bundle.  I thought today's card would be a simple straight-forward card using just one set.  Well, when I got around to actually making the card from my thoughts, it turns out I used a few extra die sets and another stamp set too.  Seems like it's hard to focus on just one set when there's so many possibilities out there that I can use!  Sometimes you've just got to get everything out on your desk, make a big mess, and create.  At least that's how I tend to work.  So, let's see the card made with the new Heart Shaped Bundle (that is a Sale-a-bration freebie!!) and a few other goodies that I have on hand.

I wanted a bright sunny card to send out in January when all seems dreary and gray.  This certainly accomplished that!  I mentioned that this uses a stamp and die bundle that is one of the Sale-a-bration items.  When you purchase at least $120 of products, you can choose this bundle.  You'll find you will use it throughout the year, and not just for Valentines Day.  This is going to be a very versatile set!

To make this card, I started with a bright Daffodil Delight card base that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.

The Designer Series Paper used here is from the new Floral Delight DSP that's in the new Jan - April 2025 Mini Catalog.  This paper is beautiful and it's part of the Delightful Wishes Suite that I'll be featuring soon.  For this card, the yellow geometric print measures 5 1/4" x 4".  I was going to leave it plain, but decided to add the Stitched Whimsy Die (ret) to add a little interest around the edges.  After cutting, it was attached to the folded Daffodil Delight card base.

The next step is cutting the white circle layer.  I used the 2nd largest circle die in the Stylish Shapes Die set.  I wanted the heart wreath to slightly hang over the edges.  

The wreath stamp in the Heart Shaped set was used to stamp a Daffodil Delight wreath on the white circle.  I actually stamped it twice - once about 1/8" off center to the left and then again to the right.  This gave me a much fuller base to attach the die-cut wreath.

The wreath was die-cut from Old Olive cardstock.  There are also a couple of small leaves die-cut at the same time.  Touches of adhesive around the wreath were used to hold it in place.

Next, the flowers were die-cut from Daffodil Delight cardstock.  The two larger ones are from this same set, but the smaller one is from the Country Birdhouse Die set.  

The sentiment comes from the Heart Shaped set too.  It's such a tiny little thing that it fits tucked in just about anywhere. The little banner die is from the Nested Essentials die (ret).  The sentiment is stamped with Old Olive ink.

The ribbon is another item in the Delightful Wishes Suite but can be purchased separately.  The color of the ribbon is Daffodil Delight and it's 1/8" wide.  A bow was made from this and attached to the circle with a Mini Glue Dot that was rolled to make it tiny.  

The sentiment was attached in the middle of the heart using adhesive only on the left side.  The right edge is curled up a little and has no adhesive on it.  The flowers were clustered between the bow and the sentiment.  They're attached with a Mini Glue Dot under each.  

As the finishing touch, some Rhinestone Basic Jewels were added to the center of each flower.

Oops, I almost forgot the inside of the card.  Can't do that!

The design was carried inside to match the front.  The same wreath stamp was used to stamp onto a Basic White layer.  It's stamped with Daffodil Delight ink.

The sentiment is from a set called Hugs for Love.  This is another new set in the Jan - April 2025 Mini Catalog.  It's stamped inside the heart using Old Olive ink.  So cute - love this sentiment!

I had so much fun making this card that I ended up making five of them.  These will really brighten the days of the ladies that receive them this month.  Just a little sunshine in their mailbox.  

That's it for this non-Valentine card using hearts.  What can you create with this?  I'd love to hear your ideas.

Reminder that there are so many new things going on right now - new Jan-April 2025 Mini Catalog, Sale-a-bration, new Online Exclusive items, and new kits in the Stampin'Up! store just waiting for you!  What a fabulous time of year!!  This sure makes those winter blues slip away.

Don't forget that the Sale-a-bration requirements have changed this year.  The minimum required is $60 for Level 1 items and $120 for Level 2 items.  The Heart Shaped Bundle is a Level 2 item and is definitely worth every penny!  If I can help you with any ordering or information, please ask.  I'd love to be of service.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon