Another Gallery Blooms Card

 Hello to you on this rainy and cold Tuesday.  Not sure where our sunshine and warm weather went, but it's definitely not here now.  It got so cold in the house overnight I'm thinking of turning the heat back on.  As my hubby would say, "Sacrilege!".  But I don't care what month it is, I'm cold!  Anyway, that has absolutely nothing to do with card making.  Like I said yesterday, there's a second card using the Gallery Blooms bundle I wanted to share today.  The two cards were pretty much getting made at the same time, so they're slightly similar.

Here's today's card.  As you can see, it has a slight vintage look to it that is due to the interesting print from the Beautiful Gallery 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper.  This reminds me so much of an old tapestry hanging in a museum.  I almost want to touch it to see if I can feel the texture woven in it.  So, let's make this card and see how it works.

For the card, I chose a Basic Gray card base.  I thought it was a good backdrop for the DSP.  The Basic Gray measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.

The DSP print first has a 3/4" strip cut from the bottom of the piece.  (This was used on the card shared yesterday.)  Then it has a strip cut from the side that is 1 1/2" wide, and another strip that is 3/4" was cut so the back could be used.  I like the look of the two sides of the DSP used together.

Next a piece of Very Vanilla was cut that measures 5 1/4" x 2".  These three panels will line up and be the front of this card.  I had planned on using the Damask Designs Embossing Folder on this section of the card, but decided I wanted to try something a little different.  There is a floral stamp in the Beautiful Motifs set that intrigued me.  I wanted to know if it could make a nice background.  Of course, if I didn't like it, it could be turned over and the back used instead.  I inked the floral stamp with Secret Sea ink and off-stamped twice before stamping on the Vanilla piece.  I really liked the look, so this stamp was used four times for full impressions and then a few random corners were filled in too.  Looking at the background, you'd never know that this was a floral image on there.  Just what I wanted.

The DSP print was attached to the left side and the stamped Very Vanilla piece was attached to the right side of the card front.  Then the 3/4" strip of DSP was attached between them just slightly overlapping each of the sides.  I used "green glue" for this, so I'd have a little wiggle time to get everything just right.

As you can see, this floral stem is just like the one I made yesterday since I was making two at a time.  It's stamped on Very Vanilla with Secret Sea ink.  Then it was colored with a Wink of Stella brush and the Secret Sea ink.  Added ink is on the leaves to darken them.  You still can't see the shimmer of the Wink of Stella on the images, but it has a lovely soft shimmer all over the flowers.

There was a small bit of the mottled gray background print of the DSP that would be great for the sentiment.  It was trimmed down to about 1/2" x 1 3/4".  The sentiment from the Beautiful Motifs set was stamped on this with Secret Sea ink.  

After stamping this, both the floral stem and the sentiment were added to the card front.  Dimensionals were used to give them a little lift.

The design seemed to need a ribbon of some sort.  The Basic Beige 3/8" Ribbon that is part of the suite made up a nice little knot.  It's attached with Mini Glue Dots.

Of course, the design needed some bling, right?  I used three of the 2025-2027 In Color Flat Pearls in the Secret Sea color for an accent.  I love how these pearls have less height so can be mailed easily without a problem.  I think these dark gems look lovely on the design.

Now that the card is finished and I've looked at it for almost two days, I'm thinking I should have made it slightly differently.   I think the tapestry-type DSP should be a little thinner and the Very Vanilla that I stamped should be just a little wider.  But that's my opinion now that it's done and I'd totally ruin it if I took it apart to change it.  Oh well, I guess that just means I need to make another one and see which I prefer so I know for future reference!

Hope you enjoyed this second edition using the Gallery Blooms and the Beautiful Motifs stamp sets.  This has been fun and I'm sure I'll be creating with these sets again soon.  There are all the fun dies in both sets that I haven't played with yet and they are calling to me!  Wonder what I should make next?  Are you inspired to get out your stamps and play, ahem, I mean create?  In fact, since it's a cold and rainy day today, I should go right down to my stamp room and get busy!

If you have any questions or comments, I would be happy to hear them.  You can either comment on the bottom of this post, or you can email me at sharoncarr50@gmail.com.  If you're looking for a friendly demonstrator, you've found one right here.  It would be my pleasure to assist you in your stamping journey.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon  

Gallery Blooms Simple Card

Hello friends!  Hope you're enjoying this Memorial Day!  Please take time to remember the brave and wonderful men and women of the Armed Forces that gave their lives and futures to protect our country and preserve liberty for us all.  "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13 How blessed we are to live in this country and enjoy all the freedoms that we take for granted daily.  Let us be thankful for how blessed this nation has been through the years and ask God's continued hand of guidance and blessing to rest upon us.

I recently received an order that included the Gallery Blooms bundle and the coordinating Beautiful Gallery Designer Series Paper.  I kept telling myself that I didn't need every floral set that came along, but obviously I couldn't resist this one.  The first card made with this set was quite simple and straightforward.  Nothing fancy, just the stamps and some cardstock.

I think this card is really quite beautiful even though it's rather simple.  Let me take you through the process of making it.

The first decision made was to stamp the flowers from the Gallery Blooms onto Very Vanilla cardstock using the new Secret Sea ink.  Since I was making one, I decided to make two of these flower stems and have an extra for another card.  After stamping, I used a Wink of Stella brush to sort of lightly "watercolor" the flower petals.  I only used the ink that was already there from stamping the flowers to keep it very pale.  I also used Wink of Stella to color the leaves, but this time used extra ink from the pad.  This gave the leaves the darker coloring.  I was surprised how very light this dark ink could be and how pretty it turned out.  No matter how many different ways I tried to picture this, the shimmer of the Wink of Stella just didn't want to show itself but believe me it's there.

After the coloring the two flower stems, the coordinating die was used to cut the flowers out.  Now, what to do with them?

I decided on a card base of Cloud Cover cardstock for the first card.  This is a lovely soft blue/gray color.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.  

Next is a layer of Secret Sea that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This was embossed with the new Damask Designs Embossing Folder.  Even though the design isn't really obvious when looking at the card straight on, it shows up nicely at an angle.  This left a really elegant look to the background.  And I always love the feel of embossed texture on my cards.  

This layer was attached to the folded card base.  Tombow MultiPurpose Liquid Glue, also known as "green glue", was used to attach them together.  

As I was in the process of making this card, I had another card in pieces on the side.  One of the extra pieces from this card was a 3/4" strip cut from the bottom of one of the Beautiful Gallery DSP prints.  This was a mottled gray strip that I liked with the card I was making here.  I cut the strip to measure 4" and attached it across the card front with "green glue".

The sentiment used here is from the new Beautiful Motifs stamp set.  This set has eight great sentiments that are very general and a good size.  I'm sure these are sentiments I'll be using often.  This one is stamped on a Very Vanilla 1/2" strip using Secret Sea ink.  It was trimmed some to fit the card.

The stem of flowers was attached to the card front with Dimensionals.  The sentiment was just tucked under the stem and popped up with Dimensionals also.

Since I have the 2025-2027 In Color Flat Pearls that match these colors, I chose to use the Cloud Cover gems and attached three of them.  I think they show up nicely on the Secret Sea background, don't you?

Okay, that's the first design I've made using the Gallery Blooms bundle.  I still have that second flower that is already stamped, colored, and ready to go.  If all goes well, the next card should be making an appearance here tomorrow.

One last picture of this card using the new Gallery Blooms bundle with a couple of the new 2025-2027 In Color cardstock colors.  This turned out to be a very clean and simple card design.  It was also easy to make.  I've seen several cards made with this stem of flowers on Pinterest that were colored much more brightly.  But as you can see, these soft grays are quite beautiful too.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog.  Hope you were inspired to get out your stamps and paper and then get creative.  I always find it uplifting and satisfying to create something beautiful that I can share with you.  I'm so glad you find time to visit.

Feel free to leave your comments at the end if you'd like.  If you have any questions or need some help, I'd love to hear from you.  You can always contact me through my email at sharoncarr50@gmail.com.  Looking forward to hearing your comments.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

 

Another Impressions Abloom Card

Hello friends!  I've got a lovely, bright card idea for you today.  I wanted to use the Beautiful Bokeh Designer Series Paper, so that was my starting point for the card.  For some reason the Impressions Abloom stamp set keeps handing around my worktable, so I thought it would be a good match for those gorgeous DSP bokeh prints.  And I had seen a card design by Tami Hewlett using the Everyday Arches die that really pulled all these ideas together.  Thank you, Tami, for inspiring me!

The mottled background on the arch is the basis of the flower colors I used, and they complement each other so nicely.   Like I said, the first step for this card was choosing which print to use.  This one is a blend of Calypso Coral and Fresh Freesia.  I used the Everyday Arches die to cut the DSP.  Next the choice for a card base was made for Basic White.  This let the other colors be the main focus.  

Instead of just placing this on the card front, a layer of Basic White was cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4".  This layer was embossed with the Exposed Brick 3D Embossing Folder to give it lots of interest and texture.  This layer was attached to the card base with "green glue".  The DSP arch was then attached to this layer with the "green glue" also.

Now for the focal point of the card.  Using the Impressions Abloom stamp set, I started stamping the large flower using the detail stamp and full-strength Calypso Coral ink onto Basic White cardstock.  Since I was stamping anyway, I stamped a few extra for future projects.  Next, the solid stamp for this flower was inked with Calypso Coral ink, off-stamped, and then stamped over the detail image I had already stamped.  This is easy to line up because there is one petal that is longer than the rest.  I love the two-tone look on the flower from having the solid image stamp much lighter.

Next the daisy style flowers were stamped in the same fashion with the detail being full-strength and the solid background being off-stamped.  These were stamped with Fresh Freesia ink.  

The centers of the flowers were stamped a little different.  The solid stamps were inked with Lemon Lolly ink and stamped inside each flower.  Then the detail stamp was stamped over this using Crushed Curry ink.

The leaves were stamped with just the detail stamp.  For the best color choice, I checked the Color Coach for inspiration.  I made some of these Coastal Cabana to be light and fresh, and others were stamped with Lost Lagoon.  After all the pieces were stamped, they were die-cut with the coordinating dies.  When finished, there was a whole bouquet of flowers to play with.  I loved the combination of all these colors together and dove right in.

When arranging the placement of the flowers, I realized there needed to be a contrast between the background and flowers.  Two Basic White leafy stems were die-cut using the Textured Floral dies.  These were nice and airy and fit the design well.  

First the white stems were attached with adhesive.  Then the flowers were added with Dimensionals.  Lastly, the leaves were tucked in around the design using Mini Glue Dots.

The sentiment is from the Wonderful Thoughts stamp set.  It's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto the white strip about 5/8" wide.  This was trimmed and tucked in among the design.

For the final touch, three of the Iridescent Foil Gems were added for a little sparkle.

I don't know about you, but I'm just thrilled with the way this card idea turned out.  It's so vibrant and fresh looking to me.  It's a little out of my comfort zone, because you know I love pastels.  But I'm very happy with it.  If you want to give this one a try, the design wasn't hard to make at all.  If these aren't your favorite colors, go through the Beautiful Bokeh DSP prints and find one to inspire you.  I'd love to hear what you make with this design as a starting place.   There are so many possibilities to try.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Impressions Abloom Cards

Hello friend!  Glad you could stop by for a visit today.  I've been focused on creating this past week instead of posting, so I'm way behind for the month.  There are different cards I'll be in need of very soon.  Like sending cards to the wonderful ladies that have placed an order lately, 5 birthday cards, and the cards for the shut-ins that I've been working on.  I feel like my mind has been scattered in too many different directions lately and I just need to take a deep breath and chill a little.  Today's card features the Impressions Abloom stamp set.  No dies used this time, just stamping.  Sometimes I feel the need to make simpler cards and get away from the multiple layers and die-cuts and fussy cards.  I was just talking to a friend about some cards I've prepped for the shut-ins that have five layers and 7 die-cuts for each of the 23 cards.  That's just a lot of die-cutting and will take a good amount of time to get them all put together.  Thank goodness I have several ladies that have been helping me get the cards made and in the mail.  But I digress.  Today's card is a very simple card to make, but I love the look.  Hope you do too.

Let's get started right away.  The base of the card is Basic White that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" that is scored and folded in half.  

The next layer is also Basic White.  This time it measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This has the majority of the stamping directly on it.  I wanted to use two of the sentiments from the Impressions Abloom set, so I had a good idea of the space needed for the sentiment.  That made it fairly easy to decide where to place the flowers so they would be partially tucked underneath.

I started with the detailed stamp of the daisy.  This was stamped twice with Crushed Curry ink.  Then I switched to using Daffodil Delight ink.  I inked the solid daisy stamp, off-stamped, then lined it up and stamped over the detail stamp.  This gives you a good daisy shape and softens the first color used.  It was easy to line up the petals on the daisy because there is a wider space between two petals you can use for guidance.

The leaves for the daisies are from the same set.  Just the detail leaf stamp was used to keep it lighter.  The stamp was inked with Garden Green ink then off-stamped to lighten up the leaf even more.  One of the daisies have three leaves added and the other one has only two.

The centers of the daisies were stamped in with the detailed center stamp only.  I used Pecan Pie ink for this and kept the ink full strength.  I was going for more of a black-eyed Susan look for the flowers.

The huge amount of white on the card was telling me it needed just a little something added.  I used a Mossy Meadow Light Blends to flick color on this white layer.  Then used a Daffodil Delight Dark Blends to flick a little yellow on the background too.  This I set aside to dry thoroughly while I worked on the sentiment.

I placed the "Thanks" stamp on a block, then added the rest of the sentiment stamp under this.  Make sure you do a test stamping to make sure the two are straight together.  I had to make a little adjustment on mine.  I stamped using Garden Green ink on a 1" strip of Basic White cardstock.  After stamping, the strip was trimmed to 2 1/4" long.

This was backed with a strip of Pecan Pie cardstock.  This was cut to measure 1 1/8" x 2 3/8".  The two pieces are attached together with adhesive and set aside.

The spattering was dry by now so it could be used.  I decided it needed a little more detail on this layer.  It was embossed with the retired Subtle Embossing Folder to give it a little texture but not detract from the design.  

This layer was attached to the folded Basic White card base using adhesive.  The sentiment layers were attached to the card front using Dimensionals making sure it overlapped onto the flowers. 

At this point, I wasn't sure I wanted to add anything else to the design.  Then I thought of those Tiny Bee Trinkets.  They would be a good size for the daisies and definitely not too overpowering.  I added one and was going for the other two to give me the usual number of three embellishments.  Then I decided I liked the single tiny bee as the accent and that was it.  All done.

I was easily able to make my stack of thank you cards yesterday afternoon.  I like it when a plan comes together, and I actually get it finished in a normal amount of time.  (Like the same day I started it!)

Just a comment here.  These daisies all look so much more orange than they do in real life.  Not sure why the camera did a switch on the colors, but I just thought I would mention it if you're wondering.

Thanks for stopping by today to see what I've been stamping.  This is turning into my favorite stamp set at the moment and is getting quite a bit of use.  Hope you aren't tired of seeing ideas with it, because I'm not ready to quit using it for now.  I just love the different two-step flowers and all the many color combinations available to use.  I want to keep creating huge bouquets of flowers, die-cut them all, and then just play with them!  Hope you're loving this set too.

Have you placed an order lately and seen how easy it is to reap your own rewards?  Isn't this great?!  Every time you place an order, you will earn the rewards.  Stampin'Up! will keep track of the rewards you've earned, and you can redeem them on your next order.  Or you can let those rewards build up so you can cover something bigger that you have your eye on.  Either way it's a definite win for you!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

What To Do With Leftovers

Hello friends and a Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there that have a hand in shaping the world around us.   I hope each of you had/have a mother that is as kind and loving as mine.  I feel truly blessed by her and still miss her every day.  She was a great inspiration and role model in teaching me how to be a good mother and a good person.  I can only try to live up to her example.

Today's card is all about using those leftovers you have after one of those creative marathons.  Or am I the only one that always has leftover die-cuts of stems and leaves, extra sentiments because I changed my mind, and those pieces cut from other projects - the ovals, circles, and rectangles, etc.  On yesterday's card, I cut a large oval from the DSP gracing the front panel of my card.  The oval die is from the new Impressions Abloom set and was used to cut a pretty print from the Floral Delight DSP.  It was much too pretty to throw out, so I used it for the center back-drop for today's card.

That piece of DSP was the starting point.  Let's see where it goes from there.  The DSP print looked nice with Old Olive, so that is the base color for the card.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.

There is another print in that pack of DSP that sort of looked like fabric with different tones of Old Olive in it.  This was cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4".  Then it was embossed/die-cut with the Pattern of Friendship background die.  This added the wonderful striped texture to the DSP.  

The Gold Open-weave Trim was wrapped around this layer and attached to the back with Tear & Tape.  This gave just a bit of subtle sparkle when the light hits it just right.  Then the layer was added to the front of the folded Old Olive base with adhesive.

Now, it's time to play with that oval of DSP that was leftover.  I started playing with different pieces of greenery to see what kind of a focal point could be added to the card.  These are the ones that I chose to use.  The white fern type of branch is from the Beautiful Motifs set.  The olive bolder stem and leaves are from Impressions Abloom.  And the smaller stamped and cut greenery is from the Grow with Love set that is an Online Exclusive set.  I liked how these pieces worked together.  They are all attached near the center bottom of the oval piece.  The oval is then attached to the center of the card base using Dimensionals.

I had just stamped and die-cut the new multi-word stamp called More Messages using Pecan Pie.  That meant I had a whole pile of sentiments to choose from.  If you haven't noticed the More Messages stamp and die bundle in the Online Exclusives, you really should check it out.  It is one large stamp with 19 different sentiments that are great for everyday use.  There is 1 die that cuts all of them at once.  Hence, you have a whole pile of sentiments that are ready to use when you are.  I actually stamped it three times - once with Pecan Pie, once with Memento Tuxedo Black, and once with the new Secret Sea that is a lovely navy/black tone.  I separated each group of sentiments by color and put them in little baggies to use as needed.  So handy.

Ok, back to the card.  I chose a sentiment and attached it with Dimensionals.  A double bow was made with Gold Twisted Thread that is retired.  It's attached just under the sentiment with Mini Glue Dots.

The inside is a layer of Basic White with a 1/4" strip of the yellow checked print from the same DSP pack - Floral Delight.  That bit of yellow is a nice contrasting accent to the rest of the card.  Now on to Connie's version using the very same oval on her card.

She also started with an Old Olive base for her card.

There is a layer of that cute yellow and white check print from the Floral Delight DSP that she added.  (That's where I got my little strip for my card.)  Before attaching, she also has the Gold Open-weave Trim wrapped on her card too.

There is another oval die in the Impressions Abloom set that cuts that skinny frame that is added to her oval.  The Old Olive trim really makes the oval stand out nicely.

She chose to use the same greenery stems that I used.  Then added the Gold Twisted Thread double bow to the greenery with Mini Glue Dots.

She chose a different sentiment from the ones I had stamped and cut earlier.  It's also stamped with the Pecan Pie ink.  This is attached with Mini Dimensionals to the left of the greenery.

Hope you like these two versions that are similar but still different.  It's fun to be stamping with someone and each doing our own thing but encouraging each other and making suggestions too.  

I love having all those little bits and pieces saved from other projects.  It makes it easier to just try out different shapes to see if you like them without having to find everything and die-cut and then not be happy and put it all away.  And then start the search all over again.  Do you do that too?

Anyway, it was fun having Connie here to play and create with her.  We both got so much accomplished and were quite pleased with all we had made.

Let me be honest with you.  I like Connie's card more than my own today.  It has a touch of drama to it that really attracts me.  Which one do you prefer?

You really won't hurt my feelings if you like her card better.

Thanks for stopping by today to see what I've been up to lately.  There are a few more items that Connie and I did together that I hope to get to soon.  I've been doing more creating myself that I want to share too.  I guess I'll be busy doing a lot of blogging in the future!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Sort of a CASe with Impressions Abloom

Hello, my stamping friends!  Today is shaping up to be another cold and rainy day.  It hasn't started yet, but it's gray and dreary.  We're told the rain will definitely be here soon and will last til tomorrow evening.  Of course, tomorrow is Sunday, and we've been getting rain just about every Sunday for a while.  Add in the fact it will be Mother's Day too and we're supposed to be going to see the Spartanburgers play ball at the new ballpark that just opened last month here in town.  I'm just not sure the day is going to be all that great the way things are going.  We'll see.  Maybe it will all work out just great.  Positive thinking and all that.  Anyway, today I have a bright and cheery card with daisies, so that's a good thing.  And this card is the starting place for two more cards I'll share later.  I saw something close to this card, but I haven't been able to find it again.  Whoever made the original idea, thank you for getting my mojo going!

The card idea that got my mind whirling had a strip of cardstock that was tucked into a die-cut opening.  I thought that was a cool idea so that was the start.  The cardstock base is Old Olive cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.

A 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Floral Delight DSP was cut with an oval die from the Impressions Abloom set.  Make sure you keep the oval that is cut out!

A piece of Timeless Plaid 6"x 6" DSP was used to fill is the opening and give it a contrasting print.  A piece of Daffodil Delight cardstock that was about 1 1/2" x 5" was embossed with the Mini Corrugated Embossing Folder.  This piece was attached at the top edge of the DSP print and tucked in at the bottom.  These pieces were all attached to the Old Olive card base using adhesive.

Next the flower pieces were die-cut using the Impressions Abloom dies.  The daisies are Basic White, the centers are Daffodil Delight, the stems and leaves are all Old Olive cardstock.  I always like to cut extra when I'm doing this step, so I have more ready when I need them next time.

The stems and leaves were all attached flat to the corrugated piece by using adhesive.  The daisies were popped up on one Dimensional each.  The centers were added to the daisies using Mini Glue Dots.

Oops, I just noticed one of the flower centers was attached upside down.  Do you think anyone will notice?

The sentiment is from the recently retired Happiest Day stamp set.  I really like the words, so I'll probably still continue to use them   This time they are stamped on a 5/8" strip of Basic White cardstock using Pecan Pie ink.  I thought this matched the stems in the DSP and blended well with the design.  The sentiment was trimmed and then attached to the card front with several Dimensionals.

The last decision is what kind of bling would work on this card.  The Tiny Bee Trinkets looked like they'd be very happy flying around in this daisy garden.  So I obliged, and three of them were added to complete this card.

I liked the card so much that I made one for Connie too.  Don't forget that I mentioned this card was a jumping off place for two more cards.  That's where the die-cut floral DSP comes in.  She and I both took those pieces and made another card with them.  Needless to say, we didn't make the same card at all.  Stop by tomorrow for the next installment of the ongoing saga of my sister and I starting to stamp with the same products and then doing our own thing.  I promise you'll like the cards we created.  See you soon.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Friendship Friday Birthday Cards

Hello there!  Did you know, one of the biggest blessings of having a birthday is hearing from all your far-flung friends and receiving some very beautiful birthday cards.  I've had these gorgeous cards sitting out on my dining room table for several weeks now enjoying them every time I look at them.  It seemed important to me to share all this talent and loveliness with all of you.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

created by Jean Mazurek - this is just so pretty in person.  The plummy sequins and butterfly are perfect accents for this lovely card.

created by Shirley Krone - all I can say is "wow".  I'd forgotten about the fence and gate die in Grace's Garden set.  This is so fabulous with this scenic DSP she chose.

created by Sue Fabris - this is just shouting spring to me.  Love the Pool Party and yellows together.  Pretty, pretty!

created by Jan Hollmann - don't you love the black & white with that deep Mossy Meadow as an accent?  It goes great with the black & white checked DSP.  Very serene card.

created by Barb Eisenman - awesome fun fold card!  Even my grandsons were trying to see how to fold it so it would fit into the envelope.  

I just had to add an extra picture so you could see the angles on this.  Very cool.

Maybe I can get the measurements from this card and try constructing one of these myself!

created by Connie Juengel - like I said earlier, I love the Pool Party and yellows together.  This card also has those gold mesh leaves from Christmas time as an accent.  Great idea.

created by Kathy Hintz - love these cards made with the Heart Shaped stamps and dies paired with the Painted Lavender DSP.  Nice accent using the Spotlight on Nature dies.  So very pretty!

created by Diane Walace - another simply gorgeous card by Diane.  It's a fun fold that really shows off the DSP she used.  Add in the "stuffed" butterflies she makes, and it's a total wow card.

Just needed another photo of this gorgeous card for you.  I think you can see the fun fold design.  (I did a post on April 2, 2025 that used this fun fold idea if you want to get a handle on how it was made.)

It was a struggle trying to take photos of the two fun fold cards where you could actually see the folds clearly.  The sun was shining like crazy and was giving me so many shadows.  But I think you get the idea.

So many beautiful cards and so many sweet wishes from my friends.  They really made my birthday very special.  Thank you, ladies, so very much for remembering my birthday with these lovely cards.

And thank you for visiting today.  Hope you enjoyed this gallery of cards made by some very talented ladies.

Remember to keep stamping as it is a great form of therapy that makes you feel wonderfully creative.  And when you send the card, you make someone else feel special too!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Ombre and Black Silhouette Card

Hello friends!  Yes, I love the look of an ombre background with an interesting black silhouette contrasting with it.  It has such a crisp, clean look that I'm drawn to.  I've had this idea rolling around for a bit, but I didn't have a really wonderful silhouette die-cut that would really stand out.  My sister, Connie, brought several sets that I don't own yet, so I was able to use one of them to create my idea.  I'm so thrilled with how beautiful it turned out!  I hope you try the idea yourself.  Of course, you can use the materials that you have and use whatever color combo you might prefer when trying this.  I'd love to hear about what you create.

Here is my creation and I love it!  It starts with a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of Basic White cardstock along with an oval die.  I used the Layering Ovals dies that we had a few years back for this card.  I cut a piece of computer paper the same size as my white cardstock, die-cut the oval from it, then used a piece of Scotch tape over the top edge to hold them in place together while color blending.

Then comes the magic.  Get out your Blending Brushes and three ink pads that look nice together.  I used Old Olive, Pool Party, and Lemon Lolly.  I started with the Old Olive and added color to the bottom of the die-cut oval.  I purposely did not go straight across but angled the color a little.  Keep the color darker at the bottom edge and blend up into the 1/3 area very lightly.  Next, I added Pool Party ink blending down into the Old Olive area and up into the top 1/3 area keeping that top edge light.  Lastly the Lemon Lolly was added to the oval.  This time I didn't take the color up to the top edge but just feathered it out near that edge to give the illusion of the full shape.

Peek under the mask.  If the colors are as you like, then take it off entirely.  You can always reuse this mask to make another card if you want.  Isn't it gorgeous?  I went with colors that reminded me of a sunny day with the grass, sky, and sunshine.

It's time to make the silhouette image for the design.  The design is die-cut from the black cardstock piece cut to frame the white layer.  The Basic Black layer measures 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  The die is from the new Beautiful Motifs Die set.  Isn't it the perfect delicate detailed piece?  After die-cutting, it's attached over the color-blended oval.

Next the sentiment was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.   The sentiment is from the Thoughtful Wishes stamp set.  I love the two different fonts here.  It's stamped to kind of curve around the bottom of the oval.  

After stamping, the white layer is attached to the black layer with "green glue".  The card base is Pool Party cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.  The layers are attached to it with Dimensionals for a little pop.

Lastly are the lovely Pool Party clear gems that are added to the design.  These are from the Glossy Dots Assortment.  They are the perfect match for this crisp design.  

I love the overall clean look of this card.  It's so serene and calms me right down just looking at it.  Maybe I need to hang it on my bedroom wall so I can calm down and sleep at night?  😉 So funny!

Hope you enjoyed this simple idea.  You could use different shapes, or different color combos and silhouette shapes to make your creation.  The ideas are pretty much endless when you start thinking about it.  I'd love to see what you create.

Thanks for stopping by to see what is going on here.  Just hanging out in my craft room and creating as usual.  I'm happy to have the company.  Feel free to leave a comment to let me know what you think.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Pretty Florals in Purple

Hello people!  Back again today with another couple of cards featuring the Pretty Florals stamp and die bundle.  Yes, I think it's a great set and I've got so many ideas for creating with this set.  I've got a card to share that I made, then there's also the one my sister made.  We try to start with the same stamp set and main color and go from there.  You never know where the stamping muse will take us!

The idea for my card started with the die-cut circle of Basic White.  This was cut with the Stylish Shapes largest circle die.  

The triple stem of leaves was stamped using Garden Green ink.  The more solid flower stamp was inked with Highland Heather ink and then off-stamped before stamping each one of the flowers.  

Next the detailed stamp that goes over this was inked with Gorgeous Grape ink to really show up nicely on the card.   When I was stamping these on the card, the middle flower didn't totally fit on the circle.  So, I stamped another flower just like the other flowers but instead stamped on a scrap of Basic White cardstock.  After stamping, it was die-cut with the coordinating die.  I love it when there are matching dies to stamp sets.  It makes it so easy to have a dimensional card without a lot of fussy cutting.  Yeah, I guess that makes me kind of spoiled!

That extra flower cluster was attached over the partial one I'd already stamped.  It's popped up with Dimensionals and pokes out above the perimeter of the circle.

I was planning on using a full layer on the front of the card of the Gorgeous Grape cardstock, but it just didn't thrill me.  So a smaller piece of Gorgeous Grape was cut to go under the circle instead.  This piece measures 3 1/4" x 4".

Connie suggested using a layer of Silver Foil next, so I got that out.  There was a layer of silver already cut with the Scalloped Contours Dies.  Yes, they're retired, but they still look nice, and I dig them out every once in a while.  The die-cut didn't totally fit around the purple layer, but the two ends were just the right size to frame the top and bottom.  These layers are attached with adhesive.  Then it was all attached to a Highland Heather folded card base.

I needed a sentiment that would fit right under the circle but not be too big.  This sentiment from the Unbounded Love set is one I've used often.  It looked just perfect here.  It's stamped on a 1/2" strip of Basic White using Gorgeous Grape ink.  The sides were trimmed to make the length 2 3/8".

There was a 1/8" skinny strip of Highland Heather cardstock sitting on my table.  It looked nice under the sentiment.  So, it's attached with adhesive then trimmed to about 1/4" on either side.  This is attached to the card front using Dimensionals to pop it up.

The last touch to finish the card was the added bling, of course.  For this card, I thought the Purple Fine Shimmer Gems in the lightest color looked nice.  

There you have my monochromatic card all done in purples.  Connie also used purple, but her card is certainly different than mine.  Let's see what she did.

She made a landscape style card with a whole garden of flowers.  I don't have her card here in front of me, so I can't give accurate dimensions for you.  But I will give you all the information that I can.

The stems and leaves are stamped with Granny Apple Green.  The flowers are stamped the same way I did mine with the off-stamped Highland Heather first and then Gorgeous Grape over this for the detail stamp.  Her flowers are all die-cut.  Some are added flat to the card with adhesive, and others are popped up with Dimensionals to add variety.

The striped DSP behind is from the Sale-a-bration toadstool paper.  Sorry I don't remember the name off hand.  The card base is Gorgeous Grape.  I'm also not sure which set the sentiment comes from, but anything similar in size would work.  And from the picture, I'm not sure about the gems.  They might be the same that I used on my card.  Sorry I can't give you better directions on her cards.  All I'm going by at this point is a small picture.  I just didn't write down all the directions, so I'm just guessing on some parts of it.  I'm sure it will give you a good enough idea of possibilities to get you started.

Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of the Pretty Florals stamp and die bundle.  I guess tomorrow it will be time to move on to another new set that we haven't explored yet.  Hope you join me again soon.

The new 2025-2026 Annual Catalog went live today.  So that means you can order what you need.  One little problem though.  There was a snafu with the new Cloud Cover ink pad.  The ink has reacted to the foam on the pad and the color isn't up to the Stampin'Up! standard.  You can still buy the marker and the refill.  If you get the refill, you can ink an empty "spot" with the refill, and it will work just fine.  We are so sorry for the inconvenience and Stampin'Up! is working hard to rectify the problem with the ink.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Pretty Florals Today

Hello, hello!  Here we are on a Monday afternoon getting started on my card stash that I want to share with all of you.  My sister was visiting for a few days, so needless to say, I have a pile of cards that I want to share during the coming days.  Some of the cards my sister and I did the same.  What a surprise.  But you know how it is with sisters; we each have our own ideas of what a card should look like.  For those cards, I'll be sharing both of our versions to give you even more ideas.  It was a struggle to decide what to share first and in what order.  I decided to just go with the order we did our stamping.  So today I'm starting out with the first set we tackled together.  This is the Pretty Florals stamp set and dies.  This bundle is one of the fun new items found in the new Annual Catalog.  Ane you can start ordering from this catalog tomorrow!  Woo Hoo!  I hope you've been writing up a wish list of new ideas and stamps you want to try.  And maybe in the next week or so I can inspire you with some of the cards we made together.

Our idea was to use this Pretty Florals set with the new Timid Tiger cardstock and ink which is one of the new 2025-2027 In Colors.  I'm not sure what kind of flowers these are supposed to be, but I had fun making them this bright and happy orange.  I started with a card base of the Timid Tiger which measured 11" x 4 1/4".  It's scored at 5 1/2" to make a top-fold card.

The first thing was stamping some of the single stem and leaves at the bottom of this card base.  I was using Timid Tiger ink for this.  Then I stamped in the flower stems above each stem in the same Timid Tiger ink.  This filled in the bottom portion of the card.

Next, I cut a piece of Basic White cardstock to measure 3 7/8" x 3". Using the triple stem and leaves stamp, I stamped twice and a partial across the base of the white using Granny Apple Green ink.

Next on a smaller piece of Basic White, I stamped the solid flower of the pair.  Before stamping, the color was off-stamped to give me a lighter solid color to use.  I stamped this 7 times, so I had one for each stem that I'd already stamped.  Over each of these, I stamped the detail flower stamp with the same Timid Tiger ink that was full strength this time.  Then all 7 flower stems were die-cut with the coordinating die from the set.  Each of these were attached to the stem using a Dimensional to pop it up.

Next a layer of Granny Apple Green was cut to frame the white layer.  This measured 4" x 3 1/8".  The two layers were attached together with Tombow Liquid Glue, otherwise known as "green glue" to me.  

This was attached to the top section of the card base with Dimensionals.

There is a length of White Frayed Grosgrain Ribbon wrapped around the front of the card.  It's tied into a knot and scooched up to be just under the stamped layers on the card.

A sentiment from the Wonderful Thoughts set was stamped with Granny Apple Green ink onto a Basic White cardstock piece.  This was die-cut with the coordinating die from the set.  It's attached to the bottom section of the card using Dimensionals.

As a final touch, I thought the Brushed Brass Butterflies fit right into this garden of flowers.  Three of them are enjoying the sweet scents.

Now let me show you what Connie made from the same materials.

As you can see, the same colors were used but in different proportions and styles.   I don't have her measurements, but the Basic White cardstock piece looks just about the same size as mine.  The leaves and flowers were stamped and die-cut the same.  

The Granny Apple Green layer was a piece that I had prepared for something else and never used.  It was cut with the Radiating Stitches dies.  Doesn't it frame up the flowers perfectly?  She used a retired orange-y ribbon tied around the layers.  Then it's attached to a Timid Tiger layer that's peeking out around the edges.  Then it was attached to a Basic White card base with Dimensionals.  

She did the hello the same but then touched a tiny bit of Granny Apple Green to the edges.  Lastly, the butterflies were added to her card too.

There you have it.  Two cards starting out with the same stamp set and dies and using the same colors.  But as you can see, they turned out quite differently.  That right there is part of the magic of stamping.  Each time you sit down to create, you come up with something altogether new and a reflection of how you were looking at things that day.  

I'll be back tomorrow with another, but totally different, version of these very same flowers that we made next.  Hope to see you back again for the next installment.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

It's Friendship Friday Again

Hello friends!  I'm finally going to share all the lovely Easter cards we received.  I know it's well after Easter, but maybe the color combo or the layout will spark your imagination to try something similar.  Or you might find just the Easter card that you'll want to CASe for next Easter.  Maybe you'll see a great idea and just change the sentiment into a different occasion.  Or if you're like me, maybe you'll just enjoy looking and marveling at other people's creativity.  Whatever the reason, I hope you'll take a minute or two to enjoy these cards.  And a huge thank you to the lovely ladies that went to the effort to create these cards and mail them to us.  You're just the best!  ENJOY!

Created by Barb Eisenman - handmade papers are a great base to really set off this delicately colored pastel tulip bouquet.  You've outdone yourself!  Just gorgeous

Created by Kathy Hintz - she used Perennial Lavender DSP and Heart Shaped stamp set which are two of my favorite things.  Worked out lovely.

Created by Sue Fabris - Love the sparkly eggs and sentiment.  Such a 'happy' card.  Yay for die-cuts!!

I've sort of made a game out of getting cards.  Don't look at the envelope first, but open and look at the card to see if I can guess who made it.  When I saw all these die-cuts, I knew it was yours, Sue.

Created by Jean Mazurek - this card is just so beautiful.  Gorgeous!  It's what I aspire to create, and she makes it look so easy.  If I remember, this is one I'm CASe-ing next year.

Created by Shirley Krone - there can be no question about the reason for the season when you see this card.  Well done.

p.s.  thanks for all your interesting notes too!  Love the updates.

Created by Jan Hollman - love the purple and yellow color combo and the unique cross stamp.  The embossing is a nice added touch.  Very nice.

Created by Diane Wallace - this might be the last card shown, but it's certainly not the least.  The intricate die-cut egg - wow.  So elegant - tone on tone and with a glimmer paper to add glamour.  The glimmer paper didn't want to take a picture this morning and kept giving me a two-tone effect.  It really is all plummy colored like the bottom edge of the card.

Aren't these cards all fabulous?  I love getting them from the mailbox and opening each treasure.  So fun and uplifting.  But it makes me miss you all so very much!!

Well, there you have it.  A group of lovely cards made by a group of talented and gifted stampers and friends.  Hope you are inspired.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon