Neutral Noel Tidings Card

Hello friends.  Have you been enjoying all the card ideas that are using the Neutral Noel Suite of products?  I love the look of the softer neutral looks and have been fooling around creating my own versions of this look.  Today's card started out with a quarter sheet of Basic Beige cardstock that had a 3" circle cut from the center.  (You never know what you'll find in my left-overs pile!)  This would be a perfect start to an idea percolating in my head.  Let me show you what I've come up with this time.

The card base is Crumb Cake cardstock to stay with the neutral theme.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.

For a lovely focal piece, I trimmed a piece of the Neutral Noel Specialty Designer Series Paper to measure 3 3/4" x 3 3/4" square.  This gives a lovely shiny print with slight bits of gold shining in the design.  It's attached flat on the card base right behind the circle opening of the Basic Beige layer.  The DSP layer is attached with adhesive.

The Basic Beige cardstock layer measures 5 1/4" x 4".  The circle die-cut is a bit higher than direct center.  Before adding to the card design, it's been embossed with the retired Beautiful Pattern Embossing Folder.  I wanted a nice subtle background design here so it wouldn't overpower the rest of the design.

After embossing, this layer was attached to the card front with multiple Dimensionals.

On a scrap piece of Basic Beige, the long-needled evergreen stamp in the Noel Tidings set was used to stamp three branches with Mossy Meadow ink.  Using the small pinecone stamp, three of them were stamped using Pecan Pie ink.  The pinecones were colored with the Crumb Cake Light Stampin' Blends to give them just a little more color.  All these pieces were die-cut with the matching dies.  

Two of the evergreen branches were attached at the side of the circle going up.  Leaving just a tiny bit of space between them, the third branch was attached facing down along the side.  Both adhesive and Dimensionals were used to hold these pieces in place as needed. 

The sentiment is from the Noel Tidings set.  It was stamped onto a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock using Cherry Cobbler ink.  The matching die in the set was used to die-cut this long label out.

A large loopy bow was made from Linen Thread.  This was positioned and attached where it would be under the sentiment label.  It was attached with a Mini Glue Dot.

The label was attached with a strip of Dimensionals across the front of the card.  At this point the three pinecones were tucked in around and under the label.  They each were attached with a couple Mini Glue Dots.

The inside of the card was finished with a layer of Basic Beige cardstock that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  It's attached with adhesive.

There is a retired SU! sentiment from many years ago that I used for this card.  It is stamped in Cherry Cobbler ink.  Another couple of the same evergreen branches were stamped in the top corner with Mossy Meadow ink to bring the design inside the card.

The finishing touch for this Christmas card was to add some Sparkle Sequins in the red color.  The red just gives the whole card such a nice pop of excitement.  Three of the sequins were tucked in among the greenery.  Looking at the card, I just felt it needed something on the other side, so another two of the sequins were added to the side of the circle.  And that's it for this card idea.

Hope you like this simple take on the whole neutral noel theme that is so popular this year.  I think it gives a very serene yet festive look.  It's something that is right for me.

Thanks for stopping in again to see what's happening here.  Let me know if you like this idea and want to give it a try.  It's always lovely to hear from you!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Neutral Noel Suite CASE

Hey gang!  Today I wanted to share my re-make of one of the cards featured in the new catalog.  Do you ever CASE (Copy And Share Everything) a card when you get a new set and are trying to get a feel for it?  My order came in and the Noel Tidings bundle was part of the order.  I had all these ideas to try until it arrived and I promptly forgot my plans.  Every once in a while, when I don't know where to start with a new set I'll CASE one of the sample ideas.  Get your catalog handy and you can see the inspiration for this card.  Check page 44 to see the inspiration, then read on and see how closely I ended up following the original.

Well, I started out following the card sample, and then I started doing my own thing by the time I finished.  😆😉 The card base is Pecan Pie.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.

The fullest evergreen branch was stamped diagonally on the card front using Pean Pie ink.  Set aside until ready to put the design together.

Next up is the Very Vanilla layer and the 1st change.  I decided to use the new Tile Garden dies.  These square dies are so like the Spotlight on Nature circle dies that I use frequently.  The square I used measures approximately 2 5/8" x 2 5/8".  On this was stamped the bare stem three times using Crumb Cake ink.  Afterwards, all the little berries were added to the stems with the same ink.

Next a 3" x 3" square of Gold Foil was cut for layering behind the vanilla layer.  The gold foil was embossed with the Softly Woven 3D Embossing Folder.  I love this textured look with the foil.  This is the 2nd change. 

The gold foil was attached to the card base slightly at an angle using 'green glue'.  Then the Very Vanilla layer was attached over this using 'green glue' also.  The vanilla layer is attached straight on the design.

The same evergreen branch was stamped twice on Very Vanilla cardstock using Peaceful Pine ink.  The middle-sized evergreen branch was stamped 3 times on vanilla also.  These were all die-cut with the coordinating dies.

The season's greetings sentiment from Noel Tidings set was stamped onto a 5/8" wide strip of Crumb Cake cardstock using Pecan Pie ink.  The words were cut apart at an angle, and the ends were angle cut to match.

The greenery pieces were arranged diagonally on the Very Vanilla layer.  Then they were attached with adhesive.

Next the sentiment was attached over the center of the branches evergreen.  Dimensionals were used for this to give the sentiment more prominence.

I thought the card looked too drab for my tastes.  So, a splattering of Wink of Stella was used over the card front.  This looked so much like snowflakes on the card!  This was another change that I think added so much interest to the card.

The last change was adding a bow.  I used a Gold & White Ribbon that I thought was still current, but it's not.  Oops.  This is a 3/8" woven ribbon that I cut in half lengthwise and made a skinny bow from it.  It's attached to the top left corner of the vanilla layer.  I liked this little bit of extra interest added here.

I thought about adding some form of gold-tone bling, but it seemed just fine without any more extras added to the design.

So that is my version of CASEing a card design.  Yes, I follow the original idea to an extent, then I put my own spin on it.  Don't feel you have to follow someone's design exactly.  Have some fun with it and make it your own design.  And if you really don't like what you did to the design, you can always scrap the idea, pull all the pieces apart and start over.  Now that has happened more than once over here!  😆😆😆

Hope you enjoyed this little walk thru of this card design.  Feel free to use this, or any other card I ever make, as a jumping off place for your own creations.

Are you enjoying perusing the catalog and getting lots of ideas to use?  It's really a treasure trove of ideas that are waiting for you to try.  Of course, if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with me at sharoncarr50@gmail.com

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Radiant Sunflowers Bundle Sneak Peek

Hello friends!  Whew, still in the mid 90's and that's the forecast for the next week at least.  It's so hard to spend time outside when you can't catch your breath and you feel you're melting on the spot.  I want to know why you can't melt off fat while doing this!  The way I feel in the heat, I'm sure I should be at least 10 pounds lighter by now!  😆  Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way, right?  So, with a mind over matter plan, today's card is another fall themed card.  I suppose it could be used for different seasons if you changed the colors, but this card exudes a strong autumn vibe to me.

See what I mean about a fall feel?  The first thing I did with this card was to stamp this flower cluster from the Radiant Sunflowers bundle onto Very Vanilla cardstock.  This bundle is coming in September, and I can hardly wait for you to use it!  I used Pecan Pie ink for this to stay on the warm side.  After stamping, the coloring began.  

Stampin'Blends were used for this part:

Sunflower petals - Daffodil Delight Light & Dark

Sunflower centers - Pecan Pie Light & Dark

Flower - Daffodil Delight Dark, Timid Tiger Light

Leaves - Old Olive Light & Dark

At this point several extra leaves from the set were stamped with Pecan Pie ink and colored with Old Olive Light & Dark Blends.

All the pieces were die-cut with the matching dies in the set.  Now it was time to decide what to add to these flowers to make the card.  The card base is Pecan Pie cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

A wide strip 5 1/2" x 3 1/4" was cut from Crumb Cake cardstock.  A sentiment from the set was used to stamp onto this strip in the far bottom right corner.  Then comes the embossing.   I'm lovin' the new Softly Woven 3D Embossing Folder which was used on this to give lots of texture.

This strip was attached to the folded card front using Tombow MultiPurpose Glue to hold securely.

There are some great prints in the Sunflower Fields Designer Series Paper coming in the catalog in September.  This brown-on-brown check highlighted the flowers nicely.  It measures 2 1/4" x 4".   But it needed something extra to set it apart from all the other brown tones on the card.  

I could have used a cardstock piece, but I remembered a golden yellow print from spring maybe two plus years ago now.  I had a few odd pieces of it left, so it's used here.  It measures 2 1/2" x 4 1/4".  The brown checked print was adhered to this with adhesive.  Then both pieces were added to the card front using adhesive.

The design still needed something else.  The grid from the Lily of the Valley die set was used to die-cut gold foil cardstock.  The two pieces were attached under the sunflower cluster using adhesive.  That bit of gold peeking out at the top and bottom was perfect.  The sunflowers were attached over the grids using Dimensionals.  Then the extra leaves were tucked in around the design to fill it out.

Several Gold Adhesive-backed Dots were sprinkled on the design.  Yep, they're in the new in the catalog coming out in September.

A smallish bow was made from the Crumb Cake color jute in the Neutrals Jute Combo that is also new in the catalog coming in September.  It's attached with a Mini Glue Dot.  The jute really continues the rustic feel of the finished card.

Hope this card idea gets you thinking fall.  Yes, I know there's still a couple weeks left in August for those last summer get-aways or picnics at the beach.  But this heat is so rough on me I'm really praying for cooler weather.  I do thank you for visiting my blog and hope you are inspired to give some of these products a try.  If you're looking for a demonstrator, I'd be happy to work with you.  If you are one of my customers and you haven't received your new September - December 2026 Catalog in the mail from me, please let me know so I can see what's going on.  Most of my customers really do become my friends, and I appreciate each one of you!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Quick Card Featuring Fall DSP

Hello again my friends.  Today's card is a very simple layered card featuring two new Designer Series Papers for are both fabulous in their own rights.  Both are fall themed, but they have a distinctly different feel to them.  It was fun to pair them together with this quick and easy card that was finished in minutes.  If you like this idea, but don't have either of these paper packs yet, why not try this design using what you have on hand.  Just work with two different prints that have a similar color palette.  Make sure one is a tiny print, and one is bolder - more of a focal point than a background.  Let me show you what I mean.

The part of this card I decided upon first was the soft monochromatic sunflower print from the Sunflower Fields Designer Series Paper.  Who new Cajun Craze could be such a soft color?  This piece measures 3" x 4" which makes it a good size to be the focal image.

Next, Cajun Craze was chosen for the card base.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

It took a few tries to decide on this interesting background layer.  It's from the Autumn Opulence Designer Series Paper pack.  It's a nice background by itself, but...

I've been reaching so often for my new Softly Woven 3D Embossing Folder that just came a few days ago.  Wow!  I love the texture this adds to the paper and either side works wonderfully.  After embossing, this was added to the card front using Tombow Multi-Purpose Glue to hold.

I thought of using Cajun Craze as a layer next.  But after trying, it just got lost in the design.  Switched to a layer of Basic Black and that worked very well.  It measures 3 1/4" x 4 1/4".  The two pieces were attached with adhesive.

A Black & Very Vanilla Large Checked Ribbon was wrapped around these layers top to bottom then tied into a knot.  I liked the check with the country feel of the design so far.

The sentiment is one of the pre-made sentiments in the Greetings for All Mix & Match set.  These greetings come either white on black or black on white so they're very versatile.  I chose this white on black sentiment, but it was just a little stark and didn't blend well with the warm tones of the card.  The Ivory Stampin'Blend marker was used to color over the white.  Now it fits the colors so much better.

The sentiment was attached over the ribbon with a strip of Dimensionals to hold in place.  And to keep the ribbon from wiggling around, a Mini Glue Dot was tucked under the knot.  Perfect.

The two layers were attached to the card front with Dimensionals.

Several of the Cajun Craze & Gold Dots were scattered onto the design for a little bling.  I know these are retired, but they were my first pick.  There are several other items that could work, so use what you think works best.

The inside of the card has a 5 1/4" x 4" layer of Very Vanilla.  The sentiment is stamped in black ink.  (It's retired, sorry!  I always keep all my sentiment stamp sets to use as needed)

A different print from the Sunflower Fields DSP pack was used as an accent.  This measures 3/4" x 4" and is attached with adhesive.  And the card is finished.  

It definitely took me longer to type out this post than it took to make it.   I love making these quick and easy cards that feature the DSP as the focal point when I'm in a hurry to get a card out in the mail right away.  This is for a friend whose birthday I almost forgot.  Oops!  But it's ready to go in the mail as we speak, just in time!

Thanks for stopping in again to see what's been going on here.  Seems like every day somewhere around 4-5pm or so we've been getting a gusty lightning and thunderstorm that might hang around an hour or two and then be gone. We've gotten about 1/2"+ of rain almost every day! Add that to our temps being in the mid 90's all week and things have been very muggy and uncomfortable.  On the bright side, I don't think I've ever seen our grass (aka weeds) look so lush and green in August before!  So, is that a good or a bad thing?  Depends on your point of view, I guess.  Anyway, that just gives me more of an excuse to get down into my stamp room and putter around.  Now, if I could just get all these posts done, I'd be really happy!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Montage of Simply Leaves Ideas

Hello stamping buddies!  I've been playing around with the Simply Leaves stamp set quite a bit lately.  I can't seem to leave it alone!  Unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to posting all the cards separately.  So, today I thought I'd do something a little differently.  Instead of going in depth on a single card, I'd give a thumbnail version of each card and share them all at once.  Let's see how this works out.  I'd love to hear your feedback on what you think about it.

For the first idea, the 2026-2028 In Color Gingham DSP would be used.  Start with Very Vanilla cardstock for the card base.  A 5 1/4" x 4" layer of Very Vanilla was cut and embossed with the Forever Plaid Embossing Folder.  

This layer was softly colored on the edges with a Blending Brush and Golden Glow ink.  Then it was attached to the card base with Dimensionals.  

The Gingham DSP in Golden Glow was cut to 2 1/4" x 5 1/4" and attached to the vanilla layer with adhesive.

Two different large leaves were stamped onto Very Vanilla cardstock.  One used Golden Glow and the other was Cajun Craze ink.  Both were punched with the coordinating punch.  The small leaf was stamped with Cajun Craze ink and fussy cut.  The leaves are arranged on the card and attached with both adhesive and Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from Simply Leaves.  It's stamped on Very Vanilla with Cajun Craze ink.  A little Golden Glow ink was brushes on the edges.  It's attached with Dimensionals.  

A double strand of Linen Thread was tied into a bow and attached with Mini Glue Dots.

Three of the 2026-2028 In Color Dots in Golden Glow were added to the design.

This card starts with a Basic Beige cardstock base.  A 3 3/4" x 5" layer of the same was cut.  It's embossed with the new Swirls of Magic Embossing Folder that will be available in August.  A slight amount of Peaceful Pine ink was added to it with a Blending Brush.  

A 3 7/8"x 5 1/8" layer of Peaceful Pine was added between the two layers.

Three different leaves from the Simply Leaves set were stamped onto Basic Beige cardstock, then punched with the coordinating punch.  Two leaves were off-stamped before stamping to give a lighter color.  

The leaves were arranged and attached to the card front using both adhesive and Dimensionals.

The 3/8" Bordered Ribbon in Peaceful Pine was cut in half lengthwise then tied into a double bow.  It's attached with Mini Glue Dots.

The sentiment is from Banner Sayings stamp set.  It's stamped on a Basic Beige strip with Peaceful Pine ink.  A skinny layer of Peaceful Pine cardstock is added behind the stamped layer.  Then it's added to the card front with Dimensionals.

Two of the red Ladybug Garden Epoxy Shapes were attached to the card for a cute pop of color.

This version has a Golden Glow base with a layer of the 2026-2028 In Color Gingham DSP added.

A 2 1/4" wide strip of Basic White was punched with a retired edge punch to give a lacy design.  This was added across the card front.

Three of the large leaves from Simply Leaves were stamped using either Cajun Craze or Peaceful Pine inks.  The golden one is punched from 2026-2028 In Color Pearlized Specialty Paper.  Nice addition!

The sentiment is from the new Fun For Fall stamp set.  It's stamped with Cajun Craze ink.

There is a bow added made from the Peaceful Pine Ribbon.  It's attached with Mini Glue Dots.

Two of the 2026-2028 In Color Dots in the Peaceful Pine color were added near the sentiment.

The last card is a CASE card from Barb Brimhall - BZBStamper.  Even though I cased the card there are a few changes.

The card base is Basic Beige.  Five different prints from the Paper Medley DSP were used to punch out two leaves each.  The dotted vein stamp was stamped onto each leaf with Cajun Craze ink.  The leaves were arranged on the card then attached with adhesive.  Then any extra hanging over the edges was cut off.

A Sweet Words & Labels die was used to cut a Basic White label.  Another sentiment from the Fun For Fall set was stamped with Peaceful Pine ink.  The label is attached with Dimensionals.

A double strand of Linen Thread was used to tie a bow that is attached with Mini Glue Dots.

One last look at the mix of cards shared today.  I hope you have enough information that you can copy any of these that catch your eye.   They were all fairly quick and easy to create.  I find that to be a good way to build up my stash of cards so I'm ready when something is needed at the last minute.  Any questions you have about any of them, feel free to contact me at sharoncarr50@gmail.com

Thanks for stopping by today.  Please leave a comment and let me know what you think of the new format.  Does less commentary and less info on measurements etc., but more ideas shown work?  Also, do the products in bold type help or hinder your perusal of the ideas.  Just trying to give you a better experience and make it easier to try the ideas yourself.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Splash & Relax Ideas

Hello fellow stampers!  Looks like our rainy cooler weather will be gone for another day or two.  Or maybe even a week or more!  We're back in the mid 90's and I gotta tell ya, that's just too dog-gone hot to be hanging outside for this ole lady!  So that means more stamping!  Woo Hoo!  This is the time of month I usually start planning for the cards being sent to the shut-ins from church for the next month.  This gives me a little time to think and plan, and throw out ideas that just won't work, you know?  I decided on an idea that I loved and wanted to share it with you too.

This idea hit me as pure summer.  What could be more fun than spending time at the beach or the pool on a summer day?  The stamp and die bundle used is called Splash & Relax, and it's found in the Online Exclusive section of the SU! store.  Isn't this perfect for a summer idea?  I started with a Thick Basic White cardstock piece for my base which measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.    Next, a 5 1/2" x 2 1/4" piece of Lemon Lime Twist cardstock was ripped in half along the full length.  These two pieces were attached to the top and bottom edges of the white card base.  I used "green glue" to adhere them.  This way I'd have a little "wiggle time" to get them exactly at the edges.

I'm not sure what these "water rings" are actually called.  I've really not spent much time playing in the water because I burn so badly, so my terminology is sadly lacking concerning beach/water toys.   

Whatever they're called, I stamped three of them using Coastal Cabana, Granny Apple Green, and Lemon Lolly inks.  The two darker colors were off-stamped before stamping the solid ring.  Then full strength in the same color was stamped over with the detail stamp.  I was concerned about how easy it would be to line up the detail stamp, but it was surprisingly quite easy.  Which was a really good thing considering I was prepping for 23 cards!   (What was I thinking?!?)  I only had a little problem with the Lemon Lolly rings because the color was so light it was hard to see through the stamp.  Note to self:  Use slightly darker colors to see them better.

After stamping them, it was easy to die-cut them with the coordinating die in the set.  At this point, I added three Dimensionals on the back of the rings but didn't take off the backing.  This way I could position them and get an idea of how it looked.

The sentiment came next, and it's from the same set.  I didn't want to use the entire sentiment, so only the end of the sentiment stamp was inked.  After trying a few colors of ink, I used the Coastal Cabana color.  It's dark enough that it can be read, and it played well with the other colors.  It's stamped onto a 1/2" strip.  Then the ends were angle cut for interest.

The card looked a little bare at this point, so maybe a cool pair of sunglasses would work.  The main color on these glasses is Shy Shamrock from a year ago.  It was a good contrast to the other colors, but it didn't overpower them.  The lens for the sunglasses was cut from Basic Black cardstock and then attached with adhesive to the glasses.

The rings were attached with their Dimensionals.  Then the sunglasses and sentiment were attached with Mini Dimensionals.

For a bit of splashy bling, the pale blue glitter dots from the Traditional Sparkling Sequins that were around either last Christmas or the year before.  I thought they were the perfect accent.

You would think that this is all I have for you today.  But no, you would be wrong.  Trying to figure out what color sunglasses to add to the card, I tried several different colors to go with the design.  So, what do you do with those extra sunglasses?  Ta-da...

For this card, start with a Balmy Blue card base that is 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".

Next, a layer of Vellum was added.  It's cut at 5 1/4" x 4".  To give it a look of a swirly water background, it was embossed with the retired So Swirly Embossing Folder.  It was attached to the card base by adding adhesive under the covered area.

I've got a die that looks like a film strip that isn't SU!.  Yep, it's contraband.  Shh, don't tell anybody!  But I thought it would be a good way to display my pile of sunglasses.  It's die-cut from Basic White.

It's stamped at the bottom with a sentiment from the Splash & Relax set.  It's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Then this was attached to the vellum with "green glue".  

The sunglasses shown are all the colors I tried for the previous card.  The top one is Coastal Cabana.  The middle one is Granny Apple Green.  The bottom one is Pool Party.  Each of them has two coats of Wink of Stella on them to make them sparkly.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get a decent picture of them.  Take my word for it, they're cute!

The perfect accent for this card seemed to be some iridescent gems.  They're called Flat Adhesive-backed Pearls from several years ago.  Yes, I always hang on to my gems after they retire.  You never know when it will be just what is needed.

Ok, that's it for my bout of sharing for today.  I hope you get in a summery frame of mind seeming these ideas.  I've got several more summer birthdays coming up yet, so this one just might end up as a birthday card.

Be sure and leave a comment so I know you've visited here.  Have fun in the sun if you can handle it.  I wish it was 10 years ago when I was outside playing with my grandsons in whatever scenario their little minds could think up.  It was always so much fun.  Tiring, but absolutely never boring!  Enjoy your summer in whatever way puts a smile on your face!  (like stamping!)

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Charming Day in Pastels

Hey friends!  Hope your day has been filled with sunshine and warm breezes.  Talk about a perfect spring day!  You really have to get out and enjoy it a little when it's this lovely outside.  It's been so busy around here with getting cards ready for Easter for family, friends, and all the cards for the shut-ins also.  I think the last batch is now finished and ready to go in the mail tomorrow.  Whew!  That was done, but I was still in a pastel mood for my card making.  This time I wanted to work with the Lovely & Beautiful 12" x 12" Specialty Designer Series Paper.  It's so-o-o-o pretty!  Instead of choosing one of the prints to use, this time I used two of them - doubly pretty!  Are you ready to see it and maybe make a card or two for your stash?

See, isn't it just lovely?  The larger print makes a very nice background, and the Petal Pink and white print creates an interesting layer when it's embossed.  Are you ready to give this a try?

Start with a Petal Pink card base that is cut to measure 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  The bolder print layer measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This is attached to the Petal Pink base using adhesive.

Next the Petal Pink and white print from the pack is cut at 4" x 2 3/4".  It's embossed with the Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder to give it texture.  I did use a sanding block very lightly over the pattern so more of the white core shows through and enhances the look of the embossed pattern.

To define that layer, I added a small mat of Calypso Coral cardstock behind it.  This measures 4 1/8" x 2 7/8" and the embossed layer is adhered to it with "green glue"

A piece of Gold/White 3/8" Ribbon about 5 1/2" long was wrapped at the left side of this layer.  The ends are attached in the back.  Then the layer is attached to the center of the card base using Dimensionals.

Now it's time to create this lovely floral focal point.  The small flower and the small leaf cluster from the Charming Day set were stamped on Basic White cardstock with Old Olive ink.  

The flower was colored with Stampin' Blends.  Petal Pink Light & Dark, Calypso Coral Light, Daffodil Delight Dark, and touches of Crumb Cake in the flower center.

The leaves are a combination of Granny Apple Green Light & Dark with a few light touches of Old Olive Light added.  Then the pieces were die-cut with the matching dies.

The sentiment is from the Textured Notes stamp set.  This was stamped with Old Olive ink onto a Basic White piece.  Then the coordinating die from the set was used to die-cut the sentiment.

At this point, the sentiment was attached to the focal layer with adhesive.  The flower piece was attached with Dimensionals.  The small leaf cluster was tucked in under the flower.

For the final touch, a trio of peachy gems from the 2024-2026 In Color Shimmer Gems were added to the design.  There you have it, a simple card with lots of interest and texture that kicks it up a notch or two.  I just love the finished look of the card and think I'll make another couple cards but change the sentiments to work for birthdays and anniversaries.  They would be a great addition to my stash of finished cards.  I seem to always think I have enough cards on hand, but I never do!  I can never have too many.  Well, at least so far, I've never had too many.  You never know.  😏

Thanks for sharing some time with me today.  Did you enjoy this card?  I hope so.  It's one of my favorites lately.  I'm having fun mixing the Charming Day set with the Lovely & Beautiful DSP.  What a great combo together!  Leave a comment and let me know what you think of this idea.  Is it too pastel for you, or just right?  Maybe I should try this same layout and stamp set but use darker, richer colors and see what I get.  Just thinking...

If you're one of my customers, make sure you've opted in to receive info from Stampin'Up! so I can send you one of the new catalogs.  Yes, it's that time of year and there will be lots of changes.  There will be three catalogs during the year instead of the larger Annual Catalog and the smaller mini catalogs.  I can hardly wait to see what all the new products will be!  Like new In Colors that will be fabulous!!  And lots more fun items that will help you reach your creative potential.  Stay tuned.  But don't stop stamping while you're waiting!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

A Little Springtime Scenes

Happy Saturday to you.  Disclaimer first - if you're only looking for current items, visit with an open mind today.  I've used retired cardstock, ribbon, gems.  Just look at the overall picture and you can see it in lots of other colors instead.  Now on to the cards and the design.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend and maybe catching up on a few things.  I've been immersed in making sympathy cards to create a little stash because I've been going through them too fast lately.  I always find this task hard to do, especially when it's needed right then.  Since that's out of the way for a little while I hope, it was time to move on to something fun and new.  I love playing with new stamps for the first time when there are many possibilities out there, but I'm just not sure where to start.  Sometimes for my first attempt with a new set, I'll grab some cardstock from my retired stash in case I make something that is really ugly.  This time I liked the cards so much I'm sharing them with you anyway using an old favorite - Pear Pizzazz cardstock.  Remember that color?  Using it again reminded me of how much I miss it.  Anyway, these ideas will have to hold you until I get around to creating with current colors.

Since I was cutting the cardstock to measure 11" x 4 1/4", I decided to make two.  The cardstock was scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half.  I had planned on making the cards with the fold on the top but changed my mind as I went along.  

Another piece of cardstock was cut to 5 1/4" x 4" for a layer on top.  This was embossed with the Beautiful Pattern 3D Embossing Folder.  This gives the layer a very subtle texture to enhance the design.

Using the die set, I started with the circle with three leaves inside.  This cut a layer of Old Olive cardstock.  Behind this layer there is a layer of Pear Pizzazz that is cut with the circle with many leafy branches.  This totally got lost on the card base, so an open circle was cut from Basic Beige cardstock.  This tends to have a greenish tint to it when I look at it, so it seemed to be the perfect backing piece.

Before attaching these three layers together, I used a Sponge Dauber and a little bit of Old Olive ink to darken the leaves of the top layer.  Now they stood out better from the other leafy layer.  The three layers were attached together with touches of Tombow MultiPurpose Liquid Glue.  To keep the inner Basic Beige layer connected with the others, I added a few Dimensionals around the edges to catch both layers together.  

While I was doing the die-cutting, I also cut several each of the two different sizes of flower dies from Two-Tone Petal Pink and Two-Tone Pretty in Pink cardstocks.  I also cut several of the two different open-work leaf dies from Old Olive cardstock.  Now I had lots of pieces to work with to create these cards.

When putting the designs together, I started by mixing up the larger flowers with the different color centers, then spreading the pieces across the design area until I liked the look.  The circle layers are attached to the front with Dimensionals.  Then the extra leaves are tucked in underneath to peek out.  The large flower is added with a Dimensional and smaller flowers are tucked in flat around it.

The sentiments for both of these cards are from the More Messages stamp and die set that is retired.  I was just looking for skinny sentiments that wouldn't cover too much of the design, and these worked fine.

The first card made was the upper one shown with no ribbon.  I used pink gems on this because the pink seemed more dominant on the card.

The second card has a Petal Pink ribbon with copper edging added to it.  I think this made it look so much fancier and more girlie.  This time the peach gems were used to pick up the Petal Pink color more than the Pretty in Pink.

Either way, I love how these cards turned out and I'll definitely be playing with the Springtime Scenes stamp and die bundle again soon.  I love the layered look of the leaves in the circle.  Maybe next time I'll have to try each layer by itself instead of together.  We'll see.

Have you spent time perusing the new Online Exclusive items?  The Springtime Scenes bundle is one of the new items and so much fun.  If this one isn't your cup of tea, I'm sure you'll find something else that calls out to you.  Happy shopping!

Thanks for stopping in here to see what I've been creating.  Hope you were inspired to get stamping too.  Be sure to let me know what you've been creating lately.  I find it so relaxing and fulfilling to start with a stamp set and paper and end up with a card (or more!) when I'm done.  So very satisfying!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Petals of Beauty Today

Hello all my snowy and icy friends!  I hope everyone has survived the crazy winter storm that came through over the weekend.  My hubby just called it a 'cuddle alert' and said not to worry about it.  Thank goodness he was right in this instance.  But it looks gorgeous outside with the sunshine on the tree limbs.  Against the vivid blue sky, it almost looks like sparkly lace. Wish I was young enough to get on a saucer and go sailing down the hill in our backyard like the neighborhood kids are doing.  But that is so NOT going to happen again in this lifetime.  Anyway, let's talk about cards instead.  At the beginning of the month, I ordered the Petals of Beauty stamp and die bundle, and I finally got around to play with it.  What a nice and easy two-step stamp to use!  I had to stop and make a card right away with these pretty flowers.

This pretty pink card just brightened my spirits right up.  I started out just stamping the two sizes of flowers and the leaves in several color combos.  This first card is made with Pretty in Pink and Strawberry Slush inked flowers with the centers stamped with Secret Sea ink.  The tiny flowers are Strawberry Slush and Secret Sea.  The other flower combos I made are still waiting for me.  I'll probably go downstairs and do a little creating with them later today.  But for now, let me tell you about this one.  

The card base is Strawberry Slush cardstock and measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.

There is a layer of Pretty in Pink that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This is embossed with the Forever Plaid 3D Embossing Folder.  Don't you love the look of this?  It's attached to the card base with Tombow Liquid Glue for a good seal.

The Basic White square was die-cut with the largest square die in the Stylish Shapes die set.  Using the triple leaf stamp, it was inked with Granny Apple Green ink, then off-stamped, and stamped onto the white square.  This was done twice in opposite corners.  Then the detail for the leaves was stamped full strength.

Along with die-cutting the flowers I had stamped, two of the open leaf stems were die-cut from Lemon Lime Twist cardstock.  I liked that little bit of contrast in the greens.

A 3" x 3" layer of Granny Apple Green cardstock was cut.  This was attached behind the Basic White die-cut layer.  This leaves a nice frame around it to accent the color of the stamped leaves.  It was attached with adhesive.

All of these pieces were positioned onto the white square until I was happy with it.  The open leaves were attached flat to the design.  The largest flower was attached with a Dimensional in the center.  The trio of smaller flowers were tucked in under the large flower.  

Then a 5 1/2" length of Sheer Soft Sea Foam ribbon was folded in half, ends trimmed and then tucked under the flower too.  I thought the softness of the ribbon contrasted nicely with this design.  I didn't add this all to the card front until I had the sentiment ready.

This sweet sentiment is from the Extraordinary Flora stamp set.  It was stamped on a 1/2" wide strip of Basic White cardstock.  I used Secret Sea to stamp it to coordinate with the flower centers.  This was stamped onto one of the Three Banner Punch labels.  

It was attached to the side of the card right out to the edge.  Then the focal piece was attached slightly over this using Dimensionals to give it lift.

The design needed a little bling to make it pop.  Three of the Iridescent Faceted Gems.  Unfortunately, I forgot they are retired and I should have used something else.  But I still like them a lot!

One last thing, I wanted to share the inside of the card too.  There is a layer of Pretty in Pink cardstock that's 5 1/4" x 4".  Then a layer of Basic White that's 5" x 3 3/4".  

The smaller two-step flower from the set was added to the corner along with one of the triple leaf stamps that was die-cut also.  I thought this made a pretty accent inside the card.

Hope you enjoyed this first look at the Petals of Beauty stamp and die set.  You can be sure there will be more inspired stamping coming up with this set.  I really like the looks of the two-step style of stamping and of course, I'm a sucker for flowers of just about any kind!

Thanks for stopping in today to see what I've been creating.  If you have any questions about anything, please ask.  I'm here to help you enjoy the stamping experience.  And to make sure you've got ideas to use once you've purchased your stamps.  There's almost nothing worse than spending your hard-earned cash and then not using those stamps, papers, and other goodies you've purchased.  So, let's get out those items and start creating with them!  And if you're looking for a Stampin'Up! demonstrator, I'd be happy to be your demonstrator.  Just let me know how I can help you.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Love Nature's Symphony!

Hi y'all!  Just getting ready for the ice storm that will be coming through here this weekend.  So not looking forward to this, but there's not much that can be done about it but hunker down.  Instead, let's do a little creating with one of my new sets that I totally adore.  Nature's Symphony has interesting images, awesome dies, and great wording.  In other words, it has it all and I'm having so much fun using it.

I hope you can see some of the new extras that I've used on this design too.  First of all, I finally purchased the Old Olive Two-Tone 12" x 12" cardstock.  I have a few other colors and finally got this one to add to my stash.  It was cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4" for this card.  

Then I used my new Stone & Vine 3D Embossing Folder to add texture to the Two-Tone cardstock.  Oh, my goodness!  Can you see all this fabulous texture?  This is the lighter side of the cardstock, and the edges of the ivy leaves show the white core of the cardstock.  So very fabulous!  If you wanted more of the white detail to show, you could take a sanding block to it lightly to add even more contrast.

Here's a super extreme close-up of some of the embossed detail.  This really shows how the white core of the paper shows on the edges of the design.  Honestly, I just want to reach out and run my fingers over it because of all the texture.

This layer is attached to a piece of Mossy Meadow for the card base.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.  The embossed layer is attached with Tombow Liquid Glue.

The focal images for the card are the great leafy branches die-cut using the die from the Nature's Symphony set.  The leaves are cut from Mossy Meadow and Old Olive cardstock pieces to match.

I used a strip of Basic Beige that was in my left-over cut pieces.  It measures 4" long and just a bit less than 1 1/4" high.  The sentiment is from the Nature's Symphony set.  (I love both the sentiment and the cute font.)  It's stamped with Mossy Meadow ink onto the far-right edge of the piece. 

When all the pieces were ready, the Mossy Meadow leaves were attached to the card flat onto the card front.  Adhesive was added mostly to the branches and not the leaves.  

Then the sentiment layer was attached with adhesive.  It's covering just a tiny bit of the stems.  The Old Olive leaves were cut into two separate stems.  The longer stem was added first with adhesive mostly on the stem with one Mini Dimensional under the very top leaf.  The smaller stem was also attached with adhesive on the bottom of the stem and then the top three leaves all have a Mini Dimensional holding them up for more definition.

Three of the beautiful Holographic Gems were added to the design to give it a little bit of bling.  These are my absolute favorite gems for cards that are predominantly green.

Still needed a little something.  A small double bow made from Linen Thread was added to the stems to finish the design.  The bow was attached with a Mini Glue Dot rolled into a tube to hold the bow securely.

Once I had the design idea in my head, I was surprised how quickly it came together.  There was almost no stamping and no coloring to take up extra time.  Just a really fast, but still interesting, card idea for you.

Thanks for hanging out with me today.  Hope you were inspired to try a card like this that is full of textures and interest but still so quick it took almost no time at all to make.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

A Child is Born

Now that the weather is officially more autumn than summer, I can really get into creating Christmas cards.  I just struggle making Christmas cards when the weather is touching 70 degrees or higher.  It has to be at least chilly to get in the mood.  But I've been going through my stamps and singing Christmas carols as I've been working today.  Yup, I'm finally in the mood for Christmas!  I figured I'd be smart and get a head start on the cards needed for mailing to the shut-ins from church for the month of December.  I hate doing all the same cards, so I usually make them in lots of 8 or so cards.  Today I had fun planning out one of the designs and getting everything cut for them.  The stamp set I chose to use is A Child is Born.  It's found in the September - December Mini Catalog and is a stand-alone stamp set.  I wish it had dies to coordinate, but we'll work around that.  Thought you'd like to see the finished card.

Seems like I do at least one card that falls in the blue and white category every year.  I usually stick more with Night of Navy or Misty Moonlight blues.  This time, I went bolder and brighter with Blueberry Bushel.  I just love the finished look of this card idea!  It all started with the idea of using the Peaceful Garden Glimmer Paper and just went on from there.  What do you think?  Shall we get started?

Like I said, the card base is Blueberry Bushel that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

The layer is Basic White cardstock that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This is embossed with the Peaceful Greenery 3D Embossing Folder.  I love all the detail that keeps all that white layer from being boring.  So pretty!  This layer is attached to the folded card base using Tombow Liquid Glue (green glue).

TIP:  If you're running into a problem with the detail not showing up great, I add an extra layer of cardstock when I'm embossing.  Basically, embossing two at a time.  This gave me much greater detail.  Might want to think about trying that.

The dies for the Peace on Earth set have two label dies that fit into the recessed area of the embossed design.  I used the larger of the two to die-cut the blue Peaceful Garden Glimmer Paper.  This is so beautiful.  I really hated to cover it up.

So, instead of using the smaller matching die and having almost no blue glitter show at all, I looked through my all my label dies to see what I could use.  The 2nd largest circle die in the Stylish Shapes die set fit nicely for my idea, and I liked the stitched edging.

Then I chose the Layering Circle Dies with the scalloped edge to frame the image.  This is the 2nd largest size also.  It's cut from the Blueberry Bushel cardstock to match.

On the white circle die-cut, first the manger from the A Child is Born set was stamped with Night of Navy ink.  I wanted this to be a little darker than the rest of the stamping.  Above this, one of the sentiments from the same set is stamped with Blueberry Bushel ink.

A Wink of Stella brush was used to add a soft glimmer to the straw area.  I added a tiny bit of extra ink to darken the indentation of the straw.  These two things make the manger stand out a little more.

The white circle was attached to the scalloped circle using adhesive. Then these two layers were centered onto the glimmer paper and attached with Dimensionals to raise it up.

I used the Basic Rhinestone Jewels for the bling on the design.  I tried coloring with Blueberry Bushel Blends, but they weren't dark enough.  I added the dark Night of Navy over this and liked the nice dark look.  Three of these gems were added to the design and it was finished.

I think the design turned out great. It certainly isn't what I first had in mind when I set out to make a Christmas card. But I am really happy with this idea. Hope you like it too and if you have some of these materials, give it a try. And don't be afraid to put your own twist on it and come up with a card that your family or friends will treasure. Plus, it reminds every one of the true meaning of the season! 

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon