tea-drinking stamper

How fun are these cards?! Click on the image below for a better view of the cards and the details for ordering your card kit. Just think how quickly you can make a dozen cards when everything is already cut for you!

It's that time of year! The new catalog takes effect July 1 and will not include many of the stamp sets we have come to love. As sad as it is to see those go, it is exciting to see the new designs the company comes up with. The next five posts include samples of some of those sets being discontinued. If you are interested in acquiring one of those sets, please contact me ASAP since June 30 is the last day the can be ordered. I've already seen the new catalog and can't wait to share it with you. And the new Decor Elements, with their own catalog, are so much fun. So our workshops are not limited to stamping or even scrapbooking!

"Heartfelt Thanks", once part of the demonstrator's kit, is on its way out, never to be sold again by Stampin' Up! I'm so sorry to see this 2-step stamping set go. This first sample is made with Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Regal Rose, and Whisper White card stock. I used Pink Pirouette and Certainly Celery inks on the first flower layer. For the second step, I colored the stamp with Mellow, Regal Rose and Barely Banana markers. The ribbon is the striped Pink Pirouette grosgrain ribbon. I love the mix of Perfect Plum and Pale Plum inks and card stock on this card. The Certainly Celery is from the "Love Stories" Scrappin' Kit. I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to help me properly place the stamp for the second step on both these cards.

I'm going to miss "Beautiful Borders" for quick but beautiful cards! And the word stamps added to their versatility, since the set included "with sympathy", "thank you", "warm wishes", and "forever friends". The background card stock on the sympathy cards below is Tangerine Tango, an expiring "in color". I found it works well with the Always Artichoke designer print, ink and ribbon. The card below is made with Whisper White, Pacific Point and Kiwi Kiss card stock, the last two being colors in the expiring "in color" family. Don't you just love the way SU's colors are so perfectly matched? The Pacific Point card stock, ink and ribbon are perfect together. No struggling with colors that almost match but are off just enough to make the clash.

The popular and fun stamp set, Doodle This, is not included in the new catalog effective July 1 and will never be available again. The following cards were designed with the expiring "in colors", Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze and Pacific Point. I filled in the designs with my blender pens.

The Seaside stamp set sat on my shelf for quite a while before I discovered the variety of designs I could make with it. With the approach of summer, I pulled the set out again and had more fun with it. But, alas! Stampin' Up! is discontinuing the set. So all of you beach lovers need to order this in the next couple days if you want it for your own.

I'm sorry to see the Illuminations stamp set be discontinued. I used the "Joy" stamp for Christmas as well as birthdays. "Cherish" was great for Valentine's Day, anniversary and wedding cards. And "Hope" worked well for encouragement and get well cards. It's obvious what you would use this one for! This card is also made with the discontinued Kiwi Kiss and Raspberry Tart designer series paper. Rose Red is the color of the ink, ribbon and other solid card stock.

A simple card. One color ink. One piece of ribbon.  Although Basic Black frames the design, I mounted the two layers on a Whisper White card so I could easily write inside.  The stamps are from Flower Fancy and God's Blessings stamp sets.

I haven't made too many cards in this shape, but the two I made this week inspire me to make more. A 6-inch square piece of card stock folded in half works for this card. I used the corner rounder on the top corners, even on the fold. I wasn't sure if it would punch through both layers well, but it did a nice job. The stamp set is Playful Petals and the card stock is Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Pacific Point and Whisper White. I used the blender pens to color in my image, which was stamped with Chocolate Chip classic ink. "Thinking of You" is a rub-on. This card is the Father's Day card I made for my husband. The card was made from a piece of 12x3" card stock folded in half. After stamping the trees (Lovely as a Tree stamp set) with Chocolate Chip classic ink, I used the sponge daubers to add Old Olive classic ink for a look of summer rather than winter. The greeting is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, a stamp set available in the new catalog coming out in

I just have to share these two cards with you! They are similar and yet I used totally different techniques. The wheels are beginning to spin as to how else I could incorporate these techniques. I have to admit, I borrowed them from Patty Bennett's web site, although I didn't have the shimmery white paper she used. The first one is going to a special couple celebrating 40 years of marriage this month (Bob and I will also celebrate 40 years in August). I used the Manhattan Flower textured impressions die for the Big Shot on whisper white card stock. Then I brayered the back (not the raised side) with rose red and summer sun ink. When I finished, I cut out the flowers and attached them after stamping the leaves from the discontinued Wild Rose stamp set. For this card, I used watercolor paper instead of the shimmery white. I stamped the rose image from the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set with craft white ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder. Then I generouslhy spr