tea-drinking stamper

No stamping is needed for this card, a great masculine card which would also be perfect for Christmas. My plaid dsp is left over from several years ago, but since we have more plaid paper in our holiday catalog, I figured it would work. Any class attendees who wish to duplicate it can do so with the current plaid (Wrapped in Plaid), just tweaking the colors to coordinate. In fact, you'll notice that in my samples below, I used two different plaids because there wasn't enough to go around to everyone in my class. The deer and pine trees are cut-outs from the Snow Globe Scenes Dies. I'm continuing to use up old embellishments, too, but my regular class attendees don't mind.  Because the dsp is 6" x 6", I have decent sized scraps left over after cutting the background paper into 3-3/4" x 5" pieces, so we simply applied glue to the envelope flap, adhered the dsp and trimmed it to fit. Current Products Used: Garden Green 8-1/2" x 11" c...

There is something about the anchor in the Sailing Home stamp set that really appeals to me. Although my card looks quite different, I took my idea for it from one of the samples on page 144 of the annual catalog. I had some fall dsp (Nature's Poem) that reminded me of a sandy sea bottom and so I used that and chose my colors around it. Products Used: Sailing Home rubber cling stamps (12), 149457, $24.00 Smooth Sailing Dies (12), 149576, $32.00           Sailing Home Bundle (stamps and dies), 151066, $50.25 Cajun Craze 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 119684, $8.75 Soft Sea Foam 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 146988, $8.75 Shaded Spruce 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 146981, $8.75 Crumb Cake 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 120953, $8.75 Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad, 147085, $7.50 Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad, 147088, $7.50 Very Vanilla Thick Twine, discontinued

This is the first card I designed when I received my Beauty & Joy stamp set. I would have used it at my stamp class, but one of my regular attendees doesn't like to fussy cut, which is how I cut out the leaf after stamping with a retired stamp set.  I actually cut it from the Mossy Meadow piece that has only the edges showing. The way I cut things with scissors from the middle of a piece of card stock is to punch a hole first so I can insert my scissors without bending the card stock. I love the acrylic shapes we used to have that came in every color family. Since I still have some left, I had to use one on this card. Products Used: Beauty & Joy photopolymer stamp set (13), 150518, $16.00 Gently Falling retired stamp set Teeny Tiny Wishes retired stamp set Whisper White 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (40), 100730, $9.75 Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 133676, $8.75 Terracotta Tile 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 150884, $8.75 ...

I was so surprised when I realized the Snow Front doesn't have to be about snow! I used the cluster of dots that I'm sure are supposed to be snow flakes to serve as colored leaves on the trees. But I thought the scene I created was perfect for Thanksgiving so I borrowed the greeting from the retired Pleasant Pheasant stamp set. Products Used: Snow Front photopolymer stamp set (17), 150483, $22.00 Pleasant Pheasant retired stamp set Balmy Blue 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 146982, $8.75 Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 119685, $8.75 Very Vanilla 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (40), 101650, $8.75 Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad, 147105, $7.50 Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad, 147083, $7.50 Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad, 149165, $7.50 Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad, 147088, $7.50 Call Me Clover Classic Stampin' Pad, 147139, $7.50 Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad, 147115, $7.50 Retired Cherry Cobbler...

I had more fun playing with the Heirloom Frames Dies & 3D Embossing Folders and mixing them with the Beautiful Friendship stamp set. Lovely Lipstick is one of my very favorite colors and so I want to use it a lot before it leaves our book in June of 2020. My stamping for the first card was done using Lovely Lipstick, Garden Green and Basic Black.  You will notice I used old Candy Dots on this card. I had accumulated so many before they were discontinued that I have decided to use them whenever possible. The background paper is from last year's In Color pack. This year's catalog also includes packs of In Color dsp but with slightly different patterns, so this card could use one of those sheets and work just as well. This second card is done in Melon Mambo and Call Me Clover, another favorite In Color, with Basic Gray. I used a piece of discontinued Garden Impressions 6" x 6" Designer Series paper along the side and added Glitter Enamel Dots for a little e...

I discovered that one of my grandsons is interested in learning to sketch and even paint. A college student majoring in marketing, he has many interests. He plays violin and guitar and taught himself the keyboard. Definitely a creative young man. So I bought the Crafting Forever stamp set to make his birthday card, which I never photographed. This card is a variation of that one. I used watercolor paper for his card, but I didn't have enough left for my class to make the same one. So I altered it but used some of the same ideas. The Wood Textures designer series paper runs its course and I still have quite a bit to use up. I decided it would make a great background for this card, but still needed enough pieces for all my class attendees. That means some careful cutting and sometimes means not everyone will have the exact same piece. The words on this card are from the previously discontinued Work of Art stamp set and the paint splatters are from the retiring Touches of Texture ...

I try to provide gifts for class attendees and this is one of the easier one because it went together so quickly and so easily. These gifts also provide the opportunity to use up some discontinued products. In this case, I used Blackberry Bliss designer series paper (a color that returned to our collections) and Highland Heather. The dsp and the ribbon are retired products. I colored the snowman with my Stampin' Blends. Oh, how I've come to love those blends! Anyway, I had to fussy cut the snowman, but I actually enjoy fussy cutting. The snowman is from the "Spirited Snowmen" stamp set (8 rubber stamps, W 148075, $27; C 148072, $19.00).  This package is simply folded over candy and sealed at each end. The ribbon is wrapped around it with the stamped piece adhered over that.

I think this has been the busiest holiday season I have ever experienced; hence the limited number of posts. So while Christmas goodies are baking in the oven, I decided I would take the time to share some of my Christmas cards. I made and sent or gave over 100 cards this year. Hence the need to find some super easy designs I could just whip out. I found the Stamparatus extremely helpful with these cards. I was also using up old designer series paper, so you may or may not recognize it. I made a template by cutting a rectangle from card stock the size of the Whisper White card stock and then set up the Stamparatus with the card stock. This enabled me to be sure my piece to be stamped was not too close to the edges but would be placed exactly where I wanted it. I then added the "Rejoice" and "Christ is born" stamps, inked them up and started stamping. No mistakes, no smudges. For the other card, I was using a retired stamp set as well as colors (Baked Brown Sug...

Needing to make a masculine birthday card for a fellow stamper's husband, I wanted to use a set I knew she didn't have, or at least hadn't made in class with me. I chose the Country Road stamp set from the annual catalog along with some Brusho, a technique with which I am still learning to become comfortable. I have discovered, however, that our Stampin' Spritzers definitely make a difference when spritzing paper. I had bought a cheap one elsewhere but it doesn't have as fine a mist and just doesn't work as well. This set is one of those sets you can use as a collage  or feature just one or two elements of the set. My card is essentially a collage design. Because this was for a friend and not for a class, I also used the retired Chocolate Chip card stock and ink, which is really my favorite brown rather than the Early Espresso, which is almost black. In all honesty, the center of the wheel didn't ink up very well, so I added an old button. If I'd been ...

I was so sad to see Island Indigo leave our color families, although I love all the new colors.  Since I also had a lot of very pretty designer series paper left from a couple years ago that included the returning Mint Macaron, I decided to design a card around those products. You'll see I used the pretty lacy ribbon from when Mint Macaron was one of our in colors. The dsp is used inside two of the jars while the butterflies are stamped and colored.  This card was my way of demonstrating the technique I shared in a previous post where I made a template by cutting shapes from a piece of card stock. I then cut the jars and lids for my class attendees so they could practice the technique. I placed the stamps in the cut-out spots and then picked them up with a plate on my Stamparatus. Each lady was then able to ink the stamps and stamp all items at once. The Mint Macaron jar lids had to be done separately. The butterflies and the lid with holes in the top came from the Ronal...

I recently inventoried my teas and discovered I have 31 different flavors of loose tea in my cupboard, most of which are black teas with a few rooibus infusions. I always prepare a specialty tea for the customers who attend my classes. Since they seem to look forward to it, I decided to make the gifts for my August class tea bag holders. My tea is loose, so I needed to make my own tea bags to hold the loose tea. Every item in these gifts is retired.  Gifts are a great way to use up discontinued items.  I used 12" x 12" textured card stock in Pink Pirouette cut into 4"x 12" strips after scoring the opposite direction every four inches. You can see how I cut the final flap at an angle so I could insert the tea bag in the resulting pocket. The stamp set I used is current (Jar of Love) and the contrasting ink is Berry Burst. What a fun way to share one of my passions with those who share my passion for stamping!

I have seen this little guy on pinterest in so many settings and I just had to try it. We made this card at my June class and the attendees just raved about it. The scene is created with sponging and stamping. I think it looks like the hedgehog is peeking through the ferns. The designer paper and the wooden leaf are no longer in our catalog, but Stampin' Up! always has great things you can substitute. I began this scene by masking the bottom inch (about) with a Post-it note. Then I stamped the flower from Painted Harvest stamp set using Crumb Cake and Soft Suede inks. After removing the mask, I sponged on the Old Olive and then began adding the "ferns".  The face is from the Foxy Friends stamp set. The sky was created by sponging on some Balmy Blue ink. My original plan had been to wrap the dsp with the burlap ribbon, but I forgot to do so. Another creative opportunity, and I think I like this better than if I had wrapped it. Products Used: Painted Harvest photo...

When making this card with my class attendees, I had to assure them that my directions were correct. It just did not seem possible that the card would end up like the sample!  I think that's why its design is called "impossible". After realizing the theory behind this card, I hope to try one going the other direction. The hardest part of this card was cutting the designer paper to fit because it has a one way design. Otherwise, you simply cut two pieces of dsp 2-1/2" x 4" and then cut away the open area. I cut in 3/4" and down 2-1/8"; turn and cut to edge. Anyway, you just have to use a little math to do this on your own. I told my class attendees that you just have to remember the standard card size and be able to figure out half of each dimension. So, if the card is 4-1/4" x 5-1/2", you need to know that half of 4-1/4" is 2-1/8" and half of 5-1/2" is 2-3/4". The first step is to score and crease the length of your ...

I am in love with our new In Colors! And using Lovely Lipstick with Blueberry Bushel on this card makes it perfect for Independence Day - or any other occasion. I used the Stamparatus to create this wreath. It is necessary to create a template first. You need two squares the same size for your template, one centered over the other but tipped on its point. You then choose your flower and set it inside both squares but toward the edge. Set your card stock in one of the squares. Pick up the stamp with your stamparatus, ink it and stamp the card stock. Turn your card stock so it is in the tipped square and stamp again.  Keep rotating your card stock until you have completed  your circle. I did not use the stamparatus for the flower centers or the greenery. My flower is from the Beautiful Bouquet stamp set but the greenery is from the Daisy Delight set. The "happy" thinlit has been retired (and so is the striped embossing folder). I applied the Multipurpose Adhesive She...

Items from the Share What You Love Suite certainly don't need to be limited to the products contained in the suite. Here I have used the Lovely Floral embossing folder with retired designer paper and embellishment. Just love the soft look and I think that paper coordinates beautifully with the flower in the folder. Once again I added some Whisper White craft ink to the raised portion of the embossed flower, which I embossed on the top portion of the card. I had those adorable felt bows left over, along with some powder pink ribbon, and just had to add one to the front.  No greeting as yet, so this can either be a note card or I can add a greeting later. Products Used: Lovely Floral Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, 148048, $9.00 Powder Pink 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 144244, $8.50 Craft Stampin' Pad (uninked) & Refill, 147277, $9.50 Fresh Florals Designer Series Paper Stack, retired (2017-18 Annual Catalog) 2017-2019 In Color Bitty Bows...

I enjoy birds almost as much as I love butterflies. Birds seem to love our pussy willow tree out front and we have a bird feeder next to it where we can watch the birds. Granted, I wish I could find a food that the big black birds would leave alone, but I love watching the cardinals, the sparrows, the finches and the occasional blue jay. I need to get my hummingbird feeder hung now that it's finally warming up. So when the Flying Home stamp set appeared in the Occasions Catalog, it was one of my first purchases. As I was designing cards with retiring stamp sets and colors, I decided I wanted to make a card that did not need to be colored, even though I do enjoy coloring. I just wanted something different from what I usually see on-line and from what I've done before. So gold embossing seemed like the perfect solution.  Plus I could use the retiring ribbon and doilies. And those Sweet & Sassy Framelits that I had just bought are being discontinued, so I had to incorporate ...

I'm still working with stamp sets and colors that are leaving our catalog. My go-to stamp set, Thoughts & Prayers, for sympathy cards is on its way out. I've used one stamp from the Work of Art stamp set to add color to the background. With the exception of the Very Vanilla card stock, all colors used on these two cards are being discontinued.   For the first card, which we made at my April stamp class, We inked the "brush stroke" with Wild Wasabi just once, but stamped it three times, thus acquiring the different tones. We added Soft Sky across the top.   The "paintbrush strokes" on this card are done, from bottom up, in Wild Wasabi, Marina Mist, and Soft Sky. The Chocolate Chip ribbon has been discontinued. Products Used: Thoughts & Prayers rubber stamp set (8), W 128751, $26.00; C 127805, $19.00* Work of Art rubber stamp set (11), W 134111, $30.00; C 134114, $22.00* Very Vanilla 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (40), 101650, $9.00 Ch...

I use the Thoughts & Prayers stamp set all the time, at least for the words. I love what they say. However, I haven't used the images as much as I did when I first acquired the set, which was a long time ago, back when it first came out and I had no choice but to order the wooden blocks. So I used the Wild Wasabi and Pink Pirouette with Very Vanilla when making this card. How I will miss those colors! One thing I like about the rubber stamps is how easily you can color the stamp itself and use more than one color for the image. Where I forgot to color one of the flowers, I added a Pink Pirouette Enamel heart. No one would ever know it wasn't intentional. Products Used: Thoughts & Prayers rubber stamp set (8), 128751, $26.00; 127805, $19.00 Very Vanilla 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (40), 101650, $9.00 Wild Wasabi 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 108641, $8.00 Pink Pirouette -1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 111351, $8.00 Wild Wasabi Classic Stam...

Rose Red and Always Artichoke are two colors I am really going to miss. I've used them both for this card, along with Pink Pirouette and Soft sky. I really like having punches to coordinate with our stamps. They are so much more portable than the Big Shot and dies.  Both tools facilitate adding layers and dimension to your cards. The base of this card is Soft Sky, as is the embossed layer which is popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals. The flowers are also popped up with dimensionals. I used quite a mix of items when I designed this card. Products Used: Flower Shop rubber stamp set (6), W 130939, $24.00; C 130942, $18.00 Thoughts & Prayers rubber stamp set (8), W 128751, $26.00; C 127805, $19.00 Whisper White 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (40), 100730, $9.00 Soft Sky 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 131203, $8.00 Pink Pirouette 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 111351, $8.00 Always Artichoke 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 105119, $8.00...

Little did I know when I designed this card using outgoing In Colors, that the Flirty Flamingo would stay with us as a core color! Emerald Envy is leaving us, however. The Emerald Envy ribbon is from last year's catalog rather than the current one. I was also playing around with the new Stamparatus.  Although this stamp set comes with dies to cut out all the parts, I had thought it would be easier to simply stamp it. But I'm not sure I still think that. Products Used: Bike Ride photopolymer stamp set (24), 143716, $21.00 Beautiful Bouquet photopolymer stamp set (37), 143666, $27.00 Whisper White 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (40), 100730, $9.00 Flirty Flamingo 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 141416, $8.00 Emerald Envy 8-1/2" x 11" card stock (24), 141415, $8.00 Basic Gray Archival Stampin' Pad, 140932, $7.00 Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad, 131179, $6.50 Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad, 141397, $6.50 Emerald Envy Classic St...