Goodbye, Butterflies, Blooms & Bliss!!!

I was sooooo sad to see this line of products retire.  It's a stamp set called Papillion Potpourri and it has several different images of butterflies and two coordinating punches: the Elegant Butterfly and the Bitty Butterfly.  It really does make a versatile suite.  I have used it on all kinds of cards and scrapbook pages, too, because they can be somber or sweet, playful or pretty, depending on the type of project you are making.  The stamp set will be made until the last part of May but the punches are only while supplies last - so if these projects excite you, you'll want to grab these items before they are gone!  Also retiring is the patterned paper used on all three cards.  It is called Blooms & Bliss and contains the most wonderful color combination: Blushing Bride, Island Indigo, Mint Macaron (also retiring), Rich Razzleberry, Sahara Sand, Sweet Sugarplum and Whisper White.

To see other projects I have made using Papillion Potpourri and/or these punches, CLICK HERE!

Goodbye, By the Shore!

It usually happens that as the catalog year draws to a close, I discover a few products that I really love that I didn't give any attention to during the life of the catalog.  That is the case with Stampin' Up!'s By the Shore Designer Series Paper.

The color combination (Calypso Coral, Dapper Denim, Mint Macaron, Very Vanilla, and Soft Sky) paired with the nautical/sea themed patterns just naturally lent themselves to some really beautiful but easy-to-make cards.  I will be sad to see this paper pack go.  Because it is retiring, it will only be available while supplies last - so if you like what you "sea" (sorry, I couldn't resist), make sure you pick up a pack (or two) for yourself soon!

Also retiring are the "Me = Grateful" stamp set (the sentiment on the middle card above), Petite Petals (the light blue flowers on the tag of the middle card), and Picture Perfect (the starfish) on the top card.  Don't miss out!  These stamp sets will be unavailable beginning in the end of May.  The sentiment on the bottom most card is from Neat & Tangled.

Oh, Whale! Baby Shower Thank You's

In March, my aunt and cousin threw a baby shower for our first baby.   We are doing the nursery in a sea life theme, so they decided to carry that theme into the shower by sending out the cutest little whale invitations and using whale plates and napkins.  It was such a wonderful shower with the ladies in my family, the ladies in my husband's family, a close friend and her daughter (both of whom are pretty much family).

The whale theme was a surprise to me, and I was so happy when I was able to make some thank you notes after the shower using the whale set (Oh, Whale!) I had hoarded purchased several years ago. It is retired, and it did have a die that went with it.  Until this shower, it hadn't gotten much love from me but I'm so glad I held on to it.  This is why I encourage people to buy what they like and keep it - if you like something, you'll eventually find a use for it, as I did here.

The wavy embossing, stitched square and clouds were all made using current Stampin' Up products (click on the words to see them in my store).  The colors are Blushing Bride, Marina Mist, Pool Party and Whisper White.  I've also started lining all of my envelopes.  This envelope liner is paper from the Playful Palette stack, which is on sale for six bucks and retiring...which means it's only available until the current stock runs out!