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.

Mint Macaron & Botanicals Card

I'm one of those people who sometimes avoids things with which I'm uncomfortable.  Can you relate? Case in point - I have been reluctant to use the color Mint Macaron since it came out over a year ago. Don't get me wrong...it's a beautiful shade of green...but I wasn't quite sure with what colors I should pair it.  So I laid the Mint Macaron ink pad out on my work table with other colors in a circle around it and rearranged them every time I walked by for a few days to come up with a few color combinations that I liked.  This is the first one: Mint Macaron, Rich Razzleberry, Sweet Sugarplum, Blushing Bride, Very Vanilla and Perfect Plum.  Now, I'd admit it's a pretty safe color combo - it's hard to go wrong with pinks and purples, but it got me to play and now I'm really enjoying it.  You'll have to check back in the future to see if you can spy me using Mint Macaron with other colors...I have a few ideas up my sleeves.

Supplies: Rich Razzleberry ink &cardstock, Very Vanilla cardstock, Mint Macaroon cardstock, ink & ribbon, Playful Pallette Designer Series Paper, Botanical Blooms framelits and stamps, Perfect Plum ink, adhesive pearls, Blushing Bride cardstock & ink, Sweet Sugarplum ink, Teeny Tiny Wishes stamps, bitty banners dies (retired).

DOstamper STARS Challenge DSC #191

Phew, wee!  This was a challenge for me!  I really wanted to honor the original sketch with an oval-type shape in the upper corner, but try as I might, I couldn't get it right.  So, instead, I swapped the oval for a heart.  Also, the Peekaboo Peach & some of the patterns of paper in the Playful Pallette suite have been out of my comfort zone.  But you know, I'm glad I played until I got a little more comfortable, because I think this one turned out pretty good.  It still honors the sketch to a degree: a shape in the upper left, flowers & a horizontal element more towards the middle.  So, get out something that has you stumped and play - that's my challenge to you this week!  

Supplies: Sweet Sugarplum, Very Vanilla, Blushing Bride and Peekaboo Peach cardstock; Sweet Sugarplum ink; Playful Pallette Designer Series Paper, hearts thinlits, adhesive pearls, dimensionals & snail adhesives; Number of Years stamps, Large Numbers Framelits, Botanical Builder Framelits.

Now - go check out how my friends interpreted the same sketch:

• Michelle Harrington (that's me - you're here)
• Joan Weidling
• Judy Strickling
• Miriam Bollinger
• Angela O'Neill 
• Cathy Peck
• Connie Plaumann
• Dawn Olchefske
• Dawn Thomas
• Sharon Bennett

DSC #178 - DO STARS Challenge- Butterflies & Pretty Petals

I’m not gonna lie – this challenge was exactly that. A challenge! When I first saw the sketch, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get it come out on paper like I had imagined it.  Have you ever had that happen?  Anyway, I finally gave myself permission to just play and throw away what didn’t work.  And you know what?  That’s okay…sometimes you need to lighten up and give yourself permission to experiment.  After a few iterations that ended up in the trash, I came up with this version and I’m really happy! 

An interesting aspect of my design is that I created it without a single stamp!  I also really love the bold colors against the black, don’t you? 

So, here’s the skinny – I used patterned paper from the Pretty Petals DSP Stack.  After trimming the DSP into rectangles, I matted them with black.  I originally tried to make both the green layer and butterfly patterned layer the same size, but I felt like the green layer didn’t show much, so I ended up making that layer ½” bigger in each direction than the butterfly layer.  I embellished the card with some retired ribbon from my stash, and a little layered circle embellishment I created using my 1-3/4” Scallop Circle punch, my 1-1/2” CirclePunch, and my Elegant Butterfly Punch.  I gave popped it up with some Dimensionals and gave it some Pearl Basic Jewels as a finishing touch.  I decided to decorate the inside, but left it free of sentiments so that I can either hand-write my own note, or add an appropriate sentiment when I want to use it…I think this is versatile enough for many occasions, so I wanted to keep my options open…it’s always nice to have a few cards laying around that can be sent quickly as the need arises.

***ALERT: The 1-3/4" scallop circle punch IS retiring so grab it while you can!

Here's the sketch that inspired my card:

Now, grab a favorite beverage and snack and click the following links to see what my friends did with this same sketch:

• Judy Strickling
• Sharon Bennett 
• Dawn Thomas 
• Cathy Peck
• Joan Weidling
• Angela O'Neill
• Dawn Olchefske
• Michelle Harrington 
• Robyn Rasset
• Debbie Sollinger 
• Miriam Bollinger  
• Jan Carlson
• Connie Plaumann    

Butterfly Basics

I'm so excited!  I just made my first sale on my Etsy shop.  As a thank you to this customer, I made a card to include along with the item she ordered.  I used Whisper White, Crushed Curry, and Always Artichoke for my color palette.  I chose to add a bit of bling to the butterfly using adhesive rhinestones, and added some extra interest by heat embossing the image in black, using the border & background stamps from the Butterfly Basics stamp set, and using a tool to spritz some ink to create a grungy look.

I got my inspiration from a card I saw on Mary Fish's website.  I changed a few things but I still think both are lovely.  I hope my new customer enjoys it...I left it blank & included a blank envelope so that she could send it to someone else.

To buy the supplies to make this card, please click on the product images below.

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Sprinkles of Life - Bird on a Branch

I almost titled this blog post "Tree Bird" kind of like "Free Bird" but then I refrained from my musical nerdery.  So, anyway, this card is the result of a series of happy accidents.  I set out to copy a similar card I found on this blog.  But, when I went to cut out the circle, I realized I didn't have the right-sized circle punch (all mine were too small), so I decided to use my Circle Collection Framelits.  When I did it, I cut it on what I thought would be the upper right quadrant.  However, when it came out, one side of the paper had some scratches on it from my older cutting mat, so I flipped it over to get the smooth side.  But when I did, it put the circle at the bottom right instead. The upside of this was that it had embossed a circle border around the hole, which was pretty cool, I thought...a nice extra detail that I hadn't planned!

To create some interest, I added small strip of patterned paper from the Cherry on Top stack to the left-hand side.  Then to cover the seam between the cardstock and patterned paper, I adhered some of our 1/4" Cotton Ribbon to the card, and made sure the bow was in the upper left corner to balance out the stamped images on the lower right.  To create the tree-bird cluster, I used images from the Sprinkles of Life set.  First, I stamped the branch with Tip Top Taupe ink onto Tip Top Taupe cardstock and then punched it out using the Tree Builder punch.  Next, I stamped the bird in Watermelon Wonder ink on Watermelon Wonder cardstock, and again punching it out with the Tree Builder Punch.  Finally, I stamped the leaf cluster using Cucumber Crush ink on Cucumber Crush cardstock, then using my paper snips to cut out a small cluster of the leaves.  Then I stuck it all down, making sure to use a chunk of Dimensionals to make the bird pop.  On the inside, I stamped the "I'm so lucky to call you my friend" sentiment, also from the "Sprinkles of Life" stamp set....but really this is a versatile enough card you could use just about any sentiment.  You could also modify the colors to make it a more seasonal card - I think a little brown or black bird amid fall-colored leaves would be pretty, as well as a little red cardinal among a glittery white scene.

If you liked any of the products I used, I'd be honored if you chose to purchase from my store - just click on the product you want and it'll take you there!  Happy stamping!

DOstamper STARS Challenge - Color My World DSC #147

When I saw this week's color palette, my mind immediately went to one of my favorite places on earth: Minnesota's North Shore.  If you've never been there, you really should go.  It's breathtakingly beautiful with the stunning blues of Lake Superior, miles of rocky, craggy shoreline, waterfalls, lighthouses, tall whispering pines & plenty of hiking.  So I decided to capture that feeling by using an image of nature (from retired stamp set Moon River) and rustic materials (leftover twine from the June My Paper Pumpkin kit and the Woodgrain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder).  



Be sure to check out my friends' logs by clicking on the links below to see their interpretations of this color scheme.  I think you'll be just as delighted as was!

Judy Strickling
Ashley Simmons
Sharon Bennett
Miriam Bollinger
Connie Plaumann
Dawn Olchefske
Robyn Rasset

In Color Chevron Background

Do you ever have an idea in mind, and when you actually try it...it works!?! :)  I love it when that happens. That's what happened with the backgrounds on these cards.  When I found this die online, I knew I wanted to try cutting it out of multiple colors and then piecing it back together.  So I was pleased when I tried it and it worked.

What I didn't think through was how labor-intensive it would be.  You see, I had to run the die through the machine 8 times.  3 times to get 3 white borders, and 5 times (one for each color) to get the all the little pieces. Then I had to glue each piece back in place by hand, but found out that most of the holes are slightly different sizes from each other so you had to find the right piece to put back in the right slot. Needless to say, I'm pleased with the look, but will definitely be saving this technique for the occasions where I have more time. There were actually enough pieces leftover to make a few more, but I ran out of patience for now.

If you're a Stampin' Up! fanatic like me, you might be thinking you don't recognize that chevron background die from our line-up.  And you'd be right!  I usually purchase Stampin' Up! products...after all, they are they are high quality, beautiful and I get a discount.  What's not to love, right?  But every once in a while, something comes along that I just have to have, and we don't offer anything comparable.  That's what happened with this Chevron Pattern Full Card Craft Die from Simon Says Stamp...I just had to have it.

My process in designing these cards was simple.  First, I wanted a color combination that would work well for several cards because I knew I could be assembling up to five of them to use up all the pieces.  I decided on the 2014-2016 In Colors because they look beautiful together.  What surprised me, though, was how different each card ended up looking depending on which base color I chose and how much of each color I added to the chevrons. The purple-based one seemed contemporary and festive, while the orange-based one reminded me of Indian corn, and the yellow-based one reminded me the long, hot dog-days of summer.  That's how I ended up with different "themes" for the focal piece of each card.

Scroll down to see close-ups of each card, and list of supplies you'll need to create your own.

This bird card could really be used for a lot of occasions.  I'm making some cards for a friend to use, so I chose a simple  "thinking of you stamp" for the inside of the card, and left the outside free of sentiments. Supplies: In Color Card Stock, Whisper White Cardstock, Bird Builder Punch, Rhinestones, Dimensionals, Tag Topper Punch, Button (this one is retired, but we have plenty to choose from here), In Color Ribbon (retired), White Baker's Twine, Corner Rounder Punch

I loved the funkiness of this card and thought it would make a great birthday card.  Supplies: In Color Card Stock, Whisper White Cardstock, Rhinestone, White Baker's Twine, Flower Punch, Sprinkles of Life Stamp Set, Paper Piercer, Paper Piercing Guide, Paper Piercing Mat, In Color Ribbon (retired), Tree Builder Punch, Dimensionals.

And finally, a simple fall-themed card.  I chose to use a "Happy Thanksgiving" stamp inside, but any fall, Thanksgiving or Halloween-themed sentiment would do, or you could even leave it blank.  The pumpkin was made of punched-out pieces of cardstock...three ovals of the same size, the leaves from the bird punch, and the stem is the branch from the Tree Builder Punch.  Supplies: In Color Cardstock, Whisper White Cardstock, In Color Ribbon (retired), Oval Punch, Tree Builder Punch, Bird Builder Punch, Dimensionals

 

If you'd like to purchase the pumpkin card, you are more than welcome to swing by my Etsy shop!

I hope this was a fun post for you and got your mind racing with options! Thanks for checking in on me today!  Happy stamping!

Another Flower Patch Card

Yesterday, I shared with you one of the cards I made for the bridesmaids in my wedding party. Today, I wanted to show you more cards I made using the exact same supplies, but a different layout. These were the cards that accompanied the gifts we got our mothers.  It was fun to have a coordinating suite of paper products to use for gift-giving and thank you notes!  Hope you have a great Saturday...I'm getting ready to head out and weed before the rain moves in.

Supplies used: Stampin' Up! cardstock in Calypso Coral, Whisper White and Old Olive; Stampin' Up! ink in Old Olive, and Calypso Coral; adhesive-backed pearl, paper snips, Flower Patch stamps.

Flower Patch All-Purpose Card

Flower Patch is one of my favorite stamp sets that Stampin' Up! currently sells.  As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to use it for my wedding stationary.  One of my wedding colors was Calypso Coral, so I combined it with Old Olive and made these cards for my bridesmaids...I made coordinating gift bags and wrote a special note to each of my girls and gave it with their gifts.  They loved them.  As I mentioned, the stamp set is Flower Patch, and there is a coordinating die set.  Stampin' Up offers them together in a bundle for 15% less than what you would have paid for the stamps and dies individually.  Nice, right? I have the die set and I love it, but I chose to hand cut the flowers this time to eliminate the slight white border the dies leave behind. I also used some retired ribbon, an adhesive pearl, the zig zag textured impressions embossing folder, and some retired designer series paper.

TIP: when handcutting images like these, I use small, pointy & sharp, good quality scissors such as our Paper Snips.  Also, I turn the paper I'm cutting rather than turning the scissors as I cut.  This helps make better rounded edges.  Finally, I don't open and close the scissors a lot, and I'm smooth when I do.  Instead, I open them wide and cut until they are all the way closed and then open it again smoothly.  This helps prevent jagged edges from where you start and stop your cuts.  Also, I love to add a little extra surprise by decorating the inside, like this:

If I've inspired you to create something fun with this set, and you need the supplies to do it, I'd be grateful if you ordered from me HERE!

If you'd rather just purchase the card, you're in luck - it's listed in my Etsy store.

Until next time, happy stamping!!!

Fall "Thinking of You"

When I made yesterday's card, I had heat embossed & hand-cut these leaves with the intention of putting them behind the ribbon.  But, I decided it was too much, and opted not to use them.  But, I didn't want my hard work to go to waste, so I created this card to use those leaves.  I think it turned out nice.  It's a pretty simple card, besides the fussy cutting, but because of the variety of patterns and layers it looks pretty fancy.  The paper and the leaf stamps are retired.  But we there are some pretty papers and stamps coming out in a month that would be perfect for creating this card.  The "thinking of you" stamp is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  And the banner tails were cut with my most frequently used punch: the Banner Triple Punch.

My Paper Pumpkin - July 2015 - Thanks a Latte

I have been subscribing to My Paper Pumpkin almost from the beginning, but it's only been in the past few months where I've started doing them almost immediately...I just can't resist them!  They have really stepped up their game and deliver some fun, quick projects for only about $20 a month.

This month's kit, Thanks a Latte, features the supplies to make 8 cards (everything you see on this card - the base cards, the patterned paper, the "notebook" paper, the accent stickers, the ribbon-tied paper clips and even the dimensional adhesive). The kit even includes the fun coordinating envelopes that remind me of the retro-style air post envelopes.  It also includes  mini ink pads (Early Espresso and one of our new colors, Cucumber Crush) and a versatile stamp set that features one tea cup, two plant outlines and two plant "fill-ins", a tea bag, and three greetings ("get well", "a cup of cheer", and "thanks a latte').

If you wish you had this one, keep your eyes peeled on my blog because I will share if they make these kits available to subscribers.  And if you've been on the fence about subscribing to My Paper Pumpkin, now is the time!  We are offering 50% off your first two months (new subscribers only).  Read more about the promotion HERE!  If you feel like now is the time to sign up, I'd be delighted if you chose me as your demonstrator.  You can do that by signing up for My Paper Pumpkin HERE!

A lot of times I do my kits while watching television with my husband.  I love doing that instead of cards from scratch because everything is one place and I don't have to keep getting up and down and ruining the shows for us.  I've also used them on vacations and road trips, and sometimes carry them in the tote bag I take everywhere so that if I'm stuck waiting somewhere, I can just pop it out and do a few things.  I have friends who are considering gathering a group over their lunch hour to assemble them.  They are perfect for all of these situations because they include almost everything you need.  You'll need to provide a stamp block, and some months, a pair of paper snips.  I usually just toss those in as soon as I open the kit.  I usually toss in my favorite adhesive as well, just in case!

Happy stamping!!!

PS - come back tomorrow to see another card I made using the stamp set from this kit!

More challenge inspiration - DSC#077

Yesterday, I showed you the nautical card I made using this week's challenge photograph.  Today, I wanted to show you a more loose interpretation of that card.  About the only inspiration I took from it was the use of white and blue. 

This was a very quick and easy card to make.  After creating a cardstock base in Midnight Muse, I cut a 3-1/2" square of Whisper White and a 3" square of Midnight Muse.  I also cut out several branches of leaves using the Little Leaves Sizzlits die (#114511).  I adhered those leaves using our Multipurpose Glue (#110755) - be careful - a little goes a long way! In doing this, I made sure some of the branches hung off the edge of the blue.  Then I trimmed the branches off to make the edges even.  I adhered the blue layer to the white layer, and then mounted it to the card using Dimensionals (#104430).  After that, I affixed several sizes of our Rhinestone Basic Jewels (#119246). 

TIP: when using multiples of any embellishment, placing them in visual triangles will help move the viewers' eye across the project. In this case, each size of rhinestone was placed in a visual triangle with other rhinestones of the same size.

I added a white piece of cardstock to the inside, but left it blank so that I can grab it and use it for any occasion in the coming months...it's always nice to have a few extras laying around.

I hope you enjoyed this quick & easy card.  If you'd like to purchase these, or any current SU! products, please visit my store!  Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Nautical Inspirations - DSC#077

As soon as I saw this week's challenge, I knew that I wanted to use it pretty literally. I love the color scheme and I had been looking for an excuse to use my "By the Tide" stamp set again.  I decided on Midnight Muse, Crumb Cake and Whisper White which is pretty similar to the color scheme in the photo and feels so fresh and clean to me.  I also decided to keep with the nautical theme because I'm itching for summery beaches & also because it is a pretty universal theme.

Whenever possible, I like to decorate the inside of my cards, too, as an added touch and happy surprise to the recipient.

The products I used are cardstock in Whisper White, Midnight Muse, and Crumb Cake, as well as ink in Midnight Muse and Crumb Cake.  I embellished it with the 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon in Midnight Muse (#126847).  The images came from the "By the Tide" stamp set (clear #129120, wood #131910) and the sentiments came from the "Express Yourself" stamp set (clear #130339, wood #130336), which you can earn for free with a qualifying order.

To order these, and any other current Stampin' Up! products, visit my STORE!

To see another card inspired by this challenge, come back tomorrow!

To see what my fellow demonstrators did with this challenge, click on these links:

Sharon Bennett

Miriam Castanho Bollinger

Robyn Rasset
Cindy Techlin
Jan Carlson
Dawn Olchefske



Petal Parade All-Occasion Cards (DSC#067)

While I really enjoy participating in challenges, I rarely find myself doing them on time!  Even so, I do enjoy looking at them for inspiration and using them as "jumping off" points for my cards and scrapbook pages.  This challenge, presented by my upline, was originally issued back in January.  Click HERE to see her interpretation of the sketch (which I LOVE and intend to copy!!!) as well as links to many other wonderful cards also inspired by this sketch.  The products that I used were cardstock in Basic Black, Basic Gray, Whisper White, and Real Red; ink in Real Red, Smoky Slate, and Basic Gray, ribbon in Whisper White, floral stamps from "Petal Parade" and sentiment stamps from "Express Yourself". Unfortunately, the Petal Parade set is no longer offered by Stampin' Up!, however the "Express Yourself" set is extremely versatile and can be earned for FREE by place an order with me totaling $150 or more.

My Paper Pumpkin's Repurposed Bicycle Stamp

Good morning!  At the start of the catalog year (last summer) I participated in a product share, in which I received 1/6th of each sheet of patterned paper from the catalog.  My goal was to use the smaller pieces in projects and order more of the papers with which I fell in love.  Now that the catalog year is coming to a close, I've decided to challenge myself to use up those pieces of paper, and order any of the "must have" patterns before the end of June, when they retire. Typically, I wait until after the product has retired, and then I'm disappointed when I fall in love with it and can't get anymore.

The first DSP (designer series paper) I tackled was the Birthday Basics line (#130145).  This line features 12 delightful patterns showcasing the colors Bermuda Bay, Basic Gray, Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit, Crisp Cantaloupe, Very Vanilla and Raspberry Ripple.  My first instinct in looking at it was "oh, that's perfect for birthday cards and birthday-themed scrapbook pages."  And it is!  But the more I looked at it, I realized that other than the birthday hats, candles and the balloons, none of the patterns were birthday- or party-specific, and in fact, it's quite a versatile series, so be sure to check back in the coming weeks to see the other ways I've used this great paper.

In the meantime, enjoy this fun creation!  Once I spied the bicycle paper in the package, I realized I had the bicycle stamp from a past My Paper Pumpkin project. I wanted to get two cards out of the small pieces of paper that I had, so I cut it into two pieces on the diagonal and mounted it on some cardstock.  I then covered up the seam with a diagonal stripe made with solid-colored, coordinating cardstock strips, which created a retro feel.  From there, I die cut scraps of Whisper White and Raspberry Ripple using the Deco Labels Collection (#130102), mounted the white on the raspberry, stamped the image in Bermuda Bay, and then mounted the whole thing on my project.  Inside the card, I stamped "hey there friend" from another past My Paper Pumpkin.

If you would like any of these items, please come shop at my ONLINE STORE!

Best Wishes and More - an oldie but goodie

Every so often I challenge myself to pull out the retired stamp sets that I just can't seem to part with and put them to good use.  And that's what I did here.  The leave and flower come from the "Best Wishes and More" set, which is a retired Stampin' Up! set.  Also in that set are a heart, a snowflake, a bird, and a couple sentiments, which makes it a wonderfully versatile set.  I stamped the leaf in Crumb Cake on a Crumb Cake cardstock base.  Then I ran a strip of Bashful Blue (retired) through the Big Shot machine in the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder (#117335).  Once I adhered that to the card front, I covered up the seam with some Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon (retired) by adhering it with some Sticky Strip (#104294).  Then I created the square by stamping the flower in Daffodil Delight on a scrap of Whisper White cardstock, and then cutting it out with my paper snips.  I placed a button on my stash on it and tied some thread through the holes.  I stamped the leaf in Pumpkin Pie and cut it out, then layered them both on a Whisper White square, which was then matted in Bashful Blue and Pumpkin Pie.  I ended up making 8 of these card, and sent most of them out right away as thank you's and thinking of you's.

 If you would like any of these items, please come shop at my ONLINE STORE!

Go for the Gold Challenge

So, I’m a little late in posting this, but life has been busy, and that can be a good thing.  Anyway, back when the winter Olympics were taking place, my upline challenged our group of demonstrators to use GOLD on a card.  She called it the “Go for the Gold Challenge.”  Now, if you know me, I’m not a gold person at all.  I own exactly one piece of jewelry that has any gold on it, and the presence of gold in my stamping is just as sparse.  So, I had to resort to the only gold I had, which was glitter (that, incidentally, I own only because it came with the silver glitter I wanted). 

In spite of my lack of interest in the color, I did end up very pleased with the card I created for that challenge.  Banner, butterflies, and lacy things seem to be a trend right now and this card is no exception.  I love how the very vanilla and brown look with the gold accent.  The assembly of most of this card is fairly intuitive.  The part you might be curious about it the gold glitter.  I punched a circle out of our Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets (#120805), peeled off one side of the backing, mounted it on very vanilla cardstock, lined up the punch exactly over the adhesive & punched it again.  This will give you a circle that has cardstock on one side, adhesive in the middle, and backing on the other side.  I then peeled off the backing & sprinkled glitter over it.  When I do this step, I use my finger to press on the glitter and get it good and stuck to the adhesive.  Then I dumped off the excess glitter, and mounted it to the card by applying adhesive to the cardstock (back) side of the circle. This technique will work for any powder or glitters & can be used with any shape punch or die.  The sky is the limit!  

Other current product used on this card include the Delicate Doilies Sizzlits (#126999), 2-3/8"scallop circle punch (#11874), 1-1/4" inch circle punch (#119861), 1-3/4" circle punch (#119850), and the Elegant Butterfly Punch (#127526).

Fresh Cuts Card

As soon as I saw these two stamp sets ("Fresh Cuts" and "Great Friend"), I knew I had to have them both and I knew right away that I would eventually make this card. I love that it is a fairly simple card to make and could be easily done in any color scheme. I chose purples, but I think it would be lovely in Old Olive and Very Vanilla or in Basic Black and Whisper White, and of course in any shade of pink (I'm partial to pink).

To make this card, I stamped the large background stamp from the Fresh Cuts set in Rich Razzleberry ink on Whisper White Cardstock.

Once the image was dry, I cut it out with my paper trimmer leaving an even white border around the image. I then mounted it on Rich Razzleberry and then Orchid Opulence cardstock. To add some interest, I used textured Orchid cardstock. I tied on the white ribbon (Sticky Strip adhesive works well for securing the ribbon) and then mounted it all onto a Rich Razzleberry card I had cut, scored and folded.

Then I stamped the butterfly from the Great Friend stamp set in Rich Razzleberry ink onto a scrap of Whisper White cardstock. Because I didn't have the craft pad, but I did want to emboss the butterfly for dimension, I stamped the image twice: first with Rich Razzleberry craft ink and then again with Versamark ink. To make sure the Versamark ink went exactly where it should, I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig tool to get precise stamp placement each time. I then sprinkled the Versamark ink with embossing powder and heated it with my embossing gun.

When the butterfly was cooled down, I cut it out with my paper snips and mounted it on the background image with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Because I sometimes like the inside of the card to be a happy surprise, I decided to decorate it as well. I cut a piece of whisper white cardstock to fit on the inside panel and leave an even border of Rich Razzleberry behind it. Before I mounted it in the card, I used our Ticket Corner punch on each corner and then stamped the floral image (from the Fresh Cuts set) on two opposite corners in Rich Razzleberry. Besides it being a nice suprise for the recipient to have a decorated interior, it allowed me a lighter color on which to write my greetings. If desired, you could also stamp a greeting or wish on the inside panel of this card.

I thought this card could be used for a variety of occasions: thank you, thinking of you, feminine birthday, Mother's day, just because....the list goes on and on.

Please click HERE to order 24/7!!!

Supplies used on this card:

Stamps: Fresh Cuts - #111634; Great Friend - #113792

Ink: Rich Razzleberry (classic) - #115658; Orchid Opulence (classic) - #101859; Versamark ink pad - #102283
Cardstock: Whisper White (8-1/2"x11") - #100730; Rich Razzleberry cardstock (8-1/2"x11") - #115316; Orchid Opulence (8-1/2" x 11" SMOOTH) - #100969 OR texture (only comes in 12"x12" variety pack) - #108698
Tools: Paper Snips (fine-nosed scissors) - #103579; Ticket Corner Punch - #107214; Heat Tool - #100005; Stamp-a-ma-jig - #101049

Adhesives: Sticky Strip (great for adhering the ribbon on this project) - #104294; Stampin' Dimensionals (double-sided foam dots) - #104430

Other: Clear Emboss Powder - #109130; Whisper White 1/4" grosgrain ribbon - #109025