Simple & Clean Card: Fresh Vintage

This Fresh Vintage A2 card focuses on a column of little flowers and a limited color scheme: pool party, calypso coral and whisper white. The Everyday Enchantment brads add a nice, dimensional touch. If I were to create this with the stamp set and Stampin' Up! supplies, I would heat emboss the flowers with white embossing powder, cut them out and adhere them to the card with dimensionals to "pop" up.

Sprinkled Expressions Card - Love

This card design uses hearts and a sentiment from the Sprinkled Expressions stamp set, which is offered in the Sale-a-Bration 2012 catalog and My Digital Studio CD. I used the small hearts individually to decorate the card, instead of keeping them in a cluster.

Fresh Vintage Card

Pool party is definitely one of my favorite 2011-2012 In Colors. It can be used on bright, playful cards with cheerful colors, such as poppy parade, calypso coral and lucky limeade... and it is versatile enough to be placed with subtle, quiet colors like whisper white and basic grey.

The A2 card shown above feels "asian inspired" because I could imagine the patterns from the strips of Everyday Enchantment DSP on washi (Japanese paper). There is not much layering, just the relatively clean layout with straight lines and touches of color. The focal image is from the Fresh Vintage stamp set. A slight "dusting" or sponging effect was made around the edges with Soft Suede.

Fresh Vintage Magnetic Bookmark - MDS

Here is a fairly easy project to create: a magnetic bookmark. You can personalize it or reproduce several for party favors, gifts or special occasions. It is slim enough to be placed in a handmade greeting card for a birthday, Mother's Day or the holidays!

The final size is 1 1/2" wide by 7" long (3 1/2" folded in half). I thought it would be great to include a DSP pattern on the interior, for added pizzazz and color. To make the bookmark ends stick together, just use 1" wide thin magnetic strips on each end (interior).

This is how the bookmark appears (folded):

Full Outer Design:

Interior of Bookmark:

SAB 2012 3" x 3" Cards - MDS Style

Here is a pair of 3" x 3" card layouts created with Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio images for SAB 2012. They were quick and easy to create... After recently cleaning and organizing my craft space, I couldn't bring myself to take everything out again. (Let's see how long the tidiness lasts!) The "hello" stamp brush is from Elementary Elegance. It is layered on top of a rectangle, which is placed on top of a Curly Label punch shape. I used Everyday Enchantment DSP and a matching brad for an accent. These cards could easily fit in the 3 1/8" x 3 1/8" Mini Whisper White Square Envelopes found in the Idea Book & Catalog. Punch out little circles or use the Boho Blossoms Punch to add confetti inside.

Mixed Bunch Easel Card

The second card I created for the Occasions Mini swap is an "easel card" which is great for displaying on a table. It has a special fold, a layer of cardstock and a little embellishment to allow it to stand on its own. Stay tuned for some Sale-a-Bration 2012 card swap samples!

Tea for Two Card

This is a multi-layer full card I created for an Occasions Mini 2012 swap. I am often inspired by the color schemes of designer series paper (DSP) and continue the colors throughout a card layout. Here, I have used Riding Hood Red, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz and Whisper White cardstock, Baja Breeze, Basic Grey and Riding Hood Red classic ink, new Big Shot dies, Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine, designer buttons and basic pearls.

Everyday Elegance & Everyday Enchantment DSP

Here is a sneak peek of what's in store for Sale-a-Bration 2012. I used Everyday Elegance stamp brushes and Everyday Enchantment designer series paper, both to be available for My Digital Studio. The card dimensions are 9" x 4" and would fit in a #10 envelope.

Sale-A-Bration 2012 is almost here!

From January 24, 2012 through March 31, 2012, Stampin' Up! will have the annual Sale-a-Bration promotion! You can earn an exclusive SU stamp or product for each $50 (not including tax & shipping) you spend. Check on my website (tag.stampinup.net) for more information and fun stampin' stuff!

In celebration of Sale-a-Bration, I am re-designing my blog. I feel it is overdue and I look forward to a new chapter in my Stampin' Up! endeavors.

A Backlog of Card Samples!

Here are samples of cards and other small projects created with Holiday Mini 2011 stamps and products. Most (if not all) items were swapped during another downline meeting.

Fall/Winter 2010 Downline Meeting

These photos were taken at Sandy Hancock's Downline Meeting late September. There are some good ideas for holiday cards, decorations, favors and more. As with each meeting, there is a card swap and contest.

Click on "FULL SCREEN" to see the the slideshow in its entirety. Otherwise, the little window only shows a part of each photo.

You Take the Cake!

What makes the Party Hearty Stamp Set lovable? You get cupcakes, candles, a present, images that can easily be punched out and great sentiments. For this card, I decided to add a surprise inside created with the Three Tier Cake Pop -Up Bigz Die! This cheerful birthday card uses a combination of pumpkin pie, daffodil delight and old olive. The cake tiers have Greenhouse Gala designer series paper.

2-Step Bird Punch Wedding Card

This wedding card was accented with punch outs from the 2-Step Bird Punch. It features a light blue belly band, which you slide off. Inside is a pocket to hold cash, a gift certificate or gift card. It fits in a #10 (office size) envelope.

Candy Wrapper Bigz Die Treats

If you have ever wanted quick, neat treats to place in a basket as party favors, set at each table setting or to give as Halloween gifts, the Candy Wrapper Bigz Die works like a charm! It is one of the newest Big Shot dies available exclusively through Stampin' Up! It cuts AND scores at the same time, so all you have to do is fold, glue and decorate as you wish. Check out my promotions if you would like to learn more in a Big Shot Class or a Holiday Card Class. I also have a Special for Fall/Winter 2010.

The two samples above were created with the Bells & Boughs stamp set, Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper and Designer Fabric, Decorative Label Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Early Espresso classic ink, Watercolor Wonder crayons, Sahara Sand, River Rock, Whisper White and Crumb Cake Cardstock.

Christmas Card with "Bells and Boughs"

This card was created for a holiday wow swap recently. Participants had to make cards with at least 4 layers of cardstock, 3 different embellishments and a stamp set from the Holiday Mini 2010. I used Stampin' Up!'s Bells and Boughs stamp set, Sahara Sand, Old Olive, River Rock, Early Espresso and Whisper White cardstock, Supernova Fine Stampin' Glitter, Basic Pearls Jewel Accents, Decorative Label Punch, Scallop Oval Punch and Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon. I stamped the holly background with Old Olive classic ink and colored in the bells with watercolor crayons.

Mini Box (Created with the Petal Card Double Punch)

Here is a little idea for a cute stocking stuffer, birthday present, tooth fairy box, or gift box.

Take four punched pieces using the Petal Card Double Punch, and glue each of the side flaps together. The side flaps should be folded toward the interior of the box. (If you prefer the inside of the box to be as flat as possible, you may want to snip off one petal flap from each punched piece and glue side flaps to interior sides of the box.)

To close the bottom of the mini box, fold each consecutive petal flap down, tucking part of the last flap beneath the first to hold it in place. Repeat this to close the top of the box. (You can also glue the bottom flaps, if you like.)

The finished box will be approximately 1" length x 1" width x 1" height. You can fit a bracelet, necklace, earrings, simply adorned creation, a Hershey's "hug" and "kiss", a tooth for the tooth fairy, a folded dollar bill, tiny candies, a mini book, a keychain, a magnet, a rolled up message, or anything small that you can think of!

This box was made with riding hood red, daffodil delight and whisper white cardstock, Greenhouse Gala designer series paper, Cute by the Inch hostess stamp set, riding hood red, old olive and early espresso markers, beautiful wings embosslits die and basic pearl. A lady at Convention 2010 swapped a simply adorned insert for one of my 3D items and I thought it would be great to use the same color scheme for this box.

The more punched petal cards you adhere together, the larger the box can become. My next project may be a flower-shaped box created with the punch. Stay tuned!

"Joy-fold" Card with Stampin' Up's Aviary Stamp Set

I recently created this card (with 8 layers) using the "joy-fold" technique. Splitcoaststampers offers a tutorial. I decided to use bright, cheery colors: concord crush, real red, tangerine tango and pretty in pink. The sentiment is layered with an oval punch and designer label punch. When you lift the "my friend" tab, the panel with birds swings open. A message can be written inside.


The card is embellished with basic pearls and 5/8" pretty in pink satin ribbon. I also used the Elegant Lines Textured Embossing Folder and Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, which are exclusive to Stampin' Up! and just came out in the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog.

Designer Fabric on Cards

If you check out the Stampin' Up! 2010 Holiday Mini Catalog, it is chock full of new stamps, punches, dies, designer series paper and new designer fabric! So Stampin' Up! not only carries color-coordinating markers, craft & classic ink pads, cardstock, designer series paper, ribbon, rub-ons, albums, brads, buttons, embellishments, digital art and vinyl decor elements, but textiles now as well! Imagine creating a vintage wristlet with Deck the Halls Designer Fabric and a vintage brad accent, a peppermint candy-shaped throw pillow with Candy Cane Christmas Designer Fabric, or a fabric Christmas tree ornament to attach to a gift.

This may sound overwhelming, but perhaps you could start by trying fabric on cards. If you have used ribbon to make bows, ruffles or simple trim along the side of a card, it would be a snap to take a strip of fabric and use the same techniques. The difference is that Stampin' Up!'s designer fabric has multicolored prints... so each design can spruce up your card and match designer series paper.

Here are some examples of cards using designer fabric at Convention 2010:





Below is a holiday card I made for a swap on Splitcoaststampers. I used the Tags til Christmas stamp set, real red, old olive, bashful blue, pear pizzazz and whisper white cardstock, night of navy, real red, pretty in pink and pear pizzazz stampin' markers, silver glass glitter, pretty in pink 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, basic rhinestones, Big Shot, perfect polka dots textured impressions embossing folder, decorative label punch and Candy Cane Christmas designer fabric.

I think it would be great to make the snowglobe really pop out by using a Stampin' Up! sweet treat cup and filling it with either glitter or circle confetti. It could make a great shaker card.

If you'd love to see more cards with designer fabric, here are creations by:
Cindee Wilkinson
Michele Reynolds
Sabriena Satchwell

Lots of Layers Swap Ladies & A Couple of Cards

These are some of the ladies who often participate in Sandra Hanedanian's Lots of Layers swaps on Splitcoaststampers. We met to take this photo during Convention. If you'd like to see what we have created in the past, visit her blog: More than Stamping. She has some tutorials and fun projects also.


I created this card with Notably Ornate. I think it was for an "In with the New" card swap. I love the color combination of Early Espresso, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla and Cajun Craze. I think the card could have used more distressing and some sponging to give it a more vintage feel.


This is one of my "wow" swaps for Convention. It is not easy to see, but it is a "Joy Fold" card. Check out the tutorial on Splitcoaststampers here. I added lots of dazzling diamonds glitter to the edge of the pink pirouette layer. First, I placed sticky strip on each edge. Second, I removed the red liner. Third, sprinkled dazzling diamonds and shook the excess glitter off. It was less messy than using glue and took very little time to do!

More from Convention Prep Work

Here are 75+ scrunched flowers I made using the 1-3/4" scallop circle punch. I punched 4 scallop circles out of Newsprint designer series paper, placed a brad in the center and scrunched one layer at a time (starting with the inner layer). Afterwards, I placed a stampin' dimensional on back and attached each flower to a card swap I created for the Late Night Stampers 75+ card front swap during Convention 2010.






If you're wondering what I created with the flower die-cuts I made from one of the previous posts, here are the flower pins:


I attached 5/8" very vanilla grosgrain, boho blossoms (from the punch) and a rhinestone brad to the center of each flower. Finally, I glued a pin backing to each one. They were very easy to make. I believe I made about 80 in one weekend!