This clean and simple floral card features the Stampin’ Up! Bunch of Blossoms stamp set and the Stitched Shape Framelits. I love this design – for me, it creates extra interest that is not too distracting. By having the design flow over both layers, and elevating one of them, it makes the card a little more eye catching – and it’s so easy to do! By the way – this stamp set has a coordinating punch, and the discounted bundle is being discontinued – however the individual items will still be available in the next catalogue. If you’d like the coordinated bundle (really, why wouldn’t you?!), be sure to grab it at a discount before May 31st!
I stamped the left flower first – I placed my die cut on my cardfront (I just held it in place), then stamped the base flower image so it overlapped both layers. It’s a two step image – so I stamped the larger/fuller flower shape first. I then removed the die cut and stamped the second layer of the flower on the cardfront. Even though you might get a bit of a gap in the first image where the layers meet, when you stamp the second image it fills everything in. I stamped the other images on the die cut next (it doesn’t have to be held in place on the front of the card), including multiple small flowers. By stamping first generation (ink the stamp, then stamp on the paper) and second generation flowers (after you stamp the image, stamp another one without reinking the stamp first), it adds a bit more dimension as well. I stamped the stem image twice, connecting it so it looks like one plant. You can either hold the die cut in place when you stamp the stems or just stamp them on the card front and then stamp them separately onto the portion of the die cut where they’d line up. In the end, it’s a simple way to make a clean and simple floral card a little less….simple!
I made this card on Whisper White Thick Cardstock. It’s my favourite cardstock for a clean and simple floral card – or any clean and simple design. When you don’t have to worry about a lot of layers or embellishments weighing down your card, your card can have a little more body all by itself by using a heftier cardstock. You can get a sneak peek at the new Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock if you order the Eastern Palace Premier Bundle this month. I’ll be sharing a project using some of the Eastern Palace products later this week. Attendees at the May Monthly Card Class and May Stampers Club got to play with some of the product already – and picked up the flyer (download it here). You can see the Eastern Palace special May bundles in the YamStamps Online Stampin’ Up! Canada store here. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Otherwise, happy shopping!
Much like “YamStamps” has nothing to do with yams….Paper Pumpkin isn’t really about pumpkins either! Stampin’ Up!’s Monthly Paper Crafting Subscription Kit, Paper Pumpkin, comes to your door each month with all the supplies needed for that month’s craft. In the picture above is the April kit, which came with an extra gift of mini watercolour pencils! I personally love my Paper Pumpkin kit for quick and easy crafting on the go. I have taken a kit with me when I’ve gone away – easy to just tuck the box into my bag and I’ve got everything I need in case I have some down time to craft, or need a little creative “me” time. I know of people who have ordered them to make with their grandchildren, or have their own subscription and send another to their long distance family members, so they can still “craft together”.
If you sign up for a new month by month subscription before June 10th, you’ll get your own paper crafting subscription kit for 25% off the first three months! So June, July and August at a discount! Celebrate the summer season with a bit of crafting! This is a GREAT time to get a subscription started for the kids – with school ending, they’ll have something “crafty” to look forward to in the mailbox each month this summer, and you’ll be able to have a bit of quiet time either crafting WITH them or…..having a bit of quiet time while THEY craft?!
The fine print – only new subscribers are eligible for this special, and only month by month subscriptions are eligible. You can find out more information about Paper Pumpkin, the monthly paper crafting subscription kit HERE.If you’re ready to jump in and get started, you can click on the image above or HERE to go to the sign up page! One last thing I love about these kits – if I’m not feeling really creatively inspired, I can just copy the examples in the kit, or if I’m feeling a little more creative, I’ll come up with my own variations. Cards, packaging ideas, and giftables have been in previous kits. Once you’re a subscriber as well, you have the option to purchase previous month’s kits as availability allows! If you have any questions that aren’t answered on my info page about Paper Pumpkin, you can contact me.
Isn’t this a gorgeous card? It was sent to me by one of my friends who is a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator in the states. Bev (aka Texas Grammy) sent me this lovely card to congratulate me on my promotion to “Gold” level as a demonstrator. The sentiment is from the previously retired stamp set, Bravo, and the background paper is from the specialty Designer Series Paper, Pop of Pink, still available while supplies last (and at a discounted price!). She used the Butterfly Thinlits die and inlaid it into the paper. I love the gold and black design – it’s so striking! Thank you Bev!
I am behind on sharing and behind on mailing my own cards as well….I hang my head in shame. (but not for too long, because I have things to do to catch up, obviously….). Lots of things to do, including finishing editing videos for my next Online Class, Watercolouring 101. I previously asked for feedback from customers & subscribers about what they wanted to learn more about – and watercolouring was a frequent response! So look for that class to be launching in the next week or so. I will have a launch special, with reduced pricing for the first 24 hours…so stay tuned!
In the meantime, I will get back to work! Funny how things look so controllable when I write them down on my lists and agenda….but then something happens and the plans go awry. Well, now that I think about it, perhaps it’s not the plans that go awry….but my attention and focus. (please tell me I’m not the only one?!) No wonder I liked Bev’s card so much – it’s shiny!! LOL.
I’m closing my mailing list for the Stampin’ Up! Canada 2017-2018 Annual Catalogue tonight – so if you’d like a copy, don’t already have a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator, and live in Canada, please complete this form and I will follow up with you!
If you have any questions or need any assistance placing an order, please feel free to contact me. The winner of the Big Shot will first be announced in the May Paper Crafting Projects newsletter to subscribers, being sent out on May 2. Good luck!
I love beautiful cards that are easy to make…and believe it or not, this card actually falls into that category!! Promise! This lovely detailed floral die cut card uses the Floral Phrases stamps set (available in wood mount or clear mount) and the coordinating Detailed Floral Thinlit Dies – the stamps and dies are available together in a discounted bundle (wood mount bundle or clear mount bundle) BUT ONLY UNTIL THE END OF MAY. Sorry for shouting, just don’t want you to miss out! The individual items WILL be in the new catalogue, but the bundles WILL NOT.
Anyway. The main image gives a kind of watercolour-y feel with the variations in degrees of intensity of colour. I love that I don’t have to do the work to get that effect! On this card, it’s stamped in Perfect Plum. The detailed floral die cut at the bottom of the cardstock is made by placing the flat edge of the larger thinlit along the border stamp image. Then it’s adhered onto Perfect Plum cardstock and onto the cardfront.
The new catalogue will be bringing back one of my favourite adhesives – adhesive in the form of a sheet – which will make adhering detailed die cuts even easier! If you need to make a detailed floral die cut card in the meantime….use the pointy end of the Multipurpose Liquid Adhesive, or the Fine-Tip Glue pen. We’ll be making this card in May’s Monthly Clard Class. Have you registered yet? Space is limited….so please don’t delay. Class will be Wednesday, May 3rd at 1pm or 7pm. See other upcoming events on the YamStamps Events Page.
Oh – and before I forget – if you’re in the Burlington ON area – mark Saturday, June 3 on your calendar! It will be the annual YamStamps New Catalogue Open House and Retired Rubber Garage Sale! More details to follow – look for info here on the YamStamps blog and in the May Paper Crafting Projects Newsletter – going to subscribers May 2!
One type of card that is great to have on hand is a birthday card – there’s nothing worse than realizing you need a birthday card RIGHT NOW – which for me, usually happens just before I’m due to leave home to meet that person. It’s great to have a “go to” design that you can use for those quick and easy cards! This fun birthday balloons card was made using the retiring Party Animal Designer Series Paper, and the retiring photopolymer stamp set Endless Birthday Wishes. I love the font in this set! All the words are separate so you can combine them in whichever way works for your project, and can use them on a non-birthday project as well. The balloons are punched from Pacific Point cardstock using the Balloon Bouquet Punch (this is NOT retiring….but it is low inventory right now, so you might want to order it sooner rather than later if you “need” this soon). I think the most difficult thing on this card was tying the knots in the Emerald Envy Solid Baker’s Twine….hahaha! It’s great to use Designer Series Paper as a jumping off point for your colour theme – I simply pulled the colours from the paper I was using – Pacific Point, Emerals Envy and Crushed Curry. Quick and easy!
I did use Stampin’ Dimensionals to pop up the birthday balloons to make them stand out even more, and left the twine hanging loose for fun. This layout is not just perfect for quick and easy birthday cards, it’s great for any handmade card! I used it for one of my cards that I shared at the Stampin’ Up! On Stage Event. Here’s another sneak peek at that Crafting Forever set!
Similar but different to the birthday balloons card! A fun multicoloured take on the same layout. Colours used here are Pumpkin Pie, Real Red and Tempting Turquoise. You can see that the gap is a little smaller on this card, because I didn’t need to put any words in the space – I put them on the top portion of the angle cut piece instead. Quick and easy cards for the win! Use this layout and simply switch the sentiments as you need!
A reminder that the Crafting Forever stamp set used on this card will be available in the new catalogue (coming in June). If you want a copy of the upcoming Stampin’ Up! catalogue, please complete this form and I will follow up with you to get a copy to you. If you complete the form before April 29th, you’ll be part of the first mailing from Stampin’ Up!
ONE LAST REMINDER – don’t forget that you have NINE days left to be eligible to win a Big Shot from me…..see all the details on this blog post….and good luck!
Do you know an Everyday Hero? You know, the person who is always helping out, coming to the rescue but not always in a big, flashy way, and often in a quiet, in the background kind of way. This is the card for them! It uses the retiring Stampin’ Up! set, Everyday Hero. I love the cartoon images! This card uses the cityscape on the bottom of the card, and the cape image on the top. Watercoloured the cape by scribbling with the brush end of the Pacific Point Stampin’ Write marker onto a Silicone Craft Sheet or spare Clear Block – pick up the colour with an Aquapainter, and then colour the image. Since the cardstock is Very Vanilla, you can’t overwork the image too much, otherwise the cardstock will pill. I actually like working on regular cardstock every once in a while with watercolouring, so that it forces me to colour the image and then leave it alone….good for quick card making and resisting the urge to rework an image to death. The image is stamped in Basic Gray, which is an Archival ink, and won’t run when it gets wet. A tip, though – if you quickly set the ink with a Heat Tool, you can move on to the colouring stage more quickly.
The star is coloured in with another retiring product, the Gold Wink of Stella Glitter Brush. Don’t panic, the Clear Wink of Stella will still be around, but the gold one is going away. I love how easily these brushes add some shimmer to a product. Talk about an Everyday(crafting) Hero to rescue an otherwise ordinary project?!
I used the Everyday Hero set for a card that I shared on International Women’s Day on the YamStamps blog here. Lots of fun options for this set, but it’s only available until the end of May. The retiring list is here. You can shop online here – or if you need assistance placing your order, please contact me. If you live in Quebec, I can place the order for you and have it shipped to you, but the online ordering system doesn’t work in la belle province, sorry. Retiring stamp sets have guaranteed availability until May 21st, after which date it’s while supplies last. Tools and accessories are while supplies last only, and some are already sold out! So please don’t hesitate. Happy shopping.
What everyday hero could you send this card to? Leave a comment and I will send my project to one commenter to share!
Wishing you a Happy Easter! Sharing some samples from Stampin’ Up!’s Easter Message stamp set – available in clear mount or wood mount. If you like these images, grab them while you can! This set is retiring so will be available until the end of May; stamp sets are guaranteed until May 21st, after which they will be as supplies last. You can shop online, or contact me if you have any questions or need assistance placing your order.
Housework whenever. That’s one of the sentiments in the upcoming new stamp set, Crafting Forever. It’s also the set that I was asked to help showcase at the recent Stampin’ Up! On Stage event in Toronto (I talked about it in this last blog post). The new catalogue is still a month and a half away, and the retired products are flying off the shelf in the meantime, but I thought I’d share a couple of my samples.
This sample uses Gorgeous Grunge (available in wood mount or clear mount), which is retiring (waaaaaah!). My goal for the presentation was to show ways that you could use the set without colouring everything in each time. In this sample, I used the “splotches” with various coloured inks to add the colour to the card, and then just added a bit of smoky slate to shadow the brushes image. If memory serves, I believe the colours are Wisteria Wonder, Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party, Sweet Sugarplum, Daffodil Delight and Calypso Coral. To add the shadowing, I scribbled with the Smoky Slate Stampin’ Write marker onto a Silicone Craft Sheet, then picked up the colour with a Blender Pen. I find that gives a softer effect than colouring directly onto the cardstock.
This is another sample I showed at On Stage. I love the sentiment – do something creative every day. I have already stamped that a few times in my planner! For this card, I sponged various colours onto Shimmery White cardstock, and randomly stamped the months from the Perpetual Birthday Calendar stamp set (also retiring). I created the little palette by die cutting an oval from the Layering Ovals Framelits, and then cutting the notch using the end of the curved channel die from the Sliding Star Framelits. I thought it coordinated well with the brushes image, which I stamped along the bottom of the card.
haha there’s the sentiment! This is a quick sticky note holder using the Blooms & Bliss Designer Series Paper (which is retiring….there’s a bit of a theme here, eh?!).
I stamped the sticky note as well – because you can always have prettier notes. They’re also great to use in a planner!
I’ll be sure to share more of my samples in the next while, as well. In the meantime, please be sure to grab the retired product that you want ASAP – you can shop online 24/7 in Canada, or email me. (If you’re in Quebec, you’ll need to email me, as the online store option doesn’t work in la belle province unfortunately!). Don’t forget that if you place an order for $50 product or more during April, you’ll be entered into my Celebration draw for a Big Shot!! Enter early, and enter often!
