I don’t know about you but I really love getting snail mail. I have since I was a very little girl. Some of my most cherished memories in my scrapbooks are handwritten notes from loved ones and friends. It’s one of the reasons that I continue to send notes to people I care about and why I became a cardmaker.
This week, we’re exploring ways we can use our holiday products for designs that speak to the everyday. Today’s card can serve a number of occasions — from birthday to encouragement to anniversary — and goes beyond the bounds of winter.
We get started with a base of black cardstock. A sheet of the Pretty Peacock and gold Season of Elegance designer paper serves as our gorgeous backdrop. Our focal panel base is a piece of white woodgrain from the Nests of Winter paper pack diecut with a larger Spotlight on Nature die. The focal image of the pair of titmice birds is fussy cut from another pattern of the Nests of Winter pack. The sentiment from the Saying Hey stamp set is stamped in black in white cardstock and then diecut using the Greetings of the Season banner die. A few Pretty Peacock and gold sequins across the card front add sparkle and draw the eye across our focal panel.
Tune in tomorrow as we use our ephemera packs to create a design to reach across the miles.
Products used in today’s card: Basic Black, Basic White cardstock Nests of Winter (coming soon!), Season of Elegance (coming soon!) DSP Saying Hey stamps Spotlight on Nature, Greetings of the Season dies Sequins trio, neutrals sequins Dimensionals Adhesives
Happy Monday, everyone! Can you believe we’re halfway through August already?! Me either! But that means, we’re just a few short weeks away from the launch of the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini catalog. And trust me when I say you’re gonna love it!
This week, we’re starting a new design series. We’re going to be looking at our holiday products from a different angle, taking them beyond the holidays into the everyday.
And today, we’re starting with the new Nests of Winter designer paper. We’re using the detailed bird patterned paper to create a celebratory card. While it’s a little wintery, the design doesn’t feel like a holiday card. This card would be perfect for a winter birthday, promotion, retirement, or graduation.
We get started with a base of Night of Navy cardstock. Our focal panel backdrop consists of a narrow panel of Night of Navy embossed with the Snowflake Sky embossing folder and two mats — white glimmer paper and textured gold specialty paper. The cluster of birds are diecut from the Nests of Winter designer paper using the Spotlight on Nature dies. The sentiments are stamped in navy on white cardstock using the Happy Little Things and Friends for Life stamp sets and then diecut using the Greetings of the Season banner die. I’ve tied Night of Navy & Gold sheer ribbon through the end. Our sentiment panel overlays the focal images. And the design is finished with a few gold sequins to draw the eye across the design.
Tune in tomorrow for another twist on the Nests of Winter.
Products used in today’s card: Basic White, Night of Navy cardstock White glimmer, textured gold, Nests of Winter (coming soon!) DSP Happy Little Things, Friends for Life stamps Spotlight on Nature, Greetings of the Season dies Snowflake Sky embossing folder Night of Navy & Gold sheer ribbon Neutrals sequins Dimensionals Adhesives
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a ball digging into my box of Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini catalog preorder goodies and sharing sneak peeks with you. One of the many perks of being a demonstrator is having the opportunity to order new items early, and I love being able to share my excitement about new products with you.
Today, we’re getting a look at a new embossing folder called Painted Trees, which is part of the larger suite that we worked with yesterday. This embossing folder is on the larger side, which is perfect for anyone who prefers making larger-sized cards. For today’s card, I kept things really simple. Let’s take a look.
We get started with a card base of Basic White cardstock. While cut to a standard size, I did orient the score line at the top of the portrait orientation. The base of our front panel is a sheet of the new Take a Bow designer paper. For our focal panel, we start with a quarter panel of Pool Party cardstock, which is cut down so that a narrow border of our base shows on all sides. I then machine embossed this panel using the Painted Trees embossing folder. I oriented the tallest tree so that it would be in the center of my panel, which gives just partial images of the smaller trees on either side. Using my sponge daubers, I went over the embossed portions with Mossy Meadow and Old Olive inks to bring out the details of each tree. I then sponged around the trees with Pool Party ink to give more depth and variation to the sky in the background. I used my water painter to flick diluted white craft ink on the panel to give the look of fluffy falling snow. Our sentiment panel is diecut from Garden Green cardstock using the Peaceful Season dies and then the sentiment from Peaceful Season is heat embossed in white. The word Christmas is diecut from white glimmer paper using the Peaceful Season die. I thread the silver & white sheer ribbon through the ends of the sentiment panel and tied a bow on one end to affix it to the card front. A few adhesive snowflakes finish things off.
I just love this embossing folder and can think of so many other sets that could be paired with it to create some really beautiful scenes. But this design is super simple and easy to replicate and is definitely going into my rotation of Christmas cards this year!
Next week, we’re going to look at our designer papers a little differently. I hope you’ll tag along as we turn patterns that may seem seasonal into designs for all occasions.
Products used in today’s card: Basic White, Pool Party, Garden Green cardstock White glimmer, Take a Bow (coming soon!) DSP Peaceful Season stamps & dies (coming soon!) Painted Trees embossing folder (coming soon!) White embossing powder Silver & white sheer ribbon White snowflakes Dimensionals Adhesives
This week has come and gone in a flash! We’ve survived the first full week of school and are starting to feel like we’re getting back into the school year rhythm. Definitely looking forward to the weekend and having some down time!
And speaking of Fridays, it’s time for another installment of Sketchy Fridays, where each week we’ll be using a card sketch to design our featured card. Right now, we’re working through a full series of designs using the card sketches found on page 22 of the current Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog.
This week’s card is based on Sketch #12 and features several products from the new Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini catalog that launches on September 6th.
We get started on our card today with a base of Cherry Cobbler cardstock. Our background panel consists of a mat of Festive Glimmer paper and a sheet of the gorgeous new Season of Elegance patterned paper. Our focal images are diecut from Cherry Cobbler using the Peaceful Season dies. On our larger square, I’ve heat embossed the sentiment from Peaceful Season in gold. The word Christmas is diecut from Festive Glimmer Paper and Gold Foil using the Peaceful Season dies and then adhered with dimensionals. Our larger square is adhered with dimensionals to ensure the sentiment is front and center. A twist of gold trim and some drusy embellishments draw extra attention to our sentiment. I added a few earth tones shimmer gems around the cluster of focal images to help the eye pass across the design.
One of the fun things about sketches is remembering that they’re a starting point for your design. You can stick to the spirit of the sketch without compromising on an idea for using something a little different. Take, for example, the circles in the sketch. For this card, I wanted to showcase the new Peaceful Season dies, which does not have any circles, but look how beautifully the rounded squares work here in this layout. Dare to color outside the lines the next time you’re using a sketch. You’ll be glad you did!
Tomorrow, we’ll be in the evergreens. I hope you’ll pop by and check it out!
Products used in today’s card: Cherry Cobbler cardstock Festive Shimmer (coming soon!), Season of Elegance (coming soon!), gold foil DSP Peaceful Season stamps & dies Gold embossing powder Drusy embellishments, earth tones shimmer gems (both coming soon!) Gold trim Dimensionals Adhesives
This week, we’re getting a sneaky peek at some of the upcoming products that will release with the new Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini catalog, which officially goes live on September 6th. Today’s card features some of the new ephemera packs. What are ephemera packs, you might wonder? Well, the packs in the current lineup offer colorful words, images, and/or sentiments that are preprinted and ready to be added to your card. They’re a wonderful way to make beautiful cards when you are short on time.
For today’s card, we’re using a combination of the new Joyful Images Ephemera and Joyful Sayings Ephemera. We’re pairing them up with the new Take a Bow designer series paper pack and Sketch #5 from the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog. Let’s take a closer look at how it all comes together.
We get started with a base of Garden Green cardstock. Our striped banner background element is a sheet of the new Take a Bow paper that is diecut with the Nested Essentials banner dies using the extension method. The green spotted background element is another pattern included in the Take a Bow paper pack and is diecut using the largest square in the Nested Essentials set using the extension method. This panel serves as the backdrop for the focal images of evergreens and an elk from the Joyful Images pack. These adhered to the background panel with varying layers of dimensionals. Our sentiment comes from the Joyful Sayings pack and an evergreen sprig and pinecone are added to tie everything together. The sentiment is matted with a banner of Festive Glimmer paper and then adhered on the focal panel with dimensionals. A faux bow of Cherry Cobbler & Gold satin ribbon behind the focal panel adds another pop of red. A few Earth Tones shimmer gems add sparkle and draw the eye across our card design.
This card came together in a jiffy and I love having the ephemera packs on hand to make cute cards on the fly. I chose a more neutral theme for today’s card, but the pack has images that would make cute Christmas or winter-themed cards. We’ll take a closer look in the coming weeks.
Tomorrow we’re diving into the Season of Elegance suite, and I think you’re going to love it! Pop in and check it out.
Products used in today’s card: Garden Green cardstock Take a Bow, Festive Glimmer DSP (both coming soon!) Joyful Images, Joyful Sayings ephemera (both coming soon!) Cherry Cobbler & Gold satin ribbon (coming soon!) Earth Tones shimmer gems (coming soon!) Dimensionals Adhesives
Happy Wednesday, everyone! Halfway through the week we already are. As I mentioned on Monday, it’s been run-run-run around here as we adjust to our schoolyear routine. On that note, you may have noticed that I haven’t released a new Terrific Tuesdays video the last 2 weeks and that is why. We’ve focused on family time and getting adjusted to the new routine. I’m working on some new fun folds that I look forward to sharing with you in the next episode, so have no fear, new content is coming!
But for now, this week we’re sneak peeking into the new Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini catalog that goes live on September 6th. And today’s card design features a new bundle called Nests of Winter, which includes coordinating patterned paper, stamps, dies, embossing folder, shimmer gems, and linen thread. I really love when the dies and paper can be used together, and our card today showcases that beautifully. So let’s take a closer look.
We get started with a base of Shaded Spruce cardstock. Our background panel consists of two different patterns from the Nests of Winter paper pack. I paired the Garden Green stripe with the white birch pattern. I used the Winterly Treetops dies to diecut the bird elements. One of the patterns in the paper pack includes them both, and I liked the look of them both together on one card. Our sentiment from the Courage & Faith set is stamped in black on white cardstock and then diecut using the Greetings of the Season die. I carefully placed the oriole over the pre-punched hole in the die. I placed a twist of Shaded Spruce satin & sheer ribbon behind the sentiment panel to make our color palette more cohesive and added a few drusy embellishments to add sparkle and draw the eye across our design.
This suite would pair perfectly with the sketches in the Annual Catalog. And BONUS, there’s a whole new set of sketches in the Holiday Mini catalog, too! And I look forward to sharing more of this suite with you so you can appreciate just how wonderful it is.
Tomorrow we’re going wild with ephemera. Tune in to see how you can shortcut your way to beautiful cards!
Products used in today’s card: Shaded Spruce, Basic White cardstock Nests of Winter DSP (coming soon!) Winterly Treetops (coming soon!), Greetings of the Season dies Courage & Faith stamps Shaded Spruce satin & sheer ribbon (coming soon!) Drusy embellishments (coming soon!) Dimensionals Adhesives
Well, the kiddo had a great first day of school yesterday and now we’re just working on getting back into the schoolyear routine. Anyone else feel like that gets more challenging as they get older? For now, I’m just trying to stay afloat and keep all of the balls in the air. So things will be a little less predictable here in Song Sparrow land this week.
Speaking of this week, we’re on to a new card design series. Each day this week, we’re going to taking a sneak peek at items that will be offered in the upcoming Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini Catalog. And today, we’re looking at another pack of gorgeous patterned paper called Splendid Autumn. This 6×6 paper pack is another in the line of watercolor paper designs and, just like the packs that have come before it, Splendid Autumn does NOT disappoint! Each and every sheet is just stunning. And today, it’s standing front and center in this clean and simple card design. So let’s get a closer look at how this comes together.
We start with a base of Blackberry Bliss cardstock. I chose the bridal wreath wildflower patterned sheet from the Splendid Autumn designer series paper pack as the focal panel. The sentiment from the new stamp set called Winterly Tree Tops is stamped on white cardstock and then diecut using the new set of dies called Peaceful Season. I added some Blackberry Bliss gems to the center of each design on each end of the sentiment for a little added sparkle. Before adhering the sentiment with dimensionals to the focal panel, I added a faux bow of Cajun Craze and Garden Green linen thread behind. A few extra iridescent faceted gems and a little butterfly diecut from Graceful Greenery vellum diecut with the Painted Lavender die finish things off nicely.
I’ll be showing you more of the newest patterned papers in the coming weeks, but what do you think of this teaser? Is this paper not just beautiful?! Tune in tomorrow as we take a look at another soon-to-release paper pack, along with its coordinating stamp and die set. You really won’t want to miss it!
Products used in today’s card: Blackberry Bliss, Basic White cardstock Splendid Autumn DSP (coming soon!) Winterly Tree Tops stamps (coming soon!) Peaceful Season (coming soon!), Painted Lavender dies Natural Tones linen thread (coming soon!) Regal foiled dots (coming soon!), iridescent faceted gems Wink of Stella Dimensionals Adhesives
Welcome to a bright, new shiny week, crafty friends! It’s started off a busy one here for sure, hence the lateness of my post. Today is the first day of school in our school district. Don’t you find it funny when you’ve spent weeks with your kid picking out new clothes for school and kid then decides to wear things he’s worn a hundred times?!
This week, I thought it would be fun to tour the box of preorder goodies I just received for the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini catalog. So each day, I’ll be bringing you a sneak peek of items that will be available in my online store on September 4th. Ready??
We’re getting started today with some gorgeous designer series paper called Regal Winter. This paper pack is full of gorgeous floral images in hues of Berry Burst, Blackberry Bliss, Cherry Cobbler, Night of Navy, Pretty Peacock, Shaded Spruce, and Wild Wheat. And it’s even prettier in person! I have soooo many ideas running in my head for this paper, and I decided to start simple with one of my favorite fun folds. So let’s see how this barn fold comes together.
We get started with a base of Blackberry Bliss cardstock. This is scored so that our short edges meet in the center of the standard-sized card front. Our focal panel is matted in textured gold paper and I chose a sheet of floral pattern in Blackberry Bliss from the Regal Winter pack. Our sentiment panel is matted in a base of gold mercury vellum that has been diecut using the Greetings of the Season dies. The sentiment from the new stamp set called Winterly Tree Tops is stamped in black on white cardstock and is then diecut using the Unbounded Love dies. I tucked some gold greenery stems behind the sentiment panel, which are diecut from gold foil paper with the Painted Lavender dies. A twist of the new Blackberry Bliss & Gold textured ribbon helps tie things together. I added a few of the new drusy embellishments around the sentiment for extra sparkle and pizzazz, and let me just say, they call these gems drusy for a reason! (drusy: dru·​sy zē usually -er/-est covered with minute crystals : containing cavities lined with crystals)
Tomorrow, things are going to feel a little more like Autumn. I hope you’ll pop in and check it out!
Products used in today’s card: Blackberry Bliss, Basic White cardstock Textured gold, gold foil, mercury vellum, Regal Winter (coming soon!) DSP Winterly Tree Tops stamps (coming soon!) Greetings of the Season, Unbounded Love, Painted Lavender dies Blackberry Bliss & gold textured ribbon (coming soon) Drusy embellishments (coming soon!) Dimensionals Adhesives
Today we’re rounding out our back-to-school card design series with a cute set of little notecards that a dear friend of mine once referred to as lunch box lovin’. As the name might imply, these notecards are intended to be slipped inside a lunch box to let your kiddo or special someone know that they are loved and on your mind. I mean, who doesn’t love to get an unexpected pick-me-up in the lunchbox?!
A few months ago, I showed the cute cards that can be made using the Stampin’ Up! kit called By Your Side. This adorable pet-themed kit, whick will make 8 cards, includes a whole array of cats and dogs and ultimately leaves you a number of extra four-legged friends to use later. And these extras serve as the starting point for today’s featured project.
This coming week is the start of school in our district, and it’s another year of middle school for the kiddo. No longer part of the new kids on campus but not the top of the heap either, it’s that awkward middle year. So needless to say, there are still plenty of nerves surrounding a new school year. And I thought it might be nice to slip the kiddo a little note in the lunch box a few times this week to help him get through the first week jitters.
Our lunch box lovin’ cards all feature one of the cute leftover critters from the By Your Side kit, along with a sentiment panel and a few other leftover elements. The notecards vary in size based on the pieces I had left and how they looked once I started laying things out. I chose a piece of cardstock to serve as the base for each notecard and selected colors that would be a good neutral backdrop for each. The back of each card is blank for a quick note.
Leftover kit elements or Memories & More packs are perfect for these types of quick and simple projects. Just plop and go in a sketch and you’ve instantly got completed projects to bring smiles to long faces!
And speaking of smiles, who’s looking forward to some Holiday Mini Catalog sneak peeks? Tune in next week as we start dreaming of fall colors and cooler weather!
How is it Friday already?! Anyone else feel this way? Our last week of summer has just flown by. We’ve shopped for school clothes and last-minute supplies, cleaned out the backpack and started fresh for the year, set next week’s lunch box menu, and squeezed in some random fun. What do you typically do with your kiddos for their last week of summer break?
For this week’s Sketchy Fridays, we’re taking a little detour from the Annual Catalog and, instead, are taking a page from my personal sketch book. Our sketch is a little unconventional, but then again, so is today’s card!
Today, we’re continuing our back-to-school theme, and I just love how this card design came out! I knew that I wanted to make a design that included a backpack, but I definitely didn’t have a backpack image in my current product stash. So I started looking at everything a little differently as I sorted through sets again. And that’s when I realized that I could use the sled die from Sophisticated Sled die set to make it happen. Let’s take a closer look!
Our card gets started with a base of Basic Black cardstock. I wanted the focal panel to look like a wall in a classroom. Although difficult to see here, the focal panel is a quarter sheet of black cardstock that has been trimmed slightly on each side and then raised with dimensionals. I used the Bright & Beautiful patterned papers to help me create this look with the bottom of the wall being the striped pattern. And then I wanted the top portion to look like a bulletin board, so the star pattern is serving as the decorative border around the bulletin board and our printed sentiment is the inspirational message from the teacher.
To create our backpack, we’ll start with a quarter sheet of Pretty Peacock cardstock and use the top portion of the sled die to cut our backpack. Be sure to save all of the negative space pieces to serve as backpack pockets, and we’ll trim any portion of the bottom of the sled off to keep the look of a backpack. Using the die itself, I traced around the outside of the portion I used to cut the backpack and then fussy cut on my trace marks to create a base to which I adhered all of my pieces. This also creates a more realistic look of a stuffed backpack. I used my glue pen to adhere the outline portion and then I used several layers of glue dots on each of the “pockets” to adhere them and give them the look of having items inside. Using the letter “i” from the Alphabet a La Mode die set, I cut the handle for the backpack and adhere it using tear & tape. I used the handle for the toolbox from the Trusty Toolbox die set to create the backpack straps. The backpack is adhered to the background with dimensionals. I added a few stars cut from silver foil with the Merriest Trees dies to finish off the design.
Isn’t this the most fun? Our inside sentiment says “reach for the stars” so everything ties together nicely. I just love how it turned out!
I hope you’ll tune in tomorrow where we’ll be making some Lunchbox Lovin’. You won’t want to miss it!
Products used in today’s card: Basic Black, Basic White, Pretty Peacock, Crushed Curry cardstock Bright & Beautiful, Silver foil DSP Sophisticated Sled, Trusty Tools, Merriest Trees dies Dimensionals Adhesives
Song Sparrow Papercrafts 