Have you ever thought about joining Stampin’ Up! as a demonstrator? Did you know you can join just for the discount?
Whether you are an avid paper crafter and interested in starting a business or you’re just into stamping as a hobby and want great products at a discount, being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator is for you. This community of creativity is supportive, encouraging, and just plain fun!
Beginning May 1st, Stampin’ Up! is offering an incredible discount for all new demos. Your starter kit will include 4 sets of In Color products for FREE, including ink pads, cardstock, designer series paper, and Stampin’ Write Markers! Your new demo kit will also include $125 worth of product for just $99 AND free shipping AND free business supplies. All of these FREE perks amount to a HUGE savings to everyone who signs up in May!
But more importantly, I would love for you to join my team for the camaraderie, encouragement, and fun we will share. As demonstrators, we get to preview new product, enjoy special product credits, receive FREE training, have access to demonstrator-only events, and so much more! Let’s put our creative heads together and share what we love with others!
We’re rounding out this week with our zoo pals at the theatre. Before my son was born, I spent quite a bit of time in theatres in my area performing opera, musical theatre, and sacred music. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being onstage, and I’ve been pleased to be able to return to some singing over the last year.
Today’s card actually combines two card designs that I saved in my inspiration folder quite some time ago. And I decided to combine them by using the barn fold fun fold to build the drama of waiting for the curtains to open and then starting the show.
We start with a base of Basic White cardstock. The standard sized base is scored so that there are two equal sized flaps serving as the card front, which creates the barn fold. A piece of Lemon Lolly cardstock and a strip of Basic Black serve as the background. Using the Zany Zoo dies, I diecut curtain panels from Pool Party cardstock. The curtain tie backs are cut from Distressed Gold specialty paper using the tie back die. The chairs are cut from Real Red using the base of the llama die. The silhouettes of the audience members are diecut from Basic Black using the llama and ballerina dies. The canned lights are diecut from black using the vase die and strips of vellum serve as light beams pointing to the sentiment in the center. The sentiment from Zany Zoo is stamped on white cardstock and then diecut using the Hot Air Balloon dies. The sentiment panel is adhered to the left panel of the card front using dimensionals.
The interior scene has another set of Pool Party curtain panels. The sentiment from Something Fancy is stamped in black on the center panel. The stage floor panels are diecut from Crumb Cake cardstock using the Filled With Fun wagon panels that I cut apart using paper snips. The base of the stage is a strip of black cardstock. The spotlight coming down center stage is a strip of gold vellum. The adorable ballerina is diecut from the Zoo Crew designer paper using the coordinating dies. I’ve placed her on a double layer of dimensionals to ensure she stands above the scene and really catches the eye. Things are finished off with some glitter sequins to reinforce the *magic* of the scene.
I’ve had a lot of fun taking our zoo friends on adventures this week, and I hope you’ve enjoyed tagging along! I’ll be taking a few days off next week to be with my hubby in the hospital. But I’ll be back with some more crafting goodness soon!
Products used in today’s card: Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Real Red, Lemon Lolly, Basic Black, Basic White, vellum cardstock Zoo Crew, Distressed Gold DSP Something Fancy, Zany Zoo stamps Zany Zoo, Hot Air Balloon, Filled With Fun dies Glitter sequins Dimensionals Adhesives
Thanks for joining me today for another Zoo Crew adventure. This week, we’ve been following along as the members of the Zany Zoo have taken their turns in the spotlight before they bid adieu one final time as the 2023-24 Annual Catalog retires. Today, we get to tag along with the birthday puppers as he celebrates a special someone’s big day.
The fun fold card is known as a double flap fold-over or flip top fun fold. I first learned this fold from fellow Stampin’ Up! demo Jackie Bolhuis over at Klompen Stampers. This fold is great when you have designer paper you’d like to showcase or perhaps multiple images you want to display in one card design. For this particular card design, I wanted to highlight the fun patterns on the backs of the Zoo Crew designer paper.
We get started with a standard base of Pool Party cardstock. I cut the black herringbone pattern so that there’s a quarter-inch border around each edge. For the fold-over portion, I chose a piece of Lost Lagoon cardstock. Most of the sheet serves as the front fold-over panel. I elected to have a one-inch portion serve as the anchor on the inside of the card base, which is covered by the message panel. The fold-over panel is covered with the white polka dot pattern for a nice contrast of dark and light. The focal image panel is a piece of Pretty Peacock soft shimmer paper that is diecut using the Perennial Postage dies. The cute puppers is fussy cut from the sheet of Zoo Crew designer paper and mounted on dimensionals. The sentiment from the Unbounded Love stamp set (coming soon!) is stamped on white cardstock and diecut using the Everyday Details dies. I added an extra layer of dimensionals to adhere the sentiment to ensure it stands out against the busy background. A twist of Pool Party crinkle ribbon and a few adhesive-backed glitter sequins finish things off nicely.
I hope you’ll pop in tomorrow to check out a fun way to use those Zany Zoo dies!
Products used in today’s card: Pool Party, Lost Lagoon, Basic White cardstock Zoo Crew, soft shimmer DSP Unbounded Love stamps (coming soon!) Pool Party crinkle ribbon (retired) Glitter sequins (retired) Dimensionals Adhesives
We’re tagging along with the Zoo Crew this week as they take a few more adventures before retiring with the 2023-24 Annual Catalog. I’m going to miss these guys! The stamps and designer papers have offered so many fun design opportunities.
Today’s card has us gathering with friends around a campfire. We get started with a base of Pretty Peacock cardstock. The focal section of the card consists of a background of two patterns of designer series paper — Inked Botanicals and Bright & Beautiful — and a piece of white cardstock. Using the outdoor adventure sheet of the Zoo Crew designer series paper, I fussy cut several characters, as well as groups of trees and several mountain ranges, to build this scene. Dimensionals help give the scene depth. The sentiment from Charming Sentiments is stamped on Lemon Lime Twist and diecut with the Zany Zoo banner die. A strip of the ribbon duo tied off with linen thread, along with the bits of sparkle from the sequins, tinsel gems, and glitter sequins, finish things off by moving the eye across the design.
Tune in tomorrow to see what our zoo friends get up to next!
This week, the Zoo Crew is taking us on one last adventure before they retire with the 2023-24 Annual Stampin’ Up! Catalog. These guys are so easy to incorporate into designs. I’m still a little surprised that this crew of adorable critters isn’t carrying over into the new catalog! Maybe we can all petition for them to stay on as Online Exclusives. *grin*
Today, the fox is riding in to bring some birthday wishes. We get started with a base of Lost Lagoon cardstock. The background panel is a piece of the Zoo Crew designer series paper cut so that there is a half-inch border on either side. Our cute fox is punched from the DSP using the Decorative Circle punch and matted with a slightly larger plain circle punched from a different sheet of the DSP. Both are then matted on a piece of the Lost Lagoon soft shimmer paper that has been punched with the 2 3/8-inch circle. The sentiment from Hot Air Balloon is stamped on white cardstock and then diecut with the Nested Essentials dies using the extension method, which gives just a smidge of added length to the banner to allow for the whole sentiment. I tied some Lost Lagoon bordered ribbon around the card and tucked it behind the focal image panel and then added some rainbow adhesive-backed dots to create a visual triangle between the focal image and sentiment.
Today’s layout is inspired by my upline and Luv 2 Stamp team leader Patty Bennett. One of the things I love about this card layout is how quickly everything comes together. This is a go-to in my sketch book. Do you have any go-to layout favorites?
I hope you’ll join me tomorrow for another wild Zoo Crew adventure!
Products used in today’s card: Lost Lagoon, Basic White cardstock Zoo Crew, soft shimmer DSP Hot Air Balloon stamps Decorative circle, 2 3/8” circle punch Nested Essentials dies Lost Lagoon bordered ribbon Rainbow adhesive-backed dots Dimensionals Adhesives
This week, we’re headed into the wild with the Zoo Crew. The Zany Zoo suite will be retiring with the current catalog, and I’m just a little sad about it. I love all of these fun critters and all of the many adventures they’ve had. So we’re tagging along for one last ride before the 2023-24 Annual Catalog retires.
What better way to celebrate a birthday than with a juggling koala?! Today’s fun fold card begins with a base of Granny Apple Green cardstock. The Zoo Crew designer paper provides our neutral black and white base panels, as well as our main character on the focal panel. The focal panel consists of a small panel of white cardstock, along with two circles punched from Bright & Beautiful and Hello Irresistible designer paper packs. The sentiment from Something Fancy is stamped on white cardstock and then cut with paper snips into a banner. A small strip of More Dazzle specialty paper adds some sparkle. The koala is elevated on dimensionals to ensure it stands above the scene and draws the eye to the action. The iridescent discs bring the eye to our focal panel and add some visual interest.
Tune in tomorrow to see what our zoo friends get up to!
Products used in today’s card: Granny Apple Green, Basic White cardstock Zoo Crew, More Dazzle, Hello Irresistible, Bright & Beautiful DSP Something Fancy stamps Circle punch Iridescent discs Dimensionals Adhesives
We’re wrapping up our week in the fields and flowers with a sneak peek of some product from the NEW 2024-25 Annual Catalog that Stampin’ Up! will release in May. The Unbounded Love suite includes gorgeous papers, stamps, dies, and embellishments.
No one really likes to have to send sympathy cards, but I do love knowing that I have designed a very personal card with the recipient in mind.
This design begins with a base of the NEW Pretty in Pink In Color cardstock. The focal panel is a sheet of the Unbounded Beauty floral paper pack. I really wanted this stunning paper to take center stage, so I kept the remainder of the card design very simple. A strip of the new Summer Splash In Color glimmer paper serves as the backdrop for the sentiment panel. The sentiment from the new Unbounded Love set is stamped in the new Petunia Pop ink on white cardstock and diecut with the coordinating Unbounded Love dies. The leaves are cut from the new Shy Shamrock In Color glimmer paper. A twist of the new Pretty in Pink bordered ribbon and silver trim and a few new In Color shimmer gems finish things off and really help draw the eye to the sentiment.
Next week, I’m planning to take things to the zoo — the Zoo Crew, that is. I hope you’ll come along as we bid farewell to one of my favorites from the 2023-24 Annual Catalog!
Products used in this card design: Pretty in Pink (coming soon!), Basic White cardstock Unbounded Beauty, 2024-26 In Color glimmer DSP Unbounded Love stamps & dies Pretty in Pink bordered ribbon, silver trim 2024-26 In Color shimmer gems Dimensionals Adhesives
We’re finishing off our frolic in the fields with a look at some brand NEW product that will be available in the 2024-25 Annual Catalog releasing in May.
The Thoughtful Journey 6×6 paper pack offers a whole array of watercolor images in soft tones. There are floral landscapes and beautiful abstract backgrounds. These papers will lend themselves to any number of occasions with ease.
Today’s card is a very clean and simple design. The base is white cardstock with a single strip of designer paper offset to the right side. I chose the lovely thistle pattern with soft tones of Petunia Pop and Pretty in Pink — two of the NEW In Colors. The sentiment from Simply Zinnia is stamped in Petunia Pop and heat embossed with clear embossing powder on a strip of vellum. A strip of white diagonal trim is tied around the bottom of the sentiment in a simple square knot. I finished things off with a small paper butterfly and shimmer gems in the new 2024-2026 In Colors.
Join me this afternoon as I give a quick preview of another NEW bundle of products from the upcoming 2024-25 Annual Catalog called Unbounded Beauty.
Products used in this card: Basic White, vellum cardstock Thoughtful Journey DSP (coming soon!) Simply Zinnia stamps White diagonal trim Clear embossing powder 2024-26 In Color shimmer gems Dimensionals Adhesives
Things have really begun to green up in our area and I’ve begun making treks to my favorite garden center to fill my patio pots. I really love having a yard full of color! For our growing area, I have to choose plants that not only like our mild springs but that really love the sweltering heat of summer. And one of my all-time garden favorites is zinnias. They come in a wide variety of colors, are fairly bug resistant, and don’t mind the Texas heat one bit — winner!
When Stampin’ Up! released the Flowering Zinnias suite in the latest Online Exclusives, I immediately fell in love with the designer paper. I wasn’t quite so sure about the stamps or dies. If I’m being honest, I didn’t immediately like the stamps or dies because I felt like they were a little too fussy and I was intimidated by the thought of trying to use them. But I was soon convinced that I needed them when I began seeing all of the drop-dead stunning designs my fellow stampers were making with them.
Believe me when I tell you that this card looks way more complicated than it actually is to assemble. The dies really do do all of the work for you. And just look at the stunning results!
We start with a base of Flirty Flamingo cardstock. I next diecut a quarter panel of the same and then embossed using the Zinnia embossing folder. This panel is cut slightly smaller than the card base. I then began diecutting flowers from Real Red and Calypso Coral cardstock using the Simply Zinnias dies. The flower centers are a combination of Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight. Next are the leaves, which have been diecut from Shaded Spruce and Old Olive. The smaller flowers are diecut from Lemon Lolly. The sentiment from Perennial Postage is stamped on white cardstock and then diecut using the soon-to-release Unbounded Love dies.
The embossed Flirty Flamingo panel is adhered directly to the card base. I next assembled the flowers. To assemble, I used dimensionals between the two flower petal layers. A large Zot glue dot secures the orange center to the top layer of petals and then I used a fine tip glue pen to add adhesive to the circle of small flowers that sits atop the flower center. For the smaller budding flowers, a glue dot adheres the flower to the stem.
To complete the card, I began by adhering the sentiment to the center with dimensionals. The red flowers come next and are also adhered to the card front using dimensionals. The leaves are layered underneath the flowers and secured with glue dots. The Calypso Coral flower is secured directly to the card base with a large Zot glue dot to give dimension to the look. The small stem of accent flowers is secured with a single dimensional, while the flowers themselves are held in place with glue dots. Shiny sequins finish off the design with some flare and a bit of sparkle.
I’ll be bringing you some BONUS content tomorrow of brand NEW product as we take a romp through the meadow using the gorgeous Unbounded Beauty and Thoughtful Journey products. You won’t want to miss it!
Products used for today’s card: Flirty Flamingo, Real Red, Calypso Coral, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Lemon Lolly, Shaded Spruce, Old Olive, Basic White cardstock Perennial Postage stamps Simply Zinnia, Unbounded Love (coming soon!) dies Zinnia embossing folder Shiny sequins Glue dots Dimensionals Adhesives
This week, we’re touring fields and flowers as we explore some of my favorite Stampin’ Up! products. And stopping to smell the lavender from yesterday’s lovely hillside was just too tempting. In fact, today we have a whole bouquet.
From top to bottom, the Perennial Lavender suite in the January Mini Catalog is one of my favorite releases to date. There is not one single element in the suite of products that leaves me wondering what I’ll do with it, which is honestly pretty rare for me. Portions of this suite of products will be fully retired when the new Annual Catalog releases. So if you’ve been on the fence about buying this suite, time is of the essence before portions of it are gone for good!
Being that Mother’s Day is just around the corner, it seemed fitting to design a card perfect for the occasion. Today’s card design begins with a base of Highland Heather cardstock. The focal panel base is a sheet of the Perennial Lavender designer series paper, and I have distressed the edges with my paper trimmers to give it a well-worn look. The lavender bunch is stamped on white cardstock using the Painted Lavender stamp set and then diecut using the coordinating die set. To give the fronds of lavender a more realistic look, I used three different shades of purple — Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape, and Fresh Freesia. The flower bunch is tied together with linen thread. The sentiment from the Perennial Postage set is stamped on white cardstock and diecut using the Thoughtful Expressions dies. I cut a coordinating mat from white glimmer paper using the next die size up. I added a paper butterfly to further soften the feel of the card and finished things off with classic matte dots and purple shimmer gems.
Later today, we’ll be enjoying another fresh bouquet. I’ll hope you’ll pop back by to check it out!
Products used in today’s card: Highland Heather, Basic White cardstock Perennial Lavender, white glimmer DSP Painted Lavender stamps & dies Perennial Postage stamps Thoughtful Expressions dies Paper butterfly Classic matte dots, purple shimmer gems Linen thread Dimensionals Adhesives
Song Sparrow Papercrafts 