Author: susanfoxbowen

Terrific Tuesdays

Wishing Peace

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Are you loving all of the design inspiration for using the new Painted Lavender bundle? I really love the entire suite of products that coordinates with this stamp and die bundle. And today we’re learning a new fun fold to show them all off.

This gorgeous fun fold is another one from Jackie Bolhuis over at Klompen Stampers. This fold combines a z-fold with a window card. And it looks far more complicated than it actually is, which I think is the beauty of it. One way to increase the versatility of this fun fold is to use different shapes to make the window panel. For instance, Jackie’s example uses a circle die but here I use the Thoughtful Expressions set. When you think about it, the possibilities are endless! You can download the full PDF tutorial over on my Tutorials page or click this link.

This card begins with a standard card base of Highland Heather. The inside z-fold panel is Gorgeous Grape cardstock. I chose two patterns of the Perennial Lavender designer series paper with the larger pattern on the card front and a smaller pattern for the two inside panels. The focal image is diecut using the Thoughtful Expressions dies. I adhered the front DSP panel before I diecut through and through. I simply flipped the inside piece over to use the solid Highland Heather side for the peek-through focal panel. On the smaller white vellum focal panel, I used the Painted Lavender stamps to create the small floral scene. The sentiment is from the Hills of Tuscany set and is stamped directly on top of the small panel. I adhered the butterfly directly to the DSP in a way that it looks like the butterfly is coming in to light on the tall sprig of lavender. A strip of iridescent ribbon on the bottom helps break up the pattern and draw the eye to center panel.

You can find even more inspiration for the Painted Lavender bundle in this week’s Terrific Tuesdays video.

Products used in today’s featured design:
Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape, Basic White cardstock
Perennial Lavender DSP
Painted Lavender, Perennial Postage, Hills of Tuscany stamps
Thoughtful Expressions dies
Paper butterflies
Iridescent ribbon
Blooming pearls
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Terrific Tuesdays

Simply Marvelous

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This week is all about the Painted Lavender bundle, which includes a set of lavender stamp images and coordinating dies. This bundle pairs beautifully with a whole host of products. And I hope to show you a number of ways that you can use this bundle as we explore various projects this week. Today we’re using a fun fold to combine the Perennial Lavender designer series paper with the Painted Lavender dies.

This cut and twist fun fold design, that I learned from fellow Stampin’ Up demonstrator Jackie Bolhuis over at Klompen Stampers, is super easy to execute and always a great way to showcase any number of terrific products — from designer paper to stamp bundles. You can find the PDF tutorial for the cut and twist fun fold over on my Tutorials page or by clicking this link.

Here, we start with a base of Blackberry Bliss cardstock. I chose three separate patterns of the Perennial Lavender designer paper for this card, working my way from largest to smallest pattern as you move left to right. A strip of Lost Lagoon crinkle ribbon serves to break up the busy lavender patterns on the left. The sentiment from the Perennial Postage stamp set is stamped on a Very Vanilla panel and matted with a vellum panel to soften the contrast between the patterned paper and sentiment panel. Both are diecut using the Thoughtful Expressions dies. The lavender stems layered behind the sentiment panel add some visual interest and are cut from Bubble Bath, Berry Burst, and Lost Lagoon cardstock.

Check out this week’s Terrific Tuesdays video for even more inspiration using the Painted Lavender stamps and dies.

Products used in today’s featured design:
Blackberry Bliss, Lost Lagoon, Bubble Bath, Berry Burst, Very Vanilla, vellum cardstock
Perennial Lavender DSP
Perennial Postage stamps
Painted Lavender, Thoughtful Expressions dies
Lost Lagoon crinkle ribbon
Foil gems
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Luv 2 Stamp Artisan Design Team · Terrific Tuesdays

Amazing Things

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I have really enjoyed working with the Painted Lavender bundle in preparation for this week’s Terrific Tuesdays video. And for today’s bonus post, we use a masking technique to create this lovely fun fold.

The Painted Lavender bundle is part of a larger suite of products called Perennial Lavender, which includes the Perennial Postage bundle we worked with last week, along with the Perennial Lavender designer series paper, paper butterflies, and purple fine sparkle gems which are all a part of today’s featured card.

I wanted to try using the paper butterflies ask masks and decided that a peek-through z-fold would be the perfect way to showcase a masked section. We begin with a card base of Lost Lagoon. I chose the sheet of Perennial Lavender designer paper that includes both flowers and butterflies in a tight-knit pattern. White cardstock serves as the base for the inside of the card and the peek-through section of the card. I used a larger and smaller paper butterfly as masks and inked over them with sponge daubers and Blackberry Bliss ink directly on the inside card base on the peek-through section. To keep a nice, even border on the left of the butterflies, I used a strip of washi tape to keep the sponged section just where I wanted it. Each of the butterflies are then flipped over to the uninked side and adhered to the front of the card. The sentiment from the Wonderful Thoughts stamp set is stamped on white cardstock diecut with the Nested Essentials dies. Two small butterflies from the Painted Lavender stamp set help draw the eye to the sentiment. Purple sparkle gems are scattered over the card front for pops of color and sparkle and to help the eye travel across the card design.

Interested in more inspiration for the Painted Lavender bundle? Check out this week’s Terrific Tuesdays episode for more designs!

Products used in this design:
Lost Lagoon, Basic White cardstock
Perennial Lavender DSP
Painted Lavender, Wonderful Thoughts stamps
Painted Lavender, Nested Essentials dies
Paper butterflies
Purple fine shimmer gems
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Terrific Tuesdays

Heart Tied to Yours

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We’re exploring all the ways we can use the Painted Lavender bundle to make stunning card designs. One of things I love about this bundle is how it coordinates with so many Stampin’ Up! products. Today’s card design is a perfect example of how you can pull a whole host of products together into a cohesive design.

This card design sits atop a base of Gorgeous Grape cardstock. The backdrop for the focal section is tone-on-tone, but to make it stand apart, this panel is machine embossed using the beautiful Elegant Eucalyptus embossing folder. I love how the shape of the eucalyptus fronds perfectly coordinate with the lavender stems in the strip of Perennial Lavender designer series paper. To ensure that this strip of designer paper didn’t get lost in the background, it’s matted with a strip of Bubble Bath soft shimmer paper. This adds the perfect amount of eye relief and sparkle for the focal section. The sentiment is from the Wonderful Thoughts stamp set and stamped on a vellum panel diecut using the Thoughtful Expressions dies. A few sprigs of lavender stems are diecut from Lost Lagoon cardstock using the Painted Lavender dies and tied together with some linen thread. A scattering of purple sparkle gems really draw the eye to the sentiment.

You can see a variety of other ways we used the Painted Lavender stamps and dies in this week’s Terrific Tuesdays video.

Products used in today’s featured design:
Gorgeous Grape, Lost Lagoon, vellum, Bubble Bath soft shimmer paper
Perennial Lavender DSP
Wonderful Thoughts stamps
Painted Lavender, Thoughtful Expressions dies
Linen thread
Fine shimmer gems
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Terrific Tuesdays

Terrific Tuesdays: Episode 9

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Welcome to a new episode of Terrific Tuesdays! Each Tuesday at 10 AM CST, I’ll be launching a new video where I’ll share at least three fun projects with you using current Stampin’ Up! products. Each week you’ll have the opportunity to receive a Kit to Go for FREE, and each Kit to Go will include the supplies needed to complete the week’s projects.

In this week’s episode of Terrific Tuesdays, we’ll be working with the Painted Lavender bundle, which includes a coordinating set of floral stamps and dies. We will pair this stunning bundle with the coordinating designer series paper, as well as a number of other stamps and dies, to make 3 fantastic cards.

How do I get a FREE Kit to Go?

To receive a FREE kit, simply place an order of at least $40 in my online store (excluding tax and shipping) using host code CKKVYAMB at checkout OR simply click on the link below to start shopping with the host code:

https://www.stampinup.com/?hostcode=CKKVYAMB

In order to qualify for this week’s free Kit to Go, all orders must be placed by Monday, January 22, 2024 at 11:59 PM CST and must use this week’s host code.

Each Kit to Go will make 6 projects (2 each of 3 designs) and includes the cardstock or designer paper required for the week’s projects. Any machine embossing, if applicable, will be done for you. If a die or punch is part of the week’s featured bundle, those pieces will not be included in the kit. However, any punched or diecut element outside of the week’s featured bundle will be pre-cut for you and provided in the kit. Per Stampin’ Up! policy, I do not include any stamped images in the Kit to Go.

For this week’s projects, you’ll need the following items in addition to the kit to complete the projects as instructed. You are free to make substitutions for any of the supplies listed below for items that you already own.

  • STAMPS: Painted Lavender, Softly Sophisticated, Hills of Tuscany
  • DIES/PUNCHES: Painted Lavender, Everyday Essentials, All That, Autumn Leaves
  • INK: Pretty Peacock, Pool Party, Lost Lagoon, Shaded Spruce, Highland Heather, Fresh Freesia, Gorgeous Grape, Blackberry Bliss, Versamark
  • EMBELLISHMENTS/TOOLS: Paper butterflies, embossing powder, gems, sequins, pearls, ribbon, scissors, Tear-n-Tape, adhesive, dimensionals, glue dots

Remember: If your order is $150 or greater before tax and shipping, do NOT use the host code. I want you to earn your FREE product from Stampin’ Up! AND you will still qualify for this week’s free Kit to Go!

Your qualifying order must be placed no later than Monday, January 22, 2024 at 11:59 PM CST using the host code CKKVYAMB in order to receive the FREE Kit to Go. Kits will ship no later than Friday, January 26th.

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Kits · Terrific Tuesdays

Last Day for Episode 8 Kit to Go

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Don’t forget… TODAY is the last day to place your order to receive this week’s Terrific Tuesdays Kit to Go! All orders must be placed by 11:59 PM CST and must use this week’s host code. Remember, if your order meets or exceeds $150, do NOT use the host code and you’ll still get this week’s Kit to Go for free!

This week, we made 3 masculine cards using the Heartfelt Hexagon bundle. To receive this week’s Kit to Go, simply place an order of at least $40 in my online store (excluding tax and shipping) using host code MRGZB6ZE at checkout OR click on the link below to start shopping now with the host code:

https://www.stampinup.com/?hostcode=MRGZB6ZE

Each Kit to Go will make 6 projects (2 each of 3 designs) and includes the cardstock or designer paper required for the week’s projects. If a die, punch, or embossing folder is part of the week’s featured bundle, those pieces will not be included in the kit. However, any punched, diecut, or machine embossed element outside of the week’s featured bundle will be provided in the kit. Per Stampin’ Up! policy, I do not include any stamped images in the Kit to Go.

For this week’s projects, you’ll need the following items in addition to the kit to complete the projects as instructed. You are free to make substitutions for any of the supplies listed below for items that you already own.

  • STAMPS: Perennial Postage, Heartfelt Hexagon, Zany Zoo
  • DIES/PUNCHES: Perennial Postage, Nested Essentials, Zany Zoo, Playing in the Rain
  • INK: Early Espresso, Bubble Bath, Blackberry Bliss, Balmy Blue, Blueberry Bushel
  • EMBELLISHMENTS/TOOLS: Stampin’ Blends, Wink of Stella, gems, pearls, ribbon, scissors, Tear-n-Tape, adhesive, dimensionals, glue dots

In order to qualify for this week’s free Kit to Go, all orders must be placed by 11:59 PM CST TONIGHT and must use the host code.

Did you miss this week’s episode of Terrific Tuesdays? You can watch it here:

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Luv 2 Stamp Artisan Design Team · Terrific Tuesdays

Thankful for Friendship

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This week, we’ve been exploring all of the fun designs we can make with the new Perennial Postage bundle. This bundle includes a set of cling stamps and dies that cut shapes that resemble postage stamps, and the stamps nestle perfectly within a coordinating die. 

Our Luv to Stamp Group team challenge for the month is to use designated Color Buddies. For today’s design, I thought it would be great to choose a buddy group to work with. I chose a neutral color palette with Crumb Cake, Pecan Pie, and Early Espresso.

Today’s card design also uses a new technique known as dry embossing. Dry embossing involves using your regular dies to emboss rather than cut. One very valuable tip I can pass along is that the way you build your “sandwich” on your die cutting machine absolutely matters to your results. I found a terrific article that discusses a whole host of die cutting machines and what order works best for dry embossing with each. And I wish I had found it before I made this card!

This card begins with a base of Early Espresso, which serves to frame the whole design. A piece of Crumb Cake serves as the mat for our focal panel and is embossed using the Softly Sophisticated embossing folder (currently available in the Sale-a-Bration catalog) to help soften the look and add a bit of interest. This layer is thinly matted with Pecan Pie, which helps to draw out the lighter elements of the stamped images in the focal panel. The focal panel is diecut from Basic White using one of the largest of the Perennial Postage dies. I wanted this panel to resemble a partial book of stamps. Using three of the smaller dies, I made impressions to create stamp windows in the white panel. The Planted Paradise stamps serve as the images for each of the stamps. I was careful to mask the edges of each of the stamp frames to ensure the stamp look really shone through. The sentiment is stamped in Early Espresso atop a strip of Crumb Cake and then cut into a thin strip with each end snipped at an angle. To ensure the sentiment stood out, I diecut a small Deckled Rectangle from Early Espresso to serve as the sentiment backdrop. A few iridescent foil gems add a little sparkle and help draw the eye across the design. I stamped a coordinating image and sentiment in the inside of the card to tie everything together.

Interested in seeing all of the designs we made this week with the Perennial Postage bundle? Check out Episode 8 of Terrific Tuesdays to see the 3 projects we made from start to finish!

Products used in today’s design:
Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Pecan Pie, Basic White cardstock
Perennial Postage, Planted Paradise stamps
Perennial Postage, Deckled Rectangles dies
Softly Sophisticated embossing folder
Iridescent foil gems
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Terrific Tuesdays

Beyond Measure

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I often find that starting the design process with a particular layout in mind helps things come together faster. For me, that often means turning to my collection of sketches. I keep sketches in a few different places based on whether I saved it digitally or it’s hand-drawn.

Today’s card design began with a sketch that I recently saved in my digital sketch file. This sketch is from the lovely folks over at Freshly Made Sketches. If you’re ever looking for a great repository of sketch inspiration, you should check them out!

So this card begins with a base of Blackberry Bliss. I really love how it pulls out the subtle purples in the sheet of Delightfully Eclectic designer series paper that is the backdrop for this card. The little images are supposed to resemble a mini picture wall. The mats for each image are diecut using the Perennial Postage dies. A strip of rose gold and white striped ribbon provides a little grounding for the small image panels amongst the busy-ness of the floral patterned background. The focal sentiment is fussy cut to accentuate the word “loved” in the sentiment. Some fine shimmer gems are scattered across the card front to draw the eye across the design.

You can see this design come together in its entirety in this week’s Terrific Tuesdays video.

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Terrific Tuesdays

Can’t Thank You Enough

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This week is all about the Perennial Postage bundle, which includes a set of sentiments and dies. I really love this bundle because it is so versatile, especially if you take a moment to think outside the box. Today’s card is a perfect example of taking a minute and realizing that those diecutting scraps on your craft table can make an awesome card!

This design began with the three narrow frames that were diecutting leftovers from other card designs. The combination of Mossy Meadow and Pebble Path are nice a neutral and allow you to go in just about any direction with the color palette. I decided to play up the neutrals and add an accent color with the pinky hues of copper and rose gold.

The base of this card is Early Espresso. The background paper is a sheet from the new Nature’s Sweetness paper pack, currently available in the new Winter Mini Catalog. This is the perfect backdrop because of its coordinating neutral color palette. The sentiment from the Perennial Postage stamp set is stamped in Versamark and then heat embossed using copper embossing powder. The sentiment panel is diecut using the coordinating Perennial Postage die. This panel is matted in Rose Gold specialty paper to accentuate the sentiment. A strip of Flirty Flamingo metallic ribbon behind the sentiment panel repeats the accent color and draws the eye to the sentiment. A scattering of copper brushed metallic dots finish things off perfectly.

Curious where the frames in today’s card design came from? Check out this week’s episode of Terrific Tuesdays and see if you can find them.

Products used in today’s featured design:
Early Espresso, Basic White cardstock
Rose Gold, One Horse Open Sleigh, Nature’s Sweetness DSP
Perennial Postage stamps & dies
Copper embossing powder
Flirty Flamingo metallic ribbon
Brushed metallic dots
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Terrific Tuesdays

Thank You Curtain Fold

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Today we’re revisiting a relatively new-to-me fun fold. One of our Luv to 2 Stamp team members shared this Curtain Fold with the group during the holidays, and I wanted to give it another try. The beauty of this fun fold is that it shows off both sides of a sheet of designer series paper, and for today’s card, I chose a sheet with a foil side for a little extra pizzazz.

A sheet of Pretty Peacock cardstock serves as the base for this card. The backdrop for the beautiful pleated fold is a sheet of the Tartan Foil paper, which is still available in my online store as an Online Exclusive. I love the pairing of the Lost Lagoon Tartan Foil with the Pretty Peacock because the tartan pattern really shows through with this color palette. The pleated fold is made with a sheet of the Nature’s Sweetness designer series paper and was actually the other portion of the sheet that I used for one of the Terrific Tuesday designs. The sentiment from Perennial Postage is stamped in Pretty Peacock and diecut with the coordinating Perennial Postage die. The sentiment panel is matted with a Pretty Peacock banner that is diecut using the Nested Essentials die with the extension method. A twist of gold trim and a scattering of Pretty Peacock and gold sequins add a touch of sparkle to draw the eye to the center fold and sentiment.

Interested in seeing the other designs we made together during this week’s Terrific Tuesdays episode? You can tune in here to catch it all.

Products used in today’s featured design:
Pretty Peacock, Basic White cardstock
Tartan Foil, Nature’s Sweetness DSP
Perennial Postage stamps & dies
Nested Essentials dies
Gold trim
Neutrals sequins, sequins trio
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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