January Mini Catalog

Florals for a Great Friend

I just love a good pick-me-up, don’t you? I think one of my favorite things about being a paper crafter and card maker is being able to send an unexpected note when the feeling strikes. Do you ever do that?

This week, we’re working with the Floral Delight paper and vellum packs. The designs are so cheery, but they also are versatile enough to fit a multitude of occasions. Today, we’re playing with vellum to make a sort of peek-through card front. I love the light and airy feel that the vellum gives to this design.

We get started with a base of white cardstock. For the card front, I cut all but 1 1/2-inches of the panel, which leaves a perfect strip to which I’m going to attach my vellum panel. I chose the sheet of small daisy-like flowers with the lovely blue background. To me, this allows the design to be for anyone — a guy or gal. I left a very small strip of the white cardstock flap visible because I like how it provides a nice visual element to tie in the center focal point background panel. The center background panel is a strip of the Floral Delight paper, which provides a nice visual break in our busy background and still ties in with our floral pattern. The sentiment from the Mixed Labels stamp set is stamped in Lost Lagoon and then diecut with the Friends for Life die and mounted on a strip of pastel ombré glimmer paper cut with the Changing Leaves die. The sentiment panel is mounted offset in the center of the white background panel atop some Daffodil Delight satin ribbon using dimensionals. From another sheet of the Floral Delight paper, I cut one of the smaller zinnia-looking flowers. I cut some additional cross-hatch elements from the pastel ombré paper using the Mixed Labels dies and placed them on either side of the sentiment underneath the flower. Riverside irregular pearls add some shimmer and draw the eye to our sentiment panel.

Tomorrow we’re going to play a bit more boldly with white space. I hope you’ll come check it out.

Products used in today’s card:
Basic White cardstock
Floral & Gingham vellum, pastel ombre glimmer, Floral Delight DSP
Friends for Life, Changing Leaves, Heart Shaped dies
Mixed Labels stamps
Riverside regular pearls
Daffodil Delight satin ribbon
Wink of Stella
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
January Mini Catalog

Just a Note Florals

Happy Monday, everyone! It was a busy weekend in our little neck of the woods. Between basketball tournaments and bowling lessons and the usual weekend activities, we were on the go the whole weekend. What about you?

We’re getting started with a new product theme for the week — Floral Delight paper and coordinating vellum from the new Stampin’ Up! January Mini catalog. This paper is so bright and cheery but is not limited to just happy occasions. It’s versatile enough to be used for your more somber occasions, as well. We’re getting started this week with a little thinking of you design.

We start our card today with a base of Lemon Lolly cardstock. I used the Floral & Gingham vellum sheet as the backdrop for our focal section of the card. To ensure that the vellum pattern isn’t lost, I used basic white as a mat. The focal section begins with a backdrop of the Old Olive screen pattern sheet from the Floral Delight paper pack. I cut a larger peony-type flower from the reverse side of this same sheet to serve as the focal image, tucking it behind the sentiment panel. The sentiment from the Mixed Labels stamp set is stamped in black on white cardstock and then diecut with the largest label die from the coordinating Mixed Labels die set. The sentiment panel is adhered over some Lost Lagoon soft cording with dimensionals. A few Lost Lagoon faceted gems and iridescent faceted gems add a touch of sparkle and draw the eye across the design.

Tomorrow we’re going to use vellum in an unexpected way. I hope you pop in and check it out!

Products used in today’s card:
Lemon Lolly, Basic White cardstock
Floral & Gingham vellum, Floral Delight DSP
Mixed Labels stamps & dies
Nested Essentials dies
Faceted gems trio, Iridescent faceted gems
Lost Lagoon soft cording
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
January Mini Catalog · Sketchy Fridays

Sketchy Fridays: Birthday Cake

Whew, we made it through another week. I don’t know about you, but it felt like the longest short week ever! Our littlest cat Chloe has given us a run for a money after getting fixed last week. Trying to keep a 7-month-old kitten from chewing stitches is like asking water not to be wet! We did our best but still managed to end up in the vet’s office late yesterday evening after she managed to bust open the bottom of her incision. Thankfully, it did not require emergency surgery, but she’s definitely not happy with the jumpsuit and new-fangled cone of shame we’ve acquired. *haha* But it seems like it’s going to keep her from making a repeat.

Now on to our crafty task at hand – Sketchy Fridays! For those of you who are new here, Sketchy Fridays is a weekly series where we’re 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 in current Stampin’ Up! catalogs.

This week’s card is based on Sketch #4 from the Stampin’ Up! January Mini Catalog. If you haven’t seen all of the sketches from the new catalog, you can download a FREE copy of the sketches here. Today, we’re pairing up the Wildflower Birthdays paper pack with some of the new pastel ombre paper to whip up a super quick and super lovely birthday card.

We get started with a card base of Berry Burst cardstock. Our background panel is a sheet of the pink/purple pastel ombre glimmer paper from the new catalog. A smaller, rectangular panel from the Wildflower Birthday tag and image sheet serves as the center grounding panel, and I added a twist of the gold thread around the panel to bring out the foiling in our focal panel. I used one of the larger image panel cards from the Wildflower Birthday paper pack as the focal panel and added a few of the flowers from the diecut sheet in the pack as our corner elements. I decided to use a ready-made sentiment from the Mixed Media Florals Memories & More kit and adhered it with dimensionals. A few Sunny Days iridescent dots across the card front really add the eye-catching pop that allows the eye to pass across our card design.

Tomorrow is dedicated to all things basketball as the kiddo’s school team is headed to a district tournament, so I don’t know whether the day full of games will allow for any crafty time. But here’s hoping!

Products used in today’s card:
Berry Burst cardstock
Wildflower Birthday, pastel ombre glimmer DSP
Mixed Media Florals Memories & More
Gold thread
Sunny Days iridescent dots
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
January Mini Catalog

Wildflowers for You

I love having a stash of cards that can apply to a myriad of situations. The new Wildflower Birthday bundle by Stampin’ Up! allows me to whip up beautiful cards perfect for any occasion. Today’s design pairs up the paper and diecuts to create this beautiful bouquet.

Our card begins with a base of Very Vanilla cardstock. I used the branch pattern from the Wildflower Birthday paper pack as the backdrop for the focal point. I chose the gorgeous floral bouquet from the diecuts included in the Wildflower Birthdays paper pack as the focal image. I wanted to bring out the more subtle details in the bouquet and ensure that the whole bouquet stood out against the subtle patterned background, so I cut a background mat out of the pink sheet of pastel ombré glimmer paper using the Spotlight on Nature dies and then adhered the bouquet onto the mat with a double layer of dimensionals. I added a twist of gold thread behind the stems and added a combination of gold sequins and In Color shimmer gems for that extra bit of sparkle.

This design allows for a last-minute addition of a small sentiment panel but very easily stands well on its own without a sentiment. I envision sending it just as it is and just love that the occasion won’t have much bearing on when and to whom I send it.

Tomorrow, we’re going to pair up our Wildflower Birthday bundle with a sketch. I hope you’ll pop in and check it out.

Products used in today’s card design:
Very Vanilla cardstock
Wildflower Birthday paper bundle, pastel ombré glimmer DSP
Spotlight on Nature dies
Gold thread
Neutrals sequins, In Color shimmer gems
Dimensionals
Adhesives

January Mini Catalog

Wildflower Sympathy

Whew, we’ve already made it to the middle of the week. I don’t know about you, but holiday weeks always throw me off. I’m pretty sure I spend the whole month of January wondering what day it is! *haha*

This week, we’re working with the new Wildflower Birthdays paper bundle that just released in the new Stampin’ Up! January Mini catalog. What I love about this bundle is how easily I can whip together a card, and with a busy schedule as of late, it’s the perfect solution! Today’s design uses the beautiful diecut florals and two of the elements from the tag sheet that are included in the Wildflower Birthdays bundle.

Our design starts with a base of Pretty in Pink cardstock. I used the smaller floral notecard from the tag sheet as the focal panel base and added two of the lovely pink foiled elements from the same sheet to lay behind the beautiful diecut floral bunch that sits front and center. The sentiment from the Mixed Labels stamp set is stamped in Melon Mambo on a banner of the Graceful Greenery vellum that is diecut with the Mixed Labels banner die. I added a few of the purple sequins across the front for some pops of sparkle and draw the eye across our card front.

Tomorrow we’ll be making a very clean and simple card front with our Wildflower Birthdays paper bundle. I hope you’ll pop by and check it out.

Products used in today’s card:
Pretty in Pink cardstock
Graceful Greenery vellum, Wildflower Birthday DSP
Mixed Labels bundle
Purple sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

January Mini Catalog

Hooray for Cake

The new Wildflower Birthdays paper bundle released in the latest Stampin’ Up! January Mini catalog is a fabulous addition to the crafting stash. This bundle includes double-sided foiled paper and coordinating diecut sheets. It’s a fabulous way to create beautiful cards on the fly. While this bundle doesn’t include sentiments, it affords you the opportunity to use the ones you have in your stamping stash. Or, as in the case of today’s card, perhaps you go the rebel route and create a design that doesn’t have a sentiment on the card front! *gasp*

We get started on our card with a base of Very Vanilla cardstock. The backdrop is a sheet of the lovely foiled Wildflower Birthdays paper in Pool Party. I wanted to create a party scene to impart the birthday theme, so I began with the gold banner and fringe draped at the top of our card front, which are adhered with dimensionals. To help the cake stand out and give the illusion of a tablecloth, I adhered a darker polka-dot rectangle from the Wildflower Birthdays diecut collection and then added the cake on top by adhering with a double layer of dimensionals. A few pink Party Dots finish things off.

What do you think of the rebel no-sentiment design? Fun, right? Tune in tomorrow for a birthday alternative that I just know you’re going to love!

Products used in today’s card:
Very Vanilla cardstock
Wildflower Birthday DSP
Party Dots
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
January Mini Catalog

For a Great Friend

Happy Monday, crafty friends! Long weekends always go by quickly, don’t they? This week, we’re starting a brand new design series using the Wildflower Birthday paper and embellishment bundle from the new Stampin’ Up! January Mini catalog. As the name implies, this bundle is great for birthday designs, but I hope to show you just how versatile this can be with a little ingenuity.

Today’s card design does indeed begin with a birthday design. We’re pairing up the Wildflower Birthday bundle with a sketch from the new mini catalog and some glimmer paper for a sparkly birthday wish for that special someone with a sparkly personality.

Our card starts with a base of Pretty in Pink cardstock. The background panel is a sheet of the foiled paper from the Wildflower Birthday paper pack that is matted with the Summer Splash glimmer paper. Our focal panel begins with a base of Pretty in Pink glimmer paper that is diecut with the Spotlight on Nature dies. Our focal elements are all from the Wildflower Birthday bundle. We layer up the slice of cake with a few of the foiled leaf fronds and place them over and around our sentiment panel. The sentiment from Mixed Labels is stamped in Melon Mambo in the center. A few gold low profile dots adorn the sentiment on either side. The whole focal panel sits atop a bow of gold thread. A few pink shiny sequins on either side of our focal panel help draw the eye in and add that extra touch of pink sparkle.

I just love this card full of sparkly fun – perfect for that friend in your life who is the life of the party! I hope you’ll pop in tomorrow to see another fun birthday design.

Products used in today’s card:
Pretty in Pink cardstock
In Color glimmer paper, Wildflower Birthday DSP
Mixed Labels stamps
Spotlight on Nature dies
Low profile dots, shiny sequins
Gold thread
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
January Mini Catalog · sketches

Timeless Thanks

We’re going to close out our week of working with the new Stampin’ Up! Hugs for Love bundle with today’s bonus card. I’m pairing it up once again with the Timeless Plaid paper, which is also a new release, and using Sketch #6 from the new January Mini catalog.

We get started with a base of Boho Blue cardstock. The background panel is a sheet of the Timeless Plaid in blue. I used the reverse side of the Pool Party plaid sheet from the same pack as the center background elements and punched the shapes using the To the Point Label punch. Although it’s difficult to see in the photo, there are very faint lines of Pool Party in the blue plaid sheet, making the Pool Party plaid sheet the perfect compliment to really draw out those subtle stripes. The sentiment panel is stamped on white using the Hugs for Life outline stamp and the sentiment from the Heart Shaped stamp set. The panel is punched with the To the Point Label punch. I tied some Night of Navy linen thread around the background panel and passed it underneath the sentiment panel. I added some rhinestone basic jewels and industrial trinkets to finish things off.

Next week is all about birthdays. I hope you’ll pop in!

Products used in this featured design:
Boho Blue, Basic White cardstock
Timeless Plaid DSP
Hugs for Love bundle
Heart Shaped stamps
Natural Tones linen thread
Industrial trinkets, rhinestone basic jewels
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
January Mini Catalog · Sketchy Fridays

Sketchy Fridays: Best Team

If you’re wondering what happened to the Sketchy Fridays post, well, the best laid plans for yesterday certainly went awry. Our newest furry friend Chloe went in for a spay yesterday, and surgery ended up being later in the afternoon. That means, we had to bring a home a very groggy and very needy kitten. And she was not a fan of the cone of shame at ALL, so we spent our evening trying to keep the precocious 6-month old from chewing on her stitches after taking her out of said cone of shame. Whew – that was quite a job! Soooo…suffice it to say, my plan to make my card for Sketch Fridays yesterday evening did not come to pass.

But we managed to work out a tummy wrap that protects Chloe’s stitches and lets her move about more normally. And she feels much better today overall so she’s a lot less needy. So we’re back to our usual routine for the most part, which has given me a little bit of time in the craft room. So welcome to Sketchy Fridays on Saturday. *wink*

For those of you who are new here, Sketchy Fridays is a weekly series where we’re 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 in current Stampin’ Up! catalogs.

This week’s card is based on Sketch #19 from the Stampin’ Up! January Mini Catalog. If you haven’t seen all of the sketches from the new catalog, you can download a FREE copy of the sketches here. For any of the sketches with tags, I’ve shown you how it looks to use the tag sketch as a card front. I think one of my favorite things about today’s card is the embossed glimmer paper. I love how adding some texture to the shimmery paper gives it a whole new look and feel!

We get started with a neutral base of Smoky Slate cardstock. The background panel of pastel ombre glimmer paper is embossed with the Plaster Painting embossing folder and then adhered to the card base with dimensionals. The focal panel background is a sheet of the Timeless Plaid patterned paper and is adhered to the background panel with dimensionals. The sentiment panel is made with the new Hugs for Love bundle. I stamped the shape outline in Pretty Peacock and the sentiment and hearts in Lost Lagoon and then punched the panel with the coordinating To the Point Label punch. I added a few gold hearts to the sentiment panel for a little extra attention and adhered the panel with dimensionals over Lost Lagoon soft cording. I added a combination of riverside irregular pearls and Sunny Days iridescent dots for some sparkles of interest.

I’m hoping to bring you one more design to close out our series on Hugs for Love, assuming the rest of my Saturday goes as planned. Until then…

Products used in today’s card:
Smoky Slate, Basic White cardstock
Timeless Plaid, pastel ombre glimmer DSP
Hugs for Love bundle
Lost Lagoon soft cording
Gold adhesive hearts, Sunny Days iridescent dots, Riverside irregular pearls
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
January Mini Catalog

Life Is Better With You

This week we’re having fun with the Hugs for Love bundle that released in the Stampin’ Up! January Mini catalog. Today, we’re playing with patterns with a mixture of stamping, embossing, and patterned papers. And I really love this combination of our featured bundle with the new Timeless Plaid paper, the Distressed Tile embossing folder & the Nature’s Sweetness foiled paper.

Our design today gets started with a base of Boho Blue cardstock. I used the Distressed Tile embossing folder to make a partial impression of the plate on the card front. Using the Hugs for Love label stamp, I stamped a repeating pattern in Early Espresso directly on the sheet of Timeless Plaid paper. A strip of silver trim is tied at the top. The sentiment panel combines the label stamp and sentiment from the Hugs for Love stamp set and is punched with the coordinating To the Point label punch. I cut 2 panels of the Nature’s Sweetness foiled grid paper using the largest Mixed Labels dies and used them to reiterate our patterns and ground the sentiment panel for emphasis. Using the Mixed Labels die, I cut a small grid detail from white glimmer paper and tucked it behind the sentiment, tying our sentiment panel elements together nicely. A combination of silver and gold Drusy embellishments pull together all of the shimmery elements, giving a cohesive look to the entire design.

Tomorrow we’re going to play with a sketch from the new mini catalog. I hope you’ll stop by and check it out!

Products used in today’s design:
Boho Blue, Basic White cardstock
Timeless Plaid, Nature’s Sweetness, white glimmer DSP
Hugs for Love bundle
Silver trim
Drusy embellishments
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List