Sketchy Fridays: Season’s Greetings

July 26, 2024July 24, 2024 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Whew, we all made it to Friday. Anyone have exciting weekend plans? I’ll be hosting a virtual Kit Together this evening where I will be assembling the Hello Hollyhocks kit. If you’re free, I would love for you to join me! Simply click this link to register and join in on the fun.

But for now, it’s time for the second 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, we’re using Sketch #2 and pairing it up with the gorgeous Seasons of Green & Gold patterned paper pack and coordinating Graceful Greenery vellum pack. Let’s see how it all comes together.

We get started with a base of Garden Green cardstock. Our background panel is a sheet of mistletoe paper from the Seasons of Green & Gold patterned paper pack. The focal panel consists of a mat of gold foil specialty paper and a sheet of greenery patterned paper, which is also from the Seasons of Green & Gold designer series paper pack. Our sentiment panel is matted with a lovely gold banner which is diecut from gold foil using the Greetings of the Season die. The sentiment from the coordinating stamp set is stamped in Shaded Spruce on white cardstock and then diecut with the oval die from Greetings of the Season. The tag holes in each of the sentiment panel pieces are covered with small bunches of mistletoe berries and sprigs of greenery that have been cut with paper snips from a sheet of Seasons of Green & Gold designer paper. Additional sprigs of greenery are cut from the edge of the same sheet of patterned paper, as well as a sheet of vellum from the Graceful Greenery pack. In conjunction with a twist of gold trim, the greenery serves as an eye-catcher for the sentiment panel. A sprinkling of rhinestone jewels across the card front draw the eye across the design.

Tomorrow we’ll be closing out our wintery designs in the snowdrifts. I hope you’ll stop by and check it out.

Products used in today’s card:
Garden Green, Basic White cardstock
Seasons of Green & Gold, Gold foil, Graceful Greenery vellum DSP
Greetings of the Season stamps & dies
Gold trim
Rhinestone basic jewels
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List

Garden Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[102584]

$11.50

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

$13.00

Season Of Green & Gold 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[164324]

$16.50

Gold Foil Sheets

[132622]

$5.00

Graceful Greenery Vellum 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[164118]

$10.00

Greetings Of The Season Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[164325]

$25.00

Greetings Of The Season Dies

[164112]

$32.00

Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad

[147088]

$9.00

Gold & Silver 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Trim Combo Pack

[161633]

$9.00

Rhinestone Basic Jewels

[144220]

$6.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Winter

Warm Hello

July 25, 2024July 24, 2024 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

I hope you’re having as much fun with the wintery designs as I am this week! Ordinarily, I would be escaping the Texas heat by dreaming of winter, but we continue to enjoy unseasonably cool, spring-like weather here in North Texas and I’m not complaining a bit!

Today, we’re learning a new fun fold to build this super cute snowy scene using Merriest Trees and the new Online Exclusive stamp set called Filled With Cheer. The double easel fold is a cute way to showcase sets that create scenes or just to draw attention to beautiful patterned paper and a sentiment.

We get started on today’s snowy scene with a standard card base of Lost Lagoon cardstock. In this case, we’re cutting the base so that our center fold is oriented at the top of the portrait-oriented design. Our double easel is created with a sheet of Pretty Peacock, which also serves as the mat for our patterned paper on each front-facing panel. The small tree patterned sheet from the Winter Meadow designer series paper pack is our backdrop for this snowy scene. Our tree is diecut from Pretty Peacock cardstock using the Merriest Trees dies, which are designed to layer on top of one another to create the look of a fluffy evergreen tree. Layers of dimensionals help provide our fluffy look even after our card has made its trek through the mail. A dab of Wink of Stella across the bottom of each layer of branches adds some twinkle. The snowman from Filled With Cheer is stamped on white cardstock and is then separated from the remaining portion of the stamped scene with paper snips. A touch of color is added to the hat, scarf, and nose of the snowman using Stampin’ Blends. The snowman is adhered on top with layers of dimensionals to ensure he stands out against the background elements. I chose the “warm hello” sentiment from Filled With Cheer and stamped in Versamark on the snowy vellum sheet from the Graceful Greenery vellum pack. It’s then covered with white embossing powder and heat embossed. I just loved the play on words with the melting snowman. *grin* The transparent dots serve as cover for the dimensionals under the sentiment but also serve as subtle snowflakes across the card front.

Isn’t this just the cutest scene?! Today’s card is a part of the Luv 2 Stamp Group Instagram Hop, which goes live at 9 AM Pacific Time (PST). Click here to head over to my Instagram feed and check out what the other demos in our L2S Group have created for you today!

Want to see this card come together from start to finish? You can watch the full Terrific Tuesdays video tutorial. I’ve also added a FREE printable tutorial. Click here to download the PDF.

Products used in this card:
Lost Lagoon, Pretty Peacock, Basic White cardstock
Winter Meadow, Graceful Greenery vellum DSP
Filled With Cheer stamps
Merriest Trees, Spotlight on Nature dies
Embossing powder
Stampin’ Blends
Wink of Stella
Transparent dots
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List

Lost Lagoon 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[133679]

$11.50

Pretty Peacock 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[150880]

$11.50

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

$13.00

Winter Meadow 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[162133]

$12.50

Graceful Greenery Vellum 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[164118]

$10.00

Filled With Cheer Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[164362]

$20.00

Merriest Trees Dies

[162047]

$37.00

Spotlight On Nature Dies

[163580]

$35.00

Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad

[101406]

$10.50

Versamark Pad

[102283]

$9.50

Basics Wow! Embossing Powder

[165679]

$21.00

Pretty Peacock Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154895]

$9.00

Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush

[141897]

$9.00

Transparent Adhesive Backed Dots

[163432]

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

[144108]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Holidays · Winter

Loads of Cheer

July 24, 2024 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

We’re already halfway through this week, everyone. Can you believe it?! This week, we’re taking a look at some recently released Stampin’ Up! products, and a few more seasoned sets, that make us think of much cooler and more festive occasions. And today’s featured product is a new Online Exclusive stamp and die bundle called Filled With Cheer. This set coordinates with an earlier release called Filled With Fun.

So our card today is combining the festive Filled With Cheer bundle with the Merriest Trees stamp set to create this really fun gift-filled scene. I also used a few leftover pieces from diecutting the base of the sled for yesterday’s card. Did you know that the negative space pieces for the sled base are perfect little squares and rectangles? And that gave me an idea. So let’s get started on our card.

We start with a card base of Pool Party cardstock. On the bottom-left corner, I stamped the largest tree from the Merriest Trees stamp set in Shaded Spruce ink and then stamped the detail stamp on top in Versamark. I applied gold embossing powder and then heat embossed the tree. The ink on the tree was still a little wet, so I had extra powder coverage that I hadn’t necessarily intended but decided to keep because I like how it looks like a flocked tree. Using the leftover pieces from the sled diecut from yesterday’s card, I wrapped ribbon around each and placed a bow on top to make packages. To give the effect of snow on the ground, we use the snowy sheet of vellum from the Graceful Greenery vellum pack and diecut using the cloud die from the Bright Skies die set. When adhering, we add dimensionals on some pieces to add depth to the scene and then nestle the packages amongst the snow drifts across the front.

Our wagonload of gifts uses the new Filled With Cheer set. On Crumb Cake cardstock, stamp the wagon from the set and then color using Stampin’ Blends. I chose to use Cherry Cobbler and Crumb Cake. Diecut the wagon using the Filled With Fun dies. On Very Vanilla cardstock, stamp the package and poinsettia image and then color with Stampin’ Blends. For the poinsettias, I used a combination of Cherry Cobbler, Shaded Spruce, and Pumpkin Pie and then for the package ribbons, I used Pretty Peacock and Night of Navy. Using paper snips, we’ll cut closely around the image and then adhere to the wagon so be sure you leave a long tab at the bottom of the image. I diecut the handle and wagon wheels from black cardstock and the hub caps from a scrap of woodgrain from Country Woods. The wagon is adhered with dimensionals with the placement to look like you’ve just wheeled up a wagonload of goodies to the tree. Our sentiment and strings of lights from Filled With Cheer are stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock. The lights are colored with Stampin’ Blends. The sentiment is then diecut using the long banner from the Greetings of the Season die set and the lights using the banner die from Filled With Fun. I finished things off with a scattering of white sequins to look like snow.

Isn’t this such a fun combination? I remember the excitement of our big family Christmas gathering when everyone brought packages inside to place under the tree. While we didn’t use a wagon to haul the gifts, sometimes we should have! *wink* Tomorrow, we’re going to be frolicking with Frosty with a new fun fold. I hope you’ll pop by and join in the fun!

Good news for anyone who didn’t get an order placed yesterday. Stampin’ Up! has extended the free shipping special thru end of day TODAY. So now is the perfect time to stock up on all of the items on your shopping list because a $75 order (and above) qualifies for FREE shipping and for every $50 you spend you earn a bonus coupon to spend in August. But don’t delay — the sale ends today!

Products used in today’s card:
Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Very Vanilla cardstock
Country Woods, Gold Foil, Graceful Greenery vellum DSP
Filled With Cheer, Merriest Trees stamps
Filled With Fun, Sophisticated Sled, Bright Skies, Greetings of the Season dies
Gold embossing powder
Stampin’ Blends
Gold & silver trim
Blooming pearls, neutrals sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List

Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[122924]

$11.50

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[120953]

$11.50

Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[121045]

$11.50

Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[101650]

$13.00

Gold Foil Sheets

[132622]

$5.00

Country Woods 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[163393]

$12.50

Graceful Greenery Vellum 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[164118]

$10.00

Filled With Cheer Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[164362]

$20.00

Merriest Trees Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[162043]

$25.00

Filled With Fun Dies

[163560]

$32.00

Sophisticated Sled Dies

[164133]

$35.00

Bright Skies Dies

[162793]

$34.00

Greetings Of The Season Dies

[164112]

$32.00

Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad

[101406]

$10.50

Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad

[147088]

$9.00

Versamark Pad

[102283]

$9.50

Metallics Wow! Embossing Powder

[165678]

$21.00

Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154880]

$11.00

Shaded Spruce Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154903]

$11.00

Pretty Peacock Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack

[161676]

$11.00

Night Of Navy Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154891]

$11.00

Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154882]

$11.00

Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154897]

$11.00

Gold & Silver 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Trim Combo Pack

[161633]

$9.00

Blooming Pearls

[162238]

$8.00

Neutrals Adhesive Backed Sequins

[161627]

$7.50

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

[144108]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Winter

Fun & Laughter

July 23, 2024July 23, 2024 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Our unseasonably cool weather continues here in North Texas, and I’m looking forward to taking a longer walk today. What do you do when you’re having nicer weather in your area? I like to take advantage of cooler weather in the summer, for sure, and aside from taking a longer walk, I hope to knock out some gardening-related things outside this afternoon.

This week, we’re focusing on winter-themed products in the current Stampin’ Up! lineup in anticipation of the new winter mini catalog that will be launching in September. Today’s card is actually a nod to an older SU! wood-mounted set called Home for Christmas. The main image in that stamp set included a sled leaning against a door with a snow-filled threshold. Anyone remember that one?

So we get started on this card with a base of Shaded Spruce cardstock. Our background panel is the Mossy Meadow polka dot pattern sheet from the Season of Green & Gold designer paper pack. The door is “built” using a sheet of lighter woodgrain from the Country Woods designer paper pack. The door is adorned with an evergreen wreath which uses Shaded Spruce, Old Olive, and Garden Green cardstock and the greenery sprig from the Sophisticated Sled die set. The greenery is layered in a circle to create a wreath and then affixed to the door with dimensionals. Our sled is diecut from Pecan Pie and gold foil using the sled dies in the Sophisticated Sled die set and then leaned against the door and affixed with dimensionals. I added a few rhinestone jewels to serve as the sled rivets. To give the look of a snowy landscape, I diecut the white snowy vellum sheet from the Graceful Greenery vellum pack using the cloud dies from the Bright Skies die set. The sentiment from Sophisticated sled is stamped in Versamark on Very Vanilla cardstock and heat embossed with gold embossing powder. It’s then diecut using the Autumn Leaves dies and then affixed in the center of the wreath with dimensionals. To help draw the eye to the sentiment, I added a few Blooming Pearls on either side.

Tomorrow we’re going to fill our hearts with cheer. I hope you’ll drop in and find out how!

Did you know that TODAY and today only, you can stack two specials on your order? With a $75 order, you qualify for both free shipping AND a $5 Bonus Days coupon. So if you’ve got items on your shopping list, now is the perfect time to order! Click here to head over to my online store and take advantage of these great specials.

Products used in today’s card:
Shaded Spruce, Pecan Pie, Old Olive, Garden Green, Very Vanilla cardstock
Country Woods, Season of Green & Gold, Graceful Greenery vellum, Gold Foil DSP
Sophisticated Sled stamps & dies
Bright Skies, Autumn Leaves dies
Blooming Pearls, Rhinestone basic jewels
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List

Shaded Spruce 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[146981]

$11.50

Pecan Pie 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[161717]

$11.50

Season Of Green & Gold 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[164324]

$16.50

Graceful Greenery Vellum 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[164118]

$10.00

Gold Foil Sheets

[132622]

$5.00

Garden Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[102584]

$11.50

Old Olive 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[100702]

$11.50

Sophisticated Sled Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[164340]

$24.00

Sophisticated Sled Dies

[164133]

$35.00

Autumn Leaves Dies

[162185]

$38.00

Bright Skies Dies

[162793]

$34.00

Versamark Pad

[102283]

$9.50

Metallics Wow! Embossing Powder

[165678]

$21.00

Rhinestone Basic Jewels

[144220]

$6.00

Blooming Pearls

[162238]

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

[144108]

$4.25

Mini Glue Dots

[103683]

$7.25

Add All to Cart

Winter

Let It Snow

July 22, 2024 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome to a brand new week! I can’t even believe that we’re quickly approaching the end of July already. Ironically, here in North Texas, we’re experiencing some unseasonably cool weather. It’s been so nice to not melt into a puddle as I drink my coffee on the back porch!

And speaking of cooler weather, this week we’re beginning a new series of card designs centered on the cool winter season. Stampin’ Up! has just launched a few new holiday-themed products and will be launching the full line of holiday products in August. So this week, we’ll be gearing up as I show you the early release products. And today’s card combines the Season of Green & Gold specialty papers with the new Sophisticated Sled bundle.

We get started on today’s card design with a base of Basic White cardstock. The background panel is a sheet of seasonal greenery patterned paper from the Season of Green & Gold designer series paper pack with a twist of iridescent striped trip and gold trim wrapped around the center. Our focal panel is a piece of snowy patterned vellum from the Graceful Greenery vellum pack. Our focal image is a series of diecut elements using the Sophisticated Sled dies to create the sled, skates, and greenery. The sentiment from Sophisticated Sled is stamped in black on white cardstock that has been diecut using a circle from the Unbounded Love die set. Things are finished off with some rhinestones across the card front to draw the eye across our design.

Tomorrow we’ll be decking the halls. I hope you’ll stop by and check it out!

Products used in this card:
Basic White, Pecan Pie, Old Olive, Shaded Spruce cardstock
Season of Green & Gold, Gold Foil, Graceful Greenery vellum, In Color Luster DSP
Sophisticated Sled stamps & dies
Deckled Rectangles, Unbounded Love dies
Gold, Iridescent Striped trim
Blooming Pearls, Rhinestone basic jewels
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List