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

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

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

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
January Mini Catalog

Sending a Big Hug

Here we are at the start of a brand new week. After a very chilly weekend in North Texas and the remnants of snow and ice still lingering in places even now, it seemed appropriate to start our new weekly series with today’s icey color palette.

This week, we’re going to be using the new Hugs for Love bundle that just released in the Stampin’ Up! January Mini catalog. This bundle comes with a stamp set and coordinating punch. And while it’s certainly going to fit the bill for your Valentines, this bundle is designed with versatility in mind. And I think today’s card is a great start at showing you just that.

Our card today begins with a base of Pretty Peacock, which pairs beautifully with the Timeless Plaid patterned paper that serves as our focal section background. A piece of the In Color glimmer paper is the perfect compliment to our plaid and really brings out the subtleties of the plaid pattern. Our Timeless Plaid panel is diecut using the Nested Essentials dies. The sentiment from the Hugs for Love set is stamped in Lost Lagoon, while the decorative portion of the panel is stamped in Pretty Peacock. A line of riverside irregular pearls catch the eye and compliment the pattern of our panel outline. The panel is then cut out using the coordinating punch and adhered over the Lost Lagoon & gold ribbon using dimensionals. A few Sunny Day iridescent dots bring the eye in to our sentiment.

Tune in tomorrow as we take a more traditional look at this bundle.

Products used in today’s card:
Pretty Peacock, Basic White cardstock
Timeless Plaid, In Color glimmer DSP
Hugs for Love bundle
Pretty Peacock & Gold ribbon
Riverside irregular pearls, Sunny Day iridescent dots
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
January Mini Catalog

Sketchy Fridays: Celebrate

We’re having SNOW much fun here in North Texas, where we’ve woken up to a layer of fresh snow. After a full day of sleet and snow yesterday, things were already well covered before it got dark and we all turned in. Not sure that it will hang around long this time, but it sure is pretty!

But on to the business that is happening in the warmth of my craft room. This week, we’re getting a look at the new suite of products called Mixed Media Florals. And today’s design is pairing the gorgeous paper with the coordinating Memories & More kit.

And it just so happens to be time for a new installment of Sketchy Fridays, 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 #2 from the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini Catalog because I just couldn’t resist how perfectly it tied all of the fun, and very different, elements from the Mixed Media Florals together. What’s fun about today’s use of the sketch is that it serves more as a jumping off spot for the design, and I really love how this design evolved as I began working with all of the elements.

We get started with a base of Flirty Flamingo cardstock. A gorgeous sheet of paper from the Mixed Media Florals paper pack serves as the backdrop for the focal section of our design. I used a strip of the Beautiful Bokeh paper to serve as the anchor for the focal section. A partial cut of the Spotlight on Nature circle from a sheet of the new pastel ombre glimmer paper serves as the oversized mat for the focal image and sentiment and definitely add some interest as a partial shape. The focal image is a sticker from the Mixed Media Florals Memories & More kit and is adhered over the mat using dimensionals. The banner and sentiment are also from the Memories & More kit and are placed to overlap both sections of our full focal panel to tie the elements together visually. I added a ladybug and some foiled gems to catch the eye and add some whimsy.

Tomorrow we’ll be closing out our Mixed Media Floral series with a super fun and simple design.

Products used in today’s card:
Calypso Coral cardstock
Mixed Media Florals, Pastel ombre glimmer, Beautiful Bokeh DSP
Mixed Media Florals Memories & More
Petal Pink foiled gems
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
January Mini Catalog

Amazing Florals

We’re sailing into the end of the week in grand fashion here in North Texas as we all – kids & adults alike – anxiously sit at home, in our comfy clothes, awaiting the impending winter storm. For those of you who live in colder climates, you may wonder why on earth Texans are always so dramatic when it comes to winter weather. I will simply say…hurry on down here and drive on the roads during a winter storm and you will understand! For one, we typically receive a mix of icy precipitation during winter storms, and for another, we have a lot of elevated roadways. And our only fight against impassable roadways is a special brining mixture that is applied to roads ahead of forecasted weather. As you can imagine, this doesn’t yield the best results. So…here we sit! But I’ll never complain about being able to mix my comfy pants with my business jacket! *wink-wink*

This week, we’re having a closer look at the brand new suite called Mixed Media Florals. If you choose the entire suite of products, you’ll receive 2 stamp/die bundles, designer series paper, the Plaster Painting 3D embossing folder, and embellishments called low profile dots. There is also a coordinating Memories & More kit. And today, we’re pairing up the Memories & More with the gorgeous paper.

This clean and simple card comes together in a matter of minutes and would be perfect if you need a gorgeous card in a rush. We start with a base of Balmy Blue cardstock. Our background panel is a sheet of the Mixed Media Florals designer paper. The focal panel is a smaller card from the coordinating Mixed Media Florals Memories & More kit. I love how the ladybugs in this panel really pop against the floral backdrop. The sentiment is also from the Memories & More kit and is popped up on dimensionals to allow a little room for the leaves that are diecut from Festive glimmer paper using the Mixed Label dies. I added some regal foil dots and wrapped some gold thread behind the focal panel for just a touch of subtle sparkle and to draw the eye across the design.

I hope you’ll pop in tomorrow as we continue to explore all the ways that the Mixed Media Florals products can go to work for you!

Products used in today’s card:
Balmy Blue cardstock
Mixed Media Florals DSP
Mixed Media Florals Memories & More
Mixed Labels dies
Gold thread
Regal foil dots
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
January Mini Catalog

You’ve Got This

Guess what today is?! It’s new catalog launch day! That’s right, today the Stampin’ Up! January Mini and Sale-a-Bration catalogs are officially live. Have you checked out the new products yet and made your shopping list?

Speaking of the new goodies, this week we’re taking a closer look at the brand new Mixed Media Florals suite. And today, I’m pairing it up with the gorgeous new Everyday Skies paper. One of the many designs that popped to mind when I saw this paper was laying in the summer grass and flowers and staring up at the sky. And that’s what we’re recreating in today’s design.

We get started with a base of Pool Party cardstock. Our backdrop is the summer sky from the Everyday Skies paper pack. I used the Mixed Florals dies to cut the grass from Shaded Spruce cardstock. I stamped the daisy bunch from the Mixed Florals stamp set on white cardstock, colored with Stampin’ Blends, and then diecut with coordinating die. To help the flowers stand out against our grassy background, I mounted them with dimensionals over the grass in the center of the card. I tied some Fresh Freesia seam binding ribbon around the base of the greenery with a little assistance from the Night of Navy thread. I really love how the Fresh Freesia ribbon brings out the lovely pink and purple undertones in the sky. The sentiment from Mixed Labels is stamped on white cardstock and then diecut with the smaller banner die from the Peaceful Season die set. I used a few purple sequins to add a little touch of pinkish-purple sparkle to our scene.

I love how quickly this card design comes together and how it brought the picture in my mind’s eye to life! I hope you’ll pop in tomorrow when we add the new Memories & More pack to the mix.

Products used in this design:
Pool Party, Shaded Spruce, Basic White cardstock
Everyday Skies DSP
Mixed Media Florals stamps & dies
Peaceful Season dies
Stampin’ Blends
Fresh Freesia seam binding ribbon
Purple sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List
Coming Soon · January Mini Catalog

Because I Care

Here we are — already beginning a fresh week of the new year. I was able to enjoy a little down time last week with a more relaxed work schedule, and I always find it funny how quickly that time passes by. I’m back in the office this week and the kiddo is back to school.

This week, the new Stampin’ Up! January Mini catalog will launch, and we’re continuing to get a closer look at some of the fabulous products that will be available. In particular, this week we are going to be focusing on the Mixed Media Florals suite of products. And today, we’re pairing up the stamps & dies with the lovely new Floral Delight designer series paper.

We get started today with a base of Lemon Lolly cardstock. I chose a smaller floral pattern from the Floral Delight paper pack as the backdrop for our focal panel. The focal panel base is a circle of blue gingham vellum from the coordinating Floral & Gingham vellum pack that I cut with the Spotlight on Nature dies. The floral bunch is stamped on white cardstock with the Mixed Florals stamp and then colored with Stampin’ Blends before being diecut with the coordinating die from the Mixed Florals dies. The sentiment mat is a lovely banner cut from Crushed Curry cardstock using the Mixed Labels die, which really helps our white sentiment panel pop. The sentiment from Mixed Labels is stamped in Lost Lagoon and then cut using the coordinating small banner die from Mixed Labels. Some Lost Lagoon soft cording and Daffodil Delight narrow satin ribbon tie our color palette together. A few riverside irregular pearls guide the eye across our card design.

I hope you’ll join me tomorrow where we’ll look at a few of the other stamps and dies in this terrific product suite!

Products used in today’s design:
Lemon Lolly, Crushed Curry, Basic White cardstock
Floral Delight DSP & vellum (coming soon)
Mixed Media Florals stamps & dies (coming soon)
Mixed Labels stamps & dies (coming soon)
Spotlight on Nature, Heart Shaped (coming soon) dies
Stampin’ Blends
Lost Lagoon soft cording, Daffodil Delight satin ribbon (coming soon)
Riverside irregular pearls
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List