Tag: DSP

Flowering Zinnias · Shop the catalog

Flower-filled Thoughts

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We’re spending this week getting to know the Flowering Zinnias suite by Stampin’ Up! This suite includes designer series paper, stamps, coordinating dies, coordinating embossing folder, and a package of embellishments. (See the whole suite here.).

Today’s card combines the designer paper and coordinating dies. I saw a similar design layout posted by Mitosu Crafts and just fell in love and thought why didn’t I think of that! Do you ever have those lightbulb moments when you see a design you absolutely love? It just seems so obvious to put it together that way.

What I love about this layout is that I immediately feel like I’m standing in a garden row of zinnias. I may have mentioned before that zinnias are one of my favorite summer flowers. If I had room to have a whole section of my gardening space devoted to zinnias, I most certainly would!

We start this card design with a base of Granny Apple Green cardstock. I chose the leaf and stems patterned sheet from the Flowering Zinnias paper pack and mounted it with a very thin mat of Basic Black. This full panel is adhered directly to the card base. Building the beautiful zinnia blooms is snap with the coordinating dies for this suite. I chose to use the new In Color called Peach Pie — a soft, muted orange. The flower centers are a combination of Pumpkin Pie and Lemon Lolly. I used a single dimensional to adhere the two petal layers together and then a combination of glue dots and glue pen for the centers and then finished each flower with a Pumpkin Pie shiny sequin. Having flowers disappear from the frame gives the feeling of looking through a window or looking a snapshot, and I just love that effect here. The sentiment from the coordinating Simply Zinnia set is stamped on Basic White and diecut using the Friends for Life die. The sentiment is adhered with a layer of dimensionals so that it stands tallest in the overall design. A few carefully placed Garden Green Blooming Pearls draw the eye down and across the design so that the eye rests on the sentiment.

What I love about this suite of products is how you can create designs that look intricate and complicated but are actually a breeze to put together. TIP: when making a card with the zinnia blooms, cut extra pieces to make your next card come together in a snap. Make it even easier by having fully assembled flowers in your stash!

Tomorrow, the embossing folder takes center stage. I hope you’ll come check it out!

Products used in today’s card design:
Granny Apple Green, Peach Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Lolly, Basic Black, Basic White cardstock
Flowering Zinnias DSP
Simply Zinnia stamps & dies
Friends for Life dies
Shiny sequins, blooming pearls
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Flowering Zinnias · Shop the catalog

Words Fail

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Howdy, everyone! The next two weeks are going to be pretty busy as my little wraps up another school year. How did a whole school year go by already?! It’s good to be back home and able to do a little crafting.

This week we’re going to focus on the Flowering Zinnias suite of products. When I first saw this product suite, I immediately fell in love with the designer paper, but I wasn’t really won over by the coordinating stamps and dies. But as I worked more with the paper, I realized what I was missing. So this week, I want to show you how much further you can take your designs with the coordinating stamp/die bundle.

For today’s design, we’re starting with a base of Melon Mambo. The two patterns of designer paper are both from the Flowering Zinnias paper pack. The background piece is cut 1/8-inch smaller than the card base and then I distressed the edges using paper snips. This piece is mounted to the card base using dimensionals. The zinnia pattern is diecut using the Spotlight on Nature dies and one small section is cut from the side for an off-set mount with dimensionals on the patterned background. I slipped some iridescent striped trim underneath to add sparkle and draw the eye. The sentiment from the Simply Zinnia set is stamped on white cardstock and then diecut using the Autumn Leaves dies using the extension method. I mounted the sentiment on Berry Burst glimmer paper that was diecut using the Deckled Rectangles set. I added Melon Mambo shiny sequins to finish things off.

Tomorrow we’re going to walk through the zinnia patch. I hope you’ll come along!

Products used in today’s card design:
Melon Mambo, Basic White cardstock
Berry Burst glimmer, Flowering Zinnias DSP
Simply Zinnia stamps
Spotlight on Nature, Autumn Leaves, Deckled Rectangles dies
Iridescent striped trim
Shiny sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Country Flowers · Shop the catalog

Previewing Country Flowers

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My box of goodies from the new Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog came a bit ago, but I haven’t had time to play with much of it just yet. But as soon as I took a look at few of the items I got from the new Country Woods Suite, I knew I wanted to start with those.

I really love the Country Woods designer series paper and chose to have it serve as the backdrop of this card design. We get started with a base of Basic White cardstock. The main background panel is a sheet of the lighter woodgrain pattern from the Country Woods paper pack. I diecut the sheet of Pool Party woodgrain from the same designer paper pack using the largest die in the Spotlight on Nature dies set. I stamped the stool from the Country Flowers stamp set onto the darker woodgrain pattern sheet and then diecut using the coordinating die. I stamped all of the greenery, along with the bucket and teapot, onto white cardstock using the Country Flowers stamps and then colored them with my Stampin’ Blends. I layered everything up with dimensionals to build a lot of different layers on the card front so that it gives it a more realistic look. I finished things off with some of the pearlized sequins from the Sequins Trio set and a double twist of the Iridescent Striped Trim. I chose not to have a sentiment on the front so that I could easily choose an inside sentiment on the fly once I’m ready to send it out.

This whole suite of products is fabulous. There are so many different ways that you can take it — masculine, feminine, shabby chic, country, and the list goes on. I’ve seen so many wonderful ideas that I’ve put in my inspiration folder!

I hope to bring you some more designs later this week, assuming we get to go home from the hospital.

Products used on this card:
Basic White cardstock
Country Woods DSP
Country Flowers stamps & dies
Stampin’ Blends
Iridescent striped trim, linen thread
Sequins trio
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Mother’s Day

Sure of Things Unseen

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Happy Mother’s Day, everyone!

Faith is being sure of what we cannot see is the theme of today’s card design. As a mom and, in particular, a mom who struggled with infertility, these words resonate a little differently. Faith has to become a part of your inmost being—to simply trust that you will carry a baby to term and hold that precious and healthy part of you in your arms and have the privilege of raising this baby to adulthood.

It is such an honor to be a mom! It teaches you so much about our Creator and His love. And it teaches you a lot about humility and faith.

Today we’re wrapping up a series using a sketch and a small stash of crafty supplies. I loved this sentiment from the Unbounded Love stamp set and thought it was the perfect compliment to Mother’s Day.

We get started on today’s card with a base of Berry Burst cardstock. I also cut a quarter- sheet and embossed it using the Dotted Circles embossing folder. To give a bit more definition to the embossed pattern, I used my finger to spread a very light layer of white craft ink over the panel. Once dry, which didn’t take too long, I cut the embossed panel to be just a smidge smaller than the card base. I cut a small strip of the Thoughtful Journey designer paper so that a small scene would be exposed and then adhered it to the right side of the embossed panel. The embossed panel is adhered to the card base using dimensionals, and the sentiment panel is also adhered using dimensionals. The sentiment from Unbounded Love is stamped on white cardstock that is diecut using the Autumn Leaves die set. I chose to stamp the word faith in Fresh Freesia ink to emphasize the word and draw the eye to the sentiment. I wanted to add a soft eye-catching element behind the sentiment panel and chose to diecut some sprigs of greenery from vellum using the Painted Lavender dies and then added a paper butterfly and some paper white sequins from the Sequins Trio.

I hope that you are able to enjoy this Mother’s Day—whether through a family celebration or a remembrance.

I hope to be able to post a little more regularly in the coming week, assuming we’re able to come home from the hospital.

Products used in this card design:
Berry Burst, Basic White, vellum cardstock
Thoughtful Journey DSP
Unbounded Love stamps
Autumn Leaves, Painted Lavender dies
Dotted Circles embossing folder
Paper butterflies
Sequins trio
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Clean and Simple

True Blessing

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Thus far this week, we’ve been exploring how a sketch and a few supplies can give you to terrific cards in no time flat. Today’s card is a slight variation on yesterday’s card design with a slightly wider designer paper section that begins on the edge of the embossed panel.

I really love this particular sheet of the Thoughtful Journey designer paper pack. The cedars set on the hill with the wildflowers down below reminds me of the prairie that was behind my childhood home.

This card begins with a base of Berry Burst. I cut an additional quarter-panel and embossed with the Eyelet embossing folder then cut the panel down to be one-quarter inch smaller, leaving just a small border behind on the base. I wanted to ensure that the beautiful embossed pattern stood out to compliment the soft white in the patterned paper, so I used my finger to rub a thin layer of silver ink over the top of the pattern. Then I adhered the designer paper panel to the right side of the embossed panel before adhering the full panel to the base using dimensionals. The sentiment from Unbounded Love is stamped on white cardstock diecut using the coordinating Unbounded Love dies. To draw the eye to the sentiment, I finished the card with tinsel gems and silver trim tied in a small bow.

Tomorrow, I’ll be rounding out this series with one final variation. I hope you’ll come check it out!

Products used in this card design:
Berry Burst, Basic White cardstock
Thoughtful Journey DSP
Unbounded Love stamps & dies
Eyelet embossing folder
Tinsel gems
Silver trim
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Clean and Simple

Sending Love

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When you’re low on crafting time, keeping things simple is key. I typically choose a simple sketch and a few coordinating supplies when I’m needing to make a card but don’t have time for lots of layers or fussy cutting. The beautiful thing about the products Stampin’ Up! offers is how wonderfully they coordinate to give you consistent results each and every time. And I don’t say that simply because I’m a demonstrator. It’s one of THE reasons that I became a demonstrator!

We begin our card today with a base of Berry Burst cardstock. The background panel is cut a tad smaller than the card base and then machine embossed using the Distressed Tile embossing folder. I decided from the get-go that I wanted metallic gold to be an accent color for this card design, so after embossing the Berry Burst quarter-sheet and cutting it to size, I used my finger to lightly rub metallic gold ink across the card front to bring out the gorgeous pattern. A two-inch strip of Thoughtful Journey designer paper is adhered to the left side of the embossed panel, leaving a small strip of the panel exposed on the left so that the pattern goes from edge to edge in the background. This whole panel is then adhered to the base using dimensionals. The sentiment from Country Flowers is stamped on white cardstock diecut using the Unbounded Love dies and it, too, is adhered with dimensionals. A twist of gold trim and a few gold Blooming Pearls add that bit of sparkle and bring out the golden hues in the designer paper. And a few In Color shimmer gems on either side of the sentiment ensure your eye lands here last.

Tune in tomorrow to check out a variation on this card layout that gives us a very different look but results in a card that’s just as stunning!

Products used for today’s card:
Berry Burst, Basic White cardstock
Thoughtful Journey DSP
Country Flowers stamps
Unbounded Love dies
Distressed Tile embossing folder
In Color shimmer gems, Blooming Pearls
Gold trim
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Fun Folds

Brighter Tomorrow

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Hello, friends! I hope your week has gotten off to a good start. Thanks so much for hanging with me as I took a little break to tend to my hubby who was in the hospital. I’m pleased to report that we are now home! And as the saying goes, there really IS no place like home!

Over the weekend, I had a small bit of time to play around with some of the products I purchased from the new Annual Catalog. I kept things really simple and used a few sketches that I pulled from my sketch book.

Today’s card is a faux fold-over fun fold card. The center section lifts up, just as a fold-over would, but this card is constructed entirely of the card base without any extra layers like the usual fold-over design has. The front panel of the card is cut to give you a large center section and the two small side sections are adhered to the card base so that, rather than the entire card front opening, only the panel in the middle opens. I like to call this a fun fold cheat because it has all the pretty and half as much work — haha!

We begin with a base of Petunia Pop cardstock, which is one of the new In Colors. The base is cut to standard size and scored in the center. After selecting a side to serve as the card front, cut a one-inch strip on each side of the card front, leaving a larger panel in the center. Be sure you’re only cutting from the bottom edge to the center score line. Next, choose and cut a piece of the Thoughtful Journey designer paper so that it is slightly smaller than the entire card front. Then cut a three-quarter inch strip from each side. This will leave you a center piece of designer paper that should lay perfectly over the entire center flap of the card front, leaving only the small border of Petunia Pop on the top and bottom. The sentiment from Unbounded Love is stamped in Petunia Pop and black on a piece of vellum diecut using the Nested Essentials set. It’s adhered to the center section using glue dots on each end. A few sequins and a paper butterfly finish things off and draw the eye across the card to rest on the sentiment.

I have a few more cards to share this week from my weekend crafting mini session and hope to get back into the swing of things as we settle into an appointment schedule here at home.

Products used in today’s card:
Petunia Pop, vellum cardstock
Thoughtful Journey DSP
Unbounded Love stamps
Nested Essentials dies
Paper butterflies
Shiny sequins
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Retiring · Zany Zoo

Celebrate with Confetti

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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

Retiring · Zany Zoo

S’more For You

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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!

Products used in today’s card:
Pretty Peacock, Lemon Lime Twist, Basic White cardstock
Zoo Crew, Inked Botanicals, Bright & Beautiful DSP
Charming Sentiments stamps
Ribbon duo, linen thread
Pastel sequins, Tinsel gems, Glitter sequins (retired)
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Retiring · Zany Zoo

Hooray for Birthdays

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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