Tag: With You in Mind

Techniques

Spotlight on Birthday

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome back, friends! I hope you aren’t giving up on me. I’ve had a string of weeks where things are just NOT going as planned. Do you ever have those? I’m about ready to trade up for something different. Whew! Between the day job and church music job, it has just been C-RAZY. And, of course, as we move into Holy Week next week, things will really ramp up before they calm down at all.

The kiddo’s birthday this weekend has me thinking of birthday cards today as we continue our spotlight technique design series. Today we’re using repeating text and emphasizing our focal point with ink as we combine the new Nature Walk and Wood Grain Wonders papers, which give us just the right masculine feel for this card.

We get started with a base of Crumb Cake cardstock to compliment our subtle woodgrain pattern in the background that comes from the Wood Grain Wonders paper pack. Our focal panel is two patterns from the Nature Walk pack and we start by cutting out our background mat with the Perennial Postage dies and then cut our top sheet down to size to form the perfect mat. For the spotlight element in this design, we’re using repeated text and I chose a sentiment that would leave a nice border on all sides. To determine whether this sentiment was going to work, I rolled it end over end down the center to confirm I could stamp the full sentiment 3 times down the front of the focal panel. I started stamping the sentiment in a lighter color that stands out just so from the background and stamped it on both the top and bottom. For a solid-color panel, stamping tone on tone works well. Here, I decided that Pool Party ink would do the trick. (In hindsight, I probably should have chosen something like Mossy Meadow for just a touch more color in the background.) And then I stamped the sentiment in Pretty Peacock in the center and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. HINT: you can make embossing powder any color you want by first covering your stamp with Versamark and then your selected ink color. The focal panel is adhered to the mat with dimensionals and then wrapped in linen thread that is tied in a small bow. Some sparkle dots and frosted iridescent dots are added to draw the eye across the card diagonally. The full panel is adhered to the card front with dimensionals. And it’s as simple as that!

Since I’m running on fumes this evening, I needed one of the simpler spotlight techniques and I really love the repeated image style when I want a simple and eye-catching design but have limited time to make a card. I hope you’ll drop in tomorrow to see what spotlight technique we use next!

Product List
Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 120953 ]
[120953]
$14.00
Wood Grain Wonders 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 167428 ]
[167428]
$12.50
Nature Walk 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 166912 ]
[166912]
$12.50
With You In Mind Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 169063 ]
[169063]
$20.00
Perennial Postage Dies [ 162607 ]
[162607]
$33.00
Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147107 ]
[147107]
$9.00
Pretty Peacock Classic Stampin’ Pad [ 150083 ]
[150083]
$9.00
Versamark Pad [ 102283 ]
[102283]
$9.50
Basics Wow! Embossing Powder [ 165679 ]
[165679]
$21.00
Linen Thread [ 104199 ]
[104199]
$5.00
Frosted Iridescent Dots [ 165766 ]
[165766]
$9.00
Sparkle Dot Essentials [ 166991 ]
[166991]
$8.00
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Botanicals

Blooming Thanks

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Happy Monday, everybody! I hope your week is off to a good start. I feel like the weekend went by in a flash. Anyone else hate the spring time change as much as I do?? I don’t know what it is about springing forward but it just doesn’t sit well with me. My poor body is doomed to be confused by the whole thing for at least another month. But onward and upward, I guess, right?

This week we are onward & upward to a new design theme. Except I would more call it a repeat theme with a twist. I enjoyed last week’s florals series in honor of spring so much and had many more ideas I didn’t get to that I decided it needed another week. So here we are enjoying another week of spring florals BUT we’re adding the twist of using a different sketch each day to get started. Today we’re pairing up the Lovely & Beautiful paper with Sketch 717 from the folks over at Freshly Made Sketches.

Our beautiful patterned paper is driving the bus on our color scheme today. We get started with a card base of Petal Pink cardstock. Our background is a sheet of the Calypso Coral floral pattern from the Lovely & Beautiful pack. Our front overlay panel is a sheet of vellum that folds over our card front and covers the sentiment panel and has one oversized flower in the center. When the see-through panel is closed, it nicely compliments the smaller foiled floral pattern underneath. We add some metallic gems and gold striped ribbon to this front-facing panel.

The smaller panel is the medium floral pattern with gold foiling and actually serves as our hidden sentiment panel. The sentiment from the With You in Mind stamp set is stamped in Versamark over the center flower in gold and is then heat set. Some pearlized faceted dots are added across the panel to draw the eye down and across.

What do you think of this fun variation on the sketch? I love the breezy feel of this card design. Can’t you just imagine yourself running in a field of wildflowers that are softly blowing in the wind? I hope you’ll drop in tomorrow to see what fun products we put together with our new design sketch!

Product List
Petal Pink 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 146985 ]
[146985]
$14.00
Lovely & Beautiful 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [ 166957 ]
[166957]
$16.50
Vellum 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 167099 ]
[167099]
$10.00
With You In Mind Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 169063 ]
[169063]
$20.00
Versamark Pad [ 102283 ]
[102283]
$9.50
Metallics Wow! Embossing Powder [ 165678 ]
[165678]
$21.00
Adhesive Backed Metallic Gems [ 163780 ]
[163780]
$9.00
Pearlized Faceted Circles [ 166978 ]
[166978]
$8.00
Gold Striped 3/8" (1 Cm) Mesh Ribbon [ 165599 ]
[165599]
$8.00
Mini Glue Dots [ 103683 ]
[103683]
$7.25
Add All to Cart
Botanicals · Online Exclusives

Delicate Thoughts

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome back for today’s bonus post. This week’s theme is all about spring as things here in my area are certainly starting to feel like spring, including last night’s storms! But with spring showers come spring flowers and isn’t that what we’re all in for?! Today’s bonus card is showcasing more of the Delicate Dreams suite as we pair the Delicate Dreams and Delicate Designs foil papers to create this lovely thinking of you design.

The layout for today’s card uses Sketch 276 from the Freshly Made Sketches team as the starting point. We get started with a base of Misty Moonlight cardstock. Our base layer combines the small blue floral pattern from the Delicate Dreams pack and the leaf pattern from the Delicate Designs pack and then separated with some Misty Moonlight and silver edged ribbon in a faux book binding look. Our focal panel plays double duty as our sentiment panel. The sentiment from With You In Mind is stamped in Versamark on vellum and then heat embossed with copper. The panel is cut with the Label Me Grateful panel die and then adhered over some leaf fronds cut with the same die set from a combination of earthen toned metallic and blue garden textures foil sheets. We finish things off with a combination of metallic gems on our sentiment panel and then blue opal rounds surrounding our focal panel.

This paper is just so beautiful that I keep turning to it. But I promise I’ll be branching out into some other goodies in the crafty stash tomorrow as we continue our spring design series! Hope to see you then!

Edited to add: would you like to know what happens when you get in a hurry to post your card because you’re so excited about how it turns out? You forget to actually insert it in your post. DOH!

Product List
Misty Moonlight 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 153081 ]
[153081]
$14.00
Vellum 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 167099 ]
[167099]
$10.00
Delicate Dreams 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [ 167498 ]
[167498]
$16.50
Delicate Designs 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [ 167509 ]
[167509]
$11.00
Earthen Toned Metallic 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 165901 ]
[165901]
$7.50
Garden Textures 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Foil Sheets [ 167125 ]
[167125]
$10.50
Label Me Grateful Dies [ 166111 ]
[166111]
$24.00
With You In Mind Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 169063 ]
[169063]
$20.00
Versamark Pad [ 102283 ]
[102283]
$9.50
Metallics Wow! Embossing Powder [ 165678 ]
[165678]
$21.00
Misty Moonlight & Silver Edged 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Ribbon [ 165931 ]
[165931]
$10.00
Opal Rounds Assortment [ 163298 ]
[163298]
$8.50
Adhesive Backed Metallic Gems [ 163780 ]
[163780]
$9.00
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Mini Glue Dots [ 103683 ]
[103683]
$7.25
Add All to Cart
Thankful

Thanks Abounds

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Although we were on the go most of the weekend doing the usual errands and chores, we got to enjoy some beautiful weather and time together. And sometimes that makes the most mundane of tasks a lot more enjoyable.

We’re on to a new design series this week, and it seems apropos to do some thankful reflection as Thanksgiving is quickly upon us. I don’t know about you, but outside of personal reflection on thankfulness this time of year, I also try to express words of thanks to others — be it friends, family, coworkers, or someone else who just deserves a word of thanks. So we’re getting started today with a lovely book binding fold that combines the Gathering Together paper with the Label Me Grateful dies and With You in Mind sentiment.

This lovely card comes together in a jiffy thanks to a layout that does all the work. We get started with a base of Early Espresso cardstock. Two different patterns from the Gathering Together paper pack serve as our card front and the inspiration for our sentiment panel. The sentiment panel base is a circle of vellum cut using the Spotlight on Nature dies. A variety of foliage is cut with the Label Me Grateful dies using an assortment of cardstock and specialty paper — Cajun Craze, Earthen Toned Metallic, and Country Woods. The sentiment from With You in Mind is heat embossed in copper on Very Vanilla cardstock and then hand cut with paper snips. The foliage and sentiments are layered on dimensionals over a twist of Mossy Meadow & gold trim. And we finish things off with a few green sparkling sequins.

What a perfect little card to tell someone they’re appreciated! I hope you’ll drop in tomorrow to see where our gratitude takes us for tomorrow’s crafty adventures!

Product List
Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 119686 ]
[119686]
$14.00
Very Vanilla 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166784 ]
[166784]
$14.00
Cajun Craze 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 119684 ]
[119684]
$14.00
Earthen Toned Metallic 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 165901 ]
[165901]
$7.50
Country Woods 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 163393 ]
[163393]
$12.50
Gathering Together 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [ 165969 ]
[165969]
$16.50
Vellum 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 167099 ]
[167099]
$10.00
With You In Mind Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 164747 ]
[164747]
$20.00
Versamark Pad [ 102283 ]
[102283]
$9.50
Metallics Wow! Embossing Powder [ 165678 ]
[165678]
$21.00
Label Me Grateful Dies [ 166111 ]
[166111]
$24.00
Spotlight On Nature Dies [ 163580 ]
[163580]
$35.00
Mossy Meadow & Gold 1/4" (6.4 Mm) [ 166158 ]
[166158]
$9.50
Traditional Sparkling Sequins [ 165875 ]
[165875]
$8.00
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
birthday · Sentiments

Birthday Cake

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome to the midway point of the week. Why does it always seem like the summer goes by in a flash? We’ve had a busy week this week with junior police academy going on, but the kiddo seems to be enjoying it and is learning a lot about what goes in to being a law enforcement officer. I love that he’s finding a new respect for police officers and ALL that they do behind the scenes!

This week, we’re designing our cards around sentiments. And you might be wondering why I chose this particular design theme, and I must admit it’s because I couldn’t choose a bundle or suite to feature. Lol! Seriously though, I find it challenging sometimes to use my sentiments in new or exciting ways and I always find design themes a great way to think outside the box. Today, we’re pairing up the With You in Mind stamps with the Wildflower Birthday pieces and Beautiful Bokeh paper to create this easy z-fold.

We start our card with a base of Sea Foam Green cardstock and score as usual and then score one side in half again to create our Z fold. I chose a sheet of Beautiful Bokeh that has a lot of colors from the Soft Subtles palette as my background. This sheet is cut into 2-inch strips, leaving just a little edge on all sides, and adhered to each of our panels with the inside panel having a base layer of white to which we adhere the Bokeh strip so that it peeks through to the front when the card is closed. Next up, we cut a focal panel from the blue pastel ombre glimmer paper using the Textured Notes dies. I chose a large cake and a few balloons from the Wildflower Birthday paper pack (punched from the tag sheet) as the focal images. The cake is adhered to the focal panel with dimensionals in the center toward the top of the panel. The happy birthday sentiment from With You in Mind is stamped in Versamark and Coastal Cabana on a sheet of Coastal Cabana cardstock. It’s then heat embossed with some glitter embossing powder. I cut around the sentiment with paper snips leaving a nice shaped border on all sides. The sentiment is adhered over the cake stand at the bottom of the sentiment panel on a double layer of dimensionals. I tucked the balloon strings behind the sentiment, adhering the tails with glue dots, and then popped up the balloons themselves on either side of the cake on several layers of dimensionals. The focal panel is adhered to the left panel of the card (when the card is closed), leaving the right side free-floating so that the Z fold opens cleanly. We finish things off with some In Color shimmer gems.

Tomorrow we’re making our own patterned paper to help feature our sentiment. Stop in and check it out!

Product List
Soft Sea Foam 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 146988 ]
[146988]
$14.00
Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 131297 ]
[131297]
$14.00
Beautiful Bokeh 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 164607 ]
[164607]
$12.50
Pastel Ombre Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 164851 ]
[164851]
$12.00
Wildflower Birthday 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [ 164591 ]
[164591]
$16.50
Textured Notes Dies [ 165555 ]
[165555]
$31.00
With You In Mind Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 164747 ]
[164747]
$20.00
Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147097 ]
[147097]
$9.00
Versamark Pad [ 102283 ]
[102283]
$9.50
2024–2026 In Color™ Shimmer Gems [ 163781 ]
[163781]
$8.50
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [ 144108 ]
[144108]
$4.25
Mini Glue Dots [ 103683 ]
[103683]
$7.25
Add All to Cart
Everyday Skies

Starry Thoughts

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Whew, today turned out to be just as busy as I thought it might be, but it was a successful day nonetheless. The kiddo scored an “excellent” on his euphonium solo and bowled above his average for his league games today. We took advantage of the glorious sunshine and perfect temps here in North Texas and rode our bikes around the park and played ball outside. And to top it all off, I got to steal a few moments in the craft room to bring you our last card of our Everyday Skies design series for this week.

We’re keeping things simple with a clean layout using the reverse sides of the Everyday Skies paper, which we have paired with the ever-lovely With You in Mind stamp set. And as a bonus, we’re getting a sneak peek of the new Textured Notes dies that will release next week. If you’re like me, you were crushed when Stampin’ Up! retired the Deckled Rectangles dies and wondered what you would ever do without them. Well, we’re all in luck as this lovely set of textured-edge dies hits the shelves in just a few days!

We get started with a base of Night of Navy cardstock. I chose the navy starry night pattern from the Everyday Skies paper pack and used the Textured Notes dies to cut our panel. I stamped the sentiment from With You in Mind in Misty Moonlight on a coordinating sheet of a lighter blue patterned sheet from the paper pack. I wrapped one end with some Misty Moonlight natural tones linen thread and tied a small bow and affixed the panel to our focal panel before adhering everything to the card base with dimensionals. I added a few silver stars just above and on one end of the sentiment panel. The stars are cut from silver foil using the two small dies from the Merriest Trees stamp set. A few rhinestones add that last little bit of twinkle.

This clean and simple layout is very versatile and allows you to make a whole variety of cards for a number of different occasions in no time. And as you can see, the patterns in the Everyday Skies paper pack allow for a lot of versatility, as well.

Next week, we start a new design series using the brand new Thankful Garden suite. You’re going to love it!

Product List
Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[100867]
$11.50
Everyday Skies 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper
[164622]
$12.50
Silver Foil Sheets
[132178]
$5.00
With You In Mind Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)
[164747]
$20.00
Misty Moonlight Classic Stampin' Pad
[153118]
$9.00
Merriest Trees Dies
[162047]
$37.00
Natural Tones Linen Thread
[164071]
$9.00
Rhinestone Basic Jewels
[144220]
$6.00
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Inspiration

Patterned Thoughts

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Happy Monday, everyone! For those in the U.S., happy Presidents’ Day. Did you know that the holiday we commonly call Presidents’ Day was originally established to celebrate George Washington our nation’s founding father’s birthday? It wasn’t until an ad campaign in the 1980s that the 3rd Monday in February came to be known as it is today as Presidents’ Day.

As we do each Monday, we’re introducing a new design theme today. I enjoyed last week’s textures & sentiments so much that I thought we would expand on the theme this week and incorporate patterns. So we’ll be exploring the combination of patterns & textures to highlight some of the wonderful sentiments in the current Stampin’ Up! lineup. Today we’re getting started with a more masculine-feeling design with a combination of the Timeless Plaid paper, Distressed Tiles embossing folder, and With You in Mind stamp set.

Our design gets started with a base of Early Espresso cardstock. I machine embossed a quarter-panel of Early Espresso with the Distressed Tiles embossing folder and then cut it down to serve as the backdrop for this design. I rubbed the panel with some gold ink to highlight the embossing. A strip of the brown Timeless Plaid paper is adhered to a piece of the gold-splattered text sheet from Nature’s Sweetness and adhered over the embossed panel. A 3×3 panel serves as the backdrop for our oversized sentiment. The square of textured gold paper serves as the mat for piece of the gold-splattered text paper that is adhered slightly off-center onto our card front. The sentiment from With You in Mind is stamped in Early Espresso on white cardstock and then diecut with the Countryside Corners dies. The sentiment panel is adhered over gold trim to the backdrop with dimensionals. A few drusy embellishments and low profile dots finish things off with a little sparkly pizzazz.

I love showing how designs can have lots of sparkle and still be more masculine-looking. Never be afraid to add some touches of bling to a masculine card design. Just think of it like the sprinkles on a cupcake! Tune in tomorrow for an “inspiring” design.

Product List
Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[119686]
$11.50
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[159276]
$13.00
Timeless Plaid 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper
[164678]
$12.50
Nature's Sweetness 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper
[162616]
$16.50
Textured Metallic 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper
[163772]
$8.50
Distressed Tile 3 D Embossing Folder
[162189]
$10.00
Countryside Corners Dies
[161471]
$28.00
With You In Mind Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)
[164747]
$20.00
Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad
[147114]
$9.00
Gold & Silver 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Trim Combo Pack
[161633]
$9.00
Drusy Adhesive Backed Embellishments
[164223]
$9.00
Low Profile Dots
[164658]
$7.50
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Inspiration

Blissful Thanks

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

This week, our designs feature texture and sentiments. It’s so easy to grab for the pretty paper, but our embossing tools allow us to add texture that can be just as stunning and eye-catching as a beautiful sheet of patterned paper. Today, we’re combining the Distressed Tile embossing folder with the With You in Mind stamp set.

Our design begins with a base of Blackberry Bliss cardstock. I machine embossed a quarter-sheet of Pool Party cardstock with the Distressed Tiles embossing folder and then cut it down to leave about one-third of the base showing at the top. I covered the seam between the two colors with a combination of Very Vanilla satin ribbon and Blackberry Bliss & gold ribbon. The sentiment from With You in Mind is stamped in Blackberry Bliss on Very Vanilla and then diecut using the Something Fancy set. The sentiment mat is cut from pastel ombré glimmer paper. I added some regal foil gems to the sentiment panel for a little sparkle. The sentiment panel is adhered over the ribbon with dimensionals. Some vanilla natural tones shimmer gems across the front finish things off and help the eye move across our design.

A fairly clean and simple design that packs some eye-catching punch, don’t you think? Tune in tomorrow to see where our design theme takes us next!

Product List
Blackberry Bliss 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[133675]
$11.50
Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[122924]
$11.50
Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[101650]
$13.00
Pastel Ombre Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper
[164851]
$12.00
Distressed Tile 3 D Embossing Folder
[162189]
$10.00
Something Fancy Dies
[160424]
$28.00
With You In Mind Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)
[164747]
$20.00
Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad
[147092]
$9.00
Very Vanilla 3/4" (1.9 Cm) Satin Ribbon
[164120]
$10.00
Blackberry Bliss & Gold 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Textured Ribbon
[164039]
$10.00
Regal Foiled Adhesive Backed Dots
[164038]
$8.50
Earth Tones Shimmer Gems
[164070]
$8.50
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Tear & Tape Adhesive
[154031]
$7.00
Add All to Cart