March 2021

Friends are Like Seashells

4 Comments / Just Because Cards / March 12, 2021

Good friends are like those rare and beautiful seashells and if you are lucky, you will find a few gems that will stick with you through thick and thin. Over the years I have had the pleasure to meet many good people and am more blessed to call those closest to me friends. Stampin’ UP! has been a huge part of my being able to make and keep good friends.

Today’s card honors all the beloved friends in our lives, those here with us and those who have passed before us. If you are lucky enough to have good friends in your life, send them a simply beautiful card today!

Begin with a Rococo Rose base that measures 5½ x 8½. In landscape position, (aka the long side) score at 4¼”. Fold and burnish.
Cut a 4 1/8 x 5 3/8” piece of Basic Black cardstock and layer it to the front of the card base.
Use the Stampin’ Cut and Emboss machine to dry emboss a 4 x 5 ¼” piece of Very Vanilla with the Seashells embossing folder and attach it to the Basic Black panel on the card front.
Cut a 2 3/8 x 3 3/8” piece of Very Vanilla cardstock and using the sponge dauber, sponge the lower portion in Crumb Cake for sand, the middle section in Balmy Blue for the ocean and a mixt of Balmy Blue and Blushing Bride for the sky.
Use Soft Suede to stamp speckles in the sand area. Stamp one of the medium sized seashell in Soft Suede on a scrap of very vanilla, cut it out and attach to the vanilla layer.
Stamp the sentiment in Memento Black ink in the upper left corner.
Cut a 2 ½ x 3 ½” piece of Rococo Rose cardstock and a 2 ½ x 3 ½” piece of Basic Black cardstock. Layer the vanilla sand scene to the black and Rococo Rose as pictured.

Stamp the inside with a sentiment of your choice. I stamped mine from the Friends are Like Seashells bundle in Memento Black ink.

I hope you enjoyed this card, don’t forget to leave a comment, I am always happy to hear from you. This bundle is available until the end of June and can be found in the January -June mini catalog.

Friends are Like Seashells Bundle
#156205 $54

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Art Gallery Bundle Thinking of You

Flowers-Birds-Butterflies-Nature, Thinking of You / March 11, 2021

Spring is just around the corner and if you have the Art Gallery bundle then you know that beauty is already in bloom in your craft room. These two-step flower stamps look great in every color and my card today features Highland Heather and Gorgeous Grape.

Begin with a Basic White base that measures 5½ x 8½. In landscape position, (aka the long side) score at 4¼”. Fold and burnish.
Cut a 4 x 5 1/4” piece of Highland Heather cardstock and use the Stampin’ Cut and Emboss machine, dry emboss it using the Dainty Diamonds embossing folder and attach it to the card front.
Cut a Basic White oval using the Layering Oval dies and layer it in the center of the card front on the Highland Heather panel.
Stamp the leaves in Mossy Meadow and the two step flower stamps in Highland Heather and Gorgeous Grape, cutting them out using the dies in the Art Gallery bundle and attach to the oval.
Stamp the greeting in Gorgeous Grape ink on a piece of Basic White cardstock and crop with the coordinating rippled die.
Use Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals to attach the greeting to the lower portion of the oval.
Add three Pastel Pearls to complete your masterpiece. The Pastel Pearls are picture on page 19 in the January-June 2021 catalog.

Don’t forget about the designer series paper and all the pretty painted patterns just bursting with color. It is also a great way to add color to your projects.

**Fine Art Floral Designer Series Paper**

Highland Heather Cardstock
#146986 $8.75

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Be As Bold As Your Lipstick!

Paper Crafting Ideas / March 10, 2021

I love the Dressed to Impress stamp set and matching dies in the annual catalog, but I have to admit, I don’t wear lipstick. I don’t even wear make-up for that matter. When I was younger, I thought sleeping that extra 30 minutes was worth not wearing make-up.

Before the coronavirus hit, I would head to the gym first thing in the morning to swim laps. Sometimes I would swim at lunch so I guess I just never had time to do make-up. And now that we wear masks most of the time who is ever going to notice. Right?

So while I don’t really wear lipstick, I had fun making this card and I do hope you enjoy it. The first image is a clean and simple version and the second image is a bit stepped up with an additional stamp from the Dress to Impress set. Note, the black border around the card is just for viewing purposes and is not part of the actual card.

Which one do you like the best? Feel free to leave me a comment!

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Begin with a Basic White base that measures 5½ x 8½. In landscape position, (aka the long side) score at 4¼”. Fold and burnish.
Cut a 2¾ x 4” piece of designer series paper from the True Love designer series paper pack and attach it to the left side of the card base leaving a small white border all around.
Next cut a 2 ½ x 3 ¾” piece of Basic Black cardstock and layer it near the bottom right of the card front overlapping the designer series paper.
Stamp the greeting on a scrap piece of Basic White cardstock in Memento Black ink and punch it out with the Rectangular Postage Punch. Stamp the accent in Poppy Parade ink.
Stamp the perfume bottle in Memento Black ink on a scrap of Basic White cardstock and the colored accent stamp in Poppy Parade ink. I stamped off first to give it a lighter look. Use the Stampin’ Cut and Emboss machine and the perfume matching die from All Dressed Up to crop the bottle.
Stamp the lipstick in Stazon ink and use the water painters with Poppy Parade ink to color the lipstick. It is important to use Stazon ink when working with the water painters so the color will not bleed.

Card #2 is exactly the same, I just added the black dots with memento black ink and a stamp included in the set to the right side of the card front.

I hope you have a blessed day and are filled with confidence to create something beautiful to share with others.

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A Special Anniversary!

Anniversary & Love-Weddings / March 8, 2021

You have to check out the new Butterfly Brilliance Collection. Trust me you will not be disappointed. This collection is available now through May 3rd. Here are just a few card ideas that will help get your creative juices flowing.

You know how whenever you buy a pack of paper there is typically one or two sheets that aren’t your favorite? Well, not this pack I absolutely love every sheet!!!

Seriously, they are all so beautiful and today’s card was created using two sheets from the Butterfly Bijou paper pack. I also used the dies from the Butterfly Brilliance Bundle.

This card will be going to my sister-in-law and her husband in Virginia Beach who will be celebrating a very special anniversary later this month.

Begin with a Mint Macron base that measures 5½ x 8½. In landscape position, (aka the long side) score at 4¼”. Fold and burnish.
Cut a 2 x 4” piece of designer series paper from the Butterfly Bijou paper pack and layer on a 2 1/8 x 4 1/8” piece of the Melon Mambo cardstock. Attach this on the front left side of the Mint Macron card base.
Use the Stampin’ Cut and Emboss machine and the Brilliant Wing Dies to cut a Mint Macron butterfly from the designer series paper pack. Use Stampin’ Dimensionals to attach this to the upper left side of the card base.
Stamp the Happy Anniversary greeting from Many Mates on some Basic White card scrap and punch it out using the Rectangular Postage Punch.
Cut a 1 ½ x 2 1/8” piece of Melon Mambo cardstock and attach it on an angle to the card front.
Next layer the greeting on top of the Melon Mambo rectangle and finish it off by adding a Matte Black Dot to the greeting.

For the inside, cut a 4 x 5 ¼” piece of Basic White cardstock and stamp a greeting in Memento Black ink. I used the sentiment from the Treasures of Life stamp set.
Attach this panel to the inside of the card.
Use the dies from Brilliant Wings to cut a solid butterfly with Basic Black cardstock and the detailed wings with Mint Macron cardstock. Layer together and add to the inside of the card.

This card was super easy because I did not even have to color the butterflies, the paper did it for me. All I had to do was cut the paper using the Brilliant Wings die.

I hope you have fun creating with this collection. I would love to hear from you and see your butterfly creations.

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Butterfly Brilliance Collection
#159408 $71.25

Butterfly Brilliance Bundle
#155821 $54.75

Butterfly Bijou Paper Pack
#156824 $11.50

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Jesus Gets Mad-Sunday Wisdom

Sunday Wisdom / March 7, 2021

In today’s gospel we experience the sincere frustration and anger Jesus portrays as he drives out the money changers from the temple. Yes, Jesus gets mad. Being anger is an emotion and it is never wrong to have emotions, but what we do with our emotions determines who we are.

Jesus shows us it is okay to get mad, but remember He did not hurt anyone with his anger. He just overturned a few tables to get everyone’s attention. So why was Jesus so mad? After all selling oxen, sheep and doves had been a traditional part of history, so what made this day so different.

Jesus was angry over the disrespect many of the merchants were showing in the temple area. He was not angry at the merchants for selling animals, He was angry at the injustice of some of those merchants exploited the poor by selling animals for a far higher price in the Temple than would be made outside. They were profiting from the good intentions of others.

I am sure we have all experienced a time when money creeps in to a situation who it tends to take over. I am not saying that money is bad, it is certainly needed and we can use our money to make the world a better place, feed the poor, house the homeless etc. However, when money becomes the focus, it takes over.

Jesus is gently reminding us to keep our focus on him and to keep our priorities in check. This Lent, let us continue to put Jesus first in our lives. Spend a few quite moments each day this week thanking God for the many blessings in your lives. It might just change your life.

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Sure Do Miss You!

4 Comments / Flowers-Birds-Butterflies-Nature, Just Because Cards / March 6, 2021

Before the Coronavirus hit us my mother-in-law was living with us for part of the year. Unfortunately she is unable to travel and I know that has been difficult for her so I have made it a point to send her a hand-stamped card every week. She is so grateful for the mail and will be turning 88 at the end of March.

I thought this card today would be perfect for her to let her know that she is missed and loved. The black border is just so you will be able to see the photo more easily and is not a part of the card itself.

Begin with a Basic White card base that measures 5½ x 8½. In landscape position, (aka the long side) score at 4¼”. Fold and burnish.
Cut a 4 x 5¼” piece of the Magenta Madness cardstock and set aside.
Use the Stampin’ Cut and Emboss machine and the dies from Blossoms in Bloom Bundle to cut a Basic White floral with the thicker blooms and a Basic Black floral with the thinner dies.
Use liquid glue and attach the white to the black. Again use liquid glue to attach half of the blossom image to the left side of the Magenta Madness cardstock, trimming off to even up the side.
Now attach the Magenta Madness panel to the front of the card base.
Stamp a greeting in the lower right side of the front panel. I used the Sure do Miss You from the Blossoms in Bloom Bundle pictured on page 51 in the 2020-2021 annual catalog.

This card was so easy to put together, but it looks like a intense labor of love. I love how simple dies can make truly elegant cards special.

I know my mother-in-law will love this card and I hope you do to. Feel free to leave me a comment and as always thank you for visiting!

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Stampin’ Cut and Emboss Machine
#149653 $120

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Snail Mail Fun!

1 Comment / Paper Crafting Ideas / March 5, 2021

The Snailed It Bundle in the January – June 2021 is just so cute and I love all the bright colors. It really does make for some happy mail! The paper is so colorful and some of the dies cut out the figures on the designer series paper. How cool is that?

Today’s card is made entirely from the designer series paper, no stamping at all!

Begin with a Basic White card base that measures 5½ x 8½. In landscape position, (aka the long side) score at 4¼”. Fold and burnish.
Cut a 4 x 5¼” piece of the Bermuda Bay cardstock and attach to the card front.
Cut a 4 ¼ x 3 ¼” piece of Real Red cardstock and a 3 x 4” piece of DSP from the Snail Mail paper pack and attach to the Real Red panel and attach to the Bermuda Bay panel on the card front.
Use the Paper Snips to fussy cut several mushrooms from the designer series paper and attach to the left side of the real red/designer series paper panel.
Next use the Stampin’ Cut and Emboss machine and the Stitched So Sweetly Dies to cut two rectangles, one in Basic White and one using Bermuda Bay cardstock and attach to the card front.
Use the dies from the bundle to cut a snail and the hello bubble from the Snail Mail Designer Series paper pack and attach to the Basic White rectangle.

For the inside, cut a strip of designer series paper that measures 1 x 5½” and attach to the bottom of the card.
Cut a small snail and attach to the left side of the card.

This was a really fun and easy card to make, no stamping at all! This bundle is available through June, so have fun!

Snail Mail Designer Series Paper
#154577 $11.50

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Just Stopping by to say Hi!

2 Comments / Paper Crafting Ideas / March 4, 2021

Today’s card features the Tasteful Touches Bundle and the In-Color 2020-2022 6 x 6 Designer Series Paper pack, specifically Just Jade.

Begin with a 5 ½ x 8 ½” piece of Just Jade cardstock. In landscape position (AKA-long side), score at 4 ¼”, burnish and fold.
Cut a 4 x 5 ¼” piece of Basic Black cardstock and attach to the card front.
From the 6 x 6 pack of Designer series paper (2020-2022 In-Color), choose a Just Jade design and cut it to measure 3 x 4”.
Now cut the 4” side in half at 2”. You should now have two pieces that measure 2 x 3”.
Position these pieces of designer series paper to the Basic Black panel at the top and bottom with an even edge on all sides, leaving a small gap in the center. Don’t worry about the gap we are going to hide it with the greeting.
Use the Stampin’ Cut and Emboss machine and the Tasteful Labels Dies to cut a design from Just Jade cardstock.
Use the Stamparatus to add a greeting from the Tasteful Touches stamp set in Memento Black ink.
Attach to the greeting with Stampin’ Dimensionals to the card front covering the gap between your designer series paper. Add three Matte Black dots to the greeting panel.

This is a fun technique that I learned from fellow demonstrator, Christine Fracchia. I hope you will give this technique a try. It is fun and also a great way to save on our designer series paper.

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Dragonfly Garden Bundle

1 Comment / Flowers-Birds-Butterflies-Nature / March 2, 2021

My card today features the Dragonfly Garden Bundle. I love the greeting in this set and thought it was a good card for March as we try to think spring! The Dragonfly punch does not have a matching stamp for the small dragonfly so I just stamped the big guy and punched it out with the baby dragonfly.

Begin with a Basic White card base that measures 5 ½ x 8 ½ . In landscape position, (aka the long side) score at 4 ¼”. Fold and burnish.
Cut a 4 x 5 ¼” piece of the Designer Series paper from the 2020-2022 In-Color 6×6 paper pack. I chose the Misty Moonlight paper but you can choose whatever color you like and change the stamps accordingly. Attach the designer series paper to the card in landscape position.
Stamp the large spray of flowers in Misty Moonlight on a piece of Basic White cardstock that measures 1 ¾ x 4 ¾” and color some of the flower with a So Saffron Stampin’ Blend marker.
Add a ½ x 4” strip of So Saffron cardstock along the edge of the flower and attach to the left side of the card front.
Stamp the butterflies and the greeting in Misty Moonlight ink on a 1 ¾ x 1 7/8” piece of Basick White cardstock and attach to the card front.
Use Misty Moonlight ink to stamp two large dragonflies on a piece of Basic White cardstock. Color the wings of one dragonfly with the So Saffron Stampin’ Blend marker and punch out the large dragonfly.
To the other stamped image, punch out the small dragonfly and then color with the So Saffron Stampin’ Blend marker.
Use a sponge dauber and some Misty Moonlight ink to add highlights to the small dragonfly and attach both to the card front.

There are so many wonderful possibilities for this bundle and there is a pack of designer series paper that coordinates with this set. I hope you will enjoy creating some springtime cards this week.

2020-2022 In-color Designer Series Paper
#153070 $11.50

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Memories and More Flowers For All Seasons Card

1 Comment / Flowers-Birds-Butterflies-Nature, Paper Crafting Ideas / March 1, 2021

Today’s card features the Flowers for Every Season Memories and More Cards and Envelopes on page 154 in the annual catalog. There are 10 cards to a pack and they feature the 2020-2022 In-Colors, which are absolutely amazing. Today I am using the Just Jade card, along with the Happy Thoughts stamp set.

Begin with a Just Jade card and matching envelope from the Flowers for Every Season Memories & More card pack.
Cut a 3 x 4″ piece of designer series paper from the Flowers for Every Season paper pack.
Cut a 4½” of Just Jade ribbon and wrap it around the designer series paper.
From the same ribbon pack, tie a bow and attach it to the ribbon using a glue dot.
Stamp a sentiment from Happy Thoughts in Memento Black or Just Jade ink onto a scrap piece of Basic White cardstock and use the Tailored Tag Punch to cut it out.
Attach the greeting to the front of the greeting card using Stampin’ Dimensionals.
Add inside sentiment in Memento Black ink using the greetings from the Happy Thoughts set.

This card was inspired by fellow demonstrator Jackie Boluhis, who designed the Happy Thought stamp set when she reached one million dollars in sales. Thank you Jackie for your inspiration. I love your cards and your stamp set design. Jackie designed the greetings in her stamp set to fit several of the punches in the annual catalog, the Tailored Tag is just one.

Looks like the weather is warming up, at least here in St. Louis, so it is time to think about spring flowers! This paper pack is only available until the end of April, so get your pack soon, while supplies last!