Atlantic Hearts Sketch: Thank You

 My friend and Stampin' Up demonstrator gave me a wonderful Christmas gift - the Enduring Beauty stamp set along with stencils and dies! So the first thing that I had to do was make her a thank you card. A big thank you to the team at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge for giving me the creative idea of splitting the bouquet of flowers into each corner.

I don't do a lot of stenciling probably because I find it very stressful. Adding the first color is OK but my anxiety level grows with each new stencil. What if it slips and all my previous work is ruined?! Then I can't tell you how carefully I line up the die and obsessively tape it down before I cut it out. This one really peaked my anxiety because then I had to cut it in half to fit each corner. My friend and SU lady loves stenciling so she'll never understand the stress that this card caused me.

Funny story. She's been my "dealer" for 25 years. For many of those years, we would meet up in my church parking lot when she had an order to give me. One time, her husband was along and as we were exchanging the order and the payment, he burst out laughing and said he was SO glad he knew what was going on. Think about it. An empty parking lot. One car window opens and hands an envelope to the other car. Then the second car hands over a large bag. Wouldn't it have been hysterical had the police shown up thinking they were taking down an illicit deal?! 

I went all Stampin' Up for this card although some of the supplies are long retired.

A big thank you to the team at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge for the inspiration.

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Stampin' Up Enduring Beauty (including stencils and dies), Thank You Kindly
Cardstock: Stampin' Up Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green

Ink: Stampin' Up Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Lemon Lime Twist, Granny Apple Green
Other: Stampin' Up Layered Leaves Embossing Folder, Brushed Brass Butterflies

The Paper Players: To You and Yours

I have been doing a better job this year at using new products within a week or two of their arrival into my stash. I actually don't have a lot of new stuff coming in right now because before I implemented that requirement, my not-yet-used stash got out of control and I'm having a wonderful time rediscovering that stash. But I did recently get the Christmas tags in the new Stampin' Up mini catalog. The idea was that I would use them as true tags (I love simple gift wrapping paper with gorgeous tags and bows) but I saw this week's challenge at The Paper Players and the sketch made me imagine two of the patterned tags layered up on a card.

Thank you to the team at The Paper Players for helping me stick to my goal of actually using products!

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Stampin' Up Brightest Glow
Dies: Stampin' Up Patterned Tags
Cardstock: Stampin' Up Poppy Parade, Granny Apple Green, Crumb Cake
Other: Stampin' Up Tasteful Textiles, Champagne Rhinestone Basic Jewels

Sunday Stamps: Birthday Rainbow

I am leaving town tomorrow for a short vacation and realized that I needed to get a card made and mailed before I left; otherwise, it would not get to my friend (and Stampin' Up demonstrator) prior to her birthday. So in a panic yesterday, I browsed challenges for some help and found the color combo at Sunday Stamps that called out to me mostly because I had just found the Stampin' Up Sunshine Vibes rainbow die that was totally misfiled in my stash so I already had a mental note to use it!  

The challenge was to use a minimum of three colors, but I fit them all in! Of course, I had to use Stampin' Up products given it's for my Stampin' Up demonstrator.

I backed these bright colors with the neutral Crumb Cake because my friend is much more about the earthy or regal colors so, although I liked the fun rainbow colors, I wanted to tone it down for her. I used a vertical stripe embossing folder down the middle just for a slightly different look.

Thanks to the team at Sunday Stamps for the inspiration so I can get a card to my friend/enabler before her birthday!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Stampin' Up Sunshine Vibes, Wanted to Say

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie, Peach Pie, Daffodil Delight, Fresh Freesia, Coastal Cabana

Other: Stampin' Up Tinsel Gems Three-Pack, Stripes embossing folder

Freshly Made Sketches: Garden Walk

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Jen Mitchell and here’s what I did with it!

 

This sketch immediately sent me to find any paper that I've been hoarding because the sketch had space to show it off.  One of my favorite recent papers is the retired Stampin' Up Garden Walk.  I do have to say that this isn't my favorite color scheme in the pack but after a full card-making session of changing patterns and colors, I ended up loving the mix of the pink/coral patterns with the embossed Wild Wheat.

I just got the sentiment set Wanted to Say from Stampin' Up and I liked the casual look of the font with the garden of cheerful flowers behind it. I have a love/hate relationship with Wild Wheat. When it works, it really works - but when it doesn't...  In this case it was a color in the paper so I wanted to use it but I found a plain piece of it was overwhelming. Then I remembered that I had the SU Cane Weave embossing folder. I like the look of it with the garden, and it "toned down" the Wild Wheat! So as it turned out there is very little on this card that I like individually - pink is not my favorite, Calypso Coral definitely not high on my list, Wild What being so-so - but I really love how it all came together. Lesson learned - I need to challenge myself more often because the results might surprise me.

I hope to see you playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches.

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Stampin' Up Wanted to Say

Paper: Stampin' Up Garden Walk (retired), cardstock in Calypso Coral, Blush Blossom, Garden Green and Wild Wheat

Other: Stampin' Up Cane Weave embossing folder, Stampin' Up Antique Pearls

Reindeer Fun

Earlier this week, I used my Reindeer Fun dies by Stampin' Up on this card but it was an all red/green card and I indicated that this Christmas lover actually doesn't like the classic Christmas red and green together! So I had to give my little reindeer another try with lighter and fresher colors and this is what I came up with.

I got this entire die set just for his eyes!  I love how they created him so the eyes just happen with the layers. I surrounded him with other dies from the set in bright and cheerful colors. Then I found a simple sentiment from an older retired set and put it all on fresh white.

I took this entire week off work and I'm not entirely certain where the week went because there's a just few more days. Sadly, I don't have many cards to show for it. I did get one knitting project off the needles and another started. I have finished a book...or two...or three! There's been a few Hallmark movies and some football. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal yesterday and the day before we had an amazing charcuterie tray for dinner and all of that took time. There's been some shopping along the way...SO many craft sales! Today, we'll haul out Christmas decorations if my guys aren't still in a food stupor. It's been a very relaxing week!  Funny story - I have a jury summons for Monday so we'll see if I have even more time off of work! 

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Brightest Glow

Dies: Stampin' Up Reindeer Fun, Spotlight on Nature, Tasteful Labels (retired)

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Pool Party, Lemon Lime Twist, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody, Flirty Flamingo, Poppy Parade, Early Espresso, Basic Beige, Crumb Cake

Other: Stampin' Up Stylish Stripes Embossing Folder (retired)

The Paper Players Reindeer Fun

 The Paper Players have a sketch this week that worked perfectly for an idea that I've had in my head for two loving reindeer.

The is about the most red and green you will ever see on one of my cards!  I am not sure how someone who adores Christmas is just not a fan of green and red together, but I'm not. Or at least for now.  (I've noticed that my color tastes have changed over the years, from rich and regal to light and fresh. Who knows that I'll like next year!?) But this is going out to my son and girlfriend and since I sent them a pink Halloween card, I went more classic for this one!

The reindeer was an unexpected purchase from Stampin' Up. My demonstrator threw a party and we made Christmas ornaments using this guy peeking out of the wreath. I didn't need anything else in the die set but in the end the eyes on this guy plus the easy way the dies layered to create those eyes and the cute nose won out. (I have a love/hate relationship with Stampin' Up and their die sets because I often only want the stand-alone dies and not the rest that coordinate with stamps!)  The paper is long retired as is the sentiment. The sentiment is exactly what I wanted to say on their card so I had to play around for awhile to make it work since it wasn't quite big enough to stand alone. I added yet more red and put it on a banner which gave it the weight that I needed. 

Thanks to The Paper Players for the inspiration for my card!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Christmas Messages

Dies: Stampin' Up Reindeer Fun and Scalloped Contours dies

Cardstock: Male Deer: Early Espresso, Basic Beige, Pecan Pie; Female Deer Early Espresso, Naturals White, Crumb Cake; Garden Green and Real Red, patterned paper both retired Stampin' Up: Peaceful Prints 12x12 and the original Garden Green dsp

Freshly Made Sketches: A Tree in the Window

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Judy and here’s what I did with it!

 

I love to walk around my neighborhood. Every season has its beauty (loving the squirrels playing in the crunchy leaves right now) but I am most fond of walks before Christmas just as it is getting dark. It's cold and snowy outside but people still have their curtains open and with their Christmas trees and other decorations, their windows just glow. That's what I was trying to create here.

I'm using Stampin' Up's Decorative Tree dies. I love the variety of layered trees there are in this set. I embossed snowflakes and added a shimmery white pine branch on the ouside of the window. The inside is a sparkly tree and a warm yellow glow. The sentiment is a very old single sold by Stampin' Up but it is such a fun look and the perfect size for so many cards, it will always stay in my collection.

I hope to see you playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Be Very Merry (a long ago single)

Dies: Stampin' Up Decorative Trees, Decorative Pines and Stylish Shapes, Essentials by Ellen Essential Arches

Paper: Stampin' Up Gold Foil Sheets, Old Olive Glimmer (from Berry Burst, Old Olive & White 12 x 12 Glimmer Specialty Paper), Cherry Cobbler Glimmer (from Festive 12 x 12 Glimmer paper), Playing with Patterns dsp, cardstock in Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler and Crushed Curry

Other: Stampin' Up Winter Snow embossing folder

Striped Decorative Tree

I've had this card in my head since I got the die set. The card isn't unique, in fact, for a while it seemed like every other card out there had stripes...and I loved them all!! 

These tree dies were going to be my go-to this year but I've only used them once.  Not only that, but I didn't even love the one card that I posted here. But I do like this one! It's bright and cheerful with some sparkle in the star and the tree branches. The Decorative Trees set by Stampin' Up has multiple detailed dies. You could make any look or style with them. I guess I need to get busy using the rest!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Brightest Glow

Dies: Stampin' Up Decorative Trees, Stylish Shapes (cut down to be a bit shorter)

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Pretty in Pink, Flirty Flamingo, Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody Coastal Cabana, Granny Apple Green, white glimmer paper (from a pack with Berry Burst, Old Olive and white)

Freshly Made Sketches: Decorative Trees

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Jen Mitchell and here’s what I did with it!

Even though I immediately envisioned trees when I saw the sketch, I planned to challenge myself to do something else. But then my Stampin' Up order with these new dies showed up on my doorstep the day before I was making cards, so what choice did I have?!  I adore these trees.  They will definitely be my go-to for this year's Christmas stash.

I didn't like the full picture that I got above but I hadn't looked at it before nighttime and I rely on natural light so I was stuck with it. Now I look at the picture and the white tree gets lost so the whole card seems out of balance.  I don't feel like it's that bad in real life so I took the close-up below (then had to edit out of all my yellow room light since there was no natural light!) It's a little closer to what I think the card looks like. (I guess I should have taken the full picture in the yellow room light because the close-up doesn't look half bad - but I didn't think of that until this moment.  It's hard getting older!) The white tree is probably still not quite right but I just had to use my favorite dies from the set right away.

I think they assume you'll do gem/pearl berries because there's even a set available in trios like these berries but I don't have those. I just found a small hole punch and punched my berries.

I hope to see you playing along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches.  I wonder how many cards will show up without trees?!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Stampin' Up Decorative Tree Dies

Paper: Stampin' Autumn to Remember Two-Tone cardstock (the light side of the olive piece), Old Olive Glimmer Paper (along with Berry Burst and White), Gingerbread and Peppermint dsp (retired)

Sunday Stamps: Country Flowers

Lately, I find that I almost always use dies vs stamps/coloring but the Stampin' Up set Country Flowers called my name and it's all about the coloring.  I used it once here but decided to keep it my current basket of supplies until I'd used the other stamps in the set.  The colors at Sunday Stamps were just begging to be used in the an array of richly colored flowers so out came my Country Flowers!  Funny story though - I got this card all done and then realized I'd used exactly the same teapot and flowers as my first card!!  Clearly I have favorites!

The colors they picked are just stunning.  I think the rules say you have to use at least 3 - I used 6!  Since there was no green for the leaves, I used the curry color to gave it a fall vibe (or at least an August vibe!)  

This set is so much fun to work with although I've clearly lost the limited coloring skills that I had (see the obvious lines in the pot and the fact that the light part is under the flower where there should be shadow).  It definitely takes practice. I doubt I'll dive back into it because my die cutting collection is out of control, but if there are other fun sets, we'll see!

Thanks to Sunday Stamps for the inspiration. 

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Country Flowers and Sending You Thoughts

Dies: Stampin' Up Country Flowers and Scalloped Contours

Paper: Stampin' Up Island Indigo cardstock, Crushed Curry dsp

Other: Stampin' Up Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder

Freshly Made Sketches: Comfort and Joy

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Karren and here’s what I did with it!

I still had this Stampin' Up dsp out from this card a couple of weeks ago when I challenged myself to use patterned paper. And then this sketch came along and I realized I could use more of it. I have issues with patterned paper. First, my cardmaking style just doesn't use a lot of it but second, when I get paper I love, I refuse to use it because I might run out.  I definitely have issues!  This is the retired Stampin' Up Garden Walk and I am so wishing I would have purchased multiple packs. 

I also got Stampin' Up's Paper Florist dies when they were retiring (and heavily discounted). I have so many flower dies but I love the wonky look of all of the dies in this set and I thought this one worked really well with the patterned paper even though it's not a poinsettia.  

And since I was all about retired sets, I used this sentiment from the retired Stampin' Up Christmas Classics which will always stay in my stash simply because of this one sentiment!

Given the record-setting heat outside my window, I am definitely enjoying fooling my mind into thinking Christmas!

Speaking of heat, I am getting ready to walk to work at my new office.  Heat bad - but walk good! Our offices are being renovated and expanded so my department was chosen to relocate for 18 months and in a stroke of amazing luck, the new offices are about 3/4 mile from my house!!  I am so excited - I have visions of so many more cards coming out of my craft room.  First of all - 3/4-mile commute so I'm home quickly! But secondly, I'm bound to get an energy boost from walking home instead of driving and then immediately collapsing on the sofa from a hard day. So it's nighmarishly hot outside but I've been waiting for this new office for weeks and I'm definitely walking.  It will be interesting to see if I call my husband or son at the end of the day to rescue me from 100 degree walk home.

I hope to see you playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Christmas Classics (retired)

Dies: Stampin' Up Paper Florist (retired), Tasteful Labels (retired)

Paper: Stampin' Up Garden Walk dsp (retired), cardstock in Poppy Parade, Wild Wheat, Granny Apple Green

Ink: Stampin' Up Pretty Peacock

Other: Stampin' Up 2023-25 In Color Opaque Sparkle Dots

Freshly Made Sketches: Heal Peace Rest

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Linda and here’s what I did with it!

OK, I admit it. I've been looking for an excuse to use this set so I made it fit the sketch. I haven't colored in forever. I really need to do it more because I thoroughly enjoyed making this card. I also store my Copics way too far away from my crafting table and it's just a complicated step to use them. But I already had them out finding my Copic matches for the new Stampin' Up in colors so decided to show off all of my picks. 

I added cardstock in each of the colors so you can see whether you like the Copic colors that I picked. Just keep in mind that (1) cardstock impacts the colors and (2) your eye impacts the color. Yellow is my best example (although there isn't a yellow in this batch).  I'm not a fan of plain yellow.  I don't know why because I know plenty of other people who pick it as their favorite color. That's my eye. So when I pick a Copic match for yellow (and remember, I did these matches for my use - I am not associated with Stampin' Up in any way), I will always tend toward a more golden hue than a bright yellow. It may not be the best match, but it will blend well and it's what I would use.

These are the Copics I used on my card.  The lighter of each of these colors is my pick to match In Colors.  The full chart of my selected Copic Markers for all Stampin' Up are available here and always on my sidebar. 

I hope to see you playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Country Flowers, Comforting Thioughts

Dies: Stampin' Up Country Flowers and Stylish Shapes, My Favorite Things Oval Shadows (retired)

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Pretty in Pink, Petunia Pop, Peach Pie, Shy Shamrock, Summer Splash

Other: Stampin' Up Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder, Adhesive-Backed Dappled Dots

Freshly Made Sketches: Thinking of You

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Jen Timko and here’s what I did with it!

I knew right away that this card would have a flower from Stampin' Up's Paper Florist. I was late at getting this set only getting it when it retired. I talked myself out of it for so long because I have an outrageous number of flower dies - but it has a nice variety with a unique look so I just couldn't let it retire. I picked the biggest flower for this card. That flower was designed for more dimension but since so many of my cards get mailed, I kept it fairly flat.  I started out with the idea of using a Smoky Slate pattern that's in the same paper pack for a sympathy card, but when I put together the big flower, it had a unique and bold look so I changed to a brighter paper and changed to a "thinking of you" with a more cheerufl look.

In the next few hours, my husband and I are taking off for another retirement exploration trip. We're heading to the Black Hills of South Dakota. That's where I grew up and I still love it. I love the outdoors and the simple beauty of it all.  I even love the silly little tourist traps that are just a bit old-fashioned.  And for my husband, the fly-fishing is fantastic and that is the only thing he asks out of retirement. However, in the 35 years we've been together, we have never gone during tourist season. The last time we were there there were wide-open roads and everywhere we went was quick and easy.  I need him to experience the parade of Winnebagos as far as the eye can see, all with seemingly inexperienced drivers before we decide if it stays on our list. We are only gone for 5 days - it's not like I need to explore - we just need to see the traffic while getting to our hiking and fishing destination. 

I hope to see you playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches.

Supply List

Stamps: Stampin' Up Four You

Dies: Stampin' Up Paper Florist

Paper: Stampin' Up Country Lace, cardstock in Petal Pink and Groovy Guava

Atlantic Hearts Challenge: Hoping with You

 After getting the new Stampin' Up In Color cardstock with my first order from the new catalog, I realized I liked the whole group of them so turned right around and ordered the ink. (I tend toward die-cuts on my cards and not so much ink, so it's a fairly big deal for me to get ink!)  I knew I could use all five colors with this retired set, Sending Smiles, so stamped them and then they've been sitting on my desk because I haven't had any great ideas to use them.  Then I noticed the sketch at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and it all came together.

I put the flowers around another new-to-me set - Comforting Thoughts. It was one of Stampin' Up's online exclusives a number of months ago.  I got it for this particular stamp but I love them all - they are heartfelt and encouraging both in their words and their look.

Thank you to the folks at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge for the inspiration!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Comforting Thoughts, Sending Smile and dies

Dies: Stampin' Up Stylish Shapes

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Basic Beige, Pretty in Pink

Ink: Stampin' Up Pebbled Path, Pretty in Pink, Shy Shamrock, Petunia Pop, Peach Pie, Summer Splash

Other: Stampin' Up Cane Weave Embossing folder, 2024-2026 In Color Shimmer Gems

Sunday Stamps: Artistic

I was on a roll crafting this weekend and decided I had to use my other retiring purchase from Stampin' Up.  Yesterday I used the Paper Florist dies; today is the Artistic dies.  I really wanted the stand-alone flower the leaf in the die set but I didn't get the stamp set so all the other dies in the set are irrelevant.  As soon as it was discounted at retirement, I could justify only needing half the dies in the set! 

I absolutely fell in love with the color combination at Sunday Stamps. It's nothing I would ever have come up with by myself. When I saw them, I knew the rich colors would really highlight this flower die in all white.  With the detail in the die, I just added four stripes and then used the fifth color to highlight the banner.

The sentiment went on the only thing from Stampin' Up in my stash that is still current - the Stylish Shapes dies.  It was a heck of a retirement year - my stash is now totally out-of-date.  Thank goodness I'm not a demonstrator and can use old sets as long as I want (check out the sentiment on this card to see how old I can go!)  Then I haven't used sequins in a while but I thought their shine just made sense on this card so I dug those out of the retired stash also.  (I don't love the look of the sentiment but it fit in the banner and it has a nice coordinating inside sentiment - "wishing you the HAPPIEST birthday yet".)

I had two other bouquets cut and I was going to layer them up to give it dimension. I was absolutely dreading it. I'm bad at layering up even simple die cuts - I never quite seem to get things perfectly lined up. But I had the card laid out on my desk and I liked the way the edges of the die were curling up. It gave it some nice dimension so I only adhered a strip down the middle.  I'll probably regret it when trying to get it in an envelope, but I like the way it looks sitting on my desk.

Thank you to Sunday Stamps for my color inspiration!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up On Your Birthday

Dies: Stampin' Up Artistic and Stylish Shapes, Simon Says Stamps A2 Thin Frames

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink Terracotta Tile and Melon Berry, Stampin' Up Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay and Pretty Peacock (just a hint behind the sentiment banner)

Ink: Stampin' Up Pretty Peacock

Other: Stampin' Up Woven Threads Sequin Assorment

As You See It and Paper Players: Paper Florist

Two challenges came together to convince me to I absolutely needed to use a new set of dies before I tucked them away: Monochromatic Cherry Blossoms at As You See It and Spring Flowers at The Paper Players. 

I've had my eye on the Paper Florist dies by Stampin' Up all year but managed to talk myself out of them. I have far too many flower dies for the average crafter! But very surprisingly, they retired this year and even more surprisingly, they retired at a huge discount. I do love the variety of flowers and their quirky look but I have this terrible tendency to tuck away anything I buy in retirement sales and never use them again. After all, there will be fresh new stash to buy and use.  When I saw the Spring Flowers challenge at The Paper Players, I had to drop everything and play. The "spring" part guided me to these particular flowers. I think of spring flowers as delicate and perhaps a bit raggedy like the wildflowers in my Colorado mountains so these quirkly little flowers and flower centers were just right. 

I had already bookmarked the Monochromatic Cherry Blossoms challenge at As You See It and, while these aren't cherry blossoms, I love the color combination. This is the first time I've used Bubble Bath (a little too pink for me) but paired with the other two colors I think it is fabulous.

I needed a little interest in the background so pulled out the Stampin' Up Cane Weave embossing folder (which is actually still current). Then came time for the sentiment. Since everything I'd used was Stampin' Up, I looked through my stash and found a really old sentiment set that had exactly the look that I wanted for the flowers and then the sentiment fit in an older die set called Tasteful Labels.

A big thank you to both challenges for inspiring me to play with these retired dies just in case I tuck them away when I have new stuff to play with!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Well-Scripted

Dies: Stampin' Up Paper Florist, Tasteful Labels

Other: Stampin' Up Cane Weave EF and Gold Glitter Enamel Dots

Sending Birthday Wishes

I'm a very late adopter of this set.  When it came out over a year ago, it was going to be the first thing that I got but I saw so many other people using it in marvelous ways, I just wasn't sure I'd have any ideas for something new. But I just couldn't let it go and was part of a recent order. Then I saw two challenges that inspired me to use it right away: the sketch at Try a Sketch on Tuesday and the colors at As You See It. 

I saw those skinny panels on the sketch and immediately knew I'd use three of the tall skinny flowers from the set. The long sentiment panel was just right for the long "sending" die along with the one of the add-on sentiments (the sentiments are the reason that I got the set!)  I can't remember the last time that I used ribbon but I wanted to honor the component of the sketch next to the sentiment. A star wasn't quite right on my card, but a little bow worked.

The colors also immediately caught my eye with the bright and beautiful photo that inspired them. I am not a huge fan of Mossy Meadow but I moved ahead anyway. It's less the actual color of Mossy Meadow, but more that I've never been able to get a photo of it without it turning super dark. In fairness to Mossy Meadow, I use the camera on my phone and a big window for light with a cheap LED desk lamp if I need to get rid of some shadows. So of course my photos don't work perfectly with my quick and easy photo set up!

To include the Mossy Meadow, I started out by varying the greens on the stems but I hurt me not have three greens to change the greens across all three of them so I went with Granny Apple Green on the stems but it worked out really well.  The deeper Mossy Meadow gave the sentiment the pop it needed from all of the detail behind it. 

Thanks to the inspiration from Try a Sketch on Tuesday and the As You See It challenge.  

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Sending Smiles

Dies: Stampin' Up Sending Dies

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Melon Mambo, Mossy Meadow

Ink: Stampin' Up Granny Apple Green, Melon Mambo and Crushed Curry

Other: Stampin' Up Glitter Enamel Dots

52 Christmas Card Throwdown: Gingerbread

When the color brown showed up in the current challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown, it reminded me that I had Stampin' Up die set from last year that I hadn't given enough love to - the Gingerbread dies.  I paired it with sentiments from the new mini catalog - Christmas Classics.

I love the detail on these gingerbread dies and the set has the peppermint candy too! To make the peppermint candy stand out from the white background, I used some shimmer spritz although I didn't take a good enough picture for it to show. 

I balanced the weight of the gingerbread with a small strip of paper from the same suite of products. I love that it has coordinating frosting swirls! 

A big thank you to 52 Christmas Card Throwdown for reminding me to use this die set!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Christmas Classics

Dies: Stampin' Up Gingerbread, Scalloped Countors

Paper: Stampin' Up Gingerbread & Peppermint 6x6 dsp, cardstock in Cinnamon Cider and Real Red

Ink: Stampin' Up Gingerbread

Other: Shimmer spray, Stampin' Up Toile Tidings Glitter Dots

Freshly Made Sketches: Spruced Up

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Amy and here’s what I did with it!

Stampin' Up's Spruced Up set was one of my favorite Christmas sets last year but I only used it a couple of times. So I left it in my not-yet-used Christmas stash even though it actually had been used because I wanted to remember to use it more and here it is again.  After I made it, I went back and looked at what I'd already done and this one is remarkably close to this one. That's kind of funny because I didn't get it for the stamps (although I love them) - I got it for the outline dies so I could do cards like Allison's or Akiko's or Madeleine's.  I guess this set has to go right back into my not-yet-used stash!!

And check it out...I decorated the inside!!  I never decorate my insides although I am awe of all of you who do. It's such a special touch.  I'm just not a natural cardmaker so the front saps up all of my creative energy and I am DONE when it's done.  But in this case I had a two-part sentiment and I had one tiny little strip of patterned paper left from when I decided the dsp on the front was a bit too wide and I trimmed some.

I hope to see you playing along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Spruced Up

Dies: Stampin' Up Spruced Up Outlines dies, Stitched Shapes, Stitched Rectangles

Paper: Stampin' Up Sweet Sorbet and Pool Party, Sweetest Christmas

Ink: Stampin' Up Garden Green, Pool Party, and Sweet Sorbet

Other: Stampin' Up Toile Tidings Glitter Gems, Winter Snow Embossing Folder

Freshly Made Sketches: Summer Shadows

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Narelle and here’s what I did with it!

I waited a long time to get the Stampin' Up Summer Shadows - clear up until they were on sale when they retired this year.  I don't know why I waited - I adore them!  They are detailed yet still can be fun and playful (although I have seen truly elegant cards made with them also.)  

The other old thing on this card is the sentiment.  Over the last month, I have done what I said I would never do - I weeded out old Stampin' Up sets.  I am famous for never getting rid of a set! Years ago, I started using them all and posted a countdown of sets on Splitcoaststampers.  I'm not even going to discuss how many there were and that was easily a decade ago with my stash continuing to grow.  But I have been making cards for 30 years, almost as long as Stampin' Up has been in business, so of course I have a lot.   

In the meantime, I've been getting older.  I have a new theory about those of us facing a certain age and that is that some go big and some dramatically downsize.  I have friends and family who are getting bigger houses, pools, RVs, every known kitchen gadget and so much more.  And others want a tiny house on a plot of land. We may not be tiny house hunting, but we are definitely in the downsize camp.  I don't want to have to organize or clean or maintain anything.  I just want good walking/hiking shoes, my Kindle, a suitable cardmaking stash and good coffee and wine.

Stampin' Up was the latest area of my life to be downsized.  I can hardly tell you how dramatic it was.  I had stamps going back to the country style and I don't see that coming back around again.  But at the same time, I found some keepers that I had totally forgotten about when they got lost in the chaos.  This sentiment is from Itty Bitty Banners that I think dates back a decade.  It's not all that exciting, but I knew I'd use it and here it is already.  Done in white on black gives it a more modern look and it paired well with these fun flowers.

Clearly I'm feeling chatty.  I guess I need to add a friend who is a good listener to the list of things I want when I downsize!!

I hope to see you playing along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Banners (long retired)

Dies: Stampin' Up Summer Shadows (recently retired), Bitty Banners (long retired) and Scalloped Contours (current!)

Paper: Stampin' Up Flirty Flamingo, Granny Apple Green, Parakeet Party and Daffodil Delight, Taylored Expressions Cupcake, My Favorite Things Pineapple and MFT Black and White Stripes