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Share Sunshine with Sentiments for COVID-19

4/29/2020

Yesterday, Stampin' Up! released a special PDF download with sentiments perfect for sending cards while we're physically distanced. Plus, all proceeds from the Share Sunshine PDF go to organizations helping fight the pandemic. These sentiments range from sweet to powerful to humorous. There is perfect sentiment for everyone. The PDF also includes a list of all the colors used for each image and the dies and punches that coordinate with each one. How awesome is that!?

Purchase the Share Sunshine PDF

Last night was also Mystery Stamping on the On Y Go! Facebook group. My sister Carol joined me as the guest host for the evening. It was so much fun to have someone else to chat with while giving the clues. Well, she gave the clues and I stamped!

To prepare for the evening, I used some of the sentiments from the Share Sunshine PDF to create some extra samples to share. I also created a sketch from the Mystery Stamping card. You can go watch the replay on Facebook or use the sketch to create your own cards.

My sister came up with an awesome card! I love the movement the two triangles on the corners give to it. Here are the dimensions:

Cardstock:

Card base: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"
Cardstock: 5 1/4" x 4"
Designer Series Paper: 4 1/4" x 3 3/4"
A piece of cardstock for the image cut to the shape and size you want.

Cut the DSP on a diagonal from one corner to the opposite corner to create the two triangles.

I think I've been cracking up over this card more than other people! When I was playing with the Broadway Birthday stamp set on Monday, I realized that there was an ice cream stamp and immediately thought: "Yay! I have a poop emoji stamp!" But I didn't think I would have an occasion to actually use it as one.

Cue the release of the Share Sunshine PDF. What better image to accompany the toilet paper "Let's Just Roll with It" sentiment than a poop emoji!

I used some retired 6" x 6" Naturals DSP. The card base is Early Espresso with a layer of Crumb Cake on top. I cut the sentiment with the Layering Circles dies and then mounted it on a piece of Early Espresso cut with the Stitched Shape dies.

To create the faces for my emojis, I punched circles with a 1/8" circle punch. I added black dots to the center to complete the eyes. For the smiles, I used a 1/2" circle punch and cut a tiny sliver from the edge of a piece of Whisper White cardstock. I had way too much fun with this card and I can't wait to send it to someone! Hopefully they will laugh at it as much as I'm imagining them laughing.

For my second card, I used the Painted Poppies DSP. I mounted it on a piece of Pool Party cardstock and then on a Rich Razzleberry card base.

I stamped hearts across the middle in Rich Razzleberry with a stamp from the Check You Out stamp set.

For the ribbon, I wrapped two pieces of Red cotton ribbon across the card and secured them with Snail adhesive. I threaded a third piece underneath one of them and tied it in a bow to give the allusion that the ribbon was wrapped all the way around and tied.

The sentiment and its mat are cut with the Stitched Rectangle dies. All of the greetings in the Share Sunshine PDF come in at least two versions. One is black and the other is colored. Some sentiments come in 3 or 4 different colors. This one is Rich Razzleberry, so I mounted it on Rich Razzleberry cardstock. I just love the idea of sending paper hugs!

I absolutely love this sentiment too! Sending Joy and Sunshine Not Germs. It perfectly wraps up my reasons for sending cards.

I used the See a Silhouette DSP for this card. The base is Blackberry Bliss with a layer of Old Olive on top. I stamped some lines between the DSP using the Swirly Frames stamp set. The sentiment and mat are cut with the Stitched Shape dies.

To give the card a little extra something, I added a swirl of Silver Metallic thread under the greeting. I can't believe the metallic threads are being discontinued! I love, love, love them. They are so perfect for putting under sentiments to add just a little sparkle.

I hope you are continuing to stamp and send cards to friends and loved ones. It is so important to keep sharing sunshine and paper hugs even when we can't share real ones.

I would love to see the cards you make with this card sketch or cards you make with the Share Sunshine PDF. If you aren't already part of the group, please join me over on Facebook on the On Y Go! Stamping group and share your creations there!

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Bonanza Buddies for Birthdays and more

4/26/2020

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One of my absolute favorite stamp sets from the 2020 January-June Mini Catalog will not be returning for the 2020-21 Annual Catalog. The Bonanza Buddies stamp set along with the matching dies and Designer Series Paper create wonderful birthday cards and more. I love this set because it’s so versatile. You can create birthday cards for kids and adults that are gender neutral. It also works great for baby cards and celebration cards for all occasions.

Let's Celebrate You!
This birthday card would be perfect for anyone! It uses the Bonanza Buddies stamp set, the Bonanza dies, and the Birthday Bonanza Designer Series Paper. The tag is cut with the dies and the piece with the greeting was actually cut off the end of the tag in the second card. I chose matching cardstock in Coastal Cabana and Bermuda Bay and inks in Terracotta Tile, Mango Melody, Daffodil Delight, and Coastal Cabana. I tied it all together with the metallic baker's twine that was available during Sale-A-Bration.

Baby Koala
Isn't this a sweet card for a new baby? I used the Bonanza dies to cut the koala from the Birthday Bonanza paper, although I could have stamped the koala instead. The balloons are stamped with Bermuda Bay ink and cut out with the Bonanza dies.

You'll notice the tag on this card is shorter than the tag on the previous card. I first cut the tag using the Bonanza dies so that it was the same length as the one above. To make it shorter, I turned the tag sideways to the die and threaded the punched end over the top of the die so that it wouldn't get cut off. Then, I lined up the edge of the die where I wanted the edge of the tag and ran it through my Big Shot. This makes a shorter tag that still has stitching on the end.

The Coastal Cabana cardstock is embossed using the Simple Stripes embossing folder which is currently available on the Clearance Rack for a discount. This is a versatile embossing folder and at just over $5, it's a steal!

I hope you've enjoyed these cards featuring the Birthday Bonanza suite. Remember, the paper and dies are only available while supplies last, so if these cuties are on your wish list, get 'em before they're gone!

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Saying Goodbye to Favorite Stamps

4/24/2020

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Once per year, Stampin' Up! discontinues stamps and accessories from their annual catalog. The list of retiring products was announced on Wednesday and demonstrators got their first peek at the 2020-21 Annual Catalog that will be released in June. There are many stamps and accessories that I will be sad to see go, but there is so much good stuff coming!

Please note, the Stampin' Blends are not retiring, but they will no longer be offered as single markers. They will now be offered only in combo packs of the light and the dark for each color.

Retiring stamp sets are guaranteed to be available through May 22. However, paper, dies, punch, ribbons, and all accessories are only available while supplies last. Many things are already beginning to sell out!

Purchase Retiring Stamps and Accessories

Since I can't share any of the upcoming goodies with you yet, I'm going to be sharing projects using some of my favorite retiring stamps and accessories over the next few weeks. Today, I have two cards using the Varied Vases stamp set. For both of these cards, I created a pattern using one of the solid vase stamps. Both cards also use Granny Apple Green, Crushed Curry, and Gorgeous Grape.

For this first card, I stamped the vases on Very Vanilla cardstock. I used vases stamped with the full-strength color as well as ones that had been stamped off first. This gives more variation in color while keeping the color scheme simple.

Cardstock:

Very Vanilla: 3 3/4" x 5", plus scrap
Granny Apple Green: 3 15/16" x 5 3/16" and 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and 1/4" x 5"

The "You Are Wonderful" sentiment comes from the Rooted in Nature stamp set (not retiring). I cut this piece with one of the Stitched Rectangle dies. These dies are being reconfigured, but will still be available. Finally, I added a few Gingham Gala Sequins. The greeting and the card front are adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals to give it more depth.

My second card is stamped on Whisper White cardstock. All of the images on this card are from the Varied Vases stamp set. I love this stamp set and will be sad t see it go! It's a two-step stampin' set, so it is easy to create images in multiple colors.

Cardstock:

Whisper White: 3 3/4" x 5" and a scrap
Gorgeous Grape: 3 15/16" x 5 3/16" and 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" folded in half.

I cut the oval using the Stitched Shapes dies. Like the Stitched Rectangle dies, these are being reconfigured, but will still be available. I added some Baker's Twine that was a Sale-A-Bration item and some retiring Noble Peacock rhinestones.

The Varied Vases and its sister set, Vibrant Vases, are beautiful stamp sets that are fun to work with to create a variety of simple cards. They also have a matching punch that will punch out the vases. The punch is not retiring, but if you want the matching stamp set, be sure to get it before it's gone!

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Sketch Challenge for April 22

4/22/2020

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I had another fun evening hosting Mystery Stamping last night. If you haven't already, I hope you'll join me next Tuesday and play along! You can always watch the replay as well.

These are the cards that I made in preparation for Mystery Stamping.

The base is a piece of 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" cardstock scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

On top of that is a piece of 5 1/4" x 4" cardstock.

The two strips of patterned paper are 1/2" x 4 3/4".

And the shape is any label, punch, or die.

This is the card that started it all! I used the retired En Route stamp set and the retired Best Route DSP for this card. The card base and front are Blueberry Bushel, one of the 2018-20 In Colors. I tied the front with a piece of Whisper White Baker's twine. The greeting is stamped on Whisper White cardstock and punched with a 2" circle punch.

Next, I decided to see what would happen if I flipped the card so that it had a portrait orientation. I used the Parisian Beauty stamp set for the background and the Country Home stamp set for the greeting. I used Pool Party cardstock and ink for the background and the retired Schoolhouse DSP for the paper strips. The greeting was cut using the Stitched Shapes dies. I added Baker's Twine and sequins that were a Sale-A-Bration item this year.

Instead of doing tone on tone, I wanted to see what it would look like if I stamped multi-colored images on Whisper White cardstock. So, for this card, I used the To a Wild Rose stamp set in Rococo Rose and Soft Suede. The patterned paper is the Woven Threads DSP (current). I added a bow with the crinkled seam binding ribbon from the January-June mini catalog. The greeting is also from the To a Wild Rose stamp set, and it is stamped in Rococo Rose and cut with a Layering Circle die.

There are so many possibilities with a card sketch! Next, I wanted to try a card where the background was Designer Series Paper instead of stamped images. Here, I used the Come Sail Away DSP (current) on Night of Navy cardstock. The strips of patterned paper are from the same package of DSP. The greeting is from the Sending You Thoughts stamp set that was available during Sale-A-Bration. Behind it I added a twist of Linen Thread and I accented the front with some silver pearls.

Finally, I decided to go really crazy and use DSP and stamp the background. Once again, all of the patterned paper for this card is from the Come Sail Away DSP. I stamped the background with images from the retired Sea Street stamp set using Soft Suede ink. The octopus is also from this stamp set and I stamped him with Mossy Meadow ink on Whisper White cardstock and cut it out with a die from the Stitched Shapes dies. I added a greeting from the retired Just Sayin' stamp set in Soft Suede. To tie it together, I added some Whisper White Baker's Twine and some Copper Stars. The stars were in the Holiday catalog, but they are still available and would work with so many images!

I hope this card sketch gets your creative juices flowing like it did for me! I'd love to see what you make from it. Post your creations over on the Facebook group!

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Retiring: 2018-2020 In Colors

4/20/2020

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In just 2 days, Stampin' Up! will release the full list of stamps and accessories that will be retiring this year. Until then, we know for certain that the 2018-2020 In Colors are on the way out to make room for new 2020-2022 In Colors. If you love Blueberry Bushel, Pineapple Punch, Grapefruit Grove, Lovely Lipstick, and Color Me Clover, be sure to order them soon! Each year the cardstock, inkpads, ink refills, and other accessories for the retiring In Colors sell out very, very quickly. Don't delay and miss out on these fabulous colors.

Order from Stampin' Up!

Let's Celebrate You!
I combined the 2018-2020 In Colors with Whisper White to create two stunning cards. The stark white sets off these bright colors.

This first card uses the Bonanza Buddies stamp set and dies. I created a rainbow strip of cardstock along the right side. This is attached to a white rectangle of cardstock that is adhered below the top layer. There is an additional layer of Whisper White cardstock below it before you reach the card base.

The top layer of white has been embossed with the Corrugated 3D embossing folder for added texture and attached with Stampin' Dimensionals to raise it off the card front.

I cut a circle from the Stitched Shape dies and stamped the balloon strings on it. Then, I stamped the balloons in Blueberry Bushel, Lovely Lipstick, and Grapefruit Grove and cut them with the Bonanza dies. The greeting is stamped with Lovely Lipstick ink. The card front is "tied" together with two pieces of Whisper White Baker's Twine.

Make a Wish!
The second card uses the Broadway Birthday stamp set and dies. The balloons and "Wish" sentiment are cut from Pineapple Punch, Color Me Clover, Blueberry Bushel, and Lovely Lipstick cardstock. The "Make A" portion of the sentiment is stamped with Blueberry Bushel ink.

The front panel has been embossed with the retired Polka Dot embossing folder. It is attached with Stampin' Dimensionals as is the front rectangle which was cut with the Stitched Rectangle dies.

This card is filled with dimension and texture! It's a whimsical card that is perfect for anyone's birthday.

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