Stampin' Saturday: Free As A Bird

 Good day and welcome to my humble blog. I'm an Independent Demonstrator with Stampin' Up! and I'm here to offer you inspiration and encourage you to get into your craft space to get creative. Saturdays are made for stampin'. Don't you agree?? Most people have that day off, so why not take a little time for yourself and get creative.

Here is today's card:

 I'm surprised that the Free As A Bird stamp set didn't get much love from me. They are beautiful images, perfect to colour (and I love colouring) and the sentiments use a nice font with a great message. Well it got some lovin' this week. I created a class of six cards that I'll post for sale when I'm done with all the details. So this is a sneak peek of sorts.

Here's a  close up for a more detailed view:

 

 Just about everything on this card is using retired products. I vowed to destash and use up my craft supplies that have been collecting dust. Only things current are the Basic White card stock, Linen Thread, Memento ink, couple Stampin' Blends and the Stampin' Dimesionals.

 

I had to zoom in and show off my bow. Many people have issues tying a nice bow, I am not one of them. At my classes, there's at least one person that wants me to tie their bow. They just can't get it to sit nicely on their card.

**Tip: if you remember, add a strip of Adhesive Sheet (152334) before dies cutting "friend". It makes adhering to your project quicker and easier. You could always use the Fine Tip Glue Pen (138309) or Multipurpose Liquid Glue (110755) if you forget or don't have any.**

Supplies used:

• Free As A Bird stamp set
• Soft Sky card stock
• Soft Suede card stock
• Basic White card stock (159276)
  
• Bird Ballad DSP
• Merriest Trees dies (tag die cut)
• Well Written Framelits- dies (friend die cut)
• Memento ink pad (132708)
• Stampin' Blend Daffodil Delight (154883), Pumpkin Pie (154897)
• Linen Thread (104199)
• Stampin' Dimensional (104430)
  

I'm all about decorating the inside of the card and the envelope. I keep it simple and let the spotlight shine on the front of the card. Here I used the Bird Ballad DSP. It's a good way to use it up!

 That's all for today! I hope you liked my creation and it inspires you to get into your craft space today. If you do CASE this card or find inspiration to create something, please share with Diane's Craft Space on Facebook, we love seeing what you are up to.

Friday Inspiration: Hello Ladybug

 Good day and welcome to my humble blog. I'm an Independent Demonstrator with Stampin' Up! and I'm here to offer you inspiration and encourage you to get into your craft space to get creative. Every Friday in my FaceBook group, Diane's Craft Space, I post an inspirational card. I try to keep it simple so even a beginner can CASE (Copy And Share Everything) it.

This week's card session brought on a trifecta of cards. I CASEd them from a Newsletter that demonstrators get every week for business tips, class ideas and inspiration. Here they are:

 See the original CASEd image using the Bee My Valentine Bundle (162554):

In my opinion, my version is just as cute as the inspiration. Now let's get a closer at each card.

The first card is more geared for a beginner stamper.

It's pretty much Stamp. Ink, Paper (SIP card). Simple stamping at its finest! Stamp the flower in Fresh Freesia ink, add the stems. I used the Granny Apple Green Stampin' Write marker since the Hello Ladybug stamp set doesn't have a stem or small leaf stamp. Then I stamped the sentiment in Memento ink. On scrap Basic White card stock, stamp the bee body in Lemon Lolly ink, punch it out, then using my Basic Black Stampin' Write marker brush end to add the bee stripes and the pen end to trace the body whimsically and added a face. For  the wings, I reversed the dotted wing stamp and used it as a solid. Used Pool Party ink, stamped off on scrap paper then onto my Basic White card stock. And again I traced the outline. The whimsy was more for my unsteady hand and not being able to ever get things straight. Popped my Bee on Stampin' Dimensionals and voila: card done.

Items used: 

• Hello Ladybug stamp set- 157693
• Ladybug Builder Punch- 157698
• Thick Basic White card stock- 159229
• Basic White card stock- 159276
• Fresh Freesia ink pad- 155611
• Memento ink pad- 132708
• Lemon Lolly ink pad- 161666
• Pool Party ink pad- 147107
  
• Granny Apple Green Stampin' Write marker- 161696 (sold as Brights family colour set)
  
• Basic Black Stampin' Write marker- 162481 (sold as single)
• Stampin' Dimensionals: 104430
  

 

For card number 2, we are catering to the Casual stamper. They have many supplies, just maybe not all the tools They can step it up a notch.

 

I've replace the white card base with colour. Stamped the wing dots randomly around in a frame in Fresh Fressia ink. It's the same process as above except stamp another set of flowers, and a popped up strip with more flowers (some are fussy cut and popped up too. Lastly added Opal Rounds . I didn't realize these were retired but you can use the Iridescent Pearls.

Added supplies:

• Paper Snip Scissors -103579
• Iridescent Pearl Basic Gems- 158987

 

Finally we have the Avid stamper version:

I've added flowers across the panel and fussy cut a few more. This time the sentiment is embossed on Basic Black card stock.

Added supplies:

• Basic Black card stock- 121045
• Heat Tool- 129053
• Embossing Additions Tool Kit- 159971
  
• White Embossing Powder- 155554 (come in a set with Black and Clear embossing powders)
   

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that I do not leave the card inside or envelope bare. I like a little something, something simple as the star of the show is the card front. Here I used the flowers stamp and stems. Beginner card only has one trio of flowers (same as the card front), Casual card has two trio. And the Avid is splatter with them.

 That's all for today! I hope you liked my creation and it inspires you to get into your craft space today. If you do CASE this card or find inspiration to create something, please share with Diane's Craft Space on Facebook, we love seeing what you are up to.

Krafty Chick Challenge #700: All Occasions

  Happy Krafty Chicks Thursday to you!

  Welcome to another great challenge week from the Krafty Chicks Challenge Blog. All Occasions is the theme. Just create something that is suitable for any special event, like wedding, sympathy, thank you and so on. If you placed a Stampin' up! order with me in the month of January, you will receive this thank you card. I truly appreciate all my customers, big orders or small alike.

Here's a close up:

Using an old die from Stampin' Up!, I die cut the sentiment from Real Red card stock (102482) that I adhered to a piece of Foam Adhesive Sheet cut to size.If you don't have that, you can use Stampin' Dimensionals (104430) cut in half or smaller.

I like to keep the inside of the card and the envelope just as CAS. This time I only used some DSP.

For more inspiration from the Design Team on All Occasions week, head on over to the Krafty Chicks Challenge Blog where you'll find more details about the challenge too. There's even a place to upload your project at the end. I hope you play along with us and show us what's happening in your craft space.

Here's a direct link to our wonderful Design Team's personal blogs:

Leanne's Blog

Denise's Blog

Lori's Blog

Helen (Guest Designer)

 

Friday Inspiration: Playing In The Rain

 Good day and welcome to my humble blog. I'm an Independent Demonstrator with Stampin' Up! and I'm here to offer you inspiration and encourage you to get into your craft space to get creative. Every Friday in my Facebook group, Diane's Craft Space, I post an inspirational card. I try to keep it simple so even a beginner can CASE it (Copy And Share Everything).

Here is this week's card using all current product except the Stitched Circle die but you can use Stylish Shape Dies (159183) or the 2 3/8" Circle Punch (161354).

I created two versions of this card. The one above is using all current products and horizontal. The other below (scroll down a bit) uses almost all retired products and created vertically but same sketch layout.

I used the following products:

• Playing In The Rain stamp set (160542)
• Playing In The Rain dies (160550)
• Most Adored DSP (162976)
• Fresh As A Daisy DSP (161289)
• Copper Clay card stock (161721)
• Copper Clay ink pad (161647)
• Memento ink pad (132708)
• Stampin' Blends: Light Cherry Cobbler (154880), Dark Daffodil (154883), D&L Crumb Cake (154882), D&L Old Olive (154892), D&L Soft Sea Foam (154902)
• Stitched Circle (retired) but can use 2 3/8" Circle Punch (161354) or Stylish Shapes dies (159183)
• Opaque Faceted Gems (162979)
• Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

And then the decorated envelope and inside of the card. Keeping it simple with DSP and Mr Turtle.
 

Now here is the version of the same layout turned vertically using mostly retired products:

After seeing Helen's card this week on the Krafty Chicks Challenge blog, I had to dust off my pandas. This stamp set is the retired Party Pandas, it was a FREE SAB set a few years back and I just couldn't part with it. 

I finished the inside the same as the previous card. I'm really that simple!

 

 So tell me, which version do you prefer?? Are you Team Turtle or Team Panda??

 

That's all for today! I hope you liked my creation and it inspires you to get into your craft space today. If you do CASE this card or find inspiration to create something, please share with Diane's Craft Space on Facebook, we love seeing what you are up to.

Krafty Chicks Challenge #699: CAS

Happy Krafty Chicks Thursday to you!

 Are you ready for this week's challenge? On the third week of the month, I'm the hostess and we are looking for CAS. There's a wide interpretation to CAS (Clean And Simple), but just have fun with it.

 Now, here's my CAS Challenge card: 

As you are aware, next month's " holiday" is Valentine's Day. I don't normally make a card for my sweetie but this year with the Supremely Awesome stamp set (161560) from Stampin' Up!, I just had to create this lovely CAS card as we own and work in a pizzeria.

I coloured my pizza slices using lots of different Stampin' Blends. I love when I get to play with these. I own almost the whole collection of Blends! Anywoo! I'll list the colours I've used:

• Crumb Cake                  (154882) for the mushroom
• Daffodil Delight            (154883) for the mozzeralla
• Cherry Cobbler              (154880) for the pepperoni
• Cajun Craze                   (154879) for the pepperoni
• Old Olive                       (154892) for the basil leaf
• Granny Apple Green     (154885) for the green peppers
• Natural Tones Medium  (159462) for the crust
• Natural Tones Light       (159465) for the crust

I finished of the card with a sentiment, a few rhinestones and of course to make it lovey-dovey, I added hearts. One heart is punched and the smaller ones are left overs from an old Paper Pumpkin kit. 

TIP: Originally tthe small hearts were pink but I used my Cherry Cobbler Blends to make them red.

 

No card is complete without finishing the inside with a coordinating image. Same goes for the envelope. I did however use the Stampin' Write markers though as I didn't want the colours to bleed through as Blends are known to do. So the colouring is a little off. I also added stamped hearts to the envelope flap. I found those in a past Paper Pumpkin as well.

Want some more inspiration?? Go check out the Krafty Chicks Challenge Blog to see what the Design Team have created. Hope you play along and upload your project so that we can see what's happening in your craft space.

Here's a direct link to our wonderful Design Team's personal blogs:

 

Leanne's Blog

Denise's Blog

Lori's Blog

Helen (Guest Designer)

 

Dear Doily For Friday Inspiration

 Good day and welcome to my humble blog. I'm an Independent Demonstrator with Stampin' Up! and I'm here to offer you inspiration and encourage you to get into your craft space to get creative. Every Friday in my FaceBook group, Diane's Craft Space, I post an inspirational card. I try to keep it simple so even a beginner can CASE (Copy And Share Everything) it.

Here is this week's card:

 I started off by finding a sketch that I wanted to use; easiest way to find your mojo and get your creative juice flowing. I chose (and I often do) Freshly Made Sketches #618. The Design Team offers you even more inspiration, so go have a look.

Freshly Made Sketches #618

 

My word of the year is DECLUTTER, or destash. I'm looking to simplify my life and that includes destashing my craft space. Most of my makes will now use mostly retired products. If I can't sell it, I might as well use it. 

Can you guess all the retired products used?? With the exception of the Thick Basic White card stock for the base (item 159229), the Gorgeous Grape ink pad (item 147099), the Dark Highland Heather Stampin' Blends (item 154887), and the Iridescent Pearl Basic Jewels* (item 158987), everything else on this card is retired.

* TIP: If you look closely, you'll notice the pearls are purple, not at all the same as in the catalogue. Here's my trick to a different coloured pearl, or rhinestone, or gem, or sequin, or ribbon, or twine: colour THEM with the Stampin's Blends colour of your choosing. Tada!

Here's the list of retired items used: Dear Doily stamp set, Doily Builder thinlits, Layering Circle dies, Dandy Designs DSP.

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that I do not leave the card inside or envelope bare. I like a little something, something simple as the start of the show is the card front. Here I used the DSP again (cuz I have lots of it, it's a 48 sheet package that I've barely made a dent into) and a doily image with sentiment for the inside. The doily on the inside of the card was stamped off three times (that's usually enough) but it's still too dark. I recommend you stamp off  as many times as you need on scratch paper first and see which "shade" is the beast for you.

 That's all for today! I hope you liked my creation and it inspires you to get into your craft space today. If you do CASE this card or find inspiration to create something, please share with Diane's Craft Space on FaceBook, we love seeing what you are up to.

Krafty Chicks Challenge #698: Christmas

Oh yeah, it's Thursday! Time for another great challenge from the Krafty Chicks Challenge Blog. Let's put the spotlight on Christmas this week!

Welcome to week 2 of our challenges! This time it's to use a Christmas theme, or any holiday/winter project. I used a few retired products, actually most of these were already die cut, even the background was an embossed panel waiting for a card. The only thing I had to die cut was the top layer of the trees in designer paper.

The Shaded Spruce (146981) tree die cuts are from the Majestic Mountains dies and I offset the Joy Of Christmas DSP die cuts to add interest. The background is a dry embossed panel using the Snowflake Sky 3D embossing folder. That regal deer is from Detailed Deer thinlits (dies), hes cut from Pecan Pie card stock (161717). And to finish off the card, the white embossed sentiment is from an old Paper Pumpkin (Winter Woods, October 2019) that I popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals (104430).

To keep the inside of the card and the envelope clean and simple, I stamped a couple of deer from the Dashing Deer stamp set in Pecan Pie (161665). Quick and easy and done.

Head on over to the Krafty Chicks Challenge Blog for more details about the challenge and for more inspiration for Christmas week from the Design Team. There's even a place to upload your project at the end. I hope you play along with us and show us what's happening in your craft space.

Here's a direct link to our wonderful Design Team's personal blogs:

Leanne's Blog

Denise's Blog

Lori's Blog

Fiona (Guest Designer) 

Supremely Awesome Winter Card

 Hello! Welcome to my humble blog. Today I'd like to share with you a card I created just for fun and as part of my #24for24: create and blog at least 3 times a week.

I am playing with two challenges today.

Freshly Made Sketches #617

Color Throwdown #774

Only, I went with craft colour instead of Ivory in the colour combo.

Here I'm showcasing most of the products I used to create this card. Although many products are retired, they still have a lot of life left to them and they should be used up not ignored (as I've done in the past). Another part of my #24for24 is to use up my stash, so you'll see many more cards created with retired items.

No card is complete in my opinion if one doesn't decorate the inside and the envelope. I do keep it simple with a bit of card stock and DSP.

Hope you enjoyed my make for today. I had fun creating it. See you again soon!

I Really Appreciate You Card

 Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog. This is my second post this week. Shocking!! One of my #24for24 challenge is to create at least 3 blog posts a week. It's doable, so I'll do my best.

Here's my card:

I am play with two challenges with this gorgeous card. 

Global Design Project #426

TGIF Challengers #454

 

Here I'm showcasing most of the products I used to create this card. Notice the Most Adored 12x12 Specialty DSP (162570)! One side of each sheet has a gold element to it and the other side have reds and pinks; perfect for Valentine but not just for this holiday. Think Love and Anniversary too. And you can get this Specialty DSP for FREE when you buy from my online store (Shop With Me) or from the catalogue.

Another part of my #24for24 is to use up my stash. As a Demonstrator for 15 years, I have accumulated a lot, I mean shelves upon shelves, of product from stamp sets to card stock to DSP to punches and then some. I've used a few retired products in the past but this year, I aim to do even more. Just because it's retired doesn't mean it's useless. All Stampin' Up!'s products are high quality and made to last. So use it as often as you can. Can you spot the retired items in this pic (look on the card too)??

Here's a close up. See all the sparkle! From the silver glimmer paper and the silver cord. And what about all that shine from the gold strips (132622), the gold on the DSP (162570) and the gold embossed (155555) sentiment which comes from the Timeless Arrangements stamp set (161521) and die cut using the coordinating dies (161525).

Then I finished off the inside and the envelope with a bit more DSP and a little sparkly twig that I needed cut off from the die cut.

I hope you enjoyed my make for today, I had fun creating it.See you soon!

Krafty Chicks Challenge #697: Stamp

Happy Krafty Chicks Thursday to you!

 

It's the first week of a brand new year and a brand new month, which means it's our STAMP week challenge. As long as something is stamped on your project, (rubber, polymer or digi) (sentiment or image), it qualifies for the challenge. Today we also introduce a new Guest Designer to play in the Hen House with us. Let us welcome Helen of http://craftinghelen.blogspot.com/  with open arms and send her some love in her comment section.

Here's a close up:

 I enjoyed colouring the bird and books images from the Bird's Eye View stamp set (161436). I used Balmy Blue (154830), Highland Heather (154887), and Granny Apple Green (154885) Stampin' Blends. Then I fussy cut them and added Stampin' Dimensionals (104430) to lift them up on the card. The greenery and sentiment is from the Timeless Arrangements Bundle (161526).

No card is complete without finishing the inside with a coordinating image. Same goes for the envelope. Keep it simple.

Here's a direct link to our wonderful Design Team's personal blogs:

Leanne's Blog

Denise's Blog

Lori's Blog

Helen (Guest Designer)