Happy Birthday to a Special Downline

Today is one of my downline's birthday, so I had to make a PINK card just for her!

I used my Balloon Festoon bundle (stamp set & dies) with Bloom Boutique DSP, Barely Blush DSP, Barely Blush cardstock, and White Willow cardstock.  (The ribbon is from my stash.) I used Crisp Cantaloupe ink for the sentiment.

 The card base uses a folded card that I cut with the largest balloon die (and then covered with the Bloom Boutique DSP).  I had to mail this in a 5" x 7" envelope to accommodate the extra balloons.  I hope this made her day!  Happy birthday, teammate!

Thursday's Live: Masculine Thank You Card

No, your days are not off!  I'm catching up from a little vacation last week.  For one of my Facebook Lives earlier this month (each Thursday at 7:30 PM), I created a masculine thank you card for Kevin Lunt, the Stampin' Up! Field Success Managers Director, who attended our team retreat. 

I used my Fern & Flora bundle with Very Vanilla and Espresso cardstock, plus wood grain and Hydrangea Hue die cut pieces from the Hearth & Home DSP.

The Classic Greeting hot foil sentiment says it all!

I added some scrap strips from the DSP to add a little interest to the inside of the card before I wrote my thank you message.

I love how changing a color palette can completely change the look and feel of a bundle (stamp set and coordinating die cuts)!

Get Carried Away with Balloon Festoon: Daisy Card

This daisy card is the make & take that I made and taught for the 100 participants at the Connected Hearts team retreat.

It uses five Crisp Cantaloupe balloons to create the petals.  (Yes, I die cut over 500 individual balloons for the project!)

I like the inside even better!  

Team Retreat Swap Card

Another perk of our team retreat was participating in a ten-card swap.  (I made ten cards and then received back nine different ones- one went to the silent auction to help raise money to offset the costs of next year's retreat.

Since I used the Mosaic Garden DSP for my make & take project, I created this fun fold card with the patterns that I hadn't used.  I chose the Scalloped Blooms bundle for the stamp set and die cuts.  Can you see the Old Olive specialty rickrack behind the flower?

The front sentiment panel has dimensionals on the left side only so that the right panel can tuck behind it. 

Don't forget to decorate the insides of your cards and the coordinating envelope (not pictured)!

Get Carried Away with Balloon Festoon: Ice Cream Sundae Easel Card

This card was probably my favorite to make!  The ice cream scoops and the bowl were all made with Balloon Festoon balloon dies, and the cherry stem is a piece of the balloon string die.

Stamping from the bundle includes the sprinkles, sentiment, and the whimsical streamers.

My original plan was for the easel to open and rest on the sentiment strip, but the card didn't sit very tall.   Instead, I was able to hold it open with the top of the interior arch.

Who would you send this card to?  I'm looking forward to brightening someone's birthday!

Get Carried Away with Balloon Festoon: Cacti Card

Feeling a bit prickly?  I had a lot of fun creating this cacti card (and have lots of ideas for sentiments inside)!

All of the cacti (except for the small circle) were created with the Balloon Festoon dies using Peaceful Pine cardstock, Peaceful Pine DSP (from the 2026-28 In Color Painted Patterns DSP) and Peaceful Pine DSP.  I added the cactus spines with the new white gel pen and the black journaling pen.  The background uses Radiant Foil specialty DSP.  The blossoms are from the Fern & Flora dies in Bubble Bath and Crushed Curry.

Can you believe that the terracotta pot is also a ballon die (cut into several pieces)?  I had a lot of fun ink blending the background. 

Who would you send this card to, and what message would you include inside?

Get Carried Away with Balloon Festoon: Pumpkin Card

To continue the creativity with the Balloon Festoon bundle, I created this pumpkin card with the Painted Patch collection and with five of the next-to-the-smallest balloons to make a pumpkin.  

I added a sentiment from Scalloped Blooms in Secret Sea and die cut Secret Sea leaves from Sweet Words & Labels.  Using my Calypso Coral Stampin' Blends to add details to the dies really made this look like a pumpkin.  What do you think?

Get Carried Away with Balloon Festoon: Fish Card

Recently, I attended a team retreat in St. Louis with 99 other Stampin' Up! demonstrators from around the country.  I had a blast and have so many ideas to share!  I was invited to teach a make & take project, so I decided to get carried away with the Balloon Festoon bundle and see how many different, nontraditional ways I could use this party bundle.

I used the two smallest balloon dies to create these Calypso Coral fish paired with Whispering Woods DSP. 

Are you o-fish-ially a fan or not?

Thursday's Live: Card Sketch with Rectangles (Plus)

For last Thursday's Facebook Live (each Thursday at 7:30 PM), I used a simple card sketch and the beautiful All Wrapped Up DSP to get started on Christmas card creations.  (You can watch the YouTube replay HERE.) 

I fussy cut that beautiful bouquet from the All Wrapped Up DSP.  I used Secret Sea Two-Tone cardstock with silver hot foil and the Magical Christmas hot foil dies to create the sentiment.

The card base is Cloud Cover and the background rectangle is Peaceful Pine.  The adhesive-backed sparkle sequins are a beautiful addition to add more sparkle!

Have you started making your Christmas cards?  I'll have more ideas for you on tonight's Facebook Live at 7:30 PM!

September Crafternoon Card #3: Scalloped Blooms Bouquet Card

This card was inspired by a card in the Sept.-Dec. catalog but we made it with Sunflower Fields DSP, Radiant Foil DSP, and Daffodil Delight cardstock.

I love how fussy cutting and layering the flowers gives the little bouquet such dimension!

It's hard to tell from the photos, but we trimmed about a 1/2" off the front right edge of the card to create some more interest.

Falling for Hot Foil Class (10/26)

Recently a new venue/opportunity has opened up, and I will be teaching my first card making class at The Murphy Art Center (The MAC) on 10/26 at 1:00.  I'll be teaching a fall version of my August Metallic Magic class to a new audience.

I'm really excited about this opportunity to meet new people and expand my Inky community across the tri-state area!  If you're a current customer interested in a kit to go, just let me know!

Another Offset Rectangles Card

While trying out a few ideas on last week's Thursday Facebook Live, I ended up creating this second card.  (You can find the first card HERE, posted yesterday.)

In place of the gold foil DSP panel, I used a pretty piece of Moonlight Flora DSP, matted on Golden Glow.  I love how the varying shades of green die cuts peek out behind the focal panel and add texture.  Normally I would not use Peaceful Pine, Old Olive, & Mossy Meadow together, but they coordinate beautifully with the DSP.

 

September's Card Crafternoon: Falling for Autumn

Yesterday some lovely ladies joined me for the September edition of my monthly crafternoon.  This month's theme was "falling for autumn."  Here are the four cards we made:

I have three kits left for these four cards, so please let me know if you'd like one of them (mailing fee will be an extra cost if you're not local to me). 

You're invited to next month's Crafternoon, which will be held on 10/18.  We'll begin our holiday cardmaking with a Traditional Christmas class that will include some gift card ideas.

Thursday's Live: Diagonal Squares Card

Last Thursday's Facebook Live (each Thursday at 7:30 PM) card creation used scraps again to create a pretty card background!  (You can also find YouTube instructions HERE.)  

I cut 18 1" squares from all six Sunflower Fields DSP (which are two-sided) and I used 14 or 15 of them to create this fun diagonal squares pattern.

In my video, I show how you can use Scalloped Bloom dies to create the sunflower, and a Sweet Sentiments hot foil die and gold ribbon finished off this card.

Hope to see you tonight at 7:30 PM EDT!

Thursday's Live: Fun Fold Half Card

Here is the Thursday before last's Facebook Live (each Thursday at 7:30 PM) card creation using the August product of the month, Glow of Autumn DSP, to create a fun half card!  (You can also find YouTube instructions HERE.)  

The first two cards both started with Crumb Cake cardstock and the third card uses Cajun Craze.  They all have sentiments from the Sweetly Sentimental hot foil dies with gold foil.

The first card uses acorn and leaf dies from the Silly Old Bear bundle with Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Pecan Pie, and Early Espresso cardstock.  I added stitching with a Pecan Pie Stampin' Blend.  

For the second card, I used more Silly Old Bear die cut cardstock leaves and fussy cut the pumpkin from the Glow of Harvest DSP.  Timid Tiger Stampin' Blends worked beautifully on this pearlescent paper to color the focal pumpkin!

Die cut mushrooms from the Cute As a Bug dies are a fun fall twist.  Use a white gel pen to add details!

So which card is your favorite?

August's Card Crafternoon: Metallic Magic Card #4

The beautiful Valley in Bloom DSP is the highlight of the final card of August's Crafternoon with the tiniest Butterfly Flight hot foil butterfly as the perfect little embellishment. 

We added some Balmy Blue gingham ribbon and a stamped scallop from Scalloped Circles bundle with Lost Lagoon ink.

Don't forget to decorate the insides of your cards with paper scraps and/or stamped images/sentiments!

August's Card Crafternoon: Metallic Magic Card #3

For card #3, we used Valley in Bloom DSP (on sale 15% off through the end of the month) with the large Classic Greeting hot foil die and small Butterfly Flight butterfly.

The Garden Green foliage springs are part of the Butterfly Flight hot foil dies set.

Save the date for September's Crafternoon on 9/13!

August's Card Crafternoon: Metallic Magic Card #2

Thank you for a fun Metallic Magic Crafternoon!  For cards 2-4, we used a second hot foil Butterfly Flight panel, colored by blending Darling Duckling, Coastal Cabana, & Blackberry Bliss ink and then die cut with the coordinating cutting die.

The large sentiment is from the Classic Greetings hot foil dies and the background was dry embossed with the Floral Spray embossing folder.

My September Crafternoon will feature all things fall on 9/13. 

Thursday's Live: Torn Strips Card

Last Thursday's Facebook Live (each Thursday at 7:30 PM) card creation used scraps again to create a pretty card background!  (You can also find YouTube instructions HERE.) 

I used six 4" x 1"-2" Beautiful Ordinary Life DSP (and one Pool Party Two-Tone Cardstock 4"x 1 1/2"), tearing one long edge to create some fun texture.  The vase was fussy cut from Artisan Sketched Garden DSP and the butterfly was stamped/die cut from the Extraordinary Life bundle.

You can catch me Live tonight at 7:30 with some fall fun!

Another Strips Sketch Card

Someone I know turns 50 tomorrow, and we are showering her with some love today!  I made this card for her on my Thursday Live last week (8/6/26) using the Artisan Sketched Garden DSP.  (You can watch the replay on YouTube HERE if you're interested in learning how to make this card.)

Be sure to decorate the insides of your cards!

 You can catch me on my Facebook Live each Thursday at 7:30 PM!  Hope to see you there!