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!

November Paper Pumpkin Available Through 11/10

The window for subscribing the November Paper Pumpkin box, Tags of Joy, is now open! This month's kit creates 12 tags that can be used on gifts or as card accents. Who loves some gold foil?

Elevate your Christmas gifting with handcrafted tags adorned in eye-catching gold foil. 

• Makes 12 tags: 4 each of 3 designs 

• Precut tags and paper pieces 

• Green twine 

• Coordinating colors: Cherry Cobbler (Premium Stampin’ Spot), Crushed Curry, gold, Mossy Meadow, Old Olive, Real Red

These tags will coordinate with many of our holiday-themed DSP!

Don't forget that as a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, you can also purchase the coordinating quarterly dies to stretch your creativity!

October Paper Pumpkin Subscription Closes Today!

The October Paper Pumpkin subscription box closes TODAY!  If you're not already a subscriber, you can learn more HERE (or sign up directly HERE)!

 

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 #4: Thinking of You Bendy Card

The bendy card may be my new favorite fun fold!  We made this cheery sunflower version at this month's Crafternoon.

We used the Sunflower Fields DSP and added a sunflower Cricut cut.  It will fold flat for mailing.

Thinking of you is my favorite sentiment.  Who would you send this card to?  You write the message on the back. 

Thursday's Live: Quick Card Sketch

Last Thursday's Facebook Live (each Thursday at 7:30 PM) actually got bumped to Friday because I had a conflict.  I created this very quick and easy card that uses a piece of 2" x 10 1/2" DSP (or two 2" x 5 1/4" DSP after cutting) from the Timeless Christmas DSP.  I love that so many of our papers are two-sided!  The cute tag is also part of the paper pack.

I used my Magical Christmas hot foil dies with gold foil to create the pretty Merry Christmas and then added a trio of adhesive gems from my stash.  (The coordinating holly berry gems would have been adorable too.)

I would love to see what you make with this quick & easy card idea!  Feel free to post your creations in the comments.  Also, I hope to see you on tonight's live at 7:30 (or later on #replay)!

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.

September Crafternoon Card #2: Painted Pumpkins Card

This card style is a fun way to showcase both sides of our DSP (Painted Patch collection here).

We fussy cut the pumpkins from the DSP to stretch our stash just a little bit.

My next Crafternoon will be 10/18, so mark your calendar to save the date!

September Crafternoon Card #1: Triple Panel Z-Fold Card

This triple panel Z-fold card features the pretty September Product of the Month, Luxe Foliage DSP.

I think would be cute with a bow on top like a stack of presents or even as a wedding cake!

We had fun fussy cutting this pretty paper to make the card accents.

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.

 

Thursday's Live: Offset Rectangles Card

My recent Stampin' Up! order arrived on Thursday, so I had to share the September product of the month, Luxe Foliage DSP, on last Thursday's Facebook Live (each Thursday at 7:30 PM) and create a Peaceful Pine card!  Which color is your favorite: Secret Sea, Pecan Pie, or Peaceful Pine? (You can also find YouTube instructions HERE.)  

I cut a 1 1/2" x 4" piece of the Peaceful Pine Luxe Foliage DSP and matted it onto a piece of a gold foil sheet.  Thanks to my audience participation, I selected the large Classic Greetings hot foil sentiment.  I love the texture that the Floral Spray 3D embossing folder provides!

While making the live video, I played around with a few ideas, so you can come back tomorrow for a second card.

As always, I hope this inspires you to get inky (or crafty)!  See you at 7:30 on tonight's Facebook Live!

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.

Stamp Out Loneliness: Virtual Card Making Retreat 10/3

You're invited!  All paper crafters welcome!  This event will all happen on my Facebook page (with a live Zoom session at 10 AM EDT) with a few inky friends from the Mauvelous Lollies team!

 

October Paper Pumpkin Available Through 10/10

The window for subscribing the October Paper Pumpkin box, Noel Greetings, is now open! This month's kit coordinates with the beautiful Neutral Noel suite (my favorite for Christmas this year!). 

 Craft elegant, layered Christmas cards in a sophisticated neutral palette. 

• Makes 10 cards: 5 each of 2 designs with 10 coordinating envelopes 

• Precut paper pieces 

• Gold foil accents 

• Coordinating colors: Basic Beige, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Mossy Meadow (Premium Stampin’ Spot), Pecan Pie

This kit will help you get a jump start on your holiday cards!  If you're not already a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, be sure to sign up HERE!

P.S.  As a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, you can also purchase the coordinating quarterly dies to have even more fun with the stamp sets in your kits!

Thursday Live: Color Theory

Last Thursday's Facebook Live (each Thursday at 7:30 PM) explored color theory to help you create beautiful projects.  (You can also find YouTube instructions HERE.)  

Both cards use the same card design but have a different colored butterfly hot foil accent.  The first card uses an analogous color scheme of Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze, and Garden Green.  (Analogous colors are beside each other on the color wheel.)

The second card uses a complimentary color scheme (opposites on the color wheel) of Pretty Peacock, Night of Navy, and (neutral) Pecan Pie.

Which do you prefer?  I really like them both!  I think that the larger butterfly works better with the smaller flowers of the Sunflower Fields DSP while the smaller butterfly of the second card offsets the large sunflower well.  (There's also more blue-green leaves in that particular cut of the DSP.)  Let me know in the comments which one you prefer!

As always, I hope this inspires you to get inky!  See you at 7:30 on tonight's Facebook Live!

September Paper Pumpkin Closes Today!

Just a quick reminder that the window for the September Paper Pumpkin box, Aspens of Gratitude, ends TODAY!  Sign up HERE if you're interested in trying this fun subscription service!

SEPTEMBER: Aspens of GratitudeSubscribe August 11–September 10

Share your gratitude with cards featuring beautifully hand-painted woodland designs.

 • Makes 10 cards: 5 each of 2 designs with 10 coordinating envelopes

 • Precut paper pieces 

 • Self-adhesive gem embellishments

 • Coordinating colors: Basic Black, Cajun Craze, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso (Stampin’ Spot), Golden Glow, Gray Granite, Mossy Meadow, Pumpkin Pie

If you aren't a Paper Pumpkin subscriber yet and want this month's kit, be sure to sign up HERE TODAY.

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!

The September-December Catalog & September Online Exclusives Are Here!

Today's an exiting day in the Stampin' Up! universe!  Every quarter, a new catalog launches, and in every odd month online exclusives go live.  Additionally, the September product of the month and two new kits are now available!

You can find them all at HERE! 

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!

August's Card Crafternoon: Metallic Magic Card #1

This past weekend I held my August Crafternoon which featured four Metallic Magic cards featuring the new Stampin' Up! hot foil system.   I used two panels of the Butterfly Flight hot foil (in gold on White Willow) to create four different cards.

We used the coordinating masks to ink blend the butterflies in Darling Duckling, Coastal Cabana, and Blackberry Bliss.  I added a hot foil sentiment from the Sweetly Sentimental dies and some gold cording. 

If you think you're seeing double, you kind of are, because I created this identical card style HERE but in different colors.  Let me know which one you prefer!

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!

Thursday's Live: Strips Card Sketch

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

My prototype uses the Valley in Bloom and Artisan Sketched Garden DSP (both on sale 15% off this month, while supplies last).  I also used my Scalloped Blooms bundle, Garden Green ink & Stampin' Blend, plus Pool Party Stampin' Blend.

If you're not yet decorating the insides of your cards, give it a try with scraps of paper or stamped images!  Tomorrow I'll post the card that I made live.

Get inky, friends!  Catch me tonight for my next Facebook Live at 7:30 PM! 

September Paper Pumpkin Box Now Available

The window for ordering the September Paper Pumpkin box, Aspens of Gratitude, is now open!  

SEPTEMBER: Aspens of GratitudeSubscribe August 11–September 10

Share your gratitude with cards featuring beautifully hand-painted woodland designs.

 • Makes 10 cards: 5 each of 2 designs with 10 coordinating envelopes

 • Precut paper pieces 

 • Self-adhesive gem embellishments

 • Coordinating colors: Basic Black, Cajun Craze, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso (Stampin’ Spot), Golden Glow, Gray Granite, Mossy Meadow, Pumpkin Pie

If you aren't a Paper Pumpkin subscriber yet and want to month's kit, be sure to sign up HERE by September 10.