It is Thursday and time for a new Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  The challenge alternates between a sketch and a color challenge.  This week it is a color challenge.

Last month I attended Stampin' Up!'s On Stage event.  The event was full of product demonstrations, business information & training, and giveaways!  One of the gifts given to every attendee was the Beautifully Happy stamp set.  This set is one of the Sale-A-Bration choices.  Sale-A-Bration starts  January 5th and  end on February 28.  During Sale-A-Bration you can choose gifts when you place a qualifying order.  The Beautifully Happy set is a photopolymer set, this makes Two-Step stamping much easier.

• Fresh Freesia CS card base- 4-1/4" x 11"
• Silver Foil CS layer- 4" x 5-1/4"
• Balmy Blue CS layer - 3-7/8" x 5-1/8" embossed using the Merry Melody 3D folder
• Basic White CS- 3-1/8 x 4-3/8" cut with the Scalloped Contours die
• Fresh Freesia pad
• Balmy Blue pad
• Tuxedo Black Memento pad
• Iridescent Pastel Gems-Balmy Blue coming in the January-April Mini Catalog
• 1-1/2" Metallic Mesh Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the Clearance Rack and the Last Chance list.

It is time for another Festive Friday Challenge!  National Letter Writing Day is the festivity we are featuring on the Festive Friday Challenge. What is the Festive Friday Challenge?  The Festive Friday Challenge is a bi-weekly challenge that has an Inspo List.  What is an Inspo List?  Every challenge has an Inspo list  aka as an inspiration list, that has 10 items on it and those 10 items were inspired by a particular holiday, celebration or festivity.  You need to use 3 items from the Inspo list on your project.  You do not have to incorporate the festivity into your challenge but if you want to, you can.  Here is a link to more information about how to participate in the challenge.

I was lucky to be able to attend Stampin' Up!'s most recent event, On Stage.  Attendees were given the opportunity to pre-order select items.  One of the items I chose was an upcoming (Jan-Feb 2023) Sale-A-Bration choice,   Adorable Owls.  It is a super cute set featuring 3 different owls and 3 sentiments.  I usually do not like to post sneak peeks this far in advance but the little owl was the perfect size for my project so I couldn't resist using it.

From the Inspo List I used Hello Sentiment, Envelope, Ink, and Embossing Folder.

Isn't he adorable?  I love the bow tie!  Let's dissect the project.

• Basic Black card base- 4-1/4" x 11" scored at 5-1/2".
• Black & White polka dot DSP from Black & White Designs DSP 4" x 5-1/4".
• Black oval -Framed Florets dies.
• Basic White oval-Framed Florets die embossed using the Thanks & Hello folders. 
• Envelope stamp is from a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Business set that is no longer available but I think it would be an easy one to draw freehand.
• Owl colored using Pool Party, Soft Suede, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends.
• Sentiment from the Sending Smiles set stamped on a Stitched Rectangle in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink.
• The itty bitty hearts were cut using the Framed Floret Dies.  I adhered a small strip of Foam Adhesive Sheets to a strip of Real Red Glimmer paper and then cut them out using the heart frame.  These little hearts all puffed up are so cute! 

Inside I added another strip of the polka dots and another, this time much larger Real Red Glimmer heart.  This heart was cut using the Give it a Whirl dies.

For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the  Festive Friday Challenge Design team.

Ann Schach

Beth McCullough

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert-you are here

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Melva Peters

Jaydee

Diane Evans 

Joanne James

Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to seeing your challenge card in the Festive Friday gallery!

It is Thursday and time for a new Create with Connie & Mary Challenge!   Every Thursday a new challenge is posted and generally the challenges alternate between a sketch and a color challenge. This week it is a sketch challenge.  I love the sketch this week.  I knew exactly what I wanted to make and how I wanted the card to look.  This doesn't happen very often so it was exciting for me.

When I saw the sketch I immediately thought of the lovely oval frames in the  Framed Floret dies.  I also remembered that I found some flowers I had fussy cut from the Boughs of Holly DSP.  The card was coming together quickly.

Let's dissect this card.  

• Cherry Cobbler card base- 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" scored at 4-1/4".
• Basic White layer- 4" x 5-1/4" embossed using the Merry Melody 3D folder.
• Basic White Oval Frame using the Framed Florets dies.
• Poinsettia from the Boughs of Holly 12" x 12" DSP
• Garden Green Ribbon 3/8" Combo Ribbon
• Framed and Festive stamp set  available until 1/4/23 or while supplies last
• Cherry Cobbler ink
• Gold Adhesive-Backed Swirls available until 1/4/23 or while supplies last.

On the inside I added a strip of Cherry Cobbler CS and another fussy cut poinsettia from the Boughs of Holly DSP.

Thank you for stopping by and be sure to check out what the rest of the design created.  Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Just a quick look at what I am working on.  I know I am running late and should have started this a while ago.  

Feeling very thankful.  Wanted to send some happy thoughts to friends and family.  I hope they will feel cared for and remembered.   The paper is the Rustic Harvest DSP.  I lightly colored the pumpkins using a Cajun Craze watercolor pencil from the Assortment #2.   The DSP panel is 3" x 5-1/2".  I am using the template I used  HERE.  

I have many more cards to make and I want to send them out today.  Going to put my headphones in and listen to my book and get them made.  

Thanks for stopping by,

Place a $50 order through my online store and receive this bundle (13 tutorials!!)  as a thank you.  You can also purchase the tutorial bundle for $15.00.  Please contact me (sharon@astheinkdries.com) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.

It is time for me to get serious about our Christmas cards.  I don't want to be an alarmist but there are only 36 days until Christmas!.  Yikes!  

This is the Leaves of Holly bundle along with the Merry Melody 3D Embossing folder.  

• Real Red CS -4-1/4" x 11" (card base scored at 5-1/2"), 2-3/4"  x 2-3/4" (Stylish Shapes square),  7/8" x  2-5/8" layer behind the sentiment,  3/4" x 4"(inside of the card)
• Basic White CS- cut two 4" x 5-1/4" (one for the inside of the card and one for the front),  2-5/8" x 2-5/8" square,  3-3/4" x 3-3/4" cut holly leaves (outline),  1" x 2-3/4" label, 1-1/2" x 3" (outline leaves on frame)
• Distressed Gold Specialty Paper- 3-3/4" x 3-3/4" solid holly leaves,  1-1/2" x 3" (solid holly leaves)

• Attach the 3/4" x 4" Real Red strip to the bottom of one of the 4" x 5-1/4" pieces of Basic White CS.
• Die cut the leaves from the label in Basic White and the solid leaves in Distressed Gold paper.
• Attach the Basic White leaves to the Distressed Gold paper.  You will need to do a little bit of freehand cutting to separate the leaves from the label.
• Adhere the leaves to the Real Red strip.
• Adhere  the Basic White layer to the inside of the card.
• Emboss the remaining Basic White 4" x 5-1/4" piece of CS with the Merry Melody 3D folder.
• Adhere it to the front of the card.
• Adhere the Basic White (2-5/8" x 2-5/8"  square) to the Real Red Stylish Shapes square.
• Adhere to the front of the card.
• Die cut 2 Basic White detailed holly leaves and 2 Distressed Gold solid leaves.  Adhere the Basic White outline leaves to the Distressed Gold leaves.  
• Attach the leaves to the Basic White Square with Stampin' Dimensionals.
• Tie a small bow using the Natural 1/2" Woven Ribbon and attach it to the leaves with a Mini Glue Dot.
• Stamp in Real Red ink the sentiment on the 1" x 2-3/4" Basic White CS and die cut using the small label die.
• Attach the sentiment to the Real Red 7/8" x  2-5/8" strip using Stampin' Dimensionals.
• Adhere the sentiment to the front of the card.
• Attach Red Rhinestones to the holly leaves and to the sentiment.

Thank you for stopping by,

The Creativity Abounds tutorial bundle-Gift Packaging is now available. Place a $50 order through my online store and receive this bundle (13 tutorials!!)  as a thank you.  You can also purchase the tutorial bundle for $15.00.  Please contact me (sharon@astheinkdries.com) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.

It is Thursday and time for a new Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  This week it is a color challenge.

Another great color combination that I would have never put together on m own.  I am working on getting more Christmas cards made so I turned to the Cottage Wreaths bundle.

The wreath is Mint Macaron ink on Mint Macaron cardstock.  The Country Wreaths dies cut out the Mint Macaron wreath and the fabulous Poppy Parade bow.  The little dots, I mean berries were cut using the Dots and Spots die.  I know I can punch them out with a hole punch but with one partial run through of the die I can have all the berries made. Both the berries and the bow were shimmerized (my new word for the look of Wink of Stella) with some Wink of Stella.  The wreath is attached to a label cut using the Scalloped Contours dies.  The sentiment is from the Leaves of Holly stamp set and inked in Poppy Parade ink.

The Poppy Parade CS layer was embossed using the Wintry 3D Embossing Folder.  This folder is 3-3/8" wide so I ran the Poppy Parade layer through twice.  Fortunately the design is such that you cannot really tell that the design doesn't "match" up.   Inside I added a strip of Mint Macaron CS and another Poppy Parade bow.  

Inside I used a sentiment from the Very Best Occasions stamp set.  This set has some of my very favorite Christmas sentiments and lots of other ones too!

Thank you for stopping by and be sure to sign up for my newsletter.  We are on week 8 of my 12 Weeks of the Holidays series.  On Sundays I send out an email with a tutorial for a card and a 3D project.  It is a short and sweet email sent as a thank you for supporting my stamping business.  The sign up form is on the right hand side of the blog. 

Welcome to the Creativity Abounds Blog Hop!  We are a group of international Stampin' Up!® demonstrators.  We hop together on the third Wednesday of every month.  Our hops focus around a particular bundle, holiday, occasion or product suite.  Every month we create a tutorial bundle. We also offer a quarterly stamp camp.  The next stamp camp will be in February 2023 and will feature a suite from the 2023 January-April Mini Catalog.  We look forward to sharing more information soon!

This month our theme is Gift Packaging/Gift Giving.  What a timely topic!  The projects we feature on this blog hop are different than the ones in the tutorial bundle.  We love sharing lots of ideas.

I had so much fun coming up with this little box.  It would be perfect for a gift of jewelry or a beautiful chocolate truffle.  

• Cut 2 Mini Pocket Envelopes from the Celebrate Everything DSP (Stampin' Reward choice).
• Trim off the tabs along the bottom of the envelope.
• Score 1-1/4" (3 cm) from the bottom edge.
• 
• Trim off part of the side tab (portion that is below the score line) and cut from the bottom up to the score line as shown above.
• Attach the tab edge to the straight edge of the second envelope. 
• 
• Attach the remaining tab to the other straight edge.
• Pinch the shorter sides in.
• 
• Fold the bottom flaps in and secure with adhesive.
• Punch two holes on the top (front and back).
• Run Polished Pink ribbon through the holes and tie a bow.
• Die cut 2 detailed holly leaves (1 large and 1 small) using the Holly Berry Dies in Silver Foil.
• Die cut 2 solid holly leaves (1 large and 1 small) using the Holly Berry Dies in Parakeet Party Glimmer Paper.
• Adhere the silver foil detailed leaves over the solid Parakeet Party Glimmer Paper leaves.
• Color a small piece of White Glimmer Paper with a Polished Pink Stampin' Blend.
• Punch 9 small circles.  I used the Dots and Spots die.
• Attach the Polished Pink circles in 3 clumps of 3 circles to the leaves.
• Attach the leaves to the box with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Now it is time to check out what the rest of the team created.

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the hop!

Place a $50 order through my online store and receive this bundle (13 tutorials!!)  as a thank you.  You can also purchase the tutorial bundle for $15.00.  Please contact me (sharon@astheinkdries.com) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.

• 10% off all punches
• 15% of all stamps (Host stamp sets are not included in this sale)
• 20% off all dies
• 20% off all embossing folders
• 20% off all non-specialty and non-assortment Designer Series Paper

Click here for a list of all the items on sale!

Shop now for best selection!  Sale ends November 18, 2022 at 11.59 pm (MT)

Welcome to the Stampers Dozen Blog Hop!  We are a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators that hope together monthly on the 14th of the month. This month our theme is Christmas is in the Air!  I was in Indianapolis Indiana over the weekend for a Stampin' Up! event and it snowed!  It was so pretty and seeing the snow on the trees and houses made me think about getting cozy and ready for Christmas.  So yes...Christmas is definitely in the air!

For my card I used the Framed and Festive stamp set.  This set is only available while supplies last or January 4th 2023.  I  like a sentiment set especially when the fonts are mixed.  It looks so fresh and modern.  This particular sentiment will be used a lot on my cards this year, it is a wish I have for everyone.  

Here are the details for my card:

• Evening Evergreen CS Card base- 4-1/4" x 11" scored at 5-1/2" 
• Real Red CS layer- 4" x 5-1/4", 3-1/4" x  4" (frame using the Framed Florets dies)
• Basic White- 4" x 5-1/4" (inside of card),  3-1/4" x 4" (oval-I cut the whole frame so I have a white frame to use in the future, Framed Florets dies) 
• Fitting Florets DSP 3-3/8" x 4-7/8" cut into three 1-1/8" x  4-7/8" strips, 3/4" x 4" strip for the inside of the card
• Gold & Rose Gold 6" x 6" Metallic Specialty paper- 3-1/2" x 3-3/4" cut 2  branches with leaves Framed Florets dies.
• Red Rhinestones- decorate the branch on the front of the card
• Real Red 3/8" Mini Ruffled ribbon
• Pearlized Enamel Effects Basics- decorate the branch on the inside of the card

I try to remember to also decorate the inside of my cards.  Here I added a strip of Fitting Florets DSP and another pretty Gold Metallic branch and leaves. On the inside of the card instead of adding Red Rhinestones to the leaves I added dots of Real Red Pearlized Enamel Effects. The Pearlized Effects takes a bit to dry but it doesn't add  bulk to the card. Inside I also stamped Merry Christmas from the Framed & Festive stamp set.  

Thank you for stopping by and remember the Seasonal Sale starts Tuesday (15th) and ends Friday,November 18th!  It is. great time to shop for yourself and your crafty friends!

Place a $50 order through my online store and receive this bundle (13 tutorials!!)  as a thank you.  You can also purchase the tutorial bundle for $15.00.  Please contact me (sharon@astheinkdries.com) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.

Product List

Framed & Festive Cling Stamp Set (English) [160888] $23.00	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [147084] $8.00	Real Red Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154899] $9.00	Evening Evergreen 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [155574] $9.25
Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [102482] $9.25	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276] $10.25	Gold & Rose Gold 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Metallic Specialty Paper [156844] $5.00	Fitting Florets 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [161814] $12.00
Framed Florets Dies [160623] $37.00	Real Red 3/8" (1 Cm) Mini Ruffled Ribbon [156323] $8.00	Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels [146924] $7.00	Pearlized Enamel Effects Basics [156310] $15.00

It is time for another Festive Friday Challenge!  National Cake Day is the festivity we are featuring on the Festive Friday Challenge. What is the Festive Friday Challenge?  The Festive Friday Challenge is a bi-weekly challenge that has an Inspo List.  What is an Inspo List?  Every challenge has an Inspo list  aka as an inspiration list, that has 10 items on it and those 10 items were inspired by a particular holiday, celebration or festivity.  You need to use 3 items from the Inspo list on your project.  You do not have to incorporate the festivity into your challenge but if you want to, you can.  Here is a link to more information about how to participate in the challenge.

As I mentioned before we are in house hunting mode which means I have just a few stamp sets with me in our short term rental.  Can you believe that not a single one had a cupcake, sprinkles or candle!  Fortunately we were going to our storage unit and I was able to rummage through my box of stamps and pulled out the This Birthday Piggy stamp set and yes, it has a candle! 

From the Inspo List I used, birthday sentiment, candle and patterned paper.  The sentiment is from the This Birthday Piggy stamp set and it is stamped on a banner from the All That dies.  Can you see the itty bitty heart?  This little heart is from the oval hearts frame surrounding the piggy image.  The oval hearts frame, the Granny Apple Green oval frame and the Basic White oval (the birthday piggy) were all die cut using the Framed Florets dies.  Love how they coordinate and love the little hearts.  The Framed Florets dies are available to purchase now and will be officially debuting January in the 2023 mini catalog.  There are more coordinating items including the Framed Florets stamp set  (purchase the bundle and save 10% 162407), the Framed & Festive stamp set (available while supplies last), Fitting Florets DSP (available while supplies last), and the Gold Adhesive-Backed Swirls (available while supplies last)

The image was colored using a variety of Stampin' Blends.  The colors used-Polished Pink, Granny Apple Green, Crumb Cake, Petal Pink, Smoky Slate and Daffodil Delight.  The bright and cheery striped patterned paper is from the Celebrate Everything DSP.  The Celebrate Everything DSP is a Stampin' Reward choice found in the 2022 July-December Mini Catalog.  

For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the  Festive Friday Challenge Design team.

Ann Schach

Beth McCullough

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert 

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Melva Peters

Jaydee

Diane Evans 

Joanne James

Thank you for stopping by and I look forward to seeing your creations in the Festive Friday Gallery!

It is Thursday and time for a new Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  This week we have a clean and simple sketch.  I love this one and it is a great one to use to show off all the pretty DSP (Designer Series Paper) you own.  

I knew I wanted to use the newly released Fitting Florets DSP.  This DSP is part of the Fitting Florets Collection and is only available while supplies last.  The DSP is very versatile and can be used for birthday, wedding, thinking of you and even Christmas cards.  I think I have used the DSP for the past 2 Create with Connie & Mary Challenges.  

I picked 2 different patterns of DSP and I love how well they coordinate with each other.  The main panel measures  3" x 5-1/2" and the 2 side pieces measure 1/2" x 5-1/2".  So quick and easy and yet so pretty.  The sentiment is from the Go-To Greetings stamp set.   What I like about this sentiment set is that it has basic sayings in 3 different fonts and sizes.  I think it is brilliant idea and it is a Million Dollar Sales Achiever stamp set.  

The sentiment is stamped on a Tailor Made Tag.  The ribbon is the White Glittered Organdy Ribbon.  Are you thinking that the ribbon doesn't look white.  You are right.  I do not have any Balmy Blue or Night of Navy ribbon so I colored the ribbon using a Balmy Blue ink pad.  The little gem on the tag is from the Solid Faceted Gems.  Inside I added a strip of DSP and stamped and colored a flower from the Framed Florets bundle.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out what the rest of the design team created for the challenge,

Place a $50 order through my online store and receive this bundle (13 tutorials!!)  as a thank you.  You can also purchase the tutorial bundle for $15.00.  Please contact me (sharon@astheinkdries.com) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.