Today is the last day to purchase retiring items from the 2020 Annual Stampin' Up! Catalog.   Many of the items have been drastically reduced in price and some have sold out.  I decided to have a play with some retiring items but to keep it interesting mixing it with a new item that will be available starting tomorrow.

I used these items that are retiring; Wreath Builder dies (sorry it is now sold out), Confetti Flowers Border punch (on sale for $9.20!!) , and the sentiment from the Butterfly Gala stamp set.   I am planning on keeping all of these items.  I love the 3 sizes of flowers that the Confetti Flowers Border punch creates.  I have used them a lot and right now do not have a replacement for them.  

What is new are all the colors I used are the NEW 2021-23 In Colors.  Do I dare say this may just be my favorite batch of In Colors?  I like that they coordinate so well with each other and also seem to fit in so nicely with our existing colors.  The wreath and flowers were cut out using another new product,  2021-23 In Color Shimmer Vellum.   I love some sparkle and shine and this new vellum has it.  It looks like it was heavily coated with Wink of Stella and has the translucency of vellum.  

The sentiment from the Butterfly Gala stamp set is one I use a lot.  Love the font and it is a great size.  I also love that it fits so nicely on the Stitched Rectangle label.

Thank you for stopping by and check out all that is retiring and snag some of your favorites.  May 4th the new catalog will go live and also 2 fabulous promotions!

• May 4-31 2021 Stampin' Up! Starter Kit Promotion!  For $99 (plus tax) you will get up to $155 in products of YOUR choice (this is $30 more than the already generous starter kit).  The kit ships for Free, which is another 10% savings.  
• May 4- June 14  Connect, Craft, & Collect $25.  Receive an extra $25 in Host Rewards when your online order reaches $250 ( before shipping/tax).  

The patterns in the True Love DSP are so fun to mix and match. It just might be the perfect pack of paper.  I know I am biased.  I love black and white cards with a pop of color.  

I mixed 2 of the pattens for the card and cut out and colored the flower and leaves from another pattern in the pack.  I colored the flower using Magenta Madness and  Soft Succulent  Stampin' Blends.  I also added a few In Color Enamel Dots.   The "thanks" is from the Hand-Penned Petals set which is in the upcoming Annual Catalog.

Here's more information about this card.

• Card base  5-1/2" x 7-1/2" scored at 3-1/4",  6-5/8".
• DSP pattern A   3" x 5-1/4".
• DSP pattern B   3/4" x 5-1/4".
• Inside of the card Basic White 3" x 5-1/4".
• Attach the circle along the scored line using dimensionals.  The circle bends back to open the card and folds back to close the card.  

Here's one using the Prized Peony bundle and the Peony Garden DSP.

The peony was colored using Mango Melody, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, and Blushing Bride Stampin' Blends.  This stamp set and dies are currently offered as a bundle saving you 10%.  In the upcoming catalog it will no longer be available as a bundle.  

Thank you for stopping by!

Welcome to the Stampers Dozen Blog Hop!  This month we are hopping featuring products that are retiring.  The retirement/Last Chance list can be found here.  You will find lots of great deals on the Last Chance list but remember these items are only available while supplies last.

I kept on waffling about what stamp set I wanted to show for this blog hop.  When I was cleaning up my desk I found this Ornate Style bouquet all embossed and colored!  I cannot even remember when I colored it and why didn't I ever finish it?  

I layered the bouquet onto Flirty Flamingo CS and the on to a Basic Black card base.  I added some black twine (Black Twine will be in the upcoming catalog-yay) and a label from the Stitched So Sweetly Dies.  The hello is from the Beauty Abounds stamp set.  which is also retiring.  I also scattered a few rhinestones around the bouquet.

The image was  heat embossed using white embossing powder.  The image was colored using ink refills and a Water Painter.   Unfortunately i failed to write down the colors I used.  These are the ink refills I think I used to color in the image; Flirty Flamingo, Real Red, Daffodil Delight,  and  Old Olive.  

I will miss this big image from the Ornate Style stamp set.  It is fun to color and doesn't require too much else to be done to it.  

Thank you for stopping by and not it is time for you to check out the rest of the hop!

<!—STAMPERS DOZEN BLOG HOP LINKS-->

Stamper's Dozen April 2021 Blog Hop

1. Sharon Hashimoto Burkert – As the Ink Dries
2. Carol Payne – Carol Payne Stamps
3. Joanne Cantrell – Keep It Simple, Stampers
4. Rachel Yurkanin – Rachel’s Stamping Place
5. Debbie Naylor – Unfrogettable Stamping!
6. Bonnie O'Neill – Bonnie Stamped
7. Kelly Acheson – A Stamp Above
8. Donna Burk Schneidtmiller – Donna Stamps
9. Rose Grunewald – Country Cards by Rose
10. Jodi Petersen – Jodi’s Card Designs
11. Patty Chenail – Stamp-Patty’s - Stamping in My Flops
12. BJ Peters – Create & Feel Great
13. Judy Garza – Creativity Released

Thank you for joining us for the Around the World on Wednesday Blog Hop!  We are an international group who have joined together for this fun hop.  The are a total of 25 stops on the hop!  The theme for this month's hop is Monochrome Rainbow Challenge.  Each participant was assigned a color based on their time zone.  How fun is that?  The leader of this blog hop, Angie McKenzie is so creative and is always thinking up fun and interesting blog hop themes for us!  Thanks Angie!

Where I live falls  in the orange part of the rainbow.  I decided to use Pumpkin Pie, Calypso Coral, and one of the new In Colors, Pale Papaya.  I chose the Band Together stamp set and the Detailed Bands dies .  Both of these products are retiring, so the time to shop for them is now.  

I used the Pumpkin Pie, Mango Melody, and the Pale Papaya Stampin' Blends to color the flowers.  The fancy label frame was cut out using Pale Papaya CS.  This color is so lovely and remembers me of well, papayas or maybe cantaloupes.  It is a color I didn't realize I needed but when now that I have it totally fits in and makes sense.  

I also used the soon to be retiring Dainty Diamonds 3D embossing folder. The sequins are from the Artistry Blooms Sequins.  Love that these sequins are adhesive backed, it makes adhering them a breeze.   The ribbon is another sneak peek from the upcoming catalog.  It is the Pale Papaya and White 1/2" ribbon.   I added 3 loops of the ribbon to act as leaves since I didn't want to introduce another color to the card.

The sequins do not look Mango Melody in this picture but it is just how the light is reflecting.   Now it is time for you to hop on over to see what the talented Teri West has created for you.

Here is the list of all the stops on the hop!

Jan Clothier - NZ

Tatiana Tobin - AU

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Melissa Gifford - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Satomi Wellard

Pia Gephardt - DE

Ximena Morales - DE

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Annette Ball - CA

Angie McKenzie - US

Mary Brown - US - Special Guest

Connie Babbert - US - Special Guest

Wendy Lee - US

Shel Anderson - CA

Chris Smith - US

Lisa Martz - US - Special Guest

Tricia Butts - US

Wendy Weixler - US - Special Guest

Elaine de Montmorency - CA

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert - US you are here!

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the hop!

I am getting better about knowing what day of the week it is especially  Thursday.  Thursday is the one day I know there is something I need to have a project and blog post ready to go.  Why?  It is the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge day.   This week it is a color challenge.

I have been playing with stamp sets and dies that will soon be retiring.  My version of a farewell tour.  I have a lot that will be retiring so I probably won't get to all of them but I am trying.  

I used 4 things that will soon be retiring.  Can you name them?   For the flowers I used the Floral Essence stamp set  (it is on sale at 40% off!!) and the Perennial Flower punch ( on sale 60% off).    I inked the flowers in Blackberry Bliss and Bermuda Bay ink on Basic White CS, punched them out and then used a Blender pen to color the petals.  I didn't use any additional ink just the ink that I stamped.  The third item I used that is retiring is the sentiment stamped in Blackberry Bliss ink  from Grace's Garden.   The final retiring item is the Many Medallion dies (on sale at 40% off).  I really do like this die and how it covers an A2 card front so well.

I assembled another flower but didn't use it on the front, so I popped it on the inside of the card.  If you are wondering the ribbon is the Blackberry Bliss Striped ribbon from the 2020 Jan-June Mini catalog.  Love this ribbon.  It is one of my favorites and I only wish it came in more colors.  

Hope you will check the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge out and see what the other members of the design team created with this color combination.  Thank you for stopping by!

I spent 4 hours cleaning up my craft table and all the other surfaces in my craft room.  My room is small and so every surface gets used.  It finally got to the point where there was no room left to stamp so I had to get things cleaned up and organized.  While I was cleaning up I found a bunch of half done projects.  Today's card is one of those I found.

I found this  stamped, heat embossed and fussy cut arrangement of flowers from the Ornate Style stamp set.   The Ornate Style stamp set is being retired so I am glad I found this, so I could finish it while it was still available.   This is a very simple card especially when you find the focal piece already to be popped on a card.  I embossed the Basic White CS using the Scripty 3D folder (also retiring and 10% off).   I wrapped the Night of Navy Twine from the Well Suited Combo Pack around the card front and tied a bow.  The flowers were attached using dimensionals.

On the inside of the card is a cute little daisy stamped in Night of Navy ink also from the Ornate Style stamp set.   On the front I also added a few of the Elegant Faceted Gems to add a little more interest.  

Thank you for stopping by!

Product List

Ornate Style Cling Stamp Set [152572]	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [147110]	Versamark Pad [102283]	Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100867]
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Scripty 3D Embossing Folder [149634]	White Stampin' Emboss Powder [109132]	Elegant Faceted Gems [152464]
Well Suited Twine Combo Pack [154566]

Today starts a new challenge at Festive Friday.  The Festive Friday Challenge is all about the Inspo List and the festivity that inspired the list.  The Inspo List has 10 items on it and to play in the challenge you need to use 3 of the items on your project.   For Festive Friday Challenge #FF0081 the festivity is Earth Day.  There are some rules to follow when playing along with the Festive Friday Challenge and they can be found HERE.   

Here's the Inspo List for the challenge and remember you just need to use three of the items on the list and your card does not need to be about the Earth Day theme.

I look forward to seeing what you create for this challenge in the Festive Friday gallery.

I chose earth/globe, clean and simple, and  blue/green from the Inspo list.  I used the Rainbow Glimmer paper for both the earth and the layer it sits on.  The earth was cut using the World Map dies, which is on the Last Chance list.  I just looked and the dies are 75% off!  What a fabulous price!  There is a coordinating stamp set called Beautiful World which is also retiring.  The outline on the globe was cut using Brass Foil.  The Brass Foil Sheets are also on the Last Chance list and are 20% off.  

FF #0081

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

Stephanie Lanzalotto

Melva Peters

Judy Rozema 

Thank you for stopping by!

No fooling it is Thursday and April 1.  It kind of feels like a joke that it is already April.   This time of year is both exciting, confusing, and a little bit sad.  First the exciting part is that Stampin' Up! will be releasing the new annual catalog in a few weeks and it is a beauty.  There's 5 new In Colors, new stamp sets, paper and accessories, so much to look forward to.  It is always confusing trying to keep straight what products are  retiring, what is staying, and what is still available.  My room is a little crazy looking right now.  I have separated out the products that are retiring from what will  be in the new catalog, lots of different piles right now.  It is sad to see lots of favorites being retired, like To A Wild Rose and the Wild Rose dies.  Both of these are on sale.  The stamp set is 10% off and the Wild Rose dies are 75% off!  

I used the To A Wild Rose stamp set and the Wild Rose dies for this week's Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  I used Real Red for the rose and Old Olive for the leaves.  The stamp does all the hard work of coloring the rose.  I used 3 stamps to create the rose.  The sentiment is from another retiring stamp set, Itty Bitty Birthdays,  another great sentiment set.  

This is the sketch for the week.  You can see what the other members of the design team created using the sketch HERE.

I used the True Love DSP from the 2020 Jan-June Mini Catalog.  I love the black and white designs.  The Real Red border was cut using the Wild Rose dies.  You can also see a peek of the inside of the card.  There is a strip of DSP and another pretty design cut using the Wild Rose dies.  

Thank you for stopping. by,

Product List

To A Wild Rose Photopolymer Stamp Set [149452]	Itty Bitty Birthdays Cling Stamp Set [148618]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [147084]
Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [147090]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [159229]	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045]	Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [102482]
True Love Designer Series Paper [154281]	Wild Rose Dies [149547]	Stitched Rectangles Dies [151820]	Layering Circles Dies [151770]
Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels [146924]

The Stampin' Up!® Last Chance list for the 2020-21 Annual Catalog has been released and as always there are lots of stamp sets, dies, and embellishments that are leaving.  I have a few things (haha, ok maybe more than a few) that are leaving.  I will do my best to highlight them over the next few weeks so you can grab them before they are gone.  

Today for Simple Sunday, I used the set A Little Lace.  

I randomly stamped the large floral design on a 8" x 10-1/2" sheet of Basic White CS.  The Basic White CS was then cut into four 4" x 5-1/4" pieces.  

These 3 were layered onto a 3-7/8" x 5-1/8" piece of Real Red CS and then on to 4-1/4" x 11" Basic Black CS card bases.  The flower centers were punched out from some red glitter paper to add a little sparkle to the simple cards.  On a 1/2" strip of Basic Black CS  I heat embossed the sentiment from the A Little Lace set using White Embossing powder.  Quick and easy and cute too!

Now are you wondering what happened to the other quarter sheet of paper?

Are you wondering what is different about this card?  The sentiment is from the Ornate Thanks  stamp set and inside is a gift card holder.  When I pulled out the Basic Black card bases this card base was in there and so I made a gift card holder.  

The other layers are the same just the card base is different.  It is a regular 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" card base scored at 4-1/4".  The front is cut 1-1/2" from the center to the edge and the lower portion is made into a pocket.   It is the easiest gift card holders to make.   Click Here for a tutorial.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the Last Chance list!  There are some great deals to be found and some great products you do not want to miss out on!

Product List

A Little Lace Cling Stamp Set (English) [149364]	Ornate Thanks Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [149471]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045]
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [102482]	Real Red Glimmer Paper [150427]	White Stampin' Emboss Powder [109132]