Are the days starting to run together?  They do for me!  Which is why I am thankful for blog hops and design teams.  They keep me from totally losing track of what day it is.  Thursdays mean it is time for the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.

I thought I was being very faithful to the sketch but I just realized that I trimmed the tail of my banner differently than the sketch.  Oh well, the spirit of the sketch is there.

It has been a long time since I pulled out the,  Mosaic Mood Specialty DSP to play with.  I am totally guilty of getting caught up with all the new product and totally neglecting the products in the 2019-20 Annual Catalog.  This pack of paper is special as some of the designs have glossy highlights and there are fabulous images that can be easily fussy cut out and used, like these roses and leaves.  The roses and leaves are layered on a Stitched Rectangle die.

The sentiment is from the Ornate Thanks stamp set.  Love the font and the sentiment.  I accented the sentiment with a rhinestone that I colored using the Dark Mint Macaron Stampin' Blend.  This card can be used for so many different occasions or for no occasion at all.  We all need to hear that someone thinks we are amazing.

Product List

Ornate Thanks Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [149471] $18.00	Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad [147089] $7.50	Mint Macaron Dark Stampin' Blends Marker [147021] $4.50	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [144237] $8.25
Mint Macaron 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [138337] $8.75	Mosaic Mood Specialty Designer Series Paper [149478] $14.50	Stitched Rectangle Dies [148551] $35.00	Rhinestone Basic Jewels [144220] $5.00

Welcome to the What's New at SU! Blog Hop!  We are a group of Stampin’ Up! demonstrator from around the world who are hoppin’ to share some  fun and exciting ideas. Today we will featuring products from the 2020 January-June Mini Catalog.

One of my first purchases from the 2020 Jan-June Mini Catalog was the products from the Clubhouse  suite.  This suite is just perfect for  my family.  Most of the men in our family golf or at least try to.  I am sad to say that I haven't played with this set very much so it was my first choice for today's blog hop project.

It was so much fun creating this bridge card ( I think that is the right name for this fold) using the Clubhouse bundle and the Country Club DSP.  This is a pretty simple fun fold which allows you more time to play around with how to decorate it.

• Night of Navy CS (card base) 4-1/4" x 8" scored at 1-1/4", 2-1/2", 5-1/2", 6-3/4"
• Night of Navy CS (bridge) 1-1/4" x 5-1/2"
• DSP pattern #1  cut 2 @ 1-1/8" x 4-1/8" (front 2 panels)
• DSP pattern #2 cut 2 @ 1-1/8" x 4-1/8" and 1-1/8" x 5-3/8" (inside panels and bridge)
• DSP pattern #3 cut 1 @ 2-3/4" x 3-3/8" (center design)
• Whisper White CS cut 1 2-3/4" x 4" (back of card to write a note)

Here's a birdseye view of the fold.  The center DSP panel was colored using Mint Macaron Combo, Crumb Cake Light, Balmy Blue Light and So Saffron Light Stampin' Blends.  In retrospect I think this was supposed to be a water hazard.   I saw it as a sandtrap, a might big sandtrap!

What is really nice about this card style is that it folds up nicely to mail.  

It fits nicely in a Stampin' Up! medium envelope (A-2).  I love that it sits up nice to be displayed and is also easily mailed.  

Hope you can use this idea!  Now it is time for you to see what the talented Jackie Lawless has created for you!

If you have just come from that direction check out what the creative Tricia Butts has made for you!

Here's a list of all the stops on the hop! 

Anke Heim- Scraphexe

Cheryl Hamilton- Create with Cheryl

Tricia Butts- Tricia’s Stamping Creations

Sharon Burkert- As the Ink Dries

Jackie Lawless- Stamping Jack

Joyce Whitman- StampinScrapper

Diane Browning- 247inkspiration

Heather Cooper- Playing with Paper Crafting

Pat Ertman- Gifted Hands Ink

Brenda Copper- Stamping with the Copper Cropper

Mary Ann Rossiter- StampinMak

Loni Spendlove- Creative Juice by Loni

Enjoy the hop!

Welcome to the Stamper's Dozen April Blog Hop... Spring has Sprung!

Yes, I am using the Forever Blossoms bundle again!  Before  Covid 19  started, we made plans to go to Japan to see the cherry blossoms.  I have been to Japan but never in the spring. In fact if all had gone according to plan we would be just getting ready to return home.  Needless to say we didn't go so instead I have to satisfy myself by stamping a lot with my Forever Blossoms stamp set and the Cherry Blossoms Dies. 

In addition to coloring the flowers using Stampin' Blends I inked the entire image with VersaMark ink and heat embossed it using a custom mix of clear embossing powder and Dazzling Diamonds glitter (i start with equal parts and adjust from there).  I call this mix Glittery Goodness.  Lots of sparkle and very little shedding of glitter.  

Product List

Forever Blossoms Bundle (English) [153781] $53.00	Peaceful Moments Cling Stamp Set (English) [151595] $21.00	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $6.00	Versamark Pad [102283] $9.50	Petal Pink Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack [147272] $9.00
Calypso Coral Light Stampin' Blends Marker [144042] $4.50	Old Olive Light Stampin' Blends Marker [144574] $4.50	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045] $8.75	Petal Pink 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146985] $8.75	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730] $9.75
Subtles 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [149615] $11.50	Layering Ovals Dies [141706] $35.00	Petal Pink 5/8" (1.6 Cm) Organdy Striped Ribbon [149441] $8.00	Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter [133751] $6.00	Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder [109130] $6.00

Stamper's Dozen April 2020 Blog Hop

1. Patty Chenail – Stamp-Patty’s - Stamping in My Flops
2. Judy Garza – Creativity Released
3. Sharon Hashimoto Burkert – As the Ink Dries
4. Carol Payne – Carol Payne Stamps
5. Joanne Cantrell – Keep It Simple, Stampers
6. Rachel Yurkanin – Stamping with Rachel
7. Debbie Naylor – Unfrogettable Stamping
8. Bonnie O'Neill – Bonnie Stamped
9. Laura Milligan – I’d Rather BEE Stampin’
10. BJ Peters – StampinBJ

Enjoy the hop!

Just a quick drop in to let you know that the Stampin' Up!® Clearance Rack has  been refreshed!  Great buys on DSP (Designer Series Paper), dies, ribbon , and embellishments.  One of my very favorite things from the 2019 Holiday Catalog is in the Clearance Rack, the All-Around Wreath dies.  I used them a lot when they debuted in the 2019 Holiday Catalog.

The Monster Bash DSP that was used on this sample is also on the Clearance Rack for just $4.60!

Another fun wreath and Monster Bash project.

A fun Fall wreath teamed with the Come to Gather DSP, which is also in the Clearance Rack Refresh.

A fun friendship wreath in Black Glimmer paper!

A pretty fall wreath part of a sampler, the DSP on the sampler is also from the Come to Gather DSP.

Another Fall wreath and the Come to Gather DSP.

One of my favorites, a vellum and cardstock wreath on a Shimmery White Embossing Paste background.  The cute little berries are from the Toile Tidings Glitter Enamel Dots are also in the Clearance Rack for $3.20!

Another vellum wreath!

Be sure to check out the Clearance Rack and remember quantities are limited and it is first shop, first get!

A girl can dream right?  Paris is out for the moment but thanks to the Parisian dies I can at least craft and think about Paris.

The Parisian Blossoms Specialty Designer Series Paper is so pretty with champagne foil accents and some of my favorite colors.  To coordinate with the DSP I cut the Eiffel Tower out in Champagne Foil and layered it on a Whisper White square embossed using the Scripty 3-D embossing folder.  The pretty bloom was cut from the DSP and the merci is also a die in the Parisian dies.

Are you wondering where do you write a message?  This card has a secret.

The middle panel lifts up to reveal a panel where you can write a message.  Pretty fun little card.  The card base is 4-1/4" x 11" scored at 5-1/2".  On the front only, cut from the fold to the bottom at 1" and 3-1/4".  These get taped down.  The middle panel is where you can write a message.

Hope you liked our little Parisian adventure and if you would like to craft your own, please contact me or go to my online store.  Thank you!

Happy Easter to you! 

Today I don't have a card to share.  Instead I want to share a change we have made on the sidebar of my blog.  We have been experiencing problems with subscribers not receiving notifications that the blog has been updated.  We ( I really should say my son) fixed it and on the right hand side under "Subscribe", you can choose to subscribe to my newsletter and/or my blog feed.  If you subscribe to the blog, every day around 4 pm you will get an email showing you any updates to the blog.  Pretty cool, right?  We hope this will be an improvement and more reliable than the other process we were using.  If you have any difficulties please let me know.  My top notch tech team (my son) will be with us for a few more weeks so hopefully we will be able to fix any issues that arise.  

It has been a week!  Good news is that I am still posting every day (day 19)!  It has been challenging coming up with something new to share especially since I have not been feeling especially creative.  I continue to try new things to jump start my creativity.  Yesterday I went through my bin and folder  of samples and templates and pulled out some fun folds.  Today's card is a result of that activity.

When you saw the Ornate Garden Specialty DSP, did this design with the daisy remind you of either the Daisy Lane set or the Daisy Delight set?  Here I paired it with the Daisy Lane set.  I punched out 2 daisies using the Medium Daisy punch, stamped the stem image in Old Olive ink on Old Olive cardstock and yes, fussy cut it out.  

Are you wondering what color I used for the center of the daisy?  Doesn't it look like the center of the daisy on the DSP?  I inked up a scrap piece of So Saffron cardstock with So Saffron ink, inked it with VersaMark ink, sprinkled it with a mix of Clear Embossing powder and Dazzling Diamonds glitter, and then heat embossed it.  Kind of fun and I was happy with how close it looked to the DSP.

The ribbon is Terracotta Tile from the Ornate Garden Ribbon Combo Pack.  Love this ribbon, soft and easy to work with.  The Thanks is from the Ornate Thanks stamp set inked in Terracotta Tile.  

This card is one I will be sending as part of my Host Code Thank you gift.  When you use the host code (HVP2CMS2) in April and place a $40 online order, I will send you 2 completed cards and a card kit to make each of those cards.  Since I cannot send out stamped images, the card kit will contain the cardstock, DSP, embellishments, punched elements, and you will need to use your own stamps for the sentiment.  The second card is a surprise.  

Let me know if you have any questions about how to shop online with me.  Thanks for stopping by and see ya tomorrow!

Product List

Ornate Thanks Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [149471] $18.00	Terracotta Tile Classic Stampin’ Pad [150086] $7.50	So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad [147109] $7.50	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [147090] $7.50	Versamark Pad [102283] $9.50
Mint Macaron 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [138337] $8.75	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730] $9.75	Old Olive 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100702] $8.75	So Saffron 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [105118] $8.75	Ornate Garden Specialty Designer Series Paper [152488] $15.00
Medium Daisy Punch [149517] $16.00	Stitched Rectangle Dies [148551] $35.00	Ornate Garden Ribbon Combo Pack [152479] $7.00	Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder [109130] $6.00	Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter [133751] $6.00

How are you? Hope you are doing well.  It is Thursday and time for the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge #CCMC607.  This week it is a color challenge.

Here's what I made.

Did some sponging using Poppy Parade and Crushed Curry ink on Whisper White cardstock.  I love how it blended together.  Around the edges I sponged some Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Do you see the little light splatters?  I dipped my Aqua Painter in water and gently tapped on it to get the random splatters.  I love how it adds a little more interest to the sponged cardstock.

The flowers are from the Forever Blossoms stamp set, heat embossed with Black embossing powder.  I colored in the flowers and leaves using a Blender Pen and Garden Green, Poppy Parade, and Crushed Curry ink refills.  

I wanted to add some shine to the flower petals and mistakenly squeezed the Wink of Stella too hard.  I had a couple of big drops of Wink of Stella on my placemat and I didn't want it to go to waste so I painted the petals pretty heavily with it.  I wish I could capture it better because the petals are pretty shimmery.  I added a Poppy Parade twine bow from the Country Club Twine Combo pack to the stem of the flowers.  I still feel it was missing something so I colored some Silver Metallic pearls using the Dark Poppy Parade Stampin' Blend and added them to the card front.  

I was looking for just the right sentiment. When I saw the Tasteful Textures set, I knew I had found it.  Honestly when I first purchased this set I wasn't sure when I would ever use the sentiment but it fits perfectly the time we are living in.

Thank you for dropping by and if you have been inspired or are in need of some supplies, I would love to help you.  

Welcome to the debut of a brand new blog hop, Around the World on Wednesday,  #aWOWbloghop!  We have twenty four (24)  participating in this first hop representing 13 different time zones (Midnight in Hawaii through 10PM for New Zealand) in all of Stampin' Up's markets!  Thank you so much for joining us as we hop Around the World on Wednesday!

The theme for this first hop is Crafty Favorites.  I had to think a lot about what this meant to me.  I know for some it might be a favorite tool, stamp set, technique.  After much thought I think what my Crafty Favorite has to  be is color coordination.  I love that I have inks, markers, Stampin' Blends, cardstock, DSP (designer series paper), and accessories in colors that coordinate.  Currently one of my favorite colors is Petal Pink, partly because there are lots of products in Petal Pink which  makes it easy to create with.

Here I colored the magnolia from the Good Morning Magnolia stamp set using Petal Pink Stampin' Blends in both light and dark.  I also used the Petal Pink and White stripe from the Magnolia Lane DSP and the gorgeous Petal Pink Organdy Striped Ribbon.  It is wonderful not having to guess if the pinks will coordinate.

This is a fun fold that twists as you open it to reveal the inside panel.  

The inside panel has a strip of the Petal Pink and white DSP and a fussy cut flower from the Magnolia Lane DSP.I love how everything goes together creating a harmonious look.  I vividly remember when I would go to the craft store and buy ribbon or cardstock thinking it would match the ink I had at home, only to get home and realize they weren't the same shade of red.  It was always so frustrating.  This is why my Crafty Favorite is color/product coordination.

Now it is time for you to check out what talented Teri West's Crafty Favorite is!

Angela Meiritz-Reid  - NZ

Tatiana Tobin - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Satomi Wellard - JA

Melissa Gifford - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Manuela Geiswinkler - AT

Ximena Morales - DE

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Tina Zinck - CA

Annette Ball - CA

Angie McKenzie - US

Mary Deatherage - US

Shel Anderson - CA

Chris Smith - US

Anne Marie Hile - US

Brenda Nelson - CA

Tricia Butts - US

Elaine de Montmorency - CA

Sharon Burkert - US

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

Thank you for joining us on our inaugural hop!  Be sure to join us in May on the 2nd Wednesday of the month!