It is Thursday and you know what that means, time for the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  This week it is a sketch challenge.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post I am a little obsessed with the Snail Mail Suite.  When I started to work on this week's card I thought it would again be a perfect one to use the Snail Mail Suite.  In fact, I used all 4 products in the suite.

Let's look at the different components of the card and how I used the suite.  I stamped the mushrooms and colored them using Stampin' Blends.  The snail was cut from the Snail Mail DSP.  I could have stamped it since the image is in the set but I took the easy way out and cut it out using the Snail dies.  The Blushing Bride twine is from the Snail Mail Twine Combo pack.  The DSP strips are of course the Snail Mail DSP.  Let me just say that this is one of the cutest packs of paper.  I have used every design.

The sentiment is from the Many Messages set.   It is one stamp that has 19 sentiments, 3 stars and a heart.  It is cut out using the Message die which is one die that cuts them all out.  It is a great bundle and includes so many different sentiments and the dies cuts out lots of different labels.  You will also see the last but not least part of the Snail Mail Suite...Resin Hearts.  The hearts come in Real Red and White.  The white ones can be colored using Stampin' Blends so you can have hearts in as many colors as you have Stampin' Blends.  

You will be seeing lots of sentiments using this bundle this month.  It is so handy and easy to use.  I stamp once and cut it out and store the other sentiments in the case for future use.  

Thank you for stopping by!  Be sure to check out what the rest of the design team created for this challenge.

Product List

Snailed It Bundle [156255]	Many Messages Bundle [156272]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]	Bermuda Bay Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154878]
Real Red Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154899]	Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154883]	Blushing Bride Stampin' Write Marker [131265]	Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [102482]
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Snail Mail Designer Series Paper [154577]	Resin Hearts Embellishment [154578]	Snail Mail Twine Combo Pack [154579]

One of the hardest questions to answer is, What is your favorite stamp set/bundle?  Occasionally I will have a clear cut favorite but more often than not it is whatever stamp set/bundle I am working with at the time you ask me.   I love spending time just playing with one set  trying different folds, color combinations, coloring techniques and just getting lost in the process.  Unfortunately I do not do this often enough.  It seems like I am usually stamping for some specific purpose like a blog hop, design team or challenge. 

Recently I took some time and just played with the Snail Mail Suite.  This suite is a fun one to play with since it has an adorable stamp set, dies, twine, embellishments and Designer Series Paper (DSP).  I made a few samples that I have already shared here, here, here, here, and  here.  So. when Connie & Mary asked what my favorite bundle was I said Snailed It.  Is it my favorite?  Well, I can say it is among my favorites from the 2021 Jan-June Mini Catalog.

I have made this style of card many times.  Usually I have it oriented so it is a portrait style.  I have been trying to think a little differently so I turned it to make it landscape.  The sentiment is the only thing that is not in the Snail Mail Collection.  The birthday sentiment is from the In Bloom stamp set  and is the only thing stamped.  The snail and present are cut from the Snail Mail DSP.  The large square postage stamp is a die (Snail dies).  The Blushing Bride twine is from the Snail Mail Twine Combo Pack.

The "card" slips out and that is where you can write a message.  If you are interested in making this style of card you can find directions HERE.  The only difference is the orientation of the card.  

Thank you for stopping by and know that when I say something is my favorite I really am being honest it is just that I have a lot of them.

Product List

In Bloom Photopolymer Stamp Set [154380]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]	Bermuda Bay 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131197]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]
Snail Mail Designer Series Paper [154577]	Snail Mail Twine Combo Pack [154579]	Resin Hearts Embellishment [154578]

The 2021 Stampin' Up!® January-June Mini catalog is full of so many beautiful stamp set, dies, Designer Series Paper (DSP) and embellishments.  For the Festive Friday challenge I pulled out the Hydrangea Haven bundle.   This was my first real play with the products and I am hooked.  Before I get started telling you about the Hydrangea Hill Suite let's talk about the Challenge.

The Festive Friday Challenge is a bi-weekly challenge and each challenge lasts 10 days.  The challenge is inspired by a festivity and based on that festivity an inspiration list is created aka Inspo List.  There are always 10 items on the list and to play in the challenge you need to use at least 3 items from the list on your project.  You post your project on the Festive Friday blog gallery.  There are just a few rules and you can find them here

This challenge #FF78 ends on March 1 at 4 pm CST.  I hope you will join in the fun.  I would love to see what you create.

As I mentioned I used the Hydrangea Haven bundle, Hydrangea Hill DSP, and the Gorgeous Grape Sheer Ribbon on my card.  The 3 items from the Inspo list on my card: fun fold, flowers, and female sentiment.

The beautiful flower was cut using a die from the DSP.  I wish i could claim that I colored it but it is the paper. The die is pretty special, it partially cuts out little flower petals which i pushed out so it looks dimensional.  I may have gone a little rhinestone crazy but sometimes you just gotta do it.  The rhinestones were colored using the Dark Highland Heather Stampin' Blends.  All the patterned paper is from the Hydrangea Hill DSP pack.    

The lovely sentiments are  from the Hydrangea Haven stamp set and they are powerful words.  I am sure we all know someone or many someone's we could send this card to.  The larger label was cut using the Stitched Nested dies  and the smaller stitched rounded rectangle is from the Hydrangea dies.  

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

Stephanie Lanzalotto

Melva Peters

Judy Rozema

Welcome to the Creativity Abounds Blog Hop.   We are international group of Stampin' Up!® demonstrators who have come together to share our ideas with you.  We blog hop on the the 3rd Wednesday of the month and this month our theme is the Dandy Garden suite.  Thank you for joining us today and please enjoy the hop!

This is a fun fold called the Impossible card.  When I first saw this fold it did indeed look impossible but it actually s very easy once you understand how it works.

• Start with a 4-1/4' x 5-1/2" piece of cardstock
• Find the midpoint of the 4-1/4" side and score.  This is the red dotted line in the picture above.
• Starting at the fold find the middle (2-3/4") and cut a slit from the fold to the outer edge.
• Starting at the fold  measure 1-1/4" from the fold and cut a slit to the outer edge.  Repeat along the other edge

Note: The 1-1/4" measure is what I used so that I could use the dragonflies to connect the 2 panels.  You can change the dimension to fit your project.

This what your card will look like when all the scoring and cutting is done.

The easiest way to assemble is to hold the 3'' panel in one hand and with your other hand flip one of the 1-1/4" pieces to the other side.  If this is confusing don't worry I have a short video below that shows this step.

Check out the video below.  You will be amazed how easy and ingenious it is and that it isn't really impossible.

Isn't it amazing how simple it is?

I connected the panels with stamped and punched dragonflies using the Dragonfly Garden bundle.  You do not have to connect the panels.  I like to do this as it makes the card very stable.  The panels are decorated using the Dandy Garden 6" x 6" DSP.   Behind the center panel I attached a piece of Basic White CS so I can write a little note.

I hope you will make your own Impossible card, now that you know that it really isn't impossible.

One last big thing!  The Creativity Abounds Blog Hop team haas also put together a tutorial bundle of brand new projects.  There are 13 tutorials and they feature projects using products from the Dandy Garden Suite (pages 24-27 of the 2021 Jan-Jun Mini Catalog).

You can purchase this tutorial bundle for $15 US or receive it free with a minimum $50 order placed with me through my online store. Contact me if you have any questions or to order the tutorial ([email protected]).

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the Creativity Abounds Dandy Garden Blog Hop!

Product List

Dragonfly Garden Bundle (English) [156224]	Misty Moonlight Classic Stampin' Pad [153118]	Bumblebee Classic Stampin' Pad [153116]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [159229]
Dandy Garden 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [154297]	Misty Moonlight 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [153081]

There is less than 2 weeks left of this period of Sale-A-Bration.  It is a little hard to get used to that Sale-A-Bration last only 2 months but the good thing is that there will be another Sale-A-Bration in July-August with new offerings.  

I should have shared these cards on a Sunday, since they are perfect for a Simple Sunday post.  

The beautiful Oh So Ombre DSP (SAB choice) meets the Garden Wishes stamp set.  Very clean and simple.  The dandelion image was stamped directly on the Blackberry Bliss Oh So Ombre DSP in VersaMark ink and heat embossed using Black embossing powder.  The sentiment was also heat embossed using Black embossing powder on Basic White CS and cut out using the Stitched Shapes dies.  A Matte Black dot was attached to accent the sentiment.   The Blackberry Bliss Striped ribbon  is  easy to tie and holds its shape beautifully.  

Here are the measurements for the card.

• Blackberry Bliss CS card base- 4-1/4" x 11"
• Basic White- 4" x  5-1/4" (cut 2,  one for the outside and one for the inside of the card), scrap piece for the sentiment
• Basic Black -3-3/4" x 5"
• Oh So Ombre DSP- 3-5/8" x 4-7/8"

Inside another dandelion image from the Garden Wishes stamp set stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento ink and a strip of Oh So Ombre DSP.  

I liked the way this card turned out  and decided to make the same card in all the colors of the Oh So Ombre DSP.

Here it is in Rococo Rose.  The only difference is the ribbon.  This is the 3/8" Glittered Black Organdy Ribbon.

Granny Apple Green

Bermuda Bay

Which is your favorite?  

Thank you for stopping by.  If you have any questions please let me know.

Product List

Garden Wishes Cling Stamp Set [154408]	Versamark Pad [102283]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]	Rococo Rose 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [150882]
Blackberry Bliss 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [133675]	Bermuda Bay 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131197]	Granny Apple Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146990]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]
Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045]	Stitched Shapes Dies [152323]	Blackberry Bliss Striped Ribbon [154569]	Black 5/8" (1.6 Cm) Glittered Organdy Ribbon [147897]
Black Stampin' Emboss Powder [146956]	Matte Black Dots [154284]

Welcome to the Stampers Dozen Blog Hop!  This month we are  hopping with excitement to share with you some fun fold cards.  The problem with our theme is trying to decide what fold to use, there are so many fun ones!

Snailed It!  This cute little snail was fussy cut from the Snail Mail DSP.  I kind of botched up cutting around his eyes so googly eyes to the rescue.   The googly  eyes  definitely added some personality.  The Blushing Bride speech bubble was cut using the Snail dies and the Real Red heart was cut using the Many Hearts dies.  

Inside you will see this is a tunnel card.  Lots of fun cutouts from the Snail Mail DSP.   The fun sentiment is from the Many Messages stamp set.  Many Messages is 1 big stamp.  There are 19 sentiments on it, 3 stars, and a heart for a total of 23 images and there is a coordinating Messages die that cuts out all of the images at one time!   Of course it is available as a bundle so you can save 10%.  

Here is the back of the card, where you can write a message.  The sentiment here is also from the Many Messages bundle.  This card stands up on its own but also folds flat and fits in an A-2 envelope.  Love a fun fold that can be easily mailed

Now it is time to see what Joanne has created for you!

Stamper's Dozen February 2021 Blog Hop

1. Judy Garza – Creativity Released
2. Sharon Hashimoto Burkert – As the Ink Dries
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. Patty Chenail – Stamp-Patty’s - Stamping in My Flops

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the hop!

Product List

Snail Mail Suite Collection [155986]	Many Messages Bundle [156272]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]	Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [102482]
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Blushing Bride 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131198]	Many Hearts Dies [154308]	Stitched Shapes Dies [152323]
Layering Squares Dies [151772]

Welcome to the Stamping Inkspirations Blog Hop!  This month our theme is Love is in the Air.  There are a lot of stops on the hop...37!  Wow, that is a lot of inkspiration.  So let's get started.

You know i love a  striped background and if you didn't, you do now. To create the stripes I started with Basic Black CS and added the 1" white strips on top of it in 1/4" intervals.  All the hearts were cut using the Many Hearts Dies.  I love the layering of the hearts.  The sparkly white floral overlay is my fave and is so pretty.    I used a retired SU! Glimmer Paper to add a little sparkle to the card.   The Poppy Parade centers are the Opal Rounds colored using the Dark Poppy Parade Stampin' Blends.  The white with the narrow black stripes remind of a t-shirt I used to have.  I would love to have a T-shirt with this heart over the pocket.  Wouldn't that be cute?  

The sentiment is from the Lots of Hearts set.  The sentiments in this set are very versatile and can be used all year.  Inside i added another Poppy Parade strip cut using the  XOXO die from the Many Hearts dies.   I backed it with a strip of black CS.  

Now it is time for you to see what the talented Danielle Kassing has created for you!

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

FEBRUARY 2021

Angie McKenzie  ●  Alejandra Gomez  ●  Vicki Milyard

  Tricia Butts  ●  Rochelle Laird-Smith  ●  Annette Ball

Jo Blackman  ●  Leonie Stuart  ●  Jan Musselman

Terry Hamilton  ●  Lisa Mackey  ●  Deb Macdowell

Sue Allen  ●  Gez Carpenter  ●  Rebecca-Jo Unwin

Linda Moore  ●  Satomi Wellard  ●  Aurélie Fabre

Melissa Faust  ●  JoAnn Pollock  ●  Narelle Fasulo

Mo Rootes  ●  Karen Henderson  ●  Susan Webster

Susan Simpson  ●  Anne Marie Hile  ●  Ann Krucek

Shel Anderson  ●  Kimberley Morris  ●  Sharon Hashimoto Burkert

Danielle Kassing  ●  Chris Smith  ●  Mikaela Titheridge

Elaine de Montmorency  ●  Jill Chapman  ●  Teri West  ●  Libby Fens

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the hop!

Product List

Lots Of Heart Bundle (English) [156202]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]	Poppy Parade Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154958]	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045]
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Poppy Parade 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [119793]	Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper [135315]	Opal Rounds [154289]

Time for the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  This week we have a color challenge and I love this color combination. Flirty Flamingo, Real Red, and Bermuda Bay.   

The Many Hearts die set has a x❤️x❤️ die that  I have been wanting to use. I thought this color challenge would be a great time to showcase it.   I cut a 2-1/4" x 2-1/4" square of Black cardstock and ran the die 4 times through the Stampin' Cut and Emboss machine.  I cut strips of Flirty Flamingo, Real Red, and Bermuda Bay CS to layer behind each row of cut outs.  Then the square was layered on to a Flirty Flamingo scalloped square.  To make the stripes I cut Basic White CS 4" x 5-1/4" and added 1" black strips spacing them 1/4".   I added a few hearts cut from the long outline heart die (Many Hearts die) and red rhinestones.  The black & white twine is from the Playful Pets Trim Combo pack.  

Inside I added a few more hearts cut using the Many Hearts die.  I am not sure what sentiment I will add to the card.  I think any of the sentiments in the coordinating Lots of Heart set would work.  

Be sure to check out what the rest of the Create with Connie & Mary Design Team made using this happy and fun color combination.  

Thank you for stopping by!

Product List

Many Hearts Dies [154308]	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Flirty Flamingo 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [141416]
Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [102482]	Bermuda Bay 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131197]	Layering Squares Dies [151772]	Playful Pets Trim Combo Pack [152466]
Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels [146924]

Welcome to the Around the World on Wednesday blog hop!  This is an international blog hop with 19 stops.  The theme for this month is You've Got Mail with a focus on It's All About the Inside.  Hmmm, this theme can be interpreted in so many ways.  

The first thing that came to mind is the Snail Mail Suite.  The Snailed It bundle and Snail Mail DSP are full of images perfect for this theme.  

Isn't the Snail Mail DSP so cute?  Love the designs in this pack of paper.  The snail was cut from the Snail Mail DSP.  The Snail Dies cuts out some of the images from the DSP but this large snail is not one of them.  Luckily this snail is easy to cut out, the hardest part is around the eyes and the addition of some googly eyes helps cover up those imperfections.  I added a Real Red Resin Heart to one of the envelopes .  The Blushing Bride twine from the Snail Mail Twine Combo pack was tied around the belly band.  I am so happy to have twine back!  The hello from the Snailed It set was stamped in Bermuda Bay ink.  On this card I used all the products in the Snail Mail Suite Collection, so happy I decided to buy the whole suite of products.  

I wonder what is inside?  The belly band helps keep the surprise under wraps.  

A cute little snail pops up along with a floating heart.  This snail was cut out from the Snail Mail DSP using the Snail Dies.  The little speech bubble was stamped and also cut out using the dies.  The heart was cut using the dies and covered with Shimmery Crystal Effects.  

This is a simple pop up mechanism.  

• Bermuda Bay strip 3/4" x 3-1/4"
• score at 3/4" , 1-1/2",2-1/4", 3"
• fold along the score lines
• form into a square and use the 1/4" tab to secure the squaretogether.
• attach 1 side of the square to the inside front panel and 1 side to the Basic White cs

Now it is time for you to see what the talented Teri West has made for you.

Here is a list of all the stops on the Around the World on Wednesday Blog Hop

Jan Clothier - NZ

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Satomi Wellard

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Annette Ball - CA

Angie McKenzie - US

Wendy Lee - US

Shel Anderson - CA

Chris Smith - US

Anne Marie Hile - US

Brenda Nelson - CA

Tricia Butts - US

Elaine de Montmorency - CA

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert - US

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

Thank you for stopping by and I hop you enjoy the hop!

Product List

Snail Mail Suite Collection [155986]	Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad [147096]	Bermuda Bay 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131197]	Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [102482]
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Window Sheets [142314]	Stitched Shapes Dies [152323]	Layering Circles Dies [151770]
Shimmery Crystal Effects [150892]

Ready for the Festive Friday Challenge #FF0077?  The Festive Friday Challenge picks a festivity and uses that festivity to create an Inspo List.  International Polar Bear Day is  on February 27 and it is the inspiration behind the Inspo List.  Your project doesn't have to feature a polar bear (but it can) but it does have to have 3 elements from the Inspo list.

I chose to use blue, vellum, acetate, and heat embossing for my project. 

Th card base is Vellum Cardstock and heat embossed using the Corner Bouquet stamp set and white embossing powder.  I do not use vellum as much as I used to and it was great to be reminded how pretty white embossing looks on vellum.  On the front I layered a design from the Golden Garden Specialty Acetate over a coordinating piece of Fine Art Floral DSP.   I used small dots of Multipurpose Liquid Glue behind the gold foil designs on the acetate to attach it to the paper.  I did this to try and hide the adhesive.  The acetate and DSP are layered on a piece of Pool Party CS.  The Pool Party Sheer Ribbon is so pretty and also helps to secure the acetate to the DSP.

Since the card base is vellum I had to line the inside front of the card to hide the adhesive from the front of the card from showing.   I also added a panel to the inside of the card so I could write a message.  I also lined the back of the card to hide the adhesive.  This makes the card quite substantial even though it is vellum, so it is not as delicate as it appears.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the design team created for the challenge #FF0077

Ann Schach

Beth McCullough

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert that's me!

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Stephanie Lanzalotto

Melva Peters

Judy Rozema

Looking forward to seeing what you create in the Festive Friday gallery.

Thank you for stopping by,

Product List

Corner Bouquet Cling Stamp Set [155273]	Versamark Pad [102283]	Vellum 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [101856]	Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [122924]
Fine Art Floral 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [154558]	Golden Garden Designer Specialty Acetate [154557]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Pool Party 3/8" (1 Cm) Sheer Ribbon [152462]
White Stampin' Emboss Powder [109132]