I think the Hand-Penned Suite is the set of products I have used the most from the 2021-22 Annual Catalog.  The DSP (Designer Series Paper) is so pretty and the patterns mix and match so beautifully.  Another thing I really like is that it is an easy set to do Two-Step stamping.  Why?  You do not have to line things up perfectly for it to look great.  

This is one of my favorite go to layouts.  

• Pale Papaya CS 4-1/4" x 11" scored at 5-1/2",  3-1/4" x 4",  3" x 3" (scalloped circle)
• Basic White CS 4" x 5-1/4" (inside of the card), 3" x 3" (circle), 3-1/4" x  4" (flower bouquet)
• Hand-Penned DSP pattern A-4" x 5-1/4",  pattern B 3" x 3-7/8" cut into 3 panels measuring 1" x 3-7/8"
• Soft Succulent Open Weave Ribbon

Adhere pattern A DSP to the front of the card base.  

Adhere pattern B DSP to the 3-1/4" x 4" Pale Papaya CS.  Wrap and tie a bow with the Soft Succulent Open Weave ribbon.

Adhere to the card base.

Stamp the flower bouquet using Tuxedo Black Memento ink on the 3-1/4" x 4" Basic White CS.  Color the flowers using Blushing Bride, Pale Papaya ink and the leaves using Mint Macaron ink.  

Die cut the Basic White circle and the Pale Papaya Scalloped circle (Layering Circle dies).  Attach the bouquet to the circle using Stampin' Dimensionals.  Adhere to the card base.

Attach Genial Gems to the centers of the flowers.

Adhere the 4" x 5-1/4" Basic White CS to the inside of the card.

I always like to add something to the inside of the card.  Sometimes I stamp something, add a die cut or at the very minimum I add a strip of DSP.  

Hope you will use this layout.  It is an easy way to show off both sides of the pretty paper.  Starting July 1 there will be 9 DSP packs that will be 15% off and yes, Hand Penned is one of them!  It will be a great time to add some new pretty paper.  Stay tuned for all the details!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have you ever made a card using vellum as the card base?   Stampin' Up! has Vellum Cardstock which is a good weight to use as a card base.  It is fun to use and  creates a card that is just a little bit different.

Front of the card:

• Vellum Cardstock 4-1/4" x 11" scored at 5-1/2" scrap piece 1-3/4" x 3-1/4"
• Petal Pink CS 3-7/8" x 5-1/8"
• Fine Art Floral DSP  3-5/8" x 4-7/8"
• Golden Garden Specialty Acetate 3-5/8" x 4-7/8"
• Petal Pink Organdy Striped Ribbon

Stamp happy from the Pretty Perennials stamp set in Versamark ink on Vellum CS and heat emboss using Gold Embossing powder.

Fussy cut the sentiment.  Attach it to the DSP.  I applied small dots of glue behind the embossing which hides the glue.

Attach the acetate over the DSP and use small dots of glue to secure the acetate to the DSP.  I applied dots behind the gold foiling on the acetate. 

Attach the DSP/acetate to the Petal Pink CS.  

Wrap and tie a bow using the Petal Pink Organdy Striped Ribbon.  Apply a few Metallic Pearls to the front.

• Fine Art Floral DSP 3-5/8" x 4-7/8", 1/2" x 3-5/8"
• Basic White CS 3-7/8" x 5-1/8"

Adhere another piece of Fine Art Floral DSP to the inside of the front of the card.  This will cover up the adhesive used to secure the Petal Pink CS to the front of the card.

Adhere the Basic White CS to the inside of the card.  Line it up so that it matches the Petal Pink CS and is not visible from the front of the card.  Stamp the sentiment in Versamark and heat emboss with Gold embossing powder.

Attach the strip of DSP.

• Petal Pink CS  3-7/8" x 5-1/8"
• Fine Art Floral DSP 3-5/8" x 4-7/8"

Adhere the DSP to the Petal Pink CS.  Adhere to the back of the card to cover up the adhesive.  Line it up with the Basic White piece on the inside of the card.

Using vellum as a card base requires a bit more paper since you need to cover up the adhesive that shows through due to the translucent nature of vellum.  I have yet to find the perfect adhesive for vellum.

The Fine Art Floral DSP and the Golden Garden Specialty Acetate will be retiring in a few days so be sure to check out the retiring list HERE.  The last time I checked both of these products were still available and the Golden Garden Specialty Acetate is 50% off!

Thank you for stopping by!

Have you checked out the Simply Elegant DSP?  It is so beautiful.  Love the mix of Basic Black, Basic Gray, copper, gold and silver foiling. It truly lives up to its name. 

I thought it was perfect for the Festive Friday Challenge #FF0087.

Let me tell you about the Festive Friday Challenge.  It is the challenge that has an Inspo List.  The Inspo List is inspired by a festivity/event/holiday.  To play along with the challenge you need to use three (or more) items from the Inspo List.  Your project doesn't need be inspired by the actual event.

I used the Simply Elegant DSP and the Through It Together stamp set for my card.  The items from the Inspo List I used: gold, silver, and encouragement.  I wanted to let the beautiful paper be the main focus and I hope you can see the shine from the foiling on the paper.  The sentiment says "You are capable of great things".  I embossed the sentiment using silver embossing powder and added a row of silver pearls from the Metallic Pearls.

This is a simple, quick and easy  card.  I really wanted the paper to be the main focus.

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

Beth McCullough   

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert- that's me

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Stephanie Lanzalotto

Melva Peters

Judy Rozema 

Thank you for stopping by!

It is time for the Create with Connie & Mary Thursday Challenge.  This week we were challenged to create using a sketch.

I have been wanting to use the Flowers of Friendship set and this sketch seemed like a good one to show the large flower image.  

Clean and simple card.  The flowers were colored using Real Red and  Old Olive  Stampin' Blends, quick and easy coloring.   The image was cut out using one of the Stitched Rectangles dies.  The lovely Crushed Curry DSP is from the Pattern Party DSP (Stampin' Reward choice).  This is one of the sheets that I love both sides,  on the flip side is a black and white check.  What a lovely dilemma to have.  On the Basic Black cardstock I used the Pretty Flowers embossing folder.  It is hard to see but the embossed image does resemble the design on the DSP.

Here is what the embossed image looks like.  What do you think?  Doesn't it look the DSP?

I added the black twine to mimic the strips in the sketch and also added a few Matte Black Dots, just to balance things out.  Inside I added a strip of DSP because well I didn't want it to go to waste. I also stamped and colored a flower and punched it out using the Flowers & Leaves punch, part of the Flowers & Friendship bundle. 

Be sure to check out what the rest of the design team created for the sketch!  

Thanks for stopping by!

I posted a couple of cards using this layout using DSP (Designer Series Paper) scraps.  You can see them here.  I like this layout so much I had to make more cards using it.

Here are the measurements you will need to make this card.

• Thick Basic White CS 8-1/2" x 5-1/2",  5-1/8" x 3-7/8",  3-1/2" x 2-1/2"
• Balmy Blue CS - 5-1/4" x 4", 5-1/4" x 1/2"
• Pale Papaya CS - 2-1/2" x 2"
• You're A Peach DSP - Pattern A 2-1/4" x 2-1/4", Pattern B 2-1/4" x 1", Pattern C 2-1/4" x 1", Pattern D- 2-1/4" x 7/8

The sentiment and the peaches were stamped in Calypso Coral ink and the leaves in Pear Pizzazz ink.  The little bow is Crumb Cake twine from the Baker's Twine Essential Pack.

On my desk I had some scrap strips of the  Hand-Penned DSP  and decided to use them and make another card.  

The size of the strips are a little different than  the Sweet As A Peach card.  That is kind of the beauty of the card, you can adjust the size of the strips based on the scraps you have.

Check out your scrap pile and see what you can create using this layout.  Hope you will have fun doing some mixing and matching!

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you try this layout.

Product List

Sweet As A Peach Bundle (English) [155823]	Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad [147101]	Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin' Pad [147104]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [159229]
Balmy Blue 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146982]	Pale Papaya 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [155668]	You're A Peach 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [155686]	Baker's Twine Essentials Pack [155475]

Product List

Hand Penned Suite Collection (English) [155503]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]	Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad [147100]	Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad [147106]
Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad [147094]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [159229]	Mint Macaron 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [138337]

It is Thursday, do you know what that means?   It is time for the Create with Connie & Mary Thursday Challenge.  This week we have a color challenge.  

I have been thinking about the Measure of Love set and the cute flower image.  The image measures about 1" which means it is a good candidate for the Stamparatus and hinge stamping.   If you aren't familiar with hinge stamping, it means you move the Stamparatus plate one hinge down.  Your image will be perfectly lined up and spaced.  The size of the flower image makes it just right to look like a continuous image using the Stamparatus.

I added the strip of Cinnamon Cider CS and the sentiment from the Artistically inked stamp set.  The sentiment was stamped on Basic White CS using Cinnamon Cider ink and then fussy cut out.  In addition I added a row of Mint Macaron Genial Gems.  

I also embossed the Basic White layer using the Checks and Dots Embossing folder.  I ran the folder through two times to cover the entire card front.  These particular folders are 3-3/8" x 6-1/4" which is why it requires 2 passes with the folder.  

Thank you for stopping by!  

Love the Hand-Penned Suite?  Would you like a tutorial bundle featuring 12 PDFs?  We have created a tutorial for only $15! Contact me for your tutorial bundle.

Welcome to the Creativity Abounds Blog Hop!  We are a group of  international Stampin' Up!® demonstrators who have come together to collaborate. This month our blog hop focuses around the beautiful Hand-Penned Suite.  Grab a cup of something tasty and hop along with us!

The Designer Series Paper that comes in this suite is just so beautiful.  Both sides are gorgeous ! I wanted to make another card that features both sides of one sheet of the paper.  A split card design came to mind with the flower bouquet as the connector.  I built the flower bouquet on a couple of circles from the Layering Circles dies and it adds stability to the card.

This suite is such a good one.  You get a stamp set, coordinating dies, DSP (Designer Series Paper) and a pretty embellishment-Genial Gems.  You can see that I made use of every item in the suite for my card.  

Thank you for stopping by and now it is time to hop along and see what the rest of the Creativity Abounds team created!

Love the Hand-Penned Suite?  Would you like a tutorial bundle featuring 12 PDFs?  We have created just the tutorial for only $15! Contact me for your tutorial bundle.

Welcome to the Stampers Dozen Blog Hop!  This month we are focusing on Tools.  Sounds like an easy one but I found it difficult trying to decide.  So many tools came to mind, some I use every time I stamp  and others are only used in certain situations but are lifesavers.  

Yup, I chose my Paper Snips.  It is an essential tool and I use them every time I stamp.  I use them to cut my Stampin' Dimensionals to just the right size.  I use them to grab embellishments and place them on my projects.  I use them to cut out DSP images that do not have a coordinating die.  The list goes on and on.  They are sharp and cut all the way to the tip making it easy to fussy cut.  Lately I have been using them a lot to cut out sentiments like the ones found in the Biggest Wish and the Create with Friends stamp set.  I love the fonts and since there are no dies for these stamps I fussy cut them out using my Paper Snips.

I inked up the large flower from the  beautiful Artistically Inked stamp set in Gorgeous Grape ink and the center in Crushed Curry.  I marvel at how the stamp is created to achieve this look.  I added a few Mint Macaron leaves and die cut the flower and leaves using the Artistic Dies.  I added a few loops of silver cord using the Simply Elegant Trim and some Metallic Pearls in silver.

I embossed the happy from the Biggest Wish set using White embossing powder on Vellum.   I partially stamped birthday in Versamark on vellum, embossed it using White embossing powder and did a little trimming with my Paper Snips so it says day.   I attached the words to the flower using glue.  I applied the glue behind the embossing so it doesn't show through.  

Be sure to check out all the stops on the hop.  I am looking forward to seeing what is everyone's favorite tool is.

Stamper's Dozen June 2021 Blog Hop

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

Thank you for stopping by and I would love to know what your favorite tool is.  Let me know in the comments.

It was only a matter of time before I paired the adorable Party Puffins and the Pattern Party DSP.  

The Pattern Party DSP is available as a Stampin' Reward.  It is one of the best packs of paper.  On one side there's black and white patterns (gingham, stripes, dots!) and the other side bright and colorful patterns.   I colored the puffins birthday hat with Stampin' Blends to coordinate with the paper and added a resin dot for a pom pom.  I was surprised to find that I do not have a current balloon stamp and die so I had to go to my stash and used the balloons from the Special Someone stamp set and dies.  The "Celebrate" is from the Create with Friends set.

This card is a great way to use those scraps of DSP.  I hate to throw away patterned paper and try to find ways to use it all up.  

I couldn't stop once I started with this layout.  Here I used the Snail Mail DSP.  This paper along with the entire Snail Mail Suite is retiring at the end of the month.  Products are only available while supplies last.  I just checked and the Snail Mail DSP is still available.  The little Resin Hearts on the envelopes and near the hello are 50% off!  They make great little accents.

I used the Biggest Wish set for the hello.   Lately it seems like I am either using the Biggest Wish set or the Create with Friends set.  If you look closely you can see that I used the new Checks and Dots embossing folder on the Real Red strip.  I totally missed them in the catalog so I thought I would be sure to point them out.  

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

It doesn't happen often that I use a retired Stampin' Up! set for a blog post.  I needed to pull from my stash for the Festive Friday Challenge.  I have a smallish stash of sets that I keep for my personal use.   I kept  the Clubhouse stamp set and the Gold Club dies that  debuted in the 2020 January-June Mini Catalog.  My spousal unit is a golfer which is his primary hobby so it was a given that I would keep these 2 items.  

Here is the Festive Friday Challenge #FF0085.

To play along with the Festive Friday Challenge you need to pick 3 items from the Inspo List to use on your project.  I chose blue, plaid, golf, and brads.

I used the Picture This dies (which is in the current Annual Catalog).  The plaid paper is from the Well Suited DSP paper pack, which is in the 2021 January-June 2021 Mini Catalog.  This pack of paper is unfortunately sold out. (check out the Last Chance list HERE, lots of great deals!) The rest of the images are from the Clubhouse stamp set.  It was fun playing around with the different elements and arranging them.

If you are wondering the small black dots on either side of the banner are brads.  It is in  the Round & Square Brads.  It is nice to have some brads back in the catalog.  

I am happy that I have this card made and ready to give.  I am sorry that I had to use a bundle of products that you cannot order and I will try not to do this too often.  

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

Ann Schach

Beth McCullough   

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Stephanie Lanzalotto

Melva Peters

Judy Rozema