It is Thursday which can only mean it is time for the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge!  This week it is a sketch challenge and this sketch is a keeper.

I decided to use patterned paper/DSP for my card.  

This is from the Perfectly Penciled DSP.   The DSP is great to color but I decided to keep it very simple and leave it black and white.  I just looked and this paper is on the Low Inventory list so if you like it be sure to order it soon.  The sentiment is from the Irresistible Blooms set (Online Exclusive) and is heat embossed using white Embossing Powder.  The banner was cut using the Stylish Shapes dies.    The little pop of color is a Melon Mambo Glossy Dot.

Are you wondering where the black ribbon is from?  It is the actually the Balmy Blue & White 1/2" Variegated Ribbon in the 2023 January-April Mini Catalog.  I used the Dark Basic Black Stampin' Blends to color it.  I was happy with how well the Blends colored the ribbon.  One thing to note is that the ribbon seems a little bit stiffer once you color it.  This isn't a bad thing since it does make it easier to tie a nice bow.

Inside I added a strip of DSP layered with Basic Black CS.  It is an easy way to finish the inside of the card.

Thank you for stopping by and be sure to check out what the rest of the design team created with this sketch,

Product List

Irresistible Blooms Cling Stamp Set (English) [161140] $25.00	Versamark Pad [102283] $9.50	Basic Black Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154843] $9.00	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [159229] $8.75
Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045] $9.25	Perfectly Penciled 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [159244] $12.00	Stylish Shapes Dies [159183] $30.00	Glossy Dots Assortment [158827] $8.00
Balmy Blue/White 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Variegated Ribbon [160448] $9.00	Basics Embossing Powders [155554] $18.00

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.

This is the card I made for the tutorial bundle.

Happy first day of Spring!   I am ready for it.   I look forward to seeing the flowers budding and blooming and the grass and leaves turning green.  This beautiful display is the allergy sufferers reward. 

Today's card started with a leftover, in fact a couple more cards that I will be sharing soon started as leftovers.  What are leftovers?  They are things I have stamped or die cut for a project but ended up not being used.  These pieces are housed with my scraps and I go through them periodically to see if they are ready to be used.  

The leftover piece was the Rays of Light background stamp inked in So Saffron.  I wondered what it would look like if I used an embossing folder over the rays.  Would it look good?  As an experiment I used one of the new Online Exclusives products, Basics 3D Embossing Folders (not currently available but expected back in stock around May 1) over the Rays of Light.    Can you see the texture?  I like the look and will experiment more.  

The rays reminded me of spring so I added  flowers from the Sending Smiles set stamped in Balmy Blue, So Saffron and Parakeet Party.  The images were cut using the Sending dies ( buy them together as a bundle and save 10%).  The sentiment is also from the Sending Smiles set and it is heat embossed in White embossing powder on Balmy Blue CS.  The label it is stamped on is also from the Sending dies.

If I had to guess, I think the Sending Smiles bundle is the bundle I use the most.  The sentiments cover so many situations.  The one on this card is probably my most used one.  

Did a little stamping and an embossed So Saffron strip to finish off the inside of the card.  

Product List

Sending Smiles Bundle (English) [158707] $49.50	Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad [147105] $8.00	So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad [147109] $8.00	Parakeet Party Classic Stampin' Pad [159208] $8.00
Balmy Blue 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146982] $9.25	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276] $10.25	So Saffron 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [105118] $9.25	Basics 3 D Embossing Folders [161598] $30.00
Stitched Rectangles Dies [151820] $35.00	Scalloped Contours Dies [155560] $35.00	Glossy Dots Assortment [158827] $8.00	Baker's Twine Essentials Pack [155475] $11.00
Basics Embossing Powders [155554] $18.00

Thanks for stopping by and remember to stamp and send some sunshine,

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.

This is the card I created for the Creativity Abounds Fancy Flora Tutorial bundle.  

I needed a manly birthday card.  We are doing some traveling so I have just an armful of stamp sets with me.   I couldn’t find a stamp set that felt right for the person I was sending the card to.  I do have the He’s the Man Specialty DSP with me and knew it would be perfect.  This pack of paper is special in that there are 2 die cut sheets of images and sentiments and 2 each of 5 double-sided designs.

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I chose one of the designs and created a pocket card.  

The pocket is secured with the Burlap ribbon from the Real Red & Burlap Ribbon pack.  The Cheers to All the Years is from the die cut sheets in the He's the Man DSP pack.  Both the top edge of the pocket and the flap edge were cut using the Basic Borders dies.   I thought it would be fun to mimic the points around the sentiment by using the Basic Borders die.

The birthday sentiment is from the Sending Wishes stamp set part of the Sending Smiles bundle.  This stamp set and dies have been so useful on this trip.  I use the sentiments often and the set covers so many situations.  I am so happy I brought them along.

This is a super quick and easy card to make especially using the He's the Man DSP and die cuts. 

Product List

Sending Smiles Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [158701] $22.00	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [147114] $8.00	Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [119686] $9.25	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276] $10.25
He's The Man 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [159068] $15.00	Real Red & Burlap Ribbon Combo Pack [160386] $9.00	Basic Borders Dies [155558] $29.00

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you consider the He's the Man DSP for your next masculine card,

Like most stampers I love patterned paper aka Designer Series Paper (DSP).  I buy a lot of it and have been trying to use it more.  I am breaking up with the idea of saving it for just the right, special project.  It sounds easy but the tendency to hoard is real.  I am always on the look out for ways to use my DSP.  Last week on my team's bi-weekly stamp together session, Kivonne shared this template with us.  We all loved it and have been having fun creating cards using it.

Here's the first card I made using the ideas she shared.

• Card base-5-1/2" x 8-1/2" Basic Black CS
• Cut two 1" x 4-1/4" Favored Flowers DSP (flowers)
• Cut two 1" x 3" Favored Flowers DSP (the flip side of the flowers pattern shown above)
• Cut 1 Fresh Freesia CS 1-7/8" x 3-1/8" (used the new Basics 3D Embossing folder available March 1)
• Die cut thanks from the Amazing Thanks die in Basic Black.
• Cut out flowers, leaves and bud from the Favored Flowers DSP.
• Iridescent Rhinestones

Now all you need to do is layer the strips on the card front, attach the fussy cut flowers and leaves with Stampin' Dimensionals, and attach the thanks.  This is a quick and easy card to make.  For me the hardest part is figuring out which side of the DSP to use and where.

I enjoyed making this card so I decided to make more!

Used the Perfectly Penciled DSP for this card.  The card base is 4-1/4" x 11" scored at 5-1/2".  The butterfly and flowers were cut from the DSP and colored using Stampin' Blends.  Used the Basics 3D Embossing Folder to emboss the Basic White in the middle of the card.  Love these new folders and i think they will quickly be my go to textures.  The sentiment is from the Sending Smiles stamp set and cut out using the coordinating Sending Dies.  Buy it as a bundle and save 10%.  I used Versamark ink and White Embossing powder and heat embossed the sentiment.  On either side of the sentiment are Iridescent Pearls Basic Jewels.

Inside I added a strip of DSP and more fussy cut images from the DSP.  

Here is a very quick and easy masculine version.

For this one i used the He's the Man DSP Specialty DSP which has 2 sheets of dies cuts in the pack.  The car and the sentiment are from the die cut sheet.  Instead of using a card stock piece in the middle I used a piece of the He's the Man DSP. This card can be made very quickly.  Just cut some strips and add some die cuts and you have a handsome card.  The only extra thing was I added were some Rustic Metallic Adhesive Backed Dots on the banner and on the tires.  

Inside I added a strip of DSP and more die cuts from the DSP pack.  Seriously this card could be made in 15 minutes!

Thanks for stopping by and remember Sale-A-Bration is ending at the end of February!  Place your order soon as items are beginning to sell out (Dainty Flowers DSP).

I enjoyed looking back and doing the 2022 Year in Review posts.  I am going to try and remember to do it monthly.  Here goes the first 2023 Month in Review.  I tried to pick a card using products from the different catalogs, 2022-23 Annual Catalog, 2023 January-April Mini Catalog and the 2023 January-February Sale-A-Bration Catalog.

My first favorite used the Sale-A-Bration stamp set, Beautifully Happy  and the pretty die from the Tw0-Tone Flora dies.

More information about the card can be found HERE.

The next favorite was made for the Festive Friday Challenge.  This was so much fun to make.  

You can read about this card HERE.  

The last card was a tough one for me to decide on.  I really liked coloring the Abigail Rose DSP and creating the card on this post.  It also was a different layout from what I usually make.  It ultimately it came down to 2 cards using the Hues of Happiness DSP.   I decided to choose both since they are different from each other.

This card uses the flowers from the DSP, the Split Card Textures die and Fine Shimmer Paper Pack (in Fresh Freesia).  You can read more about the card HERE.

This card also uses a flower from the Hues of Happiness DSP and also another pattern in the pack.  This card is pretty simple and  quick to put together.  We all need some quick and easy cards.  You can read about this card HERE.

Are these the same cards you would have chosen?  Let me know if you have different favorites from January 2023.

Thanks for stopping by,

I have been working on using my patterned paper (Designer Series Paper aka DSP) instead of hoarding it.  I want to enjoy creating with it instead of saving it for the perfect project.  Does this resonant with you?  

One thing that I do not do enough  is color my patterned paper.  The Abigail Rose DSP  is a  great one to color. I used Petal Pink and Old Olive Stampin' Blends to color these flowers. Early Espresso and Petal Pink is one of my favorite color combinations.

This DSP is so pretty that you really do not need to do very much to make a lovely card.  

I added a coordinating strip of DSP and used the Amazing Thanks dies for the layered thanks.  Along the side I added the ribbon from the Real Red and Burlap Ribbon combo pack.  I wanted to add a little bit of bling and used the Petal Pink Elegant Faceted Gems along the side of the striped DSP strip.

I added a strip of DSP along the side to decorate the inside of the card.  I usually add a strip of cardstock or DSP along the bottom of the inside of my cards but I had this perfectly sized strip that fit perfectly along the edge. 

Product List

Petal Pink Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154893] $9.00	Old Olive Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154892] $9.00	Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154883] $9.00	Abigail Rose 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [159037] $12.00
Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [119686] $9.25	Petal Pink 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146985] $9.25	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [101650] $10.25	Amazing Thanks Dies (English) [157816] $27.00
Real Red & Burlap Ribbon Combo Pack [160386] $9.00	Elegant Faceted Gems [152464] $7.50

Another DSP that looks great colored is the Perfectly Penciled pack.  Go here to see a card I made using  the Perfectly Penciled  DSP and Stampin’ Blends.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you will color and use some of your Designer Series Paper,

On Thursday I shared that I cut out all the flowers from the Hues of Happiness DSP.  Why did I do this?  One thing I realized when I packed up my craft room was I had a LOT of paper especially patterned paper.  I mean a lot.  I love paper and honestly I am not the best at using it.  I love certain designs so much that I don't want to use it.  Huh?  Sound familiar?  Well, I am trying to change my ways and am now making more of an effort to use and enjoy my paper and not save it.  I thought that if I cut out the flowers from the Hues of Happiness DSP I would use it.  This was a good decision.  I have made a bunch of cards using the flowers and have been thinking about the flowers and other ways to use them.  The flowers are color sorted and waiting patiently for me to use them.  Today's card was on my mind and I had to make it even though there were lots of other things I needed to do.

I used the Split Card Textures dies and added the Hues of Happiness flowers along the split.  Since the flowers and leaves were already cut out, this card came together easily and it made it easy to make other decisions like color.   I used the Gorgeous Grape and Fresh Freesia flowers which made me think about the Fine Shimmer Paper Pack which has a Fresh Freesia paper.  I cut the Fresh Freesia Shimmer Paper a little larger than the Split Card Texture so it would show through behind the cutouts and also act as a layer.  Everything is layered on a Gorgeous Grape card base.   The dots look black in this picture but they are actually Gorgeous Grape Glossy Dots.

Inside of the card I added a strip of the Fresh Freesia Shimmer Paper and another flower from the Hues of Happiness DSP.  The sentiment is from the Framed Florets set stamped in Gorgeous Grape ink.

I hope in this picture you can see the shimmer of the Fresh Freesia Fine Shimmer Paper.  This paper is so pretty and in the pack there are 6 sheets (2 each of Fresh Freesia, Soft Succulent and Gold).

Thanks for stopping by and if you would like your own pack of Hues of Happiness DSP you can shop online with me,

I am starting to cut the make and take packets for the Creativity Abounds By the Bay Stamp Camp.  Be sure to register soon for the camp.  Want more information?  GO HERE for all the details.

Love fun folds? 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.

Just a few more days left in 2023 which means we are also closer to the start of the new 2023 January-April Mini catalog and Sale-A-Bration.  Both of which start on January 5th.  Did you catch that?  The mini catalog will be available for 4 months instead of 6 months and Sale-A-Bration is in effect January 5th-February 28th and there will only be one Sale-A-Bration this year.  

Today's card was made for the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge #747.  The challenge alternates between a sketch and color challenge. 

I thought this sketch would be a great one to use some of the fun new papers coming in the Mini Catalog.  I used the Country Gingham 6" x 6" DSP and the Country Floral Lane 12" x 12" DSP.  Both of these are in the Country Floral Lane Suite Collection.   These coordinate so well together and share a common color palette of Balmy Blue, Mint Macaron, Petal Pink and Sweet Sorbet.

I used 1-1/4" x 4" strips of the DSP layered on Basic White CS (4-1/8" x 5-3/8") and then on a Sweet Sorbet card base (5-1/2" x  8-1/2").  The oval frame was cut using the Framed Florets dies.   The Adorable Owl (Sale-A-Bration stamp set) was colored using Petal Pink, So Saffron, Crumb Cake and Mint Macaron Stampin' Blends.  The Sweet Sorbet heart the owl is holding is from the Give It A Whirl dies.  I deviated a bit from the sketch and used the Sending Dies instead of a strip of cardstock.  I cut the Sending outline in Basic White and the word in Sweet Sorbet.  I felt like it was missing something so I added a Petal Pink outline as a shadow and like how that looks.  You know I like ribbon and used the White 3/8" Glittered Organdy to finish the front.

Inside I added a strip of the Country Floral Lane DSP and one of the sentiments from the Sending Smiles set (or bundled with the coordinating dies).   I plan to send a lot more just because cards in 2023 so this sentiment will be used a lot.  There's nothing like getting a tangible reminder that someone is thinking about you and thinks you are pretty special.

Thank you for stopping by and be sure to check out what the other members 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.

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.