2022-2023 Annual Catalog

Fluffiest Friends Just a Note

It is Thursday which means it is time for a new Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  This week it is a sketch challenge and it was such a fun one.

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Isn't it a great sketch?  So many possibilities.  

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I chose to use the adorable Fluffiest Friends bundle (stamp set and coordinating dies) for the focal point.  The Fluffiest Friends bundle is a part of the Online Exclusives.  This means they cannot be found in any publication/catalog just in the Online Store.  Online Exclusives are released in March, July, and  November.   It is always exciting to have some new stamp sets, dies, papers, and embellishments.  More to look forward to!

The Fluffiest Friends stamp set features 6 adorable animals, a nest, flowers, and bees.  The coordinating dies cut out all the animals and the nest.  The dies also include balloons, grass, leaves, tree branch, and a bee hive.  It is truly adorable set. The hardest thing about this set is deciding which image to use, they are all so cute!  Since I  haven't used the cat image I decided that was the image that was going to get inked up.   I colored the kitty using Smoky Slate, Bubble Gum, and Cajun Craze Stampin' Blends.   I mounted the kitty on a Stylish Shapes circle.  

Card base- Night of Navy 4-1/4" x 11" scored at 5-1/2"

Bubble Bath layer- 4" x 5-1/4"

Basic White layer 3-7/8" x 5-1/8" embossed with the 3D Basic Embossing folder, another Online Exclusive

Delightfully Eclectic DSP cut using the Stylish Shapes dies.

Sentiment is from the Go To Greetings stamp set

Sentiment cut using the Sending Dies.

It is a simple card and this layout is a good one to remember.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out what the other members of the design team created with this sketch,

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Today is the last day of the Seasonal Sale!

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He's the Man

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.

.HE'S THE MAN 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER

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

He's_the_Man_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.

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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.

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

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

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Another Way to Use Your DSP

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.

FavoredFlowers_Thanks

  • 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!

Perfectly_Penciled_Hello

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.

Perfectly_Penciled_Hello_inside

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

Here is a very quick and easy masculine version.

HesTheMan-Classic

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.  

HesTheMan-Classic-inside

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).

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2023 January Roundup

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.

Beautifully_Happy

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.  

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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.

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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.

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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,

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Abigail Rose Thanks

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.

Abigail_Rose_PetalPink

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

Abigail_Rose_Thanks

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.

Abigail_Rose_Thanks_side

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. 

Abigail_Rose_Thanks_side2

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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,

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Hues of Happiness and the Split Card Texture Die

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.

Hues_of_Happiness_Split_Card

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.

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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.

Hues_of_Happiness_Split_Card_Fine_Shimmer

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,

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CA-BytheBay-graphic

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.

 

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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 ([email protected]) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.

 


Adorable Owls Sending Smiles

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. 

CCMC747

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.

Adorable_Owls_Sending_Smiles

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.

Adorable_Owls_Sending_Smiles_side

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,

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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 ([email protected]) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.

 

 


Leaves of Holly and the Merry Melody 3D Folder

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!  

LeavesofHolly-MerryMelody3Dfolder

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)

LeavesofHolly-MerryMelody3Dfolder-side

  • 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,

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CATute-2022Nov

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 ([email protected]) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.

 

 


Cottage Wreaths and the Wintry 3D Embossing Folder

It is Thursday and time for a new Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  This week it is a color challenge.

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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.

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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.

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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.  

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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. 

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Creativity Abounds Blog Hop...Christmas Packaging

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Welcome to the Creativity Abounds Blog Hop!  We are a group of international Stampin' Up!® demonstrators.  We hop together on the third Wednesday of every month.  Our hops focus around a particular bundle, holiday, occasion or product suite.  Every month we create a tutorial bundle. We also offer a quarterly stamp camp.  The next stamp camp will be in February 2023 and will feature a suite from the 2023 January-April Mini Catalog.  We look forward to sharing more information soon!

This month our theme is Gift Packaging/Gift Giving.  What a timely topic!  The projects we feature on this blog hop are different than the ones in the tutorial bundle.  We love sharing lots of ideas.

MiniPocketEnvelope-bag-4

I had so much fun coming up with this little box.  It would be perfect for a gift of jewelry or a beautiful chocolate truffle.  

  • Cut 2 Mini Pocket Envelopes from the Celebrate Everything DSP (Stampin' Reward choice).
  • Trim off the tabs along the bottom of the envelope.
  • Score 1-1/4" (3 cm) from the bottom edge.
  • MiniPocketEnvelope-boxbag-1
  • Trim off part of the side tab (portion that is below the score line) and cut from the bottom up to the score line as shown above.
  • Attach the tab edge to the straight edge of the second envelope. 
  • MiniPocketEnvelope-bag-2
  • Attach the remaining tab to the other straight edge.
  • Pinch the shorter sides in.
  • MiniPocketEnvelope-bag-3
  • Fold the bottom flaps in and secure with adhesive.
  • Punch two holes on the top (front and back).
  • Run Polished Pink ribbon through the holes and tie a bow.
  • Die cut 2 detailed holly leaves (1 large and 1 small) using the Holly Berry Dies in Silver Foil.
  • Die cut 2 solid holly leaves (1 large and 1 small) using the Holly Berry Dies in Parakeet Party Glimmer Paper.
  • Adhere the silver foil detailed leaves over the solid Parakeet Party Glimmer Paper leaves.
  • Color a small piece of White Glimmer Paper with a Polished Pink Stampin' Blend.
  • Punch 9 small circles.  I used the Dots and Spots die.
  • Attach the Polished Pink circles in 3 clumps of 3 circles to the leaves.
  • Attach the leaves to the box with Stampin' Dimensionals.

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Now it is time to check out what the rest of the team created.

 

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the hop!

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CATute-2022Nov

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 ([email protected]) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.

 

Seasonal sale 11-2022

  • 10% off all punches
  • 15% of all stamps (Host stamp sets are not included in this sale)
  • 20% off all dies
  • 20% off all embossing folders
  • 20% off all non-specialty and non-assortment Designer Series Paper

Click here for a list of all the items on sale!

Shop now for best selection!  Sale ends November 18, 2022 at 11.59 pm (MT)

 

 


This Birthday Piggy and the Celebrate Everything DSP

It is time for another Festive Friday Challenge!  National Cake Day is the festivity we are featuring on the Festive Friday Challenge. What is the Festive Friday Challenge?  The Festive Friday Challenge is a bi-weekly challenge that has an Inspo List.  What is an Inspo List?  Every challenge has an Inspo list  aka as an inspiration list, that has 10 items on it and those 10 items were inspired by a particular holiday, celebration or festivity.  You need to use 3 items from the Inspo list on your project.  You do not have to incorporate the festivity into your challenge but if you want to, you can.  Here is a link to more information about how to participate in the challenge.

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As I mentioned before we are in house hunting mode which means I have just a few stamp sets with me in our short term rental.  Can you believe that not a single one had a cupcake, sprinkles or candle!  Fortunately we were going to our storage unit and I was able to rummage through my box of stamps and pulled out the This Birthday Piggy stamp set and yes, it has a candle! 

ThisBirthdayPiggy-CelebrateEverythingDSP

From the Inspo List I used, birthday sentiment, candle and patterned paper.  The sentiment is from the This Birthday Piggy stamp set and it is stamped on a banner from the All That dies.  Can you see the itty bitty heart?  This little heart is from the oval hearts frame surrounding the piggy image.  The oval hearts frame, the Granny Apple Green oval frame and the Basic White oval (the birthday piggy) were all die cut using the Framed Florets dies.  Love how they coordinate and love the little hearts.  The Framed Florets dies are available to purchase now and will be officially debuting January in the 2023 mini catalog.  There are more coordinating items including the Framed Florets stamp set  (purchase the bundle and save 10% 162407), the Framed & Festive stamp set (available while supplies last), Fitting Florets DSP (available while supplies last), and the Gold Adhesive-Backed Swirls (available while supplies last)

The image was colored using a variety of Stampin' Blends.  The colors used-Polished Pink, Granny Apple Green, Crumb Cake, Petal Pink, Smoky Slate and Daffodil Delight.  The bright and cheery striped patterned paper is from the Celebrate Everything DSP.  The Celebrate Everything DSP is a Stampin' Reward choice found in the 2022 July-December Mini Catalog.  

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

Melva Peters

Jaydee

Diane Evans 

Joanne James

Thank you for stopping by and I look forward to seeing your creations in the Festive Friday Gallery!

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