Yes, the January-February 2022 Sale-A-Bration is almost over!  In fact today(Feb 28th) is the last day.  January and February sure flew by in a flash.  Here's a little tour of some of the projects I shared using the Sale-A-Bration choices. 

The Simply Marbleous DSP in Gorgeous Grape and the Color and Contour bundle featured on the blog here. 

Simply Marbleous DSP and the Blossoms in Bloom bundle featured in this blog post.

More Simply Marbleous and the Blossoms in Bloom bundle featured HERE.

Daffodil Afternoon DSP (SAB) and the Daffodil Daydream bundle featured HERE.

Another Daffodil Afternoon DSP and the Daffodil Daydream bundle featured HERE.

Catching Butterflies (SAB) and the Sweet Symmetry DSP featured HERE.

Catching Butterflies and the Rainbow & Sunshine DSP both Sale-A-Bration choices and can be found  HERE.

This is one of my favorite cards using the Sunshine & Rainbows DSP.  It is simple and shows off this super fun and happy DSP.  You can see the details about the card HERE.

This card shows both the Sunshine & Rainbows DSP and the Driving By stamp set.  The blog post is here and there are some tips and tricks on the post.

This sample shows some of the fun designs in the Sunshine & Rainbows DSP along with the Measure of Love stamp set (Annual Catalog).  You can find more information about this card HERE.

The Awesome Otters are so dang cute!  This cutie is welcomed in 2022! 

This card paired the Awesome Otters with the Sweet Talk DSP. More information can be found on this blog post.

Another pairing of the Awesome Otters and the Sweet Talk DSP.  This was one of favorite cards made using the Awesome Otters. and you can get more information about this card HERE.

The Friendly Hello stamp set and coordinating Designer Series Paper was definitely a favorite of mine.  This pocket card was featured on this blog post.

This card featuring the Friendly Hello stamp set with the Merry Melody Embossing folder  can be found here.  Whew that was a lot to review.  Be sure to get your order placed to qualify for Sale-A-Bration by 10:50 pm PT.  

Thanks for stopping by and shop online HERE,

Do you like fun folds?  If you do then the Creativity Abounds tutorial bundle will delight you!  This month we have 13 Fancy Fold tutorials.  You can purchase the bundle for just $15 or receive it free with a $50 order!  Here's a peek at what I created for the tutorial bundle.

Contact me for more information and/or to order the tutorial. [email protected].  Thank you!

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

Can you guess the colors that are in the challenge?  

Did you guess correctly?  Isn't this a fun color combination?  

It has been a little bit since I pulled out the Celebrate Sunflowers stamp set and coordinating Sunflower dies.  It is such a pretty stamp set and Bumblebee is a great color to use for that big sunflower.  I inked the sunflower in Bumblebee ink and stamped on Bumblebee CS.  I used a blending brush to add a little Poppy Parade around the center of the sunflower.

When I start to work on a color challenge I pull out cardstock, DSP, and embellishments in the challenge colors.  This is how I found the Night of Navy patterned paper in the Sweet Symmetry pack.    The Fan Baker's Twine in Poppy Parade and white was another one I pulled out.  In fact, I think this color combination was inspired but the colors in Hey Sports Fan DSP.  When it came to embellishments I couldn't find very much.  I thought about coloring some rhinestones or pearls or just adding some little dots and then I remembered the tiny flowers in the Peach dies.   Aren't they so cute?  I also added some tiny pearls because she is a fancy ladybug.  

Inside I added a big leaf stamped using the Hello Ladybug stamp set in Bumblebee.  I stamped the ladybug in Night of Navy and Poppy Parade and fussy cut her out.  Want to know the story behind this?  I somehow got a splotch of ink inside of the card so I needed to cover it up and like I always say, never take apart my cards cause you will certainly find some kind of mistake I had to cover up.  

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out what the rest of the design team created for this color challenge,

I try to schedule my blog posts to go live in the early morning (Pacific Time).  Sometimes that doesn't work, for example when I am participating in a blog hop or some other kind of event.  Lately it has been a lot more random and I hope soon I will get back to posting at a consistent time.  You can  subscribe to my blog which means you will receive an email when a new  post goes on the blog.  On  the right side of the blog you will see a subscribe form, you can sign up for blog updates there.  Thank you!

Yesterday I shared some samples using the Basic Gray Simply Marbleous DSP (Sale-A-Bration choice) and the Blossoms in Bloom bundle.  Today I want to share with you the rest of the colors of the Simply Marbleous DSP.

On this card I cut the bolder die out of the Blushing Bride Simply Marbleous DSP.  The DSP design creates a flower with lots of different colors and hues.  The Basic White layer was embossed using the Tasteful Textile folder. 

This card was made using all the same ingredients as the previous card except using the Gorgeous Grape Simply Marbleous DSP.  

The next 3 cards were made using the Simply Marbleous DSP as a layer.  The flowers were made using Basic Black for the outline image and Basic White for the bolder image.

Coastal Cabana

So Saffron

Balmy Blue

Thanks for stopping by and remember Sale-A-Bration ends on February 28th.    

Do you like fun folds?  If you do then the Creativity Abounds tutorial bundle will delight you!  This month we have 13 Fancy Fold tutorials.  You can purchase the bundle for just $15 or receive it free with a $50 order!  Here's a peek at what I created for the tutorial bundle.

Contact me for more information and/or to order the tutorial bundle.

I have been playing with the Simply Marbleous DSP, a Sale-A-Bration choice.  What a fun pack of paper and it is free with a qualifying purchase but only for another week,  Yes, sad to say that Sale-A-Bration will be over at the end of February.

I paired up the Blossoms in Bloom bundle with the Basic Gray Simply Marbleous DSP.  I cut the outline die of the flower in Basic Black and the bolder die in Basic White.  The sentiment is from the Blossoms in Bloom stamp set and it was heat embossed in white embossing powder.  The sentiment was cut out using a Stitched Rectangle die.  I added a few Iridescent Rhinestones to add a little bit of sparkle.  

I also made the same card except i used the flip side of the Simply Marbleous DSP.   Isn't it amazing how different it looks?  This side is so much more dramatic.  I thought about adding another kind of gem maybe in a color.  In the end I decided I liked this study in shades of gray, black and white.  

Thanks for stopping by and come by tomorrow for even more Simply Marbleous cards,

Do you like fun folds?  If you do then the Creativity Abounds tutorial bundle will delight you!  This month we have 13 Fancy Fold tutorials.  You can purchase the bundle for just $15 or receive it free with a $50 order!  Here's a peek at what I created for the tutorial bundle.

Contact me for more information and/or to order the tutorial bundle.

I am always on the lookout for new color ideas.  I came across the Inspire. Create. Stamping Challenge's combination of Cherry Cobbler, Evening Evergreen, Misty Moonlight, Sahara Sand, and Soft Succulent and wanted to give it a try.  Sahara Sand is one of those colors I do not use very often and when I do use it, I always wonder why I don't use it.  

I may have gotten carried away with all the flowers and leaves.  The Pierced Blooms dies is one of my favorite flower & leaf dies and once I get started it is hard to stop.  In the centers of the flowers I added the Classic Matte Dots in white.  

The card base is Sahara Sand and the Evening Evergreen layer is from the Tidings of Christmas DSP.  I suspect this pack of Designer Series Paper is also what inspired the color combination challenge.  I love the subtle herringbone pattern on the paper and how it adds just a little something extra.  If I was thinking I should have used it for the stripes too.  Maybe next time!. The Sahara Sand layer was embossed using the Tasteful Textile 3D folder.  The thanks in Evening Evergreen and Soft Succulent was created using the Amazing Thanks dies.

I did  use a strip of the DSP to decorate the inside of the card along with a Cherry Cobbler flower and Soft Succulent leaf.  Isn't that subtle herringbone pattern  great?  The Tidings of Christmas DSP is not just for Christmas.  There are lots of beautiful not Christmassy designs on the "B" side of each sheet.  

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the Inspire.Create stamping challenges!

It is Friday and time for a new Festive Friday Challenge.  The Festive Friday Challenge is a bi-weekly challenge that features an Inspo list inspired by a festivity.  The Inspo list has 10 items on it and to play in the challenge you need to use at least 3 of the items on the list.  National Peanut Butter Lovers Day is the festivity that inspired the Inspo List.  You do not have to use the festivity in your project but you can.

I used the following on my project from the Inspo List: brown, stripes, circles, interactive.  I will be the first to admit that some of the ways those items are represented on my card are pretty weak but they are there.

I used the adorable Catching Butterflies stamp set.  This stamp set is free during Sale-A-Bration (end February 28th!) with a qualifying order.  I sometimes mistakenly call this the Chasing Butterflies set.  This made me think of how I could show her chasing a butterfly which led me to the Give It a Whirl dies.   One of my team members, Kerri taught me this alternative way to use the dies.  Doesn't it look like she is chasing a butterfly?

This is the interactive element of my card.  I used a piece of Sunshine & Rainbows DSP (another Sale-A-Bration gift) and paper pieced a striped dress and this sweet little girl's brown hair is courtesy of the new Natural Tones Stampin Blends- SU200 and she is attached to a circle. Inside of the card i added a few more butterflies, the ones that got away and a sentiment from the Best Year stamp set (wishing you your best year yet).

Ann Schach

Beth McCullough

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert  you are here

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Stephanie Lanzalotto

Melva Peters

Jaydee

Diane Evans

Joanne James

Do you love Fun Folds?  If you do then this tutorial bundle might be perfect for you.

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.

It is Thursday and time for the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  What is the Create with Connie & Mary Thursday Challenge?  This weekly challenge alternates between a sketch and a color challenge.  The challenge will hopefully inspire you to create a project and then share it on the Create with Connie and Mary Facebook group.

I chose the Free as a Bird stamp set for this challenge.  I liked the idea of the branch instead of the strip and thought the flowers would also work for the sketch.

I used Stampin' Blends in So Saffron, Pool Party, Old Olive, Crumb Cake and Flirty Flamingo to color in the images. I wanted to add some blending to the background so I tore some Post It notes to roughly cover up the colored image.  I used Blending Brushes in Pool Party and So Saffron ink around the branch.  It still felt a little bare so I added some ink splatters.  I watered down some Tuxedo Black Memento ink and used a Water Painter and gently flicked the brush to create the splatters.  Once I was done fiddling with the panel I colored and fussy cut the flowers to add to the card.

I noticed on the sketch that the strip extended past the layer it was on so, I decided to add on to the stamped image.  I stamped just the end portion of the branch, colored it and cut it out.  I tried to mimic the markings on the branch to disguise where I grafted the extension.  If you look really closely you can see where I added the piece on but for the most part it looks pretty good.  Another tip that helps mask the addition is I used the brush end of a Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker to color around the edges of the fussy cut piece.  

Check out the centers of the flowers.  I used Iridescent Rhinestones for the centers and they are picking up the So Saffron color.  Love those rhinestones!  They really go with everything.

Inside I stamped and colored only a part of the branch.  You know I believe in decorating the insides of your cards.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out what the rest of the design team created for the challenge!

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.  We also do a quarterly stamp camp and have one coming up April 29th & 30th (Symbols of Fortune Suite).   Every month we also create a tutorial bundle.  This month the tutorial bundle features fun folds and there are 13 tutorials in the bundle.  Keep on reading to the end I will share with you a peek at the card I created for the bundle.

This is one of my favorite fun folds.  It is quick and easy to make.  Here are  the basic measurements.

• Evening Evergreen Card Base- 4-1/4" x  7-1/4" scored at 5-1/2" ,  3" x 4-1/4"
• Basic White CS- 4" x 5-1/4" Inside of the card
• Evening Evergreen CS connector 3" x 4-1/4" used the largest Stitched So Sweetly label
• Flowering Fields DSP: (Pattern 1) 1-1/2" x 4", (Pattern 2) 2-3/4" x 4"

You will also need Soft Succulent CS for the leaves and stems and Basic White CS for the flowers.

The Evening Evergreen Stitched So Sweetly label connects the main part of the card base (4-1/4" x  7-1/4" ) to the  bottom portion.   I decorated the label using the Flowering Tulips bundle.   The tulips were stamped in Mango Melody and So Saffron ink.  The leaves were inked in Soft Succulent ink and stamped on Sot Succulent CS.

The sentiment is from the Sale-A-Bration stamp set, Special Moments.   I am a little surprised to be saying this but this set is probably my most used and one of my favorite SAB stamp sets.  I love the sentiments.  There are sentiments for both the outside and inside of the card. 

Here's a list of all the stops on the hop!  So many fabulous fun fold cards to see!

Thank you for stopping by and check out a sneak peek below of what I created for the tutorial bundle.

Place a $50 order through my online store and receive this bundle (13 tutorials!!)  as a thank you.  You may also purchase the tutorial bundle for $15.00.  Please contact me ([email protected]) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.

This is one of  the fun fold cards you will find in the tutorial bundle.

I call this a one armed easel card.  It is a super fun one to make.  Purchase the bundle or place a $50 order to receive this tutorial and 12 more.

Welcome to the Stampers Dozen Blog Hop!  We are a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators who hop together every month on the 14th.  This month we are trying something new...no theme! What?  Each stop on the hop will share something they have been working on and want to share with you.  

I have been playing a bit with the Blessings of Home bundle.  Love this big bouquet of flowers and trying out different ways of coloring them. On this card I used Stampin' Blends in Pale Papaya, So Saffron, Pool Party and Old Olive.  Turns out i like Pool Party and Pale Papaya together.  The bouquet is mounted on a piece of Mother of Pearl paper.  

Hope you can see the shine of the Mother of Pearl paper.  It is subtle and adds a special shimmer.  

The card base is Pale Papaya.  The first layer is also Pale Papaya.  The layer was embossed using the Parisian Flourish 3D folder.   The 3D folders are best used with the Specialty Plate (Plate 4).  This plate replaced the "blue plate" and creates the best impressions when used with the 3D folders.

The die cut and sentiment are from the Art Gallery stamp set and the coordinating Floral Gallery dies.  The little sparkly gem is a Pale Papaya rhinestone from the 2021-23 In Color Jewels.

Inside i added a strip of DSP in Pale Papaya and also a flower made using the Penned Flowers dies.  I like to decorate the inside of my cards.  I think it adds a nice finishing touch.  Most of the time it is a strip of DSP and die cut or stamped image.  

I am looking forward to seeing what everyone else created to share!

Blog Hop Index

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the hop!

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you feel loved and appreciated today and everyday! 

Used the Happy Hedgehog bundle  and the Sweet Talk DSP for this card.  The hedgehog was colored using Stampin'  Blends (Crumb Cake and Flirty Flamingo) and punched out using the Hedgehog Builder punch.  The chubby little bird, also from the Happy Hedgehogs stamp set was also colored with Stampin' Blends (Pool Party, So Saffron, Flirty Flamingo and Granny Apple Green) and fussy cut out.  The heart between the two was cut from the Sweet Talk DSP using one of the heart dies from the Give It A Whirl dies.   

To finish off this quick card I added another hedgehog and a strip of the Sweet Talk DSP.   This hedgehog is smaller and was also fussy cut out.  It is not too detailed so it is easy to cut.  The ribbon I used is the Real Red Faux Linen.  I tied the bow and just added it to the card using a glue dot.  

Thanks for stopping by and hope you are having a wonderful day!