It is Thursday and time for the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  This is the last of the Case the Catalog Challenges.  The card we are "case"ing is on page 81 of the 2022-23 Stampin' Up!® Annual Catalog.

This card was not one that caught my eye so I am glad it was chosen for us to case.  The layout is interesting and what I chose to be inspired by.

I used the lovely Cottage Rose bundle and the Abigail Rose DSP.  I stamped the flower in Early Espresso ink and colored it using Petal Pink, Calypso Coral, and Old Olive Stampin'  Blends.  I stamped another leaf and added it to the flower.  The sentiment was also stamped in Early Espresso ink.  Around the flower I added a few Elegant Faceted Gems.

The card base is Early Espresso cardstock.  I used 2 designs from the Abigail Rose DSP, a strip of Petal Pink cardstock,  and 2 strips of Gold paper from the Gold & Rose Gold Metallic Specialty Paper.  On the inside I also added a strip of the Abigail Rose DSP and another smaller flower from the bundle.

I applied Wink of Stella on the entire flower to add a little more shine.  I hope you can see a little of that shine in this picture and also the texture on the Gold Metallic Specialty Paper.

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

Welcome to the Paper Pumpkin Possibilities Blog Hop! We are all fans of this monthly crafting kit and want to share with you our enthusiasm for this box of fun and creativity. The beauty of the Paper Pumpkin kit is that you can follow the directions provided in the kit to make the projects as they were designed, or use the supplies as a starting point and let your creativity run wild. On this hop we will be sharing lots of ideas with you on how to use the July 2022 Sending Good Thoughts kit.  This kit contains the supplies to create 9 cards and envelopes.

I don't often do this, I made a set of cards exactly as the kit instructs.  I think these are great cards and am very happy with the way they turned out.  The  only thing extra I added was an embellishment, Opal Rounds to a couple of the cards. Totally not necessary.

Here is what I made for the hop.  Whenever I think of a message in a bottle I think of a love letter.  I added a heart to the scroll inside of the bottle.  The heart was cut using the Hippo dies.  There is a die that cuts out 3 sizes of hearts and on this card I used 2 of the hearts.  I also stamped and fussy cut 2 little seahorses using the Sending Good Thoughts stamp set.   Along the bottom of the card I used an image from the Friends Are Like Seashells stamp set stamped in Crumb Cake ink.  The 2 starfish (one in Calypso Coral and the other Bermuda Bay) and the sand dollar are also from the Friends Are Like Seashells set and cut out using the Seaside Seashells dies.   The Friends Are Like Seashells set and the Seaside Seashells dies coordinate with this Paper Pumpkin kit so beautifully.

Inside of the card I stamped the sand and seaweed and added a fussy cut little seahorse.  

Now it is time to hop and see what Darla Roberts has created for you!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy all the fun ideas using the July 2022 Sending Good Thoughts Paper Pumpkin kit,

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.

I debated on whether or not I should post this card.  Why?  Sadly the card base I used is no longer available in the US.  It was part of the Sale-A-Bration offerings-Pool Party & Soft Sea Foam Cards & Envelopes.  Sale-A-Bration items are only available while supplies last so it is best to order sooner than later.  Anyway, I decided that you could use this idea using Pool Party CS for the card base so I would share it.

I used the Split Card Textures dies and added a layer of Highland Heather CS behind it.  I love the color contrast of the Highland Heather and the Pool Party.  The flowers are from the Fond of Autumn stamp set.  I think the name of this stamp set/bundle is misleading.  This is not just an Autumn set.  Did you know that one of the dies in the Fond of Autumn bundle cuts out all the elements separately?  

Isn't that great?  I made a quick video for my team when I first received this bundle. The video shows what all the dies correspond with.

The sentiment is from the Very Best Occasions set in the Mini Catalog.  The set has a nice mix of fonts and sentiments from thank you, birthdays, thinking of you on through the holidays.  The little bit of sparkle on the card front is from Iridescent Rhinestones and a little bit of Wink of Stella on the berries and flower centers. Thank you for stopping by!

It is time for another Festive Friday Challenge!  Did you know that there is a International Owl Awareness Day?  There is and it 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 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.

Once again I found this to be a tough challenge.  I ended up using Inspirational Quote, Torn Paper , and Brown from the  Inspo list.

It is easy to see how I used brown on my card.  I started with a Soft Suede card base and also used Soft Suede ink for the quote.  Are you wondering where the quote is from?  I had to dig deep and found a retired stamp set called Sage Advice in my stash that has a great assortment of quotes.  This is a long retired stamp set, in fact it is wood mounted and the label shows the date of the stamp on it.  Can you guess what year it debuted?   I will post the answer at the end of the post.

I used the Rings of Love DSP (a level 1 July-August 2022 Sale-A-Bration choice) and tore it to reveal the quote.  The torn part was rolled and glued in place.   I added a few Poppy Parade hearts around the sentiment that I cut using the Hippo dies, another level 1 Sale-A-Bration choice.  A little bit of Linen Thread was added to finish the card.  

What did you guess the date was for the Sage Advice stamp set?  The correct answer....2005!  This set is one that I just cannot seem to part with.

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

Ann Schach

Beth McCullough

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert that's me!

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Stephanie Lanzalotto

Melva Peters

Jaydee

Diane Evans 

Joanne James

Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to seeing your creations in the Festive Friday gallery.

It is Thursday and time for the Create with Connie & Mary Thursday Challenge.  This month all the challenges are Case the Catalog challenges.  What is that?  Each week a new sample is chosen from the 2022-23 Annual Catalog and you can choose to be inspired by the layout, stamp set, color combination or ?  

I was inspired by the layout.   

Instead of words I used different patterns of the Butterfly Kisses DSP.   I really like this pack of paper.  It just makes me smile!  I fussy cut 2 butterflies from the DSP and added them to a circle cut using the Stylish Shapes dies.  The little Starry Sky dots are from the  2022-24 In Color Matte Decorative Dots.  The 2 banners were also cut using the Stylish Shapes dies and the sentiment is from the Very Best Occasions set stamped in Starry Sky ink.  The Starry Sky and White Baker's Twine bow was made using  the 2022-24 In Color Baker's Twine Pack. 

I wanted to add some texture to the Calypso Coral CS background and used the Painted Texture 3D folder.  Inside I also added another fussy cut little butterfly.  

I have been enjoying the challenges this month.  It reminds me that the catalog is such a great resource.  Need ideas and inspiration?  Look at the catalog and you will find so many ideas whether it is a new layout or color combination.  Need a catalog?  Contact me and I can help you with that!

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 an international group of Stampin' Up!® demonstrators that come together monthly to do this blog hop and we also prepare a tutorial bundle.  

This month our theme is the Hues of Happiness Suite.  The projects we are sharing on the hop are bonus projects that will be demonstrated during the Hues of Happiness stamp camp's Facebook Lives this weekend.  We won't be posting any instructions on how to make these projects since we will be demonstrating them during the stamp camp.  If you have registered for the Hues of Happiness stamp camp you should have received the make and take card kits for the projects featured in the tutorial.   We will be announcing the next stamp camp soon!  Join my mailing list or subscribe to the blog feed for all the updates.

I made this bag that holds  4-6 cards (depending on how chunky your cards are)  and envelopes.  I like to package my cards and gift them.  They make nice hostess/host gifts and favors.   

You could also use this bag to package other fun things like a mug cake packet, spoon and birthday candle.  It is a useful size (4-1/2" x 6") and you can decorate it in all kinds of fun ways.  

Time to check out all the great projects the Creativity Abounds team created using the Hues of Happiness Suite.

Thanks for stopping by,

Welcome to the Stampers Dozen Blog Hop!  This month we are focusing on quick and easy projects.  During the summer I still want to stamp and be creative but I also want to be outside enjoying the sunshine and all the fun summertime activities. Do you feel this way too?   So we thought it would be fun to share some easy stamping ideas. 

One of the ways  to make things easier is to use note cards.  Stampin' Up! has note cards and envelopes in both  Basic White and Very Vanilla.  Note cards are smaller than A-2 cards measuring  3-1/2" x 5" (yes they can be sent through the US Postal Service).  They also come with envelopes.  

• Basic Black square using the Stylish Shapes die (second to the largest square). 
• Cut a Basic White 2" x 2" square.
• Stamp the large Fond of Autumn image in Tuxedo Black Memento ink.
• Die cut using the Autumn Bouquet Dies.  The die cuts the flower, acorn and berries out separately.
• Colored the floral image using Old Olive, So Saffron, Highland Heather, and Pool Party Stampin' Blends.
• Adhere the Basic Black square to the front of the note card.
• Adhere the Basic White square on the Basic Black square.
• Attach the floral image to the Basic White square using Stampin' Dimensionals.
• Stamp the sentiment in Tuxedo Black Memento ink.
• Attach 2021-23 In Color Opal Rounds (Fresh Freesia) around the image and also in the flower centers.

Pretty quick and easy card.  

Since the Autumn dies cut out the leaf image I decided to make another card to share with you.  This one is a little more involved than the last one but still pretty easy.  

• Cajun Craze card base -4-1/4" x 11".
• Basic White layer- 4" x 5-1/4" embossed using the Leaf Fall 3D Embossing folder.
• Cajun Craze layer 2" x 3-1/4"
• Basic White  cut with the Stitched Rectangle die (1-7/8" x 3-1/8")
• Color the leaves and acorns using Old Olive, Cajun Craze, Daffodil Delight, and Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends.
• Attach the acorns and leaves using Stampin' Dimensionals and attach Rustic Metallic Adhesive-Backed Dots.

Be sure to check out all the stops on the hop!

It is Thursday and time for the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  This month it is CASE the Catalog for inspiration.  Every week a new sample is chosen from the 2022-23 Annual Catalog as the inspiration.  You can be inspired by the layout, colors, stamp set or a combination of the items.  This week the inspiration sample can be seen on page 39 of the catalog.

How will you be inspired?  I was inspired by the layout.  Instead of  strips of Designer Series Paper I chose to stamp a background.

I used a stamp from the Hydrangea Haven stamp set.  I stamped the image in Blushing Bride, Pool Party,  and So Saffron.  The flowers are from the Cottage Rose stamp set and cut out using the Cottage Rose dies (together they are the Cottage Rose bundle ).  The Cottage Rose flowers were stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and highlighted using a So Saffron Stampin' Blend (Light).  The Pear Pizzazz leaves were cut using the Cottage Flowers dies.  

The sentiment is from the Sending Smiles stamp set and heat embossed using white embossing powder.  The Sending dies were used to cut the sentiment out.  When you purchase both the stamp set and the dies together as a bundle, you save 10%.  This bundle is one I use often.  The flowers are beautiful  and there are so many sentiments perfect for so many different situations.

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

Welcome to the Inspire Create Share Blog Hop!  On the 2nd Tuesday of the month we gather together to bring you this hop.  Each month there is a theme and this month the theme is...It's Sale-A-Bration.   Thank you for joining us and enjoy all the stops on the hop!

People always ask what my favorite Sale-A-Bration product is.  I usually say my favorite is  the last stamp set, dies or DSP I played with.  I had to pick something to show you for this blog hop and I chose the Hippest Hippos stamp set and the Hippo Dies.   I think. the hippos are SO cute and they are made even cuter with the Hippo dies.  The Hippo dies cut out the 3 hippos and so much more.  

I used  the Picture This dies and inserted the different hippos.   I like to stamp the hippos on Smoky Slate cardstock and add some coloring using the Smoky Slate Stampin' Blends.   Behind the hippos is a piece of  Flirty Flamingo cardstock.  I used Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blends to color in the dancing hippo's outfit and her nails.  The Basic White flowers were.cut using the Hippo dies and the centers are the Classic Matte Dots colored using the Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blends. The tiny flowers are also from the Hippo dies. 

Now it is time for you to see what the talented Janey Backer has made for you.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the hop!

Welcome to the Stamping Inkspirations Blog Hop!  This month the theme is Christmas in July with a Color Challenge.  We were given 2 color palettes to choose from.

This one features the colors: Cherry Cobbler, Evening Evergreen, Soft Succulent, Sahara Sand, and Early Espresso.  Or we could choose this one.

This palette features Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, and Petal Pink.

As much as I love the colors of Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, and Petal Pink, I decided to go with the more traditional combination of Cherry Cobbler, Shaded Spruce, and Soft Succulent. 

The card base is Evening Evergreen.  The next layer is gold from the Gold & Rose Gold 6" x 6" Metallic Paper.  The Cherry Cobbler layer is from the Boughs of Holly DSP.   I did stamp one of the holly images from the Leaves of Holly stamp set in Versamark ink on the DSP but it really doesn't show.  Now I am glad it didn't work as I think it might have looked too busy.  It was lots of fun adding leaves and berries to the label.  I used Very Vanilla CS because I also wanted to use the new Gold & Vanilla Satin-Edged Ribbon   The ribbon is lovely and it ties beautifully.

Now it is time to check out what Judith has created for you!  I wonder what color combination she chose?

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

Angie McKenzie  ●  Jan Musselman  ●  Karen Henderson

Mo Rootes  ●  Sue Allen  ●  Annette Ball

Susan Webster  ●  Danielle Kassing   ●  Ann Krucek

Vickie Littlewood  ●  Leonie Stuart  ●  Aurélie Fabre

Tricia Butts  ●  Sharon Hashimoto Burkert  ●  Judith Patterson

Thanks for stopping by!