It is time for another Festive Friday Challenge!  National Family PJ 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.

This challenge was definitely challenging for me.  We are currently in the process of moving and have just a small selection of stamping supplies with me.  I had to really dig deep to figure out something to make for this challenge.  I ended up choosing paper folding, family sentiment, and circles from the Inspo List.  

I started with the Peekaboo Treat Bags.  These bags are so handy and are great for packaging  gifts and are also food safe.  When you order them you will get 10 bags (5 in kraft and 5 in white).   The bags are gusseted so it can accommodate contents that are a little bulky.   I made little rosettes using the Celebrate Everything DSP.   This Designer Series Paper is a Stampin' Reward in the 2022 July-December Mini Catalog.  Stampin' Rewards are earned based on the order totals for an order whether from a party or an individual order. 

The rosettes were made using strips cut 3/4" and 1" wide and 12" long.  The DSP strips were scored at 1/4" intervals and folded alternating between mountain and valley folds.  The end was joined and brought together to form the rosette.  To secure the rosette shape I placed glue along the center and placed the circle on top.  I let them sit so the glue had a change to set up and then did the same on the back of the rosettes.  If I had a glue gun I would have used that as it would have set up faster.  

I searched the limited amount of stamps I have with me and couldn't find one that had a family sentiment. I then remembered that I just recently received the Alphabest bundle (stamp set and coordinating punch).  I stamped out my husband's name on another circle cut using the Stylish Shapes dies.  His name is the shortest and best fit on the little circle.  I finished the package up using some Black Baker's Twine.   The Peekaboo Treat Bags have little notches on the sides near the top opening which keeps the twine in place.  

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 creation in the Festive Friday gallery!

It is Thursday and time for a new Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  The challenge alternates between a color and a sketch and this week it is a sketch challenge.

Last week I shared with you a card using the Framed Florets bundle.  I wanted to share another one using the Fitting Florets Designer Series Paper.  This pack of paper along with the other products in the Fitting Florets Collection will become available starting November 1st.  The Fitting Florets DSP will  only be available while supplies last.  I predict it will go fast. 

I started with a 4-1/4" x 11" Balmy Blue CS.  I love this color combination of Balmy Blue, Night of Navy and Polished Pink!  In the past Balmy Blue was a color I never used much but this color combo has changed that.  I was pretty faithful to the sketch and used both the Layering Circles and Stylish Shapes dies to cut the circles.  The floral image was colored using Balmy Blue, Night of Navy, and Polished Pink Stampin' Blends.   I stamped the sentiment by carefully inking up one line at a time and cutting each out using the Sending Dies.  The little Polished Pink gems are from the 2021-23 In Color Opal Rounds.

Inside I added a left over strip of the Fitting Florets DSP and another flower from the Framed Florets stamp set.  I know I mentioned this before but the stamp set and the dies have the same name!! I love that I only have to remember one name.  It is a little thing but helpful one.

Thanks for stopping by and remember the Fitting Florets Collection will be available Nov. 1,

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.

From the first time I saw the Very Best Occasion stamp set I knew it was a must have.  I especially like the Christmas sentiments and the other sentiments are all very useful and pretty.

Here I paired the Very Best Occasions stamp set with the Celebrate Everything DSP.  I colored the foliage on the sentiment to coordinate with the DSP and I am loving the bright colors.  The Celebrate Everything DSP is a Stampin' Reward.  This means you can only purchase it with Stampin' Rewards.  You earn Stampin' Rewards by hosting an event that  qualifies and/or place your own qualifying order.  This pack of paper is very versatile and has both neutral patterns and bright and colorful holiday designs.  

The top piece of DSP measures 2" and the bottom 3-3/4".  I covered up the seam with the Black & White Gingham Ribbon.  I also colored a couple of rhinestones with Polished Pink Stampin' Blend to add a little sparkle.  The sentiment is stamped on different circles from the Layering Circles dies.

Inside I aded the other Christmas sentiment from the Very Best Occasions set and some additional strips of DSP.  The large scallop was cut using the Scalloped Contours die.

Product List

Very Best Occasions Cling Stamp Set (English) [159871] $25.00	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $6.00	Shaded Spruce Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154903] $9.00	Polished Pink Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [155520] $9.00
Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045] $9.25	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276] $10.25	Celebrate Everything 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [159913] $18.00	Layering Circles Dies [151770] $35.00
Scalloped Contours Dies [155560] $35.00	Black & White 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Gingham Ribbon [156485] $7.00	Rhinestone Basic Jewels [144220] $6.00

Thank you for stopping by and let me know if I can help you with your holiday crafting,

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

You know I love a Black, White, Gray with a pop of color palette.  I chose for my two colors Poppy Parade and Old Olive.

Are you wondering where that sentiment and images are from?  They are part of an early release that will be available for purchase in November.  It is the Framed Florets bundle.  This bundle will also be in the upcoming 2023 January-June Mini Catalog.  In November there will additional items available which make up the Fitting Florets Collection.  I will share more about the whole collection soon.

The flowers from the Framed Florets stamp set were colored using Poppy Parade and Old Olive Stampin' Blends and cut using the Framed Florets dies.   Did you notice?  The dies are named the same as the stamp set!  I am so happy about this change.  No more having to remember the name of the stamp set and also the name of the coordinating dies.   

The oval frame (cut using the Framed Florets dies) has embossed details around the edge.  So cool!  There also is another oval frame in the die set that is a little more ornate and I can see a lot of layering of ovals on my future cards.  

• Basic Black card base is 4-1/4" x 11" scored at 5-1/2".
• Basic White layer is 4-1/8" x 5-3/8".
• Metallic & Shimmer Specialty Paper is 4" x 5-1/4".

This is the first time I am using the Metallic & Shimmer Specialty Paper.  Isn't it beautiful?  I am looking forward to using the other colors in the pack, Evening Evergreen and Cajun Craze/Pumpkin Pie.  

Inside I added a strip of the Metallic & Shimmer Specialty Paper and another bloom from the Framed Florets set.  If you would like to learn how to get the Framed Florets bundle and the rest of the Fitting Florets suite early, please  contact me and we can chat about the different options available to you.

Thank you for stopping by and be sure to check out what colors the rest of the Create with Connie & Mary Design team chose for this week's 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 October 28 & 29th, Boughs of Holly Suite Collection.  Every month we create a tutorial bundle.  This month the tutorial bundle features the Boughs of Holly Suite Collection. The projects featured in this blog hop are different than the projects in the tutorial bundle.

 The projects we are sharing on today's hop are bonus projects that will be demonstrated during the Boughs of Holly stamp camp's Facebook Lives (October 28 & 29).  We won't be posting any instructions on how to make these projects since we will be demonstrating them during the stamp camp.  We will be announcing the next stamp camp soon!  Join my mailing list or subscribe to the blog feed for all the updates.

Do you like to include a photo with your holiday cards?  Today's card is perfect for sharing a picture of someone special.  

The card lays flat for mailing and the frame pops up when the card opens.  If you want to write a longer note a piece of Basic White cardstock can be added to the left side.  

During the stamp camp I will be sharing how to make this card.  I think the element of surprise when the frame and photo pops up when the card is opened is so fun.

Now it is time to see what the rest of the Creativity Abounds team has created for you!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the hop!

Boughs of Holly camp 

It is time for another Creativity Abounds stamp camp!  The Creativity Abounds Design Team is an international group of 13 Stampin' Up! demonstrators.  We do a monthly blog hop and tutorial bundle and every quarter we hold a stamp camp. 

The Boughs of Holly Stamp Camp will be held October 28th and 29th.  To register all you need to do is purchase the Boughs of Holly Suite and use the Host Code Y6NGAEWF.  If you already own the suite, simply order $79.50 of products from my online store and use the Host Code Y6NGAEWF.  It is important to use the Host Code which will let me know you want to participate in the stamp camp.  

You will receive 13 kits which will include all the cardstock pieces necessary to make the projects.  You will  use your own DSP, stamps, dies and embellishments.   Both a written and video tutorial will be provided for you for each project. 

In addition to the 13 projects you will be invited to join a private Facebook group for the camp.  On October 28th and 29th each design team member will present another project using the Boughs of Holly Suite.  These lives will be spread out over the 2 days but they will be recorded so you can watch them when it is convenient for you.  

If you have any questions please contact me at [email protected].  It is going to be a fun and creative time!

It  is Thursday and time for the Create with Connie and Mary Challenge.  The challenge generally  alternates every week between a sketch and a color challenge. This week it is a sketch challenge.

I will admit that my card isn't very faithful to the sketch.  It started out a lot closer to the sketch and then took a bit of a turn.  Let me show you and explain.

Can you see the sketch in my card?  Originally I intended to have the connector between the top and the bottom of the card to be the geranium.  When I tried to connect the two sections with just the geranium, it didn't feel sturdy enough which led me to use the Scalloped Contours die to connect the top piece to the bottom.  Unfortunately it covered a lot of the slanted opening that is the focal point of the sketch.

I used the Black & White Designs DSP.  This paper is definitely a favorite of mine.  The pot was stamped using Basic Gray  ink on Basic Gray CS and cut out with the Geranium Dies part of the Potted Geraniums bundle.  The leaves were stamped in Old Olive ink.  The lighter color was achieved by stamping the stamp off before stamping it on the Basic White CS.  The outline of the leaves were stamped full strength and then cut out using the Geranium dies.  The geraniums were die cut in Cherry Cobbler (detail) and Real Red CS and then layered.  The little red bow is part of the Real Red & Garden Green 3/8" Ribbon Combo Pack.  The sentiment is one of 9 in the Potted Geraniums stamp set.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the Create with Connie & Mary design team created with this sketch.

Thank you for stopping by,

Welcome to the Stamping Inkspirations Blog Hop.  This month we have a sketch challenge and/or 3D Project.  I love a sketch challenge and really enjoyed playing around with this one.

The circles made me think of the Cottage Wreaths bundle which gave me a place to start.  I also found this super cute little spider charm while cleaning up my room so a Halloween card is what I made.

• The card base is Basic Black 5-1/2" x 8-1/2".
• The Crushed Curry layer is 4-1/8" x 5-3/8". 
• The DSP is from the Celebrate Everything DSP which is part of the Stampin' Rewards in the July -Dec Mini Catalog.
• The pumpkins were colored using Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends.
• The wreath was stamped in Crushed Curry ink and the vine wreath in Tuxedo Black Memento ink and cut out using the coordinating Country Wreath dies.  
• The sentiment is from the Cottage Wreaths set on a banner cut using the Stylish Shapes dies.
• Isn't that silver spider so cute?  It was the perfect little accent for the card.

Inside of the card I added another pattern from the Celebrate Everything DSP pack and stamped and die cut a spider using the Cottage Wreath bundle.  I am happy how this turned out and love this sketch!  Thanks Angie, the mighty leader of the Stamping Inkspiration blog hop!

Now it is time for you to hop on over to see what the talented Mo has created.

Here's a list of all the stops on the hop.

Angie McKenzie  ●  Aurélie Fabre  ●  Annette Ball

Tricia Butts  ●  Jan Musselman  ●  Ann Krucek

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert  ●  Mo Rootes   ●  Marieke Bart

Leonie Stuart  ●  Chris Smith  ●  Susan Webster  ●  Karen Henderson 

Vickie Littlewood  ●  Robbie Susan Chandler  ●  Danielle Kassing  ●  Teri West

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the hop!

Product List

Cottage Wreaths Bundle (English) [159659] $52.00	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $6.00	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad [147087] $8.00	Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154897] $9.00
Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045] $9.25	Crushed Curry 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131199] $9.25	Celebrate Everything 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [159913] $18.00	Stylish Shapes Dies [159183] $30.00
Matte Black Dots [154284] $7.00

It is Thursday which means it is time for a new Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  The challenge alternates between sketch and color challenges.  This week it is a color challenge.

I enjoy being on the design team as it nudges me to try new color combinations and layouts.  I will say these are not colors I would naturally think about putting together so it was a good challenge for me.

I stamped the large Fond of Autumn image twice and colored it using Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry, and Evening Evergreen Stampin' Blends.  I also used Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends for the acorns.  I used the Autumn Bouquet dies to cut out the image.  If you are wondering how the different dies coordinate go to this post and I have a short video about the dies.

I also colored a few rhinestones with a Dark Rich Razzleberry Stampin' Blends.  The sentiment is stamped on an oval from the All That Dies.  The pretty ribbon is the Evening Evergreen 3/8"Open Weave Ribbon.

Inside I added a strip of Rich Razzleberry cardstock and the leaf with berries image.  Want to see a few more samples using the Fond of Autumn bundles?  Go HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Thank for stopping by and be sure to check out what the other members of the Create with Connie & Mary design team created for this challenge,

Have you checked out the Rustic Harvest DSP? It is so pretty and it gives me all the Autumn feels.  The colors are lovely and I especially like that the background color is black even though I think something in the browns would be more traditional.  I wanted to use just a chunk of the floral design for my card but then decided to use one of my go-to layouts to add a little more interest.

• The card base is 4-1/4" x 11" scored at 5-1/2".  
• The Crushed Curry layer is another design in the DSP pack and measures 4" x 5-1/4".  I am not sure why I used a piece of DSP vs cutting a piece of Crushed Curry CS.  I think it was already cut to that size and so I used it.  
• The DSP panels measure 1-1/4" x  5-1/8" and spaced on the Crushed Curry layer.
• A piece of Black Baker's Twine was wrapped around the panels and tied in a bow.
• The sentiment is from the Hello Harvest stamp set and stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento ink and die cut using one of the Stylish Shapes dies.  The banner is embellished with a small Matte Black Dot.

Inside I added a strip of DSP and added a some leaves and berries from the Fond of Autumn bundle.  

Today, October 4th Stampin' Up! is offering FREE SHIPPING on orders $75 or more.  You need to order quickly since this is only for today.  You can shop online with me HERE, thank you!

Do you have a large shopping list?   It’s a fabulous time to join Stampin’ Up! New team members will get even MORE FREE products in their customizable Starter Kit. Between 4–31 October, those who sign up can get $125 USD  $155 USD  worth of products for only $99 USD  + free business supplies + free shipping + all the fun being a part of Stampin’ Up!  Contact me or  click here.

My 12 Weeks of the Holidays emails started on October 2.  If you want to receive a weekly tutorial for a card and 3D project to help with your holiday crafting be sure to sign up for my newsletter.

Than you for stopping by and remember Free Shipping, October 4th on qualifying orders!

The Boughs of Holly Stamp Camp is happening soon.  Click HERE for all the details!

Here's a quick and easy card for Simple Sunday.  The Nature's Harvest stamp set is so versatile.  I was happy to see it return in the 2022-23 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog and it is  available to purchase as a bundle. 

• The card base is Early Espresso CS 4-1/4" x 11" scored at 5-1/2".
• The Crushed Curry Designer Series Paper is from the Rustic Harvest DSP and cut 4" x 5-1/4".
• The next layer is a Scalloped Contours die cut in Early Espresso CS and measures 3-1/8" x 4-5/8".
• The beautiful flowers were stamped using Early Espresso ink on a Very Vanilla Stitched Rectangle measuring 2-5/8" x  4".
• The flowers were colored using the Daffodil Delight, Cajun Craze, and Old Olive Stampin' Blends.
• Wink of Stella was brushed over the petals to add a little bit of shine.
• A Water Painter was used to splatter Early Espresso ink on the background.  
• A little blending was done using Blending Brushes and Early Espresso ink.
• Linen thread was wrapped around the Very Vanilla rectangle twice and then finished with a bow.
• The sentiment is from the Potted Geraniums stamp set stamped in Early Espresso ink on a label cut using the Harvest dies.
• Rustic Metallic Dots were used to embellish the label.

• Inside the largest Scalloped Contours die was cut in Very Vanilla CS.
• The small flowers from the Nature's Harvest stamp set was stamped in Early Espresso ink and colored using Stampin' Blends.
• A small strip of  DSP was added to the Very Vanilla Scalloped Contour piece.

I have used the Nature's Harvest bundle a lot.  I did a quick look and you can see lots of samples in past blog posts HERE,  HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE,  HERE,  and HERE.  

Thanks for stopping by and a list of all the supplies I used is posted below,

Product List

Nature's Harvest Bundle (English) [156813] $53.00	Potted Geraniums Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [159056] $23.00	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [147114] $8.00	Old Olive Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154892] $9.00
Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154883] $9.00	Cajun Craze Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154879] $9.00	Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [119686] $9.25	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [101650] $10.25
Rustic Harvest 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [159633] $12.00	Scalloped Contours Dies [155560] $35.00	Stitched Rectangles Dies [151820] $35.00	Rustic Metallic Adhesive Backed Dots [159082] $8.00
Linen Thread [104199] $5.00	Blending Brushes [153611] $12.50	Water Painters [151298] $13.00