I have a paper problem.  I have a lot of it and have found that I tend to save and store it instead of using and enjoying it.  Can you relate?  Well, I am on a mission to use my DSP (patterned paper).  This is the second in my series of templates/patterns using my paper.  You can see the first one in the series HERE.

I am using Sale-A-Bration products since this is the last day of Sale-A-Bration until 2024!  There were a lot of pretty patterned paper Sale-A-Bration choices so if you are like me, you might have a few of these paper packs or wanted them.  One last day to get them free with a qualifying order.

This is the Favored Flowers DSP, a beautiful pack of paper.  The sentiment is from the Thanks A Bunch stamp set.  

• Evening Evergreen CS card base- 5-1/2" x 7-1/2" scored at 3-1/4" x 6-1/2"
• DSP pattern 1- 3" x 5-1/4" 
• DSP pattern 2- 3/4" x 5-1/4"
• DSP pattern 2- 3/8" x 5-1/4" (optional)
• Basic White 3" x 5-1/4"
• Layering Circles dies, Stylish Shapes dies

1. Adhere DSP pattern 1 to the front panel of the card base.
2. Adhere DSP pattern 2 (3/4" x 5-1/4") to the right side of the card base. 
3. Adhere the Basic White CS to the inside of the card.
4. Adhere the 3/8" x 5-1/4" strip to the left side of the Basic White CS.(optional)
5.  Fussy cut flowers from the DSP.
6. Cut out an Evening Evergreen circle using the Layering Circle dies and a slightly smaller Basic White Stylish Shapes circle.
7. Stamp the sentiment on the Basic White circle.
8. Arrange flowers around the sentiment.
9. Adhere flowers to the Evening Evergreen circle.
10. Line up 3 Stampin' Dimensionals  along the score line on the right side panel.  
11. Adhere the circles and flowers.  

This one uses the Adorable Owls stamp set and the Dandy Designs DSP.

This one also uses the Dandy Designs DSP but this time with the Easter Bunny.

The Dainty Flowers DSP sold out.  I wanted to share this one because I used one of the oval flower frames for the closure.  I used the oval from the Framed Florets dies to mount the oval flower frame. 

The oval frame is pretty big so I added an additional DSP piece inside of the card and moved the Basic White piece.

The last one.  You can also place the closure piece near the bottom instead of the top.  I didn't make one this time but you could also do this and use a landscape orientation.

Thanks for stopping by and remember today is the last day to place your Sale-A-Bration order,

Just one more day left until Sale-A-Bration 2023 will be over.  It is always sad to see Sale-A-Bration end, I mean who doesn't love free products with a qualifying purchase?  Today I am using the Beautifully Happy stamp set.  

Here's the color combination I used.

Sweet Sorbet

Coastal Cabana

Old Olive

I haven't used Sweet Sorbet very much.  I don't really know how to use it and what colors it goes with so I decided it was about time I tried to figure it out.   I do like how it looks with Coastal Cabana.  

I really like how this 2 step stamp set creates shading on the image.  It is so easy to line up and the results are beautiful.  

Product List

Beautifully Happy Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [160804] $27.00	Very Best Occasions Cling Stamp Set (English) [159871] $25.00	Thanks A Bunch Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [160816] $18.00	Sweet Sorbet Classic Stampin' Pad [159216] $8.00
Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad [147097] $8.00	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [147090] $8.00	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $6.00	Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131297] $9.25
Sweet Sorbet 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159268] $9.25	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276] $10.25	Stylish Shapes Dies [159183] $30.00	2022–2024 In Color Baker's Twine Pack [159195] $15.00
Iridescent Rhinestones Basic Jewels [158130] $7.50

I do not know the name of this fold and if you do please let me know.

It is a "Z" type card on a 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" base and folds up to fit nicely in an A2 envelope.   If you would like me to do a tutorial on this leave me a comment and I will work on it.   

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to get your Sale-A-Bration orders placed before it is too late,

Did you know that Stampin' Up! has kits?  Yes, there is the Paper Pumpkin monthly kit but there are also lots of other kits.   Kits for cards, tags, holidays, and home decor.  Kits are great whether you are just starting out or are an experienced crafter. 

I recently ordered the Saying Thanks kit.  I knew we were going to be traveling and wanted to bring along with me something that required little additional supplies and of course was super cute.  

All you need to put together these cards is a scissor to cut the Baker's Twine.  All the other supplies including adhesives come with the kit.  The cards are fun and colorful.  You get all the supplies to make 9 cards and 9 coordinating envelopes.   

Love the water colored looking background with the heart overlay.  You will have lots of hearts to play with once you punch them out from the overlay.   I added the sweet owl from the Sale-A-Bration set, Adorable Owls.  I had colored it and cut it out previously and was looking for a way to use it.  The owl was colored using Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight and Tahitian Tide Stampin' Blends.  Instead of using the white Baker's Twine included in the kit I used black Baker's Twine.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Sale-A-Bration is almost over, just a couple more sleeps.  Be sure to get your Sale-A-Bration products before they are gone!

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

At first this sketch stumped me.  I just had no idea what to do with it.  After thinking about it I decided that I would use patterned paper for the larger pieces.  Once this decision was made the rest of the card fell into place.  Sometimes making just one decision helps bring everything else in focus.

Yes, I used the Easter Bunny stamp set again.  I love the flower garland, must be my Hawaii roots.  I stamped her simply in Tuxedo Black Memento ink and did a little bit of Fresh Freesia for her tummy, ears, and feet.  The tag is from the Something Fancy dies.  Her flower garland was colored using Fresh Freesia, Blackberry Bliss, and Mossy Meadow Stampin' Blends.  The tag was finished with a little Fresh Freesia 3/8" Open Weave Ribbon bow.  The sentiment is from the Thanks a Bunch set (Sale-A-Bration) and stamped on another die cut from the Something Fancy dies.

The patterned paper are from two different Sale-A-Bration paper packs, Dandy Designs DSP and the Favored Flowers DSP.  Do you see the Fresh Freesia Shimmery paper behind the DSP?  That is from the Fine Shimmer Paper Pack.  The shimmer paper comes in Fresh Freesia, Soft Succulent, and gold.  It is so pretty and the colors are beautiful.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out what the rest of the Create with Connie & Mary Design team made for this challenge,

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).

It is Thursday and time for another Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  The challenge alternate between sketch and color challenges.  This week it is a color challenge.

What a perfectly springy combination of colors!  Once again this is not a color combination I would have come up with myself.  I am slightly obsessed with the cuteness that is the Easter Bunny bundle (currently the Easter Bunny punch is not orderable but the stamp set is).  

I stamped the bunny using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink on Basic White CS.  I added a little bit of Fresh Freesia to her using Stampin' Blends.  Her garland/lei was colored using Balmy Blue, Orchid Oasis and Fresh Freesia Stampin' Blends and then fussy cut out.  The carrots and eggs were also colored and fussy cut out.  I am not sure there are carrots that are actually colored that way but we are keeping with the color challenge.  I positioned the bunny and all her treasures on a piece of 2021-23 In Color DSP.  The texture on the Basic White background is from the Cane Weave 3D Embossing folder.  Isn't it a gorgeous texture?  I also added some Orchid Oasis Baker's Twine from the 2022-23 In Color Baker's Twine Pack.  I also added a few Iridescent Rhinestones among the Easter Bunny's treasures.

Inside of the card I added a little strip of the In Color DSP and also a few more treasures.  

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out what the rest of the Create with Connie & Mary design team created for this 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.  Every month we create a tutorial bundle. The tutorial bundle is available as a gift with a qualifying purchase or can also be purchased. This month our theme is By the Bay Suite Collection.

We also offer a stamp camp three times a year.  The next stamp camp will be in July 2023 and will feature a suite from the 2023-24 Annual Catalog.  If you would like to be notified about the next camp, leave me a comment or send me an email and I will let you know as soon as I know.

The projects we are featuring on this hop were demonstrated and presented in a private Facebook group as a part of the By the Bay stamp camp.  This is why you will not find measurements or a tutorial for these projects.

This is the card I demonstrated in the By the Bay stamp camp private Facebook group.  I think this Collection (stamps, dies, and By the Bay DSP) all coordinate so beautifully to make a peaceful beach scene.  In addition to the By the Bay Suite I also used the Basic Borders dies, Stylish Shapes, Wink of Stella and the Faux Sea Glass Shapes.

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy all the fantastic projects on this month's Creativity Abounds Blog Hop!

Wishing you a lovely day!

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

When I saw this sketch I knew it would be a great one to use two Sale-A-Bration choices, Beautifully Happy stamp set and the Favored Flowers DSP.

The outline of the image was stamped using Tuxedo Black Memento ink.  The flowers were stamped in Fresh Freesia,  the buds in Blackberry Bliss, and the leaves in Evening Evergreen.  All the lovely shading on the flowers and leaves were created by the stamp.  This is a quick and easy image to stamp.  The two strips on the side were cut from the Fine Shimmer Paper Pack.  In the paper pack there are Fresh Freesia, Soft Succulent, and Gold.  The little Black dots are from the Matte Black Dots. 

Inside of the card I added a strip of DSP and stamped another flower from the Beautifully Happy set.  The sentiment is also from the stamp set.  

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

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,