Ready for another Festive Friday challenge?   What is the Festive Friday challenge?  The Festive Friday challenge is a bi-weekly challenge that is inspired by a holiday/festivity.  An Inspo list of 10 items is created using the festivity as its inspiration.  To play in the challenge you need to use 3 items from the Inspo list on your project and enter it in the Festive Friday gallery.  We love seeing what you choose from the Inspo list and look forward to seeing what you create.

I used Black & White, Easel Card and Gingham from the Inspo List.  

The cute little raccoon is from the Zoo Crew DSP that will be debuting in the 2023-24 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog.  I added the balloons using the Zany Zoo dies.  The raccoon is actually holding balloons but the colors did not match my color scheme so I added the die cut ones on top of them.   I added some color to the raccoon with Polished Pink (I am going to miss this color) and Smoky Slate Stampin' Blends.  The raccoon is on circles from the Layering Circles dies.   The Layering Circles dies will be retiring soon too!

I created the black and white striped background by layering 3/4" Basic Black strips over Basic White CS.  I added both the Black & White Gingham ribbon and the Polished Pink Open Weave ribbon to the card.  The Polished Pink ribbon is retiring and currently available for $2.80!  What a deal!  I used the Dark Polished Pink Stampin' Blend to color the Heart Pearls.  

I still had to use one more item on my card from the Inspo List for the challenge.  The only one I could find a way to use was easel card.

The black and white strip was leftover from the stripes I created. The sentiment is from the Zany Zoo stamp stamp set and acts as the stopper for the easel. 

The new catalog will be debuting on May 2nd and you can find the adorable Zoo Crew Suite on page 46 & 47.  It is a super fun collection.

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

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

I have been wanting to do more with the Two-Tone Flora Dies (buy the dies and stamp set as a bundle by May 1st and save 10%) and thought this would be a great time to use it.

Isn't that large floral cutout in Basic White CS beautiful?  It is so delicate and detailed.  I placed Petal Pink CS behind the cutout and then added the small flowers in Petal Pink.  The small flowers were cut using the Sending dies.  The Sending dies are currently available as a bundle (bundle pricing saves you 10%) with the Sending Smiles stamp set but in the new catalog will be sold separately.   In the center of each flower i placed a Festive Pearls in gold. 

The Balmy Blue frame was in my leftovers pile and was created using the Stitched Rectangle dies.  The Stitched Rectangle dies will be retiring on May 1 and are currently available and priced at $24.50!   I layered Gold Foil behind the frame and tied a Balmy Blue & White Variegated Ribbon near the bottom of the frame.  The sentiment is from a soon to be debuting stamp set called Cheerful Daisies and the label is from the coordinating Cheerful Daisies dies.

Inside I added a strip of Petal Pink CS and Gold foil.  The sentiment is from the Pansy Patch stamp set and I added a few more flowers.  

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

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

I just received my pre-order of Stampin' Up! goodies from the 2023-24 Annual Catalog.  Yes, that is one of the perks of being a demonstrator and I love it.  One of the items I pre-ordered is an adorable suite called Zoo Crew.  The DSP is so cute.  One side of the paper is all kinds of animals doing fun things and the flip side is black and white designs!  Be still my heart.  

I used the Zany Zoo dies to cut out the raccoon from the DSP.  There is a stamp for the raccoon but I was strategically cutting a strip of the paper for the top of the card (aren't the black and white stars fab?)and decided to cut him out from the DSP instead.  Something a little different about the Zoo Crew DSP is that the images are only partially colored.  It is cute just the way it is or you can do a little more coloring like I did with Pool Party and Smoky Slate Stampin' Blends.  For some reason I was very set on him having a Pool Party mask and belly.

I used Lemon Lime Twist for the outer circle and Pool Party for the inner circle.  Both circles are cut using the Stylish Shapes dies.  The Pool Party banner was also cut using the Stylish Shapes dies.  The narrow Lemon Lime Twist ribbon is part of the suite and combined with the sweetest Petal Pink ribbon,  together they are called the Ribbon Duo Combo Pack.

The Iridescent Rhinestones were added around the balloons and the sentiment.  I wanted to add just a little bit of sparkle.

Both sentiments used are from the Zany Zoo stamp set.  I added another little strip of the Zoo Crew DSP to finish the inside of the card.  

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

Welcome to the Creativity Abounds Blog Hop!  We are an international group of 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.   We also have a stamp camp 3 times a year.  The next camp will be on July 7th and 8th and will feature the Fresh as a Daisy Suite.  You will receive 13 make and takes, access to a private Facebook group and 2 days of even more ideas using the Suite.  All you will need to do is purchase the Suite using a Host Code that I will provide and you are in!  I will post the Host Code at the end of the month.  

This month our blog hop focus is on the Online Exclusives products. Online Exclusives are not part of any catalog and can only be found well, online.  The products are not available for a pre-determined amount of time so if you see something you like you will want to get it sooner rather than later.  Some of the items may be re-ordered and some only available for a short period of time.  

For my project I used the Irresistible Blooms bundle and the Hello, Irresistible DSP.  The gold leaves were cut from the Distressed Gold Specialty paper with  the Irresistible Blooms dies.  The flowers and leaves were heat embossed using White Embossing powder on Vellum Cardstock.   Around the flowers and in the centers, I used the Festive Pearls in gold

Here's a little tip.  I cut out the middle of the Distressed Gold paper before adhering it to the Petal Pink card base.  I used a Stitched Rectangle die to cut it out and then used that piece to cut out the leaves.   This is a good way to avoid bulk and  also not waste paper.  

Inside I added a strip of DSP, Distressed Gold paper and a couple of leaves.  This is a simple and pretty way to finish the inside of your cards.

Thanks for stopping by and remember it is Free Shipping (April 19th ) Day with a qualifying order!

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.

This is the project I created for the tutorial.  It is a quick and easy pocket card.

Welcome to the Stampers Dozen Blog Hop!  We are a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators who hop together on the 14th of every month.  This month our theme is Going, Going, Gone!  Yes, we are featuring products that are on the retiring list, products that will no longer be available once the new catalog debuts.  You can see the list HERE.  There are many discounted items on the list but be aware that the items on the list are only available while supplies last.  There are many items that have already sold out.

I used the Blessings of Home bundle for my card.  The patterned paper used is the Perfectly Penciled DSP which is an example of a product that has already sold out.   Another item I used is the Matte Black Dots.  The dots are also on the last chance list and at a discounted price.  The Layering Circles dies are also on the retiring/last chance list.  I am sad that these dies are retiring.  I use them so much and will probably continue to do so. 

The sentiment is from the Blessings of Home set.  I inked only part of it so it would fit on the circle.  The circle is attached on only one side so that it acts as a latch and keeps the card closed.  

Thank you for stopping by and be sure to check out all the stops on the hop!

Ready for another Festive Friday challenge?   What is the Festive Friday challenge?  The Festive Friday challenge is a bi-weekly challenge that is inspired by a holiday/festivity.  An Inspo list of 10 items is created using the festivity as its inspiration.  To play in the challenge you need to use 3 items from the Inspo list on your project and enter it in the Festive Friday gallery.  We love seeing what you choose from the Inspo list and look forward to seeing what you create.

I chose Kindness sentiment, Gift Tag, Blue, and Mini Treat Package from the Inspo list. 

I found these lemon Mentos and knew they would be cute packaged using  the Sweet Citrus bundle.   The Festive Friday challenge #132 was a perfect time to use them and there is even blue on the label!  

The lemons were stamped in Daffodil Delight and then embossed and cut using the Sweet Citrus Hybrid Embossing folder.   I still find it a little scary to place the dies in the embossing folder but the results are so good!  I love all the details, it looks just like a juicy lemon.  The leaves were stamped using Parakeet Party and the flowers in Flirty Flamingo.  The sentiment is from the Pansy Patch stamp set.  This stamp set and dies will be available in the upcoming 2023-24 Annual Catalog but will not be available as a bundle.  If you have wanted this stamp set and dies get them now (by May 2 to save 10%). 

The tag behind the lemons is Starry Sky CS and embossed with the Sweet Citrus Hybrid Embossing folder.  To carry the Starry Sky color I also used the Starry Sky twine from the  2022-24 In Color Baker's Twine and the 2022-24 In Color Matte Decorative Dots in Starry Sky for the center of the flowers.   

The treat bag is a Peekaboo Treat Bag.   These cute bags come in both Kraft and white and are food safe.  These will be retiring soon so if you like to package little gifties be sure to get them before they are gone.  

Thank for stopping by and be sure to check out what the other members of the design team created for this challenge!

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

I love this color combination.  It is a little bittersweet since Mango Melody is a color that is retiring.  Like so many things I wonder why I didn't use it more?  

Every time I use the All That dies I think, I need to use that cool argyle die and well, I finally did!  I made a simple background using the argyle die in Flirty Flamingo and Mango Melody .  These colors look like spring so I also added the daisies made from the Medium Daisy punch.  The Medium Daisy punch will be retiring soon and is currently available and at a reduced price.  I like a full flower so I  used 2 daisies stacked for each flower.   The daisies needed a center and I usually use a small retired circle punch but I couldn't find it so instead I used the stitched hearts.  The hearts are from the Give It A Whirl dies and they are perfect!  The Give It A Whirl dies have a lot of different shapes in them and I look at the die set often for shapes like hearts, stars, clouds, circles, and rectangles.  The leaves are punched using the Country Bouquet punch (part of the Country Bouquet bundle).  The simple sentiment is from the Artistically Inked stamp set.

I had a few extra argyle cut outs so I added them to the inside of the card along with another daisy.  I am thinking I will be making more of these cards in this color combination to send some spring vibes. 

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

Want to make this card?  Here are the supplies I used and link to my online store.  Thank you!

Product List

Artistically Inked Cling Stamp Set [154542] $24.00	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [147090] $8.00	Old Olive 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100702] $9.25	Flirty Flamingo 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [141416] $9.25
Mango Melody 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146989] $9.25	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276] $10.25	Medium Daisy Punch [149517] $17.00	All That Dies [159078] $28.00
Give It A Whirl Dies [154336] $39.00	Country Bouquet Punch [160382] $19.00

It is Thursday and time for a new Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  This week it is a sketch challenge and it is another sketch to remember, meaning it is pretty classic and lends itself to lots of different applications.

I am still a little sad that the Cottage Rose bundle will soon be retiring.  I reach for it a lot and also the lovely coordinating Abigail Rose DSP.  

You have probably noticed that I  like the color combination of Petal Pink and Early Espresso.  The card base is Early Espresso CS with a Petal Pink CS layer.  I colored the  Abigail Rose DSP pattern using Petal Pink Stampin' Blends and a Crumb Cake (Light) Stampin' Blend.  I thought coloring the DSP made the card look a little more cohesive.  The Petal Pink CS was embossed using an Online Exclusive -Basics 3D Embossing Folders.  The pretty Cottage Rose sits on a Basic White Stitched Rectangle.   The rose was colored using a Pale Papaya (Dark) and Petal Pink Stampin' Blends.  The leaves were colored using Old Olive Stampin' Blends.  The white outline around the image seemed a little stark so I colored it in using a Crumb Cake (light) Stampin' Blend.  The 2 gems on the Early Espresso strip are Elegant Faceted Gems.

Inside of the card I added a strip of the Abigail Rose DSP.  To keep things cohesive I also colored the flowers and leaves.  I haven't added a sentiment to this card.  I think it can be used for lots of different situations so I will add a sentiment once I am ready to send it. 

Many of the products I used today that are retiring and are available at discounted prices.  All retiring products are available while supplies last so do not delay.  

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