Happy first day of Spring!   I am ready for it.   I look forward to seeing the flowers budding and blooming and the grass and leaves turning green.  This beautiful display is the allergy sufferers reward. 

Today's card started with a leftover, in fact a couple more cards that I will be sharing soon started as leftovers.  What are leftovers?  They are things I have stamped or die cut for a project but ended up not being used.  These pieces are housed with my scraps and I go through them periodically to see if they are ready to be used.  

The leftover piece was the Rays of Light background stamp inked in So Saffron.  I wondered what it would look like if I used an embossing folder over the rays.  Would it look good?  As an experiment I used one of the new Online Exclusives products, Basics 3D Embossing Folders (not currently available but expected back in stock around May 1) over the Rays of Light.    Can you see the texture?  I like the look and will experiment more.  

The rays reminded me of spring so I added  flowers from the Sending Smiles set stamped in Balmy Blue, So Saffron and Parakeet Party.  The images were cut using the Sending dies ( buy them together as a bundle and save 10%).  The sentiment is also from the Sending Smiles set and it is heat embossed in White embossing powder on Balmy Blue CS.  The label it is stamped on is also from the Sending dies.

If I had to guess, I think the Sending Smiles bundle is the bundle I use the most.  The sentiments cover so many situations.  The one on this card is probably my most used one.  

Did a little stamping and an embossed So Saffron strip to finish off the inside of the card.  

Product List

Sending Smiles Bundle (English) [158707] $49.50	Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad [147105] $8.00	So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad [147109] $8.00	Parakeet Party Classic Stampin' Pad [159208] $8.00
Balmy Blue 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146982] $9.25	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276] $10.25	So Saffron 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [105118] $9.25	Basics 3 D Embossing Folders [161598] $30.00
Stitched Rectangles Dies [151820] $35.00	Scalloped Contours Dies [155560] $35.00	Glossy Dots Assortment [158827] $8.00	Baker's Twine Essentials Pack [155475] $11.00
Basics Embossing Powders [155554] $18.00

Thanks for stopping by and remember to stamp and send some sunshine,

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 (sharon@astheinkdries.com) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.

This is the card I created for the Creativity Abounds Fancy Flora Tutorial bundle.  

So, what do you think of the 2023 January-April Mini Catalog?  I found this catalog to be very dangerous.  I love the suites and wanted to just buy them all.  See what I mean by dangerous?  The first suite I wanted was the very first one I encountered...Country Floral Lane Suite Collection.  It is so good!  I knew I had to have the DSP.  The Country Gingham DSP and the Country Floral Lane coordinate so beautifully together.  I enjoy mixing and matching papers between the 2 paper packs.  

The Country Floral Lane DSP does all the heavy lifting on this card.  The only thing stamped is the sentiment from the Country Bouquet stamp set.  I really like this sentiment, it can be used for so many different occasions.  I am thinking Galentine's Day.  The cute heart and leaves were punched out from the DSP with Country Bouquet punch. 

The Basic White scalloped piece was cut using the Scalloped Contours die and the DSP in the middle was cut using the Stitched Rectangle dies.  The banner piece was cut using the Stylish Shapes dies.  In addition I used the Sweet Sorbet Baker's Twine from the 2022-24 In Color Baker's Twine Pack.

Inside I added a strip of DSP and another punched heart and leaves.  

Thank you for stopping by and be sure to check out the Country Floral Lane Suite Collection,

It is Thursday and time for a new Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  This week we have a clean and simple sketch.  I love this one and it is a great one to use to show off all the pretty DSP (Designer Series Paper) you own.  

I knew I wanted to use the newly released Fitting Florets DSP.  This DSP is part of the Fitting Florets Collection and is only available while supplies last.  The DSP is very versatile and can be used for birthday, wedding, thinking of you and even Christmas cards.  I think I have used the DSP for the past 2 Create with Connie & Mary Challenges.  

I picked 2 different patterns of DSP and I love how well they coordinate with each other.  The main panel measures  3" x 5-1/2" and the 2 side pieces measure 1/2" x 5-1/2".  So quick and easy and yet so pretty.  The sentiment is from the Go-To Greetings stamp set.   What I like about this sentiment set is that it has basic sayings in 3 different fonts and sizes.  I think it is brilliant idea and it is a Million Dollar Sales Achiever stamp set.  

The sentiment is stamped on a Tailor Made Tag.  The ribbon is the White Glittered Organdy Ribbon.  Are you thinking that the ribbon doesn't look white.  You are right.  I do not have any Balmy Blue or Night of Navy ribbon so I colored the ribbon using a Balmy Blue ink pad.  The little gem on the tag is from the Solid Faceted Gems.  Inside I added a strip of DSP and stamped and colored a flower from the Framed Florets bundle.

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

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 (sharon@astheinkdries.com) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.

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 (sharon@astheinkdries.com) if you would like to purchase the tutorial.

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.

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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!

It is Thursday which means it is time for another Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  This month the challenges are a little different than the usual color or sketch challenge.  This month the challenges are focused around Case-ing the Catalog.  Every week a new sample is selected and it will be the inspiration.  You can use the color scheme, stamp set, and/or layout, whatever and however the selected sample inspires you.

Here's this week's sample to inspire you!

I quite like this layout and it inspired my project this week.

I used one of the cheeriest packs of paper, the Butterfly Kisses DSP.  I cut the butterfly out from the DSP and the floral pattern is also from the Butterfly Kisses DSP pack. The butterfly sits on a Basic White  circle cut with one of the Stylish Shapes dies.  The Calypso Coral banner behind the circle was also cut using the Stylish Shapes dies.  The Starry Sky banner was cut using the Sending dies.  The sentiment is from the Sending Smiles stamp set.  The sentiment was stamped in Versamark ink and heat embossed with White embossing powder.  The Starry Sky DSP is from the 2022-24 In Color 6" x 6" DSP Assortment.  I used two sizes of the Classic Matte Dots on the card and love the clean look.

Inside I added a strip of DSP and another fussy cut butterfly from the Butterfly Kisses DSP.  The DSP strip was a little short so I cut it into 2 pieces and used the butterfly to cover up the gap.  Hate to waste even a strip of this fun and fabulous paper!

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,

Did you know that there is an Alice in Wonderland 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.

This was a really hard one for me.  I scoured my stamps to see what might work and in the end I will admit I kind of cheated.  The 3 I picked from the Inspo list: hearts, holes, and book. 

Are you thinking, I see the hearts and the holes but where is the book?  So here is where I cheated a little, it is a book fold!  Are you rolling your eyes?  Seriously this was a tough one for me!  The book fold-4-1/4" x 11" Basic Black CS scored at 4-1/2" & 5-1/2".  Between the 4-1/2" and 5-1/2" score lines I glued that 1 "strip down.  This creates the "binding". 

Let's talk about everything else I used on this card.  The little hearts were cut from the 2022-24 In Color Glimmer Paper using a die from the Teacup dies.  The holes were cut from  Basic White cardstock using the Dots & Spots die.  The pretty pink bow is from the Mini Pocket Envelope die and cut from the Glimmer Paper.  The sentiment is from the Sending Smiles set and cut using the Sending dies (buy them as a bundle and save).   The sentiment was stamped in Versamark ink and heat embossed using White Embossing Powder.

Now let's talk about that Hippo!  This dancing hippo is from a Sale-A-Bration stamp set called Hippest Hippos and was cut out using another Sale-A-Bration choice, Hippo dies!  The stamp set is a free gift during Sale-A-Bration with a $50 order.  There are 7 stamps in the set, 3 hippos and 4 sentiments.  The coordinating Hippo dies (19 dies!) are also a free gift with another $50 order.  I think they are simply adorable.  Sale-A-Bration starts on July 1 and August 31.  If you want a Sale-A-Bration catalog and /or a July-December Mini Catalog send me an email (USA only please).  

The hippo was stamped on Smoky Slate cardstock using a Tuxedo Black Memento pad.  I did a little coloring using a Light Smoky Slate Stampin' Blend and Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blends.  She really is sweet.

Here you can see the book fold a little better.  I also added another strip of "holes" and hearts to the inside of the card.  Now it is time to check out what the rest of the Festive Friday Design team created.  

FF #0112  Alice in Wonderland Day

Ann Schach

Beth McCullough

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert- you are here!

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Stephanie Lanzalotto

Melva Peters

Jaydee

Diane Evans 

Joanne James

Thanks for stopping by!

It is Thursday and time for another Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.

This week it is a sketch challenge.  I love this sketch and it is one that I use a lot.

I found that using the Stylish Shapes dies makes it super easy to create a perfect little foursome of squares.

The only stamping on this card is the sentiments which is from the Through it Together set.  The sentiment is on a banner cut from the Stylish Shapes dies in Starry Sky ink.  The little Parakeet Party dot is from the 2022-24 In Color Matte Decorative Dots.

The card base is Starry Sky CS and the DSP layers are from the Butterfly Kisses DSP.  The 4 butterflies were also fussy cut from the DSP (Designer Series Paper).  Each butterfly is on a Basic White square cut using the smallest square Stylish Shapes dies). All of the butterfly squares fit on a Starry Sky square cut using the #4 (#1 being the smallest square die) Stylish Shapes die. 

Inside of the card is a Basic White CS layer.  I also added a strip of the DSP and another butterfly cut from the Butterfly Kisses DSP.  

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

Welcome to the Stampers Dozen Blog Hop!  This month our theme is Summertime Blues.  Stampin' Up! has so many beautiful blues that we decided a blog hop would be a great way to show them off!   

Let me say I kind of surprised myself by using Balmy Blue and Night of Navy!  Balmy Blue is not a color I reach for very often but I now I am not sure why.  I used the Layering Hollyhocks die and cut the outline out in Night of Navy and the bolder die in Balmy Blue.  If you are wondering why the centers of the hollyhocks look a little darker, I colored the with a Balmy Blue Stampin' Blend marker and also brushed on some Wink of Stella.  I stamped the 3 flowers in Night of Navy ink.   I made a couple of pencil marks using the dies as a guide of where I needed to stamp.   The stamps really make a difference.  Using a Blending Brush I blended a little bit of Night of Navy ink around the area the flowers would go.  If you look closely you will also see some white splatters.  I watered down some White Craft Ink refill and did some splattering using a Water Painter.

The sentiment and the label is from the Sending Smiles bundle.  I colored a couple of rhinestones using the Dark Night of Navy Stampin' Blends.  Inside I added another flower from the Heavenly Hollyhocks set.    This card  is another example of the Heavenly Hollyhocks flower.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the other stops on the hop!

Product List

Heavenly Hollyhocks Bundle (English) [158880]	Sending Smiles Bundle (English) [158707]	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [147110]	Balmy Blue Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154830]
Night Of Navy Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154891]	Whisper White Craft Stampin' Ink Refill [101780]	Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100867]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]
Balmy Blue 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146982]	Blending Brushes [153611]	Water Painters [151298]	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [141897]
Rhinestone Basic Jewels [144220]

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

I didn't have an oval big enough so I improvised and used a circle from the Layering Circles dies.  

I fussy cut the butterfly from the Butterfly Kisses DSP.  The DSP was also  used for the background the and side panels.  This pack of paper has bright and fun designs with a great color palette of Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry, Fresh Freesia, and Starry Sky.  The card base is Fresh Freesia and the layer is Starry Sky.  

On the inside of the card I used a strip of DSP and fussy cut a smaller butterfly from the Butterfly Kisses DSP.  Whenever possible I like to decorate the inside of the card as well as the envelope.

The sentiment is from the Sending Smiles stamp set.  The sentiment was heat embossed using White embossing powder on a strip of Starry Sky CS.  The label  was cut using one of the dies from the Sending dies.  On either side of the sentiment there is an Iridescent Rhinestone.

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