Grown With Kindness - Paper Pumpkin

I have been on a Paper Pumpkin roll lately!!  I had have several Paper Pumpkin kits that I have not done anything with - mainly, when they arrived I was busy making swap cards, traveling, etc.  Last week a friend was visiting me from Texas and she brought the Paper Pumpkin kits she had not done (some from 2015!!) and we spent a couple of days making cards with the kits. 

I started off with the February kit, Grown With Kindness.  I made 19 cards and still have a few bits left over!!  I'm telling you, these kits are wonderful!  My friend realized how many cards you could make with just the elements in the kit and adding a few pieces of card stock.  I love the photographic images that came in the kit.  Here's an inside look to how they came about and were photographed.  The Stampin' Up! Paper Pumpkin Design Team actually went out and purchased succulents.  They brought them back to the office and photographed them!  I think it makes the cards even more interesting to know how they were created!  I always like the "behind the scenes" stories.

Here are a few of the alternate cards I made from the kit.

The black striped paper came with the kit.  I stamped the teapot on scrap paper and fussy cut it after coloring it with my SU Blends.  You could just as easily stamp the tea cup directly on the scalloped circle.

For this card I just cut the photographic picture in 3 equal pieces and mounted them on a piece of Fresh Fig.

I love how the flower embossing looks on this vellum!  I cut one of the photographic pieces in half and matted them on Lovely Lipstick.  The card is Early Espresso

Hugs from Shelli!

Wow!  Isn't this beautiful?  I got to make this card from the upcoming May 2019 Hugs from Shelli Paper Pumpkin kit last weekend at the Charlotte OnStage event.  If you subscribe to Paper Pumpkin, or purchase a subscription to the Stampin' Up! Paper Pumpkin papercrafting kit between now and May 10th, you will receive the kit and you'll make 3 of these cards + 9 more cards!  Supplies MAY run ut, so don't wait too long.

The look and feel of this kit is all Shelli!  It's elegant, feminine, and so full of springtime details that you'll want to take a walk, breathe in the fresh air, and then go home and stamp!!  And the box it comes in is a keeper!

Price increase heads up ..... the price for Paper Pumpkin kits will be increasing beginning June 1, 2019.  This is due to price increases in general and increased shipping costs.  So, lock in your lower rate now with a prepaid subscription.  More info to come, but just wanted to give you an option.

Stampin' UP! Last Chance Items

It's that time of year!  The new catalog will come out June 1 so Stampin' Up! has to make room for all the new items.  Guess they don't have the unlimited space for everything like we do (ha ha!!)  Sometimes I think my floor may cave in and I'll be working on the first floor instead of upstairs!  Unfortunately we have to say good-bye to lots of products that we love.  Stampin' Up! has released the RETIRING LIST of products that will be leaving us on June 3 OR when they are sold out.  That's right - when they are sold out, they are gone forever, so don't miss out if there is something that you want (or need!)

Keep in mind when looking at the retiring items, all bundles retire - BUT that doesn't mean that all the products in these bundles are retiring.  Some of the stamp sets and coordinating dies will carry over but will not be offered as Bundles in the new catalog.

ANNUAL CATALOG RETIRING LIST 

OCCASIONS CATALOG RETIRING LIST

You can also go to my ORDER ONLINE link at the top of the page and the Last Chance Items are listed there with pictures.

These cards are all made with retiring stamp sets that were featured in the Occasions Catalog.

Humming Along (Occasions Catalog)

Flowering Desert (Occasions Catalog)

Climbing Roses (Occasions Catalog)

OnStage Charlotte

Saturday was Stampin' Up!s On Stage one day event in Charlotte.  Stampin' Up! unveiled the new Annual Catalog (love it!) at the event which was also held in other locations around the world on the same day. It was fun seeing my demonstrator friends and meeting new friends.

Our OnStage table friends - old and new!

Marianne won a new background stamp called Birch.

Prize Patrol - I won Genuine Gems - lots of sentiments!

We were given a couple of other stamp sets plus some DSP and other goodies!  These events are always such fun.  

Today was a sad one for me.  I arrived at church early this morning so sat in the car a few minutes catching up on Facebook.  The first post I read was that my college roommate and friend had died the day before.  The message was posted by her son who didn't know any details but had gotten the call on Saturday that his mom had passed away.   Needless to say, I was a mess in church but was thankful for a good friend who greeted me and gave me a big hug plus a little girl who was handing out palm leaves told me I sure looked pretty!  She's made me smile a bit today.

 Karen and I were wild and crazy gals during our college years and had many stories to share!  She lived with my parents for a while when she got pregnant and they helped her make some major decisions.  She was also a bridesmaid in my wedding.  We lost touch for several years but when I was in Florida in the spring of 2016, we got together.  I am so thankful that we took this picture!   Karen would have turned 71 May 11 - too young to be leaving us.  I will miss you friend!  You never know when tragedy will strike so don't wait to get together with your loved ones - do it now!

This was a swap card for OnStage.

Fable Friends for Easter

What a fun week I had last week.  Ashley was here for a whole week and we had so much fun.  While Sonny golfed most days, she and I shopped, lunched, played Hand and Foot (canasta game) with my Newcomer friends, went to Hip Hip Hooway! and painted signs to hang on our doors .....!  Wednesday she went with us to play trivia.  We thought she'd be a great one to have on our team but we ended up doing the worst we have ever done!!  Thursday night we went to a new bar/restaurant in Cornelius and were entertained by a Dueling Piano group.  Small world - they had a drummer on stage with them and turns out, he was a guy Ashley knew from her Rock Boat cruises.  Friday night we had dinner with the family.  We were happy the newly wedded couple joined us (my nephew and his new wife.)  Saturday we drove up to Hickory and visited a couple of breweries that we like there.  Sunday bright and early, we drove her to the airport and said good bye until we get together in May in DC for house hunting!  Sunday was also our 46th anniversary!!  Sonny and I didn't do much to celebrate.  We did go to a pancake restaurant that we like in Charlotte.  It was yummy!

But I am done with eating that way for a while!!  I just barely made my Weight Watchers weigh-in on Monday.  The first time in two years that I was worried about the scale.  This week I am trying to eat better - lots of salads, fruit, veggies, yogurt, hummus, etc!!  Plus I started walking yesterday after breakfast.  Two days of walking - 1 1/4 mile each time!   It will be bathing suit weather pretty soon and I am going back to Hawaii at the end of May so I know I will be eating good there!!

I have a few Easter cards to show you.  I love the images in the Fable Friends stamp set.  I didn't buy this set but one of my friends did and let me borrow it last week while she was out of town.

I used my Aqua Brush and reinkers to flick some color onto the card.  I stamped the little bunny on scrap white paper and cut her out.  I colored her with my Stampin' Up! blends.

Oops - I see that a few of the pearls that I put in the center of the flowers have moved.  I'll be fixing that!

Isn't this duck and her ducklings the cutest???  I colored them with the SU Blends.

News from Stampin' Up!

Big news!  Stampin' Up! had several announcements to us demonstrators yesterday.  You will see some changes coming with the 2019-2020 Annual Catalog.  I have been with Stampin' Up! for 14 years and everything they do, they have good reason ... putting the demonstrators and customers as their top priority.  An example of this is the photopolymer stamps.  Several years ago, many  were wanting SU to make photopolymer stamps like other companies had.  SU did their research and did not bring them out until they could make sure the clear stamps would not yellow or crack like other companies product did.  Change can be good!   I ask that you think like this - 10 years ago you had a flip phone.  When the better smart phones came out, maybe you didn't jump at the chance to get a new one but eventually you did because it was made better.  So, think of it that way!

I want to let you in on some of the changes coming.

• Prices are going up 25% on many items with the new Annual Catalog (cardstock, envelopes, etc.)
• The SU Trimmer is being discounted along with the scoring and cutting blades.  They will be coming out with a replacement cutter at a later date.  Now is the time to buy the blades and accessories you need for your trimmer.  The blades will be in stock sporadically over the next six months.  We have had issues with a faulty batch of blades and despite best attempts, Stampin' Up! has made the decision to move away from the current manufacturer.  (The same with the Big Shot accessories.)
• The Big Shot AND accessories are being discontinued.  They will be replaced at an unknown future date.  However, the dies and embossing folders will continue in the new catalog.
• The 2017-2019 In Colors are retiring.
• The Retirement List will be out on April 15th.

I know it is a lot to digest but I would recommend you get the 2017-19 In Color products quickly.  These usually disappear quickly.  Also, consider purchasing the blades for the trimmer (if you have one of these) as well as accessories for the Big Shot.

Remember - Stampin' Up! is tops in innovations and these changes will be great.

Pop Up Cards

These pop-up cards were fun to make.  The card looks kind of plain on the outside but when you open it up .... Pop!   I used vellum cut at varying heights to attach the balloons and butterflies to my card but you could have easily used clear window sheets for the pop ups.

The measurements for this card are:

• Designer Paper:  5 1/2" x 11 1/2"
• Score at 4 1/4", 5", 5 3/4", 6 1/2" and 7 1/4"  Accordian fold DSP.
• You can adhere the accordian folds on the outside of the card but wait until you have your pop ups inserted to adhere the inside folds.
• Whisper White for the inside - 3 3/4" x 5"

I used the Balloon Punch for the Happy Birthday along with the Well Written dies for "happy birthday."  The stamp set I used for this card is Broadway Birthday.

For the daisy, I used the Daisy Punch and punched two flowers out of white card stock.  I put dimensionals between the flowers.  The stamp set I used along with the dies are from Butterfly Basics which is a retired set.  I am patiently waiting for the Butterfly Punch to be shipped to me.  It has been on backorder for several months!!

My daughter is visiting me all this week so I probably will not be posting on my blog until next week.  She had been here since Saturday and we are having so much fun!   It won't be long before she will be just a few hours away permanently!

Stampin' Up! Storage - Your Space YOUR WAY!

I have exciting news!  Stampin' Up! just introduced their own line of craft room storage solutions!!  Coming on April 1st, you can order ink pad holders, marker holders, storage for Stampin' Blends or ink refills and more!  And it's all totally customizable to your crafting space and your storage needs! 

Here is a Configuration Chart from Stampin' Up! to help you decide how many storage pieces you need.  Download it here - CONFIGURATION CHART

 Here are some features and benefits of Storage by Stampin’ Up!:

• Keeps products organized, tidy, visible, and trackable at all times.
• Ensures that your Stampin’ Pads, Stampin’ Write Markers, and Stampin’ Blends are all stored horizontally, as recommended.
• Designed to be stylish, durable, compact, stackable, and modular.
• Blends in naturally with most home decor with its white neutral color.
• Stacks vertically and can be arranged to fit practically any flat workspace.
• Easily assembled and disassembled for rearrangement and/or cleaning.

 

It's Almost Good Buy Time

It's almost good bye time.  You might feel like Sale-a-Bration just keeps going and going, but sadly it doesn't.  There are only five more days to enjoy all the amazing benefits that Sale-a-Bration offers - it ends on Sunday.  I don't want you to miss out on one bit of it.

Here are a few of the cards I have made using my FREE Sale-a-Bration stamps.

LOVELY LATTICE

HELLO CUPCAKE

HELLO CUPCAKE & SO HOPPY TOGETHER

COUNTRY FLORAL EMBOSSING FOLDER

SO HOPPY TOGETHER

COUNTRY FLORAL EMBOSSING FOLDER

Easter 2019 cards

Last week was a busy one for me.  I played bridge one day, went out for lunch, played Hand and Food, and had Stamp Club.  I'll be sharing the club cards later this week.

It's time to be thinking about your Easter cards.  Easter is April 21st this year.  If you are like me and like to wait until the last minute to make your cards and they end up going in the mail late, you might want to get a start on them now!  I hope to send my cards out early this year!!  I don't have many Easter stamps but I thought this lily would fit the bill.  What do you think?

I used the Gingham Gala designer paper (6"x6") for the background.  I stamped the lilies with Balmy Blue ink and the leaves with Granny Apple Green.  The ribbon was on back order but Stampin' Up got it back in stock a couple of weeks ago.  It is a Sale-a-Bration item.  I punched 2 holes on either side of the lily stems and threaded my ribbon through them and made a bow.  After stamping the image, I die cut it out using the Rectangle Stitched Framelits.  The sentiment is from a retired Stampin' Up set and I fussy cut it.

Here is another Lasting Lily card.  This time I stamped the flowers in Grapefruit Grove and Crushed Curry.  I used a sponge dauber to ink a little bit of the Grapefruit Grove onto the Crushed Curry flower and vice versa before stamping them.  This time I fussy cut each flower out and arranged them on the Whisper White card (with a 1 1/2" strip of Gingham Gala DSP on the side.)  The bow is from Wishing You Well stamp set.