Retiring Bird Ballad

It’s that time in the Stampin’ Up! year when efforts to use retiring papers occurs.  The 2020-2021 Annual Catalog release in on June 3 so it’s time to make room for new products. Today’s card features the retiring Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper.  Sorry to see this paper go as it’s been one of my favorites. This card was one of the May class “to go” cards and highlights the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper.  For details on creating this simple card but cheerful card, continue reading.Bird Ballad Card Materials:

  • Base: Petal Pink 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″, score at 4-1/4″ and fold
  • “retiring” Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper (DSP)
    • Layer 1: Floral Design – 4″ x 5-1/4″
    • Layer 2: Polka Dot Design – 3: x 4-1/4″
    • Fussy cut a bird for the card from the DSP
  • Whisper White cardstock: 2-3/4″ x 2-1/2″ for the label and 4″ x 5-1/4″ for the interior
  • So Sentimental Bundle (So Sentimental Stamp Set & Stitched So Sweetly Dies)
  • Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad
  • Embellishments:
    • Mossy Meadow Linen Thread (from the Magnolia Lane Ribbon Combo Pack
    • Frosted Flower Embellishments
  • Snail Adhesive
  • Mini Glue Dots
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals
Card Directions & Assembly:
  1. Attach the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper, Layers 1 & 2, to the Petal Pink card base.
  2. Stamp the “Thank You” sentiment from the So Sentimental Stamp Set onto the 2-3/4″ x 2-1/2″ piece of Whisper White cardstock.  After stamping, cut using the coordinating die from the Stitched So Sweetly Dies.
  3. Add sentiment label to the card front using Stampin’ Dimensionals, then add the bird to the right side of the label. NOTE: You may need to add a Stampin’ Dimensional to the side of the bird that overhangs the label.
  4. With the Old Olive Baker’s Twine, tie a double string bow.  Attach to the sentiment label using a mini glue dot.
  5. Add a frosted flower as a final embellishment.

Be sure to check the Last-Chance Products list and grab your favorites.  The final day to order the last-chance products is June 2 or while supplies last.  Take note: the Bird Ballad DSP, Magnolia Ribbon Combo and Frosted Flower Embellishments are discounted!!! 

Thank you for stopping by today and happy crafting!

Project Materials:  (click on link to order)

The Host Code for May is R929JEAV Please use Host Code only if your order is less than $150.  If your order exceeds $150, you will receive the host rewards!  Prior to completing your order, you will have the opportunity to enter the code into the blank space labeled Host Code.  Thank you!

 

A Cheerful Hello

Today’s card design, a Cheerful Hello, utilizes the sketch from the Playtime with Paper weekly challenge.  One of my favorite papers is the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper, thus I thought it perfect for a cheerful card.  Notice the background layer?  The Whisper White cardstock has been texture embossed using the Ornate Floral 3D Embossing Folder.  Recall, this is an early release product from the upcoming catalog.  Continue reading for more card details.

Bird Ballad Hello

Card Details:
  • Cut Pool Party cardstock 5-1/2″ x 11″ and score at 4-1/4″. Fold along score line to create the card base.
  • Texture emboss a 5-1/4″ x 4″ piece of Whisper White cardstock using the Ornate Floral 3D Embossing Folder.  Do not add to card base yet.
  • Select two coordinating pieces of the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper and cut each 4-1/4″ x 3″.
  • Attach the Designer Series Paper to the Whisper White embossed layer using an offset angle for the top layer (refer to photo).
  • Cut a 24″ piece of Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon and color with Daffodil Delight.  Methods for coloring includes using the Daffodil Delight Dark Stampin’ Blends marker or using drops of Daffodil Delight Ink Refill and a plastic bag to die the ribbon.  If you add ink refill drops to a small plastic bag with the ribbon, massage so that ink transfers to ribbon.  Remove from the bag  and it’s important to let ribbon before using or else the color will transfer to your card.  When coloring with the Stampin’ Blends, the color will dries immediately.
  • Wrap ribbon around the Whisper White layer and across the Designer Series Paper panels.  Tie into a small bow.
  • With a strong adhesive such as Multipurpose Liquid Glue, attach to the Pool Party card base.
  • Using the Hello sentiment from the Good Morning Magnolia stamp set and Tuxedo Black Memento Ink, stamp onto a scrap of Whisper White cardstock.  Cut the sentiment using the Stitched So Sweetly Dies.
  • Attach the sentiment to the card using Stampin’ Dimensionals. Embellish using the coordinating Gingham Gala Adhesive-Backed Sequins.

Before I forget, here’s the Design Sketch selected for the Playtime with Paper Weekly Challenge:

Take note, the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper and the Gingham Gala Adhesive-Backed Sequins are on the Last-Chance Product List.  Therefore, these products will only available through June 2 or while supplies last.  Be sure to place your order soon if you want this beautiful paper and easy to use embellishments.

Thank you for stopping by today and happy crafting!

Project Materials:  (click on link to order)

The Host Code for May is R929JEAV Please use Host Code only if your order is less than $150.  If your order exceeds $150, you will receive the host rewards!  Prior to completing your order, you will have the opportunity to enter the code into the blank space labeled Host Code.  Thank you!

A Very Special Birthday!

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ll recall past birthday cards for my friend’s mother, Ms. Lorraine.  This year was a very special birthday for Ms. Lorraine.  She celebrated turning 100 years old!!!  Naturally, it required an extra special birthday card.  There were a variety of sentiments to add to the card so the double Z-fold with extra panels offered a perfect design.  You’ll notice the card uses a combination of current and discontinued Stampin’ Up! products.  The discontinued products includes the Number of Years and Picture Perfect Birthday Stamp Sets.   With such a milestone, the numbers definitely should be front and center.   Though I often do not keep non-current products, there are certain stamp sets and bundles that are must haves forever.   The Number of Years is one such set!  And Picture Perfect Birthday is a favorite. The other card elements are from the Bird Ballad Suite.

The front of the card and envelope.Special Birthday Card for 100th Year

A view of the interior side panels.

The back of the card and the envelope flap.

 

Details for the card:

As you note from the photos above, almost all of the panels front and back have decor.  For a handwritten sentiment, a panel on the back works perfectly.  Notice the envelope?  As an extra touch, both the front and back of the envelope are stamped and colored with Stampin’ Blends.  Tip:  To avoid the blends from bleeding through the envelope, insert a scrap of paper behind the image before coloring.

For the card base, use Pool Party cardstock.  Then on the card base, build layers using Daffodil Delight cardstock with an additional layer of the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper on the panels.  For the interior z-panels, the Daffodil Delight layer has panels of Whisper White cardstock.  The stamp sets, Stitched All Around and Picture Perfect Birthday, provide perfect interior sentiments.  Fussy cut the bird and flowers to embellish the card panels.  The words, Happy Birthday, are from the A Wish for Everything Stamp Set.  Rhinestone Basic Jewels add a touch of bling to the flowers.  To match the The Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon to the card base, a dark Pool Party Stampin’ Blends easily does the job!  

Another tip:  when creating a card, look at all of your stamp sets and mix/match to fit the occasion.

As my husband and I were traveling on a bucket list trip, we were not able to attend the celebration for Ms.Lorraine.  I understand that she loved the card!

Hope you have a great weekend.  We’re finally getting Fall like temperatures so I’m looking forward to enjoying the outdoors!

Thanks for stopping by…Happy  Crafting!

Ordering reminders:
  • During the month of October, for every $50 order (before shipping & taxes), you’ll receive a Thank You gift of the Shimmery Crystal Effects from me.  Thank you for your support and I appreciate your business.  Note: If you place your order as a guest and indicate “no contact”, I am unable to send your gift as I will not receive your name and address information.
  • The Host Code for October is 2RS937Q3:.   Please use Host Code only if your order is less than $150.  If your order exceeds $150, you will receive the host rewards! 

 

 

Lace and Polka Dots!

As a youngster, I would never combine fussy patterns such as lace and polka dots, plaids and stripes, and so on.  You know, it was “too busy!”  Fast forward to today’s world and often it seems, the more patterns the better.  Case in point, my two year old granddaughter stayed with us this weekend and one of her dresses had multiple patterns combined.  I must admit it looked great. So for today’s card, I stepped outside the old way of thinking and combined lace and polka dots.  The lace comes from the Bird Ballad Laser-Cut Cards and Tin.  So, be sure to check them out. 

Confession time!  For a couple of weeks, my craft table has held a laser-cut card with a cardstock lining while I was waiting for a design inspiration.  I would pick it up, play with different elements but nothing seemed to wow me.  It was during an online presentation this weekend by fellow demonstrator, Patty Bennett,  that inspiration started.  She presented a sample Bird Ballard Laser-cut card with a cardstock lining and discussed trying a patterned Designer Series Paper liner.   But for her design, she thought a solid background was best.  So, I started thinking…what if I use a small pattern as the panel behind the lace?  So the answer became lace and polka dots.  For my card, the Bird Ballad Laser-Cut Card has a lining of the pink polka dot pattern from the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper.  Even better, the reverse side of the Bird Ballard Designer Series Paper creates a beautiful interior panel on the card.  To avoid too many patterns, the card front design remains very simple.  Just a sentiment and a couple of elements fussy cut from the Bird Ballard Designer Series Paper.  More details follow below the card photo.

Lace & Polka Dots using Bird Ballad Materials:
  • Bird Ballad Laser-Cut Cards & Tin
  • Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper (DSP) – Pink Polka Dot Design (4-1/8″ x 5-1/2″)
  • Very Vanilla cardstock  (approx 4-1/4″ x 2-1/2″)
  • Rooted In Nature Cling Stamp Set (sentiment)
  • Crumb Cake Classic Ink Pad
  • Versamark Ink Pad
  • Clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder
  • Embossing Buddy
  • Stamparatus
  • Simply Shammy
  • Heat Tool
  • Stitched Nested Labels Dies
  • Paper Snips
  • Petal Pink Organdy Stripped Ribbon
  • Rhinestones Basic Jewels
  • Adhesives: Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Snail Adhesive, Mini-Glue Dots, Stampin’ Dimensionals
Card Assembly:
  1. Attach the Bird Ballard Designer Series Paper panel to the lace panel card interior using small dots of Multipurpose Liquid Glue.  NOTE:  Check that the reverse design is in the correct direction.
  2. Select sentiment and use Stamparatus to stamp onto the piece of Very Vanilla cardstock.  First, stamp the sentiment using Crumb Cake Stampin Pad.  Do not remove stamp from Stamparatus but use the Simply Shammy to carefully wipe the ink from the stamp.  Dust paper with the Embossing Buddy.  Use Versamark to ink stamp and stamp the sentiment again.  Carefully remove cardstock from the Stamparatus.  Apply Clear Emboss Powder and set using the heat tool.  
  3.  After the embossed sentiment is cool, cut using a Stitched Nested Labels Die.  
  4.  With paper snips, fussy cut floral elements from the Bird Ballard Designer Series Paper.  To avoid too much visual overload, I opted to keep the same color tones as the polka dot designer series paper.  Also, cut a bird from the paper.  TIP:  Select a partial bird from the edge of the DSP since you’ll be using just the bird’s head.  Also, cut an extra set of leaves to tuck around bird’s head and flowers.
  5.  Position the bird head and flowers around the sentiment piece.  Attach to the cardstock using snail and mini glue dots.
  6. Cut 2 pieces of the Petal Pink Organdy Stripped Ribbon approximately 3 inches in length.  Fold each in half and attach to the center of the laser cut panel at each side so that it will peek from behind the sentiment label.
  7. Next, attach the sentiment label using Stampin’ Dimensionals onto the laser-cut card and over the ribbon.
  8. Finish by adding small Rhinestone Basic Jewels to the center of the flowers.

Hope that I have inspired you to mix it up and try combining different patterns!  

Just a reminder – BONUS DAYS are here!

For every $50 you spend (before tax & shipping), you will earn a $5 Bonus Days coupon code that can be used August 1-31.  There is no limit to the number of Bonus Days coupon codes you can receive.  The coupon codes are sent via email.  If you earn multiple coupon codes in a single order, all of the coupon codes will be in one email.  

WANT MORE SAVINGS ON YOUR ORDERS?

Now is a good time to join Stampin’ Up!  with the EXTRA! EXTRA! promotion. From now until August 31, new demonstrators will receive an additional dollars to put toward bonus products in their Starter Kit. THEN, they’ll receive a $10 coupon code the following month. The bonus at initial sign up allows you to select $30 more than usual. You will pay $99 to sign up and choose $155  worth of Stampin’ Up! products in your Starter Kit.  What’s great is the coupon code is valid until October 31, 2019 so you can use it when ordering product from the soon to be released Holiday Catalog.  Click here to read more details and join the fun!

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

Project Materials:  (click on link to order)

The Host Code for July is: 9HRS3HHQ.   Please use Host Code only if your order is less under $150.   You will receive the host rewards if your order exceeds $150!

 

 

Open House Catalog Kick-off

What a busy week!  With the launch of the new Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog, I held my Open House Catalog Kick-off to celebrate.  Therefore, I missed my normal blogging schedule last week.  The Open House Catalog Kick-off was a fulfilled afternoon.  There were 20 ladies that attended the event.  In addition to seeing samples using new products, there was a catalog scavenger hunt and make ‘n takes. I learned there are some very competitive people in my neighborhood!   Plus, door prize drawings and a game of “guess the number of Skittles in a jar” – everyone enjoyed themselves playing games.  What’s great is that I have a variety projects to share from the event for the next few weeks.  Today, I’m sharing one of the make ‘n takes that guests had the opportunity to stamp and assemble. 

Project details: 

The note card project features the Free As A Bird Stamp Set and coordinating Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper.  Each attendee received the make ‘n take kit with pre-cut project materials  to assemble and stamp.  Top a layer of Petal Pink cardstock (4-3/4″ x 3-1/4″) with a piece of the bird cage design from the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper (4-1/2″ x 3″).  When layering, be sure to pay attention to the direction of the bird cages.  We had a few upside down birdcages.  Petal Pink card stock is cut with the Stitched Shapes circle die.  The 2″ circle punch is used to cut birds from the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper.  Before assembling, stamp the sentiment onto a 5/8″ x 2-3/4″ strip of Whisper White cardstock using Early Espresso Classic Ink Pad.  Using paper snips, create a flag end by cutting an inverted “v” from the tag.  To complete the project, sandwich the tag between the bird layer and the stitched shapes circle.  To attach to the note card, use Stampin’ Dimensionals.  Lastly, tie a bow with linen thread.  To attach, use mini glue dots.  Also, don’t forget to stamp the envelope!

Everyone had fun making their note card.  Each was slightly different since the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper has a variety of birds.

Open House highlights…

Below are a few photos from the Open House.  I quickly took them before guests arrived.  Unfortunately, I neglected to take a photo of my kitchen island set-up where make ‘n takes were assembled.  Even worse, I forgot to take a picture of them working on their projects.  It was quite a sight with 12-15 people crowded around the island working on projects and helping one another! 

 

Remember, you can view the catalog online by clicking on the catalog in the sidebar.  Or contact me if you desire a printed copy.  

Thanks for stopping and happy crafting!

Project Materials (click on product to order)