Stampin' Fun with Diana: April 2017

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Fab Friday Color Challenge: Suite Sentiments (A Continued Salute to Retiring Favorites)

Good morning! I spent the weekend separating all of the retiring items from the current and are continuing to enjoy them while we can. Today I decided to play along with this weeks Fab Friday color challenge and it's another salute to retiring favorites, with almost everything used on the retiring list (oh no, so sad!)

I started with Pool Party cardstock for the cardbase and then added a piece of Cupcakes and Carousels Designer Series Paper (retiring) (I can't believe I haven't really used this paper before now, it has some great prints). I added some old olive splatter directly to the DSP using the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set (retiring) saying goodbye to this stamp set is devastating and I have no intention of letting go of it.

Next I took a piece of Night of Navy cardstock and cut it out with the Big Shot and Lots of Labels Framelits and then embossed it with the Falling Petals Embossing Folder (retiring).

The decorative piece for the greeting is from the Cupcakes and Carousels Embellishments kit (retiring) and is gold foil embossed, love it! The greeting is from the Suite Sentiments stamp set (retiring) and was stamped in Old Olive ink before being attached to the cardfront with dimensionals. I wanted to add a little pizazz to the card so I took one of the Pool Party bows (also from the embellishments kit) and attached it and then added a Calypso Coral Enamel Dot (from the Subtles Enamel Shapes pack).

This was a lot of different colors to play with all together but they do work well together and I like the little mix of gold to dress it up. Who wouldn't want to receive this card to help celebrate their special day?

Below are easy ordering links for the products used on today's card:

Product List
Enjoy!

Diana

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

SSINKspiration Wedding/Anniversary: Better Together

Good morning! It's always good to have a variety of cards in your stash ready to go when the need arises, that's what I try to offer my monthly card class attendees, which includes weddings. Today the SSINKspiration team are sharing ideas for wedding and anniversary cards and I decided to share this beauty that we made a last months class using the products from the Falling in Love product suite in the Occasions catalog.

I started with Crumb Cake cardstock for the cardbase and then added a piece of the Falling in Love Designer Series Paper (retiring). This paper is absolutely stunning and almost has a glimmer effect even though there are no sparkles on the paper. Next I added a coordinating Lace Doily (retiring) for a little extra detail.

The greeting is from the Better Together stamp set and inked the stamp directly with Sweet Sugarplum and Pink Pirouette Stampin' Write Markers and then stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock before cutting it out with the Big Shot and Stitched Shapes Framelits. I sponged around the edge with Crumb Cake ink before attaching the piece to the cardfront with dimensionals. The final touch was to add a Falling in Love Embellishment (retiring) for a fun little sparkle.

I love when the embellishments are so pretty and work so well together they really elevate the look of a card without lots of additional work on your part, and the items in this product suite definitely fit the bill. They are all retiring so make sure to get yours before they sell out.

Below are easy ordering links for the product's used on today's card:

Product List

Better Together Clear-Mount Stamp Set

[141736]

Big Shot

[143263]

Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies

[145372]

Falling In Love Designer Series Paper

[142788]

Falling In Love Embellishments

[142791]

Tea Lace Paper Doilies

[129399]

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

[120953]

Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

[101650]

Enjoy,

Diana

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN: The Clearance Rack Has Been Updated, Shop Now for Savings of up to 60% Off

Heads up...the clearance rack was just updated with lots of great items from the Holiday Catalog with savings of up to 60% off. These are great products to help with all your crafting needs (I'm already thinking about holiday gifts and packaging I'm working on for our family, crazy I know, and am excited to get some of the products I'll need to make them extra special at deep discounts).

Special note, there are some of the cardstock packages that coordinated with designer series paper on clearance and the colors are still current (with the exception of one pack) so this is a great time to stock up on some of our current cardstock. I already placed my order, let me help you save $$$!

Remember, all these products are only available while supplies last, so don't wait, order soon! And remember you can also add any current, or retiring products to your order from the clearance rack and you still earn Stampin' Rewards with qualifying orders!

Here's a link to start your shopping fun, click here!

Monday, April 24, 2017

SSINKspiration Technique Challenge #SSINKTC44: Salted Background

Good morning! It's the start of a new week, can't believe April is almost over so it's time for another challenge over on the SSINKspiration blog, this time it was a Technique Challenge. We used the Salted Background Technique this month and I have to say I had never heard of or seen this technique before so it was fun to try, and since glossy white cardstock is returning to the catalog for next year (yeah) you'll be able to get the perfect paper to try this out (if you don't already have some in your stash (I had some from when we used to sell it, plus it was one of the supplies in my display stamper box so I got an early hint it was coming back).

This card has a Pool Party cardbase and since there's so much going on with the cardfront I decided to let it take center stage. To make it I took a piece of Glossy White cardstock and spritzed it with water, then applied a few drops of reinker directly on the paper and spread it around with my aqua painter. I started with Pool Party in the bottom left, then added Emerald Envy to the center (yeah didn't stay that color when it dried) and then added Sweet Sugarplum to the top right. I blended the colors where they matched and added a little swirls of the darker colors to add effect. Next I took my coarse sea salt and sprinkled it all over the top, spritzed again with water and walked away (seriously go to dinner, for a walk to let it dry). When it was mostly dry I brushed the salt off and then I let it dry overnight.

The greeting is from the Suite Sayings stamp set (retiring) and was stamped in Tempting Turquoise, it matched the background when it was fully dry, and then punched it out with the decorative label punch (retiring) and sponged around edge with Pool Party ink.

I wrapped a piece of Sweet Sugar Plum 3/8" Ruched Ribbon (retiring) around the cardfront and then after attaching the greeting with dimensionals tied a knot with the ribbon.

What a fun technique and I really didn't take that long to make, the longest part was the dry time and each one you make would come out completely different. I'll definitely be using this technique again and see what fun color combinations I can create. Make sure to check out the other design team creations for inspiration and then play along with us and share what you come up with, can't wait to see!

Below are easy ordering links for the product's used in today's card:

Product List
Enjoy!

Diana

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Salute to Retiring Favorites: Happy Happenings

Happy Friday! After a week of getting back into the routine we're looking forward to a busy weekend, baseball (weather depending), Battle of the Books school tournament are tops on the list and we can't wait (I'm sure your family is just as busy as ours this time of year). It's during the busy times that I'm so thankful for our coordinating product suites which make crafting so fast and easy. Today's card is another one packed with retiring goodies and showcases the Party Animal Product Suite as well as the Happy Happenings stamp set (both retiring). This was also another card where I had previously stamped the image but never got around to finishing a project with it so it's helping clean up the studio (bonus!)

I started with Crumb Cake cardstock for the cardbase and then added a piece of Party Animal Designers Series Paper (retiring) for the cardfront (this pattern isn't super busy so it works well on a larger surface). Next I added another piece of the DSP that was matted with Emerald Envy cardstock.

The greeting, from the Happy Happenings stamp set was stamped in Emerald Envy ink on Whisper White cardstock and then cut out with the Big Shot and Layering Circles Framelits. I used some Crushed Curry cardstock to create the scalloped circle mat for the greeting using the same framelits and then attached it to the cardfront with dimensionals. I wanted to add a little something special to finish the card and the Party Animal Embellishments (retiring) are perfect (they're metal and I love that they have a little loop at the top so I tied a bow using Crushed Curry Baker's Twine (retiring) and then attached the embellishment to the cardfront with a glue dot.

Really, this card maybe took 5 minutes to make but I looks extra special due to the coordinating elements and the person receiving the card will love it! This product suite is also great since it works equally well for boys or girls so you've got everyone covered and to make things even better, all the the items in this product suite, DSP, embellishments, cardstock, and washi tape are on sale so make sure to order yours soon since they're only available while supplies last!

Below are easy ordering links for the products used on today's card:

Product List
Enjoy and have a fabulous weekend!

Diana

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Salute to Retiring Favorites: Designer Tin of Carts

Good morning! I'll admit it's a little hard getting back into the routine after vacation, the rest was just what we needed. Since the retirement list has been released I thought it would be fun to share a few projects this week using items that are retiring so that you can make sure to order them before they sell out. Today's card all started since I had the greeting stamped previously but hadn't used it on a project so I decided there's no better time to use these pieces up and get them onto completed cards so they're useful.

I started with Bermuda Bay cardstock for the cardbase and then added a piece of Basic Black cardstock as a mat for the piece of designer series paper from the Pop of Pink Speciality Designer Series Paper pack(retiring) (both the Melon Mambo piece and the basic black printed piece are from the same DSP package so they coordinate, and were scraps I had so once again "use it up!")

Next I took the Big Shot and Stitched Shapes Framelits to cut both the largest circle out of Gold Foil and the greeting that is from the Designer Tin of Cards stamp set (retiring). I wanted a little extra color so I added a circle mat out of Melon Mambo cardstock, cut out with the Big Shot and the Layering Circles Framelits, to go behind the greeting and attached that circle piece to the foil circle with dimensionals. The final touch was to tie a bow out of Bermuda Bay Baker's Twine (retiring) and attaching it with a glue dot.

I love the simplicity of this card and how the colors pop against the black, with just a hint of sparkle with the foil. I'm working on cleaning up the studio which means I'm going to be working on using lots of the scraps and pieces from my orphan pile (since I hate to throw things away) so let's see what we can create with pieces we already have to make room for lots of fun new stuff on the way.

Below are easy ordering links for the product's used on today's card:

Product List
Enjoy!

Diana

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