Seven days to go until Thanksgiving. While some have already decorated for Christmas, my house is still decked out in fall decor and pumpkins and my little family of four will be hunkered down and giving thanks this holiday. While 2020 was not the year we expected, we have a tremendous amount to be thankful for. And the Late Night Stamper is VERY thankful to all of you! My readers, my customers, my team. Grateful for your business, support, and friendship.
To help show my gratitude, I’ll be posting a Thanksgiving card each day from now until Thanksgiving. (THEN we can turn to Christmas!)
The Banner Year Bundle includes the Banner Year stamp set and the Banners Pick A Punch. I overlooked this bundle at first, but am so glad I got it. The stamp set has 29 photopolymer stamps (!) that are simply adorable and represent fall, Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day.
The punch is a must-have: one punch, six options! It punches banners in two designs in three widths.
I love these two cards because this design is a great way to use up all those little scraps!
November 9th, where did October go!? I wasn’t able to do much stamping in October because life is BUSY, but I did start a new thing last month. I am a Paper Pumpkin subscriber and up until last month I used to simply follow the instructions included in the project kit exactly. Doing that is very enjoyable – you don’t have to think, all the paper is measured and cut for you, it’s terrific…BUT….
So first, what is Paper Pumpkin? It is a monthly project subscription offered by Stampin’ Up! and aside from Stampin’ Up!’s starter kit, it is the best deal going. $22, includes tax and shipping, and arrives in your mailbox every month. You get the project of the month, a full stamp set, adhesive, and an ink spot. WOW. Most months the kit includes supplies to make a bunch of cards (in the October Kit, it’s a box of 8 cards and lined envelopes), but sometimes you get a gift item, packaging, or something else. In September, the project was to make a bunch of fall cracker boxes (the kind you fill with treats and the recipient pulls the ends apart to get into the treats). I didn’t really need those, so used the product to make alternative cards instead…and I am hooked!
I used up every inch of my October Paper Pumpkin kit. Here are the two cards the October kit makes:
Aren’t they gorgeous?
And now for some fun alternatives! Add a sheet of Cherry Cobbler, a sheet of Just Jade, and take apart the lined envelope and use the “liner” as patterned paper. Chop the card fronts up and you’ve got double the layers. Also, be sure to use up every bit of the gold sheets, the edges (see peace card below) and even the words in another language for gold accents (see red Merry Christmas card)…the possibilities are endless!
Become a Paper Pumpkin subscriber and I will send you a PDF each month of alterative projects. This month’s PDF showcases another 9 projects. f you aren’t a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, you are missing out. Use this link to subscribe! You will not regret it — it is super fun to push your creativity and create “out of the box!” (pun intended, ha!)
Let’s admit it. Teachers are the best and now more than ever they deserve all the kudos and awards. I think my professional life is crazy right now, but I cannot even imagine their day to day! We are so grateful for the boys’ teachers, especially now with remote learning!
This card is a “fun fold” and boy is it fun. [special thanks to fellow demonstrator Sharon Armstrong for this layout]. A mini card “closes” the front and then you can write on the inside.
Card base is standard half a piece of cardstock cut 4.25 x 8.5, fold in half and then cut half of the front off so it measures 2.75. Layer the inside and outside “flap” with DSP. Then, cut matching piece 3×8, score at 4. adhere to inside middle and decorate the outside (front).
Here’s the same layout in fall colors:
Of course I’m using Plaid Tidings DSP (still a favorite) and I’m using the Harvest Hellos stamp set from the Annual Catalog. This was in last year’s Holiday Mini, and boy am I happy it carried over. Color it with blends and it is simply gorgeous!
September has flown by but I could NOT miss posting today. It’s National Coffee Day! My favorite thing in the world, plus the brand icon The Late Night Stamper is built on…a post today was a must. I cannot believe how long it’s been since I have been able to get on here. School is in full swing for the boys, and with working full-time from home while keeping on top of remote learning during the day, life has been crazy. Someone posted this meme on Facebook the other day…pretty much sums it all up:
No 9-5 for me and my late night stamping has turned into late night working. Needless to say my friendship with coffee has become even stronger these past few weeks.
But, time to make stamping a priority again because I miss it…and I miss all of my stamping friends! I’m finally ready to start offering an online stamp class and to make sure everyone has all the same materials, my classes are going to start out being centered around Paper Pumpkin. More to come on my first class offering, but the class will be held in late October in enough time for everyone to get their kit and will feature 3 alternative projects. I’ll likely host the class via Zoom so we can all stamp and interact together (in a secure, private setting) and the class will be free to anyone that wants to join. There will be a tutorial to go along with the class that features at more alternative projects. The tutorial will also be free for my Paper Pumpkin subscribers, and I’ll charge a fee for those that order their kit through a different Demonstrator. More details to come!
The October kit sign-up window closes October 10th, so if you are interested, be sure to sign up for Paper Pumpkin before then! (and I am VERY excited to be starting with this kit–it is centered around spreading the joy around the world and will be holiday-themed!)
Anyway, back to National Coffee Day! Here is September’s kit.
Check out ALL these supplies! I don’t have a need for the crackers the kit is supposed to make, so I’ll be making some fall and Halloween projects with all of these goodies and be sure to share them.
Here’s my creation tonight:
Card uses the Warm Hugs bundle (love LOVE that tiny coffee mug so much) as well as the Wrapped in Texture Embossing folders. The little heart is from the Whale Done stamp set. The plaid cardstock is from the piece in the kit that would form the cracker favor box. When you punch it out, you get these little diamond shaped pieces. I cut them in half to make the pennant.
Pretty fun, huh? (and see the “bowties” in the photo? Yup, those will be used for something, I’m sure).
Sending warm hugs to all of you, and happy stamping!
I was talking to one of my customers last weekend about using Blends vs Stampin’ Write Markers. Each has a purpose and use, but lately I find myself reaching for the Blends more and more (and of course that means I need to expand my collection…we need ALL the colors, right??) I also like to use up scraps, especially if it’s a scrap of our gorgeous patterned paper. Both of these inspired the card at the bottom of this post.
First, where the scraps came from: last weekend I made this shaker card using Press On and Plaid Tidings patterned paper as a thank you card for the same customer. This card also uses the new Sequins for Everything pack (page 66 of the Holiday Mini). You get SO many sequins so you won’t feel the need to hoard like with all of our other embellishments. Admit it, when was the last time you made a shaker card? I forgot how much fun they are to make! Time to bust out the window sheets.
Anyway, I digress…For the past week I’ve had the scraps and cardstock from the above card sitting on my desk and wanted to make a project with them. I also wanted to use the sequins as an embellishment because I like that they don’t have any holes in the middle of them like our other sequins. Given the colors, I thought of sunflowers (of course!) and using our wonderful Blends. Note: I do not have Cajun Craze Blends (told you I needed all the colors) but I made it work blending together pumpkin pie, poppy parade, and calypso coral.
In case you couldn’t tell, I love coffee. A lot. So Stampin’ Up’s new Press On stamp set was on my very first holiday mini catalog order. Love it!
Thank you cards for recent orders
I also am a bit obsessed with this plaid patterned paper – Plaid Tidings. (See my previous post: Sunflowers – the black and white plaid background used this paper as well). Paper pack comes in 6 x 6 size and coordinates with 12 colors. I’m feeling the hoarding tendency coming on strong. Happy Stampin’!
A few nights ago I wrote about poinsettias, but to be honest…I’m not *quite* ready for Christmas. So, tonight I switched to a different flower. Celebrate Sunflowers is a GORGEOUS bundle. I may be biased – my favorite flower of all time is the sunflower. I love it’s simplicity and natural juxtaposition: a tall skinny stalk and gorgeous thick flower; a singular plant that is stunning on its own, and shines when it’s with a group; and when you look closely it’s super complex–multiple colors and layers, thin dainty petals next to a thick, strong stalk, and that center…well…I think it’s amazing. Plus there’s this quote that pretty much sums it up:
photo credit: MyEvergreenPlace
Needless to say, I had to purchase the Celebrate Sunflowers bundle immediately when the new catalog was released in June (page 13 Annual Catalog). Actually, if we’re being honest, I had to order the whole Flowers for Every Season suite. I mean, come on, that jar? That gorgeous paper? I am not ashamed.
I am a little embarrassed to say this bundle has been sitting on my desk since June untouched. Time to break it in. Tonight I needed to create a congratulations card, and I wanted to join a team challenge with my team…so I thought, “Why not combine both needs into one project?” The team challenge was: “Create a monochromatic card using only one or two colors similar colors besides black and white.”
Here are the supplies I used:
Celebrate Sunflowers Bundle (Celebrate Sunflowers stamp set and Sunflowers dies); Plaid Trimmings Designer Series Paper, Pumpkin Pie, Bumblebee, Mango Melody, and Daffodil Delight, and Whisper White cardstock; Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, and Pineapple Punch blends and Momento Ink; Artistry Blooms Sequins; Wink of Stella
I love the Poinsettia Place Suite. It’s just beautiful. I think my flowers should have been rounded the opposite direction, next time…it’s been a long day! The bundle (stamp set and dies) is already on backorder two days into the catalog going on sale. Not surprising, IMHO, it is the best poinsettia SU has offered to-date!
About to head to bed, but I’ve had a wonderful time stamping pretty much all day today. I made a few thank you cards, Jackson’s birthday card and gift box, and a few Christmas tags using new product from the upcoming Holiday Mini catalog. Catalog goes on sale Tuesdays! To my customers-I have packages ready to to in the mail, just waiting on my mailing envelopes (arriving via Amazing tomorrow…finally–package got lost last week!). If you’d like a catalog, contact me!
Hi! My name is Kelly Taranto and welcome to my stamping blog! I have been an Independent Demonstrator for Stampin’ Up! since 2002, and a crafter for as long as my little hands could hold a needle. I am born out of a long line of crafters: sewers, mainly, but pretty much any craft you can think of, and I can do almost all of them. My favorite craft medium involves stamps, ink, and paper, and cardmaking is my most favorite thing to do. By day, I wear many hats: wife, mother of two teenage boys, and full-time fundraiser for a national nonprofit organization. Late at night, when the house is quiet, I find I have a few moments just for me and I turn into the Late Night Stamper.
One of the things I love most about my stamping life is the connection. Connection to my creativity and craft, of course, but also the connection with others. If you are familiar with Stampin’ Up!, you know they have the best stamping and paper crafting products on the market, but you may also know connection is a huge part of their values. Stampin’ Up!’s Statement of the Heart says it perfectly: To love what we do and share what we love, as we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments…in this we make a difference.
The world is facing a scary and unprecedented time. While we all are hunkered down at home avoiding Covid-19, I worry we’ll lose our connections to community. I hope this blog can add positivity to the interwebs, and allow folks to connect, creating an online community for those that want to share what they’ve made with others and help brighten their day. As my mother always says, “Who doesn’t like to receive a handmade card!?” Well, I hope this website will help give you the inspiration you need to dive into this craft for the first time, or to inspire you in a new way if you are a seasoned papercrafter.
It’s now 10:57pm – time to get started, won’t you join me?
