3-2-1 Countdown!

Hope you were on here yesterday and checked out the Fun Fold Blog Hop I was on. If not, be sure to click back to my main blog page and visit “Fun Folds” and then hop along through the “Silver to Silver Elite Blog Hop” — it is SUCH a great hop with so many amazing fun fold ideas. The ladies I have partnered with on the blog hop are incredibly talented!

So, what are we counting down to? Well, in three days (and a wake-up) the new Aug-Dec Holiday Mini Catalog and Sale-A-bration #2 Brochure will go live. I cannot wait. This new mini catalog is amazing…well, did we expect anything else? SU continues to outdo themselves with their product offering. The best part with this release on August 3rd?? For every $50 you spend, you get a free item from the Sale-A-Bration brochure! For every $100 you spend there are other options. For every $150 you spend, you can choose either 3 free items, or 1 Level 1 item and 1 Level 2 item, and qualify for $15 in Stampin’ Rewards, of course.

Okay, enough words already…time for a card share. Here’s another card made with the beautiful Summer Shadows Dies — this set of dies is free with $100 order and coordinates with the Shaded Summer Stamp Set. These dies have limited quantity, and when they run out, they run out. As soon as August 3rd hits, place your order! You can either contact me, or visit my online store.

  • If you order is under $150, please use my August Host Code:
  • If you order is OVER $150, do not use my Host Code…you’ll have your own “party” and qualify for Stampin’ Rewards on your own!

Card Recipe:

  • Stamps/Dies: Shaded Summer Stamp Set, Summer Shadows Dies (SAB, Level 2), Scalloped Contours Dies
  • Ink: Pale Papaya, Basic Gray
  • Paper: Pale Papaya, Highland Heather, Basic White Cardstock; In-Color 6 x 6 Designer Series Paper, 2021-2023 In-Color Shimmer Vellum
  • Embellishments: 3/8” Open Weave Pale Papaya Ribbon, Opal Rounds

Thank you so much for your looking. Happy Stamping!

Kelly

Fun Folds

Hello, welcome to the Journey to Silver Elite Blog Hop! We are a group of Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators with a common goal to support each other as we build our businesses. This month our theme is “Fun Folds.” If you’re following the blog hop, you arrived here from Libby Stamps — isn’t her project amazing? Enjoy my post, and click the arrow at the bottom of the post to keep “hopping” along to Crafty Karen Designs (and the full line-up of all the projects can be found at the bottom of this post as well).

Here’s my project: Sweet Strawberry Vertical Trifold Window Card:

Supplies: (Include product number):

  • Stamp Set(s): Sweet Strawberry (154394, $18)
  • Card Stock: Thick Basic White (159229), Basic White (159276), Real Red (102482)
  • Designer Series Paper: Pattern Party DSP (155426, $18 with Stampin’ Rewards)
  • Stamp Pad(s) and Ink(s): Real Red (147084), Momento Black, Granny Apple Green (147095), Garden Green (147089), Daffodil Delight (147094), Mango Melody (147093)
  • Dies and Embossing Folder(s): Layering Diorama Dies (155565, $29)
  • Embellishments: 2021-2023 In-Color Jewels (155571, $7)
  • Tools: Strawberry Builder Punch (154239, $18)

Measurements:

  • Thick White card base – 4 ¼” x 11”, scored at 5 ½”
  • Real Red – 4” x 10 ½”, scored at 5 ¼”
  • DSP: 5 ¼” x 4”, 3 ¾” x 5”, ½” x 3 ¾”, two scrap pieces for the Diorama
  • Basic White: 3 ¾” x 5”, scraps to stamp and punch strawberries, leaves, and flowers

Instructions:

  1. Fold and burnish the Thick White card base. Adhere first DSP layer to the front of the White Card base and cut out the diorama shape out of the front to make a window. Note: if you are looking at the diorama set, if the smallest shape is #1 and the largest is #7, I used #’s 2-4. For the front window, you want the largest one of those 3, so #4.
  1. Fold and burnish both smaller Real Red card base. This will be the “inner” card. Add adhesive to the back of this “card base” and adhere to the inside of the white card base with the fold at the bottom and centered.
  1. Fold the inside card in and fold the top down so you can look through the “window” onto the inner card front. Stamp two strawberries and tops, 5 leaves, and 3 flowers. Cut out two diorama shapes with different patterned DSP (I used #’s 2 and 3 of the set). Embellish inside “front” with diorama shapes, strawberries, leaves and flowers so that the diorama shapes “peak” through the window. Stamp Just For You in bottom corner of the inner red card front.
  1. Open the Red inner card and decorate the bottom piece with more strawberries, leaves, and flowers.
  1. Finally, stamp your sentiment and decorate the “inside” of the card with the skinny DSP strip.
  1. Fold the whole card back up. Stamp greeting “Hello There” on small piece of scrap white and adhere to the front.
  1. Add In-Color jewels to front sentiment banner, and to the flowers inside the window.

Lots of options with this layout! I hope you are inspired by my projects and those of my fellow Demonstrators. At the end of my post, you will find the full line-up to help you “hop” along from blog to blog, or you can click the arrow below to move to the Karen’s blog.

Don’t forget to leave comments because I love hearing from you.  And, if you’re curious to hear what more I need to achieve my business goal, please contact me!

Journey to Silver Elite Blog Hop Line-Up

Janice PiechowiakCreating Treasures with Janice
Linda MooreMoore Fun Stamping and Creating with Linda
Nedine Hunter DuPreeCraft Lounge Creations
Libby Fenslibbystamps
Kelly TarantoThe Late Night Stamper You are here!
Karen EganCrafty Karen Designs Next up!
Tricia ButtsTricia’s Stamping Creations
Eva DietzHomemade with Heart – Stampin’ with Eva
Diane MarieCreative Stamping
Cathy RoccaFromTheStampStudio
Sue KremerNorthStarStamper
Tracy ByersCards, Crafts and Stamps with Tracy
Laurie BradshawCraft Coach Laurie
Nancy ReynoldsStampin’ With Nutsy
Xenia StanfordHeritage Stamp Arts

Shaded Summer & Summer Shadows

Summer is going so quickly, and my family is enjoying every minute. When I’m not at work or at the pool with my family, I’m stamping – of course! And what a better set to use last night than Shaded Summer from the Annual Catalog.

This beautiful stamp set only has 3 images (2 floral bouquets, and one leaf), but 7 sentiments. The sentiments are each mixed font with all caps and script and they include heartfelt sayings. I especially like “May the good you do come back to you.” I send a LOT of thank you cards and this is a wonderful saying that is a different from anything else in my stamp collection.

SNEAK PEAK! To make this stamp set even better, Stampin’ Up! Is offering a coordinating die set as one of the Level 2 freebies in the Aug 3-Sept 30 Sale-A-Bration suite of products. This set just got twice as beautiful!

The die set includes 11 dies: 3 dies cut out the images of the stamp set, and there are 5 flower dies and 3 leaf dies. One nice feature about the flowers and leaves is there is a solid layer and a more detailed layer you can overlay on the solid. This will work for each big flower and the big leaves.

Here are two samples made with this bundle.

The best part about this die set is it will be FREE with a minimum order of $100 starting August 3rd. The Shaded Summer stamp set is $23, so simply adding this stamp set to your cart will get you a quarter of the way there. More sneak peaks to come–be sure to mark your calendar for August 3rd, and if you’d like a Holiday Mini Catalog and SAB Brochure (both start Aug 3), reach out to me!

Happy Stamping! Kelly

Product Used in Samples:

Simply Elegant, Simply Stunning!

The Simply Elegant Suite in the Annual Catalog is one that caught my eye from the beginning, but since it isn’t typically my “style”, I kept moving along. But it kept calling my name and when my monthly class members asked to do a class with it, that was enough for me to say yes, and boy am I grateful for them. The stamp set, Elegant Said, is versatile, pretty, and has great sentiments. The elegant tag punch is a great addition to your punch collection, and the Simply Elegant 12 x 12 Specialty Designer Series Paper. Well. Y’all know how I feel about Stampin’ Up!’s designer series paper, but this paper is now ranked one of my top 10 favorites. It is simply stunning.

Here’s a card I made using the stamp set and DSP.

The card base is Smoky Slate cut 6 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ scored on the long side at 4 1/4″. You take a piece of DSP measuring 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ and adhere it to the inside of the front flap to make a full card front, and that glorious foiled DSP will shine through when it is opened. (This project also uses the Simply Elegant Trim and the inside also uses the Word Wishes dies and A Wish for Everything Stamp Set.)

Below are more projects I made with this Suite:

Happy Stamping! Kelly

Welcoming the New and Cherishing the Old

Hello, welcome to the Journey to Silver Elite Blog Hop! I’ve joined a group of Demonstrators that are all working to achieve the title Silver Elite, which would make us part of Stampin’ Up! leadership circle. I’m halfway to achieving this goal, and hope to be Silver Elite by next year. Until then, I’ll be doing fun activities like this. Welcome to my first Blog Hop! This month our theme is “Welcoming the New, Cherishing the Old.” 

This theme challenged us to use at least one product from the new catalog, one carryover product, and a new color. I chose the Nothing’s Better Than Stamp Set and Love You More Than dies as my “oldie” and the Picture This dies as my “new product,” along with the new in-colors (cardstock, ink, and coordinating DSP).

In-Colors used are Fresh Freesia, Pale Papaya, Polished Pink, and Soft Succulent.

STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL:

  • Begin with a card base measuring 5 1/2 x 8 1/2, scored at 4 1/4.
  • Cut layer from coordinating In-Color 6×6 designer series paper measuring 5 1/4 x 4 and use the stitched rectangle die from the Picture This Dies on that layer.
  • Cut layer from Basic White cardstock measuring 5 x 3 3/4.
  • When stamping the front, lay the DSP layer on top of the white, but do not adhere. (You can use Washi tape on the back to keep the White layer from moving). Do all of your stamping and coloring, and then decide how you want to adhere. For the Cocktails and Coffee cards, I changed the orientation from the other two, and adhered the rectangle layer directly onto the Basic White layer. For the Chocolate and Cookies cards, I used dimensionals to pop the rectangle layer up.
  • Don’t forget to stamp the inside of the card as well! See the Coffee card insert above for a sample.

Lots of options with this layout! I hope you are inspired by my projects and those of my fellow Demonstrators. At the end of my post, you will find the full line-up to help you “hop” along from blog to blog, or you can click below to move to the next one.

Don’t forget to leave comments because I love hearing from you.  And, if you’re curious to hear what more I need to achieve this goal, please contact me!

Journey to Silver Elite Blog Hop Line-Up

Nancy ReynoldsStampin’ With Nutsy
Nedine DupreeCraft Lounge Creations
Janice PiechowiakCreating Treasures with Janice
Cathy RoccaFrom The Stamp Studio
Julia MazurSimply She Stamps
Libby Fenslibbystamps
Polly CrouchStamp with Polly
Tricia ButtsTricia’s Stamping Creations
Tracy ByersCards, Craft and Stamps
Terri HartleyRustic Barn Cards
Theresa TuckerTucker Topnotch Designs
Sue KremerNorth Star Stamper
Kelly TarantoThe Late Night Stamper YOU ARE HERE!
Tammy GillStampinkspired Click here to keep hopping!
Linda MooreMoore Fun Stamping
Debra NortonStamping By The Lake
Jane ProffittGal Friday Stamping
Sharon JacobsStamped Inkspired Designs

Happy Stampin! Kelly

Hats Off!

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. In honor of my husband, a father of two boys and baseball-cap-wearing kinda guy, today’s post features the Stampin’ Up!’s Hat’s Off Bundle.

This card also features the Spiral Dye background stamp

The Hats Off bundle is a must have for your stamp collection. It naturally fits with all-things adventure and the outdoors celebrating dads, men, and boys in our lives.

Isn’t this adorable for a Tiger Cub??

At $35, it is a great price point considering how many stamps and dies you get.

The bundle features two products:

  • Hats Off stamp set – a stamp set with 15 photopolymer stamps that includes one large hat stamp, 8 hat “patches” and a star image which is great for backgrounds, and 5 sentiments.
  • Hat’s Off Dies – a die set that coordinates with the stamp set, featuring dies that cut out the hat and patches as well as a mini stitched hat, and 5 coordinating solid images.

You can even use just the little images as a card accent, like I did in this card (stencils and stamps used are from the Here’s to You Paper Pumpkin kit from March 2021):

The patches dies in the Hat’s Off Dies are “double-dies” giving you more options. There is a shadow die that cuts out the outside of the patch, and an “inside” die that adds a stitched border to the inside to the patch. Here’s a card using the patches as a focal point:

And, this bundle doesn’t have to be limited to masculine cards.  There are some girly ways to wear this hat too!

This bundle is so versatile you can really make the hat style any color for any occasion.

Happy Stamping! Kelly

Visit my Online Store to shop the products used:

  • Hats Off Bundle
  • Buffalo Card: Here’s to You Paper Pumpkin Kit (stamp set and free stencils)
  • Spiral Dye background stamp
  • Polished Pink You Truly Inspire Me Card also uses sentiment from Beauty of Friendship Stamp set, Painted Textures 3D embossing folder, Basic Borders Dies, and Polished Pink ribbon
  • 2021-2023 and 2021-2022 In Colors: Inks, Cardstock
  • Other Colors used for cardstock and ink: Whisper White, Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight, Petal Pink, Pacific Point, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Poppy Parade, Coastal Cabana

I Scream!

Happy new catalog launch week! It has been a whirlwind of a week with the new Stampin’ Up! catalog launching on Tuesday, submitting customer orders, and working on some new catalog swaps. I need to pick a time to start a flurry of blogging about new product – maybe starting this week. Anyway, until then, I hope you enjoy this ice cream card (and who doesn’t love a rainbow!?)

A rainbow of ice cream!
Inside of the card and matching envelope

Happy stamping! Kelly

So Cool!

While I’m not at all ready for summer because I’m enjoying springtime in North Carolina, I love the Ice Cream Corner Suite in the Jan-Jun Mini Catalog and LOVE this month’s Paper Pumpkin Kit called “So Cool” that coordinates with it. This month’s kit includes two full sticker sheets and all supplies needed to make 12 fun-shaped summer-themed cards with matching envelopes, but to me, the real star of the kit is the stamp set. Here’s a look at the kit contents:

No photo description available.

The popsicle, the watermelon slice, and that font…LOVE.

I follow a number of cardmaking boards and on one of them, recently they posted a fun watermelon-slice-turned-smiley-face card and it made me so happy that I saved it. Low and behold this month’s kit has a perfect watermelon slice for me to replicate this idea! I hope the birthday gal this is going to smiles when she sees it (her birthday is today, April 25, so you may know who it’s for!)

Here’s the inside of my card–love this font and the speckles to go with it!

Supplies Used:

  • Card Base: from last May’s Paper Pumpkin kit called A Kit in Color
  • The adorable hot pink and white Baker’s twine and lined envelope are from the May 2020 Paper Pumpkin as well.
  • White cutout is a sneak peak! It is from the Scalloped Contours dies that will be available starting May 4th in the Annual Catalog.

Want a catalog? Contact me!

May’s Paper Pumpkin kit is called Batter Up. Sign up for Paper Pumpkin by May 10th if you’re interested using this link.

Happy stampin! Kelly

It’s hard to say good-bye…

So Don’t! Retiring Items can be part of your permanent stamp collection!

Stampin’ Up! releases one Annual Catalog and two mini catalogs each year. The Annual Catalog is released in the spring each year, and this year May 4th is the big day when the 2021-2022 Annual Idea Book and Catalog will go live!

Card front uses patterned paper from the True Always collection

To call this book a “catalog” is not doing it justice. It is a beautiful, glossy, 100+ page book showcasing the current offering by Stampin’ Up and it is also chock full of ideas. I use the catalog throughout the year for inspiration as I create new products. A new Annual Catalog is an exciting time–new products, including the In-Colors that we will be able to play with for two years, new stamps, dies, and suites, and accessories. To make room for all this new stuff, we sadly have to say good-bye to some products from the current book (otherwise the catalog would be double or triple in size!)

Stampin’ Up! released the “retiring” list last week and items are only available until May 3 or while supplies last. So be sure to check it out ASAP! Visit my Online Store and click on the Last-Chance Products Sale banner.

I will be posting products using retiring sets the during the whole month of April…so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any ideas!

Card Inside

About today’s card: The items used to make this card are from the Jan-Jun Mini Catalog, except for the die cut (not retiring!) and patterned paper to make the taxi–that is in the Annual Catalog. Note: Jan-Jun Mini Catalog products are available until June 30th. The Retiring list for that catalog will be released in early June (but I can already tell you this stamp set is NOT carrying over to the new book…sad! I love that taxicab, and REALLY love the sentiments in this stamp set.)

  • Stamps: Wonderful As You
  • Paper: Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Basic White, True Love Designer Series Paper, Brights 6 x 6 Designer Series Paper
  • Ink: Momento black, Balmy Blue, Daffodil Delight Blends
  • Other: Tasteful Labels Dies, Whisper White crinkled seam binding ribbon

Happy Stamping! Kelly

Happy Valentines Day!

Hi Stamping Friends! Wishing you the happiest of Valentines day and I hope your day has been spent with folks you love.

As a cardmaker, there are a few holidays that are like our “Olympics” and Valentines is definitely one of them. I feel like I’ve been making V-day cards for a month. I’m not complaining though. I LOVE all-things hearts, and Stampin’ Up! has amazing products in this category. One of my favorites is the Heartfelt Bundle from the Annual Catalog. Our Heart punches are the Best:

Heartfelt Bundle

I also love love love the new Lots of Heart Bundle from the Jan-Jun Mini Catalog AND the “Love You Always Suite Collection” which is a double suite featuring two bundles: Forever & Always and Always in My Heart. As I’m cleaning up my workspace this week I might make some non-Valentine cards with the Lots of Heart Bundle. The sayings are really non-Valentine. Be on the lookout for future posts!

Here is a Valentine I made for my husband:

I used the Forever & Always bundle, the heart strip is from the Floral Heart Dies of that suite, the punch is from the Heart Punch pack, and the little snail is from last month’s Paper Pumpkin. Phew! So many great products–I couldn’t choose, so used them all.

Happy Stampin! Kelly