Northwest Stamper

Tag: birthday card

  • Pretty Project Accents with Stacked Die Cuts

    Pretty Project Accents with Stacked Die Cuts

    I’m back today with a card to share with you that I’m going to admit, I’m a bit undecided about – I love the stacked die cuts trick I used but for the rest of the design… well I don’t know what I think about it.  But that is more of the reason why I decided I had to share it. 🙂

    I’m going to get a little bit personal here – You see, over the last year, I have managed to go through a bit of a crafting identity crisis.  I was trying to figure out what direction I wanted to take my crafting and as I saw what others were doing, I let it get into my head that I wasn’t doing enough/doing the right things.  I would feel bad and feel like I needed to do so much more.  Which overwhelmed me and turned into me slowly putting off posting projects, classes, or updates as I was waiting to get them “perfect”.  Does this resonate with anyone out there?

    It took a number of months but I finally realized that I was never going to be perfect all the time and that is OK!  I started out the year with my one little word being “imperfect” and said I wanted to strive to be perfectly imperfect.

    I am perfectly imperfect quote

    In fact, I did a short talk for Stampin’ Up demonstrators last month on growing your business by allowing yourself to be imperfect.  The funny thing?  I was cheering them on to just go for it, just put it out there even if it isn’t perfect… and what was I doing?  Sitting on my projects and ideas!  So, today, I’m taking my own advice and sharing with you a project… with less than perfect photos, and maybe a less than perfect design.  But fun non-the less!

    Celebrate You Stacked Die Cuts Embellishment

    The centerpiece for this card is the idea of creating a custom embellishment by stacking die cuts instead of using dimensionals.  Check it out above!  Its an easy and fun way to use your die cuts.

    Tips for making this card:
    • Stacked Die Cuts make great coordinated embellishments – so what do I mean by this?  Well, I usually will die cut a shape or a sentiment and then pop it up on my card or project using Stampin’ dimensional foam dots. But you can get a cool effect if you replace the dimensionals with extra cardstock!  Start with the shape you want to be on top – in this case, the So Saffron celebrate sentiment.  Then start die cutting more of the same shape to be the supporting layers.
      You can make all the layers the same color to make it look like a fat puffy sentiment – or do like I did here and us a few different colors that coordinate with the rest of your card.  I used 2 Early Espresso layers and 2 Berry Burst layers plus the 1 So Saffron layer.  I used the Fine Tip Glue pen to hold my layers together; this gave me a little bit of wiggleroom to line up my words in each layer. When you are done, you get this need colored shadow effect that ties in perfectly to your card.
    • Use ribbon as a pretty way to cover where two papers meet – I love mixing and matching cardstock and designer paper, like this pattern from the amazingly cute Picture Perfect Party stack. But add a bit of polish to your card by covering up the seam where the cardstock and pattern paper overlap with some ribbon.  This metallic edge Berry Burst satiny ribbon is so pretty and a perfect accent for the card. I usually just add adhesive to the ends of the ribbon and use that to glue the ends to the back of the cardstock/pattern paper before gluing them down to the front of the card.
      Celebrate you Painted Harvest birthday card close up
    • Glitter Enamel Dots add a party to your paper! I’ve been hoarding these Glitter Enamel shapes.  They are A-MAZ-ING!  You get an ombre range of colors in the package and they are shiny and glittery and just make your card look so festive.  I had put this card together and was struggling with the “whitespace” on the right side of the card.  I knew I needed something but I couldn’t decide what.  I tried some of the clear enamel shapes but it just didn’t look quite right.  Thankfully my mom was nearby and she told me “it needs some color” and the lightbulb went off and I dug into my drawer and pulled these out.  They have adhesive on the back, so they are ready to go.  So, if you have an embellishment you are hoarding – I encourage you to dig it out and USE IT!  🙂
    Just a reminder – 

    The Celebrate You die cuts are available for a limited time as a Sale-a-Bration exclusive.  You can get them free with a $100+ order through the end of March or while supplies last.  They will be back in the Stampin’ Up Annual Catalog in June, though I don’t know how much they will cost for the set.   But if you love them, consider grabbing them now because why not get something free when you can? 🙂  Plus, once they are gone in March they won’t be back for a few months, so this is your last chance to get them early.   See another cute card idea with the Celebrate You dies HERE.

     

    Wanna make this at home? Here is what you need:

    Celebrate You stacked die cuts card birthday

    I hope you enjoyed this project and will try stacked die cuts to make your own custom embellishments for your projects soon!

    Jennifer Blomquist - Northwest Stamper Stampin Up Blog

     

  • Congratulations or Birthday Card – You Decide!

    Congratulations or Birthday Card – You Decide!

    I recently held my first Creative Cards class of the year with my local stampers. And, since it was right after the Stampin’ Up Occasions catalog launched, I HAD to play with all the new stuff I had gotten from that catalog! I am so glad I had this class on the books because I hadn’t taken much time to get my new stamps inky before then.

    Let me give you a little back story – see, my family is FULL of December babies.  My birthday is in mid-December, both of my kiddos are in December (one at the beginning of the month, one at the end of the month) plus there is my Sister in Law’s birthday and Christmas, not to mention my Mother-in-Law and niece who both have birthdays around Thanksgiving.  So, you see… the end of the year is a busy time for me around here! 🙂   Add to that the fact that it looked like a tornado had thoroughly gone through most of the rooms in our house; well, lets just say that I spent most of the month cleaning up in preparation for parties or holiday get togethers, prepping for those events, and then cleaning up afterwards!

    So, now things are getting back into a routine and I’m excited to start stamping more and sharing more here on my blog and over on my Facebook page. 🙂  Like this fun card using the Amazing You stamp set and Celebrate You thinlits from the Sale-a-Bration catalog!  I love that these can be Congrats or Birthday… which do you think this card would be good for?

    Mix & Match for a fun Celebration card

    This card started out as the idea of having the half sunburst behind the sentiment on a plain white cardbase.  But I got excited and stamped my images and then realized the idea that was in my head just was not working out in real life!  So, I started grabbing bits and pieces from around my craft table to add a little bit of color, a little bit of pop, and some extra sequins for balance; and I ended up loving how it turned out!

    So don’t be afraid to grab unrelated embellishments and papers and experiment with popping them onto your project!


    Need some pieces to play with?  Check out my 2018 Occasions Catalog product samplers to get a little bit of all the new papers, ribbons, and embellishments – so you can try them out and see which ones you like!

    Amazing You Sale-a-bration card idea side view

    Tips for making this card:
    • Neutral pattern papers are great! Take advantage of the Petal Passion designer paper being all black and white designs. Use them add some weight to your card without having to worry about conflicting colors.  I added this 3/4″ x 5 1/2″ strip to the left side of my card to anchor all my different elements.
    • Coordinate the stamps and dies – Coordinate the sentiments from the Amazing You stamp set with the die cut sentiments from Celebrate You thinlits.  They are both free with a purchase during the Sale-a-Bration promotion (Jan-Mar 2018).  The stamp set is free with a $50 purchase, the dies are free with a $100 purchase.  *Or get them BOTH* with a $150 order, PLUS you’ll become the host of your own party and get an extra $15+ in free goodies to add on to your order.  And who doesn’t love free?
      Create your own Amazing You Bundle
    • Pick your Pop of Color – If you stick to one or two light or neutral colors (in this card, I used Basic Black, Basic Grey, and Daffodil Delight), then add in one bright color to add a pop to brighten things up!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this Berry Burst metallic edge ribbon, and so used that behind my sentiment for that extra pop!
    • Customize your stamps!  I wanted to add the flower from the Amazing You stamp set but it turned out it was just too big for how the card was turning out.  So just cut off the leaves!  I colored in the flower using my Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Blends, trimmed out, and ready to pop on the card.

    Amazing You Sale-a-bration card idea coloring with blends close up

    • Sequins made easy! Finally I needed just one more touch – and it was the Tutti Frutti adhesive back sequins!  You get 5 pretty colors (Berry Burst, Daffodil Delight, Lemon Lime Twist, Pool Party, Pumpkin Pie).  And they already have glue on the back so they are a snap to add on to your projects and they don’t fall off later! 🙂

    Wanna make this at home? Here is what you need:

    Thanks for stopping by! Shop online here

     

  • LAST DAY for Great Sale-a-Bration Specials!

    LAST DAY for Great Sale-a-Bration Specials!

    So, today I have to put out the LAST CALL for taking advantage of the Sale-a-Bration promotions.  Stampin’ Up always runs this incentive during the first 3 months of the year, giving you a chance to get free stamps and papers, including exclusive items that are made only for this promotion. Plus, if you are thinking of taking advantage of all the perks of being a Stampin’ Up demonstrator, you only have through tonight to get those 2 free stamp sets of your choice, any value with your starter kit.  PLUS, Stampin’ Up just announced that anyone who purchased the starter kit from January – March of this year, will have the opportunity to earn an EXTRA free stamp set in May-June!  Super sweet!

     Sale-a-Bration free items 2017 Sale-a-Bration starter kit flyer 2017

    Just make sure you don’t wait until tomorrow – these perks end 11:50pm MST March 31st, 2017!  Shop online here or join my Fun n’ Crafty stampers here

    Ok, now on to the card I wanted to share with you today!  It uses the fabulous Lift Me Up bundle and pairs it with the fun Carried Away designer paper (only available during Sale-a-Bration).  It is such a fun and easy layout though that it is perfect to use with any of your patterned papers.

    Get the details to make this card HERE

  • Masculine Birthday Card Idea with Balloon Adventures

    Masculine Birthday Card Idea with Balloon Adventures

    With so many great flowers and lace stamps and dies, sometimes I have a hard time finding a  Masculine birthday card in my stash.  So, when I was designing a card for my recent Stamping Bingo event, I decided to fix that problem!  I love this Balloon Adventures stamp set and especially that it fits the Balloon Bouquet punch.  But this card is all about the details, which lets you keep it interesting without bringing it over to the girly side. Smile  Let me share with you some of the fun touches we added:

    Little Touches Make All the Difference for a Masculine Birthday Card

    So, I’m one to often grab my rhinestones or glimmer or ribbons, but guys don’t always appreciate ruffles and sparkle.  Which leads me to look at other options for adding interest to my masculine cards.  One of the first things I switch out is Baker’s Twine for ribbon.  I love that Stampin’ Up has started coming out with more solid color regular Baker’s Twine like this Emerald Envy option.  It gives you a great solid color that coordinates with the pattern paper and cardstock, but isn’t so frou frou that it will make your guy roll his eyes!

    Plus it does a great job breaking up some of those repetitive patterns like on this Cupcakes & Carousels pack’s diamond pattern.  I just grabbed a piece and glued it to the back of my cardstock.  Then wrap it around the front of your paper three times and adhere the end of the twine to the back of the paper. I find SNAIL tape runner works great for this.

    Balloon Adventures and Cupcakes & Carousels masculine birthday card - nwstamper

    I also love replacing my rhinestones with the Metallic Enamel shapes. They are bright and fun, but instead are more shine than sparkle – which I know my guy appreciates!  The pack comes with hearts, two sizes of circles, and stars in both gold and silver, giving you lots of options.

    Masculine Birthday Card with Balloon Adventures and stitched shape framelits - nwstamper.com

    Lastly, there is the old standbys of punches and die cuts!  I can’t tell you enough how much I reach for my Stitched Shapes framelits; with the dashes being pre-cut for me when the circle is die-cut, it is super easy. Then for the balloon, I mentioned before how the balloons in the stamp set fit the Balloon Bouquet punch.  Then you can make it even more interesting by stamping your image onto a patterned paper.  (This is from that same Cupcakes & Carousels pack).  It adds perfectly coordinated color while still blending in.

    Want to make this card at home? Here are the project supplies:
    March Rewards Hostess Code is KYNFMU4D 

    Need more general or masculine birthday card ideas?

    I have a bunch posted here on the blog over the last few years, so click HERE to filter down and see just my birthday cards.
    Masculine birthday card with cupcakes & carousels designer paper - nwstamper.com

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    March News, Notes, and Specials!

    • March Hostess Code is KYNFMU4D – Use this code when you shop online with me and earn extra perks!
    • ONLY A FEW WEEKS LEFT! Sale-a-Bration is coming to an end on March 31st.
      • For every $50 ordered, pick any item from the Sale-a-Bration catalog to get for FREE added to your order
      • Place a $250 order or party and get an extra $25 to spend for FREE!
      • BEST DEAL – if your wish list is over $100, consider getting the demonstrator starter kit and joining my Fun n’ Crafty Stampers.  You get to pick out $125 in product for $99, get 20% off all your future orders, get 2 stamp sets of any value to add FREE to your kit during Sale-a-Bration, and join the amazing community of my team and demonstrators worldwide online.  Get started here

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  • Vintage Celebration Card with Carousel Birthday

    Pattern paper can really make a card interesting and fun… but don’t think you have to stick to rectangles and mats!  Play with your patterns and use them to create different shapes in your backgrounds.  Like this Carousels & Cupcakes designer paper, it makes the perfect backdrop for the pretty and vintage Carousel Birthday stamp set.  Especially when you start coloring and sponging your pieces.

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  • Party Animal Suite Festive Birthday Pop-Up Card

    Ready for something new?  How about a fun pop-up birthday card?!

    The new Stampin’ Up Occasions Catalog has a lot of fun Suites, and if you like bright colors and birthday supplies that are great for kids or masculine cards, then the Party Animal suite is your place to be. Smile  I got to play with this fun Balloons Pop Up Thinlit die during the OnStage convention in November and we made this fun card.  It does all the cutting and scoring for you, so you get to have the fun of figuring out how to decorate all the little details.  Check it out:

    (more…)

  • Foxy Friend Fabulously Fun Birthday Card

    Last Friday was my monthly Creative Cards class – we normally meet the first Friday of the month, but with OnStage Local happening that first weekend of the month, I had to push it back a week.  Well, I was so glad I could because it gave me a chance to play with my new Stitched Shapes framelits (SO FUN!!) and since we had Christmas Cards and Tags classes scheduled for Saturday, I was free to play with all the other fun non-holiday items in my craft room.

    So out came the Foxy Friends stamp set and the coordinating A Little Foxy designer paper, and don’t they come together so cute for a birthday card?!

    I just love how cute and festive this card turned out.  It is perfect for kids or anyone who loves something cute. 🙂  I used the stitched squares to cut out each of the patterns as well as a piece of Whisper White cardstock – the stitching is a little touch but it really adds a lot, I think.

    Tips for making this card:

    • Order makes a difference! First stamp the body of the fox in the middle of the white die cut square.  Then, punch out the body shape using the Fox Builder punch from a piece of computer paper or post-it note.  You’ll use that punch out as a mask – just lay it on top of where you stamped the body before you stamp the tree stump to make it look like he is in the middle of the stump.
    • Lighten Up your stamping!  I didn’t want the tree stump to be too dark and take away from the bright cheery fox, so I inked it up with Smoky Slate ink and stamped first on scrap paper and THEN onto the bottom of the white die cut square.
      Make sure the mask you punched out is over your stamped body before you stamp the stump to make sure no lines go through the middle of his feet. 🙂
    • Little touches bring lots of fun and whimsy – Once you have all the layers put together, add a few extra touches and have them cross over the edges of your layers for a more whimsical look.  Like punching out a head and popping it up on a Stampin’ Dimensional so that it crosses over the edge of the squares.
      Or add a balloon where all the corners meet to make your fox a party fox!
      Or simply add a little epoxy accent like the star from the Subtles enamel shapes to add a touch of color to your sentiment.

    If you want to make this at home, I have the measurements listed for you at the bottom of the post.  But mix and match your colors and patterns for a ton of fun cheery options guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone’s face!

    News Updates and Specials to know about

    stitched shames framelits low inventory copy

    I just learned yesterday that the Stitched Framelits are so popular that Stampin’ Up ran through a couple months inventory in a couple WEEKS! So, while they are still accepting orders now for delivery at the end of the month, they will be making the dies unorderable starting at 10am on 11/21 while they work with the supplier to get more! So, if you had been wanting to get a set, I recommend ordering soon. Get yours here  – Stitched Shapes Framelits

    Also, the Online Extravaganza is coming!

    Online Extravaganza promo

    This weeklong sale kicks off on Monday (11/21) with a set of special 24hr only deals in addition to the weeklong specials.  I just got to see the list this morning before I had to run off to some appointments.  But I want to make sure to share with you so you can be checking your wishlist or telling family which items are great holiday gifts for you!  😉

    If you are on my mailing list, I’ll send out an email this evening with all the details of everything on sale (if you aren’t on my list, sign up here – http://eepurl.com/ueYCf). Then I should have it up in a blog post and here on Facebook tomorrow so we can all start planning.

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    Premium tutorial pack hostess code_thumb[1]

    Get your free exclusive Tutorial pack from our amazing International demonstrator design team featuring the stamp sets that are on sale this month!  You can get your free copy of this SET of great project ideas by either:

    Placing a $50 Stampin’ Up order with me (either directly or in my online store using the hostess code DSUGDGH4) in the month of November
    Join my Fun n’ Crafty Stampers!  My team gets a copy of this Tutorial Pack for FREE!

    Project Measurements:
    • Whisper White cardstock – 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″, 3 3/4″ x 3 3/4″, 2″x2″, scrap
    • Smoky Slate cardstock – 4″ x 4″
    • Pool Party cardstock – scrap
    • A Little Foxy designer paper – 2″x2″ piece in 3 different patterns
    Project Supply List:

  • Stampin’ Up OnStage Local Recap–November 2016

    Stampin’ Up OnStage Local Recap–November 2016

    2016-11-04 14.51.35I’m back after an amazingly inspiring and refreshing weekend up to Vancouver, BC Canada for the November OnStage Local event by Stampin’ Up!  This is the new event that replaces the traditional convention and happens every 6 months around the world.  This time, the closest location was up in Canada for the one day regional style event; and since that is only a few hours away, I just had to go!  I love these events because not only is it a chance to get my creative batteries recharged, but I always get to meet wonderful new people and reconnect with friends I don’t get to see very often because of distance.  And getting free stuff and a copy of the upcoming Spring (Occasions) catalog doesn’t hurt either! Winking smile

    So, now that I’m back, I thought I’d share a little bit from the event – and don’t worry there are lots of sneak peeks to come during the upcoming weeks!  And if you’ve been considering signing up as a demonstration – you know you can see the Occasions and Sale-a-Bration catalogs NOW on the demonstrator website, right?  Just saying, you wouldn’t even have to wait to see all the peeks.  Plus I’ve posted every picture I took at the event to my team page to help them get inspired and planning for the new year.  So, if you are on the fence, consider hopping off and joining my Fun n’ Crafty Stampers!

    OnStage (November) 2016 – Celebrating You

    Each event we get a back and this was the cutest one yet since they started the OnStage events!  I LOVE the Hot Air Balloon motif (a sneak peek of things to come!) and the colors were oh so cute.

    2016-11-04 16.10.30

    The theme was Celebrating You because this was the time of year where they did recognition for achievements by demonstrators for the 2015-2016 SU year.  So, things like folks who recruited and had the team members successfully get started with their demonstratorship, folks who had a number of title promotions in their team, yearly sales, personal promotions, anniversaries with SU, etc.  One piece of recognition was a nice sit down dinner and training on Friday night (before the event on Saturday) for anyone with the title Silver Elite or above.

    2016-11-04 19.26.52

    Thanks to my awesome team, I was able to attend and really felt spoiled! Plus we got a super cute bag as a gift to boot –

    2016-11-04 19.32.29

    Then it was back to the hotel room to hang out with the gals from the Fun n’ Crafty Stampers group for a while before heading to bed… and by heading to bed, I mean staying up super late because I hadn’t finished gifties for everyone yet and I wanted to have something special for them the next day when the event kicked off!  I think they turned out super cute and the ladies seemed to like them too.  Each one had a card with a personal note inside, a pen decorated with Candy Cane Lane paper, and some chocolate.

    2016-11-05 02.40.15

    Then it was time to finally get some rest before getting up WAAAY too early to get in the room and get ready for the presentations.  Isn’t the notebook they gave us super cute?!?

    2016-11-05 07.55.20

    We started off with a video presentation from Sara Douglass with such a great message that wasn’t about how we can sell more Stampin’ Up product or build our team… but instead, about how we can become better people and have happier lives by focusing on what makes us unique and great and finding our success in being the best we can be.  I always come away from these events feeling like the company really cares about us as people, not as selling robots.  <3 this company!

    2016-11-05 08.46.19

    Of course, there was the catalog reveal, and lots of stamping presentations and tips for the new dies, stamps, accessories, and more from the upcoming Occasions Catalog.  Eeek!!!!  Can’t wait to do my preorder on December 1st!  But I was lucky enough to be asked to be a display board stamper for the event as well, which meant I got my hands on some new product in advance and start working on a bunch of ideas with it.  We put them up the night before and it was so fun to watch everyone check them out.  2016-11-05 10.06.51

    I also had to laugh because one of my projects that I wasn’t sure if I should even put it up on the boards turned out to be one of the favorites!

    2016-11-04 16.08.34

    And I’ll give you one more sneak peek today and tell you this is one of my FAVORITE suites coming out in the new catalog.  Those are STAMPS!  and dies of course, and those sequins…squee!  I’m so ready to order them now, but I guess waiting until December 1st will have to do.

    IMG_3848

    I was honored to get to walk across the stage for recognition three times – for recruiting, for team title promotions, and earning Thailand.  The crazy thing though, was learning that those were only achieved by a small percent of the almost 50,000 demonstrators!  See those numbers, that is the number of demonstrators ACROSS THE WORLD who achieved that.  Makes me even more appreciative of my tribe – my friends, family, customers, and Fun n’ Crafty Stampers team!

    onstage2016-recognition

    OnStage Local Swapping!

    And of course, while you are at events like this, you have to swap!  It is always incredible to see what others come up with.  Especially with stamp sets or accessories that you didn’t think you liked all that much or had no idea what to do with.  I’ll be sharing more of the swap cards this week, but thought I would share a few of my favorites with you today –

    Like this awesome card that mixes and matches from a few different stamp sets and die sets.  I love how products you don’t think of as being at all related can go together so fabulously.

    Or talk about an amazingly elegant Christmas card that is so simple to pull together!  You just need some glimmer paper, basic cardstock, and one framelit set!

    And this card was just so adorable I couldn’t get over it!  Wouldn’t this make such a perfect birthday card for that sweet girl in your life?  I have often passed this cupcake set by, but it looks so fabulous in the Sweet Sugarplum colors!

    Well, I hope this gave you some fun ideas to try and gave you a little bit of a glimpse into the new OnStage events.  They are wonderful to attend and always exciting.  The next OnStage events are coming up in April and while I haven’t decided which location I may be attending, I know I have folks from my group planning on going to at least a couple of them.  So if you would like to join us – let me know!

    join my team 2

    Plus, if you join my Fun n’ Crafty Stampers team now, you’ll still be eligible to attend in April!  Since you have until then to meet your first minimum sales goal to stay active.  Sweet!

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    Premium tutorial pack hostess code

    Get your free exclusive Tutorial pack from our amazing International demonstrator design team featuring the stamp sets that are on sale this month!  You can get your free copy of this SET of great project ideas by either:

    Placing a $50 Stampin’ Up order with me (either directly or in my online store using the hostess code above) in the month of November
    Join my Fun n’ Crafty Stampers!  My team gets a copy of this Tutorial Pack for FREE!

    Save 25% on Selected Stamp Sets plus get the NEW Stitched Framelits!  Click the image to get yours!
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  • Bright Birthday Card with a Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Bouquet

    When I start working on a project, sometimes I have a plan in mind, but often I turn to pinterest or google image search to give me a starting point for my project.  Most of the time, I end up mixing and matching my favorite ideas from multiple cards into one card.  But sometimes I come across a card that I love so much that I just have to make it exactly as I see it.  Today is one of those cards!  Check out how fun and cheery it is:

    I saw this card by Shannon Kay on Pinterest and loved the colors and layout, I just needed to change up the sentiment since I thought this would be the perfect birthday card!

    Tips and Tricks for this card:

    • Pick the perfect color palatte!  When trying to figure out what colors to use on cards, I usually start by looking at color combos from designer paper or start from a color family.  In this case, you can start with the Subtles color family and grab Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz, and So Saffron. But then the perfect third color comes from the 2016-2018 In Colors – Peekaboo Peach!  Aren’t they great together?

      TAMS Color Builder (2)
    • Swirly Flowers from the Swirly Scribbles Thinlits – these swirls are great for decorative accents, birds nests, and in this case… flowers!  When you look at your dies as they come in the packaging, you will see the little swirl die is sitting inside the larger swirl.  So, that big Saffron flower is actually two dies, the larger swirl and the smaller swirl stacked together.

    • Tie in a pop of color in your backgrounds with monochromatic designer paper – This is one of those times where the color family Designer Paper Stacks are great.  They are sets of monochromatic paper that is perfect for adding an interesting background paper without being so busy as to take away from your main image.
    • Pick the perfect sentiment! I love sentiment sets that give you a variety of fonts and phrases since it gives you lots of options on your cards.  In this case, I’m using the Better Together stamp set and it is one that I totally overlooked in the catalog for the longest time, but turns out it really adds some fun to your cards.  I mean, who wouldn’t smile getting this card and the happy “Happy Birthday!”?

    Who do you know who could use a smile like this on their birthday?

    And if you want to make fun cards like this with me (we did this one in stamp club a little while back), consider joining me for one of my monthly card making classes here in Redmond, WA!  We have lots of fun and there are multiple options a month to come get your crafty on.  Check us out over on my meetup here – the Bellevue-Redmond Card Makers

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    October Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – YG62GG6C
    Get free exclusive tutorials each month and even get the supplies in a Make & Take kit with your order over $40 when you use the monthly hostess code!

    Stock up on those pretty papers!  Click the image to get yours!
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    Project Measurements:
    • Whisper White cardstock – 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, 3 3/4” x 5”
    • Peekaboo Peach designer paper – 1 1/2” x 5 1/2”
    • Scraps of So Saffron, Calypso Coral, Peekaboo Peach, Pear Pizazz cardstock

    Product List

  • Fun Birthday Card with Big Designer Candles!

    Fun Birthday Card with Big Designer Candles!

    So, I hope you’ve been enjoying all the blog posts recently, full of technique and project ideas!  As I headed off on my big European adventure on the Stampin’ Up incentive trip, I knew I had so many project that I’ve loved lately and wanted to share.  Plus I’ve been meaning to get back on track with posting at least every other day here on the blog… so what better way to start the habit than having a post-a-day heading all the way into June!  I have more fun planned for you coming up including starting on Friday, I’ll be sharing each day the projects I made for Stampin’ Up displays boards at OnStage in Salt Lake City.  They are full of sneak peeks and fun scrapbooking and 3D project ideas in addition to my many card projects for the boards.  So, be sure to come back and check it out.

    Psst – did you know?  You can subscribe to my blog and get an email in your inbox each time I post a new blog post!  You get the full post with all the details and pictures that you can view at your convenience or save for later!  Just sign up to subscribe to the blog by entering your email address in the Subscribe to the Blog box on the right side of the blog. Smile  –>

    Ok, now back to today’s super fun card!

    So, this card came together because I wanted to do a birthday card for my Fond Farewell card class (this was my recent card class where I focused on having one last hurrah with many of the retiring product that Stampin’ Up is discontinuing at the end of the month).  But I wanted to do something different.  I had seen cards where people had made big candles, but many of those used a stamp set I didn’t have and fussy cut and image I didn’t have.  So I decided to get creative!

    Enter the Bird Builder punch!

    Yes, that is right!  See these candles?  The flames on top are the wings of the bird from that punch. 

    And for the candles, instead of cutting out a stamped image, I just grabbed the It’s My Party designer paper stack and picked out a few fun patterns and cut them into rectangles for my candle sticks.  Easy Peasy!  One tip though- I did end up sponging the edges of the patterned paper because I found with busy patterns, you really need some ink or something around the edge to help define the edge of the shape.  Otherwise it tends to blur into the background easily.

    Can we also please have a moment of silence for my beloved 2 1/2” Circle punch?

    …..

    Seriously, I love love love my big circle with the convenience of a punch.  I know there are circle framelits but I still am sad about this punch being on the retirement list.  Oh well,  at least I have mine!  Better believe I’m keeping that puppy around for future crafting. Smile

    Oh, and don’t let me forget, I wanted to share what brings these candles to life – why the clear Wink of Stella brush of course!  Just a quick swipe along one side of the wing/flame and you get some sparkle to really twinkle up your candlelight!

    It’s pretty, it’s fun… Sadly a lot of this card is retiring.  Here is a list of what is going away at the end of the month so you don’t miss out on anything!  (See the bottom of the post for links to any of these items in the online store)

    Retiring Items on this Card

    • Bird Builder Punch
    • 2 1/2” circle punch
    • It’s My Party designer series paper
    • Decorative Dots embossing folder

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  • Fun with Balloons Birthday Card using Balloon Celebrations

    One of the things I love to do with my team is participate in a card swap each time a new catalog comes out.  With this awesome Occasions catalog that Stampin’ Up released in January, I was especially excited to see what everyone would create.  For my card, I was inspired to use the Balloon Celebrations bundle – the Balloon Celebrations stamp with the matching Balloon Bouquet punch.  Not only can you get them for 15% off when you buy them together… but they are the 1-2 punch that makes cute cards super easy!  Here is what I came up with:

    With a few basic layers, you can create an easy peasy base for your card:

    • 5 1/2” x 8 1/2” card base (SU – Bermuda Bay CS)
    • 3 3/4” x 5” mat (SU – Soft Sky CS)
    • 3 1/2” x 4 3/4” center piece (SU – Whisper White)

    Just stamp the Whisper White cardstock with some clouds from the Balloon Celebrations stamp set using Soft Sky ink and you have a pretty sky for your balloons to float by in!

    I didn’t want to cover up the clouds, so I mounted the balloons to a piece of 2” wide vellum… it is 2” wide because I knew I wanted to punch the top with the scalloped tag topped punch!  It just makes for more pretty ruffles like the clouds!

    Each balloon was stamped with the solid base color, then a speckly overlay, and then the outline.  The nice thing is – the stamps are photopolymer so they are totally clear which makes lining them up super easy!  Then I punch them out with the matching punch and started layering them with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

    The final touch though, was for the sentiment, I used the long string word “let us celebrate” which I think was actually meant to be a balloon string, and turned it sideways and heat embossed it in black!  So it stood out as a delicate sentiment for my card.  Add a bow from the stitched Bermuda Bay ribbon and attach with a glue dot and you are done!

    If you want to see what is all in the bundle… including how they make the speckled balloons so easy for you… check it out:

    Don’t forget, you can save 15% when you get them in a bundle!

    And if you want to join us for our next team card swap, we’d love to have you!  You can join our Fun n’ Crafty Stampers team now and get an extra $30 in free product with your starter kit during Sale-a-Bration, and then join in the swap when the new catalog is announced to demonstrators next month! 

    Plus get all the other perks like sneak peeks, 20% or more off all your orders, chat with us in our group facebook page, monthly webinar team meetings, and more!

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  • More Party Wishes! A Pop of Punches Birthday Card

    Remember how yesterday I shared a card that used the little candles punch and stamp from Party Wishes?  Well, today I have another birthday card idea using the OTHER punches in that party punch pack… the cupcake and balloon!

    This was all started from an “element” we made as a make & take at the OnStage event in November, but there was a lot more designer paper below the Happy Birthday sentiment and I just couldn’t handle it for some reason. Smile  It just wasn’t my style and so I had to start cutting it up and trying new things!

    Jennifer’s Tips for this project:

    • Get your colors from your designer paper! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve discovered a new color combination by just looking at my patterned paper and pulling the colors from it!  They have smart concept artists coming up with great combinations for use on the pattern papers, so why not use it as the basis of your card?  I did with this card and used Mint Macaron, Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, and Basic Black.
    • Use those punches!  Punch out shapes give you so much dimension and it is so easy too!  Use the new Party Punch Pack to easily punch out candles, cupcakes, or the balloon and then just pop them up on your card with a dimensional for easy peasy impact!
    • Tie it off with Baker’s Twine! And don’t feel like you have to stick to one color!  I couldn’t decide so I wrapped both colors of baker’s twine around my element.  You get 25 yards EACH of the two color combinations in the Baker’s Twine Combo pack…. and seriously people, they are so soft and fun to work with, you’ll love them!
    • Put it at an angle –  If you are like me and always fussing about trying to get things lined up and perfectly straight, give yourself a break!  Purposely set one of your elements of at an angle (like I did with the main stamped image layers).  Not only do you not have to worry about it being perfect, but it keeps your cards different and fun.

    Want to try a little bit of all the new papers and accessories from the Occasions catalog?

    By popular demand, I’ll be putting together some product samplers from the Occasions catalog including all the new embellishments and papers!  Everyone loves to get these so you can try a little of everything to see what your favorites will be!  I should be posting more details this weekend, but feel free to email me at jennifer@nwstamper.com and I’ll make sure to email you when it is up so you don’t miss out and you can have a reserved spot in the first share!

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