Seaside Wishes Sneak Peek

As I am sure you know, the new 2024-2025 Annual Stampin’ Up!®  catalog will be live on May 1st.  I am also sure you have heard that the new catalog has a bit different set up than previous catalogs.  It takes a while to get used to the new format.  In spite of this, it is filled with amazing products.  As a demonstrator I was able to purchase a limited selection of products from it.

One of them was a bundle called Seaside Wishes.  I knew I had to purchase this set because of the sand dollars that are included in it.  Here is why:

Every year Rob and I are able to go to the Florida west coast and every year I come home with lots and lots of sand dollars.  I love them and it is fun to collect them. Rob thinks I have more than I need but you always need more shells and more sand dollars, don’t you think?

The Seaside Wishes Bundle is in the new catalog.  It includes a stamp set, a hybrid embossing folder and dies.  A hybrid embossing folder can work like a normal embossing folder but it also comes with a large die where you can ink, emboss and cut at the same time.  To do this, I added some a new color called Basic Beige ink by tapping the ink pad directly onto the embossing folder.  You can also use a brayer if you have one.  Then you lay the die down on the folder.  It fits perfectly around the sand dollars.  Then you lay the card stock (I used Basic Beige) on top and run it through your Cut & Emboss machine.  As you can see by the photo, the sand dollars have ink on them, are embossed and cut into separate pieces.  So much fun!

I also used a new Designer Series Paper pack called Country Woods.  It is a great pattern for background.  I layered it onto a piece of Basic Gray card. stock and a Basic White card base.  I stamped the sentiment in Basic Gray ink.  Lastly, I added some Pebbles Enamel Shapes (retired).

I have a long list of products I will be ordering from this catalog and am looking forward to May 1st!  I am sorry I can not post links to the new products because they aren’ available yet.

 

Quick & Easy Simply Zinnia Cards

Sometimes you need a card and you don’t have anything appropriate for the occasion already made.  Designer Series Paper to the rescue.  Stampin’ Up!’s DSP is so beautiful that it is easy to make a card using it.  Then all you need to do is add a stamped sentiment and you are all done.  Below are three examples of quick and easy cards made with DSP.

To make this first card I used a 4″ x 5.25″ piece of Flowering Zinnias Designer Series Paper with a Highland Heather card base.  I stamped the sentiment from the stamp set called Simply Zinnia with Highland Heather ink and then colored a piece of white Baker’s Twine using the dark Highland Heather Blends and tied it around the DSP before adhering it to the card base.

This second card uses the same piece of Designer Series Paper with an Old Olive card base.  I wrapped a piece of Old Olive ribbon (retired) around the bottom and adhered a sentiment from a new product that will be in the 2024-2025 Annual Catalog called Saying Something Ephemera Pack.  This pack of sentiments is all stamped and ready for you to adhere to your project.  You are going to love these!  You will be able to purchase them on May 1st.

This last card, again, uses the same Designer Series Paper with a Blackberry Bliss background.  I stamped the sentiment from Simply Zinnia with Versamark ink and then heat embossed it using white embossing powder.  I cut the tail using the retired Banners Pick A Punch.

The Flowers Zinnia Designer Series Paper and the Simply Zinnia stamp set and coordinating dies are part of the Online Exclusive product line.  They are not in any catalog but are available to purchase online.  You can click HERE to see these Online Exclusive Products as well as all the others that are available.

Blackberry Bliss

Highland Heather

Old Olive

Product List

Flowering Zinnias Suite Collection (English)

[163485]

$83.00

Simply Zinnia Bundle (English)

[163480]

$52.00

Flowering Zinnias 12″ X 12″ (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[163469]

$12.50

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Flowers Of Beauty Sneak Peek

Here is another sneak peak from the upcoming 2024-2025 Stampin’ Up!®  Annual Catalog.  The products are from a new suite called Unbounded Beauty.  This suite includes two stamp sets, two sets of dies, Glimmer Paper, Designer Series Paper and resin dots.  Most of the colors in this suite are the new 2024-2026 InColors.

I made this card using the Flowers Of Beauty Dies.  I cut out the stems using Basic White card stock and the flowers using Summer Splash and Pretty In Pink card stock.  I layered them onto a piece of Unbounded Beauty Designer Series Paper and a Petunia Pop card base.  I added some of the 2024-2026 InColor Resin Dots to the centers of the flowers.  The sentiment is from the stamp set called Happy Little Things.

I can’t put links to the new products because they are not online or available yet.  Sorry about that.

Simply Zinnia & New InColors

Hello everyone!  I am sorry I haven’t posted in a while but Rob has been traveling for business a lot lately and I decided I wanted to go with him so I went to Orlando for a few days.  It was nice to get away.  The weather wasn’t the greatest but it was nice to have a change of scenery.  By the way, if you are ever in Orlando you have to go to an Italian restaurant called Christini’s.  It is the best Italian restaurant I have ever been to.  Their attention to detail is amazing.  They had an accordion player, flowers in their drinks and the place looked awesome.  It was such fun!

I have been wanting to play with the new 2024-2026 InColors.  I love them because they are bright and fun.  I wrote a post about them a couple of weeks ago but I hadn’t made anything using them.  I thought the Simply Zinnia Suite would be perfect to show them off.  This suite is an Online Exclusive (which means they are not in any catalog)  includes a stamp set, coordinating dies, an embossing folder and Designer Series Paper.

I first cut out all the flowers and the centers in the Simply Zinnia die set using Pretty In Pink, Peach Pie and Petunia Pop. I cut the leaves out in Shy Shamrock.  Next, I embossed a piece of Basic White card stock with the Simply Zinnia embossing folder and adhered it to a piece of Basic Black card stock.  Then I layered them onto a Summer Splash card base.  I added some of the new 2024-2026 InColor Shimmer Dots which will be available for purchase on May 1st.

The sentiment is a die set from Altenew called Timeless Sentiments.  I adhered it to the card using Dimensionals.

Product List

Simply Zinnia Bundle (English)

[163480]

$52.00

Zinnia 3 D Embossing Folder

[163337]

$11.00

Add All to Cart

 

Coloring Class Part 2

Earlier this week I told you about a coloring class I took during the last couple of weeks.  It was put on by Kelly Taylor who is an amazing colorer (which I am definitely not!).

This is the fourth card we made during the class.  I have to admit I did a much better job at it as time went on.  Compared to the last card I showed you earlier in the week, these are much better, although still not the best.

This next card got a little more complicated then the previous ones.We used all four shades of each other on every element (except the tiny blue flowers). I did better on the flowers but the leaves definitely need some more practice.

Here is the fifth card we made.  I think I did better on the leaves this time.  This was my second favorite card.

Here is the last card we made.  I think I am starting to make some progress although I still have a long way to go.  The funny thing, Kelly made it look so easy.  I don’t think I will ever do as well as she does, but I can definitely see some improvement.  I do love the pop of white on the black background.

So, I know I got better with time and practice.  Some of the coloring I did ended up in the garbage and tried again.  And again.  And again.  Maybe after a few hundred more classes, I will get good at it.  It was fun to do and I would definitely do it again if given the opportunity.

Coloring Class

Last week I took a virtual coloring class using alcohol markers.  I have never been a very good colorer so I wanted to see if I could improve by taking a class.  I could not find a Stampin’ Up!®  product class using Stampin’ Up!®  Blends so I went with another company (Altenew).  The teacher’s name is Kelly Taylor and she is amazing.

The class had six lessons.  Each one got a little harder and a little more detailed.  One of the nice things about this class is I could watch some of the video to get an idea on how it worked.  Then I could rewind it and follow along while stopping it while I tried to do what the teacher said.  It was fun to do, although I am not sure how much progress I made in the coloring department.  Below are a few of the cards I made in the order I took them.  I do feel I did get better as the class went on but I am hoping they (or someone) does another class.

The first card I made was the simplest.  Each leaf and berry was only two colors so it was not too hard to do.

The next class showed us how to glaze.  This means you use a couple of colors (one light rose and one darker) and then place another completely different color over the top (yellow).  Plus she showed us now to shade with lighter and darker colors.

The third card was a 5″ x 5″ fun fold card.  Kelly showed us how to add more depth to your images using shading.  I have to say, although this card is pretty, it was not my best as far as coloring goes.  It definitely does take some practice. Her cards always came out so smooth and perfectly blended.  This one definitely needs some work!  It is ok.  You can laugh.  I certainly laughed at myself with this one but I figured I would show you the bad, the ugly and the good as I went.

I’ll post the past few cards we did in a couple of days.

Cheerful Daisies

Hello everyone.  I hope you are all doing well.  Spring has sprung here in Nashville and I am loving that it is only March.  The trees have beautiful flowers on them, the tulips and daffodils are up and open and the grass is turning that bright green.  It is a little weird though because some mornings when I walk it is 35 degrees out and other times it is 55 degrees.  It is kind of hard to figure out what to wear.  This weekend they say it might be 80 here.  I can live with that for sure!

I decided to take out some of the Stampin’ Up!®  Decorative Masks (or stencils) to make a card.  I have a bunch of them but rarely use them.  I don’t know why because they add a lot of interest to a card.  I need to use them more often.  I decided to use one of the current sets called Foursquare for my card.  There are a couple ways to make masking or stenciling easier.  You can tape down the card stock and stencil or you can use what is called a sticky mat to hold both down.  I have a Waffle Flower sticky mat that I love so I used that.  The card stock and the stencil don’t move when you add color which helps.

I first used a 4″ x 5.25″ piece of Basic White card stock with Soft Sea Foam ink and a Blending Brush for the top of the card stock.  Then I used Lost Lagoon in the middle and Shaded Spruce on the bottom.  When I was done, I layered that onto a Basic White card base.  Then I cut out the Cheerful Daisies large die twice and layered them on top.  I stamped both sentiments from the stamp set called Happy Little Things (which is an Online Exclusive stamp set) in Versamark Ink on Basic Black card stock and heat embossed them using White Embossing Powder.  I layered them on top using Dimensionals.  Lastly, I added some retired Matte Decorative Dots.

As a side note, the Foursquare Decorative Masks are retiring at the end of the current Annual Catalog so if you like them, you should order them soon.

I hope it warms up wherever you live very soon!

Soft Sea Foam

Lost Lagoon

Shaded Spruce

Product List

Cheerful Daisies Bundle (English)

[161297]

$53.00

Cheerful Daisies Dies

[161296]

$34.00

Foursquare Decorative Masks

[161285]

$10.00

Happy Little Things Bundle (English)

[163710]

$33.25

Add All to Cart

 

 

Simply Zinnia

It is that time of year when we have to say goodbye to a set of InColors.  This time Sweet Sorbet, Orchis Oasis, Starry Sky, Tahitian Tide and Parakeet Party are retiring.  These colors were one of my favorite sets because they are bright and cheerful.  I hate to see them go, but it is how the Stampin’ Up!®  world works.  I decided to make a card using all the retiring colors.  It is a little overwhelming but I am ok with it.

To make this card, I first cut out all the pieces.  I just realized as I am writing this that I used all dies and no stamps on this card.  I used a few Online Exclusive products.  I first cut out the flower and leaves from the die set called Simply Zinnia in Sweet Sorbet, Parakeet Party and Orchid Oasis card stock and the little flowers using Tahitian Tide.  Then I used the die set called Wanted to Say for the sentiment and the sentiment background.  I cut out the larger circle in Tahitian Tide card stock using the Decked Circles die set.  I layered another circle using the Everyday Details die set in Starry Sky.  I layered a piece of Basic White card stock that I had embossed using one of the Basics 3D embossing folders and layered that on a piece of Tahitian Tide card stock and an Orchid Oasis card base.  Lastly, I added some 2022-2024 InColor Matte Decorative Dots.

If you like this colors make sure you stock up before they are no longer available.  Once Stampin’ Up!®  runs out of anything that is retiring, it will be gone for good.

Sweet Sorbet

Tahitian Tide

Orchid Oasis

Starry Sky

Parakeet Party

Product List

Simply Zinnia Bundle (English)

[163480]

$52.00

Wanted To Say Dies

[161594]

$39.00

Everyday Details Dies

[162864]

$34.00

Deckled Circles Dies

[162286]

$37.00

Basics 3 D Embossing Folders

[161598]

$30.00

2022 2024 In Color Matte Decorative Dots

[159186]

$8.00

2022–2024 In Color™ 8 1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock

[159204]

$10.00

Add All to Cart

Retiring Products & New InColors

The Annual Catalog and the January – April Mini Catalog Retirement List has been released and beginning April 9th some of the retiring products will be discounted.  You can click on these links to see the products that will be retiring:

Annual Catalog Retirement List

January – April Mini Catalog Retirement List

As a reminder, once a product sells out, it will be gone forever so if there are products you would like, you should order them as soon as possible.

Stampin’ Up!®  also announced their new 2024-2026 InColors!

Aren’t they gorgeous!  Years ago Stampin’ Up!®  had a color called Pretty In Pink but I am told this one is a bit darker than the original.  I love all of these colors and I think they will blend so well with the other colors that Stampin’ Up!®  offers.

Don’t forget the 2022-2024 InColors will be retiring this year.  Those colors are Sweet Sorbet, Parakeet Party, Tahitian Tide, Starry Sky and Orchid Oasis.  I love those colors too and will miss them.  These will sell out quickly so if you like them, you should order them now.  Don’t forget to get the ink refills for them so you can enjoy them for years to come!

Encircled In Nature

Stampin’ Up!®  has been adding some new products for purchase that are not in any of their catalogs.  They call these products “Online Exclusives” because, well, you can only get them online!  There are a lot of different products including stamp sets with coordinating dies, embossing folders, Designer Series Paper and embellishments.  If you would like to see these products you can click HERE.  One of the new stamps sets that are online only is called Encircled In Nature.  This set has coordinating dies (and you can save 10% by purchasing them both using the bundle item number 163629).

I used the dies only on this card.  The first thing I did was to emboss a 4″ x 5.25″ piece of Lost Lagoon card stock using another Online Exclusive product called Basics 3D Embossing Folders.  There are three embossing folders included in this set.  Then I took the smaller of the two round wreath dies and cut out a circle on the embossed card stock.  Next, I cut out the wreath using both of the wreath dies with Basic White card stock and adhered that around the cut out circle.  I laid that on top of a Basic White card base and lightly outlined the circle with a pencil so I knew where it would be placed on the card base.

Next I cut a 3.75″ x 3.75″ piece of Fresh As A Daisy Designer Series Paper that looks like a lake or sky and adhered that over the pencil circle I drew.  I cut out the trees in Shaded Spruce cardstock and the sun in Lemon Lolly.  I embossed the sun using the Tasteful Textile embossing folder.  I stamped the birds from a retired stamp set (On The Horizon).  Then I layered the piece of Lost Lagoon card stock over the top.

The sentiment is from Waffle Flower.

Lost Lagoon

Shaded Spruce

Lemon Lolly

Product List

Encircled In Nature Bundle (English)

[163629]

$54.00

Fresh As A Daisy 12″ X 12″ (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[161289]

$12.50

Basics 3 D Embossing Folders

[161598]

$30.00

Add All to Cart