Thursday, June 29, 2017

Delightful Daisies

Every month I try to participate in my team's swap. We each send 4 of the same cards that we've designed, and then we get 4 different ones back. It's a fun way to get samples using products we may not have purchased ourselves, and I always enjoy a little fun mail!


When I started working on this month's swap, I pulled out the Daisy Delight Bundle. It's been on backorder since the new catalog period started, but it's back in stock! I was not truly in love with this bundle until I saw it used for gerbera daisies, and then I knew I had to have it. So that's the direction I went with for my cards. I started with Flirty Flamingo, and then kept going with even more fun colors!









Which one is your favorite? The Daisy Punch is a great one to add to your collection - make sure to add it to your shopping list!





Stamps: Daisy Delight
Ink: Basic Black, Flirty Flamingo, Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist, Tempting Turquoise
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo, Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist, Tempting Turquoise, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper
Accessories & Tools: Daisy Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Polka Dot Basics EF, Big Shot


Happy Stamping!
Rachel

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Life is Beautiful

Today I am highlighting one of the cards from this month's class to go featuring the stamp set Colorful Seasons. Did you know that I offer at least one class to go every month? Watch for a new class on the 8th of every month, and have your class shipped to you by the last day of the month. Here's a spoiler: next month's class to go will feature the stamp set Happy Birthday, Gorgeous!


It's nowhere close to fall, but I love the delicate leaf in the Seasonal Layers Thinlits, and I had to use it on a card!




Two Designer Series Papers are featured on this card as well - you can probably tell that one is the Wood Textures DSP Stack, but do you know where the other one comes from? If you guessed the Delightful Daisy DSP, you are right!


I love how this card turned out, and I know that little leaf will be making more appearances in my cards once fall gets here!


Stamps: Colorful Seasons
Ink: Soft Suede
Paper: Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Delightful Daisy DSP, Wood Textures DSP Stack
Accessories & Tools: Seasonal Layers Thinlits, Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Linen Thread, Glitter Enamel Dots


Happy Stamping!
Rachel

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Birthday Memories Gift Bag

My oldest recently turned 5, and she'll be starting kindergarten this fall. I am definitely not ready for that yet! Along with school comes invitations to birthday parties. She's not even in school yet, and we are invited to one tomorrow evening. Thank goodness Stampin' Up! has the perfect suite of products for kids' birthdays - the Birthday Memories Suite.





I used a few of the products from this suite to create a cute gift bag and a matching card.






I love this piece of the Designer Series Paper, and I used both pieces from the package to create the gift bag. I am planning to do a tutorial video next week, so stay tuned for that!





I used a second tag on my matching card, and added in some more of the DSP. Love those polka dots!




This suite of products is one of my favorites in the catalog. I hope you like it too!


Stamps: Birthday Delivery
Ink: Sweet Sugarplum
Paper: Pacific Point, Whisper White, Birthday Memories DSP
Accessories & Tools: Layering Circles Framelits, Big Shot, Crushed Curry Mini Chevron Ribbon, 2017-2019 In Color Bitty Bows, Gift Bag Punch Board


Happy Stamping!
Rachel

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

#TGIFC112: Happy Father's Day!






Am I the only one who procrastinates on making cards that I need to make? Friday afternoon hit, and I knew a Father's Day card had to be made for my husband before he got home from work for the weekend.


Thankfully, I had a few places to draw inspiration from: a card I made for my display samples back in November (see if you can pick it out here!), and this week's TGIF Challenge:



Making a masculine card is hard for me, because I like to add a lot of "girly" touches to my cards, like bows and sparkly embellishments. Sometimes I just can't figure out what to add to complete a masculine card! But I think this one turned out ok. What do you think?







Washi tape is a good go-to embellishment for a masculine card, and my personal opinion is that ribbon or thread is ok, as long as it isn't tied in a bow. Do you have any tips for masculine cards? I would love to hear them! Please share them with us in the comments.


Stamps: Thoughtful Banners
Ink: Dapper Denim, Lemon Lime Twist
Paper: Dapper Denim, Very Vanilla, Foil Frenzy Specialty DSP
Accessories & Tools: Hearts & Stars Elements, Duet Banner Punch, Metallic Gold Thread, Basics Pack 3 Washi Tape


Happy Stamping!
Rachel

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Love Today Planner Kit

Today I am going to share my most favorite product from the brand new 2017-2018 Annual Catalog - the Love Today Planner Kit! I am a planner junkie, and I have tried a number of different planners. I was so excited to see one by Stampin' Up!, and I think it is going to fit my needs perfectly!


I made a video to show you the inside of my planner, and give you a few ideas for using it. Let's just ignore the fact that none of my house-cleaning chores are checked off, ok? I'm going to share a few ideas here as well, so keep reading! Here's the video, if you are interested:




In the video, I mentioned a number of coordinating products that I am using with my planner:
You can see some of those products in use on the monthly calendar spread:






If you like to plan for 18 months to 2 years instead of just one, you can purchase the refill kit and add extra pages to your binder. You can also remove some of the weekly pages you aren't currently using and keep the extras in a 6 x 8 Photo Album to avoid a bulky planner, keeping just the monthly spreads for the months that are further out. I plan to purchase 6 x 8 albums and keep my used pages in them.


This planner can be used for memory-keeping as well. In the video, I shared how I am blocking off a portion of each day with washi tape so that I can jot down a few notes from the day - memories of cute things my kids said or did, what happened that day, etc. I have wanted to journal this way for a long time, and there is plenty of space in this planner to do it!




Finally, I shared some 2 x 2 cards I created to fit in the pocket pages. Here's a peek:



I used some of my favorite sayings from our stamp sets that are inspirational to me, and I am going to move them with my bookmark every week so that this is what I see when I open my planner every day. The stamp sets that I used were Ribbon of Courage, Dare to Dream, and Watercolor Wings (not pictured).


This planner is just beautiful, and I think there is something in it for everyone! The best part is that you can start using it anytime because it is un-dated. I couldn't wait to use it, so I jumped right in and started it this week! If you'd like to have this gorgeous planner in your life, you can purchase it in my online store. I'd love to see what you do with yours!


Happy Stamping!
Rachel

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Pinewood Planks Thanks

Today's card is almost an exact copy of one pictured on page 131 of Stampin' Up!'s new Annual Catalog. It features some of my favorite new products - the Pinewood Planks Dynamic Impressions Embossing Folder, the Naturally Eclectic Designer Series Paper, and the Pretty Label Punch. Here's the card pictured in the catalog...




... and here's my version.




Copying the catalog is an easy way to get beautiful cards every. single. time. Don't you just love the look of the embossing folder on Soft Sky cardstock? So pretty!




Stamps: All Things Thanks
Ink: Emerald Envy
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Naturally Eclectic DSP
Accessories & Tools: Pinewood Planks EF, Big Shot, Pretty Label Punch, Linen Thread, Hearts & Stars Elements


Happy Stamping!
Rachel

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Colorful Seasons Card Class to Go

This month's class to go is ready for you today! It is a card class, and for just $35, you will receive the Colorful Seasons stamp set and the instructions and supplies to make 4 cards, all pictured below.





This stamp set is a great one to add to your collection - it has a variety of sentiments, as well as images for every season of the year! The deadline for purchasing this class is Thursday, June 22. I will place the order for supplies on June 23, and have your class shipped to you by June 30. If you place an additional order of at least $25 between now and June 22 using hostess code BE2PUKFU, I will send you an extra set of cards with your kit.


Inks and adhesive are not included, so those are good options when placing your additional order. The ink colors I used this month are Crumb Cake, Crushed Curry, Dapper Denim, Berry Burst, and Soft Suede. The adhesives I used are Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, and SNAIL or Fast Fuse. Another great choice to add on if you have a Big Shot is the Seasonal Layers Thinlits Dies. I used a few of the dies on this month's cards, and they are just beautiful!


Shipping is $7, or you may pick up beginning June 30 if you are local to me. You may also purchase the tutorial only for $15. Please email me if you are interested in purchasing this class.


Happy Stamping!
Rachel

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Wild About Flowers Retirement Card

It's new catalog day! Before I share today's card, I wanted to remind you that the Stampin' Up! 2017-2018 Annual Catalog is live today. I am hosting a party over in my Facebook group, and sharing lots of new products, plus there is a chance to win the beautiful hostess stamp set, Tranquil Tulips. Make sure you check it out!


Now onto today's card. This card is one I actually made a few weeks ago. My husband's aunt is retiring after being a teacher for many years. We wanted to send her something special, so I used some of my favorite things on her card.





Perhaps you remember this color combination? I told you that you would see it again!




Here's a close up of those flowers. I stamped them twice on Watercolor Paper, once in Berry Burst and once in Powder Pink, and then spritzed with water in my Stampin' Spritzer.




The amount of water you add will create that blurred look. I love how it turned out! I thought the Glitter Enamel Dots were the perfect finishing touch - they are different shades of Berry Burst, and I thought that the lighter ones complemented the Powder Pink too.


I hope you're enjoying all of these new products. If there's something you'd like to see, please leave a comment and let me know!


Stamps: Wild About Flowers
Ink: Memento Black, Berry Burst, Powder Pink
Paper: Basic Black, Berry Burst, Whisper White, Watercolor Paper
Accessories & Tools: Flourish Thinlits Dies, Layering Circles Framelits, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Big Shot, Glitter Enamel Dots, Stampin' Spritzer


Happy Stamping!
Rachel