Stampin' Up!

Saturday Blog Hop – Casing Melissa Davies

August 20, 2022 By Connie | 1 Comment

For the next several weeks, we will be Casing the Design Team for our Saturday Blog Hops! This week our featured Design Team Member is Melissa Davies! We are to find an “old” card on her blog that we like and use the layout and colors with a new set from the July-December Mini Catalog! This should be fun! We will show both the “old” card that inspired us, and our new version! Here’s Melissa’s card that I choose from last year.

CHRISTMAS BANNERS and RINGED WITH NATURE

Not a whole lot of stamping on here…the Boughs of Holly is doing most of the work, along with a few die cuts from the Christmas Banner Dies.

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 4-1/4 x 11 Soft Succulent cardstock, scored at 5-1/2 and folded.
Some Iridescent Trim was wrapped around a 4 x 5-1/4 layer of Boughs of Holly designer paper, then was added on top of the base card. LOVE this birch print!
The tree ring form Ringed with Nature was stamped with Early Espresso Ink on Crumb Cake cardstock, then cut with the Tree Rings Dies. It was added to the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
The poinsettia cluster from the Boughs of Holly DSP was hand-cut and added to the bottom of the tree ring.
Two greenery pieces were cut from Evening Evergreen cardstock and two other greenery pieces cut from Soft Succulent cardstock with the Christmas Banners Dies then tucked under the poinsettias.
Tis the Season was stamped with Early Espresso Ink on Basic White and trimmed, then added to the front.
A couple gold Brushed Metallic Dots were added to the centers of the poinsettias to finish it off.

OK, next up on our blog hop is our Create with Connie and Mary website, then on to creative Mary Brown, or head backwards to see Melissa Davies’ fabulous project and see what everyone did with this challenge!

SUPPLIES:
Stamp Sets: Ringed with Nature, Christmas Banners
Inks: Early Espresso
C/S: Basic White, Crumb Cake, Soft Succulent, Evening Evergreen, Boughs of Holly Designer Paper
Accessories: Tree Rings Dies, Christmas Banners Dies, Iridescent Trim, Brushed Metallic Dots, Adhesives

The SIMPLY LEAVES PUNCH BUNDLE can be used for ANY season! Follow our card journey through Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter using this versatile stamp set and punch! The patterned leaves will add natural detail and texture on your cards and projects, then add one of the simple greetings to finish. We've combined the SIMPLY LEAVES PUNCH BUNDLE and the garden neutral patterns in the VALLEY OF BLOOM 12x12 DESIGNER PAPER! You'll get step-by-step tutorials for EIGHT cards...two card ideas from each season...in our SIMPLY LEAVES CARD COLLECTION! See more details HERE!

Create wonderful dimensional poinsettias in a variety of sizes with the PRETTY POINSETTIA BUNDLE! The dies cut and emboss at the same time for lots of detail and texture. The coordinating stamp images add fun seasonal greetings, sprigs and other festive touches to your cards and projects. We've combined the PRETTY POINSETTIA BUNDLE and the A STITCHED SEASON 12x12 DESIGNER PAPER for a traditional holiday look you'll love! You'll get step-by-step tutorials for SIX projects...FOUR cards and TWO favors in our PRETTY POINSETTIA COLLECTION! See more details HERE!

Bring your most meaningful memories to life with the HEIRLOOM BOUTIQUE BUNDLE. You’ll love how the coordinating stamps and dies add delicate florals, layered details, and heartfelt sentiments to your cards, scrapbook pages, and handmade gifts. These timeless designs will help you turn every project into a keepsake to share and cherish. We've combined the HEIRLOOM BOUTIQUE BUNDLE and the BLOOMS BOUTIQUE 12x12 DESIGNER PAPER for a soft artistic look! You'll get EIGHT step-by-step tutorials for EIGHT cards in our HEIRLOOM BOUTIQUE COLLECTION! See more details HERE!

IM241 – Hello Harvest

August 15, 2022 By Connie | 1 Comment

It’s time for our Create with Connie and Mary Inspiration Monday challenge! This week is a metal wall art piece…love the shades neutral colors in here!

HELLO HARVEST

I went a different direction than circles, using more the colors of the inspiration piece for my card today featuring the Hello Harvest Bundle, although I did add some Mossy Meadow green in it. I love the white pumpkins that are so popular in fall decor these days. This is one of the swap cards I made for my SU Trip Achievers group.

Stampin’ Details:

- The base is 4-1/4 x 11 Mossy Meadow cardstock, scored at 5-1/2 and folded.
- A 4 x 5-1/4 layer of Crumb Cake was added on top.
- A 1-1/4 x 3-3/4 piece of Abigail Rose Designer Paper was cut with a flag end and added towards the bottom.
- The greeting from Hello Harvest was stamped with Early Espresso Ink.
- The pumpkins were cut from Very Vanilla with the Rustic Pumpkin Dies.
- The leaf was stamped with Mossy Meadow Ink and the sunflower with Early Espresso nk and colored with Dark Daffodil and Dark Pumpkin Pie Blends.
- The stem was cut with the Dies from Early Espresso cardstock and the vine from Mossy Meadow cardstock.
- All were layered onto the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
- Two Brushed Metallic Dots were added in the background.

SO, I think you can see how my card was inspired by the metal wall piece! OK…check out what Mary did with the Inspiration Monday Challenge over on Create with Connie and Mary!

SUPPLIES:

Stamps: Hello Harvest
Inks: Early Espresso, Mossy Meadow

Blends: Dark Daffodil Delight, Dark Pumpkin Pie
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Mossy Meadow, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso
Accessories: Rustic Pumpkin Dies, Abigail Rose Designer Paper, Brushed Metallic Dots, Adhesives

Collage

How sweet is the natural beauty of this APPLE HARVEST STAMP SET? The simple line art of the images will remind you of apple picking on a crisp fall day and are perfect for coloring! But the heartfelt sentiments can be used throughout the year. We’ve combined the APPLE HARVEST STAMP SET with the fun and colorful GINGHAM COTTAGE DESIGNER PAPER in this Collection. It has three card designs…including a unique fun fold…and a great gift-giving 3D project – JUST IN TIME FOR BACK TO SCHOOL! See more details HERE!

Saturday Blog Hop – Casing Debbie Henderson

August 13, 2022 By Connie | 3 Comments

For the next several weeks, we will be Casing the Design Team for our Saturday Blog Hops! This week our featured Design Team Member is Debbie Henderson! We are to find an “old” card on her blog that we like and use the layout and colors with a new set from the July-December Mini Catalog! This should be fun! We will show both the “old” card that inspired us, and our new version! Here’s Debbie’s card that I choose from last year.

CHRISTMAS BARN

This Christmas Barn Bundle is one that caught my eye first thing in the July-December Mini Catalog. I love that it has a sleigh and the fence line AND that the dies cut out the greetings!

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 4-1/4 x 11 Pool Party cardstock, scored at 5-1/2 and folded.
The 3 x 4-1/4 piece of Basic White cardstock was torn in half and the two pieces added stacked on top of each other at the bottom.
On a 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 piece of Basic White cardstock, stamp the barn with Crumb Cake Ink and color with Light & Dark Crumb Cake Blends. Stamp three trees and wreath with Shaded Spruce Ink and color bow with Sweet Sorbet Blends. Stamp greeting with Shaded Spruce Ink. Cut all pieces and three clusters of snowflakes with Dies. Assemble on front as shown with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
Stamp footprints with Crumb Cake Ink.

I like that my images are a little bigger, so they fill up the space! OK, next up on our blog hop is our Create with Connie and Mary website, then on to creative Mary Brown, or head backwards to see Melissa Davies’ fabulous project and see what everyone did with this challenge!

SUPPLIES:
Stamp Sets: Christmas Barn
Inks: Crumb Cake, Shaded Spruce
C/S: Basic White
Accessories: Barn Dies, Adhesives

IM240 – Christmas Season

August 8, 2022 By Connie | Leave a Comment

It’s time for our Create with Connie and Mary Inspiration Monday challenge! This week is a pretty piece of pottery…not sure if it is a vase or a drinking glass but I love the leaves design.

CHRISTMAS SEASON

I went searching for a stamp set that had leaves similar to the inspiration piece and decided to use Christmas Season for a non-Christmas looking card!

Stampin’ Details:

- The base is 4-1/4 x 11 Orchid Oasis cardstock, scored at 5-1/2 and folded.
- The 4 x 5-1/4 layer of Basic White was stamped with one leaf stem randomly full-strength with Orchid Oasis. The second leaf stem was stamped off randomly with Orchid Oasis Ink for a lighter version.d The berries were stamped with Daffodil Delight Ink randomly in the background to fill in.
- A 1-1/2 x 4 piece of In Color 6×6 DSP was added to a 1-3/4 x 4 piece of Daffodil Delight cardstock and added to the front.
- Some Orchid Oasis 1/8″ Ribbon was tied in a large bow and added towards the left side of the DSP.
- The greeting from Happiness Abounds was stamped with Orchid Oasis Ink on Basic White and cut with the Seasonal Labels Die. It was added to the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
- Three yellow Glossy Dots were added to the background.

I think that “Christmas” set worked great for this challenge, don’t you? Amazing how different it looks in non-traditional colors! OK…check out what Mary did with the Inspiration Monday Challenge over on Create with Connie and Mary!

SUPPLIES:

Stamps: Christmas Season
Inks: Orchid Oasis, Daffodil Delight
Cardstock: Basic White, Orchid Oasis, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Christmas Labels Dies, In Color 6×6 Designer Paper, 1/8″ Orchid Oasis Ribbon, Glossy Dots, Adhesives

Saturday Blog Hop – Casing Mary Brown

August 6, 2022 By Connie | Leave a Comment

For the next several weeks, we will be Casing the Design Team for our Saturday Blog Hops! This week our featured Design Team Member is Mary Brown! We are to find an “old” card on her blog that we like and use the layout and colors with a new set from the July-December Mini Catalog! This should be fun! We will show both the “old” card that inspired us, and our new version! Here’s Mary’s card that I choose from last year.

FOND OF AUTUMN

This Fond of Autumn Bundle is quite versatile for fall cards! I love that the dies allow you to keep the large image together or cut it into pieces like I did here!

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 Crumb Cake cardstock, scored at 4-1/4 and folded.
A 3 x 4 piece of Crumb Cake cardstock was cut with the Stitched Leaves Die and added to the front.
A 1 x 5 strip of He’s The Man Designer Paper was added to the front.
A 1/4 x 5-1/4 strip of Gold Metallic Paper was added on top.
The large image from Fond of Autumn was stamped with Memento Black Ink on Basic White cardstock and colored with Pale Papaya Combo, SU300, Soft Succulent Combo and Light Evening Evergreen Stampin’ Blends. It was cut in three pieces with the Autumn Bouquet Dies and the two larger pieces added to the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
Autumn Greetings was stamped with Early Espresso Ink on 5/8 x 3 Basic White and ends trimmed. It was added with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
Two Gold Brushed Metallic Dots were added to the corner.

Think that is a pretty good update on Mary’s card, don’t you? OK, next up on our blog hop is our Create with Connie and Mary website, then on to creative Mary Brown, or head backwards to see Melissa Davies’ fabulous project and see what everyone did with this challenge!

SUPPLIES:
Stamp Sets: Fond of Autumn
Inks: Memento Black, Early Espresso
C/S: Basic White, Crumb Cake, Gold Metallic, He’s The Man DSP
Accessories: Autumn Bouquet Dies, Stitched Leaves Die, Brushed Metallic Dots, Adhesives

IM239 – Hippest Hippos

August 1, 2022 By Connie | Leave a Comment

It’s time for our Create with Connie and Mary Inspiration Monday challenge! This week it is a batch of colorful circles!

HIPPEST HIPPOS

I could have gone a couple different ways with this challenge, but I decided to use my Silver & Gold Specialty Paper (FREE during Sale-A-Bration) and color the white polka dot background with Coastal Cabana and Pacific Point Inks using a Blending Brush! The gold metallic dots act as an embossed area, so the color doesn’t stick to it! I also used two more FREE Sale-A-Bration items, Hippest Hippos and the Hippo Dies!

Stampin’ Details:

- The base is 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 Pacific Point cardstock, scored at 4-1/4 and folded.
- A 4 x 5-1/4 layer of Basic White was added on top.
- The 3-3/4 x 5 layer of gold polka-dots (from the Silver & Gold Specialty Paper) was blended with Pacific Point and Coastal Cabana Inks using a Blender Brush.
- A 1 x 5 piece of Coastal Cabana cardstock was distressed along the edges and stamped with the greeting from Hippest Hippos in Memento Black Ink.
- Some Simply Elegant Gold Trim was wrapped around the end and tied in a bow. Then the strip was added to the front.
- A scallop rectangle from Scalloped Contour Dies was cut from Basic White cardstock and stamped with the hippo in Hippest Hippos stamp set with Memento Black Ink. It was colored with Gray Granite, Petal Pink, Polished Pink and Parakeet Party Stampin’ Blends.
- The flowers were cut from Polished Pink cardstock and the grass from Parakeet Party cardstock using the Hippo Dies.
- Some yellow Glossy Dots were added to the centers of the flowers! The rectangle was popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals on the front.

TOO cute…love these hippos! OK…check out what Mary did with the Inspiration Monday Challenge over on Create with Connie and Mary!

SUPPLIES:

Stamps: Hippest Hippos
Inks: Memento Black
Blends: Parakeet Party, Polished Pink, Petal Pink, Gray Granite
Cardstock: Basic White, Pacific Point, Coastal Cabana, Parakeet Party, Polished Pink
Accessories: Hippo Dies, Scalloped Contour Dies, Silver & Gold Specialty Paper, Blending Brushes, Simply Elegant Gold Trim, Glossy Dots, Adhesives

Saturday Blog Hop – Cards with Polka Dots

July 30, 2022 By Connie | Leave a Comment

This week’s theme for our Create with Connie and Mary Saturday Blog Hop is “cards with polka dots”. We could use polka dots we make, polka dots in designer paper, or a hybrid of the two! I LOVE polka dots! I knew the minute I saw the Dots & Spots Die in the Annual Catalog that I HAD to have it to create my own colors of polka dots!

POTTED GERANIUM

This stamp set is so fun and so easy to create beautiful flowers! I’ve used a combination of Polished Pink and Poppy Parade Inks on my blossoms for a bright, cheery look! Wouldn’t this brighten someone’s day? They almost look real!

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 4-1/4 x 11 Poppy Parade cardstock, scored at 5-1/2 and folded.
The 4 x 5-1/4 layer of Polished Pink cardstock is cut with the Dots & Spots Die and added to the front.
A 1 x 4 piece of Parakeet Party cardstock was added across the center.
The Deckled Rectangle is stamped with the solid blossom in Polished Pink Ink and the detailed blossom with Poppy Parade Ink. The detail leaves and stems were stamped with Mossy Meadow Ink and the solid leaves with Parakeet Party Ink. Some extra blossoms and leaves were stamped the same way on scrap Basic White and cut with the Geranium Dies, then assembled on top for depth.
Again, I’ve used the basket from Full Basket Dies, cut from Soft Suede and Crumb Cake cardstocks.
The stake is stamped with Soft Suede Ink and the greeting with Poppy Parade Ink on Basic White and cut.

I just LOVE these geraniums in the basket! OK, next up on our blog hop is our Create with Connie and Mary website, then on to creative Mary Brown, or head backwards to see Melissa Davies’ fabulous project and see what everyone did with this challenge!

SUPPLIES:
Stamp Sets: Potted Geraniums
Inks: Polished Pink, Poppy Parade, Soft Suede, Mossy Meadow, Parakeet Party
C/S: Basic White, Polished Pink, Poppy Parade, Parakeet Party, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Geranium Dies, Dots & Spots Die, Deckled Rectangles Die, Adhesives

Creatively Simple 47 – Best Butterflies

July 26, 2022 By Connie | Leave a Comment

Welcome to Create with Connie and Mary’s Creatively Simple Challenge! Each month Mary and I will pick a theme…this month it is “THINGS THAT FLY”, and we each create a simple card every Tuesday using that theme!

Here’s a simple card that allows the Fern Embossing Folder and small swatch of Wonderful World Designer Paper to accessorize the Best Butterfly image!

BEST BUTTERFLIES

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 4-1/4 x 11 Thick Basic White cardstock, scored at 5-1/2 and folded.
The 4 x 5-1/4 layer of Basic White cardstock was embossed with the Fern Embossing Folder and added to the front of the base card.
A 1-1/4 x 4 piece of Wonderful World Designer Paper (a FREE Sale-A-Bration product) was added towards the bottom with a 1/4 x 4 piece of Polished Pink cardstock at the bottom.
The butterfly was stamped with Daffodil Delight Ink and Polished Pink Ink and the body with Memento Black Ink and all were cut with the Build a Butterfly Dies. It was added to the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
Two large Iridescent Rhinestones were added to the body.
The greeting From Happiness Abounds was stamped with Memento Black Ink on 1/2 x 2-1/2 Basic White cardstock and cut the end at an angle. It was added to the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

I love that Fern embossed background…it is hard to photograph but is really detailed! OK, check out what Mary did with this week’s Creatively Simple Things That Fly Theme over on Create with Connie and Mary!

SUPPLIES:
Stamps: Best Butterflies
Inks: Daffodil Delight, Polished Pink, Memento Black
Cardstock: Thick Basic White, Basic White, Polished Pink
Accessories: Build a Butterfly Dies, Wonderful World Designer Paper, Fern Embossing Folder, Iridescent Rhinestones, Adhesives