Month: August 2021

Sweets & Treats In Polished Pink

Finished Cloche Shaker Dome Card using Sweets & Treats Stamp Set

In Color: Polished Pink, Part II

Sweets & Treats come in lots of fun colors. And there is no other color as fun as Polished Pink! As I continue to explore Stampin’ Up!’s new 2021-2023 In Colors, I am tickled pink.

Polished Pink is such a happy color shade. My last card showcased Polished Pink with Mango Melody and Mossy Meadow. To see that card, click here. Today, I have paired it with Coastal Cabana and Daffodil Delight…in an attempt to make a Sweet Treats card.

Sweets & Treats Stamp Set

The Sweets & Treats Stamp Set is found in the July-December 2021 Mini Catalog. But, don’t be fooled. The Sweets & Treats Stamp Set goes way beyond the holidays.

Sure, there is a Christmas pudding stamp, and a sentiment that proclaims “bring on Christmas”. However, Sweets & Treats are year-round delights. There is pie, a cupcake, and a candy apple. I say “yum!”.

Just Desserts

I started by stamping the cake stand and my dessert stamps using Memento Black Ink on Basic White Cardstock. Additionally, I made sure to leave enough room between images to fussy cut with my Paper Snips later.

Stamping dessert images in Memento Black Ink.

Next, I colored in my stamped images using a variety of Stampin’ Blends. Want to see how I organize my blends? Click here. I love the quick and easy way I am able to add instant color! I wasn’t sure if I wanted a cinnamon candy apple or a caramel apple, so I made one of each.

Colorful dessert images, courtesy of a variety of Stampin' Blends.

Delightful Dies

Although the Sweets & Treats Stamp Set is not bundled with the Cloche Dies, they do coordinate. And that is great value if you are also interested in the Classic Cloche Stamp Set. When you buy the Classic Cloche Bundle (the Classic Cloche Stamp Set and The Cloche Dies), you will save 10%. Then, you would have 2 stamp sets that work with the same dies.

Along with the Cloche Dies, I used the Stitched Rectangles Dies. On my Coastal Cabana Cardstock, I die cut my rectangle first. Next, I centered the cloche die for another run thru my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. Lastly, I used the next largest rectangle die on a piece of Polished Pink Cardstock.

Die cuts with the Cloche Dies and Stitched Rectangle Dies.

Cloche Shaker Domes

Sometimes it’s fun to shake things up! With the Cloche Shaker Domes, you can do just that. These adhesive backed plastic domes come in a set of 10. They line up perfectly in the cloche die cut area, and hold your sequins snugly.

I wanted my Sweets & Treats to be presented against a white background, but not too white. My Blending Brush helped me to sponge on a little Balmy Blue Ink for a glass like look.

Using Balmy Blue Ink and a Blending Brush to create a soft background.

After I prepped my background, I adhered my Sweets & Treats to it. First, I did a dry fit, to make sure each treat would fit in my cloche dome. Then I glued each piece down. Please be careful…I went a little too high, and had to make a correction by adding an extra top edge of the cake plate under my desserts.

My stamped desserts adhered to the background piece.

Sweets & Treats & Sequins

If you are looking for amazing sequins for your shaker card, look no further. The Sequins For Everything are the perfect rainbow of colors. You will find 3 different shades in green, metallic, orange and red.

Removing static with the Emboss Buddy, so the sequins don't clump together.

I prepped my background by removing some static using my retired Emboss Buddy. This will help to keep the sequins from clumping. It will also leave a dull powder that may diminish the shine of your coloring. In hindsight, I should have used a dry paintbrush to pull some of the powder off my stamped images. Another thing I wish I had done was run the Emboss Buddy around the Cloche Shaker Dome, as some of my sequins did stick along the edges.

After I attached the Cloche Shaker Dome to the backside of my Coastal Cabana Cardstock, I placed some sequins over my Sweets & Treats. Then, I removed the second protective backing from my dome and placed it over my desserts.

Getting ready to put the cloche dome over my sequins and desserts.

Sweet Sentiment

I had a sweet choice of sentiments to use on this Sweets & Treats card. Instead of using a complete sentiment, I chose to use a partial sentiment.

Masking a sentiment for a partial stamped image.

From ” A tasty treat for someone sweet”, I masked my stamp and inked only “for someone sweet”. I then removed the mask (a small post-it note) and stamped my image on a piece of Polished Pink Designer Series Paper.

Stamping the masked sentiment.

Sweet Finishing Touches

I love lots of layers on my cards, and this one has plenty. I chose a Polished Pink card base. Then I added a white layer 4-1/8 x 5-3/8″, followed by Daffodil Delight Designer Series Paper 4 x 5-1/4″. My Polished Pink and Coastal Cabana stitched rectangles sit toward the bottom right. By design, this gave me room for my sentiment.

Keeping with the Polished Pink theme, I chose Open Weave Ribbon in that color. Over that, I added some retired Bermuda Bay ribbon. I attached each section of ribbon with Tear & Tape Adhesive.

A look at the ribbon assembly on the card.
The last thing I adhered to my card front was my sentiment. I trimmed the stamped paper down and added a pop of Daffodil Delight Cardstock behind it. Then, I placed Tear & Tape on it and attached it over the top of my ribbons.
Adding the sentiment over top of the ribbon using Tear & Tape Adhesive.

Sweets & Treats & Polished Pink

When I first contemplated using Polished Pink with Coastal Cabana and Daffodil Delight, I pictured something fun and sweet. I hope you will agree that this card pulls that off in spectacular fashion.

My finished card, with the Sweets & Treats Stamp Set and the Classic Cloche Stamp Set.

If you need any of the supplies I used on this card, please visit my online store for an easy shopping experience. And be sure to come back soon for my final Polished Pink card in this series. There are more wonderful color combinations to explore together!

Nature’s Harvest In Polished Pink

Card made with Nature's Harvest Stamp Set in Polished Pink, Mango Melody and Mossy Meadow.

In Color: Polished Pink, Part I

Nature’s Harvest evokes thoughts of fall colors, and Polished Pink does not fit in that category. But anything is possible in cardmaking, as you may know.

Last month, I explored color options in Fresh Freesia. This month, I am exploring another 2021-2023 In Color by Stampin’ Up!: Polished Pink.

I love this bright, cheerful pink. For my featured card, I am pairing it with Mango Melody and Mossy Meadow.

Nature’s Harvest Stamp Set

Are you a nature lover? Even if you’re not, I bet you can identify the flower called Black-Eyed Susan. And the newly released Nature’s Harvest Stamp Set honors that very flower.

The focal flower for my card is naturally yellow and black. As such, the color Mango Melody, a deep yellow, was the perfect choice for my petals. My other color selection, Mossy Meadow, is a gorgeous rich green for the foliage.

Black-Eyed Susan

Stamping the Black-Eyed Susan Stamp from the Nature's Harvest Stamp Set in Mossy Meadow Ink.

I began making my card using the Black-Eyed Susan stamp from the Nature’s Harvest Stamp Set. First, I inked it in my Mossy Meadow Ink Pad onto a piece of 2 1/2 x 4″ paper. The image of this awesome stamp has three uniquely facing flowers.

Next, I used a Blender Pen and colored in my stamped image. For the petals, I used Mango Melody Ink. I continued with Mossy Meadow Ink for the leaves and stems. And for the center of the two larger flowers, I used Early Espresso Ink. Between each color, I simply scribbled the old ink off the tip of my Blender Pen, and moved to the next ink pad.

Coloring the Black-Eyed Susan Stamp from the Nature's Harvest Stamp Set using ink pads and a blender pen.

Design Some Paper/Designer Series Paper

When it comes to sentiment stamps, the Nature’s Harvest Stamp Set has some lovely ones. And one of my favorite things to do with a sentiment stamp is create a background paper.

For my card, I worked with a piece of Polished Pink Cardstock, 3 1/8 x 4 3/8″ in size. I used Polished Pink Ink and stamped my chosen sentiment from the Nature’s Harvest Stamp Set in a random pattern from top to bottom. Be sure to have scrap paper behind your cardstock, as your stamping will spill over the sides.

Background stamping using a sentiment stamp from the Nature's Harvest Stamp Set.

To compliment my Polished Pink Cardstock and pull my other featured colors into this card, I turned to Designer Series Paper. I love that every Stampin’ Up! color is represented in 6 x 6″ assortments. I pulled out the Brights Collection for Mango Melody, and the Neutrals Collection for Mossy Meadow.

Brights and Neutrals DSP Collections.

Nature’s Harvest Sentiment

Do you remember the sentiment stamp from the Nature’s Harvest Stamp Set that I used to create my background imagery? I used the same stamp for the focal sentiment too.

This time, I stamped the sentiment using Early Espresso Ink onto a piece of white cardstock that measured 3/4 x 3″. Next, I stamped off using Mango Melody Ink and the “splotch” stamp from the Nature’s Harvest Stamp Set, to add a little yellow to my sentiment piece.

Stamping the focal sentiment from the Nature's Harvest Stamp Set.

Polished Pink (And More) Layers

I typically build some of my card layers by adhering them together before I add them to my card front. For my sentiment, I added a back layer in Mossy Meadow. After I centered my Polished Pink stamped cardstock onto the Mango Melody DSP, I attached the stamped flower piece, placing this toward the bottom and left.

Adhering card layer pieces together.

I chose a card base in Early Espresso Cardstock because it is a deep, neutral color that helps to anchor the combination of Polished Pink, Mango Melody and Mossy Meadow. To my base, I adhered a 2 x 5 1/2″ strip of Mossy Meadow DSP, then built my card layers upon it.

Card front in progress.

Nature’s Harvest Finishing Touches

Before I placed my sentiment layer on my card, I added a 7″ piece of Polished Pink Open Weave Ribbon. I attached my ribbon with a small piece of Tear & Tape Adhesive, which I later covered with my sentiment.

Adding Polished Pink Open Weave Ribbon to the card front.

I wanted to give my sentiment some lift, so I applied Dimensionals to the back of it. In this case, the pre-cut dimensionals were already used, so I snipped off some of the edging instead. Even the outer shell is useful, so don’t ever throw it away!

Applying Dimensionals to the back of the sentiment piece.

Once my sentiment was attached to my card, I played with the ribbon a little bit. I tied a small bow around the top of the Polished Pink ribbon using Linen Thread. Then, by adding a couple of Mini Glue Dots beneath my raised sentiment, I was able to loop the dangling bottom Polished Pink ribbon pieces up and under. For this, I found the spatula end of my Take Your Pick Tool most helpful!

Getting fancy with the ribbon.

Nature’s Harvest and Polished Pink

Finished card with the Nature's Harvest Stamp Set.
At the beginning of this color challenge, I wasn’t sure if I could pull off one card that contained Polished Pink, Mango Melody and Mossy Meadow. By choosing the Nature’s Harvest Stamp Set with the Black-Eyed Susan stamp, two of my colors immediately made sense. From there, I just needed to add in some Polished Pink!

I hope you’ll agree that these colors on this card work well together. If you are looking for any of the supplies that went into the making of this card, head over to my online store. And be sure to come back for Polished Pink Parts Two and Three, as I continue to explore this fun In Color with new cards this month.

Words of Cheer In Fresh Freesia

In Color: Fresh Freesia, Part III

Do you love Words of Cheer? I know I do. And when you combine them with a beautiful color like Fresh Freesia, you can’t go wrong.

Fresh Freesia is one of the new 2021-2023 In Colors. And a lovelier soft purple could not have come along! During July, my In Color Club explored Fresh Freesia. For this card, we are pairing it with Soft SeaFoam and Gray Granite.

Words of Cheer in a Slimline Card

For this cheery card, I mimicked the Words of Cheer Stamp Set sample on page 20 of the August-December 2021 Mini Catalog by Stampin’ Up!. If you see the catalog image, you will note that their card is done in blue. My focus was to use purple…more notably, Fresh Freesia.

The standard recipe for a slimline card is 7 x 8 1/2″, with the 7″ side scored in half at 3 1/2″. The great thing about a slimline card is that it fits into a standard size business envelope.

Christmas Cheer Dies

The coordinating Christmas Cheer Dies give us our cheer. I die cut the cheer background using Fresh Freesia Cardstock. Next, I stamped the large floral image from the Words of Cheer Stamp Set in Fresh Freesia Ink over the die cut, to add lined interest.

Before I die cut the individual cheer letters, I sponged Gray Granite Ink over my Gray Granite Cardstock using a Blending Brush. By doing this before I die cut them, I didn’t have to worry about getting each letter inked up individually to deepen its color. I love that the die is one large image, but cuts out each letter separately. I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue to attach the cheer letters to the cheer background die cut. My Silicone Craft Sheet is perfect for this type of sticky situation!

Another die that was fun to use from the Christmas Cheer Dies was the holly sprigs! Just a small scrap of Soft Seafoam Cardstock yielded me 3 individual sprigs with one pass thru the machine. Each sprig has two connecting leaves, which I chose to keep together. But, I could have easily used them individually by snipping them apart.

Specialty Papers

Did you notice the white flowers that were die-cut above? One die creates 3 large flowers and the other makes 3 small flowers. They all come out of the die cutting machine individually and can be layered, small over large. I used the Snowy White Velvet Sheets for my flowers, and Multipurpose Liquid Glue to attach the small flower to the large. The texture is velvety soft!

Another specialty paper that went into the making of my Words of Cheer card is the 2021-2023 In Color Shimmer Vellum. Of course, I used the Fresh Freesia color. The shimmer is soft, without the harsh glare of glitter, and it made the perfect backdrop for my words of cheer.

I used some Tear & Tape Adhesive on the backside of the shimmer vellum, with a piece approximately the size of my cheer diecut. It is easy to tell the front of the shimmer vellum from the back, only one side is shimmery. My die cut word of cheer will help to hide the “see-thru tape” once my card is assembled.

Words of Cheer Background Stamping

From the remaining Fresh Freesia Cardstock leftover from creating my slimline card base, I cut an additional front layer. This measures 3 1/4 x 8 1/4″. You will only have 2 small strips of paper leftover from your 8 1/2 x 11″ sheet of cardstock if you try this method.

Just like the sample card I am copying, there is some background stamping to do. I used the sentiment stamp ‘Sending you Christmas Cheer’ and Fresh Freesia Ink. Starting at the top of the cut layer, I began to stamp a lazy “S” design, winding the words down my cardstock from top to bottom.

When I was done with my sentiment stamping, I added Fresh Freesia Ink to the sides of my front layer using a Blending Brush. I try to start off my cardstock and move in circular motions onto the outer edges. This method deepens the color of the cardstock and helps it stand out as a tone on tone color on my card.

More Than One Way to Silver It Up

The card sample in the catalog appears to use Brushed Metallic Adhesive Backed Dots on each of the holly berries. In fact, a whopping 24 in total! That is a lot of bling, and I like to be a bit more frugal. So I came up with my own work-around.

With a little VersaMark Ink and some Silver Embossing Powder, I created my own silver toned berries. I have a VersaMark Marker, but an ink pad and Blender Pen would work just the same. I split the embossing work into two sections, to make it easier to heat emboss accurate berries with my Heat Tool.

Words of Cheer Card Assembly

First, I adhered my sentiment background stamped layer to the front of my card base. Next, I added the shimmer vellum. Following this, I put some Multipurpose Liquid Glue on the back of my cheer die cut, and placed this on the vellum.

The next step is to add the Soft Seafoam holly sprigs. I started by placing a mini glue dot in the location I wanted each sprig to go. For the flowers, I added a mini glue dot to the back of each and placed them over the holly sprigs. Last, I made a simple bow out of Linen Thread and placed it on my card front.

Simple Slimline Cards

If you love this card and would like to watch my live assembly on FaceBook, click here. Looking for another slimline card idea? Check out my slimline card post on Zany Zebras here. And of course, if you need more Fresh Freesia inspiration, click here.

As always, I hope to inspire you in your creativity. When you purchase the Words of Cheer Bundle (both the stamp set and dies together), you will save 10% automatically. If you need new, refills, or clearance deals on Stampin’ Up! supplies, please visit my online store at any time. I look forward to helping you become a better paper crafter!