January 2023 - The Maine Stamper

Two-Tone Flora Hello Card

January 31, 2023

Two-Tone Flora Card Class, Card 1

With a new week, comes a new Card Class From ME! This time I chose the beautiful Two-Tone Flora Bundle to work with. This bundle is made up of the Two-Tone Flora Stamp Set and the Two-Tone Flora Dies.

The Two-Tone Flora Stamp Set has plenty of flowers to choose from. It feels a little like spring is in the air during these last weeks of January, while I stamp pretty flowers in pretty colors. In fact, I talked about the amazing suite of products in another blog post. Click here to see it.

Dainty Flowers Designer Series Paper

While my card is simple in its color palette (white with blue and green) the designer series paper I chose really makes an impact. The Dainty Flowers DSP is a current Sale-A-Bration freebie, one you may choose to get with a $50 qualifying order.

Everyone is loving this beautiful paper for the lovely spring-like flowers that abound. However, I actually chose the very darkest pattern available for my card! The dark Starry Sky tone helps my unusual colored flowers to stand boldly against a white background.

Simple Elements, Simply Elegant

Perhaps the beauty of this card lies in simplicity. Without making all the elements busy, the Two-Tone Flora flowers really have a chance to shine. I chose the 2022-2024 In Colors, Orchid Oasis and Starry Sky, to do my flower stamping with. And the leaves look lovely in Pear Pizzazz.

Besides the Two-Tone Flora Dies (which make die cutting all the flowers and leaves a breeze!), I also chose a couple more items from my craft supplies to lend some support to this Two-Tone Flora Hello Card.

Basic Borders Dies

Sometimes the best products you can own for cardmaking are ones that will work with any project. That is just what these Basic Borders Dies will do. I used a die from this set for my White Cardstock panel, but the reality is, I could have used any die from this set.

Happy Labels Pick A Punch

Besides basic dies, I also love basic punches! The new Happy Labels Pick A Punch is just fantastic for sentiment pieces or accent pieces, like the one in my card in Starry Sky Cardstock. With this style of punch, you get to choose from 2 decorative ends and can create 3 different sized labels. That is great value for one craft room staple.

Get Your Two-Tone Flora Card Class From ME

This Two-Tone Flora Hello Card is just one card in my featured class this week. If you would like to see the video from my online class, click this link. For more details on what is in this week’s class from Maine and how to get yours, click here.

I will be sharing more cards from the Two-Tone Flora Card Class, as well as my bonus cards, as this week goes on. Be sure to check back here or follow me, The Maine Stamper, on FaceBook, for more cardmaking inspiration and ideas.

Two-Tone Flora Card Class

January 30, 2023

Cards made with the Two-Tone Flora Bundle.

Welcome to your weekly Card Class From ME! This week, I am using the Two-Tone Flora Bundle, which is found on page 16 of the January-April 2023 Mini Catalog by Stampin’ Up!. This fabulous bundle is part of the Fancy Flora Suite, and there are lots of fancy things about it!

Looking for similar fancy card classes with me? Click here for the Something Fancy Card Class.

The Two-Tone Flora Bundle

There are a lot of great things about the Two-Tone Flora Bundle. Let’s break down the stamp set and the dies…

Two-Tone Flora Stamp Set

The Two-Tone Flora Stamp Set is all about the flowers! Now, there are a couple of leafy options, but other than that, just flowers. No sentiments. No other imagery.

And these aren’t just any flowers. They are two-step photopolymer stamps. That means you use 2 different stamps to create one rich looking image, by overlaying the ink cohesively. During my weekly Card Class From ME, I talked about how these stamps work together. Watch my Two-Tone Flora Card Class here.

Floral stamped images from the Two-Tone Flora stamp set.

Two-Tone Flora Dies

The Two-Tone Flora Dies are just as fantastic as the stamp set they coordinate with. With these dies, you will be able to die cut every flower and leafy image in the Two-Tone Flora Stamp Set.

But there is more to this die set than just the outline shape dies. Did you see the large background intricate die? There are many uses to explore, from using it as a background, to trimming out flowers to use individually, to creating a stencil with the die cut.

Live Card Making Class On Monday

Every Monday at 8pm EST, I am live with your weekly card making class on my FaceBook page, The Maine Stamper. I create 3 beautiful cards and share tips and techniques along the way. This class serves as your tutorial when you receive your card kits in the mail and need to put them together.

Get Your Card Kits For Free

Card kits from the weekly online class using the Two-Tone Flora Bundle.

Yes, FREE. You will receive 2 each of 3 card designs (for a total of 6 card kits!) when you place an order of $35+ (before tax and shipping) in my online stamping store using Host Code DYA7BFBR thru February 3, 2023. The card kits will be mailed on the Monday following the live class.

Want more details about what is in these kits? Check my blog post here for more info.

Get Your Embellishments For FREE Too

When you bump your order to $50 (before tax and shipping), I will send you the card kits AND a FREE pack of the embellishments ($8 value) I used on my cards. For the Two-Tone Flora Card Class, I used the 2022-2024 In Color Matte Decorative Dots. These fun adhesive-backed embellishments come in 5 colors: Sweet Sorbet, Parakeet Party, Tahitian Tide, Starry Sky and Orchid Oasis.

Your Card Class From ME Awaits

The Two-Tone Flora Card Class will be featured during my FaceBook Live on Monday, January 30 at 8pm EST. I hope you join me to see how easy it is to put your card kits together. If you miss the live, catch the replay on FaceBook or my YouTube Channel, The Maine Stamper.

I look forward to getting your weekly card kits from Maine in the mail to you. And I know you will be looking forward to receiving them and creating gorgeous works of paper crafted art!

Alternate Friendly Gnomes Cards

January 26, 2023

Gnome Or Not?

Are you looking for alternate Friendly Gnomes Cards? Or are you already missing the Friendly Gnomes?

The Friendly Gnomes Stamp Set and coordinating Gnomes Dies were the focus of my weekly Card Class From ME. But, not everyone loves gnomes…gasp! That’s why I came up with alternate Friendly Gnomes cards.

Now, if you are a gnome fan, you have probably watched my card class (or click here to check it out!). You may have seen all my cards this week featuring the Friendly Gnomes (check out my latest blog post here!). You are probably ready to buy the Friendly Gnome Stamp Set and Gnomes Dies to get my Gnome Card Class for FREE (Need all the details? Click here!).

Gnome-less Cards

Sometimes it is hard to imagine my designed cards to be anything other than what they look like when I demo them. You may see me make a card showcasing a gnome, and think that the card has to have a gnome on it.

I am here to prove that wrong, with my alternate Friendly Gnome Cards. Let’s take a look at the exact same “gnome card kits” and other options when it comes to card making, just in case you don’t want to make gnome cards.

Alternate Card #1

Purple is always a great choice in cardmaking, whether you are using gnomes or not! My first card from my Friendly Gnomes Card Class also featured the Floating Eclipse Technique. Check out the post here.

Once I took the gnome out of the picture, I replaced him with an awesome sentiment. This one comes from the Covered In Sunshine Stamp Set. I used the same piece of White Cardstock from the kit to stamp my words in Blackberry Bliss Ink.

FUN FACT: The day I made this card was not a Covered In Sunshine kind of Maine day. We had 17″ of snow while I was stamping away in my craft room.

I did pull additional cardstock in White, Crushed Curry, Old Olive and Blackberry Bliss to create the flower and leaves for my alternate card (not part of the original card kit). Some of my favorite punches are the Medium Daisy and Bough Punches!

Alternate Card #2

I was really excited to share this alternate card! This one really is all about the designer series paper. In fact, I flipped the original design with the Calypso Coral and Fresh Freesia flowers over from my gnome card, to show off the yellow print on the opposite side for my gnome-less card.

Another wonderful feature about this card is that the Favored Flowers DSP is a FREEBIE during Sale-A-Bration, and I pulled my large flower elements from this pack. During my live demo, I shared that the coordinating Fragrant Flowers Dies help you make quick work of creating instant art, when you die cut the bold and beautiful images from the paper.

Favored Flowers DSP and Fragrant Flowers Bundle.

Alternate Card #3

I didn’t have to work too hard to switch up this card from one with gnomes to one without. Because I wanted to keep this one “birthday themed”, I chose the Framed Florets Stamp Set to use for a sentiment pull-piece. I added a flower and leaf stamp too, but this is hidden inside the Mini Envelope Pocket in this picture.

To see more on my original magical gnome birthday card, click here.

Get Your Friendly Gnomes Card Class From ME

While my Friendly Gnome Card Class is coming to an end, there is still a little time left for you to earn your card kits for FREE. Once you get them home, you decide if they will have gnomes on them…or not!

To see the video from my online class, click this link . For more details on what is in this week’s class from Maine and how to get yours, click here.

I will be sharing just a few more cards featuring the Friendly Gnomes. Be sure to check back here or follow me, The Maine Stamper, on FaceBook for more card making inspiration. And look forward to another great card class coming in the week ahead!

Magical Gnome Gift Card

January 26, 2023

Friendly Gnomes Card Class, Card 3

For the last Friendly Gnomes card in my weekly Card Class From ME, I pulled out all the stops to make this one magical gnome card. Besides being an adorable card to look at, this one is fun to play with too! Want to see the previous card from my weekly class? Click here.

The magic in this card is the addition of the Mini Pocket Envelope to the design. While it could be used to hold a gift card or even cash, it also houses a sweet little gnome and a fancy heart. And the best part…the gnome and heart are removable!

Mini Pocket Envelope

Besides the Friendly Gnomes Stamp Set and Gnomes Dies, the cute paper envelope is not to be missed. While most may think this item belongs on the inside of a card, I say when it looks this good, decorate the front instead.

DESIGNER TIP: If you don’t plan on placing a gift card in this pocket, shorten the opening with some adhesive before closing the pocket envelope up. That way your gnome and heart won’t slide to the bottom and will stay closer to the top to peek out.

I chose the Dandy Designs Sale-A-Bration paper pack for the sweet designs for this card. (Also sweet, the paper is FREE with an order over $100). With fun colors like Pool Party, Granny Apple Green and Fresh Freesia, this color combo is easy to pull off.

Gnome Sweet Gnome Card

Punch A Bunch

For this final card in my weekly card class, I also relied heavily on my punches. Although Stampin’ Up! no longer sells Circle Punches, I still have and use mine. I find it much quicker than getting out the Layering Circles Dies and sending cardstock thru my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine.

But, Stampin’ Up! does have a current fabulous Heart Punch Pack. These large heart punches work together to form a scallop layer heart that may be used behind a regular shaped heart. In fact, this is seen in the pull-out heart feature shown in the photo above.

Colorful Gnome

Just like the other Friendly Gnomes in this card series, I used my Stampin’ Blends for quick and easy coloring. First, I stamped my images from the Friendly Gnomes Stamp Set using Memento Black Ink. Then I made sure to have some scrap paper behind my images, because the blends really saturate the paper.

Here is the color palette I used for my gnome:

HAT/SHOES: Pool Party (Light and Dark)

SKIN: SU 800

HAIR: Dark Daffodil Delight

JUMPER: Fresh Freesia (Light and Dark)

FLOWER: Light Fresh Freesia/ Light Daffodil Delight

Here is the color palette I used for my mushroom:

UPPER CAP: Fresh Freesia (Light and Dark)

LOWER CAP: Dark Old Olive

STEM: Light Old Olive

DOOR/WINDOW: Pool Party (Light and Dark)

Get Your Friendly Gnomes Card Class From ME

While this is the last card in my featured class this week, I hope you agree it is a magical gnome card. If you would like to see the video from my online class, click this link . For more details on what is in this week’s class from Maine and how to get yours, click here.

I will be sharing more cards from the Friendly Gnomes Card Class (in the form of alternate cards and bonus cards) as this week goes on. Be sure to check back here or follow me, The Maine Stamper, on FaceBook for more card making inspiration.

Gnome With Heart Card

January 25, 2023

Friendly Gnomes Card Class, Card 2

As my Friendly Gnomes Card Class continues, I am working with the gnome with a heart from the Friendly Gnomes Stamp Set. Did you miss the first card from my Gnomes Class? Click here to see it!

We are approaching Valentine’s Day, and hearts are on all of our minds right now.

But, I didn’t want this to be a red, pink or purple card…well, maybe a little purple. Instead of the traditional Valentine colors, I chose a different color palette altogether for my Friendly Gnomes card.

Brick Background

I love adding an embossed piece to the background of my card fronts. Embossing folders, like the Brick & Mortar 3D Embossing Folder I used on this Friendly Gnomes card, are an inexpensive way to add texture.

And, when you highlight the highs and lows left on the paper after embossing it with some ink, the most magical thing happens! Your card is now 100% unique. Even if you tried, you would not be able to add the same ink coverage on another card layer.

Watch my live demo for a comparison of the Large Blending Brushes and the brand new Small Blending Brushes! Get your 3 pack in my online store.

DESIGNER TIP: Use different color cardstock and ink to create a palette of bricks: White CS with Poppy Parade Ink; White CS with Sahara Sand Ink; Real Red CS with Cherry Cobbler Ink; or other combos in grays, reds, browns or more!

Butterfly Kisses Designer Series Paper

While I was looking for the perfect patterns to use on my Friendly Gnome cards, I knew I wanted bright and fun prints with flowers, hearts and butterflies. Perfect companions to friendly gnomes, wouldn’t you agree?

And the Butterfly Kisses Designer Series Paper was just what I needed! The splash of Calypso Coral flowers helped me draw on the color for my card base and brick embossed layer. And those adorable purple flowers in Fresh Freesia look a little like the purple hearts that I put on my card.

Speaking of hearts, there are even some built into the designer paper in the Butterfly Kisses pack. I chose one of those patterns for the Stylish Shapes stitched square die my gnome is placed on. Make sure you pay attention to this small print so you adhere it to your card front with the hearts going in the right direction.

A Gnome With Heart

This little gnome may be my favorite from the 3 different gnomes in the Friendly Gnome Stamp Set. Maybe it is his small stature (he is the shortest!), or the fact that his hat completely covers his face, other than his gnome nose! Perhaps it is that this gnome is holding a heart…

Regardless of his cuteness, this friendly gnome needed a little color after I die cut him using the coordinating Gnomes Dies. Just like the first card in my Friendly Gnomes Card Class, I pulled Stampin’ Blends in colors that complimented my cardstock and designer series paper.

Here is the color palette I used for my gnome:

HAT: Daffodil Delight (Light and Dark)

SKIN: SU 800

BEARD: SU 400

HEART: Fresh Freesia (Light and Dark)

SLEEVES/PANTS: Light Old Olive

SHOES: Dark Old Olive

Get Your Friendly Gnomes Card Class From ME

This is just one card in my featured class this week. If you would like to see the video from my online class, click this link . For more details on what is in this week’s class from Maine and how to get yours, click here.

I will be sharing more cards from the Friendly Gnomes Card Class, as well as my alternate cards and bonus cards, as this week goes on. Be sure to check back here or follow me, The Maine Stamper, on FaceBook for even more card making inspiration.