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2018-2020 Retiring In Color, Pineapple Punch

April 16, 2020

Retirement Time For Pineapple Punch

Stampin’ Up! offers trendy In Color collections that are only available for two years. After two short years of use, the In Colors, like Pineapple Punch, are retired to make way for new colors. This gives us a fresh palette of popular hues to work with.

In April, the retired list comes out. This list includes all the products that will not be available in the new Annual Catalog, which is released in June. “Get them before they’re gone” and “while supplies last” is often heard during April and May.

And every year, we have to say goodbye to five In Colors. Whether we are ready to, or not. Some of the colors are so fabulous, we hope to see them in Stampin’ Up!’s color line-up in the future, if we are so lucky, during an infrequent color refresh.

This year, we are bidding a fond farewell to the following 2018-2020 In Colors: Lovely Lipstick, Grapefruit Grove, Pineapple Punch, Call Me Clover and Blueberry Bushel.

Punchy Pineapple

So Saffron (left), Pineapple Punch (center), Daffodil Delight (right)

Pineapple Punch is a bright, vibrant color. Like, really vibrant. We are talking neon, safety-vest yellow here. And, full disclosure, Pineapple is my least favorite of the retiring In Colors. Or…maybe it was...I may have just changed my mind.

This yellow is so outspoken it can be hard to figure out how or where to use it. After all, how much loud yellow is too much loud yellow? Yet, when I sat down to incorporate the retiring Pineapple Punch into some creations, I found its sweet spot.

Timeless Tropical

Timeless Tropcial card in Pineapple Punch

Pineapple Punch…the name of this color deems it necessary to create pineapples with it! I pulled out the new stamp set, Timeless Tropical, and coordinating dies, In The Tropics, both from the January-June 2020 Mini Catalog, for this card.

I used Pineapple Punch for the cardbase, then layered a piece of Lovely Lipstick and Coastal Weave 3D embossed Crumb Cake as well. Using my Banner Punch, I flagged a piece of designer series paper from the Tropical Oasis collection. Next, I flagged old olive cardstock as well. All of these elements help to tone down this card, while keeping it tropical.

The pineapple was die cut in Pineapple Punch, then adhered to another scrap of the same color. I then fussy cut around the image, keeping the cutout pineapple in front and the solid cardstock in back. I sponged my pineapple with Old Olive and Soft Suede. The greens were made by die-cutting Old Olive, and sponging the tips with Garden Green.

Winds Of Change

If you have been following my blog or FaceBook page, you may know that I love stamping with tulips! When the Winds of Change Stamp Set became available, and it featured tulips, I had to have it. Yellow tulips seem very natural, so here they are using my Pineapple Punch theme.

This time I limited the color selection to Pineapple Punch, Whisper White and Basic Black. Even though the windmill image could have been colored in, I purposefully left it, along with the sky and grass, in black and white. I wanted the focus to be only yellow.

After stamping the images using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, I used my Stampin’ Blends in both Light and Dark Pineapple Punch to color the flowers. Simple, quick and effective. Additionally, I used some retired 2018-2020 In Color DSP for a striped background. The Rhinestone Basic Jewels do not add color, but enhance this card’s elegant simplicity.

Daisy Lane

When you think of daisies, you usually picture white and yellow flowers, right? Pineapple Punch is yellow, but I wanted something a little different for this card. So then, Balmy Blue and Granny Apple Green were invited to the party.

This card, like my Grapefruit Grove Fox Card, has two layers on it that are embossed. I used Brick and Mortar 3D on Pineapple Punch, and Scripty 3D on Granny Apple Green. I stamped the sentiment using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink directly onto the retired 2018-2020 DSP, then flagged and layered it onto Balmy Blue cardstock.

Daisy Delight and Daisy Lane are two different stamp sets that work with coordinating punches, Daisy and Medium Daisy. I stamped, and also stamped off, every other layer of the flower, using Balmy Blue on Whisper White Cardstock. The daisy center was stamped in Pineapple Punch Ink onto the same color cardstock, then punched out with my 1/2″ circle punch.

I stamped the flower stem and leaves using Granny Apple Green Ink on Whisper White Cardstock before die cutting with the Stictched So Sweetly rectangle. This way, I was able to slip some of the yellow brick cardstock beneath the raised rectangle when assembling. Pineapple Punch enamel dots from Happiness Blooms (aptly named) add embellishment.

Peace Out, Pineapple Punch

As I mentioned above, working with this color intimidated me. Until I sat down and put creative thought and color coordination together, I was not a huge fan of this extreme yellow. Now that we are getting along okay, I am sad to see it go!

It is not too late to get some of the wonderful products still available in Pineapple Punch, but time is running out fast. If you pick up an ink pad, please purchase the ink refill too. You will stamp far into the future without the ink pad going dry.

While you are in my online store, https://www.juliemakson.stampinup.net, make sure you consider the Stampin’ Blends in Pineapple Punch, as well as cardstock and embellishments. This wild yellow will put a smile on your face as you use it on your next project!

2018-2020 Retiring In Color, Grapefruit Grove

April 15, 2020

Retirement Time For Grapefruit Grove

Stampin’ Up! offers trendy In Color collections that are only available for two years. After two short years of use, the In Colors, like Grapefruit Grove, are retired to make way for new colors. This gives us a fresh palette of popular hues to work with.

This year, we are bidding a fond farewell to the following 2018-2020 In Colors: Lovely Lipstick, Grapefruit Grove, Pineapple Punch, Call Me Clover and Blueberry Bushel.

Grove of Grapefruits

Cslypso Coral, Grapefruit Grove, Pumpkin Pie — Calypso Coral (left), Grapefruit Grove(center), Pumpkin Pie (right)

Grapefruit Grove is the softest tone of the 2018-2020 retiring In Color collection. I find nothing sour about this grapefruit, only sweet. And, if I were to use other food type descriptions for this color, I would name it “Completely Cantaloupe” or “Circus Peanut Treat”.

There is a tendency for this color to be used as orange, and yet it does not blend well with orange itself. Grapefruit pairs nicely with peachy tone colors, even pinks and reds. It is wonderful with neutral browns and grays, lending light to those earthy hues.

Beauty Abounds

My card is bursting with Grapefruit Grove. I used this color for the cardstock base, as well as the butterflies, which I die cut from the Butterfly Beauty Dies. Once I trimmed the butterfly ensemble apart, I used 3 of the 5 on my card front, leaving 2 for another project.

I love whimsical stripes and playful polka dots. The Designer Series Paper here is from a retired 2018-2020 In Color collection. All DSP is patterned differently on opposite sides, and in this case, I used the same paper, front and back, in creation.

I stamped the flourish in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink directly onto the DSP. Additionally, I stamped the opaque circles in Grapefruit Grove Ink onto the DSP in the same direct manner. I chose pearls to add a touch of elegance, as well as follow thru with the minimal colors of this endearing card.

Nature’s Beauty

Basic Gray and Cajun Craze are both darker colors, and Grapefruit Grove is the perfect choice to perfectly compliment and soften this card.

I stamped the fox image with Memento Black Ink on Whisper White Cardstock. Next, I colored the fox with Cajun Craze Stampin’ Blends, using the Color Lifter to help provide shading. My foxy fox is matted on a piece of Grapefruit Grove Cardstock.

Texture on cards is nice, so I added it twice! First, I embossed in Hammered Metal on Basic Gray. Secondly, I embossed in Subtle 3D on Grapefruit Grove. The sentiment for this card is from the stamp set, Heartland. Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots in Calypso Coral and Grapefruit Grove Nature’s Twine complete the look.

Beautiful Promenade

For my last card, I wanted to showcase a pleasing palette of colorful combinations that included Grapefruit Grove. Calypso Coral, Poppy Parade and Real Red round out the flowers on display.

I stamped each flower using the same ink color as my cardstock, for a tone on tone look. The Beautiful Promenade Stamp Set has an outline flower stamp as well as an inner striping stamp. I stamped each outline using direct ink to paper. The inner image was stamped off first, for lighter inking.

My choice of Basic Black and Whisper White as a stark background enabled the flowers to really pop. Soft Seafoam lends a gentle green tone to the leaves, helping to center the sentiment, which I die cut from the Stitched So Sweetly Dies.

Going, Gone, Grapefruit

I will admit that Grapefruit Grove was not one of my go-to colors over the past two years. But, now that it is retiring, I have come to the conclusion that I am not ready for it to leave, much like my adoration for another retiring In Color, Lovely Lipstick.

Stampin' Up! products in Grapefruit Grove

It is not too late to get some of the wonderful products still available in Grapefruit Grove, but time is running out fast. If you pick up an ink pad, please purchase the ink refill too. You will stamp far into the future without the ink pad going dry.

While you are in my online store, https://www.juliemakson.stampinup.net, make sure you consider the 2018-2020 In Color Stampin’ Write Markers, as well as cardstock and embellishments. You will find that Grapefruit Grove is an easy ingredient to mix into your next project.

2018-2020 Retiring In-Color, Lovely Lipstick

April 14, 2020

Retirement Time for Lovely Lipstick

Stampin’ Up! offers trendy In Color collections that are only available for two years. After two short years of use, the In Colors, like Lovely Lipstick, are retired to make way for new colors. This gives us a fresh palette of popular hues to work with.

This year, we are bidding a fond farewell to the following 2018-2020 In Colors: Lovely Lipstick, Grapefruit Grove, Pineapple Punch, Call Me Clover and Blueberry Bushel.

A Lipstick So Lovely

Melon Mambo (left) Lovely Lipstick (center) Real Red (right)

When this particular shade of lipstick hit the ground, there was great debate over whether it was red or pink. The answer lies somewhere in between. And like a good lipstick, it can be slapped on and it will make any ensemble complete.

Lovely Lipstick is a bright and cheerful color. It does not have the sassy attitude that Melon Mambo has, nor is it sharp like Real Red. Lovely is more refined and regal, deeply intense and mature. And like a good lady, Lovely changes her mind from day to day, dithering between pink and red, per her mood.

Band Together

In the card above, I stamped the flower image twice, using Lovely Lipstick ink and cardstock. Then, I cut out the images with the coordinating dies, Detailed Bands.

I used an older version of the 2018-2020 In Color 6×6″ Designer Series Paper, which has two-toned stripes. The sentiment is stamped in Lovely Lipstick ink and die cut. Afterward, I placed it on a banner-punched piece of coordinating card stock.

The supporting colors for this card are Blushing Bride, seen in the floral accent pieces, and Granny Apple Green, used for the leaves. Lovely Lipstick works beautifully with these pinks and greens.

Under My Umbrella

I stamped the umbrella image using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink three times: once each on Lovely Lipstick, So Saffron and Calypso Coral cardstock. Next, I punched each umbrella out using the coordinating Umbrella Builder Punch.

Using my Paper Snips, I fussy cut a third of the umbrella out of the two supporting colors. Afterward, I glued together my multi-color umbrella, keeping the Lovely Lipstick umbrella as a base.

Again, a retired version of the 2018-2020 In Color Designer Series Paper was used, this time in polka-dots. The rain boots in So Saffron and the flowers in Calypso Coral reiterate support of the featured color, making this rainy day card anything but dreary.

Nothing Sweeter

Lest we think Lovely is only used in pink variations, here it is in Christmas red formatting. I die cut a stitched square in Lovely Lipstick cardstock as a layering piece in this seasonal changeable magnet to my home decor frame.

Greens in Garden and Granny Apple were used on the Christmas tree, from the retired stamp set Nothing Sweeter. The garland was stamped in Lovely Lipstick. I used the retired Sweetly Stitched Framelits Dies to cut out the tree.

The ribbon has Real Red and Garden Green in it, and the star is red glimmer paper. Lovely Lipstick looks holiday festive when combined with traditional Christmas colors.

Lovely Long Gone

I am sad to see this lovely color leaving the Stampin’ Up! family. This mix of not-a-girly-pink to faded-antique-red has been a hit in my craft room. Here’s hoping it returns some day in a color refresh down the road.

Stampin' Up! products in Lovely Lipstick

It is not too late to get some of the wonderful products still available in Lovely Lipstick, but time is running out fast. If you pick up an ink pad, please purchase the ink refill too. You will stamp far into the future without the ink pad going dry.

While you are in my online store, https://www.juliemakson.stampinup.net, make sure you consider the Stampin’ Blends in Lovely Lipstick, as well as cardstock and embellishments. You will find it so easy to put this amazing color to use on your next project!

Ornate Garden Suite Part III

April 4, 2020

Ornate Style Bundle

In Part III of this series, I am continuing my review of the Ornate Garden Suite, turning my focus to the Ornate Style Bundle. This bundle is made up of the Ornate Style Stamp Set and Ornate Layers Dies.

Previously, in Part I, I covered the embellishments (Ornate Garden Specialty Designer Series Paper, Ornate Garden Ribbon Combo Pack and Gilded Gems) and Ornate Floral 3D Embossing Folder. And in Part II, I covered the Ornate Thanks Bundle (Ornate Thanks Stamp Set and Ornate Border Dies).

All of these fabulous new products are part of Stampin’ Up!’s exclusive early release from the upcoming 2020-2021 annual catalog. To add to the excitement, you can purchase these now, whether individually, as bundles, or as the entire suite.

Ornate Style Bundle item #154119 — The Ornate Style Bundle, item # 154119. When you purchase the stamps and dies together, you automatically save 10%.

Ornate Layers Dies

I adore this very ornate collection of layers, totaling 8 dies. The largest die is 5 1/2 x 4″, which almost covers the entire front of an A4 card base.

As I use these dies, six out of eight have nesting capabilities with like size counterparts. The same six have solid inner surfaces. I find this is perfect for adding focal points to, or stamping directly on.

The remaining two dies in this collection provide stencil style cut-aways. I discovered that the paper used with these dies will continue to have a solid border after the die cutting process is completed.

After working so hard to die cut the Ornate Border Dies from the Ornate Thanks Bundle, I was pleased that die cutting the Ornate Layers Dies from the Ornate Style Bundle was a breeze! With one pass thru the die cutting machine, minimal effort was required on my part to remove excess cut-away paper.

TIP: When running dies thru your die cutting machine, I recommend placing the die at an angle whenever possible. This will prevent wear and damage to both the die and your machine. You will notice less effort is needed for cutting, and less noise is emitted from the process as well.

You’re Amazing Card

For this sweet card in soft pastel colors of Soft Seafoam, Whisper White and Highland Heather, I continue my use of the Ornate Floral 3D Embossing Folder. The focal point is a group of watercolored flowers, from a stamp in the Ornate Styles Stamp Set.

Here are some of the details of the making of this card:

Water Color Process

Adding water to your paper makes it wet and soggy…obviously! It is best to use watercolor paper or Stampin’ Up!’s Shimmery White Cardstock for this application.

However, I would like to disclose that I did not follow this sound advice. I used regular Whisper White Cardstock, and I am pleased with my results. My take-away is that you can and should always experiment. Have fun!

First, I “stamped off” the flower image using Sahara Sand ink. The term “stamp off” means that you ink your stamp, stamp “off” onto a scrap paper, using up some of the ink, then immediately stamp on to your desired paper. This results in a lighter stamped image.

Second, I began to color with the Stampin’ Up! Watercolor Pencils. These high quality, smooth pencils come in Stampin’ Up! colors, perfect to match the proper tone to Stampin’ Up! ink and paper.

I did not carefully apply the pencil color, as can be seen in my photo. In fact, I quickly scribbled the pencil colors over my stamped image. The third step in my process will correct what appears to be a mess. Plus, time saver!

Third and last step, I used the Aqua Painter to blend all the watercolor pencil scribbles into a consistent washed coverage. I started with the lightest colors and worked to darkest, applying water to each image separately. I wiped transferred color from the paintbrush end as needed.

The paper will need to dry well and be flattened before use. This process doesn’t take too long, fortunately.

This image shows watercoloring partially completed. Notice the difference between the scribbles and the blended areas.

Finishing Touches

The use of Ornate Layers Dies creates the perfect frame for my watercolor masterpiece. The Highland Heather Cardstock layered behind the white ornate frame adds a pleasing backdrop.

The sentiment “you’re amazing” comes from the stamp set, Ornate Thanks. I stamped this image in Gorgeous Grape, a darker complimentary purple. I love to put those tiny scraps of paper to good use.

The two side-tabs were created from single die cuts. After adhering the Soft Sea Foam to Whisper White, I cut the assembly in half and added both pieces to my card front.

From The Bottom Of My Heart Card

Have I mentioned that I love the Ornate Floral 3D Embossing Folder yet? In this card, I embossed the entire front of the base. This required me to fold the back of the card around the edge of the closed embossing folder in order to run it thru my embossing machine.

Additionally, here are some more details regarding this card:

Stampin’ Blend Daisy

The focal point of this cheerful card is the single, zesty daisy. I quickly created it by stamping the image in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink onto Whisper White Cardstock. It fits perfectly into a Ornate Layers Die.

From there, I used Stampin’ Blends in Light Cajun Craze, Light Mango Melody and Dark Old Olive for a quick dash of color. These choices compliment the Terracotta Tile card base, Calypso Coral accent layer and Ornate Garden Specialty Designer Series Paper selection.

Finishing Touches

Lots of ornate layers, Terracotta Tile ribbon from the Ornate Garden Ribbon Combo Pack, a sentiment from the Ornate Thanks Stamp Set and Gilded Gems complete this card.

Card Corrections!

Did you notice the errors I made when stamping in, of all colors, black ink? Maybe not, since I covered them up to the best of my crafty ability. Here I disclose the mistakes made and corrective measures taken:

Problem: The daisy image on my card had a smudge of black to the left of the stem near the bottom.
Solution: Gilded Gems to the rescue! The center gem covers my inky smudge. Not just for decorative purpose only.
Problem: More black ink smudging above the word “of” along the top of my sentiment strip.
Solution: Careful placement of the lacey overlay from the Ornate Layers Die above. By lowering this piece slightly over my sentiment strip, the ink smudge is less noticeable.

Conclusion: There are no mistakes in papercrafting, just creativity in process.

Thanks For All You Do Card

This last card in my review of the Ornate Style Bundle is inspired by the daisies in the DSP I used. Therefore, the color palette Whisper White, So Saffron and Crumb Cake are obvious choices.

Following is the assembly process:

Ornate Suite Options

One of my background layers on this card is So Saffron, embossed with the Ornate Floral 3D folder. I love the look of antiquing or grunging with brown inks, and I did so on some of the embossed image with Crumb Cake Ink. While my sponge was out, I added some ink to the Ornate Layer Die piece, cut in Crumb Cake Cardstock as well.

The white daisy border die cut, form the Ornate Border Dies, was a left-over piece from another crafting session. All that was needed was a trim, top and bottom to better fit my card front.

Finishing Touches

Layered in action are three of the dies from the Ornate Layers Dies, using the above mentioned colors. Adding these three pieces to any card in any hue is a no-brainer! I chose this selection as a decorative fill element, drawing the eye across the card front as layers merge into each other.

Again, the sentiments are from the stamp set, Ornate Thanks, and I inked them up with Early Espresso onto thin Whisper White Cardstock scraps. I flagged each end by hand, using my Paper Snips. Gilded Gems over the center of each flower add a touch of golden sparkle.

Ornate Garden Suite Conclusion

The Ornate Garden Suite has a lot to offer! I love that the components work so well together, yet can stand alone. It is budget friendly, whether you bundle and save, or as you pick and choose which individual items are must have’s for your crafting experience.

I spent quite some time getting to know this suite and creating samples with these brand new products. In my three part blog series, I highlighted different items. Now, I will share the best of the best, as I see it!

Best Embellishment

The Ornate Floral 3D Embossing Folder. This item may not be considered an embellishment, but it creates embellishments and was highlighted in Part I with similar items from this suite. This folder created raised flowers in all but one of the cards I featured with this suite. I really like it!

The embossing folder is easy to use. It is smaller in size (not the 6×6) so less stress of lining it up just right in your die cutting machine. There is no orientation or straight lines to try to emboss. And the pattern is small, blending into the background without being overbearing. All sweet things!

Best Stamp Set

The Ornate Thanks Stamp Set. I am always a fan of stamp sets that have great sentiments or sayings. This one in nothing but! This huge offering of things to say has incredible value. I showcased sayings from this stamp set in each of the cards from my three part series.

This is a photopolymer stamp set, which makes it really easy to see thru to line up for precise stamping. And no stickers required for assembly, like the red rubber style. The scripty font is, perhaps, my favorite part of this set. As well, the sayings can be masked to create additional options, per Part II of my review. I only hope we see more of this great font in upcoming stamp sets…

Best Dies

The Ornate Layers Dies. I love layers. If you have been looking at any of my card creations, by now you must realize this. I love layers. If layers are like accessories, my cards are well dressed!

This die set has “layers” in its name. We were meant to be together. I appreciate the ease of die cutting with this set, no fussy-ness involved. And layering is super easy, as well as fancy and fun. In fact, if I had to pick only 1 item form this suite, it would definitely be the Ornate Layers Dies.

Be As Ornate As You Can

I hope you have enjoyed following my three part exploration of the Ornate Garden Suite. If you need any of the supplies that I used to create my Ornate Garden cards, please stop by my online store, https://www.juliemakson.stampinup.net.

I would love to know your thoughts on the products I have featured, so be sure to drop your comments below! May your continued creativity be ornate!

Ornate Garden Suite Part II

April 3, 2020

Ornate Thanks Bundle

My deep dive into the early release Ornate Garden Suite continues as Part II, with the Ornate Thanks Bundle review. My previous blog post, Ornate Garden Suite Part I, covered the various embellishments and Ornate Floral 3D Embossing Folder. Today, I am adding samples with even more stamps from the Ornate Thanks stamp set, in addition to the Ornate Border Dies.

Ornate Border Dies

The dies total 9 in this configuration. They are definitely ornate, as well as floral, so they fit the garden suite theme perfectly.

Two of the dies will cut a floral border, leaving a delicate open pattern to the right and remaining attached to the cardstock to the left. They work well on card fronts to create a peek-thru-to-the-inside effect.

Two of the dies create a lace overlay along the edge of your paper. I used them together on a single piece of cardstock with fabulous results. (See my sentiment example in the So Grateful card below.)

One of the dies cuts a floral border completely out, leaving it free standing. Another die helps to remove one of the floral borders so that it, too, is completely cut out, or free standing.

Also, there are 3 flower dies ranging from small to large in size. These die cut flowers work great in the free-standing floral border. (See my example in the Thank You card below.)

So Grateful Card

Card using products from the Ornate Thanks Bundle

My So Grateful Card is made with Blushing Bride and Whisper White cardstock. I have continued the use of the Ornate Floral 3D Embossing Folder, as can be seen here in Whisper White.

Following are some of my crafty tips:

Flower Border Die

Some of the Ornate Border Dies have tabs at each end to help you line the dies up correctly on your cardstock. If you are die cutting your card base, make sure you orient your die so that it is:

A.) cutting away to the right and leaving the left uncut.

B.) placing top of die to top of card base (in this case, the flowers are top, leaves are bottom).

I also recommend securing your dies with either a post-it note or washi tape to secure it while it travels thru your die cutting machine. There is nothing worse than the die shifting and having to start over.

The Ornate Border Dies are intricate, and require multiple cranks thru the die cutting machine. I also found the use of a shim (in the form of a thin piece of paper) useful. And between multi cranks, I rotated my sandwich base completely around (without taking the sandwich apart).

Regardless, there may be some fine picking at hand for little hangers-on. Be prepared with your die brush and/or piercing tool. And keep those extra leaves that pop out, they are perfect accent pieces!

Sentiment At Hand

For my sentiment on this card, I chose to use both edging borders, one top and one bottom. The dies are long, so my paper matches in length. Even though I don’t need all of it for this card, I can use the remainder elsewhere after trimming to size.

I chose the sentiment, So Grateful, from the Ornate Thanks stamp set. Because my card is entirely pink and white, I felt that black would be overwhelming as an ink choice. Instead, I used Early Espresso, as the rich brown melds nicely with pink but remains bold, to be well seen.

Finishing Touches

Remember those little accent leaves from the die cut above? Here they are, put to good use. After dry fitting the leaves and my sentiment, I remove the sentiment and secure the leaves with Tear and Tape Adhesive. As a final step, the sentiment covers the tape.

Thank You Card

My Thank You card features the Ornate Garden Specialty Designer Series Paper. Complementary colors Early Espresso, Old Olive and Mint Macaron were put into play. I also added So Saffron, Crushed Curry, Very Vanilla and for bright pop of fun, a Poppy Parade cardbase.

This is how it came together…

Free Standing Floral Border Die

I chose to die cut the free standing floral border die in Old Olive. Because the length is closer to 6″, and my card base is 5 1/2″, I needed to trim a bit by hand. This was easily done using my paper snips.

Difficulty Level without cat ‘helping’: 2 out of 5

Difficulty Level with cat ‘helping’: 4 out of 5

Winnie the Naughty Cat — Winnie thinks she is helpful in the craft room, but she really isn’t.

Single Flower Dies

I die cut flowers in 3 colors, Poppy Parade (which looked too Christmasy next to the Old Olive, saved for another day), Very Vanilla and Crushed Curry. The latter two made it onto my finished card, as I liked the way they layered together.

Finishing Touches

The Ornate Floral 3D Embossing Folder peeks in again in the So Saffron Cardstock. The Thank You sentiment comes from the Ornate Thanks stamp set, inked in Early Espresso. Beneath the sentiment flows Old Olive ribbon from the Ornate Garden Ribbon Combo Pack. Lastly, I added Gilded Gems to the flower centers.

So Loved Card

My third and final card today using the Ornate Thanks Bundle is elegance enhanced, showcasing Mint Macaron, Whisper White and Gold.

Here are some details in the making of this beautiful masterpiece:

Double Duty Dies

I used the rose floral border die on this card twice. The first time on the front of the card base, and the second as an additional layer to the card. With my VersaMark Ink Pad, I swiped ink on the outer die cuts of both layers and heat embossed with Gold Embossing Powder.

The front of the card peeks thru to the Whisper White Cardstoc positioned inside. The additional layer is placed over a gold foil design paper from the Ornate Garden Specialty pack.

Finishing Touches

The left-over leaves from the daisy floral border die were so fun to work with in my first card, I wanted to use them again. I die cut a piece of Whisper White just to create the leaves! Left-overs are always saved to be re-worked, so no waste there.

I used my VersaMarker to add VersaMark to the tips of the leaves for gold heat embossing. A good alternative, in lieu of the VersaMarker, would be to place some VersaMark refill liquid on a clear block, then use a blender pen to add VersaMark to the leaf tips. Keep that paintbrush handy to wipe embossing powder off unwanted areas before applying heat.

Ornate Thanks Stamp Set

The stamp sayings, “So Grateful” and “Thank You”, used in the cards featured here, are the large stamps in the set, Ornate Thanks. The stamp “Thanks” is another similar in size.

The remainder of the stamps in this 19 piece photopolymer set are smaller handwritten font (so fabulous!!), in various sayings that pair nicely with the thanks theme. All 3 of the cards shown in the Ornate Garden Suite Part I used the scripty stamps. I adore this font.

For this card, I only wanted “so loved” from the stamp “your kindness is so loved”. Masking part of the stamp before use can change up the way your sentiment reads. I added painters tape to the undesired portion of the stamp image, inked in VersaMark, removed the tape, and stamped. Heat embossing in gold finished the look nicely.

Giving Thanks

There is so much to be thankful for, and just as many reasons to send a card filled with homemade gratitude to someone you know! The Ornate Thanks Stamp Set gives you versatility with what to say, or stamp. The Ornate Border Dies put the fun in fun-ctionality, as you assemble and layer those cards or projects.

Be sure to stop by my online store to add the Ornate Thanks Bundle to your cart today. And for more creative ideas, check back soon as I continue with Part III in this series, with the Ornate Style Bundle. Don’t miss the incredible conclusion!