I’m so, so pleased with this card. I was going for a different cut along the side of the card using one of the Edgelit dies and was pleasantly surprised that it came out looking like the silhouette of a vase. I couldn’t have planned it better!

This card is going to a group at church to thank them for being so sweet during my surgery & recovery. Then, I’m making a duplicate to use as a sample at my upcoming Open House.

The DSP strip is from the same sheet of Floral District DSP as the last card I posted. I cut that sheet into 3 sections – this is from the top 1 1/4″ strip. The front of the Keep Calm card used part of the next section – a 5 1/4″ wide strip with the poppies. The last 5 1/2″ section is this same green background, but with thin white stripes across it that are actually the poppy stems. I love that I can get so many fun looks from one single side of DSP.

Thank You Blossoms Card

I have a confession to make – I mis-stamped the thank you phrase at the bottom of the card… AFTER it was completely assembled. Yes, I really do know better! So I re-stamped on a scrap of white cardstock and cut it out as a banner, then popped it up on dimensionals over the original. Way cute! What do they say? “There are no mistakes, just opportunities for embellishment.”

Supplies
Stamps: Betsy’s Blossoms, Delightful Dozen
DSP: Floral District
Cardstock: Whisper White, Midnight Muse
Ink: Midnight Muse, Primrose Petals, Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit
Accessories: Dotted Scalloped Ribbon, Dazzling Details Glitter Glue
Other: Edgelit Die, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I don’t think that I’ve ever shown the inside of a card before the front, but it just begged to be done here. This is a new hostess stamp set called Carry On. I love all the “Keep Calm and” options it has… the one shown here, carry on, shop on, stamp on, and my favorite – eat a cupcake. Plus little accent stamps like the umbrella I used on the inside.

The DSP on the front is from a new paper pack called Floral District. I am in love with these poppies! Can’t wait until June 1st, when I can order the new background-sized Pleasant Poppies. The “Keep Calm” sentiment isn’t popped up on the front, even though it looks like it at first glance. Click on the picture for a closer view and you will see that I used the smallest Label Framelit to cut a window in the DSP and placed the sentiment underneath it.

Keep Calm card

Supplies
Stamps: Carry On
DSP: Floral District
Cardstock: Whisper White, Midnight Muse
Ink: Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, Calypso Coral
Accessories: Daffodil Delight Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon
Other: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Labels Framelit Die

Betsy sure does have pretty blossoms!

These two cards use Betsy’s Blossoms, a set from the 2012/2013 Stampin’ Up catalog – to be released on June 1. Need a free 2012/2013 catalog? Use the link above and I’ll send one to you!

Betsy’s Blossoms will be available to order on June 1, along with so, so many more fantastic new items! It’s so hard to wait these last few weeks until the new catalog is released every year. At least, as a Stampin’ Up demonstrator, I get to purchase and play with a few select items a head of time. This set, the Gumball Green Stitched Satin ribbon, and the new In Colors are some of those items.

The first card is almost more simple than the Need for Speed card I posted last, if you can believe it! It was the first card I made with my new pre-order items and I couldn’t wait to use them. Not a whole lot of planning went into this one… I just had to stamp! I know – not even a sentiment on the front! The little tags are cut with a new Framelit die set called Bitty Banners – 3 small banners in all. How cute are they?! There’s a stamp set, too, with coordinating phrases that fit on the litte banners. The cardstock is Primrose Petals – one of the new In Colors. Love this color combined with the Gumball Green ribbon. <3

Betsy's Bird Card

The next card was made after I got a few more supplies from my craft room, thanks to my awesome hubby. I added plenty of rhinestones to the centers of all the little flowers. If you click on the picture, you can see a little better how I thumped Raspberry Ripple marker (another new In Color) on top of the Primrose Petals ink before I stamped the flowers. I really like the effect and was pleasantly suprised that it turned out so nice, even on such small images.

Blossoms & Rhinestones Card

Stay tuned… I am still recovering from knee surgery and am using it to my stamping advantage. I’ve also been able to con my hubby into bringing me more supplies, so hopefully my cards will be a little more stepped up.

Supplies
Stamps: Betsy’s Blossoms, Perfectly Penned
Cardstock: Whisper White, Primrose Petals
Ink: Basic Black, Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit
Accessories: Gumball Green Stitched Satin Ribbon, Brights colored brad, Basic Rhinestones
Other: Bitty Banners Framelit Dies

Well, it’s been much longer than I intended since my last post… I apologize for my lack of creative inspiration for you! I am currently laid up after knee surgery, but did manage to direct my hubby to bring some of my supplies down from my craft room. Between that and some pre-order items from the not-yet-released new Stampin’ Up catalog that just arrived, I have been able to do a little bit of stamping this week.

The card I’m sharing today is a masculine card made with the Need for Speed and Perfectly Penned stamp sets, which were both released in the currect catalog. If you’re anything like me, masculine cards aren’t the easiest to make. Feminine cards just seem to flow so easily, don’t they? Cards for teenage boys & men, though… they take a lot more work!

Need for Speed Card

Yes, this card is pretty basic. But maybe for a teenage boy, who’s only opening the card to check for cash, this will be perfect. Hubby did bring down rhinestones, but I’m betting that my nephew won’t appreciate them so I opted not to use them on this card.

The cardstock colors are 3 of the new In Colors for 2012-2014 – Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, and Summer Starfruit. I think these three make a really nice color combination. Wait until you see the other 2! And while I have new products in my thoughts… you must pick up at least the reformulated Basic Black dye-based ink pad. It’s fantastic!

The pad itself has been changed to a firm foam – no more wavy pad – which gives awesome coverage to even solid images. And the ink formula has been changed, too – it’s now a true black and stamps beautifully. Click on the picture of the card to get a better look at the black ink (used on “Happy Birthday”). Who would’ve thought I’d be gushing over a black ink pad? All of Stampin’ Up’s ink pads have these new changes, so no matter which you buy, you won’t be disappointed.

Supplies
Stamps: Need for Speed, Perfectly Penned
Ink: Basic Black, Midnight Muse, and Summer Starfruit
Cardstock: Whisper White, Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, and Summer Starfruit