June 30, 2025

Simply Said

How about a sneak peek of some designer series paper that will be available starting tomorrow.  The Floral Charm Designer Series Paper is part of the July On Line Exclusives.  It has some wonderful floral patterns.

I started with a base of Cajun Craze, although this flowered paper doesn't really say it has Cajun Craze in it, but I thought it complemented the paper.  I added a layer of Basic White that had been embossed with the Exposed Brick 3D Embossing Folder.  I layered the flowered paper on another piece of Cajun Craze and adhered it to the card with Dimensionals.  The die-cut pieces are from the Nested Essentials set.  I am thinking I need to order some more of this paper when it becomes available tomorrow!!

No Cubs baseball today so it may be a cleaning the stamp room and reading day.  I was going to work outside but with a heat index of 95° I think I will choose to stay inside!!  

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 29, 2025

With You in Mind

How about a sneak peek of some new products that will be available soon?  The card I’m sharing with you today was made using new Online Exclusives coming July 1, 2025. They are Label Me Grateful Dies #166111 (these dies are also packaged in a bundle with a stamp set #166112 – when you purchase a bundle, you’ll always save 10%), Floral Charm Designer Series Paper #166125 and Charming Shimmer Faceted Dots #166139.

I started with a piece of Secret Sea cardstock for the base of my card.  I cut Floral Charm Designer Series Paper (available July 1, 2025) and added one to the left side and one to the right side. 

I stamped the sentiment in Secret Sea ink onto Basic White cardstock and used the With You in Mind stamp set. I cut the sentiment out using the Label Me Grateful Dies (available July 1, 2025). On the back, I added Stampin’ Dimensionals to the right side only and adhered it to the left panel.  I added three Charming Shimmer Faceted Gems (available July 1, 2025), below the sentiment. 

This is once again a cardstock cutting, watching baseball kind of afternoon.  Our shopping excursion was quite successful yesterday so today is a stay at home kind of day.  Cards in the Mail will be ready to go first thing in the morning!!

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!! 

Happy Stamping!!

June 28, 2025

The Right Words

Have you tried the new Extraordinary Flora Washi Tape yet?   It is truly extraordinary!!  This is another one of the cards we made at Demo Day in Illinois.

Each roll of Washi Tape has over 60 sets of flowers.  One set is purple and the other set is pink.  This card shows the purple set.  All you have to do is lay a strip of the washi tape onto a piece of cardstock and then die cut all of the flowers with the Extraordinary Floral Die cut and it cuts all of the flowers for you.  I have adhered some of them flat and popped others up on dimensionals.  It is so fun to play with.  I can wait to try some more cards.

As soon as I am done posting this I am out the door to head to Iowa City with Luetta.  I have some stuff I need to pick up that I could not get yesterday because I left my phone at home and it had all of my order confirmation stuff on it.  We hope to be home by the time it gets too hot!!

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 27, 2025

Pretty Florals

My card for today is another one I made in Illinois.  It uses the Pretty Florals stamp set and a sentiment from the Pattern of Friendship stamp set.

I started by stamping my sentiment at the top of the page so I knew how much room I had for the flowers.  I then stamped the leaves with Granny Apple Green.  I stamped the inside of the flowers first with full strength Timid Tiger and then stamped the petals with Timid Tiger only this time I stamped off first.  I thought these flowers would be difficult to line up but they are really very easy!!  I am loving this color combination!!

As soon as I am done posting this and John's lunch gets here and he eats we are headed out for an afternoon of doctor's appointments for him.  I am planning on taking my Kindle with me and using the down or waiting time to read.  Stamping or at least reorganizing will be on the agenda when I get home.

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 25, 2025

Arched Wishes

The card I am sharing today came from the Demo Day I went to in Illinois a while back.  Everyone stamping this week got to make one of them. 

This would be a great birthday card for a little girl and if you switched out the papers for blue tone papers it would be great for a little boy.  I started with a card base of Petunia Pop and cut off .75 of an inch on the front flap.  I added a Bubble Bath layer and a banner cut from the Florals in Bloom Designer Series paper.  Add a circle cut with Stylish Shapes and the cupcake from the Arched Wishes stamp set, color it in, and your card is complete.  

Today I am taking off to Adel to pend the evening and tomorrow with the kids.  Hanna and Jake have plans for tonight so I will pick the kids up from Bible School and put them to bed.  Tomorrow we will spend th day shopping.  It has probably been since before I got sick in 2023 since we have gone shopping for the day.  I am certainly looking forward to it!!

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

July 23, 2025

Arched Wishes

Today's card is one I made at Susie's event back in April and is also one everyone will be making this afternoon at Make-It-Monday.

Starting with a card base of Balmy Blue, I added a layer of Crushed Curry that had been embossed with the Plaster Painting 3D Embossing Folder.  I added a small strip of the Turtle-y Designer Series Paper.  No turtles, you say?  Remember how I told you to look at both sides . . . this is the back side of one of the turtle motif pages.  The balloons were stamped directly onto the arch shape and added to the card.  My card says "congratulations", but you could make it say almost anything you wanted.  It would make an awesome birthday card.

Looks like today is going to be another hot one.  Good thing I have nothing planned other than stamp class this afternoon and finishing my book club book for club tonight.  At least I hope I get my book finished for club tonight.  If I don't I am sure I will not be the only one!

 

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 22, 2025

Weekend Adventures

Today's card if for all you campers and weekend adventurers out there.  This cup reminds me of the kind of cup we used camping when I was a kid.

This is definitely a masculine pattern in thi pakage of paper but itt also reminds me of Halloween.  I will have to save some of it for that.  Imagine a jack-o-lantern in the circle or any other Halloween stamp you happen to have!!

This is a gatefold card.  It opens from both sides and closes in the middle.  The three checked strips are adhered only on the left hand side.  You could certainly make this card for any occasions by changing the image in the circle.  What will you make??

Yesterday I did some more cleaning and rearranging in my stamping room.  Slowly but surely I am getting there.  My goal is to have it all done by the time I leave for vacation at the end of July.  We will see if that happens.  I realized yesterday that I have not been through my punches to pull the ones I don't use and put them in my garage sale pile.  I am going to try and get that done today before the Cubs game.  Cardstock cutting will be on the agenda while watching the game.

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 21, 2025

Notes and Totes

Today's card is from last week's packet of Cards in the Mail.  I used the Notes and Totes stamp set.  I love this sentiment because it can be used for a variety of occasions.

I started with some Darling Duckling cardstock and added a layer of Basic White that had been embossed with the Eyelet 3D Embossing folder.  The next step was to adhere a piece of the designer series paper to another piece of Darling Duckling, tie a ribbon around it, and add it to the card base with dimensionals. I added my sentiment, some embellishments, and I was done.  A super simple card to make!! 

HOT HOT HOT . . . not sure what to do on this hot afternoon.  There is no shortage of things I should be doing but I don't feel like doing those things!!  LOL  I guess it will be baseball and stamping again!! 

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 20, 2025

Paper Tags

Today  I am sharing another on of the cards we made in Illinois that I used for Cards in the Mail this week.

This is a fun fold card with the sentiment opening on the right and the rest of the card opening as normal.  The Weekend Adventures Designer Series Paper Pack is a great set of paper to use for masculine cards.  I hope to have many more to share with you.

What a chilly, dreary, rainy day.  I guess I will take this over the oven that is coming this weekend!!  Even my computer did not want to work.  It would not let me upload any of the pictures to my blog.  I finally shut it down and let it rest, started it back up again and it seems to be working fine now.  I am thinking that this would be a great day to try and finish my book club book around watching the Cubs this afternoon. 

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 18, 2025

Notes & Totes

The card I am sharing with you today is one of this week's Cards in the Mail.  I used the beautiful Floral Impressions Designer Series Paper for this card.

Ever find yourself with just a few strips of DSP leftover and no idea what to do with them?  This is the perfect card for using them up.  You can adjust your measurements depending on what size scraps you have. You can also change out the sentiment and the punched shape to make a totally different looking card.  How easy is that!!!   

Believe it or not I am actually kind of cold sitting in my living room with the ceiling fan on.  However when I turn it off it gets very stuffy in here so I guess I will just put a sweatshirt on.  Seems kind of crazy, but as my family says . . . it is what it is!!!

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 16, 2025

Sunrise Sailing

Today I am sharing another project we made at Demo Day in Illinois last month.  It uses the Sunrise Sailing that was in yesterday's project.

We started by brushing the background with the Blending Brushes.  The sentiments and birds were next a well as the lines on the water.  The sailboats were stamped onto another piece of paper and then die cut and added to the background with dimensionals.  Inlove the way this turned out!!

As hot and humid as it is today, I am staying inside and working on cleaning stamping things up.  I'm not moving that fast but each time I go into my room I can see that I am making progress!!

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 15, 2025

Sunrise Sailing

Happy Father's Day to all of the father's out there.  I happened to receive this card in a swap last month and have been saving it to post today.  I am. not sure which swap I received this in and there was no name to give credit to.  So, whoever you are, thanks for the great Father's Day card.

One of the requirements of most swaps is that they have at least two layers.  The maker of this card went over and above because this card has seven layers and tons of die cutting a well as some embossing.  I was going to make this card at one of the Make-It-Mondays last month but decided it would take all afternoon for everybody to do all of the die cutting and embossing so I will be happy just sharing it here.  If youa re wondering where the "Happy Father's Day" stamp came from it is part of the Trusty Tools stamp set.  Perfect for this card.

Not exactly sure what today may bring but since John and I were both on the go yesterday, in different places, I am sure resting is in order for both of us.  John went with Julie and Jason to a Rendezvous in Prairie Du Chien and wandered around all day so he is really tired and I spent the day in Osage at a stitching store and a fabric store.  Resting is definitely in order.

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 13, 2025

Along These Lines

Today my card is made with the stamp set Susie got during Prize Patrol at On Stage.  She used it at her spring event where I made this card.

This would be the perfect card for the dog lover in your life.  It is super simple to make and takes just a couple of minutes to complete.  It uses the backside of one of the sheets in the Wildly Flowering Designer Series Paper Pack.  Like I said the other day . . . be sure and check both sides of the paper because there is sure to be one of them that you love.  I honestly don't remember what set the Happy Birthday came from but any Happy Birthday stamp would work.

Today is a rest your legs kind of day.  I walked yesterday and made it a mile and a half and my legs are telling me today that they did that.  Tomorrow I am going on a road trip with my friend, Joan, to our favorite stitching store in Osage, Iowa so I am sure there will be more walking there.  This afternoon is Cubs baseball so that is another good reason to rest my legs.

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 12, 2025

Gallery Blooms

I made today's card with the Gallery Blooms stamp set and the Sweet Jar Bundle.  Every one stamping with me this week got to make this card.

I stamped the flowers full strength on the right hand side of the Basic White cardstock and the stamped it again without reinking the stamp, offset just a little bit to give the illusion of a shadow.  The plaid pattern is from the Designer Series Paper Pack, On the Go.  Always be sure to check both sides of the designer series paper . . . I didn't really care for the sides that have images on them but I love the ones that just have patterns.  The jar was stamped on some Strawberry Slush cardstock with Memento Ink and then punched out with the coordinating punch.  I love the punch that goes with the jar set.  I ama not really sure what the embellishments are . . . they are just a few that were left on my table.

It looks like it will be a beautiful day out.  It might get a little toasty by afternoon, but there is sure a nice breeze coming in the windows right now.  My plan today is to continue organizing and getting ready for my garage sale that is in July.

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 11, 2025

Notes and Totes

Today I am sharing another card I made when I went to Illinois a few weekends ago.  It is also one that everyone made at Make-It-Monday.

I bought the Notes and Totes bundle specifically for the sentiments in the stamp set.  There are a few images in the stamp set but they are predominantly sentiments.  This card starts with a Strawberry Slush base with a layer of Basic Black cardstock.  The left hand side of the card is Basic White that has been embossed with one of the folders in the Glass and Gardens Embossing Folders set.  I then lightly brushed Strawberry ink over the embossing so it would show up.  The right hand side is a piece of the Irresistible Designs Specialty Designer Series paper.  I brushed Strawberry Slush ink pretty heavily over it and then wiped it with a paper towel so the lines would show.  There are three different patterns in this paper pack.  You should check it out.

As soon as I am done with this I am going to get ready to go to an appointment in Iowa City.  I am hoping to pick up a few groceries and still be home in enough time to watch the majority of the Cubs game.  I may do a little stamping after that.

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 10, 2025

Coneflower Celebrations

Coneflower Celebrations is a stamp set that I passed right by in the catalog until we made a card using it at the Demo Day in Illinois a couple of weekends ago.  I used it yesterday as one of the cards for Make-It-Monday and everybody loved it.

I did all of my stamping and coloring and then ran it through the Stamp, Cut, and Emboss machine using the Exposed Brick 3D Embossing Folder.  I love how it turned out.  I am anxious to try more cards using this set.

There was no post yesterday as after I took John to the doctor they were able to grt me in as well for a massive sinus infection.  By the time we got home there was just enough time to get set up for Make-It-Monday.  After everyone finished I ran over to the pharmacy to get my meds and then came home and watched the Cubs.  This afternoon I am going to try and fit in a walk before doing anything else.

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 8, 2025

Layered Thoughts

Today's card is one that everyone will be making tomorrow at Make-It-Monday.  My friend, Luetta, shared this idea with me.

To make this card, stamp the sentiment on black cardstock with versamark and heat emboss with white embossing powder.  Let it set a couple of minutes after embossing to be sure it and it is good and dry.  Then take your choice of Stampin' Blends and color in the letters.  I used Daffodil Delight Dark, Blueberry Bushel Dark, Granny Apple Green Dark, Pumpkin Pie Dark, and Melon Mambo Dark.  I was hesitant as to if this would work, but as you can see it works great!!

I got kind of a late start this morning, sleeping in for a while.  Whipped up this card so I would have something new for my post, and went to the grocery store, before sitting down to start writing.  The rest of the afternoon will be spent cutting cardstock and watching the Cubs.

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 7, 2025

Encircled With Love

Today is the last ofthis week's Cards in the Mail.  It is also one we made at the demo day last weekend.

For this card we used the Party Dies and lots of circles.  I love the little circles on the largest circle in back.  It seems to pull the whole card together.  For these circles we used the new Stripes and and Dots stamp set.  This stamp set looks like a background stamp in the catalog but actually breaks down into four separate stamps.  Very versatile!!  The hearts came from the Bee Punch.  It has the two hearts right next to each other so they are easy to punch out without a lot of waste.

Not sure what the day will bring other than a possible lunch with Luetta in Kalona.  I do have to get cardstock cut for Monday's stamp class so that will have to be on the agenda sometime this weekend!!  According to AirNow.gov the air quality is still not good so a walk is probably out of the mix for things to do as is weed pulling.  If we get rain this afternoon maybe it will push the bad air out of the area!!

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 6, 2025

Layered Thoughts

Today's Cards in the Mail again comes from the retreat I atteded last weekend.  It uses one of my favorite patterns of paper and 2024-2026 In Color, Petunia Pop.

We started with a card base of Secret Sea and added a layer of Petunia Pop to that.  Next, we took two rectangles of Designer Series Paper and added it to pieces of Basic White.  After these were layered on the card we stamped a sentiment with Petunia Pop ink on white cardstock and added it in between the designer series paper.  We added some Secret Sea embellishments and our card was done.

I started the morning with an early morning nail appointment followed by some errand running.  I was planning on going for a walk and working on the weeds when I got home but since the air quality is still iffy outside I chose to stay in and go through stamp sets again since they added more to the last chance list.  I have a feeling my garage sale pile is going to grow again!!!

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 4, 2025

The Right Words and Textured Notes

Today's Cards in the Mail is one we made last weekend.  It is a perfect sympathy card.

We started with a Thick Basic White card base.  On regular Basic white we cut out a hexagon using the meant to be dies.  We added a black outline, also cut with the Meant To be dies.  We added a piece of Botanical Textures Designer Series Paper to the back of the white cardstock and adhered it to the card base.  We stamped and fussy cut an extra branch of leaves, added the sentiment and some embellishments and and we were done.

Today is a "what am I going to do kind of day".  No plans, nothing that needs to be done, can't work outside because of the air quality . . . I am sure I will find something just don't know what it is yet!!

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 3, 2025

Tasteful Touches (Retired)

Today's card is one I received in the mail that uses a retired stamp set . . . Tasteful Touches.  I thought it would make a great Cards in the Mail even though it uses some retired product.

This is a fun fold card with just the left side opening.  Once it is opened there is a white area for writing your message.  This would make a great masculine birthday or thank you card.  The possibilities are only limited by the stamp sets you have.

I started the day with an early morning haircut.  Luckily I got there and back before it started raining buckets.  I am hoping for a nice gentle rain all day today . . . it will make for a great reading or crafting day!!

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!

June 2, 2025

Spotlight on Nature and Tags of Thanks

Today I am sharing the swap I took to the domo meeting this weekend.  It is a fun fold using Spotlight on Nature and Tags if Thanks.  It uses one of my favorite patterns of designer series paper.

I started by stamping the flowers with Memento Black and coloring them in with Stampin' Blends.  At first I had the flower on the right a Summer Splash color to match the cardstock but everyone told me it looked kind of funky so I changed it to Petal Pink.  I do think I like that a little better.  The rest was just layering and building the card.

We made a card like this a while back at Make-It-Monday.  You can see it here.  

This is what the card looks like when it is opened up and standing up.  It takes quite a bit of paper but I really like this fold.

I made 24 of these and it did not take me long at all!!

When I am done with this I am makeing a trip to the jeweler in Washington to have my wedding ring looked at.  I think my prongs are coming loose and I don't want to lose anything.  I hope to do some stamping when I get home. 

Every day is a gift . . . make the most of the gift you have been given today!!

Happy Stamping!!