What's Cookin' ??

Hey Stampers!

How's your summer going so far? Are you "cookin' " in all this heat? That pun was intended as I have something "cooked" up for you today with a fun new bundle called "What's Cookin' " Even if you aren't the most spectacular chef that you know, you will have fun with this fun set of stamps and dies with a tasty cooking theme. Here's the card we made in a recent card class with this bundle:

I thought this muted color scheme was great for a guy or a gal that love to play in the kitchen as their form of relaxation and creativity.  For this card, we used a combination of the stamps and dies to create all the pieces and kept it pretty simple with a black/white buffalo check background (Did you SEE that one of the Hostess redemptions in the Annual Catalog is a HUGE pack of paper? That's where this paper came from.)  We added some color with a Real Red mixing bowl and some Soft Succulent measuring cups. 

Here's a peak at the bundle so you can see all the goodies included. Note that the stamps are the "Distinktive" style so you get an even richer texture when you stamp!

I have some other ideas "cookin" on the back burner with this set so I'll be back in the future with more inspiration for you.  Meanwhile, I have houseguests coming tonight so I've got some "cookin' " in my future!

Until next time,

Sarah

Many Messages for Many Happenings all on a Spiral Dye

 Hey Stampers!

I didn't want this week to close out without touching base with my blog community! I've been busy holding a HUGE retired Stampin'Up! product garage sale this week so that kept me busy deep cleaning the stamp room, sorting what I need to sell and what I want to keep, setting it all up and selling! I'm not done yet and have one more day so if you live in the Bozeman, Montana area, message me and I'll get you the details! Lots of deals and steals!

The title of today's post is a bit of a riddle which hints at the products I used for this card:

I used several things that I hadn't played with yet including the "Spiral Dye" background stamp using Pumpkin Pie and Highland Heather inks, the Many Messages die and the "Many Happenings" stamp set. I was so glad that they created another stamp set to coordinate with the Many Messages die. Who doesn't love to be able to get more use and versatility out of our stamps and dies!

The Spiral Die takes a tad bit of practice. The trick is to stamp it with one color, rotate it 180 degrees and stamp with the other color. I tried doing it free handed and with the Stamparatus and neither one were perfectly aligned, but it was still fun. I'm going to experiment some more with other colors and heat embossing next!

Guess what, there are only about 2 more weeks of the selling period for the Jan-June Mini Catalog! We were first introduced back in mid December and now it's almost done! I encourage you to take another look through it and get what you want before it's gone. You know you don't want to have any regrets down the road!!

I'm also getting ready to send out the newest mini, Jul-Dec, which features all the fall and winter holidays! Let me know if you want to be on my mailing list and I'll get one to you. I send these out through Stampin'Up! so I need to hear from you by June 29th! 

Thanks for stopping by and I want to encourage you to do some stamping this summer! It's great therapy no matter the season and you won't be sorry you took a little time to be creative. 

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

Soft Pastels Assortment - Two Techniques!

 Hi Friends!

I hope you've had a chance to peruse the new 2021-2022 Annual Catalog from Stampin'Up! It's a winner for sure and hidden towards the back, on page 126 you'll find a real gem of a product! We now carry soft pastels chalk for all your coloring, creating and awe-inspiring ideas! I played with these recently and wanted to share my results. I know there are many more techniques and ways to use them but these were two fun and easy ways to get started and get your hands dirty (literally)!

The first technique involves the soft pastels and a water painter, filled with water. Here's the card:

I love to make silhouette cards and ones with pretty landscapes are really fun! I used the soft pastels colors of Mossy Meadow, Bermuda Bay, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody and Poppy Parade, starting from the bottom to the top. After I had colored the chalk on from bottom to top, I used the medium brush Water Painter to add water to the soft pastel in sweeping horizontal motions.  The bundle I used for the canopy of trees and the fabulous sentiment is the "Inspired Thoughts" bundle. If you need a fresh update on your supply of sentiments, you NEED this stamp set and who wouldn't want the trees as well!

My second technique involved Versamark ink. I used the "Biggest Wish" stamp set, combined two stamps on the same acrylic block and stamped with Versamark ink on a 2-1/4" by 4" piece of Very Vanilla cardstock. I then gently rubbed the Bermuda Bay pastel across the entire piece of cardstock. The powder residue from the pastel stuck to the Versamark ink and highlighted the sentiment while leaving a lighter shade of color on the rest of the piece of cardstock. I love this fun technique! Here's the card:

My other stamping was done with the "Color and Contour" stamp set and Crumb Cake ink. I added some shimmer ribbon and a cute bumblebee!

I have a quick "How-to" video demonstrating the techniques used on both of these cards as I'm learning we are mostly visual learners and we love watching how someone did something! 

I hope you'll add the "Soft Pastels Assortment" to your next order! They are relatively inexpensive at $9 and I'm anticipating they will last me a long time! Have fun with experimenting with them, just don't head to your sidewalks! That would use them up in a hurry, haha!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

The Sweet Strawberry bundle is available again!!

 Good news folks! The very popular Sweet Strawberry Bundle is available again for purchase! This sold out early in February and has been AWOL since then! It recently returned to the lineup and I know a few of you will be glad you can finally get your hands on it! I featured it on my blog months ago but decided it was worth a shout out since it is back in the store! Here are some fun cards I made with it and also a "how-to" video, using a nifty template!

And a video featuring this card!

If you want a Sweet Strawberry bundle of your very own, head on over to the online store and click on this!

Sweet Strawberry bundle!

I can't wait to make some more cards - woohoo!!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

Expressions in Ink - Calm, Serene and Beautiful!

 Hi Stampin' Friends!

I thought I would hop on my blog and share a card we made at my card class today! We used the fabulous new bundle, "Expressions in Ink" which is featured on the cover of the new 2021-2022 Annual Catalog as well as pages 96-97 inside. Most of the samples coordinate with the accompanying Designer Series Paper so I wanted to try something with a different color scheme and see what happened. Ta da.....

Isn't that one of the most peaceful and tranquil color schemes ever?  For the serious SU stampers, you'll want to know I used Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay and Pretty Peacock (retired) inks to stamp a gorgeous background on Shimmery White card stock.  This fun bundle also includes several dies and I used the leafy sprig, cut from Shimmery White card stock to feature on this background.  The great thing about using several different shades of any color, in this case blue/green, is you can search your ribbon stash for either current or retired ribbon in these shades for some ribbon accent. I wanted to use the "Best Wishes" sentiment for this card to give me the option of using it for a wedding, anniversary or birthday.  I often create the outside of a card and leave the inside blank until I decide what I'm using the card for.  

I jumped on Facebook Live to demonstrate my stamping and share some info on where I purchase the magnet sheets I use to hold my dies in their envelope in a bit of an order. 

Here's a closeup of the bundle itself!

I hope you enjoyed seeing some alternate options with this gorgeous stamp set and fun coordinating dies. I'll be reaching for this bundle again and be back with more ideas soon!

Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

Sarah