I made this card when I was playing around with ideas for the Stamp With Me, Get It Free! class featuring the Bird Banter set in February. I had made a few sheets of the Whisper White cardstock marbled with reinkers on shaving cream, and was looking for ways to incorporate it with the birdies.

I stamped the pair of parakeets and colored them with Stampin’ Blends and cut them out. Instead of having them stand on a branch, I decided to make them a nest. Do you recognize the framelit that I used to make the nest? It’s one of the lids from the Coffee Cups framelits:

After cutting it out of Soft Suede cardstock I ran it through the Big Shot with the Basket Weave Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (available through the end of March as a Sale-A-Bration choice bundled with the Blossoming Basket stamp set, or by itself in the upcoming Annual Catalog in June). Then I sponged it lightly with Soft Suede ink to add shading.

I stamped the branch directly on the marbled square and colored in the leaves with my Garden Green Stampin’ Write Marker, and stamped the sentiment on the Whisper White layer, using Soft Suede for both. A fun way to flex my creativity!

At the end of February I offered the first of a new series of classes I'm calling, "Stamp with Me, Get it Free!"  We made 4 cards that featured the Bird Banter stamp set, and each participant got to take home that set to make more cards of their own.  Here's what we made:

This was inspired by a card I saw by Sarah Berry, but I made some changes.  First, I used the Foil Frenzy DSP for the entire note card-sized card.  Then I used some retired Kraft cardstock for the mat under the image panel. I also changed up which bird we used.  I kept the neat way she stamped, punched and mounted the sentiment, colored the background with Stampin' Blends, and paper-pieced the balloon that was stamped after masking the bird.  It just so happened that the February Paper Pumpkin kit had Kraft note card-sized envelopes, so it all came together!

This one was CASE'd from Tracy Bradley.   It's pretty straightforward, with the strip of Petal Passion DSP providing just enough to balance the strong Cherry Cobbler and Whisper White.  Again, Stampin' Blends provided a quick and easy way to color in the toucan.

This note card was inspired by Karen Shallam.  I didn't have the same DSP as she used, so I substituted some from the Color Theory Designer Series Paper Stack.  Once again Stampin' Blends were used for coloring...on the head we blended Daffodil Delight and Pool Party to make the green.  Also note the fun shading on the balloon made by layering the Dark and Light Old Olive Stampin' Blends.

This card's layout comes from Carol Payne, but I changed up almost everything else. One of the attendees had a request to do the Shaving Cream Technique, so that's what we did to make the marbled paper.  We used the Lemon Lime Twist, Garden Green and Old Olive Re-Inkers to make it, so those are the Stampin' Write Markers we used to color in the bird (plus Daffodil Delight for the beak).  Where some of the colors mixed it looked like Soft Suede, so that determined the color of the mat.  I also liked the deep Garden Green for the card base, Starburst Punch behind the bird and the ribbon.

Want to see more ideas using the Bird Banter set?  Check out my Pinterest board: SU - Bird Banter!

April Monthly Class
Make 5 projects featuring a variety of techniques and great Stampin' Up! products.  Perfect for experienced and novice crafters!
$20 - all supplies included

RSVP Deadline:  Sunday, April 8

Tuesday, April 10
6:30 - 9:00 pm at Marilyn's House in Glendale

Wednesday, April 11
9:30 - noon in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale
6:30 - 9:00 pm in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale


Brusho Crystal Color Class
Learn different ways to use these exciting new powder watercolors featured on page 26 of the Occasions Catalog.
$20 - all supplies included

RSVP Deadline:  Sunday, April 22. 

Wednesday, April 25
9:30 - noon in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale
​6:30 - 9:00 pm in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale

This is a very quick-and-easy card that packs a huge impact.  You just need an 8.5" x 5.5" card base scored as usual at 4.25".  Then, to make the "fancy fold" score one more time at one end at 1.25".  Fold the card closed as normal, and then fold back the small flap to make a z-fold:

Then you need one piece of Designer Series Paper cut to 4.25" x 5.5".  For this card I used these very pretty oranges from the Whole Lot of Lovely DSP.  Cut 1.25" off the long edge.  Adhere the larger piece on the front of the card, under the small flap.  Adhere the small piece on the inside of back of the card, right at the edge so it shows when the card is closed. 

I used the Lemon Zest set to make the orange slice...inking up the entire image in Peekaboo Peach and running my Tangerine Tango Stampin' Write Marker around to color the peel.  The leaves were made with the same set using Pear Pizzazz ink and cardstock and coordinating Lemon Punch.  Circle punches (or one could use Layering Circles Framelits) cut out the orange slice and Pool Party circle to layer it on.  The sentiment is from Lovely Wishes.

Super fast, super easy with a lot of Wow! factor.  Here's a version I did last year for Valentine's Day:

March Monthly Class
Make 5 projects featuring a variety of techniques and great Stampin' Up! products.  Perfect for experienced and novice crafters!
$20 - all supplies included
RSVP Deadline:  Sunday, March 4

Tuesday, March 6
6:30 - 9:00 pm at Ellen's House in Peoria (near 75th Ave & Deer Valley Rd)
Wednesday, March 7
9:30 - noon in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale
6:30 - 9:00 pm in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale


Stamp with Me, Get it Free!
Come make some cards featuring the fun, new
In The Trees stamps (OC p.35), and take home your own set! Because I need to order the stamp sets, an earlier reservation deadline and prepayment will be required.

Cost is $20 - I will send you a PayPal invoice once you RSVP or you can mail me a check.
RSVP Deadline:  Sunday, March 4. 
Wednesday, March 21
9:30 - noon in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale
6:30 - 9:00 pm in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale
This class is also available as a Class-in-the-Mail, with all card supplies and written directions supplied. Send me an email to reserve your class kit.

Happy birthday to us! March 2018 is Paper Pumpkin’s 5th anniversary and we are kicking it off with a truly exciting campaign. Not only are we celebrating five years of creating and sharing together, but we also want to say thank you to all of our demonstrators and customers who have helped us reach this great milestone. And what better way to do that than with a March kit which includes a fantastic, FREE gift and a specially designed, one-of-a-kind box? This kit is gorgeous, collectible, and is almost sure to go down in Paper Pumpkin history as an all-time customer favorite! 
Promotion Details

• The free gift complements the kit but is not needed to complete the kit.
• The free gift is exclusive to the March Paper Pumpkin kit and cannot be found anywhere else. 
• The free gift is a crafting product with a wide range of use that can be used on a variety of papercrafting projects.
• The free gift holds an approximate retail value of $6-$8 USD/$8-$10 CAD when compared to similar products offered by Stampin’ Up!.
• Subscribe between February 11–March 10 at 11:50 PM (MT).

BONUS:  Purchase a 3-month or longer prepaid subscription
​and qualify for FREE Sale-A-Bration Item(s)!

The Floral Statements set incorporates bold text with beautiful flowers that are very fun to color.  Stamping in Memento Basic Black on Crumb Cake cardstock allowed me to create a soft, antique look.  I used the Stampin' Blends to color the roses in both Light and Dark Old Olive, Light Daffodil Delight and Light and Dark Calypso Coral.  I outlined everything with the Crumb Cake Light Stampin' Blend, which created a shadow to help the image pop.  I'm sorry the picture turned out so dark, because it mutes the colors.

I simply mounted the image panel on a layer of Basic Black and a Crumb Cake card base.  I've really been into easy-to-mail cards recently, without a bulky embellishments.

What have you made recently?  Send me a picture!

Happy birthday to us! March 2018 is Paper Pumpkin’s 5th anniversary and we are kicking it off with a truly exciting campaign. Not only are we celebrating five years of creating and sharing together, but we also want to say thank you to all of our demonstrators and customers who have helped us reach this great milestone. And what better way to do that than with a March kit which includes a fantastic, FREE gift and a specially designed, one-of-a-kind box? This kit is gorgeous, collectible, and is almost sure to go down in Paper Pumpkin history as an all-time customer favorite! 
Promotion Details

• The free gift complements the kit but is not needed to complete the kit.
• The free gift is exclusive to the March Paper Pumpkin kit and cannot be found anywhere else. 
• The free gift is a crafting product with a wide range of use that can be used on a variety of papercrafting projects.
• The free gift holds an approximate retail value of $6-$8 USD/$8-$10 CAD when compared to similar products offered by Stampin’ Up!.
• Subscribe between February 11–March 10 at 11:50 PM (MT).

BONUS:  Purchase a 3-month or longer prepaid subscription
​and qualify for FREE Sale-A-Bration Item(s)!

March Monthly Class
Make 5 projects featuring a variety of techniques and great Stampin' Up! products.  Perfect for experienced and novice crafters!
$20 - all supplies included
RSVP Deadline:  Sunday, March 4

Tuesday, March 6
6:30 - 9:00 pm at Ellen's House in Peoria (near 75th Ave & Deer Valley Rd)
Wednesday, March 7
9:30 - noon in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale
6:30 - 9:00 pm in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale


Stamp with Me, Get it Free!
Come make some cards featuring the fun, new
In The Trees stamps (OC p.35), and take home your own set! Because I need to order the stamp sets, an earlier reservation deadline and prepayment will be required.

Cost is $20 - I will send you a PayPal invoice once you RSVP or you can mail me a check.
RSVP Deadline:  Sunday, March 4. 
Wednesday, March 21
9:30 - noon in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale
6:30 - 9:00 pm in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale
This class is also available as a Class-in-the-Mail, with all card supplies and written directions supplied. Send me an email to reserve your class kit.

Were you as disappointed as I was when Stampin' Up! announced that the Picture Perfect Paper Ribbon from p. 5 of the Occasions Catalog would not be available?  You may not have heard why:  environmental audits in China closed down factories all over the country, and SU's supplier was unable ship it in time for the Occasions Catalog sales period.

I decided to take this as a challenge, and pulled out my Silhouette Cameo e-cutter.  I developed a template to cut my own out of card stock, which I then crumpled up a bit and was able to separate into 2 layers.  I used some on this card:

I CASE'd the basic idea from Jacque Williams, but changed it up to make it my own.  You can see that I used a white gel pen to add faux stitching on the paper ribbon, since Stampin' Up!'s ribbon appears to be stitched.  Those color-coordinated pearls?  Just our regular pearls colored with the Rich Razzleberry Dark Stampin' Blends marker.

If you'd like to have my cut file to make your own paper ribbon, just send me an email and I'd be happy to share!

March Monthly Class
Make 5 projects featuring a variety of techniques and great Stampin' Up! products.  Perfect for experienced and novice crafters!
$20 - all supplies included
RSVP Deadline:  Sunday, March 4

Tuesday, March 6
6:30 - 9:00 pm at Ellen's House in Peoria (near 75th Ave & Deer Valley Rd)
Wednesday, March 7
9:30 - noon in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale
6:30 - 9:00 pm in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale


Stamp with Me, Get it Free!
Come make some cards featuring the fun, new
In The Trees stamps (OC p.35), and take home your own set! Because I need to order the stamp sets, an earlier reservation deadline and prepayment will be required.

Cost is $20 - I will send you a PayPal invoice once you RSVP or you can mail me a check.
RSVP Deadline:  Sunday, March 4. 
Wednesday, March 21
9:30 - noon in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale
6:30 - 9:00 pm in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale
This class is also available as a Class-in-the-Mail, with all card supplies and written directions supplied. Send me an email to reserve your class kit.

I'm playing catch-up today after my parents' week-long visit.  In the meantime, enjoy this video from Stampin' Up! featuring Shannon West showing off the new Blooming Basket Bundle available with a qualifying purchase during Sale-A-Bration.  She shows a few ways to use both items in the bundle...enjoy!

Hi everyone!  I'm taking a short blogging break this week while my parents are visiting us here in not-so-sunny Arizona (that should change as of tomorrow).  I did want to pop in though to let you know that a second selection of products is now available to earn for FREE with a minimum $50 purchase.  They, along with the original collection, are available while supplies last through March 31.  Click on the cover pictures below to see both brochures, and then head to my online store to place your order!  

Here's a look at what we made at this month's card class.  If you'd like to get in on the fun scroll down to find out about the Stamp With Me, Get It Free sessions later this month, as well as the March Monthly Card Class.

We used the Bubble Over Bundle to make these cards.  Participants could choose whether to make a valentine (left) or birthday card (right).  The patterned papers are opposite sides of the same sheet from the Bubbles & Fizz Designer Series Paper, one of the FREE selections available with a $50+ purchase during Sale-A-Bration.  The valentine sentiments are from the January 2018 Paper Pumpkin kit, Heartfelt Love Notes.  We also used the Scattered Sequins Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, and Tutti-frutti Adhesive-Backed Sequins.

This card features the Flying Home stamp set, and was designed by Connie Babbert. After stamping the image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, we colored it in with Stampin' Blends.  The sentiment is from the Oh Happy Day card kit's stamp set.  We used the Seaside embossing folder on the Soft Sky, So Saffron and Basic Gray panels.

This card features the main image from the Lots of Lavender Sale-A-Bration set.  It's CASE'd from Cindy Elam.  The simple design layers a lot of texture with pops of color for a striking design.  We didn't include a sentiment since it's appropriate for many different occasions.

This notecard was inspired by Jennifer Pauli, a German demonstrator.  She used a different strip of DSP (this is from Naturally Eclectic), a different sentiment (this one is from Thoughtful Banners), and a different butterfly stamp (this is one I made by cutting out one of the Butterflies Thinlits in fun foam from a big box craft store and using it as a stamp).  We stamped the butterfly in Fresh Fig ink and quickly sprinkled it with Clear Embossing Powder and melted it with my heat tool.    A scattering of "fairy dust" from the speckle stamp in the Waterfront stamp set and the antennae from the Watercolor Wishes set finished it off.

These Polaroid Birthday cards are CASE'd from Mercedes Weber.  It's a fun and festive design that will work for just about anybody.  Participants were offered a choice of several photo designs from the Picture Perfect Designer Series Paper Stack.  This DSP has photos on one side and complementary graphic images on the back...the stripes being one, with several more featured on the packages in the photo on my card.  To make the "Polaroid" frame cut a piece of Whisper White to 3 ¼" x 4" and use the largest Layering Squares Framelit to cut out the picture area.  We also used either the Oh My Stars or Polka Dot Basics Embossing Folders on the black layer.  The star was cut out from Silver Glimmer Paper with the now-retired Medium Star Punch.

​For the same cost as my regular monthly card class you get to make a handful of projects featuring a current product, then take your very own set home to keep creating with.  What's not to love about that?

Because I need to order the stamp sets, an earlier reservation deadline and prepayment will be required.

Cost is $20 - I will send you a PayPal invoice once you RSVP or you can mail me a check.

​This class is also available by mail...contact me for more information.

RSVP Deadline:  Sunday, February 11. 

Wednesday, February 28
9:30 - noon in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale
6:30 - 9:00 pm in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale

Here are some examples of cards I made with this set.  
​Note: we will be making different cards in class.

Hope you've had a great Monday...today I'm sharing this video Stampin' Up! produced for the 2012 Annual Convention as a fun, upbeat earworm to brighten your day.  You also get a peek inside the Stampin' Up! home office. Does it get your blood and creative juices going?

Remember, do something creative every day!

You've got one more week to reserve your spot at my new offering: Stamp With Me, Get It Free!  On February 28, we'll be making fun projects with the Bird Banter stamp set.

Adult coloring books may still be very popular, but I like that I can color this awesome DSP and make a card to share with someone!

This one features a small piece of Petal Passion Designer Series Paper colored with Stampin' Blends Alcohol Ink Markers.  They are available in pairs of colors that make blending and shading so easy!  Once colored I matted it on Basic Black and added a sentiment from the Lots of Happiness Card Kit.  Then I adhered a piece of Delightful Daisy DSP to a Calypso Coral card base and layered on the focal image and sentiment.

Come make your own set of cards!  While I can't show you what we'll be making, I can assure you that there will be another group of fun cards featuring awesome Stampin' Up! products. Perfect for experienced and novice crafters!
$20 - all supplies included
RSVP Deadline:  Sunday, February 4
Tuesday, February 6
6:30 - 9:00 pm at Ellen's House in Peoria (near 75th Ave & Deer Valley Rd)
Wednesday, February 7
9:30 - noon in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale
6:30 - 9:00 pm in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale


New! Stamp with Me, Get it Free!
Come make some cards featuring the fun, new Bird Banter stamps (OC p. 42), and take home your own set! Because I need to order the stamp sets, an earlier reservation deadline and prepayment will be required.

Cost is $20 - I will send you a PayPal invoice once you RSVP or you can mail me a check.

​This class is also available by mail...contact me for more information

RSVP Deadline:  Sunday, February 11. 

Wednesday, February 28
9:30 - noon in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale
6:30 - 9:00 pm in Nancy's Craft Room in Scottsdale