Stamp Off Sketch Challenge

Welcome to another Stamp Off Friday Challenge! This week, it’s a sketch challenge.

How fun is that? My card is not at all what I had planned, but I like the way it turned out.

I used some “leftovers” from a class to create this frosty winter scene. First, I adhered the strips of the gorgeous Feels Like Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP) to a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Night of Navy Cardstock. Next, I stamped the bare trees from the Winter Woods Stamp Set on Purple Posy Cardstock using Highland Heather Classic Ink. I used my Stamparatus to stamp the trees so that I could stamp over them with VersaMark ink. I wanted them to look frosty, but I still wanted the Highland Heather Ink to show through, so I used Heat and Stick Powder, one of my favorite retired Stampin’ Up!® products. You use it like embossing powder, heating it just until it melts. It’s very sticky, so you can add glitter without having a mess after. So cool. After the powder melted, I added Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.

In retrospect, I could have used Clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder mixed with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. That would have worked just as well, and all products would be current. So let’s pretend I did that.

The sentiment is from the Cup of Christmas Stamp Set. I stamped the sentiment in Whisper White Craft Ink on Night of Navy Cardstock, then embossed with the gorgeous Whisper White Shimmer Stampin’ Emboss Powder.

Everything is layered to a Purple Posy card base.

Please check out what Jackie and Susan have created this week. And if you want to give the sketch a try, please send me your creation!! I’ll happily post it here.

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!

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Thinking of You

I have a gorgeous card for you today. It was created by my friend Sandy for one of our demo team challenges. The challenge was to use something around the house to create a project. We always draw names for a winner of the challenge, and whoever wins gets all the entries. I won this time!! – so over the next few days, I’ll show you the rest of the cards.

All of the entries were amazing, and I was blown away by the creativity of these demonstrators! There was HVAC duct tape, tissue boxes, coffee cups, tags from clothing, and this.

How cool is this card? It uses my favorite designer series paper (DSP) from the Holiday Catalog – Feels Like Frost Specialty DSP. Apparently this DSP was a lot of people’s favorite, since it sold out very quickly. But, take heart if you missed it…You may see it again in the future.

This card is so elegant, but also very simple to create. First, cut the DSP at 4″ x 5-1/4″. Then cover the DSP with adhesive. I like to use a glue stick, because it gives you a little “wiggle room.” Place a used dryer sheet over the sticky DSP and smooth it out. Then either trim the excess or fold it to the back of the card. If you have a Silicone Craft Sheet, it’s much easier to make sure you completely cover the DSP with adhesive.

After you have the dryer sheet placed properly, sprinkle a little Dazzling Diamonds Stampin’ Glitter over the front, then shake off the excess. The glitter will stick to the adhesive through the dryer sheet.

Finally, add the DSP to a Night of Navy card base, then add a sentiment.

I love using the dryer sheet on this DSP, because it’s like an extra layer of frost. But you can use it over any DSP or even a stamped image. Just be sure the ink is totally dry – and you may want to give it a shot with your heat tool to set the ink so it doesn’t smear when you add the adhesive.

Didn’t Sandy do a lovely job? I’m looking forward to showing you the rest of the cards, but first, I must finish my Christmas shopping. I thought I was finished until I started wrapping gifts. I realized that I had bought lots for Amelia, but the rest of the family came up very short.  That’s probably because Amelia and I walked through the toy department at WalMart, and we took pictures of everything she might like for Christmas. That gave me a lovely list to select from. Once kids grow up and stop giving Christmas wish lists, they’re much harder to buy for. (And, of course, their lists are much more expensive!)

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!

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Christmas in July

Happy Monday, Crafty friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are looking forward to an exciting week. The weather was lovely this weekend, so we swam a lot. Miss Amelia even swam without water wings! She took them off and was swimming in the shallow end of the pool when it started raining. Without thinking, she headed for the ladder, which is in the deep end. I don’t think she even knew what she was doing, but when she stopped for a second, she realized she was in water way over her head. Fortunately, by the time she had gotten past the three foot mark, I was beside her with one of the “floaties,” so I could grab her at any second. She didn’t panic; she just kept going until she reached the ladder. I was so proud of her, but she seemed to just take it in stride. Kids!

I thought since the new Stampin’ Up!® August – December Mini Catalog (aka “Holiday”) is launching in August, I’d give you a little preview. Actually, it’s not really a preview. While demonstrators can preorder this month, my order is still on the way, so I used the returning Feels Like Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP) and the Toile Christmas Stamp Set that carried over from last year to the current Annual Catalog.

I was so happy that the Feels Like Frost DSP returned for another season. Stampin’ Up!® rarely carries DSP over to a new catalog, and this was my favorite paper last year. In fact, several favorites returned to the mini catalog, and returning bundles are again offered at the discounted bundle rate!  So if there were awesome products you missed out on last year, you can snatch them up beginning in August!

For today’s card, I cut a piece of the DSP, layered it to Highland Heather and Purple Posy Cardstock, then added it to a Highland Heather card base. Easy! I added the stamped/die-cut banner from the Toile Christmas Stamp Set and Christmas Cardinal Dies using Misty Moonlight Ink on Seaside Spray Cardstock. I have promised myself to use more DSP and more ribbon before it retires, so I added a little of the Misty Moonlight/Silver Baker’s Twine from the Flowers for Every Season Ribbon Combo pack. I love how Stampin’ Up!® products coordinate so well!

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!

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Winter Woods on Gold Foil

This has been the fastest week ever, I think! I cannot believe it’s Friday already, can you? (Of course, they say time goes faster when you get older.)

Today, I have a Black Ice card for you. I got this idea from Sharon Armstrong, another Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.

Black Ice is a scary thing where I live. In the winter, when we get icy weather, it usually melts during the day when temperatures are a little higher and the sun is shining. While the ice and snow are gone, the roads are still a little wet, so if temperatures drop at night, the wet roads freeze. But you can’t see the ice; often it looks just like a dry road until you start spinning and sliding. So while I hate black ice when it refers to weather or road conditions, I love the technique.

For this card, I stamped the evergreen from the Winter Woods Stamp Set on a small piece of Gold Foil using Jet Black StazOn Ink. I heat set the ink, then dragged a Jet Black StazOn Pad over the foil from top to bottom and heat set again.

I’ve done the next step two ways. One way is to cover the entire piece of foil with VersaMark Ink. For this card, though, I dragged the side of the pad over the foil, much like I did with the StazOn. Then I sprinkled Clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder over the panel and melted it with my heat tool. (I think I prefer the “cover the entire panel with VersaMark” method.)

Isn’t that technique simple? I mounted to foil to a slightly larger layer of Basic Black Cardstock. The card base is Cherry Cobbler, but I wanted to mimic the ice, so I embossed the front with the Subtle 3D Embossing Folder before adding the other layers.

It’s a fairly safe bet that this will be a Christmas card, but I don’t have a sentiment yet. I’ll leave that for another day.

I used my new Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine to emboss the front of this card. (Demonstrators can preorder the machine now, but it will be available for everyone September 1.) I made my sandwich exactly like the directions on the plates – plate 1, card stock in embossing folder (hinge first), plate 4. I was shocked that the sandwich wouldn’t go through the machine, and I know not to force it. I read the directions three times before finally just using plate 3 instead of 4. And then it hit me.

My Subtle folder is an old one (“dynamic textured impressions embossing folder”), and the sandwich for those is to use plates 1 and 3, because the old folders are a little thicker. So – be sure when you’re embossing that you use the correct plate if you have older 3D folders. If they have more than just Stampin’ Up!® printed on them, you’ll need to use plate three. If they only say Stampin’ Up!®, plate 4 is fine. And never force your machine. If it gives you some resistance, step back and take a minute to see what the problem is!

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!

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Coming Home

Since Mike is a Real Estate Broker, any time Stampin’ Up!® releases a new stamp set or bundle with houses, I have to order it. They make fun cards to add to our “thanks for working with Cornerstone” gift bags at closing, as well as Christmas and thinking of you cards.

I love the Coming Home Bundle in the August-December Stampin’ Up!® Mini Catalog. It has such cute images. Here’s a card I made for a recent swap.

I almost didn’t post this, because the way 2020 has been so far, I didn’t want to risk being neck-deep in snow all winter! But I like this card, as well as the Brightly Gleaming Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP) don’t you? The paper is so beautiful with the copper accents. It’s another returning favorite from last year’s Holiday Mini Catalog.

For this card, I stamped the house on Whisper White Cardstock using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. Then I colored with Basic Black, Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight, Cinnamon Cider, and Real Red Stampin’ Blends. I just realized that if I had added black shutters and a big front porch, this could be our house – without the snow, of course!

To die-cut the house and snow drifts, I used the Home Together Dies which are part of the Coming Home Bundle. You can purchase the dies and stamps separately, but if you bundle them, you save 10%. Next I sponged a bit of Balmy Blue Ink along the edges of the snow so it wouldn’t be so flat.

This design is a little different from the ones I mailed out. One of my drifts slipped a little, so I added a tiny bit of Shaded Spruce on the trees so they’d stand out a little more.

Finally, I added the snow, house, and DSP to a Balmy Blue card base.

For our “in person” classes this month, we made little treat boxes using the Home Together Dies, Brightly Gleaming Specialty DSP, card stock, and Copper Foil Sheets.

These were so simple. First, we cut card stock to coordinate with the DSP colors – Night of Navy, Mossy Meadow, or Pretty Peacock. This one, of course, is Night of Navy. The paper is 3″ x 3″, which creates a 1″ cube when finished. Score all four sides at 1″, then snip on two opposite sides from the edge to the score line to create tabs.  Fold the edges up, tucking the tabs behind the front and back.

Next, die-cut the house front and back from the same color card stock as the box. Adhere a piece of Copper Foil to the front of the box, then add the house die-cut over it so the copper star peeks out. Add the plain house die-cut to the other end of the box and two 1″ squares of DSP to the sides. Easy! This box holds a few small candies. We were able to add three “fruit chews” to the box, but they were wedged very tightly. These will be fun treats to give out to clients, or for fun table favors at holiday dinners.

If you want a larger box, simply adjust the measurements (3″ x 3-1/2″ for a 1″ x 1-1/2″ box, for example).

Remember, you have less than a week to redeem your Bonus Days Coupons! Don’t miss out on the savings.

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy! Have a lovely day.

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Sparkly Snowflake Wishes

Happy Wednesday, Everyone! Mike was shopping last week and sent me a photo. Christmas decorations were already on display. While it seemed a little early for premade decorations, I understand why crafters need supplies early. We need time to gather ideas, order our supplies, and then make the projects. So here’s a fun and simple holiday card idea.

I love sparkle for the holidays. (Oh, I’m not fooling anyone. I love sparkle and shimmer all the time!) For this card, I started with a Highland Heather card base, then embossed a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Whisper White Cardstock with the Winter Snow Embossing Folder from the Stampin’ Up!® August-December Mini Catalog (ADMC).

The 2″ x 5-1/4″ Snowflake Splendor Designer Series Paper (DSP) is layered to a 2-1/4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Coastal Cabana Cardstock. (Tip: to save paper, you can simply cut two 3/4″ x 5-1/4″ pieces of Coastal Cabana Cardstock and glue them to the back of the DSP.) Before I glued the DSP to the card stock, I stamped the sentiment from Poinsettia Petals in Highland Heather at the top.

I absolutely love the Balmy Blue Glimmer Paper, also in the ADMC. You get the gorgeousness and “wow” of glitter, but the sparkle isn’t not going to flake off and leave glitter all over your house. Or your husband and kids. I don’t mind the extra shimmer in my house, but Mike doesn’t always enjoy meeting clients with a sparkly face.

I die-cut a Balmy Blue Glimmer snowflake using the So Many Snowflakes Dies. These dies coordinate with the Snowflake Wishes Stamp Set, and, you guessed it, if you bundle the dies and stamp set, you’ll save 10%. I added the snowflake and some Rhinestone Basic Jewels to the card.

So here’s a glitter story for you. I may have mentioned that Amelia has a dress that has a glittery skirt. She sent it home with me one day, because no one else will let her wear it because she leaves a trail of glitter.

We were playing “Beauty Shop,” and she was sitting in Mike’s desk chair. When she got up, we saw that the chair was covered in glitter. “Will Mike be mad?” Amelia asked me. Of course I assured her that he would never be mad at her, but maybe we could get some of the glitter off the chair. We did get most of it, and she had fun following him around after he got home to see if he had a glittery tush. My husband is a very good sport!

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. I hope your day sparkles!

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Poinsettia Petals for a Blue Christmas

Hello, Stamping Friends! I’ve been playing with some old background techniques, and one of my favorites is the “Faux Patina.” It had been many years since I had visited this technique when I found it again in September. You can see my last post using it here.

Since I usually use browns and greens for this technique, I decided to try it with some blues and Silver Stampin’ Emboss Powder. I love the way this turned out.

For this technique, you need Whisper White or Very Vanilla Cardstock, an embossing folder, four coordinating ink colors (two on the lighter side and two darker), Stamping Sponges, a VersaMark Pad, embossing powder, and a heat tool.

First, ink the inside of the embossing folder (the side with the Stampin’ Up!® logo) using the lightest ink. I used Smoky Slate Classic Ink, the Parisian Flourish 3D Embossing Folder, and Whisper White Cardstock.

Place your cardstock carefully in the inked folder, then run through the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. Let the card stock rest a minute while you rinse the ink off the embossing folder.

Next take a sponge wedge and lightly add the other light color. Balmy Blue was my choice. Don’t cover the entire area; just add touches here and there. Repeat two more times with the darker colors, again adding ink lightly and not covering the entire panel. I used Misty Moonlight for this step, then Night of Navy for the fourth inking.

Give the ink a minute to dry. You can also heat with the Heat Tool.

Add VersaMark to the inked panel. You can use “direct to paper.” That’s what I did on this card, but I think I like using a sponge a little better. That way you don’t cover too much of the panel, and you don’t get rectangles of VersaMark. Use a light touch; the more VersaMark you use, the more your panel will be embossed and your lovely “inking” won’t show. You can always add more later. I think I have a little too much on this card, but it makes it more frosty and wintery, so I’m ok with it.

Add Stampin’ Emboss Powder over the VersaMark (I used Silver). This is why you want the classic ink to be dry. If it’s still wet, the powder will stick to it and you’ll have more embossing than you might want. If this happens, simply flick the back of the card stock with your finger before you melt the powder with your Heat Tool.

That’s all there is to the technique. It sounds long, but I made the background for my Blue Christmas card in about 5-10 minutes – and that included washing the ink off the embossing folder.

To finish it off, I used the Poinsettia Petals Bundle from the August-December Mini Catalog. This bundle includes the Poinsettia Petals Stamp Set (used for the sentiment) and the Poinsettia Dies. The dies are amazing, because you can cut and emboss leaves at the same time! My poinsettias are Whisper White with Daffodil Delight centers, and the other leaves are Balmy Blue. I added some extra “filler” cut from Champagne Foil Sheets and Balmy Blue Glimmer Paper.

I punched the sentiment tag using the Banners Pick a Punch, then added a piece of Seaside Spray Metallic Ribbon to the Balmy Blue card.

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day – and if you live in the USA, please remember to vote tomorrow if you haven’t already!

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Stars Are Shining

Welcome back, my crafty friends! We’ve made it to another Friday. I’m looking forward to this weekend. We have nothing planned so I get to stay home and craft all weekend! I’m starting the morning by cleaning up the craft room and putting all my things away. I’ve been playing with some new products, and have a lot of stuff that I have ideas for sitting on my stamp table so I won’t forget to use them. But it’s time they found their permanent home.

I’m so excited about my card for today. Susan made me a set of templates several years ago so I could make wreath or “circle” cards. Here’s what they look like.

To use them, you cut your card stock the size of the inside square, then place it into the opening. Using your Stamparatus, turn the square so that you end up stamping eight times.

One of my friends sent me a video showing how to just draw the template on a Stamparatus Grid Sheet. For my version, simply cut a square of cardboard, then trace around it with a permanent marker; turn it and trace again. This is a great way to create a wreath card if you don’t have a template.

Keep turning your card stock until you get back to the beginning. Then you can change stamps and colors if you’d like. I prefer my template from Susan, of course, but the other way works in a pinch.

Here’s a card I made with the smaller template from Susan.

I used the Stars Are Shining Stamp Set to create this card. I started with the large ornament in the corner and stamped in a different color each time I turned the Basic White Cardstock. The colors I used were Misty Moonlight, Garden Green, Crushed Curry, Real Red, Fresh Freesia, Pumpkin Pie, Bermuda Bay, and Magenta Madness. Then I added another stamp and went around again using the same colors. After the third time around with the smallest stamp, I was happy. The Joy to the World sentiment seemed to fit with the ornaments and happy colors, so I stamped it in the center using Blackberry Bliss Classic Ink.

I rounded the corners using the Detailed Trio Punch and added it to a 4-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ card base. The square corners on the Blackberry Bliss card base seemed a little harsh, so I rounded those as well.

Of course, Christmas cards always need a little shimmer, so I added some Holiday Rhinestone Basic Jewels. Even though this card does have red and green ornaments, it also uses some pretty non-traditional colors, which I think is always fun.

By the way, the Stars Are Shining Stamp Set includes some beautiful stars in different shapes and sizes, and there’s a punch that coordinates with the stars. If you purchase the stamp Set and Starlit Punch together, you can save 10%.

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!

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Splendid Thoughts Mystery Card #3

Happy Friday, Stampers! Every Wednesday in October, Shannon West, the Stampin’ Up!® Demonstrator Development Manager (DDM) for the Great Lakes Region of the United States, along with one other DDM from the US, has presented a “Mystery Card” using the Splendid Thoughts Bundle from the July-December Mini Catalog. On Monday, we’re given a supply list, and then on Wednesday, Shannon and her guest present a card for us to create. It’s so relaxing, because we are stamping just for fun. And Shannon, of course, is a fabulous presenter. The cards are fairly simple, but each week, Shannon has shown a technique or product we may not have used before. Here’s the card from week three (October 19).

This card uses the Gilded Leafing that we’ve had for a year or so. I love it. It’s so easy to use. For this week’s card, the idea was to use a background stamp inked in Versamark to stamp on the Soft Succulent layer. I discovered I don’t have a current background stamp, but since I knew it would be a Christmas Card, I used the Merry Melody 3D Embossing Folder instead. I inked the folder with Versamark (on the side with the Stampin’ Up! logo), then ran it through my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine with the Soft Succulent Cardstock.

Next, I covered the card stock with Heat & Stick Powder. This works so well with the Gilded Leafing, and I’m so glad we have Heat & Stick again. You use it like Embossing Powder, but you need to be very sure you do not overheat the powder. As soon as it’s melted, move to another area – and it doesn’t take long to melt. Overheating will cause it to lose its stickiness. You may be tempted to touch it to be sure it’s sticky. Do NOT yield to that temptation! Touching it will also cause it to “de-stickify.” (That’s a made-up word, but I’ll bet you understood what I was saying! And aren’t all words made-up once?)

Now it’s time to add the Gilded Leafing. The easiest way to use it is to dump the entire jar of leafing into a box with a tight lid. I bought a plastic shoebox from the dollar store, and it works perfectly. Simply place your card stock sticky side down into the leafing. You can press the leafing into the sticky areas, then use a Blending Brush or sponge to remove the excess leafing. I prefer a sponge, and I leave one in the box with the leafing so it will always be ready.

All that’s left is to add the stamped/die-cut pieces, the bow, and the sentiment. The bow is Soft Succulent Satin Shimmer Ribbon, and the sentiment is gold embossed on a Real Red Die-cut from the Splendid Stems Dies.

One of the things I love most about Shannon’s Mystery Card Events is almost everything she uses is from the Splendid Thoughts Bundle, including the sentiments. However, even though the Splendid Thoughts Bundle is in the Mini Catalog with holiday products, there are no Christmas sentiments in the bundle; it’s more of an all-occasion set. So I used a sentiment from the Regal Reindeer Stamp Set for my greeting.

I can’t wait to show you the card from week four (October 26). It was a little sad when it was over, but, hopefully, Shannon will offer more events like this.

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day and a wonderful weekend!

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Good Things Come in Small Packages

Welcome back to Stamping with Buffy! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I heard someone say, “Only 21 more days until Christmas!” Of course, that was yesterday, so now it’s 20 days. EEK! I am totally not ready. I’m still working on cards, and I am way behind on my gift buying. I think I have one ready to go. But I’ve been having fun with family! Sunday was Garrett’s birthday (Amelia’s step-dad), and the town he lives in had a Christmas parade. My niece was in the parade, so I picked her and mom up, dropped Beth off at the staging area, headed to Stephanie’s with pizzas, and watched the parade with them. After the parade, the rest of the kids dropped in to share pizza and cake. And KUDOS to my daughter-in-law Katelyn. We spent most of Saturday shopping, then she made all the pizza dough. It was awesome! She also baked the cake and iced it. (So, basically, she did almost everything!)

I would much rather spend time enjoying my family than stressing over stuff that won’t matter in six months. So everyone may just get money or gift cards this year. But gift cards can still be special. This month’s Paper Pumpkin Kit from Stampin’ Up!® can help with that.

You can create fun gift card holders to help you celebrate your special occasions all year long! Personalize each gift with these reversible boxes and paper bands for a unique design every time. This kit comes with enough supplies for you to make 16 different gift card holders—2 each of 8 designs. It also has an all-occasion stamp set and enough paper pieces to make your craft really pop! No matter what the occasion or who the recipient is, this is a coordinated paper craft that everyone will love and appreciate!

Plus, this month you can take your crafting even further with a special add-on! Give a gift card and a personalized card with the Good Things Cards & Envelopes add-on. You get 20 cards (5 each of 4 designs) and 20 coordinating envelopes. Add-ons are live during the subscription period but will only be available while supplies last, so don’t wait!

Aren’t these much nicer than the generic ones in the store? I think so! You can order a “pre-paid” 1-, 3-, 6-, or 12-month subscription from my store, or you can subscribe monthly here. Monthly subscriptions can be canceled any time, and you can put them on hold if you need to. Plus, subscribers can order add-ons and past kits and refills. To get the December kit, you need to subscribe or order a pre-paid subscription by December 10.

You can also order the Christmas card kit, Cozy & Bright, to make your Christmas card sending easier. This card kit that has everything you need to make 12 festive cards. Wish those you love a merry Christmas and a joyous New Year with classic pine, cinnamon, and orange designs that will warm any heart. And the gold foil details add that special something to these seasonal designs. Don’t let the holidays overwhelm you–get your all-inclusive kit and make quick multiples everyone will love!

Wishing you a calm and happy holiday season! Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!