Retiring colors list

I have the list of colors that are going to be retired and thought I should post them so that y'all have the opportunity to get the old style pads, reinkers, markers or cardstock. If you want to buy any of these you should do that as soon as you possibly can because when they are gone... they're gone!

On May 31, 2018, thirteen colors are retiring.

• Always Artichoke
• Chocolate Chip
• Elegant Eggplant
• Island Indigo
• Marina Mist
• Perfect Plum
• Pink Pirouette
• Rose Red
• Soft Sky
• Tangerine Tango
• Tempting Turquoise
• Wild Wasabi
• Wisteria Wonder

I'm not willing to let most of this list go! How can I get along without Wisteria Wonder or Tempting Turquoise... Perfect Plum... Marina Mist???? I could go on but you get the idea! I'll still be using the old colors but integrating the new ones so I can have a super duper ink palette! Some of you will be happy about that, some not so much, but that is my plan!

So bring on the new colors Stampin' Up! I'm dying to share them!

Happy Stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Petal Palette all Occasion Card

I've been thinking about butterflies a lot lately. Maybe it's because Heartfelt Creations came out with a Butterfly Dreams collection (which I don't use on this card!) or maybe it's because there have been a lot of butterflies visiting my backyard. Whatever the reason, I'm sharing this Wednesday card that uses Stampin' Up!'s Petal Palette stamp set.

You can use this layout for just about any occasion you can think of and it looks fresh and spring-y! Here's the video!

What to do with paper scraps.....

Step 1 Get all your scraps out. 
Step 2 Cut and punch them into a whole lotta shapes.
Step 3 Put them in a big plastic bin.
Step 4 Add one small boy

I keep a tape runner handy since some of his paper "things" get upgraded to sticky "things"! But best of all, this activity buys grandmom a few moments of rest! 

Take care and Happy Stampin'!

Floating Butterfly Mother's Day Card

The butterfly really does appear to just float above the card! It's amazingly sturdy too! I've given the butterfly quite the workout 'cause I just can't stop myself from giving it a little flick to make it jiggle! 

I've used a couple things you may need some help finding. I got both the Mother's Day Stamp set and the Justrite Script Background stamp on Amazon.com. Click on their names above and it should link you to them 😉

To view the video click here!

Have a Happy Crafting Day!

Stampin' Up! Color Revamp - Change is coming

Wow.... just wow. This has certainly given me something to think about. The new colors will be launched in the 2018-2019 Annual catalog and can be purchased starting June 1st.

Stampin' Up! has redesigned their ink pads and from what I've seen that will be a good thing! the new pads will stack easier, they are supposed to be easier to open, and they have a little color label that can be put on the INSIDE of the ink pad so the color is more easily identifiable when they're open. They also reformulated their inks. Good thing or bad? I don't know yet but you can be assured I will certainly have an opinion when I've had the chance to check it out!

They will retiring a bunch of the present colors, bringing back some old favorites, and adding new base colors as well as the yearly "in colors".

With all this swirling around in my mind, I've decided I will continue to use my old stamp pads. I will not be "retiring" any colors but I will be getting the new colors to add to my ink (and my cardstock & marker) palette. So when you are watching my videos there may be times when you don't have exactly the color I've used, especially if you are fairly new to cardmaking. On the other hand, if you have invested in the older inkpads, I think you will be delighted that I will still be using them. 

With this change, several of my crafting friends have decided that this would be a good time to retire themselves from the Stampin' Up! community. I can certainly understand that. Unless you have a huge customer base it can be expensive to maintain your demonstrator status. When you see us demo with a Stampin' Up! product, those were purchased by us. We do get a demonstrator discount but we don't receive any more freebees than a regular customer gets. So with all these new colors coming out, almost all of my budget for my June order is blown and I've skipped getting the reinkers (which I always advise to get) until my September order in order to get a couple of the new stamps. Getting the Stamparatus will also have to wait until September 😒😒

So, on my personal status, I've decided to stick with Stampin' Up! for the time being. I can't imagine NOT using their products but if you follow my videos you already know I don't have a problem liberally mixing in other brands. I do cardmaking first and foremost for me. I make what I like. Then I share it! It's my recreation and my therapy. If you ever wonder where I am I'll be making cards and videos!

Take care y'all and Happy Stampin'!

Gatefold with a Gate Mother's Day Card

I thought it would be so much fun to use this gate cutting die as an actual gate for this card! It's one of those dies that require a little extra *love* for it to cut properly but so worth it! When cutting mine I ran it thru my Big Shot at several different angles and then also had to add a shim to just the middle of the die to get it cut properly. You can find the Gate cutting die here.

I also used a Mother's Day stamp set that I got on aliexpress.com but then I found it on Amazon.com so YOU don't have to wait 6 weeks or so to have yours! And if you like those roses....... I didn't make them! Those are purchased paper roses! My News Years Resolution this year (and last year and the year before) was to use up some of the crafting things I already have. Three little roses down, a couple ton more stuff to use up!

I've demo'ed two ways to make your card! You can make it an easel-style card or a side opening one!

See the video here!

Blog Exclusive! DIY Mini Ink Pads

I came across a video on how to make these little ink pads that I thought was brilliant and have to share it! It's by Glenda Cairns and if you would like to watch it you can find it here.

There are soooo many reasons have these minis. 

Do you travel with your stamping supplies? Take a little case like I've shown and you can take 24 inks in the space 3-4 normal sized pads would take up. 

The containers I've used screw on so you could toss a handful of them in your tote and not wonder if you'll find all the lids off and ink on everything!

Speaking of traveling, perhaps to a stamping club or group. Is there that one person there that shares all your stuff and maybe isn't that careful with it? Having these will keep your nice big ink pads safe at home!

Want to stretch your crafting budget? I figured these cost me under 75 cents a piece to make (not including the ink). Just buy the reinkers, make your minis, and skip a full sized ink pad! I always advise to get the reinkers if possible when buying ink pads anyway and with these it will cost much less since you can skip the already inked pads!

Do you like to use stamp positioners? Then I'm sure at times you've inked your stamps and gotten ink all over the positioner lid as well as on your stamps! Minis will help keep your ink only on the stamps!

I made mine teardrop shaped. I made them that way to help with those times I just want to ink a small section of my stamp like leaves or flowers. I can use the pointy end to get ink on those little areas!

I got the Cut-N-Dry here and the containers here. 

Take care y'all and Happy (mini) Stampin'!

Stand up Mother's Day Card

I got this great die set that Spellbinders has come out with! It's called Spellbinders Shapeabilities Grand Cabinet 3D Card Etched/Wafer Thin Die.

 It's rather pricey at around $30 but I could immediately think of three different ways to use it so I got it! Right away I modified the way it is meant to be used for a slimmer card but you can make it up to 6 layers thick! Mine is 3. 

AND I used the new Sweet Peony stamps, dies and paper from Heartfelt Creations and made some sweet little peonies!

Watch the video here!

A really nice Mother's Day stamp set

I've been using this stamp set A LOT lately but I've been hesitant to suggest my subscribers buy and use it because I got mine from aliexpress.com and it took absolutely FOREVER to get here. Imagine how happy I was to find it on amazon.com! And if you have Amazon Prime you can have it in no time at all! It has the nicest sentiments and pretty, scripty "Happy Mother's Day" in a couple different orientations and sizes! You can find it here. This company has a Father's Day set too that I think I need to have 😉