ADORABLE OWL

This little guy is so very cheerful.  Adorable Owls is one of the stamp sets that is free with a $50 product purchase during the Sale-A-Bration promotion which ends February 28.  3 owls are featured.  Balmy Blue must be the color for March Stamp Camp as Nested Friends also features Balmy Blue.  Dandy Designs, also from the Sale-A-Bration promotion, is the DSP shown here.  The white layer to the left framed in Balmy Blue has been embossed with the Wrapped in Texture Embossing Folder. Two embossing folders come with this set so a different one was used for each of the samples.   Layering Circles Dies are used for the owl image and the sentiment.

The owls are colored with Stampin’ Blends.  The owl in the card above is colored with light SU500 and dark SU200.  These are Stampin’ Up skin tone shades.  The owl to the right is colored with light and dark Crumb Cake.  Light Balmy Blue is used for the outer eyes and a bit of Light Pool Party is used on the inner eye.  Light Petal Pink or Pale Papaya color the beak and feet of both owls.  Several messages come with this set.  The sentiment “You’re a friend like no other” is from the Best Bunny stamp set.  Several clear rhinestones are adhered and of Wink of Stella adds a bit of sparkle.

The message layer features a strip of the Dandy Designs DSP that matches the front, and a small stamped bird that is also found on the envelope.  The bird comes to us from the Best Bunny Stamp Set and is colored in Balmy Blue and Petal Pink or Pale Papaya.

We’ve seen a bit of nature for March Stamp Camp – birds, owls and shamrocks – but NO FLOWERS.  I wonder what our final March Stamp Camp card will look like????????????????

Blessings, Rosemary – (H)630.759.3089 – (C)630.965.1965 – paperrose01@aol.com

Spring is Coming–Nested Friends

Spring is coming – just 1 month away.  Nested Friends is a perfect way to celebrate the upcoming sunny days.  Actually, hubby Norb requested this card as he thought it would be an ideal card for a male. 

Nested Friends is a stamp and die bundle from the January – April 2023 Mini Catalog. shown here as a Z-card fun fold.  I wanted to use a gingham DSP background.  I have not purchased the Country Gingham DSP as it is sized at 6X6 and I am not a fond user of 6X6 card stock.  I dug into my archives and found some long retired Balmy Blue Gingham Gala DSP – perfect for spring.  The scoring for this sized Z-fold on an 8 1/2 X 5 1/2 piece of cardstock is 4 1/4 and 2 1/8 inches.  The top 4 1/4 inches is scored in half (2 1/8 inches) and folded back.  This style card generally uses less DSP – 2 X 5 3/8 and a 1/4” strip used on the inside. 

The message is stamped in Old Olive on white cardstock and punched with a hexagon shaped punch.  A piece of balmy blue is also punched and shadows the white message on the card.  The Birthday Wishes message used here comes with the set as do several other message stamps.

The Hive 3-D embossing folder and the 3-Way Punch give us dimension and interest on the Z-fold artwork.  3 pastel adhesive-backed sequins add a bit of glimmer. 

Stampin’ Blends were used to color the Nested Friends images seen here.  Light and Dark Crumb Cake were used for the nest, Light and Dark Old Olive for the leaves and Light and Dark Soft Suede for the wooden branch.  I applied color with the light, highlighted with the dark and went back and blended with the light Stampin’ Blend.  The bird is colored in Light and Dark Balmy Blue, and Light and Dark Petal Pink.  Pale Papaya can be used in place of the Petal Pink

The card is open in this view.  If desired, an additional bird could be added to an inside corner

March Stamp Camp is right around the corner – March 2, 3, 4 from 10am to 4pm each day.  Cards are $3.50 each and as always, all supplies and tools are provided.  Water and soft drinks are in the fridge and some type of snack will appear on the counter – maybe healthy or maybe not! 

I will be giving a 20% discount on all orders placed during the month of March with the exception of Paper Pumpkin.  I’m pleased many of you took advantage of the Sale-A-Brations promotion that ends on the 28th of February.  The gorgeous Dainty Flowers DSP that we fell in love with finally ran out of stock.  Needless to say, we will be making cards with this beautiful paper.  When you look at DSP, do you ever look at the reverse side?  Often times, the reverse side is of more use than the front  – especially for muted backgrounds.

I’m looking forward to seeing you in March.  Please let me know what day you plan on coming and which cards you wish to do.

Blessings, Rosemary – (H)630.759.3089 – (C)630.965.1965 – paperrose01@aol.com

NESTED FRIENDS

Spring is coming – just 1 month away.  Nested Friends is a perfect way to celebrate the upcoming sunny days.  Actually, hubby Norb requested this card as he thought it would be an ideal card for a male. 

Nested Friends is a stamp and die bundle from the January – April 2023 Mini Catalog. shown here as a Z-card fun fold.  I wanted to use a gingham DSP background.  I have not purchased the Country Gingham DSP as it is sized at 6X6 and I am not a fond user of 6X6 card stock.  I dug into my archives and found some long retired Balmy Blue Gingham Gala DSP – perfect for spring.  The scoring for this sized Z-fold on an 8 1/2 X 5 1/2 piece of cardstock is 4 1/4 and 2 1/8 inches.  The top 4 1/4 inches is scored in half (2 1/8 inches) and folded back.  This style card generally uses less DSP – 2 X 5 3/8 and a 1/4” strip used on the inside. 

The message is stamped in Old Olive on white cardstock and punched with a hexagon shaped punch.  A piece of balmy blue is also punched and shadows the white message on the card.  The Birthday Wishes message used here comes with the set as do several other message stamps.

The Hive 3-D embossing folder and the 3-Way Punch give us dimension and interest on the Z-fold artwork.  3 pastel adhesive-backed sequins add a bit of glimmer. 

Stampin’ Blends were used to color the Nested Friends images seen here.  Light and Dark Crumb Cake were used for the nest, Light and Dark Old Olive for the leaves and Light and Dark Soft Suede for the wooden branch.  I applied color with the light, highlighted with the dark and went back and blended with the light Stampin’ Blend.  The bird is colored in Light and Dark Balmy Blue, and Light and Dark Petal Pink.  Pale Papaya can be used in place of the Petal Pink

The card is open in this view.  If desired, an additional bird could be added to an inside corner

March Stamp Camp is right around the corner – March 2, 3, 4 from 10am to 4pm each day.  Cards are $3.50 each and as always, all supplies and tools are provided.  Water and soft drinks are in the fridge and some type of snack will appear on the counter – maybe healthy or maybe not! 

I will be giving a 20% discount on all orders placed during the month of March with the exception of Paper Pumpkin.  I’m pleased many of you took advantage of the Sale-A-Brations promotion that ends on the 28th of February.  The gorgeous Dainty Flowers DSP that we fell in love with finally ran out of stock.  Needless to say, we will be making cards with this beautiful paper.  When you look at DSP, do you ever look at the reverse side?  Often times, the reverse side is of more use than the front  – especially for muted backgrounds.

I’m looking forward to seeing you in March.  Please let me know what day you plan on coming and which cards you wish to do.

Blessings, Rosemary – (H)630.759.3089 – (C)630.965.1965 – paperrose01@aol.com

FRIENDLY HELLO

I love free items I can actually use!  The Friendly Hello Stamp Set and 12X12 Designer Paper are absolutely free from Stampin’Up thru the current Sale-A-Brations period which ends February 28 providing you make a $100 or more product purchase.  And I’m offering a 20% product discount thru February 28.  So a $100 product will cost $80 PLUS you can get this stamp set and DSP FREE!  There are other items you can choose from for $50 product purchases and for $100 product purchases.  Check it out at Sale-A-Brations. 

This cheerful card can be done with or without the “friend.”  The Petal Pink letters, flower, bird  and the “friend” image are pre-cut with the Scan’n’Cut.  The flowers can be colored with light and dark Petal Pink Stampin’ Blends with a bit of yellow or Calypso Coral for contrast as I have done here.  Light and Dark Crumb Cake with a touch of Soft Suede provide color for our bird which is adhered to a die-cut white circle matted on a Petal Pink scallop circle.  The DSP border is pre-cut from the Friendly Hello DSP.

The Message layer features 2 additional pre-cut flowers colored with Stampin’ Blends to match the top card layer.  A DSP bird can perch anywhere you want to place him.

And there we have it – March Stamp Camp.  Gnomes, tulip fields, a split circle technique, and a friendly hello.  Which cards do you choose to do?  Please please please let us know your card choices and which day you prefer to come.  If you want cards to go, please let me know. 

Please note that because of the date of Easter, April Stamp Camp will be held on March 31, April 1 and April 2.  This is to insure everyone has adequate time to complete Easter cards.  The USPS appears to be slowing down a bit and I want to make sure there is sufficient mailing time.  please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in March.  Thanks to the Governor, we will be mask-optional!

Blessings, Rosemary – (H)630.759.3089 – (C)630.965-1965 – paperrose01@aol.com

GRACE’S GARDON

Grace’s Garden is one of my favorite sets and I’m sad to see it retire.  I love the overall ambience of the set as well as the message.

The Highland Heather card is layered with the Brick and Mortar 3D embossing folder.  The white card stock was water misted prior to the embossing which allows the maximum texture.  The garden arch opens to the message layer and you can see flowers peeking through.  The gate actually opens although I find its easier to adhere the arch with the gate closed then cut open after.

 

The flower, bird and cat images have all been pre-cut.  The flowers can be colored with Stampin’ Blends and placed as you choose. On the top card, the garland of purple roses is climbing up the arbor.  On the card to the right, the rose garland embellishes the message layer and a partial garland embellishes the top of the arbor.  There is no wrong placement.     Dimensionals are used for several images.  The bird and cat are at a visual stand-off.  Purple and yellow butterflies add additional color and interest. 

The message layer is seen from the front and the inside.  The message is wonderful for friends and family and can be embellished as you choose.

This is the final card for May Stamp Camp – 2 flowery cards, a tree, and butterflies.  Please let me know as soon as possible which cards you choose to make. 

As a reminder, May Stamp Camp is on Thursday and Friday May 6 and 7 from 10am to 4pm, and Saturday May 8 from 9am to 4pm.

The next stamping experience will be Christmas in July on the 15th from 10am to 6pm, and July 17th from 9am to 4pm.  Debbie and I are already discussing Christmas.  I am taking the month of June off to concentrate on physical therapy for my knees!   

Springtime Blessings, Rosemary – (H)630.759.3089 – (C)630.965.1965 – paperrose01@aol.com

Free as a Bird

Free as a Bird is one of the new Stampin’ Up suites from the 2019-2020 catalog.  For June Stamp Camp, this stamp set is being featured on an easel card.  Although dies are not available for this stamp set, there is beautiful Bird Ballard DSP.  The Bird Ballad bundle is sold with the new Stitched Nested Labels which you can see used here.  The Bird Ballad suite bundle is $94.75 BUT includes the Free as a Bird stamp set, Stitched Nested Labels Dies, Bird Ballad DSP, Bird Ballad Laser-cut Cards & Tin, 10 yards of Very Vanilla Scalloped Lace Trim, and 24 Bird Ballad Trinkets!  $94.75 is not such a scary price when you consider everything included.  I opted for the Free as a Bird Bundle which includes the stamp set and the Stitched Nested Labels Dies for $51.25 – 10% off the individual price.

The birds and flowers in the top easel card sample are colored with assorted yellow Stampin’ Blends – Daffodil Delight, Pineapple Punch, So Saffron (new) and Mango Melody, plus a bit of Smoky Slate.  The sample to the left has some added color in the flowers – light and dark Rococo Rose (new).  Of course you can color your birds and flowers in any color you choose!  The card base is Basic Black and the Daffodil Delight rectangle is embossed with the 3D Basket Weave embossing folder.  The “pop-up” piece that holds the easel up is a simple stamped “HELLO” that is die cut with the smallest Stitched Nested Labels Die and layered on the next size Nested Labels Die in Basic Black.  This double layer is adhered with Stampin’ Dimensionals which gives it the “pop” needed to hold the easel.

I attempted to flatten the card for this picture but it refused to stay absolutely flat.  This, however, shows how the card would look when removed from the envelope. 

Don’t forget to let me know if you will be coming to June Stamp Camp and which cards you would like to do.  I’m looking forward to working with colors other than the Christmas in July reds, greens and navy!

Blessings, Rosemary – (h)630.759.3089 – (c)630.965.1965 – paperrose01.com 

Dove of Peace

My theme for Christmas in July seems to unintentionally be based around peace – something I’m sure we all wish there was more of in our world.  This navy, white, silver and gold card is certainly peaceful.  Our dove is from the new Serene Garden stamp set found on page 166 in the new catalog.  The Garden Scene Framelits provide the die for the dove.  We will be seeing more of this set in the future.  The background DSP is from the gorgeous springtime foil DSP available during Sale-A-Brations.  This DSP features leaves in both silver and gold.  The dove is popped up on dimensionals on a silver background framed in navy and clutches a Garden Green “olive branch”. 

The die for “peace” is retired and several years old. Somehow we continue to use it every year.  In the first sample, peace has been “glittered” with Wink of Stella as has the “olive branch.”  In this second sample, the dove was stamped in Smoky Slate instead of navy and “peace” remains the un-glittered cs.

This is an easy but elegant card.  The cut-out work will be done for you – your job will be to simply put the pieces together. 

As a reminder, the Christmas in July Stamp-A-Stack will be held on Thursday, July 19 from 11 am to 7 pm, and on Saturday, July 21 from 9 am to 4 pm.  The cost, which includes your very own Wink of Stella to take home, is $14 for 4 cards, $21 for 8 cards, $30 for 12 cards,  and $38 for 16 cards.  I am asking for attendance acknowledgements now as I have out-of-town company in early July so I am doing the majority of my prep work now.  I have 54 poinsettias stamped and cu,t and need to know how many more we will need – 10?  20?  30? 

One additional Christmas card remains – Christmas reindeer.  It will be posted shortly.

Blessings, Rosemary – (home)630/759-3089 – (cell)630/965-1965 – paperrose01@aol.com

BIRD BANTER

‘YOU’RE THE KIND OF FRIEND I’D SHARE MY BRANCH WITH.”  How cute is this sentiment?  Two birds colored with Stampin’ Blends, perched on a branch having a conversation.  The background for the birds has a Mint Macaroon water-color wash.  I used  different washes on the sample cards as some might prefer more white.  The Petal Passion designer paper is black and white but it colors beautifully with the Stampin’ Blends.  The added flowers from the Bird Banter stamp set carry the colors through..

The second sample features the sentiment “A LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD ME IT WAS YOUR BIRTHDAY”.  A birthday hat and balloon help the parakeet celebrate.  And guess what – all the birds, branches, flowers, balloons and hats have been stamped and cut out for you on my Stamp ‘n Cut!  All you have to do is color and adhere!  Although you can’t tell from these images, Wink of Stella adds a lot of glimmer!  Bird Banter is found on page 42 of the Occasions Catalog that retires May 31st, 2018.  This is not one of the sets that is being carried over to the new 2018-2019 catalog.  So if this is a set you would like to add to your stampin’ library, now is a great time to order it.

Check back soon for the next blog post – Waterfront.  And remember – April Stamp Camp is on April 5, 6, and 7.  It is helpful if you would let me know which day you might be attending.

Easter Blessings, Rosemary – (home)630/759-3089 – (cell)630/965-1965 – paperrose01@aol.com

Best Birds

I absolutely love the new Best Birds stamp set.  The thinlits die set – Birds and Blooms – is also available, and I splurged and bought the bundle at a 10 % savings.  I really like the background “grid” stamp and the effect it leaves.  I stamped the “grid” 3 times on all my Best Bird cards – once to the middle right, once above and slightly to the left, and once below heavily to the left.  I like the casual background versus a more formal one. Except for the yellow card, I stamped my bird and flowers in Memento Tuxedo Black and the branch in my favorite retired Mossy Meadow.  Spectrum Noir markers were used to color the bird, branch and flowers.  I pulled out a partial pack of retired crisp cantaloupe and felt it went well with the markers I chose.

I will admit the yellow bird – or canary as my mother calls it – is my favorite.  The background is stamped in So Saffron and the card is Daffodil Delight.  I used the Happy Anniversary sentiment on all my Best Birds cards as we are seem to have many anniversaries in our family this summer.  The stamp set includes the Happy Anniversary image seen here as well as sentiments for birthday, thoughts, wedding and a favorite of mine – “It’s a good day.”  There is a second bird stamp in the set and also a tiny stem of berries.  I can see using this card for so many different occasions!

 

Perhaps you prefer a bluebird.  If so, this card is perfect for you!  Of course you can make your card in any color as Spectrum Noire has many different hues and Stampin’ Up has many different paper colors.  The 3 birds shown here were simply colors that blended well and matched SU card stock.  Before the pearls were added to the cards, the flowers, bird and leaves on the branch were brushed with Wink of Stella clear glimmer brush.  This bit of glimmer adds so much to the card.  I chose to back each bird layer with black cs that is just a tinge larger.  The addition of black allows the top layer to stand out.  This is a very simple card – stamp, color, die cut, adhere, embellish!  But only YOU can choose which color your bird will be.

As a reminder, August Stamp Camp is a week later this year – August 11, 12, and 13.  If you know which day you might be coming, it is helpful if you can let me know.  This, of course, is not a requirement.  The cost remains at $12.00 and includes everything you will need. 

Let me know if you have any questions!  Blessings, Rosemary – (h)630/759-3089 – (c)630/965-1965 – paperrose01@aol.com