Hello stampers and happy Monday to you!! It has been SO long since I have written a blog post, but today I am bringing you Sending Smiles and the Tea Boutique paper. When the new annual catalog comes out, I like to dive in with the new in colours, especially when I love them. This year they are so fresh and bright, perfect for the sun-drenched spring days we are experiencing right now. Let’s take a look!
In Colours Made Easy
If you want to make using the in colours easy, just get some patterned paper that has the in colours in the design. Get a package of assorted in colour cardstock and then play with them together. You will soon discover which ones are your favourite and what other colours they coordinate well with. That is why I chose to work with the Tea Boutique paper which you can find here.
I combines the sentiment stamps and dies from Sending Smiles with the Tea Boutique paper. Don’t like tea yourself? No worries, there are a LOT of people who do and they would be thrilled to get a card like this from you. What do you think of the new in colours? Which one is your favourite? In case you can’t see the names of the colours in the photo, they are: Tahitian Tide, Orchid Oasis, Parakeet Party, Starry Sky and Sweet Sorbet. The sentiment on the Parakeet Party card is in Dutch from the Thee & Troost set.
Memories & More Tea Boutique Cards and Envelopes
These cards were even easier to make and more beautiful because they use the Memories & More Tea Boutique cards and envelopes. Pictured below are the Orchid Oasis and Tahitian Tide cards. The Orchid Oasis card uses the die cut word “Sending” whereas the Tahitian Tide card uses the stamped word “Sending”.
Cheer Corner Video
My Cheer Corner video from last week features the cards above. You will see how easy it is to make these cards and how you can adapt them for use with other suites.
This card has a Starry Sky and Orchid Oasis base. The sentiment was stamped in Fresh Freesia. The background of the photo is Sweet Sorbet. Are you impressed with how I am using all the new In Colours?
Here is a super fresh and very spring-like Parakeet Party card using the Tea Boutique paper and Memories & More cards and envelopes.
This last card uses Sweet Sorbet as the base colour with Parakeet Party as a mat. The little tea bag tag says I miss you in Dutch.
Sending Smiles and Tea Boutique Together
Here you can see the Sending Smiles stamp set along with the cards. I love that there are dies that cut out either the mat for the die cut word “Sending” which doubles as a die cut for the stamped word “Sending”. You can then combine the word or die “sending” with lots of other meaningful phrases.
Two More Cards using Sending Smiles
These two cards were made for my Global Monthly Video Hop. I love how the new in colours look totally different on each card.
Global Monthly Video Hop
I made the cards above for my collaborative work with the Global Monthly Video hop. Check out the video below and be inspired to use the new in colours and the Sending Smiles stamp set! When you scroll to the bottom of this blog post you will see a list of supplies that I used. Click on the photos and you will be in my online store where I sincerely hope you will shop with me!!
Back in Canada!
Thanks for joining me today! This is the first blog post that I am writing back in Canada. I arrived Saturday afternoon and spent some time with my son Oliver before we went to visit my parents together with his lovely wife Laura. Oliver and Laura went home after that and I spent the night and the next morning with my parents. They were over the moon happy to see me again and enjoyed the treats that I brought home from Holland. It was so gratifying to see Pap eat an entire “krentebol” (raisin bun). He also enjoyed a fresh “stroop wafel” (syrup waffle cookie) and some lovely Dutch tea.
Before I went home again I made a big pan of broccoli soup for my mom. It’s her favourite and it is so easy to make. Next time I will write down the exact measurements because this was just that annoying fill a pan with water, add some frozen broccoli and some bouillon cubes, boil till tender and add a package of cream cheese. Blend with immersion blender and add some pepper. Top with grated cheese and croutons if desired.
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Today I am sharing a fun card using Nuts About Squirrels. Can you believe that today was the first time that I inked it up? It is a perfect match for the retiring Beauty of the Earth paper. Let’s take a look.
Nuts About Squirrels Paper Strips Card
This card is a great template for any card that you want to make with the goal of showcasing your pretty patterned paper. Simply cut seven strips that are 3/4″ wide by 3 1/4″ tall. Adhere them on a basic white piece that is 3 3/4″ by 5″. My card base is Misty Moonlight which is also retiring April 30, 2022. You could choose any colour that is found in your patterned paper. This is just another way to #loveitchopit.
I featured this card in my Stamping Through My Stash video today, and when I do that I always stamp all the images from the stamp set. You can see that “swatch” here. It’s a great idea to stamp all the images from your stamp set when your order arrives as well as try out all the dies. Stampin’Up! has a three month guarantee on their products (three years on the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine) If there is a problem, you want to know about it right away so you can get your defective products replaced. This is a rare occurrence, but one to be on the lookout for.
Inside the Nuts About Squirrels Card
For the inside of my card I used my second “fussy cut” squirrel and the stamparatus to stamp two different sentiments in two different colours, misty moonlight and cajun craze.
I used a blender pen to get rid of the stark contrast of my stamped squirrels. This one definitely looks like he is up to no good!!
Video Tutorial
Here is my video from YouTube. Click on the bottom left corner to watch on YouTube. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to subscribe to my channel so that you don’t miss out on the fun!!
Free Shipping Tomorrow!
Just a heads up that there is free shipping tomorrow on orders of $100 or more. This is an offer straight from Stampin’Up! I am also giving away two pdf tutorials with a $100 purchase and normally it is$120 to get two. One from the Demo Design Dream Team and one from the Create With Us International Team. Thanks for joining me today. Hugs from Holland!!
Hello stampers and happy Good Friday to you. Just a very short blog post for you today. I made these adorable Tea Boutique tea bag holders for my private Prime Time With the Pampered Stamper group. That means that although I will share the projects with you, I will not be sharing the directions and measurements. They are exclusive to this group which you of course are most welcome to join! You can read more about it here.
Tea Boutique Tea Bag Holders
While the idea of these is quite simple, it does take a little time to put together when you add all the cute little details. I made two versions. One is made with the Flowering Fields paper and the other with the brand new Tea Boutique paper.
This is the plain version, what follows is the fancier one. Which one do you like better?
Did you know that you don’t have to wait to get this suite until May 1? If you get the starter kit you can put this suite in it! It is #158670. Here is the link to join my Canadian team. Live in Europe? Awesome, you can join my fledgling team here!
Here is the Flowering Fields version, also totally adorable! These would be perfect for an Easter brunch place setting gift. The detailed dies look very nice tone on tone for an elegant look, don’t you think? The sayings on the projects below come from the Dutch set Thee en Troost which translated means “tea and comfort”. How often don’t we pour a cup of tea to soothe frayed nerves? I like the name of the set much better in Dutch. In English it is simple Cup of Tea.
Time for a Road Trip
Gerard and I are heading out for a weekend away to the historic city of Spa in Belgium. I will be sharing photos and videos on my Pampered Stamper Facebook page! I hope you have a great Easter weekend and thanks so much for joining me today! Click on the product images below to shop in my online store!
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Today I am going to share with you “romancing” Timeless Tulips. Timeless Tulips is a stamp set and coordinating punch that has been with us for a while. Last year it even had coordinating paper during saleabration that had tulips that could be punched out. Truth be told I was not in love with the images in this set. They were too “geometrical” for me. Not enough romance and softness. What’s a girl to do?
Romancing Timeless Tulips
After having visited the famous Keukenhof gardens for a spectacular display of all flowering spring bulbs, I was inspired to make a tulip card. Since I had not used this stamp set in such a long time, it was time to dust it off. I realized that the sentiments in this set are truly wonderful AND it is also available in Dutch. But what to do about those “severe” tulips?
I decided to stamp them on shimmery white cardstock and then soften them with a water painter. The results were even better than I had hoped for. Not only did it give a lovely, soft look, it also curled the paper just a little for a nice 3D effect. Let’s take a look and then you can tell me what you think too!
Here you can see the tulips closeup. The tulip builder punch makes a tulip and a leaf. The leaves can also be used to make a tulip. How amazing is that? I show you how to do that in my video which you can click on below to watch on YouTube.
Video Tutorial
If you want to see how this card came about, take a look at the video below. If you click “watch on YouTube” that would be the best!!
One More Card
I decided to make one more card showing the tulips and leaves stamped directly on shimmery white cardstock. No fussy cutting, no punched tulips or leaves. My cousin Martin was a lover of nature so this card is a tribute to his memory.
Punched and Stamped Tulips and Leaves
I thought it might be helpful for you to see some of the punched images and the difference between regularly stamped and “romanced” tulips. You will agree that this is a very versatile stamp set for many different occasions! The punch also can be used to create a solid cardstock tulip without stamping. I see that I forgot to add the brushed brass butterflies to the supply list, so you can see them here. (click on the blue text) If you live in Europe and want to shop with me you can click here.
If you want to see some cards made with the non-stamped tulips, check out this blog post here.
Get Them Before They’re Gone
When I decided to use this stamp set and punch for my Cheer Corner card I had no idea that they were retiring. Now I know, so I can remind you to get it while you can. Check the product list below and then you can see all the sentiments that are included in this stamp set. It’s a good one!!
Items that are retiring are only available while supplies last or until April 30, 2022. You can see the list for Europe here and the list in Canada here.
Thanks so much for joining me again today, hope you were inspired! Have a super day and hugs from Holland.
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Last week I made another Crane of Fortune card and it has made me want to make more! Crane of Fortune is an Asian-inspired stamp set that is also made with the DistINKtive technique. What does this mean? It means that the stamp is made to look like you have used different colours with it when in reality it is only stamped once. Very clever! Let’s take a look.
Crane of Fortune: Using the Catalog for Inspiration
What do you do when you need inspiration for a stamp set? I would guess that most of us troll the internet. Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook groups or a Google search. These are all great ideas but it can lead you down the rabbit hole of time lapse! Why not do what I did? Just open your catalog and see what our in house artists have done with it. This will usually get your own creative juices flowing and it doesn’t take up a lot of time either. Both of the cards that I am going to share with you today were “cased” from the catalog. C.A.S.E. means copy and share everything.
Here is the inside of this slimline Crane of Fortune card that I made for my Monday Cheer Corner video on YouTube . The colour combination came from the list of colours that were used in the patterned paper in the Symbols of Fortune suite.
Video Tutorial
If you would like to see firsthand how to make this card, you can watch this video. It will have the measurements as well both in metric and imperial.
If you click on the black “watch on YouTube” then you can also subscribe to my channel right away and become a part of that vibrant community as well. Every now and then I offer fantastic prizes to my subscribers just to keep things interesting.
Second Crane of Fortune Card
This second card was made for my exclusive Prime Time group. You can be a part of this group as well if you like! It started as a way to keep my business afloat when COVID first hit. The cost is only $10 a month and you get a weekly exclusive video and a monthly 16 project pdf tutorial. The videos are every Thursday at 10am EST and on Wednesday I post the supply list and measurements so that you can play along. Simply click here if you want to join.
Here is the inside of the card. You can see that I continued with the same colour theme of calypso coral and soft succulent, this time with a touch of crumb cake.
Real Floral Inspiration
I hope you enjoyed these Crane of Fortune cards. Many weeks ago I shared some cards made by an Artisan design team member when this suite first came out. You can see them here.
Yesterday I had the incredible privilege and delight to be able to go to Keukenhof gardens. It did not disappoint! What a gorgeous display of flowers, trees and water. Even the grass is incredible!!
A kind stranger took a photo of us together! We went on a Sunday afternoon so we were still dressed up from church. Bailey came with too and he loved it! Do you agree with me that dogs can smile?
Thanks!
Thank you so much for joining me here today. I love reading your comments and seeing when you share my blog posts on Pinterest or Facebook. You are a very important part of keeping my business vibrant and I appreciate it so much. Comments, shares, orders, participation in either Prime Time or my Training Group, it’s all fantastic!!
I hope you have a super day and a great start to this new week. Sometimes life can be crushingly difficult and then you need to take simple pleasures in the small moments. The song of a bird, the colour of a flower the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Sending hugs and prayers for whatever you may be dealing with today as well. Hugs from Holland!
