Designing with Stampin' Up! | January 2017

The new Stampin' Up! occasions catalog is full of beautiful stamps and dies. I received some new goodies to play with last month and I finally had a chance to sit down and play! The Beetles & Bugs stamp set is adorable and the first set I used to create a card. Something about the perfectly symmetrical little bugs that I just love. I am not a bug person (at all!) but I love them as stamps! 

Here are step-by-step instructions for completing this card:

1. Create the stamped background using four cute little bugs (outlines only... no solid stamps or detail images). I used four ink colors (navy, lime green, aqua, and orange) and used one stamp per ink color. I started at the bottom right and stamped my way up to the top left. 

2. After the background is finished, ink the edges using a mini distress tool or makeup sponge and lime green ink. I used small, sweeping circular movements to keep the ink light and avoid swirl marks. 

3. Die cut aqua cardstock from the middle Framelits - Labels Collection die. The Labels set is currently unavailable, but this set is similar! Trim the edge off the aqua cardstock and adhere it to the card front. 

4. Trim a piece of vellum to 1 1/4 inches by 6 inches. Stamp sentiment with VersaMark and sprinkle on embossing powder. Heat set, then wrap around card front (centering sentiment on aqua label) and adhere. 

5. Wrap black and white twine around card. Adhere enamel dots above and below sentiment.

The products in the Occasions catalog are available until May 31, 2017. I'll be back with more projects using this stamp set and several more cute stamp and die sets. Thanks for stopping by!

Evan | Right Now

Reading | so many wonderful books at school and he just finished the Harry Potter series at home. He received Harry Potter and the Cursed Child for Christmas and read it in two days. This kid is a super fast reader and flies through books almost as fast as I can buy them.

Playing | soccer, football outside with his friends, board games and card games, Roblox on the computer, and occasionally Legos. 

Wearing | a uniform to school, with little complaint. This kid is not too picky about his clothes, although he prefers basketball type shorts and t-shirts to long pants and long sleeved shirts. He doesn't like wearing bulky or heavy clothing at all and hates wearing a jacket, even in cold temps. 

Studying | math, history, English, science, and Latin. He is doing really well in school and made the A/B honor roll for the second year in a row. PCCA has a much more difficult curriculum that he has adapted to beautifully. 

 

Loving | his friends and play dates. This past year he has made some new friends in our neighborhood, plus he has buddies on his soccer team that he likes to hang out with. Friends are extremely important to him at this stage in his life. 

Not Loving | rice, the color pink, waking up early, brushing his teeth, and sharing the computer. 

Watching | mostly YouTube and videos of people playing video games. I must admit I don't understand the appeal of watching other people play video games (why not play them yourself?), but he loves it. He doesn't watch any TV shows except sports (Seahawks, WSU football, and baseball).

Anticipating | his birthday and birthday party. He has already decided to have his party at the Field of Dream park with his school friends and his soccer friends. This park has so much for the kids to do and will be the perfect place to throw a birthday party. It should be a great day for him.

Thriving | at school and home. Yes, there have been some bumps in the road and yes, we are dealing with some preteen/tween angst, but I've seen my sweet, loving 10 year old during winter vacation, and I love it.

Designing with Papertrey Ink | Color Pop Butterflies

Hello there and Happy New Year! The boys and I are in Washington for the holiday which means I get to play in my mom's stamp room. Yay! She has a wonderful collection of supplies that differs from mine, including the adorable Papertrey Ink Stamp set: Color Pop Butterflies. 

This kit is so much fun because it includes matching paper and stencils to go along with the stamp set and dies. I used the gray background paper and created my own colorful butterflies using various Tim Holtz distress inks and a mini distress tool. 

The "so happy" die was die cut from Stampin' Ups Pacific Point textured cardstock three times and glued together (carefully!). I popped up a butterfly and added three gems to the center, and sprinkled some enamel dots above and below the sentiment. 

I hope you enjoy my card! I have added Color Pop Butterflies to my wish list because of how versatile the stamps and dies are. I also plan to use more stencils in the coming year... they are so much fun to use! 

Have a great week and I'll be back soon!