Sunday, July 28, 2024

The Last Christmas in July Projects - Saturday Stampin'

 

Hi Everyone,

Well it's a little sad to be saying goodbye to my Christmas in July creations this month. It was so fun to see all the fabulous creations of other stampers too. I'm so inspired for all the holiday crafting to come in the coming months. 


This first card was part of my Stampin' Chat Saturday Card class I host on the 3rd Saturday of the month in my workshop room. I had a Christmas in July theme and the four cards were holiday themed. So much fun! This beautiful Stag is from a Christmas Reindeer Stamp + Thin Cuts from CTMH. I had gotten this at a crafting retreat from a friend several years ago. 


This was a perfect time to make the card a gift card holder as well for that special someone during the holidays. I always stamp and make-up any extra card supplies from class. I had some bits and pieces to work with, so I decided to create a more "avid" crafter project.



If you haven't seen the Season of Green and Gold Suite Collection in the Online Exclusive products with Stampin' Up!, you are missing out! I am in love with the Season of Green & Gold 12" x 12" Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP) and the Graceful Greenery 12" x 12" Vellum. The gold accents and designs are stunning! 


I made sure the DSP was the star of this card. It's hard to upstage the beautiful Reindeer though. One thing I absolutely love is how the coordinating dies for these products die-cut many of the images in the DSP, so it looks like you did so much work, when you didn't. I think this new card is stunning!


Because the inside pieces were for a gift card holder, I decided that this would be a card simply to wish "Happy Holidays", so I added more glimmer with another pattern in the DSP. 

Thanks again for stopping in. With just a few days left to earn $5 Bonus Coupons + a sampling of retired DSP as a gift from me, head on over and check out all the Online Exclusive and other fantastic Stampin' Up! products available now. 

Let me know which card you prefered today. I would appreciate if you would share my blog and be sure to follow me. I have one more Reindeer and other pieces, so look out for one more Christmas Reindeer card from me soon. 


Until Next Time...

Happy Stampin',
Mary Blocher
Mary's Stampin' Café


Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Did Someone Say FREE One Day Shipping with Stampin' Up!?

 


Hi There,

Thanks for popping in today. I hope it's on Tuesday, July 23rd since it's one day FREE shipping with Stampin' UP! When you place a minimum $75 order on Tuesday, July 23rd by 11:59 pm Mountain time or 10:59 pm Pacific Time, you will get FREE shipping. You will also earn a $5 Bonus Coupon and another bonus with me. I wanted to take a few moments and share my Monday cardmaking with Mary Live YouTube project with you today. I think the products I used would be perfect for the FREE one day Shipping offer. 


I'm going to be hosting a Slimline Saturday cardmaking class in my Stampin' Café room on August 3rd. If you are local, you might want to reserve your space. I only have room for eight participates. This is only an in person opportunity, but you can check out other to go classes too. 


This project is so beautiful. I know we are in the middle of July, but before you know it, the leaves will begin to change and the rich colors will take over our cardmaking. This angled tri-fold slimeline is so stunning with the Oxidized Copper 12" x 12" Specialty Paper. Pretty Peacock is used as the base since it is the color in the specialty paper as well. 


The other stunning part of this slimline card is the Changing Leaves Bundle by Stampin' Up! This is an Online Exclusive product and I love it! The bundle includes a Hybrid Embossing Folder. This means, you can dry emboss the beautiful leaves, but you can also die-cut many of the leaves with the leaves die-cut that is included. You can do both at the same time which is so cool! I showed how this works on my YouTube Live, so you can check that out as well.


The embossed details on the leaves are amazing! I added a bit of Wink of Stella as well to have them stand out even more. 


The images in the Changing Leaves Stamp set are wonderful. I really like this leaf. I feel you can stamp it in different ink colors for a great look or you can stamp and color the leaf as well. Pecan Pie and Pretty Peacock are such great colors together. 


I can't forget about the Spotlight on Nature Dies. This die set has so many fabulous circle dies! You can mix and match the differing designs and create great projects. The dies are part of the Spotlight on Nature Bundle. You get a 10% off discount when you purchase bundled products. The Spotlight on Nature Stamp set is beautiful as well. 


I have some suggestion for you when it comes to the FREE shipping today. It is so easy to reach the $75 order (before shipping and tax) with so many wonderful products to choose from. There are Paper Pumpkin Pre-Paid subscriptions, Online Exclusives, and Suites of products too. I think the best way right now is to think about your stamping needs for the fall and towards the holidays. July is definately the transistion to fall and Christmas. Just pop into a store and see what's on display. The products I've listed below are those color essentials and a couple of stamp sets, bundles, or suites that I think every stamper needs. 


I also want to help you with your holiday stamping, so when you place an order with me this month, I will send you a large sampling of retired 6" x 6" holiday designer series papers (retired by Stampin' Up!). I would love to send a sampling package to you as a thank you when you shop with me. 



I hope you find some great things to add to your order today and reach that FREE shipping. Don't forget that it's also the Bonus Coupon promotion in July, so you will also earn a $5 bonus coupon with your order. And, you will get that holiday DSP sampler pack too. Wow, that's a triple win, win, win!

Thanks for stopping in. Stop back for other fall and holiday projects that will begin to take over my blog. 

Until next time...
Happy Stampin',

Mary Blocher
Mary's Stampin' Café

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Filled with Cheer Online Exclusive Stamp set Meets Freshly Made Sketch Challenge

 


Hi Everyone,

Thanks for stopping in today for my blogpost. I just recently ordered the Filled with Cheer Stamp set from the Online Exclusives with Stampin' Up! It's such a great companion set with the Filled with Fun Bundle. I love when Stampin' Up! creates added products to continue your crafting fun! I thought this stamp set would be great to use for the Freshly Made Sketch Challenge #645. 


For my card, I wanted to keep it clean and make it feel as if the sound is quiet as the snow falls. You know how that is when you are out and it's snowing in an open area? For some reason, whenever I use snowman types of stamps, I gravitate towards a more blue and pastel palette. 


When you want to take your card to the next level, all you need are layers of coordinting cardstock colors and try adding an embossed layer too. For this card, I didn't want the snowflake embossing covering the stamped images, so I only put part of the Shimmery White cardstock into the embossing folder. 


Adding a little color inside your card can elevate it as well. My string of lights are on a steep curve. I could have angled it a little better, but I still like it. I've decided that the Freshly Made Sketch Challenge this week has inspired me to use this card as part of the Saturday Stamp & Chat session this Saturday. You can check out my events to see if you are local and would like to participate. 

I hope you enjoyed my card today. I really liked coloring the images with my Stampin' Blends and Stampin' Write Markers together. Be sure to hop on over the the Freshly Made Sketch Blog to see the other cards submitted for this week. You could even create your own card and upload there too. 

Check back for more fun papercrafting fun. I would appreciate if you would follow my blog and share with your friends, so we can spread our love of stamping. 

Until next time...
Happy Stampin'

Mary Blocher
Mary's Stampin' Café

Monday, July 15, 2024

Creating a New Card Design from Leftovers! Monday Cardmaking with Mary

 


Hi Everyone,

Thanks for stopping in at my blog today. It's a great day to be crafting. I had a YouTube Live video this morning where I created 10 cards quickly and easily with a bit of cardmaking hacks. I combined some clearance craft store supplies with my Stampin' Up! products for great cards. 


This card I'm sharing with you was created with leftover pieces from trimming papers or diecutting. The white embossed strips you see were leftover from cards I trimmed down for a layer on the cards I was sharing on YouTube. I love to use leftovers for a new creation. It keeps your creativity going. 


I love the texture of the ink on the "friend" diecut. The pink thinline heart is so sweet too.


These are the 10 cards I created with great cardmaking hacks. I got several of the things you see at 75% off at my local craft store. This included the black tag, flower clips, the large gem in the center of the flower, and the white embossed layers on the front of the card. These were full cards with the embossed flowers. I cut them apart and used them as a layer for the new cards I was making. 


Today was a fun day of crafting. I was able to get 10 great cards completed in no time at all. I then was able to create with a few leftover pieces to create another project. 


I hope you enjoyed my cards today. You can check out my YouTube Cardmaking Monday video for more details on the cards I created.


Are you feeling inspired from my blog today? You should check out the Stampin' Café social crafting Facebook group for the sketch challenge I am hosting this month. You can participate and win a prize. Be sure to ask to join, so you can see the sketch challenge. This runs through July 25th. Then a winner will be selected for a great prize!

Until next time...
Happy Stampin',

Mary Blocher
Mary's Stampin' Café













Saturday, July 13, 2024

Saturday Stampin' Christmas in July Gift Bag Inspired by Stampin' Up!

 


Hi Everyone,

It's another great Saturday Stampin' with Christmas in July. I love taking time to cool off with holiday types of projects. This time, I was inspired to create this beautiful gift bag for #2crafters1design. Melissa of Moe's Creation hosts a weekly Saturday theme. This week is was gift bags. 


My inspiration came from a recent event hosted by Stampin' Up! for demonstrators who "better their best" from Sales from last April and this April by just $1. Demonstrators who did "better their best" received a package of the Countryside Rose 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper. We got to use the paper at a fun virtual meeting and created 3 projects. The gift bag was so cute. This was my finished bag.


I enjoyed this gift bag design and was impressed on how much it could hold. It also inspired by Christmas in July project. It was so nice to have Stampin' UP! celebrate their demonstrators.


I used the Season of Green and Gold Suite of Products for my gift bag. This suite has 2 fabulous Bundles, 2 stunning specialty designer series papers, and embellishments for absolutely WOW holiday projects. 


My favorite part of the products is how the dies from the bundles can coordinate with the Specially Designer Papers. These die cut images add such beauty to your projects quickly. With Bonus Days this month, you can earn your $5 bonus coupons quickly by adding the suite to your order with me. 


This gift bag can be used for so many occasions. Think about a yummy cookie for a birthday or scratch off tickets for that person turning 21. :) 


I know that I mentioned Bonus Days. This month, when you spend $50 on Stampin' Up! products, you earn a $5 Bonus coupon to spend in August. I really like to double up on rewards, so remember you earn 1 Café Coin with me when you spend $25. You can get $40 FREE product when you reach 20 coins. Also, when you spend $150 you earn hostess dollars for FREE products too. 


I really don't try and push people to purchase a whole suite of products, but with this suite, I encourage you to get the whole shabang! Every part of this suite is stunning! I am a big fan of dies that can cut out images from the Designer series papers. When you purchase this suite, you earn three $5 bonus coupons and $15 of FREE products. You also earn 6 Café Coins. Wow!


Don't let the rewards stop there! When you shop with me this month ($50 order) You will receive a sampling of many retired Stampin' Up! holiday designer series papers as a gift from me. Wow, so many rewards this month with Christmas in July! Orders need to be placed by July 31st by 10:59 (PT) to qualify. 


If you want to know how to make this cute gift bag, be sure to watch my video for step by step directions. 


Thanks again for stopping in. Be sure to check out all the great products that Stampin' Up! offers. I hope that I will be sending you a sampling of holiday DSP with your order of $50 or more. Now is the time to get started on your holiday crafting. 

Until Next Time...
Happy Stampin',

Mary Blocher
Mary's Stampin' Café




















Friday, July 12, 2024

Double Wonder/One Sheet Wonder Class Projects and Recap

 

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for stopping in and checking out my Double Wonder/One Sheet Wonder Class projects. I loved this sketch by Shannon West a Stampin' Up! employee and demonstrator. Julie Davison created the PDF for the One sheet wonder which was so helpful. shout out to Julie.

When you look at this layout, it uses 2 sheets of DSP. You choose 2 complimentary DSP designs. Then you lay them together and cut at 
6" x 12". You then will use the 6" x 12" pieces (just 2 of them) for these projects. What's great is that you can repeat again with the other at another time. 

The card layouts that I am sharing will reflect the above template for cutting the DSP. It will go from right to left. For the first layout of 4 cards, I just the DSP at 4 1/2" from the end of the 6" x 12" pieces (keep the pieces together). The I turned the DSP at cut at 3". Then I cut those 3" pieces to 1 1/2". 
A couple of things to note on this first layout is that I used all white mats for all four projects. My one sample shows a Calypso Coral mat for the DSP, but I liked all of them to be white. Participants in this class got all of the embossing and tags for sentiments included. One thing I really like about this One Sheet Wonder is that the cards can be so different looking depending on the sheets of DSP you use. It was wonderful to see creativity of others. Here are a couple of cards from those who attended at my Stampin' Café. Notice what DSP designs they have.

Susan found a great use for the large "c" shaped piece and added flowers

I loved Julie's use of one of the wreaths with added flowers

Now Jessica created a super cute design with the flower pieces from the kit!

For the next four cards, I cut the next part of the DSP at 4". Then I turned the DSP to cut a 3/4" strip off the bottom. Then I turned it back so I would have 1" x 5 1/4" strips.


What I liked about this layout, is that I was able to do a little fancy fold for two of the cards. You can do this for all if you would like. I scored at 4 1/4" and 1 1/4". Then I folded back the 1 1/4" piece. The 1" DSP strips are perfect for this. *A note for these cards is that I included a white layer for the inside of the cards that you glue the DSP strip to it. Here are a couple more ideas from participants.

Susan switched up the base colors and created a beautiful sympathy card

Pam really went all out on this card and it's stunning!

Susan's wishing for a white Christmas with this pretty card

For the last projects in this One Sheet Wonder is already at 3 1/2" x 6". I turned the DSP and cut off a 2 1/4" piece and repeated again. Then I took the last strip, turned in at cut it in half at 1 3/4". This yields 2 cards + a bonus card. 
These cards turned out great. I didn't use the strips from layout 2 that were left over. I added them on the insides of the cards. I used a Pretty Peacock ribbon for one. The card on the right, I used one of the Frames & Flower pieces that had a rectangle space for a sentiment. I cut that apart and raised up that rectangle onto another cardstock piece. Then I added the greenery pieces back in place and added more embellishements. Let's see some other ideas.

Christ got more of that Pretty Peacock ribbon showing on her design

Another great technique that Christ did, wat to cut little strips of the cardstock or DSP to add more greenery 

What a super fun Double One Sheet Wonder Specialty Class. It was great to see everyone's creativity. I really like how the projects could vary depending on the DSP choice. In this class, I also provided 2 extra bonus projects. I think they were great.


This bonus project uses one of the pieces in the Frames & Flower Specialty papers. I love the diamond window! The class I offered also had the option to add the Poised Peony stamp set. I just loved using the Celebrate die from the Wanted to Say Die set. 


For this bonus card, again I used one of the layering pieces from the Frames & Flowers specialty DSP and created a shaker card. This is super easy! I took a medium clear envelope (Stampin' Up!). I added a piece of Basic white inside that measured just a bit bigger than the window. I added some fun frosted dots and others. Then folded the envelope over and sealed it. Then you just attached the DSP to the clear envelope and adhere it to the card base. 

I added a gift card pocket on the inside of the card. I took one of the DSP "cards" from the Frames I Flowers DSP and cut it in 1/2. I then folded each side just a smidge and glued the sides and bottom down to form the pocket. 


Did you know that this is the second time that the Frames & Flowers 12" x 12" Specialty paper has been unavialble? I even had to postpone my class by a couple of weeks. I do have two extra Double Wonder/One Sheet Wonder kits available. You will get the Frames & Flowers DSP, Rainbow Adhesive-Backed dots, a stamp case and supplies to create 13 fabulous projects like the ones I shared today. This is a $35 kit plus $9 shipping if needed. I only have 2 kits available, so it's first come. first served. Fill out this form asap to not miss out.

I also recorded a video for an overview and some tips and tricks. These are my ideas, but I encourage you to add your own creativity and flair to your projects. Reach out of you have any questions.


Until next time...
Happy Stampin',
Mary Blocher
Mary's Stampin' Café