The host for our July, 2023 Sparkles Christmas Challenge, Billie A. chose to have us add some gold to our projects. When you finish here, I hope you will visit the challenge website to see the projects created by the other design team members. I’m always inspired by each of the projects. We hope you are inspired as well and play along with our challenge. I’m looking forward to seeing your cards in our gallery!
Here’s my card:
The Polished Pink and gold DSP (designer series paper) really did all the work here. This DSP belonged to the 2021-2023 retired In Colors which retired at the end of May. I have just enough left for a couple more cards. Sadly the ribbon also retired this past May. However, his card could fall into the almost easy-peesy category and be recreated using any DSP.
Details for the Card:
Trim a piece of cardstock to 4-1/4 by 11 inches. Score it at 5-1/2 inches to create a tent card base.
Trim a piece of gold foil specialty paper to 4-1/8 by 5-3/8 inches.
The pink, gold, and white DSP measures 4 by 5-1/4 inches.
Using the Natural Prints wreath die, crop it from gold foil.
HINT: I am very (!!) stingy, um make that frugal, with my foil specialty papers. Therefore, I make sure to crop as much as possible from the foil piece since it will be covered with the DSP. This gold foil wreath is cropped from the center of the gold foil layer.
Use your embossing buddy to clean off a scrap piece of cardstock that matches the base color.
Stamp the sentiment from the Hope & Peace stamp set using Versamark ink
Cover the sentiment in gold embossing powder and heat set it.
Using a circle from the Stylish Shapes die set, crop the sentiment.
For this card, I tried something new with the edge of the sentiment circle, and it worked. I rolled the circle through the VersaMark ink pad two or three times, then added gold embossing powder. Heat setting the powder was made easier by using my opposable (reverse) tweezers. If you don’t have a pair, I highly recommend the Stampin’ Up! embossing additions tool kit. These reverse tweezers act like another hand when crafting. There are all kinds of the tweezers on the market, but the SU! ones have wider and stronger tips. The set also includes an embossing buddy (invaluable when embossing, a small brush to wipe away excess flecks of powder, and a Powder Pal, which will keep your space tidy. You can see the kit below:
Use multipurpose liquid glue to adhere the gold foil and DSP together.
Wrap a length of ribbon vertically around the left side of the foil/DSP layer and tie it in a bow.
Use liquid glue to attach the gold foil wreath.
HINT: Be very careful when using adhesives with foil specialty papers. If you get adhesive on the foil side, that piece of paper will become dull. You’ll be able to wipe off the excess glue, but you will not have shiny foil where the glue touched it.
Add dimensionals under the sentiment circle and adhere to the card.
Since the ribbon I used is very thin, I was able to use liquid glue to adhere the foil/DSP layer to the base of the card.
Trim a piece of white cardstock to 4 by 5-1/4 inches for the inside.
Trim a piece of coordinating DSP to 6 inches by 2-1/2 inches for the envelope flap. . Don’t use foil specialty paper for the flap because it won’t stand up to the wear and tear of the postal machines.
Finally, punch a 1-inch circle from coordinating DSP for the envelope seal.
With that, I finished this coordinated card, envelope, and envelope seal.
Take a look at this Boho Beach kit! The colors are gorgeous and, just like all the SU! kits, they are all inclusive. The only thing you need to add is a stamping block and a pair of paper snips.
Check out this unboxing and demonstration video for this kit:
If you live in the U.S., the HOST CODE for July is QXMZMSQC.
If you don’t already have a Stampin’ UP! demo with whom you work, I would be honored to be your demo. I thoroughly enjoy sharing stamping with others and am always looking for new and exciting ways to create cards.
I knew I wanted to use the Golden Honey Specialty DSP (FREE with a $50 purchase!) for this challenge. The first time I created a card for this challenge it definitely didn’t turn out clean. I like it, as did my husband, but it’s not clean.
The second card follows the sketch, is clean, and I still used the Golden Honey Specialty DSP. Did I already say this gorgeous paper is FREE with a $50 purchase?
Here’s my card:
Here’s the challenge banner:
Diagonal from DSP
Let me start by saying I love math. Love.it. That being said, it should have been much easier to create the diagonal DSP piece. When I finally wound up with a diagonal with which I was satisfied, I found that I was just a very tiny smidge off on the top, right corner. At that point, I had two choices: start over and try again or fix the piece I had. Of course, I chose fix the piece I had, and did so using the Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker. After I outlined the diagonal DSP piece using the marker, I glued the piece down using my fave, TomBow multipurpose liquid adhesive. I just needed to use the bullet end of the marker to color the smidges of white in the corner. Easy peasy, and definitely easier than starting over.
While trying to keep a definitely clean card, I didn’t even use the Subtle 3d embossing folder for the background. The sentiment banner consists of a layer of the Golden Honey DSP, although you can’t really see the pattern and gold foil. I cropped both of those pieces using the Banner Triple punch. The sentiment is from the Honey Bee stamp set and fits perfectly on the white banner.
When I stamped the sentiment, I stamped the beehive as well. I did stamp it using my Stamp-a-ratus to ensure a dark enough hive. The Detailed Bees die set made it easy to crop the beehive and the bees, which are on the DSP. I had the option of stamping then cropping the bees, but I chose the easy way to go by cropping the DSP.
Putting It All Together
In order to achieve dimension on the card, I used the mini-black dimensionals on the bees and the beehive. When I dry-fit the beehive on the banner, I realized I could place it so the gold foil shows through on under the entrance to the beehive.
One of the bees actually covers a tiny smudge of black ink. Happy accident. I chose not to pop up the sentiment so only the beehive and bees would hover over the card.
Finally, I stamped three bees on the front of the envelope and added a piece of DSP on the envelope flap.
I keep looking at the card wondering if I have enough to make it interesting. Then I start thinking “clean and simple” over and over. I need to just leave it alone.
As always,
Thank you so very much for stopping by my blog today. I appreciate your the time you take to read, and comment, on my blog.
Contemplating placing an order today? Of course you are, especially because the Sale-a-Bration items are must haves! If you don’t already have a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, I would be honored to work with you. Please contact me or visit my shop to order the supplies for this card.
If you are ordering $150 or more, please contact me first so you earn all the Stamping Rewards for your order. Stamping Rewards = FREE PRODUCT!
If you are ordering less than $150, please use the host code, DANAAUNT, when prompted. I use the combined rewards for gifts for customers.
Just look at these FREE Sale-a-Bration amazing products with qualifying purchase:
Contact me to sign up for Paper Pumpkin, or use this link: https://www.paperpumpkin.com/en-us/sign-up/?demoid=2155072
Paper Craft Crew challenges are always interesting and inspiring. This week’s is no different. Since I absolutely LOVE the Golden Honey DSP I just ordered my second FREE pack with a qualifying order. For this challenge, I once again turned to that happy DSP and the Honey Bee bundle.
Here’s the challenge banner:
Here’s the card I created:
The Short Version
I tried to follow the sketch as much as possible for this card. The placement of the gold foil honeycombs and the beehive very closely match the sketch.
The sentiment strip on the challenge contained just a strip, but I added the two bees on the end. A honeycomb and a beehive need bees, right? The DSP for the beehive is from the DSP pack. I thought it needed a little bling added, so I used my clear Wink of Stella on the white strips. While Wink of Stella doesn’t show up well in pictures, I promise it’s there. The placement of the sentiment strip was completely based on the sketch.
I pulled out some of my last remaining retired black dots and placed them around my collage. I used a very liberal amount of dimensionals when adhering everything down. In the case of the bees on the end of the sentiment strip, I actually used a double stack of mini-dimensionals.
Multiple Dry-fitting Attempts are a Good Thing
Attaching the beehive took just a bit of planning. I wanted the height of the beehive to be consistent. Therefore, I placed a number of mini-dimensionals inside the empty honeycomb cut outs. Then I carefully placed some on the top of the back of the beehive. After some dry-fitting trials, I felt pretty sure I had everything where I needed.
While I was dry-fitting, I decided that just the Whisper White cardstock needed to have some texture. I turned to my favorite embossing folder: the Subtle 3D embossing folder. I love the hints of texture this folder gives. It has gained #1 choice out of all my folders.
At that point, I thought I had finished. I set the card up for a picture, and realized I’d left a too big of gaping white space at the bottom right of the card. If I used the little bees, I’d have to put two more on the card to keep the odd number going. I finally thought that one of the big bees stamped and cropped would work, so that’s what I did. The card feels more balanced, at least to me.
With that, I was done. No coordinating envelope this time because I ran out of them yesterday. What?!? I couldn’t find a single one, and usually I have a stash on hand. So, I quickly ordered some last night, along with enough product to get the FREE Golden Honey DSP. $50 order = FREE Sale-a-Bration items.
As always,
Thank you so very much for stopping by my blog today. I appreciate your the time you take to read, and comment, on my blog. I have work bright and early in the morning, and I still need to finish my lesson plans.
Welcome to the Pals’ Blog Hop! We’re so glad you’re here because it’s “Time to Sale-A-Brate”! We’re showcasing our favorite new products from 2020 Sale-A-Bration brochure. You may be starting the hop here or coming from a previous Pal’s blog. Either way, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll find the full line-up below to help you move, or “hop” along from Pal to Pal.
Sale-a-Brate with Golden Honey DSP
If you haven’t seen the Sale-a-Bration catalog, especially the Golden Honey DSP, which coordinates with the Honey Bee Bundle in the January to June mini-catalog. Take a look at this gorgeous paper:
All the gold paper and accents are gorgeous! What’s even better is that the dies from the bundle cut out bees from the gold and Whisper White DSP! Winner, winner!
I created two cards for this blog hop. The first is for a beginning stamper and the second is for a casual or avid stamper. Both cards have the same basic layout, it’s just all the other “stuff” that goes along with creating the cards.
Here’s the first card:
Here’s the second card:
Using the Bundle and DSP
Once I picked the DSP, it seemed like the rest just fell into place using the Paper Players #353 sketch, as seen below:
I used the same DSP for the background matted by gold foil. In addition, I used the flax ribbon and large bees on both cards. Isn’t it great that these dies will work with both the stamp set and the gold and Whisper White DSP? Both cards have the oval shape cropped using layering ovals die set.
Both of the sentiments came front the Honey Bee cling stamp set. For the beginner card, I cropped the sentiment and gold mat using the same layering ovals die set. The “hello” sentiment was cropped using the Stitched Shapes die set. I outlined the oval using gold ink because I thought I had enough going on with the card without an extra mat for the sentiment.
The first card turned out clean and simple, which follows the CTS #353 sketch. Both the card and the sketch are minimalist formats. My upline, Brian King, designed the sketch, and his cards are usually beautifully clean and simple.
While following the same sketch, I added more embellishments for the more involved card using the Honey Bee bundle. The honeycomb gold foil pieces came from the honeycomb die. I stamped the beehive on Whisper White cardstock that I ran through the Big Shot using the subtle 3D embossing folder. Originally, I thought that the texture would be enough for the behive. When I was dry-fitting the card elements, I decided that I needed something more. I pulled out my clear wink of stella pen and drew lines across the beehive horizontally. I cropped both bees out of the Golden Honey DSP using the dies from the bundle.
As always,
Thank you so very much for stopping by my blog today. I appreciate your the time you take to read, and comment, on my blog.
Keep on hopping!
More inspiration awaits! Use the Blog Hop Line-up below to visit the rest of this month’s Design Team. My fellow Pals are excited to show you what they’ve created! Don’t forget to show us some love by commenting on our creations. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, February 12th, for our Art From The Heart blog hop when our Design Team showcase projects made from the heart for any occasion. Don’t miss the fun!
Golden Honey DSP, free during SAB with a $50 order!
Supplies Used
Golden Honey DSP – FREE with a $50 purchase! Free!
Honey Bee cling stamp set, item # 151527
Detailed Bee die set, item # 151526
Getting the bundle saves you 10%
Honey Bee bundle, item # 153792
Stitched Shapes die set, item # 145372
Layering Ovals die set, item # 141706
Flax Ribbon, item # 148764
Whisper White cardstock, item # 100730
Gold Foil sheets, item # 132622
Subtle 3D embossing folder, item # 151775
Wink of Stella clear marker # 141897
Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad, item # 147110
Dimensionals, item # 104430
Tombow liquid adhesive (my fav!), item # 110755
Very Vanilla Medium envelopes, item # 107300
Again, thank you for stopping by today!
About Me
Welcome to Just Peachy Stamping by Sue Jackson: an independent Stampin' Up demonstrator.
Through Stampin' Up!, I happily share my love of papercrafting through sales, classes, small stamping group meet-ups and workshops. I think that being a teacher in my "real life", I have a unique approach to sharing my fantastic hobby. I look forward to connecting with you!
