WagStamps Team ~ Sale-a-Bration July Blog Hop

Welcome to the WagStamps Team ~ Sale-a-Bration July Blog Hop. As the name implies, we will be focusing on Sale-a-Bration (SAB) items. As you follow through the hop you'll see lots of great projects featuring items that you can get for free during this round of SAB, which is happening now through August 31. You probably just came from Frances Wagner's blog. Weren't her projects great? If you are starting on my blog, you'll get there as you go through the hop.

SAB is that wonderful time of year when you earn free items for orders over $50, free hostess items for orders over $300, and a free gift for joining the Stampin' Up! family. Today I will be showcasing the Tree Lot dies which you can get for free with a $100 order.

The first card was made specifically for my sister and so the color of the camper is Smoky Slate, which to me is the color that most resembles silver when not actually using silver. I chose the verse, which is from Friends Are Like Seashells, because I think it is describes her - but it also describes her camper. You don't just see her type of camper everywhere. She and her husband got it when she retired and for the past year or so they have been having some pretty fun camping adventures.

The Designer Series Paper is a hostess item, Celebrate Everything 12 x 12 DSP. Hostess items are only available when you host a party, are a stamp club hostess, or place your own order that qualifies for hostess merchandise. It's a great deal and has some wonderful patterns, so it is worth thinking about having a party or getting a large enough order in another way so you can get it. And during SAB, if your total party or personal order gets up to $300 you also get a bonus free hostess item. The dies have an indentation around the door and the handle. I used my Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker to go around these lines to highlight them. It's suble but makes them stand out a bit. The top and the bottom of the camper - the parts with the lines - are actually separate die cuts so you can make the camper 2 or even 3 toned. But as I said, I stuck with "silver" because I was emulating my sister's camper.

This next card uses the trees from the Tree Lot Dies. You could easily use a Christmas message and maybe highlight the trees with Wink of Stella and it would be a great Christmas card. However, it's summer and I needed a birthday card, so I used a birthday message. While this would be a nice card for anyone, I like that it can be used for men because I don't always make as many masculine cards. I am sorry but I cannot tell you which set the sentiment is from. I went to the set I thought it was from to double check and found it wasn't from that set. I'm sure you can find an appropriately sized message. Thinking of You or Thank You would also be great options for this card.

I was working on a 3-d item for you but ran into technical difficulties - and because of it ran out of time. I'll share it later, so be sure to come back to see it. If you are part of our Facebook Group, Paper Crafting By Frances, you'll see it because I'll share it there, too. If you aren't, contact your Wagstampers demonstrator to get an invitation. If you don't have a demonstrator, please let me know. I'd love to be your demonstrator and help you with your stamping needs.

As you can see, you can use these dies on their own, but if you want more options and more creative fun, these dies coordinate with the Trees For Sale stamp set.

Thank you for stopping by and for following our blog hop. Next up is Elaine Pellitier. I'm sure you'll love what she has to share with you. She is also highlighting the Tree Lot dies.

Sue Root - You are here

Elaine Pellitier - https://papercraftsbyelaine.com/2022/07/sale-a-bration-lot-of-tree.html

Laura McGinnis - https://cowtowncreates.wordpress.com/?p=991

Frances Wagner - https://www.wagstamps.com/2022/07/wagstampers-team-sale-bration-july-blog.html

More Seas the Day Cards

Here are a couple more Seas the Day cards. This fantastic bundle is still available - but not for long since it's on the retiring list.

The first card is a slim line card. Colors: Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Mango Melody, Basic Black, and Basic White.

I like to add a little something to the inside of my cards. I feel like it adds a fun touch. I didn't do a lot on this one, but because the slim line cards are so long it's good to fill some of the space.

This last card was CASED from fellow demonstrator Jaimie Babarczy. Colors are similar to the slimline card but the background layer is Coastal Cabana and no Basic Black. I don't have a picture of the inside but it has a couple fish and some seaweed.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. If you like these cards, be sure to get the Seas the Day bundle before it's gone!

Seas the Day Cards

I really wish the Seas the Day bundle would have carried over to the Annual catalog. I am going to share a few cards I made with it while the bundle is still available.

The coloring on the big die cut on this card was done with Blending Brushes. That way I could make the bottom sand colored, the top blue for the water, and the seaweed green - specifically Crumb Cake Pacific Point, and Granny Apple Green. The sea critters were stamped and cut with dies so they would stand out against the colored background. Some were popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals and some were not.

This next card is similar but the big die was cut from Pacific Point cardstock. The background on the base layer was stamped with a hostess stamp that just retired. I wanted to use the Gentle Waves background stamp, but I didn't have it when I made this card so I improvised. I have since rectified that situation but I haven't re-made the card yet. Gentle Waves is also on the retiring list.

This is a simple card made with the Seas the Day stamp set. I didn't use the dies from the bundle. The sentiment is mounted on circles from the Layered Circles dies. I used blender brushes to create the background and then stamped the sea creatures and seaweed right on top.

If you love ocean themes stamps and dies, be sure to get this bundle and the Gentle Waves background before they are gone. And check back tomorrow for a couple more cards made with Seas the Day.

Tulip Fields Windmill Card

Here's a card I made with the Tulip Fields bundle. This bundle goes together to make such beautiful cards with very little effort, relatively speaking.

I started with a Basic White 4" x 5.25" layer and stamped the rows of tulips in various colors on the bottom part. Then I masked (covered) the top tulips so they wouldn't get covered by blue ink when I sponged the sky using a Blending Brush. There are 2 cloud dies in the die set. I cut some of those and tacked them down before sponging the sky. Be sure to use a very small amount of adhesive - just enough to keep the clouds down while you go over them with the Blending Brush. I then removed the die cuts and sponged a little around some of the edges to make the clouds look softer. This layer was then adhered to the Basic White card base. The die cut clouds can be used again for the same purpose on other cards.

The windmill was assembled using the appropriate die cut pieces. Since I used a brad to attach the blades, they will actually spin around. So, when I go to mail this card, I'll move the blades a bit so the card will fit in my envelope. I attached the windmill with Stampin' Dimensionals so it is popped up.

See, I told you the effort/reward ratio was good. While it takes a little time to do these steps, none of it is difficult and the resulting card is well worth it.

Easter Friends Chicks

 Happy Easter! Today I am sharing a card I made using the chicks from the Easter Friends set. The first card is my own design, but it was inspired by the 2nd card which was CASED.

The sentiment was cut out using the Stitched Rectangle dies and the clouds were stamped and die cut with the Tulip Fields bundle.

For those of you who don't know, CASE means Copy And Share Everything. Generally, that's why we share things online. We hope to give inspiration to others and in turn we get inspiration from what we see online. It's so common that the acronym is now used as a verb. Sometimes demonstrators sell their designs or otherwise ask people not to copy their ideas, and of course, when that happens I don't. It is considered polite when CASE-ing projects to give credit. This card was CASED from Australian demonstrator Cheryl Hurst. My card is not an exact copy of hers, but it is very similar.

Colors used are Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Gorgeous Grape, and Granny Apple Green. The clouds were stamped with Balmy Blue. The purple strip on the bottom card is actually Highland Heather. It was going to be Gorgeous Grape to match the stamping, but I grabbed the wrong color. Since I still like it, I didn't take the card apart to fix it.

I hope you have enjoyed these cards today and I hope you have a very Happy Easter.

Easter Friends Bunny Cards

 Today I am sharing an Easter card I made and also a variation of that card. We made this first card at my last stamp club. I stamped the bunny from Easter Friends on a Whisper White layer first. Then, before coloring the background, I masked the bunny so that he stayed white while the Balmy Blue and Granny Apple Green were applied with Blending Brushes. I left the mask on while I stamped the flowers from Painted Poppies. After removing the mask, I colored the flowers with Stampin' Write Markers, stamped the Happy Easter, and assembled the layers.

This second card was made nearly the same way with a few small changes. I used Watercolor Pencils to color the flowers and then went over them with an Aqua Painter to give the effect of watercolor. Because I had a more limited selection of colors in my Watercolor Pencil set I had to choose a different color for the background layer. The Daffodil Delight brightens it up and makes it pop, but I think I prefer the more pastel palette of the first card. Leave a comment and let me know which you like better. I chose to stamp "may your day blossom with joy and happiness" on the front because then I can use it for occasions other than Easter such as a birthday or thinking of you. I could also put a Congratulations there and use it for a retirement card. I like the symbolism of Spring being the start of new life and retirement being a the start of a new phase of life for the retiree.

I hope you've enjoyed today's cards. As I said, with a change in sentiment, this card can be for more than Easter. This bunny would also make some very cute baby cards. Remember, just because a stamp set is geared towards a certain holiday, it doesn't mean those stamps have to be limited to that holiday. Branch out and give your stamps extra life.

#SimpleStamping

NC SU Demos Blog Hop - In Colors

Welcome to the NC Demos Blog Hop! We are so glad you are here! You may have just came from Tracie Evans Langley's blog. Wasn't it clever how she used the tissue paper? We used the Challenge Dice to determine this month's theme. This is what we came up with: Theme: Friendship, Style: Clean & Simple - no more than 2 layers, Color Scheme: In Colors, Techniques: Sponging, and Accent/Embellishment: Ribbon or Twine. As I'm typing this, I realize I failed the challenge. I tried to do the challenge from memory and forgot the sponging. Unfortunately, it's too late for me to change now, so I've got to go with what I've got. The funny thing is, I do a lot of sponging, so I can't believe that's what I forgot.

I have always loved grid paper for some reason so when I first saw the 2020–2022 In Color Grid Paper, I knew right away that I wanted to make cards with it. These are the first 2 cards but there will be many more since there's 25 sheets of 11" x 17" paper in the pack. This paper is on the retirement list and is currently 25% off, but remember, retiring items are only available while supplies last.

In case you are unfamiliar with the grid paper, it looks like this. Each sheet has all 5 in colors on it. I added the copyright, per Stampin' Up! policy. It is not on the grid paper itself. I love using grid paper when I stamp to protect my work surface. It's so handy to have the measurements right there and I use the lines to help align my stamps. These sheets are so colorful, they add a little fun to my workspace. Plus, I can use them as a surface for crafting and then as long as I didn't mess them up too much, I can flip them over and have pretty paper to use for making cards. Talk about getting your money's worth!

For my first card I used the Celebrate Sunflowers bundle, which is currently 20% off as part of the Savings are in Bloom promotion. If you need an embossing machine, the Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine is also 20% off as part of this promotion, as are several other bundles.

I selected an area of grid paper that included Just Jade and Misty Moonlight and cut it to size. In my head, I think of it as representing the grass and sky. I stamped the large sunflower image on Bumblebee cardstock with Early Espresso ink and then cut it out with the coordinating die. Because the theme is Friendship, I used the sentiment that says, "Know that you are loved," because friends are so important and I want my friends to know I love them. This was stamped on Bumblebee cardstock with Soft Suede ink. I left the Bumblebee cardstock a little longer than needed so I could wrap the Linen Thread around it. I wrapped it 3 times and tied a bow.

Here's how I finished off the inside of the card. This is the small sunflower from the same bundle. I colored directly on the stamp with my Bumblebee and Just Jade Stampin' Write Markers. The 2020-2022 In Color Stampin' Write Markers are also retiring and also discounted.

Here's another card I made with this pretty grid paper. You may have noticed the flowers in the bottom corner of the grid paper sheet. I fancy cut them and then lined the image up with two other colors layered behind it. The bow is from black twine out of the Baker's Twine Essentials Pack. I layered all of it on a Basic Black card base.

For the inside of the card, I layered a piece of Basic White with a strip of Bumblebee grid paper. I used the same sentiment as the other card but another sentiment from the same stamp set, Let's Celebrate You, would also be good because friends deserve to be celebrated.

Thank you for stopping by my blog and letting me share my project with you. Please stop by and see Tina Lesson’s post. I know it will be great!

After you finish the blog hop and you start shopping for supplies to make all the wonderful projects that you've just seen, remember to use hostess code HTKGYMKV when you order if you are my customer. If you don't have a demonstrator yet, please consider selecting me. I love helping people express their creativity through stamping.

Happy Stampin', Sue Root

THIS MONTH’S BLOG HOP LIST

Tina Lesson

Toni Campana

Jo Anne Hewins
FrancesWagner
Tracie Evans Langley

Sue Root - you are here

Peaceful Deer Birthday Card

Don't miss your chance to get this versatile Peaceful Deer bundle before it's gone! Not only did I make some great Christmas cards with it, I also made this masculine birthday card. Win-Win since I love to use my Christmas bundles for more than Christmas and I sometimes struggle with masculine cards.

Here's how I finished the inside of the card. Even though its original use was for Christmas, I think this sentiment is great for a birthday.

January 3rd is this last day to get the Peaceful Deer bundle, as well as any other items retiring from the current mini catalog. 

Update 01/02/21: I just saw these items are carrying over. So, although it will be available again, it won't be at the bundle price and not until July 2022.

#simplestamping