Paper Pumpkin: March 2016 Sneak Peek and April 2016 Thank You Bonus Stamp Set

I haven't received my March Paper Pumpkin kit in the mail yet, but I couldn't wait to share what this month's kit contains!!!

OH, MY GOODNESS!! Bermuda Bay!! Gorgeous!! This sneak peek makes me even more excited to receive my kit!

Paper Pumpkin out does itself month after month after month! There are wonderful cards, 3D projects, gift card holders, special folds cards, banners, calendars, and all kinds of fresh, exciting projects!

If you haven't signed up for Paper Pumpkin yet, there is still time for April's kit. Sign up before April 10th to receive April's kit and receive a bonus, exclusive stamp set to celebrate Paper Pumpkin  reaching ONE MILLION subscribers! Woohoo!

As a thank you, Stampin' Up! is including a special thank you stamp set in April's kit. Be sure to sign up before April 10th to receive this special bonus set! Awesome!

During Sale-A-Bration a three month subscription is on sale for $55. This is a great way to craft every month and to earn a free Sale-A-Bration product! If you sign up before April 10th, you will receive April's kit and the bonus, exclusive stamp set as a thank you! Don't miss out!

I appreciate you stopping by!
Beth

March Monthly Meeting

Last night was our local demonstrator's meeting. I meet with a fantastic group of ladies every month to discuss products, share ideas, and swap cards. This month we made cards with a masculine theme.

Like a lot of paper crafters, I have difficulty creating cards with a masculine theme. From my husband, I have learned that the card is more pleasing when it is simple, uncluttered, and includes his favorite colors. Simple cards are often the most challenging. I'm still learning! It is easy to add embellishments but difficult to know when to stop. The key is to find the balance with each project. Plus, once you find the card or project style that they like, it will become easier to replicate for other occasions.

Here are the amazing cards from last night's swap. Can you guess which one was mine?



The sets we used were

• Going Global (Item #140748 Wood-Mount; Item #140748 Clear-Mount ), 
• By the Tide (Item #131910 Wood-Mount; Item #129120 Clear-Mount ), 
• Lovely as a Tree (Item #128655 Wood-Mount; Item #127793 Clear-Mount ), 
• Guy Greetings (Item #138825 Wood-Mount; Item #138828 Clear-Mount; Item #137178 Photopolymer ), 
• The Sky is the Limit, 
• In the Meadow (Item #140754 Wood-Mount; Item #140754 Clear-Mount ), 
• Amazing Birthday (Item #134225 Wood-Mount; Item #134228 Clear-Mount ), and 
• Awesomely Artistic (Item #138694 Wood-Mount; Item #139950 Clear-Mount ). 

I think these are all great stamp sets for the guys in our lives. What sets do you use for masculine cards?

I appreciate you stopping by!
Beth

Sale-A-Bration Product of the Week: Perfect Pairings

This stamp set is more than meets the eye—it’s nine pieces, but you can mix and match the greetings for endless possibilities!

Here’s what one of Stampin' Up!'s concept artists said about it:

“This is the perfect set for a beginning stamper because it has a variety of greetings all in one. The greetings can stand alone or be combined in countless ways. Yes, this is a greeting set but the fonts are bold enough to stand alone so you don't necessarily need an image set to go with it.”

So start playing and see how many greetings you and your customers can come up with!

There only 14 days left to earn FREE Sale-A-Bration goodies! Get your free products with each qualifying order!

Learn More About Sale-A-Bration

 
I appreciate you stopping by!
Beth

Speckled Egg Easter Card

When I saw Stampin' Up!'s Artisan Design Team's Cindy Schuster's Speckled Egg Easter Card on the Stampin' Up! Blog I had to repost it here! Isn't this card darling?!?!

It's beautiful, clean, simple, and also has that WOW! factor! Cindy cleverly uses the Balloon Celebration stamp set and Balloon Bouquet Punch to create the egg shape. Just snip off the end of the balloon and viola you have an egg! Brilliant!

This card uses two techniques - stamping off and ink splattering. Stamping off will take some of the ink off of the stamp. Ink your stamp as you would normally. Then stamp it onto Grid Paper or other scratch paper. Then stamp on your project. The resulting image will not be as dark as if you stamped the image with full ink strength. Stamping off can tone down an ink color or be used to create depth. For this card, stamping off is used to create a more pastel palette.

Ink splattering creates droplets of color to add interest and texture to your project. The can be done with a variety of tools, including markers, paint brushes, tooth brushes, stamps, and Wink of Stella Glitter Brushes.

To create the card base, cut a 11" x 4-1/4" piece of Crumb Cake cardstock. Fold it in half and crease with a bone folder.  Cut a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Kraft Corrugated cardstock. Wrap gold baker's twine around the top of the corrugated cardstock and tie a bow. Adhere the corrugated cardstock to the Crumb Cake base. Set aside.

Stamp the larger balloon image from the Balloon Celebration stamp set in Pool Party and So Saffron onto Very Vanilla cardstock. Stamp the larger balloon image in Crumb Cake and stamp off onto your Grid Paper before stamping onto the cardstock. Stamp the larger balloon image in Perfect Plum and stamp off onto your Grid Paper before stamping onto the cardstock.

To add the first layer or speckle, stamp each balloon with the splatter dots stamp image from the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set with Early Espresso ink.

Use a gold Wink of Stella Glitter Brush to add the second layer of speckle. First squeeze the Wink of Stella Glitter Brush to bring some of the ink to the brush tip. Then, holding the brush on its side, firmly tap to release the glitter paint onto each balloon. Squeeze the brush as needed to bring more paint to the tip.

Punch each balloon using the Balloon Bouquet Punch. Even though Wink of Stella is quick drying, make sure your balloons are completely dry before punching, especially if you are like me and love to add a LOT of sparkle.

Snip off the end piece of the balloon.

Adhere the eggs to your card base. Stamp the Easter greeting from Easter Lamb onto a 1" x 3.5" strip of Very Vanilla cardstock, punch both ends with the Triple Banner Punch, and adhere it to your card base. Your card is complete!

 I hope you enjoy this Easter card as much as I do!

I appreciate you stopping by!
Beth

Speckled Easter Egg Card Project Supply List
Stamps	Balloon Celebration Gorgeous Grunge Easter Lamb
Paper	Crumb Cake Cardstock Kraft Corrugated Cardstock Very Vanilla Cardstock
Ink	Pool Party Ink Pad So Saffron Ink Pad Perfect Plum Ink Pad Crumb Cake Ink Pad Early Espresso Ink Pad
Embellishments	Gold Baker's Twine Gold Wink of Stella Glitter Brush
Tools	Stampin’ Trimmer Triple Banner Punch Balloon Bouquet Punch Pierce Mat Clear Acrylic Blocks B, D, H Grid Paper Stampin’ Mist Cleaner Stampin’ Scrub
Click here to start shopping!

Weekly Deals: 03/15/16 - 03/21/16

Check out this week's deals! The Cherry on Top Cotton Paper Assortment is perfect for making flowers with the Flower Frenzy Bigz Die! The Fringe Scissors make excellent grass embellishments for all of your Easter and Springtime projects!

I appreciate you stopping by!
Beth