Mini Birthday Banners

You know my mom and I love banners! So, it should be no surprise that we made mini birthday banners for many of our family member's upcoming birthdays!

 
We thought the colors and patterns in the It's My Party DSP Stack was perfect for both the ladies and the guys in our family. There are neutral colors mixed with greens, yellows, and pinks, making it a fantastic balance for everyone.

 First we determined which patterns from the It's My Party DSP Stack would work as the background to the letters. Then we punched the banner pennants and stamped one letter on each banner pennant to spell Happy Birthday.

The Back to Basics Alphabet is the perfect size and font for the banner punch. It is not too big or too small. The font is clear and not too fussy. I can see making banners for graduation, retirement, and inside cards for a pop up banner!

Next we added coordinating patterned banners between Happy and Birthday and on each end for more embellishment. Finally, we glued the banner pennants to a length of Basic Black Baker's Twine, placing glue only on the top of the back of each pennant.

On the banner photographed above, we added a Melon Mambo cupcake to the center banner pennant. So adorable!

 
My husband still has his banner up even though his birthday was in the middle of March! He said that his banner was a fun surprise to show him how much I cared. He won't let me take it down. He got very sentimental! He is too sweet!

Out of all of the products retiring this year, my mom, my aunts, and I are the most sad about the banner punch, Back to Basics Alphabet stamp set, and the It's My Party Suite. Luckily, we all have these banner making goodies!

If you like our banners and would like to make your own, I suggest ordering soon so you don't miss out! I would love to see what you create!

Thanks for stopping by!
Beth

Mini Birthday Banners Project Supply List
Stamps	Back to Basics Alphabet Party Wishes
Paper	It’s My Party DSP Stack
Ink	Archival Basic Black Ink Pad Melon Mambo Ink Pad Daffodil Delight Ink Pad Mint Macaron Ink Pad
Embellishments	Basic Black Baker’s Twine
Tools	Clear Acrylic Block A Grid Paper Stampin’ Mist Cleaner Stampin’ Scrub Multipurpose Liquid Glue Two-way Glue Pen Banner Punch Party Pack Punch Set Paper Snips
Click here to start shopping!

 

Tie Dye Ribbon Gift Box

I've created this sweet gift box to continue practicing my gift packaging goal. I cut a 8" square piece of Crumb Cake cardstock and used the gift box punch board to make a medium sizedbox.

The tag is punched from the Tag Punch that is retiring. The flowers are from the Itty Bitty Accents Flower Punch. The leaves are from the Bird Builder Punch. I am sad to see that a lot of punches are retiring this year!

The sentiment is from the March 2016 Paper Pumpkin Kit.

The ribbon is a 24" piece of Whisper White 5/8" Satin Ribbon sponged randomly with Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight, and Melon Mambo. I started by daubing Melon Mambo along the length of the ribbon every inch or so. I next filled in the what was still white with Daffodil Delight. Then I sponged Tempting Turquoise over the top of the Melon Mambo and Daffodil Delight.

Next time, I may add white embossing to the sides of the box or even the Decorative Dots TIEF. I would love to see how you would decorate your gift boxes!

Thanks for stopping by!
Beth

Backstage 2016 Make and Takes

I attended Backstage 2016 hosted by Janet Baker and Susan Adams last Tuesday. It was amazing! The entire suite was decorated with a movie theater theme complete with film strip wall decor, popcorn machine, stars hanging decor, and candy bar. It was so much fun! We had four make and take projects and one take home project featuring products from the current catalogs.

The first project we made was a cute gift bag sponged with white craft ink and adorned with a friendship tag and Bermuda Bay sequins. The stamp set is Friendly Wish and is staying in the Annual Catalog. The dots were made using the Dots & Stripes Mask, which is retiring this year. I love this mask. I have used it on many gift and treat bags. I am really sad this mask is retiring. It is such a great tool and only $3!

The second project we made was a card featuring Clear Wink of Stella, Timeless Textures stamp set, and the Birthday Blooms stamp set. I love this stamp set and color combination! All three are staying in the Annual Catalog. The Venetian Trim is retiring.

This is my favorite project we made! It is a variation on a cascading fold card. I love the It's My Party DSP and Happy Birthday die!

The inside reveals a sweet sentiment and more festive balloons!

The middles opens to hold a gift card. How much fun is this card?!?!

The last project we made was a clever mini photo album with the 2015-2017 In Color DSP stack and ID badge holders. Inside has four pages to put photos of your loved ones.

The take home project was a little goodie basket made using the Berry Basket Bigz Die and the Birthday Bouquet DSP (both are retiring).

This mini basket is a sweet way to give a little present or candy. I love the bow on top of the handle!

If you would like to make these projects too, please contact to set up a stamping session!

Thanks for stopping by!
Beth

April 2016 Paper Pumpkin Lovely Little Wreath

April's Paper Pumpkin arrived in my mailbox while I was at On Stage. Although I have not completed the project yet, I did see completed kits on display at On Stage. I think the wreaths are adorable! I LOVE wreaths! I have all of the wreath stamp sets and wreaths all over my house! This month's Lovely Little Wreath will be a perfect addition to my home decor! I cannot wait to put it together!

I think this wreath could be used for more than springtime and using more than just the yellow flowers included in the kit. I can see using this wreath in the summer and in the winter too. How about using the Garden in Bloom stamps, the Spiral Flower Die, or even little Real Red circles for holly berries? What about adding snowflakes or a poinsettia? The flowers from the bonus stamp set All About Everything? The possibilities are endless! I would love to see what you create!

In the meantime, check out this great video from Paper Pumpkin!

The bonus thank you stamp set is called All About Everything. It includes fantastic sentiments, flowers, leaves, and stems. This photograph from the Paper Pumpkin website features examples using the All About Everything stamp set. Stunning!

At On Stage, not only were we able to get a sneak peek of the May 2016 Kit, we even made one of the projects! Alisha from Paper Pumpkin said we could share a photo of the May 2016 Kit! You are going to love next month's kit too! I do! I love love love the triangular die cut, the colors, the stars, and the fonts!

To get this project and others sign up before May 10th to receive May's Kit seen above. Sign up in my store today.

I would love to see what you create with your April 2016 Lovely Little Wreath Kit and All About Everything stamp set!

Thanks for stopping by!
Beth

Retiring List 2016

The Retiring List is up!! There are a significant amount of products retiring this year. The retiring items will come from the 2016 Occasions Catalog and the 2015-2016 Annual Catalog.

Some of the items will already be discounted. As the new catalog release date gets closer, more items may be discounted.

Some of the items will be sold out. The Washi Label Punch is already sold out. Refunds have been given for any back ordered Washi Label Punches ordered.

Many of the items will sell out quickly, including In Color ink refills and accessories. Accessories will be available while supplies last.

Because of the high demand for retiring stamps, retiring stamp sets will be produced until May 22nd. After May 22nd, they will be available while supplies last.

Check your wish list against the retiring list PDF and order quickly to avoid missing out on your favorite products!

Shop the retired items now.

Thanks for stopping by!
Beth

Last Day for Weekly Deals!

Today is the last day to get the Weekly Deals. Weekly Deals will end tonight forever. I don't want you to miss out on these amazing sale prices! Order before 10:50 PM Eastern Standard Time!

Thanks for stopping by!
Beth

Stampin' Up! Campus Tour

I had a great time touring the Stampin' Up! Riverton Campus! It was wonderful to meet some of the fantastic people I have talked to on the phone! Everyone was so kind and welcoming! Shout out to Yessica!

The displays were beautiful! Some of them were even from the annual catalog! I felt like I was in a photo shoot!

I also went a pre-convention went this morning. It was a make and take session sponsored by a group of demonstrators. We make four fantastic projects that I cannot wait to share with you! I even won a prize - a pack of rhinestones!

I appreciate you stopping by!

Weekly Deals: 04/12/16 - 04/18/16 The Last Week for Weekly Deals

Check out this week's deals! The Weekly Deals Offers will be ending on April 18th. There will no longer be weekly products revealed each Tuesday. However, the Weekly Deals will be replaced by Stampin' Up! with another promotional sale called Special Offers. Instead of every week, Special Offers will run every few months. The Special Offers will include MORE products with MORE tiered discounts!

The final Weekly Deals will run from today until Monday, April 18th. The last Weekly Deals include 15 amazing products!! Don't miss these deals while they last!!

Don't forget that the 2014 - 2016 In Colors are retiring this year. If you love them, buy them now before the mad rush starting now in April. Below are the In Color Products that are retiring at the end of May.

In Color embellishments and In Color DSP retire each year. That means, the 2015 - 2017 In Colors Dotted Lace Ribbon, Blossom Accents, and DSP are also retiring. Below are the 2015 - 2017 In Color Products that are retiring this year.

The Retiring Product List will be released on April 18th. Order your retiring In Color products before then! I don't want you to miss them

I appreciate you stopping by! Please let me know of you questions about retiring In Color products or the Weekly Deals.
Beth

2016 On Stage Swap Cards

I have been working on making card front swaps for the 2016 On Stage event this week. On Stage is an amazing three day Stampin' Up! convention for Stampin' Up! demonstrators. I am so excited to attend this year's convention! As a demonstrator, we get to see new products, try new techniques, tour the Stampin' Up! home office campus, meet tons of demonstrators from around the country and world, and, best of all, see the new annual catalog! Heaven!! I can't show you anything until Stampin' Up! gives us the okay to share. But as soon as we are given the okay, I can share (P.S. This is one reason right now is an exciting time of year to become a demonstrator!).

In the meantime, here are the card fronts I made to swap with other demonstrators. I made one card with 5 color schemes. I used the Flower Shop and the Number of Years stamp sets to create this card.

First, I cut the 4" by 5-1/2" card base in Wild Wasabi cardstock. If you are going to recreate this as a complete card, cut each card base 8-1/2" by 5-1/2" and fold in half like a book.

Next, I cut the 4" x 5-1/4" Whisper White mat. I placed the HAPPY sentiment and the BIRTHDAY sentiment (from Number of Years) on a clear block one above the other as shown in the photo above. I stamped HAPPY BIRTHDAY in Archival Basic Gray toward the center right side.

Then I embossed the stamped mat with Elegant Dots TIEF. I glued the mat to the base and set them aside to dry. You can use SNAIL Adhesive or Multipurpose Liquid Glue.

I chose the flower stamp (from Flower Shop) that reminds me of a dogwood flower. I thought this was a cheery, spring-like flower. The dogwood is also the flower of Virginia. On a piece of vellum, I stamped the flower using Versamark ink. I covered each flower image with white embossing powder and heat embossed them. Once the flowers were completely cooled, I punched each one out with the Pansy Punch.

I then sponged the BACK of each flower with ink. I pounced the sponge on some flowers and swiped the sponge on other flowers. Pouncing, created a darker, more saturated, and more vibrant look. Swiping created a lighter, more subtle look. I liked both ways. Experiment with both to get the look you want.

Set the flowers aside to dry for about an hour or so. If the ink is still wet, the flowers will not stick to the card front.

Sponging the color on the back of the flowers allowed both the sponged ink and the white embossing to show through, making an almost stained glass effect. You can try this technique with other colors of embossing powder. I bet silver or gold would be beautiful too!

Once the flowers are thoroughly dried, adhere them to the bottom left corner of the Whisper White mat. I used glue dots and multipurpose liquid glue. I tried both to see which adhesive held better. They both worked mostly the same. Because vellum is translucent, whatever adhesive you choose will show. I glued only the center portion of each flower. That way, the white embossed area hid the glue.

Lastly, I punched out just the leaves portion of the Bird Builder Punch in Wild Wasabi cardstock and glued them on using a two-way glue pen. The two-way glue pen is less messy on these more intricately cut leaves.

Here are the color schemes that I made for each of the 5 different card fronts.

Thanks for stopping by!
Beth

2016 On Stage Convention Swap Card Project Supply List
Stamps	Flower Shop Number of Years
Paper	Whisper White Cardstock Wild Wasabi Cardstock Vellum
Ink	Rose Red Ink Pad Wisteria Wonder Ink Pad Blackberry Bliss Ink Pad Crushed Curry Ink Pad Night of Navy Ink Pad Melon Mambo Ink Pad Daffodil Delight Ink Pad Tempting Turquoise Ink Pad Blushing Bride Ink Pad Island Indigo Ink Pad Versamark Ink Pad Archival Basic Gray Ink Pad
Embellishments	White Embossing Powder
Tools	Stampin’ Trimmer Bone Folder Clear Acrylic Blocks C, D Grid Paper Stampin’ Mist Cleaner Stampin’ Scrub Glue Dots SNAIL Adhesive Multipurpose Liquid Glue Two-way Glue Pen Pansy Punch Bird Builder Punch Elegant Dots TIEF Heat Tool Embossing Buddy
Click here to start shopping!

New Items on the Clearance Rack!

Stampin' Up! Has added more items to the already amazing Clearance Rack! Check out these new additions with discounts up to 60% off! Red Pom Pom Trim and Into the Woods DSP are back!!!! Yippeeee!!! Get yours while supplies last!!

 Thanks for stopping by!
Beth