Crafting Up the Coast

After spending two weeks in Europe this past May, I couldn’t wait to keep the memories alive using Project Life by Stampin’ Up!

I instantly fell in love with the new annual catalog’s Hello Lovely Project Life Card Collection (item 141668) so I knew what I was going to use for my album. The pocket cards from this kit will fit any theme or occasion and I loved how they fit my theme—vacation!

Before I started decorating the inside of the album, I started with the outside. And by the way, that’s one of my favorite things about the Espresso 6″ x 8″ Project Life Album (item 139655): you have total freedom to make the album unique and add your own creative personality!

The cover of the album was created using two cards from the Hello Lovely Project Life Card Collection and a few pieces from the Hello Lovely Project Life Accessory Pack (item 142687). I stamped the “Happiness” greeting using Early Espresso ink (item 126974) on one of the coordinating stickers from the accessory pack.

Once I completed the album’s front cover, I couldn’t wait to start creating layouts of the trip. I wanted to capture highlights from each country that we had visited over two weeks.  I did this by using the Variety Pack 6″ x 8″ Project Life Photo Pocket Pages (item 135297) which were perfect for snippets of our great vacation. I’ve already made great headway on completing this album and I’m excited to share a few of my favorite layouts with you.

For my first layout, I added a simple piece of Linen Thread (item 104199) stapled to the pocket card along with a die cut from one of the 2″ x 2″ cards in the accessory pack. I was a little giddy how the Project Life cards coordinated perfectly with my photos.

For the second layout, more embellishments were added including a die cut heart from the Sunshine Wishes Thinlits Dies (item 141489).

One of my favorite pocket pages included in the Variety Pack 6″ x 8″ Project Life Photo Pages is the one without pockets.  I used it as a title page for my album and for memorabilia I collected, but one of my favorite ways to use it was for a traditional scrapbooking layout as you see below.

This layout includes a 3″ x 4″ pocket card with a photo trimmed to fit inside the pocket card. I added the “Love” die cut by using the Sunshine Sayings Wishes Dies (item 141489) and a small strip (1″ x 6″) of the Pop of Pink Specialty Designer Series Paper (item 141648) along the edge of the pocket card. The Delicate White Doilies (item 141701) are one of my favorite accessories to use for any project and this one was no exception.

The last layout I want to share is my favorite.  I love how all of the elements came together to create a fun layout using one of the 4″ x 6″ pocket cards as a photo mat.  I included elements from the accessory pack, and I also incorporated the stamp set, sequins, washi tape, stickers, and the negative portion of the die cut I had previously used on another layout.

Whether you’re making a special album for a wedding or birthday or you’re preserving your travel memories, the Hello Lovely Project Life Card Collection (item 141668) and Hello Lovely Project Life Accessory Pack (item 142687) will help you create an excellent album to keep your memories alive for many years to come. From the album cover to the sweet photos inside, this Project Life collection fits many themes and will help you make your scrapbooking a simple but gratifying experience.

I hope this album inspires you to start keeping your memories alive with Project Life by Stampin’ Up! You’ll be amazed by how fun and simple the process can be!
Kimberly Van Diepen
Artisan Design Team 2015–2016

I didn’t plan ahead for Jon and Sean’s birthdays, which happened to be right after the cruise, so we decided to just give them cash without packaging. They’re guys; they won’t notice or care, right? Wrong!

They both mentioned they appreciated their gift, but they look forward to the packaging as well. So, these two ideas are the result of my feelings of guilt. The apron is for Sean, a new stay-at-home dad, and the camera is for Jon, my favorite photographer. I hope they like their empty packages and that you do too (along with the semi-instructions)!

When buying stamps, I don’t make decisions depending on what kind of stamp images I already have in my cabinet—even if there are ten floral stamp sets. (You can never have enough of those!) And I usually don’t buy stamp sets because of their main images, either; it’s the small, unimposing stamps that make it to my must-have list!

The Jar of Love Stamp Set (item 141587) is a good example. I immediately fell in love with all the beautiful little flowers and I knew I had to have them.

For my first card, I used Whisper White Thick Cardstock (item 140272) for my card base; then I used a sewing machine to attach a piece of Dapper Denim Cardstock (item 141414) and Soft Sky Cardstock (item 131203). I cut the heart in the background using the Big Shot (item 113439) and the Sunshine Wishes Thinlits Dies (item 141489).

The die-cut word is from the same Thinlits set. I stamped “Is in the air” from the coordinating Sunshine Sayings Stamp Set (item 141591) in Soft Suede ink (item 126978). To create a poppy, I three-step stamped the largest flower in Calypso Coral (item 126983), Watermelon Wonder (item 138323), and Basic Gray ink (item 140932).

The best thing about this stamp set is that there is a coordinating Framelits set–Everyday Jars (item 141490); it saves you the trouble of cutting out the images by hand. To stamp the medium flowers, I used Peekaboo Peach (item 141398) and Tangerine Tango ink (item 126946). I also used Calypso Coral ink to stamp the mini flowers and Old Olive ink (item 126953) for the stems.

Finally, I embellished the card with some Burlap Ribbon (item 141487) and 2016–2018 In Color Enamel Shapes (item 141410).

To create the second card, I used a Soft Sky card base and the leftover flowers from the previous card. I stamped the medium flowers in Peekaboo Peach and Tangerine Tango ink and the stems in Old Olive ink on a piece of Whisper White Cardstock.

Then I adhered the die-cut flowers to the stamped images using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (item 110755) and Stampin’ Dimensionals (item 104430). Before adding the Burlap Ribbon, I wrapped a double length of Linen Thread (item 104199) around the card.

I hope I was able to inspire you by showcasing my favorite stamp set from the current catalog!

Jessica Winter

2016–2017 Artisan Design Team

One of the best things about Paper Pumpkin is the flexibility to get creative with the included supplies. Use the gold stickers on the card front and stamp directly on the cellophane bag. This card uses just one cellophane bag (wrapped around the card front) so you can save the bags for another project, like a bigger banner.

This next card has us all starry-eyed! Grab your Big Shot, Star Framelits, Whisper White Cardstock, and some of the new Foam Adhesive Strips to create an adorable shaker card. A Gold Binder Clip perfectly complements the gold confetti. And the stamps add a fun, splattered effect.

Pull in a few supplies like the Fruit Stand Designer Series Paper, Basic Black Baker’s Twine, and the new Sunshine Wishes Thinlits Dies to create a bold card that is sure to brighten anyone’s birthday. Again, we love the splattered effect and the color combination is so on point!

If you are one of our new subscribers who joined during the ONEDAYDEAL, congrats on scoring such a great deal, welcome to Paper Pumpkin, and we hope you were surprised and delighted by the June kit! If you’re craving some more fun (and who wouldn’t be?), be sure to grab a refill kit while supplies last.

If that’s not enough to get excited about, June is also the month of extra Stampin’ Rewards! You’ll get $35 USD/$40 CAD in extra Stampin’ Rewards when you host a stamping event  with $350 USD/$400 CAD or more in orders. So get creative! Have fun! You can use those extra Stampin’ Rewards to get more products from the new annual catalog or on your Starter Kit.

We’re more than excited about these offers, and we hope you are too! Don’t wait too long! June will be over before you know it.

Learn about becoming a demonstrator or join now. And remember to contact your demonstrator to take advantage of this month’s special offers.

Summertime is fun time and what better time for a beach-themed birthday party? I’m going to show you how to make this adorable beach ball and matching tag using the Cutie Pie Thinlits Dies (item 138273) and the Big Shot (item 143263).

First, you’ll need to die cut and assemble 10 pie boxes using the Cutie Pie Thinlits Dies. I recommend using Whisper White Thick Cardstock (item 140272) along with Daffodil Delight (item 119683), Cucumber Crush (item 138335), Pacific Point (item 111350), Tangerine Tango (item 111349), and Real Red Cardstock (item 102482).

Next, cut a template for the top of the box using the same die. Trace around the edges of some coordinating polka dot paper from the Brights (item 138434) and 2015–2017 In Color (item 138432) Designer Series Paper Stacks and cut by hand.

Glue the triangles to the top of the coordinating box.

Glue the sides of the boxes together to form a circle. Place a white box in between each of the colored boxes. (It’s easier to work in sections.)

Die cut two 2-15/16″ circles from Whisper White Thick Cardstock. Stamp the word “Sunshine” from the Crazy about You Stamp Set (item 138859) on one of the circles in Tangerine Tango ink (item 126946); glue it to the center of the box where the triangles come to a point. Glue the second circle to the center of the back for added stability. Die cut the word “Hello” from Pacific Point Cardstock using the Hello You Thinlits Dies (item 137363) and adhere it to the circle. Cut a small flower and leaves using the Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies (item 141497).

To create the matching tag, cut 10 triangles using the small triangle from the Cutie Pie Thinlits Dies.

Glue the pieces (in the same order as before) to a piece of thin white copy paper. (Hint: Save one of the white triangles for last—just in case some of the edges don’t line up exactly.)

Use the same circle die as before to die cut a circle from the center. (You’ll have a lot of waste, so you may want to cut shorter triangles for future tags now that you know how big the pieces need to be.) Die cut an additional circle from Whisper White Thick Cardstock and glue it to the back of the tag for added stability. Use a 3/4″ Circle Punch (item 119873) to create the center of the tag from a piece of Whisper White Thick Cardstock. Punch a small hole in the top of the tag using a 1/8″ Circle Punch (item 134365) and tie the tag to the top of a 2″ x 8″ Cellophane Bag (item 141703) filled with colorful gumballs using Linen Thread (item 104199).

Finally, make some coordinating flowers from the same supplies using the Botanical Builder Framelits Dies (item 140625).

These projects are easy enough that you can get the kids involved, too. Have fun crafting this summer!

Connie Collins
Artisan Design Team 2015–2016

Learn about becoming a demonstrator or join now. And remember to contact your demonstrator to take advantage of this month’s special offers.