Crafting Up the Coast

I fell in love with this sympathy card when my designer sent a photo of the card to me for approval, but when I actually saw the card in person, I realized that photos really can’t do justice to stamps, ink, and paper (and some fun accessories) in real life! The design, the rich colors, and the textures…it’s beautiful!

It’s that time again: we’re getting ready to retire stamps and accessories from both the annual and occasions catalogs. As sad as it is to see these products go, there’s still time for you to get them. Plus, retiring products* have discounts up to 50% off! We’re excited to offer this amazing opportunity, so be sure to get these products before they’re gone.*Retiring products will only be available until May 31 or while supplies last.

Hello, my friends, and thank you for stopping by. Today I have a quick and easy idea to share—so you and I can jump on the “gallery wall” bandwagon and update our home décor together!

Armed with a few inexpensive frames and your favorite Project Life by Stampin’ Up! Accessory Pack, you can create a stunning gallery wall! I’ve been working on my wedding album recently, so I had some leftovers from the Love Story Accessory Pack (item 135310) that I knew would be perfect for this project.

The foil printed cards in this accessory pack add an instant WOW factor to your gallery pieces. And there are eight foil specialty cards for you to choose from, so you have lots of variety!

Because the Project Life by Stampin’ Up! Accessory Packs are SO full of awesome embellishments, I added very few additional items—just a little bit of Watercolor Paper (item 122959), Bermuda Bay Baker’s Twine (item 134575), and some Metallic Foil Doilies (item 138392).

My Aqua Painter (item 103954) is always within arm’s reach, so I went to work adding just a few pops of my favorite colors (Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, and Melon Mambo) to the stickers in the accessory pack to really make some statement pieces.

There are so many great Project Life by Stampin’ Up! Accessory Packs to choose from. I know you’ll find the perfect one to create your gallery wall!

Happy Stampin’!

Allison Okamitsu
Artisan Design Team 2015–2016

I love to personalize graduation cards by making them with the graduate’s school colors and adding the graduation year. One of our local high school’s colors are blue and gold, so I used Crushed Curry and Night of Navy with some touches of gold for this card.

I started by applying a watercolor wash to a piece of Watercolor Paper (item 122959). To do this, I used a large paintbrush and applied a light wash of water to the paper.  I then dipped the wet brush into some drops of Crushed Curry Classic Stampin’ Ink Refill (item 131158) and lightly brushed it on the wet paper, letting the ink go where it wanted.  Once the paper dried, I splattered some Gold Wink of Stella Glitter Brush ink (item 141898) on the card.

I gently squeezed the brush so that some of the gold ink pooled at the bottom of the brush, then added a single drop of water to the end of the brush. Then, holding the brush with one hand, I tapped the brush with the other, letting the splatters fly onto the paper.

After that dried, I stamped the “Congrats to You” sentiment from the Tin of Cards Stamp Set (item 138946) in the bottom right corner using Night of Navy ink (item 126970).

I punched some Gold Foil Sheets (item 132622) stars using the Confetti Stars Border Punch (item 135861) and adhered them randomly to the card with the Fine-Tip Glue Pen (item 138309).

I made the numbers using the Large Numbers Framelits Dies and Night of Navy Cardstock (item 100867). To create the banner over the numbers, I embossed the outline of a stamp from the Number of Years set using Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder (item 109129). I stamped “The Class of” with the Alphabet Rotary Stamp (item 133769), and cut out the banner with a die from the Large Numbers Framelits Dies.

I stamped an image from the Gorgeous Grunge Stamp Set (item 130517) in Night of Navy ink on the side of the Whisper White Thick Cardstock (item 140272) base; then I adhered the watercolor panel to it using Stampin’ Dimensionals (item 104430). I rounded the corners on the right side of the card using the Project Life Corner Punch (item 135346) to finish the card.

You can make similar cards in any school colors for all of your graduation needs.

Amy O’Neill
Artisan Design Team 2015–2016

To make this project, I created a box using the Gift Box Punch Board (item 135863); the final box measures 3-1/4″ x 3-1/4″ x 1-3/4″. (Start at line “L” and fold on the “S” diagonal line.)

I used the 2-7/16″ square from the Squares Collection Framelits Dies (item 130921) to create a little window at the bottom of the box.

Then I created a mini album by cutting 3″ x 3″ squares from the following: Night of Navy Cardstock (item 100867), Whisper White Cardstock (item 100730), Window Sheets (item 142314), and Vellum Cardstock (item 101856).

I created one page for each month and decorated them with images from different stamps sets : Au fil des ans (item 141197), Bonjour bébé (item 140140), Fait avec amour (item 140120), and Be the Star (item 135731). I added supplementary pages so that they can add extra pictures or memories of those unforgettable moments.

Since I’m totally in love with Stampin’ Emboss Powder, I used it a lot in different colors, including Cherry Cobbler (item 122949) and Whisper White (item 109132).

Finally, I decorated the box with a nice little “ribbon” and a perfect bow that I made using the Bow Builder Punch (item 137414).

I really hope that you liked this tutorial and will enjoy this little project. Of course you can adapt it to your liking for any occasion or special event in your life.

Now, it’s your turn to have fun!
Rachel Grandin-Torchet
Artisan Design Team 2015–2016

I’m always on the lookout for fun, new party favors . . . and I’ve totally fallen in LOVE with the mini piñatas that are so trendy right now! I knew right away that I wanted to use my Pyramid Pals Thinlits Dies (item 140618) to make my own version, and I’ve been super-excited to share this project with you!

Packed with color and a bit of fringe, these little cuties are the perfect table decoration and party favor.  You can fill them with candy, balloons, small toys, or confetti, and the balloon is actually the pull tab that opens up the bottom to get to the goodies inside! Best of all—they’re super-easy to make!

For each mini piñata, I used the box die from the Pyramid Pals Thinlits Dies to cut two pieces from the It’s My Party Designer Series Paper Stack (item 140552) and punched one circle using my 2″ Circle Punch (item 133782) in the same pattern. I then used the 1/8″ Circle Handheld Punch (item 134365) to create a hole in the middle of the circle.

I then punched each box bottom piece using my 1-3/8″ Circle Punch (item 119860) and attached them using Tear & Tape Adhesive (item 138995).

I also die-cut one fringe piece for each mini piñata using the fringe die from the Pyramid Pals Thinlits Dies (item 140618). Here, I cut fringe in Melon Mambo Cardstock (item 115320), Mint Macaron Cardstock (item 138337), and Crushed Curry from the Cherry on Top Cotton Paper Assortment (item 138308).

To create the balloon pull tabs, I stamped sentiments from the Party Pants Stamp Set and punched them out using the Balloon Bouquet Punch (from the Sale-A-Bration 2nd release flyer). I attached the non-stamped side of the punched balloon to one end of an 8″ length of twine from the Baker’s Twine Combo Pack (item 140555) using Tear & Tape Adhesive (item 138995). I threaded the other end of the twine through the bottom of the 2″ circle and taped it securely, also using Tear & Tape Adhesive.

I partially assembled the box, threaded the balloon pull tab through the hole in the bottom of the box, and pulled it through, leaving the 2″ punched circle inside.

I placed my candy and balloons inside and finished assembling the box. I rolled the die cut fringe piece and attached it to the top of box using Glue Dots (item 103683) and attached the balloon tab to the front using Stampin’ Dimensionals (item 104430).

Of course my mini piñatas are made for a birthday party, but with a few small changes you can make your own—for any occasion. Replace the balloon pull tab with a star for a graduation party . . . or fill it with cash for a unique graduation gift. Use the Pyramid Pals Thinlits Dies (item 140618) with its coordinating stamp set—Playful Pals Stamp Set (item 140506)—and make a barnyard full of mini piñatas for a child’s party or for a baby shower. The options are endless!

Sue Plote
Artisan Design Team 2015–2016

I used our fabulous line of Birthday Bouquet Designer Series Paper (item 140557) for this memory book, along with Pool Party 3/8″ Glitter Ribbon (item 140561) and Watermelon Wonder 1″ Stitched Satin Ribbon (item 140580). I really enjoy the color concept for this project, and included some bright additions to the spring colors.

I used our Vanilla Coaster Board (item 129392) to create a hard cover; then, for texture, I adhered Designer Series Paper to both sides using Fast Fuse Adhesive (item 129026). To create my flower, I stamped the large flower image from the Birthday Blooms Stamp Set in VersaMark ink on Shimmery White 8–1/2″ x 11″ Cardstock (item 101910); then I heat embossed the image using White Stampin’ Emboss Powder (item 109132). Finally, I painted the flower using Aqua Painters (item 103954) to create a soft look.

On every other page, I included an envelope. (Tip: Cut off the envelope flap so you can slide in a card displaying a photo or special keepsake.)

I picked a cute saying from the This Is the Life Stamp Set (item 138736) and embossed some of the cards using our Softly Falling Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (item 139672). I am such a huge fan of this embossing folder! It can be used on almost anything and is so versatile!

I hope you enjoyed my project today—and that I was able to inspire you to make a memorable project of your own to keep your special items or photos in!

Joyce Fowler
Artisan Design Team 2015–2016