FUN WITH WATERCOLOR SHAPES - SIMPLY MONDAY

It is a new week and I have decided rather than featuring a single bundle or stamp set this week, I am going to share cards made with some of my favorite retiring LAST CHANCE Products.  Since Last Chance Products are only available while supplies last, some of the products I'm using may have sold out by the time this post goes lives.  If you are interested in any of the Last Chance Products, it is always wise to act quickly because once they are gone, they are gone forever!

My card today uses the Watercolor Shapes Stamp Set.  I have loved this set because it is just fun to play with all the different shapes and mix and match them with assorted colors to see what I can come up with.

As I am sure you have heard by now, Stampin' Up! has a huge Color Refresh coming with the new 2023 - 2023 Annual Catalog.  Since today is also SIMPLY MONDAY, I decided to pull out every retiring color and see how many of them I could use on one card -- and what it would look like when I finished.  I used 9 of the 11 retiring colors on today's card.  Do you know which two I'm missing?  

I also used 8 of the 9 Watercolor Shapes Stamps!  But I made up for it by adding a Heart Shape for the sentiment.

The Heart Punch Pack is also on the Last Chance List.  In fact, there are only three products used on today's card that are NOT on the Last Chance List.  Do you know what they are?  If you guessed the Basic White cardstock, Black Memento ink and the Brushed Metallic Dots, you are correct.

 

The pretty Rose Gold Striped Ribbon is also retiring!

The Happy Birthday Sentiment is from Peaceful Moments, also a Last Chance List Product.  This sentiment set has been well loved by me and will probably stay in my stash for a while.

To decorate the inside of the card, I used some of the Watercolor Shapes along the left edge.  I love how easy it is to add color and interesting designs with these stamps.  This sentiment is from Inspired Thoughts to which we are also sadly saying goodbye.

Sentiment sets are my weakness, and I find it difficult to get rid of them.  A great sentiment never goes out of style or off trend, does it?  Of all my stamps, I believe sentiments are the best investment because we can use them forever!

For more details on today's SIMPLY MONDAY card, please download the free tutorial found at this link.

A list of the products used is shown below.

Product List

Watercolor Shapes Photopolymer Stamp Set [156968]	Peaceful Moments Cling Stamp Set (English) [151595]	Inspired Thoughts Cling Stamp Set [155536]	Sahara Sand 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121043]
Rich Razzleberry 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [115316]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Pear Pizzazz 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131201]	Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad [147100]
Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin' Pad [147091]	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad [147098]	Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad [147096]	Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad [147106]
Mango Melody Classic Stampin' Pad [147093]	So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad [147109]	Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin' Pad [147104]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]
Heart Punch Pack [151292]

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SQUIRRELS ON FIRE (Not Really)

Last week on our Connect to Create YouTube Channel, my friend and Connect to Create Collaborator, Kathi, showed us the Faux Wood Burning Technique.

This was a brand-new technique to me, so I was anxious to try it.  This was my first attempt.  I obviously need more practice with the technique, but in general I liked how my card turned out, so I decided to share it with you today.

If you missed last week's Connect to Create Video, you can watch the replay here.  Kathi's cards are awesome, so I hope you will check them out and see what the Faux Wood Burning technique is really supposed to look like.  LOL

After I burned my little squirrel, into my "wood".  I decided to try to also "burn" the edges of my Designer Tag.  I'm not sure how much the edges really look like they were burned, but I do think it added some interest to the tag.

The designer series paper on the background of this card is from Fancy Flora Designer Series Paper (DSP).  This is very interesting paper!  It has many beautiful and bright color combinations (not necessarily this particular one) and appears to be painted with thick oil paints.  I liked the brown tones of this pattern for a card that was all about wood burning.

At first, I was going to use Soft Suede or Crumb Cake for my card base, but then decided that there was way too much brown, and it needed some life.  So, I pulled the So Saffron color from the DSP.  Don't forget to use your designer series paper for color inspiration!

The ribbon is a soft neutral color I found in my stash.

To decorate the inside of the card, I simply used another strip of the same designer series paper.  The inside sentiment is from Inspired Thoughts -- one of my favorite versatile sentiment sets.

If you would like a free tutorial with all the cutting dimensions and step-by-step instructions, please download a copy by using this link.  And don't forget to watch the Connect to Create video to see how to do the Faux Woodburning Technique.

Below is a list of the products I used for today's card.  To learn more about any product or to make a purchase, just click on the image below and it will take you to my on-line Stampin' Up Store.

Product List

Nuts About Squirrels Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [156475]	Inspired Thoughts Cling Stamp Set [155536]	Stylish Shapes Dies [159183]	Designer Tags Dies [159165]
So Saffron 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [105118]	Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [119686]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper [149612]
Fancy Flora 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [160413]	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [147114]	Neutrals Stampin' Write Markers [147158]	Brushed Metallic Adhesive Backed Dots [156506]
Timber 3 D Embossing Folder [156406]	Water Painters [151298]	Stamparatus [146276]	Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653]

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NATURE'S PRINTS SYMPATHY

It is a new week so you know that that means.  It is time for a new featured Bundle of the Week, and this week I am going to be using a favorite bundle from the current Annual Catalog, Nature's Prints.  I love it because it is versatile and can be used for many different occasions.

Today's Sympathy card combines two techniques that were previously demonstrated on Connect to Create.  

For today's card I used a card base from Pool Party & Soft Sea Foam Cards & Envelopes which was one of the FREEBIES from the last Sale-A-Bration.  I could just have easily used Soft Seafoam Cardstock, but since I had them, I thought I may as well use them.

The background was made with Polished Pink, Coastal Cabana and Soft Seafoam ink using the Plastic Wrap Water Coloring Technique that Kathi Ondus demonstrated recently on our Connect to Create YouTube Collaboration.  If you missed the video, check it out.  This technique makes beautiful backgrounds.

After creating the Plastic Wrap background, I added some lines of glided leafing to give it a little sparkle.  

There are many ways to apply Gilded Leafing to your cards and I demonstrated three ways in a Connect to Create video on November 9. For this card, I used the Fine Tip Glue Pen method which was the 2nd method shown in the video. If you missed the video, you can watch it below or access it at this link.

The large Coastal Cabana Leaf on the card front also uses Method 2 to apply some Gilding Leafing accents to the leaves.

The sympathy sentiment is from the Inspired Thoughts stamp set.  When I initially purchased this stamp set it was part of a bundle that included dies to create a grove of trees.  Those dies have been retired, but I was so happy when I saw that the sentiment stamp set carried over into the current Annual Catalog.  The fonts are clean and simple and there are a variety of great sentiments for various occasions.  I find myself reaching for this set often.

On today's card, I wanted to minimize the size of the sentiment so as not to cover up the pretty background, so I just fussy cut it, but for those that dislike fussy cutting, the Inspired Thoughts sentiments are sized to fit a variety of punches and dies from other sets.

The inside sentiment is also from the Inspired Thoughts stamp set.  Both sentiments are embossed with Gold Embossing Powder.

If you would like to recreate this card, I recommend watching the videos to learn the techniques, but I also have a written tutorial for you with all the dimensions and step-by-step assembly instructions.

You can find more information on the products I used by clicking on any of the products in the Product List below.  You will be taken to my on-line Stampin' Up! store where you can see all the details.

Product List

Nature's Prints Bundle (English) [158801]	Inspired Thoughts Cling Stamp Set [155536]	Pool Party & Soft Sea Foam Cards & Envelopes [159940]	Soft Sea Foam 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146988]
Shimmery White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [101910]	Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad [147097]	Soft Sea Foam Classic Stampin' Pad [147102]	Versamark Pad [102283]
Polished Pink Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [155713]	Soft Sea Foam Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [147166]	Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [131164]	Metallics Embossing Powders [155555]
Soft Sea Foam 3/8" (1 Cm) Seam Binding Ribbon [159680]	Simply Elegant Trim [155766]	Gilded Leafing Embellishment [154560]	Heat Tool (Us And Canada) [129053]
Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653]

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