RELAX AT THE WATERSIDE AFTER FISHING

Do you ever want to just tell someone to Relax or Chill Out?  I need someone to tell me to do that once in a while.  I tell it to myself, but I've determined that I'm not a very good listener.

Is fishing relaxing?  Probably not for someone that does it for a living, but for many who do it as a hobby, I think they would tell us it is.  I'm not a fisherman, but I would love to just sit in this chair with a cup of tea and watch the fishermen on my lake.  My problem is that my TO-DO list gets in my way.

When I chose the two designs from the Waterside Retreat Designer Series Paper for this card, I purposely selected the two with colors that felt calming.

The chair was stamped with Black Memento on Basic White cardstock and then colored with Gray Granite Stampin' Blends.  I receive a lot of questions about coloring, but probably none as often as coloring with Stampin' Blends.  So, I thought I would use this card to share my tips and tricks of coloring with Stampin' Blends.

I personally love coloring with Stampin' Blends.  But I know some people struggle with using them and getting the colors to blend like they want them to.  If you are one of those, I hope the tips help.  But my biggest tip is -- PRACTICE!   And don't forget -- the Color Lifter is your friend!

I used a couple of the grass stamps to decorate the inside of the card.  

Use this link to download a tutorial for today's card.  

A list of the products I used is shown below.

Product List

Waterside Retreat Suite Collection (English) [167932]	Perennial Postage Dies [162607]	Gray Granite 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146983]	Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [122924]
Waterside Retreat 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [167920]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [166780]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [147090]
Pool Party Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154894]	Gray Granite Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154886]	Loose Anchor Trinkets [167931]	Baker's Twine Essentials Pack [155475]
Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653]

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BEAUTIFUL GALLERY

The Beautiful Motifs Bundle, which is part of the Beautiful Gallery Suite, is my featured bundle this week.  Here is my first card for the week.  It is super simple!

Since the Beautiful Motifs Stamp set is mainly comprised of sentiments, I had to lean on the rest of the Suite a bit to create my card.

The focal point of this card is from the Beautiful Gallery 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper (DSP).

I added a Mossy Meadow stem die cut to the scene which was created with one of the Beautiful Motifs dies.  Choose one of the scenes in the Beautiful Gallery DSP, add a die cut stem and you have a quick and simple card.

The Basic Beige background was embossed with the Damask Designed Embossing Folder which is also part of the suite.

The sentiment from, Beautiful Motifs, was stamped on Basic Beige and die cut with a Perennial Postage die.  Before adding the sentiment to the card front some Mossy Meadow Linen Thread was wrapped in circles and adhered to the back of the sentiment. 

If you are a lover of Linen Thread, like most of us are, this Natural Tones Linen Thead pack is on the Last Chance list.  And even better, it is 30% off!  Be sure to check it out in the product list below.

I think I am in a rut when comes to decorating the inside of my cards!  So, rather than one decorative DSP strip, I added two!  WOW!  What a change right?  LOL

I definitely need to add "create some decorative ideas for the inside of card" on my to do list!

Use this link to download a FREE TUTORIAL with all the dimensions and step-by-step directions.  You could probably figure this one out by just the photos, but I hope you find the directions useful.  

I do my best to make easy-to-follow tutorials for all my cards, but if you have suggestions as to how they can be improved, please leave me a comment.

A list of the products used is shown below.

Product List

Beautiful Motifs Bundle (English) [165206]	Perennial Postage Dies [162607]	Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [120953]	Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [133676]
Beautiful Gallery 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [165196]	Basic Beige 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [164511]	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad [147111]	Muted Palette Dots [165155]
Natural Tones Linen Thread [164071]	Damask Designs Embossing Folder [165214]	Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653]

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BIRTHDAY FRIENDS FOR LIFE

Today's Friends for Life card is made with a beautiful watercolor embossed vellum background.

Isn't this a pretty background?  This is a fun technique where the only "skill" you need is to be able to "scribble"!  We can all do that, right?

Watch my Learning with Friends video to see how fun and easy it is.

For my background, I used the Dashing Designs Embossing Folder and Smokey Slate, Petunia Pop and Balmy Blue Stampin' Blends.

If you like this embossing folder as much as I do, you are going to want to order it quickly as it is on the Last Chance List.  So, once it is sold out, it will be gone forever.  

When your background is completed and dry adhere the Vellum to a piece of Basic White cardstock to make the colors POP.  In the video I show you the best way to adhere Vellum to cardstock so that the adhesive doesn't show through the vellum.  Someone showed me this trick many years ago.  It's a great trick to know because who wants to see their adhesive showing through the vellum?  No one!

The front of the card was quick and easy to complete.  I used two dies from Friends for Life to make the Petunia Pop leaf and the Basic Black scripty friend.  For the friend script I die cut 3 layers to make the "friend" a bit thicker.  And this time I even remembered to use my adhesive sheets so it was easy to layer the die cuts.  

Then the Friends for Life Happy Birthday sentiment was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink on Basic White cardstock and die cut with a Perennial Postage die.  Next a little more scribbling with a Light Balmy Blue Stampin' Blend added just a bit of color to the sentiment.  This is a great trick to tone down a stark white sentiment when it just looks way too bright for the surrounding soft colors on the card.  

For the inside of the card, I stamped the leaf in Petunia Pop ink and the sentiment with Black Memento ink.  It's a very simple inside design--but never naked or forgotten!

Use this link to download a free tutorial with all the details.

A list of the products used is shown below.  Click on any image to learn more.  

Remember, we are in the largest Last Chance time of year at Stampin' Up! as we eagerly await the new 2025-2026 Annual Catalog.  All Last Chance Products are available while supplies last.  Once the sell out they will be gone forever!

Product List

Friends For Life Bundle (English) [163365]	Happy Labels Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [160856]	Perennial Postage Dies [162607]	Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131202]
Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045]	Petunia Pop 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [163801]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [166780]	Adhesive Sheets [152334]
Vellum 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [101856]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]	Smoky Slate Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154904]	Petunia Pop Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack [163828]
Balmy Blue Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154830]	Dashing Designs 3 D Embossing Folder [163483]	2024–2026 In Color™ Shimmer Gems [163781]	Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653]

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