from my ink pad to yours

November 15, 2021

Merriest Moments in Non-Traditional Holiday Colors

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

I'm hosting a color challenge over on Splitcoaststampers this week. Since some people are still making Christmas cards and others are done I wanted to pick a combination that could cover the holidays but would be easy to use for something else.

Night of Navy

Petal Pink

Cinnamon Cider

What do you think? Could you use those colors? I came up with them while I was away from my craft stash so I really didn't have anything in mind for the colors - or for the dessert suggestion I made: dots. Anywho...

The dots are subtle - in the background of the 3D embossing folder. They're actually square but let's not qibble...

Merriest Moments is one of the hybrid bundles that includes the stamp set and Merriest Frames Hybrid Embossing folder which has dies and a beautiful 3D Embossing Folder. I tapped the inside of the folder with white craft ink to add just a bit more emphasis on the design. Start with a 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" ie 1/4 sheet piece of Petal Pink card stock and then trim it down to 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".
Layer this on to a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Night of Navy and adhere all to a folded 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" Very Vanilla card base.
Stamp your greeting in Night of Navy ink on a larger scrap of Very Vanilla card stock and cut with the rectangle die in the bundle. Adhere this to the inner part of the frame. I really like this greeting as it isn't just a "Christmas" card but let's you recognize the fact that not everyone has an easy time with the holidays. Lots of room to write on the inside Very Vanilla space!
Stamp both sizes of floral/poinsettia images with Petal Pink ink on Petal Pink card stock. Do the same with the rounded leaf image and Cinnamon Cider. Die cut these along with the tiny pine and dotted botanical shapes. Pine in Night of Navy and dotted in Cinnamon Cider. I love that these little things are cut in threes making for quicker work and less likelihood of me losing tinier dies. Also cut a few tiny, unstamped poinsettias.
Use a pencil - or hard straw to curve the petals and apply as shown. I used Mini Glue Dots to add the flowers and Multipurpose Liquid Glue in just the hidden tips for the smaller pieces.
Add a couple of Pearl Basic Jewels to the centers of the flowers and you are done.

Before I forget! Seasonal Sale starts on Tuesday, November 16 - 18th. Cardstock is 10%off, Ink pads are 15% off and dies from the annual catalog are 20% off. Such a deal I decided to delay my product premier order after Onstage by a bit so I could stock up on my favorite Basic White card stock and a few dies I don't have yet...

See more here: Download 11.16.21_FLYER_SEASONALSALE_US-2

And the last chance list for retiring products from the July - December Mini Catalog: Download July-December-2021-Mini-Catalog-Last-Chance-Products_US

You can get even bigger savings by joining my team during the month of November. Instead of getting $120 worth of product for $99, during the month of November you can get the same amount for $75. Get yourself a Stampin Cut & Emboss or shop the sales when they are in effect. The $120 worth of products is your choice. Click join the fun above to learn more - or contact me!

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

If you would like to receive my newsletter please click on the Stay in Touch link at the top of my blog. You can also check out the Stampin' Up! catalogs link in the same location. If you don't have regular Stampin' Up Demonstrator and would like hard copies of any of our current catalogs please feel free to email me at cbondersonsmith@gmail.com

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the November host code, 9P92HTER, I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Posted at 09:40 PM in Merriest Moments | Permalink | Comments (4)

November 13, 2021

Encircled with Friendship Thank You Notes

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

This month's theme for the Stamping Inkspirations Blog Hop is thank you notes - being ready to send lots of them! Angie McKenzie, our fearless leader, suggested this as we all need to send thank you notes AND they can make handmade wonderful gifts.
I decided to feature the bundle, Encircled in Friendship for this project. I initially just purchased the the dies, Encircled in Beauty, for a Christmas project and then went back to buy the stamp set because they have such beautiful messages. Here is a little photo story my project:

You might call this first part the simple stamping version: just stamps and a little bit of watercolor pencil. This was stamped in Pear Pizzazz. The Stamp-a-ratus helped me to get the placement just so. I used the watercolor pencils Old Olive and Flirty Flamingo to color.

For a little something special I added some clear Wink of Stella.

The Stamp-a-ratus helps when when you are making multiples and adding another layer featuring this lovely, detailed circle die.

Since I knew I would be making several of these I came up with a system to make sure I was always die cutting the circle in the same place. I cut two of the circles out of copy paper, using the first to determine the Stamp-a-ratus placement. I cut the second one so that I had about a 1 1/2"+ strip to guide placement of the die.

Once you have the circle secured in the proper place you can remove the guide for subsequent cards. If you place your post-its towards the inside of the circle you can make sure you can avoid tearing the portion that you actually use on your card. Ask me how I know this!

For ease in assembly - and to avoid too much glue on my fingers - I just apply Multipurpose Liquid Adhesive around the circle portion and plain sections and then apply it to the card.

Then I go back and use a scrap strip with just a rather thin layer of adhesive to slide under the un-adhered sections and then gently press the inner circle into place. This is much quicker that it looks!

You could use Adhesive sheets when doing the die-cutting but you know how it goes. I don't always plan that far ahead. This is a good trick to have up your sleeve when you are designing on the fly!

With the intricate, lacey circle you could easily leave it like this...

...or add just a few little pearls!

Repeat 3 more times and you almost have a gift.

These have been paired with 4 envelopes and tied with a little White Crinkled Seam Binding.

Now it's time to see what the talented Leonie Stuart has for us:

Angie McKenzie ● Jo Blackman ● Elaine de Montmorency

Gez Carpenter ● Karen Henderson ● Linda Moore

Jill Chapman ● Chris Smith ● Leonie Stuart

Jan Musselman ● Deb Macdowell ● Mo Rootes

Danielle Kassing ● Terry Hamilton ● Tricia Butts ● Teri West

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me: Product List

Posted at 03:59 PM in Encircled in Friendship | Permalink | Comments (3)

November 10, 2021

Favorite Month with Around the World on Wednesday

Hello my papercrafting friends!

Today is the second Wednesday of the month and that means that it's time for another hop with the Around the World on Wednesday crew. This month our theme is all about our favorite month.

You know, I don't know if I've ever thought much about which is my favorite. I suspect if I did it would change through the years. When I really think about it, I look for what I like in any month I'm in. And as I've thought about this blog post, I've pretty much convinced myself that November truly is my favorite month.

The weather in November: I live in Minnesota, US and there is a pretty wide range of temperatures that are possible. We will still get a few warm days - this past weekend was an example: a 65 degree football game is pretty special. Welcoming Woods card with Gilded Leafing
Though we may begin the month with the fall colors softening, somewhere along the line we start to expect the first snowfall. Now I will be the first to admit I don't always enjoy being out in the white stuff but the first snowfall is always kind of exciting AND usually pretty. Though I look out my windows and see soft golds today it probably won't be long until we see some snow blowing and a little wind howling. Snowstorms and blizzards are actually enjoyable if you don't have to travel.Gingerbread Dies with Holly Jolly Wishes and stencil technique:Layer stencil over card stock. Sponge/dauber white ink over your stencil. Spritz with water. Lay a second piece the stencil to absorb excess ink and water. Voila! Two background pieces at once!
Did I mention football? It's my football fan husband's birthday at the end of November. I always have to do some of my most creative stamping to come up with something that works for him. This year I rescued the retired Alphabet Labeler stamp set out of the BOGO box to come up with this football field, enhanced with MN Gopher colors. A color challenge calling for Shaded Spruce, Cherry Cobbler and Gold led me down this path...our seats are way up near the top of the stadium, close to the 50 yard line. A Wish For Everything Birthday Card
The food - I love soup season and usually keep quite a few in the freezer. Some that I've made recently are Chicken Wild Rice, Beet Fennel (what beautiful color!) and Butternut Squash with Beans.
Preparing for the holidays. Thanksgiving, of course is still about food and family. I'm more excited than ever to have all of our kids home in Minnesota for the first time in 14 years. I don't usually do a lot of shopping in November but I do love to go out and get armloads of Poinsettias to fill our home. This Poinsettia Petals Christmas card
But seriously, the thing that I celebrate throughout the month of November is the STAMPING!!! Early in my "career" as a demonstrator it quickly became obvious that stamping is a wonderful past time for deer hunting widows - and also football widows. It's delightful to get together with friends and do some crafting and preparations for the upcoming holidays. And even better, as a demonstrator, November is when we gather as demonstrators (this year it will again be done virtually) for Onstage. Among other things, we get introductions for new product coming out for Sale-A-Bration and the January - June mini catalog. We even get to pre-order a number of new items to start coming up with ideas and planning the the new year. Blessings of Home is a set that we could order ahead of Onstage so that we could do some make and takes at home. Of course, I couldn't wait to play with mine and came up with this and a few more. And of course, I'm just itching to find out what we can preorder on Friday. In fact, November is even a great month to sign up to be a demonstrator.

Blessings of Home Suite card featuring stamps, dies, DSP and dots - coming soon!

That's it for me! I do really love November! I'll be remembering that as the winds kick up later today ... while I'm inside stamping with friends...

Next up is Brenda Nelson. I can't wait to see what she has to show us about her favorite month.

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Emma Goddard - UK

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert - US

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with me:

Product List

Welcoming Woods Photopolymer Stamp Set

[156550]

Holly Jolly Wishes Cling Stamp Set (English)

[156362]

Gingerbread Dies

[156320]

Adorning Designs Decorative Masks

[156328]

A Wish For Everything Cling Stamp Set

[149320]

Poinsettia Petals Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[158251]

Posted at 04:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

November 03, 2021

Introducing the Eden's Garden Collection

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

With the beginning of November I have a couple of important pieces of Stampin' Up news for you:

Stampin' Up! is having a Start with Savings promotion. Instead of the standard $99 USD Starter Kit—which is already a steal of a deal—you can create a completely customized Starter Kit for only $75 USD. What an absolutely unbeatable bargain for a box with a value of $125 USD! This offer starts tomorrow, November 4 and goes through November 30. You can choose items with a maximum value of $125 for your starter kit, including the new products I introduce later in this post. On top of that you will be able to view the new January - June mini catalogs with the rest of the demonstrators later this month AND participate in the preorder beginning December 1. You even earn free Sale-A-Bration items with those preorders. This is traditionally a big time of year for my team, The he'Artstringstampers. There are always surprises. It would be great to have you join us!

2. Our November promotion, the Eden's Garden Collection is now live! This is a preview of one of the bundles which will appear in the next mini catalog PLUS a selection of limited time coordinating products, available through the end of this year or as long as supplies last. First let's look at the limited supply products:

Aren't they beautiful? Though as I've played with them I've found they work with so many of my current sets, they also have their own coordinating bundle, Eden's Garden. Gorgeous foliage dies with pretty Distinctive stamps.

Download Eden's Garden Collection PDF

Of course I didn't ask you to read through all of this without some cards:

I used Joyful Life with the greeting set, Through it Together on this card, with a little help from Giving Gifts Dies (the little leaves) and Stitched Greenery (the hill). I started off thinking that I would use a sweater knit type print in the Ever Eden DSP but then I found this greeting and I thought the herringbone type stripe kind of looked like pine trees ...One side of each sheet of the DSP has gold foil in the design and the other is relatively simple, but oh so versatile.

I used the large "thanks" from Artistically Inked on this pretty little border card. It was stamped of once on scratch paper to get a lighter green. I used 4 Basic White Leaflets and 1 cut from Soft Succulent. It really shows off the foliage border die too. I used up some retired gold dots but I think the mint Genial Gems or elegant faceted gems would work beautifully too.

Here was my trial spin with the dies. "Hello There" is from the Eden's Garden Stamp set. On vellum and Soft Sea Foam cardstock.

Do you remember this post from about a month ago? I die cut the large Artistic Die from one of the prints in Ever Eden DSP. This DSP will lend a new dimension to so many stamp sets!

Here is another print with Time of Giving. Don't you think it is great for Christmas? The die for this beautiful snowflake cut out is in the same set of dies that I used for the little leaves in my first Joyful Life Card.

These and more have their own gallery page here.

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the October host code, 9P92HTER, I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Posted at 08:46 AM in Artistically Inked, Eden's Garden Collection, Joyful Life, Time of Giving | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 30, 2021

Three Color Challenge Christmas Cards with Die Cut Embellishments

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

Do you mix up your stamp sets? I did this card for a color challenge a while back with a bundle, a die set and a third stand alone stamp set. I know we demonstrators often try to show projects within a suite of products or one bundle but since I was working with a challenge I just stuck to the color requirements and pulled whatever inspired me off the shelf.

The Christmas Season Bundle botanicals provide the base for my little collage on an A2, 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"card.
While I didn't use any of the Frosted Gingerbread stamps, you can see that the mints and "frosting" lace make wonderful embellishments for any holiday collage.
With all of these fun, "Christmasy" elements coming together, my greeting from Holly Jolly Wishes made perfect sense. After stamping I embossed this layer with my most used folder, Tasteful Textile 3D.
The Cinnamon Cider wood at the base of my card was done with the retired Pinewood Planks. Our current Timber 3D embossing folder would do just as well.
Colors: Basic White, Real Red, Garden Green and Cinnamon Cider (Plus an Early Espresso pine cone - Splitcoaststampers color challenges always allow adding any of the Neutral colors.)

After having so much fun with the little Frosted Gingerbread elements I decided I needed to bring back the whole bundle for another color challenge, one that once again called for Cinnamon Cider but also Pink Polish and Coastal Cabana.

Now, Frosted Gingerbread is also available as a Sweet Gingerbread Suite with some yummy 6" x 6" DSP but obviously those wouldn't work with these colors so I pulled out some of the In Color and Brights 6" x 6" DSP assortments.
The Wintry 3D adds subtle interest - just make sure you stamp your greeting before using the embossing folder.
I love how using a little (3/16") strip of Coastal Cabana DSP makes the frosting lace die pop against the white snowflakes.
There are so many choices for the little minty embellishments. You can make them just with dies, stamp them directly on your card or die cut the stamped mints as I did on this card. I liked the different designs the stamped mints offer. I'm finding that several die sets make small embellishment die cuts. It's easy to overlook them but they are truly wonderful for adding that last little touch to your artwork without adding extra bulk that can make mailing more costly.

Speaking of these embellishment dies, I'll throw in one more favorite color challenge card that pulls from many suites: one I hosted calling for Black & White & Real Red.

Do you see those itty bitty stars from the Peaceful Cabin Bundle? I LOVE them! They are easy to apply - just a dot of Multipurpose Liquid Adhesive in the center of each star is all it takes.
The DSP, Peaceful Prints was a August - September Sale-A-Bration selection, is sadly no longer available but you could substitute white embossed snowflakes on Real Red.
The Black & White Plaid ribbon from the Cute Halloween Suite adds another finishing touch.

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the October host code, 6G22CNDN, I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Frosted Gingerbread Bundle (English)

[156807]

Gingerbread Dies

[156320]

Christmas Season Bundle (English)

[156801]

Peaceful Cabin Bundle (English)

[156816]

Holly Jolly Wishes Cling Stamp Set (English)

[156362]

Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad

[147084]

Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad

[147089]

Cinnamon Cider Classic Stampin' Pad

[153114]

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

[147114]

Polished Pink Classic Stampin' Pad

[155712]

Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad

[147097]

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock

[159229]

Cinnamon Cider 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[153078]

Garden Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[102584]

Brights 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) Designer Series Paper

[155228]

2021–2023 In Color 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[155641]

Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[102482]

Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[121045]

Wintry 3 D Embossing Folders

[155433]

Tasteful Textile 3 D Embossing Folder

[152718]

Timber 3 D Embossing Folder

[156406]

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

Posted at 11:49 AM in Frosted Gingerbread, Holly Jolly Wishes, Peaceful Cabin | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 25, 2021

Sneak, Sneak Peek at Blessings of Home

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

Hello there Stampers! I have a really early sneak peek for you today. You've probably heard me say that one of many favorite parts of being a demonstrator is being able to order and play with new products ahead of time. Well this past weekend I was able to take the Heart & Home Bundle out for spin. It seemed a natural for the colors that my friend, Karen Barber, chose for this week's challenge over at Splitcoaststampers. I just love how it turned out:

Isn't that delicate border die beautiful? I love the soft curve it makes at the bottom of the card. I used it with Gold Foil Paper.
The upper Very Vanilla portion was die cut first with the Stitched Greenery Die. Hint - if you are making a A2 or 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" card start with a slightly wider 4 1/2" piece. This will give you more wiggle room to get the curve placed the way you want.
Use the curve border to cut off the edge of the Stitched Greenery piece.
Emboss your greeting in gold at the bottom of a top fold Petal Pink Card (11" x 4 1/4").
Position the gold and Very Vanilla die cuts over the top of the Petal Pink Card so that you are happy with the positioning of the border relative to the greeting.
Set something heavy (- I used a paper punch) over the Very Vanilla portion and lift the gold foil die cut so that you can apply Multi-purpose Liquid Glue sparingly to the back and stick it back down on to the card so that it fits with the vanilla that is still in place.
Now remove the vanilla piece and glue that back down. You will have extra to trim down to match your card.
Emboss the stem of blooms with gold and color with Petal Pink, Mint Macaron, Pool Party and Crumb Cake. This image has a lot of small detailed shading. This can be a little rough on your Blends so I make sure to use the harder bullet than the softer brush tip whenever possible.
Cut two more stem shapes from Very Vanilla. I layered these under the first image to give some sturdy dimension.
I considered adding more foliage die cuts, pearls, and Very Vanilla lace but in the end, the CAS stamper in me and won out. I think there is enough detail as it is.
Beautiful greetings plus an additional larger bouquet image. A coloring dream!!!
Here is a close up of the detail in the image AND the background.

So, about this gorgeous bundle, Blessings of Home: It will be available to customers in early January as part of the line up in next years, January - June Mini Catalog. Other supplies are noted below. If you really want it before then start a conversation with me about signing up to be a demonstrator and you should be able to order it in early December. I was able to order it even earlier as a perk for signing up for our upcoming virtual conference the second weekend in November - another demonstrator perk... B

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Posted at 10:48 PM in Blessings of HOme | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 20, 2021

It's here! Stampin' Up!'s 24 Hour Sale

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. Cards, hints, specials, BOGO - you'll see it all there first! Many thanks ~ Chris

Yes! You just have until the end of today to check out Stampin' Up!'s 24 Hour Sale:

Here are a few more cards that I found in my mostly unpublished stash:

A Good Man:

Elegantly Said:

Butterfly Brilliance:

Positive Thoughts

Painted Poppies

Quiet Meadow

Tasteful Touches

Check out all of the sets on sale at the bottom of this post! I'm off to do my own shopping...

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Birch Cling Stamp

[149256]

Nature's Beauty Cling Stamp Set

[150528]

Painted Poppies Cling Stamp Set

[151599]

Stacked Stone Cling Background Stamp

[152556]

Drybrush Cling Stamp Set

[152599]

Wild Roses Cling Stamp Set

[154363]

Stitchery Cling Stamp Set

[155074]

Daisy Garden Cling Stamp Set

[155079]

Festive Foliage Cling Stamp Set

[155634]

Spiral Dye Cling Stamp Set

[156927]

A Good Man Cling Stamp Set

[149270]

Very Versailles Cling Stamp Set

[149275]

A Wish For Everything Cling Stamp Set

[149320]

Daisy Lane Cling Stamp Set

[149325]

Back On Your Feet Cling Stamp Set

[149385]

Sailing Home Cling Stamp Set

[149457]

Free As A Bird Cling Stamp Set

[149468]

Forever Blossoms Cling Stamp Set (English)

[151457]

Positive Thoughts Cling Stamp Set

[151490]

Timeless Tropical Cling Stamp Set (English)

[151497]

Peaceful Moments Cling Stamp Set (English)

[151595]

A Grand Kid Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152500]

Prized Peony Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152504]

Celebrate Sunflowers Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152517]

Pampered Pets Cling Stamp Set

[152520]

Lovely You Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152525]

Happiest Of Birthdays Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152539]

Whiskey Business Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152550]

Campology Cling Stamp Set

[152553]

Forever Fern Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152559]

Tasteful Touches Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152562]

Hand-Drawn Blooms Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152565]

Best Year Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152568]

Senior Years Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152630]

From All Of Us Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152641]

Way To Goat Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152657]

Evergreen Elegance Cling Stamp Set

[153313]

Garden Wishes Cling Stamp Set

[154408]

Dragonfly Garden Cling Stamp Set

[154411]

Handsomely Suited Cling Stamp Set

[154444]

Enjoy The Moment Cling Stamp Set

[154452]

Stellar Birthday Cling Stamp Set

[154461]

Hey Birthday Chick Cling Stamp Set

[154464]

Simply Succulents Cling Stamp Set

[154480]

What's Cookin' Cling Stamp Set

[154491]

Handmade For You Cling Stamp Set

[154494]

Many Messages Cling Stamp Set

[154510]

Brew Some Fun Cling Stamp Set

[154528]

Artistically Inked Cling Stamp Set

[154542]

Many Happenings Cling Stamp Set

[155001]

Seascape Cling Stamp Set

[155009]

Sending Hugs Cling Stamp Set

[155022]

After The Storm Cling Stamp Set (English)

[155038]

Sunny Sentiments Cling Stamp Set (English)

[155034]

Lighthearted Lines Cling Stamp Set

[155042]

Make It Happen Cling Stamp Set

[155047]

Party Puffins Cling Stamp Set

[155054]

Celebrate With Flowers Cling Stamp Set (English)

[155059]

Quiet Meadow Cling Stamp Set

[155082]

All Squared Away Cling Stamp Set

[155087]

Butterfly Brilliance Cling Stamp Set

[155092]

Elegantly Said Cling Stamp Set

[155095]

Flowers Of Friendship Cling Stamp Set

[155358]

Encircled In Friendship Cling Stamp Set

[155408]

Bunches Of Fun Cling Stamp Set

[155444]

Path To Greatness Cling Stamp Set

[155454]

Wildly Adorable Cling Stamp Set

[155468]

One Happy Family Cling Stamp Set (English)

[155474]

Bamboo Beauty Cling Stamp Set

[155478]

Inspired Thoughts Cling Stamp Set

[155536]

Forever Grapevine Cling Stamp Set

[155626]

Count On Me Cling Stamp Set

[155647]

Henna Hearts Cling Stamp Set

[155665]

Pirates & Mermaids Cling Stamp Set

[155703]

Sweet Farewell Cling Stamp Set

[155772]

Shaded Summer Cling Stamp Set

[155783]

Right Behind You Cling Stamp Set

[155790]

Through It Together Cling Stamp Set (English)

[155796]

Badger Besties Cling Stamp Set

[156930]

Posted at 08:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 19, 2021

Stampin' Up!'s 24 Hour Sale is Coming!!!

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thank ~ Chris

October 20 is the date for Stampin' Up!'s 24 hour sale. That's tomorrow (or maybe late tonight according to your schedule!) This year they will be featuring MANY cling (red rubber) stamps for 15% off for one day only 12:00 AM to 11:50 PM (MT) online. I was going to place an order of my own yesterday until I saw that 3 items from my wish list would be on sale so I will be shopping this list too! At the end of this post I will share a list with page numbers and then a product list with clinkable links that bring you to my store. Note that the sale prices won't show up until October 20 (MT).

Meanwhile I'm going to share just a few of my favorite cards made with some of these sets:

Celebrate Sunflowers - If the sunflowers weren't enough, you will love using the greetings with your other sets:

Or mix up those sunflowers with A Grand Kid:

One of my newest sets is Sending Hugs. I first used it a few weeks ago for this color challenge card; Bermuda Bay + Real Red + Basic Black along with anything weathered for dessert.

Flowers of Friendship - I hosted a color challenge on Splitcoaststampers back in August with Bumblebee, Soft Succulent, Poppy Parade. Dessert was dry embossing.

Party Puffins - for anyone young at heart!

From All Of Us - I did this pair as part of a "social distancing" challenge.

A little more masculine fun with Sailing Home:

Forever Blossoms -sigh! What loveliness! The original post also has a great bow trick for packages and fun fold cards that you want to hold closed until presentation. No untying needed!

More beauties, Prized Peonies:

And, wrapping up on a lighter note, Way to Goat with a what else but In Good Taste designer series paper.

You can scroll to the bottom of the post to see pictures of all sets. Click on the pictures for more information. If you prefer a printable list with pages numbers please use this link. (I thank fellow demonstrator, Deb Snyder!)

Download LG PRINT cling stamp sale flyer 102021

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Birch Cling Stamp

[149256]

Nature's Beauty Cling Stamp Set

[150528]

Painted Poppies Cling Stamp Set

[151599]

Stacked Stone Cling Background Stamp

[152556]

Drybrush Cling Stamp Set

[152599]

Wild Roses Cling Stamp Set

[154363]

Stitchery Cling Stamp Set

[155074]

Daisy Garden Cling Stamp Set

[155079]

Festive Foliage Cling Stamp Set

[155634]

Spiral Dye Cling Stamp Set

[156927]

A Good Man Cling Stamp Set

[149270]

Very Versailles Cling Stamp Set

[149275]

A Wish For Everything Cling Stamp Set

[149320]

Daisy Lane Cling Stamp Set

[149325]

Back On Your Feet Cling Stamp Set

[149385]

Sailing Home Cling Stamp Set

[149457]

Free As A Bird Cling Stamp Set

[149468]

Forever Blossoms Cling Stamp Set (English)

[151457]

Positive Thoughts Cling Stamp Set

[151490]

Timeless Tropical Cling Stamp Set (English)

[151497]

Peaceful Moments Cling Stamp Set (English)

[151595]

A Grand Kid Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152500]

Prized Peony Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152504]

Celebrate Sunflowers Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152517]

Pampered Pets Cling Stamp Set

[152520]

Lovely You Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152525]

Happiest Of Birthdays Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152539]

Whiskey Business Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152550]

Campology Cling Stamp Set

[152553]

Forever Fern Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152559]

Tasteful Touches Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152562]

Hand-Drawn Blooms Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152565]

Best Year Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152568]

Senior Years Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152630]

From All Of Us Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152641]

Way To Goat Cling Stamp Set (English)

[152657]

Evergreen Elegance Cling Stamp Set

[153313]

Garden Wishes Cling Stamp Set

[154408]

Dragonfly Garden Cling Stamp Set

[154411]

Handsomely Suited Cling Stamp Set

[154444]

Enjoy The Moment Cling Stamp Set

[154452]

Stellar Birthday Cling Stamp Set

[154461]

Hey Birthday Chick Cling Stamp Set

[154464]

Simply Succulents Cling Stamp Set

[154480]

What's Cookin' Cling Stamp Set

[154491]

Handmade For You Cling Stamp Set

[154494]

Many Messages Cling Stamp Set

[154510]

Brew Some Fun Cling Stamp Set

[154528]

Artistically Inked Cling Stamp Set

[154542]

Many Happenings Cling Stamp Set

[155001]

Seascape Cling Stamp Set

[155009]

Sending Hugs Cling Stamp Set

[155022]

After The Storm Cling Stamp Set (English)

[155038]

Sunny Sentiments Cling Stamp Set (English)

[155034]

Lighthearted Lines Cling Stamp Set

[155042]

Make It Happen Cling Stamp Set

[155047]

Party Puffins Cling Stamp Set

[155054]

Celebrate With Flowers Cling Stamp Set (English)

[155059]

Quiet Meadow Cling Stamp Set

[155082]

All Squared Away Cling Stamp Set

[155087]

Butterfly Brilliance Cling Stamp Set

[155092]

Elegantly Said Cling Stamp Set

[155095]

Flowers Of Friendship Cling Stamp Set

[155358]

Encircled In Friendship Cling Stamp Set

[155408]

Bunches Of Fun Cling Stamp Set

[155444]

Path To Greatness Cling Stamp Set

[155454]

Wildly Adorable Cling Stamp Set

[155468]

One Happy Family Cling Stamp Set (English)

[155474]

Bamboo Beauty Cling Stamp Set

[155478]

Inspired Thoughts Cling Stamp Set

[155536]

Forever Grapevine Cling Stamp Set

[155626]

Count On Me Cling Stamp Set

[155647]

Henna Hearts Cling Stamp Set

[155665]

Pirates & Mermaids Cling Stamp Set

[155703]

Sweet Farewell Cling Stamp Set

[155772]

Shaded Summer Cling Stamp Set

[155783]

Right Behind You Cling Stamp Set

[155790]

Through It Together Cling Stamp Set (English)

[155796]

Badger Besties Cling Stamp Set

[156930]

Posted at 03:36 PM in A Grand Kid, Celebrate Sunflowers, Flowers of Friendship, From All of Us, Party Puffins, Prized Peony, Sailing Homr, Sending Hugs | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 14, 2021

All For Baby - Simplicity Does the Trick

Hello again stamping friends. I'm back again because I just sent off my husband to bring a baby gift to a colleague and I thought I would quickly try to join in on today's Kid's & Babies Blog Hop with the crew over at Crafty Collaborations.

This is such a simple, quick card:

The kraft paper that is part of the Gingerbread & Peppermint Suite goes beautifully with the polka dot kraft wrapping paper I had on hand.
Basic White dies and a little white embossing was all I needed with dies that have this much precious detail.

Do you ever think about your favorite stamping colors when you purchase wrapping paper. I know that the cards don't have to match the paper but it is so satisfying when you can make it happen.

That's it for my easy card. Now it's on to my dear friend Angie on the next blog.

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Kraft 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Paper Pack

Posted at 11:01 AM in All for Baby | Permalink | Comments (7)

October 13, 2021

10 in 30 with the Around the World on Wedneday Blog Hop

Hello again stamping enthusiasts! I'm blog hopping around the world today with the Around the World on Wednesdays. This month's little challenge is:

10 projects in 30 minutes is the general theme for the October 2021 Blog Hop! Whether you're a cardmaker, a 3D connoisseur, or a scrapbooker, this is the speed challenge for you!

Whether you're ready for a marathon cardmaking day, a craft fair or a scrapbooking retreat, you need one layout that is quick and easy for you to mass produce.

If you follow the hop I dare say you will find some brave stampers who have timed their whole production.

I expect you will be truly inspired!

That said I actually hesitated to participate this month since mass produced cards aren't typically something I do, especially with a timer running... But I do love CAS cards and thought I really should be able to share SOMETHING Well, I did go through some of my photos of past cards when I noticed this card I created while I was developing some classes using the new Butterfly Brilliance Bundle last spring. Simple but fun! Works for any Occasion. Check!

Grandaughter Butterfly Brilliance bijou stampin' Up card for he'artstringstampers

I needed three basic things to plan these cards:

Detailed dies: such as Brilliant Wings, Frosted Gingerbread, Pretty Pumpkins, Hand-Penned Petals, Giving Gifts plus more would work with this concept. Choose proven dies that you know easily release all the little pieces.
DSP - This is a great card to really make a dent in your DSP stash. This card requires a full card front plus sized layer of DSP. 2 important guidelines to think about here.1) patterns with no or very little white work best though with some dies you may find there are exceptions. 2) I cut my pieces of DSP generously - up to 1/16" larger for length and width. I find that when I am covering a whole card base it is so much easier to to trim off the DSP or other top layer than to trim the card.
Greeting stamps - If you are going to make a little stack of cards you want a simple greeting that you know you will want to use many times OR some interchangeable greetings that allow you to easily cover a few different card giving occasions.

Prepping the paper was fast. I cut 6 side fold and 4 top fold cards, 12 slightly oversized card front sized pieces of DSP plus 10- 5-1/4" x 3-3/4" pieces of Basic White for diecutting. All in about 5 minutes!

The next part of the brainstorming and experimenting was fun!

But in the end I decided that a stash of Thank You cards with a few sympathy cards would be most useful. So I went back to the versatile Butterfly Brilliance Dies. These are nice to use for mass producing because there are numerous detailed butterflies. This allowed me to run two at a time through my Big Shot. I chose Peaceful Moments for greetings since the set included both Thank You, Sympathy and inside sentiments if I wanted them. Finally I looked to some mostly monochromatic prints in the Sweet Symmetry DSP collection.

Peaceful Moments Stampin UP Thank you Cards

Peaceful Moments Butterfly Sympathy stamping up card

Timeframe:

(Cutting Card Stock and Paper ....................5 minutes each requires a 5-1/2" x 4-1/4" folded card base, generous 5-1/2" x 4-1/4" piece of DSP and a 5-1/4" x 3-3/4 piece of Basic White or Vanilla)

Die cutting.....................................................7 minutes

Stamping greetings/ Stamparatus................10

Assembly.......................................................10

I think this would be a great sketch for so many occasions and you can trim your paper and do your die cutting at home. Just pack you individual ingredients and away you go, Each of the above steps can be done separately or even a head of time. Great for retreats or just getting to visit with your friends while you stamp.

Well, that's it from my little part of the world. Now it's time for me to point you toward the beautiful work of Tricia Butts. Let's see what she has in store for us.

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Ximena Morales - DE

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Annette Ball - CA

Angie McKenzie - US

Wendy Lee - US

Chris Smith - US You are here!

Tricia Butts - US

Teri West - US

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Posted at 05:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

October 09, 2021

Harvest Time with Pretty Pumpkins

Happy Saturday, everyone. We're celebrating harvest time on the Stamping Inkspirations Blog Hop today.

I will be focusing on a couple of colorful pumpkin cards that I've made with the Pretty Pumpkins Bundle. You can create scores of pretty pumpkins with stamps, dies or both when you have this bundle in your stash.

I had already been playing around with the textured Pale Papaya and lacy panel, thinking they were made for each other, before I started experimenting with the pumpkin dies. A few hints:

Colors are Very Vanilla, Pale Papaya, Pear Pizzazz and Calypso Coral. Calypso Coral??? Yes it, with a little sponging around the edges, works beautifully as a classic pumpkin.
Stamp your greeting and apply a soft area of Pear Pizzazz ink with a blending brush towards the lower right edge of the lace die cut, cut with one of the Ornate Layers Dies.
I kept the color palette fairly simple picking up on the Pale Papaya again as a base for the pumpkin. I die cut two pumpkins one of Pale Papaya and one of Calypso Coral, reserving the little vertical Pale Papaya pieces that come out of the pumpkin.
I trimmed out the stem of the Calypso Coral pumpkin and put a strip of one sided tape across the back. Place the reserved pieces of Pale Papaya into the pumpkin so they stick to the tape. Layer this Calypso Pumpkin over the Pale Papaya Pumpkin.
Embellish your pumpkin with some sponged die cut Pear Pizzazz leaves, adhering it to the lower right side of the lacy panel.

I had even more fun with this next card. I was doing a color challenge last month that called for Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Balmy Blue and Early Espresso, so I thought Balmy Blue could make a beautiful sky background for some pumpkins stamped and colored with the other colors. But what else is part of a crisp, blue, fall sky but falling leaves.

Three falling leaves were die cut with the Stitched Leaves Dies out of a 5 3/8" x 4 3/8" piece of Balmy Blue.
Stamp your greeting in Early Espresso.
Mount the Balmy Blue layer on an Early Espresso (folded 8 1/2" x 5 1/2") card and replace the Balmy Blue leaves that were die cut earlier.
Stamp the trio of pumpkins and the pumpkin blossom image with Early Espresso ink on Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock. Color with Watercolor pencils. With very little practice these are great for adding shading and depth to your images. I often skip the water part and just go with straight pencil. Die cut with the corresponding dies.
Adhere the blossom piece directly to the card. Use Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere the pumpkin trio.

Well, that's it for my pumpkins today. Now I'm going to send you off on your way to the one and only Jan Musselman!

Angie McKenzie ● Libby Fens ● Cheryl Hamilton

Mo Rootes ● Leonie Stuart ● Tricia Butts

Deb Macdowell ● Chris Smith ● Jan Musselman

Teri West ● Rochelle Laird-Smith ● Gez Carpenter

Aurélie Fabre ● Kare n Henderson ● Danielle Kassing

Annette Ball ● Jill Chapman ● Terry Hamilton

Gallery Links

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Product List

Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock

Posted at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

September 27, 2021

Beautifully Penned...

Beautifully Penned is a lovely and versatile set of B&W (well, also gray) designer papers featured in this season's SALE-a-bration catalog. Check out the "Thanks" card on the bottom of page 7 in the little catalog. Can you tell what they did? At first I thought that it was one of the paper patterns with the background colored in Pool Party. Nope! They did made die cuts from the DSP and adhered them to Pool Party paper... Throw in a few August challenges I wound up making this:

So here is what I did:

As you might be able to see, I did the coloring two ways. First I tried it before doing the die cutting (Hand Penned Petals Bundle) and secondly afterwards. I think it would be best to do it before. It doesn't have to be fussy because you can always fill in after it is cut - just as needed. Though it works to color afterwards, I think it would be hard on the brush tip, which is fastest, to be constantly going over the edge of the design.
I used a sponge to ink the back of the die cut - just the portion I expected to attach to the vellum. I trimmed of the dry piece that went over the edge to sponge next and add it elsewhere. The vellum piece shown only used 2 die cuts.
I used the Pretty Flowers Embossing folder on the background.
Colors are Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape and Old Olive.

Here is the card on page 7 of the SALE-a-bration mini catalog that inspired me:

And here is one more version that I made:

I took my color inspiration from this year's Pantone Colors
Since I wanted a little variation in the depth of the colors, I used a Basic White card base and applied So Saffron with a blending brush.
Die cut Hand-Penned layers are adhered to this base. I applied Multi-purpose glue just to the section I wanted to adhere, positioned it on the base, flipped it over, trimmed off the excess and then used the excess elsewhere. If there are portions that didn't get adhesive I just add it by sliding some adhesive on a scrap of paper under the un-adhered portion and quickly slide it back out. This leaves just enough to stick that portion back down on the base. I think I used about 3 die cuts to get a border around the card base.

I used a scrap of Basic Gray cardstock that had been embossed with the Hammered Metal 3D embossing Folder and a piece of vellum cardstock as my intermediate layers.
My Biggest Wish greeting is stamped on a scalloped rectangle (Scalloped Contours Dies) and embellished with a few little bouquets from the Hand-Penned Petals Bundle. (So Saffron and Smoky Slate inks)
Add a few embellishments - from Matte Decorative Dots on p 31 of the July- December Mini Catalog. (Sweet Stockings Suite).

I love this look and am anxious to see what other dies and DSP patterns I can use with it. Keep in mind that the deadline for earning this free Beautifully Penned DSP is 9/30 - and that is while supply lasts! You can shop in my store by clicking the "Shop with Chris Smith" link near the top of the page.

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

Check out the Stampin' Up! catalogs link at the top of my blog. If you don't have regular Stampin' Up Demonstrator and would like hard copies of any of our current catalogs please feel free to email me at cbondersonsmith@gmail.com

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the my host code, I will send you this month's free gift, a package of the Matte Decorative Dots. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Posted at 11:58 AM in Hand-Penned Petals | Permalink | Comments (3)

September 08, 2021

Changing Seasons with the Around the World on Wednesdays Blog Hop

We have a really special blog hop for you this month. Our theme is Changing Seasons. If you've hopped with this group before you realize that we are demonstrators all over the world and in both hemispheres. While we all tend to think of seasons as they change in our little piece of the world I think it will be wonderful to get a taste of what those who live in other places see. As all of our themes go we have artistic license to interpret this in anyway we see fit.

As soon as I looked at this month's theme I knew I had my excuse for having a little play time with Beauty of Tomorrow - doesn't that name alone sound like changing seasons? Though I held off getting this bundle until I could get the coordinating Blackberry Beauty specialty designer paper with it, You can see that you certainly don't need the DSP to designer quality cards with these stamps and dies.

Sometimes when I see a lot of cards made with a suite that has stamps and DSP I feel like it is hard to come up with my own style. So, for this first card, I chose different colors than the DSP to help me create in a new direction. Night of Navy, Mossy Meadow, Old Olive, Gorgeous Grape and Highland Heather.

All stamping is done with Mossy Meadow. I used the Timeworn Type 3D Embossing Folder to texture the greeting layer.
I inserted a strip of color block stripes. I actually made a quarter sheet of these stripes with 3/8" strips of my 5 colors. You can vary this any way you want.
The little sprays of wildflowers are also stamped with Mossy Meadow and colored with Night of Navy, Highland Heather and Old Olive Blends - all of them in the lighter versions.
Add a few oak leaves and Voila!
I'm getting ready to head out on a vacation AND celebrate our 36th anniversary later this week. When you really think about this greeting makes a wonderful fall anniversary card.

I guess I was going for lots of texture with this card: Die cut oak leaves over the Timber 3D Embossing Folder.
More Scalloped Lace...
That skinny strip of gold foiled DSP is layered over a clear embossed piece of gold shimmer vellum. The images are the same Beauty of Tomorrow images that were die cut and colored in the previous card. HINT: Adhere the DSP strip over the vellum. Then you just add a little more on the vellum that is covered by DSP so that it won't show through the vellum.
Silly me! I tried blending some Rich Razzleberry ink over the clear embossing to help it pop. On the gold vellum it ended up looking exactly like Cinnamon Cider. So, if you want this look - just go ahead and start with the Cinnamon Cider!
The gold foil daisies come from the Blackberry Beauty Ephemera pack.
Follow your dreams is a greeting from the Through it Together stamp set. A very useful set, I might add!

And now its time to check out what the rest of our group has been up to!

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cazz Boylan - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Melissa Gifford - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Elaine de Montmorency - CA

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert - US

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Posted at 05:00 AM in Beauty of Tomorrow, Through it Together | Permalink | Comments (9)

August 11, 2021

Shake It Up with the August Around the World on Wednesday Blog Hop

Welcome back for this month's Around the World on Wednesday Blog Hop as we shake it up!

Every month, on the second Tuesday, several demonstrators from all over the world put together a blog hop. This month our theme is "Shake It Up".

When you check out the other blogs you may see more shaker cards OR any other way that my fellow artists chose to shake up their art and try something new.

Me, well I decided to take this theme literally. It's been at least two decades since I've done one of these shaker cards. Before die cuts, before embossing folders and before, I think, I even had dimensional adhesives. I suspect that might be why I haven't done one for so long. I had to use the leftover rubber scraps from trimming my stamps. My we've come a long way. It was so much easier this time!

One of our new Halloween Bundles, Frightfully Cute, seemed like a natural for this project. While this bundle definitely does the cute theme I thought I would push it to a little scarier tone: from inside the witch's house. I sponged Tuxedo Black ink on a piece of Cinnamon Cider that had been embossed with the Bricks and Mortar 3D Embossing Folder and had a window cut out with a Stitched Rectangle Die.
Sequins from Sequins for Everything - in the orange shades worked perfectly for shaking. While I used a recycled cello bag for my window. If you have them though the Window sheets work really well for this.
Foam Adhesive Strips are really what made this SO much easier than my long ago attempt at a shaker card. You will want to apply the strips on the inner and outer edges of your "frame".
From there the stamps and dies from the Frightfully Cute Bundle took over the show and really did a wow job. There are so many fun images to pick from. Look closely and you can see the detailed wrought iron fence, tree, spider & web and even bats flying against a full moon. Look a little closer at the detail:

Hint: use a sponge with glue or adhesive sheets to make sure your die cuts are glued down well or the sequins can get caught in them.

I hope you try one of these too!

Now it's time to check out how the others decided to shake things up. Next on the hop is the uber talented Brenda Nelson:

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Elaine de Montmorency - CA

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert - US

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

Gallery Index: I'm trying to catch up on my gallery if you'd like to see a few more projects from the new July - December 2021 Mini Catalog.

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the my host code, I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Order these products:

Posted at 05:00 AM in Frightfully Cute | Permalink | Comments (7)

July 14, 2021

CAS(e) a Team Member with Around the World On Wednesdays

Welcome back to the Around the World on Wednesday monthly blog hop!

This month we are Cas(e)ing a fellow team member, specifically the person who is after each of us on the hop. Lucky me! That means I got to spend some quality time perusing Anne Marie Hile's blog - and Instagram.

As I became a little more familiar with Anne Marie's style, I could see that she generally uses more layers than I do and she's especially talented at showing off Stampin' Up!'s beautiful Designer Series Paper, some of which just happens to be 15% off this month. This recent card from her blog really caught my eye and I think represents her work quite well.

I used Anne Marie's pretty In Symmetry card as a jumping off point for two cards. You can click on the card to see her post for this card. Stampin Anne will also be the next blog on the hop.

The first features the You're a Peach Suite which includes the You're A Peach DSP and Sweet as a Peach Bundle.

As you can see I took a couple of liberties with Anne's sketch. I used ribbon for the horizontal layer and switched locations between my sentiment and die cut image.
I stamped the greeting and images with Calypso Coral and Pear Pizzazz. These were stamped off on scratch paper when I wanted even more subtle colors.
I love the itty bitty peach print in the background. Anne layers her cards so beautifully and this is something I've gotten a bit lazy with so it was fun to play around with matting my DSP
A brushstroke Pear Pizzazz print gives just a little variation in shade to my scalloped frame, made with the Sweetly Stitched Dies.

Since I've been getting ready to do some "Christmas In July" stamping with a few of my team members this weekend I thought I better try out this sketch with a suite of products from the mini catalog that will preview next month.

This card uses the same basic sketch with the Christmas Season Bundle which is part of the Painted Seasons Suite. This is a two bundle suite and since I don't yet have the bundle with the greetings I "borrowed" classic "Merry Christmas" from the Perfect Plaid set which is a carryover from previous holidays and can be found in the big Annual catalog.
This had a stripe/herringbone pattern that was similar to one that Anne used in her card. It gives a distinct candy cane look to the scalloped frame, cut once again with the Sweetly Stitched dies.
This frame layers beautifully over the lovely Christmas greens from another pattern from the Painted Christmas DSP.
I often use white for a card base color but this one called for Crumb Cake which gave me a chance to try out something else I've seen Anne do a few times: she will often use white as first layer on top of her card base. this seems to give such definition to the card!

Thanks for the inspiration, Anne! This is a great sketch to use while playing mix and match with your Designer Series Papers. I hope the rest of you give it a try!

Now it's time to continue on the blog hop and actually visit Anne Marie:

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cazz Boylan - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Chris Smith - US You are here

Anne Marie Hile - US

Brenda Nelson - CA

Tricia Butts - US

Elaine de Montmorency - CA

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert - US

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.CAS

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the July host code, FQGRZFSQ, I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Posted at 05:00 AM in Christmas Season, Sweet as a Peach | Permalink | Comments (9)

June 27, 2021

Just Playing Around with Biggest Wish

Just a quick little blog post for Share It Sunday.

I had intended to ink up a new set, Biggest Wish but am opting to share a Big Love baby card I made earlier this week:

The clothesline is an obvious theme of this adorable baby stamp set, All For Baby, and I mostly just plugged in the colors for last week's color challenge: Poppy Parade, Mango Melody and Granny Apple Green.
The shading on the images is a feature of the stamps. I was bummed to realize that I mistakenly ordered this set without its coordinating dies but in the end it really just plain old stamping made me realize just how cute these are. Once I ran it through my Stampin' Cut & Emboss with the Tasteful Textile folder it looked almost like I had watercolored the images
Dessert for this challenge is to use designer series paper (DSP). I layered two different colors of the same DSP pattern so that the plaid lined up for a simple border that mimics the grass under the clothesline.

Now it's time to check out the other blogs:

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the June host code, YWDXR9BW I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Posted at 11:00 AM in All for Baby | Permalink | Comments (7)

June 09, 2021

Step it Up with Artistically Inked

This month's theme for our Around the World on Wednesday Blog Hop is "Step it Up". Team member Cheryl Hamilton suggested it. Traditionally "step it up" means to plan a project that is simple, often requiring just the basic papercrafting supplies and then develop one or two more versions that involve more skills and, sometimes, more diverse craft stashes. Our leader, Angie McKenzie has encouraged us to think outside the box for this theme so who knows what you might discover as you hop around the world!

I'm going to share a few cards with you today. They aren't "step up" cards in the traditional sense. Rather one uses very basic papercrafting supplies and the second still uses rather simple techniques and design but takes advantage of more sophisticated supplies that the more experienced stamper might be able to take advantage of. Both are strong designs on there own, wanting for nothing.

This first card is just stamps ink and paper ... with a little doodling...

This card starts with a bold Magenta Madness bloom, a Daffodil Delight center and some Granny Apple Green leaves all stamped on a card front (1/4 sheet or 5 1/2 x 4 1/4").
Then I grabbed the somewhat long blob-like image and stamped it with Pool Party multiple times around the Magenta madness bloom. It gets lighter each time and lends a softly mottled background.
I stamped the "Happy Birthday" greeting in black in the lower right corner.
I thought it might be finished but I have this quirky little rule: if I use black anywhere on the card, often as a greeting, I need to use it one more time. You can't let black become lonely you know. So...
...I grabbed a black fine point marker and doodled around the bloom and its leaves, drawing lines wherever the depth of color changes. Don't worry about being too exact. You want to just relax and scribble. There is no wrong way to scribble!
While I could have just stamped on the front of a full card, I had started with just the front so I trimmed it down to 5 1/4" x 4" and then mounted it onto a folded Basic White card. I really like it just the way it as with no other embellishments to detract from the bloom and its doodles.

Now it's time to move on to a "Step it Up" card. I'll keep the simple concept with some detail for interest using the same stamp set but we will take advantage of some more advanced papercrafting products:

This time we use a 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" piece of the beautiful Expressions in Ink Specialty Designer Series Paper for the card's color. This is adhered to the front of a top fold Basic White card.
Next I took a 5" x 4 1/4" sized piece of Thick Basic White cardstock and used the large detailed leaflet die to cut a leaflet that extends form the lower left corner to the upper right corner.
Stamp "thanks" in the upper left portion of this piece.
Adhere the 5" x 4 1/4" piece to the card leaving a 1/2" of the DSP showing at the bottom of the card.
Clear the tiny put out pieces from the leaflet and adhere the leaflet onto the card in the space it was originally cut from. I like to use a sponge with Mulitpurpose adhesive to attach detailed die cuts like this. Another option would be the adhesive sheets meant for use with the Stampin Cut & Emboss. (page 153 of the Annual Catalog).
Embellish with a Soft Succulent Open Weave Ribbon, Mint Macaron Genial Gems, and a 4 1/4" skinny strip of Shaded Spruce.

And now it's time to continue around the world...

...by way of Texas where you can see what my talented friend, Anne Marie Hile, has been up to:

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cazz Boylan - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Chris Smith - US you are here!

Anne Marie Hile - US

Brenda Nelson - CA

Tricia Butts - US

Elaine de Montmorency - CA

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert - US

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

Gallery Links

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Posted at 06:00 AM in Artistically Inked | Permalink | Comments (7)

June 08, 2021

Hand-Penned Petals with Carved Stone Technique

Today's Crafty Collaborations Blog Hop is all about Pressure Embossing techniques.

I couldn't resist joining in to share one of my favorite techniques, one I call Carved Stone. This is basically just tapping your white craft ink pad on the inside of a 3D embossing folder and then embossing a piece of Basic Gray cardstock. Of course you can use any color of ink or cardstock with pressure embossing but when I use these I get a look that I think of as stone (like the Lake Superior basalt) that has been carved.

While you want to get a good amount of ink on one side of the inside of the folder, don't push too hard. You want to ink most of the raised parts of the folder which will result in the recessed parts of your cardstock taking on the white ink.
Usually I get the best results by inking the side with the Stampin' Up! Logo. I used Stampin' Up!'s Parisian Flourish 3D folder.
I used my "stone" piece to highlight today's Splitcoaststampers Color Combination: Fresh Freesia, Polished Pink and Old Olive. I really think the gray background made these beautiful colors pop.
I also used Basic Gray ink to stamp my images and the greeting. The colored sprig is colored with Fresh Freesia, Polished Pink and Old Olive Blends. I also used Light Smoky Slate on the white Seam Binding.

Here are a few other samples of the carved stone look.

The finished card on top was a quickie I made with a standard embossing folder from the Thanks & Hello duo. You can see it doesn't have quite the same look as the 3D folder but it still puts more emphasis on the design.
I added a lovely detailed Basic Black fern cut from the Iconic Dies.
Other folders used are Hammered Metal 3D and Dandelions 3D.

Blog Hop

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Posted at 10:58 AM in Hand-Penned Petals | Permalink | Comments (6)

May 26, 2021

Play Date: Color & Contour Meet up with Plenty of Patterns Masks

Have you had a chance to play with Stampin' Up!'s new In Colors 2021-2023 yet? Or maybe you are on the fence? Well, I've got the post (and Blog Hop!) for you today. I'm hopping with the Crafty Collaborations team and everyone will be featuring the In Colors, with or without Stampin' Up!'s other fabulous colors.

Every year I pick out a few of the new colors that quickly become favorites and then over the next few years I slowly grow to love them all as I find new color combinations to love. This year I think it is love at first sight for all of five.

Here are a few that I put together yesterday as I was playing around with the Color & Contour Bundle and the new Plenty of Patterns masks:

I added some Daffodil Delight to Fresh Freesia, Polished Pink and Pale Papaya when I used this cute little scalloped mask as a stencil with my blending brushes. And then I couldn't wait to add even more scallops with big scallop die that is part of the Color & Contours Bundle.

Why not add even more scallops by layering a piece of this luscious Fresh Freesia Shimmer Vellum? Hint: I used Stampin' Seal + to attach the vellum to the white cardstock and it doesn't show through. This next photo catches the shimmer of the vellum a little better if you excuse the wonky angle.

I even embossed my blooms on the vellum. Add scallops on the greeting, some Open Weave Fresh Freesia Ribbon and a sprinkling of Fresh Freesia Jewels and I've fully gone overboard - in such a fun way - on this cheerful card.

My piece of stenciled paper was big enough for at least 3 cards. Here is one more with a tried and true card sketch:

After layering a leftover strip on the folded edge of my card, I cut a large stitched triangle and use it to trim a white card front to get the correct angle.

Add a quick little flower, using the Soft Succulent and Evening Evergreen for the leaves and I've got all of the new colors accounted for - and well loved besides! The ribbon, jewels and shimmering vellum that come in these colors are kind of like frosting on the cake.

Now to continue with the blog hop, first with a little explanation of who is participating.

The Crafty Collaborations team is comprised of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators from around the world. Each month, we participate in several collaborative projects including blog hops, like this one, to inspire all of us in our passion for crafting. Our goal is to create, share, and inspire every crafter to keep our creative energy flowing.

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the May host code, X9BCT4AQ, I will send you a free gift. May's gift is the Expressions in Ink Ephemera Pack plus a selection of coordinating products. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $75 will still receive the May card pack.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

SHOPPING LINKS

Posted at 11:04 AM in Color & Contour | Permalink | Comments (6)

May 12, 2021

Fancy Folds with the Around the World On Wednesdays Blog Hop

Today I'm hopping with Around the World on Wednesdays and if you love cards with special folds this one is for you. Grab your favorite beverage and get comfortable because this month's theme is Fancy Folds.

To be honest, I don't make many Fancy Fold cards but every time that I do I usually ask myself why I don't try them more often. This was extra fun because, since we have a new Stampin' Up! Catalog there are so many new toys to try out. Today I'm using the Party Puffins again and mixing them up with the new Basic Border Dies.

Design Tips:

This is a really easy fold to do, especially if you are familiar with using both the ruler and the scoring blades on the Stampin' Trimmer. I used the Splitcoaststampers pattern by our blog hop's own Wendy Lee. You can find it here.
I chose my colors around the colors in the new hostess designer series papers, Pattern Party. I had planned to use a colorful stripe on the side panels, only to find out that I preferred the way that the mostly black with tiny white dots pattern recedes better and seems to emphasize the special folds in this card.
Since I'm not that familiar with puffins I googled them and most of the real and artistic renderings had them standing on rocks. Usually ragged rocks but I used some artistic license and made some smooth rocks with my new border dies. I cut them from Gray Granite cardstock and added some extra Gray granite ink with my Blending brushes. The cloudy sky also makes us of the cloud shaped die in that set.
I used watercolor pencils to do the little bit of coloring.

Here's one more shot:

Now it's time to see what the fabulous Brenda Nelson has in store for us.

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Satomi Wellard

Pia Gephardt - DE

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Elaine de Montmorency - CA

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

Gallery Links

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $75 (US) order using the May host code, X9BCT4AQ , I will send you a free gift. May's gift is the Expressions in Ink Ephemera Pack plus a selection of coordinating products. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $75 will still receive the May card pack.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

SHOPPING LINKS

Product List