ThePowerOfACard: December 2021

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Sale-a-bration Preview - Hey There Otter

Sale-a-bration! It is the most wonderful time of the year! And it begins in just a few short days on January 4, 2022! If you're not familiar with Sale-a-bration (SAB), let me explain why it is so wonderful. For every $50 of products you purchase, you get to select a Level 1 item for FREE from the SAB brochure. There are a few Level 2 items available which would require a $100 purchase. Of course, if you are hosting a workshop (or just shopping for yourself - no judgments!), you can also qualify for host rewards and an exclusive free host set when you reach the $300 sales level. This is such an amazing way to get more for your money. I love all the free products in the SAB brochure (many of them are shown in my video) and have been having so much fun creating cards for you - let's get started!

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Gray Granite 8-1/2" x 5-1/2"; Basic White 3" x 2" and 1-3/4" x 1"; Sunshine and Rainbows SAB DSP 2-1/4" x 6"
Stamp Sets: Awesome Otters and Catch you Later
Ink: Gray Granite, Tuxedo Black Memento
Stampin' Blends: Gray Granite, Pool Party and Basic Black
Ribbon: Pool Party Striped Grosgrain: 12"
Punches: Everyday Label
Adhesive and Tools

This card is so adorable and the layout is super easy. Start with your card base - fold in half and press the crease with the bone folder. Now, take the pool party piece from the Sunshine & Rainbows DSP (FREE Level 1 choice) and cut it at 4-1/2. Set aside the small rectangle to use for the inside sentiment. Cut the larger rectangle into three 3/4" strips.

Attach the first strip about 1/4" from the left and bottom side of your card. Attach the next strip about 1/4" from the top and about 1/8" from the first strip. Finally, add the final strip about 1/8" over and 1/4" from the bottom. The result is a staggered group of DSP that adds interest and color to your card design.

Stamp the otter popping out of the water from the Awesome Otters set (FREE Level 1 choice) in Black Memento ink on the larger piece of white. Color him in with the Stampin' Blends and then punch him out with the label punch. Pop him up with Dimensionals.

I chose another sentiment from a set being released in the January - June Mini Catalog (also available on January 4th) called Catch you Later for the front, but you could use one of the sentiments from the Awesome Otters. I stamped it in Gray Granite in the lower right corner. The final touch is the bow which is the perfect compliment to this card, but sadly, retiring and only available until January 3rd. I adhered it to my card with a Glue Dot (they work so well for ribbons and textured embellishments).

For the inside, I stamped my sentiment (You're otterly awesome) in Gray Granite on the small white rectangle and matted it with the little scrap of DSP we saved from the beginning. The result is so stinking adorable!

I don't have everything from the SAB brochure, but I have quite a few! There are four packs of paper and I can tell you that I am in love with the Sunshine & Rainbows paper pack! It coordinates with the Rainbow of Happiness Bundle (new in the JJ Mini Catalog) and is a must get! The Daffodil Afternoon DSP will pair perfectly with the Daffodil Daydream Bundle (also new). The Special Moments Stamp set (Level 2) is jam packed with sayings - both innies and outies. It will be such a good addition to your collection. Here are some samples using all the papers and many of the stamp sets to inspire you:

Daffodil Afternoon DSP and Special Moments

Sunshine & Rainbows and Friendly Hello Stamp Set/DSP

Sunshine & Rainbows

Catching Butterflies, Driving By and Simply Marbleous DSP

I hope you've enjoyed this little peek into the upcoming SAB brochure (and a few hints at new sets coming in the JJ Mini catalog too). I can't post the links for the all the products I used in my card until they are released, but I will post what I can and add the others after January 4th. If you need a catalog or SAB brochure, let me know. I'd love to do a workshop for you - this is a perfect time to get your friends together and introduce them to Stampin' Up! and a perfect time to spend some holiday cash you received!

Celebrate with me and SAB!

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

Etsy Shop: The Power of a Card

https://karensliwinski.stampinup.net

Images Copyright Stampin’ Up!®

Join my Facebook Group (The Power of a Cardmaker): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1042676296088278/?ref=share

My current host code for January is: YA23K4DS

Please use this for orders less than $150 and you’ll get a special treat from me.

For orders over $150, you qualify for host rewards from Stampin’ Up! (plus a treat from me!).

Product List

Awesome Otters Cling Stamp Set (English)

[158087]

$0.00

Catch You Later Cling Stamp Set

[158037]

$23.00

Sunshine & Rainbows 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[158126]

$0.00

Gray Granite 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[146983]

$8.75

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

$9.75

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

$6.00

Gray Granite Classic Stampin' Pad

[147118]

$7.50

Gray Granite Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154886]

$9.00

Pool Party Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154894]

$9.00

Basic Black Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154843]

$9.00

Pool Party 3/8" (1 Cm) Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

[156290]

$7.00

Mini Glue Dots

[103683]

$5.25

Everyday Label Punch

[144668]

$18.00

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

$4.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.00

Paper Snips

[103579]

$10.00

Bone Folder

[102300]

$7.00

Paper Trimmer

[152392]

$25.00

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Quick and Easy with Designer Series Paper and Punches

As you know, I recently moved and the process of moving and unpacking has taken a lot of my time. That means that I've not had the time I normally have to make cards. I wanted to have my Christmas cards all in the mail, but I'm still making them. That gave me the idea for this video - I may not be the only person who needs some quick and easy cards!

I am pairing two great products - our beautiful Designer Series Paper (DSP) and punches. We have quite a few punches that work great for sentiments (look at the annual catalog starting on page 147). I'm guessing that many of you have some of the retired circle punches - these work really well too. The two stamp sets I used for most of my examples are Inspired Thoughts and Best Year. I love these two sets because of the variety of sayings and the fact that you can use them on the front and inside of your card - or innies and outies. If you don't have them, I would highly recommend them as a staple in your stamp room.

Although I do show some variations, the two cards I feature in the video use essentially the same supplies - a card base, a piece of 4" x 6" DSP, paper for the sentiment and a punch. The DSP for the first card is meant to be cut into six panels, 4" wide - just think - you can make six cards in just a half hour!

Gather your supplies:

Cardstock: Granny Apple Green 8-1/2" x 5-1/2"; Basic White 4" x 5-1/4" and 1-1/4" x 4"; Expressions in Ink DSP 4" x 6"; Evening Evergreen 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" and 3/8" x 4"; Basic White 4" x 5-1/4" and 1-1/2" x 4"; Painted Christmas DSP 4" x 6"
Stamp Sets: Inspired Thoughts and Best Year
Ink: Shaded Spruce and Evening Evergreen
Punches: Double Oval and Label me Fancy
Adhesive and Tools

There are four designs in the Expressions in Ink pack of paper that can be cut in half and then into 4" widths, yielding six panels. Choose your pattern and cut as I demonstrate. You will then need to trim the panel to be 4" x 5-1/4" - keep the 3/4" strip you cut off as we can often use it on the inside of the card. Fold your card base in half and crease with the bone folder. Adhere the DSP panel to the front.

On one end of your white strip, stamp the sentiment with Shaded Spruce ink. Use the oval punch to cut out your sentiment, then pop this up on the front using Stampin' Dimensionals. Depending on the design of your DSP, you may be able to use the 3/4" strip to decorate the white interior panel.

It was just a few years ago that Stampin' Up! started designing some of their DSP to use in this fashion. These next few cards feature paper from The Beauty of the Earth and Peaceful Place. For this one, I used the Double Oval and added some twine. For the sentiment on the Christmas card, I embossed the sentiment with Silver on Poppy Parade cardstock and then punched it out with the Everyday Punch.

So far, I've been focusing on paper that was designed to cut in half and then into panels for quick card making. This layout is not limited to that paper! I find it is great with large patterns as you can see with this card that used Bloom Where You're Planted DSP. I added a little ribbon and used the Label me Lovely punch.

Now for a variation of this layout - we will still use a piece of DSP that is 4" x 6", but this time, we will cut it into three pieces. The first cut will be to trim 3/4" off the bottom, and then cut the remaining piece (that measures 4" x 5-1/4") into two pieces. These don't have to be the same size - it will depend on the patterns in your paper. Additionally, an extra strip of contrasting cardstock will be used to cover the seam.

My sample was made on Basic White, but for the video, I made the same version, just on an Evening Evergreen base. I cut the Painted Christmas paper and adhered it to the card base. A small strip of Evening Evergreen covers the seam and gives a polished look. I stamped my sentiment on the small strip of Basic White, cut it out with the Label me Fancy punch and popped it up with Dimensionals. The final touch is a white panel on the inside with the small strip of DSP as decoration.

This sample uses the Rectangular Postage punch and the In the Wild DSP. One thing I like to consider is that the pattern on the back side may not be exactly what you want on your card. In this case, look at other patterns and you may find that you can cut two different papers and mix and match the pairings for two cards!

A small variation would be to cut a 3-3/4" x 5" piece of DSP, cut this into two pieces and place them on a 4" x 5-1/4" panel of colored cardstock. Here are a few samples of this variation. This one uses paper that was part of the Sale-a-bration selections, which many of you may have. It was just so cute, I had to use it! The punch is Label me Fancy.

My last card is a sneak peak of some products from the upcoming mini catalog - Sweet Talk DSP and Sweet Conversations stamp set. The punch is the Heart Punch Pack. Just about every paper in this pack can be used for this layout - I love them!

I hope you like these quick and easy cards. Every time I prepare for a new video, I tell myself that I don't have to make so many samples, but then I can't help myself! It is easy to keep making cards with these two layouts, so why not?

Karen

ThePowerOfACard@gmail.com

Etsy Shop: The Power of a Card

https://karensliwinski.stampinup.net

Images Copyright Stampin’ Up!®

Join my Facebook Group (The Power of a Cardmaker): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1042676296088278/?ref=share

My current host code for December is: YA4ER7GF

Please use this for orders less than $150 and you’ll get a special treat from me.

For orders over $150, you qualify for host rewards from Stampin’ Up! (plus a treat from me!).

Product List