The new Stampin' Up! Online Exclusive Trucking Along bundle is so fun! So many possibilities and ways to use it. Be sure to check out all the Online Exclusives.  More are being added on November 7th! 

I loved the color combos in the new A Walk in the Forest Designer Series Paper.  It doesn't have to be used only for Christmas!

​Did you catch that this paper is also our "Making a Different" product for the mini catalog.  For every pack sold SU! will donate $3 to Toys for Tots. 

 You can certainly use the Trucking Along bundle for holiday cards as well. This was a simple layout that can be repeated easily.  The Joy of Christmas paper has some very pretty designs. 

This card is a totally different color scheme.  I used Lemon Lime Twist, Blackberry Bliss and Balmy Blue. What do you think?

Stamping with the same color ink on card stock is one of my favorite ways to create a background. 

Quick tip for punching images.  Do you ever have trouble lining up your image because it's on a small scrap of paper?  Stick it to the sticky part of a Post It Note to give yourself extra room. 

Happy stamping! 

It's time for another Monday Montage Blog Hop full of fun ideas.

This week I'm showing off fun projects using the new Stampin' Up! Abundant Beauty Decorative Masks. This past week I held a technique class where we used the new masks with both blending brushes and embossing paste. These masks offer so many possibilities.  Each class attendee went home with their own set of masks and three mini blending brushes. 

The sunflower masks are very easy to use.  There are four total and each is numbered with a notch to show you which direction to face them.  I shared a quick reel on how to use them here. 

I used Shaded Spruce, Pecan Pie and Crushed Curry on this card.  I loved pairing a couple of small pieces of the All About Autumn Designer Series Paper on the sides. 

I hadn't used the Shimmer White Embossing Paste in a long time.  I forgot how easy it is to use and how great it looks!  It's the perfect thing to use with the snowflake mask in the set.  I think this was the top pick by everyone in class. 

The last card we made focused on the leaf mask in the set. I paired it with the Cheers to the Season stamp set. It did require a little fussy cutting but I think it's worth it! I used the All About Autumn paper on this one as well. 

Which card is your favorite? 

Be sure to click all the way through so you don't miss any of the fun projects.  Up next is Julie and back is Elizabeth. 

It's taken me awhile to get my alternatives done and ready to share from the August 2023 Meaningful Flowers Kit.  I loved the pretty flowers in this kit.  I'm a sucker for flowers so this one was easy to work with. 

As always, I started with cutting one of each card base in half to create alternatives.  Because these had writing on the back they didn't necessarily give me double the pieces to work with but I liked having the fronts to create with. 

This was such an easy card to put together but so pretty! 

I was inspired to create this one from one of the alternatives that Stampin' Up! offered in the instruction booklet.  They always showcase a few optional designs in the back of the instructions. I stamped the flowers in the background and then adhered the die cut piece on top.  I stamped flowers in the background on the sentiment piece as well. 

Do you like to create alternatives or enjoy the fact that a Paper Pumpkin kit makes card making SO easy?

If  you aren't receiving your own kit each month sign up here! I'm available to answer questions as well. 

September is here and off to a fast start! The weather is beautiful so it's helping us get outside and enjoy what is being offered around us.  Yesterday we took in the Farmer's Market followed but a Book Festival and and Open House at my favorite local boutique! You should check out Seams for the Soul and pick up a card or two. 

For this week's Monday Montage I focused on the new Warmest Hearts bundle from the September to December catalog.  I fell in love with this set right away! 

This card is super simple but I love the colors and they way the card looks so clean and simple. 

This next card is much more bright! The new Merry Bold & Bright Designer Series Paper really does pop.  I love the bright rainbow of colors and how it can work for holiday and non holiday cards alike. 

Another bright card featuring the same Merry Bold & Bright paper. There a lot of accent dies in this bundle and I love that you can customize your thermos so easily. 

Which is your favorite card? 

Be sure to hop all the way through today.  Everyone has great projects to show you.  Click next for next for Wendy and back for Elizabeth. 

It's time for another Monday Montage and I'm writing this from my hotel in Vegas! I've been attending out annual leadership event called Backstage. It's been an amazing few days full of learning and fun. 

A tradition at Stampin' Up! events is to swap cards with one another. In fact, our opening event was a "Sweets and Swaps" reception designed to give us the perfect chance to swap cards with one another.  Here is the one I created. I was only able to get 15 made but it means I'll have 15 other new card ideas to share! Stay tuned on social media for those.  You can find me on Facebook and Instagram. 

The stamp set I used is called Translucent Florals and will be available in the mini catalog starting on September 6th. 

We always get the best swag from Stampin' Up! I'm excited for all my message board fun. Time to get organized. 

The people are always a highlight of Stampin' Up! events for me.  I especially loved that I met fellow Monday Montage buddy Bree (aka Craft-somnia Momma) in person for the first time. We had a chance to hang out and and share ideas.  

Be sure to hop all the way through. I always love the variety of projects. 

It's time for another Monday Montage Blog Hop! 

I wanted to come up with a masculine card and saw a fun design shared by Sara Douglas using the new Inked and Tiled punch pack. This is an easy, but fun, design that can be done with any Designer Series Paper. I used the fun Gone Fishing Designer Series Paper for my version and paired it with some Boho Blue card stock. 

Here's another look at the card. I popped up the Designer Series Paper pieces to add more dimension.

Be sure to hop all the way through to check out all the great projects shared. I love seeing what everyone makes! ​ You can click next to see Julie's and back to see Elizabeth's. 

Have you checked out the Stampin' Up!s kit collection?  I find that a lot of people have totally missed them since it's a new concept to have some products online only and not in a catalog. 

They are awesome! A new one is added almost every month and we have nearly 30 available now.  Each kit is all inclusive. This means everything, and I mean everything, is included! In some kits this means a stamp set, ink and block and in others it means pre-printed sentiments so all you do is assemble. 

The best part is they are on sale all month in August.  Plus, I am donating 20% of all my kit sales this month to the Glen-Ed Pantry.  The pantry has seen a large increase in need recently and this seemed like a good way for me to give back through something I love.  I want to get even more people to try paper crafting especially those who think they aren't creative.  Everyone can be successful with kits! 

I thought I'd share some alternative ideas for how to use some of the stamp sets after you complete the kits.  I'm sharing the Forever Friends and the Love This Memory kits today. 

For this first card I used Berry Burst ink and card stock to create a pretty background.  I decided to use one of the Stitched With Whimsy dies to add some texture. A quick punched piece along with a sentiment and the card is nearly complete.  This is a very simple card that I think looks much fancier than it is! 

This is another one with the same stamps from the Forever Friends kit. I paired Berry Burst, Shaded Spruce and Crushed Curry.  A design from the Delightfully Eclectic was the perfect pairing. 

The stamps that come in the Love This Memory are so adorable! I LOVE this cute little face stamp. Lemon Lolly is a bright and cheerful yellow and the perfect pairing for this stamp. 

I wanted to show off all the cute mini stamps in this set on this card. Arrows, flowers and hearts...oh my! 

Which is your favorite?  Have you tried a kit yet?  Go shop while they are on sale! Be sure to use Host Code ​ESVP2UWG.

It's another Monday and time for another Monday Montage Blog Hop.

Someone please tell me where the summer has gone?  My kids go back to school in two weeks! ​It has gone by so fast and I don't feel like we've done enough.  We've been busy for sure but I have so many things still on the summer bucket list that I thought we'd do.

For this week's Hop I decided to play around with the Bright & Beautiful suite, especially the Memories and More cards.  I'm offering a class with the printed cards and the cards and envelopes where each person will get to make 20 cards in one class. I love doing these classes because, not only do they get to make a LOT of cards, but everyone can be creative and make them how they want. 

For most of the cards I'm showing today though I used more than just the Memories and More packs. I added card stock, embellishments, ribbon and the stamps, dies and paper from the Bright & Beautiful suite. 

I love rainbows and thought this made a bright and cheery card to celebrate all types of occasions.  

This one combines the Memories and More pack with the dies in the suite. I cut out the balloons and used the negative space to create the focal point. Cutting up one of the cards to get the words "hip, hip hooray" gave me a saying to use. 

I used the die cut from the previous card on this one. I added the stitched lines with a Basic Black Stampin' Write marker. I also pulled in some of the Bright & Beautiful Designer Series Paper that coordinates with the Memories and More products. I thought this made a fun and festive celebration card. 

Each of these use only the Memories & More suite as well as few embellishments.  These are the types of cards that can be made in my upcoming class. Interested?  Click here for more details! 

Be sure to hop all the way through to see all the great projects. Up next is Wendy and you can click back for Elizabeth. I love seeing their projects!

The month is flying by and school is going to start before I'm ready! I can't believe it's already time for another Monday Montage Blog Hop.  This time I'm sharing with you my July Paper Pumpkin alternatives from the Fun in The Sun kit. It came really quickly this month. 

The cards in the kit are meant to be cool fun fold designs.  I did a lot of cutting apart to create pieces I could use on my alternatives. I liked the score marks on the pieces because I felt like it added dimension to the look of the card.

​I think this is my favorite one! I used Crumb Cake for my ink and paper choice. 

Trimming the panel to the full length of the front of the card on this one allowed it to be a great background for the beach chair. 

Layering the umbrella piece over the panel made this a super easy card to create. Birthday, Thinking of You, Just Because...so many reasons to send it. 

I think this would make a great retirement card. 

This one is a fun fold of my own making.  I used a piece of the original card and folded it into the card base.  The front folds down and then you open the card up! 

Which is your favorite?  If you aren't getting your own Paper Pumpkin delivered to your door you can sign up here.  The August kit looks wonderful and includes a bonus FREE stamp set so you get two next month! 

Be sure to hop all the way through so you don't miss any of the fun projects.  Click next to see Wendy's great project or back to see Elizabeth's. They always amaze me with their creativity. 

July is here! Summer is in full swing and we are making the most of it. We had a quick family trip to Wisconsin a week ago and now are busy with camps and work. 

This card was a fun one. Fussy cutting is not for everyone but I don't mind it. I saw another card somewhere (I wish I knew where/who created it but I can't remember or find it again) that used the Countryside Dies to create a geometric background. It was such a fun thing to try.  These little critters playing music are super cute. 

My class last week was a "Best of Bundles" class where I featured four different bundles. One of the bundles was the Zany Zoo and this is the card we made in class.  The background was created with a stamp from the Timeless Charm that will be available for purchase on the 6th. 

I love using circles and this card featured a few.  I used one of the circle punches available as an online exclusive and the Stylish Shapes dies. The sweet bear reading is so cute. 

I love Monday Montage days because of the great projects I get to see! Be sure to hop all the way through.  Click next to see what Wendy has to share and back to see Elizabeth's project.