​Where has the month of April gone?  I can't believe it is May already and time for another Monday Montage.

One good thing about time flying by...it means the new Annual Catalog is almost here!  Starting on Tuesday, May 2nd you can order from the new catalog.  

The new Birthday Balloons stamp set was perfect for creating some quick and easy birthday cards.  I send so many birthday cards and never seem to have extras!  I even created a video of me making this one. Check it out here. 

I'm showcasing not only a new stamp set from the catalog but also some of the new colors.  I love a color refresh because of all the new additions we add to our color wheel.  Check out Berry Burst, Boho Blue and Lemon Lime Twist together.  Berry Burst and Lemon Lime Twist are returning colors and Boho Blue is a brand new In Color. ​

I liked this design so much I decided to try it with another color combo and I think I might like it even better!  

Check it out with Bubble Bath, Gorgeous Grape and Granny Apple Green.  Bubble Bath is brand new and a great pink which we have been lacking.

​Which color combo do you pick? 

If you are interested in getting your hands on new product be sure to check out my Product Shares. Today is the last day for a guaranteed spot. I'll be ordering first thing Tuesday. 

Be sure to hop all the way through to see everyone's great projects this week.  You can click next to see Julie's or back to see Elizabeth's.  Both will delight you! Every time we do a hop I get inspired by these amazingly talented ladies. 

Are you ready for the new Annual Catalog to launch?  Only a few days left until you can order all the great new items.  

One of the biggest perks to being a demonstrator (besides the discount) is the ability to see and order from catalogs early.  I had a chance to get a few new items and ALL the new colors and have been trying to find time to create. 

The first thing I got out was the Crafting With You set. How cute are these items??  There is even a little paper trimmer.  I created these cards as thank you cards for my customers.  Check out the new colors too.  I can't pick a favorite between Bubble Bath and Azure Afternoon.  Both are so cheerful and fun to use. 

When I saw the sewing machine in the Crafting With You set I knew exactly who I needed to send these thinking of you cards to based on their love of sewing. I've already heard back from one of them about how much she loved it! 

The striped paper adds a perfect pop of color to the Azure Afternoon background. 

Is this a set you'll need to get? Come back on Tuesday, May 2nd to order! Host Code for May will be K26BBHZA. 

My Virtual Open House will be in my VIP Facebook group on Sunday, May 7th starting at 7 pm. 

I'm also offering new product shares for the catalog launch.  You can check it all out here.  I can ship! Shares are a great way to try a lot of product without the huge investment.  You get a sampling of so many new products. I offer paper, ribbon and embellishment shares.  US only  and open to other demonstrators. 

The April 2023 Paper Pumpkin kit "All the Little Things" did not disappoint.  The foil accents on the main pieces were beautiful. 

As usual, I created one of each card and then began playing around with the pieces to create alternatives.  This one did not have pieces that were well suited for stencils and most of the bases were one sided and pretty plain however, I did find some fun ways to create. 

These next two each use the same focal piece but look very different depending on the background I paired them with.  I used these for my weekly "this or that" on social media.  

Which would you pick?

This leafy piece is beautiful and I thought quite a bit about how I wanted to use it.  I ended up cutting one of them into two pieces which created a pretty area on the card and left a perfect spot at the top for a large sentiment. 

Still wondering about these kits?  Each  month is a new kit with an exclusive stamp set, a mini ink pad (colors never repeat in a calendar year), all the paper and embellishments needed to complete the projects and instructions. The only thing you might need...scissors! Everything else is included even the glue dots and dimensionals. 

Interested in getting Paper Pumpkin for yourself?  Click here to sign up! You can cancel or pause anytime but I think you'll love the kits too much to want to miss out on one! 

You can also contact me to order a prepaid subscription for yourself or as a gift for someone else. 

I'm excited for another Monday Montage Blog Hop. I love seeing all the fun projects each time we do this. Be sure to check out everyone.  What I can't believe is that it's already the middle of April. How is that possible?  So much is going on with both the Annual and the Jan-April Catalogs retiring this month, the color refresh, new Annual Catalog preorder for demonstrators...it's a lot! It's overwhelming but I am enjoying all the new product coming our way.  

One stamp set I was very glad was NOT going away was the Taco Fiesta set. I recently offered a "to go" class with this set.  Here are my projects! 

I loved pairing it with the bright and bold patterns and colors of the Flowers & More Host paper pack. 

Creating your own background with Stampin' Blends is a fun technique. 

The In Color Glimmer paper is awesome and on sale for only $4.80! Snatch it up before it's gone forever. 

The optional faces are too cute.  It's fun to play around with them and create adorable images. 

Which is your favorite?  

While the packets for the class are sold out you can still purchase the class PDFs for only $10. Go here to sign up.  You would also get a short video that walks you through my tips and suggestions. Be sure to sign up for my mailing list to you hear about future classes.  

Be sure to click next to go to see Julie or back to check out Elizabeth. Both have awesome projects to share this time. 

My most recent class was a technique class that focused on Blends, the Color Lifter and Blending Brushes. I love all the projects and really enjoyed working with my customers to try them all out.  

The first one was taught to me by Elisabeth, a DDM from the home office, at our recent event in Edwardsville. She showed us how to use our Blends on velum to create a cool striped look.  It pairs so well with the Online Exclusive Tropical Leaf bundle. I created a reel to show you how to make this one.  

One of the products I wanted to focus on in this class was the Stampin' Blends Color Lifter. I found that most of my customers had not tried using it even though they use Stampin' Blends a lot. There are a number of ways to use them besides simply lightening colors on an image you have colored.  

For this card we actually colored with Blends around the outline of the image, instead of the image itself, and used the Color Lifter to pull the color further away. It both lightened the color and made it bleed out and away from the image more. 

The pink one I created to use as part of my weekly "this or that" against the purple we created in class.  Interestingly the pink one won! 

This card uses a number of techniques. The first thing we did was use a mask to add a design to our card stock base with a small Blending Brush. 

The image is created by first inking the full stamp in Fresh Freesia and then applying some Gorgeous Grape with a small Blending Brush. I also added a little color to the edges of the punched sentiment piece with my Blending Brush. I created a Reel for this one as well. 

The final card was created by using the Stampin' Blends Color Lifter to blend the watercolor pencils on the flowers. I loved adding the Brass Butterflies for some extra bling.  

Make sure you are on my mailing list if you are interested in hearing about my classes.  See the sign up on the side! 

Most of these stamp sets and dies are retiring so be sure to purchase soon. Many are on sale at great prices as well.  Current Host code is DK33BFQP. Click here to shop.

​Be sure to go check out the current sale prices.  Those listed below are the catalog prices.  

I love the Stampin' Up! Easter Bunny punch but I don't really need many Easter cards.  I wanted to see what other reasons I could come up with for using the cute bunny.  

The first thing I thought of was baby cards.  A cute bunny always works for a baby card! For this one I created a tricolor background using my Stampin' Blends. I will miss So Saffron when I retires this month.  It's a great light spring time yellow.  I paired it with Pool Party and Crumb cake for this card. 

The Happy Labels stamp set is a perfect one for sentiments for this card.  The outside says "Yay" and the inside says "you're going to be amazing parents'. 

I wanted to use the negative bunny cut out on a card and I loved the simplicity of pairing it with the Country Gingham paper. A small linen thread bow completes the card. Again, I think it's a great baby card. 

Sometimes I find the best stuff in my stash! These are all old cards and envelopes I had in a box. The pastel colors paired perfectly with the bunny cutouts for quick and simple cards.  Thinking of you? Easter?  Baby?  Which would you pick?

This was the Easter card I did make with the punch.  I couldn't resist cutting off part of his ear like he was a chocolate bunny that someone had to take a bite of! It's a pretty simple layout with lots of paper layers. 

If you didn't get a chance to get this bunny punch yet don't worry--it is carrying over into the new Annual Catalog so it'll be back and stick around for at least a year. The other items are not sticking around so don't wait to order! 

Current host code is AUHWMU3V. 

The retiring list is out for the 2022-2023 Annual Catalog and January to April Mini and I'm so sad for so many of the items leaving. I know there is great stuff coming but I'll miss a lot!  Here are five sets I will miss (don't worry there are many, many more!) 

First up is Stronger Together.  I really love this set and the girl power behind it. I used  Natural Tones  Blends to color their skin.  I love having lots of options for skin tones to reflect diversity. 

Next up is Amazing Year. I only purchased this recently but love it for a few reasons.  First is for the great designs that are so fun to color. Both the flowers and the present are great with Blends. I also really like the birthday sentiments. 

For this card I used my Wink of Stella to blend my water color pencils to give it a little shimmer.  

I have used the Greatest Journey bundle so much the past few months.  I will really miss it! Paired with the Enjoy the Journey Designer Series Paper it's such an easy to use suite for creating fun and easy cards. Don't miss the Three Twine pack as well! 

This Birthday Piggy is so cute! Create so many fun cards using this set. 

Sunflowers have always been a favorite of mine and this set is a beautiful one to work with.  I'll miss it for sure! 

Create an easy card by adding a little color to one part of the card stock and then stamping a bold image, like the large sunflower, over it.