Beautifully Happy – Sale-a-bration

Beautifully Happy stamp set from the January 2023 Sale-a-bration from Stampin' Up!

Just a couple more weeks of Sale-a-bration, so I had to show you the Beautifully Happy set. It’s a two-step set with images and sentiments and one of your free options with a $100 purchase. When working with a two-step stamp collection, I try to remember to get out my Stamparatus. This stamp positioning tool makes life so easy.

For this card, I found inspiration from another demonstrator’s post. You can always find inspiration for creating with this set and LOTS of others on my Pinterest boards: https://www.pinterest.com/dayinker/

Let’s start stamping.

A Beautifully Happy Birthday Card – The Planning and Cutting

Ink and paper and the Beautifully Happy stamp set from Stampin' Up!

To begin, I selected the colors I wanted to work with for this card. I knew I wanted to use some of the 6×6″ Fancy Flora designer paper from the mini catalog. I love that the backing is printed with not only the name of the paper, but the Stampin’ Up! colors that coordinate. Once I picked a pattern I liked, it was simple to select some pretty colors. I went with Orchid Oasis, an In-Color for 2022-24, and Soft Succulent and Fresh Freesia, 2021-2023 In-Colors.

Next, I did some cutting. I cut the sheet of Orchid Oasis cardstock in half to make my card base. I trimmed the designer paper to 4″x5-1/4″ and cut a piece of White for the inside of the card to the same dimensions. The inside is stamped with a the happy birthday sentiment and the single flower outline in Orchid Oasis. I also used two “scrap” strips of the designer paper, 1/2″x4″ at the top and bottom of the inside white piece. Super fancy, I know. I hate wasting that gorgeous paper and I love a card that is decorated from the envelope to the interior.

A Beautifully Happy Birthday Card – The Stamping and Assembly

Beautifully Happy two-step stamping with the Stamparatus

Then it was time for stamping with the large flower spray in the Beautifully Happy set. For this, I remembered to use my Stamparatus. I stamped the flower spray in Orchid Oasis ink. For the leaves and the flower shading, I used Soft Succulent and Fresh Freesia. Because the stamp positioner keeps everything perfectly aligned, I was able to stamp the shading a couple of times to get the ink as dark as I wanted.

Birthday card using the Beautifully Happy stamp set from Stampin' Up!

I cut this stamped piece down to 2-1/2″ x 4-1/4″. The Orchid Oasis layer under it is just 1/8″ bigger for each dimension. The bee from the set helped to balance the image. It’s stamped in Tuxedo Black and colored in with the light So Saffron Stampin’ Blends. After tying a length of matching Metallic Woven ribbon at the bottom third, I adhered the piece to the card with Dimensionals.

For my final touches, I added a sentiment, also layered on Orchid Oasis and a few Matte Decorative Dots. And of course, a flower stamped on the envelope.

If you’d like to order any of the products mentioned here, you can shop with me using the code on the right, or contact me with questions. Until next time: Ink up!

Fragrant Flowers Sale-a-bration!

Favored Flowers DSP designed for the Fragrant Flowers bundle from Stampin' Up!

Did you see the Favored Flowers designer series paper (DSP) in the Sale-a-bration catalog? It works perfectly with the Fragrant Flowers bundle from the January Mini catalog. As soon as I saw the gorgeous peony patterns in rich purples, deep greens, and warm corals and all the sample cards, I had to have the set.

Twelve sheets of double sided 12″x12″ paper with flowers on one side and graphic patterns on the opposite means you don’t need much more than some cardstock to create beautiful cards. The dies from the bundle are sized to cut the flower images perfectly. To get a good idea of what I could do with the set, I started with a CASE of a card in the Sale-a-bration catalog.

Copy and Share Everything card

I started with a base of Blackberry Bliss cardstock cut to 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ scored at 4-1/4″ – so a standard half-sheet card. I think the card in the catalog is slightly larger and they used a Mossy Meadow base, but I’m such a fan of purple. I added a layer of DSP cut to 4″x5-1/4″ and there is another strip of a different pattern across the middle. This is 4″x 1-1/4″.

As designed, the dies cut the main flower image from the DSP perfectly, including the two little buds. I used Dimensionals to lift that piece. Next I die cut leaves from White cardstock, and peony buds from Blackberry bliss. I tinted the leaves with Fresh Freesia and a blender brush. The big, bold Thanks stamped a bit patchy, but I liked the touch of vintage feel, so I didn’t restamp it. Both the stamp and the banner die come in the bundle. For my final touch, I added Classic Matte Dots in black.

An Upline Card – Simply Elegant

Beautifully Happy and Favored Flowers card.

As a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, I get a ton of support from my upline demonstrator. She recruited me and helps me with any questions I have. She also sends me beautiful cards! This one is just elegant. I’m going to do my best to describe how she made it, and probably make one in Calypso Coral.

It’s a base of Blackberry Bliss. You can use the other half of the sheet from the card above. A layer of white cut 5-1/4″ x 4″. The next layer starts with a piece of Blackberry Bliss cut to 3-1/2″ x 4-1/4″. The DSP is cut in 1″x4″ strips. The sentiment is from another Sale-a-bration set, Beautifully Happy, and stamped in Blackberry Bliss ink. The final embellishments include a Soft Succulent Open Weave Ribbon from the annual catalog and some Opaque Adhesive-Backed gems from the Mini catalog.

If you’d like more ideas on how to use the Fragrant Flowers bundle and Favored Flowers DSP, check out my Pinterest Board here: https://www.pinterest.com/dayinker/stampin-up-fragrant-flowers/

You can order any of these products with me by using the shop with me code on the right. Sale-a-bration ends February 28, 2023 or as long as supplies last. So, don’t delay. Until next time: Ink up!

Four-Fold CASE with Dandy Garden DSP

This Four-Fold card blew me away when my sister demonstrator, Carrie Todd, showed it at the recent Stampin’ Up! event. I begged her for the instructions, and she was so kind to share them with me. And now, I’m sharing with you. This design is so awesome when you have a pack of patterned paper you love. Show it off using this creative fun fold.

The Front of the Card and the Basic Instructions

Four-fold card folded up. This one uses the Dandy Garden DSP from Stampin' Up!
Front of the Four-Fold card with Dandy Garden DSP

First, let’s cover all the card stock you need to cut for this card. Once you have this part done, you can dress it up in various ways that we’ll discuss next.

Start with the base layers. I used Blackberry Bliss for my base. Cut one piece 8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ and score it at 3/4″ and 4-1/4″. The second piece is cut at 6-1/4″ x 4-3/4″ scored in half at 3-1/2″.

The next layers in my card are Mossy Meadow. I used one 5-1/4″x 4″, two 4-1/2″x 3-1/4″, and two 3-3/4″x 2-1/2″.

The last pieces of card stock are my Bumblebee piece cut to 4-1/4″x 3″ and a White piece cut 4″x 2-3/4″.

The Assembly

Inside of the four-fold card with Dandy Garden DSP from Stampin' Up@
The four-fold card opened fully

Fold the base card stock pieces on the score lines. Then, on each panel, cut 3/4″ off the top of the front panel. This creates the staggered height. Be sure to only cut to the mid-score line.

Next, using Stampin’ Seal + (the strong stuff) on the 3/4″ tab on the larger base piece, glue the two cards together. This is the middle fold between the two evenly sized panels.

The card is basically complete. It’s time to decorate.

Patterned Paper Pieces for the Four-Fold Panels

At a minimum, you’ll want the following pieces of pattered paper to decorate the card: 5″x 3-3/4″, two pieces 3-12/” x 2-1/4″. This decorates your front small panel, inside and out and the back panel interior.

I could have embossed my Bumblebee piece and left it as is. Instead, I cut another piece of DSP at 4″ x 2-3/4″ to go on top of the Bumblebee layer and finished that panel off with a dragonfly. As an additional layer under the White panel, I cut that piece of paper at 4-1/4″ x 3″.

I also added one of the memory and more cards to the inside of the back panel with a small dragonfly. Lastly, I added the sentiment to the front of the card using Mossy Meadow ink on a scrap of White layered over a piece of Mossy Meadow.

That’s it. Huge thanks to Carrie Todd for sharing this design. The four-fold card is only fussy in the number of pieces you put together. Once you have your base figured out, it’s easy to embellish with embossing, die-cuts, or even more stamping. Of course, I’m going to use this layout for at least one Christmas card. Let me know if you try it. Until next time, ink up!