Friday, May 22, 2026

Everyday Arches and Oval Punch for As You See It Challenge #373 - Full Tilt Tulips

everyday arches & oval punch for AYSI #373 1

Do you think you could make a card like this in less than 10 minutes, given that you could plan your card ahead of time, get out your supplies, mount your stamps, open your ink, etc.? I recently tried this for Challenge #373 - Full Tilt Tulips, a speed challenge for As You See It. After one disaster, that was no fault of mine (read on for the tea), I started again and completed with 1 min. and 26 sec. to spare. That means it took me 8 min. and 34 sec. to  make.

Here's the Challenge Banner:

challenge #373

I didn't have any spring bulb flower stamps to use that would be big enough to be the focal point, but it's easy to make a tulip using an oval punch and I had some pretty Ombre Pastel Glimmer Paper, so punch art was the solution for me. Here's how it turned out:

everyday arches & oval punch for aysi #373 2

1. I started with a card base of Fresh Freesia, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4" along the long side and folded, burnished with a bone folder.

2. On that I mounted the largest Everyday Arches die cut, and used the sentiment from the Everyday Arches Stamp set - You are a Ray of Sunshine to stamp along the top curve.

3. Now this is where disaster struck the first time. I chose Granny Apple Green ink for the sentiment, but something had happened to the ink (which was perfectly fine the last time I used it). I had forgotten to rub off the factory coating on the photopolymer stamp and, at first, I thought that was the problem. I cleaned the ink off the stamp and then rubbed off the factory coating by rubbing the stamp surface on my wrist. I tried stamping again, but it still didn't work. Only one or two of the letters stamped clearly, and the ink beaded up on the other letters and rubbed off. Realizing there was no fixing it, I decided to start again, and picked the new In Colour, Golden Glow, to stamp the sentiment in. So I stopped the timer and began again from the beginning. (NB: This kind of thing only happens to me, and only when I'm doing a speed challenge, right?)

4. I chose the purple and the yellow and the green colours of the Ombre Pastel Glimmer Paper and an old medium oval punch I have, and punched out 3 ovals from 3 different spots on the ombre paper in purple and gold, then another 3 in purple, but lighter colours. I have a Tulip Builder Punch as well that has a good tulip leaf so I used that to punch out 4 tulips leaves of various shades of green from the Green Ombre Pastel Glimmer Paper, then started to assemble them.

5. Using Glue Dots, I overlapped three ovals to form a tulip flower, then used glue dots to fasten them to the card front, as shown. I added the leaves as shown to fill in the background a bit.

6. Finally some purple Frosted Iridescent Dots added the final touch.

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everyday arches & oval punch for aysi #373 3


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Friday, May 8, 2026

Waterside Retreat for Challenge #372 - Beach Combing

waterside retreat for aysi #372 1


I wanted a chance to use my new suite from the May - August catalogue, Waterside Retreat. I was particularly intrigued by the first pages of the DSP that have several different individual card fronts on them. Most are beach scenes of some kind, but I picked the best one for a Beach Combing theme and mounted it on a Gray Granite card base.

This theme was chosen by myself for the As You See It Team for Challenge #372, because I'm a coastal design lover! Take a look at the Challenge Banner:


challenge #372
To get the full idea of the card, you will need two photos:

waterside retreat for aysi #372 2

and:

waterside retreat for challenge #372 3

  • I'm not sure what to call this fun fold: Maybe a peek-a-boo fun fold??Basically, a flap is folded over the card front from the top, whether it's a vertical or horizontal orientation. It has a window in it to reveal some of the scene behind it, but it also covers up some of the scene as well. When it's opened it reveals a sentiment and some additional surprises behind it.
  • This card base still opens as a regular card with an interior to write your own greetings in.
  • Start with a Gray Granite card base, 4 1/4" x 11", scored on the long edge at 5 1/2". Fold on the score line and burnish.
  • On the card front add one of the card fronts from the Waterside Retreat DSP. This one is cut at 4" x 5 1/4". If it's too small, cut a piece of background design, like the green plaid, or blue stripes at 4" x 5 1/4", add to the card front, then center the card front.
  • Cut a piece of Gray Granite 4 1/2" x 4" and score on the 4 1/2" side at 1". Cover with a piece of the Waterside Retreat DSP that's the woodgrain design. If your card front is landscape orientation,  have the wood pieces running across horizontally in a 4" x 4 1/2" direction.  If your card front is portrait orientation, have the wood pieces running across horizontally in a 4 1/2" x 4"  direction. Fold the piece on the 1" score line and burnish. Round all the edges with a corner rounder punch.
  • If your card front is landscape, you will be gluing the attachment over the top of your card, so use the Rounded Rectangle punch to punch a window in your piece with the bottom of the piece hitting the bottom of the punch and horizontally finding a strategic spot to be seen through the window. Leave room on the sides to attach the chair and the tall grasses.
  • If your card front is portrait, you will be gluing the attachment around the right side of your card, so use the Rounded Rectangle punch to punch a window in your piece, with the bottom of it hitting the bottom of the punch and finding a strategic spot to be seen through the hole you're punching. Again, leave room for the chair and long grasses on either side.
  • Keep the punched out piece as a backing for your sentiment.
  • Die cut the three pieces of the Adirondack chair from Pecan Pie cardstock. Assemble and add to the left side of the hole using glue and mini-dimensionals.  
  • Stamp the grasses with Mossy Meadow and die cut. Add to the left of the hole using mini-dimensionals.
  • Stamp the sentiment in Pool Party, punch it out with an oval punch and mount it on the backing of the Rounded Rectangular punch. Glue on the card where it will be hidden by the top piece. Die cut some shells with the dies from the Rolling Waves dies and add to the beach.
  • I fussy cut a small float and added it to the grasses on the beach.
  • To hold the addition closed, I used a stack of 2 mini dimensionals on the bottom edge of an anchor trinket so the edge could be tucked underneath. 
  • Finish the card inside as you like it.
waterside retreat for challenge #372 4

If you live in Canada, and don't have a ®Stampin' Up!© demonstrator, I'd love to be yours. I can help you with ideas, get you catalogues and provide you with Stampin' Up products. You can leave a message in the comments or contact me using any of the methods listed in the right side bar at the top of the page. You can shop with me from anywhere in Canada by clicking on the SHOP NOW button in the top menu or clicking on any of products below from my Online Store.


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Friday, April 24, 2026

Simply Beautiful for Challenge #371 - Recipe for Framed Floral Success



simply beautiful for aysi #371 1

After the last challenge, I was reminded by Jan, of a favourite technique that I hadn't used for a long time: painting on darker cardstock. So I decided to use it for this challenge. This recipe challenge, #371, devised by our team member, Deborah, is a great one. The five elements are a one word sentiment, a die cut, flowers, a frame, and shades of pink! As long as all five are included, use them anyway you want to. Here's the Challenge Banner:





Here is a closer look:

simply beautiful for Challenge #371 2

  • I started with a base of Bubble Bath cardstock, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".
  • I added a panel of Basic White cardstock, 5" x 3 3/4", dry embossed using the Floral Spray 3D embossing folder.
  • On a 51/4" x 4" sheet of Berry Burst cardstock, stamp the large flower from the Simply Beautiful stamp set, which is only still available in French now, on the Last Chance list. I stamped it in Versamark ink and heat embossed it using white embossing powder from the Basics Wow Embossing Powders set.
  • I did the same with the sentiment from the Fabulous Sayings stamp set, which was the product of the month from January. (I got it with my $100 order for only $5! Each month there is a new product of the month you can get for a reduced price with a qualifying order.)
  • I used a water painter to paint the flower with a water diluted mixture of the Kraft Whisper White ink. I used the Heat tool on low to speed up drying. Then I used a Blender Pen to "paint on" some Bubble Bath ink in the interior of the flower, adding more where the shadows would be and less where it would be brighter.
  • I die cut a frame for my flower using two of the Spotlight on Nature dies, one inside the other and I used a smaller one to emboss the sentiment on.
  • I adhered everything on the card front and made a double finger bow from the Fresh Freesia 1/8" velvet ribbon, which I added using a glue dot, on the bottom right of the frame.


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simply beautiful for aysi #371 3

If you live in Canada, and don't have a ®Stampin' Up!© demonstrator, I'd love to be yours. I can help you with ideas, get you catalogues and provide you with Stampin' Up products. You can leave a message in the comments or contact me using any of the methods listed in the right side bar at the top of the page. You can shop with me from anywhere in Canada by clicking on the SHOP NOW button in the top menu or clicking on any of products below from my Online Store.

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