Friday, June 5, 2026

Paper Pumpkin Hummingbirds for As You See It Challenge #374

paper pumpkin hummingbirds for aysi #374 1

I love sketch challenges, and this one, designed by teammate, Jan, is brilliant!  It's generic enough for lots of creativity, specific enough to generate many ideas. I kept seeing a moon or sun with flowers in front of it and hummingbirds flitting around them, using the sun or moon as a backdrop. I guess it would have to be the sun. I don't think you'd see the hummers at night, would you?d

Take a look at the As You See It Challenge Banner:

challenge #374

I just completed a Paper Pumpkin kit using hummingbirds, and I knew that, although the kit already contained die cut hummingbirds, it also had two stamps of hummingbirds as well, and a great nectar-containing floral plant stamp, too! Here's how it ended up looking:

paper pumpkin hummingbirds for aysi #374 2

  • I wanted to use pastel colours for the background with the hummingbirds in brights to stand out.
  • I started with a card base of Soft Sea Foam and added a panel of Basic White,   5 1/4" x 4", embossed with the Happy Hibiscus Embossing Folder. Any floral embossing folder will do.
  • I die cut a partial circle from a piece of Barely Blush cardstock using the Deckled Circle dies. I used a Blending Brush to ink blend some Barely Blush ink across the middle of it and around the edges. I included one straight edge to match the sketch.
  • On a piece of basic white, I stamped with the Fluttering Garden Paper Pumpkin stamp set, the two hummingbirds and the flowering vine twice. I coloured them in with Stampin' Blends Combos, in Highland Heather, Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Lime Twist, Mossy Meadow, and Azure Afternoon. I also added Wink of Stella to the hummingbirds' breasts. The glitter is a lot more subtle than it looks in the photograph.
  • I fussy cut all the flowers and birds, then added them to the circle using glue dots and dimensionals!
  • I stamped the sentiment on a strip of Basic White cardstock 4" across and about 3/4" wide and added it as shown, using dimensionals.
last chance products
Last Chance Products

The Last Chance List has been repopulated with more great deals for you! It's always a good idea to check it out, to find the good prices you love, and to find out which products are retiring, so you don't miss out on them! Click on the link below the picture!

june product of the month

Get the Wild Bunch for only $7 when you order $100* or more!!

*Before tax & shipping

paper pumpkin hummingbirds for aysi #374 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.


Product List
Posted by at 0 comments
Labels: , , , ,

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.

kit offer

everyday arches & oval punch for aysi #373 3


Product List
Posted by at 3 comments
Labels: , , , , , ,

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.


Product List
Posted by at 4 comments
Labels: , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )