Positive Thoughts in a Crazy World

How are all of you faring in a world that has turned upside down in just a few days? I hope you are all well. I am self-isolating with an unknown virus that could or could not be the COVID-19, but I've had symptoms for 7 days now so I should be seeing some kind of indications soon, one way or another. I would be so great to find out so I'd know.

Anyway, what are you doing to manage the isolation and the disruption to your regular routines? Do you have more or less time in your craft room? Let us all know in the comments.

For a couple of days, I really didn't feel like crafting at all even though I managed to do a Facebook Live post or two instead of my regular Technique Night classes. But I was feeling a little more energetic yesterday and decided to get out my newest stamp set, Positive Thoughts. It's one I didn't notice at first, until I began to see some gorgeous cards made with it. So with my last set of Stampin' Rewards, I used them to get this set.

• When I first decided to use the Positive Thoughts set, I kept seeing it used along with the Very Versailles stamp set and with all the foliage, I also dug out my package of Garden Lane Designer Series Paper from the Annual Catalogue.
• I thought I would also use one of the newest Sale-A-Bration Rewards, the So Very Vellum Specialty Designer Series Paper to frame the image panel.
• The card base is Mint Macaron, the So Very Vellum piece is Soft Sea Foam, and the DSP is a multi-green design. On the image panel itself I used Soft Sea Foam, stamped off, Old Olive, stamped off and Mossy Meadow stamp off for the script and foliage, respectively. 
• I stamped the butterfly and the feathers separately in Merry Merlot, Smoky Slate and Gray Granite, then fussy cut them out. There are coordinating dies available with the Coordinating Products offering, which expires March 31st, but I don't have those so had to cut them out by hand.
• The sentiment is from the Positive Thoughts stamp set, and is a perfect one to send to someone you care about in this uneasy time. I stamped it in Merry Merlot ink.
• Some linen thread in a bow is added to the two feathers and the image panel backed by the vellum is added to the card front using a series of Stampin' Dimensionals.

**The Birthday Dies have now sold out and are no longer available, just so you are aware.

Be sure to place your order with me before March 31st if you want any of these.

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

Positive Thoughts Cling Stamp Set [151490] $29.00	Very Versailles Cling Stamp Set [149275] $31.00	Garden Lane Designer Series Paper [149488] $15.75	So Very Vellum Specialty Designer Series Paper [152313] $0.00	Mint Macaron 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [138337] $12.00
Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730] $13.25	Soft Sea Foam Classic Stampin' Pad [147102] $10.25	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [147090] $10.25	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad [147111] $10.25	Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad [147113] $10.25
Gray Granite Classic Stampin' Pad [147118] $10.25	Merry Merlot Classic Stampin' Pad [147112] $10.25	Linen Thread [104199] $6.75	Paper Snips [103579] $13.50	Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755] $5.50
Snail Adhesive [104332] $9.50	Mini Glue Dots [103683] $7.25	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $5.50	Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [144108] $5.50

Birthday Dies for As You See It Challenges

I'm trying to keep up with trying out all the new products that I have from the Jan/Jun Mini Catalogue, the Sale-A-Bration Catalogue and the new Coordination Product Release. I killed two birds with one stone, so to speak, when I created a card that used a Sale-A-Bration Reward stamp set, the Happy Birthday to You set along with a Coordination Product release die set that coordinates with it, the Birthday Dies. The Birthday Dies are great because they not only die cut the images in the set, but they also add a few new elements to add on to it, as well as die cut the flowers on the cake separately from the cake if you just want to use them.
I created this card as my Design Team sample for the latest As You See It Challenge, which is a Sketch Challenge entitled Hive, for (I think) obvious reasons:

My image isn't exactly hive shaped, but almost! Check it out:

• I hope you can even tell that it is a birthday cake with flowers on it and the stamped image is from the Happy Birthday to You stamp set.
• I embossed the image in a homemade mix of silver and gold stampin' emboss powder - one to one quantity- and it creates a kind of champagne metallic embossing powder - warmer than silver and cooler than gold.
• The icing on the cake is coloured with the Pool Party Stampin' Blends Combo Pack, while the flowers are the Petal Pink Stampin' Blends Combo Pack, with the leaves done in Soft Sea Foam Stampin' Blends Combo. The centers and baby's breath type foliages are done in So Saffron Stampin' Blends Combo.  
• I embossed the cake image twice, but just coloured the flowers on one of the images, not the icing. I just die cut the flowers on that cake and used them to overlap the flowers on the other cake so I could add some of the extra foliage I had die cut from Champagne Foil behind them. 
• I also used the Champagne Foil to die cut a cake plate and a strip to put behind the cake.
• The Designer paper I used is from the Parisian Blossoms Specialty DSP set, both the background and the small scripted piece right on the front. 
• Finally, the sentiment is stamped in Memento Black right on the DSP in the lower right side of the card front. And the Champagne Rhinestone Basic Jewels are added to the DSP strip on the far right for balance. Sadly, they are not orderable right now, with more expected in March.

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.

Lasting Lily and Lily Framelit Dies with Strong & Beautiful

After a long, long delay due to weather conditions, I finally got my order with my Sale-A-Bration Coordination products and I didn't want to waste any time putting them to use, since I only have another month to really feature them on my blog. Of course my favourite stamp set and therefore, the coordinating die set that I wanted to use first was Lasting Lily and the Lily Framelit Dies! And I haven't yet had a chance to use the Strong & Beautiful sentiment stamp set which is so perfect for this set.
A friend of mine got some really bad news recently and I wanted to send her some words of encouragement and hope and a reminder of her strength.

• I love the palette and the fact that the Neutrals family now includes colours that aren't browns, grays and black. I used Gray Granite as the base and then Merry Merlot and Mossy Meadow for the the flowers, foliage and backgrounds.
• I thought about using the new Lace Dynamic Embossing Folder for the Merry Merlot panel, but it was a bit busy for me. Instead, I chose the Tufted Dynamic Embossing Folder for the rich, elegant background look it gives.
• My Merry Merlot ink pad is at just the right level of  'juiciness' to get a perfect image with the DistINKtive Lasting Lily stamp set. The stems are more solid, but the leaves also give a varying opacity look with the Mossy Meadow stamp pad.
• The Lily Framelit Dies were a bit difficult to in line up perfectly with the images and I found myself trimming away some extra border in some areas, especially where I wanted the flower part to show through.      
• I love the sentiment from the Strong & Beautiful stamp set. It is just perfect for this situation, but it also has a beautiful script. I die cut the sentiment with the Rectangle Stitched Framelit Dies and matted it with the next largest size in Gray Granite.
• The finishing touches are are little drops from the February Paper Pumpkin Kit!

I'll bet you're just waiting to get your hands on these coordinating products! It won't be long now. You'll be able to purchase them on March 1!  Here is what will be available, so make sure you earn the Sale-A-Bration products they coordinate with now.

Call Me Cupcakes Thinlits, $37 CAD,
150072

Four Seasons Framelits Dies, $38 CAD
!50074

Hop Around Framelit Dies, $37 CAD
150073

Lily Framelits Dies, $37 CAD
150071

Story Label Punch, $24 CAD
150076

More Than Words Photopolymer Stamp Set,
$22 CAD, 150069

Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today.


Product List

Lasting Lily Photopolymer Stamp Set [149717] $0.00	Strong & Beautiful Cling Stamp Set [148732] $34.00	Gray Granite 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146983] $11.50	Merry Merlot 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146979] $11.50	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730] $13.25
Merry Merlot Classic Stampin' Pad [147112] $10.25	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad [147111] $10.25	Tufted Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [146335] $12.25	Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies [148551] $48.00	Lily Framelits Dies [150071] $37.00
Big Shot [143263] $150.00	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755] $5.50	SNAIL Permanent Adhesive [104332] $9.50	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $5.50	Glue Dots [103683] $7.25