Featured Stamp Set – Eastern Beauty

Welcome!  This is going to be the first installment of my new series that will feature one particular stamp set from any of our current catalogs.   I always find there are sets in the catalog I might not like or I just turned the page not giving them a second glance UNTIL I see what others have done with it, then it becomes a must have.  Or maybe you have a set that hasn’t been loved in a while, all you might need is a little inspiration to make some fabulous works of heart.  I hope you enjoy this series and if you have a particular set you would like me to feature, please send me an email and I will do my best to use it in future posts. Enjoy!

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This week’s set is Eastern Beauty and the entire Eastern Palace Suite.  When I first saw this set I thought to myself it’s OK, just not my cup of tea.  But I knew it was going to be a special for the month of May so I decided to order the bundle.  Once I started playing with it all I can say is WOW!!  This is one versatile set!

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For this card I used the colors Tranquil Tide, Fresh Fig and Very Vanilla.  To create the doily in the middle I used the two of the medallion dies and the largest circle from the Layering Circles framelits.  The fun thing about the Eastern Medallions Thinlets is how all the parts work together,  You can mix and match the rings to make all types of designs.

See how well they fit together!  You can run it through your Big Shot using all three at once, just make sure to use the Precision Plate and roll it through several times to get a nice cut.

I stamped a few accents and the greeting then mounted on a large circle of Fresh Fig. Add a strip of Eastern Palace Specialty Designer Series Paper and you are all set!

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Next up I decided to used the adorable notecards that are available as a FREE gift with the Eastern Palace Starter Bundle.

I again used the medallions but changed up the middle ring and added a third ring to create  delicate cut out on the front of the card.  I placed a piece of Lemon Lime Twist DSP and stamped accents in Dapper Denim and Lemon Lime Twist Ink.  To give it a little bling , a few small pearl accents were added.

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This card is super easy and super quick!  There is no stamping involved, instead it uses the new Eastern Gold Vinyl Stickers!  All I did was peel and place on the Tranquil Tide card.  It creates an elegant look with no effort!  So next time you need a card in a hurry reach for these stickers and you can have a card in minutes!

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This card uses all the elements I have shown you so far but adds a cute little gold tassel! The colors used are Tranquil Tide, Dapper Denim and Very Vanilla with accents of gold.

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For this card I used the new Oh My Stars Textured Embossing Folder (available 6/1/17). Colors used are Fresh Fig, Dapper Denim and Very Vanilla.  The border on either side of the center panel was made with Fresh Fig ink to create the tone on tone look.

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For the final card I decided to stray slightly from the colors in the suite and use Lemon Lime Twist and another new In Color, Berry Burst. To me this card says summer with the bright color combo!

I just love how every card is different yet uses the same stamps and accessories.  The little accent stamps can be used is so many ways, you can sit and play with this set all day long and not run out of ideas!  I am so glad I bought this set, it is sure to be one of my favorites and once you play with it I know it will become one of yours too!

For the month of May you can purchase two different bundles, each with a FREE gift from Stampin’ Up! See below for all the details!

Supplies Used:

Oh My  Stars TIEF Folder, Tranquil Tide Finely Woven Ribbon, Berry Burst Stampin’ Ink and Cardstock will be available June 1,2017.

If you would like to get a notification each time I post a project share, specials from Stampin’ Up! or myself, class schedules or video tutorials, please make sure you click “Follow By Email” at the top of this post.  That way you won’t miss a thing!  As always, please feel free to share any post on Pinterest or Facebook!

If you are interested in attending classes or any of my all day events be sure to visit my events page for a current schedule.

Happy Stamping!

~Jo
Making the world a happier place, one card at a time!

May Specials

From Stampin’ Up!:

Out with the old….in with the new!!

Yes it’s that time of year again!  While we are always sad to see our favorites go, it is the perfect time to complete your wish list from the 2016-2017 Annual Catalog and the 2017 Occasions Catalog! And as a bonus many items are on sale at reduced prices!  What could be better!!!

Be sure to check out the entire list as items are selling out quickly and once they are gone they are gone forever!

To see all the items on sale and shop now at my online store [CLICK HERE]

Eastern Palace Bundle:

During May you will be able to purchase items from the Eastern Palace Suite, a full month before the 2017-2018 Annual catalog goes live!  And as an added bonus these bundles offer free items as a thank you!  This promotion is only available for the bundle pricing, a la carte items will be available when the catalog goes live in June.   This promotion runs May 1, 2017 – May 31, 2017

To view the available bundles please [CLICK HERE]

To shop now at my online store [CLICK HERE]

From Me:

As a thank you for supporting my business, with any order of $35 or more (before shipping and tax) you will receive a FREE Sampler of Designer Series paper!

Just enter the Hostess Code FWYFSKEF when you place your order online. This code is good until May 19, 2017.  I  will send your gift to the address used for your order. If your order is $150 or more DO NOT enter the code. If you enter the code you won’t get your Stampin’ Rewards for FREE goodies and I wouldn’t want you to lose out on those! I will automatically send your gift when the order is placed.

This offer is only available only through Joanne Mulligan, an Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.  At this time I can only accept orders in the United States.  

To shop with me [CLICK HERE]

Quick n’ Easy Saturday: Floral Phrases Card

It’s Saturday so that means a Quick n’ Easy Card!  Thought I would take a break from Christmas cards, today’s share is an easy monochramatic thank you card in Night of Navy using Floral Phrases, Floral Boutique Designer Series Paper and Floral Boutique Designer Washi Tape.  Don’t forget about the DSP sale, Floral Boutique is one of the papers on special until October 31, 2016.  See below for more information on the sale!  Enjoy!

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Card Dimensions:

  • Night of Navy cardstock – 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″, scored at 4 1/4″
  • Night of Navy cardstock – 3″ x 3 1/2″
  • Whisper White cardstock – 2 3/4″ x 3 1/4″
  • Floral Boutique DSP – 2 1/2″ x 5 1/2″
  • Floral Boutique Washi Tape – 6″

Supplies Used:

Thank you for visiting!  If you would like to get a notification each time I post a project share, specials from Stampin’ Up! or myself, class schedules or video tutorials, please make sure you click “Follow By Email” at the top of this post.  That way you won’t miss a thing! As always, please feel free to share any post on Pinterest or Facebook!

Happy Stamping!
~Jo
Making the world a happier place, one card at a time!

October Specials

From Stampin’ Up!:

Don’t forget to take advantage of the buy three get the fourth FREE DSP sale going on now until October 31, 2016. To see the full list of papers on sale [CLICK HERE]

From Me:

As a thank you for supporting my business, with any order of $35 or more (before  shipping and tax) you will receive a FREE Sampler of assorted 6″ x 6″ Designer Series  Paper!

 Just enter the October Hostess Code 2QQBH6AH when you place your order online. I  will send your gift to the address used for your order. If your order is $150 or more DO  NOT enter the code. If you enter the code you won’t get your Stampin’ Rewards for  FREE goodies and I wouldn’t want you to lose out on those! I will automatically send  your gift when the order is placed.

This offer is only available only through Joanne Mulligan, an Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.  At this time I can only accept orders in the United States.  

To shop with me [CLICK HERE]

Stamping in the great outdoors!!

100_0790I’m back from our family adventure in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York!  We had a really great time with lots of laughs. I was able to spend some time stamping while my husband, kids and the dog went swimming.  Of course my children that were with us are 30, 21 and 18, but in my mind they are forever little!  As you can see, the picnic table made a great spot for my stamping afternoon and using a Paper Pumpkin kit was a great idea!

100_0789I always start out by unpacking my kit so I can look over the exclusive stamps, pre-cut cardstock, all the accessories and read through the instructions.  I decided to use my May 2015 Paper Pumpkin, since everyone has a birthday!  This kit has everything you need to make six cards with matching envelopes and four adorable gift bags. You do need a pair of Paper Snips and adhesive like Fast Fuse.  I did bring my full size ink pads with me, but the kits come with cute little Stampin’ Spots, this one comes with Island Indigo.

100_0795This is the card, envelope and gift bag. They are so cute, perfect for any birthday celebration!  The stripes in the card are Island Indigo, Calypso Coral, Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight and Whisper White and the back of the card is solid Island Indigo. The colors are so vibrant you can use it for any age or gender. The gift bag is a nice sturdy cardstock and comes with the yellow tissue paper for wrapping your gift.  The balloon cutouts let the bright yellow peek through! The instructions are easy to follow, perfect for any level stamper!

While I love everything that comes in the kits, I really get inspired once I start stamping and like to add a few extras to change things up a bit and see what I can come up with.  I used the card base, Calypso Coral balloon, white banner, coral and white trim, dimensionals and printed Bermuda Bay decorative strip included with the kit.  I added the following:

100_0796I started with a Calypso Coral card base, then I cut the card included with the kit in half, trimming the striped side down to 5 1/4″ x 4″ and the Island Indigo side to 4 3/4″ x  3 1/2″.  I mounted them to the card base as shown. I used the balloon cut-out and mounted it to the Island Indigo panel with Stampin’ Dimensionals.  Using the Calypso Coral and White trim I glued it down using Multipurpose glue.  Using Calypso Coral Ink I stamped “Celebrate” on the pre-cut banner and mounted it on a piece of the decorative strip that I cut down and notched, framing the greeting. Then attached it to the balloon with dimensionals.

Now my creative juices are really flowing!!  Next up I used the card base, pre-cut white banner, Island Indigo Ink, the coral & white trim, dimensionals and one of the gift bags from the kit. To this I added:

100_0799I cut a piece of Daffodil Delight cardstock 2″ x 4 1/2″, cutting the top with the Scalloped Tag Topper punch.  Then I trimmed 1 1/2″ from the top of a gift bag, making sure the entire flap was included.  Cut a small piece 1 3/4″ x 3 1/4″ from the flap. Mount to the tag as shown.  If the pre-punched holes from this section fall out you can do some clever covering up with the balloons and greeting!  Still using the trimmings from the top of the bag, I turned it over to the white side and stamped three balloons using Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight and Calypso Coral, cutting each one out.  Attach these to the tag and stamp the balloon strings using Island Indigo ink.  Cut a 9″ piece of the Calypso Coral and white trim and thread it through the top of the tag as shown, then mount the completed tag to the card base with dimensionals.  Stamp the greeting on the white banner using Island Indigo ink, attach to the tag using dimensionals.

Waste not..want not..make sure you keep the bottom portion of the gift bag!  Add four holes at the top using the 1/8″ circle handheld punch then add two handles using the Calypso Coral and white trim to make a little open bag, don’t forget to add the yellow tissue paper!

Here are the final projects!  It really was soooo relaxing to have a stamping afternoon surrounded by the quiet of the woods. When my family pulled up my husband commented on what a huge smile I had on my face!  Like I always say, stamping is one of the best ways to reduce stress, a little creativity a day keeps the doctor away!!

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’til next time!

~Jo