Catalog Party Prep Part 1

I worked hard to create treat boxes and prizes for my upcoming Catalog Launch Party. I hope this will provide you with some inspiration for your own parties and/or card making. This will be the first of five parts.

I started with treat boxes for my ladies. I used the retiring Tag A Bag Gift Boxes and lots of previously retired DSP. The design was CASEd from Stamp With Joy.

I picked out coordinating card stock and DSP and cut them to the required sizes necessary for each side of the box as well as strips needed to create the belly bands.

After everything was cut and ready, I folded the boxes to create them as well as the acetate covers. I then used Fast Fuse to adhere the side panels to each box and after putting on the acetate cover, wrapped the two-piece belly band around each box and secured it with Fast Fuse. Matching ribbon was tied around each belly band and secured with a bow.

Using the Chalk Talk stamp set, I stamped matching tags on Whisper White and attached them to the coordinating bows on each box.

In each box I placed the following: a Ferrero Rocher chocolate, a sample of twine, a sample of ribbon, stamped ticket for door prize draw, sponge dauber, clothespin, Washi tape, wood die cut and a punched butterfly in various colors (used to determine winners for Prize Patrol).

I then set about creating card sets for prizes using the 2016-2018 In Colors. This set of cards was CASEd from Laura's Creative Moments.

I started by cutting a card base from Emerald Envy card stock that was 11 x 4.25"; when folded it would produce a side fold card that measured 4.25 x 5.5".

Because I needed to stamp the butterfly to wrap partly around the back, I needed to know where the card would be scored. I scored a small mark at the top and bottom only. This allowed me to judge where the fold would be but would not disrupt my stamping of the card itself.

I set up my card stock in my MISTI and carefully drew around it and marked the middle point on the grid paper. I positioned the Swallowtail stamp where I thought it should be and then removed the card stock. I stamped the butterfly on the grid paper to see if the placement was right. I used my Embossing Buddy and on the card stock and re-stamped, this time with Versamark, on the card stock.

I used I heat embossed with White Stampin' Emboss Powder and then proceeded to do the same on the remaining In Color card bases.

Next, I cut around the edge of each stamped butterfly to reveal the inside of the card. On a Whisper White matte I used ink matched to the card base to stamp one of the now retired Flowering Fields stamps. I stamped once full strength, and then stamped on either side to provide some contrast and dimension to the stamping. I also stamped a small butterfly from the same stamp set.

I also stamped a sentiment, in matching ink, from the Rose Wonder stamp set onto Thick Whisper White. It was die cut using the Rose Garden Thinlits. It was adhered using Dimensionals.

After all cards were made, they were stacked with envelopes and tied up with a piece of white ribbon.

Loving these, in all five colors!

Catalog Launch Party 2016

Though I have been somewhat scarce here lately, due to preparation for my Catalog Launch Party, I plan to have regular posts from now on! I must say, though, that my preparation for the party paid off–our party on Friday night was wonderful!

As usual, I was somewhat nervous about the whole thing so arrived at our usual location (a lovely craft room that belongs to one of our stamping group members, Carolyn, herself a former Stampin' Up Demonstrator) much earlier than was needed!

My daughter Courtney, a nursing student, met me there to help with the initial setup. She designed a stunning food table while I was busy setting up our crafting area.

Once the setup was all done, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief and have a bit of a sit down and chat about the new catalog with Carolyn and my road buddy, Charlene.

Once the other stampers arrived and had entered their tickets for the Door Prize Draw, we chose up two teams and did a Catalog Scavenger Hunt. This was a fun activity to get the ladies exposed to more items in the catalog.

Next up, after again drawing for two different teams, the ladies designed a card by using a set of paper, embellishments, and stamps that I had given them. Each lady completed her own card of the group's design for their take home project. Carolyn's husband, Brian, acted as our judge. The ladies designed some lovely cards!

After an intermission to refuel at the food table, we played a short Bingo game and then worked on our last project of the evening using the Watercolor Smooshing Technique.

Using a craft mat, a ink pad was stamped on it and then spritzed with water. A piece of acetate from packaging was used to pick up the ink and "smoosh" it down onto a piece of watercolor paper. The ink was set using a heat tool and then the next ink was applied. All five of the new In Colors were used for this.
To add even more glitz and drama to the watercolored panel, the edges of the panel were inked with Versamark and heat embossed with Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder. The process was repeated a few times to get a really edgy look while producing a very smooth and shiny outer edge.

Next, the sentiment from the new Painter's Palette stamp set was stamped with Versamark on a square of vellum. It was heat embossed with Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder and then was die cut using one of the new Layering Squares Framelits. Rolled up glue dots were hidden behind the letters to attach it to the watercolor panel. The watercolor panel was attached to a Dapper Denim card front using Dimensionals.

For the inside of the card, the dots stamp was used with Versamark on a Whisper White panel to stamp in two corners. These were heat embossed with the Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder and the matte adhered to the inside of the card using Fast Fuse.

Prize Patrol drawings were sprinkled throughout the evening, with winners based on a colored butterfly that was included in each lady's gift box.

At the end of the evening, after determining the final 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners, prizes were awarded. Two other prizes were awarded to the row ladies who possessed two In Color flowers. The ladies seemed delighted with the card sets I had created using each of the five new In Colors.

Unfortunately, one lady had to leave early from the party and it turned out that she was the one who won the Door Prize Draw! She will be opening it at our June 24 Windup so I will share her picture then!

A delightful evening spent with lovely ladies though it was a little hard to crawl out of bed the next day after all the fun of the night before!

Something Old, Something New

I'm afraid I have been somewhat remiss with my blog posts lately. I have been busy preparing for my upcoming Catalog Launch on May 27. Unfortunately, I can't show you my projects until after May 27 because I don't want to ruin the surprise!

On top of that, the iPad app that I use was holding my blog host hostage and wouldn't let me upload it! After retyping the whole post, Blogger then was doing very weird things! Finally, I was able to publish this post!

I did get to make a card today that combines both new and old products. I don't know what it is about flamingos but they are just so much fun! I couldn't wait to play with the new Pop of Paradise stamp set that features a flamingo as well as some lovely palm leaves, sentiments and a trendy pineapple.

I started with a standard card base cut from Always Artichoke and then cut a matte from the now retired Irresistibly Yours paper. This paper is wonderful because you can color it any color to match your project!

Using a retiring brayer, I inked up my matte with Watermelon Wonder. After giving it a minute to dry, I buffed it with a paper towel to reveal the white resist design. I adhered this layer to the to of the card base using Fast Fuse Adhesive.

Next, I stamped the flamingo on Thick Whisper White card stock using Watermelon Wonder. After it dried, I used a sponge dauber to ink the edges with Soft Suede.

I cut a banner from Always Artichoke using the retiring Banners Framelits and then embossed it using the retiring Decorative Dots Embossing Folder. A sponge was used to sponge lightly across the raised dots with Soft Suede and the edges were also inked. The banner was adhered to the top of the card using Dimensionals.

Fast Fuse was used to anchor a swirl of Linen Thread below the stamped flamingo which was adhered with Dimensionals.

The sentiment from the Enjoy The Little things stamp set was stamped on Thick Whisper White using Always Artichoke and then Versamark (made easy by using the MISTI). It was heat embossed using Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder. The edges were inked with Soft Suede and then the sentiment was adhered to the card front using Fast Fuse.

A Whisper White matte for the inside of the card was stamped with the head of the flamingo and then the edges were inked with Soft Suede.

I like how this turned out! I love the combination of the Always Artichoke and the Watermelon Wonder together with the crisp Whisper White. Please save the color combo below if you'd like to use it!

Beloved Blackberry Bliss for International Stampin' Up! Blog Hop

Welcome to our International Blog Hop highlighting some of our favorite products that are retiring.We are sure you will find some incredible inspiration from the products you are about to see! I was in Kylie Bertucci's International Blog Highlight and I was selected to be in this hop today.

You may be starting the blog hop here at my blog–Linda Vich Creates–or may have come from the person previous to me in the list. If you get off track at any time, the full lineup below will help you move along from blog to blog so you see all the projects. At the moment you are visiting Linda Vich. I live in Canada. If you live in Canada and were wanting to purchase some Stampin' Up!® products, I am happy to help you!

As soon as I found out that this blog hop would focus on Retiring Products, I knew I would have to create a project featuring my all time favorite color, Blackberry Bliss! Oh how I will miss this color! Because it is so dear to me, you may still see me use it on a project from time to time!

I chose to create a gate-fold card so cut a card base for a 5 x 7" card but scored the Blackberry Bliss card stock at 2.5" and 7.5." I cut mattes from Very Vanilla and Blackberry Bliss and then used the Stylish Stripes Embossing Folder to emboss the Blackberry Bliss mattes. Because the mattes were longer than the embossing folder, I had to emboss part of the matte and then turn the matte around and reinsert it, carefully lining up with the previously embossed parts, and emboss again. The mattes were then adhered to the card front.

Using all but the largest Floral Frames Collection Framelits, I cut two from Very Vanilla and two from Blackberry Bliss card stock. I used the ornate flourish stamp from the First Sight stamp set to stamp all over the Very Vanilla die cuts using Blackberry Bliss ink. This stamp works very well for creating a stamped background and overlapping the pattern does not seem to give any weird looking shapes or designs.

I also die cut the stamens, using the Botanical Builder Framelits, from Very Vanilla card stock. I used my McGill Paper Blossom Tool Kit to shape these. It was a simple matter then to use Dimensionals and stack up the die cuts. I added a gold sequin and a rhinestone to the centre of the stamens and then added additional sequins and rhinestones to the petals of the larger Blackberry Bliss die cut.

Next, to add a bit more pizazz to the front of the card, I used glue dots to adhere Gold Sequin Trim around each embossed Blackberry Bliss matte. I adhered the completed flower to the top of the card using Dimensionals. For using the Dimensionals on this gate fold card, I placed them in strategic spots on the back of the die cut but only adhered the ones on the right side of the card front; the left ones were included to give the proper support and balance to the die cut.

To keep the card closed and to add a little more elegance to the card, I adhered a length of the Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin Ribbon to the back of the card using Fast Fuse and then tied it in a bow at the front.
The inside of the card is simple yet elegant. I stamped a Very Vanilla matte with the same ornate flourish stamp and also stamped the sentiment to complete the card.

I am so pleased with how this turned out! It has great contrast by using the Blackberry Bliss and Very Vanilla color combo and it is also very classy and elegant!

I used the following Retiring Products in the making of this card:

• Blackberry Bliss 8.5 x 11" card stock #133675
• Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad #133642
• Stylish Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder #132174
• Floral Frames Collection Framelits #127012
• Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin Ribbon #134550

Be sure to place your order before these products are gone!

Thank you for taking part in our blog hop! There are so many amazing ideas and inspiration you don't want to miss. Remember that currently you are at my blog–Linda Vich–so check the blog hop line up to see who is next in the list.

Birthday Bouquet Card Set

Did you know that Stampin' Up stamp cases can be used for more than just stamps? I love all the stamp cases and use them to store a variety of Stampin' Up items.

I use the Clear-Mount Stamp Cases #119105 to store my Stampin' Write Markers in color sets, the Full Wide Stamp Cases #127551 to store my sponges by color set, and I will soon have my reinkers organized into the Half Wide Stamp Cases #127552.

If you visit Kelly Kent's Blog, you can download and print her pretty inserts for your markers and reinkers.

Some people also store a variety of embellishments in the stamp cases. Bev Adams has some useful resources for this type of organization.

In addition to actual storage, the stamp cases can be used for creating lovely cases for treats or card sets. Jan Farring has a tutorial for a lovely case with a handle.

I created a card set with a matching case as a thank you gift for a friend. I chose to use the lovely Birthday Bouquet DSP. I cut a piece measuring 11 1/4 x 7" and slipped it into the front of the case where the stamp label usually goes.

Next, I created the cards for the set. I decided to make eight cards in total—four thank you cards and four sympathy cards. I cut standard card bases and mattes from Pool Party and Blushing Bride card stock  Two mattes of each color were embossed on the top 2/3 with the retiring Decorative Dots Embossing Folder and two with the Elegant Dots Embossing Folder. Matching ink was sponged over each to bring out the embossed texture. The edges were also inked.

Two different papers from the Birthday Bouquet DSP were cut and adhered to the bottom 1/3 of each matte and then a strip of coordinating ribbon, either Pool Party Glitter Ribbon or Blushing Bride Satin Ribbon from the Love Blossoms Embellishment Kit was adhered across the join of the DSP and the matte.

The mattes were then adhered to the matching card bases using Dimensionals. The Bold Butterfly Framelits were used to cut butterflies from both vellum and Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper. These were adhered with either a glue dot or a Dimensional. The vellum butterflies also received a coating of Wink of Stella.

The sentiments, from the Rose Wonderstamp set were stamped on Thick Whisper White using Basic Black Archival and then the ends flagged using the Banner Triple Punch. These were adhered with Dimensionals. Using the retiring Envelope Liner Framelits, liners from matching DSP were die cut and adhered inside envelopes.

Using Fast Fuse Adhesive, two strips of the Blushing Bride Satin Ribbon were adhered inside each side of the stamp case. The finished cards and envelopes were stacked on either side and the ribbons tied in bows to hold them in place.

For the front of the finished card set case, a large butterfly was die cut from Watermelon Wonder card stock with the Butterflies Thinlits Dies. The smaller butterfly was stamped with the Butterfly Basics stamp set using Blushing Bride and die cut using the Butterfly Thinlits Dies and then the edges were inked with Watermelon Wonder.

Both butterflies were inked with Versamark and heat embossed with Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder two times to make them super glossy. Their wings were bent up a bit and they were then adhered to the case using Glue Dots.

Card case without cards and envelopes.

Open card case with cards and envelopes.

 

I'm quite pleased with how this set of cards turned out! Making a set of cards in a decorated stamp case makes a lovely gift!