Eastern Palace Suite and Stitched Shapes Framelits

The Eastern Palace Suite is the epitome of ornateness. The dies are so intricate and the number of different combinations for using them is simply mind boggling!

For today's card, I decided to limit the colors and let the dies shine through with the help of a little gold foil!

I started by cutting a card base of 4.75 x 6" from the new Thick Very Vanilla Card Stock. I then cut two mattes–one from Gold Foil and one also from the Thick Very Vanilla.

The Hexagons Dynamic Embossing Folder was used to emboss the Very Vanilla Matte and then it was adhered to the gold matte using liquid adhesive.

I used the largest square from the Stitched Shapes Framelits to die cut a piece of Gold Foil. Using the Eastern Medallions Thinlits, I used a combination of dies #3 and #5 to cut a medallion from Thick Very Vanilla. Liquid glue was used to adhere these. Be sure to check my Numbered Die Sets blog page (located at the top of my blog) to see which dies I am using.

Die #8 was used to cut a piece of the Gold Foil. After the sentiment was stamped in Basic Black on Thick Very Vanilla, it was die cut with the #1 Stitched Circle die. These two pieces were adhered with liquid glue and then stacked onto the other two die cuts using Dimensionals. One of the gold tassels was sandwiched between them.

Dimensionals were used to adhere the set of die cuts to the hexagon matte and then the whole thing was adhered to the card front.

To add a little touch of gold to the inside of the card, one of the gold vinyl stickers from the Eastern Palace Bundle was adhered down the right side.

Doesn't this card look ornate in the Very Vanilla and gold?

Be sure to purchase your Eastern Palace Bundle in my online store before May 31! You will have lots of fun using all the parts of this suite!

Watercoloring With The Eastern Palace Suite

Have you purchased your Eastern Palace Bundle yet? No? Then what are you waiting for?

I have been having all kinds of fun with this bundle that is now available for you to purchase but only until May 31! There are two bundles to choose from and here is what you get:

Eastern Palace Starter Bundle $77.75

The Eastern Palace Starter Bundle is for those of you who just can't wait to get your hands on some of the new catalog offerings and must get a taste!

Eastern Palace Premier Bundle $134.75

The Eastern Palace Premier Bundle is for those of you who want it ALL! In my experience, this is the bundle that you want because the Starter Bundle does not include the Thinlits which MAKE this bundle the fun that it is!

Both bundles contain FREE product! The Starter Bundle offers the Very Vanilla Notecards and Envelopes for FREE while the Premier Bundle gives you the new Very Vanilla Thick Card Stock and the Very Vanilla Envelopes for FREE.

These bundles are only available until May 31 so purchase yours from my online store now!

Now let's take a look at the card I have for you today!

In creating this card, I started by cutting a matte from Watercolor Paper and then used combinations of the Eastern Medallions Thinlits to cut openings in the matte.

Next, I cut open a Ziplock bag and cut it in half. The resulting piece was larger than my matte. I pressed three ink pads down onto the plastic: Pool Party, Lemon Lime Twist, and Bermuda Bay. I then sprayed the plastic which caused the ink to bead.

I pressed my matte face down onto the plastic and then flipped the plastic over. By flipping it over, I was able to see where the ink was and I could "smoosh" it around while looking at the matte. I like this method better than just smooshing the matte down onto color and hoping for the best!

I used my heat tool to dry the matte and then kept repeating this process until I had the coloring the way that I wanted it. I then adhered the matte to a Basic Black matte of the same size by using liquid adhesive. This was then matted with Lemon Lime Twist.

My next step was to stamp the flower image from the stamp set onto a piece of Bermuda Bay using Basic Black. This was then die cut using die pieces #10 and #11 and the petals bent upwards. I also die cut a Basic Black piece using die #3. After die cutting, I used scissors to snip the medallion from the card stock since this die does not completely cut out the shape.

A piece of the new Finely Woven Ribbon in Lemon Lime Twist was knotted vertically on the right of the matte and then the matte was adhered to a 4.75 x 6" Bermuda Bay card base using Dimensionals.

The flower was adhered to the black medallion and then onto the card front using Dimensionals. One of the new Clear Faceted Gems was added to the centre of the flower.

The sentiment, from the Thoughtful Banners stamp set, was stamped in Versamark and heat embossed with White Stampin' Emboss Powder and then adhered to the card front.

For the inside of the card, a small stamp was used with Bermuda Bay to stamp in all four corners. Lemon Lime Twist was then sponged around the matte. It was adhered with Fast Fuse to complete the card.

I just love how the colors turned out on this card!

Special Note: I will be numbering the dies in the more complex sets to make it easier for you to follow which die I used in my blog posts. For future reference, you can check the die sets and their numbering by visiting my Numbered Die Sets page on my blog. I will update it as I use and add more sets.

Blended Bloom Goodbye and Clearance Rack Specials

Today I dove back into my stash to create this commissioned card.

I started with a Thick Whisper White matte. Using the long retired Blended Bloom stamp, I used Versamark to stamp all over the matte and then heat embossed it using White Stampin' Emboss Powder.

Taking a sponge, I sponged on Bermuda Bay, concentrating the color more at the middle of each bloom. I stamped, embossed and sponged one more bloom on a separate piece of card stock. I used my scissors to fussy cut this bloom.

On a strip of vellum, I stamped the sentiment from the now retiring Greatest Greetings stamp set and heat embossed it with Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder. I folded this around the sponged matte and taped it at the back. The matte was then adhered to a Bermuda Bay card base using Fast Fuse. Plain Whisper White mattes were adhered inside the card to give plenty of room for people to sign the card.

The fussy cut bloom was adhered to the card front using Dimensionals. A now retired Iced Rhinestone was added to the bloom's centre to complete the card.

Using a piece of Bermuda Bay card stock, I created a matching envelope using the Envelope Punch Board. To jazz up the envelope, I stamped the flower, using matching Bermuda Bay ink, on the envelope flap and three times on the front of the envelope.

This was so much fun to create–gotta love emboss resist!

My purchaser loved the card! She plans to buy future cards from me and may also have a class with some other friends.

Besides the Retiring Products at Stampin' Up!, today they added to the Clearance Rack with products up to 60% off! Of course, these products will not last long so shop now! Take a look below at what you can get for a song. Click directly on a product to go directly to my store.

Clearance Rack

Paper Pumpkin To The Rescue!

Are you a Paper Pumpkin subscriber? If you're not, you have missed out on a great kit this month, designed by none other than Stampin' Up's CEO, Sara Douglass!

My kit arrived just in the nick of time because I needed 12 thank you cards and the April Paper Pumpkin kit contained just what I needed! The kit packs a punch with its black and white color combo paired with some vibrant colors: Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry. As well, there are splashes of the new In Color, Lemon Lime Twist thrown in for good measure!

Before showing you my cards, I want to share a little bit about what Paper Pumpkin is all about.

Simply put, Paper Pumpkin is a monthly kit to which you can subscribe. You can subscribe on a month by month basis and you can choose to receive or suspend your subscription each month. Another way to enjoy Paper Pumpkin is via a Prepaid Subscription. You can purchase a subscription for one, three, six, or twelve months!

• Each kit comes with an exclusive stamp set to use with the kit and any other project you like!
• There is at least one Classic Stampin' Spot (a small ink pad) with every kit, with no colors repeating during a 12 month period.
• Every new subscriber receives a clear block with their first kit to help them get started.
• The kits are packed with supplies and may make projects like cards (at least 8 if not more), home decor, gift packaging, etc.
• Flexibility–you can suspend for a month or cancel at any time.
• The prep work has been done for you; all you have to do is put the pieces together!
• Each month you get a surprise!
• For support, each month Stampin' UP! shares a video to demonstrate how to assemble the kit.
• The kit may be assembled as shown or you may choose to change or embellish the project. You can find many Paper Pumpkin alternatives online.
• In addition, Paper Pumpkin subscribers have exclusive access to past kits. When a kit runs out, you can buy more or just buy a kit refill.
• All this for $27/month, shipping included!
• Ready to get started? Sign up for your subscription today!

So let's take a look at what comes in this month's kit.

Each kit has an illustrated instruction booklet and this month's came in complete color. This kit came with a Basic Black Stampin' Spot, the four little watercolor pencils and the lovely stamp set which covers many occasions. In addition, twelve envelopes with liners and labels, and all the other pieces needed to make 12 cards.

This time round I did not stretch myself past the instructions but certainly your creativity can be easily stoked by these Paper Pumpkin kits!

Here are three of my finished cards.

The card in the top left was kind of a "freehand" watercolor design. You scribbled with the watercolor pencils on a piece of watercolor paper and then painted over the coloring with a paintbrush (included in the kit) to blend the colors. Once dried, you added some of the grungy dots with a stamp as well as stamped the sentiment on the flagged piece.

The card was easily put together with the included sticker paper, adhesive spots and Dimensionals. There was even a white matte for inside the card.

The card on the top right utilized a piece of watercolor that had been clear embossed. The pencils filled in the open areas and then the paintbrush softened the coloring. Dots and the sentiment were added and leaf stickers, plastic flowers and washi acted as embellishments.

The final card utiliized another clear embossed piece of watercolor paper. Two pencils were used to create an ombré effect and then again softened with the water. Dots and the sentiment were added to a strip of card stock and then embellished with washi. The card stock was attached to the card front along with the heart and the leaves and flowers added.

Such quick and easy cards but ones that definitely pack a punch! Watch Sara's Paper Pumpkin video on how to make these cards to see how easily they come together.

Ready to give Paper Pumpkin a try? Sign up here and receive your own special surprise each month!

Dragonfly Thank You

Today my card share uses the retiring Watermelon Wonder–I'm going to miss it!

I started by embossing a matte of Watermelon Wonder using the Petal Burst Embossing Folder. Turning it to the debossed side, I sponged Cherry Cobbler ink all over the matte, concentrating on the edges.

The sentiment, from the now retired Another Thank You stamp set, was stamped using the MISTI to allow it to be stamped first with Basic Black and then with Versamark. It was heat embossed with Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder. After die cutting with an oval from the Stitched Shapes Framelits, it was also sponged with Cherry Cobbler ink.

An scalloped oval from the Layering Ovals Framelits was used to die cut an oval from Basic Black. It was stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder to make it shiny. The sentiment was then adhered to it using liquid adhesive.

The Detailed Dragonfly Thinlits were used to die cut a dragonfly from Basic Black and it was heat embossed like the scalloped oval.

The embossed matte was adhered to a thin Watermelon Wonder matte and then to a Basic Black card base. The dragonfly was adhered to the card front with Glue Dots and the sentiment with Dimensionals. Rhinestones were added for a little bling.

A Whisper White matte was stamped with a dragonfly in Watermelon Wonder and then adhered inside the card to complete it.

Unfortunately, the pictures of this card do not do this card justice. The combination of of Cherry Cobbler and Watermelon Wonder gives a stunning play of light and shadow, enhanced by the shiny black of the dragonfly and embellished sentiment.

If you would still like to order Watermelon Wonder, you can order the remaining products from my online store.

Not convinced yet that you need more Watermelon Wonder? Check out more of my creations that use Watermelon Wonder by visiting the links below (can you tell that I love this color?):

• Painted Rose For Global Design Project
• Something Old, Something New
• Balloon Congratulations For Global Design Project
• Spring Butterfly
• Picture Perfect Practice
• Fancy Fold Botanicals For Stampin' Royalty
• Thoughtful Branches With Layering Squares
• Mini Treat Bag Cutlery Holders

Mini Egg Carton Easter Treats

I was one of the lucky ones who ordered and received the mini egg cartons early into the Occasions Catalog. Today I got to use them and I'm so sorry I didn't buy more even though they are being retired!

Besides being just overly cute in their "mini-ness" they are so much fun to color using the Stampin' Spritzers!

I started by filling a Stampin' Spritzer almost to the top with 70% alcohol and then added 40 drops of Night of Navy reinker (I wanted this color to be really dark rather than muted) and shook it up.

Placing an egg carton in my "spray booth" (an old shoebox) I proceeded to spray the outside of the box. I was surprised by how well it turned out! Spraying the outside of the egg carton took about 2/3 of the mixture.

I labelled the spritzer and then mixed up another one, this time using Sweet Sugarplum and using only 20 drops of reinker. After spraying, I mixed one more batch using Tempting Turquoise, again using 20 drops of reinker. This carton took pretty much the whole batch of color but since I couldn't seem to get all the color out of the Stampin' Spritzer, I labelled it and set it aside for another time.

The cartons dried quite quickly on their own while I cut up paper to embellish the boxes.

For the Night of Navy box I created a belly band using some of the new Eastern Elegance DSP. I also wound some Night of Navy Baker's Twine around the belly band, securing it with a little Fast Fuse Adhesive. I die cut a stitched square from some of the new Thick Very Vanilla using the Stitched Shapes Framelits and a scalloped square from Night of Navy using a die from the Layering Squares Framelits. These were adhered together using liquid adhesive.

The Basket Builder Framelits were used to cut the basket from Night of Navy and the flowers from the DSP. The basket was assembled using liquid adhesive and the flowers were shaped using a stylus from my Heartfelt Creations Deluxe Flower Shaping Kit.

The basket was adhered to the Very Vanilla square using Dimensionals and the flowers with Glue Dots. Rhinestones were added to the flower centres. The completed square was added to the belly band using Dimensionals. The sentiment was stamped on a strip of Thick Very Vanilla using Night of Navy and then the ends flagged using the Banner Triple Punch. It was adhered to the egg carton using Foam Adhesive Strips. I used Fringe Scissors on Night of Navy card stock to create my own fill for the egg carton.

For the Sweet Sugarplum egg carton, I started by stamping flowers on Watercolor paper using Basic Black Archival ink. After heat setting, I used my Watercolor Pencils and Clear Wink of Stella to color in the flowers, die cutting them using the Basket Builder Framelits.

The basket pieces were die cut from Tip Top Taupe and Early Espresso and assembled using liquid adhesive. The stitched square was die cut from the Succulent Garden DSP and the scalloped square from Mint Macaron. After adhering them with liquid adhesive, the basket was adhered with Dimensionals and the flowers with Glue Dots. Rhinestones were added to the centres.

Lace doily halves were added to the back of the scalloped square and then a length of the now retired Glitter Ribbon Combo was tied around the egg carton, anchoring the ribbon with a glue dot on top of the box. The squares were then adhered to the top of the box using Dimensionals. A strip of Sweet Sugarplum had its ends flagged and the sentiment was stamped with Tip Top Taupe. It was adhered to the top using Foam Adhesive Strips and rhinestones added. Fringe scissors and Mint Macaron was used for fill.

Finally, the Tempting Turquoise egg carton was created. It was done in the same way as the previous carton but Festive Birthday DSP and Tempting Turquoise was used for the squares, Melon Mambo and Pumpkin Pie for the basket, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Crushed Curry and Emerald Envy for the eggs, Chocolate Chip for the bunny and Melon Mambo 3/8" Stitched Ribbon. The sentiment was stamped with Melon Mambo on Thick Whisper Whtie. Fill was created using Melon Mambo card stock and Fringe Scissors.

Here's a final look at all three projects, though it's hard to take a photo of all three together in my Foldio 2 setup!

I'm so pleased with how these all came together–I can't wait to give them to the recipients!

Eastern Palace Bundle With Numbered Thinlits

Today I bring you a sneak peek at the Eastern Palace Suite, one of the new product suites from the 2017-2018 Annual Catalog.

As a demonstrator, I am able to preorder before customers so I get to play with some of the new products! As a customer, you will be able to preorder from two of the bundles for yourself starting May 1!

My card today uses one of the new In Colors–Lemon Lime Twist–along with the stamps and Thinlits in the product line.

When first looking at the Eastern Palace Suite, you may find the dies of interest but find the stamp set a little lackluster. Let me assure you that it is not! The shapes in the stamp set are meant to be combined and repeated to create intricate designs that match up with the equally intricate detailed dies! My card uses only the bare bones of this bundle!

I started by numbering the dies with a permanent ultra fine point Sharpie–14 dies in total– to make it easier to talk about them in tutorials and so you will know which die to use if you want to replicate any of my projects. I intend to do this with several of my other sets of Framelits/Thinlits, especially the layering ones.

I started by using the #3 die on a piece of Dapper Denim. This was a learning experience because I was expecting it to cut out an intricate circle frame but the outer edge doesn't cut so the intricate part stays part of the paper from which it is cut! However, I wanted it cut out so I used one of the Layering Circles Framelits to do just that. At the same time, I decided to make the centre portion a little more elaborate so I inserted the #4 Thinlit and did both cuts at once.

Next I used one of the new Eastern Gold Vinyl Stickers to add further elegance to the die cut and then adhered the die cut to a Lemon Lime Twist square of Eastern Elegance DSP using Dimensionals. This was further layered onto a square of Dapper Denim.

Another patterned square of DSP was adhered to a Dapper Denim matte and then the two mattes were adhered together with more Dimensionals.

To further enrich the card, a piece of Gold Foil was embossed using the Festive Embossing Folder and then adhered to a 5.5 x 5.5" Dapper Denim card front using Fast Fuse Adhesive. The mattes were then adhered on top using Dimensionals.

For the inside, a Thick Whisper White matte was stamped repeatedly around the edges with two different circles and then a smaller, ornate stamp. Unfortunately, one of the ornate stamps did not stamp well so I hid it by making use of the #10 and #11 dies. Because the #10 dies is another one that does not cut out around itself, I used scissors to snip it completely from the DSP and then layered it on a Dapper Denim shape cut with  the #10 die. The card front does not contain a sentiment; I reserved that for the inside of the card, stamping with Basic Black. The stamped matte was matted with more DSP and then adhered inside the card to complete it.

I really love the Lemon Lime Twist color! It is so fresh and vibrant and reminds me of Spring! I can't wait to get some of the card stock.

I hope you will give the Eastern Palace Suite a try when it becomes available to you on May 1. So much fun to keep you busy until you can order from the rest of the new Annual Catalog!

For your future reference, here is a list of items from the Eastern Palace Bundle that were used on my card.

• Eastern Beauty #143675
• Eastern Elegance DSP #144147
• Eastern Gold Vinyl Stickers #144150
• Eastern Medallions Thinlits #143725
• Lemon Lime Twist Classic Stampin' Pad #144086