Isn’t this adorable? The Best of Everything stamp set is available in wood-mount or clear-mount . All the other details for this project are here.
Use this card to inspire your next project! The scallops and the cute flower button add a special touch to this sweet card. And I love the color combination: Baha Breeze, Regal Rose, Garden Green and Daffodil Delight. Check out more projects here.
Enjoy! Julie
This lovely creation featuring the Summer Solstice Stamp Set is on page 114 of the current Stampin’ Up! Idea Book & Catalog. You can find all the details for this project here.
QUICK LINKS:
Retiring Stamp Sets available until May 31th. Lists here
Retiring In Colors paper, inks, accessories available while supplies last-WARNING: these go quickly!
Occasions Mini Catalog ends April 30th.
Summer Smooches promotion ends April 30th.
2011-12 Stampin’ Up! Idea Book & Catalog ends May 31st-a month early!
Add Digital Designing products and Clearance Rack items to any order anytime.
Place any order before May 15th and get a FREE copy of the new 2012-13 Stampin’ Up! Catalog.
Retiring Accessories list will be available April 25th. Check back!
Enjoy! Julie
The Retired List is out. Check out the details here!
The new digital design downloads released April 17th!
Decorative Overlays Stamp Brush Set – Digital Download #129880
For The Grad Trifold Template – Digital Download #129876
Good Times Ii Kit – Digital Download #129870
Keep This Memory Photobook Template – Digital Download #129879
Mother’s Day Blossom Trifold Template – Digital Download #129922
Rad Dad Stamp Brush Set – Digital Download #129869
Parker’s Patterns Designer Series Paper – Digital Download #129891
My Digital Studio Express Trial – Digital Download #129600
Enjoy! Julie
Summer Smooches and a butterfly make a great birthday card combination! Remember this project? It was actually inspired by the card below that I created in My Digital Studio. The background looks like a paper project – doesn’t it?
The background was made in My Digital Studio with the added punch of a birthday greating and Big Shot butterfly with rhinestone. The digital designer papers from the Summer Smooches Suite digital content CD and the digital flag punch make this background bright and extra special. This special release CD is available until April 30th.
Try My Digital Studio Express for 30 days for FREE!
I created the background on a 8 1/2 x 11 sheet and then cut the page in quarters to make duplicate cards. 
Here’s just the quarter page. This background could be used for any occasion-don’t you think?
Enjoy! Julie
The retiring stamp set list is here! And early! These stamps retire May 31st. Click here to view the retiring stamp sets or check out these lists:
Retired List Stamps Excel File
Be prepared – it’s a long list, which means lots of new stamps to look forward to. And everything this year will be available in clear-mount as well as wood-mount.
The retired accessories list will come out on April 25th. Retiring stamp sets will be available until the end of May. Retiring accessories will only be available while supplies last. So be sure and check back on April 25th and check the list early so you don’t miss out on your favorite accessories.
Order your favorite stamp sets today!
Enjoy! Julie
The bright colors of the Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper is perfect for punched blossom inspiration! And don’t you love the way the Stampin’ Up! patterned paper works together for perfect designing?
I chose Tangerine Tango ink for the blossom and Island Indigo for the blossom center and card base. Orange and blue are across from each other on the color wheel and are complementary colors. Therefore, the combination creates high interest. Crumb Cake cardstock is a great neutral which keeps this card from being too bright. No need for sunglasses!
In the center of the blossom is a clear bitty button with linen thread. So cute! The blossom and the center are popped up with dimensionals.
Enjoy! Julie
Didn’t you love the designer paper featured in yesterday’s bright birds card?
It’s now available!
And check out this video of the Petite Purse Die! (She mentions in the video that Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators had access to these products even earlier and at a discount! Learn how you can join and receive these perks too!)
Here are some of my favorite products in the Summer Smooches Suite. What are your favorite summer smooches products? Click here to see them all!
I loved these cute little birds and their fun cages the very first time I laid eyes on the Aviary stamp set! This made it from my wish list to my home thanks to my sister Kari, who gave it to me for my birthday! (Yes, I have a wish list too!) Kari is a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator also.
The beautiful Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper inspired this bright, happy card made with the Aviary stamp set.
When using punches, you would stamp first and then punch it out looking through the punch ‘window’. When using the Top Note Bigz Die, I cut my shape and then stamp the images. It was easy to get good placement with the clear-mount stamps. I stamped a sample on a scrap paper first to decide on my layout, then cut my shape and added the stamped images.
The middle bird cage was stamped first, then I masked the cage with a post-it note and stamped the stand so that it ended at the base of the cage. (The stand is taller than I needed and would have stamped right through the cage.)
I wanted to add ribbon wrapped around the top note, but I didn’t want to cover the cages so I used an x-acto knife to slice a ribbon slot on either side of the image. (I don’t know why the ribbon came out such a funky color in the photo. It looks MUCH better in real life-I promise.)
And the final step is adding bling. I generously added rhinestones to the cages. Love it!!
Enjoy!
Julie
Playing with my Postage Stamp Punch and the fun In Colors today!
This very simple, clean card came together in a snap with the Postage Stamp Punch. Even though it’s a very simple card, some fun, quick elements make it special. The white background layer is Big Shot textured embossed with the Finial Press Textured Embossing Folder.
Quick tip: When I first popped these on with dimensionals I wasn’t happy with the placement of my “postage stamps” so I need to lift them up again. By patiently wiggling them off I was able to loosen the adhesive and remove them without damaging my paper.
I stamped the Thanks image with white craft ink then embossed with white embossing powder to give it a bright look. Each punched square was popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals. And the white organza ribbon makes everything extra special!
I’m loving making matching envelopes with the Scoring Tool.
I punched a flower from the paper to make a matching envelope closure. So fun!
Card Recipe: Stamps: Pretty Postage clear-mount, wood-mount Paper: Peach Parfait, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Soft Suede, Whisper White Ink: Whisper White Craft Pad Extras: Postage Stamp Punch, White Embossing Powder, Finial Press Textured Embossing Folder, Whisper White Organza Ribbon, Stampin’ DimensionalsEnjoy!
Julie
Want to learn a fun, new way to be creative? This is a clean and simple Fifth Avenue Floral card using the spotlight technique. 
I stamped the background on Whisper White card stock. Then I stamped the Concord Crush flower on Shimmery White card stock and watercolored it using an aquapainter and Melon Mambo ink. Unfortunately it’s hard to photograph the awesome shimmer.
The Concord Crush ink is water based so when I painted with the Melon Mambo it picked up some of the Concord Crush from the outline creating a nice effect. Watercoloring these images makes you feel like a real artist! The Shimmery White card stock is a little heavier and watercolors very nicely.
I punched out a section of the rose which I layered on Concord Crush card stock and adhered it with a dimensional to match up with the flower below. With the spotlight technique, you want to keep your background fairly simple so that the spotlight really pops out.
The completed card measures 4-1/4″ square, so it would fit in a standard envelope but sloppily. Soooo I created a custom 4-1/2″ square Whisper White envelope with my new toy…uh- I mean tool, the Diagonal Scoring Pad.
Card Recipe:
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral wood-mount, mds; Teeny Tiny Wishes wood-mount, mds
Paper: Whisper White cs, Concord Crush cs, Shimmery White cs, Melon Mambo cs
Ink: Whisper White craft pad, Concord Crush, Melon Mambo
Extras: 1-1/4″ Circle Punch, 1-3/8″ Circle Punch, Modern Label Punch, Aqua painter, Dimensionals, Scoring Tool, Diagonal Scoring Pad
Enjoy! Julie
