Last Day To Earn Bonus Days Coupons | Letter Die-Cutting Technique That's A Show-Off!

How was your weekend, my joyful friends?  Ours was not packed with events but it was full of relaxing activities, mostly due to the rainy and cloudy weather.  Don't you just love those kinds of weekends?  Lots of reading, lots of baking and cooking, then out for some excellent pizza with my parents.  My dad likes to pass along non-fiction books after he's finished with them and he had another great one for me - The Heirs of The Founders by H.W. Brands.  I just finished The Splendid and The Vile by Erik Larson and am currently on Churchill's Trials but Larry Arnd.  I did pick up a couple fictional novels to read in-between.  The non-fiction books can get intellectually heavy and so I like to mix it up with lighter fare every now and then.  I've parked myself on the couch with a book and read for 12 hours straight way too many times to count - bookworm would accurately describe me!

ON TO STAMPING!  My team leader recently mailed us a challenge packet that had some pieces of Designer Series Paper, ribbon, and gems.  We were to make a card from the packet pieces and post it to the team page.  I LOVE when she does this!  I made 3 cards total and I'm posting the supplies and measurements below each card, so read on!

I saw this idea from Elizabeth Price of Seeing InkSpots and had to do it!  You use the Playful Alphabet letter dies (page 178 of the Annual Catalog) to die-cut an embossed piece of Whisper White cardstock.  You then attach it on top of any Designer Series Paper and all that wonderful pattern shows through!  BUT, I don't have the Playful Alphabet letter dies.  I do, however, own the Little Letters dies from years ago and they are exactly the same size and Playful Alphabet and the font is very similar. 

Calypso Coral cardstock - 4-1/2"x11", scored and folded in half at 5-1/2"

Playing With Patterns Designer Series Paper - 5-3/8"x4-1/8"

Whisper White cardstock - 4-1/2"x3"

Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder - emboss the Whisper White piece before die-cutting

Playful Alphabet dies - either this die set or the retired Little Letters dies will work fine.  Both alphabets are the same size and of a block font.

Bumblebee Ribbon

Gold Glimmer Paper - I thought this was still available but it retired with the last catalog!  Gold Foil paper would be a good substitute.

Balloon Bouquet Punch

 

Cinnamon Cider cardstock - 4-1/4"x11", scored and folded in half at 5-1/2"

Whisper White cardstock - 4-1/2"x3"

So Saffron cardstock - to punch flowers

Flowers For Every Season Designer Series Paper - 5-3/8"x4-1/8"

Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder - emboss the Whisper White piece before die-cutting

Playful Alphabet dies - either this die set or the retired Little Letters dies will work fine.  Both alphabets are the same size and of a block font.

Cinnamon Cider Ribbon 

Small Bloom Punch - after you've glued on the flowers, scrunch them up with your fingernails.  It's okay if the paper splits!  All that texture will add so much to your card!

Gilded Gems

Misty Moonlight cardstock - 4-1/4"x11", scored and folded in half at 5-1/2"

Whisper White cardstock - 4-1/2"x3"

Night Of Navy cardstock - to punch flowers

Flowers For Every Season Designer Series Paper - 5-3/8"x4-1/8"

Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder - emboss the Whisper White piece before die-cutting

Playful Alphabet dies - either this die set or the retired Little Letters dies will work fine.  Both alphabets are the same size and of a block font.

Flowers For Every Season Ribbon Combo Pack - separate the twine to get the Whisper White piece

Small Bloom Punch - after you've glued on the flowers, scrunch them up with your fingernails.  It's okay if the paper splits!  All that texture will add so much to your card!

Gilded Gems

***Just think of all the sentiments you could die-cut with this technique - Love You, For You, With Sympathy, Thanks, You Are My Joy, Gather - my head is spinning with all the possibilities!  And then when I think of all the beautiful Designer Series Paper Stampin' Up! has......I think I'll be stamping ALL DAY****

What greetings would you die-cut?  What Designer Series Paper would you use?  Let me know in the comments!💕

BOGO Sale!  August 6 - 8  

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August Reward Code

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If you are enjoying The Joyful Stamper site

• Request a catalog package here, if you don't already have a demonstrator you love.
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• Use this month's Reward Code to earn points towards a $50 shopping spree - read the details here.
• Join me every Thursday at 11 AM ET for my weekly Happy Half Hour Live stamping show on my Facebook page.  

Joy in being creative, community in sharing a common interest, purpose in what we make - this is stamping at its best!  Thank you, friends, for choosing me as your demonstrator!

Easy Birthday Card for Him + Free How-To + Card Sketch

This Country Club Designer Series Paper is retiring and I barely touched it!  It's on page 47 of the Mini Catalog and is a part of the Country Club Suite.  Stampin' Up! gave it to us free at OnStage back in November (a VERY sweet demonstrator perk).  

Those bright colors inspired me to use my Balloon Bouquet punch.  Who wouldn't smile at a bunch of colorful balloons?  

The balloons are popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals.  I matted the DSP pieces with Basic Black cardstock to make them stand out from each other.

Check out how the stitching on the DSP matches the stitching on the Stitched Shapes die-cut oval!

I've included some helpful tools for you to make this card.  First up, a card sketch (go ahead and pin it to your card sketch board)!

Next up, the groovy color combination (you can pin this, too, to your color inspiration board)! 

 Last, a step-by-step how-to with measurements, a photo, and supply list!  Of course you can pin or print this (you do have a board of Joyful Stamper tutorials, right?).

New Catalog Alert: If you have ordered from me since November, you are automatically on my list to receive a new Annual Catalog package next month.  If you'd like one, place an order of any size to be automatically included or email me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com.

The Joyful Stamper Specials:

Order $35 in my store (before shipping and tax) to get the kit FREE to make both these fun fold cards!  Offer expires 5/1/2020 at midnight.  Use Reward Code SWDK2WN2.

Through-out April, I'm posting at least 12 projects made with the Ornate Garden Suite.

• Easy, stepped-up, fancy fold, technique-driven, anything-but-a-card - it'll be a WIDE variety!  
• Every project will have detailed instructions and photos in a pdf.  
• Each project's tutorial will be sent via email as each project is posted here on my blog.
• To receive it, place a $50 order (before shipping & tax) in my store April 1-30 and use Reward Code SWDK2WN2.
• You will receive ALL the tutorials, no matter when in April you order.  

This is a free class as a thank you for ordering with me!  And you can order whatever you want!

In The Christmas Spirit

Enjoying and savoring the moment I'm in has been instrumental in increasing my delight in life.  It also has caused my perception of time's passing to slow.  You'll probably never hear me say, "I can't believe it's December already" or a version of that.  This enjoying of the moment has not come easily to me - I've prayed my way to it for years - nor does it stay without a daily renewing of my mind.  But the joy is worth it!

All that to say, I'm ready to celebrate Christmas.  Yes, I've been making Christmas projects for over a month but that was out of necessity.  Whipping out 60 cards in a day or two isn't happening in my world!  But it's a week before Christmas, which is my signal to wrap gifts and that's what "kicks off" the holidays for me.  I'm all-in now!  Cue the carols!  This Friday, Caitlin and I start our annual 1000-piece Christmas puzzle and I'm really excited about it.  What "kicks off" Christmas for you?  Leave me a comment because I'd love to know.

  

Now that I'm in the Christmas spirit, I thought I'd make a birthday card!  That made no sense at all, except for the fact that each year, I gift my Grandma a stack of birthday cards with a roll of stamps.  She loves mailing out my cards and I love creating them for her.  I used this week's Splitcoaststampers Sketch to make today's project.

Two versatile, go-to sets on my stamp shelf are Birthday Backgrounds and Perennial Birthdays.  Birthday Backgrounds is perfect for creating backgrounds, adding a little something to balance out a card, or to draw the eye to the focal point (as I did in the card above).

Perennial Birthdays has birthday sentiments in my favorite font.  They're also the perfect size - not too big, not too little.  I used the Balloon Bouquet punch with Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper (the stripes are so fun!) to create a celebratory trio.  The strings are handdrawn with a journaling pen.  I love the shape of the Stitched Nested Labels dies - it's so different from the usual circle/square/rectangle.

You can find the supplies for this card in my online store:

Birthday Backgrounds

Perennial Birthdays

Balloon Bouquet Punch

Stitched Nested Labels dies

Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper

Journaling Pen

Also check out the Clearance Rack while you're at my online store.  It is filled to the brim with bargains!

I'm so excited about the January - June 2020 Mini Catalog that I'm devoting an entire day to showing off the stunning projects you can make with its new products!  January 3 is the day it goes live, along with the 2020 Sale-A-Bration catalog.  Follow my Facebook page and set your notifications to alert you when I go live so you don't miss it!

What is Sale-A-Bration? It's a special brochure with tons of fun product that you can earn for free.  Level 1 items are earned with every $50 order and Level 2 items are earned for every $100 order.  There are no limits to what you earn.  

• Order $50-->earn one Level 1 item
• Order $100-->earn two Level 1 items OR one Level 1 item
• Order $150-->earn three Level 1 items OR one Level 1 item plus one Level 2 item PLUS Stampin' Rewards (free product of your choosing)!
• And it just keeps going!

Need your own copy to follow along with during my Catalog Launch Party on January 3?  Request a catalog package here or email me at nicole @thejoyfulstamper.com with your mailing address.

Thank you for choosing me as your demonstrator and giving me the opportunity to earn your business!

Graduation Cards using Punches

My oldest daughter graduated from high school this past Friday and she asked me to make her cards for all the parties she'll be attending.  This first design is for the guys.

I used Brusho pigment powders on watercolor paper, then punched the shapes out with the Balloon Bouquet punch.  I love that it punches out two sizes at one time!  You could also use a Real Red ink pad swiped over Whisper White cardstock to create red balloons.  To fill in the pattern a bit more, I used a fine tip journaling pen and ruler to draw lines on the white stripes.  The sentiment was heat embossed with white embossing powder.

This next card is for the girl graduates.

The same techniques were used here, but with the addition of a white twine bow.  Don't forget to stamp the envelopes, too!  That just adds to the fun!

You Can Make It!

• Stamps: Lilypad Lake (sentiment), Birthday Backgrounds (envelopes)
• Paper: Thick Whisper White, Basic Black, Neutrals DSP (retired) 
• Ink: Versamark, Memento Black, Real Red (envelopes)
• Balloon Bouquet Punch
• Brusho pigment powder (retired); Use a Real Red ink pad to substitute
• White Embossing Powder
• Journaling Pen
• Heat Gun
• White Twine

Need a Stampin' Up! catalog (a brand new one just came out!)?  If you aren't already working with a demonstrator, I'd love the opportunity to earn your business.  Contact me to request one!