Daisies On The Diagonal

Indulge me a bit today please.  I pulled out some retired Designer Series Paper and used Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots from the catalog just expired.  They just fit so perfectly for this card and I couldn't resist.  I'm SURE you all have Stampin' Up! product you use that is no longer in the catalogs - and it's actually very fun to shop the stash and re-discover what you have!

I designed this card for my monthly team stamping bee for local members.  I design and prep 3-4 projects for us to create as we laugh and catch up.  It's a perk for my downline, but I absolutely LOVE being with them each month.  When the morning is over, everyone has visibly renewed energy plus 4 cute cards to send out!

I realized while taking these photos that the card can be vertical or horizontal.  Happy accident!  

Large and small daisies from Daisy Lane were stamped in Daffodil Delight on Daffodil Delight cardstock, then punched out using the coordinating daisy punches.  I LOVE that "smile" sentiment - it's not too large, not too small, and beautifully scripted in a readable font.

Did you catch the Night Of Navy diagonal strip on the Misty Moonlight card base?  It's 7"x1", glued diagonally, with the overhang trimmed.  It's a great design trick for pulling the eye along the daisy explosion!

The inside is a 4"x5-1/4" piece of Whisper White cardstock with the edges stamped in Daffodil Delight ink and the small daisy stamp.  We leave nothing naked when we stamp!

Card Recipe:

• Misty Moonlight cardstock- 8-1/2"x5-1/2" card base, folded in half at 4-1/4"
• Night Of Navy cardstock- 7"x1" strip
• 4-3/4"x3-3/4" piece of Designer Series Paper in this or this
• Daffodil Delight cardstock - to stamp and punch daisies
• Whisper White cardstock - 5-1/4"x4" for inside; 4"x1" for sentiment
• Night Of Navy ink
• Daffodil Delight ink
• Daisy Punch
• Medium Daisy Punch
• In Color Enamel Dots

Mystery Stamping Hour

Next one is Sunday June 28 at 8 PM (ET)

Open and free to everyone!  Details here.

If you are enjoying The Joyful Stamper site

• Request a catalog package here, if you don't already have a demonstrator you love.
• Subscribe to Stampin' News, a weekly email that delivers fun, tips, and specials right to you.  Get a free exclusive Stampin' News Subscriber pdf tutorial as a sign-up thank you!
• Shop my store and to save money check out the Clearance Rack and Discounted Bundles.
• 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!

Letting Go

We dropped our oldest child off at college yesterday.  

We have three girls and with my husband often feeling out-numbered and out-talked, I am especially close to them.  Together, we've done quite a bit these last 18+years - shopped, baked, rode bikes, taken walks, played games, had special adventures, laughed until we couldn't breathe, and so much more.  

Being someone who reads anything (I read my husband's Family Handyman magazines when he was a subscriber so I can offer plenty of verbal instructions on building a shed from scratch or rewiring your home; just don't expect me to actually KNOW how to do those things), I soaked up every item pinned to the hall bulletin boards.  College is the most expensive fun a person can have, so I wanted to make sure my oldest knew about it all!  By the time I'd read and shared everything, my husband and I were ready to hand the car keys to her and tell her to head back home while we kept her room and returned to college ourselves!

While I feel an ache in my heart today, I'm also very very excited for her.  What touched me the most - to the point of (hidden) tears - was her anxiousness to quickly find a church.  She told us that she was worried she'd drift from her faith and "get into trouble" if she couldn't find a church to attend regularly.  When I heard that concern, I felt peace wash over me.  To spend 18+ years raising her and hear that her most pressing worry was drifiting from her faith in college gave me confidence to let her go.  I'll pray and lift her up before the Lord, knowing God's doing what I cannot.  

The cards I'm sharing today have nothing to do with my post, but are simply a reflection of the joy I feel in seeing my oldest take her first steps of independence, steps that are following right behind the Lord. My sweet, generous upline Lyssa Zwolanek of Song of My Heart Stampers inspired these cards.  I adore being a part of her team!  They lift my soul and make me happy!  I'll be attending OnStage in November, a Stampin' Up! demo event filled with lots of gifts and peeks of new product from upcoming catalogs.  I am so excited to see this wonderful team there!  We just had a team meeting Monday night on Facebook and I was looking forward to it all day.

I used the Daisy Lane stamp set and Medium Daisy punch to make these cards, along with the Shimmer Detailed Lace Specialty DSP.

Here are some other cards using these products.  Click on the photos to get the details:

What new beginnings do you have in your life?  If Stampin' Up! is something you are interested in beginning, whether as a demonstrator or as a new hobby, contact me.  I'd love to help you make your new beginnings happen!

My Bathroom Wall Made Me Do It

Did you ever see something and feel like you had to drop everything and make it into a card right now?  It doesn't matter whether or not you actually could drop everything and run to your stamp table.  I'm asking if you've ever felt that feeling, that burst of inspiration, that urgency to get the idea out of your head and onto something tangible, that itch to play with colors and shapes and stamps.  At those moments, I'm grateful for the humble pencil and notebook since I usually cannot stamp at the exact moment I have the Greatest Card Idea Ever.  Jotting it down preserves that nugget of creative genius for later.

Here's the card that was the result......

And this is the cause....

It is a wall decor piece that I bought at Hobby Lobby about 4 years ago.  It's rather large and covers one wall of our bathroom (the only one in our home I might add and we have three teenage daughters - sharing is caring!).  I have always loved the colors and when I realized the other day that I have a stamp set and a punch that I could use to recreate this, I was SO excited!  As in, I shouted to my husband, "I can't believe this!  I can actually make that now!" He responded with great enthusiasm, taking the scrub brush from my hand and exclaiming, "Let me finish cleaning the bathroom!  You must go make it now!"

Actually, he didn't.  It would have perfectly finished the scene, though, right?

While making the card, I ran into an overly juicy ink pad that stamped blotchy, so I thought I'd share a tip with you.  Blotchy images are a result of a too-inky pad, so take a plastic spoon and use the back of it to massage the surface of the ink pad.  This pushes the surface ink down into the pad, leaving less on top to make your image blotchy.  And please excuse my chipped self-done manicure.  My house doesn't self-clean, my meals don't self-cook, and my laundry doesn't self-wash and fold.  

The stamped daisy on the left is before using the spoon, the stamped daisy on the right is after using the spoon.  Much better!

And here's what I used to make my card, in addition to the larger Daisy Punch:

 See another card using this bundle here. 

I hope you found that helpful.  I want you to have a fun stamping experience, so I love to pass along what I've learned.  If you have a tip to share, leave it in the comments!  And if you want more tips and project ideas, be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter here.  You'll receive a free Class To Go project instruction sheet as a thank you.  You'll love the card ingredient list and measurements, clear step-by-step instructions, and color photos.  You can stamp with confidence!  Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter here.  Thank you for taking the time to read my blog - I so appreciate you!

Daisy Lane Class To Go Project Sneak Peek

Sneak peeks are fun!  Even more so when you know the peek is just a sampling of what's to come.  In this case, it means more beautiful projects are yours for the making and sending in this month's Class To Go!

What You Get with a Joyful Stamper Class To Go:

• Daisy Lane Bundle (includes Daisy Lane stamp set and Medium Daisy Punch)
• 2018-2020 In Color Stampin' Write Markers (set of 5)
• FREE kit with all the cardstock, embellishments, and ribbon to create the projects
• FREE envelopes
• Step-by-step instructions with full color photos of finished samples emailed to you as a pdf file
• $5 Bonus Days Coupon to use in August
• A completely fun crafting experience designed with your enjoyment in mind

I Want a Joyful Stamper Class To Go!  How Can I Get One?

Go to my online store here and order:

• Daisy Lane bundle (item #151118)
• 2018-2020 In Color Stampin' Write Markers (item # 147159)
• You will need to order these basic stamping items if you don't already have them: clear block D, clear block H, Paper Snips, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Memento Tuxedo Black Ink Pad
• If you have the bundle or markers, simply substitute items of equal or greater value.  You'll still get the free kit and pdf instructions!
• It's also a great time to add on to your order whatever else you like since you'll get a $5 coupon for every $50 you order (before shipping and tax)!  Consider the larger Daisy Punch as it has a coordinating image in both the Daisy Lane and Daisy Delight stampsets. 

• Make sure to use the Host Code KVQ6SS4R if your order is under $150 (very important as this lets me know you want the Class To Go).  If your order is over $150, do not use the host code because you get free Stampin' Rewards!  You'll still get the free kit and pdf instructions.

Deadline to register by ordering is July 15.  I have limited spots for this Class To Go so get in now to receive your kit!

Please email me with any questions.  My desire is to make this a fun, immersive crafting experience for you!  Remember that there are limited spots so it's best to order now.  

Daisy Lane Class To Go

You are going to love this class to go!  I was so excited while designing these samples!  I was even able to add a bonus project for you and it is an adorable way to give a small gift to someone.  

What You Get with a Joyful Stamper Class To Go:

• Daisy Lane Bundle (includes Daisy Lane stamp set and Medium Daisy Punch)
• 2018-2020 In Color Stampin' Write Markers (set of 5)
• FREE kit with all the cardstock, embellishments, and ribbon to create the projects
• FREE envelopes
• Step-by-step instructions with full color photos of finished samples emailed to you as a pdf file
• $5 Bonus Days Coupon to use in August
• A completely fun crafting experience designed with your enjoyment in mind

I Want a Joyful Stamper Class To Go!  How Can I Get One?

Go to my online store here and order:

• Daisy Lane bundle (item #151118)
• 2018-2020 In Color Stampin' Write Markers (item # 147159)
• You will need to order these basic stamping items if you don't already have them: clear block D, clear block H, Paper Snips, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Memento Tuxedo Black Ink Pad
• If you have the bundle or markers, simply substitute items of equal or greater value.  You'll still get the free kit and pdf instructions!
• It's also a great time to add on to your order whatever else you like since you'll get a $5 coupon for every $50 you order (before shipping and tax)!  Consider the larger Daisy Punch as it has a coordinating image in both the Daisy Lane and Daisy Delight stamp sets. 

• Make sure to use the Host Code KVQ6SS4R if your order is under $150 (very important as this lets me know you want the Class To Go).  If your order is over $150, do not use the host code because you get free Stampin' Rewards!  You'll still get the free kit and pdf instructions.

Deadline to register by ordering is July 15.  I have limited spots for this Class To Go so get in early to get your kit!

Please email me with any questions.  My desire is to make this a fun, immersive crafting experience for you!  Remember that there are limited spots so it's best to order early.