This Little Piggy....And This Little Piggy...And That Little Piggy....

Mastering the art of photographing white is a skill I haven't nailed yet, but don't focus on that.  Instead, ooh and aah over these adorably cute and happy pigs!  They all come from This Little Piggy and it's a set that's on the Retirement List.  So if their pink pudginess is one you can't live without, get the set now.

I stamped a variety of pigs on Whisper White cardstock in Sahara Sand ink, then colored them with Petal Pink Stampin' Blends.  Normally, Memento Tuxedo Black ink is what to use when coloring with Blends so that the stamped image doesn't bleed.  Since I wasn't going to be "working" the image with a lot of coloring and blending, though, it was safe to stamp with Sahara Sand.  I wanted the lighter color to add to the sweet fun of the card.

Yes, every pig was cut with a pair of Paper Snips.  Cutting is relaxing and the mind can wander as the task is done, so try it!  Who knows what problems you'll solve while cutting out 6 little pigs (if one of them is how to prevent red ink smudges from mysteriously appearing on envelopes and card elements when red ink wasn't even part of the project, please inform me immediately).

The clouds were filled with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, also on the Retiring List (now sold out).  To adhere Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, sparsely fill the clouds with Fine-Tip Glue and sprinkle on the glitter.  Shake off the excess and let the piece dry.  Spend the rest of the week finding glitter on your dog, on your bathroom mirror, and in your bra 🤔

Pin or Print the tutorial for this card

Check out another This Little Piggy card using the retiring 2018-2020 In Colors here.

May Reward Code = New In Color Sampler

Use the May Reward Code on orders placed in my store of $50 or more (before shipping and tax) to get a free 2020-2022 New Stampin' Up! In Color sampler!  Sampler packs will be sent out by the end of May PLUS you'll get a new catalog package from me! 

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 and haven't ordered since November, place an order of any size to be automatically included or email me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com.

Email me to order a Card Kit To Go from The Joyful Stamper

What's Included:

• All the supplies to create 12 cards - 3 each of 4 designs
• All kit elements are punched, die-cut, and scored for you
• a bottle of Tombow "green glue"
• 12 envelopes
• full-color photos of each card
• die-cut word sentiments in sticker format - just peel and stick!

Create with your kids!  Make a Mother's Day card!  Celebrate a graduation or birthday!  Tell someone thank you for that nice thing he or she did!  Let a friend or family member know you are thinking of them!

To Get Your Card Kit To Go:

Message me on Facebook or email me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com.  Kits are $25 for porch pick-up or add $5 to have the kit shipped to you.  Printed papers may vary slightly from the photo but they will all be from the same pack with the same colors and similar patterns.

Get a kit now!  I have a limited number available. 

If you are enjoying The Joyful Stamper site

• Request a free catalog package by emailing me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com or with this form.
• Subscribe to The Joyful Stamper 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 anytime to give yourself the best crafting experience.  Check out the Clearance Rack and Discounted Bundles while you're there.
• You'll love my crafting videos on The Joyful Stamper YouTube channel!  Subscribe while you're there and click the bell so that you always have fresh inspiration.
• Looking for community, a hobby, or a way to make extra money?  My team of My Joyful Stampers has a place for you!  Read more here.

My customers are the heart of my business and I am so grateful to all of them!  If you're new to me, welcome!  Please let me know how I can help you have your best stamping experience.

Timeless Tropical for Splitcoaststampers Card Sketch 790 + Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

It's never too late for an old dog to learn new tricks....me being the old dog.  I spent yesterday hanging out with my 7 year old niece, who is a whiz at jumping rope.  She's in a traveling club at her school.  I learned all kinds of jump rope moves and routines - combinations of heel and toe moves; front, back, and side kicks; in and out - and I learned this at almost 45 years of age!  In my front yard!  In front of my neighbors!  It was so fun, I took my niece to a PJ Dance Party at my local library that night and threw myself into jumping, skipping, shaking, wiggling, and spying for animals in the jungle.  It was exhilarating!

Have you been considering trying something new?  How about stamping? 

• Pick a sketch 
• Pick a pack of Designer Series Paper
• Choose three colors of cardstock that coordinate from the Designer Series Paper 
• Pick a stamp set and one color of ink

Let's break down how I followed the steps above.  

• Pick a sketch: Splitcoaststampers weekly card sketch 790 used here
• Pick a pack of Designer Series Paper: I used Tropical Oasis (LOVE the wild bursts of color)!
• Choose 3 colors of cardstock that coordinate with the DSP: Lovely Lipstick, Old Olive, and Daffodil Delight work!
• Pick a stamp set and one color of ink: the Timeless Tropical set and an Early Espresso ink pad 

Many stampers' first technique was heat embossing.  I used it on this card.  Stamp your image in Versamark ink, sprinkle embossing powder on the stamped image, and tap off the excess.  The powder will stick to the Versamark ink and you then use a Heat Tool to melt the powder.  Just plug it in, turn it on, and point the heat at the image.  Then watch the magic happen!  The powder melts and turns shiny!

Download, pin, or print the step-by-step tutorial to make this card.

Did you catch this week's Happy (half) Hour Stamping Class?  

You can find the project sheet for Tuesday's Happy (half) Hour Live projects here.

Click here to watch the video.

Remember, any order of $35 or more (before shipping and tax) receives the project kits from Tuesday's Live!  Be sure to use Reward Code AHKD9ZWS for orders under $150.  Orders over $150 will get their own Stampin' Rewards plus the project kits.  Place your order by Midnight ET Friday!

If you are enjoying The Joyful Stamper site

• Want a catalog and don't already work with a demonstrator you love?  Request a free catalog package by emailing me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com or via this form.
• Never miss a beat in the stamping world - subscribe to The Joyful Stamper Stampin' News, a weekly email that specially delivers fun, tips, and specials right to you.  Sign up and get a free exclusive Stampin' News Subscriber pdf tutorial as a thank you!
• Stamping is more fun with pretty products you can count on.  Shop my store anytime to give yourself the best crafting experience.
• You'll love my crafting videos on The Joyful Stamper YouTube channel!  Subscribe while you're there and click the bell so that you always have fresh inspiration.
• Looking for community, a hobby, or a way to make extra money?  My team of My Joyful Stampers has a place for you (and the Starter Kit is the especially ULTIMATE bargain right now)!  Read more here.

Thank you for choosing me as your demonstrator!  I appreciate your business!

TGIF and Splitcoatstampers Challenges

Woo-hoo!  I got to stamp this past weekend!  After being on Hilton Head Island for a week, then jumping right into our church's kids' Bible camp, it had been a few weeks since I'd created anything.  Sometimes that break is a good thing, though, because I find the ideas come easily after returning from one.

I made this for TGIF's #tgifc220 and Splitcoaststamper's CC747 challenges.  TGIF's is a sketch challenge and Splitcoaststamper's is a color challenge, so combining the two allowed me to focus on the elements of my card.  I had to substitute the retired Primrose Petals for Rococo Rose since I did not have any of the latter, but it worked!

As I was coloring the images from the Free As A Bird stamp set, my mind wandered to time spent at my parents' camp in the Allegheny National Forest near Tionesta, PA.  They have a big front porch with rocking chairs and, when my three girls were small, we'd sit there with my mother as she played bird calls on this little machine she had.  The machine came with cards that had calls from loads of bird species recorded on them.  Whichever bird the girls wanted to call, my mom would put the proper card in the machine and the girls spent so many hours having fun trying to lure real birds to call back.  My mom also had a hummingbird feeder on the porch and it was constantly seeing activity.  The girls loved seeing how long they could sit quietly so as to attract more hummingbirds to the feeder - sometimes there were so many they'd "flit" each other away so as to get a drink!  My daughters' sweet excitement and joy in God's creation is such a beautiful memory.

I encourage you to play along in challenges like these two if you find yourself short on stamping time or in a creative rut.  They really are fun, plus you get to see others' takes on the same challenge.  

Here's the Card Recipe so you can make this, too: 

• Free As A Bird stamp set
• Stitched Nested Labels Dies(used to die-cut strip under sentiment)
• Free As A Bird Bundle (stamp set and dies together to save 10%)
• Primrose Petals cardstock (5-1/2 x 8-1/2 card base, 5-1/4 x 3-3/4)
• Soft Sea Foam cardstock (scraps to stamp images and die-cut strip)
• Very Vanilla cardstock (scrap for sentiment)
• Shimmer Detailed Laser Cut DSP
• Memento Tuxedo Black Ink Pad
• Soft Suede Ink Pad (to stamp sentiment)
• Whisper White Craft Ink Pad (swiped onto Primrose Petals layer)
• Rococo Rose Scalloped Linen Ribbon
• Light & Dark Soft Sea Foam Stampin' Blends
• Light & Dark Pink Pirouette Stampin' Blends (retired)
• Light & Dark Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends
• Light & Dark Balmy Blue Stampin' Blends
• Dark Poppy Parade Stampin' Blends
• Paper Snips for fussy cutting images

Last day to register for the Daisy Lane Class To Go!

Use Host Code KVQ6SS4R

Details here.

Sign up now - I promise you'll love this class!