2 Pretty and Easy Fall Card Ideas

My sweet team leader Lyssa Zwolanek of Song Of My Heart Stampers brightened my day with these 2 autumn-themed cards.  I've been on her team for almost 8 years now and each year gets more fun than the last!  In fact, we have a meeting tonight on our team's Facebook page and I guarantee I'll be looking forward to it all day.  With Lyssa's permission, I've included the Card Recipes below.  

Beautiful Autumn Card

• Cut a Crumb Cake card base of 4-1/4"x11", folded in half at 5-1/2".
• Cut a 4"x5-1/4" piece of Crumb Cake cardstock and glue to the card base.
• All images are stamped and punched with the Beautiful Autumn Bundle.
• Stamp little leaves in Crumb Cake ink on the card's background.
• Stamp and punch 2 leaves in Cajun Craze ink on Cajun Craze cardstock.
• Stamp and punch 2 leaves in Cherry Cobbler ink on Cherry Cobbler cardstock.
• Stamp and punch 2 acorns in Bumblebee in on Bumblebee cardstock.
• Zig zag and adhere Bumblebee Gingham Ribbon.
• Stamp sentiment in Crumb Cake ink on Whisper White cardstock.
• Punch with 2-1/4" Circle Punch and adhere to card with Stampin' Dimensionals.
• Add Champagne Basics Rhinestones.

Shop the Supply List for this card - All supplies are in my store!

Harvest Hellos Card

• Cut a 5-1/2"x8-1/2" base from Crumb Cake cardstock and fold in half at 4-1/4".
• Cut a 3"x4-1/4" piece of Bumblebee cardstock and glue to card base.
• All images are from Harvest Hellos.
• In Bumblebee ink, stamp the sentiment on Whisper White cardstock (the stamp set has 6 greetings to choose from). 
• Use the Rectangular Postage Punch to punch out the sentiment panel and also panels from Pear Pizzazz and 2020-2022 In Color Designer Series Paper Pack.  Glue to card.
• Stamp apple in Real Red ink on Real Red cardstock.  Use Apple Builder Punch to punch out apple, a stem in Early Espresso, and a leaf in Pear Pizzazz.  Glue to card.

Shop the Supply List for this card - All supplies are in my store!

👇👇👇👇👇

Last day to register for November's Creativity Kit! Read the details here.

Use the special code shown in Thursday's Live when you email me your Creativity Kit registration and I'll send you the Bonus Idea packet for your kit!  Order both Creativity Kits and save $5 and get the packets for BOTH these Bonus Ideas!

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!

Facebook Live Bonus & Sweet 'N Simple Class Projects

I shared these projects as bonuses on my Tuesday Facebook Live Stamping Class.  I call it the Happy (half) Hour because I keep it to around a half hour and it's happy!  You can watch the replay on my blog, on Facebook, or on my YouTube channel (make sure to follow me or subscribe to my channel).

We also made these - along with the original projects in the Live - in my monthly Sweet 'N Simple class.  If you live in the Pittsburgh, PA area, this is your invitation to attend.  I LOVE stamping with others and it doesn't matter what your experience level is - you are welcome at my Stamping Cottage!  Check out my Class and Event page.

I saw another demonstrator use the striped Golden Honey Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP) with the Pleased As Punch DSP hearts.  It's a striking look so I let that inspire this card.  The hearts were punched with the Heart Punch Pack.  I added an additional piece of the Golden Honey DSP that had been die-cut with the Stitched So Sweetly dies.  After die-cutting it, I cut it in half length-wise to stretch it underneath the striped piece.  Those are Clear Faceted Gems anchoring the greeting (from Timeless Tulips).  

This card has some crazy colors going on!  The striped paper is from the Pleased As Punch DSP.  You won't find it in any Stampin' Up! catalog.  It's an out-of-publication item that was just introduced and will be here until March 31 or while suppies last, whichever comes first.  The flowers are also from that same pack of DSP.  I used the free Level 2 Sale-A-Bration Small Bloom Punch on them and attached them with Stampin' Dimensionals to a Stitched So Sweetly die-cut.  The greeting is from Timeless Tulips (there's a lot of great sentiments covering many occasions in that set!).

Easy technique tip: tear your cardstock!  I tore in half a piece of Mango Melody cardstock, then flipped each piece so that the torn side was visible.  For added texture, use your fingernail to curl the cardstock edges.  Don't you love what it adds to the card? 👏 

With this plethora of colors, you have your choice of ribbon!  In this case, I tied a piece of Grapefruit Grove Grosgrain Ribbon in a bow and attached it with a Mini Glue Dot.  Grapefruit Grove is an In Color that's retiring this year, so I'm trying to use up my stash of it.  This was actually my last piece of this ribbon, so I'm doing good!  

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 tonight!

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

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.
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• 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!

5 Days of Christmas | Gift Card Holders | Day 3

Welcome back to Day 3 of the 5 Days of Christmas!  I'm showing creative ways to give gift cards!  Did you miss any?  See them here:

• Day 1
• Day 2

Today's idea was made by my friend and fellow Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Lori Brausen of Duchess of Design.  I met her in Las Vegas when we were there for OnStage.  I've known her for years on Facebook, so I was thrilled to finally give her a hug!  Her beautifully kind and generous soul was even more heart-warming in person.  

The Gold Pizza Boxes are 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" and come flat in the package.  You just need to fold to assemble.  The shiny gold make these super fancy.  

Lori used the following to make these:

• Whisper White cardstock (3-1/4" x 3-1/4")
• Gold Mini Pizza Boxes
• Wrapped In Plaid Designer Series Paper (3" x 3") (2-3/4" x 1-3/4")
• Gold Foil Sheets (3-1/4" x 2")
• Shaded Spruce/Gold Striped Ribbon
• Delightful Day stamp set
• Cherry Cobbler ink
• Delightful Tag Topper Punch (gold foil tag)
• Everyday Label Punch (used on smaller Wrapped In Plaid DSP)
• Pretty Label Punch (sentiment)

Tip from Lori: punch the sentiment from the center of the Whisper White square piece to save paper.  The negative space will be covered by the Wrapped In Plaid DSP.  So smart!

The Gold Pizza Boxes easily fit a gift card.  I added shredded Shaded Spruce cardstock for a festive nest.  Lori had some other ideas for what to put in the pizza box: a fancy decorated cookie; Ghiradelli chocolates; or a set of 3" x 3" mini note cards and envelopes.  So versatile for gift giving!

Don't forget about this big Stampin' Up! sale going on now PLUS another special from me!

  
Click here for the full sale list.

Click here to shop Retiring items.  These are available while supplies last.

Click here to shop Discounted items.  These are available while supplies last.

Click here for Holiday Catalog items that are carrying over.  Starred items will be available again in the 2020 Holiday Catalog.  Unstarred items will be in the 2020-2021 Annual Catalog in June.

• Orders must be placed with Nicole Steele at my online store between Tuesday, December 3 and Sunday, December 15.
• Free shipping applies to orders of $70 or more (before shipping and tax)
• Shipping will be refunded by a check mailed to you from me, Nicole Steele.  Checks will be mailed by December 15.
• Orders must use the Host Code B422JZJ2 if between $70 - $149.  
• Orders $150 or greater do not need to use the host code - I want you to receive your Stampin' Rewards and you will still get free shipping from me, Nicole Steele.
• Questions?  Ask me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com.

I'm A Splitcoaststamper Sketch Challenge Designer!

Surprise. 

Shock.

Glee.

Excitement.

Yup, that about sums up my range of emotions when I got a private message at Splitcoaststampers inviting me to be a Sketch Challenge Designer!  I adore the site and feel so honored to be asked to contribute to its awesomeness.  

This week's sketch offers LOTS of opportunities to use up cardstock and DSP scraps.  Wave your hand if you have some of those (**I'm waving mine!**).

I packed my card with color!  Night of Navy, Crushed Curry, Mango Melody, Shaded Spruce, and Pumpkin Pie all play nicely here to make a vibrant fall scene.  The Painted Harvest stamp set had tons of images to play with.  I used the rougher looking fern image with Shaded Spruce ink to create a background.  I stamped the image at full strength, then stamped once or twice more without re-inking to get a nice variation of tone.

I love that wavy Linen Thread!  I used my bone folder to curl it slightly, just as you would with a pair of scissors and that shiny ribbon stuff when wrapping a gift.  I put a Stampin' Dimensional on my Stitched Shapes oval and laid the Linen Thread on it.

There are two sunflower images in this set, one to act as the base and the other as the filler.  I used Pumpkin Pie ink to stamp the base image on Mango Melody cardstock.  Then I used the same ink with the filler image and stamped several times without re-inking, turning my stamp slightly each time so as to fill in more areas of the sunflower.  The center is stamped with Soft Suede ink.  Aren't all the color shades in the sunflower so pretty? 

Come over to Splitcoaststampers and show us what you make with this week's sketch! 

You Can Make This!

• Painted Harvest
• Itty Bitty Greetings
• Shaded Spruce Ink
• Pumpkin Pie Ink
• Soft Suede Ink
• Thick Whisper White cardstock (4-1/2 x 11 base; 5-1/4 x 4 background panel; stitched oval shape )
• Shaded Spruce cardstock (to punch leaves)
• Mango Melody cardstock (scraps for sunflower and strip)
• Crushed Curry cardstock (scrap strips)
• Night of Navy cardstock (scrap strips)
• Linen Thread
• Bone Folder (to curl linen thread and fold card base)
• Leaf punch
• Paper Snips (for fussy cutting the sunflower)
• Stitched Shapes dies (oval used here)
• Multipurpose Liquid Glue
• Stampin' Dimensionals

 Thank you for your orders!  I appreciate your business!  Go to my Catalogs page to request a Stampin' Up! catalog, if you are not already working with a demonstrator you love.  

Perfectly Plaid Christmas Card Class

I'm announcing my Perfectly Plaid Christmas Card Class!  I'm SO excited about this one - it's got a pine tree punch, coordinating stamp set, and lots of plaid!  You're going to love it!

Perfectly Plaid Christmas Card Class

$79

Register here by September 11

You get:

• Perfectly Plaid stamp set
• Pine Tree Punch
• A FULL package of Wrapped In Plaid 6x6 Specialty Designer Series Paper
• Shaded Spruce/Gold 3/8" Striped Ribbon
• FREE Jingle Bells embellishments (my GIFT to YOU!)
• 8 card kits (2 each of 4 designs)
• 8 envelopes
• Priority Shipping is included (with tracking and insurance)
• Everything will come cut and scored, except for the Wrapped In Plaid DSP (you can choose any patterns you like for your cards!)    

You will need a Shaded Spruce ink pad and a Cherry Cobbler ink pad.  Adhesives used are Stampin' Dimensionals, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, and Glue Dots. Upgrade your registration with any of these and pay their catalog price plus just $6 shipping!  Please let me know in your registration what you would like in your upgrade.

Registering and Ordering Timeline

To register for either option, please send an email to nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com.  Registration deadline is September 11.  I will send you a PayPal invoice on September 12 and you have 24 hours to pay it.  I will then order all the product, as per Stampin' Up! policy I can neither keep product on hand nor order it until payment is received.  Barring any backorders and shipping delays, I anticipate kits will be sent out September 24 (Once orders leave Stampin' Up! they typically take a week to get to me in PA).  I will notify you of any delays and when your kit has shipped.

I'm really excited for this class and hope you are, too!

Gate Fold Card with more Perfectly Plaid

It's pretty rare for me to make a fun fold card but I did just that during a marathon Saturday night stamping session.  And before we proceed further, does anyone else find that late-night crafting energizes them?  I hear others say it's relaxing and their down time.  It has the opposite effect on me!  I get wired and more fired up and the ideas start pouring and I can't stop - I have to force myself to go to bed but then I lay there wide awake, unable to turn off the creativity.  

So what came from my late-night Saturday stamping session was an entire Christmas Card class using Stampin' Up!'s snuggly Perfectly Plaid bundle plus more cards just for fun.  I'll be announcing the class soon.  There will be gold and green and red and even jingle bells...I can't wait for you to see the class projects!  

I stamped plaid trees in Shaded Spruce ink on Cherry Cobbler cardstock, then brushed the edges with a Versamark ink pad.  Then I sprinkled on Gold Embossing Powder and melted it with a Heat Tool.  I heat embossed the sentiment, too.  I was so excited to see the size of the sentiment - it's perfect and so easy to work with.  Those trees act as closures for the gate fold.

  
This is the card when opened.  I just love it!  It makes me want to be in a cozy mountain cabin in front of a fire with fuzzy socks on, sipping hot chocolate.  

You can see my other card made with this suite here.  

There's so much to love about the Stampin' Up! Holiday catalog!  It's available to purchase from beginning September 4 for customers, but demonstrators got to pre-order this month.  My pre-order was stuffed with so many fun new things!  Take a look:

If you'd like a Holiday Catalog and aren't already working with a demonstrator you love, I have one ready to send to you.  I'll add a few product samples from the catalog, too, so you can touch and see how beautiful these offerings are!  Just email me your address.  

Thank you, friend, for the opportunity to earn your business!

Let's Hear It For The Buckeyes!

I love my aunt's buckeyes.

Love is actually a pretty weak word to describe how much I enjoy them, though.  She makes them at Christmas, so I have them just once a year.  That makes them all the more delectable.  I have 364 days to build them up in my mind, remembering the rich combination of peanut butter and chocolate.  I'm embarrassed to say how many I eat at Christmas!  Well, no I'm not.  I eat dozens.  Sure, I could have a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup but they aren't even close to my aunt's buckeyes and I refuse to settle when it comes to sweets.  And, yes, I could just ask her for the recipe and make them any time I want but not only would that be dangerous to my health (because I'd want them every week) it also would take away some of the magic and anticipation of Christmas.  

WELL, my aunt came to visit yesterday and she brought me buckeyes!  My own pan!  In August!  When it's 90 degrees!  Not even close to Christmas!  

It made my weekend.  I am so easily pleased.

I have some irony for you, though.  While the buckeyes made a surprise appearance long before their typical Christmas showing, I have a Christmas card to share with you today.  

The Wrapped In Plaid DSP is so cozy - my favorite feeling - and it looks gorgeous paired with gold!  I also love that it is in traditional colors of Shaded Spruce and Cherry Cobbler.  

Did you see this trick to save on paper here?  I used a similar idea with the gold foil mat.  A rectangle is cut from the center of the gold foil piece to use on another project.  The hole left behind is hidden by the Wrapped In Plaid DSP panel.  This trick is such a super way to stretch those pricier papers (like the foils and glimmers).

I used the Perfectly Plaid set to stamp those tree images, three times each in Shaded Spruce.  I stamped their trunks with Early Espresso ink, then used the co-ordinating Pine Punch to punch the trees out.  The stamp set and the punch can be bought as a bundle at a discounted price in the Stampin' Up! Holiday catalog!  

The Shaded Spruce/Gold Striped ribbon is also in the Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog that is available to customers September 4.  But if you want them now, join my team as a demonstrator and you can put them in your Starter Kit.

I have a SUPER fun class planned with this suite of products!  I'll be announcing it in a couple weeks after the catalog goes live.  I can't wait to share the class projects with you!  The ideas with this product suite were flowing so fast - and I'm sharing them all with you as a class because I know you'll love them!

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.