Bird of Friendship

#stampinup   #faithfulinkspirations   One of the benefits of being on home quarantine is that I'm awakened each morning to a plethora of birdsong.  Our house backs to a wooded creek and the trees are starting to sprout their leaves. It's like living in a tree house. It's such a pleasure to be awakened by the singing birds--they must be happy for spring to have finally arrived! (We have one male woodpecker who insists on pecking on our house at precisely 6:30 AM on Sundays--he's not so welcomed! We just pound on our wall and "Woody" flies back to his tree.)

Since the lovely Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper and Laser-Cut Cards & Tin are on the retiring list, I thought I'd make a card using these products. I also used a bit of Parisian Blossoms DSP (retiring) on the card and envelope. Have a look.

I adhered a 4-1/4" by 5" piece of Pool Party floral Parisian Blossoms DSP (retiring) to the inside of a Bird Ballad Laser-Cut Card (retiring). While I was listening to a podcast, I fussy cut a spray of flowers and a bird from the Bird Ballad DSP (retiring). I adhered this directly to the card front, with Multipurpose Liquid Glue.

I stamped a sentiment from the "Free as a Bird" stamp set in Soft Suede Ink onto Very Vanilla Card Stock and cut it out with one of the Stitched Nested Labels Dies. PROTIP: While both the "Free as a Bird" stamp set and Stitched Nested Labels Dies will carry over to the new catalog, they will no longer be offered as a bundle for 10% off. If these are on your wish list, get them before June 2nd!

I adhered the label to the card with Stampin' Dimensionals and tucked in a bit of Petal Pink Organdy Striped Ribbon for a pretty accent.

I also adhered a bit of Parisian Blossoms DSP (retiring) to the flap of the Bird Ballad envelope and trimmed the scalloped edge. That gives a nice coordinating flair to the set.

This Sunday is the first Sunday of the month, and our Creation Station blog hop will be live about 9AM EDT. You won't want to miss that--you'll see awesome projects created by Stampin' Up demonstrators from around the world! Come back to my blog where you can start on the hop!

Stay safe! Stay healthy! Stay home!

tams# 44285

Product List

Free As A Bird Bundle [151123] $51.25	Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad [147115] $7.50	Bird Ballad Laser-Cut Cards & Tin [149595] $18.00	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [101650] $9.75
Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper [149592] $11.50	Parisian Blossoms Specialty Designer Series Paper [151192] $14.50	Petal Pink 5/8" (1.6 Cm) Organdy Striped Ribbon [149441] $8.00	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $4.00
Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755] $4.00	Paper Snips [103579] $10.00

Free as a Bird Kit to Go

#stampinup   #faithfulinkspirations   #KitsToGo   My job has put most of us on administrative leave for the time being. I'm blessed to have a stable job with a steady income. I know there are many people out there who can't say the same. I'm praying for our country--and our world--for our health and economy. I know we're strong. I know we'll get through it. In the meantime, we need to find positive things to do during our quarantine.

What better way of being positive is doing something creative? Making cards is my creative outlet. I love the process of creating a little piece of art. I've made a promise that I will not only #makeacard but that I will also #sendacard. I have loads of cards and I'm going to start sending them out in the hope of encouraging others and brightening their day.

If you'd like to do that--make something pretty and send it to someone--I can hook you up with all the supplies you need. The easiest way is to subscribe to Paper Pumpkin. You'll receive an all-inclusive kit once a month. These kits are so fun and easy to do. If you have kids at home, they can create along with you. Sign up by April 10 to get the "My Wonderful Family" kit. The kit is $22 "pay as you go." You can save money by subscribing:  
3 months for $63; 6 months for $114; or 12 months for $220. If you subscribe for 3 months or more before March 31st, you're eligible for FREE product during Sale-a-Bration. Click on the Paper Pumpkin on the right side of my blog, or contact me for more info. 

I'm also offering a few "to go" kits (while supplies last). Today's kit uses product from the Bird Ballad Suite on pages 90-92 of the Annual Catalog. There are two options: a product plus pre-cut card kit or just the pre-cut card kit. 

Option One: Product Plus Pre-Cut Card Kit

Purchase all the following items on my online store (click on one of the thumbnails below to start you order) and I'll send you all the supplies and instructions to make three of these cute thank you cards. 

Free As a Bird stamp set
Petal Pink Stampin' Blends Combo
Pool Party Stampin' Blends Combo
Crumb Cake Ink Pad
Acrylic Block D

The total, with shipping and tax (if you're in Maryland), is $65.30. Plus you'll be eligible for a FREE level 1 Sale-a-Bration item (through March 31).

Option Two Pre-Cut Card Kit

Already have the stamp set and supplies? Then order the 
pre-cut card kit to make three of these cards. The kit is $10 (or FREE with a $50 order of any type) it includes all die cuts, pre-cut designer series paper, ribbon, and envelopes. To order, email me at kkstamper@comcast.net and I'll give you instructions for paying me online. The kits will be sent to you via USPS.

Check back tomorrow for another fun kit--in time for Father's Day or a manly birthday.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay home.

tams# 42677

Product List

Free As A Bird Cling Stamp Set [149468] $22.00	Petal Pink Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack [147272] $9.00	Pool Party Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack [144605] $9.00	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad [147116] $7.50
Clear Block D [118485] $8.50

Creation Station: The Full Monty

#stampinup   #creationstation   #faithfulinkspirations   Oh what a fun blog hop our design team mavens have come up with for February--“The Full Monty” aka "The Whole Kit and Caboodle." Our design team has been inspired to make any project using an entire suite of products. There are so many wonderful suites in the Annual Catalog and in the January-to-June Mini Catalog that I had a hard time choosing. In the end, I went with the Bird Ballad Suite on pages 90 through 92 of the Annual Catalog. I chose this suite because I love it (duh) and because I have most of the products therein. Take a look at my project!

I made a fancy-schmancy, fun-fold card with matching envelope and decorated the Bird Ballad Card Tin. I used just about everything in the Bird Ballad Suite.  I don't have any of the Bird Ballad Trinkets, so you won't see those here. Of course, I used additional products, too!

I'm usually in such a rush just to make a card that I never think about decorating the envelope. Well, I think about it, but I never have the time! Here, I stamped the larger bird from the "Free As A Bird" stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored it with Light and Dark Petal Pink and Light Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends.

The envelopes that come with the Bird Ballad Laser-Cut Cards are cute on their own, but I went ahead and made a liner. I cut some of the gorgeous Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper into a 5-7/8" by 6" square, slipped it into the envelope, and adhered the top to the envelope flap. I fussy cut the scalloped edge, using the envelope as a guide.

I used one of the Bird Ballad Laser-Cut cards, but I zhuzhed it up a bit. First, I cut in in half--yikes! I cut a 4-1/2" by 5" piece of the Petal Pink Polka Dotted Bird Ballad DSP and adhered it so that it would show through to the front of the card. Here's PROTIP: I squirted a bit of Multipurpose Glue onto a piece of scrap plastic and then used a Q-tip to apply the glue just to the inside frame. No fuss, no mess! I love that! I also cut an extra 4" by 5-1//8" piece of Very Vanilla Card Stock to use later.

Next, I cut a 4" by 11" piece of Petal Pink Card Stock. I scored this at 5" and 10".

Now comes the fun part. I adhered the bottom part (as shown in the picture above) to the non-laser-cut piece of the Bird Ballad Laser-Cut Card, like so.

Then, I adhered the bottom of the laser-cut piece to the top flap. Be careful to align with the bottom of your card.

Because the back of the Petal Pink polka dot piece of Bird Ballad DSP doesn't match with the rest of my project, I adhered that extra piece of  4" by 5-1/8" Very Vanilla Card Stock on top!

Here's the fun-fold card, unfolded.

You can see that I added a 3-1/2" by 4-1/2" piece of the same blue Bird Ballad DSP that I used as the envelop liner and the belly band on the tin.

For the card front, I stamped the image of birds on a branch in Tuxedo Black onto Very Vanilla Card Stock. I colored the birds with a combination of Light and Dark Petal Pink, Light Pool Party, Light Old Olive, and Light Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends. I cut this out with one of the Stitched Nested Label Dies that comes as part of the Free As A Bird Bundle. I embossed a piece of Pool Party Card Stock with the Subtle Embossing Folder and cut it out with another Stitched Nested Label Die. I stamped a sentiment from the "Free As A Bird" stamp set onto this and then adhered it to the bird label. I adhered a length of the Scalloped Lace Trim to the card and then adhered the label to the card with Stampin' Dimensionals. I added a few Gold Metallic Pearls to the card for fun.

The Bird Ballad Laser-Cut Card Tin is gorgeous by itself, but I wanted to add a fun belly band. I cut a 3" by 12" piece of the blue Bird Ballad DSP and scored it at 1-1/2", 3", 8-5/8", and 10-1/4". I needed a bit more to make it all the way around the tin, so I cut a 3" by 5" piece of the DSP and pieced it together on the bottom. I used a Stitched Rectangle Die to cut a piece of Gold Foil Sheet to slip behind the belly band--but before I did, I used a circular Stitched Shape Die to cut a piece out of the middle! I tied a long length of Scalloped Lace Trim around the belly band.

That was pretty, but more is MORE! I stamped the birds on a branch image in Tuxedo Black onto Very Vanilla and colored the birds with the same group of Stampin' Blends. I punched this out with my 2" Circle Punch, adhered it to a Pool Party Card Stock circle that I cut with one of the layering Circles Dies, and then onto the stitched Gold Foil circle that I cut earlier. I adhered this to the belly band with Stampin' Dimensionals. 

Next, I stamped one of the flowers from the "Free As A Bird" set in Tuxedo Black Ink onto Very Vanilla and colored it with Light So Saffron and Light Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends. Then I colored the flower with Clear Wink of Stella. I fussy cut it with my Paper Snips and adhered it to the medallion with a Stampin' Dimensional. I plopped a Gold Metallic Pearl in the center. Finally, I stamped "hello" from the same stamp set in Tuxedo Black and cut it out with the smallest Stitched Nested Label Die. I adhered this to the belly band with Stampin' Dimensionals and gave it a little bling with a Gold Metallic Pearl.

I hope you enjoyed my Full Monty project. Next up is the fabulous Sara Nell Langland. I'm sure you'll be dazzled and inspired by Sara's project!

tams# 40959

Product List

Bird Ballad Suite [152190] $94.75	Free As A Bird Bundle [151123] $51.25	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $6.00	Bird Ballad Laser-Cut Cards & Tin [149595] $18.00
Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [101650] $9.75	Petal Pink 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146985] $8.75	Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [122924] $8.75	Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper [149592] $11.50
Gold Foil Sheets [132622] $5.00	Petal Pink Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack [147272] $9.00	Pool Party Light Stampin' Blends Marker [144595] $4.50	Crumb Cake Light Stampin' Blends Marker [144582] $4.50
Old Olive Light Stampin' Blends Marker [144574] $4.50	So Saffron Light Stampin’ Blends Marker [149555] $4.50	Pumpkin Pie Light Stampin' Blends Marker [144578] $4.50	Subtle Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [143706] $10.00
Stitched Rectangle Dies [148551] $35.00	Stitched Shapes Dies [152323] $30.00	Layering Circles Dies [141705] $35.00	2" (5.1 Cm) Circle Punch [133782] $18.00
Very Vanilla 3/8" (1 Cm) Scalloped Lace Trim [149593] $7.00	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [141897] $8.00	Metallic Pearls [146282] $7.00	Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755] $4.00
Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $4.00	Paper Snips [103579] $10.00	Simply Scored [122334] $30.00