3 ways to use the free Textures & Frames Sale-A-Bration stamp set

3 ways to use the free Textures & Frames Sale-A-Bration stamp set

3 ways to use the free Textures & Frames Sale-A-Bration stamp set

Today is the last day to earn a free exclusive Sale-A-Bration item. If you are on the fence about which free item to choose, I may help you decide on the Textures & Frames stamp set with three cards I have to show you. 

For my first card design, I thought that the Textures & Frames stamp set paired well with the Penguin Playmates Sale-A-Bration DSP. They both have a playful feel to them. I had already snipped out some of the penguins from one of the sheets of Penguin Playmates DSP but had some Polar Bear parts that I wanted to use up. 

For this particular Polar Bear, I cut out the top and bottom from different parts of the paper where the image was cut off and so I just hid the separation behind the Happy Birthday banner. 

I was patting myself on the back after figuring out that one. Then it doesn’t hurt so much when I use all the potential cut-out parts from the 12” x 12” sheet of paper instead of writing it off as waste.

I thought I would use my favourite blues to coordinate with the Polar Bear’s scarf. They were Misty Moonlight, Balmy Blue and the recently retired Seaside Spray In-Color ink. If you don’t have Seaside Spray, Pool Party could be an alternative colour.

I adhered down the Polar Bear with Stampin’ Dimensionals to the stamped circle panel and tucked the Happy Birthday banner behind it. I glued down the stamped panel to a piece of Misty Moonlight card stock to give it a frame and then glued that to a card base.

Fox, penguin & snowman peekaboo card

I wanted to try multi-generation stamping with the different stamp designs in the Textures & Frames set. I chose colours based on another sheet of paper in the Penguin Playmates DSP that had the fox, snowman and a penguin that could also be cut out.

Multi-generation stamping is when you stamp an ink colour either direct to paper (most common) or stamp-off once to a scrap paper and use the ink left on the stamp. If you use a darker ink colour, you can get a third-generation stamped image. 

I used first and second-generation stamping with the ink colours Fresh Freesia, Soft Sea Foam and Balmy Blue. I used a circle die to cut out the center of each area of colour and tucked in the characters to make it look like they were popping out to say, “Happy Birthday!”

The Happy Birthday sentiment came from the Artistically Inked stamp set.  I used Calypso Coral ink for the sentiment to match the fox and pull that colour in elsewhere on the card.

Layering textures for a masculine birthday card 

I was very happy with the combination of blue colours from the first card and wanted to try layering the thick and thin brush strokes stamps. 

The Stamparatus came in handy for this one. I lined up the stamp in the swinging panel, and after stamping, I would take it off and move it up one or two spots and stamp again. I tried different variations of stamps and colours on a few sheets of paper. Some I stamped right off the top and bottom of the card panel and on some I stayed within the frame.

For this card, I went off the top and bottom so I decided to cut two thin strips of Misty Moonlight cardstock and glued them to the left and right edges to enhance the vertical feel.

I stamped the largest birthday greeting from the Happiest of Birthdays stamp set with Versamark on Misty Moonlight card stock. I covered the Versamark with white embossing powder and melted it with my heat tool. I didn’t want to cover up too much of the stamping so I cut around the sentiment instead of trimming it to a rectangle. I popped the sentiment up with Stampin’ Dimensionals and the card was complete. 

If you are interested, the Textures & Frames stamp set is currently free with a $60 order from my online store until midnight tonight. To learn more about the Sale-A-Bration items or how this promotion works, visit my What is Sale-A-Bration and how do I get free items post.

If you have any questions regarding the supplies or measurements, be sure to leave a comment below or contact me and I will gladly help you out! 

Remember to tag me (@creativeblendwithdawn) on social media if you make any of these card designs. I would love to see them.

Until the next one, Dawn

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Make an interactive birthday card with the free Penguin Playmates Sale-a-bration item

Make an interactive birthday card with the free Penguin Playmates Sale-a-bration item

Make an interactive birthday card with the free Penguin Playmates Sale-a-bration item

Isn’t this penguin and polar bear card just the cutest? I used the Penguin Playmates Designer Series Paper (DSP) which is perfect for Winter birthday cards. It is another one of the free Sale-a-bration items Stampin’ Up! is offering until September 30.  I also added an Action Wobbler to make it interactive. I’m sort of on a Wobbler kick right now and can’t stop adding them to cards that have cute characters on them. Take a look at the 4-second video showing the penguin wobbling.

Penguin Playmates DSP pack

Before I explain how I made the card, I want to show you all the designs that come with this paper pack. There are numerous penguins, polar bears, foxes, and snowmen to either fussy cut or use as-is. I like the patterns on the opposite sides of the paper a lot. They are bright, colourful, and can be used for more than just winter-themed cards. 

The colours that coordinate with the paper are Balmy Blue, Calypso Coral, Fresh Freesia, Just Jade, Misty Moonlight, Soft Sea Foam, and Basic Black. This DSP pack also coordinates with the Penguin Place Bundle (156789) on page 33 from the July–December 2021 Mini Catalog.

PENGUIN PLAYMATES 12″ X 12″ (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER

158420
SALE-A-BRATION
FREE WITH $60 PURCHASE

Supplies, measurements and directions to make the card 

Stamps

  • Sweet Ice Cream photopolymer set (158224)

Paper

  • Penguin Playmates 12″ x 12″ (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Designer Series Paper (158420)
  • Gray Granite cardstock (146983)
  • Basic White cardstock (159231)

Ink

  • Gray Granite classic stampin’ pad (147118)

Other

  • Tailor Made Tags Dies (155563)
  • Subtle Shimmer Sequins (156407)
  • White twine from Baker’s Twine Essentials pack (155475)
  • Action Wobbler 

Measurements

  • Gray Granite (base): 8-1⁄2” x 5-1⁄2”, score at 4-1⁄4”
  • Designer Series Paper – 2 strips of snowflake pattern: 1⁄2” x 5-1/2”
  • Designer Series Paper – trees pattern: 3” x 5-1/2”
  • Gray Granite – bottom tag: 2” x 4”
  • Basic White – top tag: 2” x 4”
  • Basic White – scrap piece for stamped sentiment
  • Basic White – for inside card: 3-1/2″ x 5-1/2″

Directions

  1. Stamp the greeting using Gray Granite ink on Basic White scrap cardstock. Cut the words apart using your scissors.
  2. Die cut the largest sized tag from the Tailor Made Tags Die using the 2” x 4” Gray Granite cardstock. 
  3. Die cut the largest sized tag from the Tailor Made Tags Die using the 2” x 4” Basic White cardstock. 
  4. Fussy cut the polar bear and penguin characters from the Designer Series Paper.
  5. Center the tree patterned DSP in the center of the front panel and adhere only down the middle.
  6. Tuck and adhere one strip of the snowflake patterned DSP under the tree patterned DSP leaving about 1/4″ showing. Do the same to the other side of the tree patterned DSP.
  7. Adhere the edges of the tree patterned DSP down now that the snowflake patterned DSP has adhered.
  8. Loop and secure the white twine through both the Gray Granite and Basic White die cut tags at the same time.
  9. Offset them a bit and adhere them down in the centre of the card front. 
  10. Using Mini Dimensionals, adhere the Happy Birthday sentiment as shown on the card.
  11. Using Dimensionals, adhere the polar bear down as shown on the card.
  12. Attach an Action Wobbler to the backside of the penguin.
  13. Adhere down the penguin as shown.
  14. Scatter a few Subtle Shimmer Sequins (I used 5) and adhere them down with a dot of liquid glue.

This tutorial is copyright by Creative Blend and may not be sold or distributed for monetary gain. Thanks!

More ideas using the Penguin Playmates DSP

Another idea I had while working on this card was to make a tag set with the DSP and use the Action Wobblers on the character that would appeal the most to your recipient. You could make a tiny box with the DSP that would fit the set of tags and give it as a gift to someone. 

The Action Wobbler is the “wow” factor for this card. An interactive card using them can’t get any easier to make and you’ll find it hard to stop activating the wobbler yourself 🙂

I hope you give this tutorial a try and I would love it if you tagged me (@creativeblendwithdawn) in a social media post if you make it.

If you are interested in getting your hands on the Penguin Playmates DSP, you can get it free with a $60 order from my online store or you can simply contact me to make an order. If you want to learn more about the Sale-A-Bration items or how this promotion works, visit my What is Sale-A-Bration and how do I get free items post.

Until the next one, Dawn

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How to find card making ideas and inspiration

How to find card making ideas and inspiration

How to find card making ideas and inspiration

How often do you find yourself wanting to create a very special card or gift for an upcoming occasion and just can’t think of an idea that works? You may have tried making what you have pictured in your head and then when you see it in front of you, it just isn’t what you expected. This happens all the time for me and I often toss out the original idea and have to start fresh. Back to the drawing board! This is when creative block sets in and I need some inspiration and a new idea.

Go through your supplies to find ideas and inspiration

The first thing I do is look at my stamp sets and dies. Usually, the card you want to make is for a holiday or occasion, so start there. Let’s say you need a birthday card. Pull out all your birthday related stamps, dies and embossing folders. Next, pull out some Designer Series Paper (DSP) or also known as patterned paper. This is where a lot of “ah-ha” moments set in where I remember that I probably bought that paper because it would work for a birthday card. Finally, pull out any coordinating inks and card stock that would coordinate with the paper. 

Grab your Stampin’ Up! catalogues

Old or new, doesn’t matter. You can look up the stamp set you want to use if you know what catalogue it was from. There is always a card or project using your stamp set in there. If it’s an older set and you don’t know what catalogue it came from, just pick up any catalogue and start flipping the pages. Something will jump out at you that will spark an idea or have a design layout that will work.

Start sketching

Pick a stamp or two that you are drawn to. Draw a few boxes on a piece of paper and begin sketching a few layout ideas. It is important here to keep it simple. Boxes, squiggles, circles, and lines are all you need. Try to come up with two to five sketches. One or two of them will feel right, to begin with.

Make a decision and go with it

Choose your layout, choose the paper, decide on your ink colour and start layering the elements to match your layout ideas. Move the elements around and trust your instinct. Don’t forget to take a picture of the layouts you like. I find if I like something and forget to take a picture, I have a hard time remembering what the ideas I liked were.

Browse the internet for ideas and inspiration but with a time limit

If you still need a bit more inspiration and direction, take a quick look at creative resources for paper crafters on the internet. Some ideas are:

Give yourself a time limit of 15 to 20 minutes. Spending too much time browsing will distract you and may even overwhelm you.

Try these tips out when you’re struggling. If you don’t find the inspiration or an idea you were looking for, I’m positive that you’ll have found multiple other ideas for cards that you will want to make soon.

Have fun!

Dawn

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