Welcome to the LAST day of 2023! I can hardly believe it’s ending already. I wonder what 2024 will bring for us? I hope it brings you security, love and peace – and lots of paper crafting time!
I’m typing this in the back seat of the car as my son, Ethan, drives David and me back home from Chickasha, Oklahoma where we went today to see a MAJOR award – the 50 foot tall leg lamp. Y’all, I’m not kidding when I tell you that it was an exciting thing to see. We took my son on this 4 hour drive without telling him where we were going. The reveal was so fun!! If you’re ever in the area it’s a permanent exhibit so stop by. Make sure you stop at the train depot visitor’s center and the gift shop to find lots of things A Christmas Story related. 🙂
Speaking of surprises, today’s birthday card has a surprise element. Peel the heart back to reveal a hidden sentiment. I made the card so that the recipient could display the card with the bee and heart removed and keep the Bee Builder Punch bee on a fridge or bulletin board to bring them a smile.
The card is an easy to make fun fold. The top opens to the right and the middle panel opens to the left. with a sentiment and decorated inside panel.
I used Lemon Lime Twist cut at 5-1/2″ x 7-1/4″ scored at 3″ for my card base. I love this fun color. I am not great making color choices, but that’s one thing I love about Stampin’ Up! – the color coordination. The Bee Mine 12 x 12 Designer Series Paper is so springy and fun to use for birthdays in the gloomy days of winter. The bees make me smile.
My front panel is 4-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ scored at 1″ and the Bee Mine DSP is cut at 2-3/4″ x 5-1/4″. I stamped a sentiment from the Hooray for Surprises stamp set in the middle of the panel in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. I placed my Hooray for Surprises heart die with the upper dip about 3/4″ up from the center and used a sticky note to hold the die in place while I ran it through the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. This die cuts the tear away heart, so it will not cut the heart completely out of the DSP. I stamped the tab of the heart with the Hooray for Surprises stamp set “pull” stamp.
Before layering the die cut DSP over the sentiment, I stamped the bee trail line and the Pull instruction in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink from the bottom right to the middle of the heart. Placement isn’t critical here – the bee will cover the end on the heart. Then I placed the DSP with the cut out centered over my sentiment. I checked placement by gently lifting the left bottom of the heart to make sure my sentiment was correctly placed for the surprise reveal. I used liquid glue on the edges of the DSP avoiding the die lines and adhered the Bee Mine DSP to the front card panel.
For the front of the card I made a bee with the Bee Builder Punch. I used Daffodil Delight card stock and swiped my embossing buddy over it first. Then I stamped the bee stripes and stinger in VersaMark ink and sprinkled the black basics embossing powder over the stamped area. I tapped off the excess powder and added a second round of embossing power before tapping the excess off again. I used my heat tool on setting 2 to heat emboss the bee stripes. I used the Bee My Valentine stamp set to add a bee face to the bee with Tuxedo Black Memento ink and antenna to the small heart. I used Petal Pink ink to add wing detail to both wings (large hearts). Stamping on Vellum Cardstock requires a little drying time which can be sped up with the heat tool on the 1 setting.
I attached the wings to each other with liquid glue slightly off center so the Vellum showed behind the Petal Pink. I adhered the wing set and the antenna to the bee body. I added Stampin’ Dimensionals to the bee body taking care to make sure the dimensionals did not cover any of the tear off section of the Hooray for Surprises die cut heart. I added three flowers and two hearts in all different colors from the Adhesive-Backed Hearts & Flowers to the front panel.
I adhered the 3″ x 4″ DSP to the left side of the card and wrapped the Sweet Sorbet 1/4″ Bordered Ribbon around the left edge of the left panel. I tied the Sweet Sorbet ribbon in a bow and trimmed the tails with paper snips. As an aside, when my husband dropped this at the post office the clerk said it was fine with a standard first class stamp even though the knot is thick.
I adhered a piece of DSP on the reverse side of the front and middle panels with liquid glue. These sizes are the same as the front. Adding DSP here gave me the option to highlight more of the cute DSP.
Before stamping the inside sentiment panel, I placed the front piece on the base with the folded edge lined up with the card base edge. I placed the 5-1/4″ x 4″ Basic White panel where it would ultimately be attached and marked the top and bottom of the front panel edges so that I knew where to stamp on the inside. I stamped the cake with the Hooray for Surprises stamp set in Pool Party ink. I stamped the candle in Petal Pink and placed a Sweet Sorbet heart from the Adhesive-Backed Hearts and Flowers instead of a flame on my candle. I stamped the Hooray for Surprises stamp set birthday sentiment in Lemon Lime Twist towards the top of the panel and added a Petal Pink flower from the Adhesive-Backed Hearts & Flowers. With liquid glue, I adhered the front card to the card base matching the fold to the card edge. I then used Stampin’ Seal on the Basic White sentiment layer and attached it to the card base.
I used 2-1/4″ x 6″ Bee Mine 12 x 12 DSP for the envelope flap, attaching the piece with liquid glue and trimming with snips. I stamped the bee body on the right side of the envelope in Daffodil Delight and added stamped stripes and a stinger with the Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. I also stamped the face, antenna and bee trail in Tuxedo Black.
That’s it – the card is all done. I hope you make this card for a birthday or make it a Valentine’s card by changing up the sentiment and decoration on the inside panel. If you do make it, please tag me at #stampwithnel. I love to see your cards.
Happy New Year!
Available to order 4 January 2024
- Bee Mine Suite Collection – 162560 – $75.00 **You’ll earn a FREE $50 level Sale-A-Bration item with the purchase of this suite**
- Hooray for Surprises Bundle – 162858 – $46.76 **Purchase this bundle and the Bee Mine Suite and you’ll be able to select FREE Sale-A-Bration items at the $50 or $100 level**
Host Code
May 1 – May 31: Host Code: KGRFRDQK
If you do not already have a demonstrator, I’d be honored to be your Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.
Use my host code when you order $50 (before tax and shipping) or greater and receive five (5) handmade cards and a variety of 6″ x 6″ double sided Designer Series Paper (a $20 value) FREE from me. You will also receive the monthly online tutorial. The May tutorial features the Adventurous Sky Bundle.
***Make sure that you can see my name, Nel Thames, on the final checkout page listed as your Demonstrator when you order so that you know that you’re ordering with me and you’ll get my rewards! If you forget to add the host code I am not able to add it for you due to privacy reasons. You can call Stampin’ Up! and requested that it be added. Thank you for understanding.
Product Shares – Jan – Apr 2024 Mini Catalog
LAST CHANCE – Order by January 2, 2024
Woo Hoo! A new catalog is available starting 4 Jan 2024. New catalog time at Stampin’ Up!® is such exciting time with bunches of new product to play with. I think you’re going to love so much about the Jan – Apr 2024 catalog. If you’re anything like me, you want one of everything. Product shares are a way to get a sample of all the Designer Series Paper, Ribbon and Embellishments in the catalog without buying full size products.
I’m excited to be offering product shares for this catalog. Here are my offerings:
Designer Series Paper
6″ x 6″ paper (12 double sided sheets of each paper)
- Bee Mine
- Just Kiddin’
- Perennial Lavender
- Poetic Expressions
- Rock & Roll
- Lighter Than Air
6 x 6 Specialty Paper (12 double sided sheets of each paper)
- Forever Love Specialty DSP
- Nature’s Sweetness Specialty DSP
Designer Series Paper Shares are $33 + $9 shipping. You are invited to order more than one for a single shipping fee.
You’ll get 96 – 6″ x 6″ sheets of beautiful new Designer Series Papers and fun new Specialty Papers, too! To buy one of each of these packs of papers would cost you about $108 – plus shipping!
DSP will be packaged with the name, product number and coordinating colors to make using them a breeze.
PLUS! Get a FREE Gift From Me! – All share participants will get a sampling of some of the fun papers from the Jan – Feb 2024 Sale-A-Bration Catalog! Everyone who orders one of my shares will get a sampler of papers from the Softly Stippled DSP, Trusty Toolbox DSP, Flight & Airy DSP and Most Adored DSP! YEAH!
Accents & Embellishments
Ribbon and Twine (1/4 package):
- Bakers Twine Three Color Pack
- Gold 1/8″ Faux Letter Trim
- Pretty Peacock & Gold 3/8″ Metallic Ribbon
- Sweet Sorbet 1/4″ Bordered Ribbon
Embellishments:
- Adhesive-Backed Cork Rounds
- Adhesive-Backed Hearts & Flowers
- Adhesive-Backed Lightning & Stars
- Champagne Iridescent Dots
- Iridescent Foil Gems
- Paper Butterfly Accents
- Petal Pink & Pretty Peacock Foiled Gems
- Purple Fine Shimmer Gems
- Rainbow Adhesive Backed Dots
Shares of Accents and Embellishments are $25 each plus $5 shipping. Feel free to order more than one share for a single shipping fee.
Designer Series Paper AND Accents & Embellishments
Want everything (this is always what I pick!) – Get one share of everything – Designer Series Paper, Ribbon and Twine and Embellishments – for $60 + $9 shipping. Order two Want Everything shares and receive FREE shipping! There will be no limits on your creativity with this share.
Some important details:
- I’ll submit the order on 4 Jan 2024 when the Catalog goes Live. I’ll expedite the order so I can get them delivered, cut and packaged and back out the door to you just as quick as I can!!
- You’ll receive a PayPal Invoice around 28 Dec (or when I get your order if you place it after the 28th). I’ll need payment before I submit the shares.
- Anyone is welcome to join in my share (please note, I can only ship to addresses within the US or Military APOs) including demonstrators.
Deadline to sign up for the shares is TUESDAY, 2 JAN 2024 at 8pm CST
***NOTE REGARDING PRODUCT AVAILABILITY: Stampin’ Up! has advised us that there may be items that are unavailable when the catalog launches due to the continuing global shipping delays. If any items that I’m offering in my shares are not available when I place my order on 4 January 2024, I’ll refund you the amount for that item. I’m hopeful I’ll be able to order everything for you, but…wanted to have a plan in place if needed.
Retired Stampin’ Up! Products
My online Stampin’ Up! retired product store has been refreshed with additional products. I will be adding more retired products as I come across them. I have a variety of stamps, dies and embellishments. My stamps and dies are all gently used and most were purchased within the last two years (although some may be “vintage”). Dies might be on magnet cards as I did not start saving the original packaging until just recently. Designer Series Paper and embellishments are new in unopened packages unless otherwise stated.
Due to Stampin’ Up! policies, I can only ship to U. S. addresses.
Shop my online store here.
Last Chance Sale 21 Nov 2023 to 3 Jan 2024
A new catalog is exciting, but it also means we have to say goodbye to some products. Beginning 21 November 2023 through 3 Jan 2024, Last Chance Products will be on sale. Not every product on the retiring list will be leaving (bundles, for example, may be retiring, but the individual pieces might still be available) but what is retiring will go quickly. Make sure you get your favorites before they are gone forever.
Below are the Last Chance Sale carryover and retiring lists in Excel format. The retiring list is in landscape to allow for increased font size. These lists were last updated on 27 Dec 2023 at 8:00 pm.
Cute cute cute! Love the little pull-off bee element! 🙂 Looks like a fun day!!
Thanks Mary. It was a fun day.
It was great fun. Happy New Year, Amy.
Such a cute card! Love the fun colors. Glad that you enjoyed your visit…Fra-gi-le, must be French. 😉