Bundle and Save 10% With The Color Me Happy Bundle
Bundle and save! Buy these two coordinating products in the Color Me Happy Bundle and save 10%:
Color Me Happy Stamp Set
You’ll be colored happy every time you create with this stamp set. Don’t delay purchasing the Color Me Happy Project Kit as it will only be available while supplies last! In conjunction with the kit, the stamp set will be available as long as kit supplies last. The line-art images are perfect for learning coloring techniques using the Stampin’ Blends!
Color Me Happy Project Kit
Color everyone happy when they get one of these cards! Kit includes enough supplies for 16 cards, 4 each of 4 designs. Ink and adhesive sold separately.
Kit includes:
• 16 card bases, 4 each of 4 designs
• 16 envelopes with printed design inside, 4 each of 4 designs
• Gold foil accents
• Die-cut cardstock background and accents
• Printed and gold foil die-cut accents
• White Baker’s Twine
• Mini Pool Party tassels
• Circle and star sequins
• Gold foil tape
Coordinating colors in the kit are:
Basic Black, gold foil, Night of Navy, Pink Pirouette, Pool Party, Pumpkin Pie, and Rich Razzleberry
Completed Projects From the Kit
Click here to purchase the bundle.
Color Me Happy Card Kit Using Stampin’ Blends Video
Watch this video for tips on using the Stampin’ Blends and assembling the cards in your kit.
Merry and Bright Christmas Card Cased From Stampin’ Up!’s Holiday Catalog
Isn’t this Christmas Card just gorgeous? I love simple WOW cards and this Merry and Bright Christmas Card falls into that category! This card started out as a CASE (Copy and Share Everything) of the “cheers to a new year!” card on the bottom of page 36 of the 2017 Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog. (If you don’t have a catalog you can find out how to get one by clicking here.) As I got to work on the card it quickly became apparent that I needed to make some changes! Here’s why:
Heat embossing was out of the question because I needed it to be quick for a Make and Take!
Simple is good but sometimes just adding a simple layer adds to the wow factor.
So, what do you do when you see a card you want to copy and you don’t have the sentiment? Pull out what you do have and find an alternative. Or order what you need, wink, wink – but I didn’t have time for that – I was working with a deadline!
The Process of Casing a Christmas Card With What You Have
Since I did not have time to order the Cheers to the Year stamp set, I needed to figure out if I could CASE the Christmas Card with what I had on hand. Since I knew I wanted to add a layer to the card, I started with that. Once I measured, cut, and embossed my layer, then I was able to determine the best size for my circle layers. TIP: The easiest way to do this is to have the Layering Circle Dies cut out in copy paper (just store these with your dies) so you can lay them over your card front and visually see what will look good. No need to waste that precious (and gorgeous) Designer Series Paper! I also have the Lowdown on the sizes of the Layering Circle Framelit Dies that you can download here.
After you have determined the size of your circles, the next step is to take the one that you will be stamping the sentiment on and using it to find a sentiment in your collection of stamps that will fit. I already had an idea of what I wanted to use so I pulled out my Hearts Come Home Bundle, much to my delight (and relief) the “merry & bright” sentiment was a perfect fit!
FREE Inkheaven Tutorial for the Merry and Bright Christmas Card
Since this card was created as a Make and Take for my Holiday Catalog Launch, I put together a tutorial complete with supply list for my attendees. To celebrate my new blog and return to blogging, I will be sharing more Make and Takes, Class Cards, and Tutorials for you to download over the next few weeks so be sure to check back!
Thank you so much for visiting my blog today! If you enjoyed this project and would like to duplicate it, please be sure to purchase the products you need from my online store.
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven
Please come and visit me again as I will be creating more stamping happiness for you soon!
Uh, boxes of stamps, please! Moving is hard! About the time I was in the middle of re-launching inkheaven we found out that my husband, Jim was unemployed. I managed to launch inkheaven but as you can see, I have not posted much. Between staging our home, putting it on the market, getting it sold, preparing for Holiday Catalog launches, classes, workshops, packing everything up in boxes, and moving to Colorado Springs – finding the time to post has been next to impossible! (Phew! That was a mouthful!)
Other Ways To Stay In The Know
I have managed to stay in touch and keep everyone up-to-date via email and my Facebook page though, so if you don’t want to miss out on anything be sure to like my Facebook page here and sign up for my newsletter (you can fill out the form on the right side of this page)! If you are not familiar with our catalogs, you can learn more about the Holiday Catalog and how to get your own copy here.
More Posts Are On The Way!
I do plan on bringing you up-to-date here and sharing all the projects that I created for my Holiday Catalog Launches (I did one in Cedar Falls, Iowa and one in Le Mars, Iowa). I would love to do one here in Colorado Springs but I am still in the middle of unpacking boxes! My first catalog launch here in Colorado Springs may have to be for our upcoming 2018 Occasions Catalog! We will see how the settling in saga goes! My youngest son (who has graciously taken us into his home), is finishing the basement of his home so I will have a stamp room/guest room. It’s a work in progress…
So, while I wait, I will set up a small temporary stamping area and get back to blogging. I need to get more familiar with with the new blogging platform anyway!
Introducing the Complete 2017-2019 In Color Collection!
Every year, Stampin’ Up! introduces 5, highly anticipated, fresh new colors to update our color line with a new In Color Collection! These new colors represent new trending colors found in fashion and home decor! Our In Colors this year are: Berry Burst, Fresh Fig, Lemon Lime Twist, Powder Pink, and Tranquil Tide!
The new catalog (see the new catalog and download your free PDF copy here) goes live today at Noon MT which means that you can order a complete set of of these fabulous new colors today! We have ink pads, markers, card stock, ribbons, and designer series paper available in all of these gorgeous new colors!
Update your collection of colors by placing your order on my 24/7 online store today!
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven
Watch for New Color Combinations!
Be sure to check back with me here frequently at inkheaven as I will be sharing plenty of new color combinations that will include our core color line and our new In Color Collection! Also, be sure to sign up for the Inkheaven Newsletter as my subscribers will be getting all kinds of fabulous documents/tools in their email inbox to download! Sign up using the sign up form in the side bar to the right! I am always looking for ways to create stamping happiness for you!
FIRST-TIME subscribers enjoy three months at 25% off!
Does any of this sound familiar?
I want a creative escape but I don’t have a lot of time.
I’m not sure I’m ready to commit to papercrafting, but I want to try it.
I love to create but I don’t always feel creative.
I need some fresh project ideas.
How can I craft when I don’t have all the “crafting stuff” I need?
These statements are what inspired this Creativity Starts Here Promotion! If you find yourself saying things like this then you will love the Paper Pumpkin! Because with our kits, you have everything you need in one box. You’ll get:
An expertly-designed project
All the supplies to complete the project, pre-cut and ready to go
Step-by-step instructions (including a video)
Something new and different every month
Paper Pumpkin Offer Details
Offer Dates: May 11–June 10
For first-time subscribers only.
Subscribers must join by Saturday, June 10, 2017; 11:50 PM (MT).
Available for month-to-month subscriptions, not prepaid subscriptions.
Discount applied to one kit per month for the first three months of a new subscription. After that, the price for each month’s kit will return to the regular price of $19.95 US/$26.95 CA.
Enter the promo code, STARTHERE, at PaperPumpkin.com to subscribe.
Paper Pumpkin is a fabulous monthly kit for new papercrafters! Don’t forget to use the promo code, STARTHERE when you subscribe!
Watercolor Pencil Technique provides depth and texture to stamped images.
The Special Reason stamp set is perfect for this watercolor pencil technique. I am not a big fan of spending a lot of time coloring images. I don’t know why it is, but I lose interest quickly. Even as a child I don’t recall completing entire pages in my coloring books very often. As a result, this technique suites me well as the Watercolor Pencils are used primarily to enhance an already stamped image!
Tips, Tricks, and Techniques
Since I have not used this Watercolor Pencil Technique with other stamp sets yet, I can only share how it worked with the Special Reason stamp set. When I first attempted this technique, I found that inking up the image and stamping it made it too dark. I then tried stamping off, but I didn’t like that result either. Ultimately, I settled on using a stamping sponge to apply the ink to the stamp to get the desired look. Even when using the stamping sponge to ink up the stamp, you have to be careful to not over apply the ink!
Another technique used on this card is masking. As the name implies, images are covered in this technique to achieve a desired look. In this instance, masking is used to place part of the leaves behind the flower. I created the mask for the flower using the Stylish Stems dies with post-it notes. (The Stylish Stem Dies are no longer available. However, a mask can be created by fussy cutting around a stamped image.). To keep the gap between the flowers and the leaves from being too big, be sure to leave an edge of the flower showing. The mask needs to be re-positioned for each leaf. Once again, I found that stamping the image fully inked was too much, so the leaf is stamped off once before stamping on the card.
How the Technique is Done
Choose complimentary Watercolor Pencils to shade your images. Shading is done is layers with the darkest layer added last. Once the desired shading has been done, the shading is blended with a blender pen.
If you are local be sure to sign up for my creative classes of happiness for hands on learning! Creative classes of happiness will also be an online feature once I am done moving and settled!
Supplies used for this card project
Special Reason stamp set, Suite Sentiments stamp set, Very Vanilla cardstock, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Calypso Coral ink and cardstock, Petal Burst folder, Blushing Bride 3/8″ stitched satin ribbon, Stamping Sponges, Watercolor Pencils, Chocolate Chip Marker, Pear Pizzazz ink, Blender Pens.
Thank you so much for visiting my blog today! If you enjoyed this project and would like to duplicate it, please be sure to purchase the products you need from my online store. Please note that after May 22nd, the Special Reason stamp set will only be available while supplies last as it is being retired! Thank you so much for your support!
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven
Please come and visit me again as I will be creating more stamping happiness for you soon!
I have finally decided to update my blog on a whole new level! I wanted to do this back in 2014 – and I did a slight makeover right here on blogger at that time – but it wasn’t completely what I wanted to do! Change is so many things: hard, painful, good, exciting, fun…the list of adjectives both negative and positive could go on and on!
At the time I did my slight makeover we were going through life changes so I waited to make the move as our future seemed so uncertain. Now that we are a little more settled here in Le Mars, Iowa, I feel the need to finish what I started. I hope you will be patient and stick with me!
I have finally made some decisions that allowed me to contact someone about my blog design and go forward. Hopefully, we will see it go live in a few weeks! I chose a template that I love – but it needs a few tweaks to be perfect – which will slow the process down. I may see if they will let me use the template as is until the tweaks are done! It never hurts to ask, right? It would be a little sneak preview of what is to come for inkheaven!
Anyway, I was thinking about change and life, and how life throws us curve balls every once in awhile, and I got to thinking how important it is to just swing away when those curve balls come. I’m not a huge sports fan – but I do like the game of baseball. One of the things that I like about baseball are some of the positive life comparisons that I can glean from it. Did you know that the best hitters have the most strike outs? When it comes to life, I want to hit it outta the park even if I have to strike out a few times. Don’t you? So here I am, taking another swing!
My purpose here at inkheaven is to create stamping happiness for you. I want it to be easy for you to create, have fun, and repeat! Doing something creative improves our well-being which is important to our happiness and I want that for you and me!
Meanwhile, I will keep everyone updated through my email. If you are not on my mailing list you can sign up for that in the side bar to so you don’t miss out! I will also try to keep the information flowing on my facebook page here. Be sure to like my page while you are there!
Use these cute trouble-free party animals to help celebrate birthdays!
This cute swap card was created by fellow demo, Selene Kempton. This card is another great example of using the Balloon Adventures stamp set with the Balloon Bouquet Punch.
I love the fun, playful look of the party animals of the animals in the Party Animal Designer Series Background. I think it’s perfect for kids cards and I am pretty sure that there are a few adults (like me) who are just fine with receiving a card created with these fun-loving animals! Plus, these party animals are completely trouble-free!
I love how the silver glimmer balloon jaunts off on its own. Isn’t it just like a balloon? Now that’s trouble! ha ha
I’m nearing the finish line for available prep time for my first upcoming open house this weekend – so I am going to hop off and get back to prepping! I’ll be loading my car up early to make my trek to Cedar Falls so I won’t have a blog post for you tomorrow so take some time to catch up on any back posts you might have missed and I will see you again on Monday!
Thank you so much for stopping by to learn and create with me. See you next time as we create, have fun, and share! Remember, you can be a happy shopper with me anytime at www.darlaolson.stampinup.net.
This swap card by fellow demo, Bobbie Ganley is a great example of using the balloon pop-up die as a card front.
I really love the versatility of the Balloon Adventures Bundle which is part of the Party Animal Suite.
Bobbie really showed off the great coordination of the Party Animal Designer Series Background Paper on her card as well!
I have another idea for this pop-up die that I can’t wait to try!
In the meantime, I am very busy preparing for my upcoming last chance Open Houses for Sale-A-Bration! Did you know that there are only 25 days left of Sale-A-Bration? If you don’t know what Sale-A-Bration is all about, you can read about it by clicking here.
This bundle is the perfect item to purchase for Sale-A-Bration:
It’s $53 so you automatically get to choose a FREE Sale-A-Bration item.
It’s all about birthdays and celebrations (the older I get the more I like to celebrate birthdays!)
It has great coordinating product that you can add to your order so you can choose additional FREE Sale-A-Bration items! (Who doesn’t like FREE?
For your convenience, I am sharing a link to the bundle below. Clicking the image will take you to my 24/7 online store where you can have fun shopping! I hope you will add this fabulous bundle to your cart along with coordinating product so you can have even more fun picking out FREE stuff!
Thank you so much for stopping by to create and learn with me at inkheaven. See you next time as we create, have fun, share, and repeat!
Punched or die cut images and shapes layered on your cards add interest and dimension.
I wish I could tell you who created this card. It is a nameless swap card. If this happens to be your card and you would like credit, just let me know!
This card is a great example of how punches and dies add dimension to your cards.
The creator of this card used a punch to create a color tag from background paper which grounds the focal point of the card. The sentiments are either punched or die cut with a circle, which is then surrounded by balloons that have been stamped and punched out and layered at various heights around the sentiment.
The Balloon Adventures stamp set and Balloon Bouquet Punch were used to create this card. Balloon Adventures also has a coordinating die set, Balloon Pop-Up thinlits, which can be purchased with the stamp set using the bundle and save feature. I love how Stampin’ Up! provides so many different coordinating punches and dies to add dimension to our card making.
For your convenience, I have listed the stamp set, bundle and save option for the dies, and the punch used in creating this card below. Clicking any of the images will take you to my 24/7 online store where you can have fun shopping for your own creative supplies! Thank you so much for stopping by to create and learn with me at inkheaven. See you next time as we create, have fun, share, and repeat!
Gift Tags, parties, and celebrations all go together!
Wow! A thousand blog posts! I can hardly believe it! I am thrilled that you are here to celebrate it with me!
All journeys start with just a step and while we may know exactly what our destination is, we don’t always know the path that we will take to get there. Many times we encounter road blocks and detours or, take a wrong turn and need to adjust our course. Sometimes, we even decide we need to change our destination! I would say that I have experienced all of this as a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator at inkheaven over the last (almost) twenty years.
My inkheaven blog was a course correction. Prior to my blog, I had a website which was featured in Stampin’ Up!’s demonstrator magazine, Stampin’ Success. However, time has a way of bringing about change and websites were not as fashionable in the creative world. Blogging was where it was at! So, in April of 2009, I started blogging here at inkheaven. That means that on April 30th, inkheaven will be 8 years old! Can you believe it? I’m pretty close to having 100,000 visits to my blog as well!
To create my celebratory gift tag I used products from the Party Animal Suite (one of my favorite suites!) The nifty little die from the Balloon Pop-Up Thinlits that I highlighted below creates the top of this tag:
Your gift tag can be any length, but it will have to be two inches wide. My favorite thing about this gift tag die is that it creates a topper for a tag that opens! It does this by creating the score for the fold. Plus, it creates the holes for the ribbon or baker’s twine, whichever you choose to use. I didn’t take a photo of the inside, but there is a piece of Whisper White card stock adhered to the inside where you can put a to/from and a little note or or greeting!
I did use the coordinating Balloon Bouquet punch for my balloons. The smaller balloon was used which is a great fit for the two inch tag. If you want to create your own gift tags with the Party Animal Suite, just click the Balloon Pop-Up Thinlits photo to be taken to my 24/7 online store. If you have questions or need assistance, contact me anytime here at inkheaven!
I have shared several fun cards created with products from the Party Animal Suite. You can click the links below to see them:
If you would like to learn more about the Party Animal Suite, sign up for my newsletter using the form in the side bar! After you sign up, you will receive an invitation to subscribe to a week long Occasions Catalog Tour; 7 daily emails, each day featuring a suite! (There are 7 suites in the 2017 Occasions Catalog).
I would love it if you would leave a comment and let me know how long you have been a part of my inkheaven journey! Years? Months? Days? First visit?
Thank you so much for stopping by to learn, create, and have fun with me! Be sure to come back and repeat the process as I will be sharing a few more cards with product from the Party Animal Suite over the next few days!
Vellum mutes Soft Suede background dragonflies while the Detailed Dragonfly stands out in front with a pop of copper.
This lovely Dragonfly Dreams card was created by fellow demo, Donna Bamesberger. Donna created it for our Diva swap but she credits the original idea to Jan Clothier. Since I don’t peruse the internet or Pinterest a lot, so I had not seen this card idea. I am very happy that she decided to CASE (acronym for copy and share everything) this card.
I have not pulled out the vellum for awhile so I am thinking it may be time!
For your convenience, I have listed most of the supplies that she used creating this card below. Clicking any of the images will take you to my 24/7 online store where you can purchase what you need to recreate this lovely Dragonfly Dreams card.
Thank you so much for stopping by to create and learn with me at inkheaven. See you next time as we create, have fun, and repeat!
Sealed With Love doesn’t have to be just for Valentine’s.
I adore this soft and pretty card created by fellow demo, Maria Pobre. Her intent was to create a card that could be used for any occasion; birthday, anniversary, just because, Mother’s Day, etc. I think she did good!
Did you notice that she stamped the heart from the Sealed With Love stamp set on the Falling in Love Designer Series Paper? It’s so subtle that I almost missed it! It really adds a nice touch to the card.
For your convenience, I have listed most of the supplies that she used creating this card below. Clicking any of the images will take you to my 24/7 online store where you can purchase any of the items you need to create this card.
Thank you so much for stopping by to create and learn with me at inkheaven. See you next time as we create, have fun, and repeat!
Quick video with tips using the Balloon Pop-Up Thinlit Dies as a card front!
I have been creating and having fun using my Balloon Adventures Bundle so I thought it was time to share!
Last year I made a decision to be better about sending out birthday cards and I have been using this bundle to help me do just that!
While I was preparing for my card making class featuring the Balloon Adventures Bundle I decided to attempt using just the balloon bouquet and banner from the pop-up die to create a card front without the “frame” created by the die. This meant some snipping and fussy cutting had to take place. Uh, oh! Right? Sometimes, it can be challenging to fussy cut things out and still have them look nice!
This die does create some score marks that outline the banner making the banner portion easy to cut out so the biggest challenge was cutting out the balloons. I shared my tips for cutting out around the ballooons on FB Live but have edited it and am giving you the short and sweet version (less than 10 minutes!) that you can watch here:
For your convenience, I have listed most of the supplies that I used creating this card below. Clicking any of the images will take you to my 24/7 online store where you can have fun shopping for your own creative supplies! Thank you so much for stopping by to create and learn with me at inkheaven. See you next time as we create, have fun, share, and repeat!
Take a look at the unique card front on this pluming Hey, Chick! card.
This unique card with Hey, Chick! was created by fellow demo, Maria Pobre.
It’s no secret that I love this chick with the crazy plume in the Hey, Chick! Sale-A-Bration stamp set so it was pretty easy for me to fall in love with this card! It doesn’t hurt that she used Watermelon Wonder, either. I love that color and will hate to lose it!
This card front is unique and adds interest to the card. The card opens up by lifting up from the bottom. The focal point is attached to the flap at the top and the bottom is attached to the focal point which allows the inside of the card to peek through to the front and be part of the layered look adding a little more depth without extra thickness. Very nice!
For your convenience, I have listed most of the supplies that she used creating this card below. Clicking any of the images will take you to my 24/7 online store where you can be a happy Sale-A-Bration shopper!
Thank you so much for stopping by to create and learn with me at inkheaven. See you next time as we create, have fun, and repeat!
