Today is my third anniversary of being a demonstrator with Stampin’ Up! and I’m happy that I took an extra day off work to spend crafting. It’s definitely a good way to celebrate. When I reflect back over the last three years, I’m struck by how my style has evolved. To start with, I was scared of colour. I remember struggling to use more than one or two on a card – not that I don’t still enjoy using minimal colours, but I have now embraced loud DSP whereas previously, I avoided it. I was also convinced that not everybody could make cards and that I was one of them – now I make cards almost every day and I believe that everyone can – and should! – make cards. I find that the very act of creating something is extremely satisfying and necessary. I used to cook new recipes as my creative outlet which was causing an unexpected problem – we were amassing such an enormous list of dishes that it was hard to fit the favourites in regularly enough! Now, with my creativity being fulfilled with papercrafting, my biggest problem is too many cards and not enough people to send them to, but I’m working on that too. Let me know if you’d like a birthday card sent to you! Having said that I have embraced colour, I am of course sharing a single colored card today – my final in my series of the 5 new in-colors and the Eastern Medallions thinlits dies.

And here are the four previous cards:

I like the simplicity of the scored lines but the DSP is so pretty. I really can’t decide on a favourite!

Here the inner layer is the new Fresh Florals DSP stack – a marvellous collection of 40 sheets of paper; 4 each of 2 double sided patterns in each of the new in colors. I placed the piece of DSP where I wanted it in the middle of a Fresh Fig layer and ran it through the big shot using the Eastern Medallions thinlits dies. Then I snipped off the DSP around the flower, discarded the flower itself and then glued the DSP around the fresh fig flower. I then embossed in white the sentiment from Beautiful You.

I hope you enjoyed today’s project. Please use the Stampin’ Rewards code to get five FREE handmade cards – which I’ll increase to TEN cards if you order today on my anniversary; the current Stampin’ Rewards code is 7UYN7HEJ (if your order is over $150, don’t use the code, you get the rewards, but you still get the free cards). In addition, to celebrate the new catalog, if you spend $50 this month, I’ll send you either the clear or gold faceted gems FREE (let me know which you’d like). Click here to go to my online shop or here to join my team. To sign up for Paper Pumpkin, click here. For more details on my Customer Loyalty Programme, click here.

See you tomorrow,

Liz