Love Is In the Air: Part One

Valentine's Day is right around the corner! Have you already thought about what cards and treats you're going to make for your loved ones, or do you need a little inspiration? Well... Look no further! In today's blog post, I'm going to share some of the projects from my Love Is In the Air Valentine's class. With these ideas, you'll be ready to spoil your sweetheart, kids, and best friend in no time!

In Part One of a two-post series, I'm sharing ideas for Valentine's cards. My first card features stamps and dies from the Meant to Be Bundle. This set is a must-have! Not only are the stamps lovely, but these are some of the most versatile dies around! If you stop and think about it, what occasion doesn't involve love in some way? No doubt you'll be using this bundle all year long! Plus, several of the dies feature stitching which is oh so popular right now! For the color palette, I chose black and white with pops of Lovely Lipstick for a clean look. I love how it turned out with a bit of retro 80's vibe.

Add even more visual interest with details on the inside of your card. Here I've stamped my sentiment on a scrap of cardstock, torn and inked the edges, and adhered with Tombo glue.

Repeating your stamped image lends another thoughtful touch to your design.

For the second card, I stepped things up a bit and went for texture, texture, texture! For this card, I again used the Meant to Be Bundle and added a stamp from the Forever Lovely stamp set, as well. To attain all this texture, use a combination of techniques and products, including tone-on-tone stamping, texture embossing with foil paper, and layering the banner and die-cuts. Add a few epoxy hearts, and don't forget to pop up your elements with Dimensionals!

Don't you love the holographic effect of this foil paper?! Using an embossing folder multiplies the effect for greater impact. I also heat embossed my sentiment for even more texture.

Note that both cards feature the Sale-A-Bration exclusive Lovely Lipstick and Grapefruit Grove foil paper, along with decorated envelopes. Look below for a list of products used to make these lovely and love-inspired Valentine's Day cards.

And if you haven't given decorated envelopes a try, I insist that you do. Trust me, you'll be hooked and grateful that you are!!

From my heart to yours...happy stamping!

Sarah Grace

Meant to Be Cling Bundle 150587
Forever Lovely Photopolymer Bundle 150580
Grapefruit Grove & Lovely Lipstick Foil Sheets 149712 (SAB)
White Stampin' Emboss Powder 109132
Pick A Pattern Washi Tape 144166
Tufted Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder 146335
Heart Epoxy Droplets 148583

Sparkling Butterfly

Last week one of my Facebook groups posed a challenge to use a neglected or forgotten die-cut. I thought it was an exciting opportunity because I have plenty of such dies in my arsenal. When I looked through my collection, I found several that sparked my interest, and I ended up using three different dies!! All of which, mind you, I'd never used.

I knew right away I wanted to incorporate the new Sale-A-Bration Lovely Lipstick foil paper. I had no doubt it would make a beautiful butterfly! I already had the design in mind, so it was only a matter of choosing some coordinating cardstock, and I was ready to make my card. Mint Macaron and Bermuda Bay won that challenge.

A little tip to really make your butterflies soar off the page: use your bone folder to gently bend the wings. Start from the body, and gently curve the wings up and over the point of your bone folder.

For the ombre effect on my words, I used a sponge and Lovely Lipstick ink, inking each "love" to the desired level of color. I love the level of control a sponge lends, and the variation of color from the holes adds extra depth.

A sprinkling of gold glitter flakes is the perfect finishing touch.

Tip: Use the Take Your Pick tool and tiny dots of multipurpose liquid glue to easily place your glitter flakes.

I can honestly say, this is one of my favorite creations. While the design is clean and simple, the foil paper and glitter flakes add that extra pizazz and push this card into the "showpiece" world...without all of the extra work 😉

I encourage you to grab your foil paper and sequins and add a little sparkle to your next project.

From my heart to yours...Happy Stamping!

Sarah Grace

Flashback Stamp-A-Stack

Hello!! Long time, no see! As much as I'd hoped to get a regular blog posting schedule going after my first OnStage experience, I just wasn't able to manage it at the time. But I'm back now and eager to share with you!

Today I hosted my first class of the year. I wanted to give my girls a great jump start on their card stash for the year, so I taught my first Stamp-A-Stack class. Before diving head-first into the brand new Occasions catalog, we had a little blast from the past! (With a sprinkling of the new just to see how fun it is to mix your old and new products!) We made 20 (that's right T-W-E-N-T-Y) cards today! I pulled out my favorite set of retired In Color products (2016-2018) and an assortment of stamp sets from Paper Pumpkin kits and various catalogs (including "Life is Grand" - from the brand new Occasions catalog), and we made sets of cards, assembly-line style.

When you keep the designs simple, it's easy to make a high volume of cards in no time flat. Seriously, the most time-consuming aspect of this endeavor was cutting all the paper. Aren't my students lucky I did that part for them ahead of time?? hehe

Take a look below for a close up of each card.

Color: Peekaboo Peach; Stamp Set: So Very Much

Color: Sweet Sugarplum; Stamp Set: Life is Grand

Color: Emerald Envy; Stamp Set: Bold Botanicals

Color: Flirty Flamingo; Stamp Set: Watercolor Words

Color: Dapper Denim; Stamp Set: Birthday Bundle

I think today's projects prove that it doesn't require every toy in the box to create a lovely card for that special someone. It's wonderful to make what I call a "showpiece" card every now and then, but my love will always be for the clean and simple. 

I challenge YOU to grab a few favorite colors of cardstock and ink, some coordinating DSP, and maybe a little ribbon or some pearls, then grab a beverage, find your comfy working spot, and create some clean and simple beauty today.

From my heart to yours. Happy Stamping!

Sarah Grace