Christmas Cards in August AHSC #642

Hi and welcome to my blog.  Have you been out to the stores this past week?  We went to the Seven Oaks mall this morning and I was surprised to see that the summer clothing and decor are gone and Autumn displays are in every window.  I haven't even really had time to enjoy summer yet, and we're already being pushed towards Fall.  I even saw Halloween decorations which gave me pause for thought ....... way too early! Worse than that Christmas Trees and gifts are on sale in  Costco!  

The Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge celebrates the3rd Monday of the month challenge and provides a look back to their beginnings. Current Design Team and past members have contributed not only their sketch for this challenge, but have also provided pictures and links to their original challenge.  

Original AHSC Sketch 

Here's My Card: 

This was a very clean and simple card to make.  I decided to use the beautiful Soft Seafoam and Garden Green mix of designer papers from the soon to be released  Christmas Tags and More 6x6 paper pa

The Merry Christmas sentiment is also from a new product release called Greetings for you Mix and Match Ephemera Pack, which will be available in September following the Holiday Mini Catalogue release. These beautiful gold embossed sentiments are perfect for holiday cards and gift tags or cards.  These are such great sentiments  already am in love with them! 

Supplies:

Stamps and Dies:

• More Merry Messages (R) Stampin' Up!  Stamp Set 

Cardstock and Designer Paper:

• Whisper White  
• 8 1/2"  x 5 1/2" scored at 4 1/4" for card base
• 5" x 3 3/4" for inside layer 
• Soft Seafoam - 4 x 5 1/4" for front matte
• Garden Green 
• 5 3/8" x 4 1/8" for front matte 
• 4 x 5 1/4" matte for inside layer
• Christmas Tags & More DSP #165907
• Cut 4 strips 3 3/4" x 1 1/2" for front adhere to Soft Seafoam matte.
• Cut 1 strip 3/4" x 5" for the inside WW matte.

Ink and Blends:

• Garden Green Ink Pad

Accessories:

• Greetings for You Mix and Match Ephemera Pack (English)
• Starform #1004 Gold and Silver Self-adhesive glimmer lines (gold)
• 1 three bead Pearl from Cherry Cobbler & Pearl Adhesive Backed Berries #164119
• Dimensionals

I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of sketch #643 and will leave a comment.
If you decided to follow along with the sketch challenge make sure you send me a picture so I can look at your creation. What fun! Until next time.......

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT 

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up Demo since 2006 

Freshly Made Sketches #700

Summertime Catching Up: 

Summer weather is so unpredictable these days. For example if it's hot on the west coast then it's cold in the East and vice-versa. In the Fraser Valley where I live, we expect hotter than average temperatures starting around the 15th of July, and this year has been no exception.  We had days of really hot weather in the high  30's C, but then just when you've had enough it miraculously cools down and rains for a couple of days before the next heatwave.  Our City moved to stage two water restrictions in lieu of drought predictions in early July and so far it's been a good balance, but we've cut down on our consumption and are doing our part where we can.  

I'm not a fan of high temperatures and I don't handle heat well.  Our house unfortunately doesn't have air conditioning so some days are just bearable.  Thankfully we use our basement for most of our entertainment and living and it's about 10 degrees cooler than the upstairs. I've been taking advantage of the heat difference and escaping to my happy "cool" craft room during the hot spells.  Not only is it cooler, but I'm far more productive and finding time to catch up on my kits and begin work on Christmas cards.  

Before I share this week's card challenge I wanted to share some excitement we had in late July when our lovely "big plant" bloomed. This plant has only bloomed twice in the twenty-five or more years we've had it and this was the second time!  

We moved it from it's normal northern exposure in the kitchen to the living room when we were painting this Spring and it's really "rawking" the change.  If anyone knows the botanical name for this plant let me know.  

AHSC Sketch Challenge #700  

I really liked this week's card sketch hosted by the design team. This is a fun and easy sketch great for coordinating designer series papers. This sketch has a clean and simple design, featuring blocks of colour and the focal can be any shape you want, keep it simple or add lots of layers.

I hope you'll play along with this week's sketch challenge. Don't worry about posting your card online if you don't have Facebook or a blog page it doesn't matter, just be proud of what you've made and share it if you want. It's always a happy feeling!

HERE'S MY CARD:  

I'm finally motivated to make Christmas cards again. I was inspired to use this brand new designer paper called Christmas Tags & More. It'll be released on September 4th when the new Mini Catalogue goes live.

I really love the traditional colours in this 48 page 6 x 6 paper pack which includes some ephemera pages, which make decorating easy. The paper will coordinate beautifully with garden green, poppy parade, real red, basic beige, soft seafoam and white cardstocks. I shouldn't have any difficulty using this paper pack up as it's so easy to work with and I love the designs.

The gold lines that I've added to separate the color blocks are a non-Stampin' Up! product that I love. They manufactured by Starform and are called Sticker Strips. I love the Glitter Gold/Silver Strips for seasonal cards as they add just a bit of glam without overdoing it.

Supplies:

Stamps and Dies:

• More Merry Wishes (R) #126402
• Stitched Shapes Dies (R)

Cardstock and DSP:

• Whisper White 
• Card Base 5" x 10" scored at 5"
• Inside Panel Whisper White 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"
• 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" for label sentiment 
• Garden Green 
• Cut two  4 3/4" x 4 3/4" for front and inside layers 
• 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" scrap for sentiment layer 

•  DSP Christmas Tags & More #16509
• Plaid strip for inside card 1" x 4 1/2"
• One piece DSP 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" cut into quarters

Ink:

• Real Red

Accessories:

• Poinsettia  Ephemera from Christmas Tags & More 
• Gold Mini Ball Beads
• Starform Glitter Gold/Silver Strips Stickers 

Well that's it for this week's challenge and I appreciate your dropping by.  If you have any questions regarding this designer series pack or how the card was assembled, just drop me a note or comment.  Let me know if you like this card design, and whether you were inspired to play along with this challenge.  Happy weekend and I hope you'll come back again.

HAPPY STAMPING!
PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006

Click here to visit my 24/7 online shop 

Big Changes Coming - Cling Stamps, Markers and Packaging

 Cling Stamps (Red Rubber)

Stampin' Up! has decided to discontinue their cling stamp line due to key raw materials becoming increasingly difficult to source and some no longer being manufactured at all. Stampin' Up! will continue to offer a wide range of photopolymer stamps to support various artistic styles and techniques. 

• Photopolymer Transition - starting with November 2025 Online Exclusives, all new stamps will be photopolymer.
• Last Printed Catalogs to Include Cling Stamps September–December 2025 Mini Catalog and 2025–2026 Annual Catalog
• Last Online Exclusives to Include Cling Stamps - September 2025 Online Exclusives
• Mini Catalog Cling Transition* - in December 2025, all cling stamps in the September–December 2025 Mini Catalog will move to Last Chance Products and be available while supplies last. No cling stamps from the mini catalog will carry over.
• Annual Catalog Cling Transition* - In April 2026, all cling stamps in the 2025–2026 Annual Catalog will move to Last Chance Products and be available while supplies last. No cling stamps from the annual catalog will carry over.
• Online Exclusives Cling Transition - Cling stamps released in Online Exclusives through September 2025 will be supported—based on demand—until April 2026 at the latest. Some will likely discontinue prior to April.
• Final Transition - In April 2026, all remaining cling stamps across our offering will move to Last Chance Products and be available while supplies last.
• *Please note: Some cling stamps in the September–December 2025 Mini Catalog and/or 2025–2026 Annual Catalog may sell through their remaining inventory prior to the December or April Last Chance Products updates. In those cases, the products will move directly to the Discontinued Products List rather than appearing in Last Chance Products.

Stampin’ Write Markers

Stampin' Up! has also decided to discontinue Stampin’ Write Markers. With the growing popularity of Stampin’ Blends, they've seen a steady decline in sales of Stampin’ Write Markers. One of the primary techniques unique to Stampin’ Write Markers is coloring directly on cling stamps—a technique that will become less relevant as they transition away from cling.  Effective August 

New Stamp Packaging:

• Stamps and dies will now come in the same size and style of packaging, making it easy to store bundles and coordinating products together.
• Packaging is clear with an insert that displays stamp or die artwork for quick and easy identification—yes, both stamp and die packaging will now show artwork!
• Larger packaging dimensions allow us to showcase more stamp artwork at 100% on the insert.
• Sleek, slim design will help you and your customers store more in less space.
• Envelope closure includes a tuck-in flap for quick and easy opening and closing.
• Packaging is sized to fit a variety of organization systems.
• New packaging measures 5-5/8" x 9" (14.3 x 22.9 cm).

AUGUST STAMPIN' UP! SPECIALS

LAST CHANCE SALE STARTS AUGUST 5TH!

Save Up to 70% Off! of Stampin' Up!s Last Chance & Clearance Refresh which will be open from 12:01 AM MT August 5th, 2025. There will be newly added items & additional markdowns of up to 70% off, so be sure to shop early for the best selection! All Last Chance products are WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!

Look Who Else is Joining the Party?

Stampin' Up! is throwing a final farewell bash for Sale-A-Bration and I mean final! For the first time ever, select 2025 Sale-A-Bration items will return as part of the Last Chance Products refresh, and they'll be available for purchase from August 5th through September 4th or until products sell out. This is a limited-time opportunity to grab some of your favourite 2026 Sale-A-Bration favorites before they officially retire—forever!

Shop early, stock up, and celebrate this special Stampin’ Up! sendoff in style. Change is coming on to our beloved annual Sale-a-bration sale, so stay tuned for future updates.

2025-2027 In Color Collection on Sale:

Starting Tomorrow, August 5, you can enjoy 15% off select products from the stunning 2025–2027 In Colors™! If you've been holding back, this is your chance to scoop up ink pads, two-tone cardstock, Designer Series Paper, and more—all at a discount. So whether you're restocking or just wanting to sample these trendy new in color shades, now’s a perfect time to color your creativity and save!

This sale includes select inks, cardstock, Designer Series Paper, embellishments, and other products that include these new In Colors. Only products featured on the 2025–2027 In Colors page are included in this promotion. Some products are excluded from the sale, including the Month by Month Album Retreat 2025 kit (167338). Products are available only while supplies last.

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT 

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up Demo Since 2006

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Shop 

Sweeter With You Second Eight and AHSC #640

It's been a busy time with two back- to-back garage sales held on the past weekend.  Our complex held a community garage sale on Saturday July 26th and I really worked hard getting ready for this event.  I was hoping for a good turnout, but although we had beautiful weather hardly any buyers showed up.  Thankfully I sold my sewing machine and a few odds and sods.  

The next day however was awesome!  I was a vendor at my favourite garage sale held in Cloverdale.  The RRR Craft parking lot sale is held every June and July and I was very fortunate to have a table at both events this year.  A big shout to Maggie owner of Country Lane Crafts for hosting and organizing this event.  To the hundreds of great folks who showed up thanks so much, you made my day!  

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge: 

Moving on to card making, here's this week's sketch from Atlantic Hearts which was very timely and inspiring as I was still using scraps from the July Paper Pumpkin kit.  This sketch checked all the boxes for me.   

Here is My Card:  

I really enjoyed making this card using paper strips from the retired Berry Delightful designer series.  The Dotted Circles embossing on the Pool Party matte really added some great texture to the card front.  

Supplies: 

Stamps and Dies: 

• Sweeter With You Stamps Paper Pumpkin July 2025
• Scalloped Circle Punch (R) Stampin' Up

Card Stock and DSP: 

• Whisper White 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"  scored at 4 1/4"
• Matte for inside 3 3/4" x 5"
• Pool Party 3 3/4" x 5" embossed with Dotted Circles 
• Granny Apple Green cardstock 4" x 5 1/4" 
• Garden Green cardstock strip  1/4" x 5 1/4" (insided)
• DSP from Berry Delightful (R) 1 1/4" x 5 1/4" strips x 3 
• Strawberry from Sweeter With You Paper Pumpkin kit

Ink: 

• Strawberry Slush
• Garden Green

Accessories: 

• Dotted Circles 3D Embossing Folder 
• Opaque Faceted Gems Pool Party 
• Dimensionals

"Sweeter With You" Additional Alternate  Paper Pumpkin kit cards"

I made an additional eight alternate cards with the "Sweeter With You" July 2025 Paper Pumpkin kit since my last post including my card for the Atlantic Hearts sketch challenge.  Enjoy!

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Card  Nine: 

There were only three strawberry baskets included in the PP kit, so I made extras by tracing the original image and then colouring them with a Pool Party Pencil crayon around the edges.  I think it turned out pretty good.  

Card Ten:

I added some real red grosgrain ribbon that's been kicking around in my ribbon bin for some time to this card front.  The mattes are Poppy Parade and Garden Green and I matted the saying from the Paper Pumpkin kit on to a scrap of Garden Green and then cut around the image.  I really like how that popped out the sentiment.  

For the inside of the card I once again used some leftover strips of Garden Green and a 1" x 5 1/4" piece of DSP from the Berry Delightful paper pack. 

Card Eleven:

I loved the way this card came together.  I layered two of the Contour Dies (R) nesting rectangles to make the focal point along with some strawberries and flower ephemera from the kit and a sweet little sentiment strip.  The background dsp from the Berry Delightful papers is simply stunning and really brings this card to life. 

Tip:  Before gluing your mattes to your card base, punch or die cut shapes from the cardstock centers. By cutting away card material from the matte before it's adhered to the card you reduce the density and the weight and you wind up with lots of shapes to use for future mattes or focals.

Card Twelve:

This card again features layered Contour Die rectangles that were cut from other mattes.  Having a selection of these on hand really cuts down on the guesswork when you're making cards. 

Card Thirteen:

 

I used scraps of the Berry Delightful DSP to make the layered patchwork for the center focal on this card.  I also added some Poppy Parade designer paper that was in my stash for a layer.  

Card Fourteen:

Card Fifteen:

Don't underestimate the power of a strip of designer paper.  By adding three paper strips to the garden green matte I was able to add some additional interest.  I've also used a strip of grosgrain ribbon across the center of the card.  

Don't forget the inside of our cards.  I love how these stamped strawberries pop off the white matte. 

 

Card Sixteen:  

And the final card is the one I made for the AHSC.  Thanks for dropping by and visiting my blog.  As always, I hope you enjoyed this post and if so will leave me some words of encouragement.  Until next time......

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006

Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Shop 

Sweeter With You - July 2025 Paper Pumpkin Kit

Hi to all my Paper Pumpkin subscribers and followers, welcome back.  My "Sweeter Than You" Paper Pumpkin kit arrived this past weekend, and I couldn't wait to take it apart and start playing with this fun summer kit. 

This kit includes enough card bases, envelopes and ephemera to make 8 cards if you follow the instructions......but who does that? Usually there is enough material to make 9 cards, so that's a bit of a change, and one I will follow up with Stampin Up Demonstrator Support to find out if it's just something for this kit or will this be ongoing.   The kit also includes a very cute 9 piece stamp set, Garden Green ink spot, dimensionals, glue dots and tear n' tape.  

There are nine photopolymer stamps in the Sweeter With You Stamp set that comes with the kit.  Each of these stamps as you'll see in my sample cards, stamps beautiful images.

I was particularly impressed with the two-step strawberry.  I recommend using Poppy Parade ink or any red ink that has an orange overtone (not blue) for the berry and then stamping the stem with Garden Green.  

I stamped off quite a few of these berry images so I'd have extra's on hand. You could even make your own background paper using the strawberry and the small flowers.   You can see how well the image stamps from this photo of the back of my cards. 

If you're a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, and you run out of supplies for this kit or others and want to make more cards, you can order refills. The Sweeter With You Kit refill is order #167283.  The refill comes with everything in the kit but the stamp set and ink.  

Sweeter With You Kit Refill Available Online Order #167883

Another item that coordinates with this kit is the Circle of Seasons Dies add-on (item 167277).  This is a great coordinating product that keeps on giving because it not only works with this kit, but it also coordinates with the July Farmhouse Florals Paper Pumpkin Kit, and  the August Fall for Toile Paper Pumpkin Kit.  And, you can pair these dies with other Stampin’ Up! products for even more creative options!  

Here Are My Sweeter With You Alternative Cards:
So far, I've made eight cards from the kit supplies, all alternates to the original card offering. I've got enough supplies for at least eight more, so that's always a plus.

Card One: This is a Faux Step card which is incredibly easy to make.  I started with a white card base that measures 

Card Two:  The Strawberry Slush and White mattes were cut out using Stampin' Ups! Decalled Rectangles dies. The 1/4" strips of card and dsp papers worked really well in filling up the white space on this card.  I used Pool Party for the ink splatters to tone down the white.  Finally, since I had a lot of the brass mini and regular sized bees from previous supplies on hand I decided to apply them to this card using mini glue dots. 

Card Three:  This flap card is one of my favourite go to designs when I'm making cards.   It starts with a card base measuring 8 1/2 x 4 1/4" and scored at 3" on the long side.  Burnish on the score line and fold the flap to card front.  The second piece on this card front measures 8" x 3" and is scored at 4".  Burnish the score line and fold in half.  This piece is adhered to the inside of the card and the flap fits across the front of the card when closed.  Decorating consists of coordinating DSP and two mats on the front of the flap.  

I stamped those beautiful strawberries on the inside of this card and the sentiment "You're the Best".  Love how they turned out. 

Card Four:  This is another easy fun fold.  The card base which is a piece of 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of Strawberry Slush cardstock is scored on the front at 1 1/4" and burnished on the score line so the fold exposes the inside of the card.  The folded over piece is decorated with a 3/4" x 5 1/4" piece of coordinating designer series paper (DSP).  I usually adhere the back of this flap to the card front so it stays in place.  

Here's a view of the inside of the card where I've added 1/4" x 5 1/4" strip of the matching DSP.  

Card Five: This is just a standard card where the front is the focal.  I ran the vellum strips that were in the kit through my Cut & Emboss machine and used a retired 3D Embossing Folder called "Eyelet", to add a little texture to the card.  There were only three basket pieces in the ephemera pack, so I traced around one of them on  Pool Party cardstock and then fussy cut out several extra boxes.  To give them some life, I used a Pool Party Watercolour Pencil to trace around the image and to add some shadows.  

Card Six: This is another standard card with a multiple image focal point.  The  Garden Green and Strawberry Slush mats were cut out with the Decal Rectangle dies, and the stitched circle mat for the sentiment is Granny Apple Green cardstock. The glimmer paper sequins are also in Granny Apple green and add a touch of sparkle.  I cut the long white scalloped piece of cardstock from the kit in half after embossing it with the Eyelet embossing folder and then tucked one half behind the sentiment circle.  

I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" mat from Strawberry Slush cardstock for the inside of the card and then randomly stamped all over the piece with the small flower image from the stamp set. Before adhering this piece to the inside of the card I cut out the mat for the card front from the center using the Decal Rectangle dies.

Card Seven:

For this card I decided to build a mat using some of the strips that were left over from cutting down mattes.  They are various sizes but that's okay I used what fit.  The pink strip was embossed with the Eyelet Embossing folder and the Pool Party cardstock strip was left plain, but I added some of the pretty white flowers from the kit to give it some interest.   Once again I used some of the brass bees from my stash.  

Card Eight:

This is a very straightforward card relying on the various layers of ephemera from the kit to create the focal point.  I loved that little blue striped piece and used one of the plant pots from the kit to hold the strawberries. I splattered  Pool Party ink  on the pot and the white scalloped piece to give some highlight.  Pink self adhesive sequins from my stash were used to add some sparkle. 

I hope you enjoyed these Paper Pumpkin kit cards.  This is one of my favourite kits from this year.  Have a great week, leave me a comment, I'd love to hear which card is your favourite, and if you have any questions about any of the designs.  

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT 

Penny Tokens, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006

Click here to visit my 24/7 online store 

Click here for Paper Pumpkin Subscription Information