Everything's Rosy - Freshly Made Sketches #452

We've had a very smoke filled weekend here in Abbotsford BC, with air quality being at a high risk since Friday.  Most of the smoke is due to the Oregon and California wild fires that are burning out of control.  My heart goes out to all of those who've lost their homes and been displaced.  Such a terrible time for so many right now.

This evening I've been working on another Freshly Made Sketch and have created a pretty simple card with it.

Here's my version.  

Stamp Set:    Peaceful Moments #151595 

Ink:               Night of Navy

Card Stock:   Whisper White, Strawberry Slush (Retired)

DSP:              Everything's Rosy Designer Series Paper 

                      and Embellishments 

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, Independent Stamping Up Demonstrator 

September Hostess Code:  NA46AR73

  

Confessions of a House Bound Paper Crafter

Between the loss of my mom in June and the COVID-19 thing, I've been having a very difficult time paper crafting and doing the things that truly make me happy.  

I have to be honest here and let you know I really, really  miss my mom and I miss my friends and hanging out with them.  I miss our get-togethers and fun card making times.  And although I read all kinds of motivating stories about demos that are doing this and that to carry on their Stampin' UP! relationships, quite frankly it makes my head buzz and I get tired.  

I don't know whether it's the times we live in or I'm just getting older, but I haven't figured out how to engage my friends and customers by holding Zoom and Facebook meetups and the whole virtual media thing tires me out.  I guess that's why I haven't had much MOJO going on and seem to be spending my time binge watching Netflix and trying to think my way out of this funk instead of yakking with you all and posting cards and projects.  

To my credit, I have to say my leisure time hasn't been all about watching the latest episodes of Frankie and Grace I actually have spent some time in my card studio reorganizing and doing lots of serious cleaning and purging.  One day I'll do a tour of my room, but for now this is what it's looking like:

When I've had the energy and mind, I've also been finishing up old projects, using up scraps of designer papers and retired card stock I've accumulated and trying a few new things.  I haven't felt very challenged though, until I saw this clean and simple sketch challenge from Freshly Made Sketches and it called my name.

So here's to the first challenge of the month (year actually) and what I came up with.  Hopefully I can continue to find inspiration and challenges that re-motivate me to stamp and I can continue to share with you in some form or other.    

For this card I used the Trimming the Town Designer Series Paper for my background and one of the layers.  I like all of the papers in this suite.  They're colourful and appealing in every way.  

My card base is Poppy Parade with a layer of Pool Party.  The cute little gnome is from the Gnome for the Holidays cling stamp set.  

The sentiment "There's no place like GNOME for the Christmas Season", was perfect for this card.  This card may not meet the visual "clean and simple" criteria of Freshly Made Sketches challenge #451, but it sure was simple to make. From start to finish this card took about a half an hour to make.  Having a sketch you can work with, is a great way to nudge your creativity.   You have to like that.  

I coloured the gnome with Stampin' Up! Blends, matching up the colours in the Trimming the Tree DSP ... Poppy Parade, Garden Green, Pool Party, Old Olive, Smokey Slate, Daffodil Delight and Crumb Cake.  I also added a little shine to the gnome's nose and the Christmas lights with Nuvo Drops.

Thanks for bearing with me through this rant and glimpse into my personal difficulties with procrastination and lack of motivation.  And, hopefully my card for the sketch challenge has inspired you to pick up your card supplies again and get crafting. 

I'd love to hear how you've been coping and creating.  If you're not motivated like me, I'd love to hear your story too, maybe we can work this out together.  In the meantime......

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator 

SEPTEMBER HOSTESS CODE:  NA46AR73

Get and Go Starter Kit Promotion - September 2020

 

Get and Go during the month of September is Stampin' Up!s latest recruiting promotion.  This promotion runs from 1-30th of September so there's plenty of time to get on board if you've been thinking of joining up as a demonstrator.  This is a  pretty good deal.  Here's what you get when you sign up.

• Queen Ann Lace Stamp Set
• So Much Love stamp set 
• Basic Rhinestones 
• Granny Apple Green Card Pack 
• Coastal Cabana Card Pack 

Granny Apple Green card pack contents enough to make 8 cards 

8-1/2" x 5-1/2" (21.6 x 14 cm) Granny Apple Green Cardstock

3"x 4" (7.6 x 10.2 cm) Bermuda Bay Cardstock

3"x 4" (7.6 x 10.2 cm) Coastal Cabana Cardstock

3/4"x 4" (1.9 x 10.2 cm) Daffodil Delight Cardstock

5-3/4" x 4-3/8" (14.6 x 11.1 cm) Whisper White Envelope

Coastal Cabana card pack contents

2-1/4" x 3-1/2" (5.7 x 8.9 cm) Whisper White Cardstock

2-3/4" x 4" (7 x 10.2 cm) Daffodil Delight Cardstock

3" x 4" (7.6 x 10.2 cm) Bermuda Bay Cardstock

8-1/2 x 5-1/2" (21.6 x 14 cm) Coastal Cabana Cardstock

5-3/4" x 4-3/8" (14.6 x 11.1 cm) Whisper White Envelope

You get to pick all the rest of the items for your starter kit, same as always and the total cost is just $135.00.  Other benefits of being a Stampin' Up! demo are two free months of the DBWS web site for demos, 20% discount as a Bronze demo.  The opportunity to start your own small business from home or remain a hobby demo.  You can quit any time. Click here to see a sample starter kit:

If you want more information on how you can sign up to be a demo click here or give me a call, I'd be happy to talk with you.  

Happy Stamping

Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

HOSTESS CODE FOR SEPTEMBER:  NA46AR73H

Masculine Birthday Cards with Whiskey Business

Happy September everyone. Today I'd like to share some cards made with a new set called Whiskey Business. This great masculine stamp set which is on page 33 of the 2020/21 Annual Catalogue was one of the first sets I ordered.

I was really attracted to the beautiful clean imagery in this set and knew it would be perfect for any masculine celebration.  I love it when a stamp delivers clean sharp detail.  With this set you can stamp it in any colour and you get a great image that requires little additional colouring. Great for those clean and simple cards everyone loves to make.  

Card Number One:

This card begins with a Cinnamon Cider card base and envelope from the Flowers for Every Season Memories and More Cards and Envelope pack (pg 154 A/C).  I began by adding a 4 x 5 1/4" layer of the Cinnamon Cider Polka Dot Incolour 6 x 6 Designer Series Paper.  

I tied a piece of the Faux Suede 1/4" ribbon around it and tied it off in a bow.  This ribbon is so luxurious and lays perfectly flat after tying and it actually does look and feel like suede.

Next I added a 3 3/4 x 3" card from the World of Good Memories and More Card Pack (pg. 155 A/C).   These little cards are perfect on their own or when used as a mat.  

The Whiskey bottle and glass were stamped on a piece of Whisper White card stock and cut out with the 2 1/4" x 3 5/8" Stitched Rectangles Die and adhered it to the left of the card layer.  The card layer was added to the base with dimensionals. 

The sentiment "Straight Up You're the Best" was stamped with Cinnamon Cider ink on Whisper White and cut out with the narrowest Stitched Rectangle die. I cut another rectangle from a scrap of the designer paper, but this time using the reverse side, and attached it on an angle with dimensionals across the Whiskey bottle.   

Card Number Two: 

My next card is a standard A2 size and the base is made with Bumblebee card stock.  I chose the black and brass foil check paper from the World of Good Specialty Designer Papers pack and cut three 1 1/2" x 3" panels.  The panels are  mounted on a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of Crumb Cake.  The World of Good Specialty Designer Papers are so rich and beautiful and the brass grid design adds such a rich masculine feel to this card. 

The Whiskey bottle was stamped in Momento Black ink on a piece of Whisper White card stock and then I die cut a 3" oval using the Stitched Shapes Dies.  I used a scallop die to cut the Brass Foil mat.  The sentiment "Sending You An Old Fashioned Birthday Card"  was stamped on Whisper White and then die cut with the Rectangles die set, then layered on Basic Black cardstock.  What a great sentiment.  

I kept the inside of this card simple adding just a 4" x 5 1/4" Basic Black card mat followed by a 3/34" x 5" Crumb Cake mat.  I stamped the "Cheers To You" and drink glass with Momento Black ink and added a 3/4" strip of the DSP along the bottom of the Crumb Cake mat.  

Card Number Three: 

I wanted to bring the Whiskey Bottle to life on the front of my third card, so I stamped the images for the glass and the bottle on Whisper White card stock and then coloured the glass bottle and the glass with Pool Party ink, and coloured the liquid in both glass and bottle with Cinnamon Cider ink.  I fussy cut both images and then used Clear Nuvo drops to add a shiny finish to them.   The images were adhered to the card front layer with dimensionals.  

I chose a mat from the World of Good Memories and More pack for my top layer.  It was perfect.  All I had to do was stamp the "Cheers to You" sentiment in black ink.  This layer was matted with a 5 1/4" x 4" layer of Basic Black cardstock.  

Here's the inside of the card.  I stamped the glass and coloured it with Cinnamon Cider ink added a couple of twizzles and a happy birthday sentiment from Itty Bitty Birthdays.  

So that's it for today's cards.  I hope you enjoyed them.  I know I'll be using this stamp set for a very long time.  I'd love to hear from you.  Leave me a comment if you'd like to see more cards made with this set and if you enjoyed this preview.  

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot
Penny Hanuszak, Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator 

SEPTEMBER HOSTESS CODE:

NA46AR73

Game On Meets World of Good

This past weekend I had a fun time with my sister visiting our stamping friend Debby Evoy at her Lake Country Stampin' Retreat.  What a weekend!  When three avid stampers get together with ink and paper it's a pretty wild time, and this one did not disappoint.  Lots of laughs, lots of stamping and eating, and then more stamping........

For my swag bag I chose the World of Good Suite and I'm so happy I did.  I'm always searching for rich manly papers to make masculine cards with, and I'd brought two new stamp sets, Game On and Whiskey Business to work with.  The marriage of these stamp sets and this paper was perfect. I honestly can't say enough about this paper, except that the pictures in the catalogue don't do them justice.

Game On is an 8 piece Cling Rubber Stamp set.  The imagery is so sharp and detailed that it doesn't even require colouring, just stamp and you're good to go. 

Here's a sampling of some of the cards I made with this paper and the Game On set.  In my opinion, the combination was fantastic. 

For this card I used a Bumblebee card base from the Flowers for Every Season Memories and More  card pack (#153101).  The card bases and envelopes come in the 2020 Incolors for this season.  The card bases are larger than a standard card and measure 6 1/2" x 4 1/4" which leaves plenty of room for your design.  The inside of these cards are white.  The envelopes have the matching patterned paper on the flap.  So cool.  

For the inside of the card I used one of the World of Good Memory and More cards as a background.  

For the second card, I chose a background mat from the World of Good Memory and More Card Pack #153600.  This card packages includes 50 total double-sided cards (2 each of 25 designs) in 3" x 4" (7.6 x 10.2 cm) and 4" x 6" (10.2 x 15.2 cm) sizes; 6 4" x 6" (10.2 x 15.2 cm) single-sided specialty cards with brass foil; 4 sticker sheets, 1 each of 4 designs. Available in English and coordinate with 

Bumblebee, black, Cinnamon Cider, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso,

Misty Moonlight and Mossy Meadow, card stocks, embellishments and inks.  

My second mat is a piece of 5" x 3 3/4" Misty Moonlight card stock that's been embossed with a retired 3D embossing folder called Herringbone.  Debby had just purchased the brand new Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine, and the embossing was just a dream. The embossed images came out deep and rich looking.  

I stamped the deck of cards on Whisper White with Misty Moonlight ink and then fussy cut around the image before adhering it to the label with Dimensionals.    The background label is from the  Stitched so Sweetly (#151690) Dies.  

The Whisper White label was stamped with a birthday sentiment and a tiny Club stamp from the Game On set.  This was mounted on a 3" Oval from the Stitched Shapes Die Set.  I also added a 2" x 2 1/2" piece of DSP for a pop of colour.  This beautiful paper was in Cinnamon Cider with the brass foil embossing.  Love this paper for it's richness and texture. 

I stamped the front of the coordinating envelope with the chess piece and board images from Game On.  

My third card which took me all of 5 minutes to make, features the dice from the Game On stamp set, both on the card front and on the coordinating envelope.   In truth the design for this card came about because I had stamped off several dice and I was trying to find a die cut that would work well with the image.  I'm a sucker for repetition so I  decided to use the Stitched Rectangle dies and voila,  "game on".  The dice rectangles were mounted on Basic Black rectangles from the same set.  These nesting labels make layering so much easier and the finished look is very professional.

The background on the card is created with a black and white map card from the World of Good Memories and More Pack.  I cut and layered this piece onto  Whisper White card stock  and then adhered it to a Bumble Bee card base.  Because of the extra length of the card base, I was able to stamp the sentiment "It's Your Day Roll With It" along the bottom.  

I  hope you enjoyed these three samples.  I actually made 14 cards over the two day retreat period using this stamp set and another Stampin' Up! set called Whiskey Business, along with the World of Good Suite products.  I plan to show case more of the cards in the up coming days.  

I love to receive comments on my cards so I hope you'll take the time to write me a few words.  Do these cards inspire you to make some similar cards or CASE the designs?  Would you purchase any of the products I mentioned in my narrative?  

Happy Stamping! 

Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot 

Paper Pumpkin September Kit

What’s your favorite thing about the Fall season? Is it Halloween ghosts and ghouls, yummy food at Thanksgiving? How about picking the perfect pumpkin at the local pumpkin patch or sipping hot cider at sunset.  For me it's the comfort of my fireplace in my craft space and creating fun things for my favourite season of the year. 

Whatever you love most about Autumn, why not rev it up a bit with some creative time.  The Hello Pumpkin Paper Pumpkin Kit offers a way to celebrate and kits are a really fun way to paper craft because they aren't time consuming.  Lets face it with a kit you don't need a lot of supplies apart from some adhesive and a paper trimmer.  Another good thing about Paper Pumpkin is you don't have to go out looking for it............it's delivered right to your front door. Who could ask for more?

September’s seasonal kit called "Hello Pumpkin" provides everything needed to create Fall treats. There's reversible patterned paper, a multi-occasion stamp set, and a sea of die-cut fall shapes.  What fun! 

With the Paper Pumpkin September kit you can create completely customizable crafts to celebrate the autumn season your way! Whether you assemble the kit’s cracker box treat packages or use the supplies to embellish traditional cards, the Hello Pumpkin kit has something for everyone to enjoy. Don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind kit! Click here to order your subscription to Paper Pumpkin your way.  

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Makeover of the ON-LINE Shopping Store on August 4, 2020

Stampin' Up! Is Doing a Makeover of the 

ON-LINE Shopping Store on August 4

Stampin' Up has listened to both it's demonstrators and customers with regard to difficulties and opportunities for change with the Stampin' Up! On-line shopping experience.  To that end on August 4th a whole new On-line shopping store is being launched in North America.   This new look/new system has been test driven in the United Kingdom and is working well.  Now it's our turn! 

NEW Stampin' Up! Online Store

•The CURRENT online store will go offline at midnight (MT) on 4 August and will remain offline permanently from that point forward.

•The NEW online Store site will go live at 7:00 AM (MT) on 4 August, at which point you can start ordering from the 2020 Aug-Dec Mini Catalog and any other current product. 

VERY IMPORTANT:   

What Do You Have to Do to Access the New Version:

• You need to enter your account password manually, the first time you your on-line account.  Once you've entered it manually, then you're good to go.

• If you saved or bookmarked your password in your browser in the past, it will not "auto-enter" or "pre-fill" from your browser.  You will need to enter it manually.

• If you've forgotten your password, log into your on-line account today and create a new password and enter it.  Then, all you have to do is log in manually on August 4th or later with your new password.  Once this is done you can save or bookmark your password and new website link on your browser.  

Also I hope you will continue to designate me as your demonstrator.  You'll need to do that the first time you place an order, otherwise another demonstrator from the area will be chosen randomly for you.     

Thank you for shopping with me in my on-line store.  I so appreciate you!

Penny Hanuszak

Your Independent Stampin' Up! Demo

in Abbotsford, British Columbia