Darling Dinosaur Arch Flap Card

 Well.... never say never!  That is today's lesson for me.  I vowed that I was not going to invest in the darling dinosaur bundle because my initial thought was this was pretty much a bundle geared towards kids.  Guess I was wrong. I think it was Jan Wakeland that said something during a video that it could be used for "older" people by combining it with the sentiment from One More Year ~ "You're How Old?"  So that is what I did!

Technique design inspired by Janet Wakeland

So now these cuties are part of my stamp library looking for more love - which will be coming soon!
This idea came at the perfect time as a close friend turns 60 this month and I think they will get a good chuckle when the open the card.

Making the card involves lots of die cutting - arches, dinosaurs, cake, gift bag, bottles & balloons. But in the end, the time spent was well worth the effort. Honestly, I can't get enough of the Everyday Arched dies. They are so versatile! 

My second "never say never" lesson is the Timeless Plaid DSP. Initially I was not sure I loved the colours, and for that I didn't think I would buy it. But, in all honesty, it is really hard to get the real perspective when you are viewing it online.  It just doesn't do it justice. I am so glad I bought a package of this DSP. My only criticism is, Stampin' Up! continues to make 6" x 6" packages of paper and for a demonstrator that is running classes it is just kind of useless and a waste of paper.  I wish they would come out with both a 6" x 6" for crafters and a 12" x 12" for demos.

I hope you have a "dino-mite" day!  Be sure to follow me on Facebook!

Hugs and happy stamping! Tracie

Delightful Wishes and Everyday Arches

Continuing on my journey with the Delightful Wishes bundle and not using shades of yellow.  My colour choices (which I think is really pretty) are shades of blue (Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Summer Splash & Pretty Peacock). 

I did find it challenging at first to line up the Delightful Wishes images, but, once I figured it out, it has been easy to get the perfect 2 step stamp every time.  My advise to you if you purchase this bundle is to practice, practice, practice on scrap paper first and once you figure it out, then stamp your project.

Lastly, I used an old (to me) technique on the leaves - Rock & Roll - an oldie but a goodie!

Happy stamping! Follow me on Facebook.

Hugs, Tracie

Fluffiest Friends Heart Shaped Thank You

Heart Shaped is free with a qualifying order. It is quickly becoming one of my favourite SAB items!

Here I have used the Wildflower Birthday DSP (love the Pretty in Pink plaid) for the backdrop for my card which I layered onto Pretty In Pink cardstock and then a white base.

The plaid layer was die cut with the largest circle from Stylish Shapes and layered onto white so that I could add the heart die cut in the middle. The kitty is one of the images from Fluffiest Friends. I am disappointed that this bundle is already on the last chance product list. It is not often that Stampin' Up! comes out with really (IMHO) cute characters. It would be nice if it stayed around longer than a year.

Happy stamping! Follow me on Facebook.

Hugs, Tracie

Starstruck Embossing Folder Review

Hello crafters!  I am back with another review of a new 2025 Sale-A-Bration product from Stampin' Up! If you haven't tried the new Starstruck embossing folder, let me give you my perspective on this folder. (Disclaimer - everyone is entitled to their own thoughts.... this is just my personal opinion and some may not agree with it, and that is ok).

First off.... it's free with a qualifying order during the Sale-A-Bration event that runs from Jan to the end of Feb 2025. Who doesn't like free?  So no complaints here! That being said, I find the impression it gives is a bit too intense for my liking. A little bit goes a long way.

Because of the intensity of the impression 2 things happen when you run it through your embossing machine. First, it will warp the embossing folder (yes I tried many different sandwiches - so in all honesty it could just be the calibration of my machine). Secondly, it curls the cardstock, which makes it a bit challenging to adhere down and have if not lift up unless you add adhesive to every inch of the outer edges - which is doable.

It wasn't until I decided to, after running my cardstock through with the folder, run the embossed cardstock back through the embossing machine on its own - sandwiched between 2 acrylic plates.  This then flattens the embossing while leaving a really nice background.  Doing this not only reduces the intensity of the folder but also solves the "curling" of the cardstock problem.  Now that is a win!

All that being said, on its own I give the folder a 6.5.  I don't see a lot of use for this folder  other than (likely) birthday cards, even though I stretched the use to make a card with the Delightful Floral & Bright Border bundles.

I will follow up this post with the alternate use of this folder as described above.

Happy stamping. Follow me on Facebook

Hugs, Tracie

Delightful Wishes Window Fun Fold

Hey crafters! Here is another installment of the Delightful Wishes bundle. This time I have created a fun fold card using the Everyday Arches dies.   

  

Using the arch dies I cut out a section along the fold for the window. After having done this, I realized that the Gold Brushed card base was pretty flimsy. So, in retrospect I should have done a partial die cut. No worries.... because I layered the back half of the die cut arch onto the back of the card to give it a bit more stability. There are no mistakes in card making!

The inside of the card is layered with a piece of Floral Delight DSP. This is really pretty paper, but, you really need to like yellow if you are going to add this to your supplies. 😉 There are hints of Pool Party and Old Olive along with 2 sheets of linen texture in Pecan Pie.  

Looking forward to sharing more cards with this bundle and DSP in future posts. In the meantime, be sure to check me out on Facebook!

Happy stamping!

Hugs, Tracie