#simplestamping with Sailing Home

This month's Stampin' Up #simplestamping challenge is Birthdays! I always always needing birthday cards since I send out a ton of birthday cards every month! Here is a #simplestampnig card I made for the challenge as well as the #casualstamper and #avidstamper versions.

~Enjoy!

---

I wanted to create more #simplestamping cards and when I was stamping the envelopes for another card I made, I noticed how pretty it was and thought it would be a great #simplestamping card! I cut down the card front to a 3 x 4.25 Whisper White piece and stamped Anchor from Sailing Home in Soft Suede. I inked up the net from Sea of Textures in Coastal Cabana but only inking around the edges so the center stayed white to add a little highlight to the anchor. The Seaweed is stamped in night of Navy, Pretty Peacock and Soft Suede. The sentiment is stamped with Seaside Notions and Pretty Peacock.

For the #casualtstamper I added a background layer of Pretty Peacock and a strip of Soft Suede embossed with the Corrugated Embossing Folder. A little finishing touch is a bow made from the Braided Linen Trim.

The #avidstamper might like this one a lot because it introduces a new technique (well new to me since I just thought it up - but there have been many who have come before me). I was trying to find something to spruce up the background and I already added an embossing folder layer and I did not want to stamp the seaweed a million times, so I thought it would be cool if I die cut the seaweed from Smooth Sailing Dies but left the pieces in tact. I cut the background in half to make this a little easier, then added 3 strips of Tear & Tape along the backside to hold all of the piece in place, then ran them through my die cut machine. It turned out really cool! The tape did cut in a few places and was a little tricky to get off, but it worked! I added some Silver Glimmer Paper, a bow made from Silver and White Baker's Twine and Silver Sequins. I love it!

Here is a closeup of the "embossed" seaweed and I added a little sparkle with the Wink of Stella Glitter Brush.

---

Stampin' Up! products used:

• Sailing Home Stamp Set
• Sea of Textures Stamp Set
• Seaside Notions Stamp Set
• Corrugated Embossing Folder
• Smooth Sailing Dies
• Soft Suede
• Coastal Cabana
• Night of Navy
• Pretty Peacock
• Braided Linen Trim
• Whisper White
• Tear & Tape
• Silver Glimmer Paper
• Silver and White Baker's Twine
• Silver Sequins
• Wink of Stella Glitter Brush

Shop Stampin' Up! products here!

---

#simplestamping with Soft Spring

This month's Stampin' Up #simplestamping challenge is Birthdays! I always send out a million birthday cards every month, so I am always looking to make more birthday cards! Here is a #simplestamping card I made for the challenge as well as the #casualstamper and #avidstamper versions.

~Enjoy!

---

When I was stamping the envelopes for another card I made, I noticed how pretty it was just by itself and this card was born! I knew I just wanted a few simple elements so I decided to cut down the card front to a 3 x 4.25 Whisper White piece. Then I stamped The Very Versailles stamp set's script stamp in Sahara Sand. Layered on top of that is the Soft Spring branch in Mossy Meadow and the leaves in Pear Pizzazz stamped off. I added a little more to it by adding the dots from Waterfront in Mint Macaron. The sentiment comes from the Seaside Notions stamp set and is stamped with Pear Pizzazz.

The #casualtstamper may like just a little more, so for this card I added border layer of Mossy Meadow and a strip of Braided Linen Thread and a bow.

This card actually settled somewhere just shy of the #avidstamper I think. I was going to add some die cuts to the bottom left corner to give it more dimension, but I was really liking the simplicity of this card. I added a few champagne sequins from my stash and added a few more stamps to the bottom base layer.

---

Stampin' Up! products used:

• Very Versailles Stamp Set
• Soft Spring Stamp Set
• Seaside Notions Stamp Set
• Waterfront Stamp Set
• Braided Linen Trim
• Sahara Sand
• Mossy Meadow
• Pear Pizzazz
• Mint Macaron
• Whisper White
• Sequins

Shop Stampin' Up! products here!

---

#simplestamping with Seaside Notions

This month's Stampin' Up #simplestamping challenge is Birthdays! I always always needing birthday cards since I send out a LOT of birthday cards every month! Here is a #simplestampnig card I made for the challenge as well as the #casualstamper and #avidstamper versions.

~Enjoy!

---

I just love, love, love this little seahorse from the Seaside Notions Stamp Set, he is so super cute!!!! I knew he would make a really cute #simplestamping card. The card front is cut down to a 3 x 4.25 Whisper White piece. The seahorse is stamped in Night of Navy and is surrounded with a sea of seaweed from Sea of Textures and Balmy Blue, Seaside Spray and Soft Suede. The sentiment is stamped with Seaside Notions and Balmy Blue and the dots at the top are from Waterfront stamped in Seaside Spray. Isn't he sweet!

For the #casualtstamper I added a background strip of Soft Suede and a bow made from Night of Navy / Sahara Sand Baker's Twine.

I had all intentions of adding a ton of seaweed dies cuts from the Smooth Sailing Dies set, but once I added some Copper Thread and Copper Sequins and grabbed the Copper Glimmer Paper from Joyous Noel, it just did not look right with the Soft Suede strip stamped with the water lines from Lilypad Lake. So I just added some corner accents with the Glimmer Paper and filled in the void on the white background with some dots from Waterfront stamped in Seaside Spray.

---

Stampin' Up! products used:

• Sea of Textures Stamp Set
• Seaside Notions Stamp Set
• Waterfront Stamp Set
• Lilypad Lake Stamp Set
• Soft Suede
• Night of Navy
• Balmy Blue
• Seaside Spray
• Whisper White
• Copper Glimmer Paper Joyous Noel
• Night of Navy / Sahara Sand Baker's Twine
• Copper Sequins

Shop Stampin' Up! products here!

---

4th of July - #simplestamping

One more #simplestamping idea I had to get out of my head, maybe since the 4th of july just passed and it was America's birthday!

~Enjoy!

---

This flag is created with Pacific Point and Real Red and the sentiment is again from Itty Bitty Birthdays. Although cute on its own, it was time to dress it up!

As I started to build this card up, it was still not feeling right to me, so I decided it needed some grunge lovin'. I tore up the edges with my scissors, and added Early Espresso ink. I covered up the sentiment with a piece of paper & ran the whole flag through with the Subtle Embossing Folder. The stars are cut from Pacific Point and the retired Confetti Stars Border Punch, that piece is then layered over Silver Glimmer Paper for a little sparkle - what is 4th of July without sparkle? The banner is hand cut and edged in the same ways the card base is done and the whole thing is topped with the Night of Navy / Sahara Sand Baker's Twine. I really like how this one came out!

---

Stampin' Up! products used:

• Very Versailles Stamp Set
• Itty Bitty Birthdays
• Confetti Stars Border Punch
• Silver Glimmer Paper
• Night of Navy / Sahara Sand Baker's Twine
• Pacific Point
• Real Red
• Early Espresso
• Whisper White

Shop Stampin' Up! products here!

---

Up & Away - #simplestamping

This little #simplestamping card reminded me of the yellow brick road from the Wizard of Oz.

~Enjoy!

---

I needed a sentiment that built upon my Oz theme and found this one in the Sea of Textures set. The hearts on the envelope are from Celebrate with Cake. The colors used are So Saffron, Daffodil Delight and Mango Melody. Even as #simplestamping card I think this one is really cute and gives enough of the idea of Oz.

As this card was sitting on my desk & I was trying to decide what other Oz element I had in my stash, my mind kept going to a castle, or ruby slippers, then the characters, of a scarecrow or a lion, but nothing was speaking to me. Then as I was looking for something else, I saw the Up & Away Thinlits balloon set - perfect!!! I wanted to add a little hint of the ruby slippers with some Red Glimmer Paper and tried several different balloons until I pulled out the Copper from the Joyous Noel Glimmer paper pack (now retired) - perfect again! Then just for fun, I Googled the balloon and to my surprise the balloon was a sepia toned and it had a red banner on the front - just like the one I created! Topping this off is some copper & white twine that came with the Layered Leaves Paper Pumpkin. Now I just need to find someone who is going on an adventure!

---

Stampin' Up! products used:

• Very Versailles Stamp Set
• Sea of Textures Stamp Set
• Up & Away Thinlits
• Layered Leaves Paper Pumpkin
• Joyous Noel Glimmer Paper Pack
• So Saffron
• Daffodil Delight
• Mango Melody
• Call Me Clover
• Whisper White

Shop Stampin' Up! products here!

---

Basket Bunch - #simplestamping

This little #simplestamping card came out really bright! These little shapes from the center part of the baroque frame from Very Versailles made cute little jelly beans or wonky eggs. So an Easter card was born!

~Enjoy!

---

Sentiment is from the Itty Bitty Birthdays stamp set. The colors used are Coastal Cabana, Rococo Rose, Pineapple Punch, Granny Apple Green and Highland Heather.

First things first, I had to soften the overall appearance of the card, a layer of vellum was just the thing! I pulled out my retired Easter sets of Best Bunny Stamp Set, Bunny Builder Punch and the Basket Builder Framelits. The basket is cut form Crumb Cake and Soft Suede. The eggs are cut from Pineapple Punch and Daffodil Delight for the yellow egg. Rococo Rose and Blushing Bride for the pink egg. Granny Apple Green and Old Olive for the green egg. I popped up the sentiment from Itty Bitty Birthdays stamp set, free cut the banner, edge it with scissors and added a little Highland Heather around the edges. Topping it all off is a sweet little polka dot bow made from the Polk Dot Tulle Ribbon. Super Cute!!!

---

Stampin' Up! products used:

• Very Versailles Stamp Set
• Itty Bitty Birthdays Stamp Set
• Best Bunny Stamp Set
• Bunny Builder Punch
• Basket Builder Framelits
• Polk Dot Tulle Ribbon
• Coastal Cabana
• Rococo Rose
• Pineapple Punch
• Granny Apple Green
• Highland Heather
• Daffodil Delight
• Blushing Bride
• Old Olive
• Whisper White

Shop Stampin' Up! products here!

---

No Bones About It - #simplestamping

I really struggle with the Stampin' Up!s #simplestamping concept, I am a true blue #avidcrafter at heart. Here are the #simplestamping cards using the center part of the baroque frame from Very Versailles all dressed up!

~Enjoy!

---

So these shapes made me think of rocks which made me think of Dinosaurs. Stampin' Up! has a new set of dinos called Dino Days that would be really cute on this card or maybe even some coffee cups from past sets. I decided to go with Dinosaurs since I made the decision with the sentiment and decide to go just a little snarky for my card.

I pulled out my retired dino set called No Bones About It. I have only used this set once or twice, but just love it! My dino was stamped with Early Espresso and Sahara Sand. The leaves are Tropical Dies and cut with Gold Glimmer paper, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake and Vellum. The leaves are softly sponged with more Soft Suede to give them a little texture. The edge of the card and the sentiment are scruffed with scissors and edged with more ink. Braided Linen Trim adds the final touch. I think this turned out super cute for the perfect friend you would like to tease a little about their age or for a boy and change the sentiment.

---

Stampin' Up! products used:

• Very Versailles Stamp Set
• Itty Bitty Birthdays Stamp Set
• No Bones About It
• Tropical Dies
• Gold Glimmer Paper
• Braided Linen Trim
• Early Espresso
• Soft Suede
• Sahara Sand
• Crumb Cake
• Very Vanilla Cardstock

Shop Stampin' Up! products here!

---

Very Versailles Collection - #simplestamping

Here is the collection of #simplestamping cards and the #avidstamper results!

~Enjoy!

---

---

Stampin' Up! products used:

• Very Versailles Stamp Set
• Itty Bitty Birthdays
• No Bones About It
• Tropical Dies
• Best Bunny Stamp Set
• Bunny Builder Punch
• Basket Builder Framelits
• Magnolia Blooms Stamp Set
• Hello Cupcake Stamp Set
• Sea of Textures Stamp Set
• Up & Away Thinlits

Shop Stampin' Up! products here!

---

Very Versailles Red Rubber Alternatives - #simplestamping

While I was crafting with my friend Tracy, I asked her is she happened to keep the little piece of red rubber that was inside the baroque frame in the Very Versailles stamp set. She asked me what I was going to do with it and I told her #simplestamping or course. You may have seen other ideas where the dot was used for cow spots, but since I don't have the cow set I have to come up with some other fun creations!

For me, #simplestamping is ink, stamps and paper. The one thing I have to have is a single layer even if it is white on white. It just adds so much to the card.

~Enjoy!

---

This first card, I was not really sure where I was going with it, I was just adding ink to paper. As I got done it reminded me of rocks. This month's Stampin' Up! #simplestamping challenge was for Birthdays, so I dug out my Itty Bitty Birthdays & found this sentiment. Everytime I ready it, I read it as an age jab not as it is written. So when I saw these brown "rocks" I thought this was cute like you are older than dirt. I eventually used this card base to create a dinosaur card. It also reminded me of coffee beans & I may circle back and make a coffee card out of it. The colors for this card are Early Espresso, Soft Suede and Sahara Sand stamped on Crumb Cake.

I wanted to create one with lots of colors, but this one turned out really bright!!! The shapes can be eggs or jelly beans, so it became more of an Easter card than anything else. I added a strip of removable tape across the bottom to mask off a strip for the sentiment & then just stamped away! Sentiment is from the Itty Bitty Birthdays stamp set. The colors used are Coastal Cabana, Rococo Rose, Pineapple Punch, Granny Apple Green and Highland Heather.

Again, no real direction with this card, just wanted to have an ombre color effect. The shapes reminded me of rose petals and I thought that is where the #avidstamper card would end up, but I do not care too much for rose stamps so I did not have a great selection to choose from, so it ended up somewhere completely unexpected! The Sentiment is from the Magnolia Blooms set and the colors are Merry Merlot, Rococo Rose and retired Powder Pink.

As I was doing the ones above, I kept seeing a path. Since I already did the brown ones, I thought that this would be cute in yellow, as a yellow brick road. I needed a sentiment that built upon my Oz theme and found this one in the Sea of Textures set. The hearts on the envelope are from Celebrate with Cake. The colors used are So Saffron, Daffodil Delight and Mango Melody.

One more idea I had to get out of my head, maybe since the 4th of july just passed and it was America's birthday! This flag is created with Pacific Point and Real Red and the sentiment is again from Itty Bitty Birthdays.

The collection

---

Stampin' Up! products used:

• Very Versailles Stamp Set
• Itty Bitty Birthdays Stamp Set
• Magnolia Blooms Stamp Set
• Sea of Textures Stamp Set
• Celebrate with Cake Stamp Set
• Whisper White Cardstock
• Early Espresso
• Soft Suede
• Sahara Sand
• Crumb Cake
• Coastal Cabana
• Rococo Rose
• Pineapple Punch
• Granny Apple Green
• Highland Heather
• Merry Merlot
• Powder Pink
• So Saffron
• Daffodil Delight
• Mango Melody
• Pacific Point
• Real Red

Shop Stampin' Up! products here!

---

Digital Retreat August #3 - Very Versailles - #simplestamping

For the second card of the Very Versailles / #simplestamping project, we worked on the leaves creeping up. This card was inspired by this card. We loved the dark colors with the delicate background. One small problem, this was a #simplestamping project first and foremost, so we have to really eliminate some items.

~Enjoy!

---

We kept the balance of colors by choosing Blackberry Bliss, Blushing Bride and Basic Gray all stamped on Whisper White. This one is pretty much CASEd from the background of the inspiration card. and that is where we left it. I think it is very pretty for a #simplestamping card, but I just cannot leave well enough alone!

For the stepped up version, I first embossed the background with the Subtle Embossing Folder. Then I added the vellum leaves as Melissa did, but they just did not stand out enough for me so I decided to go with Silver Glimmer Paper and the Flourish Dies to get something more delicate and not very heavy. We added clear embossing to the background circle with the baroque frame from the set. It is topped off with a hand cut banner & the sentiment from the Itty Bitty Birthdays stamp set. I added some Silver Metallic Thread and topped it off with a Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon knot. The finishing touch is a few sequins from a retired sequin pack in what I think is Sweet Sugarplum. Make sure to check out Tracy's card over at Stuff n Thingz!

---

Stampin' Up! products used:

• Very Versailles stamp set
• Itty Bitty Birthdays stamp set
• Subtle Embossing Folder
• Silver Metallic Thread
• Silver Glimmer Paper
• Flourish Dies
• Blackberry Bliss
• Blushing Bride
• Basic Gray
• Whisper White

Shop Stampin' Up! products here!

---

Digital Retreat August #2 - Very Versailles - #simplestamping

For the second project of the day we decided to combine a few different challenges into one big challenge, which took us the rest of the day. We picked the Very Versailles stamp set, which we both are obsessed with and decided to do three cards with it. One with the leaves falling down, one with the leaves creeping up and one with the leaves going across to show how versatile this set is. We also wanted to do the Stampin' Up! #simplestamping challenge and this month it was Birthdays. Last, we decided to make the 3 cards in 3 different color schemes.

~Enjoy!

---

For this set we chose Rococo Rose, Sahara Sand and Pretty Peacock. We used Very Vanilla cardstock and this item as inspiration from Pinterest. I am an avid stamper by nature, so to do something with #simplestamping is very hard for me. But I think this one came out very nice for the beginner stamper.

When we were done with the #simplestamping of the 3 items, we both said, we would have to gussy these up to feel comfortable giving them as birthday gifts, so we dove in & finished the 3 cards that felt more us. Here is the what would border on the casual or possibly the avid stamper version of the card above.

I sponged the edges with the Rococo Rose and scruffed up the edges with scissors. Added several layers of the Rose Metallic Thread and after one attempt at a bow with the thread, abandoned it for the finger wrap & twist method which left an ugly area where I taped it together, so I grabbed the Leaves Trinkets & problem solved! Last, I colored some rhinestones with the Pretty Peacock Blends Marker for the finishing touch. Check out how Tracy finished off her card! 

---

Stampin' Up! products used:

• Very Versailles stamp set
• Rose Metallic Thread
• Leaves Trinkets
• Rococo Rose
• Sahara Sand
• Pretty Peacock
• Pretty Peacock Blends Marker

Shop Stampin' Up! products here!

---

#simplestamping with Beautiful Bouquet for the 4th of July

The last project of the day was to whip up a quick 4th of July card with #simplestamping.

~Enjoy!

---

OK, I confess, I cannot do #simplestamping, I had to add a layer from the Celebrate You dies. This one uses Real Red, Balmy Blue and Blueberry Bushel. The splat is from Artisan Textures and the bursts are from Beautiful Bouquet. The small celebrate stamp on the envelope is from my stash and the whole things is topped off with White and retired Night of Navy Baker's Twine. Remember, the Whisper White baker's twine could easily be colored with the Night of Navy Blends Marker. Don't forget to go check out Tracy's card at Stuff-n-Thingz!

---

Stampin' Up! products used:

• Celebrate You Dies
• Night of Navy Baker's Twine
• Whisper White Baker's Twine
• Night of Navy Blends Marker
• Real Red
• Balmy Blue
• Blueberry Bushel

Shop Stampin' Up! products here!

---

Digital Retreat May #1 - Tropical Chic - #simplestamping

My friend Tracy and I have the opportunity to create together digitally on Saturday! We started with a color combination challenge of Gray Granite, Poppy Parade and Daffodil Delight. Tracy does a ton of color challenges & blog hops, so this inspiration came from one of those she was preparing for.

The tricky part this month is trying to find a set that will be in the 2019-2020 catalog that neither of us have purchased from yet -so it has to be a carry over set - there were not many to choose from but we both had Tropical Chic & neither of us have used it very much. See Tracy's version below, I love what she did with the frmae & the corrugated paper behind it! Since it was first in the day - I considered this my warm up card - #simplestamping!

I did have to color the baker's twine  and also the rhinestones with a Blends marker to get a little more yellow on the card.

~Enjoy

---

Check out Tracy's card !

Inspiration colors

---

Shop Stampin' Up! products here!