Bugs, Bees, and Butterflies

Posted on February 21, 2020 by

Bugs, Bees, and Butterflies

Welcome to another StampOff Friday! This week, we’re using bugs, bees, or butterflies. I like ladybugs, but other bugs? Not so much. And while I love saving the honeybees and let all the dandelions live that want to grow in my yard, I had a very bad experience with a yellow jacket in my youth. So I chose to use butterflies.

Butterfly Gala, Stampin' Up!, Beauty Abounds

Details

I had an extra Whisper White card base and Blackberry Bliss Cardstock layer left from classes this month, so I used them as the base for my card.

Next, I created a banner from one of the designs in the Best Dressed 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper (DSP). I chose the Butterfly Beauty Dies that coordinate with the Beauty Abounds Stamp Set from the 2019-2020 Stampin’ Up!® Annual Catalog, and diecut them from Purple Posy and Blackberry Bliss Cardstock.

After I adhered the two layers of butterflies together (using the Fine-Tip Glue Pen), I added them to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals. I used another favorite butterfly set, Butterfly Gala, for the sentiment. I stamped on Whisper White Cardstock with Blackberry Bliss Classic Ink, then created a double banner with my Paper Snips and added it to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

For a little sparkle, I colored some Basic Rhinestone Jewels with a Dark Blackberry Bliss Stampin’ Blend and added them to the card.

The Bee Story

Now for my bee story. Years ago, my brothers were in Boy Scouts. They had a picnic one afternoon at a local park (there was probably a trip somewhere fun, but I blocked everything except the bee incident from my memory). Sometime during the picnic, my younger brother saw yellow jackets flying into and out of a hole in the ground. It was obviously a nest, but he was young and thought he could stomp it and get rid of the nasty little yellow jackets.

He did not get rid of the nasty little yellow jackets; he stirred them up. Apparently, nosy little Buffy was standing close enough that one of the little buggers thought I was the one who tried to destroy their home and it stung me on the elbow. It hurt, and I cried. Back then, most first aid kits contained merthiolate, band aids, and maybe a roll of bandages and some tape. None of that was great for a bee sting, but one of the Boy Scout moms had heard that alcohol helped. She happened to have a bottle of perfume, and liberally sprayed my elbow with that. It stung, didn’t help the sting, and smelled.

Meanwhile, my little brother was screaming and stomping his foot. No one could see any bees on him, and we couldn’t understand why he was pitching such a fit. Mom pulled down his sock, and there was one more mean little bee repeatedly stinging my poor brother. Sadly, nine year-old Buffy was not as kind as the current Buffy, and I was a little mollified by the fact that he also got stung since the angry swarm was his fault in the first place. My compassion did, however, take over after my elbow stopped hurting and Mom washed off the perfume. Not only did I forgive him, but I apologized for my not-so-nice reaction when he got stung, and I really did feel sorry for him.

So that’s why I chose butterflies. Plus, I really like butterflies. They’re beautiful and when you see them, you know it’s springtime. Susan and I are going to a Stampin’ Up!® event in New Orleans in August, and I’ve heard there’s a beautiful butterfly garden. I’m sure Susan will want to go with me to see it! (Just FYI, in case you missed it – Susan has a butterfly horror story that rivals my bee story.)

Visit Jackie’s & Susan’s Blogs

So did Susan use butterflies? Is Jackie using bees? I love to guess, but I’m usually wrong. Be sure to take a peek at their blogs today before you head out for the day.

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!

Product List

Butterfly Gala Photopolymer Stamp Set

$21.00

Blackberry Bliss 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Purple Posy 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.75

Best Dressed 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

$11.50

Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Blackberry Bliss Dark Stampin' Blends

$4.50

Butterfly Beauty Dies

$39.00

Rhinestone Basic Jewels

$5.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

$4.00

Fine-Tip Glue Pen

$7.00

Beauty Abounds, Butterfly Gala, Stampin' Up!

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Birthday Tulips

Posted on February 18, 2020 by

Birthday Tulips

Hello, Crafting Friends! Today I have a fun card for you. It was created by my friend Christy. Whenever we have a challenge or Christy is in a swap, she often makes me a card as well, just because. I loved the one she gave me for our recent color challenge. The challenge was to use Blackberry Bliss, Poppy Parade, and Calypso Coral. I got a few groans when I added Calypso Coral, but everyone did a beautiful job! Here’s Christy’s entry for the color challenge. .

Timeless Tulips, Stampin' Up!

Christy used the colors beautifully! She used the Stampin’ Up! Timeless Tulips Stamp Set from the January-June Mini Catalog, stamping the flowers in Poppy Parade, Calypso Coral, and Blackberry Bliss. The leaves are Pear Pizzazz. (Ok, I’m guessing about that. But it looks like Pear Pizzazz, or a darker green stamped off.)

She took a strip of Poppy Parade Cardstock and ripped the bottom, then layered the Poppy Parade to a Blackberry Bliss Card base. Then she layered the stamped Whisper White layer over the top.

The sentiment, also from the Timeless Tulips Stamp Set, is stamped in Poppy Parade on Whisper White. A couple of Rhinestone Basic Jewels frame the sentiment.

I didn’t take a picture of the inside, but it’s Whisper White with a couple more Poppy Parade tulips peeking out from the side. So cute! This is such a fun, yet relatively simple card. This just may show up again in classes next month!

Here’s a little FYI. The Timeless Tulips Stamp Set has a coordinating Tulip Builder Punch with a tulip flower and a leaf. If you bundle the stamp set and punch, you can save 10% through June 2, 2020.

Don’t forget to check back on Friday for another StampOff with Susan, Jackie, and me. And thank you for all the well wishes and prayers for my family. Mike, Amelia, and I are much better – although I have a bump on my arm where they took blood and put in the IV last Friday. It’s sore, but my Jonathan assured me it will be gone in a day or two. Dad has good days and bad days. We decided to have hospice care, so they had to remove the feeding tube. He has been eating “real” food ever since. We’ve also been told that it’s not unusual for patients to leave hospice care because they’re better. My dad is a little stubborn (ok, a lot stubborn), so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him get strong enough to go back home. We’re taking it a day at a time.

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!

Product List

Timeless Tulips Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

$18.00

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.75

Poppy Parade 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Blackberry Bliss 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Poppy Parade Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Rhinestone Basic Jewels

$5.00

Timeless Tulips, Stampin' Up!

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Buffy Who?

Posted on February 17, 2020 by

Buffy Who?

Hello, Stamping Friends! I know some of you have noticed, but for those of you who haven’t, I didn’t get to blog at all last week. It seemed weird. A huge thanks to those of you who reached out to see if I was ok (or still alive!).

Before I go further, if you don’t want to hear my sad weekly story, scroll down until you see the card for today.

It was a crazy week, for sure. It started on Friday (February 7). I agreed to be a driver for the field trip that afternoon for Amelia’s school. First, let me say that just because you have enough seat belts and head rests for five kids in the back two rows of your car doesn’t mean you have room for five kids in the back two rows. I generously offered to drive five kids, and I thought I was going to have to leave one behind. I didn’t factor in the extra 10″ (I’m guessing; it may be more or less) per car seat. We finally got there, but as the afternoon wore on, I noticed Amelia flagging. She didn’t want to play, so she sat on my lap. I felt her head and it was warm. I couldn’t take her home and leave the other four kids at the site, so we snuggled until the event was over. Then I fought to get five kids and their car seats into a car that wasn’t big enough for five kids and car seats. As soon as we got back to the school, I dropped everyone off and headed home. Amelia ended up in tears at our house. “Seesa, please make me feel better!” My heart broke. I texted her dad who brought pain meds over on his way to work. He is  a hero!

I’ll leave out most of the details from here on out, but between Amelia, Dad, and Mike (oh, did I mention Mike was having problems from some dental work he had?), I was either on the 2nd floor, babysitting my grand, or in the ER with Mike.

The rest of the week was the same. I had to cancel my first class/workshop in 17 years (except for weather). but then Mike decided I needed to get checked out for high blood pressure. So between a sick dad, a sick granddaughter, and a sick husband I needed to add a sick me? NOOOOO!

Yes. My blood pressure was a bit high. (Well, seriously??? With all of this?) So I now have a prescription for meds- which I hate, but for now it’s just a diuretic, so I can live with that.

So I realized when I was in my dad’s room that there are no cards or flowers or balloons. There’s no room for flowers and balloons, and it would just make more work for us when we take Dad home, so that’s ok. But cards don’t take up too much room, right? So this is for my dad who has always been there for me no matter what I’m going through.

Tags in Bloom, Stampin' Up!

This card uses some second release Sale-a-bration (SAB) products that you can order beginning March 3. First is my favorite – the Flowering Foils Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP). I love this Rose Gold/Silver Foil Design. I colored the flowers with Rococo Rose Dark Combo Stampin’ Blends, and the leaves with Granny Apple Green Dark Combo Stampin’ Blends. I think the Granny Apple Green really pops with the dustiness of the Rococo Rococo Rose.

Another new SAB release is the Tags in Bloom Set. I stamped the sentiment from the Tags in Bloom Stamp Set using Tuxedo Black Memento Stamp Pad. Then I diecut the sentiment using the Stitched Shapes Famelits.

Thanks for hanging in there with me during this crazy week! And thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy!

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More Grace in the Garden

Posted on February 7, 2020 by

More Grace in the Garden

Welcome to another Friday StampOff with Jackie, Susan, and me! Last time, we showed our favorite Sale-a-bration products. This time, it’s all about the Stampin’ Up!® January-June Mini Catalog. I cannot wait to see Jackie’s and Susan’s favorites!

The hardest part of this challenge for me was deciding what to use. I love the Tropical Oasis Designer Series Paper (DSP) and absolutely gorgeous Peaceful Poppies DSP. But then the Mountain Air, Peaceful Moments and Painted Poppies Bundles also are some of my favorites. The My Meadow Stamp Set was at the top of my list; I love those “watercolor sets” like Snow Front and Waterfront.

In the end, I decided to go with the first bundle that I knew I wanted – Grace’s Garden. I’m not sure why I love gardening sets so much. Maybe it’s because I have two brown thumbs. I love flowers, but I’m not really great at growing them. Everyone else in my family – parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles – totally rocks at the gardening thing. Me? Not so much. So I stick to paper flowers.

Grace's Garden, Best Dressed, Stampin' Up!

I started with a card base of Pear Pizzazz. Next, I die-cut the gate and an arch from Whisper White Cardstock using the Garden Gateway Dies. (Yes, of course, I bundled the dies and Grace’s Garden Stamp Set to save 10%.)

I lightly marked with a pencil where the gate started on the arch, then sponged Balmy Blue Classic Ink above the gate and Old Olive behind the gate. (Yes, I really did sponge Old Olive; you just can’t see it, because I decided to add some flowers behind the gate. It is Grace’s garden, after all.)

Next I stamped the bird and all the flower images at least once on Whisper White Cardstock with Basic Gray Classic Ink. I used Highland Heather, Flirty Flamingo, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive and Granny Apple Green Stampin’ Blends to color the flowers, and Crumb Cake for the bird.

I adhered the sponged arch to the card, then added the die-cut flowers, bird, and gateway. After I stamped the sentiment – also in Basic Gray Classic Ink, I realized it was a little bare. Fortunately the Best Dressed DSP coordinated with my colors, so I added a strip behind the archway.

This stamp set just makes me happy. I’m longing for spring, and this card makes me feel warm. One bad thing about living in Northern Virginia (maybe I should say “Northwestern Virginia,” so you don’t confuse us with the nutty area of Virginia that’s near Washington, DC) is we get a “false spring” in late January or early February. We had several beautiful days. It even smelled like spring. But, sadly, we’re now back to icky winter. Before you feel too badly for me, “icky winter” means temps from the high 30’s to low-mid 40’s and rain. (Ok, the rain part could be spring. Or summer. Or fall. I’m thinking the rain is geographically challenged and is hitting us instead of the Seattle area. But that’s good. We had droughts for so many years – especially in summer – so rain is good. Or so I keep telling myself.)

Please take a few minutes to check out Susan’s and Jackie’s blogs. I’m excited to see what their favorites are. I always have suspicions, but they fool me every time.

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy! Have a lovely day.

Product List

Grace's Garden Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

$18.00

Grace's Garden Bundle (English)

$47.50

Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Highland Heather Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

$9.00

Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

$9.00

Old Olive Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

$9.00

Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

$9.00

Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

$9.00

Crumb Cake Light Stampin' Blends Marker

$4.50

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.75

Pear Pizzazz 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Best Dressed 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

$11.50

Garden Gateway Dies

$35.00

Stamping Sponges

$4.00

 Grace's Garden, Stampin' Up!, Best Dressed

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The Peaceful Poppies Suite

Posted on February 5, 2020 by

The Peaceful Poppies Suite

Hi, Stamping Friends! Today, I have a super fun video for you, highlighting all the elements in the Peaceful Poppies Suite.

When I first saw this suite, I thought I only needed the Painted Poppies Stamp Set and the Peaceful Poppies Designer Series Paper (DSP), so that’s all I ordered. Such a bad idea. After I played with it a bit, I wanted the Peaceful Moments Bundle. And I wanted the Painted Labels Dies. And, oh goodness, aren’t those Peaceful Poppies Sequins beautiful? I already had the Whisper White 1/4″ Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon from OnStage in November, but it was almost gone. So…I ordered the entire suite. And Stampin’ Up!® has made that easy because there’s one single number for everything in the suite (153938).

Check out the video to see the products “in action,” as well as to understand how the elements were named. (So fun to learn the “behind the scenes” stuff, don’t you think?)

I hope you’re enjoying the January-June 2020 Mini Catalog as much as I am. The variety of products spans every interest; there’s something for everyone! Of course, my favorite part of the mini catalog sales period is that Sale-a-bration is going on through the first three months, so for every $50 you spend, you earn a Sale-a-bration Level 1 product. Of course, with $100, you earn two Level 1 products or one Level 2.

Host a $300 minimum party during Sale-a-bration and get the Little Ladybug Stamp Set free – as well as the “regular” host rewards.

Join my team during Sale-a-bration and you can add an extra stamp set plus the DSP sampler and a mini paper cutter to your $99 starter kit (plus $125 in products of your choice).

Sale-a-bration is the best time of the stamping year! Be sure to order your Peaceful Poppies Suite products before the end of Sale-a-bration (March 31) so you can earn those SAB products.

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!

Product List

Peaceful Poppies Suite Bundle (English)

$136.50

Peaceful Poppies Designer Series Paper

$11.50

Painted Poppies Bundle

$52.00

Peaceful Moments Bundle (English)

$52.00

Peaceful Poppies Sequins

$7.00

Whisper White 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon

$7.50

Peaceful Poppies Elements

$6.50

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Coordination Product Release

Posted on February 3, 2020 by

Coordination Product Release

Don’t forget – tomorrow is the day to order products that coordinate with Sale-a-bration and January-June Mini Catalog products. Love the Little Ladybugs Stamp Set? You definitely need the dies as well. Or step up that birthday cake in the Happy Birthday to You Stamp Set with the Birthday Dies! Or enjoy new Designer Series Paper that coordinates with the Small Bloom Punch from Sale-a-bration, and the Heart Punch Pack, Tulip Builder, and Builder Umbrella Punches from the January-June Mini Catalog?

The Coordination Products

Nature's Thoughts, Positive Thoughts, Stampin' Up!, Sale-a-bration

Coordinates with the Positive Thoughts Stamp Set from the January-June Mini Catalog

Special Someone, Stampin' Up!

Coordinates with the Special Someone Stamp Set from the January- June Mini Catalog

Little Ladybugs, Stampin' Up!, Sale-a-bration

Coordinates with the Little Ladybug Hostess Stamp Set from the Sale-a-bration Brochure

Sending You Thoughts, Stampin' Up!,

Coordinates with the Sending You Thoughts Stamp Set from the Sale-a-bration Brochure.

Happy Birthday to You, Stampin' Up!, Sale-a-bration

Coordinates with the Happy Birthday to You Stamp Set from the Sale-a-bration brochure.

Stampin' Up!

Coordinates with the Small Bloom Punch from the Sale-a-bration Brochure, and the Heart Punch Pack, Tulip Builder Punch, and Builder Umbrella Punch from the January – June Mini Catalog.

Aren’t these fun? But hurry! While they can be purchased from February 4 through March 31, 2020, they are only available while supplies last. Don’t be disappointed! Order today.

And Speaking of the Little Ladybug Stamp Set

The winner of my Little Ladybug Stamp Set is Deborah Smart! Congratulations, Deborah! Your stamp set will be on the way soon. I can’t wait to see what you do with it.

And finally – My fun weekend!

I had an amazing weekend! Well, it didn’t start off amazingly. I had to do quarterly and end of the year taxes on Friday, because of course I waited until the last second to do them. (When will I learn?) But taxes give me a headache and a stomach ache, so I tend to procrastinate.

Saturday, though, was glorious. I did absolutely nothing except relax and play. And then Sunday, Miss Amelia came to visit. Actually, this was part of the sad part of the weekend. Wes’s girlfriend Katelyn’s step-dad passed away last week. It was very sad, because he was quite young (at least, compared to me), and he was a wonderful man. The family gathering was on Sunday, so Wesley dropped Amelia off with Mike & me since he would be staying in Sterling overnight.

And this was the amazing part. We had a blast on Sunday. We got to see Jon and Adrianna (my other two kids), played a lot, then went to visit my parents. Because she’s been in school, they haven’t seen Amelia much lately, so it was such a wonderful time.

After we had a lovely “tea” (except it was with coffee, because we’re Americans and love our coffee), I chatted with Dad for a long time in the dining room. It was so fun to listen to stories about his childhood. He told me lots of stories about his dog Carlo, and it was so fun to reminisce with him.

Meanwhile, Mom gave Amelia a catalog to cut up. Oh, my goodness! All of my scissors are very sharp or very large, so I haven’t let Amelia do much cutting. She is a master! She cut circles better than I do. If anyone needs a “fussy cutter,” let me know.

I hope your weekend was as fun as mine. I mean, mine was so fun my blog was 14+ hours late.

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!

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Grace’s Garden

Posted on January 31, 2020 by

Grace’s Garden

One of the first stamp sets I purchased from the Stampin’ Up!® January-June Mini Catalog was Grace’s Garden. Of course, I purchased the bundle, which includes the stamp set and the Garden Gateway Dies. It’s such a beautiful set, and the dies coordinate with most of the stamps – and they include a few extras!

I had one extra kit from my class last month, so I used the Gray Granite card base with the Stitched Shapes die-cut window to create this card.

Graces Garden, Stampin' Up!

I stamped the floral images (lots of floral images!) and the cat using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. Then I colored with Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Mango Melody, Mossy Meadow, Blackberry Bliss, Pumpkin Pie, and Highland Heather Combo Stampin’ Blends and die-cut with the coordinating dies.

I wanted my garden to be against a wall, so I embossed the front of the card with the Brick & Mortar 3D Embossing Folder.

After adding a layer of Whisper White Cardstock inside the card, I used EarlyEspresso Classic Ink to stamp the sentiment from Grace’s Garden inside the window onto the Whisper White Cardstock.

The last step was to add the floral and cat die-cuts around the circle. I am super happy with the way this turned out. Although there was a lot of die-cutting and coloring, it was a fairly simple card.

My favorite part is the little cat looking at the sentiment through the flowers. It reminds me so much of my cat Ashlynn. She is very curious, and (usually) loves to be around people. Although she can seem stand-offish, she loves to snuggle in the mornings. Right now, she’s sleeping beside my laptop with her head on the January-June Mini. Maybe she feels a kinship with the cat in the stamp set.

Don’t forget to leave a comment on my blog to be entered into the drawing for the Little Ladybug Stamp Set. Or order online from my web site to receive one entry for every $10 you spend! The contest ends tomorrow (January 31) at midnight Eastern Time, so enter soon. I’ll draw for a winner on February 1. That will give the winner time to order the Ladybug Dies beginning February 4 to go with the set!

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!

Product List

Grace's Garden Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

$18.00

Grace's Garden Bundle (English)

$47.50

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.75

Gray Granite 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

$6.00

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Mossy Meadow Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

$9.00

Highland Heather Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

$9.00

Old Olive Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

$9.00

Mango Melody Combo Pack Stampin' Blends

$9.00

Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

$9.00

Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

$9.00

Blackberry Bliss Combo Pack Stampin' Blends

$9.00

Stitched Shapes Dies

$30.00

Garden Gateway Dies

$35.00

Brick & Mortar 3D Embossing Folder

$10.00


Grace's Garden, Stampin' Up!

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