Playing with Blending Brushes

Playing with Blending Brushes

Last week, my friend Margo asked me to show her how a card she found on Facebook was made. It was so cool – and the technique is easy. But the card she found was created by a  member of the Stampin’ Up!® Artisan team. These are super talented demonstrators who share ideas each month on their social media accounts (as well as on some Stampin’ Up!® sites). I reminded Margo that while I know how to do the technique, I am no artisan by any stretch of the imagination, and she was ok with that.

Before she came over, I played around with the blending technique. Except for the fact that kangaroos are not woodland creatures (what was I thinking??), I was happy with how this turned out.

Stampin' Up!, Count on Me, Beauty of Friendship

First, I started with one of the Small Blending Brushes (did you know we had these? Check out page 67 of the January-April Mini Catalog) and Daffodil Delight and Parakeet Party Classic Ink and blended into the center of where the image would be. (Tip: Since you can’t really start blending off the page, be sure to tap the brush a couple times on your grid sheet or scrap paper so you don’t get a little blob of ink that you have to cover up with trees.) Next, I added Starry Sky Classic Ink with one of the larger Blending Brushes around the edge. Start off the card stock so if you get a blob of ink, it’s on your grid sheet, not your card. Keep the edges darker, but use less ink as you more toward the lighter colors.

After I was mostly happy with the result (remember, you can add more ink if you need to), I stamped the kangaroo from the Count on Me Stamp Set. He was a little “floaty,” so I added some grass for a ground. I didn’t want the poor little thing hanging in the air for eternity. Or however long this card is kept. And finally, I added a couple trees from the Beauty of Friendship Stamp Set in Early Espresso to cover mistakes.

The sentiment, stamped in Starry Sky Ink, is also from the Beauty of Friendship Stamp Set. I die-cut it with one of the coordinating dies, but the dies retired last year or the year before. Since I still have them and they were lying right there with the stamp set, I used them, but there are many other dies that will work. Or you can simply cut it to size with your Paper Trimmer or Snips.

Before I added my kangaroo to a Daffodil Delight layer and then to a Starry Sky base, I colored him and his flower with Stampin’ Blends.

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

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Stampin' Up!, Count on Me, Beauty of Friendship

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Irresistible Blooms Bundle

Irresistible Blooms Bundle

I am enjoying the new Irresistible Blooms Bundle, one of the products in the Stampin’ Up! Online Exclusive Release. These products are very popular which is wonderful! But, sadly, they are unavailable right now. But they’ll be back in a couple of weeks! So here’s a card we made at our March Stampin’ Up!® Demonstrator Gathering.

Stampin' Up!, Irresistible Blooms Bundle, Charming Silhouettes

First, I cut the front center of the Coastal Cabana card base with one of the Irresistible Blooms Dies to make a window. Then I embossed with one of the new Basic Embossing Folders. I love how it kind of mimics the dots in the die-cut.

Next, I spritzed a piece of Watercolor Paper with a mixture of Polished Pink Ink Refill and Rubbing Alcohol. You can also use water, but the alcohol dries very quickly. I tried to concentrate the ink on the center of the paper so it got lighter toward the edges. I didn’t want to completely cover the entire piece. (I could have just used card stock if I wanted it to be the same all over, right?)

After the ink dried, I stamped one of the flowers and a leaf from the Irresistible Blooms Stamp Set over the pink spritz with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. I stamped the splatter from the same set in Bermuda Bay Ink on the corners.

I used the Charming Sentiments Bundle for the sentiment. I stamped in Polished Pink Ink, then die-cut with the coordinating Charming Silhouettes Die. I added a few Iridescent Pastels Gems for some sparkle!

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

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Stampin' Up!, Charming Sentiments, Irresistible Blooms

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Irresistible Seaside Bay

Irresistible Seaside Bay

I was looking at some of my designer series paper (DSP) today, and I realized how well the By the Bay DSP and the new Hello, Irresistible DSP (online exclusive release) coordinated. I used both sets of paper, the Seaside Bay Bundle, and Framed Florets Dies to create this card.

Stampin' Up!, Seaside Bay, Framed Florets

It was a lot of die-cutting, but not difficult. First, I die-cut the oval and frame using the Framed Florets Dies and the Hello, Irresistible DSP. I love that some of my favorite retired In Colors will be returning soon! Pretty Peacock is such a beautiful blue/green color.

Next, I used the By the Bay DSP and cut the crab and the two shells using the Seaside Bay Dies. I love the gold shimmer in some of the DSP! I stamped the bird from the Seaside Bay Stamp Set in Early Espresso Ink on Sahara Sand Cardstock, then die-cut it with the Seaside Bay dies, as well as Pretty Peacock and Soft Succulent sea grass.

I layered a 3-7/8″ x 5-1/8″ piece of Pretty Peacock Cardstock (currently retired, but returning!) to a Soft Succulent Card Base, and a 3-3/4″ x 5″ piece of the Hello, Irresistible DSP over that. Then I just layered the pieces to the card, starting with the DSP frame pieces.

After everything was put together, I added some Iridescent Rhinestone Gems and the sentiment from the Seaside Bay Stamp Set stamped in Pretty Peacock Ink on Soft Succulent Cardstock.

Just a reminder for you – the 2022-2023 Stampin’ Up!® Annual Catalog and the January – April Mini Catalog will both be retiring soon. If there are products you want and really love, please do not wait until April to order them, because you could be disappointed. Popular retiring products sell out quickly, so order now!

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

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Stampin' Up!, Seaside Bay, Framed Florets,

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Picturesque Journey

Picturesque Journey

Welcome back to Stamping with Buffy! This has been a crazy week! Mike & I got home from a restful trip in the mountains, On Monday, I got to take Amelia to school. I love these times with her! By Monday afternoon, we had some family medical emergencies (nothing life threatening, thank goodness), and things are finally starting to calm down.

After all the excitement this week, this card seemed fitting.

Picturesque, Stampin' Up! Enjoy the Journey

This is another “Let the paper do the work” card. First, I cut a 3-1/2″ x 5″ piece of the Enjoy the Journey Designer Series Paper (DSP).  Then I covered it with one of the Lovely Layers Vellum sheets. These are already cut to fit the 3-3/4″ x 5″ piece. I adhered the vellum at the bottom only at first. I knew that would be covered by the die-cuts. I love how the vellum makes this look like an early morning or evening hike in the fog.

I die-cut the hiker and hill from Basic Black Cardstock using the Greatest Journey Dies. For the lantern, I used a retired hand-held punch to punch a small circle from Daffodil Delight Cardstock, then adhered it to the back of the lantern. Tip: If any of the glue makes the front of the card sticky, simply rub over it with an embossing buddy! It “de-stickifies” the paper immediately!

I adhered the die-cuts over the bottom of the vellum/DSP so that the adhesive on the vellum was hidden. Next, I cut a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Basic White Cardstock. I stamped the sentiment from the Picturesque Stamp Set using Gorgeous Grape Ink (actually, you may think it’s Blackberry Bliss – and you would be correct. That’s the only “purple” I had with me when I made the card.) in the middle of the card stock, then cut it out. Since I knew this was going to be covered with the DSP, I used my Paper Trimmer to cut it from the center of the card stock so cut ends wouldn’t show on the sides. I trimmed this to about 1″ wide, then used the Banners Pick a Punch to “fish tail” the end. I added this to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals, then added some adhesive to the vellum/DSP piece under the banner to hide the adhesive.

The card base is Gorgeous Grape. So pretty, and so simple!

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

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Picturesque, Stampin' Up! Enjoy the Journey, Greatest Journey

 

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Jar of Ferns

Jar of Ferns

Happy Friday! This has been a busy week, but I’ve been very productive. I’ve played with techniques and new products, updated calendars and newsletters, and caught up on some bookwork for my “other job.” Today, I’m rewarding myself with another lunch with Amelia. I can’t wait, and I think her mom is going to go with me!  Then Mike & I are heading to the mountains for the weekend. Hopefully, we won’t get the snow they’re calling for. Mike, Max (our dog), and I all need to take some long walks to help get rid of the “winter weight.”

On the last Thursday of each month, we have a Technique Night on Zoom. It’s open to anyone who would like to join (so send me a message if you’d like the link), and in February, Nadine showed us several embossing folder techniques. I decided to use one for this card.

Stampin' Up!, Forever Fern, Jar of Flowers, Embedded Embossing

I decided it was much quicker and easier to stamp and die-cut than to mask. For this card, I stamped one of the images from the Forever Fern Stamp Set in Coastal Cabana on Very Vanilla Cardstock. For the other images, I stamped in Poppy Parade, Orchid Oasis, and Pumpkin Pie on a separate piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock, then die-cut with the Forever Flourishing Dies. I layered these on the original piece of Very Vanilla around the Coastal Cabana image.

Next, I stamped the jar from the Jar of Flowers Stamp Set in Garden Green on Pear Pizzazz Cardstock and punched with the Jar Punch. I adhered this over the other stamped images. I added some splatters from the Forever Fern Stamp Set in Pear Pizzazz Ink around the Jar. The sentiment, stamped in Orchid Oasis, is also from the Forever Fern Stamp Set.

I embossed the entire layer with one of the Basic 3D Embossing Folders in the Online Exclusives release. This was the Embedded Embossing that Nadine demonstrated. It really embeds the die-cut images into the card stock, so you really have to look to tell that they’re die-cuts. The card base is Mango Melody. I love that color, because it can be an orange or a yellow. And it doesn’t overwhelm, but it doesn’t hide in the background either. It’s one of my favorite colors.

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

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Forever Fern, Jar of FLowers, Stampin' Up!, Embedded Embossing

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Copper Fancy Flora

Copper Fancy Flora

Welcome back to Stamping with Buffy! Whenever I type Copper, I always double check to make sure I have two p’s and only one o. Good thing I checked this time, because I had typed Cooper Fancy Flora. It’s funny, because a lot of people spell my last name with one o and two p’s, including the girl who worked at the local Cooper’s Jewelers (no relation) when Mike & I ordered our wedding rings many, many years ago. She argued with me when I pointed out she had misspelled our name. Apparently she had never seen it spelled that way before. I started to direct her to the sign on the storefront and the receipt she had handed me with the store name printed on it, but I decided it just wasn’t that big of a deal.

Anyway, when I saw the Soft Suede design in the Fancy Flora Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack, I loved it! I know the colors look more like dead flowers, but it was such a perfect vintage design, it became my favorite.

If you’ve seen our Mystery Pieces Challenges, you may have realized that I like to “transform” things. The whole idea of our challenge was based on the Food Network TV Show Chopped. When contestants transform ingredients, they usually slide by on minor mistakes. And besides, I don’t want my creations to look like all the others since we’re all using the same products.  Here’s the card I made with the Fancy Flora DSP.

Fancy Flora, Apple Harvest, Stampin' UP!

This is actually for a Spring Challenge. Looking at it with fresh eyes, it doesn’t really scream, “Spring!” to me. But every year in our town, we have an Apple Blossom Festival with parades, luncheons, dinners, and other events. It’s grown from a weekend to several weeks of events, and, frankly, Mike & I try to stay far away. The whole town in covered in pink and green, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the apple industry in our area and everything to do with tourism. I’m not even sure there are apple trees in the city of Winchester; most are in the county (which gets no revenue from the festival, as far as I know). But it’s a good reason to celebrate and enjoy lots of parties and bacchanalia. Mike & I leave the area until it’s over. But I digress…

First, I cut a piece of the Fancy Flora DSP into two pieces (not the same size) because I wanted to show both sides. I used a Blending Brush to add some Blushing Bride to the DSP then inked the Hand Drawn Dots Stamp with Versamark Ink and stamped on both pieces. Finally, I embossed the dots with Copper Stampin’ Emboss Powder. I layered both pieces to  Blushing Bride Cardstock, then added that to a panel of Soft Succulent Cardstock. I cut a tiny sliver of Copper Foil and adhered it over the seam where the two sides of the DSP met.

Now that I had my pink and green spring colors, I needed a little more to make a spring card. I used the Apple Harvest Stamp Set and stamped some apple blossoms on Very Vanilla Cardstock with Soft Suede Classic Ink. I colored these with Light Natural Tones and Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Blends. Then I die-cut them and some Soft Succulent Cardstock leaves with the Apple Blossom Dies. Yes, I know. This stamp set doesn’t have dies. But several months ago, Stampin’ Up!® offered dies for several Stamp Sets in the July-December Mini Catalog. Since I’m an apple grower’s daughter, I had to order them with the Apple Harvest Stamp Set. These are still available in the online store, and they’re over half off the original price!

The sentiment from the Apple Harvest Stamp Set is stamped in Soft Suede on a scrap of the DSP and die-cut with the Apple Blossoms Dies.

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

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Apple Harvest Stamp Set, Stampin' Up!, Fancy Flora DSP

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Hand-Penned Thanks

Hand-Penned Thanks

I haven’t created an “Eclipse” card for a while, so I decided to post one today. This is a bit different from the ones I usually see. The ones I’ve seen have a word or numbers cut out of the top layer and they cut-outs are adhered back into place with dimensionals. This one is backwards.

Hand-Penned Petalss, Stampin' Up!, Brewed for You, Amazing Thanks Dies

I love how this turned out, and here’s how I created it.

First, I cut two pieces of Very Vanilla Cardstock. One is 3-3/4″ x 5″ and the other is 4″ x 5-1/4″. I layered them (without glue) in my Stamparatus and lightly marked the corner of the smaller layer with a pencil. Then I stamped the bottle from the Brewed for You Stamp Set in Bermuda Bay Classic Ink on the smaller layer. After moving that piece, I stamped again on the larger piece. By using the Stamparatus, both layers are stamped in the same spot on the card stock – which will be important later.

Next, I lay the smaller piece back over the larger (in the same position) and stamped the flower from the Hand-Penned Petals Stamp Set in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. After removing the smaller piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock, I stamped again on the larger piece. At this point, it’s ok to erase the pencil marks.

I colored both bottles of flowers with Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, Old Olive, Pale Papaya, Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade, and SU1000 Light Stampin’ Blends.  Then I used the skinniest Stitched Rectangle Die to die-cut three rectangles from the smaller piece. I also stamped some splatters from the Irresistible Blooms Stamp Set in Blushing Bride Classic Ink to the smaller layer. I added Stampin’ Dimensionals to the back of the smaller piece, then layered it over the larger, lining up the images. I know what you’re thinking. “Why don’t you just skip the coloring part on the larger layer and simply lay the die-cuts back into the bottom layer?” Yes, that would be easier, and it’s totally ok to do this. I just thought it looked a little more “finished” with the whole layer colored.

I die-cut the two layers for the sentiment from Blushing Bride and Poppy Parade Cardstock using the Amazing Thanks Dies. For the finishing touch, I added a few Solid Faceted Gems.

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

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Hand-Penned Petals, Amazing Thanks, Brewed for You, Stampin' Up!

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Gilded Vellum with Cottage Rose

Gilded Vellum with Cottage Rose

Here’s another technique I’ve done a few times lately, but, again, I had forgotten about it. It’s so much fun – and I added a little twist to it (even though it was by accident).

Ranunculus Romance, Cottage Rose, Gilded Leafing, Stampin' Up!

First, I used an alcohol ink technique with the Vellum. Scribble on a piece of Vellum with Stampin’ Blends. I was a little too conservative with my colors; I’ll probably go darker next time. I used purples, and although I’m not 100% sure of the colors I used, I know I used Blackberry Bliss, Orchid Oasis, Fresh Freesia, and Rich Razzleberry. You do not need to cover the entire page.

Next, spritz the Vellum with rubbing alcohol. It needs to be at least 91%. Be generous with this. You want the color to lift off the Vellum, so you’ll need a lot of alcohol so the colors will lift and blend a bit. Here’s the twist – I had an empty (I thought) Spritzer on my table. Apparently, I had used it for Clear Wink of Stella and alcohol for another project. The alcohol was gone, but I hadn’t rinsed out the spritzer so a little Stella residue was still there. This gave my Vellum a little sparkle. I love it!

Once the color is lifted and the scribble lines are blurred, take a Heat Tool and move the ink/alcohol around to create veins and patterns. When the alcohol is dry (it doesn’t take long with the heat tool), you can add more ink or continue with the project. Tip: Keep the heat tool moving. You want the alcohol/ink mixture to move around and you don’t want to burn the vellum.

For a little extra touch (inspired by retired Specialty Designer Series Paper), I drew little lines with a VersaMarker, then used Heat & Stick Powder (heat it only until it’s melted) and Gilded Leafing to create faux veins. If you don’t have a VersaMarker, you can use Blender Pens or a paint brush and Versamark Refill. Or, even easier, draw thin lines with Multipurpose Liquid Glue and go straight to the Gilded Leafing after.

To complete the card, I stamped some of the script  from the Ranunculus Romance Stamp Set in Smoky Slate on Basic White Cardstock, then stamped the group of three flowers from the Cottage Rose Stamp Set several times on the Basic White. I colored the flowers with the same Stampin’ Blends that I used to scribble on the vellum.

I had a Basic White Frame left from another project. I cut another oval frame from Fresh Freesia using the Floral Frames Dies. I adhered the Vellum to the Basic White frame, then fitted the die-cut Fresh Freesia Cardstock over it. I fitted the Basic White Stamped piece under the Fresh Freesia with Stampin’ Dimensionals, then adhered it to an Orchid Oasis card base. The Sentiment from the Framed Florets stamp set, is embossed in silver on an Orchid Oasis die-cut from the Beautiful Shapes Dies. The card looked a little naked, even with the Orchid Oasis Woven Metallic Ribbon, so I stamped some images from the Two-Tone Floral Stamp Set in Fresh Freesia on the Fresh Freesia Cardstock layer.

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

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Stampin' Up!, Ranunculus Romance, Cottage Rose

 

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Irresistible Resist

Irresistible Resist

I love stamping techniques, and I thought of one today I haven’t done for awhile. It’s a fun resist technique.

Irresistible Blooms, Go To Greetings, Resist

Sometimes you want a colored background on a card, but you don’t want to stamp on colored card stock – especially if you’re going to color your images. The color in the card stock will change the color you’re using. So, here’s my technique.

First, I stamped the flowers, leaves, and splatters from the Irresistible Blooms Stamp Set on Basic White Cardstock with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. This stamp set and coordinating dies as well as many other products are available today in my online store. They won’t be in any printed publication, so check out my store to see these Online Exclusives.

Next, I colored the images with Poppy Parade, So Saffron, and Granny Apple Green Stampin’ Blends. Now for the resist part. You’ll need to cover the colored images with Versamark. There are a couple ways to do this. You can squeeze some Versamark Refill on a palatte, then pick it up with a brush and “paint” over the images with the Versamark Refill. Or you can use a VersaMark Pad with a Blender Pen. However, I may have mentioned I’m “patience challenged.” When I first became a Stampin’ Up!® Demonstrator, we carried the VersaMarker in our catalog. It’s a marker filled with Versamark Ink. I fell in love. If you missed a spot when you were stamping in embossing ink before heat embossing, the Versamarker was a life saver. Even though we don’t currently carry it and I try only to use products I can sell, I had to purchase another Versamarker, and that’s what I used for this card. Simply color over the image, then emboss with clear embossing powder. So easy!

Now that my alcohol ink colored images had a layer of melted embossing powder over them, I simply blended Balmy Blue Ink over the entire card. There’s no need to be super careful, because the ink won’t stick to the powder. After all the unembossed Basic White areas were covered, I used a craft towel to shine up the embossing and remove any ink residue on the embossed areas. If you’re wondering what a craft towel is, it’s a cloth I keep in my craft room to clean up any ink messes.

I stamped the sentiment from the Go To Greetings Stamp Set in Poppy Parade Ink on a scrap of Blushing Bride Cardstock, then punched it and a Poppy Parade scalloped oval with the Double Oval Punch. I added a few Iridescent Pastel Gems, then adhered the 4″ x 5-1/4″ stamped panel to a So Saffron card base.

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

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Irresistible Blooms, Go To Greetings, Resist Technique

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Lavender Sachet Bags with Decorative Borders

Lavender Sachet Bags with Decorative Borders

A few months ago, I had a stamper ask me what she could do with her stamps besides make cards. I realized that most of our class projects lately were cards. Back when I started out as a Stampin’ Up!® Demonstrator, I almost always added a technique and a “3D” project to our class line-up. Boy, have I gotten lazy lately!

This year, I’ve decided to  add more non-cards to classes as well as a technique now and then. So here’s one of the projects we made in February classes.

Decorative Borders, Stampin' Up!

I know I’ve mentioned before that my dad was an orchardist. We grew mostly apples, but also had peaches, cherries, plums, and other fruit trees. A few weeks ago, I saw a box of little muslin bags in Mom’s entry. When I asked what she was going to do with them, she said, “throw them out, I guess.” They are now in my craft room. They’re perfect for dozens of uses that I’ll think of. Deer like to rub their antlers on the trees or eat the branches or do other destructive things. Orchardists fill the bags with a repellant, then tie them to the branches. These are brand new; they have not been filled with deer repellant. But I couldn’t resist making some sachets for little gifts.

First, I used my Stamparatus to stamp the image from the Decorative Borders Stamp Set in Mossy Meadow onto the bag. You do need to use the Stamparatus, because you’ll need to stamp several times to get the best image.

Next, I cut a piece of cardboard to fit the bag. After it was safely tucked into the bag, I colored the border image with Old Olive and Highland Heather Stampin’ Blends. You really need the cardboard or some other material in the bag so that the ink doesn’t bleed through the bag. Also, you want to use a very light touch when coloring, because you don’t want to saturate the fibers and have the ink bleed over the stamped lines.

I filled the bags with lavender (I used food grade, just in case I want to make lemonade or a cheesecake or something. Ha! This will never happen, but maybe one of the girls will!), tied them tightly, and now I have lovely lavender sachets for my dresser, closet or anywhere else I want. Lavender is an excellent remedy for headaches, so these are wonderful if you need to just take a minute and rest with one on your forehead.

I have several stampers (including me) with scent sensitivities. Some artificial scents cause more harm than good, so I made sure to use real lavender flowers, not just an artificial scent. Also, the lavender made a nice, soft bag that wasn’t lumpy with too many dried flower blossoms.

Quick reminder – Stampin’ Up!® Sale-a-bration ends tomorrow at midnight! Don’t miss your opportunity to earn free products!

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

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Decorative Borders, Stampin' Up!

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