It’s Friday – so it’s time for another Stamp-Off challenge with Jackie, Susan, and Buffy. This week, our challenge was to design a card with our favorite stamp set from the new Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog.

This was definitely a challenge for me, because I don’t think I have an absolute favorite yet. I’m having such a good time with all the sets that I haven’t picked a favorite yet. I do, however, have one that’s very versatile and fun, and you can use it for almost any occasion.

The Jar of Love bundle is another set that takes me back to my childhood. My parents and grandparents (and aunts, uncles, cousins…) had gardens, so a lot of our summer days were spent canning and freezing fruits and vegetables. And when I say, “garden,” I mean a huge, takes up most of the backyard, garden. We had fresh veggies from the garden every day – green beans, peas, lima beans, cabbage, tomatoes, kale, cucumbers, corn (Oh, my gosh! My dad grows the best corn in the world!) and more. We even had grape vines, and, of course, peach, plum, cherry, and apple trees. We rarely had to buy produce, because it was plentiful in the summer and preserved for the rest of the year.

Some of my favorite childhood memories are of sitting with my mom and grandmother on the porch and snapping beans and shelling peas. My grandmother had arthritis in her hands, so she had a silver paring knife she used to cut the ends off green beans and then cut them into equal pieces. I knew I was “grown up” when I was allowed to use a knife instead of just snapping. After Mike & I got married, my grandmother gave me the silver paring knife to add to my kitchen tools, and it’s one of my most treasured possessions.

Whenever I see Mason jars, I think of canning with Mom and Grandmother. I think my grandmother would have been scandalized to see one used as a flower vase, though. They weren’t “trendy;” they were a summer necessity.

For this card, I stamped the jar in Basic Gray, then stamped stems and leaves in Emerald Envy and Mint Macaron Classic Stampin’ Ink. The water is Bermuda Bay. For the flowers, I used Pool Party and Bermuda Bay, and Flirty Flamingo and Peekaboo Peach. It was a quick and easy process to die-cut the flowers.

I used the Thoughtful Banners bundle for the banner. I punched the banner two times, then cut the ends off one. I stamped the sentiment in Bermuda Bay, then layered the banner pieces together for a little extra dimension.

The Designer Series Paper is from the Playful Palette Designer Series Paper Stack. It really pulled the colors together, I think. And the card base is Emerald Envy.

So there’s my favorite for this week! Check in with Susan and Jackie and see what their favorites are. (I’m going to guess that Jackie’s is the Birthday Fiesta bundle and Susan’s is the Swirly Bird, but we’ll see!)

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

Product List

Jar Of Love Photopolymer Bundle

[142342]

$52.00

Thoughtful Banners Photopolymer Bundle

[142330]

$35.00

Playful Palette Designer Series Paper Stack

[141657]

$10.00