What's Up Wednesday! ~ Color Lifter Magic

 Let's get busy with an idea I recently learned at the Virtual Card Retreat! It's so simple and easy it's mind blowing!

First we start with the card itself. It's a lovely look using the Forever Florals Bundle. The sentiment comes from the exclusive stamp set from the Card Retreat. However, with the tags in the die set you can use any sentiment you have and make it just how you like.

One unique thing about the large die is that we used it in halves. One half of the die was cut on each end of the DSP making for a very pretty design. 

Flowers were stamped and colored with Blends then placed around the tag. NOW here is the magic. The dots on the flowers and leaves were made with the Color Lifter Stampin' Blend. Using the bullet tip gently place the tip on your flower/leaf and hold it there a bit to create a dot. The longer you hold it there the more pronounced the dot becomes. Dots were added to the yellow flowers and the leaves. This carries the theme of the stamped dots throughout the design.

Note: The flowers are part of the Exclusive stamp set for the Virtual Card Retreat.

Here is a close-up of the Color Lifter dots. You can also make lines, squiggles or whatever you like. 

The Stampin' Blends Color Lifter pulls color from images you colored with Stampin' Blend markers to create additional highlights and dimension.

The inside of the card gets som love, too. This is in the upper right section inside the card. The sentiment will go to the left.

Don't forget the envelope! Don't send "naked" envelopes! Part of the fun is bringing a hint of what's to come. 

Forever Florals Bundle

I hope you like the idea of adding some Color Lifter Magic to your designs. Give it a try!

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator 

Images©Stampin' Up!

#showandtellwithmichelle #cardmaking #whatsupwedneday #techniques #colorlifter

Stampin' Up! Updates!

 WOW! There is SO much happening starting today! Sit back, relax and get ready for all the news!

• February Product of the Month
• February Craft Class 
• Redeem Bonus Days Coupons
• Card Kit Alert
• Exclusive Join Offer
• Last Chance Products

Our Feb. Product of the Month is a beautiful and fun pack of Designer paper!

Painted Illusions 12" x 12" (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Designer Series Paper

Beautiful watercolors and whimsical patterns make up this one-of-a-kind paper. Make a wide variety of projects with this paper that is sure to dazzle!

This pack can be yours for only $5 with a $75 min. purchase. Available while supplies last.

When your order qualifies you'll be prompted at check out to add it to your cart.

Click here for more info

Our February Craft Class features the gorgeous Lovely Blossoms Suite. 

Create unique samples, learn exciting tips and techniques, and explore new crafting opportunities with a Stampin’ Up! product expert during this virtual class!

Join the fun when you purchase the Lovely Blossoms Craft Class (170929) and the Lovely Blossoms Suite Collection (167193).

Watch the live Craft Class on February 19 at 2:00 p.m. (MT)

or view it later on demand!

Click here for more info

Now is the time to redeem your Bonus Days Coupons!

If you have more than one coupon top redeem, I know I do, you can use them all at once by typing in the code number using comma in between. Look for the Coupon Code box on the Cart page.

All coupons must be used by Feb. 28th. 

CARD KIT ALERT!

We have two new kits this month! Check them out.

With the Happy Happenings Kit, you can quickly craft cards to welcome a new baby, celebrate a wedding, or say thank you. These oval cards feature layered designs and pearlized details. Create them as shown or customize each one for the occasion.

Celebrate your #1s—Mom, Dad, and all the everyday heroes—with the Best Ever Kit. Foam fingers, ribbons, and trophies make it a winner for cards, tags, and paper crafts that show big-time appreciation. It’s playful, easy to use, and full of ways to craft your own heartfelt celebration.

Click here for the Kits page.

We have an Exclusive Offer for those joining during February!

It's our Stampin' Positioner! What is that you ask?

It’s our new stamping alignment tool that makes stamping easier and more accurate. It allows you to stamp precisely aligned images, create repeating patterns and Two-Step Stampin’ images easily, and make multiple projects in minutes.

For a limited time, when you join Stampin’ Up!, you’ll get a Starter Kit plus a FREE Stampin’ Positioner! That’s $125 of products for only $99 (including free shipping and free business supplies) AND our new stamping tool when you join now. Don’t miss your chance—this offer ends March 2.

Our Stampin' Up! community is an amazing group of wonderful people! I have learned so much and have made so many friends, other demonstrators and customers alike! My life would not be as fulfilling without being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator!

Click here for more info

Our Last Chance has been updated!

Browse our selection of Last Chance paper crafting products. Additional items are added every other month. These products are available only while supplies last so be sure to buy them before they are discontinued! Discounts vary and are subject to change.

Click here for the Last Chance page.

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!© Demonstrator 

Images® Stampin' Up!©

#showandtellwithmichelle 

Square Snippets Idea

Here is a fun and easy idea to change things up a bit. Using your punch punch, cut a lot of shapes to layer on your card or layout. Let's take a closer look.......

The Labeled with Love punch creates such a pretty shape. I punched out shapes from the Square Snippets pack after deciding on three of the patterns I liked together. 

I started with the top left of the card and laid them out in a brick pattern. I glued down the whole pieces then pieced in on the edges to fill in. 

The sentiment layer was punched from the Modern Oval Punch then stamped. I used ribbon to accent and popped up on Dimensionals. That's it! Did I mention this is a quick and easy technique? Experiment with different shapes and papers to get unlimited looks. 

Thanks for stopping by today. Come back often for more ideas and inspiration. I love to share what I learn.

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator 

Images© Stampin' Up!

#showandtellwithmichelle #cardmaking #punchtechniques

Floral Card ~ Atlantic Hearts Sketch 667

 Monday means a new sketch from our Design Team at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge! I'm on the team that does the odd numbered sketches. Our sketch goes live on Monday and our bog opens for entries on Wednesday. 

Use our sketch however you like. Twist, turn, rotate....we just need to be able to see the sketch in your project. I stayed pretty true to the sketch this time for my card.

Perennial Lavender papers seemed like a good choice for this multi layer design I picked out patterns that would work together in layers without looking too busy. You could certainly use non-pattern paper, too, for a very different look.

Taking my colors from the DSP I used Blackberry Bliss and Pretty Peacock. I wanted to use the darker colors for a nice contrast to the patterns. 

I've popped up the sentiment layer with Stampin' Dimensionals and added a couple of Shades of Green Hexagons to draw your eye to the sentiment. That's all it needed since there is so much pattern and movement with the DSP.

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge

Now it's your turn to give our sketch a try. It makes it easier when you have a starting point already for you. 

We can't wait to see what you create! Have fun!

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator 

Images ©Stampin' Up!

#showandtellwithmichelle #atlanticheartssketchchallenge #cardmaking

Beautifully Celebrate Card ~ Color Dare #689

Friday means a new color challenge from our Design Team at Color Dare! This challenge gives you 4 colors to choose from. You must use at least 3 of the colors shown in the graphic. We also allow some Free colors to use with the 3 colors. Do not add any colors beyond what the graphic describes. So if you are combining challenges be careful of your colors.

Make any paper craft you like. When you are ready to join our challenge use the direct link below the graphic. Most of all.....have fun!

For my project I decided to use a new set. After looking over all the products in the Suite, I decided on using the Beautifully Celebrated Dies and Beautifully Adorned Ephemera as my starting point. I also ended up using all 4 of the colors in the challenge.

I love the dies and used many of them for this card. The ephemera is Vellum either touches of gold. I used a Stampin' Blend to color on the BACK of the Vellum flower. Bringing in the green with the leaves and the other two colors with cardstock made use of all 4 colors. 

There is no sentiment on the card front because I felt it would detract from the rest of the design. I'll save the sentiment for the inside when I use the card.

TIPS: Use glue dots to secure ribbon to your project. Glue Dots hold better to the fabric.

Place your gems/accents in groups of odd numbers and in a triangle. The eye prefers odd number and the triangle creates a balance pleasing to the eye.

Direct link to Color Dare #689

Now it's your turn to create and share. Have fun with our colors but make a very close match. Don't forget...no extra colors....only the ones in the graphic. 

We can't wait to see how our colors inspire you!

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator 

Images© Stampin' Up!

#showandtellwithmichelle #colordare #colorchallenge #cardmaking

Butterfly Garden ~ January 2026 Kit

Hi there! I'm back with the 2nd of the three kits I'm sharing for January. I have been selected as the January Kit Ambassador for our Team. It's truly an honor and I hope I'm doing the kits justice! My first kit was the Lots to Love Kit. Take a look!

With the Butterfly Garden Kit you will find supplies to make 9 gorgeous cards. You can do 3 each of 3 designs according to the directions. OR you can do alternate versions and let your creativity fly! 

In this photo the direction card is the top left card, although I did add Wink of Stella. 

The next card I did is at the bottom. I did a watercolor wash on the butterfly using a Water Painter and reinkers. When you pop out the die cut butterflies save the sheet and use it for a stencil. With a blending brush I added a shadow for the butterfly for added dimension.Taking it a step farther I added some shading to the tag, too. 

The final card in the "pink" series is on the right. I cut the card front and die cut with Everyday Arches dies. Using the back of the card I die cut with one of the arch dies and added it to the inside. You can see that in the photo below.

For the "yellow" series of cards the direction card is in the upper left. The flowers are bright and cheerful and accent the pink butterflies very well.

The next card I did is the one on the upper right. The card front was cut off and layered on blue cardstock. I wrapped a ribbon around the layer before putting it on the card base. Wink of Stella on the butterfly makes it really pretty. I glued the bottom of the butterfly to the card itself and popped up the upper wings with foam. I love the dimension that gives.

The bottom card front was cut and die cut with Gallery Blooms dies. the frame gives you different sizes to use alone or next together. I nested them using foam on the middle frame. I tied the ribbon around that popped up frame. More Wink of Stella on the butterfly, too.

Here we are at thee "blue" series of cards. This tie the direction card is on the right. I love these pretty flowers in white and having so much detail. The trio of butterflies really stand out against the blues, green and white.

Upper left card: cut the card front then cut into strips. I created a Z Fold card  using those strips for the left side of the card. The back of the card was cut into a strip, embossed and used for the right panel. That pop of pink butterfly looks great with the blues.

The final card is at the bottom. The card front was again cut then embossed. It's a subtle pattern and hard to see. Once embossed I die cut with Beautifully Celebrated dies.  I added some twine to the tag and switched out the white gems for the Pearl Faceted Circles. This ties together the color of the butterfly with the gems. Where did I use the back of the card, you ask? It's the blue layer on the card front!

Here are some ideas I used on the envelopes and inside of cards. The one on the left is the one I just described above. When I saw the left over card front die cut I decided it was too pretty to not use. I layered it on a piece of white card stock and used it for the inside!

The other sample is from the "pink" series and shows the die cut card back used for the inside. 

Other inside and envelopes were done in similar ways or have a sprinkle of butterflies stamped to decorate. The important part is to use your imagination and have fun!

Thanks for checking in to see this kit! I have one more to feature....Adopt a Pet. I'll start working on that very soon and share as soon as it's done!

Have a crafty day!

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator 

Images©Stampin' Up!©

#cardmaking #Butterflygardenkit #cardkits

What's Up Wednesday ~ Adopt a Pet ~ January 2026 Kit

Here is the Adopt a Pet Kit introduced in January. It is SO cute and would be fun to make with kids. My job as Kit Ambassador for our Team was to show some alternate ideas using the kit. I hope you like my ideas!

The parrot was kind of an easy one to work with as I had these photos of my grandsons from their trip to Maui a couple Decembers ago. 

For this first layout, I created a leafy look for the bird to perch in and hung it's bell toy on a branch. I cut the bird in half since I didn't need it to be 3D. I did pop it up on Dimensionals however and tucked the tail behind the branch to show more depth. I added some gems and twine to accent the photo just for fun.

For my next layout I kept it similar in design with the leaves. I used the birdcage on this layout and hung it from the branches. Once again the bird is perched on a branch as before. Gems and a ribbon were used as accents this time.

Next up is a 9" x 9" shadow box for the kitten. I kept some semblance of the 3D nature for the box and cat. Each animal in the kit comes with an adoption certificate and I include done here. The fish is popped up on foam and hanging on some twine.

The puppy made it's way onto a 5" x 7" card. The background was created by blending some ink for the sky and DSP. I tore the edge of the DSP then inked it. Trees were stamped to create depth and a horizon.  The dog and doghouse are popped up on Dimensionals as is the dish. 

Finally, the hamster turned out to be this cute card. The base is a single CS layer and the hamster is the part that opens! DSP was used for the background with part of the cage was added to the background. To create the hamster part I cut it apart at the top where there was a tab joining the two halves. I left a small part of the tab on one half of the hamster and used that to join the two halves to make the "card" so it opens. 

Here is a photo with the card open. If you look carefully you can see a bit of the tab holding the two halves together. I covered each half of the card with white CS so cover the tab and make it look finished.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my alternate ideas for the Adopt a Pet Kit. You can see other images in my online store where the kit is shown.

Have a crafty day!

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator 

Images©Stampin' Up!

#showandtellwithmichelle #adoptapetkit