WOOT-WOOT and Happy Monday!

I have for you a card that I think I can already see your smile….as this is just one of those that makes you happy! This IS one special bundle and hang guess what…you are going to see me blog about this A BUNCH! I just adore the simplicity and endless possibilities that this special newbie offers.

It is called Varied Vases and the “bundle” part of it is a punch. We all know how fast and easy a punch is to work with and being able to save 10%  is a smile maker…but the icing on the cake is that there are many different ways to “create” the vase and being able to do a quick STAMP and then POP with a PUNCH…..there is that smile again!

Lastly, another reason this bundle is special and super close to my heart is that it was designed by my upline, Mary Fish. This set just reflects Mary’s clean and simple style and she had the honor of creating a stamp when she achieved the amazing milestone of a million in sales.

Mary and I both share the love of clean and simple with a wee little bit of flair when we design & stamp…and this bundle will cover all bases!

Are you ready to get to this beauty!?!? I am having fun with the NEW IN COLORS today and WOW – they are so clean, crisp, bright and just FUN! Do you have a favorite color? I have to say…..I keep changing my mind but one thing I do know is…they are all great and they add a POP to my style of cardmaking!

As you know….I have been a SUPER BUSY STAMPER making LOTS of Stampin’ Up! Card Stock Swatches so I have really gotten to know the new kids on the block and trust me, this new neighborhood of color is just AMAZING!

OK stampers….you have heard me say this countless times but here you go again...PAPER and COLOR adds SOOOOOO much! Let’s just take a peek at this card today and you can just see what I am talking about.

This has VERY SIMPLE ELEMENTS…but having it clean to let the color POP is what is makes it. Sometimes we over think and over work….saying…“should I add this…should I add that….this just looks boring”…but trust me….STOP and WALK AWAY and I bet when you come back you will say….I LIKE THIS!

The over all size of this card is an A-2 card…(4 1/4″ X 5 1/2″) and then I used the FUN Polka Dot paper is 3″ X 5 1/2″ (we’ll chat about this amazing paper)…..making this an interesting off balance to the eye….If I would have made the DSP and the solid paper the same width….it would not have produced the depth as well.

This is a little tip that I think we can use over and over! You know that I adore a color block design…having multiple colors the same width but this design today is one of those FORMULAS to use over and over! When you off-set the width…it creates a different effect – still very simple to do….Remember, let the simplicity set the stage!

The inspiration for this card came to me when I clicked on the Stampin’ Up! Website…I hope that you can see how I took advantage of these simple vases…over-lapping some….coloring some in with the Pool Party Blends….and then popping some up!

The sentiment was heat embossed in White – a technique that we all love time and time again but I think that the impact of the white on the blue is just stunning! What do you think?

Let’s Chat….Let’s Focus…Let’s let it SINK IN…..READY?

With this new catalog….Stampin’ Up! is making me and I am hoping you as well….very HAPPY as they are adding the Designer Series Papers in the color families….Do you remember when we were all super sad that these left us about 2 or 3 years ago…..

Well….guess what – THEY ARE BACK but better than before as they will be offered in the 6″ X 6″ size in ALL of the color families….I am OVER THE MOON happy with this addition as these make taking the guess work of finding a perfect compliment a cinch….

I WILL BE OFFERING these in my Product Share Offerings…..which will be on Wednesday, so please pop back to reserve a Product Share…I do take great pride in Product Shares as “I get it” we all love to get the newbies but can’t afford everything!

As I said, these 6″ X 6″ Stacks will be offered in the Brights, Regals, Subtles, Neutrals, In Color 2017-2019 and the above In Color 2018-2020. Yep, that’s right….ALL COLLECTIONS. They are super simple in design with the polka dots and stripes making it a win-win for us!

In the picture below you can see how each color will have (2) sheets of the fun stripes and polka dots. Below is the Grapefruit Grove displayed…and this color is a big surprise for me….it goes with so many shades….looking super with Neutrals but also perfect with a Bright….I usually do not gravitate to the orange family but this one has made me take another look!

This is a prime example of how the swatch books that I make up are HUGE HELPERS….you can just “fan out a color” and then put it against others without having to grab full sheets of paper!

One last peek for you and another tip…do you remember that I said the DSP was cut at 3″? Well……the rest of it I used for the envelope! Well….actually I cut it down to 2″ before I adhered it under the 1/4″ strip of grapefruit grove as you bet I will do something with the 1″ strip left over….I just LOVE this paper!

You can use your DSP in so many ways and you can also be super frugal with it making is last as long as possible! Paper adds so much and I think you realize that I use a BUNCH of paper….it works for me as it is super simple to use!

I think todays inspiration is one that we all can proudly CASE….and I hope that this bundle will find its way to your home. Do you all remember the stamp that was retired years ago called Vivid Vases? It was a keeper in my eyes and actually one that I still have. This stamp that Mary designed reminds me of that stamp. I know that this bundle will be a HUGE hit for Stampin’ Up!

Hopefully everyone had a great weekend and a Happy Mothers Day! I sure did….we had a beautiful Saturday and worked outside all day and then yesterday the weather was a bit rainy but still had a super fun day! You know what happens in the Spring – we get these Spring Storms that POP UP and WOWZA….late yesterday we had one of those….

James and Ashleigh are at the beach this week so we are dog sitting their 3 dogs….and here is a super cute picture of John with 3 of the dogs….his faithful Rosie and then Ronan and Leo….these 3 are SCARED TO DEATH of Storms….so I took this picture and sent it to James and Ashleigh….John’s expression is so cute…..in the text I said…..we are scared of a storm…we miss you but Pap is taking care of us!

Let’s all have a great week! I will see you on Wednesday as I will be sharing my Product Share for the NEW CATALOG! I just love Product Shares! Because of this whole COLOR REVAMP….I will be blogging with PDF’s the new color names to help with your paper organization!

I love to organize paper and I am shooting to do this on Friday so please pop back ….I enjoy sharing tips and tricks with you when I can. Thanks for sharing a bit of your precious time with me today and I hope that I was right….YOU SMILED!