A Touch of Spring: My Forsythia-Inspired Swap Card

One of my favorite things about being part of a stamping community is swapping cards! My team recently did a swap, and it was so much fun to see everyone’s creativity come to life. Our long-distance team members mailed in their swaps, while the local stampers and I got together to trade them in person. There’s something so inspiring about seeing the different styles, techniques, and ideas everyone brings to the table!

For my swap card, I designed a bright and cheerful spring card using the Delightful Wishes bundle and Floral Delight Designer Series Paper. I wanted to capture the beauty of forsythia blooms, which always remind me of home. I grew up with a forsythia bush in my backyard, and in my current house, I loved my neighbor’s forsythia for years—until they cut it down! I’m seriously considering planting one of my own because nothing says "spring is here" quite like those
yellow blossoms.

Swapping cards is such a great way to get fresh inspiration, connect with other stampers, and add some gorgeous new designs to your collection. Have you ever participated in a card swap? I’d love to hear about your experience!

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Santa Express Advent Calendar

Santa Express was such a fun set to play around with.  I did a demonstration for our group earlier this year, and my absolute favorite project was this advent calendar.  I used the stickers from the Memories and More card pack to date each train car.  

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Christmas Gift Tags

This has always been a class I look forward to.  It's a fun group and things are flying fast and furious around the tables on this night as we make 28 tags!

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October Fall and Halloween Stamp-a-Stack Cards

I had a fun Friday night and Saturday morning of stamping!  A couple of new stampers joined us Friday which is always fun.  And we had a good group Saturday and even went out to lunch afterwards!  

I like to ask what everyone’s favorite card was at the end of class.  My favorite answer is “I can’t decide”, but it sometimes surprises me which cards they choose.  This month it was a fairly even split. 

This Halloween card might be my favorite.  We used blending brushes with Pumpkin Pie and Gorgeous Grape ink to make the spooky background.  And I just love the extra touch the bats add.

And this one was my fall card/Thanksgiving card.  I pulled this long greeting from a old set of wooden stamps I have saved.  Many people went with Thanksgiving, but it also made a nice sympathy card. 

In October I usually do a Halloween card and two fallish cards that can be made into Thanksgiving or all occasion cards. A lot of stampers made this one into birthday, thinking of you and sympathy.

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Circle Punch Flowers Card

These circle punch flowers turned out great and are perfect for my to go cards this month!  Per Stampin' Up's policy, I can't pre-stamp anything so I put together kits that don't require any stamping beyond a greeting.  I can punch and die cut so my stampers will have an envelope of circles and leaves to assemble in the comfort of their own homes!

I was able to use 4 of the 5 new 2022-2024 InColors and threw in a little Flirty Flamingo on the center flower.  And the leaves?  They are from the cherry punch!  Isn't that fun?  And the stems are freehand from scraps.  Imagine all the color combinations you can try!

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Potted Geraniums Birthday Card

This happy geranium card was popular at our June Stamp-a-Stack last weekend. I didn't set out to match my napkins, but it was a happy accident.  Anyone that has attended very many of my events knows my love of pretty napkins.  Maybe I was subconsciously thinking of the pinks in those napkins when I started stamping.  I used Flirty Flamingo and Melon Mambo for the geranium and it was just the right combination!

For anyone wondering, the treat was a white chocolate snickerdoodle blondie, and it was delicious.  Here's my Pinterest board of successful Stamp-a-Stack treats if you'd like to try them.  

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Thinking Spring with the New To Go Kit

I was a little later this month getting the February To Go kit ready, and clearly I was thinking spring when I was designing these cards.  I am ready for green grass and some spring flowers to start peeking up. 

Porch pick up is available now for $20 and $24 to mail the kit.  You will get all the pieces pre-cut and pre-punched to make 2 each of these 4 cards.  All you'll need is adhesive, ink and greetings stamps. 

 

Visit my Great Minds Ink Alike Facebook page for daily posts and inspiration.

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When I hear the mailman's truck coming I usually watch to see if he stops - might be a handmade card in the mailbox that I need to run out and get after all! He drove past without stopping today. Maybe Monday!

Click here to check out the supplies you need for this card: https://s.tamp.in/VjR2SD And visit my Great Minds Ink Alike Facebook page for daily posts and inspiration.

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Varied Vases Hello

I knew I would like Varied Vases and coordinating punch when I saw it in the catalog!  So when I got a chance to play with my pre-order, this was one of the first sets I pulled out.  (Demonstrators can pre-order from a select list of new items a month before the catalog is available -- ask me how).  I am planning my monthly Stamp-a-Stack with all new products this Friday, and this will be one of our 3 cards.  I think my stampers will love the new colors as much as the new stamp set!   

TIP:

To help place the flowers exactly where I want them, I punched vases from scraps.  I place the scrap vase where I wanted it, and I stamped over the top.  I also didn't ink up the entire length of the stem on the shortest vase.  (I think this would be a great card to make with the new Stamparatus too)!

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Daisy Delight Thank You

I've been having fun creating cards for my Quick and Easy Cards class on Monday.  There's just something about a card that doesn't have a lot of layers and that goes together quickly.  I know I sometimes subscribe to the more is better philosophy when simple can be quite stunning.   I was inspired to put the white daisy on the coordinating Designer Series Paper and then on white again after seeing a box made by a demo in Europe.  While the box was not quick and easy, the white on DSP on white is, and I knew I wanted to do something along those lines.    

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Life's Short Lemon Zest Card

Life's short...squeeze it for all it's worth. This set, Lemon Zest, is a fun new set with a range of sentiments to express your mood.  And when you need a quick no nonsense card, this is a great go to set.  

I am having my first ever, Quick and Easy Cards class on Monday night, and this is one of the 5 cards we'll be making.  I wanted another excuse to pull out some of my new stamp sets, but I wanted it to be a quick and easy class - just like the cards will be.  It will be great for beginners and for any stamper who loves to stamp and wants to make a few cards!  

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Life is Beautiful Adirondack Chair Card

If you follow me on Facebook, you may have seen a couple of pictures of this work in progress.  (And if you don't, please hop over there and start)!  I was getting it ready for a demonstrator swap and it was one of the first projects I did for the new catalog.  I made 28 of these and got 28 different cards back from my demonstrator friends - so much fun to get that package in the mail!

The Colorful Seasons Bundle is going to be a regular in my rotation because it is so versatile.  It includes beach chairs, leaves, flowers and snowflakes so each season, it will be new again!  

To create the sand and water, I tore the top edge of cardstock and Color Theory Designer Series Paper.  Our cardstock has color throughout so you get a colored edge even after tearing.  But if you tear towards yourself on the Designer Series Paper, you get the white edge for whitecaps on the waves.  I did borrow some stamps from High Tide for the sand, grass, and birds.  Check back later this week for my best tip for gluing all of those chairs on neatly!

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Just Breath Adirondack Chairs

This new thinlit is hands down my favorite in the new catalog. I've always loved Adirondack chairs, and this set is so versatile because it represents all of the seasons.  Colorful Seasons stamp set and Seasonal Layers Thinlits will be in my regular rotation.

The combination of 3 of the new In Colors for the chairs is really what made the card.  Berry Burst, Fresh Fig and Powder Pink look so great together.  To create the sand, I use the water stamp from the High Tide stamp set and tore the top edge of my cardstock.   I finished it off with the birds.  Who wouldn't want to be sitting in one of those chair right now?

Basket Bunches Sucker Holder

I was finishing up putting away the goodies from the retreat I went to a few weekends ago, and I wanted to share this cutie my friend Liz made.  Look at all of the pieces and detail she put into each sucker holder!  There were 18 of us so it kept her busy for a while!

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Sweet Home Christmas

I think this Sweet Home stamp set is so much fun.  Even though we think of them as 3-Ds, I used the Home a sweet Home dies for the door and banner and got even more use out of them.  Do you like the little gingerbread man picking out of the door?  I cut him from the Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper.

Thoughtful Branches Christmas

Here's one of the three cards we made tonight using the Thoughtful Branches set. It is available in August, while supplies last.

Decorative Corner Cards

Recently I did a demonstration for my Stampin' sisters at a local Stampin' Up! demonstrator meeting. I decided these decorative corner cards would be great for my demo because I 'd never made one. They fit in a standard envelope when flattened, but they stand on their own and make an interesting decoration for the lucky recipient.

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Quick and Easy Jars of Love Card

This is easily a favorite new set of mine.  This is a quick little card we made at my Stampin' Up! garage sale a few weeks ago. I've made a few more Jars of Love cards since then and will be sharing them soon!

Marquee Shaker Cards

This new Marquee Messages stamp set is so much fun.  I made a couple of options for my stamp class last week.  They both had paper piecing, but we left the So Saffron card on the white background without trimming it down.  The sequins are leftovers from my July Paper Pumpkin kit - lucky timing for some extra pieces!

Gift of Love Baby Wipe Technique

I pulled out an old favorite technique for this Gift of Love card.  I used Flirty Flamingo, Peekaboo Peach, Sweet Sugarplum reinkers on a baby wipe to ink the stamp - it's that easy!