I am SO thankful to Stampin' Up! for making it so quick and easy to create handmade greeting cards!  Have you noticed in our catalogs that there are A LOT of bundles offered...get this....at a discounted price, too?!!  Say, WHAT!!  Yep! for instance, the Petite Petals Bundle....stamp set and coordinating punch!  WOOT!

I've been creating a lot of cards that are tone-on-tone (the layer color matches the card base color).  Just something about that is so simple and appealing.  Notice those cutsie little flowers from the Petite Petals Stamp set?  You are going to love it when I tell you that I did NOT handcut them out.  NOPE!  I used our handy-dandy coordinating Petite Petals punch....WOOT!!  I used a wide variety of Stampin' Up! ink colors....(left to right) Crisp Cantaloupe, Bermuda Bay, Strawberry Slush, Pistachio Pudding, Coastal Cabana, So Saffron.  Another new favorite tool is our new Chevron punch...just adds that little bit of 'pop'.  The sentiment comes from the A Dozen Thoughts Stamp set, inked in Early Espresso, and stamped onto a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock.  Everything was popped up using Stampin' Dimensionals.  TIP:  to get more mileage from my Stampin' Up! dimensionals (and to fit smaller quarters like the Petite Petals flowers), I cut down the center of each dimensional and double my quantity.

And, to make it interesting, I thought I'd show you how you can change up a very simple layout...check out the direction of the Chevron Border punch and change in sentiment.  I have had the enjoyment of adding new stampers and crafters to my Dream Team...this is the card I created for them.  The sentiment comes from a new Photopolymer stamp set that was exclusive to Leadership 2014 attendees last January.  It has all kinds of business-related stamps I can use for various recognitions of my Dream Team achievements.

CAN YOU IMAGINE A DISCOUNT ON EVERY PURCHASE?  Purchase the Stampin' Up! Starter Kit for $99 through me (get up to $150 of products...YOUR choice of products...during our Sale-A-Bration Promotion!)  That's $51 of free products, plus, the entire kit you create will ship to you for FREE!  You will not only enjoy demonstrator discounts and benefits, but you'll gain access to my exclusive resources, ideas, and friendly talented Lori's Dream Team community.  I offer a relaxing and fun environment for sharing ideas, tips, and inspiration to build on our love of crafting. Want to join my Dream Team?  I welcome hobby stampers who want to feed their passion of using stamps, paper and ink.  You will have fun, learn new ideas, and connect with other stampers who will become your best friends!  Want to earn extra income to help with household bills, supporting your hobby, or to save for upcoming college tuition?  Join with me and I'll share everything I know and experienced to help you get started.

May God Bless You and Your Family!!

I was asked to create a project for a Valentine Craftacular workshop scheduled for February 8th, and this is what I came up with.  I just can't get enough of the Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Stack...LOVE the color combination of Coastal Cabana, Real Red, Crumb Cake and Whisper White.  Another plus...this 4-1/2" x 6-1/2" stack comes with 48 sheets (4 each of 12 double-sided designs).  WOOT!!

The pouch uses one sheet of designer paper that has been scored at 1-1/4"down the long side and at 3/4" on the short end.  I used my Envelope Punch Board to round all four corners before folding into the pouch.  I used Sticky Strip to hold the edges together versus Snail Adhesive....wanted to make sure that the M&M treats would get to stay snug as a bug in the pouch.

The focal point...layered hearts is created with a mix of our Full Heart Punch and the Hearts a Flutter Framelits dies.  The sentiment was inked with Real Red and stamped onto Whisper White and popped up with dimensionals before attaching to the Coastal Cabana scallop heart die cut.  It needed a little bling, so I used the arrow die from the Label Card Thinlits Die (so many fun dies in that collection).  I cut in 1/2 and glued in place. 

The M&M's are nestled into our 1"x8" Cellophane (skinny) bags.  They have a self-adhesive strip to seal them in.  I decorated the top with some 1/8" Real Red Taffeta Ribbon, and, VOILA!!  A treat that is super cute and tasty!!

Do you love freebies? EEEK!! Of course you do! Get free markers in your welcome kit when you sign up for Paper Pumpkin by February 10. https://mypaperpumpkin.com/en/get-it/ I would love it if you would list me as your Demonstrator who introduced you to join Paper Pumpkin. You will love the element of surprise with each kit each month.

May God Bless You and Your Family!!