Three ways with Party Alphabet Dies - plus TWO ways to get them for less

 

Have you looked at the Party Alphabet Dies from Stamping’ Up!® and wished you could justify ordering them? Read on for some great inspiration – plus TWO ways you could get these fabulous dies for less. 

Get ahead with these very easy Stampin’ Up!® Christmas cards!

 

What kind of Christmas card maker are you? Do you focus on one Stampin’ Up!® stamp set or bundle and make them all the same?

Do you throw all your Stampin’ Up!® supplies at your cards and make lots of different cards?

Have you started already and have a firm plan? Or do you leave it to the last minute?

If you’re like me, the answer will probably be a combination. I relate to all of the above apart from the first one because I don’t like making cards all the same. 

Even though it’s still summer, I have made some cards already... but I know I will still have a last-minute rush to ensure I have enough to send.

Important changes to Stampin’ Up!® products and packaging

 

This is not my normal type of post but I think it’s important to know as soon as possible about some changes coming to Stampin’ Up!® products. There are a lot happening at once so I have created some fact sheets to help you. 

Eight tips for finding your papercrafting and cardmaking mojo

We’ve all experienced this at some point: the utter inertia that comes from losing your crafting mojo. Yes, even Stampin’ Up!® demonstrators experience this from time to time.

It can be so dispiriting. You want to craft – you may even have new Stampin’ Up!® supplies – but nothing happens. You find yourself browsing Pinterest for ideas but never make any of them. You may even get as far as starting stamping but nothing you make looks right to you.

Help is at hand! Here are my tried and tested methods for finding that elusive mojo – and no, “buy new stuff” is NOT one of them!

10 projects using Celebratory Sips Suite

 

In my opinion, one of the best ever Stampin’ Up!® Suites never to appear in the catalogue is Celebratory Sips (165600), featuring the Cheers & Sips bundle (165594) of stamps and dies.

This fabulous suite is a Stampin’ Up!® Online Exclusive, launched in May. It was the theme of an all-day class I held in June and I’ve only just realised I never shared the projects here, so buckle up for 10 very different projects using this lovely Suite.  

The day was a mix of simple and more complicated projects. I like to give people options! All my craft days are relaxed events where people work at their own pace from written tutorials. This means they can skip any projects they aren’t keen on and, if supplies allow, make extras of their favourites.

Four card ideas using the NEW Painterly Pears Suite

There’s a whole new range of Stampin’ Up!® products launching today and I‘m very excited about this gorgeous Painterly Pears Suite.

So settle down for four pretty project ideas using this lovely new suite.

Five cards with the Thankful Garden bundle

How did I overlook the Lovely Garden Suite?

This beautiful product suite from Stampin’ Up!® features big floral stamps, coordinating dies, paper, embellishments and ribbon... plus a set of five Thankful Garden Decorative Masks (AKA stencils) for really easy and effective colouring.

I ordered this Suite as part of the June Stampin’ Up!® promotion. I purchased the Lovely Garden Suite at full price, then a second suite at half price.

Top tip for the June 2025 Suite promotion: ordering two items at similar prices will give you the best deal. If you want four or more items from suites at mixed prices, in many cases it will pay you to place multiple orders.

Today I have five cards using the Thankful Garden bundle from the Lovely Garden Suite from Stampin’ Up!® Some of them use Lovely Garden Designer Series Paper, while others use paper from my stash.

Sneak peek: Fun new Stampin' Up!® set Long Time No See

I have a new stamp set and my mojo is back! The new Long Time No See stamp set is a Stampin’ Up!® Online Exclusive available to customers in July.

As soon as I saw this fun stamp set, my head was teeming with ideas and I’m excited to share some of them with you today.

PLUS I am offering a tutorial for one of the interactive cards for a very modest fee.

Four techniques – and seven cards – with Peaceful View

As soon as I saw the preview of the Stampin’ Up!® Annual Catalogue, the Peaceful View stamp set spoke to me. Even though it’s only one big background stamp, I knew I could get lots of mileage out of it.

These projects are just the start of my Peaceful View journey, I’m sure. Here I show you four different ways to use this lovely background stamp, plus some tips for getting the best impression.

NEW In Color™ colour combinations and colour tips for your papercraft projects

 

Do you love colour but struggle to put them together for your craft projects? Or may you are simply looking for some new ways to combine your favourite Stampin’ Up!® colours?

Help is at hand! Today I have some great colour ideas for you, including 30 new colour combinations for the five new Stampin’ Up!® In Colors™. 

Sneak peek: three ideas using Beautiful Gallery Designer Series Paper

When I first saw the Beautiful Gallery Suite from Stampin’ Up!®, my first thought was “Finally some grungy Designer Series Paper in dark, moody colours!”

While I love all the bright and pretty designs in the current (and upcoming) Stampin’ Up!® catalogue, I do sometimes long for something a bit murkier. And Beautiful Gallery Designer Series Paper fits the bill perfectly, with designs based on old paintings and artistic details. You’ll find full 6"x6" sheets with a self-contained design, as well as old-world patterns and some painterly effects too.

Over the Easter holiday I was short of time and inspiration so turned to THREE tried and tested card designs so I could give them a new spin using Beautiful Gallery Designer Series Paper. 

Sneak Peek: Blooming Phrases new Stampin’ Up!® stamp set

Do you want another Stampin’ Up!® Sneak Peek?

This versatile new Stampin’ Up!® stamp set is called Blooming Phrases (165523) and it goes live in the Online Exclusives collection on 6th May.

Sneak peek: Cheers & Sips bundle... coming soon from Stampin’ Up!®

There are new Stampin’ Up!® products coming your way in May... and they are NOT all in the new Annual Catalogue!

For this latest Stampin’ Up!® release, many of my favourite products – like this Cheers & Sips bundle – are in the Online Exclusives. And so, for the first time ever, I will be using an Online Exclusives bundle and coordinating Designer Series Paper at my Summer Craft Day here in Derbyshire.

I was crafting with this gorgeous new stamp and die set at the weekend, and made three pretty projects to give you a sneak peek of what’s to come.

Make this wow card using Musical Jamboree and Under the Moon - both retiring soon

Do you combine your Stampin’ Up!® stamp sets? I’m always looking for perfect pairings, as I showed you last week by using Wildflower Designs with Elements of Text. (linkg - https://allthingsstampy.blogspot.com/2025/03/three-amazing-card-ideas-for-wildflower.html)

This time I want to show you how I combined two more Stampin’ Up!® stamp sets; Musical Jamboree (163616) and Under The Moon (163531), two fabulous sets which are both retiring very soon.

I think these sets go together beautifully as that wolf dog is clearly howling at the moon.

Three amazing card ideas for Wildflower Designs and Elements of Text

 

Sometimes you see two Stampin’ Up!® products which are just meant to go together - even if they aren’t advertised as such.

One is a bundle you may have overlooked – Wildflower Designs (163334) – while the other is an Online Exclusive called Elements of Text (164774). 

I used these wonderful Stampin’ Up!® stamp sets in a class last week to make two cards in very different colour themes. Then I came home and pulled both stamp sets out again to make a very special birthday card for an incredible lady.

Let’s take a closer look at these Wildflower Designs and Elements of Text cards.

Four more ideas for Storybook Garden Patch bundle

 

Storybook Garden Patch is such a lovely Stampin’ Up!® bundle because it can be used for so many different occasions. It’s ideal for gardeners, for masculine cards, and for much more.

At my Spring Craft Day last weekend, we used it with the (now retired) Sale-a-Bration Designer Series Paper Bloom Impressions as that helped to keep costs down; savings which I could pass on to my guests.

You’ve already seen three of the projects; two of them here and another of them here.

Today I want to show you some of the remaining projects from the day.

Cards and scrapbook inspiration using Heirloom Arrangements

When I saw the Heirloom Arrangements kit (165007) from Stampin’ Up!® I knew it had so many possibilities that I had to have it. The cards are gorgeous but I knew I wanted to make a scrapbook page too. So read on to see two cards and a scrapbook page made from this versatile kit – and none of them follow any instructions.

Easy background tip for Storybook Garden Patch card

AUGUST 2025 UPDATE: Storybook Garden Patch now 30% off! UK crafters can find it here 

Storybook Garden Patch is a Stampin’ Up!® stamp set/bundle (164667) which has been on my mind a lot recently as I have a class using these products this weekend.

So it was timely that the fabulous Instagram account Stampin’ Through the Catalog has been focusing on the Storybook Garden Patch stamp set (164663) lately.

I was flattered that they shared two of my previous designs in their Instagram Stories, and was inspired by one of their newest projects to make this card. 

Three ideas for Everyday Happiness Designer Series Paper

 

I am showcasing another overlooked Stampin’ Up!® product this week: Everyday Happiness Designer Series Paper and Sticker Sheet.

This lovely paper can be found in the latest Stampin’ Up!® Scrapbooking Brochure, which is currently only available to view online. Because the scrapbooking line is relatively new to Stampin’ Up!®, there is no paper copy of the brochure, although this is set to change with the release of the next Stampin’ Up!® Annual Catalogue in May, when the products will be included.

Everyday Happiness Designer Series Paper (166632) is perfect for craft classes too because you get four of each design. This is one of the reasons I chose it for this month’s WI Craft Crew class; plus it goes brilliantly with Storybook Garden Patch (bundle 164667), my chosen stamp and die bundle.

Otterly Amazing: Don’t overlook this fun Stampin’ Up!® bundle

This week sees the welcome return of Otterly Amazing, a Stampin’ Up!® Online Exclusive stamp set and die bundle, which I fear has been overlooked by many.

Who could resist those cute little otters, and the coordinating Otterly Adorable Designer Series Paper (164936)? I showcased them last year ahead of their November launch and, happily, they are still available from my online store.

A little note about Stampin’ Up!® Online Exclusives: you don’t have to shop online to buy them. It just means you won’t find them in a catalogue, so be sure to check out that section when you’re browsing and, if you rae in the UK and would like me to place the order for you, I will happily do so.

Easy card ideas with Fruit Salad Designer Series Paper

I firmly believe that cardmaking does not have to be difficult, and you don’t have to throw every Stampin’ Up!® product from the catalogue at your designs.

These four simple cards are made with Fruit Salad Designer Series Paper, cardstock, greeting stamps and ribbon scraps. Stampin’ Up!® Designer Series Paper is a great way to get lots of variety in your images with minimal outlay. 

 You can cut the images out instead of stamping them, and get lots of mileage from one pack. In fact, this is how I managed to keep my classes going during lockdown, without asking customers to break the bank. 

Fruit Salad Designer Series Paper (164943) is perfect for this and what’s more, it’s free with a £55 order in the UK, which means you can select it if you order the two stamp sets used here – With You in Mind (164747) and Simply Said (163756) – along with any pack of assorted or single-colour A4 cardstock and some Basic White Thick A4 cardstock (159230) for your card bases.

Terrific Toadstools card idea in muted Stampin’ Up!® In Colors™

 

The standout bundle for me in the latest Stampin’ Up!® Mini Catalogue is Terrific Toadstools.

My daughter has a great fascination for fungi so I’m always on the lookout for them while out walking in the woods. They come in so many wonderful colours but I think the muted tones of the 2023-2025 In Colors™ lend themselves perfectly to the Terrific Toadstools theme.

This fits in perfectly as I am trying to use the Stampin’ Up!® In Colors™ which will be retiring this year. As a reminder, they are Moody Mauve, Copper Clay, Boho Blue, Wild Wheat and Pebbled Path. These have been my favourite In Colors™ for a long time and I will be really sad to see them go.

New Stampin’ Up!® stamp set Elements of Text meets old lavender favourites

 

Sometimes we can get so hung up on using the latest Stampin’ Up!® products that we forget about all the gorgeous ones lurking away in our stash.

So for this week’s blog, I want to share some butterfly-themed projects we made at a class on Friday.

Easy scrapbooking with Storybook Moments Designer Series Paper

 

There are so many ways to scrapbook with Stampin’ Up!® products these days, and I’m loving them all.

One of the most economical ways is to use a pack of paper such as this Storybook Moments Speciality Designer Series Paper (164662). It features cute animal images and lovely vintage patterns. Within the pack are two full sheets of die-cut images which you can press out and use on your cards, scrapbook pages and more.

Simple card making with Toadstool Gardens Designer Series Paper

 

I just HAD to have this Toadstool Gardens Designer Series Paper because my daughter loves fungi and everything related to them. I knew I had to make her birthday card with this gorgeous Stampin’ Up!® paper.

Card and scrapbook ideas using Storybook Garden Patch from Stampin’ Up!®

 

As soon as I saw the Storybook Garden Patch stamp set in the new Stampin’ Up!® Mini Catalogue, I knew my gardening customers would love it.

Storybook Garden Patch has a great selection of vegetable images, flower pots, a trug and some gardening tools. Worried about fussy-cutting? Worry no more as there are coordinating dies to take the strain.