Easy cards with the Boho Indigo Product Medley Refill Kit

Let’s talk Boho Indigo. And let’s gloss over the fact that I completely overlooked this fantastic Product Medley when it launched last June and only just got round to using it a few weeks before it retires.

I ran a Zoom class with the refill kit on Saturday and everyone was in agreement; that these are some of the most gorgeous papers Stampin’ Up!® has ever produced.

Before we get to the projects I must warn you now that this is on the retiring list and only available while supplies last.

Find the Boho Indigo Product Medley here

The Boho Indigo Product Medley (pictured above) is reduced to £39, for which you receive stamps, dies, ribbons, papers, label/image sheets and embellishments.

Find the Boho Indigo Product Medley refill kit here

 

The Boho Indigo Product Medley Refill Kit (pictured above) remains at its original price of £21, which is still excellent value for just the papers, label/image sheets and embellishments... but when you can get the stamps and dies for an extra £18, well... why wouldn’t you?

Everyone in the class received half a refill kit plus the consumables to make their projects, which was a challenging list of four cards plus some 3D items. I’ll just show you the cards today, otherwise the blog post will go on forever! Please come back Thursday for the 3D items. 

 

 

First up are these two lovely cards using the embossed sheets which come in the kit. From a demonstrator point of view, I loved that these were embossed as it saved me having to do it when packing all those kits! And from a crafter’s point of view, they just look really lovely as a backdrop to the green and gold elements.

What I love about this kit is that the Designer Series Papers are all Misty Moonlight and Very Vanilla, but the elements which come in the pack are Garden Green and gold, providing a beautiful contrast.

This card uses one of my favourite designs of paper, with a cluster of elements surrounding the stamped label. I stamped mine with Sweet Strawberry, which happily is carrying over into the new Annual Catalogue in May.

As you don’t get ribbon in the refill kit, I used Very Vanilla Scalloped Lace Trim, which is also carrying over. The gold flower and leaves are pop-out elements, while the small white paper flower is part of the kit and the blue flower is fussy-cut from Designer Series Paper.

This card also uses one of my favourite designs of paper – in fact I’d go as far as to say it is my favourite from the pack so even now I’m questioning the wisdom of covering so much of it up.

I’ve used a tag AND a label on this card, partly because I was just not getting through them all – and remember this was from only half a pack! You get two of every element sheet in the full refill kit. 

 

Again, this is decorated with pop-out leaves and a selection of flowers, some little paper embellishment flowers and some cut from the Designer Series Paper. This time I used Misty Moonlight In Color Ribbon which sadly and inexplicably is retiring soon, along with its sister ribbons from that range.

We made two more cards with a Thick Very Vanilla cardstock base and let the Designer Series Paper do all the heavy lifting here.

Aha, my favourite design gets a bit more of a showing here in this patchwork-style card. To create this, I cut a piece of Misty Moonlight cardstock about 1cm smaller than the card front. To create the ‘patchwork’ pieces, I began with the greeting label and used this to inform the width of the two panels above and below. I then measured the remaining space and cut a strip just a little narrower for the left. I tell you this rather than actual measurements as it should help you to recreate a similar design for any size cardstock. I’m not a big measurements person; I prefer to work by eye. I also appreciate that card sizes vary around the world... by which I mean literally everyone uses A4 except the USA!

This is a really simple and popular card design which adapts well to any Designer Series Paper. Again, a Misty Moonlight panel cut just smaller than the card front, then cut three equal strips of Designer Series Paper to fill. Ribbon around it before you stick it down, the label and flowers on top. Boom!

With my leftover supplies I quickly put together these three cards. One uses the three panels of Designer Series Paper on a portrait card, while the other two use the The Tailored Tag Punch (carrying over –phew!), which is ideal for using up any leftover scraps of Designer Series Paper.

‘Just a Note’ comes from the Simply Citrus Kit and the stamped feathers are from Tasteful Touches (carrying over).

I hope you love these projects and products as much as I do. On Thursday I will show you the box we created for the cards, plus a little pouch and hanging ornament.

If you are in the UK and would like to order this fabulous product medley, refill kit or indeed anything else, please visit my store and, if you use the April host code TRPKSXWR, I’ll send you a thank you gift in May!

To make it easy for you, please shop using this link

Does your wish list come to more than £99? Please get in touch and I will help you get more for your money and unlock discounts all year round.  

 

Please message me via my website 

 

Retiring stamp: Accented Blooms

Ok, it’s time to start showcasing some retiring stamp sets because a) if I don’t show you the projects now, I never will and b) you need to see what you’ll be missing if you don’t buy now!

This set is called Accented Blooms and it goes perfectly with the Tailored Tag punch. I’ve used it here with Peaceful Moments (not retiring) to create a simple sympathy card. It was quick, too, as the main image came out of my UFO box (unfinished objects). I just hope I don’t need to use the card any time soon.

Any image which fits the Tailored Tag punch works well with this stamped image, giving the set even more versatility. 
 

Tailored Tag punch to the rescue with Tropical Oasis Memories & More Cards

This was another attempt to use up some Tropical Oasis Memories & More cards. I punched them out using the Tailored Tag punch to create this fun design, which can be adapted to use any Designer Series Paper or M&M cards.

Fortunately, the Tailored Tag punch is carrying over – it's SUCH a useful punch!

 When assembling your card, start with the four pieces in the centre and work outwards. You may find you don’t need as many punched pieces as you first thought, as the excess pieces you trim from the edges may be usable on the opposite side of the card.

Petal Pink Bird Ballad cards

It’s not often I’m in the pink, is it? But these cards just cry out for some gentle Petal Pink, sponged in Rococo Rose to add some depth. I love these Free As a Bird stamps... in fact the whole Bird Ballad Suite is absolutely gorgeous and I suggest you order it all immediately!

Get perfect fishtails by using the Tailored Tag punch; just poke in the end of a strip of cardstock, centre it by eye and punch. Voilà!

 

Magnolia Blooms note card

Introducing the Magnolia Blooms stamp set. This little set is great starter set... which is exactly why you will only find it in the new Experience Creativity brochure for new crafters.

This little publication is a great place to start someone on their crafting journey, so if you're in the UK and would like a copy to pass on to someone who needs crafting in their life, please drop me a line.

Don’t be afraid to mix and match products. The Magnolia Blooms stamp set is designed to 
co-ordinate with the Magnolia Lane Suite and the Magnolia Lane Designer Paper. However, I don’t have any of these products so used the Come Sail Away Designer Paper instead. It has a similar striped Mossy Meadow sheet which works just as well, and the fine print design is neutral enough to go with anything.

Hello card with Accented Blooms

Well, hello! I love the greetings that go with this Accented Blooms stamp set because sometimes you just want to send a card to say "hello".

I've coloured the image using ink pads and blender pens, for speed, and teamed it up with some leafy Nature's Poem Designer Series Paper. Remember, this paper will be retiring soon, as will the main colour on this piece, Tranquil Tide, although the stamp set and punch live to tell the tale for another year.

#Simplestamping with Accented Blooms

My new(ish) Cuppa & Card sessions at Dawson's Café in Borrowash are a great way to meet new people... and I’ve already signed two of them up into my team. Not a bad start to the year.

This month we used the lovely Accented Blooms stamp set, which is really popular not just because of the great images but because there's a co-ordinating punch. Who doesn't love a co-ordinating punch?

I kept things simple (#simplestamping is the best!); the first card is just stamped in Gorgeous Grape and the colour pulled from the edges using a Blender Pen. The second card is a little more complex, with the image coloured in using ink pads and blender pens.

Wet on Wet watercolouring with Accented Blooms

Look closely at the punched "Hello" panel on this card and you’ll see two shades in action. I inked up the whole stamp using Pumpkin Pie, then added some Poppy Parade around the bottom with a sponge dauber. I love the ombre effect it creates and it’s ever so simple to do.

The image itself is embossed in white then coloured in using a wet on wet watercolour technique – always fun... if a little unpredictable! Once it had dried, I went back and added some stronger splashes of colour.

Behind the image I’ve stamped some Artisan Textures splatters, just because I could and to break up the large expanse of Very Vanilla.

Bloom by Bloom One-Sheet Wonder

I do like a One-Sheet Wonder; it's a really satisfying way to make a lot of cards in one session.

If you’ve never heard of this, you simply stamp all over your cardstock at random, then cut it up to make projects. There are lots of OSW templates out there – just Google "One sheet wonder A4" (or whatever size you want) – or you can just make your own up as you go along.

Here are my tips for One-Sheet Wonders:

1. Start with the largest image using the lightest colour.
2. Work your way to the smallest image in the darkest colour.
3. Don’t be afraid to overlap images.
4. Fill in any gaps with the smallest images in any colour – use this as an opportunity to balance the colour distribution.

Bonus tip: Stamp with just a few colours, then cut your sheet in half. Continue stamping in more colours onto one sheet only. This way you can get two completely different looks from just one sheet.

Painted Seasons – don’t leave it too late!

I’m having some blog trouble – it won’t keep me logged in. Even though I can post, I can’t reply to comments and I have no idea why. I’ve wasted too much time on it already and am hoping it just resolves itself. Meanwhile, please forgive me if I don’t reply to your blog comments!

And now to today’s projects... this Painted Seasons Designer Series Paper is one of my very favourites - so I find it particularly sad that it’s been available for such a short period of time. I only managed to open the pack last week and now I wish I’d taken advantage of it sooner.


It’s my personal choice not to use retired products – purely because I don’t like having to say “no” to potential customers if they ask to buy it. However, if this isn’t an issue for you – and if you’re not a demonstrator, it most definitely won’t be – then I highly recommend you get this paper while you can. This is just one of the fabulous designs. The others are below...

Awesome Accented Blooms

Accented Blooms is the name of this stamp set, and it's a great one for adding a greeting to, with its perfectly shaped slot for the Tailored Tag Punch. I mixed things up a little here by stamping onto a piece of Wood Textures Designer Series Paper and then colouring it with Watercolour Pencils. This paper is absolutely gorgeous and so versatile for so many occasions - it's stuck around for TWO whole catalogues which can surely only mean one thing, right?* DSP usually only stays for one catalogue period, so I highly recommend that you stock up now! *I have no inside knowledge, just 11 years of experience as a demonstrator!

Bloom by Bloom one-sheet wonder

A one-sheet wonder was just the ticket to create a big batch of these for my team. My tip for a one-sheet wonder is this: Start with the largest stamps in the palest colours, and work your way down to the smallest stamps in the lightest colours. You can then use the tiny stamps to fill in any gaps and balance out the colours to they are relatively evenly distributed.

This is the Bloom by Bloom stamp set and I love its bold imagery. Even if you’re not keen on bright colours, don't dismiss this set as it looks fab in subtles, too!

Keeping it simple with Accented Blooms

There’s a theme to this week’s blog posts, which wouldn’t necessarily be obvious at first glance.  I’m using three different stamp sets, three different colours schemes and the cards are for three different occasions. So what’s the theme?

The theme is ... #simplestamping.

We demonstrators have realised that we get so into our craft that we sometimes neglect the new stamper. We are so keen to throw everything at our projects – purely because we can – that we forget that some people are starting out with limited supplies.

This project, then, takes things back to basics. One ink pad, one stamp set, one colour cardstock, one punch and one pack of embellishments. Perfect for the new stamper... or the experienced stamper in a hurry.

Mini treat - Maltesers

These Clear Tiny Treat Boxes are lovely for displaying the tasty Maltesers inside. I was surprised how many the box would hold, too - but luckily I had a decoy box so I didn’t go hungry.

This was part of my “simple Christmas” demo where I showed the hostess and guests how easy it can be to make your own festive projects... especially if you use washi tape.

Do you like what I did with the Tailored Tag Punch? I simply popped the punched piece back in to add some little flags to each side. Not sure if I love it but it does make a change.

Glamorous gold snowflake gift bag

I love these gold and white striped bags - but you don't have to leave them as they are; you can add more to them. Here I’ve used washi tape to add some extra stripes, as well as some Delightfully Detailed Designer Series Paper, which has some really pretty borders. They come in white and vanilla (one colour on each side) but I’ve sponged them in Cherry Cobbler for a festive look.

Snowflakes in gold add some glamour, and there’s some festive bling, too. The whole thing took less than five minutes to make. Result!

Simple Christmas? Or stepped up?

The card on the left is a three-minute Christmas card, proving without a doubt that you DO have time to make your own cards this year. Time is saved by using the pre-folded Notecards and Envelopes, and the fabulous Suite Season Washi Tape.

Please visit my Facebook page to see how I made this card in super-fast time

The fiddliest thing about this card is the linen thread bow, but you could skip that and replace with a jewel... just be aware that the faceted gems will bump up your postage in the UK to a “large letter”, and we don’t want that!

For the stepped up version, I dispensed with the Sprig Punch and used the fabulous new Blizzard Thinlits die instead, as well as some basic rhinestones to add a mixed metallics theme.

You can also see a hint of a scalloped Cherry Cobbler edge. This is a piece of the Delightfully Detailed Laser-cut Designer Series Paper, brayered in Cherry Cobbler ink. So, on the whole, a more time-consuming project, but nice if you want to send something a bit more “special” to a close friend or family member. Or, if we’re being honest here, a fellow cardmaker. We know we all save our “best” cards for crafters, don’t we?