Goodbye Blooming With Kindness

At the end of May I held a Hello/Goodbye Party here to say goodbye to retiring products and hello to some new ones. This is one of the make & takes I had for my guests using one of my favorite retiring stamp sets...Blooming With Kindness.

I used a monochromatic color combo here...Calypso Coral, Crisp Cantaloupe & Watermelon Wonder. The new In Color Watermelon Wonder card stock is pretty close to the Calypso Coral card stock. I first had created another card shown below.

This one has a Calypso Coral embossed background and a Watermelon Wonder mat for the stamped panel. The top card shown above also has Watermelon Wonder mat for the stamped panel but I used Crisp Cantaloupe for the embossed background layer. I decided I wanted a little more contrast so I went with the second card for the make & take.

Here's a look at the two cards together...

The pretty Blooming With Kindness stamp set, the color of Crisp Cantaloupe and the Spring Flowers Embossing Folder are all now retired and no longer available, but the pretty Dotted Lace Trim shown above in Tip Top Taupe is available in all the new In Colors...including Watermelon Wonder. 

Daydream Medallion Wishes

I really love the fun layered flowers you can create with the Daydream Medallions stamp set and it's coordinating Floral Framelits. I am sad to see the stamp set go, yet excited to see what possible new stamp set will be in the new catalog to coordinate with the framelits since they are not retiring.

I used the retiring 2013-15 In Colors here as well as the Blooming With Kindness set for the sentiment. That's another great set...I will especially miss the pretty sentiments in that one. Don't you just love the pretty silver embellishment on the center of the flower? It is one of the Something Borrowed Embellishements available in the Occasions Catalog.

I've used the Daydream Medallions set quite often for scrapbooking...it makes such pretty embellishments for any page. Here are a couple favorites...

I used the Dots Decorative Mask to create the polka dot background. See the entire layout here.

The Sycamore Street DSP from 2013 SAB had a floral design that cut out perfectly with the smallest floral framelit...loved that! See the entire layout here.

Here's a card made using the same colors along with the die cut center from Sycamore Street DSP.

Itty Bitty Banners and the coordinating Bitty Banner Framelits are also retiring. More here.

This pretty set of flip cards fit inside the coordinating box with belly band. I just love how these layer to create beautiful accents or focal points. More on this project here.

I think this is the first creation I made back when I first got this set...see more here.

What are you sad to see retiring?

I'll Miss You Mixed Bunch!

I will really miss Mixed Bunch set and the coordinating Blossom Punch! I have used them both quite a bit. When I got this fun set out to stamp I knew I wanted to combine it with some of my favorite retiring accessories. So I used the Beautifully Baroque Embossing Folder to create a cool background, check it out...

If you want to try this stamped background technique with your embossing folder just ink up your folder in the desired color(s) and then spritz it with some water so the colors can start to blend a bit. Then, place a piece of watercolor paper inside the folder and close. Press and rub with your hand and allow the watercolor paper to absorb the ink and water. When you open your folder you should have a beautiful print. Experiment with different color combos. I used Bermuda Bay, Pear Pizzazz & Crushed Curry.

Depending on which side of the folder that you apply the ink to, your design will vary as shown in the photo above. I also used the Itty Bitty Banner stamp set and the Bitty Banner Framelits with some Black Chevron Ribbon on my card  ...all of will be retiring.

Now for some "Flashback Friday".... here are a few favorite projects I've shared here in the past using the fun and versatile Mixed Bunch.

This flower pot and pocket card set was made for Craft Project Central. Read more on that here.

This easel card uses lots of soon to be retired items including the Hearts Collection of framelits, the Four Frames stamp set and Boho Blossoms Punch. More about this card in this post

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For this card I trimmed away two of the petals to create a fancy butterfly. Read more here.

The same image is used here to create a delicate snowflake. More on this card here.

I like the color combo on this one...but a few of these colors have since retired. As you can see, the little circle pieces in this set are great for creating a backgound. See more on this card here.

After looking at these cards I think you'll agree that this set is more than just another flower set...it's actually pretty versatile. If you don't already have it...I'd highly recommend adding it to your collection!

Have a great weekend!

Farewell Apothecary Art

I'm back again today to share more of my favorite items that will be retiring. Apothecary Art is such an elegant set and my very first Stampin' Up! set that had a coordinating set of framelits. I think it may actually be the first set they offered with the coordinating dies?

I haven't used the stamp set too often recently but I have gotten a lot of use out of the coordinating Label Framelits....which sadly are also retiring. Another favorite that I use a lot is the Fancy Fan Embossing Folder, that is retiring as well...along with so many other embossing folders and dies.

Here are a few more creations that I've shared in the past using the Apothecary Art stamp set.

Find out more about this set in this post.

I like the layering on this one...it uses several different framelit sets including the Apothecary Accent Framelits which is another retiring favorite of mine. Find out more about this card here.

Do you think I like the color purple? After looking back at some of my favorites using this set, purple was for sure the dominate color choice! I'm looking forward to seeing what the new In Colors are! I hope there is a new shade of purple...that would make me happy! If you want to see more on the above card, check out this post.

So...now you've seen a few of my retiring favorites, what items will you miss the most? What are you hoping to see in the new catalog?

So Long Stippled Blossoms

The list of Stampin' Up! retiring items is out! Each year I have favorite items on the list that I had hoped wouldn't be there. This year I am so sad to see one of my all time favorite stamp sets...Stippled Blossoms on the list. I made a few cards with it just the other day and I had a feeling it might be retiring. Here's my creation using Stippled Blossoms along with the retiring In Colors.

I have really enjoyed this set of pretty pastel colors...especially for spring time creations. Of course we already knew that the In Colors from 2013-15 would be retiring. Each year the card stock and re-inkers for the In Colors are usually the first thing to sell out from the list. So, if you have not purchased them yet, I would highly recommend doing so as soon as possible so you are not disappointed.

This week I will be sharing some of my favorite projects that I've created using items that will soon be retiring, so make sure to visit again soon. It's almost impossible to make a card that isn't pretty using this stamp set...here are a few of my favorites I've created with the beautiful Stippled Blossoms...

This one uses the 2014-16 In Colors and the retiring Fancy Fan Embossing Folder. You can see more on this card in this post.

I created my own DSP for this card. You can read more about it here.

The blossoms looked beautiful in Baja Breeze...still one of my all time favorite SU! colors. I was so sad when they retired that color...and I'm still hoarding some in my stash. Read more about this card here.

This card uses several soon to be retired items...the Window Frames Framelits and Beautifully Baroque EF are favorites of mine. Read more about this card in this post.

A lot of the framelits and punches are going to be retiring...including the Labels Collection & Modern Label Punch used above. I hope that means there are going to be a whole bunch of great new punches & framelits to take the place of what will be retiring! If you want more info on this pretty purple creation, click here.

Check out the Retiring List and make sure to get your favorites before they are gone!