Aloha, all!
I tend not to buy stamp sets that exude “cuteness.” I’d rather have a set that’s versatile enough so that I can use it to be just as artistic as I want to be. A bit of a change of sentiment here, different color combinations there, added embellishments, can make a stamped image as sentimental or cute as I might want it to be.
Not so with the Squirrels in the Nuts About You Stamp Set. I looked at those cute little critters and realized that I’d only be able to use them in a cute style card. So I didn’t buy them – for almost two months. But I finally realized that the expressions on their cute little faces made me smile every time I turned to page 49 of the Stampin’ Up! July – December 2021 Mini Catalog. And I gave in just last week.
CASEing the Catalog
Sometimes it’s not really the stamp sets themselves that make me want to buy the set. And that may have been the situation with this stamp set. There’s really only one basic card layout on the catalog page with this stamp set. Stampin’ Up!’s artists take the one basic design and show how we could “step it up.” We can make that design fussier by adding images, layers and embellishments. But in all three cards, those cute squirrels stole the show. So why not make the card design my own? That’s what I do with many new sets or other products that I buy. Just to get myself started I CASE (Copy And Share with Everyone) a sample card design that’s in the catalog.
Changes I Made
After studying the catalog samples, I decided that these were probably made as Notecard-sized cards. Stampin’ Up! itself said that the ink colors were from the Regals and Neutrals collection of colors, and the patterned paper in the background was from the Beauty of the Earth Designer Series Paper set (in this year’s Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog). I went along with that to a certain extent.
The specific changes I made were, first of all, to make this an A2-sized card (5-1/2″ high by 4-1/4″ wide). The colors I chose for the squirrels were Cinnamon Cider (the top squirrel) and Crumb Cake (bottom squirrell). As I wasn’t sticking with any one assortment of colors, I chose Bumblebee Cardstock for the sentiment layer Bumblebee Ink as the middle leaf. I went ahead and stayed with the Regals collection for the other colors, including Cajun Craze and Old Olive Cardstock and Ink.
Finally, I didn’t yet have the Matte Decorative Dots that look perfect in the Catalog samples. So I went ahead and used what I had – the Brushed Metallic Dots – and I think they look just fine. A Hint: When mailing a card with these dots, you might consider adding a protective layer inside your envelope. That should keep the dots from poking through the envelope.
My Layout
This is the layout that I used for my card. It’s actually not a bad layout to use for lots of different stamp sets. If you make one, I’d love to see it and even share it on my blog!
These are Cards for my August Customers
Did you order something from Stampin’ Up! through me or in my online store in August? Then you’re going to be one of the recipients of these fun cards. I pay special attention to those of you who help me be successful in my Stampin’ Up! business. I’m trying my best to get these out early this month because I’ll be a little late next month as we have a rather longish trip planned for late September/early October. But I’m sure you’ll want to order something that’s at least $50 total in September so that you can get something fun FOR FREE from the current Sale-a-bration brochure. Let me know if you have any questions!
Happy Stamping!
