Cards by A Cook

menu icon
subscribe
search icon
×

2022-2023 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue

Adventurous Journey Birthday Card

0 · · Leave a Comment

I discovered kayaking this summer and just love it! The Adventurous Journey stamp set by Stampin' Up! is perfect for all your outdoor adventure loving friends and family. The kayak has realistic details including a wide brimmed hat on the kayaker! I found out that wearing a hat was critical to my kayaking adventures. I actually have a wide brimmed hat with a strap. My hat isn't very stylish but it work!

The Adventurous Journey stamp set is suitable for masculine birthday cards as well as for anyone going on an adventure. This time of year, many students are setting off to college and university - so not exactly kayaking but definitely an adventurous journey!

birthday card featuring a kayak

Create it yourself!

Scroll down for Paper Measurements, Supply List and full directions. A printable tutorial is available!

This masculine birthday card uses the He's the Man 12 x 12 designer series paper from Stampin' Up! The kayaking image is from the stamp set Adventurous Journey by Stampin' Up! The card adds a lot of detail in the background by roughing up the edges of the patterned paper and ripping it. Don't be scared to try it! The piece behind the kayak is one of the die cuts that comes in the He's the Man paper pack. You could make multiples of this card and simplify it by cutting a rectangle.

Check out the rowboat, the lily pads with the little fish swimming and the water waves also included in this set - Stampin' Up! designers did a fantastic job with this stamp set.

Do you live in Canada?

If you need any stamping supplies from Stampin' Up! Canada, please click on any of the links to be directed to my store or please contact me. I am always happy to answer questions and help stampers. I would love to be your Stampin' Up! demonstrator!

Enter this month's host code to your order to receive my free set of monthly tutorials, complete with instructions, supplies and measurements. For help ordering, see my SHOP page or email me.

May 2023 Host code:  Z377VETR

birthday card featuring a kayak

Adventurous Journey Birthday Card

Amy Cook

www.cardsbyacook.com

Create this kayaking birthday card for all your outdoor adventure loving friends and family.
Print Instructions Pin Recipe
Level of Difficulty Intermediate
Total Time 40 mins

Tools

Supplies
  

Stampin' Blends

Instructions
 

Cut paper to the following sizes:

  • Early Espresso: 5-½” x 8-½”, scored in half at 4-¼”
  • Basic White: 5-¼” x 4”, scrap for kayak
  • He’s the Man Designer Series Paper: 5-¼” x 4”

Stamping and Assembly:

  • Fold the Early Espresso card base in half. A bone folder is optional but helpful for a crisp edge.
  • Stamp the sentiment in Early Espresso ink onto the die cut from the He's a Man designer series paper pack.
  • Stamp the kayak in Tuxedo Black Memento ink onto a scrap of Basic White cardstock. I often stamp several so that after colouring, I can choose my favourite.
  • Colour the stamped image using the Stampin’ Blends Markers.
  • Fussy cut the stamped image using Paper Snips.
  • Color the cut edges of the image using the Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker.
  • Using your fingernail (or another similar tool) to rough up the edges of the patterned paper layer. I often open my scissors and use the sharp edge.
  • Use a Sponge Dauber and Early Espresso ink to darken the edges of the DSP layer and the sentiment layer.
  • Adhere the DSP layer onto the front of the card base.
  • Adhere the kayak onto the sentiment layer.
  • Adhere the sentiment layer with kayak onto the card front using Stampin' Dimensionals
  • Adhere the Basic White card stock rectangle onto the inside of the card base
  • Enjoy!
    birthday card featuring a kayak
All images © 1990-2022 Stampin’ Up!®This tutorial is private and may not be sold or distributed. Thank you!
Keyword 2022-2023 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue, birthday card, masculine card
Create this card yourself!Buy stamping supplies here
Click HERE to contact me with any questions.

Cute Elephant Baby Card

0 · · Leave a Comment

Create this cute baby card featuring Stampin' Up!'s Elephant Parade stamp set. Elephants are adorable and just perfect for baby cards. The sentiments in the Elephant parade stamp set include "sweet little one", and "What a happy day!", both of which are perfect for elephant baby cards.

bright pink and green elephant baby card

Make it Yourself:

Scroll down for a complete tutorial available to create this card yourself. The white crinkled ribbon is very versatile. Use Stampin' Blends to dye it any colour you like! Colouring this ribbon is quick and easy to do and an economical way to have ribbon match your card every time.

I used bright colours for a fun look. Parakeet Party and Polished Pink are a favourite colour combination for me lately.

cheerful elephant baby card

Cute Elephant Baby Card

Amy Cook

www.cardsbyacook.com

Stampin' Up! Elephant Parade stamp set and matching die set create such cute baby cards - or cards for all of those that just love elephants - young or young at heart.
Print Instructions Pin Recipe
Level of Difficulty Intermediate
Total Time 30 mins

Tools

Supplies
  

Instructions
 

Cut paper to the following sizes:

  • Parakeet Party: 5 ½” x 8 ½”, scored at 4 ¼”, (card base). Use scrap for grass
  • Basic White: 5 ¼” x 2”;  2 ¾ ” x 2 ¾ ”, 1” x 2” for banner, scrap for leaves
  • Polished Pink: 3” x 3”

Stamping and Assembly:

  • Fold Parakeet card base in half.
  • Stamp Tropical Hideaway stamp onto large Basic white strip using Parakeet Party ink.
  • Colour the white ribbon using the Polished Pink Stampin’ blends. Tie around the stamped strip as shown.
  • Cut a notch on the end of the banner.
  • Stamp the sentiment onto the banner in Smoky Slate ink.
  • Stamp your choice of elephant in Smoky Slate ink on Smoky Slate cardstock. Cut out using the coordinating die using the Stampin’ Cut and Emboss machine.
  • Colour the ears using the Polished Pink Stampin’ Blends
  • Cut out 2 pieces of grass using the elephant dies and Parakeet Party card stock.
  • Stamp leaves using Parakeet Party ink onto a scrap piece of basic white card stock. Lightly brush with parakeet Party ink to colour.
  • Lightly brush the bottom of the Basic White square with the Parakeet Party ink.
  • Adhere to the Polished Pink square.
  • Adhere the grass to the basic white square near the bottom with Stampin’ Seal.
  • Adhere the elephant and leaves, as shown, using Stampin’ Dimensionals.
  • Adhere the saying and tropical leaves strip to the card front, making sure to leave room for the elephant square.
  • Use Stampin’ Dimensionals to adhere the elephant square to the card front.
Keyword 2022-2023 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue, baby card, elephant card
Create this card yourself!Buy stamping supplies here
Click HERE to contact me with any questions.

Father's Day Card with Stampin' Up! Vintage Tools stamp set

0 · · Leave a Comment

Create simple masculine cards using the new stamp set, Vintage Tools, by Stampin' Up! These cards are suitable to give for Father's Day, a birthday or thank you to any of men in your life, or women that enjoy woodworking. Many people find making masculine cards difficult to make. To keep your cards more suitable for the men in your life, avoid using too many embellishments or ribbon. A clean and simple design is best.

Keep scrolling to see three cards that you can create with this stamp set. Vintage Tools is a new stamp set which is now available in the new annual 2022-2023 annual catalogue by Stampin' Up!

Father's Day Card 1:

This (almost) one layer masculine card creates a border with the various tools in the Vintage Tools stamp set. There is no need to be perfect, stamp the tool images as best you can in a line and it will look great!

Did you notice the detail in the Vintage Tools stamp set? I love the built in shading on the tools. The red rubber stamps give clear and crisp images that look great all on their own. Check out all the tools included in this masculine stamp set below:

Vintage Tools Stamp Set by Stampin' Up

I also love the sentiments included in the Stampin' Up! Vintage Tool stamp set. I particulary like the puns and the lighthearted nature incorporated in the sayings. "Build in some time for yourself" can be followed with "It's Your Day" This sentiment works well for birthdays as well as Father's day.

My next favourite image the Vintage Tools Stampin' Up! stamp set is the little nails included. I think they work very well for background. I've included them for detail on the inside of my next card.

Father's Day Card 2:

I created a background with the hammer stamp and chose Crumb Cake instead of Basic Grey as the main colour. Blue and brown are a classic colour combination that works well for cards for the men in your life.

I added some ribbon to this card, despite it being for a guy. The new Natural finish ⅞" ribbon is wide, and give great texture to the card design. The ribbon draws attention to the sentiment and adds some detail to a simple card design.

Create the background by stamping the hammer diagonally across the Crumb Cake cardstock. Make sure you go off the edges and try not to stress too much about being perfect. No one will notice if it doesn't line up just right! Please trust me, no one will notice, we are always harder on ourselves than anyone we ever give cards too.

I actually love how this card turned out, especially since the inside coordinates so well with the outside. How do you like the little nails on the inside? Not only do the nails go with the hammer, but the sentiment fits together perfectly as well.

Father's Day Card 3:

The last card featuring Stampin' Up's Vintage Tools set also includes more layers and embellishments. I thought the Timber 3D embossing folder coordinated well with the tool themed masculine card. Before embossing the Crumb Cake cardstock, ink the folder with some Crumb Cake ink to give more detail.

Make it yourself:

I stamped the plane in basic grey and then added hints of colour with Stampin' Blends in Crumb Cake and Smoky Slate. I used the new Stylish Shapes dies by Stampin' Up! from the new 2022-2023 annual catalogue to cut out the design. These dies are very versatile and they are quickly becoming a favourite of mine.

I did add a few embellishments including denim ribbon to add more texture and some classic matte dots, in white, to draw attention to the featured image

Do you live in Canada?

If you need any stamping supplies from Stampin' Up! Canada, please click on any of the links to be directed to my store or please contact me. I am always happy to answer questions and help stampers. I would love to be your Stampin' Up! demonstrator!

Enter this month's host code to your order to receive my free set of monthly tutorials, complete with instructions, supplies and measurements. For help ordering, see my SHOP page or email me.

May 2023 Host code:  Z377VETR

Enjoy creating these cards, comment and let me know which is your favourite!

Happy stamping,

Amy

Good Feelings Stampin' Up! Card

0 · · Leave a Comment

Sneak Peek of the new Good Feelings stamp set by Stampin' Up!. I love the amazing sentiments in this set. I paired the Good Feelings stamp set with the Dragonfly Garden stamp set and used Polished Pink cardstock to create 2 similar pretty cards. "I'm just so Happy for You" is a very versatile sentiment. This card could be used for a birthday card, wedding card or a congratulations card and more.

Be inspired with three more cards made with this set HERE. Full tutorial available.

This or That??

Which do you prefer? The bold, Polished Pink card or the softer card made with the New Horizons 6x6 Designer Series paper? Let me know in the comments. To create these two cards I started with the softer, patterned paper and was happy with how the white embossing added background detail to the card. I then used the same design on the Polished Pink cardstock and now I'm having a hard time deciding which is my favourite. The flowers and butterflies show more clearly in real life than in my pictures.

Make it yourself!

Both Good Feeling Stampin Up cards feature the sentiment stamped on a tag created using the Tailor Made tags dies. I used the largest one and added the pink grommet to one but not the other. I'm very happy with how the saying pops in the Polished pink ink on the tag. This is a good card to try if you are new to embossing. Scroll down for the complete set of instructions and a material list.

Do you live in Canada?

If you need any stamping supplies from Stampin' Up! Canada, please click on any of the links to be directed to my store or please contact me. I am always happy to answer questions and help stampers. I would love to be your Stampin' Up! demonstrator!

Enter this month's host code to your order to receive my free set of monthly tutorials, complete with instructions, supplies and measurements. For help ordering, see my SHOP page or email me.

May 2023 Host code:  Z377VETR

Good Feelings Polished Pink Stampin' Up! Card

Amy Cook

www.cardsbyacook.com

See a sneak peek of the new Good Feelings stamp set along with Dragonfly Garden to create this pretty card.
Print Instructions Pin Recipe
Level of Difficulty Beginner
Total Time 20 mins

Tools

Supplies
  

Instructions
 

Cut paper to the following sizes:

  • Thick Basic White: Cut in half for card base - 5½ x 8½; score at 4¼
  • New Horizon 6 x 6 designer series paper: 4 x 5¼ for card 1
  • Polished Pink: 4 x 5¼ for 2nd card
  • Basic White paper approx. 2" x 4" for tag dies

Embossing:

  • Get ready for embossing by first folding a piece of copy paper in half and then opening back up. This creates a crease that will be useful to help you pour the left over embossing powder back into the container.
  • Stamp the flowers onto the left of the New Horizons or the Polished Pink paper in Versamark ink. Stamp the butterflies scattered in the right corner. I stamped them 3 times.
  • Lay the stamped paper on top of the creased copy paper. Liberally, sprinkle white embossing powder onto the wet ink. Carefully lift it up and shake the excess powder off. A small brush can be used, if necessary, to remove embossing powder from areas you don't want it.
  • Carefully heat set the embossing powder until it is shiny. Be sure to hold the stamped paper away from the rest of the embossing powder while heating.
  • You can reuse embossing powder. Use the crease on the copy paper to help pour the embossing powder back into the container to reuse.

Die cutting and Assembly:

  • Adhere the embossed pink backgrounds to the Basic White card bases.
  • Stamp the sentiment with Polished Pink ink onto the Basic White cardstock.
  • Use the Tailored Made tags dies and the Stampin' Cut and Emboss machine to cut out the sentiment.
  • Tie white twine or ribbon on the tag and trim.
  • Use Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere the tag to the card.
Keyword 2022-2023 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue, birthday card
Create this card yourself!Buy stamping supplies here
Click HERE to contact me with any questions.

Good Feelings Stampin' Up! Sneak Peek

0 · · Leave a Comment

Stampin' Up!'s 2022 - 2023 Annual Catalogue is being released May 3, 2022. It is gorgeous! I can't wait to be able to order lots of new, fantastic stamp sets, dies, ribbons, new In Color's, embellishments and more. As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I was lucky enough to receive the catalogue early along with the Good Feelings stamp set.

I love the new Good Feelings stamp set by Stampin' Up! It contains six bold sentiment stamps suitable for a variety of occasions. I've created three cards to share today using two of my favourite sayings from the Good Feelings stamp set. I've paired the stamp set with the New Horizons 6x6 designer series paper to create quick and easy cards that are beautiful.

Three of the cards are pictured below, two more bright and cheery cards using this set can be found HERE.

The tough part about these Good Feeling cards is taking the pictures. The gold embossing is beautiful on the patterned paper, but does not show well in the photos. They are definitely more gorgeous in real life!

Make it yourself!

All three of these cards pair the New horizons 6x6 designer series paper from Stampin' Up! with the new Good Feelings stamp set. This set will be released in May, 2022.

These are 3 of my favourite paper designs. The paper pack contains 48 sheets, 4 each of 12 different designs. See all the designs HERE.

The first two cards use gold embossing powder to make the "Sending Sunshine and good feelings your way" sentiment pop on the paper. A bow tied beneath or to the left side, in gold twine adds some bling. After taking pictures, I added Iridescent Rhinestone Basic Jewels to add some extra bling. It is worth adding, but I gave the card to my friend who needed a card before taking a picture. Priorities right?

The third card uses Blackberry Bliss cardstock and ink to make the sentiment pop! I love the colour paired with the Midnight Mist blue cardstock in the paper design.

Instructions for all three cards are below, keep scrolling. I've included some details as to how to use embossing powder. It is easier than it looks.

Do you live in Canada?

If you need any stamping supplies from Stampin' Up! Canada, please click on any of the links to be directed to my store or please contact me. I am always happy to answer questions and help stampers. I would love to be your Stampin' Up! demonstrator!

Enter this month's host code to your order to receive my free set of monthly tutorials, complete with instructions, supplies and measurements. For help ordering, see my SHOP page or email me.

May 2023 Host code:  Z377VETR

Good Feelings with New Horizon 6x6 paper creates quick and easy cards!

Amy Cook

www.cardsbyacook.com

See a sneak peek of the new Good Feelings stamp set along with the New Horizon 6x6 designer series paper from from Stampin' Up! to make cards quickly and easily
Print Instructions Pin Recipe
Level of Difficulty Beginner
Total Time 15 mins

Tools

Supplies
  

Instructions
 

Cut paper to the following sizes:

  • Thick Basic White: Cut in half for card base - 5½ x 8½; score at 4¼ (all 3 cards)
  • New Horizon 6 x 6 designer series paper: 4 x 5¼ (2 card), 3 ¾ x 5" for 3rd card
  • Blackberry Bliss: 4 x 5¼ for 3rd card

Embossing:

  • Get ready for embossing by first folding a piece of copy paper in half and then opening back up. This creates a crease that will be useful to help you pour the left over embossing powder back into the container.
  • Stamp the sentiment onto your choice of New Horizons paper in Versamark ink.
  • Lay the stamped paper on top of the creased copy paper. Liberally, sprinkle gold embossing powder onto the wet ink. Carefully lift it up and shake the excess powder off. A small brush can be used, if necessary, to remove embossing powder from areas you don't want it.
  • Carefully heat set the embossing powder until it is shiny. Be sure to hold the stamped paper away from the rest of the embossing powder while heating.
  • You can reuse embossing powder. Use the crease on the copy paper to help pour the embossing powder back into the container to reuse.

Assembly:

  • Card #1 and #2
    Tie gold twine around the bottom or along the left hand side of the stamped image. Tie a bow or a simple knot.
  • Use Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere to the Basic White card front.
  • Card #3
  • Stamp the sentiment in Blackberry Bliss ink. Quickly sprinkle with clear embossing powder. Blackberry ink dries quickly so this must be done quickly.
  • Alternately, you could use a Stamparatus to stamp the sentiment in Blackberry Bliss ink. Without moving the paper or the stamp, clean the stamp and reink with Versamark ink and stamp again. Emboss with clear embossing powder.
  • Heat the embossing powder until it is shiny.
  • Adhere to the Blackberry Bliss layer
  • Use Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere to the Basic White card front.
  • All cards: Add your choice of embellishments.
Keyword 2022-2023 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue, birthday card
Create this card yourself!Buy stamping supplies here
Click HERE to contact me with any questions.