card Archives - Delight of my Art

Stamping with Friends Sneak Peek Blog Hop

Posted on December 18, 2021December 18, 2021 by debjoysmeak

I’m so excited for the new January – June Mini catalog and freebies with Sale-a-bration during January and February! I’m highlighting one of the FREE items you can get with any purchase of $100. It’s a stamp and paper bundle: Friendly Hello Stamp Set and Friendly Hello DSP! The colors are so soft in this DSP. I love to play with a new stamp set using the coordinating colors that artisan designers have already picked out in the DSP. It takes the pressure off of me to get the colors right. Later when I’ve played with it more I’ll try some bright and bold colors.

For my first play with this awesome bundle, I pulled out my Water Painters, which I sometimes forget about. It’s so easy to look like a pro with our Fluid 100 watercolor paper and some ink. When the lids are closed on our unique Stampin’ ink pads you can give them a firm squeeze to get some ink in the lid. Then when you open the ink pad you have a watercolor palette all ready to use for watercoloring! Simply lift the color up with the Water Painter and apply to the Stazon inked image on the Fluid 100 watercolor paper. I also picked up a bit of watery Granny Apple Green and flicked it across my card to get a splatter effect and then came in with very watered-down Granny Apple Green to go around the image to simulate the hint of a tree behind.

I used my Stamparatus to make sure I got a good imprint on my watercolor paper. Stazon dries very quickly and with the texture of the watercolor paper, it is sometimes hard to get a solid print the first time around. The Stamparatus is perfect for stamping exactly in the same place multiple times to get a perfect imprint.

Another new product I’m using on this card is the new Iridescent Rhinestones! They are beautiful. They are shown in the mini catalog along with the Sweet Talk suite on pages 8-9. Some other annual catalog favorites used on this card are shown in the links below. There is no link yet to the SAB items. They will only be available for free with a qualifying purchase between January 4 – February 28.

If you are in the US and do not already have a demonstrator I would be happy to send you a complimentary set of catalogs. Please fill out this CATALOG REQUEST FORM. Have a happy day and #spreadthejoy of card making by sending a card today!

Linda Moore
Tricia Butts
Karen Egan
Mo Rootes
Caron Bailey
Kelly Place Taranto
Mickey Moore
Deb Smeak ———–> You are here
Rachael Merrick

tams# 66601

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Fresh Freesia 3/8" (1 Cm) Open Weave Ribbon

New online kits!

Posted on June 1, 2021June 1, 2021 by debjoysmeak

Our kit selection is getting an upgrade: new kits available online! They are while supplies last, but new ones will be continually added so the selection should always be fresh and fun! All of them are all-inclusive kits. There are two levels: those with stamps/ink and those with pre-printed words. The kits with stamps come with an acrylic block, mini ink spot and a mini photopolymer stamp set and are $19. The others have die-cut word pieces and are only $12. They all make multiple cards so you really get a great value for the cost. You can see the current selection below.

Check out all the included items in the available kits by clicking on each picture.

How could you use these?

*These would be great to do multiples as a group party (think bridal shower, girls wine night or kid’s birthday party).

*Put together a fun craft night for the family.

*Great gift idea since they’re all-inclusive.

*Take one on vacation with you to do while you relax.

There are endless ways to enjoy these simple kits. They are created with the beginner crafter in mind so sit back and make something beautiful. ❤ Order yours today!

New ‘Hey Chick’ Bundles Available TODAY!

Posted on February 2, 2021February 2, 2021 by debjoysmeak

In 2017 the stamp set Hey Chick was available as a Sale-a-bration item and it was very popular. These funny chickens were popping up all over the place. I especially love the one with the poofy head popping in from the side, haha! I was thrilled to see the Hey Birthday Chick stamp set in the new spring mini with the same chickens from 2017 in different poses. But wait there’s more! They decided to add dies to complement it AND bring back the 2017 set AND make dies for that one too! Hooray! They will be available starting today, February 2, 2021, until the end of June or while supplies last.

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Chickens are such funny creatures: the noises they make, the hilarious waddle-run because they’re so fluffy and chunky, the excitement (eggcitement?) about treats. ❤ We got chickens for the first time in March of 2020. They are pretty easy to care for and so fun to watch. I love finding eggs in the nesting boxes because it means I get to eat fresh chicken eggs every morning. Should I make them a thank you card? Hahaha!

Here are some more samples using these bundles. Which chicken is your favorite? Leave a comment below.

Freebies for shopping? Yes, please!

Posted on January 5, 2021January 5, 2021 by debjoysmeak

I LOVE January because it’s full of brand new goodies and freebies from Stampin’ Up! Today kicks off our new mini catalog, the release of the new Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine AND my favorite: SALE-a-bration!

For those new to Stampin’ Up!, SALE-a-bration (SAB) is when your crafty purchases add up to even more freebies. Every $50 or $100 increment earns you free gifts out of the SAB brochure. This SAB promotion is only during January and February.

“What? Last year it was three months long. What gives?”

We are getting TWO SALE-a-brations this year! Whoop whoop! So the items available in this SAB brochure are only available for January and February, there are no second release products and we’ll get new choices for freebies later in the year. So exciting!

To check out the available SAB items you can earn for FREE right now click HERE.

We also are launching the new Mini January – June catalog. This has a bunch of spring items, Valentine’s, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, lots of flowers for all occasions as well as great every day items. I’ve just done a detailed catalog walkthrough on Facebook Live if you’ve got your favorite beverage (it’s a long one!). You can view that walkthrough HERE. Let me know what your favorite bundles are! I love the Sweet Strawberry bundle with matching freebies from the SAB brochure, among lots of others, haha! You can see all the NEW products from the January – June mini catalog in my online store HERE.

We also have a replacement for our Whisper White! Starting today you can order our brand new Basic White products in 7 different products. Those are available here. I’m sooo glad that I have a thick white cardstock available

Please let me know if you would like the annual catalog (the big one) or if you need these two new catalogs: the mini and the SAB. I’d be happy to send you complimentary catalogs. Right now with every catalog bundle I send out I’m also including a unique “artist trading card” as a mini preview of something new from the catalogs. I’ll be showing these on my Facebook page throughout the month. When you see the one you received, make sure to take a selfie with it and post it! You’ll get a discount on your first order from me through the end of February. More free stuff, yay!

One more thing! The Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine (I’m going to call this the mini boss) is available starting today! Here’s the blurb from the website: Spend your time crafting, not cutting! The Stampin’ Up! Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine makes precise cuts and detailed embossed images every time. Use with dies and embossing folders to easily create accents and elements for cards, scrapbook pages, party invitations, classroom projects, and more.

This mini boss folds up just like the new big boss. Both of these machines can be seen HERE. If you order either one of these from me I will gift you a free embossing folder of your choice. Yes, there are a few choices of embossing folders, even for the mini boss! You can place your order and let me know which folder you want. The next time I order I will order it for you and mail or deliver it to you when it arrives. I use my big boss on nearly every project I make, usually a stitched tag shape. If you are new to either machine I highly recommend the Stitched Shapes dies as you’ll get a great variety: four each of circles, ovals and squares with stitched details. I have used this die set the most out of all my dies. (Tip: If you get the mini boss and these dies, make sure you add another $10 to your order to get more in SAB freebies!!)

Stampin’ Rewards! If your order is over $150 (or you have a party and all orders together are over $150) then you receive rewards based on the total according to this chart. If your order is under $150, please use the January host code JTVK4JCJ and I’ll send you a free card in the mail.

As an additional bonus during SAB there is also a free stamp set at the $300 level. It’s called Punch Party and it’s super cute. It coordinates with quite a few of our current punches (sold separately): Rectangular Postage Stamp, Double Oval Punch, Heart Punch Pack. The best way to earn this is to get together with friends and host a party. You can even do this online! Let me know if you’re interested by emailing me at debjoysmeak@delightofmyart.com.

PUNCH PARTY HOST PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH)

Happy shopping!!

Teacher Thank You Gift Card Pocket Card

Posted on June 6, 2018 by debjoysmeak

I can’t believe another school year went by already! My oldest will be in MIDDLE SCHOOL next year! My son will be in third and the twins will be going to first grade. So crazy! Time sure is flying by. We’ve been super busy this spring and life doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. Life is about the journey, not the destination though, right?

I really like how this teacher thank you card came out. I am in love with the Daisy Delight stamp set and punch. They always turn out beautifully. And I love the idea of the hidden pocket inside for a gift card. Let me tell you how I put this together.

First I took a piece of Whisper White cardstock and cut it halfway down the long side, so the piece is 4 1/4″ x 11″. Score this in the middle at 5 1/2″ and also 2 7/8″. This will fold in to form the pocket on the inside of the front. I decorated this with a piece of Designer Series Paper in Lemon Lime Twist and then the flap with a solid piece of Lemon Lime Twist stamped with Lemon Lime Twist. Can you tell I like this color? Ha! Actually I think the pocket is a bit over-decorated so I think I may just do the lemon lime twist on the white fold-over pocket on the next one. I do have to make 4 of these for the kids’ teachers. I also punched with the Every Day Label Punch on the edge of the pocket before I glued down the edges with Tear and Tape.

The ink colors I used are Basic Black Archival (retired), Lemon Lime Twist, Call Me Clover, Sweet Sugarplum (retired), and Blackberry Bliss. (I guess I could have used Rich Razzleberry stamped off, but this was easier since I had it. I’ll link to Rich Razzleberry below.) It is all stamped right on the card base except for the front Daisy, which is punched out with the daisy punch. I stamped the daisy in Sweet Sugar Plum and then used a sponge dauber right on the stamp in the center in Blackberry Bliss. After punching the flowers out I sponged lightly again in Blackberry Bliss in the center. I punched out a 1/2″ circle in Lemon Lime Twist for the center of the flower and put the largest Faceted Gems in clear on top. So pretty! I really like the gradient in the leaves. I got the idea from Pinterest from Artisan Paula Dobson. The leaf fill stamp is stamped in solid Lemon Lime Twist and then I sponged on Call Me Clover on half of the image before stamping it over the outline I had already stamped on the front.

I also stamped the cute little bee from the Touches of Texture stamp set and colored in the body with Crushed Curry and a Blender Pen. I also colored the wings with Wink of Stella. Love the subtle sparkles! I think the teachers will like these. I left the inside blank so I could write a really detailed note about how much we appreciate them. I’m going to have the kids include thankful notes to fold inside as well. Teachers love to hear how the kids loved being in their class.

Have you made any teacher gifts this year? I’d love to see what you’ve made! You can add a picture to our Facebook group .

Happy stamping!

tams# 23225

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Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Magical Day – Dragon Cave

Posted on April 13, 2018 by debjoysmeak

My son just turned 8 and he wanted me to make him a birthday card with a blue dragon that was also a shaker card. Challenge accepted! This was a lot of fun to create, but it did take a while! It actually has quite a bit of painting involved, using my aquapainter. I think it turned out pretty fantastic, don’t you think?!

This Magical Day stamp set is amazing and I’m so surprised that it is on the retiring list. Get it now, while you still can! It’s so cute with the mermaid, unicorn, dragon, knight and wizard along with the nice sentiments and sparkle stamps. I’m getting a lot of use out of it. My son made thank you notes to his friends in his birthday goodie bags with the tiny sparkle elements in this set. I let him pick out exactly what stamps and ink colors he wanted to use. They turned out really cute! And he did them all himself. He chose Dapper Denim, Crushed Curry and Lemon Lime Twist.

Ok, back to the birthday card! I used Thick Whisper White as the base of my card. The top layer is Shimmery White because I knew I’d be water coloring on it. The middle layer is Basic Black. First I cut a circle out of the center of my shimmery white top layer, which I think was the second biggest in the layering circles framelits dies.

Then I laid that over the black panel to see where to stamp my sentiment. I wiped my embossing buddy on the black cardstock to reduce static, stamped my sentiment in versamark ink and sprinkled with white embossing powder. I tapped off the excess and heat set that with my heat tool. So far so good!

I stamped the dragon in Memento ink on Whisper White cardstock, cut him out with the matching framelit and colored him in with the Night of Navy Stampin’ Blends. I love those things! When they are back in stock, make sure you snag as many as you can. And there are new colors coming with the new catalog!!! (Can you tell, I’m so excited?!)

I used my aqua painter and ink pads to paint on the shimmery white piece. I made horizontal black stripes around the cave with Basic Black archival ink. Then I made a light wash with Smoky Slate underneath the cave and around the cave again after the black dried. Then I added a little bit of Crumb Cake all around for depth of color. I stamped a scrap piece of white multiple times with Smoky Slate using the heart from the Sure Do Love You stamp set (another one that’s retiring!). Then I used the larger cloud die from the Up & Away Thinlits to create the rocks. They looked kind of blah, so I added shadows with Basic black, and also some jagged lines to break up the circular cloud shape and then the crumb cake on top of that really finished those off nicely. I added some fire tendrils using Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango and Real Red up top, but it looked strange the rocks were on fire, so I added some mossy tufts to be on fire with Garden Green and Lemon Lime Twist. Whew!

For the shaker part, I turned over the shimmery white piece and adhered a window sheet square to match over the opening. Then I put the foam adhesive strips right around the hole and also a bit along all four sides for support. I poured in a generous amount of gold glitter flakes before I took the backing off the adhesive strips. This is the point of truth! Carefully taking all the backing off so as not to spill the glitter I also had to carefully align the black middle layer with the sentiment side down (so it would show through the cutout) so that the sides were even. Ahhh! Nerve wracking! I got it fairly straight but not perfect. Usually I don’t have a sentiment inside and just put a scrap down for the backing before turning it over and applying it to my card. This was a bit harder but I managed it in the end. I just had to adhere the dragon and my rocks and the card is finished! It took probably 2 hours of planning and execution, way longer than I anticipated, but my dear son is worth it. Let me know what you think! Please leave a comment below and join my mailing list to be updated on future posts.

I’m running a special this month, April 2018!! I will send you a gift in the mail for any order of $30 or more as a special thank you for helping me promote this month to the next level demonstrator! I’m super close, less than $150. Please help me reach my goal and let me spoil you! 😀

Use Hostess Code: R2YGTKCV at checkout before the end of the month. If your order is $150 or more, do not use the hostess code, claim your Stampin’ Rewards and I’ll still send you a gift in the mail.

To place an order, you can click on any of the products listed below and it will take you to my store. Have a wonderful day and happy stamping!

tams# 21967

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Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Watercolor Stocking Christmas

Posted on December 12, 2017December 12, 2017 by debjoysmeak

I love how this card turned out. I’m choosing this one to send out to family and friends this year with the exception of one special card I’m making for my grandma. I love watercolor washes and this is a great way to add a splash of color on shimmery white paper and a textured snowy background.

You can follow along how I made this card on YouTube here.

The items I used in this card are listed at the bottom of this post and also in the video.

The variation I did for my grandma is using the Quilted Christmas DSP to look like a quilt on a watercolor background. She has made dozens of quilts over the years and this piece reminds me of a square quilt she might make to hang on the wall. I used two different paper patterns from the same DSP stack. The red star background fit perfectly behind the 3″ x 3″ quilted piece to look like a border! I was thrilled about that.

I’m really thrilled with how these two cards turned out. I’m excited to see the variations that come from doing multiple cards because watercolor is never the same twice.

The shimmery white cardstock is a dream to watercolor on. I love how it has that wonderful subtle shimmer! I used all the colors from the DSP: Garden Green, Real Red, Lemon Lime Twist, Pool Party and Blushing Bride.

Please share with me the cards you are making for your family this year! I would love to see them. You can post on my new Facebook group here.

Merry Christmas!

tams# 18351

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Hang Your Stocking Photopolymer Stamp Set

Snowflake Sentiments Clear-Mount Stamp Set

Quilted Christmas 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Snowy Season’s Greetings

Posted on November 27, 2017 by debjoysmeak

I love the texture in the Cable Knit embossing folder! It adds so much depth to cards. This card features stamps from Snowflake Sentiments. This is a really easy and pretty card. I used Whisper White, Pool Party and Dapper Denim along with a splash of silver from last year’s Sale-a-bration sale. (Next one is coming up soon in January!)

I did not shoot a video for this one, but it’s fairly easy to explain so I’ll just give the measurements here:

Whisper White base – 5.5″ x 8.5″, folded to 5.5″ x 4.25″

Whisper White Stitched Shape oval – largest oval

Dapper Denim layer – 5.25″ x 4″

Pool Party layer – 5″ x 3.75″

1 Whisper White medium envelope

Directions:

Stamp the 3 different sizes of snowflakes in Dapper Denim onto the Pool Party layer. I found it easier to cut my 3 small snowflakes into 1 and 2. They line up nicely if placed together on the block and then I can use a single one when needed. After it is all stamped, emboss the Pool Party layer with the Cable Knit embossing folder with the ribs going up and down.

Stamp the greeting in Dapper Denim in the middle of the Stitched Shape oval. Stamp the single small snowflake in Pool Party in random places around the sentiment. Run a line of Fast Fuse on the back of the oval and attach a silver ribbon. Trim the ends on an angle. Place Stampin’ Dimensionals above and below the ribbon on the backside of the oval. Since the oval is so big, I recommend 4-6 dimensionals.

Attach the layers using Fast Fuse, since the Pool Party layer is so textured.

On the inside I stamped a retired greeting from Jar of Cheer in Dapper Denim and a few scattered small snowflakes in Pool Party. I also stamped the envelope front with a big snowflake in Dapper Denim and the triple line of small snowflakes along the back flap (not shown).

Shop with me here and click Shop Now or click on products below.

Order completed cards from my Etsy store (new!).

Follow me on Facebook.

Get inspired on Pinterest.

Check out my tutorial videos on YouTube.

Please support small businesses and families. Have a fantastic day!

tams# 17996

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Cable Knit Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Greenery in the Snow

Posted on November 14, 2017 by debjoysmeak

It’s time to start preparing for Christmas! Be ready to send out lovely Christmas cards to your family and friends this year by starting early and not being in a rush for once. (Tell me it’s not just me!) I recently got these Pretty Pines thinlits and I LOVE them. They are so versatile and lovely. They make great accents on cards, tags and gifts. Love love love!

For this card I used the Softly Falling embossing folder on the background and the Everyday Label Punch along with the Pretty Pines thinlits. I put Wink of Stella on the Real Red twig shape things because Wink of Stella is freaking awesome and it dazzles up everything. Wink of Stella would also make a great stocking stuffer…just saying. 😉

The card also features the stamp set Snowflake Sentiments. This stamp set has AMAZING greetings. I really hope this one sticks around for a long time. (And if it retires I’m still going to use it!) I did use the pine branch from the now retired set Merry Patterns, which you could have earned for free in October 2017. You can easily use another stamp as an accent on the envelope such as a single or triple small snowflakes or one of the larger ones from the Snowflake Sentiments. You can see all the included stamps in the links at the bottom of the blog post.

You can check out my YouTube tutorial about how I put this card together. And if you’d like to purchase any of these amazing materials to make your own fun Christmas cards you can buy them directly by clicking on the picture links below.

We are celebrating my family Christmas on the Saturday after Thanksgiving so I really have to get a scoot on! We usually get together in a big gym and enjoy snacks. The boys run around and play ball games and the girls and I get together and do paper crafts. Then we have a big dinner (including fondue) and finish up with stockings. We recently started a new tradition of having a paper tearing competition. It sounds so weird but it’s totally fun! We have dozens of strips of newspaper about 6″ wide by the height of normal newspaper. We have double elimination rounds and go two by two against each other tearing from top to bottom without going off the edge.

What are some of your fun family traditions? Share with us in the comments.

tams# 17500

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Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Stampin’ Blends Coral Yellow Rose

Posted on October 25, 2017 by debjoysmeak

I love roses and especially coral and yellow rose blends so when I saw these new artist quality alcohol blending markers from Stampin’ Up! I knew what I was going to do. These blend so nicely and are very easy to work with. You don’t have to be an artist to end up with gorgeous results. You can layer each color on top of others or themselves, creating layers of color. (They do bleed, so make sure to use scrap paper underneath.)

I only started with a few colors, namely the three I used here which are the light and dark version of Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral and Old Olive. I also picked up the Ivory, Bronze and Color Lifter, which acts like an eraser to add highlights to projects or as a nice way to erase an oops outside the lines. I love that the price point is the same for a single marker and the entire collection. I don’t feel bad at all collecting these as I am able. Essentially they are allowing us the single markers at the bundle price, which was really cool of Stampin’ Up!

For the card above I colored in the yellows first and then gradually going from light to dark coral. In the YouTube video I did it backwards to see if there was any difference. I think I blended in the video even more than the card above and it resulted in a more blended version of the picture. I really like both and they were both simple so it’s really a win win.

They can also be used to color in Perfect White Accents, Pearls, Rhinestones and ribbon! What a perfect way for us to continue our matching tradition and make even more options of embellishments for us to use on our projects. Thank you Stampin’ Up!

I hope you consider picking up a few for yourself or for your friends for Christmas or really splurge and get the whole set for yourself. Please visit my online store here after November 1, 2017 for these to be available for purchase. You won’t regret it. There is also a kit and special limited time stamp set available for use with the markers as well, which will also be posted November 1st.

For anyone wary about these compared to their older Blendabilities markers which were recalled, you know Stampin’ Up! stands behind their products and have extensively researched and perfected these markers to be high quality and perform well under scrutiny. Being a new demonstrator I did not have the pleasure of using the old ones but I understand there was an issue with *some caps having small holes so the markers would dry out too quickly. I know they offered complete refund for all those old markers for a few months and gave everyone an option to keep them or sell them back for credit. Stampin’ Up! truly cares about their customers, the quality of their product and providing excellent customer care service. I know they have worked extra hard to provide an exceptional product here and I have not been disappointed at all.

Cheers to a relaxing time coloring and stamping!

*Note – the link to the Stampin’ Blends markers below will not work until they are available for purchase on November 1, 2017.

tams# 17216

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