Thank You Card Blog Hop with the Bertucci's - May 2023

 It's marvelous May...the weather is perfect and the flowers are in bloom...

and it's time for this month's blog hop provided by Kylie and Bruno Bertucci.  Stampin' Up!©  Demonstrators from around the world participate in the Bertucci's Demonstrator Training Program Blog Hop. We, Demonstrators, use the training program provided by the Bertucci's to help us build a successful Stampin' Up! business and to reach some goals we have set for ourselves. 

You are invited to visit over 30 Stampin' Up! Demonstrator blogs which are showcasing "Thank You" cards they've created.  You can start here with my blog post and then jump on the links (below) to travel around the world and see the gorgeous cards created by the talented Demonstrators.  Have fun and enjoy the HOP!

Using the "Countryside Corners" dies from the newly released, Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog for 2023 -2034 (pages 62-63) I created several cards. The dies are part of the Countryside Inn Suite Collection.  The Collection includes the stamp set and dies (and bundle), but also gorgeous Designer Paper, along with beautiful Boho Blue (new color) ribbon.  The collection can be easily purchased with one order code; or the stamp set and dies can be purchased separately or as a bundle (saving 10%).

For my cards shown below, I did not use the DSP from the collection.  However I did use the unbelievable oval dies.  These dies separate to make several layers of solid ovals and thin strip ovals which can be used together or individually.  Cutting card stock in various colors, can help you create unique and unusual cards.  

Instead of the DSP that's part of the Collection, I opted to pull out a few sheets from the Delightfully Eclectic Designer Series Paper found on Page 129 of the new catalog. The package contains 48 sheets of paper (4 sheets of 12 double sided papers).  I used the Pretty Peacock paper which has bright pink and yellow flowers for the background. I chose the new color BUBBLE BATH (a pale pink) and an old staple, CRUSHED CURRY (a rich gold-yellow) to cut the ovals.  An additional sheet from this DSP pack containing dozens of cream flowers with black centers were fussy cut to be later added to the cards.

The sentiment "Thank You" is from the stamp set Good Feelings which is a stamp set carried over from a previous catalog and is now found on Page 33 of the new 2023-2034 Annual Catalog.  I love the simple yet fun looking font -- perfect for the dies and designer paper. 

In creating the cards, I started with Basic White card stock and stamped the sentiment slightly to the left with black ink, leaving room for flowers. Then I placed the center oval die over the sentiment and cut out the oval using my die cutting machine. 

The card base is a 5 1/2" X 4 1/4" piece of Basic White Thick card stock.  A piece of the flowered DSP size 5 1/4" X 4" was cut and glued onto the outside of the card base leaving 1/8 " white card stock showing around the edge.

Sets of the Bubble Bath ovals and sets of the Crushed Curry were cut using my cutting and embossing machine. I used the center oval and two surrounding ovals for each set. (Extra pieces can be used in the future with other cards.)

To create the card with two color ovals, I moved pieces of the thin ovals along with the center onto a silicone craft sheet (found on page 138 of the 2023  - 2024 Annual Catalog) and then glued them in place.  The craft sheet is perfect for gluing as the glue easily rubs off.  

If the card used the center oval and only one thin oval, I first glued the stamped oval onto the DSP and then glued the larger single thin oval around it.  

Fussy cut flowers were placed on the space created when stamping.  Dimensionals held the flowers onto the card. Finally, various gems from my stash were placed at various places on the cards to provide a little sparkle.

Please note that the dies are a little tricky to use.  As they are very thin, they can move easily and change the spacing so be sure to use tape to hold the dies in place.  Here's a couple more tips:  

* If you use several colors in your design, cut a set of dies in one color, then a second color, a third color, etc.  You can pull one of the slim ovals from each set to create your design. Be careful with the cut ovals.    

* Use a ruler to measure the space between each thin oval piece to assure they are equally spaced apart.  Otherwise you can have ovals that are wider/thinner on one side.

* Use removable tape or something similar to hold the die pieces in their place when moving the dies and card stock to the cutting machine.

* Once you try the dies, you'll find it's very easy to cut them.  The ovals can be layered in several ways and even cut into half or quarters to make fantastic and unusual designs.

Hope you like my cards and leave a comment below.  If you have any questions about my cards or how to place an order for the Stampin' Up! products, please email me at: creatingtreasures123@gmail.com. 

To continue to another Demonstrator's blog, use the links provided below: