Playing With A Few Retiring Products!

Hello!  Although I am definitely excited about - and certainly looking forward to working on projects with - the new Stampin' Up! products that will be introduced with the launch of the 2024-2025 Annual Catalogue on May 1, 2024, I am feeling a little sad about the retirement at the end of April of several of my favourite products from the May 2023-April 2024 Annual Catalogue and the January-April 2024 Mini Catalogue!  Today I am sharing a few projects (two decor projects and a few note cards) I worked on this week using a few of these retiring products.  The Last Chance Promotion that will run from April 9 through to April 30, 2024, offers a great opportunity to stock up on your favourite retiring products from both catalogues - with the extra bonus that quite a few of the retiring products (including some of those I used in my projects this week) will also be substantially discounted! All retiring products - including all products in the retiring 2022-2024 In Colours - will be available only while supplies last so it will be a good idea to shop early!

The table below  details the retiring products (from both catalogues) that I used in my projects together with any applicable discount:

Product Name	Item Number	Discount
Paper Florist dies	161284	50%
Lighting The Way dies	160496	50%
Natural Prints dies	158800	50%
Meadow dies	155852	50%
Lazy Days dies	161342	20%
Notes of Nature dies	163203	n/a
Timeworn Type 3D Embossing Folder	156505	40%
Sweet Sorbet cardstock	159268	n/a
Sweet Sorbet ink	159216	n/a
Vellum 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock	101856	n/a
Masterfully Made 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper	161192	30%
6" x 6" Designer Series Paper Assortments-Regals	161642	30%
Let’s Go Fishing 12” x 12” Designer Series Paper	161534	n/a
Les Shoppes 12” x 12” Designer Series Paper	161322	50%
Rock & Roll 12” x 12” Designer Series Paper	162695	n/a
Quiet Meadow stamp set	155082	n/a
Botanical Layers stamp set	158912	60%
Rustic Metallic Adhesive-Backed Dots	159082	20%
Classic Matte Dots	158146	40%

Just a quick summary of the basic tools and supplies I used to complete my projects this week:

• Paper Trimmer (item 152392) - for trimming paper and cardstock - can also be used for scoring;
• stylus and scoreboard (Simply Scored Scoring Tool - item 122334) - for scoring card fold lines.  For crisp card folds I also burnish all folded scored lines using my Bone Folder (item 102300).  I also used the Bone Folder to add some curl to my die cut flowers and foliage;
• Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine (item 149653) - for all die cutting and embossing; 
• Paper Snips Scissors (item 103579) - these small sharp scissors are very handy for trimming die cuts (i.e. snipping off a few leaves or shortening stems);
• Stampin' Brayer (item 162936) - although this silicone roller is intended for applying even ink coverage to embossing folders, stamps, and paper, it is also very effective for rolling over paper that has been glued to another surface - i.e. a wood panel.  Rolling the Brayer over the paper immediately after gluing the paper to another surface (whether a wood panel or another piece of paper) helps ensure even coverage of the liquid adhesive and helps prevent air bubbles and buckling of the paper - effective adhesion requires a proper adhesive and pressure, and rolling the Brayer over the paper provides good even pressure;
• Take Your Pick Tool (item 144107) - the paper piercer, mini spatula, and tacky putty tips are a great help for picking up and placing small die cuts and embellishments; and
• for the main adhesive, Multipurpose Liquid Glue (item 110755).  Although I do transfer glue to a small fine-tipped bottle that works great for applying glue to small items (delicate die cuts) the Multipurpose Liquid Glue bottle has dual tips and the broad chisel tip is great for applying glue to a larger surface such as a wood panel.

All die cuts were cut from cardstock, and shaded with Classic Stampin' inks applied with Small Blending Brushes (item 160518).  I used the following cardstock/ink combinations:

• for foliage: Soft Seafoam cardstock (item 146988), Lemon Lime Twist cardstock (item 144245), Old Olive cardstock (item 100702), and Mossy Meadow cardstock (item 133676) with Old Olive ink (item 147090) and Mossy Meadow ink (item 147111); 
• for flowers: Petal Pink cardstock (item 146985) with Sweet Sorbet ink (item 159216); Flirty Flamingo cardstock (item 141416) with Sweet Sorbet ink; Sweet Sorbet cardstock (item 159268) with Sweet Sorbet ink and Real Red ink (item 147084); Pumpkin Pie cardstock (item 105117) with Pumpkin Pie ink (item 147086); Daffodil Delight cardstock (item 119683) with Daffodil Delight ink (item 147094); Crushed Curry cardstock (item 131199) with Daffodil Delight ink; Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) with Daffodil Delight ink; and
• for flower centers: Daffodil Delight cardstock, Crushed Curry cardstock, and Wild Wheat cardstock (item 161725) with Daffodil Delight ink; Wild Wheat cardstock with Pecan Pie ink (item 161665); Pecan Pie cardstock (item 161717) with Pecan Pie ink; and Gray Granite cardstock (item 146983) with Basic Gray ink (item 149165).

Additional flower centers were cut from Basic Black cardstock (item 121045).

With the exception of the large Basic White Thick cardstock "daisy" and double buds on both the wreath and panel projects that were cut using the Simply Zinnia dies (item 163479), all additional flowers and flower centers were cut using the Paper Florist dies (item 161284).  Before assembling the Paper Florist die cut flowers I scrunched the cardstock "petals" with my fingers and then applied the ink.  It is a lot of fun to build the Paper Florist flowers - the size of the flowers depend on how many of the petal sections you add - and of course you can also mix and match the petal shapes and flower centers!  For the large Pumpkin Pie flower on my wreath project I used eleven of the large petal shapes (the single die cuts three petals) and one large and one small of the rounded four-petal flower die cuts.

Simply Zinnia dies - 163479

Paper Florist dies - 161284

I used the following additional dies:

• Lighting The Way (item 160496) - flying insect on wreath project - main body portion (including legs, small wings, and antennae) cut from Basic Black cardstock; center body portion from Daffodil Delight cardstock (shaded with Daffodil Delight ink); and wings from Vellum cardstock.  I used dollar store shimmer nail polish to add a little sparkle to main body and Vellum cardstock wings;

Lighting The Way dies - 160496

• Notes of Nature (item 163203) - leafy sprigs;

Notes of Nature dies - 163203

• Natural Prints (item 158800) - wavy leafy stem;

Natural Prints dies - 158800

• Delicate Forest (item 162679) - left curving leafy sprig;

Delicate Forest dies - 162679

• Meadow (item 155852) - tall straight leafy sprig;

Meadow dies - 155852

• Lazy Days (item 161342) - ivy, and rounded-tip leafy sprig; and

Lazy Days dies - 161342

• Around The Bend (item 160649) - double leaf.

Around The Bend - 160649

Here are the die cuts used - with apologies for the lousy handwriting!:

On with the projects!

For the base of the wreath project I used the smallest ring (8" diameter) from a Dollarama set of three 1/4" thick wooden wreath rings.  I "painted" the ring with Early Espresso ink refill (item 119789), sanding around the edges with a medium grit sandpaper. For this project and the other flower projects I used one of the Mini Stampin' Dimensionals (item 144108) to secure the small perforated circle flower centers.

For my second project I used two Dollarama items:  a  4 3/4" square x 1 5/8" deep wood panel, and a 3 1/2" diameter wood slice ornament (the pre-drilled hole is covered with the flower).  I used Mossy Meadow/Very Vanilla patterned paper from the Let's Go Fishing DSP to cover the front of the panel, and Mossy Meadow patterned paper from the Traditions Of St. Nick 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 162355) to cover the four sides of the panel.  I used a fine grit sandpaper to sand all edges of the DSP panels.  On the wood slice I added two large and one small of the Rustic Metallic Adhesive-Backed Dots (item 159082).

Variations on a theme for these note cards!

Additional supplies used to complete this 3 1/2" square top-fold card:

• Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) for the card base;
• 3 3/8" square piece of Basic Black cardstock (item 121045) for the matting panel;
• 3 1/4" square and 5/16" x 3 1/4" strip of black & white patterned papers from Rock & Roll 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 162695); and
• two large and one small of the Old Olive shaded dots from Ombre Matte Decorative Dots (item 161448).

Additional supplies used to complete this 3 1/2" top-fold card:

• Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) for the card base;
• 3 3/8" square piece of Balmy Blue patterned paper from Les Shoppes 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 161322); and
• one large and one small of the Flirty Flamingo dots from Rainbow Adhesive-Backed Dots (item 162758).

Additional supplies used to complete this 3 1/2" x 3" top-fold card:

• Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) for the card base;
• 3 3/8" x 3" piece of Petal Pink/Calypso Coral patterned paper from Les Shoppes 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 161322); and
• four large and one small of the Calypso Coral shaded dots from Ombre Matte Decorative Dots (item 161448).

Additional supplies used to complete this 4" square top-fold card:

• Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) for the card base;
• 3 3/8" square and 7/8" x 2 1/4" pieces of Basic Black cardstock (item 121045) for matting panels;
• 3 1/4" square and 3/4" x 2 1/4" pieces of Crushed Curry patterned papers from 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper Assortments-Regals (item 161642); and
• one large and four small of the Basic Black dots from Classic Matte Dots (item 158146).

More variations of a theme!  For these three cards I used the same image from the Botanical Layers stamp set (item 158912) - applying Lost Lagoon ink (item 161678) and Old Olive ink (item 147090) to the stamp using Sponge Daubers (item 133773), lightly spritzing the inked stamp with water (Stampin' Spritzers - item 126185) before stamping on watercolour paper.  This is such a fun - and quite liberating - technique as the results are so unpredictable!  The more water that is added - and sometimes I spritz a little water on the watercolour paper too before or after stamping - affects how much the image will bleed.  For these cards I also added additional ink and splatters to and around the stamped image - and this can be done either before or after the stamped image is dry.  For two of the cards I also did some heat embossing after the stamped image was thoroughly dry - using the splatter stamp from the Quiet Meadow stamp set (item 155082), VersaMark Ink (item 102283), gold embossing powder (Stampin' Emboss Powders-Metallics - item 155555), and an embossing heat tool (Heat Tool - item 129053).  [Although the Emboss Powders in the current Annual Catalogue are retiring there will be Embossing Powders, including Metallics, in the 2024-2025 Annual Catalogue.] 

All the stamped/embossed images were cut using circle dies from Stylish Shapes dies (item 159183).

Stylish Shapes dies - 159183

Additional supplies used to complete this 3 1/2" square top-fold card:

• Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) for the card base;
• 3 3/8" square piece of Lemon Lime Twist patterned paper from Masterfully Made 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 161192); and
• one large and one small of the Coastal Cabana shaded dots from Ombre Matte Decorative Dots (item 161448).

Additional supplies used to complete this 3 3/4" x 2 3/4" top-fold card:

• Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) for the card base;
• 3 5/8" x 2 5/8" piece of Lost Lagoon patterned paper from Perennial Lavender 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 162593); and
• one large and one small of the Balmy Blue dots from Rainbow Adhesive-Backed Dots (item 162758).

And finally . . . 

Additional supplies used to complete this 3 1/2" square top-fold card:

• Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) for the card base, and 3 1/4" square matting panel;
• 3 3/8" square piece of Old Olive cardstock (item 100702) for matting panel;
• 3 1/8" square piece of Lost Lagoon cardstock (item 133679) for embossed panel - embossed using the Timeworn Type 3D Embossing Folder (item 156505) - edges scraped with the blade of my craft knife;
• scraps of Old Olive patterned paper from 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper Assortments-Regals (item 161642) for image circle tab and inside panel strips;
• Stampin' Dimensionals (item 104430) to attach image circle to embossed panel/card front; and
• one large and one small of the Coastal Cabana shaded dots from Ombre Matte Decorative Dots (item 161448).

I made a co-ordinating envelope using an envelope punch board and Pretty Peacock patterned paper from the Masterfully Made 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 161192). 

 

Thank you for visiting my blog!  I had a lot of fun working on these projects even though I am a little sad about the retirement of the Paper Florist dies! 

If you are interested in purchasing any of the available Stampin' Up! products I have used in my project, and you live in Canada and do not have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, please do not hesitate to visit my online store found on my website https://archiesatelier.stampinup.net/ at your convenience, or simply click under the "Shop With Me" tab on the right sidebar of my blog, which will take you directly to my website and online store.  I very much appreciate your business, and if you need any assistance please do not hesitate to contact me (lmccoyarchie@gmail.com) - I would be very pleased to be your demonstrator!  The digital versions of both the May 2023-April 2024 Annual Catalogue, and the January-April 2024 Mini Catalogue are available for you to access at your convenience on my website (https://archiesatelier.stampinup.net/).  When visiting my online store don't forget to check out all the products now available as Online Exclusives, as well as some great deals on the Clearance Rack!  

Have fun creating and Happy Easter!

Laurel

*It has come to my attention that quite often email correspondence from me is delivered to the recipient's spam or junk mail folder - if you have corresponded with me I have replied so be sure to check your spam or junk mail folder!  Thank you!! 

Napping under the careful watch of the Mickeys and Minnies!