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 Help Me Grow Again!

Hello!  Today I am sharing a few projects I worked on this week again using the Stampin’ Up!® Online Exclusives Help Me Grow dies (item 167166), along with a few additional die sets.  The Help Me Grow dies were included in the March Online Exclusives new product release, and are also available together with the co-ordinating Help Me Grow photopolymer stamp set (item 167164) in the Help Me Grow Bundle (item 167167).
To complete my projects this week I also used the following additional Stampin’ Up!® dies and Designer Series Papers:
  • mushroom and flower stem dies from the Sweet Bugs dies (item 167001);
  • additional foliage dies (three) from the Gallery Blooms dies (item 165212);
  • wood plank die from the Nature's Symphony dies (item 166925);
  • fence section dies from the Notes & Totes dies (item 165240);
  • from the Online Exclusives Gliding Garden Swing dies (item 167136) I used the tree, foliage "clumps", and long leafy sprig dies;
  • for the "dome" on the first project I used the 3" x 2" arch die from the Online Exclusives Everyday Arches dies (item 164629) - I used a Nature's Symphony wood plank die cut for the dome base;
  • from the Online Exclusives Scalloped Wishes dies (item 167452) I used the dragonfly body and dragonfly wing dies;
  • small flower pot and two plant dies from the retiring - and currently available as one of the discounted Last Chance Products - On Display dies (item 167020);
  • three patterned papers from the Nature Walk 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 166912);
  • a Crumb Cake patterned paper from the Perennial Lavender 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 162593); and
  • a Pecan Pie painted canvas patterned paper from the Beautiful Gallery 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper (item 165196).
I used Small Blending Brushes (item 160518 - package of three) to apply Classic Stampin' inks to shade/colour the cardstock die cuts.  To add a little additional visual texture to some of the shaded cardstock die cuts (i.e. foliage, the Sweet Bugs mushroom caps, the Everyday Arches dome, Nature's Symphony wood planks, Gliding Garden Swing tree, and the blades and tines of the garden implements) I lightly misted the shaded die cuts with water using one of the Stampin' Spritzers (item 126185 - package of two), either allowing to air dry or blotting dry with paper towel.

For foliage die cuts I used Lemon Lime Twist cardstock (item 144245), Granny Apple Green cardstock (item 146990), Garden Green cardstock (item 102584), Old Olive cardstock (item 100702), Mossy Meadow cardstock (item 133676), and Lost Lagoon cardstock (item 133679), all shaded with Mossy Meadow ink (item 147111).

For the tines of the garden forks, and the blades of the trowels I used Smoky Slate cardstock (item 131202), shaded with Basic Gray ink (item 149165) and Crumb Cake ink (item 147116).  For the handles of the garden forks and trowels I used Crumb Cake cardstock (item 120953), shaded with Crumb Cake ink and Early Espresso ink (item 147114).  

For the flower pots and saucers I used Pecan Pie cardstock (item 161717), shaded with Pecan Pie ink (item 161665) and Early Espresso ink.  On the flower pots and saucers, and one of the implement handles, I added some highlights by applying a little Craft Stampin' White Ink (item 147277) using one of the finger Sponge Daubers (item 133773 - package of five). 

Just a quick note regarding the additional basic tools and supplies I used to complete my projects this week:

  • Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine (item 149653) - for all die cutting;
  • Paper Trimmer (item 152392) - for trimming cardstock and DSP, and for scoring card fold lines and decorative lines.  To ensure crisp card folds I also burnished the folded score lines with my Bone Folder (item 102300);
  • Take Your Pick Tool (item 144107) - the spatula and tacky putty tips are definitely a great help for manipulating and placing small die cuts and embellishments; and
  • for the main adhesive, Multipurpose Liquid Glue (item 110755). For three of the projects I had to glue DSP to a trimmed cardboard panel, and I first applied the glue to the cardboard panel, using an old paint brush to spread the glue over the panel surface.  After placing the DSP over the panel I used a brayer (Stampin' Brayer - item 162936) to roll over the DSP to ensure even coverage of the liquid glue and good even adhesion of the DSP to the cardboard panel.  After the glue was thoroughly dry I used my craft knife to carefully trim away any excess DSP from around the edges of the cardboard panel.  
On with the projects!
For the first project I began with a thrift store wood frame, glass removed, edges distressed with a medium grit sandpaper, inside back dimensions of 8 1/8" x 9 1/8".  I glued the Perennial Lavender DSP to a medium weight cardboard panel trimmed to fit the frame's inside back dimensions, and then glued the panel to the inside back of the frame.  I sponged the edges of the 6" x 7 1/4" panel of script patterned Nature Walk DSP with Early Espresso ink (item 147114), and matted it with a 6 1/8" x 7 3/8" piece of Early Espresso cardstock (item 119686).  I sponged the edges of the 5" x 3 1/2" panel of grid patterned Nature Walk DSP with Crumb Cake ink (item 147116), and matted it with a 5 1/8" x 3 5/8" piece of Early Espresso cardstock.  To complete the project I used the following additional supplies:
  • Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) for the Everyday Arches dome - shaded with Pool Party ink (item 147107);
  • Gray Granite cardstock (item 146983), shaded with Basic Gray ink (item 149165), Crumb Cake ink, and Early Espresso ink, for the Nature's Symphony wood plank;
  • Very Vanilla cardstock (item 166784), shaded with Crumb Cake ink, for the small mushroom stem, and the gills for the large mushroom;
  • Crumb Cake cardstock (item 120953), shaded with Crumb Cake ink, for the gills for the small mushroom, and the stem of the large mushroom;
  • Petal Pink cardstock (item 146985), shaded with Pecan Pie ink (item 161665), for the mushroom caps;
  • Daffodil Delight cardstock (item 119683), shaded with Daffodil Delight ink (item 147094) and Crushed Curry watercolour pencil (Watercolour Pencils Assortment 2 - item 149014), for the flowers on the Gallery Blooms stems (these little flowers - I was thinking dandelions - were snipped from Gallery Blooms die cuts and glued over the base die cuts);
  • Pool Party cardstock (item 122924), shaded with Pool Party ink, for the dragonfly body die cuts - I stacked and glued together two die cuts;
  • Vellum 12" x 12" Specialty Paper (item 167099) for the dragonfly wings;
  • Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush (item 141897) to add some sparkle and glimmer to both the dragonfly body and wings;
  • Basic Black cardstock (item 121045) for the die cut loop for the trowel handle;
  • strips trimmed from Foam Adhesive Sheets (item 152815) to attach and pop up the dome with completed arrangement (including the wood plank base), and the trowel handle; and
  • two small and one large of the Pecan Pie dots from the Online Exclusives Earthy Matte Dots (item 167213) added to the smaller of the Nature Walk DSP panels. 

For the second project I began with a black wood frame from Dollarama, glass removed, edges distressed with a medium grit sandpaper, inside back dimensions of 7" square.  I glued the Old Olive/Mossy Meadow patterned Nature Walk DSP to a medium weight cardboard panel trimmed to fit the frame's inside back dimensions.  I sponged the edges of the full 6" x 6" sheet of Beautiful Gallery DSP with Pecan Pie ink (item 161665), and matted it with a 6 1/8" square piece of Basic Black cardstock (item 121045).  I used double-sided tape (Tear & Tape Adhesive - item 154031) to adhere the DSP to the cardstock matting panel.  To complete the project I used the following additional supplies:
  • Gray Granite cardstock (item 146983), shaded with Basic Gray ink (item 149165), Crumb Cake ink (item 147116), and Early Espresso ink (item 147114), for the Gliding Garden Swing tree (branch) die cut that I used as the base for the "arrangement" - for this project I was inspired by Françoise Weeks' book (with Julie Michaels), Wonder Of The Woodlands The Art Of Seeing And Creating With Nature (2024), photography by Theresa Bear, imagining an arrangement around a fallen branch on the forest floor;
  • Very Vanilla cardstock (item 166784), shaded with Crumb Cake ink, for the stems of the two small mushrooms and the gills of the large mushroom;
  • Crumb Cake cardstock (item 120953), shaded with Crumb Cake ink, for the gills for the two small mushrooms, and the stem of the large mushroom;
  • Petal Pink cardstock (item 146985), shaded with Pecan Pie ink, for the mushroom caps.  I used an Extra Fine Point Sharpie Water Based White Paint Marker to make the little dots on the mushroom caps - certainly need practice with this!;
  • Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) for the small cluster flower die cuts;
  • Daffodil Delight cardstock (item 119683), shaded with Daffodil Delight ink (item 147094) and Crushed Curry watercolour pencil (Watercolour Pencils Assortment 2 - item 149014), for the flowers on the Gallery Blooms stems; and
  • after all elements of the "arrangement" were glued to the branch die cut I used strips trimmed from Foam Adhesive Sheets (item 152815) to attach the completed "arrangement" to the matted Beautiful Gallery DSP panel.
For this project I again began with a thrift store wood frame, glass removed, edges distressed with a medium grit sandpaper, inside back dimensions of 6" x 4".  I glued the grid patterned Nature Walk DSP to a medium weight cardboard panel trimmed to fit the frame's inside back dimensions.  To complete the project I used the following additional supplies:
  • Gray Granite cardstock (item 146983), shaded with Basic Gray ink (item 149165), Crumb Cake ink (item 147116), and Early Espresso ink (item 147114), for the Gliding Garden Swing tree (branch) die cut and the three Notes & Totes fence section die cuts.  I tore the ends of each of the Notes & Totes die cuts, and glued the two larger die cuts to the background panel with long sides abutting - gluing the longer and narrower Notes & Totes die cuts centered over the two base die cuts;
  • Early Espresso cardstock (item 119686) for the soil die cuts;
  • Very Vanilla cardstock (item 166784), shaded with Crumb Cake ink, for the plant stake; and
  • strips trimmed from Foam Adhesive Sheets (item 152815) to attach the completed "planted" pots to the background panel - I tucked one of the Stampin' Dimensionals (item 104430) behind the plant stake, and doubled up on the foam strips behind the right side of the small On Display flower pot.
Additional supplies used to complete this 5 1/2" x 4 1/2" top-fold card:
  • Very Vanilla cardstock (item 166784) for the card base.  I used my Pecan Pie Stampin' Write Marker from the retired Neutrals Stampin' Write Markers (item 161697) to add splatters to the upper portion of the card front by flicking the brush tip against the marker lid;
  • Early Espresso cardstock (item 119686) for the soil die cuts - including the 4 1/2" long by (at the widest point) 1 1/4" wide strip glued to the card front.  After gluing this strip to the card front I scored two lines at 1" and 1 1/4" from the bottom edge of the card front - lines were scored with the card front face down on the paper trimmer so that the lines would be raised on the Early Espresso cardstock strip;
  • Gray Granite cardstock (item 146983), shaded with Basic Gray ink (item 149165), Crumb Cake ink (item 147116), and Early Espresso ink (item 147114), for the Notes & Totes fence section die cut - end torn.  After gluing this die cut to the Early Espresso cardstock strip I added one small and one large of the Early Espresso dots from the Online Exclusives Earthy Matte Dots (item 167213);
  • Daffodil Delight cardstock (item 119683), shaded with Daffodil Delight ink (item 147094) and Crushed Curry watercolour pencil (Watercolour Pencils Assortment 2 - item 149014), for the flowers on the Gallery Blooms stem;
  • Basic Black cardstock (item 121045) for the die cut loop for the garden fork handle; and
  • strips trimmed from Foam Adhesive Sheets (item 152815) to attach to the card front the completed "planted" pot (including along the handle of the garden fork).
Additional supplies used to complete this 5 3/8" x 4 1/2" top-fold card:
  • Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) for the card base, and for the Help Me Grow small cluster flower die cut;
  • Pretty In Pink cardstock (item 163793), shaded with Real Red ink (item 147084), for the Help Me Grow flowers added to the tops of the Sweet Bugs flower stems;
  • Gray Granite cardstock (item 146983), shaded with Basic Gray ink (item 149165), Crumb Cake ink (item 147116), and Early Espresso ink (item 147114), for the Nature's Symphony wood plank die cut;
  • Basic Black cardstock (item 121045) for the die cut loop for the garden fork handle;
  • after all additional foliage and flower die cuts were glued to the wood plank base I used Stampin' Dimensionals (item 104430) - includig the strips along the edges of the sheets of Stampin' Dimensionals - trimmed as necessary, to attach and slightly pop up the arrangement to the card front, and the garden fork to the wood plank base; and
  • to the card front I added two small and one large of the Pretty In Pink dots from the recently retired Party Dots (item 164602).
And finally . . .

For my Archie card this week, included at the bottom of this blog post, I used StāzOn Jet Black Ink (item 101406) to stamp the celebratory feline from the retired Best Day stamp set (item 160798 - featured in the January-April 2023 Mini Catalogue) on watercolour paper.  I coloured the fussy cut image using Pumpkin Pie ink (item 147086), Real Red ink (item 147084), 
(item 147167), and Lemon Lime Twist ink refill (item 144092), and then used  Stampin' Dimensionals (item 104430), trimmed as necessary, to attach the image to a 3" square panel trimmed from one of the patterned papers from the retired Full Of Life 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper (item 163357).  The DSP panel was matted with a 3 3/16" square of Basic Black cardstock (item 121045).  I used Highland Heather cardstock (item 146986) for the base of the 4 1/4" square top-fold card.  To the card front, before adding the matted DSP panel, I added a 1 1/4" x 4 1/4" strip of Granny Apple Green patterned paper from the retired 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper Assortment-Brights (item 163775 - featured in the May 2024-April 2025 Annual Catalogue).  To complete the card front I added two small and one large of the white dots from the Online Exclusives Natural Matte Dots (item 167510).  To the inside of the card I added a 3 3/4" square piece of Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229), matted with a 4" square piece of Basic Black cardstock.  Over the matted panel I added a 1 1/4" x 4" strip of the same Granny Apple Green patterned paper that I used on the card front.  The Best Day sentiment was stamped on watercolour paper using StāzOn Jet Black Ink, and the sentiment banner was die cut using the recently retired Fright Night dies (item 166106).
Thank you for visiting my blog!  I had a lot of fun this week playing more with the Help Me Grow dies!

Unfortunately Stampin' Up! advises that the following products I used this week are not currently available but I have included below the dates by which Stampin' Up! expects the products to again be available for ordering:
  • Nature Walk 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 166912) - week of March 16, 2026;
  • Sponge Daubers (item 133773) - week of March 16, 2026;
  • Scalloped Wishes dies (item 167452) - week of March 23, 2026;
  • Nature's Symphony dies (item 166925) - week of March 23, 2026; and
  • Everyday Arches dies (item 164629) - week of March 30, 2026.
If you are interested in purchasing any of the available Stampin’ Up!® products I have used in my projects, 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 would be very pleased to be your demonstrator! If you need any assistance please do not hesitate to contact me (lmccoyarchie@gmail.com), and I will try my best to help!  In addition to the digital version of the January-April 2026 Mini Catalogue, the digital version of the May 2025-April 2026 Annual Catalogue is also available for you to access at your convenience on my website.   If visiting the online store don't forget to check out the full range of Online Exclusives Products - including all the new products released this month - as well as the Last Chance Products Listing!

Have fun creating!

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!! 
"Happy moments are multiplied when shared with a cat who always knows how to make you smile."
- Unknown -

























 
















































 



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