Pretty Poinsettias - But For A Different Season!

Hello!  Today I am sharing three projects I worked on this week using the new Stampin’ Up!® Pretty Poinsettia dies (item 168146), which were included in the July 1 release of new Online Exclusives Products.

For the base of each project I used one of the nesting open-backed MDF circular frames that I picked up at Dollarama a few weeks ago.  These frames, which came in a package of three and were in the home decor aisle, are 1/4" thick, an 1" deep, and in diameter are 5" (smallest), 5 3/4", and 6 1/2", with a squared off bottom that makes them perfect as shelf sitters.  Unfortunately I was so excited to start the projects that I totally forgot to take a photo of the unfinished frames! To prepare the frames I painted the front edges with Early Espresso ink refill (item 1197789), diluted with a little water. To cover the outside and inside curves of the frames, including the inside of the bottom, I used strips trimmed from one patterned paper from the Country Woods 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 163393), and two patterned papers from the recently retired Woven Textures 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 165560).  I sponged all edges of these DSP strips with Early Espresso ink (item 147114).  

For the background panels I used patterned papers from the Moonlit Flora 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 167737), the Scenic Coast Specialty 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper (item 167773), and the Nature Walk 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 166912).  The background panels were glued to the back edge of the frames, and after the glue was dry I carefully trimmed away the excess DSP using my craft knife, and then sponged additional Early Espresso ink around the back edges of the frames.

Before adding the die cuts I used a strong white glue to adhere a piece of reclaimed tree bark along the bottom front edge of each of the frames.

To complete the projects I used the following additional Stampin’ Up!® dies:

• from the Online Exclusives Rolling Waves dies (item 167144) I used the large tropical leaf die;

• from the Sunset Coast dies (item 167780) I used the sailboat and seagull dies;

• from the Online Exclusives Scalloped Wishes dies (item 167452) I used the dragonfly body and wing dies - for each of the two dragonflies on the third project I stacked and glued two of the die cut body pieces together;

• from the Fern & Flora dies (item 168991) I used the long narrow-leafed fern die, and the small four-leafed stem die;

• from the Sweet Bugs dies (item 167001) I used the mushroom, slender two-leafed stem, and tiny flower trio dies.  The tiny flower die cuts were used with the Fern & Flora stem die cuts; and

• from the Online Exclusives Help Me Grow dies (item 167166) I used the small flower cluster, and the leaf/grass dies - the leaf/grass die cuts were used as flowers and, along with a few of the small Pretty Poinsettia flower die cuts, were used with the Sweet Bugs stem die cuts.

To the centers of the Pretty Poinsettia die cut flowers I added small Pecan Pie and Early Espresso dots from Earthy Matte Dots (item 167213).

For the die cut foliage I used Lemon Lime Twist cardstock (item 144245), Granny Apple Green cardstock (item 146990), Old Olive cardstock (item 100702), and Mossy Meadow cardstock (item 133676), all shaded using Mossy Meadow ink (item 147111),  To add a little additional visual interest - a speckled effect - I sometimes misted the shaded cardstock die cuts with water using one of the Stampin' Spritzers (item 126185), allowing them to air dry.

For the Pretty Poinsettia flower die cuts I used Daffodil Delight cardstock (item 119683), Crushed Curry cardstock (item 131199), and Flirty Flamingo cardstock (item 141416).  The Daffodicl Delight cardstock and Crushed Curry cardstock die cuts were shaded using Pumpkin Pie ink (item 147086) and Real Red ink (item 147084); and the Flirty Flamingo cardstock die cuts were shaded using Real Red ink.  For the flower center die cuts I used Pecan Pie cardstock (item 161717) and Early Espresso cardstock (item 119686).

For the Help Me Grow leaf/grass flower die cuts I used Hydrangea Hue cardstock (item 167687), shaded using Misty Moonlight ink (item 153118).

For the Help Me Grow cluster flower die cuts I used Highland Heather cardstock (item 146986), shaded using Misty Moonlight ink.

For the Sweet Bugs tiny flowers I used scraps of Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) - no shading.

For the mushroom stems I used Very Vanilla cardstock (item 161665), shaded using Crumb Cake ink (item 147116), and with shading lines sketched down the length of the stems using an Early Espresso watercolour pencil (Watercolour Pencils Assortment 1 - item 161700).  For the mushroom gills (trimmed from partial full mushroom die cuts) I used Crumb Cake cardstock (item 120953), shaded using Crumb Cake ink.  For the large mushroom caps I used Pecan Pie cardstock, shaded using Pecan Pie ink (item 161665) and Early Espresso ink (item 147114).  For the small mushroom caps I used Crushed Curry cardstock, shaded using Pecan Pie and Early Espresso inks.  I also did some water misting of the shaded mushroom cap die cuts.

  

For the dragonfly bodies I used Lost Lagoon cardstock (item 133679), shaded using Lost Lagoon ink (item 161678); and for the dragonfly wings I used vellum (Vellum 12" x 12" Specialty Paper - item 167099).  For a little sparkle I painted the wings and bodies with my Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush (item 141897).

For the base sailboat die cut and the seagull die cuts I used Basic Black cardstock (item 121045) - the wavy line added under the sailboat is one of the "negative" punch out pieces from the fuller sailboat die cut.  For the trimmed sail die cut I used watercolour paper, shaded using Gray Granite ink (item 147118) mixed with a little water and applied with a small paint brush.  I used my retired Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker to add a few splatters by flicking the brush tip against the marker lid.  I glued the trimmed sail die cut over the base sailboat die cut to allow some of the underlying Basic Black cardstock die cut to show around the right edges.  I added a little shimmer to the wings of the seagulls and to the hull of the sailboat with my Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush.

Although I generally used Small Blending Brushes (item 160518 - package of three) to apply the ink for shading of the cardstock die cuts I found that the finger Sponge Daubers (item 133773 - package of five) worked great for applying ink to the centers of the Pretty Poinsettia flower die cuts since they allowed for more precise application of the ink (I didn't want to shade the whole surface of the petals).

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

• Paper Trimmer (item 152392) for trimming the Designer Series Paper strips;

• Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine (item 149653) for all die cutting;

• Take Your Pick Tool (item 144107) - the tacky putty tip is definitely a great help for picking up and placing small die cuts and embellishments; and

• for the main adhesive, Multipurpose Liquid Glue (item 110755).

Below are a few photos of the finished projects (including a few not very pretty back views) - for the first project I used the largest of the three circular frames with the Moonlit Flora DSP for the background panel, and the Country Woods DSP to cover the inside and outside curves of the frame; for the second project I used the second smallest of the frames with the Scenic Coast Specialty DSP for the background panel, and an Early Espresso patterened paper from the Woven Textures DSP to cover the the inside and outside curves of the frame; and for the final project I used the smallest of the frames with the Nature Walk DSP for the background panel, and another patterned paper from the Woven Textures DSP to cover the inside and outside curves of the frame. 

And finally . . . 

For my Archie card project this week, shared at the bottom of this blog post, I used VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink to stamp the image from the retired Pretty Kitty stamp set (item 141864 - featured in the 2018-2019 Annual Catalogue) on watercolour paper, and used Pumpkin Pie ink (item 147086), Real Red ink (item 147084), Highland Heather ink refill (item 147167), Daffodil Delight ink (item 147094), Azure Afternoon ink refill (item 161668), Mossy Meadow ink (item 147111), Granny Apple Green ink refill (item 147163), and Misty Moonlight ink (item 153118), each mixed with a little water and applied with a small paint brush, to colour the image panel.  I added splatters using my retired Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker, and below the image I added a 1/2" wide strip trimmed from one of the patterned papers from the August 3-September 30, 2021 Sale-A-.Bration Beautifully Penned 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (item 156630).  From Basic Black cardstock (item 121045) I cut a frame using two of the dies from the retired Around It All dies (item 164725), and I used the larger of these two dies to trace around the image (using scissors to trim inside the pencil line drawn around the die).  I used Basic White Thick cardstock (item 159229) for the base of the 3 1/2" square top-fold card, and after gluing the framed image panel to the front of the card added the two stacked buttons from my stash - through the top button I had threaded some black embroidery thread, securing the knotted ends on the back of the button with dabs of Multipurpose Liquid Glue.  Buttons are certainly one of my favourite embellishments!  Along the bottom of the inside panel I added a 1/2" x 3 1/2" strip of the Beautifully Penned DSP.

Thank you for visiting my blog!  I had a lot of fun starting to play with the Pretty Poinsettia dies - and am certainly looking forward to using them on some festive projects too!

Although the Sunset Coast dies (item 167780) that I used this week are not currently available for ordering Stampin' Up! does expect them to again be available the week of July 13, 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!  The digital version of the May-August 2026 Catalogue is 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 on July 1st, including the Pretty Poinsettia dies (item 168146) - as well as the Last Chance Products Listing!  A reminder that all Last Chance Products are available only while supplies last!

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!! 

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