So many possibilities . . .

What do all of the cards in today's post have in common? It's not hard to tell. They were all made with the same card base, mat, stamped image mounted on a mat and 2 identical pieces of designer paper.

Why in the world would I go to the trouble of creating these 8 cards? To show you the versatility you can achieve using just 6 pieces of paper. All you need to do is change the layout of the designer papers and stamped image a little bit, and you get a whole new look. All this without even using the other sides of the double sided designer papers!

Often we stampers tend to fall in love with the intricacies of the craft. We love using complicated techniques, multiple layers, and tons of embellishments. But once we start down those paths, it can be hard to go back to the basics of making quick and cute cards that are not extremely complicated or artistic, but would still bring a huge smile to the face of their recipient.

Well, this summer I'm here to help with card kits that you can use to make some quick and cute cards for the special people in your lives.

Each kit will include the following:

* Two 5.5x8.5" pieces of card stock
* Two 5.45x4" pieces of card stock
* Four 2x3" pieces of coordinating Stampin' Up!double sided designer paper
* Two 1 3/4 x 2 1/2" pieces of whisper white or very vanilla card stock (to coordinate with the designer paper)
* Two 1 7/8 x 2 5/8" pieces of card stock
* Two A2 size whisper white or very vanilla envelopes
* coordinating embellishments of my choice (ribbon, brads, eyelets, buttons, pieces from pretties kit, etc.)


The designer papers and colors of card stock in each kit will be my choice and, while they will coordinate with one another, they will not necessarily all be from the same pack of designer paper. If you have a limited supply of Stampin' Up! ink colors at home, please let me know the colors you have and I will do my best to put together a kit you can work with using your existing supplies.

To get your hands on one or more of these kits all you have to do is place an order with me for one or more retiring stamp sets. You will receive one card kit for each retiring stamp set you buy between now and August 10.

Click here to see the list of retiring stamp sets.

After you have made your selection contact me at stampwithdiane@comcast.net or 847-452-8285 to place your order. I accept checks, visa, master card, discover, and paypal.


What if you want to get the kits but there are no retiring stamp sets on your wish list? (OK, I know that doesn't even sound possible, but I suppose it could happen.)

Well, you can get 5 free kits by booking an August or September workshop, and receive the kits on the night of your workshop (Your August or September workshop date must be reserved with me by August 10 and your workshop must be held on the reserved date for you to get the kits).

You can also get 3 free kits by joining a new stamping club or marker club on or before August 10 and receive 1 kit in each of the first 3 months of your club's rotation.

Keep in mind that the cards shown here are only examples to help you create cards with your kits. The kit you receive will most likely include different colors and designer papers and will not include any ink or stamped images, which you will have to provide yourself.

Please contact me via phone or e-mail with any question or comments! Please keep in mind that my availability between July 28 and August 3 will be somewhat limited and it may take up to 24 hours for me to respond. Rest assured, however, that all of the Stampin' Up! retiring stamps sets will be available all the way through August 10, so you will not miss out on any of the retiring stamp sets even if it takes me a bit longer than normal to respond.

And just in case you were wondering, here is a recipe for every one of the cards in this post:

stamps: Year after year
paper: So saffron, certainly celery, whisper white, spring fling designer series paper
ink: basic gray classic in k pad , so saffron, certainly celery and pretty in pink stampin' write markers.