NC Demos January Blog Hop

Welcome to the NC Demos Blog Hop! We are so glad you are here! You might have already stopped by Laurie Meier’s post and know this month’s theme, but if you are just popping in this month’s theme is Sale-a-bration.

One of the best parts of Sale-a-bration from Stampin’ Up is earning free stamp sets that you may not have purchased on your own but, hey, it was free, so why not try it? The Catching Butterflies stamp set is one of those. It’s cute and I love butterflies and I have a daughter who totally would have run around catching butterflies but did I really need it? (I have two daughters as you will see but the older one did not chase butterflies!) After seeing a few samples and swap cards I had an idea. Why limit the girl and butterflies to the front of the card? Why not carry the butterflies all the way across the card? After all, if some butterflies are pretty, why not a whole card of them?

I decided on a simple Z fold card. I love this fold because it uses the same size card base as the standard A2 greeting card but gives it a little something extra. To create the Z fold, start with a 4 1/4″ x 11″ card base. Score at 2 3/4″ and 5 1/2″. I chose Gray Granite for the card base as a neutral contrast to the Basic White cardstock I was going to use for stamping. Plus, I wasn’t matching to specific colors in a DSP. Besides, I was going to have lots of colors in the butterflies and on the girl so I really didn’t want to distract from them. For this card I chose most of the In Colors from the past two years – Just Jade, Bumblebee, Misty Moonlight, Magenta Madness, Pale Papaya, Soft Succulent, Fresh Freesia, and Polished Pink – to color the butterflies and the dresses.

I started with two pieces of Basic White – 4″ x 5 1/4″ and laid them side by side. Using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, I stamped the image of the girl and net on the far left. Then I stamped one set of butterflies. At this point I cut the piece in half which gave me a piece 2″ x 2 5/8″. I then laid the piece with the girl on top of the blank 4″ x 5 1/4″ piece. I positioned the butterflies over what I had already stamped, pulled away that stamped piece and stamped the butterflies on the larger piece. This meant that the butterflies would line up when the card was closed and open. (I have to pause because I had an a-ha moment while typing this. Looking back, I would have made my life much easier if I had used the Stamparatus. After all, one of the best features of the Stamparatus is being able to positions stamped images in the same place on multiple pieces of paper. Oh well, live and learn. In my defense, my stamping area doubles as an office space so my Stamparatus is put away most of the time and therefore forgotten. I would love tips on how to remember to use it.) Ok, back to the card. I continued stamping the butterflies along the top and right side of the card, and a little at the bottom. I used the individual butterfly to fill in blank spaces. I then stamped the sentiment towards the right where it would be seen whether the card was open or closed. I left plenty of blank space in the middle of the card for writing. When the card was closed it would not be seen.

It was time for the final touches of coloring in the butterflies and the girl. The first card represented my youngest daughter who has pale skin and blonde hair. For her hair I used Bumblebee while for her skin I used one of Stampin’ Up’s new Natural Tones Stampin’ Blends. They come in a combo pack with a pink and a yellow undertone. For her I choose the lightest blend with a pink undertone. The second card represents my oldest daughter who has dark brown hair and a darker skin tone, especially in the summer if she spends a lot of time outside. (Actually, she is really good about putting on sunscreen so her face never gets this dark anymore.) For her I used a darker shade for the hair and a medium shade with a yellow undertone for her skin. The Natural Tones Stampin’ Blends Collection will be available beginning February 1 along with the other products in the All Together Collection. Look for a blog post featuring this collection on Tuesday, February 1 at 5am EST!

Thank you for letting me share my project. I hope you enjoyed seeing the Catching Butterflies stamp set available during Sale-a-bration until February 28 as well as a preview of the Natural Tones Stampin’ Blends available February 1. Please leave me a comment to let me know what you think of my card. Don’t forget to stop by and see Tracie Evans Langley’s post if you didn’t start there. I can’t wait to travel there next!

Amanda Howard

January Blog Hoppers
Tina Lesson
Jo Anne Hewins
Laurie Meier
Amanda Howard <—- YOU ARE HERE!!!!
Tracie Evans Langley
Kelly Taranto, The Late Night Stamper
Frances Wagner

Product List

• Catching Butterflies #158108 (free with $50 purchase)
• Gray Granite cardstock #146983
• Basic White cardstock #159276
• Memento Tuxedo Black Ink Pad #132708
• Just Jade Classic Stampin’ Pad #153115
• Bumblebee Classic Stampin’ Pad #153116
• Soft Succulent Classic Stampin’ Pad #155576
• Natural Tones Stampin’ Blends #159465, #159462, #158152 (available February 1)
• Wink of Stella #141897
• 2020-2022 In Color Stampin’ Write Markers #153125
• 2021-2023 In Color Stampin’ Write Markers #155639