demonstrator swap card ideas

demonstrator swap card ideas

This month’s Demonstrator Swap was a potluck swap – so anything current in any catalog or Online Exclusive was available for us to play with and I got some fun cards to show you today!

This first card is from my upline organizer Denise W and she was inspired by the Amazing Tammy Wilson for her watercolor card using the Weekend Adventures stamp set from the Annual Catalog. She stamped the image in Saddle Brown StazON which is waterproof so she was able to stamp and go! She stamped the image on Watercolor paper and then used water Painters to color in the cup and flowers! Such a beautiful job!

My second swap entry was done by Susan W featuring the You Are Remarkable stamp set which is currently on SALE in the Last Chance list for 20% off at $16.00 from $20.00.
She also used the Forever Plaid 3D embossing folder and the Textured Notes dies on a z fold fun fold card!
She stamped the inside as well as the envelope!
This Love and Courage stamp set is also on SALE on the Last Chance list for $22.50 down from the original price of $25.

The Love & Courage Stamp Set is made for those affected by breast cancer. For moments when words matter most, these stamps help you create cards that honor both the fighters and the friends who stand by them. Express love, support, encouragement, solidarity, gratitude, and appreciation in a meaningful way with the breast cancer sentiments and images in this stamp set.

With each purchase of the Love & Courage Stamp Set, we’ll donate $3 to support the fight against breast cancer around the world. We hope you’ll join us in making a difference this holiday season.

Patricia J made a lovely swap card with this stamp set! Get it before it is all gone!

This next fun fold card from Lyn L features the gorgeous Thoughtful Journey Designer Series Paper and the sentiment from Notes and Totes!

Love how this opens to reveal this lovely paper inside!

This flip up and open fun fold from Andrea U uses the Festive Friends bundle which was so popular this season it is currently unavailable but it will be back soon!

Look how cute this fun fold opens!

Lori V’s swap card is also on the Last Chance list on SALE for $19.80 if this is more your style.

So elegant and she stamped the inside as well.

This next swap card from Carol S. features a little old, a little new! Our favorite Extraordinary Flora Bundle and Washi Tape is mixed with the Eyelet embossing folder and the Spotlight on Nature dies for the something “old” and the something new is a sneak peak at the sentiment from the upcoming January – April 2026 Mini Catalog bundle Greenery Lane. She also used a stamp from that sneak peak set for some greenery on the envelope which I forgot to photograph!
I don’t know if shows up well in the photograph but Carol colored Antique Pearls with the Petunia Pop Stampin’ Blends markers and they are so pretty!
And our last demonstrator swap card for this month features a sneak peak at the upcoming Boardwalk Fun bundle from Kathi D.

Super cute card and as a reminder none of the sneak peak items are available until January 6th unless you would like to order them in a starter kit as demonstrators are in the pre-order period so these upcoming Mini Catalog sets are available to order as a Starter Kit item.
Because they are not currently available to the general public I will not have a link photo below. But check back after January 6th for those links to order these products!

Hope these cards inspired you for future projects – now go and create some art of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

party dies birthday card

party dies birthday card

Today’s card is made with the Party Dies Bundle to fabulous die sets combined for infinite possibilities! The Party Alphabet die set is a large alphabet set perfect for scrapbooking and card making and the Party Banner Dies and so versatile for creating Party Banner signage, cards and scrapbook pages! I already have so many things planned!

Measurements:
BASE: Basic White CS: 4 1/4″ x 11″
scored at 5 1/2″ scraps for die cuts
Strawberry Slush CS: 4″ x 5 1/4″ layer
DSP: 4″ x 5 1/4″ layer

Die cut the H and B from the Party Alphabet dies from the Basic White scraps, cut consecutive Party Banners that will fit on the card front from the two layers.

Take and emboss the card front with the UPCOMING All in a row Embossing Folder – a SNEAK PEAK from the upcoming January – April 2026 Mini Catalog!

This embossing folder will be available to see at my Open House coming up in January and will be available for purchase January 6th.

Plan on attending my Open House to get a catalog and see and play with some of the new products coming in the Spring!

Because this is a sneak peak it is only available in a starter kit for now and will not be in the photo links below!

Using my Glass Mat Studio, I taped down the middle of the H and B from the Party Alphabet dies to the glass grid making sure they were even.

I colored the lower halves of the dies with a Blending Brush and Strawberry Slush ink.

Adhere the Party Banner Dies together.
Adhere the Party Banner dies to the embossed card front in the center and then adhere the H and B on top of the banner dies. I reversed the H so that the colored sections were opposite for more visual appeal!
I added In Color Dots to the card in coordinating Strawberry Slush color and outside of the card is complete.
I grabbed the Happy Birthday sentiment from the With You In Mind stamp set and some Tuxedo Black Memento ink and stamped the inside of the card!
I blended left over color from the Blending Brush in an arc over the words for a little extra coordinating color!
This bundle is amazing and if you are a party planner or a scrapbooker worth every dime!

Hope you enjoyed today’s birthday card – now it’s your turn to go and create some art of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

vellum is back!

vellum is back!

I cannot tell you all how excited I am that Vellum cardstock is BACK!!!

Gone for only a little while but certainly long enough to be missed! This translucent cardstock elevates any project so easily! Today’s card is a super simple one but looks like you put in all the effort!

Measurements:
BASE: Basic White CS: 4 1/4″ x 11″
scored at 5 1/2″
Brushed with Beauty DSP: 4″ x 5 1/4″
Vellum Cardstock: 4″ x 5 1/4″
Calypso Coral CS: scrap for the die cut

Run a 4″ wide layer of Vellum Cardstock through the Stampin’ Cut and Emboss machine using the BASE plate #1 and embossing plate #4 with the Sunflower 3D embossing folder.
Cut the calypso Coral piece of Brushed with Beauty DSP to 4″ x 5 1/4″.

Apply the All Purpose Liquid glue with the larger flat tip to the entire 4″ x 5 1/4″ DSP surface.

Cut the vellum to 4″ x 5 1/4″ size and adhere to the DSP piece.

Adhere the Vellum/DSP layer to the card front of the card base.
I used the banner from the Stylish Shapes dies set and die cut a scrap of Calypso Coral.

Stamp the “Get Well Soon” from the Friendly Foliage stamp set in Calypso Coral ink to the banner.

Pop up on Stampin’ Dimensionals and adhere to the card front.

Adhere five Pearls of Beauty embellishments to the card front. Easy Peasy this impressive card is complete!

Try embossing vellum today and go make some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

more color mondays – real red, pumpkin pie and crushed curry

more color mondays – real red, pumpkin pie and crushed curry

Today’s More Color Mondays color challenge card contains a technique I have shown before with a little twist!

I love white on white cards with a slash of color – and up north we are receiving a lot of the white stuff so I was in need of a SLASH of color!

Measurements:
BASE: Basic White CS: 4 1/4″ x 11″
scored at 5 1/2″, (2) 4″ x 5 1/4″ layers,
1/2″ strip scrap

Yep that is it supplies are minimal but the results are a WOW!

Take the two Basic White CS layers and die cut one with the Textured Notes rectangular dies – I used the fourth largest rectangle.

Save the die cut for another use as we will be using the negative die as a mask.

Take the other layer and emboss using the Stampin’ Cut and Emboss machine with Base Plate #1 and Embossing Plate #4 and the Sunflower 3D embossing folder.

I used my glass mat and taped the mask over the embossed layer – securing them down so they don’t move.
I burnished Crushed Curry ink with a blending brush in a strip down the right side of the inside of the masked portion of the layers.
I burnished Pumpkin Pie ink with a blending brush in a strip down the middle of the inside of the masked portion of the layers.
I burnished Real Red ink with a blending brush in a strip down the left side of the inside of the masked portion of the layers.
Normally when I do a White Wash technique I drag the Craft White ink pad over cardstock to create the Whitewashed look but I did not want to drag my white pad over bright ink colors and corrupt the white pad. The craft ink would have re-wet the colored ink and destroyed the ink pad so I took my palette knife and made an ink slurry with Craft White re-inker and water (you can use a Stampin’ Spritzer to wet the ink) then mixed and spread it on an acrylic block with the flat bottom of the palette knife.
I then dragged the palette knife over the Sunflower embossed surface to give the tips of the petals a white washed effect!
Remove the mask and reveal your lovely layer!
I used a Basic White 1/2″ strip scrap and stamped the “just because” sentiment from the Blooming Phrases stamp set and colored it with the residual ink left on the blending brushes in the same order as done on the card!
Adhere the layer to the card base and adhere the sentiment piece on Stampin’ Dimensionals for some added depth and dimension!

Add some Basic Rhinestone Jewels to the card to finish it off with a little sparkle and this simple but stunning card is complete!

Imagine the possibilities – use any shape and make a mask and color inside the negative space!

Now go and try this technique and make some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

more color mondays – misty moonlight, secret sea and cloud cover

more color mondays – misty moonlight, secret sea and cloud cover

Today’s More Color Monday’s color challenge features the Peaceful Garden Suite Collection of products highlighting the Misty Moonlight, Secret Sea and Cloud Cover blue tones.

I will also be teaching you the layering circles technique which is a cool layering technique!

Measurements:
BASE: Misty Moonlight CS: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 4 1/4″
Secret Sea CS: 4″ x 5 1/4″
Cloud Cover CS: 3 3/4″ x 5″
Peaceful Garden DSP: pick three designs for
die cutting
Peaceful garden Glimmer Paper: for die cuts
Basic White CS: 4″ x 5 1/4″, 1/2″ strip for
sentiment

I used the Spotlight on Nature nested circles die set and choose the second, third, fourth and fifth circles from the largest.

DSP design #1 cut one each from the smallest and largest circle die.
Glimmer Paper: cut one each from the third and fourth circle sizes.
DSP design #2 cut one each from the third and fourth circle sizes.
DSP #3 cut one each from the smallest and largest circle die.

Lay them out so that the top row the design #1 smallest circle starts the row and next is Glimmer Paper second smallest then DSP #2 second largest circle and last in the top row is DSP #3 largest circle.

On bottom row DSP #1 largest circle, then Glimmer Paper second largest circle then DSP #2 second smallest and lastly DSP #3 smallest circle.

Starting with the bottom row adhere the second largest circle to the largest circle move the Glimmer Paper circle so that the curves of the circle on the left side line up.
Adhere the next circle on top of the Glimmer Paper this will be DSP #2 or the second smallest circle and then adhere the smallest circle on top of the entire stack matching up the left curve of the circles.
Start on the top row with the largest circle on the bottom and adhere the second largest circle so that the right-hand side of the curve of the circles line up.
Adhere the second smallest circle which will be the Glimmer paper on top of the first two circles matching up the right sided curve of the circles.
Then adhere the smallest circle on top of the Glimmer Paper circle.
This is how they will look completely adhered.
Cut both circle bunches in half.
Swap the bottom halves of the circles and slide the pieces until the papers match up and look like they are swirling into one another.
Emboss the Cloud Cover layer in the Peaceful Greenery embossing folder and adhere to the Secret Sea layer and then adhere those two layers onto the Misty Moonlight card base.
Place the two pieces of the layering circles on the card base and place then so they are equidistant from the edges of the card. Adhere the bottom part of the circles to the card base.
Using a Basic White 1/2″ strip, stamp in Secret Sea ink the Peace, Love & Joy from the Peace on Earth stamp set.

If you slide the end of the strip into the punch you can cut one side at a time and therefore make the banner any size you wish! Place one end of the strip into the Banner Sayings punch and cut one end of the strip into a banner edge.

Place the other end of the strip through the other end and lift up the banner cut edge above the punch so that you only cut the remaining side!
Glue the top half of the layering circles above the bottom circle offset so that the matching DSP lines up.

Pop up the sentiment strip and place over the entire length of the layering circles.

One o fthe things I love about these Traditional Sparkling Sequins is that you can color them with our Stampin’ Blends markers! I used the dark Azure Afternoon Stampin’ Blends marker as well as the Misty Moonlight Stampin’ Blends markers to color the blue sequins and added it to the card around the sentiment piece.
I wanted to add a dove on the right hand side but the dove faces the other way so I cut the dove upside down on the Secret Sea Glimmer paper so that it would face the opposite way!

I popped it up on Stampin’ Dimesionals and placed it as if it was sitting on the right-hand side of the sentiment strip to finish off the card!

This is a stunning card and although it requires a little extra die cutting and adhering the layers together it is not difficult to do and the effect is well worth it!

Try this layering circles technique with your stash and let me know how it turns out!

Now go and create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

cozy christmas paper pumpkin alternatives

cozy christmas paper pumpkin alternatives

Paper Pumpkin kits are so incredible for $27 you get detailed color instructions to make 8-9 cards, a stamp set, an ink spot, an acrylic block in your first box and all of the supplies to make these lovely cards as is…

OR you can follow a multitude of creative Stampin’ Up! demonstrators that make alternative cards for that particular box! Today I am using the October 2025 Cozy Christmas kit to turn 9 card supplies into 44by adding extra card stock and envelopes! I added Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green cardstock, cut up bases and envelopes and added die cuts to make some lovely simple Christmas cards!

This month’s kit came in a festive box with a versatile stamp set. The box makes 3 sets of 3 card designs if you follow the enclosed directions.

For the my first alternative card I used the Merry Christmas sentiment die, stamped it in a Cherry Cobbler ink pad that I brought in. (The kit comes with a Pecan Pie ink spot)

I cut the Garden Green tree printed base card into 2 – 4″ x 5 1/4″ pieces. I mounted the tree layer onto a 5 1/2″ x 81/2″ cardstock base that I scored at 4 1/4″. I cut all of the flocked leaves apart and after popping up the sentiment onto the layer I adhered the flocked leaves under the sentiment piece. I adhered the layer to the base and added embellishments to finish this simple and fun card.

In order to more than quadruple the cards made from the kit I separated the die cuts to try to use them in expanded ways. I took the Cherry Cobbler JOY letters to use on a different project and used the negative die images of the letters and traced the letter outlines in Garden Green ink where the die cut letters would have been. I cut away the flocked red flower images from both sides of the JOY sentiment piece.

I cut one tree printed card into four pieces at
2 1/8″ x 5 1/2″ and adhered the strip onto the middle of a Cherry Cobbler base card.

I stamped the “to the world” in Pecan Pie ink under the outline JOY on the sentiment piece and popped it up onto Stampin’ Dimensions
I tucked one flocked flower and one flocked leaf segment under the sentiment piece.

Add embellishments and this card alternative is finished as well.

This next card uses a Cherry Cobbler CS base, I cut the envelope flap off of the envelope and adhered it to the scored side of the card. Cut off the excess on the sides and make sure all of the sides are adhered down.

Take the ornament pieces and adhere the top piece over the flocked bottom piece. Pop up the ornament die cut in the center of the card over the envelope’s flap point.

I stamped the Merry Christmas sentiment in the bottom right-hand corner of the card base in Cherry Cobbler ink for a tone on tone effect and added embellishments to finish this next simple and elegant Christmas card alternative.

I cut the Cherry Cobbler card base into 4 1/8″ x 5 3/8″ layers each card base will make 2 layers.

Adhere the layer onto a Garden Green base.

I embossed a 1/2″ x 5 3/8″ strip and took one of the thin strips cut from the card base and adhered it into the middle of the white strip. Adhere the white and red strips to the middle of the card layer. I die cut a middle circle from the Stylish Shapes die set and stamped the JOY sentiment in Cherry Cobbler ink and the stars around the word in Garden Green ink.

Pop up the circle die over the right-hand side of the strips, and add embellishments to finish off this card.

I adhered a Basic Beige layer to a Cherry Cobbler CS base.

I cut up the flocked trees into smaller tree sections making more available for more cards. I added Stampin’ Dimensionals under the bottom of the three tree base and under the one tree image. I mounted the one tree over the five tree image and adhered that tree to the middle of the card. I added the flocked star over the flocked tree and adhered it under the tree top.

I stamped “DECK the Halls” sentiment in Pecan Pie ink on a smaller banner die from the Stylish Shapes die set. Pop up the sentiment piece under the tree image on the card layer.

I added embellishments to finish off this card!

For the next alternative card I die cut one of the larger circles from the Stylish Shapes die set in Cherry Cobbler CS. I stamped the Merry Christmas and the stars image in Cherry Cobbler ink.

I adhered the envelope flap on the top short side of the card, cut off the excess and adhered the excess to the bottom card corners.

Pop up the circle die on Stampin’ Dimensionals over the envelope point and add embellishments to complete this card.

This last card is a CASE card from my sideline Rachel T., she is such a great source of inspiration! Thanks Rachel. I changed up the placement of the ornament but loved her idea of using just the ornaments tops to stretch the kit even farther!

I used one side of the envelope as the card layer cut at 4″ x 5 1/4″. I adhered this to a Cherry Cobbler card base. I adhered the JOY letters to the top of the card in a diagonal whimsical way. I punched a small circle out of Cherry Cobbler CS, positioned it directly under the O in the JOY lettering and adhered off the bottom of the card layer. Adhere the ornament cap and decor to the top of the circle, making sure that the Pecan Pie “string” butts up to the O.

I have a few other designs which I will post after my Stamp-a-stack on Monday – but can you believe 44 cards from this kit and with Christmas cards – so useful!

Now go and create some alternative Paper Pumpkin cards or some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie