Buh-Bye Butterfly!

In case you missed it, the retiring accessories list posted today.  It is LONG and has more than a few surprises. 
Firstly, you will see all of the classic ink pads listed.  This does NOT mean Stampin' Up! is changing its entire colour selection!  What they are doing is changing the design of the ink pads.  The current linen pad will be replaced with a firm foam pad that promises to provide far superior ink coverage and image quality.  Demonstrators who were part of the focus group that test the new design are raving about how much better they are.  That said, there is no need to run out and buy a whole set of new ink pads.  The ones you have will continue to function as always and feature the same selection of fabulous Stampin' Up! colours.  Another item that is getting a lot of attention are the markers.  Many of the marker colours will no longer be available for purchase individually.  Some of the most popular colours will; however those that are not big sellers will now only be available for purchase as part of the colour family set.  You will still be able to get a marker for every ink colour Stampin' Up! offers, but some will have to be purchased in sets.  What does that mean for you?  It could mean that you may want to purchase the individual markers you need to complete colour family sets.  You may find that if you only need one or two markers to complete a family it is more cost effective to buy them now, individually, rather than to have to purchase a whole family later and end up with duplicates of the colours you already have.  Just a few things to think about as you peruse the retiring list. 
Now, on to some stamping!  One of the items that is disappearing on June 1st is the butterfly punch.  I can't say that I was surprised after seeing that all of the coordinating stamp sets are also retiring.  That said, I will miss that punch!  In honour of it and the retiring Fine Flourish A La Carte stamp, I created this card:

CAS card featuring the Fine Flourish stamp and my homemade butterfly texture plate.

This is one of the simpler cards I've ever done, I think.  To emboss the butterflies I used my home made texture plate.  To learn how to make your own click HERE (scroll down to find the tutorial).  To stamp the butterfly I punched out a butterfly from a self-adhesive note and used it as a mask to stamp the Fine Flourish image in island indigo and then sponge in pool party.  I added a bit of pool party seam binding, layered the indigo ruffled ribbon over top and added an indigo brad.  I decided to omit the sentiment in order to keep the focus on the pretty butterfly. 
Just so you know, the items you need to use a home made texture plate are also retiring: the Standard Texturz Impressions Pad (item # 114614) and the Standard Texturz silicone Rubber (item # 114615).  If you think you might like to try making your own embossing plate, you should consider picking up both of these items before they're gone for good.