Friendly Flamingo and a Blog Hop

 It's the 15th of April, which means it is time for another Stamping Symphony Blog Hop! This month we are highlighting some of our favourite retiring products as we prepare for a new Annual Catalogue in early May. Since I am all about the tropics this week during my "Mapril" Staycation, I thought I would grab some of my most beloved retiring items and give them the tropical treatment. Check out this fun birthday card:

Can you spot all of the retiring products I used? Hint: there are SEVEN (one is really tricky!) Here's a closer look, if it helps...

Did you spot them all? Here's what I did...

I used some Forever Greenery Designer Paper for my background...I think this pattern looks like grass paper, perfect for my tropical vibe. I embossed the DSP with the Subtle 3D embossing folder (I am SO going to miss that one), which adds to the grass-paper-look. I also layered on a piece of Flowers for Every Season DSP as well. 

I die-cut a Basic White label using the Stitched Nested Labels dies...another go-to of mine that is going away! I stamped my flamingo using the new Polished Pink and Pale Papaya inks, along with some Basic Grey for the beak. The greenery is stamped in Just Jade...I also added a hint of shading using the same ink and a blending brush. I stamped the flowers in Polished Pink ink on card stock of the same shade and die-cut them out using the Flamingo dies. My sentiment is stamped on a label die-cut with the Messages die...I love having a bunch of ready-cut labels on my desk when I'm designing! I added some Just Jade leaves, die-cut using the In the Tropics dies and some Forever Gold Laser Cut leaves as well. The pop of gold looks amazing with the lush pink and green. I embellished my design with some Forever Greenery gold cord and some gold Glitter Enamel Dots. The final touch was a quick spatter of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint. 

On the inside of my Just Jade card base, I added a Basic White panel on which I stamped some more greenery from the Friendly Flamingo set, as well as a sentiment and more flowers. 

It was really a lot of fun to pull out my retiring items and give them one last hurrah before the sail off into the sunset. Be sure to grab anything that is still on your wishlist before May 3rd when they disappear forever. *sniff*

Thanks so much for stopping by today...be sure to hop on over the the next blog to see what creative genius awaits!

Leena - You are here

Sandy - Lolly & Sand

Barb - Just B Stamping

Jen - Stamping Jen

Product List

Friendly Flamingo Bundle [156212] $51.25	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276] $13.25	Just Jade 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [153079] $12.00	Forever Greenery Designer Series Paper [152492] $15.75
Flowers For Every Season 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [152486] $15.75	Forever Gold Laser-Cut Specialty Paper [152493] $20.00	Just Jade Classic Stampin' Pad [153115] $10.25	Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad [149165] $10.25
Blending Brushes [153611] $16.25	Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653] $163.00	Subtle 3D Embossing Folder [151775] $13.50	In The Tropics Dies [151495] $48.00
Stitched Nested Labels Dies [149638] $48.00	Messages Die [154422] $46.00	Forever Greenery Trim Combo Pack [152475] $12.25	Gold Glitter Enamel Dots [152155] $11.00
Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint [147044] $11.00

Friendly Flamingo Fabulous Fun Fold

 Happy Tuesday...and happy "Mapril"Break to me! Our long-awaited break is finally here and it comes with some less-than-great news of yet another lockdown and school closure as cases here are skyrocketing. That means, instead of spending my vacation on the beach, I'll be spending it in my studio playing with paper and ink...it could be worse, right? To help get myself in a tropical state of mind this week, I am featuring the Friendly Flamingo bundle from the Jan-June Mini Catalogue.

Check out this awesome fun fold...

Now, although this card looks tricky, it is really quite easy! Just a bit of scoring and some cutting. I demonstrated how to cut, score and fold the card base in this week's Live @ Five video. I will post the link at the end of this post. I used some soon-retiring Forever Greenery Designer Paper to decorate my card base...man, I am going to MISS that paper! It works for EVERYTHING!

I stamped my flamingo in...wait for it...Flirty Flamingo ink, with Daffodil Delight for the beak and legs. The greenery is stamped in Shaded Spruce, which is the same colour as the card stock I used for the base. 

The sentiment is also stamped in Shaded Spruce and then punched using the 1-1/2" circle punch. That's one retiring item that will NEVER leave my studio. I use it all the time. Speaking of must-have retiring punches, the Story Label punch, which I used to layer behind the sentiment is another one that I'll be hanging onto.

This card looks fabulous standing up on a desk...such a great WOW fold with minimal effort. 

On the back side, I added a 2" x 5-1/4" piece of Basic White card stock to allow space to write a message and stamp another greeting. 

Check out the how-to in my video below. This card demonstration starts at about the 7:30 mark. I've included measurements in the video description.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Be sure to swing by on Thursday for another Stamping Symphony Blog Hop. In the meantime, have a great week!

Product List

Friendly Flamingo Bundle [156212] $51.25	Shaded Spruce 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146981] $12.00	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276] $13.25	Forever Greenery Designer Series Paper [152492] $15.75
Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad [147088] $10.25	Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad [147052] $10.25	Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad [147094] $10.25	Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154884] $12.00
Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154883] $12.00	Paper Trimmer [152392] $34.00	1-1/2" (3.8 Cm) Circle Punch [138299] $22.00	Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653] $163.00
Story Label Punch [150076] $24.00