The day is finally here; the 2018 Occasions Catalog and Sale-A-Bration have arrived and I feel like I could be dancing all around my stamp room! When I got to sneak a peek at these amazing products back in November I was in love. There are so many versatile and amazing sets, I wanted to buy the whole catalog right then and there. Not to mention the innovation that has gone into some of my favorite products. Today starts some of my favorite months in the Stampin’ Up! year. Sale-A-Bration lasts until March 31, 2018 and the Occasions Catalog goes all the way until May 31, 2018!

To kick off these next few months I wanted to challenge myself to create a group of cards around 1 color scheme. My go-to was black and white with a pop of color and some gold thrown in. Instead of going for one of my usual colors I decided to switch things up and use a color I almost never do. It even became one of my favorite colors I’ve ever used!

All three cards share not only the same color scheme but same stamp set as well! This post features Basic Black, Whisper White, Rose Red, and the Picture Perfect Birthday stamp set (Occasions, 5). I even managed to incorporate the same accessories throughout as well. The gold metallic thread (Annual, 198) and the gold embossing powder (Annual, 200) was the extra bit of oomf! I needed to complete this group of cards.

“Cue the Confetti”

For this first card, I knew I wanted a unique background and to utilize the Stamp-a-ma-jig (Annual, 217) for some fun wordplay. I used the stamp off method to lighten the color on the “cue the confetti” words as well as one of the confetti stamps. I used full strength color on the second confetti stamp to give it a bit of dimension.

To top the card off I twisted some gold thread into a bow and embossed one of the phrases with gold embossing powder. Anytime I can use my heat gun I’m a happy stamper! If you want to conserve paper you can even cut the side strips smaller in order to get a little more out of your supplies.

“Celebrate”

This next card is using thermal embossing in such a fun way! In order to give my candles a little more shine, I used my gold embossing powder to breathe some life into the flames. Again I stamped the base of the candles using the stamp off method to get a lighter pink shade and then went over it with the pattern stamps full strength. I love how much contrast that simple method can create.

To finish this one I embossed “celebrate the good stuff” and wrapped the gold thread around the section I wanted the phrase to be placed. I attached it using Stampin’ Dimensionals (Annual, 203) to give it a bit of a raise.

“Birthday Bows”

This last card was actually the first I had made. I knew once I got my hands on this set the bows would make the perfect chunky border and the saying fit perfectly in the middle. Can you guess what method I used for the 2 step bow? You’re right; I did use the stamp off method again! I stamped off the bow once and used full strength for the shading stamp. I left the center empty because I knew I wanted it to be covered up. I can never say no to extra sparkle so I covered the bows in Wink of Stella (Annual, 200) just for the added flair.

Gold thread and embossing came in handy here for some finishing touches. I embossed the phrase and twisted the thread behind it. I attached the saying to the front with stampin’ dimensions again. These are definitely some of my favorite things to use in order to give my cards a bump up!

I’m planning on creating a class outline centered around these cards so follow the blog and keep an eye out for when that will be posted. You can check below for my other links and product information as well. I hope you guys enjoy the products we’ve got for you in this catalog and have a blast playing with so many great stamp sets!

xoxo,
Sarah Liz

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Product List
Stamps
Picture Perfect Birthday Photopolymer Stamp Set [145519] $17.00

Ink
Rose Red Classic Stampin’ Pad [126954] $6.50
Versamark Pad [102283] $8.50
Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder [109129] $8.50
Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [141897] $8.00

Card Stock
Basic Black 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [121045] $8.00
Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [100730] $9.00

Accessories
Gold Metallic Thread [138401] $3.00

Tools & Adhesive
SNAIL Permanent Adhesive [104332] $7.00
Stampin’ Dimensionals [104430] $4.00
Mini Glue Dots [103683] $5.25