Very Simply Susan

One of the things I could not wait to get my hands on from the new 2021-2022 Stampin’ Up Annual catalog were the Layering Diorama Dies! How cool are these? I thought they had so much potential and I am glad I finally got them out. This card was supposed to be for a Color Challenge for one of the many card challenges out there. But I just forgot about posting it! The color challenge was for Evening Evergreen, Soft Succulent and Pale Papaya. I hadn’t really thought of making my ocean “pale Papaya before this challenge, which is the great thing about card challenges. They really “challenge” you to think outside your comfort zone.

My idea was to always do my first diorama card using Whale Done with the Shimmer Vellum as the underwater scene. But with the Challenge colors, my thoughts went to Papaya and it seems to work, even if you have to suspend your imagination a bit. And don’t you just love the Shimmer Vellum? All that sparks has so much potential for all sorts of projects.

The diorama is fairly easy to do. I did not plan ahead and make all my dies positioned the same and because I was making 12 cards for a swap as well, they all came out a little different. So, if you have to have everything the same, I suggest you make sure you have a plan for how each layer will go through your die cutter. Or if you are like me and like living on the edge, just cut them however and make every card different!

For the underwater scene, I tried stamping behind the vellum, but the stamped designs did not show up as well as I liked. Stamping directly on the vellum worked well. You just need to set your stamped vellum pieces aside to dry a while before you handle them. I also tried layering the vellum on Pale Papaya thinking that would punch up the color. But, all that did was dampen down the shine. White is what worked best. But I would try a few colors depending on your design.

For me, the diorama cards were a breeze. I just used Stampin’ Dimensional to layer and those worked beautifully to give the card its depth. I have 3 layers total, all popped up. I could see this with florals, graphic designs and all sorts of die cut and punched out designs. Believe me, you will have fun with these. And what is really great is that the cut out centers of the diorama cards can be used too! Below is a card I did with some of the center parts.

What I Used To Make This Card:

Kits Are A New Big Thing At Stampin’ Up! 

If you are like me, there are days when you really want to sit down and stamp. But the creativity may not be there or you don’t have the supplies you want. Well, Stampin’ Up! has decided to fix that problem with kits!

As many of you know, I am a huge Paper Pumpkin fan! I definitely don’t have the PPPU(Paper Pumpkin Pile Up) problem. Even if I am not blogging as much as I should or my creative Zen has left me, there are times when I just want “to make something”. Nothing feels better than a few hours stamping and crafting with beautiful inks and papers.

For around $20, this time of pure bliss can be yours too. If you haven’t tried Paper Pumpkin, many of these first kits in the collection are reworks of best-selling and well-loved Paper Pumpkin kits. If you are a Paper Pumpkin fan like me, this is an opportunity to go back for more of things you loved. If you are new to Stampin’ Up! or Paper Pumpkin, this is a way of making a very small investment and see if stamping and paper crafting are for you.

You will have everything you need in the box to complete your kit! I love them for on the go crafting and crafting while traveling. Read the kit descriptions for optional crafting supplies.

Whether you love creating original designs as I do or you just want to learn, give kits a try. I know you will love them. Click on the image below to see what is available now. And remember, kits will always be “while supplies last” and new kits will be coming in all the time. I can’t wait!