Stampin Up Pocketful of Sunshine

I was looking in the new annual catalog today and was checking out the Stampin Up Pocketful of Sunshine projects and I FELL IN LOVE with a certain element on it.  After a cup of coffee and some serious thinking, I knew I had to do it and the Stamparatus was the ultimate tool for the job.

So today we are going to talk about two things:  This adorable card AND the Stamparatus.

I have used both the MISTI and the Tim Holtz Stamp Platform before.  And I am so grateful that the Stamparatus is my favorite.  (At our garage sale two weeks ago, I sold off the others.)

Before we get to the card, let's chat for a minute about the Stamparatus.

Ready to Film

I am getting ready to film videos on the Stamparatus and I want to know what you want to know about it.  It makes no sense for me to make videos without it helping you all out!  In the comments below, please tell me what YOU want to see.

Now we get to move onto the card…

First…

How did I KNOW the Stamparatus was the right tool for the job?

Well, first we have to talk about the issue.  Here is the stamp I wanted to use:

See how it is only a little over 2″ long?  I wanted to use it down the entire side of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of white card stock.  While I consider myself to be a Stamp-a-ma-jig master, it is hard to make straight lines connect in a straight line.  I liken it to being similar to the Rockettes doing the high kicks while staying in a straight line.  It's easy to connect, but keeping it going in a straight line is beyond frustrating.  Like throwing a bunch of card stock in the trash frustrating – and yes, I had tried it before I made this card.

BUT… since I have a Stamparatus, I was able to stamp it AND keeping the spacing *almost* right AND keeping it in a straight line.  You have to really study it to see that there is a bit of a spacing issue.  You can absolutely get rid of spacing errors, but for me, that's what makes it fall into the “handmade” category!

So repeating a stamp in a straight line – yep – you will want a Stamparatus.

With this tool I was able to create STRAIGHT horizontal and vertical lines that go beyond the 2-1/4″ stamp.

Check out the two straight stitched lines I got that are stamped in the Berry Burst ink and joined lines I got using the Stamparatus:

The Stamp Set Opportunities

I love this little pocket stamp set.  I love that you can use the pocket along with stamps in the set, but you can also mix and match it with other stamps.  A friend of mine created this pocket with dinosaurs coming out of it, saying her son was always carrying around toy dinosaurs in his pockets.  He loved the card!  You can mix and match so many things with this stamp set.

The Dies

So one of the most overlooked features of the Pocket Framelits is the pocket die itself.  Here is the set:

It not only cuts, but it also scores around the pocket.  So you can do two things with it.  You can cut off the score lines if you want it to lay completely flat on your project.  But you can also fold on your score lines to give the look of the pocket truly being attached.  For this card, I did keep the folds of the pocket.  I like the look of the folded card stock.

The Color Palette

Choosing the color palette was a bit hard for me.  For some reason I wanted to use every color in my stamp room.  I don't know why, but I really had to self edit.

Here is what I finally decided on:

I chose these colors for several reasons:

1. Ribbon selection (I had Berry Burst)
2. Blends selection (I have Bermuda Bay)
3. Colors for the sun (that didn't leave a lot of options)

Stampin' Blends

I do love my blends.  I really do.  When they were released, I was hesitant to purchase, and I was very upfront about that.  If you weren't familiar with Stampin' Up! a few years ago, they released a similar product called Blendabilities.  They had issue after issue – and made the hard decision to discontinue them. And then several years later, in the fall of 2017, Stampin' Blends were released.  The reason I felt confident in purchasing them was that when the old line failed, Stampin' Up! made it right with everyone that purchased them.  We could send them all back in for “store credit”.  So they owned the mistake and made it right.  You can learn more about the Blends here.

Fast forward many months, I haven't had any issues with my Stampin' Blends – I will share with you if I did.  The only issue they have really had is that they can't keep them in stock!  They just became available again.  During the downtime of them being not available to order, mine really just sat to the side.  I didn't use them, and they sat.  They are now available again, I picked them up and started using them – no issues whatsoever!

I was excited to use my Bermuda Bay Blends on my sunglasses.  I wanted to add just a hint of depth, you probably have to look really closely to see where I did use the dark marker, but it is there 🙂

Accessorizing the Card

I wanted to play off the sentiment “Pocketful of Sunshine” and went with a Daffodil Delight piece of card stock punched out with the Starburst Punch.  It gives the look of a sun with rays coming off of it, and took me two seconds to do!

Then it came down to using ribbon.  You know I love me some ribbon!

I love this Berry Burst ribbon and couldn't wait to use it on this card.

Using the 10 Second Bow Maker, I was able to tie the perfect bow to attach to my card front.

Finishing it all off is the blingy rhinestones on the sunglasses!

The Supplies

Ready to make this card?  Here is the list of supplies you will need.  To order any, simply click on a picture below!

Ready to Pin?

Pin this graphic to your favorite papercrafting boards and capture the card and the colors 🙂

Thank you so much for joining me today for this fun project!  Again, be sure to leave me comments about what you would like to know about the Stamparatus and any other questions you might have about this card 🙂  See you soon, Meg