Six New Products to Kick Off September

We’re kicking off September with six new additions to the STAMPlorations shop! 

This latest release brings together retro-inspired typography, creative marks, and versatile collage elements that can be mixed and matched across all kinds of cardmaking and paper crafting projects.

First up are Retro Gratitude and Retro Christmas, two new typography designs with a vintage-inspired look that makes a fun statement on cards, tags, journals, and other creative projects.

We’re also adding Maker’s Mark #1, the first design in a new collection of marks and motifs designed to add an extra layer of interest to your projects.

And then there are three new Found Fragments stamps: Found Fragments 1, Found Fragments 2, and Found Fragments 3. 

These collections are perfect for adding texture, visual interest, and those little unexpected details that can take a project from simple to uniquely yours.

All six new products are now available in the STAMPlorations shop, and we’ll be sharing projects from our STAMPgirls featuring these new releases in the coming weeks. So if you’re looking for some fresh creative supplies to play with this month, be sure to check them out!

[Shop the new releases →]

words that matter | CHOOSE + Pop Art Faces with Sue

The choices we make can change the way we see things. Sometimes, choosing to look for the good is a small decision that can make a big difference.

Today, STAMPgirl Sue is featuring Simple Expressions: CHOOSE, pairing its encouraging message with bold paper goods to create two different cards. Both put the words front and center, but each shows a different way to make the sentiment work with the artwork around it.

Layer Different Paper Goods

For her first card, Sue combined two different Paper Goods designs. She started with Botanical Beats Collage Paper, trimming it to fit a cream A2 card base. She stamped CHOOSE to see the good directly onto the collage background in green ink.

Then she brought in a Pop Art Faces A2 Card Front, cutting out the eyes and matting the piece with black cardstock. She ink blended around its edges with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink before placing it at an angle over the collage background.

I love the combination of the eyes with the sentiment here. The imagery reinforces the idea of choosing what we see, while layering two different paper goods designs creates a card with plenty of visual interest.

Let the Artwork Make the Statement

For her second card, Sue chose another Pop Art Faces A2 Card Front and let that striking artwork do most of the talking. She trimmed the card front, matted it with gold cardstock, and adhered it to a cream A2 card base. For the sentiment, she heat embossed CHOOSE to see the good in gold on cream cardstock, fussy cut it, layered it onto gold cardstock, and fussy cut it again before placing it in the center of the card.

The gold matting and embossing connect the sentiment to the artwork without competing with that dramatic face. The result is bold but wonderfully simple.

Creative Takeaway

Sue’s cards show two useful ways to work with paper goods when you want your sentiment to remain an important part of the design.

First, don't be afraid to combine paper goods from different collections. On her first card, Sue layered a portion of a Pop Art Faces card front over Botanical Beats collage paper. Rather than competing with each other, the different designs create depth and help reinforce the meaning of the sentiment.

Second, when your paper goods already have a strong focal image, you don't need to add much more. Sue's second card lets the artwork take center stage and gives the sentiment just enough emphasis through heat embossing, fussy cutting, and coordinating gold layers.

Look at the artwork you already have and ask what the words suggest. Sometimes the best pairing isn't just about matching colors or styles. It's about finding an image that helps the sentiment say a little more.

Discover What's Possible

That's the fun of Simple Expressions. Each set gives you a meaningful word and coordinating phrase that can become the starting point for your card.

Pair CHOOSE with bold artwork like Pop Art Faces, mix different paper goods together as Sue did, or find another combination that gives the words your own interpretation.

And when you purchase a Simple Expressions stamp set with a qualifying Paper Goods Pack, the Paper Goods Pack is automatically 40% off.

Explore Simple Expressions and our Paper Goods in the STAMPlorations store and find your own way to create with words that matter.

Until next time, keep creating with words that matter.

Paper Goods Showcase | Newsprint Blooms with Stephanie

The many collections in our paper goods line easily work together. Give two crafters the same paper goods pack, and there's a good chance they'll come up with two completely different cards.

That's exactly what STAMPgirl Stephanie shows with these two projects featuring Newsprint Blooms Ephemera Tiles. She paired the floral tiles with different card fronts, clear stickers, and dies, creating two colorful designs that have completely different personalities.

Make the Ephemera the Star

For her first card, Stephanie combined the Newsprint Blooms Ephemera Tiles with an Artsy Abstract #2 card front. The colorful abstract background provides plenty of energy, while the flower tiles create a strong focal point across the center of the card. She added Bits of Washi #1 clear stickers for even more graphic detail and used Skinny Sentiments Dies to bring in the sentiment.

I love how all those different elements work together without making the card feel overly busy. The ephemera tiles are clearly the stars, while the abstract background, washi details, and sentiment support the overall design. It's a great example of how a few carefully chosen supporting elements can turn a simple collection of ephemera into a finished card with lots of personality.

Repeat a Shape, Build a Design

Stephanie took a completely different approach with her second card. This time, she paired the Newsprint Blooms Ephemera Tiles with a Color Me Blooms Spring Florals Colorables card front. The large floral line art creates an interesting contrast with the colorful flower tiles, which she arranged vertically along one side of the card. She finished the card with a sentiment from the Inspirational #1 clear stickers.

The repeated flower shape gives the design a strong visual rhythm, while the black-and-white newsprint of the tiles provides contrast against the colorful card base. The result is bold and graphic, even though the individual elements are quite simple.

One Collection, Two Very Different Looks

What I love about Stephanie's cards is that they show just how much you can change the look of a paper goods collection by changing what you pair with it. The Newsprint Blooms Ephemera Tiles bring the same floral imagery and vintage newsprint character to both cards, but the Artsy Abstract #2 card front creates a bright, energetic first design, while the Color Me Blooms Spring Florals Colorables card front gives the second a more graphic, floral feel.

You don't have to use a paper goods collection exactly as it comes. Try pairing it with a completely different collection, repeat one element several times, or add a few stickers or die cuts from your stash. Sometimes the most interesting combinations happen when you mix products that weren't originally designed to be used together.

Keep Creating with Paper Goods

If Stephanie's projects have you thinking about what you could mix and match, our Paper Goods VIP Subscription makes it easy to build a stash that fits your creative style.

The subscription is not a mystery box. You get to choose any four Paper Goods products from the available selection every four weeks, so you can pick the Card Fronts, ATCs, Collage Paper, Ephemera, or other Paper Goods you're actually excited to use. The current subscription price is just $21 for four $7 Paper Goods products, with free U.S. shipping.

And that's exactly what makes it so much fun. You can choose products that coordinate beautifully, or deliberately pick different styles and see what happens when you start mixing and matching.

Take a look at the Newsprint Blooms Ephemera Tiles and the rest of our paper goods collection, then choose your favorites for your next creative session.

Keep creating, keep experimenting, and keep discovering what's possible with STAMPlorations Paper Goods.

Perfect Pairs, Expanded | Party & Wishes with Chris

Perfect Pairs is designed to make cardmaking easier. The coordinating stamps and ephemera cuts give you a ready-made combination, so you can create a cohesive card without spending a lot of time figuring out what goes with what.

But once you've played with the collection on its own, there's no reason you can't take it further.

That's exactly what STAMPgirl Chris did with Perfect Pairs: Party & Wishes. She brought in other stamps, stencils, dies, and coloring supplies to create three cards that take the collection well beyond its quick-and-easy core style.

I like to call this Extended Style -- starting with a Perfect Pairs collection and then building on it with other products to create a more layered, personalized design.

Put Your Own Spin on the Pair

For her first card, Chris added stamps from the Art Marks stamp set and took a little inspiration from one of my cards. She masked the Party & Wishes sentiment stamp so she could use just the word Celebrate in the bottom corner, then stamped it again using second- and third-generation stamping.

I love what that does to the card. The repeated, faded impressions add a grungy feel to the design, while the Party & Wishes ephemera gives it a colorful focal point. And yes, Chris really did put her own spin on it. That's exactly what Extended Style is about.

Build Your Own Background

For her second card, Chris started by stenciling a rainbow of colors through the Confetti #1 slimline stencil. She then die cut the stenciled piece using a Curly Labels/Tags Nesting Die and used it as part of her card design. She white heat embossed sentiments from the Sweet Cravings stamp set and used foam squares to pop up both the sentiments and the delicious-looking cake ephemera. She even carried the celebration to the inside of the card with the Celebrate Big stamp.

It's a great example of how a Perfect Pair can provide the focal image while you create a completely different supporting background around it.

Turn the Ephemera Into a Scene

For her third card, Chris took the party theme in another direction. She started by stenciling clouds onto her card base, then heat embossed a bird from the Birds of Paradise stamp set onto mixed media paper and colored it with a water brush and Derwent Inktense Blocks. She stamped a sentiment from the same set and then added the Party & Wishes balloon ephemera and the bird with foam squares. To finish the scene, she hand drew the lines connecting the balloons to the bird.

I love the personality this adds to the card. The balloons aren't just decorative elements anymore. They become part of the little scene Chris created around the bird.

Creative Takeaway

Perfect Pairs gives you a coordinated starting point, but it doesn't have to determine where you finish. Once you know the colors, images, and sentiments work together, start looking around your stash for things that can add to the same idea.

A texture stamp can change the mood. A stencil can give you a completely different background. Another stamp set can add a character or image that turns your ephemera into a scene.

And don't be afraid to borrow an idea and put your own spin on it. Chris did exactly that with her first card, taking inspiration from one of my designs (the birthday candles card in this post) and making it her own.

Think of Perfect Pairs as your foundation. Then add whatever helps tell the story you want your card to tell.

Discover What's Possible

Every Perfect Pairs collection is designed to work beautifully on its own, but there's plenty of room to take it further. Use the coordinating stamp and ephemera cuts for quick and easy cards, or bring in your favorite STAMPlorations stamps, stencils, dies, and other supplies for an Extended Style design like Chris's.

Perfect Pairs: Party & Wishes is available as the coordinating stamp set, the coordinating ephemera cuts, or the complete Perfect Pairs collection.

Explore Party & Wishes and the other Perfect Pairs collections in the STAMPlorations store.

Until next time, keep creating with confidence -- and let Perfect Pairs do the coordinating.