My Meadow -- With Love & Sympathy

03/29/2021

Hello!

Now that the Retiring Lists for the 2020-2021 Annual Catalog and the January - June Mini Catalog have been released, I went through my stamp sets, punches, die cuts, and embossing folders to see what will be going away. It was pretty scary to see that I'll be retiring quite a bit. And some of these items were a big surprise as I consider many of them staples and use them all the time. Sigh... To see the list of retiring items from the 2020 -2021 Annual Catalog, click here. Note that some of the items on this list have been discounted and all are available while supplies last. To see the list of retiring items from the January - June Mini Catalog, click here. Since this Mini Catalog goes until the end of June, Stampin' Up! hasn't determined whether to apply discounts to these items...yet. But looking at this list will give you a good idea of what will be carrying over to the new Annual Catalog.

To help ease the impact of losing so many great items, I've decided to give them some love before I decide whether they will become a part of my personal stash or if I will need to cut the cord and let them go to a new home. This project showcases the RETIRING ITEMS of: Terracotta Tile (ink and cardstock), Classic Label punch, My Meadow stamp set, and Itty Bitty Greetings stamp set.

This card begins with a panel of Crumb Cake cardstock. The My Meadow stamp set was used to create a wooded scene on the left side of the panel:

Large ground cover stamp inked with Crumb Cake ink, stamped off on a scrap piece of paper, and stamped on the panel so that the bottom edge of the stamp is 1/4" above the bottom edge of the panel
The large tree image was stamped four times over the ground cover stamp using Early Espresso ink
The dense multi leaf bundle stamp was stamped repeatedly over the branches of the trees using Pear Pizzazz ink
The multi leaf bundle stamp was stamped over the dense multi leaf images using Garden Green ink
The long grass image was stamped at the base of the trees using Old Olive ink

The panel was embossed with the Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder and adhered at the center of a slightly larger mat of Early Espresso Cardstock. The panels were adhered at the center of the Terracotta Tile cardstock card front. A piece of Fine Art ribbon was folded in half with the loop end flush with the right side of the Crumb Cake panel and the ends pointing to the left side of the panel and the bottom edge of the ribbon 1-1/4" above the bottom edge of the panel.

The "With Love & Sympathy" greeting, from the Itty Bitty Greetings stamp set, was stamped on a piece of Basic White cardstock using Terracotta Tile ink and punched with the Classic Label punch. Early Espresso cardstock was punched with the Classic Label punch and adhered slightly below and to the right of the greeting label to create a drop shadow. The point at the right end of the labels was cut off just a smidge to the right of the "Y" in "Sympathy" and the labels adhered to the Crumb Cake panel so that the right end of the labels is flush with the right side of the panel and the top edge of the Basic White label is 5/16" below the top edge of the panel.

A tranquil scene was created on a piece of Basic White cardstock:

The stream image was stamped just left of center along the bottom edge using Balmy Blue ink
The gazebo image was stamped at the top edge of the stream using Soft Suede ink
The ground image was stamped multiple times to butt up against the stream using Crumb Cake ink stamped off on a piece of scrap paper and then stamped onto the cardstock
The group of trees image was stamped along the top edge of the ground image using Early Espresso ink
The dense multi leaf bundle stamp was stamped repeatedly over the branches of the trees using Pear Pizzazz ink
The multi leaf bundle stamp was stamped over the dense multi leaf images using Garden Green ink
The short grass image was stamped along the bottom edge of the gazebo using Garden Green ink
The group of flowers image was stamped along the top edge of the ground using Terracotta Tile ink
The coordinating leaf image for the group of flowers was stamped over the flowers using Old Olive ink

The Basic White panel was die cut using the 2-1/2" x 3-5/8" scalloped rectangle die from the Stitched So Sweetly dies and adhered to the Crumb Cake panel using Stampin' Dimensionals so that the right and bottom edges of the die cut are 3/8" from the right and bottom edges of the panel.

A cluster of trees was stamped along the left side of a Basic White panel:

Large ground cover stamp inked with Crumb Cake ink, stamped off on a scrap piece of paper, and stamped a couple of times along the bottom edge of the panel
The large tree image was stamped three times over the ground cover stamp using Early Espresso ink
The dense multi leaf bundle stamp was stamped repeatedly over the branches of the trees using Pear Pizzazz ink
The multi leaf bundle stamp was stamped over the dense multi leaf images using Garden Green ink
The long grass image was stamped at the base of the trees using Garden Green ink

The "sending prayers" sentiment, from the Itty Bitty Greetings stamp set, was stamped on Basic White cardstock using Early Espresso ink. The sentiment was punched with the Classic Label punch. A piece of Terracotta Tile cardstock was punched with the Classic Label punch and adhered slightly below and to the right of the greeting label to create a drop shadow. The labels were adhered to the panel with the bottom edge of the labels 1/4" above the top edge of the ground and the left end of the labels pointing at the trees.

A cluster of trees was stamped along the left front side of the Medium Basic White Envelope:

Large ground cover stamp inked with Crumb Cake ink, stamped off on a scrap piece of paper, and stamped a couple of times along the bottom edge of the panel
The large tree image was stamped three times over the ground cover stamp using Early Espresso ink
The dense multi leaf bundle stamp was stamped repeatedly over the branches of the trees using Pear Pizzazz ink
The multi leaf bundle stamp was stamped over the dense multi leaf images using Garden Green ink
The long grass image was stamped at the base of the trees using Garden Green ink

I really love how this card turned out. The serenity of the scene created with the My Meadow stamp set is just perfect for any card that calls for a loving and heartfelt message. I'm really going to miss the Itty Bitty Greetings stamp set; it was the perfect go-to stamp set when I needed a simple message in a compact size -- especially since most of the images fit into the Classic Label punch. The combination of the Itty Bitty Greetings stamp set and Classic Label punch was a match made in heaven. I guess I'll have to carefully search the new annual catalog to see what Stampin' Up! will be offering to replace them. I hope the new offering will be just as versatile.

Card Measurements

Basic White: 2 @ 1" x 3", 2-3/4" x 4", 4" x 5-1/4"; Crumb Cake: 3-7/8" x 5-1/8"; Early Espresso: 4" x 5-1/4", 1" x 3"; Terracotta Tile: 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" scored at 4-1/4" along the 8-1/2" length, 1" x 3"; Fine Art ribbon: 11"

Supplies I used to make this card

Stamps: My Meadow, Itty Bitty Greetings; Inks: Balmy Blue, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Garden Green, Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede, Terracotta Tile; Cardstock: Basic White, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Terracotta Tile; Embellishments: Fine Art ribbon; Tools: Classic Label punch, Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder, Stitched So Sweetly dies, Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine; Adhesives: Stampin' Seal, Stampin' Dimensionals; Other: Medium Basic White Envelope