12/4 - CASEing the catalogue & 'STEP'ing it up.

Alison Culliver
Apr 12
10 min read

Join me as I Copy And Share Everything using a Waterside Retreat card from the upcoming May - Aug '26 catalogue.

Hello & welcome to my blog.

My name is Alison & I live in beautiful Melbourne, Australia & I am an independent Stampin' Up® demonstrator.

I love to create beautiful things to share with people that I love but I also sell me creations. I have been creating things in one way or another for most of my life - knitting, sewing, cooking, card making, gardening, scrap booking & hand made gifts & in 2020 after joining Stampin' Up® I decided to share my passion in a blog (craftedbyalison@blogspot.com).

In 2025 I retired & decided to spread my creative wings a little more by combining my blog, products that I had been selling on FaceBook & launching a newsletter. Some of these things I had already been doing but this time they are all in the one place. (All previous posts can be found at my blogspot address above if you would to read any of them.)

And here we are at my new site!

Today I feature a CASE'd card that appears in the upcoming May - August '26 catalogue. Unfortunately I can't share the image from the catalogue until it goes live on May 5th but I have created it as closely as possible to how it was created by the Stampin' Up® artists. Here is the base design...

As it's a pretty easy design, I decided to play around with the design & 'Stepped it Up'. Stepping up is when you take a simple design then add additional stamping, embossing, dimension, texture or interactive elements to move it beyond the original basic design.

Each of the cards uses the same basics - Cardstock, DSP & a sentiment. I chose the Waterside Retreat DSP as it's really beautiful nature & fishing themed paper, perfect for male cards or nature lovers.

Here are pictures of both sides of the DSP...

There is a sheet that has pre printed images that can be cut & used directly on cards or for other projects. I will share some projects made with these pieces in a future blog. There are also a few sheets that have images that can be fussy cut, I have used two of them for today's creations.

The colours I used are colours incorporated in the DSP. I spent a few evenings quietly fussy cutting lots of images from the DSP while my husband watched the footy then played around with different combinations until I was happy.

I'll go through each design so you can see how STEPing things up works.

CARD 1.

This card is the copy of the Stampin' Up® card. It has a Pecan Pie base & a piece of woodgrain DSP which I have slightly curled the edges of. I used the same selection of water themed images as appeared in the catalogue. The sentiment is from the Relaxing Waterside stamp set, part of the Waterside Retreat suite, stamped in Misty Moonlight on Very Vanilla cardstock. They are diecut with the retired Keeping Tabs dies (this will come as a punch in the new catalogue) for the top section & a trimmed version of a label from Lovely Arrangements dies.

To achieve a 3D effect I used a variety of layers of mini glue dots, liquid glue & dimensionals. The last element is a Loose Anchor trinket tied with some Linen Thread. I used some edge pieces that were left from fussy cutting the DSP for the inside of the card & a matching envelope.

CARD 2.

For the second card I stepped it up a little with a layer of Misty Moonlight cardstock then a layer of DSP. I chose a similar set of images but added some buoys & weights instead of the oars & anchor trinket.

The sentiment is again stamped in Misty Moonlight on Very Vanilla but this time I chose Father's day sentiments & added a small matte of Misty Moonlight & Lost Lagoon behind each sentence.

More edge piece images were used inside the card but I added a small strip of the same DSP to the front of the envelope this time.

CARD 3.

This final card has the most detail on it.

I kept the same layout as the original & added Pecan Pie & DSP mattes as per card 2 but I added a smaller Very Vanilla matte to the front with reed images stamped in first & second generation Lost Lagoon.

The images were then layered on with a sentiment tag added made with the Bordered in Beauty dies which will also be in available in the new catalogue.

The final touches are some Holographic Resin dots & stamping inside the card & on the envelope.

This card would make a perfect retirement card.

So that's it for my creations. I had a lovely time playing with this paper & designing some alternatives. I hope you enjoyed them too.

Now for some news from Stampin' Up®.

Stampin' Up® have many ways of shopping with a physical catalogue, online shopping & in person events. When items are about to be retired or are running low they are put on the 'Last Chance' list which means that there is limited stock & when it runs out, it's gone.

Stampin' Up® 's Annual Catalogue is about to retire! Currently, Stampin' Up® have an large annual catalogue & then release two mini catalogues during the year. When the next catalogue is due, May, they will be launching a new system of presenting their products & will have 3 catalogues a year but they will all be of similar size. They will still be a similar format - sectioned to have beginners, which is a step by step collection of materials in kits, then there is quick & easy where you select base materials & packs of pre-printed or diecut materials plus some stamp sets then there is create your way where you choose all the materials, stamps etc yourself & Create Your Way! In the quick & easy section Stampin' Up® have also provided some inspiration with a colour wheel & information of various ways to use colour combinations. I explored this in a bit more detail in some of my previous blogs on Blogspot. The other cool feature is that they provide card sketch & scrapbook layout ideas for you. This is great for any times that you need a little inspiration.

If you'd like to browse the catalogue online then click here. If you'd like a copy to hold in your hands, leaf through & put little notes all over it of what's on your wish list then shoot me an email at craftedbyalison@gmail.com or message me on my facebook page at craftedbyalison. The new catalogue will launch on the 5th May.

The mini catalogue is now available online & in printed form but only until the end of April. There are loads of gorgeous products in there. There's scrapbooking ideas & products, love & Easter themed products and some lovely outdoor themed suites. If you'd like me to send you a copy before it finishes at the end of April then send me an email at craftedbyalison@gmail.com.

The new catalogue will go live on the 5th May so if you'd like me to send you a copy, get in touch!

Stampin' Up® also have loads of additional products available only online. These are called Online exclusives & have no end date, when the stock is sold out, that's the end of it.

Stampin' Up® have a great range of Kits including crafting, card making & gift giving. There are brand new kits added to the collection every month. Click here to check them all out in my online shop. As Stampin' Up® have so many beautiful kits available I usually feature a different kit in each

Sunday blog so that you can see the range.

This week the feature kit is called Sunniest Stories & is a scrapbooking kit.

Here's how Stampin' Up® describe it...

Think of the Sunniest Stories Scrapbooking Kit as a little treasure box for your memories. Inside, you’ll find everything you need to create six meaningful spreads, including pockets, photo frames, printed sentiments, lined pages for your stories, and plenty of fun accents. This kit is full of creative possibilities and the perfect place to honor the moments that make your heart feel full!

If you feel that you need to add this to your list then click here to purchase one from my online store, but be quick as this kit is on the last chance list!

If you shop with me then there are some changes last year to the rewards program that you should know about. In the past we were able to create a host code & group together individual orders & pass on the 'hostess' benefits to customers with qualifying orders. This has now been replaced with a 'Rewards' program that gives all customers who place an order with a qualifying amount a credit of 10% of their order to use on future orders. This will be displayed during the checkout process or your order. Stampin' Up® feel that this is a fairer way of rewarding all customers.

There are some new ways to craft on offer at the moment which I will go through one at a time.

Ready?

1.Stampin' Up® has now held 3 Online Craft Classes with the Traditions of Christmas craftalong, Brushed with Beauty Suite on November 21st and the most recent one is called Lovely Blossoms & is available right now! It co-ordinates with the Lovely Blossoms suite & you can order the class & suite by clicking on the links. It was held on the 20th February. I have purchased both of the previous classes & they are a great way for you to learn from the professionals & a load of fun.

Once you purchase any of the Craft Classes you will receive an email with a link to an exclusive Facebook group when the event is hosted. Can't wait to craft along again & see what designs the team come up with!

2. Stampin' Up® held their first ever Virtual Card Making Retreat over two days recently. It was designed for experienced or advanced crafters in mind but also had a heap of tips & ideas for those wanting to explore more detailed card designing. You can still be a part of this event! To participate you just need to purchase the Retreat kit ($288AU) & this provides you with all of the materials you need & access to an exclusive FaceBook group where the videos from the event are stored. It sounds like a bit of expense but from past experience, what you take away from these type of events is well worth it. You can also download & print the pre event cutting instructions as well as having a cutting video & recordings of all of the cards that were made.

Here's some more info on how to join this retreat.

To craft along with the Stampin' Up® presenters and make 15 beautiful, all-occasion cards, you’ll want to purchase the 2026 Virtual Card Making Retreat kit. Everyone who purchases a kit will receive a link to the exclusive Facebook group where the live event will stream. We only have a limited number of kits, so make sure to order yours ASAP!

3. Starting last December, Stampin' Up® introduced a special 'Product of the Month' item that is only available with eligible purchases. There is a new item every month with details released just before the new item will be released. Each month it's a surprise what it could be - stamps, dies, papers - a complete surprise every month. You will be able to receive each month's product for just $9 when you spend $125 in one order. I have been able to order all of the products so far. December was some lovely blue toned DSP & January was a very versatile stamp set. I will share some creations with you in future posts. February was a stunning DSP pack filled with Beautiful watercoloured patterns and whimsical designs that make beautiful projects. I featured some creations in my midweek post a few weeks ago. The March Product of the Month was a lovely, whimsical stamp set & April's offering is a gorgeous background die with a pretty eyelet pattern.

If you would like to add this stamp set to your collection, get your shopping list out & place a qualifying order & you will be prompted before checkout to add it to your shopping trolley.

The new May - Aug '26 catalogue is only a few weeks away & is full of lots of gorgeous new product along with some carry over items. I can't share any of the new catalogue with you yet, apart from the front cover until it is officially released to the public but I will be able to share some of the creations I made with products I received at OnStage and in the pre-order period. Some of the products were used for this & previous projects but more info & projects will be shared as we head towards the release date.
Paper Pumpkin! It's officially available to order in the South Pacific after only be available in the North American market. Paper Pumpkin kits are similar to the crafting kits available in the shop but are a surprise each month & come with everything you need to complete the kit. There are also add ons that can be used to stretch the supplies in the kit. Many people also make the suggested projects with half of the supplies then use the remaining products with some extra supplies to create alternative projects.
You can purchase the kits as an individual order or subscribe for 3, 6 or 12 months. Subscriptions are dispatched from the 11th day of each month & you can change or cancel your subscription at any time as long as it is done before the cut off date.

Lastly, there have been lots of great items added to the clearance rack which is now called Last Chance items so make sure you check them out using this link to my online store as there are some great discounts.

If you would like to purchase any of my creations that I feature in my blogs they can be found in my shop along with lots of different designs including feminine, masculine, special occasions, everyday events, something for the juniors or you can order something unique.

I hope you've enjoyed today's post.

My next post will be on Wednesday & will be creating using one of my favourite creative tools - Funfolds!

In next Sunday's post I will be using dies to create.

I hope you can join me for both of them & come back for more.

Til next take, take care & keep creating.

XX Alison

Here are some links to the products that I used today & some craft room essentials. The products that are in the upcoming catalogue are not included. If you would like to purchase them, come back to my shop after the 5th May & check them all out.

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