Singin' the Retirement Blues (for the Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop)

Yes, it's time to sing the blues...many of our favorite Stampin' UP! products are about to retire.  Of course that leaves room for lots of new stuff too, so my blues will soon pass.  Our blog hop this month includes a look down memory lane, as we showcase some of our favorite retiring products.  But don't despair; take a look at the end of my post for a sneak peek of what's to come--I told you my blues won't last for long!
If you've just "hopped" on board, there are a total of 13 stops on this tour; the buttons below will take you around to each blog.  If you've just popped in from Heidi's always-fabulous projects, thanks for stopping by; I hope you enjoy my offerings today!

First up, my retiring products project...and I used a ton of my favorite retiring products.  Take a look and see what I'll be missing:

Yeah, Just Sayin' with the coordinating Word Bubbles Framelits are some of my all-time favs and I hate saying goodbye.  The Gift Card Enclosure Packs are a great way to create a little package of cards--an extra 1/2" fold on three of the "wings" lets you fold these into an open-ended box, big enough to hold 3-4 Note Cards and envelopes.  I wrapped it with another retiring product, Painted Blooms Designer Series Paper, and topped it with retiring Blackberry Bliss 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon and 1/8" Crushed Curry Taffeta Ribbon.

My cards all feature the Just Sayin' set with retiring Designer Series Papers.

Yes, that sweet scallop punch is going away (sniff!)...

...along with the Beautiful Wings butterfly sizzlet (sniff, sniff)...

...and the Whisper White Thick Bakers Twine (waaahh!)...I really do "miss you already!"


Sad?  You bet...but I'm a gal with a short memory, and the new products on this next card have me doing a happy dance:

This "folded corner" card uses a brand new stamp set, You've Got This.  I also used some new designer series paper, Bohemian.

I started with a base of Blackberry Bliss, and adhered a piece of the Bohemian DSP to the front (with some careful snipping to allow the top corner to fold into place).

The beautiful flower is from You've Got This, and was first heat-embossed with Black Embossing Powder on Watercolor Paper.

The flower was colored using my Aquapainter and Delightful Dijon (a new In Color--funnily enough, this was my least favorite of the new colors, but the first one I reached for!) along with Pear Pizzazz for the leaves.  The center of the flower called for some pearls...

 A matching envelope is a must!  I just added another piece of the Bohemian DSP on the back flap and snipped along the edges...easy peasy!

And finally?  I had to make some gift goodies--a new bag punch is comin' our way, along with some fun new ways to dress up your goodie bags.  Take a look:

First the treat bag, made with new Cherry on Top Paper Cotton Assortment .  This paper is very thin, but VERY strong!  Almost like a thin plastic. I made the bag--

And see that star on the front?  That was first stamped with a new set (You're So Sweet) and then cut with the star from the coordinating Mini Treat Bag Thinlets dies.  A piece of the new Cherry On Top Designer Series Paper was inserted into the bag and adhered with the Crushed Curry side beneath the star--you could also use a Window Sheet if you wanted the goodies to peek through.  The Melon Mambo banner was punched using the new Triple Banner Punch (this cuts banners in three widths!).  So fun!

And wait!  There's more:

This little gift bag (in new Cucumber Crush!) is a cinch to create using the new Gift Bag Punch Board.  It makes a whole range of sizes (this one is about 4-1/2" high).  The banner on the front is also from You're So Sweet, and cut with the accessories from the Mini Treat Bags Thinlets.  And check out that sweet strip of striped paper on the top--that's from the new Envelope Paper (squeal!) and comes in all the new In Colors (love!).  More about this in another post...

I love Cucumber Crush and Bermuda Bay together--a bright and oh-so-cheery combo!

So that's my look at old and new...I hope you're excited about the arrival of our new catalog (ordering begins June 2), even while you know you'll miss some great retiring products (there's still time to get many of them, but don't delay).

Now it's time to head over to see what Jackie has to show us--I visit her blog regularly and am always impressed with her creativity.

Thanks for peeking in today; please come back again!