My Favorite Things: Stampin’ Up!’s 2017 Occasions Catalog

Stampin’ Up!’s 2017 Occasions Catalog is filled with some really amazing products that you’ll have to have.  Stampin’ Up!’ Demonstrators have enjoyed the opportunity to play with these new items for the past month, but this week is the first time our customers get to order these amazing products.  I’m always excited to share the list of my favorite things in the catalog – it might help you to shuffle or whittle down your list – or it might inspire you to add some items you overlooked.  Either way, I’m thrilled to share my favorites.

In an effort to narrow down my list a bit, I’ve lumped my favorites into categories.  Some are themes, some are product lines and some are accessories.  Regardless, these are some of my favorite things in Stampin’ Up!’s 2017 Occasions Catalog.  I hope you enjoy them!

MY FAVORITE BUNDLES (there are two – and both are super-fun).  We all love the term “bundled savings,” right?  When we can buy two items we want – but get a discount on them as a pair – we’ve struck it rich.  In a catalog that is filled from end-to-end with amazing bundles, it was tough to pick a favorite.  I’ve chosen two – and both are fun, perfect-for-Spring pairings.

Lift Me Up Bundle.  Hot air balloons don’t have a huge appeal in the middle of Winter, but when Spring arrives, they are as popular as can be.  Not only has Stampin’ Up! created some great images with the dies and stamps that accompany this set, they have paired the balloons with great sentiments.  What fun!

Lift Me Up Bundle, Stampin’ Up!

BONUS ADD-ON:  There are so many great ways you can dress up these balloons – the bundle can stand alone, but there’s a new Sale-a-Bration item that pairs perfectly with this set – the Carried Away Designer Series Paper.  You can choose this paper with your purchase of the bundle during Sale-a-Bration.  Does it get any better than that?

Carried Away Designer Series Paper, Stampin’ Up!

BONUS!  Another bonus?  How can it be true?  Here’s Stampin’ Up!’s video that walks you through all the fun elements of this amazing bundle:

INSPIRATION:  Here are three projects I’ve made with the projects shown above.  You can click on these pictures to read more about each project.

Cool Treats Bundle.  The Cool Treats Bundle is filled with every kind of summery, icy sweetness you can imagine.  You can build almost any kind of treat.  Vanilla soft-serve cone – easy!  Mint chocolate chip in a sugar cone – you can do it!  Triple stack of strawberry ice cream in an ice cream parlor bowl – it’s as easy as pie (except that it’s ice cream).  And there are some really great sentiments to boot.  Sweet!  Check out all the amazing pieces in this Cool Treats Bundle:

Cool Treats Bundle, Stampin’ Up!

BONUS ADD-ON.  Do you like when your craft materials coordinate?  Of course you do.  It’s always easier to create when you have items that work together in unison with one another.  The Cool Treats bundle is great on its own, but the set leads a whole suite of products – a gorgeous Specialty Designer Series Paper, an ombre ink pad, cute sprinkles embellishments and a set of sweet washi tapes.  The colors used in this suite are perfectly delicious!

INSPIRATION.  I received this stamp set at Stampin’ Up!’s On Stage event in November, but I first inked it up this past week for my guest designer stint with an online challenge.  Here’s my card with this this bundle (you can click on the picture to read more about the card):

MY FAVORITE STAMP SET.  Not only do I love the concept of the Suite Sentiments stamp set, but I love the style of the great sentiments.  You already know how much I love a good sentiment stamp set – and this one is incredible!  While the sentiments stand on their own on a card, the fonts and content of the sentiments pair to the suites of products throughout the catalog.  If you have a couple (or all) of the suites of products, you’ll want this stamp set for the bonus pairings.  What a brilliant set!

Suite Sentiments, Stampin’ Up!

Look how each of the suites is represented here:

MY FAVORITE ACCESSORY OR TOOL.  Hands down – the Watercolor Pencils are a must-have from Stampin’ Up!’s 2017 Occasions Catalog.  There are thirteen pencils in Stampin’ Up! colors: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White.  Paired with Blender Pens or AquaPainters, they are perfect for watercoloring – or you can just color with them.

Watercolor Pencils, Stampin’ Up!

BONUS!  Stampin’ Up! created a wonderful video to showcase the watercolor pencils.  You can see it here:

INSPIRATION.  I used these pencils to create a soft look on these screwdrivers and screws (you can click on this card to read more about the project):

MY FAVORITE PAPERS.  You already know that I’m a huge fan of Stampin’ Up!’s printed Designer Series Papers, right?  I really can’t get enough of them.  The selection of papers in this catalog are great – I love bright colors and these are all so Spring-like and beautiful.  I really love them all.  It’s odd, then, that my favorite set of papers is Urban Underground Specialty Designer Series Paper – filled with Delightful Dijon, Basic Black, Basic Gray, Silver and Very Vanilla.  I’ve really grown to love Delightful Dijon, and this paper has lots of it!

Urban Underground Specialty Designer Series Paper, Stampin’ Up!

INSPIRATION:  I used one of the black and gray pages that looks like a chalkboard to create this card that showcases the Beautiful You stamp set (which is probably going to be the most popular stamp set from the Occasions Catalog):

What do YOU Think?  Did I find your favorites, too?  There are no right or wrong answers here – maybe you don’t like my choices, or maybe you have a favorite item I didn’t list.  Please let me know what your favorite must-haves are from this amazing catalog! I look forward to sharing more of these items with you in the months to come.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Brian