Brian’s Week in Review: March 30, 2025

It was another really big week for the record books. I don’t want to disappoint you (I never want to disappoint you), but the rest of this year should be less dramatic and less “all about me” than the first 13 weeks of the year. I passed my Stampin’ Up! sales milestone in January and retired from my career job this past week. I’ve been talking a lot about those with you, but the dust should soon start to settle. ♥

On Wednesday, my company hosted a retirement party for me. Almost 60 of my favorite people from all over the company and from different paths of my career showed up to wish me well. I loved hanging out with everyone and appreciated the kind stories they shared – it was really special. When Friday rolled around (my last day), I was a bit of a mess. While I was happy to step away and begin my new adventure, it was really hard to say goodbye to my amazing coworkers. I know I made the right decision, and I know things will work out well for me – but it was hard to recall that while I was saying my goodbyes.

Today is Sunday – and that means it’s time to take a look back at the past week in my Week in Review post. I want to share a quick rundown of the week (for those who don’t follow me every day) with a little extra background (for those who already tune in daily).

Monday

On Monday I shared a multi-layered card I designed with the Botanical Textures Designer Series Paper. You know I love a pack of black-and-white designs, and this one is near perfection! I paired two patterns with similar designs (one is white with black leaves and one is black with white leaves) to make this card:

I added a little Summer Splash along the bottom of the panel with a Blending Brush to add bright color to the card. If you’d like to read more about this project or see the products I used to make it, CLICK HERE.

Tuesday

On Tuesday I shared six congratulatory cards I received from amazing friends. This was the second batch of incredible cards I received over the past couple of months (you can see the first six here). Here’s a quick look at the cards I shared on Tuesday:

In my post, I walk through each of the cards, offering a closer look at each and a few of my thoughts about the designs. If you’d like to see more, CLICK HERE.

Wednesday

On the last Wednesday of every month, the Be Inspired Design Team hosts a blog hop with a new, fun theme. On Wednesday, the team hopped with a “Be Inspired by Ocean Fun” theme. With so many great oceanic products, I reached for the Otterly Adorable Designer Series Paper to make this card:

I love the torn edges of the Otterly Adorable Designer Series Paper and the Pool Party 12″ x 12″ Two-Tone Cardstock. Such fun! If you’d like to read more (or pass through the hop to see the inspiration from the other stampers), CLICK HERE.

Thursday

Two members of my department retired this past week – I was one, and the other was Connie, who was a member of my team for the past 16 years. The card I made to celebrate Connie is a fancy fold with the Beautiful Butterflies Bundle. Here’s the card:

Here’s how the card opens up:

If you would like to read more and see how this hinge card works, CLICK HERE.

Friday

Friday was my official last day at Cox. I celebrated here with a parade of retirement cards. I was really surprised by how many retirement cards I have made over the years, but the parade was a fun look back for me. The parade kicked off with this card, which also happens to be one of my all-time favorite creations:

If you’d like to take a pass through the 14 other cards, CLICK HERE.

Saturday

Yesterday I shared a fancy fold card I made with the Night of Navy patterns in the Serene Love Designer Series Paper. This is a fun design that can be used for a variety of cards – from cute to sophisticated. I had loads of fun with this card and loved sharing it with you. Here’s a quick look at how this card opens up (but there’s more!):

If you’d like to see the front and inside of this card and check the measurements for the inside panel, CLICK HERE.

I look forward to sharing new projects and new information with you over the coming weeks. With my pre-order from the new catalog arriving, I will certainly have some new projects to share.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Brian

2025-2027 In Colors

Stampin’ Up! releases five new In Colors every year that stay in our color collection for two years. While we can’t yet purchase the new In Colors, they’ve been released – and I couldn’t love them more! If you’d like to learn more about the new In Colors, including comparisons to other shades and a new color combination suggestion, click on the image below:

New Online Exclusives

Stampin’ Up! released a boatload of incredible products in the Online Exclusive launch earlier this month. If you’d like to see all of the new products, click on the image below:

Placing an order today?  Of course you are! If you are placing an order for $150 or more, I want you to enjoy all of the Host Rewards you have earned.  If your order is less than $150, I’d love for you please add this Host Code – SWEZ7HYY – when prompted. Thank you!