Bright Christmas Houses

Just getting this one in under the wire!  I made it the middle of last week and the original batch of photos were awful so I waited to re-take them and then forgot to download from the camera!

  This is a combo of the Freshly Made Sketches challenge and the Stampin' Royalty Challenge.

  The houses are embossed with white embossing powder onto the colored cardstock and then cut out with the framelits.

  I am trying to use up all the Core'dinations paper that I bought and then didn't get to use in classes before it retired.  It gives such a nice texture to a card and I do miss it for another option in our cardstock.

  I really like this color combo and will probably try to make a few more cards with this design!

  Also, the Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza Sale has started today and will go until December 2nd. Check it out and stock up for yourself, do some Christmas shopping (My Paper Pumpkin craft kits are a great idea!!) or drop some heavy hints to that significant other!  You can order right through my online store (link in the side bar!).

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Holiday Home, Good Greetings

Ink: Versamark, Strawberry Slush

Paper: Wild Wasabi, Real Red, Strawberry Slush, Whisper White Core'dinations (retired), Real Red Core'dinations (retired)

Accessories: Corner rounder, Whisper White 1/8" taffeta ribbon (retired), dimensionals, rhinestones

Star Filled Christmas - Fab Friday 55

  Woo Hoo!  It's Friday!  I hope you have a fun filled weekend planned.  And make sure you add in some stamping time so you can join in the newest Fab Friday Challenge!  We have a great sketch challenge for you this time!

  

Check out what I did with this one!  I pulled my colors from my list of color combos that I see while I'm out and about and want to remember to try on a card.  Pool Party, Smoky Slate, Basic Gray and Whisper White.  I threw some silver in there since it's Christmas time and I love sparkly stars at Christmas!  Seriously, I have a whole separate Christmas tree in my front hall that is onlydecorated with different kinds of stars.  I had collected so many that we couldn't fit the stars and the rest of the ornaments on one tree...and if you've seen the size of trees we get for the tv room you'd know that's a lot of star ornaments if I couldn't get them to fit!

  Star framelits were used for the big star cut out as well as the Glimmer Paper star.  The big cut out is backed with Flashback DSP.

  The Whisper White panel is embossed with the Stars embossing folder.  Then I used the small splatter stamp from Gorgeous Grunge to add some silver by embossing with silver e.p.

  I used rubbing alcohol and reinkers to color some scraps of Glimmer Paper to make it Pool Party and then punched a few small stars out and popped them up with dimensionals.

  I had a few small rhinestones that I had previously colored using the Bermuda Bay Blendabilities markers so I went ahead and used them up across the card front.

  The sentiment is stamped and embossed in Pool Party e.p. onto Basic Gray cardstock.  I flagged the end, added a rhinestone and popped it up over the strip of Smoky Slate ribbon.

  Head over to the Fab Friday Challenge to see what the rest of the Design Team did and play along with us!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge, Good Greetings

Ink: Versamark, Pool Party reinker (to color small glimmer stars)

Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White, Basic Gray, Flashback DSP, Silver Glimmer Paper, Old Style Silver Glimmer Paper

Accessories: Star framelits, star punch, silver embossing powder, Pool Party embossing powder, Smoky Slate 1/8" taffeta ribbon, dimensionals, rhinestones

Bold Snowflakes

  I received a Christmas catalog for one store or another (there are so many lately!) and on the front cover was a Christmas tree decorated in Real Red, Old Olive, and Pacific Point.  I thought it was a great bold color combination for Christmas and wanted to try it on a card.

  I used the RetroSketches challenge for this week for my layout.

  I'm not sure I pulled off the color combo but it might inspire someone else out there to try their hand at a non-traditional color combo.  I might try this one again and not have the snowflakes go so far into the white panel...

   Check out some of the details... punched Christmas tree, Decorative Label punch for the sentiment, rhinestones on the Pacific Point snowflakes and the fun Real Red ribbon.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Endless Wishes, Festival of Trees

Ink: Real Red, Pacific Point, Old Olive

Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White

Accessories: corner rounder, tree punch, Decorative Label punch, Real Red ribbon, dimensionals, rhinestones

25 Days Christmas Star

  I bought the 25 Days stamp set way way way back when demonstrators got to preorder out of the Holiday Catalog.  And guess what?  I haven't used it at all until this card!

  I really need to use this set some more as there are a lot of fun possibilities.  I think it will be great for birthday cards too....at least up until age 25!

  The sketch for this card came from this week's Mojo Monday challenge.

   I used a lot of different supplies to pull this design together.  The color combination was one I kind of fell into while I was cleaning up my stamp table.  These colors were what was left after putting things away from a few other products.  Stamping fate I tell ya!  Lost Lagoon, Real Red, Kraft and Very Vanilla make for a great Christmas color combination.

  Check out some of the details...

  Paper piercing on the side and around the scallop circle add some more texture to the Lost Lagoon and Core'dinations Very Vanilla.

  I stamped a few snowflakes from Endless Wishes down in the lower corner to add some subtle detail to the Kraft layer.

  Red Glimmer paper....need I say more?

  A small strip of Real Red punched scallops to tie in the scallop circle as well as the scallop pattern in the DSP.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: 25 Days, Endless Wishes

Ink: Lost Lagoon, Crumb Cake

Paper: Lost Lagoon, Kraft, Flashback DSP, Core'dinations Very Vanilla (retired), Real Red, Red Glimmer paper

Accessories:  corner rounder, scallop circle punch, star punch, star framelits, baker's twine, paper piercer, scallop edge punch, dimensionals

Trim the Tree Top

  Here's a little bit of a different take on a Christmas tree card!  The ladies over at CAS(e) this Sketch have a really neat challenge this week.  I decided to do a little bit of a herringbone pattern with narrow strips of DSP to make the very tip top of a Christmas tree.

  This design is a great way to use up bits and pieces of DSP that you are hanging onto.  I used the Trim the Tree DSP stack for my tree.

  The smallest star framelit is just the right size to make a gold Glimmer paper tree topper.

  The sketch doesn't call for an element at the top but I just couldn't bring myself to leave it completely bare and totally CAS so I added a Cherry Cobbler seam binding fork bow.

  So no stamping except for the greeting on the inside but a cute "stamped" card anyway right?

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: none

Ink: none

Paper: Garden Green, Whisper White, Trim the Tree DSP stack, Gold Glimmer paper

Accessories: star framelits, Cherry Cobbler seam binding

Masculine Birthday Blocks

  I spent some time in the stamp room this afternoon after doing some yard work.  We had fun with the piles of leaves and the warmer day.

  I combined 2 challenges to make this simple masculine birthday card.  I brought in some details by embossing; with the Big Shot and the Simply Scored board.

  The colors are from Colour Me! and the layout is from Friday Mashup.

  I used the arrows embossing folder for my Tangelo Twist and Night of Navy blocks and then I stamped the Happy Birthday from Endless Birthday Wishes.  I used the Simply Scored to make lines across the card lifting up the stylus when I came to the sentiment.

  I rounded the bottom corners and added some silver brads for the final details.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Endless Birthday Wishes

Ink: Night of Navy

Paper: Night of Navy, Tangelo Twist, Kraft

Accessories: Arrows embossing folder, Simply Scored, corner rounder, silver brads (retired)

Falling Leaves

  Another few cold windy days like we've had and all the leaves will be down.  The oak trees around us have really started to turn red.  It's a beautiful sight on my morning walk with the early sun lighting up the trees.  

  The colors at ColourQ this week will inspire a fall card for sure!  I didn't have the exact matches as some of the colors are older retired ones but we have current colors that are very similar so I went with those.

  I used the Fall Fest stamp set paired up with the matching Fun Fall framelits.  I simply stamped the leaves on a narrow strip if Whisper White, added some scalloped trim and then adhered it to my card front which is covered by an embossed piece of Whisper White that I had sitting on my stamping desk.

  The sentiment is stamped on an even narrower strip in Chocolate Chip ink.  I tied a bit of wide Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon around it and added a linen thread bow.

  I used the framelits to cut one of each leaf and popped them up around the end of the sentiment strip.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

  Stamps: Fall Fest, Sweet Essentials (retired)

  Ink: Old Olive, Cajun Craze, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip

  Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

  Accessories: Perfect Polka Dots e.f., Fun Fall framelits, dimensionals, scallop edgelit, wide grosgrain ribbon (retired), corner rounder, linen thread

Lovely Christmas Tree

  The winter chill has arrived in Central Virginia!  It was in the 40s today and cloudy and damp and windy.  Brrrrrr!  I have dusted off the long johns and I think they will be in regular rotation by the looks of the weather forecasts.

  I haven't had much time to stamp lately so I combined two challenges to get the mojo flowing.  Freshly Made Sketches and The Paper Players always have great inspiration.

 

  I love this combination of old supplies and new supplies.  The pine tree from Lovely as a Tree always makes a classic Christmas tree.  I paired it up with some Champagne Glimmer paper and the Hardwood background.  To define the edges of the top Very Vanilla panel I lightly sponged them with gold ink.

  The new is the Mossy Meadow from the newest collection of In Colors and the Cherry Cobbler plaid DSP from the Trim the Tree DSP stack.

  Get out some of those old stamps and supplies and see how well they pair up with some of your newer stamping stash.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, Hardwood, Petite Pairs

Ink: Mossy Meadow, Cherry Cobbler

Paper: Mossy Meadow, Trim the Tree DSP stack, Very Vanilla, Champagne Glimmer paper

Accessories: star punch, star framelits, circle punch, gold bakers twine, dimensionals

 

Clean and Simple Sympathy

  Sometimes simple is the way to go for a card and with sympathy cards that's the direction I usually take.  Here is a very simple design using the classic Lovely as A Tree.

  The base and stamped layer are both Natural Ivory cardstock.  The Trees are stamped in Always Artichoke.  The smudging was a happy accident as the ink didn't dry right away and I got my finger on the image and it smeared a bit.  I thought I would go with it and just rubbed my finger over the rest of the image.

  The sentiment is stamped in Elegant Eggplant and then I added a line of paper piercing.  The image panel is mounted onto a layer of Sahara Sand.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, Sweet Essentials (retired)

Ink: Always Artichoke, Elegant Eggplant

Paper: Naturals Ivory, Sahara Sand

Accessories: paper piercer

Fall Friend - Fab Friday 54

  I don't know where this last week has gone but all I feel like I've done is play catch up!  I was glad that it was time for a Fab Friday challenge so I could have a good excuse to take a break from the to-do list and have some time in the stamp room!

  Aren't these great colors this time around?  I was trying my hardest to stamp out of the box and use these colors for a masculine birthday card but Seasonal Stamper Disorder was stronger this time around!  I couldn't get that Blackberry Bliss to work on any of my guy card visions so I gave up and went for the fall inspired card!

  Even though the jack o lanterns in the Fall Fest stamp set are past their prime those cute little leaves still have some life left!  I stamped all 3 of the leaves in our challenge colors and cut them out with the Fun Fall framelits and layered them on the edge of my tag.

  The tag is Very Vanilla punched with the scallop tag topper punch and then I used the Decorative Label punch to cut out the center shape to show off the textured Kraft paper that I ran through the Big Shot with the Woodgrain embossing folder.

  The sentiment is from the set Six Sided Sampler and punched and layered with circles punches.  The tag and the sentiment are both popped up with dimensionals.

  I finished off the details with some gold sequins nestled among the leaves as well as a few next to the sentiment.  The tag is tied off with Blackberry Bliss ribbon and some gold baker's twine.

  I hope you'll head over to see the rest of our awesome Design Team at Fab Friday and play along.  Remember you have 2 weeks to join in the fun!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Fall Fest, Six Sided Sampler

Ink: Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Blackberry Bliss

Paper: Blackberry Bliss, Very Vanilla, Kraft cardstock, Cajun Craze

Accessories: Woodgrain e.f., scallop tag topper punch, Decorative Label punch, circle punches, gold sequin trim, gold baker's twine, Blackberry Bliss satin ribbon, Fun Fall framelits, dimensionals

Trendy Tree Tag

  Today I've got the last project we did at my Christmas class last week.  This is a fun little tag using the Festival of Trees stamp set and matching punch.  This one uses the colors that are found in the All is Calm DSP.

  The tag base is Lost Lagoon punched with the scalloped tag topper punch.  Then a layer of Whisper White with some strips of All is Calm washi tape.  It's so easy to mix and match looks with these colors and the washi tape.

  The large tree is stamped in Pear Pizzazz with silver for the ornaments.  The photopolymer stamps makes it really easy to line up.  Next the tree is punched and adhered to the tag just slightly hanging off the edge.

  The really neat thing about this tag is the mini trees.  You make them using the same punch as for the large tree!  Just punch out whatever color tree you want, in this case I have one in Brushed Silver and one in Lost Lagoon.  Then using a Post It note hold your punched tree and slide it into the tree punch lining it up so that you have a small version of the tree and punch.  Do it again with the other color of cardstock.  Now you have mini trees!  So cool right?  The only thing that I did was trim the trunk of the mini trees down a bit so the scale would look better.

  The mini trees are layered with dimensionals; the Brushed Silver one has a single dimensional and the Lost Lagoon one has 2 stacked to make it higher.

  The final stamping is a star in silver and the greeting from And Many More in Lost Lagoon.  Add a Smokly Slate taffeta ribbon for the tie and you're finished!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Festival of Trees, And Many More

Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Lost Lagoon, Silver

Paper: Lost Lagoon, Whisper White, Brushed Silver

Accessories: Tree punch, scalloped tag topper punch, All is Calm Washi tape, dimensionals, Smoky Slate taffeta ribbon

Endless Snowflakes

  What a fun weekend we had!  I hope you did too! The boys really enjoyed themselves on Friday for Halloween.  Their costumes were Lego minifigures from the Lego Movie.  Alex was Emmet and Ryan was Bad Cop.  Matt and I got busy with some cardboard and paint and pulled the outfits together.  They came out really well if I do say so myself! I even used my Big Shot and the Little Letters thinlets to make the Emmet name badge!  And of course the boys were extremely pleased with themselves when they trick-or-treated at every house in the whole neighborhood and came away with more candy then they know what to do with!

    On Saturday after the boys last soccer games of the season we headed up to JMU for the homecoming football game.  The weather was not the best but the rain ended before the game began and we had fun cheering on the Dukes and trying to stay warm while hanging out with some great friends.  The Dukes pulled off a win which we were thankful for as we toughed out the whole game in the cold and wind.

  We ended the weekend with some Sunday driving on Skyline Drive seeing what was left of the fall colors.  33 degrees and windy up on top of the mountains was no joke!  We stopped and got out at a few of the overlooks but mostly we enjoyed the views from the warm car!

   Now on to the stamping project as I'm sure most of you are not here to read about our weekend adventures!

  We made this card last week at my Christmas class.  I told my stamping ladies that if they wanted to mass produce a card for Christmas this one would be perfect.  You can stamp all the snowflakes and part of the sentiment at the same time!  No re-inking and changing stamps for each image!

  The base is Soft Sky, next is a layer of Bermuda Bay.  Then we have a piece of Whisper White.  I made a stencil out of an extra piece of cardstock and the Stars framelits and then sponged the star shape in Soft Sky.

  To get perfect placement when making multiple of the same card lay your photopolymer stamps image side down onto the cardstock where you want them.  I put my snowflakes down as well as the "& bright" making sure to leave a bit of room for the rest of the sentiment.  Then I took a clear block that would fit all the stamps and just pressed it down on top of the stamps that were laid out to pick them up.  Magic...now I had all the stamps on the block in exactly the spot I needed to make more than one of the same card!

  The final bit of stamping is to add the Real Red "merry" in the spot that was left between the snowflakes.

  We added Real Red ribbon across the lower part of the card and a rhinestone to each of the snowflakes.

  What do you think?  I bet this one would look great in a bunch of different color combinations!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Endless Wishes

Ink: Soft Sky, Bermuda Bay, Real Red

Paper: Soft Sky, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White

Accessories: Stars framelits, rhinestones, Real Red ribbon