Stately Pine - Fab Friday 79 - Stampin' Up! Lovely As A Tree

  Happy happy happy Friday!  It has been a busy week in our house and I'm looking forward to the weekend and continuing the Christmas preparations.  If I'm ambitious I might even write out and mail my Christmas cards!

  We've got our last Fab Friday Challenge of 2015 today!  How has a whole year gone by again?  I hope you'll find time to play along with this great color combination.  It might even inspire you to make those last few Christmas tags, cards or gifts!

  For about half a second I was going to try to not make a Christmas card and then I just caved and pulled out the classic pine tree from Lovely As A Tree and got busy.  I used the current Freshly Made Sketches challenge as my layout inspiration.

     This card is like the past, the present and the future all together.  The past is the pine tree from Lovely As A Tree.  It's still current but it has been around a long time and is still a great stamp set.  The present is the sentiment stamp from the Reason for the Season set in the Holiday catalog.  The future is the clear sheet with the gold circle which is a Project Life card that is one of the freebies that will be available during Sale-a-Bration!  The pack is called Memories in the Making Specialty Card Collection.  

  I'm so excited to begin showing all the new things I've preordered.  So many stamps so little time!

  I hope you'll head over to Fab Friday and see the rest of the Design Team samples.  They are sure to be awesome!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, Reason for the Season

Ink: Mossy Meadow, Gold

Paper: Pool Party, Brushed gold (retired), Naturals Ivory (retired)

Accessories: corner rounder, Softly Falling e.f., circle punches, red ribbon, gold metallic baker's twine, Memories in the Making Project Life cards (2016 Sale-a-Bration)

  

Christmas in Purples - Stampin' Up! Be the Star

  Even though I  keep saying that I'm done making Christmas cards I just can't stop.  I'm still getting inspired!  For this card I used the Ink Smash technique that's been floating around for a few month.  I bought the Silicon Craft Sheet just to do this technique.

  Using damp watercolor paper you continue to layer and dry multiple colors of ink for a deep, rich background.  I stamped stars all over the top of it in silver ink using the Be the Star stamp set.

 Next,  I turned to the other elements and decided that some sparkle was necessary to go with this purple.  I added a panel of retired Brushed Silver cardstock to frame the purple.  I had one punched tree leftover from an earlier project so that went on.  It's Shimmery white cardstock embossed with the Softly Falling embossing folder.

  Next I used the Big Shot and the Christmas Greeting Thinlets and cut a Merry out of silver glimmer paper.

  With a scrap of Brushed silver I stamped the Christmas in Rich Razzleberry and cut a little banner.

  The final touch was some Shimmer Mist made with the retired Shimmer paint Stampin' Up! used to sell. I believe you can still find it out there but we don't carry it any longer.  It's a fabulous way to get a light coating of sparkle over a whole card.

  The color combination was inspired by the Color Me challenge which just announced that they are finished hosting challenges.  Too bad!  When ever I had a chance to play along I enjoyed their colors even if I didn't get it entered for that week it was fun to play along and see the inspiration.  So I thank the Design Team at Color Me for all that they have shared!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Be the Star, Holly Jolly Greetings

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Perfect Plum, Rose Red, Melon Mambo, silver

Paper: Whisper White, Brushed silver (retired), Shimmery White, Silver Glimmer, watercolor

Accessories: Tree punch, Softly Falling e.f., Christmas Greeting thinlets, shimmer paint, dimensionals

 

Chalkboard Snowflakes - Stampin' Up! Endless Wishes

  I generally don't keep very many retired stamp sets as I just don't have the room or the time to use things that I can't demonstrate in my classes.  But the Endless Wishes stamp set from last year is one that made the cut to stay in my retired stamp drawer.  The snowflakes are just such a cute style and I can use snowflakes all winter long.

  My inspiration for this one came from a pre-printed Christmas card catalog.  I liked the color combo shown as well as it was that chalkboard style of writing.

  The chalkboard technique couldn't be easier.  1) emboss your images onto black cardstock with white embossing powder.  2) using a damp paper towel wipe some Whisper White craft ink across the black cardstock.  Add more ink for more "chalk dust", wipe off if you've gotten too heavy handed.  Done!

  Since my inspiration had some gold on it I used my blender pen and a drop of gold ink and painted a bit of gold onto each snowflake.

  The sentiment is from the November Paper Pumpkin kit and I thought was clean and simple enough to go along with the busy snowflake background.  The Noel panel is backed by a piece of the retired Brushed Gold cardstock.

  I hope my Occasions catalog preorder arrives today....it was supposed to come yesterday but UPS pushed the delivery date back....Boo!  I am quite anxious to dig into new products!  That is one of the best perks of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator...sneak peeks and early ordering!  If you're interested in joining the Stampin' Up! family let me know and we can talk details and then you can get in on this preorder business!  :)  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Mistletoe & Holly Nov. 2015 Paper Pumpkin kit stamps, Endless Wishes (retired)

Ink: Bermuda Bay, Versamark, gold, White craft ink

Paper: Pool Party, Brushed Gold (retired), Black, Whisper White

Accessories: white embossing powder, red ribbon (retired), 

  

  

Soft Sleigh Ride - Stampin' Up! Holly Jolly Greetings

 It's really Christmas time now at my house!  We got our trees put up this weekend and set out the last of the other decorations.  Our elf on the shelf, Tannenbaum, has even arrived.  Now we can hang out and enjoy how beautiful the house looks.

  My last big task is to get my Christmas cards sent out.  I made a few more last week and will be sharing them here over the next few days but I think I'm ready to move on to Happy New Year's cards!  And my Stampin' Up! Occasions catalog preorder is due to arrive today so it's a happy happy day here!  It will be hard to focus on my to do list!

  I'm coming in under the wire again this Monday morning to participate in the Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  This card was super fast to put together and I even got to use up some scraps that I had laying on my stamp table.

   The only stamping on this card is the silver embossed "Joy" on the banner element.  The sleigh die cut was left from a stamp club a few months ago and I added the Dazzling Diamonds to the edge.

  I recently ordered the silver Fancy Foil Designer vellum so I thought it was high time to cut into it.  The polka dot pattern was a nice subtle one to use for this sketch challenge.  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Holly Jolly Greetings

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Soft Sky, Shimmery White, Fancy Foil vellum - silver

Accessories: Sleigh Ride Edgelits, silver embossing powder, Dazzling Diamonds, chevron ribbon (retired)

  

Fleece Navidad - Stampin' Up! Barnyard Babies

  What would Christmas be without a few puns to cause us all to groan?  I can't resist this one because the little sheep is so cute!

  I got this color combination from a catalog of preprinted photo cards.  Real Red, Garden Green and the retired Primrose Petals and gold.  Catalogs are a great place to come across new color combinations.  I have a whole stack of ripped out pictures on my stamp dest to use as inspiration...some day.  This one made the cut quickly so I wouldn't run out of time and have to wait until next year at Christmas to use it.

  I have a whole stash of the also retired Core'dinations paper so I used that for the stripes for a bit of subtle texture.

 The sheep was stamped in Memento ink and colored in with alcohol markers.  The Santa hat was stamped separately, colored and cut out.  It's popped up on a teeny tiny piece of dimensional.

  I used my Tags and Labels framelits to cut it out and then added the Garden Green striped ribbon and gold cording.  

  I used up some bits and pieces of gold glimmer paper by punching out some small stars with the Stars border punch.

  On the inside I actually stamped the "Fleece Navidad" sentiment that comes with this set along with another sheep.

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Barnyard Babies

Ink: Memento black, Alcohol markers

Paper: Garden Green, Whisper White, Gold Glimmer, Core'dinations retired (Garden Green, Real Red, Primrose petals)

Accessories: Stars border punch, Tags & Labels framelits, Garden Green striped ribbon, gold cording, dimensionals

Simple Christmas Tree Gift Card Holder - Stampin' Up! Festival of Trees

  One of the focuses at my last stamp club was gift card holders.  We want to present even a gift card in a fun way!  We also made a coffee cup gift card holder that I showed last week.

  This one is a great gift card holder to make if you have lots of DSP that really should get used and not hoarded in your paper supply!

  Not the best quality photo but the front is clean and simple and could easily stand on it's own as Christmas card.  My ladies had a choice of gold or silver cording as well as gold, silver or red Dazzling Details to decorate their tree.  The Softly Falling embossing doesn't show well in the photo but it's there and gives a nice subtle texture.

  Now for the inside!

  We used paper from the Merry Moments DSP stack.  You'll notice that my patterns don't match because when I was designing the samples and cutting the paper for class I had just enough for my stamping ladies with these 2 mismatched pieces left for my second sample.  You still get the idea right?

   All you do is score a bit, fold 2 rectangles, get your adhesive in the right place and there you have a nice little spot to slide in a gift card and it all folds down pretty flat when closed!

  You start with two 5" x 5"pieces of DSP and score at 1 1/2, 2 1/4, 3 3/4, 4 1/2

  Fold all your scores and you'll see the rectangle.  Adhere the flap with tear tape along the long edge. Repeat with the second piece.

  Now to adhere both boxes together.  This is the important part because I was just cranking right along with one of my samples and had the "Duh" moment.  Just adhere the 2 boxes together on the short ends.  DON'T run the adhesive down the long sides or you'll end up taping shut the slot where the gift card slides into!

  Next, adhere the DSP to the inside of your card base lining it up with the center fold.  I found it easiest to do one side at a time.  For example, put adhesive long ways on the back, line it up, press it down (you can close the card and burnish with a bone folder to get a good connection).  Then open it back up, add more adhesive to the the bottom and repeat burnishing.

  If you're using a pattern that has a right and wrong direction pay close attention when scoring both pieces of DSP so that they line up the same when when adhered.

  I did make a few extras for myself and used some of the older DSP stacks that are only 4 1/2" wide so I adjusted the score lines to 1 1/4, 1 3/4, 3 and 3 1/2.  The rest of the instructions are the same.

  I learned how to make this style from Caroline's video here.  She definitely hits a home run with this one!

  And definitely decorate the inside! 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Festival of Trees

Ink: Old Olive, Real Red

Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Merry Moments DSP, Gold Glimmer paper

Accessories: Tree punch, small star punch, gold cording, Dazzling Details, Simply Scored, tear tape, dimensionals, Softly Falling e.f.

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Rustic Folded Christmas Tree - Stampin' Up! Oh, What Fun

Today's card is another that we did in class but I think it was in October.  I'm so behind...in more than just posting cards so it will be a short post this morning!

  The base is Early Espresso, then a layer of Very Vanilla, then the top layer is Crumb Cake.  We stamped this layer with a collage of many of the sentiments from the Oh What Fun set.  Just arrange them on one of the larger clear blocks and cover your cardstock.  This set isn't just for the tag kit!

  The Christmas tree is simply half of a circle folded into a tree shape.  The edges are slightly sponged with Crumb Cake ink for a more vintage feel.  We topped the tree with the largest size of rhinestone for sparkle.

  The bow is made with the Bow Builder punch using the Merry Moments DSP stack.  The trick to using the bows on a card that you want to mail is to stick a dimensional on the inside of each loop to help it hold it's shape.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Oh, What Fun

Ink: Crumb Cake

Paper: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Merry Moments DSP, Typeset Specialty DSP

Accessories: Circles framelits, bow builder punch,  rhinestone

 

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Embossed Winter Forest - Stampin' Up! Lovely As A Tree

 I am rolling through these Christmas cards lately aren't I?  I better get my tail in gear because I counted up how many Christmas cards I have made and I only have 50!  Yikes!  That doesn't cover the number of cards I need to send out.  I guess I will just have to sacrifice cleaning the bathrooms and doing laundry to get some stamping done right?  I know you all understand.  Important things right people?

  We made this card a few weeks ago at my November stamp club.  Thanks to my stamping lady Virginia for sending me a link to a card that showed this technique.  I had seen it around the web and just needed to take a moment to try it for myself.  I was worried it would be too messy or take too long for a class setting but I think it worked out well!

  The trick to this one is to ink up the Woodland embossing folder on the side where the trees are recessed.  On my folder it's the side where the Sizzix logo is printed.

  First step is to press the Soft Sky ink pad directly onto the folder on the side where the trees are recessed.  Then using a brayer roll the ink around the folder to even it out.  

  Now it's time for the trees!  We used Lovely As a Tree because you can't get anymore classic than that pine tree.  Ink it up with Garden Green ink and stamp the tree right over the Soft Sky ink and repeat across the folder varying the heights.

  Now for the crucial part of putting it to cardstock!  Carefully line your cardstock up against the uninked side of the folder and gently close the folder and run it through the Big Shot. To make multiples without having to wash and dry the folder after each imprint just put a piece of paper towel in the folder and put it through the Big Shot again.  If you have stubborn spot you can spritz with a bit of Stampin' Mist and do the paper towel again.  Nice and clean for the next one.

  For the rest of the card we tore a piece of Whisper White and added some Dazzling Diamonds to make some snow.  Using the Two Way glue pen we added some more "snow" onto the branches of the tree.

  The banner is stamped in Versamark and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.  We added a faceted button with a Cherry Cobbler baker's twine bow.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, Oh What Fun

Ink: Soft Sky, Garden Green, Versamark

Paper: Sahara Sand, Soft Sky, Whisper White

Accessories: Woodland embossing folder, White embossing powder, Dazzling Diamonds, faceted button, Cherry Cobbler baker's twine, brayer

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Simple Snowflake - Stampin' Up! Holly Jolly Greetings

  Back to real life on this Monday morning!  Cold and rainy and getting up in the dark was a big shock this morning for our family.  No one wanted to get moving to start another week.  We got a bit lazy over the Thanksgiving break I think...lots of fantastic food, fabulous warm weather and good times with family.

  But there was some time for stamping so I decided to play along with the Freshly Made Sketches challenge that's closing in a few hours so I'm just in the nick of time.  Using challenges really helps me this time to year to come up with some more Christmas card designs when time can be a bit short.

   I wanted to use up some precut pieces of the Kraft cardstock that I had leftover from a class project from earlier in the year.  I like the the combo of Kraft, white and a little splash of shiny red.  There is a little bit of sponging on the edge of the Kraft panel with Whisper White craft ink.

  The large snowflake, little specks of snow and "Christmas" are embossed in white and the mini snowflakes are retired sequins just glued on.

  I cut out the Merry using the Christmas Greetings thinlets and the red foil paper.  And the ribbon is the classic 5/8" Organza ribbon which adds a little bit of extra shine.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Holly Jolly Greetings

Ink: Versamark, Whisper White craft

Paper: Whisper White thick, Kraft cardstock, Red foil paper

Accessories: Christmas Greetings thinlets, organza ribbon, candy dots, dimensionals, white embossing powder, snowflake sequins (retired), corner rounder 

  

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Cardinal & Gray Christmas - Fab Friday 78

  Welcome to another Fab Friday challenge!  I hope you had your fill of good food and time with friends and family yesterday!  Maybe you have the day off of work and can sit down and stamp with our challenge today!

 Check out this sketch:

  Since I need to get going on my Christmas cards I went with the sketch as shown but I'm curious to see what other shapes you are going to use on your card that aren't tree shapes. And maybe not even a Christmas theme.

  I saw this picture of bedding from The Company Store and thought, "Hey I have a tree stamp like that!  And those colors are cool together!"  And I think I also like this color combination because they are my college's colors: Cardinal & Gray.  I'm always partial to grays and deep reds together.

    It was fun creating the background panel.  I stamped the Hardwood background in Smoky Slate and then layered on the stars using the Stars decorative mask and sponge daubers.  Some stars are sponged in Smoky Slate ink and others in Whisper White Craft ink.  Then I cut a quick stencil using the smallest of the Stars framelits and sponged a few larger hearts in silver ink.  The silver stars are very subtle but when they catch the light just right add a nice bit of shine.

  The banner is retired Cherry Cobbler linen ribbon from a few years back of which I'm trying to use up the excess that I bought so I think I may make a few more of this design.

  One tree is stamped in Smoky Slate onto Shimmery White cardstock and punched with the Tree punch.   The second tree is also punched from Shimmer White but then run through the Big Shot using the Softly Falling embossing folder.

  I layered some silver thread behind the trees for some more subtle sparkle.  The sentiment is from the Holly Jolly Greetings stamp set.  I embossed it in white onto Smoky Slate cardstock and then punched it out with the 1 3/8" circle punch.  It is layered on top of a slightly larger circle cut with the Circles framelits.  The Glimmer paper is the retired silver color but the current silver or Dazzling Diamonds colors would be great as well.

  The star on top of the white tree is also punched from the same retired silver Glimmer paper.  You can see in this photo how all the elements are layered.  Some are popped up with more than one layer of dimensional.

 I hope you'll be able to play along with our challenge at Fab Friday.  Remember you have 2 weeks!

 Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Festival of Trees, Hardwood background, Holly Jolly Greetings

Ink: Smoky Slate, Whisper White craft, Versamark

Paper: Smoky Slate, Shimmery White, Silver Glimmer paper (retired style)

Accessories: Hearts & Stars decorative masks, linen ribbon, circle punch, star punch, Softly Falling e.f., white embossing powder, circles framelits, stars framelits, silver thread, dimensionals, Tree punch

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Coffee Cup Gift Card Holder - Stampin' Up! Holly Jolly Greetings

  As much as we all want to make our Christmas gifts personalized sometimes there just isn't time and a gift card will just have to do.  Or someone REALLY likes coffee so you want to get them a Starbucks gift card but you don't want to give it to them in the chintzy little folder that comes with the gift card.

  I designed this gift card holder after noticing that the window sill/mantlepiece framelit in the Hearth & Home Framelit set looked an awful lot like a lid to a disposable coffee cup.  Just flip it upside down!

  I then went about creating a tracing template that was the right size to fit the "lid" and also would hold a gift card.

  When we did one last week at my stamp club my ladies teased about it not being "The Red Cup"!  Lol!  We made the white version in class and I had the Crumb Cake version to show it with the white Corrugated paper cuff.  I love that Corrugated Paper!

  The white one uses Thick Whisper White cardstock for the base and the Crumb Cake/kraft Corrugated paper for the cuff.   I designed a quick template to trace and then cut out with the paper trimmer for nice crisp edges.  Next we stamped stars across the front in Real Red using the cute background stamp from Holly Jolly Greetings.

  We simply decorated the cuff with a scallop circle of Merry Moments DSP, stamped and punched "Joy" also from Holly Jolly Greetings, a metal rimmed pearl and a little 1/8" striped ribbon flag finish off the embellishment.  The cuff slides off of the cup just like real life!

  We cut 2 of the mantlepiece/window sill pieces out of Thick Whisper White and adhered one to the front of the cup and the second one was attached to the Old Olive sleeve that holds the gift card and slips into the top of the cup.

  The cup is about 4 1/2" tall and about 3 inches wide.  It fits well into our regular envelopes and is a great way to jazz up a gift card.  And you can easily change out the color scheme to account for a birthday or just thinking of you.  It doesn't have to be just for Christmas.

  Don't forget Stampin' Up! is having their Online Extravaganza from now until next Monday.  Head over to my online store to do some shopping and if you use HOST CODE: PBAUSA7T I will enter you to win some free products!  I have an exclusive host stamp set (Best Thoughts) and DSP (Color Me Irresistible) to give away.  And if you're a new to me customer I will send you a Cardstock Sample ring with all of the Stampin' Up! color collections included.  Even the In Colors!  Shop now and don't miss out on these great deals!

 Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Holly Jolly Greetings

Ink: Real Red

Paper: Whisper White, Corrugated paper, Old Olive, Merry Moments DSP

Accessories: Hearth & Home Thinlets, scallop circle punch, oval punch, metal rimmed pearls, 1/8" striped ribbon, dimensionals

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Peace Ornament - Stampin' Up! Christmas Greeting Thinlets

   It was a bit brisk on my walk this morning; frost on the grass, birds huddled up in the trees and all of us faithful walkers and runners bundled up against the chill.  Now that my fingers have thawed out and I've got the pot roast going in the crock pot it's time to share a Christmas card.

  We made this card at the October stamp club and while there isn't any stamping we used lots of fun tools to put this one together.

  The Softly Falling embossing folder was used on the background panel.  It is such a nice subtle look and I am so happy that it is returning in our spring catalog. I think it would be fun to use on Easter egg shapes!  

  The ornament is made with my favorite double use framelit set Balloon.  I've used it to make a few ornament cards already and I think I see more in my future!  Check this one out for more inspiration.

 Before cutting out the top balloon/ornament we punched the Pool Party cardstock with the Stars border punch. Then we cut another ornament out of Gold Glimmer paper.

  A little sponging along the edges helps define and give more depth to the ornament and then we layered the Gold Glimmer paper behind it using Tear Tape to adhere them together.  We used more Glimmer paper to cut out the word Peace with the Christmas Greeting thinlets.  Add a bit of gold cord to make a hanger and a bow.

  All of this is layered over a piece of Very Vanilla Subtle Stripe ribbon.   This is such a shimmery pretty card and I'm so glad I got to make a few extras for my Christmas card stash.  Go ahead and cut into that Gold Glimmer paper!  I promise it will be awesome!

  Don't forget Stampin' Up! is having their Online Extravaganza from now until next Monday.  Head over to my online store to do some shopping and if you use HOST CODE: PBAUSA7T I will enter you to win some free products!  I have an exclusive host stamp set (Best Thoughts) and DSP (Color Me Irresistible) to give away.  And if you're a new to me customer I will send you a Cardstock Sample ring with all of the Stampin' Up! color collections included.  Even the In Colors!  Shop now and don't miss out on these great deals!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: None

Ink: Pool Party

Paper: Pool Party, Very Vanilla, Gold Glimmer paper

Accessories: Christmas Greetings thinlets, Balloon framelits, gold cord, dimensionals, Very Vanilla Stripe ribbon,  Softly Falling e.f., Stars border punch, corner rounder punch

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Thankful for You - Stampin' Up! Sheltering Tree

  I think I've finally hit the bottom of the barrel with seasonal fall cards in my files.  We made this a few weeks ago at stamp club.  I totally got inspiration from this card I found on Pinterest.  I just changed out the colors.  It was such a cool design with the leaves on the edges.  I called it the oversized spotlighting technique since instead of just one small spot it was most of the image.

  Even though Sheltering Tree has been out for a while people still get surprised at what great cards you can make with it.  It covers all four seasons and so many occasions.

  Dig out all of your thankful/Thanksgiving/fall cards and pop them in the mail to your loved ones today.  My stack of cards is all addressed and stamped and ready to go.  Don't be stingy with your cards people!  Make someone's day!

  Also, today is the first day of the week long Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza Sale.  There are so many great items being offered at a discount up to 50% off.  To do some shopping for yourself or to check some people off your Christmas shopping list head over to my My Online Store and click shop now to get started.  If you place an order use Host Code: PBAUSA7T to be entered in a drawing for free products.  If you are a brand new customer to me I will also send you a cardstock color swatch ring as a thank you from me!  All colors from the color collections included!  Make sure to not check the box about not wanting contact as then I can't see your information.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sheltering Tree

Ink: Old Olive, Crushed Curry, Tangelo Twist, Soft Suede

Paper: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede

Accessories: dimensionals, candy dots

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Leaf Collage - Stampin' Up Vintage Leaves

  The maple trees in my front yard are finally changing and they look gorgeous! Nice bright reddish orange.  And since the sun is finally shinning after a few cloudy days they look even better.

  Since our fall days are almost gone I'm trying to share the last few seasonal cards I have in my files.  I made this card a while back and it fits in with my maple theme today!

  I didn't use quite as much red on my card as my real maple leaves but it's not too far off.  I cut a maple leaf out with the Leaflet Framelits and used the negative as a stencil and sponged the leaf in Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze and a tiny bit of Cherry Cobble on the edges.

  Next I stamped the smaller leaves right over the top in Tip Top Taupe ink.

  The sentiment is small and simple to keep the focus on the leaves.  A bit of lace trim, thick vanilla baker's twine and a pearl finish this card off.  

  I have created quite a few fall cards lately and on my agenda for today is to get a bunch written out and mailed to family and friends who we won't be seeing next week for Thanksgiving.  Even though they'll get a card in a few weeks for Christmas I want to let them know how thankful we are to know them.  

  Don't let your cards sit in a box waiting for the perfect time to send them.  Get them addressed and mailed out today!  No excuses!

Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Vintage Leaves, And Many More

Ink: Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler, Tip Top Taupe

Paper: Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla, Tip Top Taupe

Accessories: Leaflets Framelits, Lace trim, baker's twine, pearl, dimensionals

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Night Sky Village - Stampin' Up! Jingle All the Way

  Goodness am I behind in blogging!  I keep telling my stamping ladies that our class projects will be up on the blog to jog their memories of techniques, colors etc. but I can't seem to make the time to sit down and write them up!

  The card for today was just a quick card I made as a sample to show off the Sleigh Ride Edgelits and coordination Jingle All the Way stamp set a few months back.

  I used the Northern Lights sponging technique that I used on this card from a while back.

  Using a bit of emboss resist to get the snow falling down.  Just emboss before sponging on the ink.

  The edge of the village die cut has a thin layer of Dazzling Diamond.  And don't mind the leaning houses!  It is either very windy in this particular village or they are very old structures and taking on some lean in their old age!

  The sentiment is stamped in Rich Razzleberry.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Jingle All the Way

Ink: Versamark, Rich Razzleberry, Night of Navy

Paper: Whisper White

Accessories: Sleigh Ride Edgelits, Dazzling Diamonds, white embossing powder, dimensionals

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

More Fall Leaves - Stampin' Up! Leaflet Framelits - Fab Friday 77

  There is not much more time left to make fall cards!  The leaves are dropping like crazy here in Central VA and I imagine they are mostly gone the more north you go.  And I heard something about snow in other parts of the country??!!  I like snow and winter but let's not rush things too much.

  To help you out with a few more autumn cards before it's too late the Fab Friday Challenge has a wonderful color challenge this time around.  And I'm looking forward to seeing what cards are made with these colors that aren't fallish.  It was all I could see when I made my card so I'm hoping to get more inspiration!

  Here is my no doubt about it fall card:

   I cut out the leaf shapes with the Leaflets framelits using the Kraft cardstock, rounded the corners and then stamped the Hardwood background in Crumb Cake ink.  The background is very light as I stamped it off once.  I like how it gives a nice faded look.  The edges are also sponged in Crumb Cake.

 To make the leaf colors I simply brushed them onto small scraps of watercolor paper and dried it with my heat gun.

  Once I attached the watercolor paper behind the leaf openings I carefully stamped the coordinating leaf image inside.  The photopolymer stamps make it easy to line up.  I also stamped off once for each stamp so they ended up not full crisp images just like the background.

  The sentiment from Good Greetings is stamped in Blackberry Bliss and punched with the Decorative Label punch.  Linen thread, a scrap of Very Vanilla seam binding and gold baker's twine finish off the sentiment.  I added some gold sequins around the leaves to tie in the twine and add some sparkle.

 I hope you'll check out the rest of the Fab Friday Design Team cards and play along with your own creation!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Vintage Leaves, Hardwood, Good Greetings (retired hostess set)

Ink: Blackberry Bliss, Cajun Craze, Hello Honey, Crumb Cake

Paper: Very Vanilla, watercolor paper, Kraft cardstock

Accessories: linen thread, gold baker's twine, Decorative Label punch, Leaflet framelits, sequins, corner rounder, Very Vanilla seam binding (retired)

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Thankful Fall Leaves - Stampin' Up! Vintage Leaves

  Today's card is one we made last month at stamp club.  As we come up on the end of the year holidays and are reminded of all the things we have to be thankful for I like to have some projects at class that reflect the season.

  As with yesterday's card  this one doesn't need a lot of fancy supplies.  It's what we in the biz call a SIP card.  That means Stamps, Ink, Paper.  No fancy die cutting (though we do love our Big Shots!), no fancy ribbon or over the top embellishments.  Just basic supplies.

  While you can make a beautiful SIP card with fancy techniques just using stamps, ink and paper this one is also a CAS (clean and simple) card.  And that means you can crank a bunch of these out in no time at all! Go ahead and stamp a whole sheet of Whisper White cardstock with the leaves, covering it all up and then cut it up in the size/sizes you need and add to a card front.  Done deal....you have Thanksgiving cards to send to family and friends!

  The colors used for the leaves are Cherry Cobbler, Smoky Slate and Delightful Dijon.  The leaf layer is backed by a slightly larger piece of Basic Gray for contrast against the thick Whisper White card base.

  The sentiment layer has one Delightful Dijon leaf stamped off once with the sentiment from And Many More stamped in Smoky Slate.  This layer is popped up with dimensionals across the card front.

  You can't get any easier than that!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Vintage Leaves, And Many More

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Smoky Slate, Delightful Dijon

Paper: Whisper White thick, Basic Gray

Accessories: dimensionals

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Purple Flower Birthday - Stampin' Up! Garden in Bloom

  I made this card a few weeks ago for my Mother-in-laws birthday.  She loves purple so I always try to incorporate some purple into cards I make for her.

  I used the Garden in Bloom stamp set to make this clean and simple (CAS) card.  The trick to this one is to stamp the flower and outline 3 times without reinking so you get 3 levels of color.

  I used Rich Razzleberry ink and then cut each flower out and popped it up with a dimensional.  The Happy Birthday is embossed in black embossing powder and is from the Remembering Your Birthday set.

  I added a small rhinestone to each flower center because really who doesn't like a bit of bling on their birthday!?

Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Garden in Bloom, Remembering Your Birthday

Ink: Rich Razzleberry,Versamark

Paper: Whisper White thick

Accessories: dimesionals, rhinestones, black embossing powder

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog