Snowflake Cutout - Stampin' Up! Snowflake Wishes

   I know I said I was finished making Christmas cards but my husband remembered one that he needed so I dug through my pile of card parts and came up with a bunch of snowflakes that I had die cut but never used on other projects to see what I could come up with.

  I used the Freshly Made Sketches layout for my inspiration though I think my final results might be a bit fussy for their clean takes.

  I liked this sketch because it was a larger center panel that I could use the big snowflake cut out die from the So Many Snowflakes dies which I don't think I used nearly enough.  

  The card base is Whisper White thick, then a layer of Snowflake Splendor DSP.  I die cut 2 scalloped rectangles using the Stitched So Sweetly dies; one in Whisper White and the other in Balmy Blue Glimmer paper.  Next I cut the big snowflake in the Whisper White panel. Using tear tape in the corners I adhered the Whisper White rectangle to the Glimmer paper one so all that lovely shimmery blue shines through.

  To keep with the sketch I added two little pieces of Misty Moonlight to the sides and then adhered the whole panel to the card front with dimensionals.  The 2 snowflakes are added; one in Balmy Blue Glimmer paper and the other in stamped off once Misty Moonlight.

  The sentiment from Banner Years stamped in Misty Moonlight and then flagged.  A silver/white baker's twine bow adds a bit of shine to it.  The final item is the faceted gem in Seaside Spray in the center of the righthand snowflake.

  I made a few more of this design just changing out a few things like the DSP, the snowflakes using what I had already cut and adding a new sentiment to make the card for New Years.  The sentiment comes from a set in the upcoming Jan.-June Mini catalog called Many Messages.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snowflake Wishes, Banner Year (card #2 Many Messages)

Ink: Misty Moonlight (card #2 Misty Moonlight & Balmy Blue)

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Misty Moonlight, Snowflake Splendor DSP, Balmy Blue Glimmer

Accessories: Stitched So Sweetly dies, So Many Snowflakes dies, dimensionals, faceted gem, white/silver baker's twine (retired)

Sweet Strawberry New Year Wish - Stampin' Up! Sweet Strawberry

   Happy Friday!  The team at Fab Friday has a fun challenge to finish out 2020!  We hope you've had fun playing along with us this past year and we look forward to seeing you in 2021 which hopefully will be a much better year!

  Don't panic over the 5 colors lol!  Ok well maybe panic a bit but then get to work.  I had a bit of a rough start and thought I would go with a Christmas card but then went in a different direction!

  Thank goodness for inspiration from new supplies!  I received my pre-order on Tuesday and the Sweet Strawberry set seemed like it would fit the bill for these colors!  I decided to do a New years card for a fresh start and I always forget to send some people Christmas cards so they get a New Years card in return!

  Card starts with a Seaside Spray In Color DSP and then a piece of Whisper White cut with a Stitched Rectangle die.  I stamped the flower/leaf stamp all over and then colored them in with ink pads and a blender pen.  The white space was then filled in with the Seaside Spray light Blends marker.

  I stamped my strawberries in Poppy Parade and then stems in Shaded Spruce and punched them out with the Strawberry Builder punch.  I adhered them to a Stitched Shape circle in Whisper White with the top one popped with a dimensonal.

  The sentiment is stamped in Versamark and embossed in white and layered to side of the circle.  The final touch is the green baker's twine bow.

  Looking forward to seeing how creative you all get with these colors!  Be sure to share them in our gallery and take a peek at the rest of the Fab Friday Design Team samples.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sweet Strawberry, Good Greetings (retired)

Ink: Memento black, Poppy Parade, Blushing Bride, Shaded Spruce, Pear Pizzazz, Versamark

Blends: Seaside Spray light

Paper: 2019-2021 In Color DSP, Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Stitched Shapes dies, Strawberry Builder punch, white embossing folder, dimensionals, baker's twine

Floral Sympathy - Stampin' Up! Sweet Strawberry

   Sympathy cards are never fun to make or send but this year and especially so near to Christmas make it even harder.  I wish I had a happier card to share this new stamp set but it was a happy accident that I had the 'coming soon' new Sweet Strawberry on my stamp desk when I pulled out some retired vellum paper and realized that the little flowers in this stamp set are a close match to the flowers on the vellum.  Stop back tomorrow for a happier card using this set.

  I let the retired Floral Romance Specialty paper do all the heavy lifting for this design adhering it to a Whisper White thick card base.  A Pear Pizzazz/Old Olive?? baker's twine bow goes around the base.

  The sentiment from Here's A Card is stamped in Mossy Meadow on Whisper White and die cut with the Tasteful Labels dies and popped on dimensionals.  I added a Blackberry Bliss flower from the Sweet Strawberry set and then punched out 2 more stamped in Blushing Bride and popped on with a dimensional.

  A simple and easy card which in no way can convey all my sympathy.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sweet Strawberry, Here's A Card

Ink: Mossy Meadow, Blushing Bride, Blackberry Bliss

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Floral Romance Specialty DSP (retired)

Accessories: Tasteful Labels dies, Strawberry Builder punch, dimensionals, baker's twine

New Year Snowflakes - Stampin' Up! Snowflake Wishes

   Big news for me today!  I've been asked to join The Paper Players challenge as a guest designer for 2021.  It's such an honor to have been asked to join this talented group!  They have fun and varied challenges and I'm looking forward to stretching my creativity to keep up with their high bar (and the weekly format).  Any reason to 'have' to do some stamping is a good thing!

  To celebrate I'm playing along with The Paper Players last challenge of 2020 which is a fantastic color challenge, silver, white and black!

  Now that I've mailed out all my Christmas cards it's time to look forward so I decided to design a Happy New Years card and of course the Snowflake Wishes set is perfect for a crisp clean look with these challenge colors.

  The card starts with a Whisper White thick base then a layer of Whisper White embossed with the Winter Snow embossing folder.  I sponged some silver ink around the edge for a bit of definition.

  Using the Layering Circles dies I cut a Basic Black ring and then layered my silver ink stamped snowflakes around it with dimensionals.  I added on smaller snowflake cut from the retired Galvanized Metal cardstock.

  The banner is stamped and embossed with a long retired stamp from the Good Greetings stamp set.  I popped it with dimensionals and added a black bakers twine bow.

  The last touches are the iridescent sequins for a bit of shine.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snowflake Wishes, Good Greetings (retired)

Ink: Silver, Versamark

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Basic Black, Galvanized Metallic cardstock (retired)

Accessories: Layering Circles dies, So Many Snowflakes dies, Winter Snow embossing folder, black embossing powder, dimensionals, black baker's twine, sequins (retired)

Festive Post Background - Stampin' Up! Tree Angle

   The problem with Stampin' Up! having so many great Christmas themed Designer Series Papers is that it's hard to choose which one to use!  I bought way too much paper from this Mini Catalog and while I've used it a lot I still have a lot left.  My card today uses a lot of patterns but not necessarily a lot of paper...baby steps I guess!

  The card starts with a Mossy Meadow card base then I used a piece of Whisper White to layer my Rectangular Postage punch pieces.  The Heartwarming Hugs DSP has lovely smaller scaled patterns that are perfect to mix and match with.  You can't quite fit 3 punches across so I just trimmed off the overhang with my paper snips for clean edges.

  The larger label from Tasteful Label dies is a great base for my Tree Angle Christmas tree stamped in Mossy Meadow on Pear Pizzazz.  The trunk is stamped in Soft Suede right onto the label and the tree is popped on dimensionals.  A Real Red bakers twine bow goes across the label.

  The 'merry' is stamped in Versamark and embossed in gold.  The sentiment is from Curvy Christmas and I just trimmed off the the 'Christmas' part to make the banner narrow.

  The star is die cut with the Stitched Stars dies using the gold Brushed Metallic cardstock.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Tree Angle, Curvy Christmas

Ink: Mossy Meadow, Versamark, Soft Suede

Paper: Mossy Meadow, Whisper White, Heartwarming Hugs DSP, Pear Pizzazz, Real Read, Brushed Metallic cardstock

Accessories: Rectangular Postage Stamp punch, Tasteful Label dies, gold embossing powder, Real Red baker's twine, Stitched Stars dies, Stitched Triangle dies, dimensionals

Welcome Birds - Stampin' Up! Free As A Bird

   My Christmas cards went out in the mail today so I think I need to start working on some Happy New Year cards though I may still sneak a Christmas card in here and there in the next few weeks as I never know when I'll have a bit of inspiration hit me!

  For today I'm sharing a card I made a few weeks ago to welcome some new neighbors to the the 'hood.  I had a bit of coloring therapy with these sweet birds.

  The card base is Whisper White thick, and a layer of Peaceful Poppies DSP, then 2 square vellum doilies on opposite corners.  The birds are stamped in Memento black and colored in with blends and die cut with the Stitched So Sweetly dies. The bird panel is popped on dimensionals.

  The Welcome from Well Said is stamped in Crumb Cake on Crumb Cake cardstock and trimmed to a flagged, tied with a linen thread bow and popped with more dimensionals.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Free as a Bird, Well Said

Ink: Memento black, Crumb Cake

Blends: Soft Suede light & dark, Old Olive light & dark, Pumpkin Pie dark, Mango Melody dark, Ivory, Crumb Cake light

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Peaceful Poppies DSP (retired), Crumb Cake

Accessories: vellum doilies, linen thread, Stitched So Sweetly dies, dimensionals

Party Pineapple - Stampin' Up! Cute Fruit

   Even in the midst of Christmas card activity we still have family birthdays to celebrate.  So my card today is a fun, silly, bright birthday card that has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas or winter.

  I used the Freshly Made Sketches as an inspiration for the layout.  I didn't do an actual tag but I think the spirit of the main shape still shows up.

  That Magenta Madness huh? It's a super bright pink that honestly I've had a hard time using since it came out this summer.  I'm just not a pink kinda girl so it's a struggle sometimes to use it unless it's a color in a challenge.  I thought it would work well as a color for this birthday design and it actually pairs nicely with the Just Jade & Bumblebee of the pineapple.

  No crazy techniques or anything.  The pineapple is stamped and then fussy cut.  The sentiment is stamped and then colored in with the Magenta Madness Blends.  The tag panel and pineapple are popped on dimensionals.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Cute Fruit, Many Mates

Ink: Memento black, Just Jade, Bumblebee

Blends: Magenta Madness light & dark

Paper: Magenta Madness, Whisper White, 2020-2022 In Color DSP

Accessories: Stitched Nested Labels dies, crinkled seam binding ribbon, In Color enamel dots, dimensionals

Christmas Gifts - Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Christmas

   There is no end of inspiration out there for making Christmas cards so I just can't stop making them.  The Paper Players have a fun "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" challenge that I wanted to play along with.  I took a bit of inspiration right from their challenge graphic (seen at the bottom of this post) as I used the gift box with the beautiful red bow and silver glitter background.

  There isn't much stamping on this card but I enjoyed using these papers to create these gift boxes with fun glittery bows.

  The card base is Whisper White thick, then a layer of silver printed vellum.  The boxes are put together with Sahara Sand cardstock and a nice star pattern DSP from the Classic Christmas DSP that is part of the Curvy Celebrations/Curvy Christmas suite.  This is also a good design for using up some smaller scraps of both DSP and cardstock.

  I used some Cherry Cobbler (or is it Merry Merlot??) Glimmer paper for the bows.  The Wreath Builder die set has a nice bow die that is just the right size for my boxes.

 The mini tags are stamped and embossed with silver and then hand trimmed with paper snips to get them just right size-wise.

  The bows and the smaller box are popped with dimensionals.

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Itty Bitty Christmas

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Whisper White thick, silver printed vellum (retired), Sahara Sand, Classic Christmas DSP, Cherry Cobbler(Merry Merlot?) Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: Wreath Builder dies, silver embossing powder, dimensionals

Christmas Snowstorm - Stampin' Up! Snowflake Wishes

   We had our first snow fall of the season on Monday.  It was pretty to look at and I enjoyed my morning walk to the park in it.  It was a nice change of pace to the sameness of every day.  At least I can feel ok with using my Snowflake Wishes set as once it snows for real it's winter right?

  My card today uses the fun color challenge at TGIF Challenges.   We're to use Highland Heather, Balmy Blue and Smoky Slate.  My card ended up a bit busier than I intended so that's why I'm calling it a snowstorm!

  The card starts with a Smoky Slate background.  Using the same color Stampin' Write marker I made lines across the card front for a fun striped look.

  On Whisper White I stamped all the snowflakes using the challenge colors with some being stamped off for a lighter looker.  I sponged the edge of the panel with Balmy Blue before adding 2 little strips of Snowflake Splendor DSP to the top and bottom and adhering it.

  The sentiment from Banner Year is embossed in silver onto a strip of Highland Heather cardstock.

  I had some fun with Glimmer paper and cut 3 different snowflakes and mounted them to Whisper White circles sponged with Balmy Blue.  All the snowflake circles are popped on dimensionals.

  It's a busy card but not hard!  You could make a whole sheet of the stamped snowflakes and cut them to make a variety of different designs.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snowflake Wishes, Banner Year

Ink: Smoky Slate, Balmy Blue, Highland Heather, Versamark

Paper: Smoky Slate, Whisper White, Snowflake Splendor DSP, Balmy Blue Glimmer paper, Silver Glimmer paper (retired), Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: marker, So Many Snowflakes dies, Layering Circles dies, silver embossing powder, dimensionals

Sparkly Snowflakes - Stampin' Up! Snowflake Wishes

   I'm still plugging away with my Christmas cards.  I'll be getting the photos of the boys that I want to include in them soon so I'll have to stop making the cards and actually get them mailed out!  But for now I'm still finding fun ways of using these snowflakes from the Snowflake Wishes bundle.

  I've used the cool sketch challenge that they have over at CAS(e) This Sketch.  I thought it was a fun design to have all of the elements at the top of the card.

 This one is pretty basic with 2 kinds of embossing and a little sparkle added with some retired Glimmer paper.  And how cool does the Snowflake Splendor DSP look cut into strips like this.  I used one piece and just cut it into even strips but you could easily mix and match patterns too.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snowflake Wishes

Ink: Misty Moonlight, Versamark

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Misty Moonlight, Snowflake Splendor DSP, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper (retired)

Accessories: Subtle embossing folder, So Many Snowflakes dies, In Color enamel dots, dimensionals, Shimmer White embossing powder (retired)

Gold & Black Christmas - Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Christmas

   I've been really inspired this past week by the challenge blogs that I follow.  It seems that every time I saw a new challenge posted I immediately had a card idea I wanted to try.

  My card today is inspired by the inspiration photo over at The Card Concept.  I loved the vanilla, black and gold look and thought I would give it a go.  I had to dig through some retired products to find what I was looking for but in the end I think I ended up with the style that they would consider Classy and Elegant.

  My card starts with a Very Vanilla thick card base, then a layer of Basic Black.  Next I dug through my DSP scraps and found this music note pattern from the retired This Christmas pack.  After looking through my current stamp sets I didn't really have any that jumped out at me for this challenge so I pulled out the looooonnnnggg retired Print Pattern background stamp and inked it up with gold ink and stamped it onto the DSP.  It's a perfect match to the diamond pattern in the inspiration photo.

  I embossed a strip of Basic Black with the Parisian Flourish embossing folder to pull in some texture.

  To make the gold Christmas ornament ball I cut a circle from gold Brushed Metallic cardstock.  To make the little hanger bit at the top I used the tip of the vase builder punch and trimmed it and adhered it to the back of the circle.  I added a doily to the back for a little extra detail.  I think it's leftover from a retired tag kit from a few years back??  The ornament is tied with a Very Vanilla baker's twine and popped on dimensionals.

  I cut a narrow strip of black glimmer paper to go across the ornament and then embossed and die cut the sentiment.

  This was a fun challenge to do and I feel virtuous for using up some retired stuff!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Itty Bitty Christmas, Print Pattern (retired)

Ink: gold, Versamark

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Brushed Metallic cardstock, Black Glimmer paper, This Christmas DSP (retired)

Accessories: Layering Circles dies, Vase Builder punch, Parisian Flourish embossing folder, doily, black embossing powder, Very Vanilla bakers twine, dimensionals

Time to Get a Tree - Stampin' Up! Festive Post

 I don't usually post on the weekends but I've had a productive few days in my stamp room and have a bunch of cards to show.  Since time is running short to make and mail your own cards I figured you would want as much inspiration as you can get!

  I'm playing along with the Just Add Ink challenge which is to use Real Read, Pear Pizzazz and Mossy Meadow.

  Every year it seems we have to pick out our Christmas tree earlier and earlier so as to not miss out on the BIG trees.  This year we picked ours out before Thanksgiving but were able to leave it at the greenhouse for a week before bringing it home.  I love the little car image in the Festive Post stamp set that has the tree strapped on top!

   This design is pretty basic but I like it because with the split layout I can show off 2 different paper patterns from the Heartwarming Hugs DSP which has the exact challenge colors.  The card starts with a nice neutral card base in Crumb Cake.  The DSP panels are adhered to a Whisper White Stitched Rectangle die for a bit of detail.

  Across the seam of paper I added a Mossy Meadow strip with a bit of Real Red baker's twine tied with a bow.

  The car and tree combo was stamped twice.  Once in Real Red which is cut with a Stitched Shape circle.  The second time the car/tree was stamped in Mossy Meadow and the tree is filled in with Pear Pizzazz and then fussy cut so I could add the tree to the Real Red car and then finally pop the finished circle up with dimensionals on the card front.

  Besides the fussy cutting of the tree (which actually doesn't take very long as it's a small tree!) this is a quick card and you could make multiples and change out the pairings of DSP for lots of fun combos.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Festive Post

Ink: Real Red, Pear Pizzazz, Mossy Meadow

Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Mossy Meadow, Heartwarming Hugs DSP

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Stitched Shapes dies, dimensionals, Real Red baker's twine (retired)

Festive Wreath - Stampin' Up! Wreath Builder Dies

 Happy Friday stampers!  Are you ready for a weekend of stamping?  Fab Friday has a new challenge to get your creativity going.  It's a sketch challenge this time and it's sure to give you lots of ideas....check out that circle element! 

 I went with Christmas of course!  I counted up my cards I don't think I have quite enough yet so I'll be plugging away this weekend so I have what I need.

   I have been really liking the Just Jade, Shaded Spruce and Real Red combo for traditional Christmas colors and thought it would be perfect for a nice festive Christmas wreath.

  I started with a Shaded Spruce base and then a layer of 'Tis the Season DSP.  Next is a panel of Whisper White embossed with the Dainty Diamonds embossing folder.  I thought it echoed the plaid nicely.  The little flag is also from 'Tis the Season DSP.

  The wreath is 2 layers of Just Jade cut with the Wreath Builder dies.  I staggered the placement and adhered it to the card front with mini dimensionals. To decorate my wreath I cut 3 snowflakes from Brushed Metallic cardstock and placed them around the wreath.  A sheer Real Red ribbon bow is added as well.  A few gold sequins are added to spread the gold to the rest of the card.

  Finally, I stamped the sentiment from Itty Bitty Christmas in Shaded Spruce, trimmed the ends and popped it on dimensionals.

  Check out the Fab Friday Design Team to see how they were inspired to use this sketch!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Itty Bitty Christmas

Ink: Shaded Spruce

Paper: Shaded Spruce, Whisper White, Just Jade, 'Tis the Season DSP, Brushed Metallic cardstock

Accessories: Dainty Diamonds embossing folder, Wreath Builder dies, So Many Snowflakes dies, Real Red sheer ribbon, dimensionals, sequins (retired)

Classic Christmas Greenery - Stampin' Up! Forever Fern

   It wasn't hard to play along with the TGIF Challenges this week which is Christmas.  It was hard to narrow down what sort of Christmas card I wanted to do though.  I decided to use some rustic wood DSP and do a more traditional greenery grouping with a bit of gold for some subtle shine.

  I started with a Mossy Meadow base and then added a layer of Merry Merlot.  I always like the Merry Merlot color but seldom reach for it for some reason.  It's a nice burgundy alternative to Cherry Cobbler and pairs well with Mossy Meadow.   On top of the Merry Merlot I used a piece of In Good Taste DSP in a nice rustic wood grain.

  I had a nice narrow strip of Brushed Gold Metallic cardstock so I used that and then layered my various stamped and cut sprigs on top and to the side.  I used some Pear Pizzazz cardstock and Mossy Meadow ink for 2 and then an all Mossy Meadow one.  The largest one in the back is cut from a piece of Heartwarming Hugs DSP for a bit of pattern.

  Next, the sentiment from Itty Bitty Christmas is stamped in Versamark and embossed in gold.  I used the fancy circle die from the Tasteful Label dies for some extra detail.  A burlap ribbon flag was added behind to keep with the slightly rustic feel of the card.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Forever Fern, Itty Bitty Christmas

Ink: Mossy Meadow, Versamark

Paper: Mossy Meadow, Merry Merlot, Pear Pizzazz, In Good Taste DSP, Heartwarming Hugs DSP, Brushed Metallic Gold cardstock

Accessories: Forever Flourishing dies, Tasteful Label dies, gold embossing powder, dimensionals, burlap ribbon (retired)

Non-Traditonal Snowflakes - Stampin' Up! Snowflake Wishes

   Pinning something on Pinterest can sometimes open up a whole rabbit hole of things you didn't know you needed.  I saw a cool color combination a while back that pulled colors from a plant; very cool. The next thing I knew my feed had tons of color combination arrays from plants, bedding, decorating and so after pinning probably 50 of them I got the colors for my card today.  And now that I have all of these new combos I think Stampin' Up! needs to give us at least 20 new colors right away so I can stamp with them all!

  My card today plays along with the Festive Friday Challenge.  I used purple, snowflakes and metallics.

  My card starts with a Sahara Sand card base with a little sprinkle of snowflakes from Snowflake Wishes stamped in Sahara Sand ink on opposite corners.

  I backed a Stitched Rectangle die cut of the Wonder of the Season Specialty DSP with Blackberry Bliss.  On top of that I added my 3 snowflake die cuts in Just Jade, Blackberry Bliss and Shaded Spruce.  Each snowflake is covered in clear Wink of Stella for extra shimmer.  They are "hung" with gold twine and tied with a bow.

  The sentiment from Itty Bitty Christmas is stamped in gold ink and cut with the Tasteful Labels die and popped with dimensionals.

  You could do a whole series of cards with this design and just change up the snowflake colors and the larger Stitched Rectangle die cut is a nice way to show off a larger piece of the awesome metallic Wonder of the Season DSP which I'm having a hard time using since I don't want to cover up any of it with other elements!  Stamping problems are real I tell you!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Itty Bitty Christmas, Snowflake Wishes

Ink: Sahara Sand, gold

Paper: Sahara Sand, Blackberry Bliss, Shaded Spruce, Just Jade, Wonder of the Season DSP

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, So Many Snowflakes dies, Tasteful Labels dies, Wink of Stell, gold twine (retired), dimensionals

Bold Birthday Poppy - Stampin' Up! Quite Curvy

   I needed a few birthday card for early December birthdays and it was a good excuse to pull out some supplies that have been a bit neglected with all the autumn and Christmas stamping I've been doing. 

   I used the current challenge over at The Paper Players which is a fun tic-tac-toe board.  I chose the top across row; Patterned Paper, Die Cut and Embossing.  A quick and straightforward card.

  

  The patterned paper for the background and the leaves is the retired Peaceful Poppies DSP.  The die cuts are the scalloped rectangle from Stitched So Sweetly dies as well as the Poppy Moments dies for building the poppy and cutting the leaves. For the embossing part I did both dry embossing with then Old World Paper embossing folder and heat embossing for the sentiment.  The sentiment is from the new Quite Curvy set and after embossing it in black I hand trimmed the banner and popped it with dimensionals.  A few adhesive rhinestones just because for the finishing touch.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Quite Curvy

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Poppy Parade, Calypso Coral, Basic Black, Peaceful Poppies DSP (retired)

Accessories: Stitched So Sweetly dies, Poppy Moments dies, Old World Paper embossing folder, black embossing powder, rhinestones, dimensionals

Birthday Fishes - Stampin' Up! Whale Done

   Happy Monday everyone!  After an extra long "weekend" for Thanksgiving it's now time to get back in the swing of a regular week again.  I'm sharing a birthday card today even though I need to keep working on Christmas cards.  

  I made this one for my dad who loves to go fishing as much as possible.  The Whale Done stamp set and Whale of a Time DSP are more ocean fish and he does fresh water fishing but I figured it was close enough.

  I built the card up from the back because I loved this pattern of the fish swirling around.  I used the same colors for the stamping the little fish and bubbles on the Whisper White panel; Just Jade, Honeybee, Calypso Coral and Pacific Point stamped off once.

  On the edge of the Whisper White panel I added a narrow piece of the trimmed off DSP and topped it with a length of braided linen trim stretched and frayed a bit.

  The sentiment is stamped in black and then punched with the Tailored Tag punch.  I added a few white enamel dots from the retired stash and popped it up with dimensionals.

  To balance the card the turtle is fussy cut from another DSP piece and also popped on dimensionals.

 Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Whale Done

Ink: Just Jade, Honeybee, Calypso Coral, Pacific Point, Memento Black

Paper: Whale of a Time DSP, Whisper White, Just Jade

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Tailored Tag punch, Braided Linen Trim, dimensionals, enamel dots (retired)

Golden Snowflakes - Stampin' Up! Snowflake Wishes

   Hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings however you (safely) celebrated!  It was definitely a different kind of holiday than we are used to but we enjoyed it nonetheless.

  On to the stamping because now that we are have passed Thanksgiving it will be heavy on Christmas around these parts.  We already picked out our tree last week and will pick it up and decorate in the next week and the outside decorations have gone up since it was so warm and sunny last week.  It's much nicer to do that work when your fingers aren't freezing off.  So I better get my butt in gear to get finish up the cards!

  I did a fun gold and vanilla combo for this one.

 This one is pretty straightforward with a mix of gold embossing, gold foil and gold ink for the sentiment.  In an effort to not have every one of my cards perfectly centered I went for an off center placement and I kind of like it.  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snowflake Wishes, Curvy Christmas

Ink: Versamark, gold

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Very Vanilla, Brushed Metallic - gold

Accessories: corner rounder, Stitched Shapes dies, So Many Snowflakes dies, gold embossing powder, dimensionals, gold metallic edged ribbon

Snowy Snowman - Stampin' Up! Snowman Season

   I know it's kind of a no brainer to have have snow and snowmen go together but this card was especially fun to put together because I used DSP from this year's mini catalog (Snowflake Splendor) along with a stamp set that was a carry over from last year (Snowman Season).  Sometimes I don't mix and match old and new products very well and just focus on the newest products but I was pleased that the fun layers of this card really lend themselves to multiple patterns which Snowflake Splendor has an abundance of.

  The layout is from the CAS(e) This Sketch challenge and even though there are multiple layers I still think the open space, limited color palette and the minimal embellishments work for a CAS card.

  This card starts with a soft pattern of large snowflakes and it's built up from there using Balmy Blue and Pool Party to carry through the rest of the card.

  The next layer of Snowflake Splendor paper has smaller flakes and is backed with a Whisper White border.  Next is a Balmy Blue Glimmer paper flag.

  The base for the snowman panel is Pool Party cut with a Stitched Square die with has little snowflakes stamped in white craft ink.  I cut a few curvy pieces of Whisper White with the Curvy dies and layered them like snowbanks at the bottom of the square.  I edged the snow with Shimmery Crystal Effects and stamped the Itty Bitty Christmas sentiment in Balmy Blue.  Once it was dry I added my cute stamped and punched snowman with dimensionals.  He is stamped in Smoky Slate and then very lightly colored with Stampin' Blends for just a hint of color in his face and on his outline.  The hat is decorated with an itty bitty Balmy Blue snowflake from the Curvy Christmas stamp set and punched with a small circle punch.

  For a little bit of embellishment but not too much I dug in my retired bits and found some Pool Party sequins and add a few of them with a little rhinestone centers.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snowman Season, Itty Bitty Christmas, Curvy Christmas

Ink: Smoky Slate, Balmy Blue, White craft

Blends: Pumpkin Pie dark, Flirty Flamingo light, Pool Party dark, Basic Black dark

Paper: Snowflake Splendor DSP, Whisper White, Pool Party, Balmy Blue Glimmer paper, Basic Black, Soft Suede

Accessories: Stitched Shapes dies, Curvy dies, Snowman Builder punch, circle punch, Shimmery Crystal Effects, dimensionals, rhinestones, sequins (retired)

Postage Reindeer - Stampin' Up! Festive Post

   I had quite a bit of stamping time on Saturday so I got some more Christmas cards made.  I bought entirely too much of the seasonal DSP from the mini catalog and my only excuse is when I bought it in August? September? I was hoping to be back doing classes again and would need a lot of paper.  Didn't happen, so I have A LOT of Christmas DSP to use or at least use enough of that I don't feel guilty.  I should probably use bigger pieces than I did on this card if I want to use it up in the next 20 years!  Oh well!

  This fun design was inspired by the Freshly Made Sketches challenge which closes shortly but will be one I go back to with different elements soon!

 The card base is Mossy Meadow then the next layer is a piece of Heartwarming Hugs DSP.  I embossed a piece of Whisper White with the Pinewood Planks embossing folder. 

  Using the Rectangular Postage punch I punched 2 other patterns from the same pack and layered them.  Over the top of those I added a Real Red sheer ribbon knot. The reindeer from Festive Post is stamped in Soft Suede and popped up with the dimensionals.  I added a Rudolph nose with a small Real Red gem.

  This is quick and cute card and would be easy to do for multiples.  I'm going to keep this one in my back pocket in case I need to make more at the last minute.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Festive Post

Ink: Soft Suede

Paper: Mossy Meadow, Heartwarming Hugs DSP, Whisper White

Accessories: Pinewood Planks embossing folder, Rectangular Postage punch, dimensionals, Real Red sheer ribbon, Real Reg adhesive gem

Golden Thanksgiving - Stampin' Up! Beautiful Autumn - Fab Friday 202

   Happy Friday!  We have a new challenge at Fab Friday today.  I think you'll like this color combination.  I needed another Thanksgiving card so I saw autumn but I think it's a great masculine birthday combo too.  I can't wait to see what you all come up with! 

 

  I think this will be my last fall card of the season before I hunker down to knock out all of my Christmas projects! 

   I decided to throw some gold in here too.  I've hoarded the Gilded Autumn paper since August and of course now I've decided it's time to use it!  Oh well!

  I started with a Mint Macaron base with some images stamped along the outside edge.  Then a layer of the Gilded Autumn DSP cut with the Curvy Dies.  The large label is cut with the Tasteful Labels dies and a piece of Brushed Gold cardstock.

  I stamped the sentiment in Mint Macaron on a strip of Very Vanilla and then layered that over the label and a piece of retired Mint Macaron ribbon.

  The acorns are stamped in varying strengths of Cinnamon Cider.  The oak leaves are stamped in Bumblebee with the outline in full strength and the centers stamped off once.  After punching them out I arranged them down one side of the label with dimensionals.

  Check out all the gorgeous designs from the Fab Friday Design Team and then share your own creation in our gallery!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Beautiful Autumn, Banner Year

Ink: Mint Macaron, Cinnamon Cider, Bumblebee

Paper: Mint Macaron, Very Vanilla, Brushed Gold foil, Gilded Autumn DSP

Accessories: Curvy dies, Tasteful Labels dies, autumn punch pack, dimensionals, Mint Macaron ribbon (retired)

Banner Christmas - Stampin' Up! Banner Year

 Sometimes the timing matches up with an idea and a challenge.  I was planning to do a Christmas card using strips of DSP and then I saw the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown challenge which is to make a red/green combo Christmas card.  Done and done!

  I definitely let the DSP do the heavy lifting for this card.  This is the perfect design to use up a bunch of narrow strips left from cutting down larger pieces of DSP.  

  I started with a Whisper White thick base and then a layer of Whisper White embossed with the Subtle embossing folder for just a bit of texture.

  Then using strips from the 'Tis the Season DSP and Classic Christmas DSP (found in the Curvy Celebrations Suite of products).  I used my Tailored Tag punch for the flagged ends but the Banners Pick a Punch is an alternative or you can go with just snipping the ends with scissors.

  The banners are layered down the card front alternating red and green patterns with the stamped sentiment one in the center.  I wrapped a piece of Shaded Spruce/gold striped ribbon down the side and then tied it off in a knot.  

  I had a sheet of gold star stickers left from a long ago Paper Pumpkin kit that I used up by sprinkling them down the banners for a little bit of shine.  Punched or die cut stars with gold foil would work also.

  Definitely don't overlook all those narrow strips of DSP you've been keeping!  And if you for some odd reason don't have piles of narrow strips just laying around you can cut your own.  All of my strips are varying widths smaller than an inch.  Cut a bunch and then sit and watch some Hallmark Christmas movies and put together your cards!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Banner Year

Ink: Shaded Spruce

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, 'Tis the Season DSP, Classic Christmas DSP

Accessories: Subtle embossing folder, Shaded Spruce striped ribbon (retired), Tailored Tag punch, dimensionals, gold star stickers (retired Paper Pumpkin)

Christmas Wishes - Stampin' Up! Snowflake Wishes

   Just a quick share today!  I joined the TGIF Challenges for this snowy card.  I liked the straightforward sketch and decided to to a bit of sponging and stamping on the large oval panel.

  Clearly I have not gotten tired of the color palette in the Snowflake Splendor DSP as I pulled the colors from my card directly from this beautiful set of papers.

  The card base is Misty Moonlight and then a layer of Snowflake Splendor DSP.  The oval is cut in Whisper White and then lightly sponged all over with Pool Party ink.  I stamped a variety of snowflakes in Balmy Blue, Misty Moonlight, and Highland Heather stamping off once.  I stamped some more smaller snowflakes over the top with white craft ink.  The white craft didn't give me the look I wanted so I ended up embossing with the Shimmer White embossing powder which is nice and sparkly in real life.  I popped the oval on dimensionals.

  The banner is stamped with a sentiment from Itty Bitty Christmas and also embossed with the Shimmer white powder.  

  And for my favorite part of the card the die cut snowflake in Balmy Blue Glimmer paper.  I trimmed itty bitty pieces of dimensionals to pop it up and then added a Misty Moonlight enamel dot to the center.  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snowflake Wishes, Itty Bitty Christmas

Ink: Misty Moonlight, Pool Party, Highland Heather, Balmy Blue, Versamark

Paper: Misty Moonlight, Snowflake Splendor DSP, Whisper White, Balmy Blue Glimmer paper

Accessories: Layering Oval dies, So Many Snowflakes dies, White Shimmer embossing powder, dimensionals, enamel dots

Santa Squirrels - Stampin' Up! Banner Year

   I made sure I had some stamping time over the weekend and played along with a few challenges.  I love doing challenges as it makes me have a starting point for a card idea as well as looking at my stamps to maybe use them in a way I hadn't thought of before.  

  I used the Tic Tac Toe Challenge for my card today.  There are so many fun combos you can choose from that you could easily do a card for each line!  I used the "Plaid, Snow, Critter" down line.  I don't have any sets that have Christmas critters so I made do with the cute squirrel from Banner Year.

  I started with a Misty Moonlight base and then a layer of Plaid Tidings DSP in a nice blue/red(pink?) combo.  Then a scalloped square in Misty Moonlight embossed with the Winter Snow embossing folder.

  I had these 3 stitched squares already cut and in my card parts pile from a design that didn't work out so I thought they would be a good base for my 3 stamped squirrels.  I used Soft Suede, Crumb Cake and Gray Granite.  Each square is popped on dimensionals.  The Santa hats are stamped in Real Red and then fussy cut.

  I also had the snowflakes from the So Many Snowflakes dies already cut so they fit nicely in the open space on the larger square.  I used a Seaside Spray faceted gem and a Misty Moonlight enamel dot for the the centers.

  The sentiment from Perfectly Plaid is stamped in Misty Moonlight and then cut apart and adhered with mini dimensionals.

  Plaid - check. Snow - check. Critter - check.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Banner Year, Perfectly Plaid

Ink: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Gray Granite, Real Red, Misty Moonlight

Paper: Misty Moonlight, Whisper White, Plaid Tiding DSP

Accessories: Layering Squares dies, So Many Snowflakes dies, Stitched Shapes dies, dimensionals, faceted gen, enamel dot

Be Merry Trees - Stampin' Up! Tree Angle

   When I saw the Color Throwdown teams newest set of challenge colors yesterday I jumped right on them.  They seemed like the perfect colors for a Christmas card and I probably do a version of these colors every year.  Hopefully the same person doesn't get that card every year!

  You can't go wrong with Pool Party, Poppy Parade and silver!  I started with a Pool Party base then let a large piece of Snowflake Splendor DSP fill in the background.

  A strip of metallic edged ribbon goes across the middle before adding the focal pieces.  I cut 2 ovals one in Pool Party and one in Whisper White.  The Whisper White one is embossed with the Winter Snow embossing folder.  I embossed the sentiment from Banner Year in silver on Pool Party and trimmed the edge to match the oval.  The oval is popped on dimensionals.

  The trees are from back to front Pool Party cardstock stamped with Tree Angle in Versamark and embossed in silver; Mercury Glass acetate with red rhinestones; and Whisper White cardstock stamped with Tree Angle in Poppy Parade flowers and Pool Party leaves.  All are cut out with the Stitched Rectangle dies.  The front tree is popped on dimensionals.

  A lovely color combo with a fun retro vibe!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Tree Angle, Banner Year

Ink: Versamark, Pool Party, Poppy Parade

Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White, Snowflake Splendor DSP, Mercury Glass acetate (retired)

Accessories: Layering Oval dies, Stitched Rectangle dies, silver embossing powder, metallic edged ribbon, dimensionals, red rhinestones

Masculine Birthday Wishes - Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Birthdays

   The rainy day yesterday gave me a bit of time to hang out in my stamp room and continue to chip away at my birthday card needs for November.  The Freshly Made Sketches challenge looked like the perfect layout for a nice straightforward masculine birthday card.

  I started with a Sahara Sand card base.  I embossed a piece of Pretty Peacock with the Tasteful Textures embossing folder for the mat layer.

  For the sentiments I cut a Stitched Rectangle out of Whisper White and then embossed the sentiments in black.  To line the sentiments up just so I put the stamps rubber side down along the edge of the rectangle making sure to space them evenly.  Then I used my clear block E to pick them up to stamp them in Versamark and then emboss.  This is definitely a design that you can't forget to use your embossing buddy because stray embossing flecks would detract from clean and simple look.

  After the embossing I used a strip of Plaid Tiding DSP from the holiday mini catalog in a nice Pretty Peacock/Shaded Spruce pattern to run along the one edge. A single length of linen thread tied in a bow is the only embellishment.  The top panel is popped on dimensionals.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Itty Bitty Birthday

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Pretty Peacock, Plaid Tidings

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Tasteful Textile embossing folder, linen thread, dimensionals

Trendy Glitter Birthday - Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Birthdays

   My card today is a really fun and easy way to show off the Stampin' Up! Rainbow Glimmer paper.  The catalog photo doesn't do it justice at all.  It's a really nice rainbow gradient with great sparkle.  And it doesn't all fall off the sheet when you're handling it which is a nice bonus!

  The card starts with a Whisper White thick base.  The Rainbow Glimmer paper started off as a full panel that I cut in half and then flipped one piece so the gradient color was opposite.

  Not wanting to cover up any of the glimmer for the sentiment I created some puffy letters with the Playful Alphabet dies, Basic Black cardstock and then foam adhesive sheets.  I did the short hand HBD for happy birthday then added the sentiment in black under it with the very last black faceted gem that I had.  **Bonus points for using up all of an embellishment.

  I thought this design was clean and simple and would work well for a teen card.  Swap out the colors for the green/blue/purple for a more masculine look.

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Itty Bitty Birthdays

Ink: Memento Black

Paper: Whisper White thick, Rainbow Glimmer paper, Basic Black

Accessories: Playful Alphabet dies, foam adhesive sheets, faceted gem

Poppy Panels - Stampin' Up! Painted Poppies

   I've been busy since Saturday morning and haven't had a chance to stamp or to even share anything from my stash.  The forecast looks rainy for the next few days so I hope to get some quality time in my stamp room and have something to show you.

  For now I've got a card I made for a good friend who is also a stamper so I couldn't share it here until after I gave it to her over the weekend. 

   I felt like doing a bit of coloring for this card which has a nice birthday sentiment on the inside.  I kept the front clean to let the poppies be the star of the show.

  The card base is Whisper White thick, then a layer of Whisper White embossed with the Dainty Diamonds folder.  More Whisper White is used for the 3 panels cut with the Stitched Rectangle die.  I stamped the poppy 3 times in Memento black and after letting them dry for a bit to prevent the ink from running I colored with Blends.  I used Poppy Parade, Blackberry Bliss and Magenta Madness.  Then I colored around the outside of each flower using my Pool Party light marker.  I tried to stay inside the stitched lines to give a very narrow white border for some added detail.

  A length of crinkled seam binding ribbon and a matching fork bow are added to the front before popping the panels up on dimensionals.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Painted Poppies

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Poppy Parade, Blackberry Bliss, Magenta Madness

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White

Accessories: Dainty Diamonds embossing folder, Stitched Rectangle dies, crinkled seam binding ribbon, dimensionals

Many Birthday Wishes - Stampin' Up! Many Mates

  Gosh we are already back to Friday!  How do the days go by so fast?  Does this mean I'm old when I start saying things like that?  There are enough heavy things happening lately that we don't need to go there lol!  Let's stamp instead!  We have a new Fab Friday Challenge for you today.  It's a sketch challenge and I can't wait to see what you all do with it!

  Look at all those fun layers!  Big ones and small ones!  Looks like a great opportunity to show off some DSP or create your own custom ones!

  I went the easy route and used DSP but I still feel virtuous because I used some that is retired.  The stash is slowly going down...until the next catalog preorder! :)

  I'm still on my "restock the birthday card stash" kick so here's another one.  This card starts with a Bermuda Bay card base then a layer of colorful Birthday Bonanza DSP.  

  The little Coastal Cabana embossed strip is made with the Tasteful Textile folder.  I used my stamparatus to stamp the sentiment from Many Mates multiple times down the Whisper White cardstock using Basic Gray ink. 

  I grabbed a few Blends and lightly colored in the words and then flagged the end and popped it on dimensionals.

  I stamped the sentiment one more time in Versamark on Mango Melody cardstock then embossed in white.  I used the Mango Melody dark Blends marker to color it in.  A bit of shimmer Bermuda Bay ribbon and some silver enamel dots and this card is finished.

  Check out the rest of the Fab Friday Design Team for more inspiration and then get your project made and shared to our gallery!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: ManyMates

Ink: Basic Gray, Versamark

Blends: Pool Party light & dark, Daffodil Delight light & dark, Calypso Coral dark

Paper: Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Mango Melody, Whisper White, Birthday Bonanza DSP (retired)

Accessories: white embossing powder, Tasteful Textile embossing folder, dimensionals, shimmer ribbon (retired), silver enamel dots (retired)