Merry Snowflake - Stampin' Up! Snowflake Wishes

   My card for today is one that I had thought out in my head and included a Christmas tree and a different orientation.  Once I started to put this imaginary card together it became clear that what I had in mind was looking terrible when put to cardstock!  Sometimes that happens and I've learned after many years that if I don't like it as I'm putting it together I probably won't like it any better once it's finished.  And if I don't like it when it's finished it usually doesn't get mailed out.  So what's the point??  Sometimes you just need to scrap it and try something else. There's no shame in abandoning a few pieces of cardstock that aren't doing it for you!  Put the card parts aside and see if they might work on a different project another day.

  I'm sharing my cards with the CAS Christmas Card Challenge which is to make a card using non-traditional Christmas colors and also with the Global Design Project which is to use Coastal Cabana, Smoky Slate and a color of your choice.  I choose Shaded Spruce as the third color.  While all the colors on their own or mixed with traditional red/green combos are kind of Christmas-y I thought that paired up they were non-traditional at least for snowflakes.

  From my original idea I kept the "Be Merry" letters, the Whisper White panel embossed with the Winter Snow folder and the Smoky Slate card base.  The letters are cut with the Playful Alphabet dies and a nice Coastal Cabana pattern from the retired Let It Snow DSP.  The Foam Adhesive sheets are fantastic for making stand out letters.

The rest got re-vamped into what you see here.  Instead of a Christmas tree I stamped a large Coastal Cabana snowflake, cut it out and then layered it with 2 more snowflakes for a nice detailed look while still keeping it clean.  

  Under the embossed panel I wanted to add a layer but also wanted to add some interest so I used a piece of the retired Mercury Glass acetate that I wish we still carried.  It's gorgeous!

  After I got all the letters and the snowflake lined up I added a few embellishments to finish the card.  A white/silver baker's twine bow went on the center of the snowflake and a few silver sequins with colored rhinestones in the centers sprinkled on the sides.  The rhinestones were colored with the dark Shaded Spruce Stampin' Blends marker.  The Blends are a great way to customize rhinestones and pearls for perfect matches to your project.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snowflake Wishes

Ink: Coastal Cabana

Blends: Shaded Spruce dark

Paper: Smoky Slate, Whisper White, Shaded Spruce, Mercury Glass acetate (retired), Let It Snow DSP (retired)

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, So Many Snowflakes dies, foam sheets, Playful Alphabet dies, Winter Snow embossing folder, baker's twine (retired), sequins (retired), rhinestones

Under the Sea Circles - Stampin' Up! Whale Done

   Better late than never with getting a card posted today.  I definitely wanted to make sure I got this card entered into the TGIF Challenges before it closes.  They have the theme of "going in circles" which is a fun thing to focus on as you can incorporate them in so many different ways.  

  I used my circles as a base for my stamping and to highlight a different image for each one getting larger as I went up the card.

  I started with a Just Jade card base then used a piece of the awesome Whale of a Time DSP.  I love this piece; it's just waiting for a scene to be set against the fun background.  I pulled all of the ink colors from the DSP and just repeated a few of them for continuity.  All the colors I used are listed below.  For the coral I inked it up in Bumblebee and then sponged a bit of Calypso Coral on the tips for the two toned look.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Whale Done

Ink: Pretty Peacock, Pool Party, Bumblebee, Calypso Coral, Shaded Spruce, Granny Apple Green, Blackberry Bliss

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

Accessories: Layering Circles dies, dimensionals, Whale punch

Bright Citrus Birthday - Stampin' Up! Cute Fruit

   I've got to re-stock the birthday cards in a big way so I've been making myself use some of the challenges to get to it instead of doing Christmas cards.  The CAS(e) This Sketch challenge is a really fun one for creating some custom backgrounds to show off a larger sentiment. 

  I decided to go with the fun citrus image from the Cute Fruit set and just do a random background in 3 colors.

  This card starts with a Flirty Flamingo base, then a layer of Basic Black to make the bright colors pop even more.  I used the Stitched Rectangle dies for the Whisper White layer then got to stamping.  I used Flirty Flamingo, Granny Apple Green and Daffodil Delight.  The "rinds" are all full strength ink and the centers are stamped off once.

  The sentiment is made with the Well Written dies and is 3 layers of Basic Black glued together for a nice sturdy thick look.  

  The little 'to you' banner is made by using my black marker and coloring just part of a larger sentiment from the Itty Bitty Birthdays set.  I popped it with a dimensional after trimming the ends.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you vote today?  

Stamps: Cute Fruit, Itty Bitty Birthdays

Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black

Paper: Flirty Flamingo, Basic Black, Whisper White

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Well Written dies,  dimensionals

Curvy Layered Christmas - Stampin' Up! Curvy Christmas

   I'm getting my card posted today in the nick of time over at the Color Throwdown challenge.  They've got this great combo that was perfect for another Christmas card.  I thought these colors had a bit of a retro feel maybe because of the chartreuse which I interpreted as Lemon Lime Twist which is a retired In Color.  I hadn't used it in quite some time so it was nice to dig out that color and fit it in with some current products.

   I started with a Crumb Cake base and then layered everything else up from there starting with the Heartwarming Hugs DSP in a nice Real Red pattern.  Next I stamped the pine trees from Curvy Christmas in Versamark onto Garden Green cardstock then embossed in white.  I cut the curve with the straight edge Curvy die.

  The Whisper White layer is cut with the other side of the straight edge die to get the little holes.  Then I stamped the sprigs in Lemon Lime Twist and added a few Real Red berries with the holly berry stamp from Banner Year.

  The Crumb Cake layer was also cut with the straight edge and then the sentiment is stamped in Garden Green along the side.  The full sentiment reads 'may your days be merry and bright' but I just inked up the 'merry and bright' portion with my marker for a shorter sentiment.  The snowflakes are stamped in Versamark and embossed in white.

  I added a crinkled seam binding bow to the top and a few adhesive pearls next to the sentiment.  The curved panels are all adhered to the DSP base layer and then popped up onto the card front with dimensionals.

  Definitely fun colors to work with and the Curvy products are fun to layer for a different look for each panel.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Curvy Christmas, Banner Year 

Ink: Versamark, Real Red, Garden Green, Lemon Lime Twist (retired)

Paper: Crumb Cake, Heartwarming Hugs DSP, Garden Green, Whisper White

Accessories: Curvy dies, white embossing powder, crinkled seam binding ribbon, adhesive pearls, dimensionals

Defined Modern & Vintage Birthday - Stampin' Up! Forever Fern

   I've held on to this card for a little bit before sharing as I wanted to make sure the birthday person got to see it first!  We always get my mother in law an annual pass at her local botanical gardens for her birthday gift and this year I wanted to match the card to the garden/plant theme.  I thought that the colors seemed a bit modern and were a nice contrast to the vintage dictionary page background.  I saw the colors on an ad for bedding and saved it for inspiration.

  I started with a Bumblebee card base and then a piece of Crumb Cake topped with a distressed and stamped piece of long retired Typeset DSP.  I stamped off the images several times before stamping the page and then I crumpled it up a few times before adhering to get a nice wrinkled and worn look.

  The Tasteful Label is Crumb Cake and is stamped with the speckled stamp from Forever Fern and then the edges are sponged.  The leaf sprigs are stamped in Bumblebee, Soft Sea Foam and Crumb Cake and sponged with Crumb Cake ink.  I popped them up with dimensionals on the label and added a Bumblebee twill ribbon knot.

  The sentiment is from Posted for You and is stamped in Crumb Cake on Soft Sea Foam cardstock and also sponged with Crumb Cake ink.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Forever Fern, Posted for You

Ink: Bumblebee, Soft Sea Foam, Crumb Cake

Paper: Bumblebee, Soft Sea Foam, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Typeset DSP (retired)

Accessories: Tasteful Labels dies, Forever Flourishing dies, Bumblebee twill ribbon, dimensionals

Pumpkin Line Up - Stampin' Up! Banner Year

   I have gotten the most use out of the Banner Year stamp set this fall and I continue to find new designs to use it on.  My share today is for 2 challenges one is an Autumn/Fall theme at Stampin' Up! Only challenge and the other is a sketch challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches.  I'm trying to get all my Thanksgivng cards ready well before I need to send them out so I thought these 2 challenges together would be perfect!

  At first look this sketch challenge is a simple one with 9 images in a block pattern but it's actually a bit tough to get right if you want things lined up just so.  I pulled out my stamparatus to get my pumpkins lined up just so.  I  moved the plate across one notch each time and changed the ink color for each one then repeating the pattern for the next 2 rows.  I always hold my breath on the last few images because I'm afraid I'll goof up and have to start all over!  This one came out well on the first try.

  The colors are a fun autumn palette and being that the challenge is a clean and simple one I kept the rest of the embellishments to a minimum with only gold embossing for the sentiment and a double length of linen thread for the bow.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Banner Year

Ink: Bumblebee, Cinnamon Cider, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Versamark

Paper: Cinnamon Cider, Very Vanilla

Accessories: gold embossing powder, linen thread

Colorwash Sympathy - Stampin' Up! Forever Fern

   Sympathy cards are never fun to design and I feel like I've been making a lot of them lately (for myself to send out as well as some special orders).  Luckily I've relied on some wonderful challenges to get this one made.  I didn't have to do much other than choose a stamp set!

  My colors come from Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge, and the layout is actually the same for 2 different challenges; Global Design Project and The Paper Players.  Great minds think alike on those Design Teams!

   The Forever Fern leaves are stamped in Versamark on watercolor paper and then heat embossed in white.  I brushed the colors onto the paper with an aquapainter and dried them with my heat tool between each color to prevent the colors from mixing.

  The sentiment from the retired Petite Pairs is embossed in white and cut out with the Stitched Shapes dies and popped on dimensionals over a bit of retired Very Vanilla seam binding ribbon wrapped around the corner. 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Forever Fern, Petite Pairs (retired)

Ink: Versamark, Blackberry Bliss, Night of Navy, Bumblebee 

Paper: Night of Navy, Bumblebee, watercolor paper

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Stitched Shapes dies, white embossing powder, Very Vanilla seam binding ribbon (retired)

Gilded Autumn Thank You - Stampin' Up! Beautiful Autumn

   It's always nice to say thank you so I was busy last week making my monthly customer thank you cards.  The Gilded Autumn DSP is a great starting place and I wanted to show off a lot of it at once so I paired it up with the Rectangular Postage punch.

 My card fits into the Just Add Ink challenge which is a Just Choose Two; sequins, ribbon, metallic foil.  I went with ribbon and Metallic foil.

  I started with a Very Vanilla thick card base.  I used my Stamparatus to stamp the sentiment so it would be in the same place for all 15 cards.  I used Mint Macaron for this layer and after stamping embossed it with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder.  

  I punched out all the different Gilded Autumn DSP patterns with the postage punch and then layered them across the Mint Macaron panel.  I discovered I had an almost full roll of retired Early Espresso seam binding ribbon that worked perfectly across the postage punches.

  Finally, I used the Autumn Punch pack and the Brushed Metallic sheets to punch out the leaves and acorn.  I popped them up with mini dimensionals on the ribbon.

  So there might not be much stamping on this card but with the fun punches and classic foil accents I'm pleased with the final result.  And 15 of these came together very quickly so if you need a design for upcoming Thanksgiving cards it's a good option!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Beautiful Autumn

Ink: Early Espresso

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Mint Macaron, Gilded Autumn DSP, Brushed Metallic cardstock

Accessories: Tasteful Textile embossing folder, Rectangular Postage punch, Autumn punch pack, dimensionals, seam binding ribbon (retired)