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)