Saturday, December 17, 2016

Dazzling Diamonds Snowflakes



Let it Snow!

True confession: I do not like the black and white snowflake design in the This Christmas DSP. But at a recent card class I saw a card using the paper along with Basic Gray and Basic Black. I liked the color combination, but something was missing.

The suggestion was made to heat emboss the sentiment on the front. OK, I liked that better. 

But still ...

Then I remembered a technique I had not used in a while and decided to experiment:


If you click on this picture to enlarge it, can you see the difference in the two pieces of DSP?

The top piece is a 12 x 12 sheet right out of the package.

The bottom piece was trimmed 4 x 5 1/4. just 1/4 inch smaller than a regular card base. Before adhering it onto the card front, I stamped the entire surface with Versamark Pad and then sprinkled Heat and Stick fine embossing powder covering the sheet. After shaking off excess powder, I heated it with the heat tool.

The piece became sticky, perfect for holding the Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. I covered the piece with the sparkly glitter, tapped off the excess and again heated it with the heat tool.

What a difference!




I realize that it is difficult to see, but I think you can detect the sparkle. The sentiment was stamped in Real Red and then matted on both Real Red and Basic Black cardstock labels.

This one is headed out to Randall Pierce ~ great choice for a guy, I think!

And I think I'll make more, as I have leftover paper. 

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Merry Christmouse!

Merry Merry! 


I accepted a creative challenge this week to take a card from the holiday catalog and make a change or two to make it mine. The challenge also specified the stamp set be a retiring 
one.

I was late purchasing the Merry Mice stamp set and had yet to use it, so that's what I inked up.

On page 23 of the holiday catalog there are three merry mice cards and I chose little Mortimer with the pine sprig to CASE ~ Copy And Share Everything. Mortimer was the main character in a children's Christmas book that I read to my grandchildren, Mortimer's Christmas Manger, it is a lovely story! 


On the original card showcased in the catalog, Mortimer has been colored in with a blender pen and markers. He is matted onto a solid piece of red card stock and then onto a merry piece of Warmth and Cheer DSP.

Considering how c-c-cold it was here today, I decided that he needed an even heavier sweater and so used the Cable Knit Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, plus a swatch of Warmth and Cheer DSP for the mats and a crumb cake card base.

I colored the little scene with aqua pens and classic stamp pads and I brightened up the ornament cap using Gold Wink of Stella and added a gold star from the Metallic Enamel Shapes embellishments to his tail.

The 'Merry Christmouse' sentiment is from the stamp set, along with 'Wishing You a Festive Season' and  'It's Time to Deck the Halls.'

Merry Mice is retiring and is on sale right now for only $13.60, a 20% savings. I know what you are thinking, 'it's too late for Christmas cards.'  But it's not too late for Valentine's. Mortimer could just as easily hang a heart from his pine sprig. He could be also be holding a heart and singing a love song or happy birthday ~ he can celebrate any winter occasion with you!

Let your catalogs work for you. Look at the sample cards and then copy them, or change them up a bit (or a lot, if you're feeling creative!).  If you get stuck for ideas, call me; that's part of what I do as an Independent Demonstrator!

Merry Christmouse from Mortimer!


Here's what I used to create this card:
Merry Mice Stamp Set
Cable Knit Dynamic Textured Embossing Folder
Real Red Cardstock
Warmth and Cheer DSP
Crumb Cake Cardstock
Aqua Painters
 Wink of Stella  Gold
Enamel Metallic Shapes

classic stampin' colors of your choice ...

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Every now and then at Christmastime Mama would spray paint the boughs of holly cut from the bushes beside our front porch, or from the holly tree in the back garden. Not every year, some years the dark green leaves and brilliant berries remained their natural color for the fireplace decorations and the cemetery decorations.

But spraying the holly was a task. The round dining room table was covered with newspaper. The leaves had to be washed and almost polished before they could be gilded. And the holly leaves were prickly and the berries rolled off the table unto the floor, and don't step on them.

It was a sign that Christmas was indeed drawing near, in just a few days, because we didn't decorate the day after Thanksgiving, not even on December 1 or December 15. Somehow Christmas came together in no time, it seemed. I liked it that way and Mama surely must have as she worked full time and had raised her children with the fact that Santa decorated the tree, she only (only) had to do the mantle and door, lamppost and banisters, vases and cemetery arrangements.

So, when Stampin' Up! produced the Holly Textured Impressions Embossing Folder in the annual catalog, way back in June, it was at the top of my list. I have embossed Garden Green card stock and it is lovely.


But gold holly ...


I love it! And I added a green sprig, too.

In fact, this one card uses many of my holiday favorites: holly embossing folder, Warmth and Cheer DSP (in my fav 6 X 6 paks) , Warmth and Cheer Washi Tape, Holly Berry Builder Punch, Tin of Tags Stamp Set and Stitched Shapes Framelits!!!

The base of the card is Whisper White ~ a landscape orientation that opens upward ~ 4 1/4 X 11, scored at 5 1/2.
A second piece of Whisper White is cut at 5 1/4 X 4 and will be covered with strips of design elements before being adhered to the base: 
  5 1/4 X 2 1/4 gold foil, embossed
  5 1/4 X 3/8 washi tape design
  5 1/4 X 1 1/2 plaid DSP
Adhere the embossed piece at the bottom of the base and build upward.
Run washi tape up against the gold - if you use a different width than shown, you will need to trim the plaid DSP.
Adhere the plaid DSP above the washi and trim if necessary.

Stamp the sentiment in Real Red on a scrap of  3 x 3 Whisper White.
Cut out with the next to largest Stitched Shapes circle framelit ~ color edge of circle with Real red.

Punch one small and one large holly leaf out of Garden Green card stock using the holly punch.
Punch one berry out of Red Glimmer Paper using the holly punch.
Adhere holly pieces with glue dots at the top of the circle.

Adhere sentiment in the middle of the designer strips - a little jauntily askew. 

Here's what I used:
Whisper White Card Stock:
Gold Foil Paper:
Warmth and Cheer DSP:   (ON SALE)
Warmth and Cheer Washi Tape:  (ON SALE)
Tin of Tags Stamp Set:  (ON SALE)
Holly Berry Builder Punch:
Stitched Shapes Framelits:
Red Glimmer Paper:
Garden Green Card Stock:
Real Red Classic Ink Pad:
Mini Glue Dots:





Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Joy to the World

Sometimes I do things a little differently, or just plain backwards. I wanted to work with the Tin of Tags Project Kit this month so I ordered it last month to have it  on time for classes and workshops.

I did not order the coordinating Tin of Tags Stamp Set, at least not at the same time.


I thought that perhaps I had plenty of holiday sentiments in stamp sets that I already have in my collection, and I do, and I still enjoy using them. 

But then I changed my mind. As I was looking through the sentiments contained in the Tin of Tags Stamp Set, I realized that several would be very fitting for use throughout the year, not just with Christmas giving but for any giving. AND they were offered as a special when the Stitched Shapes Framelits were released the first of November!

Now, as it happens, I first used the stamps on Christmas cards last week. Then just today I used them on Christmas tags,but not with the tags in the Tin of Tags Project Kit. 


This was fairly simple and very enjoyable. Above you see the final creation. Below, are the simple steps:




I used Smoky Slate to stamp the snowflake on a scrap of Whisper White Card Stock- the lovely large snowflake is included in the set. I use gray when I am looking for a silver coloring. I usually stamp first before cutting.

The sentiment was stamped in Real Red which is dark enough to show up over the snowflake. Clear photopolymer stamps make stamping over and lining up easy.

Stitched Shapes Framelits gave it a such an appealing finish.

Then, Layering Circles Framelits provided the perfect size for a base cut from Silver Foil.

I love them ~ I will be making more!


Tin of Tags:
Layering Circles Framelits:
Stitched Shapes Framelits:
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad:
Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad:
Silver Foil:
Whisper White Card Stock:
Big Shot: