Reason for the Season Card

Hello folks!  Hope you all had a very blessed Thanksgiving this year with family and friends.  Right now, I'm so thankful that it's all over and I'm feeling more like myself.  I came down with an intestinal flu bug that wiped me out last Monday.  That means it's been a week, and I'm still worn out and barely getting anything done at all.  I was working on a design before this all happened and decided I'd share this with you.  Since I can't decide which one I prefer, you get both versions.   Then you get to decide which you like better.  OK?

The set I used here is A Child is Born.  I really love the simplicity of this set!  I've used this set several times playing around and it just keeps calling me back again and again.  Looking at the picture of the card, the images remind me of a snow globe because of the placement of the sentiment.  Hmm, just more ideas floating here.  I think I have an old snow globe stamp from a good number of years ago.  I'll have to get it out and see if they work together.  Oops.  Sorry for getting off track here.  Let's get on with the design...

The 'family' is stamped onto the largest circle of the Stylish Shapes Dies.  It's cut from Basic White cardstock and then stamped with Secret Sea ink.

To frame this, I used the 2nd largest circle dies from the Spotlight on Nature set.  It has a pretty eyelet design around the circle that just barely showed behind the white layer.  This layer is die-cut from the Peaceful Garden Glimmer Specialty Paper in the darkest color.  When I hold the finished card, this sparkles so pretty, but the camera just doesn't do it justice.  These were attached together using Tombow Liquid Glue.

The next step is to make the card base.  Basic White cardstock was used here.  It's cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and folded in half.  There is a Basic White layer that measures 5 1/4" x 4" that the background is built on.

The pretty DSP that was used is from the Peaceful Garden DSP.   I already had a strip of the starry print cut that was 1 1/2" wide.  This was cut to two 3 3/4" lengths for the design.  The center 'cloudy' layer measures 1 3/4" x 3 3/4" to fit into the design.  The three strips were positioned and attached to the Basic White layering piece using the Liquid Glue.

The white layer with the strips attached was then layered onto the folded card base.  Dimensionals were used for this to give it added definition.

Next the main image was added to the center of the design.  It was attached with Dimensionals.

The sentiment comes from the same set.  It's stamped on a 1/2" strip of Basic White using Secret Sea ink.  It was trimmed and the ends were flagged.  A skinny strip of Dimensionals were added along the center of the strip.  Then it was attached over the bottom edge of the circles.

Silver and White Sheer Ribbon was tied into a bow accent.  This was attached at the top of the circle with Mini Glue Dots to hold in place.

Lastly, three small Iridescent Pearls Basic Jewels were sprinkled on the design for a lovely accent.  

And that's the first one done.  I really liked the design and thought it would make sense to make another one right away to build up my Christmas card stash.  Well, that's when things started changing a little here and there.

I already had the 'family' stamped and both the white and glimmer layers die-cut.  So, I jumped right to the card base.  The base is still Basic White and folded in half like the first card.  The same white layer was cut to place the layers on.

The layers were again from the Peaceful Garden DSP pack.  While looking through the papers, this leafy print really called to me.  I thought I'd see how this went with the design.  To me, it really worked nicely.  This time, there was a 1 1/4" strip left over from another project.  This was trimmed to 3 3/4" long twice for the top and bottom layers.  This made the center opening wider, so a piece was cut at 2 7/16" to fit.  (2 1/2" was just a smidgeon too wide to fit so I adjusted it.  You could really use 2 3/8" to fit too.)  These layers were attached to the Basic White layer with Liquid Glue.

So, you need to tell me what you think.  I really love this design and think I'd like to make more to send out this year.  Do I make more of the first or second card?  Use the starry print or the leafy print?  Have the layers closer in size like the 1st card or have the center layer wider as in the 2nd card?  Oh dear, so many choices and decisions.  Please help and share your input with me!  Leave me a comment on which one you prefer.  I'm looking forward to hearing what you think.

Thanks for sharing some precious time with me.  I'm so blessed that you do.  I always appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment too!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Misty Delicate Pines Card

Hello friends!  I've been busy creating some lovely Christmas cards.  I just love this time of year and making cards to send to family and friends to let them know they are loved and thought of often.  It gives me a wonderful feeling of closeness to friends as I think of them while I'm designing cards.  You wouldn't believe how many one-of-a-kind cards I make for Christmas.  It's kind of ridiculous when you stop and think about it.  But it makes me happy, so why not?  

You know those gray, misty days of winter?  That was the feel I was trying to recreate with today's card idea.  I think I did ok with this.  Now I need to know what you think.  Did I nail the concept?

I love how cool and frosty the card looks.  This was so much fun using the Delicate Pines stamps and dies to design and create this soft and misty looking card.  I still have a few left-over die-cut pine branches in both the Cloud Cover and Silver Foil to play with later.  When you create, do you die-cut more than you think you will need and in extra colors because you never know what you'll end up needing?  I do.  There are always lots of little bits and pieces sitting there when I'm done.  Of course, that just gives me a head start when I sit down to create again.  Let me give you the rundown on making this lovely card.

Start with a Thick Basic White piece of cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" for the base of the card.  It's scored and folded in half.  Next is a layer of Cloud Cover that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  Then a layer of Basic White is cut at 5" x 3 3/4".  This is the piece that we'll be creating on.

The first step is using Cloud Cover ink with a Blending Brush and add ink to the cardstock piece.  I added it a little darker on the right side and gently eased off until there really wasn't any ink on the left edge.

Next, the sentiment from the Delicate Pines set was stamped along the bottom left edge.  It's stamped with Secret Sea ink.

The largest sized snowflake from the set was stamped on the right side with Cloud Cover ink.  There was a medium sized snowflake stamped on a scrap piece of Basic White also using Cloud Cover ink.  The smaller pine snowflake was stamped on white using Secret Sea ink that had been off-stamped before stamping to get a lighter color.  Lastly, the tiny snowflake was stamped with full strength Secret Sea ink.  

At this time, the three extra snowflakes were die-cut with the coordinating dies.  Then two of the larger double pine branches were die-cut from Cloud Cover cardstock and three of the single pine branches were cut from Silver Foil paper.  Now it's time to put this pretty snowflake together.

Starting with the smaller pine snowflake, add adhesive to the backside and add the silver pine branches.  Add one, then add more adhesive and crisscross another one on this.  Add more adhesive and add the third silver branch.  These are all centered and peeking out behind the snowflake.

Add extra adhesive and layer this to the center of the medium die-cut snowflake.  Add adhesive to the back of the tiny snowflake and attach to the center of the pine snowflake so it sits on top.

There was one more step before starting to add this to the card.  Using the Cloud Cover Dark Stampin' Blends, a spatter of ink was added to the card front.  This is quite pale, but I think it adds so much to the frosty, snowy look of the background.  Give this a minute or two to dry.  Then attach this layer to the Cloud Cover layer with adhesive and then add them to the folded white card base.

I used three Dimensionals under the center of the snowflake stack and attached this to the center of the snowflake already stamped onto the card front.  It's important the Dimensionals are kept in the center so there's room to tuck in the pine branches in the next step.

Cut the large pine branches in half at the center of each.  Adding a little adhesive to the stem of a branch, it was tucked in under the snowflake, so it fit onto the card.  The other two branches were also tucked under in the same way.

For the added bling on the card, a larger Basic Rhinestone Jewel was attached to the center of the tiny snowflake.  Then another three tiny Basic Rhinestone Jewels were scattered on the card front for a little extra sparkle.

I hope you like this version of the Delicate Pines stamp and die set.  This is such an interesting set to create with because of the many little pieces that work together so nicely.  I can hardly wait to play with this again!

Our first-ever Black Friday Sale is coming soon! Starting 25th November, you’ll save up to 40% on select products.   Savings you won’t want to miss:

• 40% off: Stampin’ Blends, paper trimmer and blades, ink bundles
• 25% off: Select adhesives
• 15% off: Select cardstock

This amazing sale lasts until 1st December, but be ready to shop early as discounted products are only available while supplies last.

Thanks for spending some time with me today.  Enjoy a little time creating your masterpieces, and yes, someone will appreciate finding your special card in their mailbox!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

A Child is Born

Hello my friends.  I've been on a stamping tear the past week.  There were so many cards that needed to be finished and in the mail - not only for the home-bound at church, but birthdays, anniversaries, and my own Thanksgiving cards for family and friends.  Whew!  Somehow, I've gotten a little behind.  Ok, make that a lot behind!  But things are looking up and I'm pretty much back on track again.  Of course, it's now time to start planning the Christmas cards for the home-bound that will be going out the first week in December.  So, my head is in a whirl with all kinds of designs.  I thought I'd share one of the Christmas card designs that is ready for the ladies to put together.  Short and sweet today.  If you can't stand seeing anything that's retired, don't look now.  Just mosey on to another blog.  I've used two different retired specialty papers on the card.  Of course, you can take a peek just for the idea., even if you don't have these particular products in your stash.

My plan was to use one of the Branching Out dies to cut a layer to stamp on.  The 3rd largest die cut a layer of Basic Beige cardstock.  I realized it was just a smidgeon too small for the stamp, so I improvised.  Mary & Joseph were stamped over to the right and slightly off the piece.  I used Early Espresso ink for stamping.  The stars from the same set were also stamped more over Mary instead of in the middle of the design.

After stamping, I wanted more definition on them.  I used a Blender Pen and just ran it over the stamped lines to soften and blur them a little.  Depending on how much I went over the lines decided how dark the lines were.  I went over Joseph's clothing more than Mary's to make it heavier and darker.  I decided not to add anything to the stars to not lose any of the fine detail.

The largest Branching Out die was used to cut a vellum layer.  This is one of those retired items - Vellum Basics Specialty DSP.  I liked the diagonal white stripes on this.  Doesn't it make a nice backdrop for this?  

The stamped layer was attached to the vellum layer using adhesive.

It still needed another layer in there to make the design pop.  I remembered the Oxidized Copper Specialty DSP that was from a year or two ago.  I gave it a try and loved it!  A layer that measures 5 1/4" x 4" was cut.  This was attached to the Pecan Pie cardstock base that was already cut.  

The vellum and stamped layers were added to the base.  I used Dimensionals for this to define the layers a bit.

After trying a good number of gems to add to the design, I decided to use the Cherry Cobbler & Pearl Adhesive-Backed Berries from last year.  The frosty pearlized one had a coppery iridescent tone to it that really enhanced the copper look that I had going on.  I wish you could see this in person.  The colors all blend and complement each other very nicely.

I spent a bit of time going back and forth about whether it needed a sentiment added to the design or not.  As you can see, I decided not to add anything else to the design.  I felt it would detract from the finished look.

Final look at this design.  I'm quite happy with the results of pulling all these odds and ends together to make these cards.  And I even got to use up some of my retired products.  Yay!  I think the recipients will like them too.  At least that's the plan!

Just a heads-up for future reference!

Stampin'Up! is having its first ever 

Black Friday Sale!!  

November 25th thru December 1st

Up to 40% off on select products!

This way you can get some shopping in before you head on out to the stores on Friday.  I don't have a list of what items will be on sale yet, so I can't share that with you.  It's going to be a surprise for me too!  But I'll to be checking what's on sale on the 25th you can be sure of that.

Okay, that's all I've got to share for today.  Enjoy your day and find some time to get creative.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

 

A Child is Born

Now that the weather is officially more autumn than summer, I can really get into creating Christmas cards.  I just struggle making Christmas cards when the weather is touching 70 degrees or higher.  It has to be at least chilly to get in the mood.  But I've been going through my stamps and singing Christmas carols as I've been working today.  Yup, I'm finally in the mood for Christmas!  I figured I'd be smart and get a head start on the cards needed for mailing to the shut-ins from church for the month of December.  I hate doing all the same cards, so I usually make them in lots of 8 or so cards.  Today I had fun planning out one of the designs and getting everything cut for them.  The stamp set I chose to use is A Child is Born.  It's found in the September - December Mini Catalog and is a stand-alone stamp set.  I wish it had dies to coordinate, but we'll work around that.  Thought you'd like to see the finished card.

Seems like I do at least one card that falls in the blue and white category every year.  I usually stick more with Night of Navy or Misty Moonlight blues.  This time, I went bolder and brighter with Blueberry Bushel.  I just love the finished look of this card idea!  It all started with the idea of using the Peaceful Garden Glimmer Paper and just went on from there.  What do you think?  Shall we get started?

Like I said, the card base is Blueberry Bushel that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

The layer is Basic White cardstock that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This is embossed with the Peaceful Greenery 3D Embossing Folder.  I love all the detail that keeps all that white layer from being boring.  So pretty!  This layer is attached to the folded card base using Tombow Liquid Glue (green glue).

TIP:  If you're running into a problem with the detail not showing up great, I add an extra layer of cardstock when I'm embossing.  Basically, embossing two at a time.  This gave me much greater detail.  Might want to think about trying that.

The dies for the Peace on Earth set have two label dies that fit into the recessed area of the embossed design.  I used the larger of the two to die-cut the blue Peaceful Garden Glimmer Paper.  This is so beautiful.  I really hated to cover it up.

So, instead of using the smaller matching die and having almost no blue glitter show at all, I looked through my all my label dies to see what I could use.  The 2nd largest circle die in the Stylish Shapes die set fit nicely for my idea, and I liked the stitched edging.

Then I chose the Layering Circle Dies with the scalloped edge to frame the image.  This is the 2nd largest size also.  It's cut from the Blueberry Bushel cardstock to match.

On the white circle die-cut, first the manger from the A Child is Born set was stamped with Night of Navy ink.  I wanted this to be a little darker than the rest of the stamping.  Above this, one of the sentiments from the same set is stamped with Blueberry Bushel ink.

A Wink of Stella brush was used to add a soft glimmer to the straw area.  I added a tiny bit of extra ink to darken the indentation of the straw.  These two things make the manger stand out a little more.

The white circle was attached to the scalloped circle using adhesive. Then these two layers were centered onto the glimmer paper and attached with Dimensionals to raise it up.

I used the Basic Rhinestone Jewels for the bling on the design.  I tried coloring with Blueberry Bushel Blends, but they weren't dark enough.  I added the dark Night of Navy over this and liked the nice dark look.  Three of these gems were added to the design and it was finished.

I think the design turned out great. It certainly isn't what I first had in mind when I set out to make a Christmas card. But I am really happy with this idea. Hope you like it too and if you have some of these materials, give it a try. And don't be afraid to put your own twist on it and come up with a card that your family or friends will treasure. Plus, it reminds every one of the true meaning of the season! 

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Branching Out with Pines

Hey there!  Back again with another card using those wonderful dies from the Branching Out bundle.  I absolutely love them and have been using them as a nice size base for so many projects lately.  They have really turned into my go-to set for layering.  Today I've paired this up with the Delicate Pines bundle for a nice nature-themed card.  With these two items already decided for creating, now it was time to make a project.

The first decision when making this card was what DSP did I want to use for the main layer.  The Elegant Pine Snowflakes DSP have several wonderful prints to use including this mottled Old Olive background that I chose.  The 2nd largest die from the Branching Out die set was used to cut this layer.  

The card base is Crumb Cake cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  Then it's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  The die-cut print layer was attached to the center of this using adhesive.

Next, the 4th largest die from the set was used to cut a Basic Beige layer that the focal images were built on to make the card.

Before adding the evergreens and pinecones, I stamped the sentiment near the bottom of the layer.  The sentiment is from the Gathering Moments stamp set and it's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

The Delicate Pines set has a large number of dies to choose from to make the evergreen branches.  I used the large double branched die to cut some of the same DSP that was used for the layer.  The mottled DSP print makes the branches look like there's some snow on the pine needles.  An Old Olive double branch was cut also for some color variation. There are also smaller branches cut from both the DSP print and the Old Olive cardstock.

The pinecones are two layered.  The solid base is cut from Crumb Cake for all of them.  The top detailed layer is cut from Pecan Pie cardstock for two of them and Early Espresso cardstock for the 3rd one.  Tombow Liquid Glue was used to attach the detail layers to the bases to make each of the pinecones.

Begin putting the focal images together by lining up the larger pine branches criss-crossed and attached in the middle only.  Next attach the darker pinecone to the layer using adhesive.  Layer the other two pinecones over this and attach with Dimensionals.  

I cut the smaller evergreen branches apart so I could tuck them in where needed.  With just a touch of glue at the base of each stem, they are tucked in around the evergreens to fill in the design.

At this time, I added a number of Dimensionals under this layer and added it to the card front.

One strand each of the Black & White & Gold Bakers Twine was used to make the bow for the card.  A Mini Glue Dot holds the bow in place.  

For a touch of bling, three of the green Low-Profile Sparkle Dots were added under the sentiment to draw your eye there.  I really like the tiny bits of glitter embedded inside these gems.  Makes them really special.

Hope you enjoyed this different take on a Thanksgiving card.  I guess I could have added a few small colorful leaves tucked into the focal area to make it more of a fall-themed card.   Hmm, maybe I still might do that.  Nothing says that the card is finished until I give it away!  😄  Why do I always wait until I'm writing on my blog to get more (or better!) ideas of what I should do with the design?  That just is NOT the optimal time to rethink my ideas, is it?

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to see what I've been creating today.  I love to hear your comments and thoughts.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Branching Out Again

Happy November!  I find it so hard to believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner and Christmas is racing along right after it!  Where has this whole year gone?  I feel like I've frittered too much of it away and really need to buckle down these last two months of this year to get some of my goals accomplished.  Do you feel the same way?  One of the things I need to accomplish is getting a handle on making my Christmas cards.  I'm usually much farther along by this time of the year.  So, let's get going.

Today I've returned to the Branching Out bundle.  I totally love the dies for the set, and the stamps are just as great.  I've always loved the back-to-nature look of pine branches on Christmas cards.  Either that or trees tend to be my go-to images, so this fits right in.  This card was not only fun to do but was really fairly quick to make.  This could easily be done in a production line if you have piles of cards, or maybe only a half dozen to make.  Let's get started.

The base for the card is Basic White Thick cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

The Basic White layer was cut next.  It is cut with the 4th largest die of the Branching Out die set. I love both the shape and the stitching on these dies.  

Now for the stamped images.  I started with the smaller branch in the set but didn't even stamp the entire branch on this piece.  First, I stamped the longer section of branch to the left side using Early Espresso ink.  Then just a small section of the stamp added another branch to the design.

The triple pine needles stamp was used to add the Shaded Spruce needles.  You can see that I stamped two or three times without reinking to fill in each needle cluster.

The single pinecone that I used was first inked with Pecan Pie ink, then the edges were rolled in Early Espresso ink before stamping.  This gives them more color variations.

The sentiment comes from the Snowy Delights stamp set.  It's stamped with Secret Sea ink.  Looking at this layer, it looked a little bare at that point.  Using the snowflake cluster from the Snowy Delights set, I stamped the background with Cloud Cover ink.  To get the snowflakes where I wanted them, some places have only two snowflakes inked up before stamping.

At this point, a spattering of Wink of Stella was added to the design.  I thought it would continue the snowfall look of it along with a little extra sparkle.

A layer of Secret Sea cardstock was cut with the 2nd largest Branching Out die.  This gives a nice wide border to frame the stamping.  The layers are attached with adhesive, then are added to the card front with Dimensionals for height. 

The inside of the card was stamped to bring the outside design into the inside.  The sentiment is from last year's Greetings of the Season set.  It's stamped with Secret Sea ink.

The same branch stamp was used to stamp partial branches where I wanted, but they were off-stamped before adding to the card.  The Shaded Spruce pine needles were also off-stamped before stamping.  Likewise, the pinecones were inked, rolled, and off-stamped before adding to the design.  

It's very hard to see in the picture, but there are the same snowflake clusters added to the design.  They are inked with Cloud Cover ink then off-stamped before adding.  They are almost too light to see so I might not add them the next time I make this card.

I thought a bow would finish the design off nicely.  After trying several ideas, a double length of the Black & White & Gold Baker's Twine was used to make a bow for the card.  It's attached with a Mini Glue Dot at the top of the stamped layer.

For the very last item, three Pecan Pie and Clear Ribboned Dots were used to add a subtle bit of accent to the design.

Well, what do you think?  I just love this card idea and think I need to make a few more of these cards for Christmas.  I really love the colors and design.  Yes, I can see me sending out a number of these for Christmas.  Time to get stamping!

Thanks for sharing some of your precious time with me today.  Hope you're inspired and want to either make this card just like I did or maybe use the layout with different stamps to make your very own special card!  Whichever way you do it, I hope you have fun creating and sharing your ideas with others.  

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Another Friendly Foliage Card

Hello Friends!  Back again with another card using the Friendly Foliage bundle.  I had so much fun creating with this that I just wasn't ready to put it away back on the shelf.  Why not try it in blues this time?  Or at least the gray/blue colors of both Cloud Cover and Secret Sea?  And why not add one of the gorgeous prints in the Peaceful Garden Designer Series Paper while I'm at it?  That was my plan, and I love the card that was created with those basic parameters.  Let's see what I got...

Cloud Cover and Secret Sea?  check

Peaceful Garden DSP?  check

Friendly Foliage bundle?  check

Love it?  double check!

Let's get started.  The card base is Secret Sea that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

The first layer is Cloud Cover cardstock that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  Then a layer of the Peaceful Garden DSP is cut to measure 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  This is a bolder leafy print.  

It is attached to the Cloud Cover layer with adhesive.

Then another print from this DSP pack is cut.  This one is the soft diagonal checked Cloud Cover design that is so beautiful.  It is cut to measure 4" x 2 3/4".  It's attached onto the center of the card front with adhesive.  So far, these layers are all flat with no extra height added.

The next step is to stamp the framed stems.  I used Secret Sea ink on a piece of Cloud Cover cardstock that measured about 2 3/4" x 4" so there is enough room around the image to easily die-cut it.  To cut this, use two of the dies at the same time.  One is the larger outline die, and the other is the detail die that fits inside to cut all around the stamped image.  TIP:  Line them up and then add small pieces of washi tape or a Post-It Note to hold the two dies in place while die-cutting.

After cutting the main image, use the larger outline die again to cut a Basic White piece of cardstock.  This gives you the background behind the image.  Layer the two pieces and attach with Tombow Liquid Glue.  Make sure you have the pieces very straight so there is no white showing around the outside edge of the image.

Attach this to the center of your card front using Dimensionals.

For the sentiment, I used the new Banner Sayings and the new punch that coordinates with it.  I punched the Basic White label first.  The punch makes 3 different labels at the same time, so you'll have some extra to use right when you need it.  The sentiment is stamped with Secret Sea ink.  Don't you love this sentiment?  This will probably be my favorite in the whole set!  I attached it with Mini Dimensionals.  To keep it flat across the card, it uses single Dimensionals on the left side, but it has two Mini Dimensionals stacked on the right side for added height.

For the inside of the card, I cut a Basic White layer at 5 1/4" x 4".  This has a special sentiment from the Gathering Moments set that is stamped with Secret Sea ink.

On the bottom left corner, I stamped a single stem three times using Cloud Cover ink to bring some of the design inside the card to coordinate.  After looking at it, I decided it needed a little something else.  I had a skinny 1/4" strip of Cloud Cover cardstock that I was just going to throw away.  Instead, it seemed like just the right addition to finish the inside of the card and give it just a little extra pop of color.

Thought you'd like another good look at the card.  I love the colors and especially the two prints working together.  Oh my, looking at this made me realize I forgot to mention the three Iridescent Faceted Gems that were added for the bling factor.  They add such a pretty touch to this serene card.  I can't wait to get this is the mail to a special friend.  

Thanks for sticking around to see what is being created around here.  I took a little break from fall and Christmas to make this card today.  I'm finding I love these papers so much together, maybe I need to try a Christmas card using them.  What do you think?

The two new stamp sets used today will be available on Nov. 1st.  Make sure you visit the Online Exclusive store to see all the new products that will be available for you.  I think you'll fall in love with one or two or these great items!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon