Peace & Joy Card

 Hello again!  I've just come in from feeding the chickens that were scratching around in my front yard.  Yes, I said chickens.  Let me be clear, there's really one rooster and four hens and they aren't mine.  The neighbors to the right and left of us both have chickens.  The chickens on the left are nicely penned up and we only hear them once in a while.  The ones on the right would be called 'free range' I guess, meaning that they're in our yard at least once a day now.  Should I be outside every day checking under the bushes in the front in case they lay any eggs out there?  I surely know nothing about chickens, except how to cook the eggs and meat I get from the store, but maybe I'd better start learning.  😄  Anyway, that really has nothing to do with my card today, unless I get out my Hey Chick stamp set and create something with that.  Which really wasn't my plan for today at all.  Instead, I have another Christmas card that uses a little bit of this and a little bit of that to come together in a pleasing finished card.  At least, I think so.  Hope you like it!

I've had a pile of 2 1/2" die-cut Mint Macaron circles sitting on my desk for a good long while.  I'm not sure why I have them, but this was the day I was finally going to use them!  So the card was essentially designed around them.  And this is just a sampling of the finished cards made with those circles.

The card base is Shaded Spruce to go with the Mint Macaron.  There is a layer of Basic White cardstock both inside and outside that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  The outside piece is embossed with the Merry Melody 3D Embossing Folder.  It needed to be defined a bit more, so I used a Blending Brush and Crumb Cake ink to lightly go over the notes.  Before attaching this to the card front, a piece of Soft Succulent 1/2" Satin Shimmer Ribbon was wrapped around it and attached to the back.  The color is a little different from the Mint Macaron, but I felt it blended well because of the sheen on the satin ribbon.  The layer was then attached to the card front using Tombow Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.

I looked through my stash of sentiment stamps to find one to fit the die-cut circle.  I came across the new Framed & Festive stamp set that is only available until the end of the year.  This had a longer sentiment with the words I wanted as part of it.  I placed it on the Stamparatus and used a Shaded Spruce marker to color only the words I wanted.  I needed to stamp it twice to get a decent enough image.  Then I stamped the single pine branch from the Christmas Season stamp set twice (on page 44 in the Annual Catalog).  I used Shaded Spruce ink, and off-stamped before stamping on the circle.

The holly leaves from the Christmas Season set were stamped with Mint Macaron ink onto Basic White cardstock.  Then the centers were stamped with Shaded Spruce ink.  The pinecone was stamped with Crumb Cake for the solid stamp and Soft Suede ink for the detail stamp.  These were also stamped on Basic White.  After stamping, they were all die-cut using the coordinating Seasonal Layers Dies.

To attach this to the card front, the tip of the two holly leaves were adhered to edge of the circle.  The pinecone was attached to this with a Dimensional.  The whole focal image was attached with many Dimensionals holding it up right over the ribbon.  There were three of the gold Festive Pearls added to the card for bling.  At this point, I knew it needed something more, but was having trouble deciding what it needed.  My daughter had stopped in and suggested adding a bow made of gold trim.  It was tucked in under the pinecone and attached with a Mini Glue Dot.  Just what it needed!

The last thing needed on the card was the Basic White layer for the inside of the card.  I used a sentiment from the Hope & Peace stamp set.  It's stamped with Shaded Spruce ink over on the left side.  Then a pinecone was stamped in the corner using the same colors as before.  The single pine branch was stamped with Shaded Spruce ink that had been off-stamped before stamping.  This was stamped several times to fill it in nicely.  Then it was attached to the inside of the Shaded Spruce card.  Another small batch of Christmas cards finished.

I hope you aren't getting tired of the Christmas Season stamp set yet.  This has truly become my favorite stamp set this year.  So sorry to keep going back to it again and again.  I promise to pick a different stamp set next time I go downstairs to create!

Just wanted to post the links for the retiring list for you.  Just click on either link below to see the lists of either retiring or carry over products.

Chance Products from July–December 2022 Mini Catalog

Carry Over List

Thanks for stopping by again today.  I appreciate the time you take to check out my blog.  Leave a comment if you can.  I'd love to hear from you.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Christmas Season: Take 3 or Maybe 4

 Hi ladies!  Today's post is going to be super short and to the point.  I've been having so much fun using the Christmas Season stamp set that I wanted to share the idea with different colors.  You really don't have to use these images just for Christmas either.  Check out how cool this color combo is...

I don't have lots of pictures to share of this card.  It's already in the mail, so I'm lucky I have one picture to share.  The color combo is a mix of cool colors - Smoky Slate, Orchid Oasis, Soft Succulent, Mint Macaron with Crumb Cake and Soft Suede thrown in for the pinecone.

I love this stamp set used with this layout.  It's definitely a go-to idea for me.  And it's amazing just how quick this card comes together.  The plan is to get all your stamps mounted and ready to go with the ink used placed with each stamp.  Then start in with the two Mint Macaron branches angled across from each other.  Add the two layers of the pinecone next - Crumb Cake and Soft Suede.  Then I stamped in the berry stems with Smoky Slate ink and tucked in the berries with Orchid Oasis.  Next was the single pine needle branch using Soft Succulent ink.  These are tucked in around everything else.  Some are full strength, and some are 2nd and even 3rd generation stamping.  Lastly, the speckles were stamped in with Smoky Slate ink.  It's layered up on Orchid Oasis and then a Smoky Slate card base.  The sentiment I chose is from the Lovely You set and fits just about anything you might need.  It's stamped with Smoky Slate ink on Basic White and layered with Orchid Oasis. The ribbon is the 1/8" Metallic Woven Ribbon in Orchid Oasis, and there are silver Festive Pearls added for bling.  

That's all there is to it.  Now think about the many color combos you might try on this set yourself.  I'd love to hear what color combos you've come up with to make with this set.  Good luck and have fun!

Just so you know, Stampin'Up! has posted their list of what is retiring in the July - December Mini Catalog.  To make it easier on us all, they posted a 'Carry Over List' also.  Both the links are shown below for your convenience.  Thanks for hanging out with me today.  Hope we can talk soon.  

Last Chance Products from July–December 2022 Mini Catalog

Carry Over List

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

It's Christmas Season

Hello!  Hope you're having a great weekend so far.  I thought it was time to give the Christmas Season stamp set a little love.  I don't know why I've been ignoring it lately, but today is the day to change all that.  This set is a carryover from last Christmas and is found on page 44 in the current Annual Catalog.  It has a set of dies that coordinate with the stamps, but I didn't use them on the first card, just the second.  There is also a sentiment set called Christmas to Remember on the next page that works nicely with it.  In fact, it's the sentiment set that I used for both of these cards.  Yes, I have two versions of a simple card that feels like Christmas when I look at them.  Hope you like the ideas.

This is the first card done up in the traditional colors with a very traditional feel to it.  If you like the basic red & green of Christmas, this is for you.  I started with a card base of Crumb Cake cardstock cut to measure 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", then scored and folded in half.  There is a piece of Real Red cardstock cut at 3 7/8" x 5 1/8" to make a skinny frame around the Vanilla layer. There is a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock cut at 3 3/4" x 5" for the outside of the card.  Another piece of Very Vanilla was cut at 5 1/4" x 4" for the inside layer of the card.  

Let's get on to that stamping next.  I mentioned using the Christmas Season set.  The first part stamped was the larger branch of leaves.  It was stamped first up towards the left corner using Garden Green ink. It was stamped again downwards at an angle to the opposite corner with the stems overlapping a bit.  The third time the stamp was not re-inked but stamped pointed directly down.

The next piece to stamp was the pinecone solid stamp using Crumb Cake ink.  It was stamped just about in the middle of the green branches.  The detail pinecone was stamped over this with Soft Suede ink.  The small berry twig was stamped with Early Espresso ink.  Then the berries were added afterwards for placement using Real Red ink.

The pine branch was stamped next using Soft Succulent ink.  These were tucked in around the other stamped elements.  I stamped four with full strength ink, and another 3-4 times with off-stamped ink to give it more dimension.  Lastly, I tucked in some of the dots using Crumb Cake ink to fill out the look.  One last thing I couldn't resist adding was a spattering of Wink of Stella to add a touch of shimmer and glitz to the card.

This Vanilla piece was attached to the Real Red layer using adhesive.  Then it was attached to the folded card base also using adhesive.  Three Real Red Rhinestones were tucked in around the stamped images.

The sentiment is from the Christmas to Remember stamp set.  It's stamped on 3/4" strip of Very Vanilla cardstock using Early Espresso ink.  The ends were finished off with the Lovely Labels Pick A Punch.  Then it was attached to the card front using Dimensionals.  The bow is a sheer Real Red Ribbon that I believe is retired.  It's added with a Mini Glue Dot.

The inside of the card was finished to coordinate with the card front.  The sentiment is from Christmas to Remember and stamped with Early Espresso ink.  The berry stem was stamped with Early Espresso ink and the berries with Real Red ink.  The pine branch was stamped in multiple times using both full strength and off-stamped Soft Succulent ink.  I did add a skinny scrap of Real Red cardstock along the bottom edge to finish.

The second card I did with the same stamps and inks was turned on its side and is a top-fold.  This card version does not have the pinecone added but does have extra berries tucked in and around the design.  On this design, I moved all the stamping to be centered more in the middle of the layer.

This sentiment also comes from the Christmas to Remember set.  This time it's stamped with Real Red ink onto a label from the Seasonal Labels dies.  After die-cutting it out, I used a Sponge Dauber to lightly add a little Garden Green ink to the edges to make it stand out a little more.

I used another retired Real Red ribbon.  This time it's a ruffle-edged ribbon.  A few more of those cute little Real Red Rhinestones were added to this card also.

I didn't take a picture of the inside of the card as it's very closely resembled the first one.  I did use a different sentiment inside, but it's also from the same Christmas to Remember set.

Hope you liked these two versions of the card.  I do love the Real Red and Garden Green colors for a traditional style of Christmas card.  It's fun to get a little more modern sometimes, but I still prefer the old-fashioned basics.  Thanks for stopping by to see what's happening over here.  Let me know which style of card you prefer - modern or traditional?  And how about the card layout - which is better in your opinion?  I'll be looking forward to hearing from you.  😄

If you're placing an order soon, please consider using the current Host Code at the top corner of my blog page.  I really appreciate your orders and will be sending out thank-you cards as usual, in between the Thanksgiving and Christmas cards!  Thank goodness I love making cards!!

Blessings,

Sharon

Gold and Green Christmas

Hello there!  Hope you're staying warm and dry today.  Wintery weather has hit us here in Boiling Springs, South Carolina.  It's rainy and cold outside - only 40 degrees for a high today!  And it was only 28 degrees when I got up this morning.  Yikes!  What happened to our warm and sunny weather?  Ok, is this because I was bragging about how wonderful it was?  My bad!  Well, since it is so gray and ugly outside, it sounds like the perfect day to be inside stamping and creating!  So that's just what I'm going to do. 

My card today uses a mixture of dies and DSP from several different bundles/suites.  After putting them together, they ended up working nicely to make this card.  The idea of the card all started with the Lights Aglow DSP gold foil print of Christmas trees on an Evening Evergreen background.  You can find this gorgeous 6" x 6" paper pack on page 31 of the July-December Mini Catalog.  These prints are just fabulously elegant.  So of course, I had to use some of the very elegant Gold and Rose Gold 6" x 6" Metallic Specialty Paper found on page 139 in the Annual Catalog.  Don't they look wonderful together?  

The brushed Gold Metallic Paper measures 3" x 4".  The print DSP measures 5" x 3".  Since this comes in a 6" x 6" pack, cut off 1" from the bottom to use for something else, and cut in half lengthwise to get enough to make two cards.  I mean, if you're going to make one Christmas card, why not make at least two at the same time?   Double the cards in just about the same amount of time.

I'm getting ahead of myself here.  Let's start with the base of the card first.  That is Evening Evergreen cardstock cut to measure 4 1/4" x 11", scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half.  This makes a top fold card.  The first layer is a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  Cut two of these - one for the front and one for the inside of the card. 

The brushed Gold Specialty Paper is added next.  I cut this so the 'brushed' look goes across the card.  This is attached to the card front with Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.  Then that 3" x 5" panel of the DSP is attached to the center front of the card.

Next comes the ribbon.  About a 16" length of Gold & Vanilla Satin-edged Ribbon was tied around the layers.   I'm guessing at the length of the ribbon because I always make the bow before cutting the ribbon.  The bow is positioned near the left edge of the card.  This ribbon is one of the hidden finds in the July-December Mini Catalog.  It's really beautiful and at 3/8" wide, it's just the right size.

The sentiment is next and is from the Decorated with Happiness set in the July-December Mini Catalog.  Oh yes, have I mentioned before that I really like this set?  And while I had this set out, I die-cut the ornament from Gold Foil Paper.

The sentiment is stamped onto a Very Vanilla piece of cardstock using Evening Evergreen ink.  Then it was die-cut with one of the dies from the Painted Labels Dies.  This one is an elegant shape that fits the greeting nicely.  It has an embossed edge around it to dress it up some.  

The sentiment was attached to the card front with Dimensionals above and below the ribbon.   This leaves the ribbon free so it can slide through to position correctly on the card.  The die-cut ornament is tucked in under the ribbon with only a Mini Glue Dot holding it at the top.  The gold Festive Pearls are the added bling for this card.  I wasn't too sure how all five of the different gold tones would work together on the card, but I love the sheer glitzy elegance of the card.  Hmm, is that a weird thing to put glitzy and elegance in the same sentence?

I didn't end up taking a picture of the inside of the card.  I used the sentiment from the Decorated with Happiness set stamped in Evening Evergreen ink.  I also added some pine branches coming in from the top in Evening Evergreen ink.  I used an old gold ink pad from a few years ago to stamp one of the ornaments and a few 'sparkles' inside too.

Now for the big news!  Stampin' Up! is having a huge Seasonal Sale!!  From Nov 15 - 18, most every punch (10% off), stamp (15% off), dies (20% off), embossing folders (20% off) and DSP (20% off) in the main catalog is on sale.  No Specialty DSP or Hybrid Embossing Folders are part of the sale.  Follow this link to see what is on sale!  https://www.stampinup.com/categories/sales-specials/seasonal-sale   You don't want to miss out.  And if you place an order, please consider using the Host Code shown at the top of the blog page.  Thank you!

Hope you were inspired to get started on your Christmas cards today.  Or if you've already started, keep at them so you can get them finished in plenty of time to get them in the mail.  Don't be like me still making the last few cards I need the week before Christmas!!

Happy stamping and creating (and shopping!),

Sharon

Poinsettia Standing Fun Fold Card

Hello friends!  I can hardly believe it's Friday already and another week is almost finished.  And what a week it's been with the elections happening on Tuesday.  A lot of craziness for sure.  But that just means it's time to regroup and hunker down.  There's still work to be done around here.  Of course, there's always stamping to do too with Thanksgiving right around the corner and Christmas coming quickly afterwards.  Have you got all your cards ready to go in the mail?  Hmmm, I sure don't.  If you're like me and still looking for that card you want to make and send to all your family and friends, I might have just the card for you today.  It's simple even though it looks complicated.  Definitely a wow card in my opinion.

The card is sort of an optical illusion in this picture.  When it folds flat, it fits nicely into a regular A2 envelope that we usually use.  It's standing up here, so the front section is folded forward.  I've done cards like this before, and I think they always have that wow factor when standing on a shelf or table.

To make the card, start with a half sheet of Garden Green cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  Now comes the hardest part - the scoring.  This piece gets scored at 2", 3 1/8", 5 3/8" and 6 1/2".  The two center score lines get folded to the back and the two outer score lines get folded forward.  This will give you a card that stands upright quite easily.  

This picture gives you a good shot from the top so you can easily see the folds.

I used two of the prints from the gorgeous Boughs of Holly Designer Series Paper shown on page 25 of the July-December Mini Catalog.  This covers three of the panels.  The DSP is cut at 1 3/4" x 5 1/4" for the two side panels, and 2" x 5 1/4" for the center panel.  All three of these were attached to the correct panel of the card base using adhesive.

A quarter sheet piece of Basic White was die-cut for the focal point.  I used the 2nd largest of the Scalloped Contours Dies to cut this.  I thought the scalloped edge and stitched lines made this a nice backdrop for the poinsettias.  The poinsettia actually was cut from one of the DSP prints in the Boughs of Holly paper.  Yes, it was fussy cut out of the paper to use here.  It didn't take too long and was worth the time it took to cut out. 

The sentiment is from last year's For Unto Us stamp set.  Yes, it is retired, but I still like it.  If you're making this card and don't have that exact set, substitute a different sentiment here from your stash.  You'll still love the card!  It's stamped with Garden Green ink to match the card base.  The poinsettias are attached to the white die-cut using Dimensionals to hold it up nicely.  A 4" length of Gold Shimmer Ribbon is folded in half and tucked in under the flowers as an accent.  It's attached with a Mini Glue Dot.  There are also three Adhesive-backed Seasonal Sequins added to the card front for bling.  The whole white layer is attached to the front panel of the card with Dimensionals.

The back of the card has a 2" Basic White panel attached in the center.  The sentiment is stamped with Garden Green ink to match the front.  I had a long 1/4" strip of DSP that was the matching print to the center panel of the card front.  I trimmed two short pieces to add to the top and bottom of the sentiment layer to add more color to the back of the card.

Thanks for sharing some time with me today.  Hope you enjoyed this easy card you can make for Christmas that's sure to wow your friends and family.  Let me know how your card turns out!

If you'll be placing an order soon, please consider using the Host Code shown at the top of this blog post.  It's so appreciated.  And all orders over $25 earn rewards points from me.  So that's a fun way to earn free merchandise of your choice.

Lastly, I just want to give a great big hi to my friends at Guardian Lutheran Church who are having an all-day crop tomorrow.  Have a blast stamping and sharing ideas!  I wish I could be there with you all and share in the creative fellowship going on.  I'm so jealous!  You ladies are the very best!!  Big hugs all around!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Decorated with Happiness Idea

 Welcome friends!  Hope you've been out to vote today, or maybe you did the early voting thing.  There was construction and a detour on our way to voting.  Guess it was our day to do a little back-roads exploring.  We got to go through an area we hadn't been in before, probably won't be going back again either.  LOL  Oh well, at least we made it out to vote!  Now on to the fun stamping stuff.  Today I have a card, well two cards, that I want to share with you that uses the Decorated with Happiness Bundle that's found on page 27 of the 2022 July-December Mini Catalog.  I saw a card that Wendy Lee made that sparked my imagination.  I just had to give it a whirl, and of course put my own spin on it.  Then I started making changes to my changes and overthinking the whole thing.  So I have two cards with minor changes between them.  You can let me know which you prefer or maybe the changes really don't make much of a difference.

Here they are, and I must say that I'm having trouble picking out the changes in the pictures.  In real life, they're more obvious.  Oh well, here goes.  The card base is Basic White Thick cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  There is a Basic White stamped layer that measures 5" x 3 3/4".  This is backed with a layer of Mint Macaron that measures 5 1/4" x 4".

The stamped layer has the pine branch stamped multiple times around the outside of the card.  It was off-stamped after inking for each branch.  (This is the right-side card) One of the sentiments from the set was stamped with Mint Macaron ink (full strength) tucked in the pine branches.  On the left-side card, the pine branches were off-stamped twice for each stamping to give it a lighter look.  Again, the sentiment was stamped full strength.

This is a closer look at the right-side card.  The pine branch was die-cut from Mint Macaron ink for both cards.  One change on this card is using a Blending Brush and Mint Macaron ink to darken the edges of the pine needles on this one.  It was needed to show up better on the darker stamping of the background.  The branch was attached to the card front with Tombow Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.

The stamped ornaments on both the cards used the same colors - Fresh Freesia, Sweet Sorbet, and Orchid Oasis.   The Fresh Freesia was stamped full strength, but the other two were off-stamped on the outline.  The center fill-in stamps were all off-stamped before stamping.  They were all die-cut with the coordinating dies.

A light brushing of Wink of Stella was added to the ornaments.  Then I spattered some Wink of Stella over the whole card.  Lastly, the bling was added on this card.  I used the lovely Iridescent Rhinestones.  I really like how they sparkle and twinkle on the card like Christmas lights on a tree.  

A closer look at the left-side card also has a few changes.  I used the smaller 'sparkle' stamp and Balmy Blue ink to add them around the evergreen area.  With the lighter off-stamped green tones, these showed up nicely but weren't overpowering.

The layout and coloring of the ornaments is a little different here.  It really is only to make the balance of the ornaments better, and to fit on the card.  It really wasn't intentional, just worked out that way.

On this card I used my favorite standby bling of the Clear Rhinestone Basic Jewels.  Also, there's just a light brushing of Wink of Stella on the ornaments for some added glitz.

The inside of both cards has a sentiment from the Hope & Peace stamp set.  It's stamped with Mint Macaron ink.  There are also pine branches added on the edges to carry the theme inside of the card.

There you have it - the left or the right card.  Which do you prefer?  Or doesn't it really make a difference at all?  The changes do really stand out in person, but the camera just doesn't do the cards justice at all.   I don't think I should tell you which one I prefer.  You'll just have to guess!

Thanks for hanging out with me again today.  I so appreciate you taking the time to stop by to see what's been happening.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Christmas Pine Branches Card

Blessings to you this Sunday.  It looks like the rains might have passed on for a while and we're back to sunshine.  I still find it amazing to be standing outside in November with no jacket on just feeding our fish in the pond and enjoying the afternoon.  I can't believe the temperature is 75 degrees!  I have to admit that so many leaves have fallen in the last two days though that I can't even tell where the driveway is!!  How crazy is that?  But the weather today is just gorgeous, and I'm enjoying it.  In fact, it's so enjoyable that I don't want to come inside and get back to work.  But here I am ready to go, so let's get creating!  The card I'm sharing today is one that I made for my Hostess Club ladies to make themselves.  I hope they like it even though the colors are non-traditional.

Here's the card I sent to each of them.  The colors I used are Sweet Sorbet, Soft Succulent, and Basic White.  Sure, it's still a red and green sort of, but oh my, the difference!

To make this card, I started with an 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of Sweet Sorbet cardstock that is scored at 4 1/2" and folded in half.  There are two pieces of Basic White cardstock cut at 5 1/4" x 4" - one each for the inside and outside layers of the card.  The outside layer is embossed with the Merriest Frames Hybrid Embossing Folder which is found in the 2022 July - December Mini Catalog on page 23.  This is a carry-over item from last Christmas so you might already have it.  I used the coordinating die for this card a little later on in the process.  

After embossing the white layer, I used a Blending Brush and Soft Succulent ink to go over the embossed areas.  This really makes the images stand out more in my opinion.  Considering the plan for a design I had, the embossed design would have been lost under the other layers.   

I could have stopped at this point, but why not add more to make the card really pop?

Next, I used the thicker Christmas Pinecone Die to cut some Soft Succulent cardstock.  This gave me oodles of pine branches to use for the next layer.  I cut apart the die-cut piece of Soft Succulent into all these separate pieces with only the pinecones on the right left over.  As I was cutting, I was arranging them on the embossed layer to see how it looked.  When I was happy with the look, adhesive was used to attach the cut ends of the pines onto the rectangle center of the card layer. The outer edges remained loose so they stand out from the layer a little.  This layer was attached to the folded Sweet Sorbet card base using Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.

On to the sentiment on the card.  Here is where the Merriest Frames Hybrid Die comes into play.  The stitched layer of Basic White is the die that fits right inside the rectangle that was embossed earlier.  The sentiment comes from the Hope & Peace stamp set found on page 40 of the 2022 July - December Mini Catalog.  (This has turned into my go-to sentiment for Christmas cards.  Both the sentiments for the inside and outside of the card are perfect for me.)  The sentiment was stamped with Sweet Sorbet ink towards the top of the rectangle area.  A skinny layer of Sweet Sorbet cardstock was cut to frame this and make it stand out nicely.  This measures 2 3/16" x 2 15/16".  Of course, you could cut it just a bit bigger if you don't want to play with those tiny numbers.  But if you want a really skinny layer, this is the way to go.  The sentiment was attached to this layer with adhesive.  Then it was attached to the card front using Dimensionals.

I used a retired punch to give me the holly I wanted on the sentiment layer.  They are punched from Evening Evergreen cardstock.  An extra pine branch was tucked on and then the holly leaves were added using adhesive.   Adhesive-backed Sequins were the final touch on my card.  One large sequin was added near the holly and four of the small ones were tucked around in the pine branches.

That's it for today's post. Hope you enjoyed the look of all these elements added into one finished piece.  Like I said earlier, I hope my Hostess Club ladies like this card.  I'm sure happy with how it turned out.  Thank you for taking the time to see what's new.  If you're placing an order soon, please consider using the Host Code at the top of the post.  I'm very grateful for all of you that do use the code.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Fitting Florets Again

 Hello everyone!  Here we are back with another card using the new Fitting Florets Collection.  And this time there's an added bonus of it being a fun-fold card too.  To make it even better, I have two versions of the card also.  This is another design that Connie and I both made our version of the same layout.  Hope you like.

Here's my version of the card.  The card base is smaller than usual, 4 1/4" x 8 1/2".  It's scored in half with the fold to the left side.  Then it's scored from the top right corner to the bottom left folded corner of the front flap of the card.  I think you can see the scored fold in the picture.  My thumb nail is right near the bottom corner fold.  The card base is Evening Evergreen to match the Fitting Florets Designer Series Paper.

The 'heart frame' die was used to die-cut a piece of Silver Foil paper that measures about 4" x 4 1/2".  This die actually doesn't cut either an inside oval or an outside one - just the tiny hearts in the oval shape.  After die-cutting, I used Paper Snips to follow the edge of the die to cut out an oval frame.  Then I used the smaller of the other two oval dies to cut out both a Polished Pink cardstock frame and a Basic White inset.  I'm left with a white frame and pink inset for another project.

In the center of the white inset was stamped a sentiment from the Framed Florets Bundle using Evening Evergreen ink.  Then the Polished Pink frame was attached in the center of the silver foil oval using adhesive.  The inset was also attached to the center of the frame with adhesive.

One of the flowers in the set was stamped with Polished Pink ink on Basic White cardstock.  Two of the leaf clusters were also stamped on white with Evening Evergreen ink.  I used a Water Brush and extra ink to do a little watercolor on them before die-cutting them with the matching dies.  

A tall leaf spray was die-cut from Evening Evergreen cardstock and an extra spray of leaves was die-cut from Balmy Blue cardstock.  I'm sorry I forgot to write down what I was using as I went along and can't figure out what die set was used for the Balmy Blue piece.  I would guess that any similar bitty piece would work just fine.  These pieces were all attached to the frame, most with adhesive, but the flower has a Dimensional behind it.

The ovals are attached to the front of the card only on the bottom section by using adhesive.  Make sure the adhesive doesn't go above the fold or the card won't stand up as shown.

To finish the card, a 4" x 4" piece of Fitting Florets DSP was attached inside the card.  The sentiment was stamped on a 1/2" piece of Basic White cardstock using Evening Evergreen ink.  It was trimmed then layered onto a Polished Pink piece to frame it.  This was attached inside the card using Dimensionals.  It's at just the right angle to catch the front flap on the card and allow it to stand upright.  Cute, huh?!  The final touch is the little Festive Pearls in Cherry Cobbler color tucked into the design.  Now, on to Connie's version of this card.

As you can see, many differences here starting out with the card base color of Night of Navy.  She also added two half pieces of 4" x 4" paper - one in Balmy Blue and one is the matching DSP.  The Balmy Blue cardstock has tone-on-tone stamping with one of the little sprigs in the stamp set.  These two pieces were added to either side of the diagonal fold.

Connie did not use the hearts oval die like I did.  She did use the Silver Foil for the smaller frame and Basic White for the inset on this design.  The words are from the Framed & Festive set that is part of the Collection and it's stamped in Night of Navy ink.

She added the leafy spray die-cut from Night of Navy cardstock.  She also had a bitty die-cut of Balmy Blue and a smaller one from Silver Foil that are added for interest.

Last picture shows the inside of the card and has it standing upright.  The sentiment comes from the Framed & Festive set also.  It's stamped on Basic White with Night of Navy ink and then framed with Polished Pink.  

The inside of the card has the same print as the front of the card to carry the design inside.  The sentiment is attached with Dimensionals.

As the finishing touch, she added several pink dots to match the design of the DSP print.  A slightly different take on a Christmas card, don't you think?  But lovely just the same.

So, there you have it.  We have used the same layout on the cards we made and that's about all that is the same about them.  Have fun making your own version of our fun-fold card.  I'm sure you'll come up with something wonderful and uniquely yours!

If you're enjoying seeing the possibilities of this Fitting Florets Collection, consider purchasing this for yourself.  Or you might want to get only the parts of it that appeal to you.  Either way it works.  The fun ideas just keep flowing and hopefully I'll have more ideas to share for using this Collection in the future.   If you're ordering soon, please consider using the Host Code shown at the top of the post.  Thanks for stopping by again to see what's happening.  Love to hear from you!

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon