Copying Connie Again

Hello Friends!  Hope you're doing well and staying busy.  For today's post, I'm sharing my version of a card my sister sent me and then sharing her card.  I loved the look of her card and knew I had nothing that she used to make it.  Darn!  When talking with her, she challenged me to come up with something close using what I had.  It took me a lot of thinking before I decided to take up her challenge.  First, I'll show you what I've made, then share her idea that I copied and selectively edited.  Then you can let me know if I came up with a viable copied idea.

Here it is!  I love the crisp, clean look of just green and white.  All the lovely layering of leaves really makes this card special.  This is how it's made...

Start with a piece of Basic White Thick cardstock that measures 11" x 4 1/4", scored at 5 1/2".  There is some stamping directly onto this.  Both the Natures's Prints (page 91) and Botanical Layers (page 93) were used to stamp leaves.  The largest stem from the Nature's Prints set was used with Soft Succulent ink to stamp once on the top right side of the card and once on the left bottom of the card.  I used a scrap piece of paper to mask the area where I didn't want the stems to show in the middle of the card.  The thick leafy stem from Botanical Layers was stamped on the left top with Evening Evergreen ink.   The smaller leafy stem was stamped on the bottom right with the same ink.

Over the stamped images, a layer of the Vellum Layering Designs was placed.  I used a piece with subtle, tiny white writing all over it.  It measures 5 1/4" x 3".  It's attached only through the area that the wording will go using a strong adhesive.

Then come the die-cut leaves.  I used the Splendid Stems Dies from the July-December 2022 Mini Catalog.  (I don't know why I thought it was in the regular catalog and still current, sorry!)  Four of the open-work dies were used to cut Basic White, Soft Succulent, and Evening Evergreen cardstock. The leafy spray from Framed Florets Dies was used also.  Some of these needed the stems trimmed to fit.  Then they were attached to the vellum with adhesive making sure all the stem ends were hidden.

For the banner across the card, I started with a piece of Basic White that measured 4 1/2" x 1 1/2".  Using the Basic Borders Dies, a stitched zig-zag was cut to make it about 1 1/4" at the widest tips.  A sentiment from the Splendid Thoughts stamp set was stamped with Evening Evergreen ink close to the center.

A piece of Evening Evergreen cardstock was cut to frame the white piece top and bottom.  It measured 4 1/4" x 1 3/8".  They are attached together with adhesive.  Then it was attached to the card front using Dimensionals for a little height.

Five of the Opal Rounds were sprinkled on for some bling.  I just had to add them!

You know me and left-over strips of paper.  The left-over zig-zag piece was attached to a piece of Evening Evergreen that was only 5/8" wide.  These were attached to the bottom of the inside of the card to carry the design over.

Here's the original card.  If you look closely, you'll see that just about everything on the card has been changed.  Like I said, she used all the things I didn't have.  I love the look of those really big open leaves.  So pretty.  Plus, there's a touch of another color green in there.  Looks like it could be Old Olive.

Now if you want to make your version of this card, go right ahead.  If you'd like to send me a picture of the card to share here, be my guest.  I'd love to see what you're creating, and I'll try to add them to this post.  This could be fun!

Thanks for stopping by again today.  I'm working on more projects to share with you.  I miss you all and feel that this is a good way to stay in touch.  And I truly love to hear from you about not only what I'm sharing with you and what you're doing with the ideas, but life in general.  Love you!

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

Happiness Abounds Fun Fold Card

Hello friends!  Yikes!  It's still freezing cold weather around here.  Definitely winter!  So I'm still going to poke my head in the sand, keep stamping flowers, and wish for spring.  What about you?  Are you a warm weather person or do you love the cold weather and play at winter sports?  I used to love downhill skiing, but I gave that up years ago.  Now I have trouble staying warm enough to want to spend much time outside.  But I can stamp in any weather, and that's what I've been doing!  

I still had thoughts of the Hues of Happiness DSP that I used on my last card rolling around in my mind.  I wanted to play with that a little more, so I got out the Happiness Abounds stamp set and went to work.  I actually made a fun fold card for this.  It's not a new fold, but a card layout that I've used before that's nice and simple.  Besides I like the look of it!  So, we're going to use it again here.

The card starts with a Basic White Thick card base that measures 4 1/4" x 9".  This is scored at 5 1/2" so it's a regular size card when finished.  I next started with the Hues of Happiness DSP print that is covered with flowers in a rainbow of colors.  So pretty!  This is cut to 3" x 3 3/4" for the left side.   To contrast, I chose the "painted" backside of another print that has pinks, roses, and yellow/gold brushstrokes.  This piece measures 1 1/2" x 3 3/4" and is for the right side of the card.  Now, I need to be perfectly honest here and tell you I made a mistake in cutting the smaller piece.  You can see I cut it 1/4" too skinny, but I didn't have any more of that paper.  Boo hoo!  Since the card was almost finished by the time I noticed the problem, I went with the paper I did have.  So sorry!

Next, I decided on Melon Mambo for the framing layers.  These were cut to measure 3 1/4" x 4" for the left side, and 1 3/4" x 4" for the right side.  Now would be a good time to attach the layers together and then attach them to your card base to make sure you measured your pieces better than I did!  😁 

I die-cut several flowers from the DSP with the coordinating dies.  I didn't have enough leaves from the DSP, so I stamped the leaves with Granny Apple Green ink and also die-cut them.  The sentiment layer is a die-cut from the Labels Aglow Dies in the July - December Mini Catalog.  (only a few days left to order this!)  It's die-cut from Basic White and I used Melon Mambo ink to stamp the sentiment which is from the Artistically Inked set.  

Then I played around with all the pieces that I had ready.   I was struggling to get it where I liked it because the extra flowers just kept getting lost on the flowered print no matter how I positioned them.  Then I had an ah-ha moment!  I added a layer of vellum over the flower print and voila!  It worked out just as I had hoped.  Some sequins were added to finish off the look.

I had so much fun making this card and my card stash was a little on the low side.  So why not use this same fun fold and make a couple more cards that I needed.  So, here's a few more pictures for ideas on using this fun fold with whatever DSP you have sitting around.

Sentiment - Framed Florets

DSP - Fitting Florets

Die-cut pieces - Framed Florets

Bling - Festive Pearls

Flower stamps - Artistically Inked

Sentiment - Celebrating You

DSP - Expressions in Ink

Gold branches - Tree Rings Hybrid Embossing Folder

Sentiment Label - Labels Aglow Die

Bling - small gold rhinestones

Flowers & Leaves - Artistically Inked

Sentiment - Framed Florets

DSP - Expressions in Ink

Bling - iridescent sequins

Hope you have gotten some inspiration from today's post.  Rethink some of your favorite layouts and recycle them into something fresh and new by using different DSP or stamps.  Even color combos change the look of something that you do all the time.  

Looking forward to making many more posts in the new year!  Hope you'll come back often to see what's been happening here and visit on a regular basis.  Can you believe this year is pretty much over and done with?  In many ways it's been a rough one.  But God is still blessing us every day and God willing, I'll continue to walk with Him in the coming year.  I pray for God to bless you with His love and grace and fill you with His peace in the new year!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Pretty Paper Cards

Hello and an early merry Christmas to you!  Life has been really busy lately, but I did get some quality time spent in my stamp room.  It was awesome to start out with an idea and watch it actually get accomplished.  What a great feeling!  I can't tell you how many times I sit down to stamp a project and just run into roadblocks, finally put the project aside and try to work it differently another day.  But today's idea went smoothly from start to finish.  Hooray!

I wasn't in the mood for making anything else Christmas.  I figured you were probably finished with all of your cards too.  So, I thought I'd make some cards focusing on the Fitting Florets Designer Series Paper that is only available until January 4th.   It is lovely and it's still in stock!  What a surprise.  I started out this project by cutting three pieces of the dark blue floral print to measure 5" x 3 3/4".  These would be my main layer and really show up on my cards.  Plus it's my favorite print, so why not!

Here's the first card I worked on.  It starts with a card base of Evening Evergreen cut at 11" x 4 1/4", scored at 5 1/2" and folded at the top.  The next layer is Soft Succulent that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  I had a 1" strip of the same print left over from cutting the DSP.  This I flipped to the back side and attached this to the DSP layer that I cut for this card.  It's about 3/4" from the left edge.  Then the DSP layer was attached to the Soft Succulent layer with adhesive.  This was all attached to the folded card base with adhesive also.

The sentiment on this card is from the Framed Florets stamp set.  It was stamped on Basic White cardstock using Evening Evergreen ink.  It was die-cut using the Stylish Shapes square die.  I also cut a square from Balmy Blue cardstock that is the same size.  I angled these and attached together with adhesive.

Before attaching this to the card front, I felt it needed something else added.  I couldn't find anything current that added to the design.  But then I remembered the blue ribbon from the Boho Blue Kit from two years ago.  I dug it out and loved how it looked together.  The ribbon is attached with a small amount of Tombow Multi Purpose Liquid Glue right down the center of the Soft Succulent strip of DSP.  The bottom was angle cut.

The sentiment was attached over this with Dimensionals.  Perfect!  Lastly, I added three Iridescent Pearls to the card front.  Oh yes, just lovely!  One down, two more to go. 

When I started working on this card, I was using the other side of the print just like the first one.  But after getting all the pieces of the design together and getting ready to glue them down, I decided I liked this side better.  Nothing like changing an idea at the very last minute.

The Basic White circle is die-cut using the Stylish Shapes again.  The bold sentiment comes from the Garden Birdhouses stamp set and is stamped in Evening Evergreen ink.  

The flowers and leaves are stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and are from the Framed Florets stamp set.  (This set and the coordinating dies that I used will be in the January - April Mini Catalog.)  I used Stampin' Blends for coloring:  Balmy Blue Light & Dark and Soft Succulent Light & Dark.

There is a spray of open-work leaves cut from silver paper that was added to the design, and one open-work single leaf in Evening Evergreen cardstock.  All of the pieces were attached to the circle with adhesive, except for the middle flower that has a Dimensional behind it.

When I had die-cut an earlier project, the one frame is surrounded by tiny hearts.  You know me, I couldn't throw them out, because I might need them someday.  Well, today was that day.  I added three of them to the card as bling.  They are attached with a tiny drop of Tombow Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.  Pretty, aren't they?

A retired twine that is white and silver was tied into a bow and attached with a Mini Glue Dot as a finishing touch to the card.  Now on to the last card.

For this one, I wanted to try a stamp set that will be in the new catalog.  So here we go for a quick sneak peek.

The stamp set is called Two-Tone Flora.  I was sticking with the same color palette of Balmy Blue, Evening Evergreen and Soft Succulent to match the DSP.  In my die-cut leftover stash, I had both the Basic White and Balmy Blue Stitched Nested Labels already cut and ready to layer together.  It's a retired die set, but I liked how it fit with this card idea.  

The sentiment was stamped in Evening Evergreen ink.  You'll find this sentiment in the Happy Thoughts stamp set.  It has a great bunch of sentiments in the set with the fun font combo used here.

The flowers and leaves were stamped on a Basic White cardstock piece.  The flowers were either just Balmy Blue or Balmy Blue with a detail stamp inked with Night of Navy, off-stamped, and then stamped on the flower.  The leaves were either stamped with Evening Evergreen by itself, or first inked with Soft Succulent and Evening Evergreen added over it to get a two-tone look.

Some of the pieces were attached directly to the card front, but the larger flower and one smaller flower were attached with Dimensionals.  The leafy spray that extends off the label has a Dimensional under the tip of the leaf.

To finish off the design, I added three of the Iridescent Pearls to it.  These pearls really pick up the blues on the card and mimic the berries on the background so they're perfect.  

So, there you have today's offerings.  It's fun how different you can make a card look just by changing up the components you add to the card.  These all have the same color scheme, but the die-cuts, sentiments, etc. all come together to give you a different card.  Hope these ideas give you some food for thought and spark your imagination a little bit.

Christmas blessings to you!

Sharon

Cottage Wreath Christmas

Hello all!  I have to know, does the weather affect your frame of mind?  I never thought it made all that much of a difference to me.  But the last week or two opened my eyes to how much it really does make a difference.  We've been having cold and dreary, rainy days every single day for over a week, and it really started to get to me.  Today I woke up to sunshine and blue skies and my attitude has changed immensely!  All of a sudden, I have inspiration to get things done and energy to do it!  So let's get started with sharing a Christmas card.  This might be the last Christmas card I share as it's getting so close to Christmas.  I just got my pre-order delivered with all the new products I ordered from the new mini catalog that goes live on January 5th.  If you haven't gotten your catalog in the mail yet, let me know so I can check on it's whereabouts.  I'm so excited to sit down and play with the fun things that came in that box.  I guess Christmas came early for me!!  But back to this last Christmas card...

It's not only Christmas themed, but a fun fold card too!  That makes it just about perfect in my book.  The card starts out with two quarter pieces of Mint Macaron cardstock that measure 5 1/2" x 4 1/4".  These are the front and back panels of the finished card.  Also cut a piece of Mint Macaron cardstock that measures 5" x 1 1/2" for layering later.

A Basic White piece comes next.  This measures 5 1/4" x 11".  It's scored at 1 3/4", 3 1/2", 7 1/2", and 9 1/4".  Fold the two outer score lines to the back and fold the two inner score lines in towards the center.  This gives you almost a gatefold card that doesn't meet in the middle.  Are you with me so far?  Correction:  Thanks Kathy for finding the mistake I made in measuring.  These figures should now be correct.

I think from this picture you should be able to tell where the folds are and how they're folded.

There are two pieces of the Splendid Day Designer Series Paper that are cut next.  I used the Soft Seafoam and Basic White pearlized print for this. They measure 5 1/4" x 4" and 4 3/4" x 1 1/4".  The larger DSP piece gets attached to one of the Mint Macaron quarter pieces for the front panel using adhesive.  The smaller piece is attached to the smaller Mint Macaron strip.  

There is a Shaded Spruce layer cut that measures 4 1/2" x 3 1/2".   A Basic White piece measuring 3 1/4" x 4 1/4" is cut for the stamped images.  The leafy wreath from Cottage Wreaths stamp set found on page 59 was stamped on this using Mint Macaron ink.  Over this, multiple evergreen stems were stamped with Shaded Spruce ink to fill it in nicely.  

Shaded Spruce ink was also used to stamp the sentiment along the bottom.  The sentiment comes from the Peace to You stamp set found on page 41 of the July - December Mini Catalog.  Another sentiment from the set was used to stamp inside the scored and folded card as shown.  

Putting the card together, start with the back Mint Macaron panel.  Centering the folded white panel, attach it to the Mint Macaron in the center.  Using adhesive only on the left folded panel, attach it to the back of the front Mint Macaron and DSP piece.  This should be lined up with the back panel, so you only see a card front and no extra edges peeking out.  The skinny strip of DSP should be attached to the skinny Mint Macaron strip with adhesive.  This is attached to the folded panel on the front right side of the card.  Check above photo for placement.

The stamped white cardstock piece was attached to the Shaded Spruce piece using adhesive.  This was attached to the card front using Dimensionals.  A retired sheer white/ iridescent ribbon was tied into a bow and attached to the card front between the wreath and sentiment using Mini Glue Dots.  An assortment of small green iridescent Seasonal Sequins were scattered around the wreath to give it some sparkle.

Hope you like this card idea.  If you have questions about this fun fold and how it's put together, just call and I'll be happy to help.  If you're totally done making your Christmas cards, start thinking about using this fun fold to make some cute birthday, or even Valentine cards.  Oh my goodness!!   Did I really just mention Valentine's Day?  I didn't mean to jump ahead of myself so far.  I'm not thinking that far ahead myself yet.  I've still got Christmas cookies to make and gifts to buy and decorating to do!  Oh my!  So it's time I leave you and get back to work on my lists.

Until next time, keep at those Christmas cards.  Get them finished and in the mail.  Your family and friends will love getting them so it's all worth it!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

More Snowflakes

 Hello again.  Just can't seem to get enough of that flocked and/or iridescent snowflake vellum.  It sure is gorgeous and I've got another card idea for you using this paper.  This time around the card is a fun fold so it's even better yet!  Come along and see what else we can make using this fabulous vellum paper.

I love adding blue tones when using this snowflake vellum to make you think of icy temperatures.  It just gives me the brrrrr-y chills thinking of freezing temps and snow crystals blowing in your face when you're outside.  This time I chose to use Tahitian Tide cardstock for my blue tone.  Yeah, the name sure doesn't fit the cold weather, does it?  But I think the color worked out nicely here.  

Start with an 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of cardstock.  Score this at 2 1/8" and 4 1/4".  Fold the center over like a regular card and then fold the left-hand side back to the front to make a Z-Fold card.

Then I cut the Snowflake Vellum Specialty Paper.  The flocked dotted vellum is cut to 2" x 5 1/4".  The flocked snowflake vellum is cut at 4" x 5 1/4".  I added the dotted vellum to the front section of the card.  There is adhesive only underneath the area with the focal piece.  It's brought right to the folded edge.  Next the snowflake vellum was added to the inside back layer.  Make sure the adhesive is added only to the underside of the flocking, so it doesn't show when the card is finished.

The focal point on the card is made from using one of the Fabulous Frames Dies.  These are found on page 171 of the Annual Catalog.  This frame is the perfect size to showcase the Wonderful Snowflakes I wanted to use in the center.  If you don't have this die set, you could always use something similar.  I cut this twice - once in Basic White and once in Tahitian Tide so I would have the outer and inner frame pieces.

One of the Wonderful Snowflakes found on pg 45 of the July - December Mini Catalog was attached to the center of the Tahitian Tide rectangle using a Mini Glue Dot.  This was positioned inside the white frame and Tombow Multi Purpose Liquid Glue was placed on only one half of it, then it was attached to the folded front panel of the card.  I made sure it was dry and secure before going any further with it.

A small banner was die-cut from Basic White cardstock using the Stylish Shapes Dies.  The sentiment was stamped on this using Tahitian Tide ink.  It was attached over the middle of the snowflake using three Dimensionals.  A bow was made using the White Glittered Organdy Ribbon.  It was attached to the card front with Mini Glue Dots.  Three of the white iridescent Seasonal Sequins were attached to continue with the dotted look.

A piece of Basic White cardstock was cut to measure 1 7/8" x 5 1/4".  The sentiment used is from the Decorated with Happiness stamp set.  It's stamped with Tahitian Tide ink.  A snowflake from the Season of Chic set was inked with Tahitian Tide ink, off-stamped, then stamped on this panel for added interest.  I added 3 partial snowflakes.  The panel was attached to the inside left of the card as shown.  And the card is complete.

These were all made when my sister was visiting.

The Orchid Oasis card uses a sentiment from the Hope & Peace stamp set.  The snowflake was raised higher, so it wasn't covered over so much with the sentiment. The vellum used wasn't the flocked, but the iridescent pieces in the same set.  Lovely!  The middle card has the vellum switched, so the snowflakes are on the left and the dots are inside.  Also, the ribbon used is the retired dotted and flocked ribbon to carry the dotted vellum look even further.

Hope these ideas inspire you to play with this lovely vellum specialty paper.  It really does make beautiful cards.  Thanks for stopping by to see what's been happening here.  A quick medical update - it looks like the Cardioversion is working.  Praise God!  Hope my energy will start increasing quickly.  Yes, I do get impatient at times.  Anyway, for those of you praying about this, thank you!!!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Winter White Snowflakes

Hey there, friends.  Sorry for the delay in getting another post finished.  I've been having a little bit of a struggle lately, but another cardioversion will be done tomorrow.  I truly hope that helps and my aFib gets under control.  It will be nice to have more energy afterwards too.  Please pray for me. 

Today's card features some gorgeous snowflake vellum specialty paper.  Unfortunately, as I sat down to write out this post, I noticed it is totally sold out.  But if you already have some, give this card a try.  It is absolutely gorgeous in person.

Let's start with the snowflake vellum layer.  The vellum was cut to 5 1/8" x 3 7/8". A Basic White layer was cut to match.  Using small amounts of Tombow Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue only behind the snowflake flocking, it was adhered to the Basic White layer.  This is so pretty all by itself with the frosted look of the vellum and the velvet flocking of the snowflakes.  It was layered onto a Thick Basic White cardstock base that is 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  The snowflake layer was added with Dimensionals to hold it up from the card base.

Next was added one of the Wonderful Snowflakes found on page 83 of the July-December Mini Catalog.  It was attached with the iridescent side up on the card front with only one Dimensional right in the center of the snowflake.  To the center of this was added a silver snowflake that I die-cut using the larger snowflake from the Chic Die set.  It was attached to the first snowflake with one tiny Mini Dimensional right in the center of this.

The next step was deciding on a sentiment for the card and how I wanted it on there.  I decided on a sentiment from the Leaves of Holly stamp set.  After trying it with Smoky Slate ink on white cardstock, I decided to go with white embossing on vellum to stay with the white-on-white look.

After embossing, the ends were trimmed with the Banner Pick A Punch to finish.  I left enough room on each end for one the Seasonal Sequins in white, of course.  One of them was also attached to the center of the silver snowflake to finish it off.

There you have it - a truly gorgeous, elegant Christmas card that really wasn't as hard to make as it looks.  If you're looking for a wow factor on some of your special cards, this is it!

Thought you might like to see my sister, Connie's version of this card.  She used a different flocked velvet snowflake paper as you can see.  She didn't add the die-cut silver snowflake like I did.  

She also chose to change the sentiment.  This one comes from the Framed & Festive stamp set that is a limited edition set.  The set is only available until the end of this year or while supplies last.

She did use the same iridescent white sequins for her card like I did.  They were just the perfect touch for the all-white card of hers.

Hope you liked today's card offering.  I'm having a problem sharing ideas because so many items I've used are out of stock right now.  How frustrating!  Maybe I should just pretend that you've got everything I've got so it won't make any difference.  You can always substitute anything similar that you have.  It'll work just fine.

If you're ordering soon, please consider using the Host Code at the top of the blog post.  It's greatly appreciated.

Happy stamping and creating,

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 Collection

Hello friends and a blessed Sunday to you!  Hope all is well with you as we wind down another month.  Can you believe October is almost just a memory?  Yikes, this year has gone by just too quickly for me.  Today's post is a little bit different than usual, at least in the way I'm thinking of it.  Usually, I focus on a stamp set or dies and plan my project around that.  Or maybe the focus is on a new fun-fold that I've come across.  Well today I want to have a double focus - both a die set and a Designer Paper pack.  The new Fitting Florets Collection will be available for purchase on November 1st and there's so many good facets of this Collection that I want you to share with you.  Just a reminder that the Framed Florets stamp and die bundle will be in the new Mini Catalog that premiers next January so that's good.  But the other three parts of the Collection will only be available through January 4th - or as long as supplies last!  So that's why I'm focusing on the Fitting Florets Designer Series Paper today because it's so pretty.

When I sat at my table yesterday, I thought it'd be fun to try using at least two of the DSP prints on the card.  After making one, I had extra 'paper trinkets' left over and still had ideas running through my little head.  So, I made two cards instead and I'm sharing both today.  Hope you like them and get inspired to do a little creating yourself.

My idea when starting these cards was to use the multi-colored floral print with the die-cuts to come up with the finished project.  The Balmy Blue and Evening Evergreen geometric print is the backside of the multi-color floral.  I wanted to try putting them together for a different look.

The Framed Florets Dies come with three different oval frames.  To start, I used the heart frame that you can see cuts small hearts into an oval frame.  Very cute.  When it cuts the hearts out, it does not cut anything else.  I used the smaller oval frame to cut out the center inside the heart oval.  This actually cuts out an oval frame and a smaller oval inside piece.  So, at this point I had three oval pieces to use.  I kept two, but the center oval I set aside for later.  I recut that same frame from Basic White cardstock and used the center oval for this card.

I chose to use Blushing Bride cardstock as my card base as that's one of the colors in the DSP print.  I used Foam Adhesive Strips behind the floral print to attach it to the folded card base.  I did this because the tiny hearts show up better with the shadowing behind them.

Next the oval frame of DSP was turned over and attached flat inside the heart oval on the card front using adhesive.  I stamped a sentiment from the Wisteria Wishes stamp set using Evening Evergreen ink onto the Basic White oval that I had just die-cut.  Then this was attached in the center of the frame using Dimensionals to pop it up.  I liked the definition between the layers with some higher or lower.  It just gives it a different look rather than always building layers up higher.

The next step was die-cutting several leafy sprays from Evening Evergreen cardstock for accents.  Then I fussy cut a floral cluster that was bigger than but coordinated with the small print on the card front.  It really didn't take too long to do this, and you get such pretty pieces to put on your cards!  After cutting this out, it was just a matter of arranging the die-cut pieces under the flowers.  The die-cut pieces were attached with adhesive.  The flowers were popped up over these using Dimensionals.  The three Festive Pearls in gold were added as bling for an accent.  

I just love all that's going on with this card to keep your interest.  So, that one is done, but there's the inside of that oval that I still need to figure out.  Right?  I could have just left it for another day, but this was sort of a challenge to me.  So, back to the Fitting Florets DSP to see what else is there and what I can maybe do with it.

So here we are.  Do you see that Evening Evergreen and Balmy Blue geometric print again?  What do you think of it with the pretty blue flowers?  I love this card even better than the first!  I started out with a Balmy Blue card base and added a skinny Basic White layer between that and the blue floral DSP print.  Each were added to the card base using adhesive to keep it all nice and flat.

When I was going through my Balmy Blue cardstock, I found a scalloped oval die-cut from a previous project that fit behind the geometric print fairly decently.  It wasn't perfect, but the floral accents would hide the extra blue cardstock.  

For all the floral accents here, I used the Framed Florets stamp set to stamp flowers, leaves, and a spray of berries onto some Basic White cardstock.  I used Balmy Blue, Evening Evergreen, and Soft Succulent Blends for coloring the pieces.   A bit of Wink of Stella was added to highlight a few pieces.  After coloring, all the pieces were die-cut with the coordinating dies.  Two of the leafy sprays were also die-cut from Balmy Blue and Soft Sea Foam to accent.  The items were all attached to the ovals by using adhesive except for the largest flower which has a Dimensional behind it.  This whole piece was attached to the center of the card front using Dimensionals.  

The sentiment is from the Framed Florets set also.  It's stamped onto a 3/4" piece of Basic White using Evening Evergreen ink.  The ends were flagged with the Banners Pick a Punch, then added to the card with Dimensionals.  The final touch was adding Iridescent Pearls as accents.  They mimicked the white berries on the DSP print.

Okay, there you have my take on mix & match DSP prints.  I seldom use more than one print on a card, but this was fun trying something outside the box for me.  Hope you're enjoying some up-close looks at the new Fitting Florets Collection that is available soon.  I'm having so much fun creating with these items that I imagine I'll be sharing more ideas using them.  In fact, I have at least one more that Connie and I did together using these that you'll enjoy.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I always appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to check in.  I'd love to hear from you and read your comments. 

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon