More Merriest Moments Cards

Hi all!  Here I go again.  I just couldn't help myself!  Making yesterday's card was so much fun.  I got to thinking that I really needed to make a Christmas version of the idea, because it really is a Christmas stamp set.  So after that, I went back downstairs and tried a red and green version.  Loved it so much I tried another version.  That one is in blues, grays, and silvers.  Oh, my goodness!  That's it!  I have to stop making this card layout for now.  This style of card has become absolutely addicting!  I made my self stop at the two versions, but I still have visions of maybe one or two more color combos.  Maybe rich and dark color combo, and maybe a more whimsical non-traditional color combo.  We'll see if I come up with anything else that I just have to share with you!

Here's the first Christmas card.  Because the sentiment is so long, I had to flip the card on it's side.  But the basic idea and layout are the same.  Let's start...

Card base is Old Olive cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.  The first layer is Real Red cut at 5 1/4" x 4".  The Basic White stamped layer is cut at 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".

For stamping, I started out the same way with a pencil line lightly drawn across the middle of the card.  Again, the evergreen branches were stamped first with Old Olive ink.  This time I spread them out further and only stamped 3 (and a half-ish) on the top and bottom of the pencil line.  The color for the leafy branch was Pear Pizzazz ink.  It's close in color, but there is enough difference to show.  This time the speckles are stamped in Crumb Cake ink.

The sentiment is on a 1 1/8" x 4" strip of Basic White cardstock.  It's stamped with the Old Olive ink pad.  This is layered onto a Real Red cardstock strip that is 1 3/8"  x 4".  Behind this is a layer of the Be Dazzling Paper from the previous Sale-a-bration.  Come on ladies.  I know you all have some left and you're tucking in a little bit here and a little bit there.  This paper is so pretty that sometimes it only takes a small bit to make a big impact.  Oh yes, I used Mini Glue Dots to attach this behind the Real Red cardstock.  I wanted to make sure it stuck!  Then I used Dimensionals to attach it to the card front.

I wanted to add something a little different on this card, so 2 small holly leaves from the Merriest Moments set were stamped in Old Olive and die-cut with the matching dies.  The Sequins for Everything pack has these lovely bright red sequins that were perfect for the holly berries.  Both the holly leaves and the sequins are attached with Mini Glue Dots.  Ok, one down, on the the next.

Ok, you've already got all the dimensions for the card because it's the same as the red version.  This time around I'll just give you the color changes instead.

Card base - Night of Navy

1st Layer  - Smoky Slate

2nd Layer - Basic White

Inks used on this card are Night of Navy, Shaded Spruce, and Smoky Slate.  It was all set up the same way and stamped in the same order.

The small holly leaves were stamped with Shaded Spruce.  The holly berries are from the same Sequins for Everything pack.  They were in the silver and gold section.  The silver ones are all flat and almost look like a mirror.  Love those Sequins!

Tip:  If you have a Take-A-Pick Tool, make sure you use it with the sequins.  They are so static-y  that they want to stick to everything - including your fingers.  It's a joke trying to get them off your fingers, work table, and everything else!  But they're so pretty, they really are worth it!

Ok, that's it for today.  Honestly, I need to look at something else besides the Merriest Moments stamp set.  Not sure what I'll move on to next.  It's a surprise - to me too!

If you're planning to place an order soon, please consider using the Current Host Code. You can always find it now up in the right corner of my blog post.

Hope you give this card layout a try soon.  You'll be amazed how easy it is to use.  And it always comes out looking so pretty.  So this is a fabulous layout for making multiple cards for Christmas and any other time you need lots of pretty cards quick.

Happy stamping and happy Saturday too!

Sharon

  

CASE-ing a Gorgeous Idea

 Hi there!  Hope you're having a great day today.  Can't believe another week has just flown away.  I need  things to slow down a little so I can catch up.  Do you ever feel that way?  Here it is halfway through October and we just put out our Halloween decorations.  We'll have to turn right around and take them down again in another two weeks.  And that means autumn is in full swing, so that's what we'll be focusing on today.  A few days ago (or maybe more!) I chanced on a lovely card idea by Jacque Williams in New Zealand.  It just got the wheels cranking in my brain.  Here's the link to her card.  Loved her cards and the colors were fabulous, but I was envisioning something more in tune with fall.  So here's how I CASEed (Copy And Share Everything) her card...

Isn't this a pretty card and the layout is a great, easy, go-to layout to work with.  I stayed with the same stamp sets she used, the Merriest Moments Bundle for the greenery, and the Heartwarming Hugs for the sentiment.  I just love how these colors make such a warm and friendly card with ease.  Here's how it's made...

I started out with a card base of Old Olive.  This is cut to 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  First layer is Mango Melody cut at 5 1/4" x 4".  In case you haven't noticed, this color is turning out to be my favorite fall color this year.  The next layer is Very Vanilla cut at 5 1/8" x 3 7/8" so there is only a small amount of the Mango Melody actually showing when the card is put together.

To make the section of stamped area, I measured down about 2" from the top on both sides, then drew a light pencil line as a base for the images.  The evergreen branches actually overlap the line a bit when stamping.  I used Old Olive ink, and stamped about 3-4 branches on each side of the line to start.  Then I switched to the leafy branch and the Mango Melody ink to stamp these in between the evergreen branches.  These are shorter than the evergreen, so they were not overlapped on the pencil line.  After this come the speckles.  I thought I'd use Crumb Cake ink for these, but changed my mind and went with Coastal Cabana ink instead.  This just brightens up the whole look.

The next part to make was the sentiment banner going across the card.  The Very Vanilla strip is  cut to 1 1/8" x 3 7/8".  The sentiment from Heartwarming Hugs stamp set was stamped across the center with Early Espresso ink.  It was layered onto a 1 1/4" x 4" strip of Mango Melody cardstock.  As a gorgeous accent, a strip of Gold Foil Paper was cut at 1 1/2" x 4".  This just took the card up a notch in elegance.  After these were all layered together using Multi Purpose Liquid Glue, they were layered onto the card front centered over the pencil line we started with.  It was popped up with Dimensionals for a little extra attitude.

The inside of the card was layered up the same with Mango Melody and Very Vanilla cardstocks.  I added a few of the evergreen branches and sprinkle of the Coastal Cabana speckles to tie it all together.   At the very end, I added a few of the gold Gilded Gems to dress it up to impress.  I hope you like my autumnal take on Jacque's lovely card.  It's amazing how different a card design can look by just changing the colors.  Give it a try and see what kind of card treasure you can make!

Reminder - the current host code is tucked in at the top of the blog page.  If you will be ordering, please use the host code provided.  Thank you kindly!

Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to see what I've been up to lately.  I love to share my card ideas with you, so thank you for doing your part in looking at them!  We have sunshine and wonderful weather back again that I'm thoroughly enjoying.  In fact, the colors on my card remind me of just exactly what I'm seeing outside.  Take time to enjoy the gorgeous fall weather, maybe by picking out some pumpkins or getting some cider and doughnuts.  Hmmm...  I need to find me an apple orchard around here.

Blessings and cinnamon-y hugs,

Sharon

Gorgeous Leaves Combo

 Hey there, so glad you stopped by.   Today I have two versions of the same card for you.  I have this problem of always making too many little pieces to go on a card and have them laying around waiting for me to do something with them.  Well, that's not going to happen today, because I made two cards to use up all the bits that were left over.   Smart, right?

Here are the both of them together.  I'm so into the idea of autumn coming and all the glorious leaves that put on a show for us to enjoy.  These cards highlight the colors of autumn at their finest.

Both cards started out the same with a card base of a half sheet of Crumb Cake cardstock, folded in half.  Each also has a layer of Soft Suede cardstock that is cut to 5" x 3 3/4".   Next is another layer of Crumb Cake cut at 4 3/4" x 3 1/2".  This layer has the stamping on it.

Stamping started with the Gorgeous leaves Bundle.  The larger speckle image was inked with Crumb Cake ink and stamped in a diagonal pattern from the bottom center up to the right top corner.  Over this was randomly stamped the smaller speckle image using Soft Suede ink.  Over on the left top corner, the 3 leaf stamp was inked, off-stamped, then stamped randomly to give just a light touch of pattern.   This layer was attached to the Soft Suede layer with adhesive.  Then attached to the folded Crumb Cake base using Dimensionals.

The first solid leaf image was stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock using 2 inks.  First the stamp was inked on the one side with Crushed Curry ink and on the other side with Old Olive ink, then stamped.  The maple leaf was mostly inked with Pumpkin Pie ink, then Cajun Craze ink was added to the side.  Both leaves were die-cut using the coordinating dies from the Intricate Leaves Dies.  These were set aside and I moved along to the open-work leaf dies.  The large maple leaf and tall leaf were both die-cut from Cajun Craze cardstock.  Two of the little leaves were die-cut from Crushed Curry cardstock.  Then it was a matter of playing around to see which leaves went where.  They were attached to the card fronts using Glue Dots rolled up like croissants under the veining on the open leaves and the solid one too. 

The sentiment posed a bit of a problem.  I knew what I wanted it to say, but didn't have a stamp that really worked.  This is where omitting while stamping comes into play.  There is a wonderful set called Heartwarming Hugs that is all sentiments in a pretty scripty-style font.  One of them is:  & heartfelt wishes.  I just made sure that I didn't ink the "&" so I have just the words I wanted.   You can do this by very carefully inking, or place some scotch tape over the part you don't want, ink, then pull off the tape before stamping  Voila!

The sentiments were stamped on Very Vanilla strips using Soft Suede ink.  The strip was then die-cut with the Stitched Rectangle Dies.  The next up size of Stitched Rectangle was die-cut from Soft Suede cardstock.  The layers were attached together with adhesive.

The wording was kept to the right edge so there would be plenty of room on the left for wrapping some Linen Thread around it several times and knotting off.  After the sentiments were ready to go, they were attached over the leaves with Dimensionals to make them stand out.  That was it for these two cards except for the sentiment inside.  And as usual, I decided to leave it blank so I could write my own notes inside.

I love how the cards turned out quite neutral looking except for a splash of color on the side.  If you notice on the maple leaf cut-out, I left some of the die-cut little pieces in the leaf.  This reminded me on the way maple leaves start looking like skeleton leaves with part of the leaf still there and other parts gone.  Does it look weird to you?  I'm still trying to decide if that was a mistake to do or not.  Give me your opinion on this please!

Here we are with just a few more days left to take advantage of Sale-a-bration.  If you've been thinking about getting one more item from the batch of free items, you've got to hustle..  Remember for every $50 you spend (before tax and shipping) you can choose one of the free Sale-a-bration items.  And be sure to use the host code posted here.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Leave a comment if you would.  It makes me so happy to know you're out there reading about what I've been making lately.  

Blessings and hugs,

Sharon