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

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

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

Aspen Trees in Blue & White

Happy Saturday, friends!  Hope you're doing well today and enjoying your weekend.  Today's post continues with another card featuring the Aspen Trees Dies.  When the July-December Mini Catalog came out, I fell in love with the Aspen Trees Dies on page 46.  But for some reason I wasn't crazy about the bird in the set.  In fact, my sister and I had a discussion about it.  I didn't think it looked right and she thought it was a perfect representation of a bird in winter.  Oh well, we can disagree on that, but we both thought the Aspen Trees Dies were awesome.  I still feel that way after using them on multiple cards!

Here's my first version of a wintry night.  I love the crisp blue and white colors together with a hint of sparkle.  And when you're holding this card in your hands, it's even better because I used Snowy White Velvet Sheets to cut the aspen trees.  So. you've got that extra dimension of 'touch' added into the design.  Lovely.  You can find this lovely paper in the July-December Mini Catalog on page 37.  It's easy to miss, but well worth looking for.

My design starts with a Snowy White Velvet Sheet that's cut to 5 1/4" x 4".  Then the aspen trees design is die-cut from the center.  I wanted a dark blue print to go behind it that would give the impression of a snowy night.  I found this print in the Sun Prints DSP.  It really looks like ferns and weeds in white on the dark blue background, but behind the die-cut trees it works.  It's cut just a bit smaller than the Snowy White Velvet and measures 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  I used Tombow Multi Purpose Liquid Glue on the back of the white paper and attached them together.

I was trying to decide whether I could use a ribbon or not, when I spied the silver 1 1/2" Metallic Mesh Ribbon in my stash.  It's so delicate and fine, but with a silver sheen that looked great with this design.  I cut a length about 6-7" long and attached it on the back of the layers with adhesive.  Then the layers were attached to a Night of Navy card base which measured 11" x 4 1/4".  It's scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half to make a top-fold card.  The layers were attached with adhesive to keep them flat.    

For the sentiment on the card, I chose to use the Hope & Peace stamp set found on page 40 of the July-December Mini Catalog.  The sentiments in this set are turning out to be my go-to choice lately for Christmas.  This time the sentiment was stamped with Night of Navy ink onto a Basic White scrap of cardstock.  It's then die-cut with the Deckled Rectangles Die set.  This gives it a little extra interest and I thought it paired nicely with the tree trunks.  It wasn't too large and didn't cover up too much of the design either.  For the layer behind it, I die-cut the next larger size from Night of Navy cardstock.  But it was too large, so I repositioned the die-cut piece and trimmed it again taking off about an 1/8" inch from the top and side.  This still gives it the layer, but it's a snugger fit.   This was attached to the card front using Dimensionals.  It's placed right over the wispy silver mesh ribbon, but it doesn't hide it completely.

The last addition to this card is the bling.  I tried so many options - Festive Pearls in silver, Iridescent Pearls, Sparkle & Shine Sequins, Opal Rounds, Iridescent Rhinestones, Seasonal Sequins in white, and Elegant Faceted Gems.  There were some good choices in there.  But I kept coming back to the plain old standby of the Rhinestone Basic Jewels.  The plain rhinestones gave it an "icy" touch of bling that seemed to fit the card perfectly.

That's it for this latest installment of the Aspen Trees Dies and what to do with them.  There are still more ideas to share concerning these dies.  Every time I have them sitting on my table I start to envision even more ideas.  Did I mention I really love these dies?  Definitely worth every penny!  Hope you give them a try too.  And if you get them in a bundle with the Perched in a Tree set, let me see what you've made with the stamps.  Maybe you can convince me I need those too.  I've got to admit, the set does have fabulous sentiments in it that I wish I owned.  Hmmm.  Maybe I need to put that back on my wish list.  (And don't forget to order more of the Snowy White Sheets so I can make more of these cards!)  😄😄😄 

Thanks for stopping in again to see what's going on here in my little world.  It's quiet for the moment, but my sister is coming for a visit in another week if all goes well.  I'm so looking forward to stamping and creating with her again.  We just have such a great time bouncing ideas around and feeding on each other's enthusiasm and creativity.  Look out, you're going to be seeing some more comparison cards too, where we start with the same basic pieces and each work it our own way.  That's always fun.

If you're placing an order soon, please consider using the Host Code shown at the top of the blog post.  It is so appreciated!  Of course, with any order placed, you receive "punch card points" from me that you can redeem later.  Any questions, please get in touch.  Please post a comment too so I know you've been here.  I'd love to hear from you.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Trimming the Tree Again

Hello, hello!  Hope you're doing well and having a great day.  I went back and finished up a card I had started yesterday and I'm so excited about it.  This card idea is way out of my comfort zone when I'm planning Christmas cards, but it's really growing on me.  I'm trying to remember that no one says you have to use Real Red and Christmas green for your cards.  There's a whole world of possibilities out there that I need to explore.  So here goes...

How do the colors Polished Pink and Mint Macaron work for you for possible Christmas colors?  Like I said, they're kind of growing on me!

When I made my card yesterday, I stamped an extra tree using the same Soft Succulent and Mint Macaron colors, but this time I die cut it with the coordinating dies.  This gives it a different look and it doesn't need to always stay on a white background then.  Cutting it out leaves you with many more options.

I started out with the Polished Pink cardstock for the base and measured it at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's then scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  I thought the Silver and Gold DSP pack from Sale-a-Bration would work out nicely here.  The silver dots had the look of snowfalling.  (Yes, I know you still have some left!) I was going to use a full layer of the white with silver dots, but it was too much of a pattern for me.  I like it so much better as just accent pieces.  It was cut down to 3" x 5 1/2".  To frame it in a little, I used Mint Macaron that measures 3 1/4" x 5 1/2".  These were layered together using adhesive.  Then they were attached to the folded card front using adhesive also.  I kept it only about 1/4" from the bottom of the card.

The sentiment I chose for this card is from the Hope & Peace stamp set in the 2022 July - December Mini Catalog.  It has the best Christmas sentiments by far if you're looking for anything religious in nature.  It's one of my favorite picks.  It's stamped with Soft Succulent ink onto a Basic White cardstock piece.  The Decorative Circle Punch was used to punch it out.  The curvy edges just add another bit of fun to the design.  Using a Blending Brush and Polished Pink ink, a small amount of ink was added to enhance the curvy edge.  Both the tree and the sentiment were added to the card front with Dimensionals.

Since the tree needed some bling, I added some of the new Adhesive-backed Seasonal Sequins in the red shade.  Since the red and green sequins are iridescent, the red ones blended so nicely with the Polished Pink cardstock.  In fact, they matched so well, I added a large one and two small ones to the sentiment layer too.  A silver foil star was die-cut and added to the top of the tree with a Mini Dimensional to finish.

The final piece was to finish the inside of the card.  I cut a piece of Basic White to measure 3 1/4" x 4 1/2".  The sentiment from Peace & Hope was stamped on this using Soft Succulent ink.  To frame this before putting it in the card, I cut some Mint Macaron cardstock at 3 1/2" x 4 3/4".  These are attached together with adhesive and then attached inside the card with adhesive also.

And there you have it. Another Christmas card for the finished pile.  It's a traditional style of card with slightly unconventional Christmas colors.  Hope this inspires you to get started on your stash of Christmas cards.  Don't be afraid to try something a little bit different or unusual.  Yes, even try something outside of your comfort zone.  You might surprise yourself and come up with something new that you really love. 

If you like this idea with the Trimming the Tree and the coordinating dies, remember that Stampin'Up! has these (and 5 more sets of dies that match sets in the Annual Catalog) available through the end of September only!!  You really don't want to miss out on these.  I know that it's possible to fussy-cut these stamps out, but I'd much rather have the dies and do it that way!  Yup, just call me lazy!  Or is that just making good use of my time?  😉

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Trimming the Tree Cards

Hello there!  Hope you're doing well today and are still interested in Christmas ideas.  I'm using the Trimming the Tree stamp set that's found in the Annual Catalog.  I wasn't going to get the set because frankly, I wanted dies to go with it and it didn't have any.  But wait...!  Right now the die set is available for purchase, so I had to order the bundle right away!  During the Perfect Partners sale that runs through the end of September, Stampin'Up! is offering matching dies for this set and five more.  Woo Hoo!

This card is pretty basic with slightly different colors for Christmas.  I usually think of blue when making snowflake cards, but I thought the Balmy Blue and Real Red paired together nicely for this Christmas card.  I started out with a Basic White cardstock piece that measures 3" x 4 1/2".  The large tree was stamped near the bottom with Soft Succulent ink with the detailed stamp over it done in Mint Macaron ink.

The sentiment is from the Hope & Peace set in the 2022 July-December Mini Catalog on page 40.  I love the sentiments in this set and think they're just perfect for Christmas.  This time they're stamped with Real Red ink at an angle up in the corner. 

As an added accent, the snowflakes from the Penguin Place stamp set were stamped in Balmy Blue ink.  I kept the snowflakes mostly to the top of the panel, because I really didn't want a full-on blizzard.

The Basic White panel was attached to a Real Red cardstock piece measuring 3 1/4" x 4 3/4".  They are attached together with adhesive.

The base card needed to be Balmy Blue to go with my winter theme.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored 4 1/4" and folded in half.  To give it some added interest, I used the largest Stitched With Whimsy die to get the fun stitching lines around the card face.  This reminded me of lines on the ice made by skaters.

The stamped panel was then attached to the front of the card using Dimensionals for lift.

After looking at the tree and debating about using rhinestones or sequins, I remembered the little bows in the die set.  I die-cut 3 of those from Real Red cardstock to add to the tree.  I used Mini Glue Dots to attach them around the tree.  Very cute!  Lastly, a star from the die set was cut from Silver Foil to top the tree.

After working on the front of the card, I wanted to carry a little bit of it inside the card.  The Basic White layer inside measures 4 1/2" x 3 1/4".  Instead of a full layer of Real Red backing the Basic White layer, I only added a 3/8" x 3 1/4" strip to the top of the white layer.  I thought this was just enough of an accent to draw attention to the sentiment stamped in Real Red ink.  This sentiment is another of the wonderful sentiments from the Hope & Peace stamp set.  Like I said, this one is a real winner!

That's it for today's card.  It's fairly traditional with a slightly more modern touch with the addition of the Balmy Blue.  Hope you like this one.  There will be more in the works using the Trimming the Tree stamp set and coordinating dies in the coming days.  Hope you stick around for those.

Start planning your Christmas card ideas so you can get everything ordered in time to get them made and in the mail on time.  Don't be like me and procrastinate!  I'm always getting my cards finished up and in the mail at the very last minute!!  Relax and enjoy the process.

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

More of the Same

 Hello friends!  Hope you are having a good Saturday.  Our daughter and son-in-law have been over here every day this past week working on the outside of our house doing fun stuff like power-washing the siding, replacing trim work that has come down during heavy wind and rainstorms. trimming shrubbery, etc.  Today they are home having a well-deserved rest and taking care of their own home.  You know how it is when you own your own home - there's always something that needs fixing, replacing, repairing, painting, etc.  Since they're home today, that means we get a much-needed break from all the busy-ness too.  It seems like it's been a really long week!  I haven't been getting much stamping done this week, but I did expand on the layout from my last post.  I've gotten kind of hooked on this easy layout, but I've added a few extra steps on these new cards.

As you can see, the layout measurements have stayed the same, but there are a few additions.  The card base is still Basic White Thick cardstock, cut in half then scored and folded in half.

The next layer is a piece of Basic White that measures 5 1/4" x 4" as before.  This piece was stamped with a Christmas sentiment from the lovely Hope & Peace stamp set.  I used the Stamparatus for lining it up and Soft Succulent ink for stamping.  Then it is run through the Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine twice with the snowflake design.  You can find the Wintry 3D Embossing set on page 177 in the Annual Catalog.  It's one of several embossing sets that are half the size of the regular embossing folders, so you need to run it through twice to emboss the whole area of a full-size card.  I embossed the top half, then flipped the cardstock around and embossed the bottom half.  Since the focal area is covering over where the two parts come together, no one notices.  The embossed layer was then added to the card base using Dimensionals. 

This time around, the DSP used is from the Rings of Love DSP that was a Sale-a-Bration free item.  I've used the print with the little birds all over it several times, and this is the print from the back of the birds.  It's so soft and pretty with the look of snow falling.  The pieces used are 2 3/4" x 2 3/4".  This one is backed with a 3" x 3" piece of Soft Succulent cardstock.  The other one had a more greenish look that I paired with Mint Macaron cardstock.  Either way, it's just gorgeous!

For this one, I wrapped a Soft Succulent Open Weave ribbon around it and tied it into a soft bow.  For the lighter one, I used a piece of White Glittered Organdy for wrapping and tying into a bow.  Either one is lovely.  Oh yes, it's attached to the card front with a few Dimensionals above the sentiment.

The next addition was die-cutting some White Velvet Paper with the snowflakes from the Chic Die set. These were the perfect size, and I liked the velvet look against the card.  I cut one of the larger ones and one medium for each of the cards I made.  There are also some smaller snowflakes in the set that I didn't use.  Snowflakes were attached to the card front with Mini Glue Dots.

The last addition to these cards is the Adhesive-Backed Seasonal Sequins found on page 9 of the July - December Mini Catalog.  I love the frosted iridescent look of these sequins, and they match the look so nicely.  I used a large one on the larger snowflake and two of the smaller ones were added to finish.

I hope these cards give you a few more ideas for using this layout.  With just a quick change of sentiment and DSP, you could change this layout to give you any type of card you need.  It's always good to have a quick layout that you can use when the need arises.

Thank you for stopping by today.  I hope you're inspired to take a SIP - get out your Stamps, Ink, and Paper and create something lovely.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon