Sophisticated Skates Card

Happy Saturday my friends.  Awhile back I had been creating with the Sophisticated Sled Bundle.  It seemed everything I made was more on the 'country' side of things.  But I've been playing around with it again and I think I've finally got something that is more of an elegant style.  Tell me what you think about this latest card.

I always love a blue and silver winter card, and this is no different.  My accent of choice for this card is Gray Granite to match the wood-grained DSP on this card.  Let's get creating.

The Gray Granite cardstock used for the card base measures 11" x 4 1/4".  It's scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half.  The woodgrain layer is a print from the Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper.  I love this print and wish I could get my hands on a bunch of it all by itself.  This measures 5 1/4" x 4".  It's attached to the card base with adhesive.

I thought the Countryside Corners Dies would be a good shape for layering the skates.  Misty Moonlight was the blue color I chose for the card.  I used the 3rd largest die to cut the cardstock layer.  

It seemed to be too much dark for the card, so a piece of vellum was cut with a size smaller die than the blue layer.  I liked how the vellum softened and lightened the Misty Moonlight layer.  But it still gave me a good size frame for the skates.

The skates were so easy to put together.  There are separate dies for the boot of the skates, the runners on the skates, and even the laces.  So it was very easy to die-cut each of the pieces I needed to make up the skates.  The boots were cut from Basic White cardstock, the runners from Silver Foil, and the laces are Misty Moonlight.  After cutting all the pieces, it was a simple matter of layering them up to make the skates.  There is a slit in the boot part that the laces slide right into perfectly.  Easy Peasy!

I wanted snowflakes for an accent and there are a set of three different ones in the Frozen Edges Die set.  They're cut from Silver Foil to match the skates.  

The skates needed to hang from a bow made from the Gold & Silver Trim.  To hang the skates, a 4" piece of Baker's Twine was cut, and one end was attached behind each of the two skates with Tear & Tape to hold in place.  

The skates were attached to the layers using Mini Dimensionals.  The bow was attached over the Baker's Twine using Mini Glue Dots.  The snowflakes were each attached with one Mini Glue Dot in the center of each and scattered on the layers.  This was all attached to the card front using Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the Sophisticated Sled set.  It's stamped onto a 1/2" strip of Basic White cardstock using Misty Moonlight ink.  It's been trimmed down and is attached to the card front using Dimensionals also.

I thought about adding some extra bling to this card, but none of the embellishments really enhanced the look.  So, I left the card bare, and I think it's perfect as is.  Almost.  The more I look at the card, I think the bow needs to be trimmed a little smaller.  I'll do that in a minute.

Thanks for sharing some of your time with me today.  It's been so entertaining for me to skip around the seasons and make whatever hits my fancy that day.  Hope you're enjoying the ride along with me.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Happy Sunday!

 Welcome my friends!  Hope you're enjoying and relaxing on this Sunday.  I've already gotten my nap in for the day.  Isn't that one of the best ways to spend your Sunday?  Now that I'm all refreshed and wide awake, I feel energized to get back to work.  Yesterday I spent time working on several cards using the Sophisticated Sled Bundle.  Two are still a work-in-progress and who knows when they'll get done.  But there is one that is finished though, and I have it to share with you today.

No matter how much I want to do something elegant with this set, I keep circling around back to a country feel.  I'm not giving up though.  Don't you love this card?  It just draws up memories of going to Ojibway Park and sledding down this hu-u-u-uge hill with my siblings then standing by the warming fires to take the chill off.  Then it was the long trudge up the hill to do it all over again.  It chills my fingers and toes just thinking about it.  What pleasant memories!

OK, enough of my trek down memory lane and on to the stamping part!  This card starts with a Real Red card base that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.  The first layer is Crumb Cake that measures 5 3/8" x 4 1/8".  To get the texture on this layer, I used the Snowflake Sky 3D Embossing Folder.  It adds a nice bit of interest to the layer.  It's attached to the Real Red base using Tombow Liquid Glue.

The sled was made next, so I'd have it ready to figure out the layers behind it.  For some reason I really like red with this sled.  The frame was die-cut from Real Red cardstock first.  The I looked through some different papers to find a light-colored woodgrain piece I liked.  This one is from the Nests of Winter DSP.  It looked just a little too light, so a small amount of Crumb Cake ink was added with a Blending Brush.  The two wood pieces were attached to the sled base using adhesive.

For the greenery, one of the Meandering Meadow DSP background prints was a mix of greens that looks nice here.  Two pieces were cut and added to the sled with a touch of adhesive in the center.  The pieces are layered a little off-center so it looks nice and full. 

Now what to layer the sled onto.  After trying several different shapes and sizes, I tried the Countryside Corners Dies.  I just loved it with the sled.  The 2nd largest die cut the Real Red cardstock, and the 3rd largest size cut the Basic White.  That Basic White was just too white and boring.  It really needed something done to it.  The Sketched Plaid background stamp came to mind, and I thought it would be perfect.  I stamped it once with Crumb Cake ink, but it was way too dark.  The piece was flipped over (don't check the back of my card layers!) and stamped again after inking and off-stamping this time.  Oh yes, this is what I was looking for.  The two layers are attached together with adhesive.

The sled was attached to the layers with multiple pieces of Mini Dimensionals scattered over the back to hold it up well.  Then the Red layer was attached to the left side of the card front using Dimensionals for that too.

The sentiment is from the Sophisticated Sled Bundle so it goes perfectly with the sled.  The 2nd smallest die from the Countryside Corners Die set was used to cut a Basic White label.  The sentiment was stamped on this with Real Red ink off to the left side.  That same die was used again to trim off the extra on the right side that wasn't needed.  This is such an easy way to make a label that is the correct size for what you're making.  

The label is attached by tucking under the sled on the left and using a Dimensional under the right side to balance it.

Several of the Cherry Cobbler & Pearl Adhesive-backed Berries were added for color in the greenery.  It just didn't seem like enough, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do to change things.  When I thought of the Adhesive-backed Snowflake Assortment, I was afraid they would be too big for the design.  But once they were added the card really looked finished.

Hope you like the walk down memory lane and my card that embodies those memories.  I'll admit, the card took me two days and several different possibilities before it finally came together.  Don't give up if you're struggling to get your card just right.  I find it really helps to put it aside and work on something else or walk away for a day or two and look at it again with fresh eyes.  I find creating to be frustrating sometimes, but so rewarding when you finally get your ideas transformed into a special card for someone who will love it.  Keep finagling with it your creation until you get just what you want.  You'll be so happy you did.

There's still almost a half of a month to take advantage of my 50th Wedding Anniversary sale going on this month.  For any $50 you spend with me as your demonstrator, I will send you a card and a package of embellishments for you to use.  I'm sure you'll love what I send you!  If you spend less than $150, please use the Host Code shown on the top right of this blog post.  Thank you so much!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Sophisticated Sled Christmas Card

Hello my friends!  What a beautiful day that God has made!   I will rejoice and be glad in it.  After many days upon days of rain and storms, we have bright, sunny skies and no rain in the forecast for today.  Hooray!   Let's enjoy it while we can.  

Today's card is focusing on the new Sophisticated Sled Bundle that is an Online Exclusive item.  I couldn't wait to give this a try.  It's so funny - I bought the set because of the skates, but I didn't even use them on my first card.  Oh well, don't worry.  I will get around to the skates soon.

The whole card idea started with another 3-panel card layout.  I did mention a post or two ago how much I like using this layout, and here I am using it again.  I hope you've used this layout.  It's fun and easy to make.  Depending on what DSP prints you use for the panels really effects the final look of the card.  For today's card, I wanted to try out the new Iconic Celebrations DSP that is another one of the new Online Exclusive items available for you.

Three panels were cut from the evergreen print.  They each measure 5" x 1 1/4".  I usually try to keep the pieces in order, and I thought I had.  But if you look at the prints, you can see they got totally mixed up.  Oh well, on this card it doesn't seem to be a problem.  Each of these panels are attached to the Basic Beige layer that measures 5 1/4" x 4 1/16".  I cut it just a little wider than normal to better accommodate the three panels.

TIP:  I use just a smidgeon of tape in the center of each piece of DSP to hod in place to get the placement right.  I pick up one at a time and use Tombow Liquid Glue to attach because it gives a little wiggle room to get it attached correctly.

This is attached to the card base which is Real Red.  The card base measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.  The layer is attached to this using Dimensionals.

Making the sled came next.  The die for the runners was used to cut Basic Black cardstock.  I didn't want silver on the card, so this was my best option instead.  The two wooden parts of the sled were die-cut from Real Red cardstock.  All the woodgraining is part of the die, so it was very easy.  The red parts of the sled were attached to the black with adhesive.  I positioned outer strips from the Dimensionals sheet on each side of the sled to give it rigidity.  Then added some Mini Dimensionals along the top sled section.  Set this aside until you have the other elements ready.

The next thing to make was the wreath.  It's stamped with Mossy Meadow ink onto a Basic Beige piece of cardstock.  It is colored with Stampin' Blends:

Old Olive L - med. leaf clusters

Old Olive D - smaller leaf clusters

Soft Seafoam D - largest leaf clusters

Real Red L& D - berries

After coloring, I added a layer of Wink of Stella to the berries and only the largest leaves.  Then it was die-cut with the matching die.

The sentiment tag was next.  This is about 1/2" wide and 2 1/2" long strip of Basic Beige.  The sentiment is from the same set.  It's stamped with Real Red ink.  The ends were trimmed into flags with Paper Snips.

Now that we have all the pieces ready, let's put it together.  The sled and sentiment were positioned so they both fit nicely.  Both are attached with Dimensionals.  The wreath is attached to the sled with adhesive.  

The bow is from the Fan Twine Pack from 2-3 years ago.  I really liked the red and white look that was festive but sort of country looking too.  I used a 16" piece of twine folded in half to make the double bow.  It's attached to the wreath with Mini Glue Dots that are rolled to fit beneath the bow.

The last touch was a little bling.  After trying a lot of different options, I ended up with the Rhinestone Basic Jewels and colored them myself.  A Real Red Dark Stampin' Blend colored the gems before they were attached.  I really liked the little bits of red they added to the background.

Hope you enjoyed making the Sophisticated Sled card with me.  I've got more ideas for this sled, and I did mention earlier that I had to do something interesting with those skates too.  So, check back and see what I have to share with you.

I hope you've redeemed your Bonus Days coupons already.  If not, you can still do that until the end of the month.  Also, there is the 15% off sale on Designer Series Paper from the 2024 - 2025 Annual Catalog.  This runs August 6th through the 31st.  What a great time to do some stocking up on your favorite patterns.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon