Christmas Pines Card

 Hello dear friends.  Hope you had a wonderful, meaningful Thanksgiving.  Did you have a turkey with all the trimmings?  We did, and I think I'm still stuffed.  I might only have enough energy today to type up a blog post, and that's about it.  Today's card is a mix of several die-cutting sets.  Seems like I've been doing that a lot lately.  I start out thinking I will focus on this one set today, and next thing I know I'm pulling out other stamps and/or dies to add to the card.  So I guess you just take my ideas and work with them however it works for you!  That's what usually happens with me.  I see something on my computer upstairs.  By the time I get downstairs and start pulling out stamps and paper, I've totally forgotten just what it was I saw and work out something else entirely.  CASE - Copy And Share Everything is a way of life when it comes to stamping.  We all share, and everyone's ideas seem to come together just a little differently.  And that's part of the magic.

Today's card starts out with a base of Cherry Cobbler cardstock cut 5 1/2" x 8 1/2".  This was scored and folded in half.  

The first layer is Basic White cardstock that was embossed with the Merriest Frames Hybrid Embossing Folder.   This layer had actually been embossed over a week ago.  I had already used the Blending Brushes with Soft Succulent and Evening Evergreen inks to softly color the embossed images.  And I tried to do something with this off and on for the past week with absolutely no success.  How frustrating!  But today my creative muse must have been sitting on my shoulder because the ideas just flowed and here we are!

The coordinating dies have a stitched rectangle that fits inside the embossed frame with some extra room. I die-cut it in Basic White for the sentiment.  Then cut a very thin frame around it with Cherry Cobbler cardstock.  I wanted a specific sentiment for this card, and unfortunately the sentiment is from a retired set - Peaceful Boughs.  I love the wording and use it for my cards each Christmas.  So it was stamped on the white using Cherry Cobbler ink.  Using adhesive, it was attached to the Cherry Cobbler cardstock then set aside until needed.

In the picture here, you can easily see the soft color on the embossed images.  So pretty as is, but I wanted more.

Ok, the next step is where things get a little off the wall.  I wanted to add some greenery under the sentiment layers, but wasn't sure what I wanted to use.  I ended up die-cutting some of the pine needles from Evening Evergreen cardstock with the Christmas Pinecone Dies - the more detailed one.  (2nd die set)  It was too much greenery and covered up the embossed layer, so I cut it apart and attached just sprigs of pine needles behind each corner of the sentiment.  When I added more along the sides, it got overpowering.  So those came off to be used at a later date.  The Christmas Trimmings Dies have some small holly leaves that I die-cut from Soft Succulent cardstock and tried those.  (3rd die set!)  Yay!  Looks like I had a winner!

After attaching the pine needles to the Cherry Cobbler layer, I attached the whole layer to the card front with Dimensionals.  So far it was looking good.  The holly leaves were tucked around the design and attached with a Mini Glue Dot each.

I wanted a bow under the sentiment.  Both the Evening Evergreen and Soft Succulent 3/8" Open Weave Ribbon would work, but I liked the softness of the Soft Succulent color best.  The ribbon was tied into a bow and attached with two Mini Glue Dots.

Now we come to the options of bling or no bling.  And if yes on the bling, which one?  I almost left it plain, but it seems I'm turning into a bling-aholic!!  Oh No!  So after trying several options, I settled on the Holiday Rhinestone Basic Jewels in the Cherry Cobbler tone.  I couldn't stop at my usual three and ended up tucking in five around the design.

Whew, one stamp set, but three different sets of dies to complete this card.  But I love how it turned out!  So it's all worth it, right?  Now I need to get down to my work table and get everything put away again so I can find the top of my table.  What a mess!

Hope you like my card and got a chuckle from my foibles with making it.  I'm sure your card making efforts go much more smoothly than mine.  By the way, my son's down visiting from Michigan and today is his birthday.  Happy Birthday Michael!!!  Man, is he ever getting old!  😏  Oops, I guess that means I'm getting even older!!  ha ha

Hope you're having fun going crazy with all the Black Friday sales.  I'm happy to be tucked in here at home and spending my time creating.

Blessings and love,

Sharon

Sweet Gingerbread Card

Hi friends!  It's almost time for Thanksgiving, and that means the Christmas is right around the corner.  And that means that it's time for another Christmas card idea for you.  This one uses an easy fun fold idea that I hope you'll like, along with some sweet gingerbread 'cookies'.  Yum!

Isn't this cute?  I love the 'cookies' that are actually die-cut from the Gingerbread & Peppermint 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper.  It doesn't get too much easier than that.  There's almost no stamping on the card either on the outside or the inside of the card.   Just a little die-cutting and it's just about finished.  Let's get to it...

The card base is Real Red cardstock cut at 11" x 4 1/4".  It's scored at 4" and 9 1/2".  Then both ends are folded in to make the card.  The Heartwarming Hugs 12" x 12" Designer Paper is used to match up with the Gingerbread & Peppermint DSP.  The left hand side of DSP measures 3 3/4" x 4".  The right side measures 1 1/4" x 4".  These pieces were attached using Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.

Ok, now to the fun part.  I knew I was making a number of these cards, so I grabbed the Gingerbread Dies and the Gingerbread & Peppermint DSP and went to work die-cutting a small pile of gingerbread cookies.  I cut stars and snowflakes, ornaments and bells.  And they looked good enough to eat!  They are definitely frosted fancier than any gingerbread cookies I've ever made!!  I also cut some round candies and bits from the leftovers of paper.  So much fun.

I thought the Tailor Made Tags Dies would make a good sentiment layer.  I die-cut the largest tag from the Kraft 6" x 6" Paper Pack in the July-December Mini Catalog.  The Kraft Paper fits in so nicely with the gingerbread theme.  The sentiment is from the Frosted Gingerbread stamp set and is stamped with Early Espresso ink.  I added a short length of Real Red 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon to finish the tag and then used Dimensionals to pop it up on the left side of the card only so it won't seal the card closed.

On this card, I attached two of the snowflakes to the card front.  The one of the right is only attached to the tag and not the right side of the card.  There are Mini Dimensionals under parts of the snowflake on the bottom left.  I added two of the little bits I had die-cut, and 3 Real Red Rhinestones to finish the front.

The inside of the card has a layer of Basic White cut at 5 1/4" x 4".  This has a cute lacy border stamped on the bottom using Crumb Cake ink.  This reminds me of the pretty frosting patterns on the cookies.  The sentiment is from the same set and stamped in Early Espresso ink.  Lastly, three of the die-cut candies were attached in the bottom right corner.  Yes, a card almost good enough to eat.  But please don't.  I'm sure it doesn't taste as good as it looks!  😄

Now I need to get to baking a pie or two and make that jello salad my daughter loves so much.  Lots to do before sitting down to eat that yummy Thanksgiving dinner!  Just counting all the blessings God has showered me with throughout all my life.  Of course there have been many ups and downs over the years.  Who hasn't had them?  But God has been with me every step of the way and continues to bless me each day.  I pray God will bless you this day and touch your heart with His love and grace.

Happy Thanksgiving (a day early)!

Sharon

Christmas Pinecones

 Hey there.  Back again with a Christmas card to share today.  I love the Painted Christmas Designer Series Paper and thought it was time to make another card using the gorgeous prints.  After looking through them, I decided on the print with the small pinecone and pine needle clusters all over it.  With that picked out, the rest came together pretty easily.

The card starts with a base of Soft Suede cardstock cut at 11" x 4 1/4", scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half.  I wanted to make the sizing of the layers a little different than the usual, so the Crumb Cake cardstock is  cut at 4 3/4" x  3 1/2".  This way more of the card base shows up to frame the main images.  The DSP print is cut down to 4 1/2" x 3 1/4".   

There's a band across the card that measures 3 1/4" x 1 1/4" and is cut from Evening Evergreen cardstock.  Inside this band is a panel of another print from the same Painted Christmas DSP.  In fact, it's the back side of what I just used on the card front.  I love these two prints together.  I have a feeling I'll have used up all of these two prints before I make much of a dent in the other prints in this package.  Do you find you gravitate to certain prints in each package of Designer Series Paper and tend to use them up before you get to all the others?  Or is that just me??

At this point, the DSP has been attached to the Crumb Cake cardstock with adhesive.  The second print has been attached to the Evening Evergreen band, and this has been attached to the DSP layer with adhesive also.

I didn't want to cover up all the DSP and band, so I chose a smaller sentiment from the Tidings & Trimmings stamp set.  This was stamped on Basic White with Evening Evergreen ink.  It was punched with the Label Me Fancy Punch.  It didn't stand out from the background enough, so I used a Blending Brush and the Evening Evergreen ink to define the outside edge a little.  It was then attached to the card front using Dimensionals.

The pinecones were stamped from the Christmas Season stamp set.  They were stamped on Crumb Cake cardstock using Crumb Cake ink for the bottom layer and Soft Suede ink for the detail layer.  They were die-cut using the coordinating Seasonal Labels Dies.  When trying to get the placement right, I thought it needed a touch of gold to enhance the look.  The berry branch from the Christmas Trimmings Dies was used to die-cut a couple branches from Gold Foil Paper.  These are just tucked in around the pine cones and brighten the whole card up.  The large pine cone was attached with adhesive, but the smaller one was popped up with Dimensionals.  There is a small knot of the 3/8" Open Weave Evening Evergreen Ribbon to accent it.  That's attached with a couple of Mini Glue Dots to hold in place.

The sentiment on the inside was from the Inspired Thoughts stamp set.  It's stamped in Evening Evergreen ink onto a Basic White cardstock piece cut at 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  The edges of this were also accented with the Blending Brush and Evening Evergreen ink.  It's then attached to a 5 1/4" x 4" layer of Crumb Cake cardstock. Finally it is then attached to the inside of the card, and the card is finished.  One more card down, ready to get addressed and sent out in the mail.  How many more of them do I need to make yet?  Who knows, but I think it's a great, big bunch of them!  Got to keep making those cards...

Hope this card layout gives you some ideas and gets you creating.  It's a similar layout to cards I did earlier in the October, but this time I used DSP instead of stamping underneath the band.  It's a great layout to use when you're stumped for ideas, and you can quite literally come up with hundreds of ways to use it with whatever papers and stamps you have on hand.  The sky really is the limit with this layout.

Just a reminder that if you're placing an order, I'd appreciate you using my Current Host Code tucked at the top right corner on my blog page.  Also, if you'd like to purchase a gift card for a friend or family member for Christmas, I'd be happy to make one up special for you.  Please do it soon, so I can make it and get it to you in the mail in time for Christmas!  We wouldn't want your gift sitting in the Post Office somewhere on Christmas Day.  So let me help you make someone happy for Christmas! 

Thanks for stopping by today.  It was a good day for stamping and sharing.  I need to get in as many ideas as possible before the time runs short.  Keep checking back often to see what's new.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Eden's Garden Again

Hi there, and happy Sunday to you.  Hope you had a chance to spend some time communing with God again this morning.  Really looking forward to my Sundays lately, because I'm getting so much out of the Pastor's sermons.  This idea of choosing our 'one person' to pray for every day about having a chance to talk to them about the saving grace of God has been a real thought provoking plan.   To reach at least one person that you really care about for Christ is so powerful.  It's been on my heart for weeks now, and hopefully I can plant seeds that will reap a heavenly reward.

My goodness!  I need to get off my soapbox and get back to sharing what I've been making lately.   I've been playing around some more with the Eden's Garden suite of products.  They're really quite pretty and make card-making easy.  This layout is something I've used so many times in the past, but it always turns out so nicely that I go back and use it over and over again.  

The card base for this card is Soft Succulent and it's cut at 11" x 4 1/4".  It's scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half.  The Basic White layer on the card front is cut 5" x 3 3/4".  

I drew a faint pencil line across this just a little above the center.  This would be my guide for stamping the leafy sprigs across the card.  I started with one of the smaller sprigs and stamped it three times across the top and twice towards the bottom using Soft Succulent ink.  In between these, I stamped the larger sprig with Evening Evergreen ink to fill it in nicely.  

The leafy banner die was used to die-cut a strip of Evening Evergreen cardstock.  Laying it across the card, it just didn't stand out like I had hoped.  So I cut a 1" x 3 3/4" strip of Soft Succulent cardstock to place behind it.  That really made the darker green stand out nicely and showed off the pretty leafy ends.  The Soft Succulent strip was attached to the card front with adhesive.  The dark leafy strip was attached over this using Dimensionals so make it really stand out.

I used one of the sentiments in the Eden's Garden stamp set to coordinate.  A skinny 1/2" strip of Basic White cardstock has the sentiment stamped on it using Evening Evergreen ink.  It was trimmed close to the ends with Paper Snips.  This fit perfectly inside the Evening Evergreen layer and was attached with adhesive.  

Of course it needed some bling, so I added one of the Garden Gems on each end of the Evening Evergreen banner to accent the words.  Then I couldn't stop myself there, and added three more of the iridescent gems to the card front.  Love the bits of bling!  The iridescence really makes them glitter and shine.

Since the outside of the card turned out so nice, I went ahead and stamped the same look inside to match.  The cardstock is cut at 4" x 5 1/4".  The same leafy sprigs were used to stamp off the edge of the bottom.  The same two colors were used too.  I like carrying the outside of the card's into the inside, but sometimes I struggle to find just the right look.  This time it was easy and I love how it turned out too.  The Basic White cardstock piece was attached inside the card using adhesive.  

And there you have it.  A quick and simple card layout that's pretty and looks elegant too.  When you're stuck for some inspiration, try using this layout with different stamps and colors.  I think you might be pleasantly surprised by all the beautiful cards you can make with this plan.

When you place an order this month, please use the Current Host Code shown in the top right corner of the blog page.  I truly appreciate your orders.  It helps to keep me inspired to make more cards to share with you!

Have a very blessed day!

Sharon

Cork & Leaves for Fall

 Welcome!  Glad you could stop by today for my 100th blog post at this address.  And it only took just shy of a year to do this many.  Hopefully I can keep up the pace and do even more posts in the coming year.  Today I'm sharing one of my Thanksgiving cards that have gone out in the mail yesterday.  I've been working at them 15 minutes here, and another 15 minutes there.  You know, when you've got that stack of cards to make and you can only work on them in snatches of time.  But they're finally finished, and I'm very pleased with the finished card.  It's everything I expected it to be.

One big surprise about making this card - I totally love working with the Cork Paper!  I wasn't even planning on buying it, but I thought it would look great for the background on this card.  So I broke down and made the purchase, and I'm so glad I did.  Yes friends, I struggle with what to purchase too, just like you!  You know I can't just get everything, even though sometimes I'd like to!!  But the Cork Paper has been a lovely surprise and so easy to work with.  Now I need to see what else I can make with it!

The card starts out with Cajun Craze cardstock as it's base.  It's cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and folded in half.  Then comes the layer of Cork Paper.  This is cut at 5" x 3 3/4" and attached with MultiPurpose Liquid Glue.   Set this aside while doing all the die-cutting.

The wreath comes from the Seasonal Swirls Dies in the July-December Mini Catalog.  There are 3 different wreath dies, and they're all quite different - pine boughs, leaves, or stars, with little bits to coordinate with each wreath to cover all the end of year holidays.  So this is a very versatile set.  I die-cut the wreaths from Soft Suede cardstock.  Again I forgot the Adhesive Sheets on the back until I was almost done, then added it for the last four wreaths I cut.  I think I need to have those Adhesive Sheets setting out on my table at all times so I remember them!!  They do make life easier.

Then on to die-cutting all the leaves. I chose the leaf spray from the Forever Flourishing Dies set.  This gives you lots of leaves for very little effort.  I cut these in So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, and Cajun Craze cardstocks, one of each color for each card I was making, so there was a goodly stack of them when I was finished.  

Next it was die-cutting the little pumpkin from the Seasonal Swirls Dies.  These were cut from Pumpkin Pie cardstock.  Again, a cute little pile of pumpkins.

Now on to putting it all together.  The wreath went on first with either MultiPurpose Liquid Glue or the Adhesive Sheets where applicable.  I did use the MultiPurpose Liquid Glue to attach each of the leaf sprays, angling them as I stacked them up so all the colors would show.  I attached one pumpkin in the center of each leaf cluster using a Dimensional.  There, that part was finished.

The last thing needed was the sentiment.  It's from the Sparkle of the Season stamp set that coordinates with the dies used.   I chose to stamp it on Bumblebee cardstock using Cajun Craze ink.  Then just trimmed it up with Paper Snips to fit the card.  It was attached with the MultiPurpose Liquid Glue onto the card front. 

No bling on this card for me.  I thought it was perfect just the way it was.  Can you see all the wonderful texture of the Cork Paper?  It looks like little strips of cork with all the texture included.  And the feel of it is wonderful!  I'm so glad I stepped out and tried something new.  It's well worth it!!

And in case you haven't noticed, I've almost switched out entirely to using the MultiPurpose Liquid Glue.  It gives me a bit of wiggle room when attaching layers to get them just right.  And it's great for attaching things with lots of texture.  So if you haven't tried using that yet, give it a try.  Just remember that a little goes a very long way so keep a light touch when applying the glue.

Ok, that's it for another blog post.  Hope you learned something new and are inspired to try out some new products.  It keeps things fresh and exciting.  

If you're ordering soon, please use the Current Host Code shown at the top of the blog page.  I appreciate all of your business and all of you too!  Have fun stamping and creating.  If you have any questions about my projects or ordering, you can always contact me at sharoncarr50@gmail.com.  Or just leave a comment down below and I'll get back to you.  My heart is full to overflowing with thanks for all you wonderful people!  How blessed I am!

With thanks,

Sharon

Thanksgiving Leaves

 Hey there!  Hope this finds you doing well and enjoying your fall.  I can't believe it's almost time for Thanksgiving already.  Where does the time fly?  Before I get all my Thanksgiving cards sent out, thought I'd better take a picture or two and share the ideas with you.  Let's get right to it.

Staying with some warm fall colors, I started with a card base of Cinnamon Cider cardstock cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" folded in half.  The next layer up is Bumblebee cardstock cut to 5 1/4" x 4".   The next layer is Very Vanilla cardstock cut to 5" x 3 3/4".  This layer was die-cut with the  Stitched Greenery Die that doesn't actually cut, but gives this lacy, leafy, stitched look.  I had used this die before, but wasn't ever really impressed because I just left it plain.  Well, this time I used my Blending Brushes and first Bumblebee ink lightly over all, and then a bit of Cinnamon Cider ink more on the outside edges.  Wow!  This added color just totally popped the stitching and I love the look!  I'll have to try this a lot more often now that I know how cool it really can be.

After adding the color, this layer was attached with MultiPurpose Liquid Glue to the Bumblebee layer, and then attached to the card front with the glue also.

I thought the bold leaves from the Stitched Leaves Die set would be a wonderful contrast to the smaller leaves of the greenery I just did.  The largest leaf was die-cut from Cinnamon Cider cardstock.  Love how the stitching on the leaves mimic the background.  I then die-cut two of the medium leaves using the 2021-2023 In Color Shimmer Specialty Paper.  This is a pretty colored vellum with a subtle shimmer on one side.  I used the Pale Papaya color and it adds a lovely shimmery look to the card.  

I wanted to add a darker color to the mix, so I die-cut two leaf sprays with the Eden Dies and Cajun Craze cardstock.  I think they create a fun addition to the mix.

The sentiment is from the Sparkle of the Season stamp set.  It contains several fall and Christmas sentiments that I've used quite often lately.  This is stamped on a  1/2" scrap of Bumblebee cardstock using Cajun Craze ink.  Then just trimmed down on the side edges with Paper Snips.

Before attaching the sentiment, I colored a length of the White 1/4" Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon using the Dark Cajun Craze Blends.  I colored it with just a few swipes of the Blends and it dried super quick so I could use it right away.  I used about a 4" strip and folded in half then attached it under the sentiment.  The sentiment was then attached to the card using Dimensionals.

I did make several of these cards because I liked it so much.  On some of them I changed up the sentiment to this.  It's one of the sentiments in the Love of Leaves stamp set that coordinates with the dies I already used for the leaves.  I just love it when everything comes together and works out nicely without a bunch of fuss.  Now I just need to get these in the mail before it's too late!  😏

If you're placing an order soon, please consider using the Host Code shown at the top of my blog page.  It's greatly appreciated!!

Thanks for stopping by to see what I've been making.  Hope you're inspired to get out your stamps, ink, and paper and have some fun!  Just enjoy yourself and create.  It's much better than therapy and cheaper too!

Happy Autumn!

Sharon

Eden's Garden, Just Because

 Hey there!  Hope this finds you doing well and in a crafty mood.  I've been playing with my new Eden's Garden Bundle over the weekend.  This went so much better than the first sit down with this Bundle.  The first time around, I was so focused on making my samples something other than green, because that's what everyone else was doing.  I felt I needed to do something different so I wouldn't be copying what you've seen already.  Well, enough of that!  There are so many different ways to put the green cardstocks and DSP together without copying!!   So I finally sat down and just had fun with it.

Here's my card using all the parts of the Eden's Garden Bundle with both the Soft Succulent and Evening Evergreen colors.  I love how simple this came together!  Especially after struggling with it last time around.  

The card starts with a base of Soft Succulent cut  8 1/2" x 5 1/2" folded in half.  The first layer is one of the lovely green prints with just a tiny speckling of gold from the Ever Eden Specialty Designer Series Paper.  On each of the papers, one side has the addition of gold foil in different designs.  This print has teeny tiny dots.  So pretty!!  The DSP was cut 5 1/4" x 4"  and attached to the card base with adhesive.

Next, the large wreath die was used to cut the Evening Evergreen cardstock into this gorgeous open-leaf design.  Isn't it just beautiful?!?   If I'd been thinking, I'd have used some of the Adhesive Sheets behind the Evening Evergreen cardstock so I could have just peeled it and stuck it down.  Alas, I forgot about that and had to use my MultiPurpose Liquid Glue on the solid leaf images to hold it in place.  It's not really hard, but whenever you can make something easier and quicker, why not?

The leafy banner was die-cut from Soft Succulent cardstock.  It was attached across the center of the card using Dimensionals.  Now it's time for the sentiment.  I  chose to use the Lovely You stamp set this time.  The sentiments have a mix of fonts on each stamp which is a look I love.  And the sentiments seem to cover many of the everyday sayings you might want to use.  This was stamped on a scrap of Basic White cardstock using Evening Evergreen ink.  It was punched out using the Label Me Fancy Punch.  I stamped closer to the top so that I could add a few of the leaf parts that are scrap left-overs after die-cutting the wreath and banner.  Can you see where they pop out of the die-cut piece?

Did you notice the pretty rhinestones?  They're part of the Eden's Garden package.  There are marquise cut green tones and the round ones are Cherry Cobbler.  The rhinestones have an iridescent sheen to them, so on this shot it's really hard to tell the color.  But believe me, they're quite lovely.

Can you see the little dots between the greenery in this picture?   Those are the tiny gold foil dots.  I couldn't get a picture that really showed how nice the paper is.  So I guess you just need to take my word for it... or order some for yourself!  😄

That's it for this post.  I want to remind you that you too can get the Eden's Garden sneak peek items now through the end of the year - or until they run out.  The Ever Eden Specialty DSP, the Cotton Paper, and the Garden Gems all will be unavailable after they run out.  They will NOT be in the new mini catalog coming out in January.  So if you want them at all, now is the time!  The Eden's Garden stamp set and the Eden Dies WILL be in the next mini catalog.  So it's up to you to get them now or not.

If you're reading this on Nov. 18th, Stampin'Up! is having a Seasonal Sale.  This sale is only items from the large Annual Catalog.   Sorry I'm catching it at the end of the sale.  With friends in from MI I'm kind of all off kilter and not on top of things.  So Sorry!!!

     All regular cardstock is 10% off

     All SU! ink pads are 15% off

     All dies are 20% off

Hope you're enjoying some nice, crisp fall weather.  It's still pretty warm here, but the temps will be dropping the rest of the week.  But I have to say, I've truly been enjoying the weather in the low 70's.  It's been colder at night, and the leaves are changing colors - and they're falling a lot too!  Dear hubby is outside trying to corral those leaves as they fall today.   Have a very blessed day!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon