More Hello Harvest

Hello again!  Hope you're doing well today.  The weather has been a little cooler and it's been great having the doors and windows open.  Love this time of the year!  Since I've been enjoying it so much, I've reverted back to an autumn idea.  Today's card uses the Hello Harvest Bundle and the coordinating Rustic Harvest Designer Series Paper.  These are found on pages 48-50 in the July-December 2022 Mini Catalog and are truly wonderful!  With those components, you just can't lose!

Doesn't this card just scream fall to you?  I love the two Designer Series Paper prints used here to complement each other.  And then adding the stamped and die-cut leaves that are "scrunched" for texture - oh my!  It just makes me happy.  Let's dive into the dimensions so you can make this too.

This starts with Mossy Meadow cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  The first layer is the Mossy Meadow print from the Rustic Harvest DSP found on page 49. Don't the swirls remind you of the curlicues on the pumpkins? So cute.  It measures 5 1/4" x 4" and is attached flat with adhesive.  

The focal point on the card started out with a small piece of DSP that was only 1 3/8" x 4".  I went ahead and cut a piece of Basic White the same size.  I figured these could lay side by side onto another piece of Mossy Meadow cardstock.  I cut the Mossy Meadow to 4 1/4" x 3" to fit both of them.  It needed a layer of Cajun Craze behind that to delineate between the Mossy Meadow cardstock layer and the same color DSP print.  I cut the Cajun Craze at 4 3/8" x 3 1/8".

The Basic White layer of cardstock has the "...blessing" sentiment stamped on the right half using Mossy Meadow ink.  (I stamped it in the middle, but upon reflection, I think it would have been better if it had been stamped a little higher to leave more room for the rhinestones.)  

The pumpkin print was attached to the bottom half of the Mossy Meadow cardstock with adhesive. Then the Basic White layer was attached leaving a gap between the two and being sure to keep both the sides even.  This was attached to the card front using Dimensionals to give it some lift.

There is an oak leaf that is part of the Hello Harvest stamp set.  I inked this with Mossy Meadow ink, then stamped it three times (without reinking at all) on some Basic White cardstock.  I like the different hues of the leaves which I thought looked more natural than having all of them the exact same color.  They were each die-cut with the coordinating die.  

When placing them on the card, they looked flat, so I "scrunched" them up in my hands and then only partially flattened them to attach to the card front.  They are attached with a Mini Glue Dot at the base of each leaf.  For an accent, I thought the Black & White 1/4" Gingham Ribbon found on page 146 of the Annual Catalog was perfect.  I tied a smaller bow and trimmed the ends neatly.  Then attached with a Mini Glue Dot right over the base of the leaves.

Lastly, I grabbed the Leaf Label and Amber Gems Combo Pack.  These are found on page 49 in the July-December 2022 Mini Catalog.  Three gems were placed under the wording to accent it and draw your eye there.  

That's it for today's card.  Hope you like the lovely layers of DSP and the warm fall colors.  On this card, it's really all about the Rustic Harvest DSP.  That's the real star of this card.

Just a reminder that the Perfect Partners sale is starting to wind down.  It finishes up on the last day of September, so there aren't many days left if you need to get a last-minute order in.  And a big "thank you" to those of you that did order the stamps and dies you wanted already.  It's greatly appreciated.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Bewitching Fun

Good morning all!  Hope you're doing great today and getting much accomplished.  I know I've mentioned more than once that I totally love autumn, but I'm not so much a fan of Halloween.  That said, I just had to try another card with the Bewitching stamp set on page 57 of the 2022 July - December Mini Catalog.  It would be a shame to only make one card with a set and then give up on it.  Of course, my card isn't ghoulish or gory, none of that stuff.  Just kind of cute and innocuous.   But I hope it makes you smile anyway.

I started out with the idea of using Parakeet Party and Pumpkin Pie together with large amount of Basic Black to make the card.  Then it was a matter of trying to figure out how I wanted the colors used.  I remembered the brick-like die in the Brilliant Wings die set that would be a good background for my little witch.  This die set is found in the 2022-2023 Annual Catalog on page 169.  The bricks were die-cut into the Basic Black layer four times - twice on the top and twice at the bottom.  The contrast between the Basic Black and either color was too strong for me, so I die-cut a number of bricks from Basic Gray cardstock and inlaid random pieces into the black layer.  At this point, I decided to make the card base Pumpkin Pie and not Parakeet Party.  That left my witch to be Parakeet Party instead.

I laid down a piece of Parakeet Party on the Stamparatus and then attached both the hat and legs to stamp on the cardstock at the same time.  It's a good thing I did!  Using Memento Tuxedo Black ink, I stamped them onto the cardstock.  Tip:  You're never going to get a true coverage when stamping on a color of cardstock versus white or vanilla.  There isn't the same smoothness on the color cardstock and the ink doesn't lay on the surface the same as with Basic White and Very Vanilla.  Looking at this image, you'd never guess I inked and stamped it seven times! It certainly doesn't look like it at all.  I figured if I hadn't gotten solid coverage after seven times, it simply wasn't going to happen.  And it's amazing how much more the 'speckling' stands out in a photo than real life.  Oh well, live and learn!  If I was starting over again (which maybe I should have), I would have stamped on Basic White and colored in the areas with a Parakeet Party marker.  I just didn't want any white on the front of the card.

Before cutting out, I used Wink of Stella to color the polka dots on the hat, the hatband, and the stripes on the stockings.  I have a Gold Wink of Stella that I used on the buckles.  After stamping and coloring the hat and legs, they were cut out with my Paper Snips.  I didn't care for them placed directly on the brickwork, so I used a Stitched Rectangle die and cut a piece of Vellum to go between.  I liked this much better because the brightness of the brick was still bothering me a little.

A small bit of the Parakeet Party 1/8" Metallic Woven Ribbon is wrapped around the middle of the hatband.  Then a small bow is made for an accent.  It's stretched out a little on the bow and at the tail ends.  The bow is attached to the hatband with a Mini Glue Dot.

The hat and legs were attached to the Vellum layer with Dimensionals.  The vellum has adhesive on the back only underneath the hat and legs and that's how it's attached to the card front.  This way none of the adhesive shows through the vellum to the front of the card.  

It's too bad the Wink of Stella isn't showing off its glimmer on the photo.  It really does add a little bit of extra pizzazz to the card.  Tell me, do you think the card needs more bling?  And if you think it does, what would you suggest using to step it up another notch??  Help me out here ladies.  I'm sure you have some excellent ideas!

Lastly, I want to share the inside of the card.  It's quite simple looking.  I started out with a piece of Basic White that measures 2 1/2" x 3 3/4".  I stamped a spider from the Bewitching set on the left side with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Then I stamped another on the right side, but down lower.  I used a Black Stampin' Write Marker to add enough dots to reach the top of the card.  Then I used it to write Boo!  between them.  Nothing says you can't add your own sentiment if you don't have a stamp that says just what you want!

The Basic White layer was attached to a Basic Black layer that measures 2 3/4" x 3".  Then both of these were attached inside the card with adhesive.  There's plenty of room left to write a little note to the recipient of the card underneath the dangling spiders.

Well, that's it for today's edition of the blog.  Hope you enjoyed it and maybe learned something new from my misadventures.  Many times you just don't know how something is going to work out until after you try it.  Thank goodness it's only paper!  There have been a few card ideas that never made it past my work table, but hit the trash can fairly quickly.  Or I've pried pieces apart and used them on different card projects.  Yes, I've made my fair share of duds too.  So give your ideas a try.  If you don't like them, repurpose, reuse, or recycle.  It's only paper!  But if you create a masterpiece along the way, make sure you share it!!

Thanks for stopping by today.  Remember that the Perfect Partners sale is going on right now until the end of September.  Don't wait too long in case any of the new die sets sell out before then.  If you have questions, I'd be happy to help you out.

Did you know that October 1st is designated as World Cardmaking Day?  Stampin' Up! has some festivities planned and you can sign up for the card making fun.  I'll probably be doing some creating that day myself so come join me.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon 

Simply Christmas

Hello Friend!  Hope you're having a great week.  Our weather here started to look a little bit like autumn, then the temperatures started creeping up into the mid 90's again.  Yup, that's just way too hot for autumn! I feel sorry for my grandson running cross-country in this heat.  I get worn out just thinking about it!  Whew!  So, let's think about the up-coming winter weather instead, and Christmas in particular.  I've been sharing a few card ideas with you and have another one to share.  When I saw the set called Decorated with Happiness in the 2022 July - December Mini Catalog, it just called to me.  It's a fun Christmas set with sketch-y style designs that I thought would be fun to create with.   I wanted a crisp, clean look to the card that would be easy to replicate in multiples.  But I didn't want it to be boring.  Here's what I came up with for you.

It definitely has a crisp, clean look to it, but with the off-set layers it isn't too boring as far as I can tell.  Let me know what you think about it!

The card starts out with a base of Basic White Thick Cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half to make a side-opening card.  The first layer here is the regular Basic White cardstock that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  The card is built up onto this piece.  

I liked the idea of a layer of Real Red cardstock but just didn't want the same look as usual.  So, this piece is cut 2" x 4 1/4".  It's attached with adhesive flat to the white layer about 1/2" from the left side.  Before attaching, I ran it through the embossing machine using an old, retired folder - the Subtle Embossing Folder from a couple years ago.  I still love the 'subtle' texture this embossing folder gives.

The next Basic White layer measures 3 1/4" x 2 3/4".  I used the Decorated Pines dies to cut a large pine bough from Garden Green cardstock.  After figuring out the placement on the small white layer, I used the Stamparatus to stamp the sentiment with Real Red ink.  The sentiment is from the For Unto Us stamp set.  Oh dear!!  My mistake - I thought it was still available in this year's catalog, but it isn't.  Which is too bad because I really like it.  So sorry!!  Obviously other sentiments would work here.  Just make sure it fits in the spot.

For the ornament, I backed a piece of Gold Foil with the Foam Adhesive Sheets found on page 127 of the Annual Catalog before die-cutting.  This made it nice and thick for the card, and you just peel off the backing just like Dimensionals to add to your card.  Easy peasy.  I tied a piece of the Gold Simply Elegant Trim through the ornament and tied into a knot for "hanging" on the tree.  A Mini Glue Dot was placed under the knot to hold it in place.

At this time, I used Dimensionals to attach the larger white layer to the card base.  Then the smaller white layer was attached over the Real Red and the white layers with Dimensionals.  This was placed more to the right side of the card front about 1/2" from the open edge.

After trying to decide what to use for the bling on the card, I settled on the retired Gold Glitter Enamel Dots that I had left over.  I much preferred the gold of these which matched the Gold Foil of the ornament the best.  I wish Stampin'Up! held onto the embellishments for more than a year.  It never gives me enough time to use them up and they are always way too lovely to get rid of.  

So there you are, three retired things used on this card which I thought would be all new items when I started out.  As Winnie the Pooh would say, "Oh bother!"  Now I'm going to have to go and remake the card with all current items just to prove I can!  Hrrumph!

Hope you're finding time to get your fingers inky and have some fun.  It's always a good day when I can get creative.  

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
 

Quick and Easy Card Layout

Hello Friends!  I know I've been mentioning Christmas and the need to plan out your Christmas card ideas.  I talked to a friend the other day that let me know her Christmas cards are finished.  She's very organized and planned her cards before her summer vacation and then took everything with her and got them finished.  I'll be honest, I don't think I'll ever get my cards done this soon!  But I am thinking and planning and making a card or two as possible prototypes at this time.  If you're looking for a super simple card layout that works with many different DSP prints, I've got just the card for you today.

Here's one layout with four different prints used.  The top two prints are from the new Boughs of Holly Designer Series Paper found on page 25 of the July - December Mini Catalog.  The bottom two prints are returning from last year and can be found on page 29 of that same catalog.  This was my favorite DSP last year and I used lots of it for my own personal cards.  In fact, I might have even used this layout or maybe something similar.

The card starts with your DSP print that you want to use.  If you're making multiples of the card, one piece of DSP will make you 16 cards.  So that really stretches your special DSP a long way.  The print is cut in strips that are 2 3/4" wide.  After the strips are cut, then you cut them cross-wise at 2 3/4" again.  You will have some skinny strips left over that I'll try to turn into some more lovely cards, so don't throw those strips away!

After you've cut your 2 3/4" square pieces, you need to decide on what color do you want to use to back the DSP print.  For these two prints from the returning DSP, I liked the look of Shaded Spruce.  The measurements for the Shaded Spruce cardstock are 3" x 3".  I attached the DSP squares to the cardstock pieces with adhesive.  If I were making a stack of cards, I would be doing all of these steps on the whole stack at once.  Like cut all the DSP squares, cut all the cardstock squares, attach them together, and so on.  It makes putting the cards together so much quicker than doing one full card at a time.

For these prints, I changed the green layering colors to match them better.  The poinsettia print has Garden Green behind it and the other print has Evening Evergreen to match.  As you can plainly see, two of my cards have Basic White as a base. but the other two looked nicer with Sahara Sand as the card base.  You need to remain flexible about the cardstock choices to get the best match for your DSP print.

Each card has a half sheet of cardstock folded in half for the card base.  Then there is a layer that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  These have the Christmas sentiment stamped on it with Real Red ink.  To keep things simple, the Stamparatus was used to line up the sentiment once and then stamp it multiple times.  The sentiment I chose is from the Christmas to Remember stamp set in the Annual Catalog on page 45.  I love the font and it fit so nicely across the card!  After the sentiments were stamped on the layer, they were attached to the folded card base with Dimensionals.  You could do some embossing on the layer before attaching if you wanted, but I was going for quick and easy here so no added steps.

Before attaching the DSP squares to the card front, each one of them were wrapped with either the Real Red or Garden Green Ribbon and tied into a pretty bow.  The ribbon combo is found on page 9 of the July - December Mini Catalog.  The poinsettia print looks so pretty with the green accent, and the Real Red works lovely on all the rest.  This is gorgeous ribbon to work with as it isn't stiff and hard to manipulate at all.  It ties up into soft bows so easily.  Of course, you could get fancier and use some form of gold or silver ribbon as an accent instead.

Now at this point I started looking around for bling for my cards.  I can't believe I decided to use none on these.  No matter what I tried, I ended up taking off again.  So I guess these really are quick and easy cards!  Hope you liked the idea and will give it a whirl.

Now that we've made the Christmas cards, I want you to stop and think about other pretty DSP prints that you might use for this layout.  How about some pretty florals to make birthday or anniversary cards?  Or some fun animal prints for some children's cards?  Or some masculine prints?  The ideas are pretty much endless when you start thinking outside the 3" square!

Make sure you check out the Perfect Partners dies that Stampin'Up! has brought us for the month of September.  I do love my dies, and I think you do too!  And don't forget to check out the weekly deals that are on sale this month too!  Sorry I haven't figured out how to get these things on my blog.  Please go to stampinup.com to see what's available.  Thank you!!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon