Encre, papier, ciseaux

Ho Ho Ho Bauble

Inspiration: Sunday Stamp #342

I have been crafting all weekend long with the Mistletoe Kisses collection from Simple Stories (2016). I was down to very limited scraps, but the Sunday Stamp sketch inspired me to fussy cut the cute bauble image from the cut-aparts and use at as the circle on my centre square. I added a few embellishments on the O's and I matted the striped paper with Glacier glitter cardstock. I added a fussy cut image to an aqua envelope to match.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Thick Basic White (Stampin' Up!); Glacier Glitter Cardstock (PinkFresh Studio)
Patterned Papers: Mistletoe Kisses (Simple Stories)
Dies: Dotted Rectangle Stackables, Stitched Banners (Lawn Fawn); 
Stitched Mini Scallop Square STAX (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Silver Rockette, Mini Buttons (Queen & Co);
Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); A2 Seafoam Envelope (Envelopes.com)

 

Snowpeople Duo

Inspiration: 52 Christmas Card Throwdown + Mojo Monday sketch #232 

I looked through my stamps and dies for some snow people and landed on the Cool Dudes stamp set from Paper Smooshes. I love those little images, they are fun and quick to colour and look so good on a card. I pulled out the Sugar Plum collection (2016) from My Mind's Eye, which is on my list of paper pack I would like to use up. 

I picked the paper that has little trees on it to give my snowmen a background and as I was moving stamp sets around, I noticed that the Winter Wishes set has a die for the main sentiment, so I decided to use it on my card. I had a piece of vellum lying on my desk and decided to emboss on it. As I was looking at colours options, I found that my Distress glazes would pair nicely, so I tested a couple of colours and decided to use the Speckled Egg version. I particularly like that since the glaze is not opaque, the sentiment looks like it is made out of ice. 

I paired two patterned papers to create the background, added a thin strip of striped paper in the center and I matted the image with a scalloped square to help it stand out more against the patterns. I punched a ribbon hole and added Pretty Peacock ribbon around the papers. I used the Cheery Snowflakes dies from Carta Bella and Glacier glitter paper to create snowflakes to add to the card, topping one of them with a Graphic 45 gem.

I used a piece of plaid patterned paper to make a matching envelope. I die-cut an address block out of Pool Party cardstock, added another small snowman image in the corner and my remaining snowflake in the top corner. I like how the glittery line of the patterned paper frames the block.

I love making Christmas/wintery card in soft candy colours. This turned out pretty cute. Only downside is that the glittered papers shed all over my desk and my clothes, so I'm going to be one sparkly lady for the rest of the evening.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps and Dies: Cool Dudes, Winter Wishes (Paper Smooches)
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party, Vellum (Stampin' Up!); Solar White (Neenah);
Glacier Glitter Paper (PinkFresh Studio)
Patterned Papers: Sugar Plum (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); VersaMark
Dies: Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black); Wonky Stitched Squares (My Favorite Things);
Scalloped Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Cheery Snowflakes (Carta Bella)
Accessories: Ribbon Hole Punch (Fiskars); Speckled Egg Distress Glaze (Ranger);
Stampin' Dimensionals, Pretty Peacock Ribbon, Envelope Punch Board (Stampin' Up!);
Gems (Graphic 45); Markers (Copic)

 

Not Superstitious

Inspiration: April 2024 Page Maps sketch

I was looking through my pictures to find birthday pictures to pair with Simple Stories' Birthday collection and I stumbled onto this picture of my niece, wearing clothes and holding an umbrella that matched the colour scheme from the collection perfectly. This picture has nothing to do with her birthday, but the patterns from the papers are generic enough that I thought I could work around that. I used a sketch to get my design started and I moved elements around to fit my picture size: the tag was pushed to the right side rather than be tucked underneath the picture (in part because I was using the bunting paper and did not want to hide that pattern) and I moved the title to the bottom of the picture, as it was going to be a long word.

I was debating getting my sewing machine out and laziness won so I did not, but I did go searching for my stitching rub-ons and found instead some very old Stampin' Up! rub-ons, with one of the sheet including olive green rub-ons that matched the collection very nicely. I picked the flourish and added it to the bottom right corner. I also added the "You make me happy." sentiment. I found some number stickers from an old Stampin' Up! Project Life kit and added my date at the bottom as well.

Since the Birthday collection is a small one, it does not include a tag sheet like the larger-sized collections do. I went looking through my other Simple Stories collection for something in matching colours and I found a tag that could work in the Heart Eyes collection. In it, I also found some decorative brads I could add to my layout, as well as a cute pair of pink glasses. On top of the tag, I tied a triple layer of sparkly green metallic ribbon, and I added a piece of thin washi where the pink topper part ends for added details.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Cardstock Stickers: Birthday (Simple Stories)
Accessories: Project Life Stickers, Parakeet Party Metallic Woven Ribbon, Washi Tape,
Love & Happiness Rub-Ons (Stampin' Up!); Black Roughly Sewn Rub-Ons (49 & Market);
Heart Eyes Decorative Brads, Enamel Dots and Tag Patterned Paper (Simple Stories); 
Turquoise Little Letters (Queen & Co); Doll Thickers (American Crafts)

 

Birthday Gift Squares

Inspiration: Simon Says Stamp Monday (Happy Birthday) + Freshly Made Sketch #648 

After completing my layout using Simple Stories' Birthday collection, I proceeded to make a card with the collection as well. I was inspired by the Freshly Made Sketch since the sticker sheet had three gift stickers, which worked out well with the three squares from the sketch.

I used one of the dies from the Stitched Mini Scallop Squares set from My Favorite Things and I layered them over the yellow star paper using foam tape. I popped the gifts with dimensional adhesive over the squares as well. The top one was a little short, so I filled the empty space using one of the little dot stickers. I picked two sentiment stickers from the cardstock sticker sheet - "Happy Birthday" and "and many more!" and I added those to the center gift.

I added striped paper on each side of the yellow paper, adding green sparkly washi tape as well. I picked my card size based on how tall my block would be once the three squares would be stacked, so the card is 4" x 7". This was one of the sizes featured on the Envelope Punch Board, so I was able to grab patterned paper and make a matching envelope, using one of the cut-apart to make an address block.

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Thick Basic White (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Cardstock Stickers: Birthday (Simple Stories)
Dies: Stitched Mini Scallop Squares STAX (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Washi Tape, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

 

Mine! Mine! Mine!

Inspiration: Hand Stamped Sentiments #443 + Color Throwdown #803

I drew inspiration from the sunny color combo to use the Postage Collage Beach Days stencils and create some cute summery postage stamps. Once the designs were all inked and die-cut, I cut them apart so that they could be used on more than one card. I paired the French fries and the seagull on this card, and I die-cut a third postage stamp out of yellow patterned paper to add my sentiment on. I found this postage sentiment in an old Cat's Pajamas stamp set called Sending You.

I used the Postage Collage Beach Days stamp set to add a few seal images on the card base. I did not want to stamp the whole background for fear that it would be too busy, but adding a few circles in opposite corners added a bit of interest. I went through my little container of scraps organized by colours and pulled papers that matched my ink to create the blocks from the sketch. I used various rectangle dies to have stitching around my shapes, and I matted the pink rectangle with gold paper for added interest. 

For embellishing, I tied navy hemp twine from Lawn Fawn around the bottom of the card, and added a yellow puffy sticker and two rhinestones. On the envelope, I used some of that yellow paper to create the address block, and then I found some leftover stenciled stamps from a previous project, that were done in Melon Mambo and therefore matched my current card. I stamped the anchor circle image in navy in the middle, cut a smaller stamp and added those to my envelope to match the card.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Postage Collage, Postage Collage Beach Days (Waffle Flower);
Sending You (The Cat's Pajamas)
Cardstock: Pacific Point, Basic White (Stampin' Up!); Gold Opulent Specialty Paper (Sizzix)
Patterned Papers: Varied (Unknown Source)
Ink: Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Night of Navy, Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Postage Collage (Waffle Flower); Stitched 4 Bar Rectangles Stackables (Lawn Fawn);
Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black); Wonky Stitched Rectangles (My Favorite Things);
Perennial Postage (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Rhinestones (Recollections); Bell Pepper Trinkets Puffy Stickers (Bella Blvd.);
A2 Nautical Blue Linen Envelope (Envelopes.com); Blender Brushes (Taylored Expressions)

Have Fun Beach Polaroid

Inspiration: Hand Stamped Sentiments #441

I wanted to craft but could not find inspiration, so I looked through my Mintay papers and decided to do some fussy cutting to pass the time. Once all of the remaining images from the Paradise collection were cut, I was inspired to start putting something together, Hand Stamped Sentiments' current challenge has summer polaroids on the image, so it fit nicely with the Paradise collection. I used one of the Polaroid cut-apart, and I started layering some of the images over it. 

I wanted to use the empty space at the top to add a sentiment, and I remembered I have a gold Thickers set with summer sayings, so I checked out what was in there. One sentiment said "Sun + Fun", so I pulled out my Dymo to write words to fill the sentiment in. I initially did "Have a Fun Birthday" but I was struggling to fit the words comfortably on the design, so I shortened it to "Have Fun" and it looked much better. 

I was initially planning on cutting the extra parasol that was hanging out the side of the card once everything was glued in place, but I realized that it would not look as cool if I did, so I decided to keep it as is and just make an oversize envelope out of the remaining patterned paper to fit instead. I added one more polaroid frame and a couple of fussy cut images on the envelope as well. 

I'm working my way through this collection to try and finish it off as I don't have a lot of it left.

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Certainly Celery (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Paradise (Mintay)
Ink: Antique Linen Distress (Ranger)
Dies: Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Envelope Punch Board (Stampin' Up!);
Crochet Thread; Heat Wave Thickers (American Crafts); 
Mini Blender Tools (Ranger); Label Machine (Dymo)

 

Back-to-School Time

Inspiration: July 2023 Page Maps Sketch

I paired some back to school pictures with the School Life collection (2021) from Simple Stories. I had printed my pictures in 2½" x 3½" format, so they fit perfectly in two of the chipboard frames from the collection. In lieu of the third picture, I included a tag from the cut-apart sheet. I used chipboard alpha stickers and Thickers to create my title, over a die-cut circle, and I used a 4" x 6" cut-apart to create a rolodex card just like on the sketch (using a Heidi Swapp punch.

 

 

 

Supplies
 Patterned Papers, Chipboard Frames, Puffy Stickers, Cardstock Stickers, Decorative Brads,
Enamel Dots: School Life (Simple Stories)
Punch: Rolodex (Heidi Swapp)
Dies: Cross-Stitched Circle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: White Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); 
Courtyard Thickers (American Crafts); Holiday Magic Cardstock Alpha Stickers (Pinkfresh Studio)

 

Anya Celebrates Christmas

Inspiration: 52 Christmas Card Throwdown (Color An Image) + Mojo Monday sketch #45

I looked through my Greeting Farm stamps and picked Holiday Anya 8 for the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown challenge. I paired it with leftover papers from the Jingle All the Way collection from My Mind's Eye. For design ideas, I looked through old Mojo Monday sketches.

I colored the image with Copic markers, and I used a gold gel pen to add color to the now and the earrings. I also matted the scalloped rectangle with gold paper and used gold chevron washi tape to repeat gold throughout the design.

For the sentiment, I used stickers from the collection, layering Noel over the 25 sticker. I also used the holly berry sticker in the bottom corner of the main image block.

Finally, I made a matching envelope out of patterned paper, adding a die-cut address block and another one of the stickers as well.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Holiday Anya 8 (The Greeting Farm)
Cardstock: Teal (Bazzill); Solar White (Neenah); Basic White (Stampin' Up!); 
Gold Mirri Card (Hunkydory)
Patterned Papers, Cardstock Stickers: Jingle All the Way (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Dies: Stitched So Sweetly (Stampin' Up!); Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black); Lacy Borders (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Gold Chevron Washi Tape (Bo Bunny); Stampin' Dimensionals, Envelope Punch Board (Stampin' Up!);
Markers (Copic); Gold Gelly Roll Pen (Sakura)

 

 

Baseball: The Greatest Game in the World

Inspiration: January 2024 Page Maps Sketch + Lasting Memory Challenge #705 (Favorite Tool = Sewing Machine)

My sister brought baseball tickets for her spouse's birthday and they sent me this picture of them enjoying the game. I knew it would be perfect to go with the Home Run collection from Carta Bella. I always love Steven Duncan's design style, even though I do find it hard to design with his patterned papers sometimes, as they tend to all have patterns that are the same scale and pretty busy. 

I picked a navy page from the Solids Paper Pack and I added my favorite paper for the main block: the pile of baseballs. I picked the red stripes for the side panel and included another favorite, the pattern with all of the typed quotes, to do a punched border. I decided then that I would like to ink some of the edges with Antique Linen Distress ink. I did not like the stark edge between the two, so I added navy washi tape there.

The next pieces I added were fussy cut from patterned paper. I added three blocks at the top to mimic the banners from the sketch, and I included the vintage ticket next to the picture because I thought it was really cool. I matted the picture with the green solid cardstock. 

I went to my sewing machine and, using navy thread, I ran a few lines of stitching on three sides of the large panel, following the sketch. I was not sure if I wanted to keep the hanging thread or not, but decided it went well with the grungy look of the line. I found this really cool Baseball sticker on the cardstock sticker sheet and really liked the like over the top of my picture, so I slid a piece of navy patterned paper underneath, added the large ball from the sticker sheet and popped up the sentiment on foam adhesive, and I decided this would serve as my title. 

I did need to find a place to add my journaling, though, so I decided to type it in red on manilla paper. I did try to use paper from the line but Carta Bella's cardstock is so thick, it just would not roll around the barrel of the typewriter, so i changed plans and went to my scrap bin and found something from another line that fit perfectly. (It's an old paper from My Mind's Eye and the colour is a perfect match). 

On a side note, I recently someone show how she decided to trim her leftover papers and cardstock to size and place them in a bin that she would place on her desk to pick from when she is designing projects. I liked the idea and I also happened to find a YouCopia divided bin on sale at Michaels recently and it works perfectly for this since I'm able to slide the dividers in the bin where I want them and have my different colours separated. It definitely came in handy here since I looked in the neutrals section and found exactly what I needed in a flash.

I was missing the date, so I went to my smaller alphabet stickers and found a red sticker set from Stampin' Up! that used to be part of their early pocket page kit collections. I used the numbers to write the date and added some enamel dots between the month and year. I'm pretty sure those enamel dots used to be white and they certainly cannot be called that anymore, but the yellowing made it perfect for this page. I also used Stampin' Up!'s resin stars, as their colours fit this line perfectly.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Patterned Papers, Solids Paper Pack, Cardstock Stickers: Home Run (Steven Duncan for Carta Bella)
Ink: Antique Linen Distress (Ranger)
Accessories: Round Binding Edge Border Punch (EK Tools); Sewing Machine;
Resin Star Embellishments, Stampin' Dimensionals, Designer Elements, Playing with Patterns Resin Dots,
Santa's Workshop Enamel Dots (Stampin' Up!); Mini Blending Tool (Studio Light);
Typewriter (We R Memory Makers); Washi Tape (Me and My Big Ideas)

 

Happy Harmony - Two Creations

Inspiration: Queen & Co sketches

I recently stumbled unto sketches that Queen & Co has made to specifically highlight the content of their Foundations die sets. I looked into the Foundation 24 sketches since I have those dies myself and was inspired to pull the Happy Harmony shaker kit to pair with them.

I used the paper pad from the kit and was initially planning to make one card with the pink hues and one with the orange hues, but I ended up making both cards in the same colour scheme because of a designing switch. I wanted to use the guitar along with the "Don't fret! I wouldn't forget your birthday!" sentiment. I started cutting my background pieces, stamped my sentiment, assembled the guitar and then I was shocked to realize just how long the guitar handle is! It was not fitting my card when placing it over the sentiment, so I thought I'd see if the violin would work. I assembled the shaker and was happy to see that I was able to make this instrument work with my original idea. 

Since the guitar was all ready to go, I picked another sketch, cut my papers and then went looking for a sentiment. The ones from the kit stamp set were not filling up the space enough. It took me a while to find something that I liked in my stash, but when I saw the "Howdy!" sentiment, I thought this could go well with a guitar, and the size was working out nicely. It looked nicer at an angle that straight on the card, so I added it that way. It was die-cut out of one of the specialty papers from the Silver Opulent cardstock pack from Sizzix, a nice charcoal grey with a very subtle shimmer to it. I switched the flowers from the sketch for stars instead. This is one of the die set I found in the Spellbinders clearance sale and I was very excited about it, as I found those little hand drawn stars will make really great accents for various different projects, and I like the four sizes included in the kit. They worked perfectly here, and I used the same charcoal grey specialty paper for the back and the orange patterned paper for the stars. I added foam adhesive behind to pop them off the card.

Both cards were embellished with Queen & Co embellishments. I picked linen-textured Nautical Blue envelopes and die-cut address blocks using the same die set, adding matching die-cut images to match the cards. This was a fun set to put together and I have to say, those little musical instrument shakers are super detailed and definitely cute.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps, Shaker Kit, Patterned Papers, Outline Dies, Toppings: Happy Harmony (Queen & Co)
Ink: Basic Grey (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: More Mustard (Stampin' Up!); Silver Opulent Cardstock Pack (Sizzix)
Dies: Foundation 24 (Queen & Co); Hand Drawn Stars (Spellbinders);
Howdy! (Karen Burniston for Riley and Company); Dotted Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Assorted Toppings, Orange Pinwheels, Green Epoxy Dots, Iridescent Bubbles,
Orange Jelly Gems (Queen & Co); A2 Linen Nautical Blue Envelopes (Envelopes.com);
Beads (Mill Hill)

 

Create with Us - Treat Cart

Inspiration: Treat Cart Create With Us

This is the two projects I created following the Create With Us class from Lawn Fawn shared online. I had prepared and cut the supplies on the previous Friday and I was all ready to follow along with the class that evening, until I realized I was one week to early. So I put the supplies aside and then the next week, I was asked to babysit my nieces, so I couldn't follow along with the live class. Thankfully, they are recorded, so I was able to put the projects later. And it worked out, because I was reminded that I'm not a quick crafter, so I paused the video a few times to take my time and catch up.

The watercolour sky went well because I had done that technique before, but the drips did not work well the first time around. I only have one pack of Distress watercolour (so not the whole range), which is why I initially pulled out my old Watercolor Wonder crayons from Stampin' Up! and while the drip technique worked, the colours looked a little washed out to my liking. The paper around the crayons had also started to flake and it left a nasty black mark on my watercolour paper. So I decided to turn the paper around and try the technique again on the backside, using the Distress watercolour pencils in whatever colour I had available. Hence, my colour gradient is a little different from the one shown in the class, but I do like the result, and I was happy to learn a new technique. I had coloured all of the images from the set, so I included a couple of extras in my design to use them up.

 

 

 

 

Sweet Treat Wish

Inspiration: Lawn Fawnatics #174

I took part in the Create With Us class from Lawn Fawn, albeit after the live event. To make my life simpler, I stamped all of the images from the stamp set Treat Cart twice, knowing that I would have extra images that I could use to embellish inside the card and on the envelope.

I did that, but still had leftover colored images, including a little bunny, so when I saw the stencil challenge, I went through my Lawn Fawn stencil and when I spotted the Thought Bubbles, I got the idea to have the little bunny think of all of the frozen treats he could get. I also used the Grassy Hillside to ground the bunny. I wanted a French sentiment, so I pulled "Make a Wish" from a retired Stampin' Up! set.

I was going through my 6"x 6" paper pads to find something for the card base and nothing was really grabbing me, until I remembered I still had some frozen treats paper in similar pastels shades, so I fished it out of my scrap bin, and I had enough to not only do the card background, but also make a matching envelope out of it.

The white rectangle was getting lost on the busy background, so I matted it with Calypso Coral cardstock, and I matted the patterned paper with purple cardstock, then mounted the panel on a Pool Party card base. I wanted one more layer, so I pulled a pearlized doily, and it too was getting lost on the pattern so I used a blender brush to ink it with Pool Party ink (on the non-pearlized side). Then I remembered I also had some leftover brads from this collection, so I cut the prongs off and glued it next to the sentiment.

I used a purple cross-stitched rectangle on the envelope and some remaining colored images to tie it all together. For a card made with a bunch of old supplies and leftover images, it turned out pretty nice!

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Treat Cart (Lawn Fawn); Fait fêter ça (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Basic White, Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!);
Purple (Queen & Co)
Designer Series Paper. Designer Brads: Unknown Name (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Milled Lavendar, Bundled Sage, Forest Moss Distres Oxide (Ranger)
Stencils: Grassy Hillside, Thought Bubbles (Lawn Fawn)
Dies: Treat Cart, Cross-Stitched Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Pearlized Doilies, Stampin' Dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter,
Envelope Punch Board (Stampin' Up!); Blender Brushes (Waffle Flower); 
Markers (Copic), White and Black Gel Pen (Sakura)

 

Christmas Mail

I was trying to finish the remnants of my Merry & Bright collection and thought I could pull out the Parcel & Post Mailbox dies and make a Christmas version of it, giving me at the same time the chance to bring the Glimmer Hot Foil System back out. I combined Real Red and Cherry Cobbler cardstock to create the mailbox and I foiled my sentiment in Champagne foil in the centre.

To fill the mailbox, I used the foliage from this die set, but also added some elements from the Sealed Squiggles and Sealed Holiday Squiggles die sets, done in metallic paper. I did the little letter out of Warm White cardstock and went back to the Wise Owl die set to borrow the wax seal for it, which looks incredibly cute done in red foil cardstock.

On the envelope, I basically used all of my remaining sentiment stickers to create a little holiday border.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Evening Evergreen (Stampin' Up!);
Warm White, Sage, Forest Green Color Vibe (Simple Stories);
Gold Mirri (Hunkydory); Red Mirror (Prism Studio);
Mystical Opulent Cardstock (Sizzix); Candy Red (Tonic)
Patterned Papers, Cardstock Stickers: Merry & Bright (Simple Stories)
Dies: Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black); Parcel & Post Mailbox, All-Occasion Mailbox Greetings,
Wise Owl, Sealed Squiggles, Sealed Holiday Squiggles (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Washi Tape (Recollections); A2 Envelope, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Metallic Pearls (Stampin' Up!); Champagne Glimmer Foil (Spellbinders)

 

Santa Express

One of the Christmas collections that I'd like to use up is Santa Express from Stampin' Up! I had been working on fussy cutting images yesterday while watching some crafting videos and I was inspired to use them on a few cards today. I had also purchased the matching scrapbooking cards that goes with it, so I used some of the 4" x 6" cards to create the backgrounds. I cut them to size for a regular A2 card using rectangle dies.

To mat my cut images, I used circles from the Doily die set. I used white cardstock behind the train image, because the polka dot background is quite busy and I needed something plain to ground the image. I used one of the stickers from the scrapbook kit underneath to create my sentiment. I wanted puffs of smoke coming out of the engine, and I decided to punch some hearts out of red foil paper. The little heart comes from an old owl punch from Stampin' Up! I have not made an owl with it in forever, but I've held onto this punch specifically for the little heart, which is the perfect size and shape. The bottom seemed a little bare, so I wrapped red ribbon tied in a bow. (Because the ribbon does not look the same on the backside, I actually glued a piece of ribbon on the paper and then cut a second piece of ribbon that I created the bow with, tying it around the first piece of ribbon. This gave me better control on keeping the polka dot pattern on the front of all pieces showing.) I used some other fussy cut image and the leftover strip from the 4" x 6" card to decorate a red metallic envelope.

For the second card, I die-cut another 4"x 6" card which already had the sentiment on. I found a leftover piece of tulle ribbon, that I glued behind my red die-cut circle. I added a cute Santa image that has been fussy cut from the scrapbook cards as well, popped on dimensional adhesive. I then added little faceted gems around, mounted the card front on a red card base and that easily, I was done! I fussy cut another Santa image to add to a Rose Quartz metallic envelope to match.

I cut two additional 4" x 6" cards to size to decorate the inside of the envelope. Since some are designed as journaling pieces for scrapbooking, they are perfect for messages inside cards. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Real Red, Spruce Shadow, Basic White (Stampin' Up!);
Red Foil Paper (Prism Studio)
Patterned Papers, Memories & More Cards and Stickers: Santa Express (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Doily (Coco & Reno); Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, White Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon, Elegant Faceted Gems,
Red and Gold Polka Dot Ribbon, Basic Adhesive-Backed Sequins (Stampin' Up!);
A2 Jupiter and Rose Quartz Metallic Envelopes (Envelopes.com)

 

Good Day Sunshine

Inspiration: Mojo Monday #305 + Cut It Up #305 (Anything Goes)

This is the last image I had colored while spending time with my nieces. I had matched the colors of this one to the Summer Dreams collection from Echo Park. This is an older collection (2017) that I still love a lot.

There was still cool marquee from the chipboard pieces that made for a great sentiment, so I placed my girl next to it and then I layered multiple papers behind it to create a fun, summery card. I layered two ribbons and some baker's twine together for a layered bow, and I picked a few stickers from the sticker sheet to fill the empty space. I added a few enamel dots/shapes to the card as well.

Finally, I made a matching envelope out of the patterned paper, using the cool ombre sheet.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Miss Anya All Year (The Greeting Farm)
Cardstock: Basic White, Bermuda Bay, Night of Navy (Stampin' Up!); Pearlescent Vellum (Lawn Fawn)
Patterned Papers, Chipboard Stickers, Cardstock Stickers: Summer Dreams (Echo Park)
Dies: Zig Zag Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn); Project Life Nesting Dies (American Crafts)
Accessories: Enamel Dots, Metallic Enamel Shapes, Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon, In Color Grosgrain Ribbon,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Envelope Punch Board (Stampin' Up!); Teal Twine (Lawn Fawn);
Markers (Copic)

 

Beach Buddy

Inspiration: Festive Friday #160 (Wood Elements + Twine + Alcohol Markers) + Mojo Monday #295

My oldest niece wanted to learn how to use alcohol markers so I introduced her to that coloring medium when I was babysitting for her last weekend. I colored a few images myself while we were sitting together. To be strategic, I pulled out a paper collection ahead of time and picked colors to match, so that my job faster today when I sat down to turn the image into a card. The papers come from Carta Bella's Beach Day collection (2016).

I used a 5¼" x 5¼" card base, covered it with green paper and then stacked three patterned papers in the center. Using a ruler, I added a blue border with a pen, and I tied baker's twine underneath the sunglasses paper strip. I placed a little metal charm from idea-ology in the center of the bow. 

For the focal point, I die-cut a square out of the blue patterned paper. I made sure to place the die at an angle so that the pattern would be the right side up when the square was glued at an angle on the card. I popped my Anya image with foam tape in the center.

I wanted to add wooden elements, so I pulled a container in which I had put old wooden pieces from Stampin' Up!'s project life kits. I found cute little stars and a FRIENDS panel, that made a great sentiment for the card. I added green gems in the center of the stars and a couple of gems near the sentiment as well.

I used the rest of the sunglasses strip on the matching envelope.

 

 

  

 

Supplies
Stamps: Anya Combo (The Greetings Farm)
5¼" x 5¼" Card base and envelopes: DoCrafts
Patterned Papers: Beach Day (Carta Bella); A Slice of Summer Basics (Echo Park)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Dies: Wonky Stitched Squares (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Wooden Elements, Pool Party Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!);
Word Tags (Tim Holtz for Idea-ology); Markers (Copic);
August Crystals (Studio Katia); Sparkle & Shine Ombré Glitter Drops (Pinkfresh Studio);
Blue Pen (Pilot)

 

Refreshing Lemonade

Inspiration: Tic Tac Toe #248 (Red/Blue + FREE + Drink)

This is another of the images I had colored while crafting with my nieces, to match with the Beach Day collection. I drew inspiration from an old Mojo Monday sketch to work out the design, and I borrowed a couple of stickers from the cardstock sticker sheet to fill in the scene. I added gold washi tape on each side to better distinguish between the wood and the plaid patterns. I added gems to the flower and the beach ball and tied a piece of red linen ribbon.

I used a sheet of paper from the collection to make a matching envelope as well. I have quite a bit left in the collection, but at least with the three projects I completed, I whittled the collection down a bit.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Anya Combo (The Greeting Farm)
Cardstock: Solar White (Neenah); Blueberry Bushel (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Cardstock Stickers: Beach Day (Carta Bella)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Dies: Project Life Nesting Dies (American Crafts); Lacy Borders (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Real Red Linen Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Envelope Punch Board (Stampin' Up!);
August Crystals (Studio Katia); Sparkle & Shine Ombré Glitter Drops (Pinkfresh Studio);
Markers (Copic); Washi Tape (Recollections)

 

Fresh Wishes

Inspiration: Lawn Fawnatics #173 + Colour Inkspiration #166

I finally played with my Froyo Friend dies and my Glimmer Hot Foil Press. This time, I tried the satin foil, which produces a much more subtle result. I did it tone-on-tone on patterned paper, adding a foiled frame and speckles in the background behind our froyo friend.

I used an ombre patterned paper for the froyo, but the effect sort of got lost once the paper got die-cut, so I decided to add white as well to create a twist look. The outside of the little character was die-cut out of gunmetal foil paper, for added shine.

The sentiment was also foiled. The satin foil was very hard to read, even on white, so I switched to using regular foil instead. I die-cut the shape out of green paper about five times in order to stack and make the sentiment dimensional. I placed it over a Stylish Oval die-cut, in order to be able to add the Sealed Twine die-cut underneath. I added a resin star next to the sentiment and a few colorful sequins around the card to fill the space.

I added a Bermuda Bay mat and mounted the card front on a Lemon Lime Twist base. I added a cute strawberry on a Teal envelope to match.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Lemon Lime Twist, Bermuda Bay, Shimmery White (Stampin' Up!);
Foil Paper (Hunkydory)
Designer Series Paper: 2021-2023 In Colour, Ombre Paper (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Sealed Twine, Essential Stylish Ovals, Splatter Sentiments, Yana's Sentiments (Spellbinders);
Froyo Friend (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: A2 Teal Envelope (Envelopes.com); Sequins (Cartwright's);
Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Pastels Satin Foil (Spellbinders)

 

Every Summer Has a Story

This scrapbook page came together so quickly. I was putting together cards using Carta Bella's Beach Day collection and I was hesitant to cut into some of the 12" x 12" pages because I knew they would make good background if I was to make a scrapbook page. When I spotted the words "Every summer has a story" on the cut-apart sheet, I thought this would make a really interesting title as well, so it inspired me to pull out my expired calendars and look for summer pictures that could work. I love reusing the pictures from the calendars on scrapbook pages, and in recent years, my sister has started using pictures grids, so this allowed me to have a three-picture block without having to do any fiddle-faddling myself.

A lot of the embellishments are images I fussy cut from the patterned papers, but I did use a few stickers from the sticker sheet as well. I particularly love the Summer Mix cassette tape, so I slid this underneath the title block. I borrowed the glasses from one image and added them to the popsicle. It has a little banner on it, but it was not standing out as much as I would have liked, so popping another one with foam tape over it gave it dimension and looked better. I used the number stickers from the sticker sheet to add my date at an angle above. The little banners were also stickers, and I added Candy Dots in matching colours over them. I picked two metal elements from the Word Tags pack, tied baker's twine around the top and popped them on foam adhesive to add to the page - it reads Happy Story. I used one of the cut-apart borders at the bottom of the page and lined it up with washi tape, and I added a few gems around the page.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Patterned Papers, Cardstock Stickers: Beach Day (Carta Bella)
Accessories: Word Tags (Tim Holtz for Idea-ology); Washi Tape (Recollections);
Stampin' Dimensionals, Candy Dots, Pool Party Baker's Twine (Stampin' Up!);
August Crystals (Studio Katia); Sparkle & Shine Ombré Glitter Drops (Pinkfresh Studio);
Glossy Accents (Ranger)

 

Holiday Pet Messages

I barely had anything left from my Merry & Bright collection, but I did have this long 12" x 12" strip of floral paper that I knew I could turn into at least one more card. By using some of the matching Color Vibe cardstock for the background, I was able to make two more cards. I wanted to use the Special Pet Delivery dies from Spellbinders (purchased during their Clearance sale) and thought I could make two similar cards, one using the dog and one using the cat. 

This was my first time using this die set and I will say this: the result is very cute, but the assembly process is tricky, especially considering that those pets are not that intricate. If I compare to company like Lawn Fawn or Doodlebug with their Doodle Cuts that always include a backer piece or a die for the eyes and cheeks, it was just frustrating here to have to make a handmade backer piece and then run the face three different times to get the eyes, nose and cheeks and the face in different colours. It's doable, the result looks great, but in my head, I do compare the crafting experience with other dies I've purchased and it's not my favorite.

Doesn't take away from the end result, though, which is pretty cute. I usually try to embellish the inside of the cards and the envelopes with images that tie to the main image on the card, but I'll admit I was trying to use up as much of my leftovers as possible here and so there's no rime or reason to my choices - I just used what was there. But I managed to be left with only a few sentiment stickers and three chipboard pieces, which are probably generic enough to be used with another holiday collection later, so this is another collection that can be called done.

(On a side note, I also grabbed some top fold white card bases from Spellbinders when I placed my order as I thought the price per card was fair and I am happy with the quality. I've already used more than half the pack with the recent cards I've put together.) 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Card Base: A2 Top Fold Cards (Spellbinders)
Cardstock: Sage, Forest Green Color Vibe (Simple Stories); Rose Gold Opulent Cardstock (Sizzix);
Candy Red (Tonic); White and Red Velvet Speciality Paper, Chocolate Chip, Basic White, Smoky Slate (Stampin' Up!);
Cotton Candy (Bazzill); Red Mirror (Prism Studio)
Patterned Papers, Cardstock Stickers, Chipboard Stickers: Merry & Bright (Simple Stories)
Dies: Perennial Postage (Stampin' Up!); Special Pet Delivery (Spellbinders);
Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black); Dotted Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Seafoam A2 Envelopes (Stampin' Up!)

 

Holly Days Accordeon Card

Inspiration: Simple Stories Blog Post

This card was inspired by a post published on Simple Stories' blog. I revisited one of the Christmas collections I'm trying to finish off, Holly Days. I used the Fa La La/floral paper to create the card base. I have to say, I was able to figure out the instructions because I have done one of these cards before, but if you have not, I would advise that you try to find a video tutorial online first to get a better feel of where you need to cut and fold, otherwise you might find the short instructions confusing.

I was initially planning to make this a very short and sweet card but once I got into it, I had a lot of fun embellishing it and found a lot of elements in my leftovers that worked very well with the design. For example, I love that the long chipboard gift could fit on the bottom layer, adding a fun little dimensional element to the card that is showing both when it is closed and when it is opened. I added the 25 ephemera piece to the edge so that we could see part of it peeking from the closed card. I added a different pattern on the top and bottom strips and I layered the ric rac piece from the sticker book at the top. I snuck a few puffy stickers in there and I added a deco brad to the center of the flower cluster, popped with dimensional on the front of the card. I also added one more journaling block behind the card just in case the front one was too small to write a full message.

I made a matching envelope with my envelope punch board and used an ephemera piece for the journaling block. I added a black border with a pen to make it stand out better.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Patterned Papers, Decorative Brads, Puffy Stickers, Enamel Dots, Bits & Pieces,
Chipboard Stickers, Sticker Book: Holly Days (Simple Stories)
Cardstock: Mystical Opulent Specialty Pack (Sizzix)
Accessories: Border Punches (EK Success); Envelope Punch Board, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

 

Getting a Tree

I really don't have much left from the Merry & Bright collection, but I thought I could pair the chipboard car and Merry Christmas sentiment on a slimline card, hoping this format would make it easier to find a piece of patterned paper that was still large enough to cover the front of the card. 

I pulled out the Foundation 17 dies from Queen & Co to cut my paper to size and spotted the frame that's included in the kit. That gave me the idea to make the whole front of the card a shaker, adding dimension and interest and solving the question of how to embellish around my two main images. I filled the shaker with a mix of sequins and toppings.

I added two snowflakes embellishments on the right side, topping the wooden snowflake with a mini-button. On the left side, I hung a silver star from the branch next to the sentiment. I added black gems to the red rose's centre.

While I did not have a large enough piece of paper to make an envelope with the Envelope Punch Board, I was curious to see if I could make one using the Mini Slimline Envelope dies from Simon Says Stamp, as the front of the envelope and the two flaps are all cut separately. Turns out I was able to cut two of the three pieces out of the same patterned paper (with the lightbulbs) but my leftover was too short to cut the second flap, so I picked the paper with the little cars, which match the card and has a light background just like my first paper did. It adds a cute design to the back and does not look too out of place.

 

 

 

Supplies
Card Base: #6 card bases (Photoplay)
Patterned Papers, Cardstock Stickers, Chipboard Stickers: Merry & Bright (Simple Stories)
Dies: Foundation 17 (Queen & Co); Mini Slimline Envelope (Simon Says Stamp);
Wonky Stitched Squared (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Needlepoint Nook Mini Buttons, Glitter Star Ornaments, Foam Sheets,
Snowflakes Elements (Stampin' Up!); Glossy Black Gems (Pretty Pink Posh)
Star Ornaments, Toppings (Queen & Co); Frosted Lace Stickles (Ranger)

 

Peace on Earth

Inspiration: Queen & Co Sketch #89

This card came together in the most random way. I have these Christmas embossed stickers from K & Company that must have been purchased literally twenty years ago. They have come close to being added to the giveaway pile many times over, but I kept thinking there was something pretty to be done with them. Don't ask me why today was the day that inspiration finally struck but it did and I'm quite surprised at how much I like the end result. The delicate sentiment comes from the Hustle & Bustle Thickers pack and filled the space nicely on the large oval sticker.

As for the background papers, they come from Tim Holtz's 2020 Christmas paper pack and the colours just work perfectly with the sticker's. I inked the edges with Cherry Cobbler and Soft Suede ink to keep all edges even after I cut the papers to size (as the outside edges of the 8" x 8" papers were inked. I added Champagne iridescent dots from Stampin' Up! to embellish a bit.

For the envelope, I picked an A2 Oak Woodgrain envelope, inked the edges and used the remaining sticker from the pack. It looked weird used in its entirety, but cutting it in half did the trick and allowed me to use the second half to decorate inside the card. One of my goals this year is to use my stash, so it feels good to have finished off this sticker pack.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Evening Evergreen (Stampin' Up!) 
Patterned Papers: Christmas [2020] (Tim Holtz for idea-ology)
Ink: Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Dotted Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn); Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black)
Accessories: A2 Oak Woodgrain Envelope (Envelopes.com);
Mini Blending Tool (Tim Holtz for Ranger); Champagne Iridescent Dots (Stampin' Up!);
Holiday Traditions Embossed Journal Tags (K & Company)

 

Under the Sea

Inspiration: March 2024 Page Maps sketch

I decided my next layout would combine the pictures taken in line and riding Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid and the Simple Vintage Vintage Seas collection from Simple Stories. I had multiple pictures, so I picked a two-page layout sketch and I particularly liked that the sketch had a large circle on the left page, perfect to use the porthole chipboard frame. The title was included in this circle on the sketch, but I used mine to add one more picture and I glued my title around the porthole instead, also filling the space out a little more, as I was initially finding the pages a little bare.

Most of what you see on those pages comes from the collection. I did add white rickrack, that I sewed in place with my sewing machine, braided burlap trim, a wooden arrow and some epoxy hardware embellishments. To add interest, I matted the centre picture on the right page with the paper from the Basics kit (using both the white and the red sides), and I drew a border using a marker to fill in some of the white. 

 

 

 

Supplies
Patterned Papers, Basics Kit, Cardstock Stickers, Sticker Book, Foam Stickers, Bits & Pieces,
Decorative Brads: Simple Vintage Vintage Seas (Simple Stories)
Accessories: Wooden Arrow (Simple Stories); White Rickrack (Unknown);
Vintage Artistry Essential Hardware Epoxy Stickers (49 & Market); Brads, 
Stampin' Dimensionals, Mysterious Mist Stampin' Write Marker, Perfect Layers Tool (Stampin' Up!)

 

In My Thoughts and In My Heart

Inspiration: TGIF Challenge #463 + Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Add a bit o' green)

I had stamped and put aside this Anya image and I was looking for cute patterned papers to pair with her. I pulled the Mama Llama collection from Simple Stories, which I have tried to finish off many times already, but the papers just keep on stretching, it seems! I was liking the cute candy colours with this image, so I pulled colors to match. I was struggling to find the right colours in my Copic markers, so I turned to my Stampin' Blends instead and had better luck with my matches. (I also reorganized my Stampin' Blends in rainbow order and I hope to start using them more now that the colour palette is more complete than it was when it first launched.) I fussy cut the image and put it aside while I was working on my design.

We were already pretty close to the deadline for the TGIF challenge and I had a feeling I could not complete a card in time to share a link, but the design was working very well with what I was trying to design so I went for it anyway. I die-cut a scalloped square out of patterned paper and added torn vellum underneath to make it stand out better. I cut a central band out of the quilt paper and added punched green cardstock on both sides, with inked edges. I added a bit of sparkly washi tape at the top.

For the sentiment, I cut a scalloped gift tag out of Soft Sky cardstock and stamped in Lost Lagoon ink a French sentiment that reads, "You are in my thoughts and in my heart." I added a pink eyelet at the top, tied sparkly crochet thread in it and overlapped a Maggie Holmes bow sticker over it. To fill the space at the bottom, I added green washi, an arrow paper clip and a little flower made out of the Flower Bits - Lights pack, and topped with a threaded button. Underneath, I slipped a doily that had previously been painted a teal color, and I layered a pink ticket in between. 

To finish embellishing, I added the side of a filmstrip from 49 & Market (that I cut off) underneath my die-cut square, I added two hearts from the cardstock stickers sheet, and sprinkled a few sequins around the card. I also added Stickles to my colored image. The card front was mounted on a So Saffron card base, and I used patterned paper to make a matching envelope as well. I'm not a big fan of pastels in general, but when they are done in vibrant hues like this, I'm all for it.  

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Everyday Script (The Greeting Farm); À l'honneur (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: So Saffron, Lemon Lime Twist, Soft Sky, Vellum Paper (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Cardstock Stickers: Mama Llama (Simple Stories)
Ink: Lemon Lime Twist, Lost Lagoon, Pink Pirouette (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black); Stitched Mini Scallop Square STAX (My Favorite Things);
Stitched Scalloped Rectangle Frames (Lawn Fawn); Scalloped Gift Tags (Simon Says Stamp)
Accessories: Tutti Frutti Sequins, Envelope Punch Board, White Baker's Twine, Binder Edge Punch,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Hang Up Cute Clips, Pearlescent Doilies (Stampin' Up!);
Acrylic Paint (Sizzix); Star Dust Stickles (Ranger); Buttons (Foof-a-La); Markers (Copic);
Mini Enamel Dots (Violet Studio)

 

Mother's Day Banner

Inspiration: The Daring Cardmakers (Just Sew)

I'm still trying to use up the leftovers from the Mama Llama collection from Simple Stories, so I dug through my leftover pieces and got inspired to fussy-cut the "Happy Mother's Day" image from the cut-apart sheet as well as the cute llama from the patterned paper. I also had a leftover banner paper piece with rounded corners that I layered behind the sentiment.

I used my sewing machine to add pink stitching on it. I learned from my previous experiences and knew following the rounded corners would be a challenge so I hand drew a line in pencil, which helped tremendously when I was sewing, as eyeballing it had not worked out too well in the past. I wrapped a piece of Lucky Limeade baker's twine around this piece and tied a So Saffron button, tucking a ripped pink ticket underneath. I added little enamel shapes to the banner for extra colour and shine.

I used a piece of polka dot patterned paper for the background. The line you see a the bottom is actually the marketing strip, but I was liking that it was creating a border, so I made sure to keep it. I had stitching from another die-cut at the top, which I liked, but the paper strip was too long, so I cut it to the right size and reproduced the stitching using the Basic Stitch Lines dies from My Favorite Things. I mounted everything on a So Saffron A2 card base.

To match, I picked a Blonde metallic envelope, and I added another fussy cut image to it to match. I did the same thing inside the card for consistency as well.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: So Saffron, Vellum Paper (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Mama Llama (Simple Stories)
Dies: Basic Stitch Lines (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine, Subtles Design Buttons, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals.
Subtles Enamel Shapes, Tutti Frutti Sequins (Stampin' Up!); Corner Chomper (We R Memory Makers); 
Blossoms Ticket Essentials (49 & Market); A2 Blonde Metallic Envelope (Envelopes.com)

 

Llama Hugs

Inspiration: Sunday Stamps #330 

I squeezed one more card out of the Mama Llama collection from Simple Stories. The long rectangle on the sketch was the perfect occasion to use the Mini Fringe die from My Favorite Things, which I had put aside when I had pulled this paper collection as I thought it might pair nicely.  I cut it out of the polka dot paper, added gold to the end with a gold foil marker, and I sewed it in place with my sewing machine on my die-cut background.

For the main image, I die-cut a piece of banner patterned paper with the Pinking Edge Squares Die-namics and I matted the square with aqua paper. In my Lucky Limeade cardstock pack, I found the negative piece of a grass border I had cut, so I used that to create my own grass on the scene, which was perfect to ground my little fussy cut llama. I also used the leftover piece of vellum I had on my desk, tore it just a little longer than the square, colored the edges with the gold foil marker and glued it under my main square.

For the sentiment, I used the Simply Sentiment Hugs dies from Trinity Stamps with pink holographic cardstock and Soft Sky cardstock. I popped it on foam adhesive to add to my card. I used the Beautiful Wings Embosslits again on white holographic paper to create little butterflies, two of which I added to my card, topped with opal rounds.

I used my Banner punch to cut two banners out of the pink holographic paper and the aqua paper. It was a tight fit, so I cut the aqua banner to a narrower size and I stuck to two rather than three like on the sketch. I added gold around the edges to make them stand out against the busy background, and I topped them with a sequin and a mini enamel dot.

Over it, I added a wood veneer circle, also rimmed with gold, and I created a couple of matching flowers out of my remaining Floral bits, and I topped them with buttons threaded with white twine. I used my last heart sticker in the wood circle as well, decorated with an opal round.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: So Saffron, Lucky Limeade, Soft Sky, Vellum Paper (Stampin' Up!); Mystical Opulent Cardstock Pack (Sizzix)
Patterned Papers, Cardstock Stickers: Mama Llama (Simple Stories)
Dies: Simply Sentimental Hugs (Trinity Stamps); Pinking Edge Square, Mini Fringe (My Favorite Things);
Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black); Beautiful Wings Embosslits (Sizzix for Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: 2021-2023 In Color Opal Rounds, Stampin' Dimensionals, White Baker's Twine (Stampin' Up!); 
Lights Floral Bits (Simple Stories); Buttons (Foof-a-La); Mini Enamel Dots (Violet Studio); 
Iridescent Mini Star Confetti (Pretty Pink Posh); Gold DecoColor Marker (Marvy Uchida)

 

Christmas Patterns

Inspiration: Freshly Made Sketch #624 

This was a fun sketch to work with, especially to use my scraps from the Merry & Bright collection. I had this large Christmas sweater that I had fussy cut from the cut-apart page and I overlapped it with foam adhesive on the largest panel, making sure to emboss the background first with the Cable Knit 3D embossing folder for added texture.

I glued one piece at a time, adding zig-zag stitching with my sewing machine and black thread, to add to the patchwork look. I even stitched over the chipboard sentiment piece. I added a corduroy button at the top, one on the sweater and one at the bottom. I inked the edges with Distress ink for a shabby look.

I used my leftover embossed cardstock on the envelope and added a little sweater sticker from the cardstock sticker sheet to match.

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Handsome Hunter, Pistachio Pudding (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Chipboard Stickers, Cardstock Stickers: Merry & Bright (Simple Stories)
Ink: Antique Linen Distress (Ranger)
3D Embossing Folder: Cable Knit (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Real Red Corduroy Button, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!);
Buttons (Foof-a-La); Black Enamel Dots (Doodlebug Design); Sewing Machine;
A2 Avocado Envelope (Envelopes.com); Holly Jolly Enamel Dots (Simple Stories)

 

Merry & Bright Snowman

Inspiration: January 2024 Card Maps sketch

I was looking at the Card Maps sketches and got inspired to circle back to the Merry & Bright collection I have recently been using. I had this leftover snowman and flower bunch stickers that went very well with the sketch, so I picked patterned papers to go with those and built my card around it. 

On the sticker sheet, I found a Fa La La La sticker, which is great because it works for a French or an English card, leaving me the option to choose who I am sending it to. I wrapped some black and white buffalo plaid ribbon where the papers met and added a cute red button over the knot, tied with black embroidery floss. I added a fairy gemstone over the snowflake and little enamel dots over the snowman's buttons. 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Mint Macaron (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Cardstock Stickers: Merry & Bright (Simple Stories)
Dies: Dotted Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Winter Fantasy Fairy Gemstones (Memory Box); Button (Foof-A-La);
Stampin' Dimensionals, Soft Sea Foam Medium Envelope, Buffalo Plaid Ribbon (Stampin' Up!)

 

Reindeer Tag

Inspiration: Mojo Monday #231

Still going with the Merry & Bright collection from Simple Stories. The starting point for this card was the reindeer tag, from the cardstock stickers. I had seen a Mojo Monday sketch with a tag about the right size so I went back to it and designed my card around it. I also used the Joy banner cardstock sticker to add a sentiment to my card.

The middle stripe is deep green velvet ribbon I grabbed at Michaels during one of their sales, and it fit very nicely with this collection. I also did the three pearls at the bottom of the banner strip like on the sketch, picking two sizes for added interest. The top circle and scalloped circle were die-cut using my Nestabilities dies. I mounted this on a Mint Macaron card base.

I made a matching envelope using a sheet of patterned paper, to help make a faster dent in my stash. 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Mint Macaron (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Cardstock Stickers: Merry & Bright (Simple Stories)
Dies: Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black); Circle and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders);
Deco Labels (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Green Velvet Ribbon (Celebrate It); Moss Green Pearls (Studio Katia);
Stampin' Dimensionals, Envelope Punch Board (Stampin' Up!)