Encre, papier, ciseaux

Halloween Popcorn

I found at my local Bulk Barn some Halloween candied popcorn in shades of green, orange, purple and black that were a perfect match for this year's Doodlebug Halloween collection, Boos and Brews. We also have the Popcorn Box Thinlits from Stampin' Up! so it was the perfect mix of elements to make some cute Halloween treat boxes. My whole family's in town this week for my niece's birthday party, so I put together some popcorn bags for them. (Different treats for my niece, because of allergies.)

I used the Ready to Pop stamp set to decorate the bags, and the Brushstroke Alphabet to personalize each box. This stamp set can be found in the annual catalogue and it's a great size and font to embellish 3D projects, Project Life pages or even make your own sentiments on cards.

The top of the cello bags was scealed using Pumpkin Pie chevron washi tape. The tags were hung from the box using the Halloween Night baker's twine (current Holidays catalogue). I love that baker's twine - it's woven tightly and the two colors do not come apart. Great quality in cute colours!

The cute plastic trey I set the boxes on was found at Michael's, in the Halloween section.

This project was also inspired by this week's Wednesday Simon Says Stamp challenge (Anything Goes).

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Explosion de saveur (Ready to Pop), Brushstroke Alphabet
Patterned Papers: Boos and Brews (Doodelbug Design)
Cardstock: Bazzill
Ink: Basic Grey, Basic Black
Accessories: Popcorn Box Thinlits, Ribbons, Eyelets,
Halloween Night Baker's Twine, Circle Punch, Designer Washi Tape,
Cello Bags, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

With All of My Heart

One of the Falliday Fest tutorials was a new twist on the shaving cream technique - combining it with the use of a stencil. While I was not too eager to try out a technique that could potentially be quite messy, the fact that SU! does carry stencils right now made me want to give it a try.

I pulled out the stars and hearts stencil from the annual catalogue and gave it a try. I actually made four card fronts, to use all of the shaving cream I had created. I mixed Peekaboo Peach and Flirty Flamingo reinkers for a fresh, bright background.

When looked at inspiration to use the created backgrounds, I found the heart and "wishes" die-cut in the Sunshine Sayings Thinlits set, which was perfect. Inspired by the Paper Craft Crew Card Sketch #216, I added a vellum scallop square die-cut (created with the Layering Squares Framelits) and embossed it with the Boho Chic embossing folder. A gold bow clip and a Peekaboo Peach ruffled ribbon were added as well. Two Designer washi tapes created the border, and I used Gold Foil Paper to die-cut the word, and stamped "Best" over it with Flirty Flamingo ink. Shimmery White cardstock was used for the background.

Finally, a matching envelope was created with the gold foil vellum cardstock we used to carry in last year's catalogue. It'll be nice for the person receiving the card to get a glimpse of it through the envelope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Souhaits de joie (Holly Jolly Greetings)
Cardstock: Flirty Flamingo, Peekaboo Peach, Shimmery White, Gold Foil Paper
Ink: Flirty Flamingo
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Ticket Corner Punch, Gold Foil Designer Vellum,
Sunshine Sayings Thinlits, Peekaboo Peach Ruffled Ribbon, Boho Chic Embossing Folder,
Layering Squares Framelits, Gold Bow Clips, Designer Washi Tape, Hearts Stencil,
Shaving Cream, Reinkers (Peekaboo Peach, Flirty Flamingo)

 

A Twist and a Fold

Another tutorial shared on SCS during Falliday Fest was the Twist Gate Fold. It was different and intriguing so I paired The Scoop stamp set with some summery patterned paper to give it a try.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the resulting card is small enough to fit into a regular-sized envelope. On mine, I got fancy and glued the oval image on one flap and the scalloped oval frame on the other. I added one of our gold binder clips to keep it shut properly, as it tends to open.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: The Scoop (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Morning Marigold, Baja Breeze, Watercolor PaperPatterned Papers: Crate Paper
Ink: Black StazOn, Smoky Slate, Blush Blossom, Real Red, Marigold Morning, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Scallop Oval Frames Die-namics, Oval Framelits, Aqua Painter Brush,
Sprinkle and Shine Sequins Dies (Papertrey Ink), Gold Paper Binder Clips, Envelope Punch Board, Curvy Corner Trio Punch

 

Oh Christmas Tree - and Birdies

One of the Falliday Fest tutorials showed how to make a textured Christmas tree using die-cuts. For mine, I used the small branch die from the Pretty Pines Thinlits dies set (Holidays Catalogue, p. 19). I die-cut a bunch (and I mean, a BUNCH) from Old Olive and Pear Pizzazz cardstock scraps, and then glued them on using the Precision Glue. The small bow from the same set was used to die-cut Red Foil paper to accent the tree. I also used the Holly Berry Builder Punch for the smaller bow at top, and added a Cherry Cobbler Mini Jingle Bell on it. The rest of the tree was adorned withe pearl rows for garlands and rhinestones. And little red birdies in there (inspired by Merry Monday #219)! Candy Cane Lane red baker's twine was added on the card as well.

This card is lovely and simple but time-consuming. It took me a whole Survivor show to die-cut enough pieces and I would estimate a good half an hour, if not more, to glue the pieces in place to cover the tree. The result is lovely, though!

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: In the Meadow (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Red Foil Paper
Patterned Papers: Classic Christmas (Simple Stories)
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies, Pearl and Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Mini Jingle Bells,
Vanilla Medium Envelope, Precision Glue

 

And They Lived Happily Ever After

This is my final card for Falliday Fest - I'm done with all of the challenges! Since this one called for a special watercolour background, I kept the design simple to not hide it too much. I was skeptical of how the watercolour would look because the colours were bleeding into each other more than I was expecting when the glossy paper was still wet, but it dried into a really cool look that was perfect for a sky, which softer patches that look like clouds. It became the perfect background for the stork.

For the design, I drew inspiration from Sunday Stamps Sketch #137 (turned sideway) and only placed a long strip of cardstock at the bottom. I was looking for a bold sentiment that would work for a baby and found "And they lived happily ever after" in Big News, which I thought worked great. I embossed it in navy powder, and added little clusters of stars in Daffodil Delight ink around it. Balloons and baby booties from the same stamp set were added as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Grandes nouvelles (Big News - Stampin' Up!), Special Delivery (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Night of Navy, Soft Sky (inside), Whisper White, Glossy White
Ink: VersaMark, Daffodil Delight, Tuxedo Black Memento, Marina Mist
Accessories: Special Delivery Dies (Avery Elle), Stampin' Dimensionals, Markers,
Navy Embossing Powder, Silver Glimmer Paper, White Medium Envelope, 1/8" Silver Ribbon

 

Baking With Love

For the Falliday Fest challenge about Christmas candy, I had a few stamp options in mnd, but I wanted to use some Holidays Crate Paper papers I had found, and I finally decided Changito Baker would work well with it. I found the Retro Sketch #237 which had a long tag and was perfect to use the stamp tag in the set. The sentiment was created with the Sweet Home stamp set and die-cut with the matching Framelits. The sentiment reads, "Sweet Hapiness."

The colors in the papers were also perfect to play with the Color Throwdown challenge #415.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Changito Baker (Stampendous!), Doux foyer (Sweet Home - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Emerald Envy, Poppy Parade, Very Vanilla, Mint Macaron
Patterned Papers: Bundled Up (Crate Paper)
Ink: Emerald Envy, versaMark, Rich Cocoa Memento
Accessories: Mint Macaron and Black Baker's Twine, Eyelet, Early Espresso Stampin' Emboss Powder,
Vanilla Medium Envelope, 3/8" Silk Taffeta Ribbon Combo Pack (Emerald Envy), Sparkly Buttons,
Nordic Noel Designer Buttons, Corner Rounder Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Lace Border Punch,
Warmth & Cheer Designer Washi Tape, Markers, Home Sweet Home Framelits

 

Hello from the Other Side

This card was inspired by a Falliday Fest challenge and I used the MFT Sketch #303 for my design. So, the FF challenge was to use a napkin to create a background piece for a card. I don't really use decorative napkins, so the first thing that popped into my head was the birthday gift I received from my friend when I visited London last month. She had gotten me some cute stuff from Cath Kidston (an English designer that comes up with the coolest stuff!), including some tissues with beefeaters and guards on them. I thought they would make a really cool card, and I knew exactly which stamp I could pair it with!

I kept the card design simple since the London stamp and the napkin were already doing most of the work for me. I was looking through my stamps trying to find a sentiment and I finally had the Hello song from Adele pop into my head and remembered I did have a "hello" stamp in the Four You stamp set! Which the perfect fun and bold font to match my design. Score! I embossed it in black on Poppy Parade to make it stand out, and glued a tiny strip of Gold Foil paper on it to mimick the guards' uniforms. Then, two black enamel shapes were added to the edge of it.

Looking at the details on the stamped image are making me reminisce about my trip to London!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: London (Penny Black), Four You (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Pacific Point, Poppy Parade, Shimmery White, Basic Black, Gold Foil Paper
Ink: VersaMark, Poppy Parade, Bashful Blue, Pacific Point
Accessories: Black Stampin' Emboss Powder, Brights Candy Dots, Black Ranger Enamel Accents,
London Napkin (Cath Kidston), Aqua Painter Brush, White Medium Envelope, Ticket Corner Punch

 

A Perfect Day to Go Out and Play

This is a card that was inspired by the Falliday Fest challenges. This might be the simplest card I've done in a while. I used the various stamps from the Mountain Adventure stamp set (2016 Holidays Catalogue, p. 44) and stamped in VersaMark to create a scene, which I then heat embossed in white powder. Then, I went over some of the details with a glue pen and pourred Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' glitter to make it sparkly. Falling snow was stamped in Crumb Cake at the top of the card, and the bottom corners were rounded using the Project Life Corner punch.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Mountain Adventure
Cardstock: Crumb Cake
Ink: VersaMark, Crumb Cake
Accessories: White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Dazzling Details Stampin' Glitter,
Crumb Cake Medium Envelope, Project Life Corner Punch

 

Witching You a Happy Birthday

The theme was inspired by a Falliday Fest challenge, but I also drew from Stamp Ink Paper challenge #70, ColourQ #364, Naughty or Nice #32 and Hand Stamped Sentiments #249. I wanted to pull out an old Stampin' Up! stamp set that I always have fun revisiting, Greeting Card Kids. I used the witch and used some Halloween supplies with her, but I wanted to turn the card into something that could be used for an October birthday. To do that, I used the sentiment "Make a Wish" from the Oh Happy Day card kit. I think the "wish" ties in with both the witch and a birthday. I've used the Halloween Night Baker's Twine sold in the current Holidays Catalogue to tie a bow at the top of the card. The purple cardstock was embellished with sponged ink using one of the Seasonal Decorative masks (also from current Holidays Catalogue). My main image was colored with good ol' Prismacolor pencils (that I have from my school years).

On a side note, I used Shimmery White cardstock from Stampin' Up! to stamp and color my image and it works exceptionally well to move the color around. I've had this cardstock pack for years and I used to use this cardstock only when I wanted something shimmery on my project, and when we came out with the glimmer paper and foil sheets, it quickly took a backseat. Recently, Stampin' Up! pointed out to everyone that this cardstock was great for watercoloring, so I've given it a try and I can't help but wonder why it took so long for this information to circulate! I'm going to use it way more now that I know about that and I think SU! would have sold more over the years if people had known how great of a coloring medium it really is.

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Greeting Card Kids, Une belle journée (Oh Happy Day - Card Kit)
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Lovely Lilac, Shimmery White
Patterned Paper: Polka Dot Parade
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Craft Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Wisteria Wonder
Accessories: Iridescent Ice Stampin' Emboss Powder, Oval Framelits, Prismacolor Pencils,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Toil & Trouble Die-Cuts (Making Memories), White Medium Envelope,
Spiderweb Doilies, Oct 31 Chipboard Ornaments (Fancy Pants Design),
Black Bling Sheet (Recollections), Seasonal Decorative Masks, Sponge

 

Hi Cutie Pie

This card was inspired by a Falliday Fest challenge and Mojo Monday Sketch #470. I was looking for papers that would fit the colour scheme I was going for and then I found those papers from American Crafts with the cooking theme that was perfect. My favorite was the quilted squares pattern, which reminded me of the patterns we see on pies, for some reason. Since I knew I wanted to use the Cutie Pie stamp set from Lawn Fawn, this was just perfect. I drew inspiration from the Mojo Monday sketch, but I decided to forego the decorative corner ebcause it would have hidden the patterned paper and I really wanted the cookware pattern to show to tie in with the pie image. Speaking of those papers, the little fork and knife were handcut out of one of the sheets and were the perfect size to go with the pie! Gotta love when that happens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Cutie Pie (Lawn Fawn
Cardstock: Bazzill
Patterned Papers: American Crafts, Glimmery turquoise paper
Ink: Rich Cocoa Memento, VersaMark, Strawberry Slush
Accessories: Crushed Curry Stampin' Emboss Powder, Baked Brown Sugar Thick Baker's Twine,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Cutie Pie Dies (Lawn Fawn), Markers, Sparkle & Shine Sequins Die (Papertrey Ink),
Envelope Punch Board, Project Life Corner Punch, White Paper Doily

 

Something For You

This card was inspired both by a Falliday Fest challenge and the Freshly Made Sketch #259. The inspiration piece reminded me of the Elementary Elegance stamp set from many Sale-A-Brations ago. I thought the frame with the crown on top, embossed in verdigris powder, with a copper-embossed sentiment would fit the bill nicely. Speaking of the sentiment, it comes from an oooold hostess set called Afterthoughts. I've had this stamp set for years and have barely ever inked it. Not for lack of trying but the sentiments never really seemed to fit for anything. The idea behind those sentiments that they have a main sentiment followed by an additional thought. In this case, for example, it went "A little something for you - no need to share". While the first part works on a card, the second part simply does not make sense. I've been thinking for a long time that I should have cut the second part off the stamps before mounting the set - and today, I decided to get my scissors out and cut off the parts of the sentiments I simply do not like. No point in maintaining the stamps as they are, as time has proven that they are useless to me that way. I'm feeling better about this set already and was eager to get it used - finally!

I kept the design simple, using cute, shimmery patterned paper to do most of the work for me. I did, however, use a Mini Fringe Die-namics die to make tassels for my baker's twine. I got this die for free with an order and was wondering when I found it in my package if I would really find it useful. Turns out the mini fringe is perfect to make tassels, which are all the rage right now! (I dare you to try and find a pair of flat shoes with no tassels on them - they're everywhere!) It's a fun detail that really adds to the look of the card. I simply placed a line of tear' n tape adhesive on the back of the paper before roling it around the end of the baker's twine.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Arrière-pensées (Afterthoughts), Élégance élémentaire (Elementary Elegance)
Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder
Patterned Papers: Painted Fancy (Recollections)
Ink: VersaMark, Flirty Flamingo
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Mini Fringe Die-namics, Sequins,
Wonky Stitches Circles Die-namics, Stampin' Dimensionals, Cotton Twine,
Embossing Powders (Verdigris, Copper), Chevron Stripes Die-namics

 

Baby Boy Announcement

This is another card that was inspired by a Falliday Fest challenge. I dusted off some older sets that have a special spot in my heart, but that had not been used in a while. The first one is Ann Egg-cellent Easter, which I masked while inking to omit the eggs he's juggling with and keeping only the bunny so that I could turn this sweet image into a baby card. Because he wears a best and bow tie, and because I stumbled unto some blue baby-themed papers while looking for stamps, this one naturally evolved into a baby boy card. I die-cut my own doily using the retired Darling Doily Thinlits die and thought to use the Bow punch to add a bow on top of my main image. As I was looking for a sentiment to finish off my creation, I found the baby announcement stamp in the Little Additions stamp set and decided to go with it. I was really surprised when I tried to punch it out with the Modern Label punch to discover it's too small! You can punch out the text, but it will not keep the frame, which I think it a lovely part of the design, so I bit the bullet and went old-school with fussy cutting!

The third stamp set I dusted off is All Scallops, a border set that I've always loved using and that retired way too fast for my liking back when it was in the catalogue. (Don't know that it lasted more than a year.) I wanted to watercolor my main image, so I inked the bunny with Tuxedo Black Memento ink and stamped the image on Shimmery White cardstock, which is a great alternative to watercolor paper, especially if you don't want to bother with StazOn ink.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: All Scallops, An Egg-cellent Easter, Petits plus (Little Additions)
Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Shimmery White
Patterned Papers: Cute Baby Boy (Bella Blvd.)
Ink: Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Midnight Muse, Crumb Cake, Tuxedo Black Memento
Accessories: Midnight Muse Satin Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Wonky Stitches Circles Die-namics, Darling Doily Thinlits Die, Bow Punch,
Sequins, Envelope Punch Board, Curvy Corner Trio Punch, Aqua Painter Brush

 

Build a Snowman

I'm happy with how this one turned out. This is another project inspired by a Falliday Fest challenge. I wanted to punch circles out of a patterned paper to create a snowman shape. I used a 2" Circle for the bottom and a 1-3/4" Circle for the center and head. The fun houndstooth pattern comes from the Polar Pals collection from Doodlebug Designs. I played with adding other colours from that collection, but finally decided I liked the monochromatic look the best and stuck to blues and white. I went for a tall narrow card measuring 3-1/4" x 6-1/2" and found the perfect sentiment to fit in the empty space in the retired Christmas Messages stamp set. I embossed it in Navy powder to make it stand out more. Silver sequins and snowflakes sequins were added to the card and I made my own hat for the snowman out of Night of Navy cardstock scraps. The scarf was added using the Silver Glitter ribbon from the current Holidays Catalogue. A piece of Shimmnery White cardstock was used underneath the punched patterned paper for the snowman, and the subtle shimmer adds a really nice touch to the overall design.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Parfum de Noël (Christmas Messages), Endless Wishes
Cardstock: Brocade Blue, Shimmery White, Night of Navy
Patterned Papers: Polar Pals (Doodlebug Design)
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: 3/8" Glitter Ribbon Combo Pack, Circle Punches, Frosted Sequins,
Rhinestone Basic Jewels, White Long Narrow Envelope, Navy Embossing Powder

 

Warming Up in my Igloo

Warning: possible cuteness overload!

For one of the Falliday Fest challenges, I picked items from the Polar Pals line from Doodlebug Designs. It was perfect to create a lovely, sparkly winter scene. It is one of those projects that looks better in person because it is loaded with subtle shimmer and texture. The igloo die-cut and the polka dot paper have been covered with Heat 'n Stick powder, then with fine white glitter, for a lovely, snow-like shimmer.

The sentiment was embossed in white on vellum and then I watercolored the vellum with a purple Cosmic Shimmer Watercolor Paint. It gives the vellum a nice, mica glimmer. The sentiment reads, "Warm Wishes." It's actually a longer sentiment from the Tin of Tags stamp set (Holidays Catalogue, page 33), but I masked the last part and inked only the part I wanted with VersaMark before stamping and embossing.

Finally, the hood of the little boy's coat was covered with velvet flocking to give it texture. I remembered I had flocking and pulled it out to see if the colours would match, and to my delight, they did! I then remembered that the velvet flocking, which I've had for years now, IS from Doodlebug Design just like the papers are, so I guess it shouldn't be as big of a surprise that the shades match! Still nonetheless a happy coincidence to add a fun detail to my design.

This card was also inspired by the Just Add Ink challenge #333 - Just Add "G". In my case, Glitter!

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Coffret d'étiquettes (Tin of Tags)
Cardstock: Blue Brocade, Vellum
Patterned Papers and Stickers: Polar Pals (Doodlebug Design)
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Curvy Corner Trio Punch, Circle Punch,
Cosmic Shimmer Watercolor Paints, White Embossing Powder, Cotton Twine,
Sequins, Mini Stapler, White Fine Glitter, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Stitched Hillside Borders (Lawn Fawn), Velvet Flocking (Doodlebug Design)

 

A Man's Best Friend

This card was inspired by a Falliday Fest challenge. I remember I had some dog-themed papers in my Doodlebug Design file, so I dug it out and used one of the die-cut images on a 12" x 12" sheet as the main image. As I was searching for a "thank you" sentiment somewhere, I found one in the Six-Sided Sampler stamp set (retired)... and it just happened to be paired with an hexagon shape, which made a great medal! To make it more like a medal, I punched a small hole using the 1/16" handheld punch and placed a jump ring found with the trinkets we used to sell.  Three hearts punched out with the Owl Punch and a bit of matching baker's twine finished this simple card.

Fun Fact: The "puppy love" banner on my envelope is actually the name of the paper collection found on the bottom strip you're supposed to cut off the 12" x 12" patterned papers (where the company info is included). I thought the wording was a cute element - the only thing was that there was a bothersome TM sign after the words - which I covered with another punched heart. There - problem solved!

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Six-Sided Sampler
Cardstock: Brilliant Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Patterned Papers: Puppy Love (Doodlebug Design)
Ink: Gumball Green, Brilliant Blue
Accessories: Hexagon Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Owl Punch (hearts),
White Square Envelope, Baker's Twine

 

21 Dwelling Street

One of the Falliday Fest challenges had an amazing inspiration picture. There was so much to choose from - images, colours, theme... Just looking at it for 10 seconds, I already had ideas for five possible projects. I had to narrow it down to just one, and surprisingly for me, the 3D project idea won. I found some Village Dwellings from Tim Holtz in the clearance rack at a local store and after a long debate, I finally decided to get them.

My first try at putting one together was left unfinished. I'm about 2/3 done, but I was leaving on holidays and had to put it aside. I'll come back to finish it when time allows, but I think the reason I didn't finish it (aside from running out of time) was that I dove right in and went straight for the Village Manor because I couldn't find pictures of it assembled anywhere online and decided to make one myself to see. Big mistake. I couldn't find a Sizzix video or any other video on how to assemble it so I just used the very limited instructions found on the back of the packaging (a few pictures with no explanations). First of all, if I had started with the smaller house first, I would have learned how to assemble the base properly, which would have helped with the more elaborate house. Live and learn, I guess... My experience with the manor was frustrating and I really thought the dies would be a dud for me.

I'm happy to report my experience with assembling the house I'm sharing today was much, much pleasant. Probably because I had a clear vision of what I wanted it to look like, because this house is simpler and because I learned from my mistakes on the first project. The assembly on this one is more precise and I did better with the choice of adhesives! I've also watched a few videos since and picked up a few tricks. One of them was to line the windows with vellum before assembling. The bottom of the house is open so I want to find a battery-operated tealight and put it in there to give the windows a nice glow. I also didn't bother with making a cardstock base for the house and went straight for patterned paper. It might not be as sturdy that way, but it was WAY easier to assemble and still holds up just fine.

Some of my favorite details?

• The base was stamped in White Craft ink and the Hardwood background stamp, then I put a thin line of Tombow Mono glue around the edge, used the wider tip of the glue to spread the glue around and sprinkled mica flakes on it.
• There's an actual die made to easily add snow and icicles on the house, and it's awesome because it makes adding snow to the roof, the chimney and the porch easy and precise! I cut the snow out of Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper for an awesome effect - and the icicles on the sides and back of the house out of vellum cardstock!
• Aren't those trees the perfect addition? They are from Fancy Pants Design and have been in my stash for quite a few years. I remember when I found those at a craft store thinking they would make a cool addition to a 3D project or a Christmas village. I kept debating whether to get them or not, not sure when they would come in handy, and finally went for it. Sure enough, it took me a little while to find a use for them, but they are the perfect size and colour for my little house here!
• And what about that little wreath? Tim Holtz has some pine twine in his collection that I picked up thinking it would make a nice trim on Holidays projects. Because it was called twine, I expected some loose trim, but it's actually a metal wire, which I was surprised to discover. Here, it worked in my favor to create the wreath: all I had to do was wrapped the twine around a pencil, cut it out and glue in place with a strong adhesive. Isn't it adorable?

I am so excited about this project. I hope you like it too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Hardwood
Patterned Papers: Christmas Wishes (Kaiser Craft)
Bigz: Village Dwelling, Village Winter (Tim Holtz for Sizzix)
Cardstock and Papers: Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper, Vellum Cardstock, Baked Brown Sugar
Ink: Whisper WhiteAccessories: Pine Twine, Mini Christmas Trees (Fancy Pants Designs), Mica Flakes

 

Bokeh Santa

This card was inspired by a Falliday Fest challenge and the colour combo from Global Design Project #57. To make the Bokeh background, I used stamps from the Twinkle Trees stamp set (Holidays Catalogue, p. 28), and the overlay was created with the Detailed Santa Thinlits (HC, p. 11). The sentiment comes from the matching stamp set, Greetings from Santa.

For the trimmings, I overlayed a piece of Mint Macaron 3/8" Sheer Linen Ribbon over a piece of Very Vanilla 1/2" Lace Trim (both from Annual Catalogue, pp. 178-179). A Vanilla Designer Button was tied over it with a piece of silver cord and mini jingle bells (HC, p. 29) were glued to the Santa hat. Finally, Fancy Frost sequins were added here and there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Voeux du père Noël (Greetings from Santa), Twinkle Trees
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry, Mint Macaron
Ink: Blushing Bride, VersaMark
Accessories: Stampin' Emboss Powders (Iridescent Ice, Blushing Bride), Vanilla Medium Envelope,
Mini Jingle Bells, Mint Macaron 3/8" Sheer Linen Ribbon, Neutrals Designer Buttons,
Silver Cord, Very Vanilla 1/2" Lace Trim, Fancy Frost Sequins, Detailed Santa Thinlits Dies

 

Santa Gift Card Holder

Yet another card inspired by Falliday Fest challenges. I used a vellum envelope to make a gift card holder. I glued the flap shut and used an Edgelits die to cut the top with a scallop pattern. Since I was using the Detailed Santa Thinlits for the main image (from the 2016 Holidays Catalogue), I also used the border die from the same set on my envelope.

I had those felt mittens I found in the Christmas embellishments I had pulled aside for my crafting and I thought I could make it look like Santa was holding the gift card. At the last minute, I decided the vellum envelope looked a little bare, so I added some silver glimmer tape and a little buckle punched out of Basic Grey cardstock using two square punches. A bit of Clear Wink of Stella was added to the grey buckle to give it a metallic finish.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Ruby Red, Basic Grey, Silver Glimmer Paper
Accessories: Crumb Cake Medium Envelope, Vellum Envelope, Adorning Accents Edgelits,
Detailed Santa Thinlits, Berry Bouquet Ornements (mittens), Silver Glimmer Tape,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Square Punches, Clear Wink of Stella

 

Monogrammed Birthday

My card was inspired by a Falliday Fest challenge, the Freshly Made Sketch #258 and the Stamping Smiles Designs challenge #20. I used the last vertical line on the tic-tac-toe grid: Metallics (letter embossed in copper powder and copper foil on my background paper) + Monogrammed + Smooshing technique (using an acrylic bloc to create a background to my letter).

The vertical sentiments found in the Vertical Greetings was perfect for the selected sketch. The sentiment reads, "Happy Birthday," and this card will be going to one of my downline members.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Letters for You, À la verticale (Vertical Greetings), Timeless Textures
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Flirty Flamingo, Daffodil Delight, Cucumber Crush
Desginer Series Specialty Paper: Affectionately Yours
Ink: Mint Macaron, VersaMark, Night of Navy, Flirty Flamingo
Accessories: Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder, Big Letters Framelits,
Crumb Cake Medium Envelope, Stampin' Dimensionals, Clear Block,
Project Life Corner Punch, 2016-2018 In Color Enamel Shapes

 

Vintage Christmas Bliss

Inspired by the Merry Monday Challenge #217, I pulled out the Christmas Wishes papers from Kaiser Craft for one of the Falliday Fest challenge. The papers were perfect for a vintage theme, and the 6" x 6" paper pad even includes some die-cuts so it was perfect for a quick but beautiful card. The scallop pink border on the front and the little tree image were both die-cuts, and the Santa image is a 6" x 6" paper that includes four images, so this is one of them.The second image was glued inside the fold and the third was used on the front of the envelope. The corners were punched with the Curvy Corner Trio Punch (from last year's Holiday catalogue), because that corner shape looks very retro.

I looked at my sentiment collection for something with a font that would match the vintage feel and I found what I was looking for in the Christmas Bliss stamp set, one of the first photopolymer sets issued by Stampin' Up! (It doesn't seem to be available anymore.) I also used the Kraft Rope Trim from the 2016 Holidays Catalogue (p. 13). It should be noted to avoid surprises that it is definitely darker than the catalogue picture would suggest and a true deep kraft colour. A bit of mica flakes around the main image completes the look. I thought that element looked very retro as well.

To make my Joy Fold card a little different, I used a Scallop Square die to make the right part of the folded card.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Christmas Bliss (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder, Bermuda Bay, Soft Sky
Patterned Papers: Christmas Wishes (Kaiser Craft)
Ink: VersaMark, Bermuda Bay
Accessories: Kraft Rope Trim, Scallop Square Dies, Mica Flakes,
Scallop Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Platinum Embossing Powder,
Envelope Punch Board, Curvy Corner Trio Punch

 

Pastel Birthday

This card was inspired by Create with Connie and Mary #428 (colors), TGIF challenge #77 (sketch) and Falliday Fest (theme). I liked that the colour combo gave me the chance to use some of my Sweet Sugarplum supplies, and I like the retro flair or those three pastel colours paired together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Plein de voeux (Time of Year)
Cardstock: Sweet Sugarplum, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White
Envelope Paper: 2016-2018 In Color
Ink: Sweet Sugarplum, Basic Grey, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Project Life Corner Punch, 2016-2018 In Color Enamel Shapes,
Bunch of Banners Framelits, White Waffle Paper, Circle and Scallop Circle Punches,
Metallic Doilies, 3/8" Glitter Ribbon Combo Pack, Washi Designer Tape

 

Halloween Popper

Inspired by Falliday Fest challenges (on Splitcoast Stampers) and Fab Friday challenge #98, I put together this Halloween candy holder. I pulled out some retired Halloween DSP and retired Spooky Bingo Bits stamp set.

The idea started with some old waffle paper from SU! I found in my stash. I still have quite a bit of the roll left because I've always struggled to find ideas on how to use it properly. Then I got the idea of making a candy wrapper and having the waffle paper come out at both edges. While my idea worked out perfectly, when came time to check this project on my Falliday challenge sheet, I noticed the project called for a card! Not a 3D project. Phooey! Thankfully, my work is not lost because this candy holder will fit in another category, but it's back to the drawing board for the first challenge.

The cute enamel dots used to embellish the candy holder are the Halloween Night Enamel Dots found on page 51 of the 2016 Holidays Catalogue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Spooky Bingo Bits
Cardstock: Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Wicked Fun, Frightful Sight
Ink: Perfect Plum, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: 3/4" Square Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' Write Markers,
Halloween Night Enamel Dots, Candy Wrapper Bigz L Die, White Waffle Paper,
Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain Ribbon

 

Patriotic Thank You

This card is inspired by Pals Paper Arts challenge #322 and one of the Falliday Fest challenge. The stripes on the sketch reminded me of washi tape, so I dug out my washi box and selected something that would work with my theme. The sentiment was a happy coincidence: as I was putting together my Thank You, planning to stamp both words using the Work of Art stamp set, I vaguely remembered that I had bought a trio of English sentiment dies from the Clearance Rack a while ago, so I pulled them out to see if there was a thank you sentiment in there. The kit included the word "thankful" so I simply cut off the three last letter to get Thank, and I stamped the "you" on white cardstock and handcut it. The chevron pattern from the same stamp set was stamped in Night of Navy on my die-cut heart (with the Sweet & Sassy Framelits). I really like the look of the Cherry Cobbler, Brilliant Blue and Night of Navy together, with white. The background was embossed with the Lucky Stars embossing folder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Work of Art
Cardstock: Brilliant Blue, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler
Ink: Night of Navy
Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Mini Stapler,
Sweet & Sassy Framelits, Bunch of Banners Framelits, Expressions Thinlits,
Lucky Stars Embossing Folder, Designer Washi Tape

 

Warm Seasonal Wishes

This card was inspired by a Falliday Fest challenge, the Stamping Bella Sketch #20 and a past ColourQ combo (#335). I've been on a Prismacolor pencils kick lately, so I practiced my coloring skills with this color medium again tonight. The sentiment reads something like, "Keep warm all season."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colour Combo: Tangelo Twist + Cool Caribbean + Bermuda Bay + Calypso Coral + White

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Ramona Shares her Hot Chocolate (Stamping Bella), Cousu avec joie (Stitched with Cheer - Stampin' Up!), Flannel Plaid (SU!)
Cardstock: Tangelo Twist, Calypso Coral, Bermuda Bay, Cool Caribbean, Whisper White
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, VersaMark
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Curvy Corner Trio Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Prismacolor Pencils, Nestabilities Dies, Snowflake Elements, Iced Rhinestones,
Calypso Coral Baker's Twine, Snowflake #2 Embossing Folder (Echo Park),
Embossing Powders (Copper, Verdigris)

 

Keeping Warm Up on a Branch

This is another card that was born from the Falliday Fest challenges, as well as the Mojo Monday Sketch #469. I paired what was left of my Berry Bouquet DSP with the Cozy Critters hostess stamp set (2016 Holidays Catalogue).

The branch was inked with Stampin' Write markers in Chocolate Chip and Wild Wasabi and stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock. I will admit that is one of the downside of photopolymer for me: they don't take inking with markers very well, and it's too bad because I feel like inking with markers is necessary on certain images to get it to look right, like the branch and leaves here. So I went with markers anyway, but will admit the result is not as crisp as the one I would have gotten with red rubber. I used the writing tip of the marker to outline the leaves to hide this a bit. Knowing using markers on the owl would be difficult, I did paper piecing instead: I stamped the owl on the main cardstock using Crumb Cake ink, then handcut a Real Red scarf and Chocolate Chip eyes and beak. Ornaments from the same set were stamped to hang from the branch, and decorated with Pearl Basic Jewels.

I found the sentiment in the Stitched with Cheer stamp set (one you've seen me use a lot). I even used the exact same sentiment as I had on my last card, but it was just the right size, font and idea ("for a warm season" = perfect with the scarf). Since this stamp set was out, I got the idea to add holly leaves and berries on the snowflake at the top (punched with the matching Holly Berry Builder Punch). A doily was die-cut out of matching DSP for the bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Cozy Critters (hostess), Cousu avec joie (Stitched with Cheer)
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla
Designer Series Paper: Berry Bouquet
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Real Red, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Stampin' Write Markers, Pearl Basic Jewels, Vanilla Medium Envelope,
Holly Berry Bouquet Punch, Striped Ribbon, Circle Punch, Wooden Snowflake (Studio Calico),
Decorative Dolly Duo Die-namics (My Favorite Things)

 

A Berry Bouquet of Wishes

I found the remnants of the Berry Bouquet DSP pack in my stash and decided to pair it with some new stamps from this year's Holiday catalogue. Inspired by the Falliday Fest challenges, I created not one but two cards out of the rest of the paper pack. I quickly remembered why I was down to just a few paper scraps - such beautiful, classic patterns, with sparkly red glittery details. It was perfect to pair with the Real Red Glitter Stampin' Emboss powder (p. 7 of 2016 Holiday Catalogue) to emboss my sentiments with. I also found some old felt ornaments that based on the name I think were part of the same collection as the paper, so it was a great occasion to put those to good use. I think I had bought a pack for myself when they came out and then had gotten an extra pack as part of my goodie bag for a team event I had attended, so I have quite a few leftover to use.

I designed my card around the Viva La Verve October Sketch #1 and the Mojo Monday Sketch #427 (past sketch), which was perfect to highlight the designs from the paper and use the circle element of the sketch for the wreath.

The cards feature the Wonderful Year stamp set (p. 28 of HC) and the Stitched with Cheer stamp set (p. 34), two personal favorites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Joyeuse année (Wonderful Year), Cousu avec joie (Stitched with Cheer)
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla
Designer Series Paper: Berry Bouquet
Ink: VersaMark, Garden Green, Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Real Red Glitter Stampin' Emboss Powder, Square Punches,
Berry Bouquet Felt Ornaments, Circle Framelits, Bunch of Banners Framelits,
Envelope Punch Board, Vanilla Medium Envelope, Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

A Blessing to Have Each Other

This is another card that was inspired by the Falliday Fest challenges on SCS, combined with the Color Throwdown challenge #413. I am really happy with how this one turned out. Looking at the images from the Mom + Me stamp set, I kept thinking of the expression "une chance qu'on s'a," which comes from a well-known French-Canadian song. It loosely translates to "It's a good thing we have each other." Because it is slang, I doubt I'll manage to find this exact sentiment someday, so I decided to use my stamps and dies to create it myself. I don't always like the result of a hand-stamped sentiment but in this case, I think I managed to work it into the design nicely.

The color combo also turned out pretty nice. It's made with a combo of three In Colors that never were offered at the same time: Concord Crush, Baked Brown Sugar and Tangelo Twist. I have quite a bit of Tangelo Twist cardstock leftover because it is just so bright and I've always had a hard time including it into my projects without it overtaking the other colours (so I always resorted to using my beloved Pumpkin Pie). Here, though, I find the other neutral colours "calm" it down a bit. I also managed to sneak in a piece of Gold Metallic Twine in there. This is another item I've had trouble using while it was still current, for a very simple reason: the twine is vanilla, and most patterned papers have a white base. Since I was using vanilla in my colour combo here, I jumped on the chance to add the metallic twine. The gold also pairs well with the fall colours. (I'm realizing now that my card is finished that the original colour combo called for white, but since I was using First Edition DSP for my background, I had to switch the vanilla in order for the rest to match.)

 

 

 

 

 

Colour Combo: Tangelo Twist + Concord Crush + Baked Brown Sugar

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Type Strips II (Papertrey Ink), Mom + Me (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Tangelo Twist, Baked Brown Sugar, Concord Crush, Very Vanilla
Designer Series Paper: First Edition, In Color (Concord Crush), Happy Haunting
Ink: Baked Brown Sugar, Tuxedo Black Memento
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Type Strip Die (Papertrey Ink),
Stitched Tree Borders Dies (Lawn Fawn), Stitched Hillside Borders (Lawn Fawn),
Gold Metallic Baker's Twine, Markers, Stampin' Dimensionals, Alisha Alphabet Die (Echo Park)

 

You're on Fire!

The third and last Falliday Fest challenge on Sunday inspired me to create my own sky by masking clouds and pulling out a Pool Party sparkling spray I had mixed myself. It was a great opportunity to use the Magical Dragons stamp set. The Little Town Border die was a great element to add in order to create the ground. The dragon set includes a sentiment that reads, "You're on fire!" which was perfect, and I pulled out the word "Congratulations" from another stamp set to create my full sentiment, which was embossed in Rose Gold powder to match the colour scheme and make it stand out more.

The colour combo comes from an old ColourQ challenge (#332) I hadn't had a chance to try out until now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Magical Dragons (My Favorite Things), Special Delivery (Avery Elle)
Cardstock: Summer Starfruit, Calypso Coral, Brilliant Blue, Shimmery White
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, VersaMark
Accessories: Rose Gold Embossing Powder, Markers, Pool Party Spritz,
Puffy Clouds Die-namics (MFT), Little Town Border (Lawn Fawn),
White Medium Envelope

 

Wheat Wreath

After the inspiration boost I got from the Dare to Get Dirty challenges this summer on Splitcoast Stampers, I was really happy to see that they are holding the Falliday Fest challenge week this fall following a similar format. This coincides with the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, so more free time to stamp as well.

I paired one of the Falliday challenges with the Reverse Confetti Sketch #41. I created with wreath with the Swirly Scribbles Thinlits dies, and I added some weath over it using the Jar of Love stamp set and matching dies. A "Thankful for you" sentiment was added at the bottom using the Love & Affection stamp set, and embossed in Copper powder.

The papers are from the Affectionately Yours Designer Series Paper, and I used a piece of matching Designer Washi Tape as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Amour et affection (Love & Affection), Petit pot d'amour (Jar of Love)
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Affectionately Yours
Ink: VersaMark, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies, Baker's Twine, Everyday Jar Framelits Dies,
White Medium Envelopes, Project Life Corner Punch, Pearl Basic Jewels,
Affectionately Yours Designer Washi Tape, Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder

 

Fall Wreath

I really liked the Paper Pals Arts colour combo #321, but I was not sure what to pair it with. My first try at pairing it with Jolly Friends was a fail, so I sat on it an extra day and finally got the idea to pair it with Wondrous Wreath to make a fall wreath. The Create with Connie and Mary Sketch #427 was perfect with it.

The sentiment actually comes from the same set and works well for a non-Christmas event. I embossed it in Copper powder to match the fall hues (SO happy we have copper products back in our product offering!). The Cajun Craze cardstock was embossed with the Woodgrain embossing folder, and I used a piece of 5/8" Delightful Dijon mini striped ribbon. This is another example of how ribbons in similar hues will work on a project even if it's not the exact colour of cardstock you are using.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Magnifique couronne (Wondrous Wreath)
Cardstock: Crushed Curry, Elegant Eggplant, Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla
Ink: rushed Curry, Elegant Eggplant, Cajun Craze
Accessories: Wonderful Wreath Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals, Vanilla Medium Envelope,
5/8" Delightful Dijon Mini Striped Ribbon, Copper and Clear Stampin' Emboss Powders