Encre, papier, ciseaux

A 2017 Retrospective

Another year coming to a close already. I thought I would end it with a post revisiting my favorite craft project I've made in 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wishing everyone a fantastic year 2018!

For You, Deer

After making my big bunch of boxes, I was left with a ton of paper scraps and ovals from cutting out the box opening. I had also stamped and cut an extra deer, so it inspired me to turn the leftover pieces into a quick little gift tag. It came in handy when I wrapped my niece's Christmas gift. I could have used a fancier font to write her name, but she's five and she can recognize her name as long as it's written in block letters, so I was mindful of that when I wrote her name.

I really can't stop using that adorable stamp set!

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: For You, Deer (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Whisper White
Patterned Paper: Perfectly Plaid Christmas - Donner, Let's Bokeh in the Snow (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Accessories: Copic Markers, Brights Enamel Shapes (Stampin' Up!), Eyelet,
Stitched Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn), Silver Satin Ribbon (SU!), Red Twine (SU!),
Stitched Shapes Framelits (SU!), White and Silver Gel Pens, For You Deer Lawn Cuts (Lawn Fawn)

 

Out of the Box

I had a bit of free time this weekend and it had been on the back of my mind that I wanted to make Christmas treat boxes for the office. I discovered that I was able to buy a pack of sheets with all of the same pattern from Lawn Fawn, so I ordered a few of my favorite patterns. I selected Donner from the Perfectly Plaid Christmas collection, thinking it would make some adorable Christmas treat boxes. Most of the Lawn Fawn paper I've bought was in 6" x 6", which does not fit the Scalloped Treat Box die, unfortunately, The last time I was at the Bulk Barn store, I brought back a few different candies to sample. I finally landed on an assortment of Christmas Eggies, Christmas Mike & Ike and some jelly wreaths. I swear, the colors of those were made to match the paper perfectly, especially the Eggies, which could not have worked better.

The box has a little surprise when it's empty: I've added the back of the animals inside the box, which will show only once the candy is done, and I've also added a piece of green Bokeh in the Snow paper (the Pine Needle Twist sheet) to the side opposite the clear window so that we see the bokeh effect behind the critters. (Also to hide the corner tabs and make the finishing prettier).

A snowflake tag was created with the Winter Tiny Tags dies, spritzed with Vanilla Smooch Spray and stamped with the To and From stamp from For You, Deer. I used the Sweetheart twine on the bear boxes (with the image stamped in Gumball Green) and I used Wild Wasabi cotton twine on the deer boxes (with the image stamped in Poppy Parade).

At the last minute, I decided I wanted the critters to hold something Christmasy, so I pulled out the Christmas Like No Otter set and found a little present that was the right size.

My design didn't appear that intricate to me when I made my initial sample, but in the end, I ended up spending many hours on making my 18 boxes for colleagues and family members. That made me wonder the amount of time that Lawn Fawn spends on their own samples that they send out to stores who carry their stuff. (My local store always have a bunch of them and they are always pretty and quite intricate - somebody's doing a lot of coloring and die-cutting somewhere!)

Challenge inspiration: Simon Says Stamp Monday (party!) + Lawn Fawnatics #19 + Just Add Ink #391 + TGIF #139

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Christmas Like No Otter, For You, Deer (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Window Sheet
Patterned Papers: Perfectly Plaid Christmas - Donner (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Poppy Parade, Gumball Green, Tuxedo Black Memento
Dies: Christmas Like No Otter,  For You, Deer, Scalloped Treat Box, Winter Tiny Tags (Lawn Fawn),
Stitched Shapes Framelits (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Sweetheart Twine (Lawn Fawn), Cotton Twine (Stampin' Up!), Black Journaling Pen,
Copic Markers, White Gel Pen, Vanilla Smooch Spritz
Candy: Christmas Mike & Ike, Christmas Eggies, Jelly Wreaths

 

Noel Night

I had been wanting to try out the eclipse technique for a while and finally got inspired to include it on a card using the word Noël. I used the Large Letters Framelits, and as their name implies, the letters are quite large so I had to use a word with a limited amount of letters. French words tend to be long, so Noël was a good option. What's exciting is that the Framelits set includes the punctuation as well, so I was easily able to add the two dots on the E. I used the Night in Bethlehem stamp set to create my scene, and the beautiful colour combo was inspired by Create with Connie and Mary #489. The scene with the letters was so large, I had to make a 4-1/2" x 6" card and keep the layout quite simple. I only added a narrow ribbon and stamped the top of the card with the stitch image from Christmas Quilt.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Nuit à Bethléem (Night in Bethlehem), L'étoffe de Noël (Christmas Quilt)
Cardstock: Fresh Fig, Soft Sky, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla
Designer Series Paper: Neutrals
Ink: Fresh Fig, Soft Sky, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Large Letters Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Pewter Stampin' Emboss Powder, Fresh Fig 1/8" Ribbon

 

Vive le vent

These two cards were copied from Craft-somnia Momma.Her card caught my eye and I decided to make my own version since I was in need of cards for my dowline. I changed the red dots for metallic enamel shapes, used the Stitched Shapes Framelits for the circle and added the ribbon, but the rest is true to her design.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Cantiques de Noël (Carols of Christmas)
Cardstock: Thick Whisper White, Emerald Envy, Real Red
Specialty Designer Series Paper: Merry Music
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Emerald Envy Ombre
Accessories: Layering Ovals Framelits, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Emerald Envy Ribbon,
Stampin' Write Markers (Emerald Envy, Real Red), Metallic Enamel Shapes,
Silver Metallic Thread, White Medium Envelope

 

Christmas Gate

I think the beautiful Detailed Gate Thinlits might tend to get overlooked because they are part of the Halloween section of the Holidays catalogue. The samples show a graveyard gate, but it can be so much more than that. I thought it would look great decorated with a wreath and while trying to think of a set that had one, I remembered the Brightly Lit Christmas set and matching Framelits. As I was working on stamping and die-cutting the wreath, I decided to do red bows from the same set as well and then thought it would be a great opportunity to make a card where the gate unfolds to reveal the inside of the card.

I decided to stamp my Real Red cardstock with the Sheet Music background stamp, and then got inspired to add the lampost inside so that it would peak over the gate. I used the die-cuts, making sure to add Clear Wink of Stella to my Crushed Curry cardstock used for the inside of the lights, and I hung a banner with a sentiment from the side of the post, which was perfect since I did not have a sentiment on the front.

Inspiration: Merry Monday #270 (tic tac toe - red + die-cut + stamping) + SUO challenge #190 + past ColourQ combo #47 (adapted to current colours)

 

 

 

 

 

   

olour Combo: Real Red + Bermuda Bay + Crushed Curry + Basic Grey

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Pleins feux sur Noël (Brightly Lit Christmas), Sheet Music
Cardstock: Real Red, Crushed Curry, Basic Grey, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Crushed Curry, Basic Grey, Bermuda Bay
Accessories: Detailed Gate Thinlits, Christmas Lampost Thinlits, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals,
Wink of Stella Brush, White Medium Envelope

 

Beary Special Delivery

The idea for this valentine came when I was not sitting down to stamp. I thought I could make a cute pocket using the Lacy Heart Stackables from Lawn Fawn and slide something inside to make a cute love note, and then I thought I could put one of the critters from For You, Deer hanging from the border, holding a little heart. I must admit For You, Deer didn't make the first cut when the fall release from Lawn Fawn came out. Not that I didn't think it was cute, but the set was really sentiment-heavy (and I mostly stamp in French), plus there were so many things on my wish list, I simply had to prioritize. That being said, I finally caved in and got it and the last three projects I've made have used it. I just can't put it down, it seems, and the ideas just keep coming. So this project is being entered in the Lawn Fawnatics challenge #19, as this set seems to be my current favorite. (My all-time favorite is probably the fairies, though - both the summer and winter ones.)

The lovely fruity colours were inspired by Hand Stamped Sentiments #279.The sentiment reads, "Special Delivery." The pink heart can be pulled out of the pocket and used to write your love message. I also made a matching 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" envelope for it.

 

 

 

  

 

 

Lawn Fawn Supplies (unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: For You Deer, How You Bean? Conversation Heart Add-On, En ville (In the City - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Bermuda Bay, Pear Pizzazz (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Let's Polka in the Meadow, Watercolor Wishes
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Bermuda Bay (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: For You Deer, Lacy Borders, Lacy Heart Stackables,
Outside In Stitched Hearts Stackable, How You Bean? Conversation Heart Add-On
Accessories: Grosgrain Ribbon (SU!), Envelope Punch Board (SU!), Black Enamel Accents (Ranger),
Polka Dot Brad (Queen & Co), Mini Stapler (SU!), Markers (Copic)

 

Chameleon Greetings

I was looking for something to pair with the Sunday Stamp sketch #168 and decided to ink up the One in a Chameleon stamp set. The colors were inspired by MFT Color Challenge #83. Based on the image, I paired Crumb Cake, Crushed Curry, Dapper Denim and Berry Burst. I used the Stitched Woodgrain backdrop on the curry cardstock, and the Pieces and Patterns stamp set from the sentiment and the pattern on the Berry Burst circle.

 

 

  

 

Supplies
Stamps: Motifs et croquis (Pieces and Patterns - Stampin' Up!), One in a Chameleon (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Dapper Denim, Berry Burst, Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Crumb Cake
Envelope Paper`2016-2018 In Color
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Crushed Curry, Dapper Denim
Accessories: Stitched Woodgrain Bacldrop die, One in a Chameleon dies, Stitched Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn),
Stampin' Dimensionals, Sequins (Simon Says Stamp, Little Things from Lucy's), 1-3/4" Circle Punch,
Envelope Punch Board, Copic Markers, Clear Wink of Stella Brush, 5/8" Burlap Ribbon, Stitched Shapes Framelits (SU!)

 

Christmas Carols in the Park

I'm so happy with how pretty this card turned out! It started with me finding two old Distress ink pads in my ink drawer: Tattered Rose and Antique Linen. Those were bought over a decade ago when I was still new to stamping. Back then, I liked the vintage shades and added them to my collection to stamp and ink edges with. I knew they were water-reactive, but I had no clue what I was supposed to make with that. Back then, shabby chic was in and everyone was inking the edges of everything on their scrapbook projects, so that's the use I made of them. That was also way before YouTube made all kinds of tutorials available. Once I was over my edge inking kick, those were put away and forgotten. Now that I've discovered the joys of the Distress Oxide inks and spritzing, I was really happy to stumble unto those inks. I decided I wanted to ink a background with the pink. The ink pad was initially quite dry, but thankfully I had some Distress Refresh on hand, which did the trick quite well. As I was inking my paper, I decided it would make a gorgeous pink sky, so I tore a piece of copy paper to mask the bottom and make a snow bank. Then I looked at my stamps to decided what I could make a little scene with and spotted the Winter in the Park set. It was the starting point. Then, I decided to sit a little Frosty Fairy Friends fairy on the bench, and add a sparrow on the back, then birch trees around to fill in the landscape. The color combo was inspired by Color Throwdown #473.

Because the sparrow had little notes with him in the set, I thought he could be singing and remembered the TGIF challenge #138 (Christmas Carols). I was looking for an appropriate sentiment and remembered the Fa La La La La border die from Lawn Fawn. Initially, I wanted to do a split border, where you insert the wording in between the patterned paper at the bottom and the actual scene cardstock at the top, but I changed my design while the card was evolving. I did inser the green fa la la in the patterned paper, though. It takes a little while to put those holes back in, but I had backed everything with a piece of Big Shot adhesive sheet, which helped glue everything in place quickly.

Lawn Fawnatics #18 called for Emboss Resist, so I embossed snowflakes from Winter in the Park and Frosty Fairy Friends with Opalescent embossing powder on my pink background, before spritzing it with water to get the distress effect. A bit of Stickles was added to the snow and the fairy wings, and Nuvo Crystal Drops in Bubblegum Blush was added in a heart shape by the sentiment. The whole panel was die-cut with a Dotted Scallop Rectangles die. A piece of shimmery needlepoint floss was tied between the two portions of the image.

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Winter in the Park, Frosty Fairy Friends, Winter Sparrows (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Sage Shadow, Whisper White, Shimmery White
Patterned Papers: Knock on Wood, Perfectly Plaid Winter (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up!), Tattered Rose (Distress Ink from Ranger), VersaMark
Dies: Winter in the Park, Frosty Fairy Friends, Winter Sparrows, Fa La La La La, Birch Trees (Lawn Fawn),
Dotted Scallop Rectangles (Elizabeth Craft Designs)
Accessories: Opalescent Embossing Powder (Top Boss), White Medium Envelope, Stickles,
Nuvo Crystal Drops (Bubblegum Blush), Metallic Needlepoint floss (DMC), Washi Tape

 

White Christmas and Holly

The Holidays Catalogue is packed full with wonderful samples and I hadn't had a chance to copy any yet, so I decided to use the colour combo from Global Design Project #117 along with the sample shown on page 9. I made some slight changes to the design, one of which being driven by the fact that the French sentiment from Good Tidings is not the same width in French as the English one, so it would not have fit on the die-cut tag. I had a couple of alternate options in mind and finally landed on using one of the Merry Little Labels. I also changed the two ribbons layered at the bottom, and I added dry embossing to the green tag. I like where I landed with the CASEd version.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Bouquet de houx (Good Tidings), Jolies petites étiquettes (Merry Little Labels)
Cardstock: Real Red, Basic Black, Lemon Lime Twist, Whisper White, Crumb Cake
Specialty Designer Series Paper: Merry Music
Ink: VersaMark, Tuxedo Black Memento, Lemon Lime Twist, Real Red,
Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive
Accessories: Woodland and Garden Trellis Embossing Folders, Envelope Punch Board,
Lots of Labels Framelits, Everyday Label Punch, White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Foam Adhesive Strips, Mini Tinsel Trim Combo Pack, 7/8" Striped Ribbon, Paper Doily,
Rhinestone Basic Jewels

 

Cheery New Year Windows

I've had this idea swirling around in my head for a week and finally had time to put it to paper this evening. I wanted to use the fact that the For You, Dear dies cut out of the arms to be put over something to have the critters looking from the "windows." I also wanted to make colorful backdrops for the window using Distress Oxide inks. After inking the rectangles and spritzing them with water, I had the idea of pulling the knit design from the stamp set I had used for the sentiment and stamp it over the blended ink backgrounds with the same Distress Oxide ink. It worked out great and really added interest to the panels. I was going back and forth between simply popping the frame up or turning the windows into shaker and finally went for the shaker option. (Only the top and bottom one - I wanted the sentiment to be read easily.) The sentiment reads, "We wish you a wonderful year full of cheer." It was embossed in white to resist the inking and spritzing. Stitched Snowflakes cut out of Dazzling Diamonds Glitter Paper were added to the card, as well as a few clear gems. I also dotted the polar bear's eyes with Black Ranger Enamel Accents. This is a trick that was shared by a couple of my favorite stampers and they were not kidding when they said it really made a difference. It gives the eyes dimension and shine and it looks awesome. I was a little afraid of adding it to the finished project for fear of ruining it, but it worked out great and even - on both the card and the envelope!

Speaking of the envelope, the shaker was too thick for a regular envelope, so I pulled out the 2016-2018 Envelope Paper from Stampin' Up! to make a matching, larger envelope. I also stamped a matching band with the same ink and stamp - I used part of the strip inside the card and the other section on the front of the envelope. I added little critters on both, a stitched oval for the address and a little snowflake.

This card was inspired by Merry Monday #269 and Lawn Fawnatics #18.

 

 

 

  

 

Supplies
Stamps: Cousu avec joie (Stitched With Cheer - Stampin' Up!), For You, Deer (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Thick Whisper White
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Ranger Distress Oxide (Lucky Clover, Candied Apple, Twisted Citron)
Accessories: White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Envelope Punch Board, Stitched Shapes Framelits,
Copic Markers, For You, Deer Lawn Cuts (Lawn Fawn), Black Ranger Enamel Accents, Sequins (Simon Says Stamp),
Clear Gems, Adhesive Foam Strips, Tri Window Cover Dies (Mama Elephant),
Stitched Snowflakes Lawn Cuts (Lawn Fawn), Dazzling Diamonds Glitter Paper, White Gel Pen,
Blending Tools, Ranger Spritzing Bottle

 

Forest Joy

I'm particularly happy with this card because it was born out of a scrap of watercolor paper. For my last card, I had quickly scribbled ink on a piece of watercolor paper and die-cut some trees to decorate my envelope. The leftover piece was sitting on my desk and I was thinking it looked quite good so instead of discarding it, I used it as inspiration for another card. I also had the Tonic Golden Satin specialty paper out on my desk which I thought would look wonderful to back the trees. (I treated myself during Black Friday and the order came in today - Canada Post is making delivery on Sundays this month, probably because of the high volume of Christmas mail, I'm guessing.) I had a really hard time capturing it in pictures because of the high shine surface. The paper has a satin fabric texture to it that reminds me of vintage Christmas cards.

I was trying to figure out how to embellish the card and thought the Fusion challenge sketch could work well. For colours, since I already had green and teal on my paper scrap, I looked at past ColourQ combos and settled on #63. I cut thin strips of Ruby Red cardstock and embossed it for added interest. Then, I used the Pretty Pines Framelits dies to create a cluster in the left corner. Still using scraps, I also had two little green stars from my last card, which are the little top and bottom holes on the Card Front Builder dies, the frame one. I glued those on my scene and covered them with Clear Wink of Stella, which I also brushed at the bottom, where the snow would be.

Then, I looked at stamps for an appropriate sentiment and found one the perfect size with the perfect font in the Christmas Pines stamp set. I embellished the inside of the card and the envelope with similar embellishments as well. I'm very happy with how that one turned out!

 

 

 

 

 

      

 

Supplies
Stamps: Sapins de Noël (Christmas Pines - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Bermuda Bay, Watercolor Paper
Specialty Paper: Golden Satin (Tonic)
Ink: Island Indigo, Lemon Lime Twist, Bermuda Bay
Accessories: Clear Wink of Stella, White Medium Envelope, Card Front Builder Thinlits,
Pretty Pines Framelits, Dotted Lattice Embossing Folder (Taylored Expressions)

 

Coming down the Chimney for Milk and Cookies

On my list of cards I still had to make was one for my niece Megan. I have this wooden Christmas mailbox I got from Michaels a few years ago and for the last couple of years, I've slipped cards from Santa in it for her. A couple of weeks ago, she also used it herself to mail letters to her gramdparents.

So, I knew I wanted to make something fun, colorful and whimsical for her and I had put the Christmas Squad stamp set and matching Milk and Cookies papers from Doodlebug on my desk to use when I had a minute. I was looking at the weekly online challenges and when I saw Match the Sketch #206, I knew I had a winner. The little circles on the right side reminded me of the cookies from the set, so that was the starting point to the card. Since Merry Monday challenge #268 was Santa Hat, I picked the Santa image from the set and I decided to alternate milk and cookies for the border. I stamped and colored my images, then I looked at the paper pack to select patterns. As I was playing with the fire brick pattern, I remembered the Stitched Domes dies I have and thought it could look like a fireplace, so I die-cut some Basic Grey cardstock and inked the top to make it darker. It worked so well to create the effect I was hoping to get!

Since I was making a long narrow card, I was trying to find a way to add the banner element like on the sketch and still have the card feel balanced. I found my answer by doing a sentiment in two parts: embossed in Pool Party embossing powder at the bottom on the paper and adding a popped up banner in between. It reads "Christmas Joy just for you." I combined current Merry Little Labels stamp set with retired Stitched with Cheer. I used Frosty Sparkle Glitter Kiss on the edges of the pattern papers, just because I know how much my niece loves sparkle, and I dabbed the sponge a bit on the green sentiment banner as well for a subtle sheen.

I was on a creative roll so I made an envelope out of Designer Series Paper, making my own fake stamp for it and running some ribbon through an eyelet to tie the envelope shut with ribbon. At the last minute, I also got this idea to add white velvet flocking to the Santa outfit!

The interior of the card was decorated as well, with Doodlebug stickers and a corner punch. But my favorite part is on the back. I usually sign my cards, but I can't do that if I want Megan to keep thinking the card comes from Santa, so I remembered that the Merry Little Labels stamp set includes a sentiment that reads in French "Handmade in North Pole." How perfect!

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Christmas Squad (Simon Says Stamp), Cousu avec joie (Stitched with Cheer - Stampin' Up!),
Joyeuses petites étiquettes (Merry Little Labels - Stampin' Up!), Brushstroke Alphabet (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Cucumber Crush, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
Patterned Papers: Milk & Cookies (Doodlebug Design)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Cucumber Crush, VersaMark, Pretty in Pink, Basic Grey
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Heart Eyelet, Pretty in Pink Gingham Ribbon, Stamp Punch,
1" Square Punch, Milk & Cookies Stickers (Doodlebug Design), Pool Party Stampin' Emboss Powder,
Nuvo Glitter Drops, Stitched Domes Die-namics (My Favorite Things), Bunch of Banners Framelits Dies,
Copic Markers, Sponge, Pink Polka Dot Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Frosty Sparkle Glitter Kiss (Cosmic Shimmer),
Velvet Flocking (Doodlebug Design)

 

Over a Snow-Covered Village

The starting point of this card was the piece of patterned paper I had left aside when working on my Bethlehem card (HERE). As I've shared, I struggled to add my sentiment on the paper, as it was not readable, so I ended up starting over with a new piece of paper. Now, the back of that piece of paper was still fine (it just wasn't the pattern I wanted on the other card), and I thought I could reuse my idea of having the Edgelits peek out from underneath the negative window. This time, I used the Hometown Greetings Edgelits, and silver instead of gold. I was looking at past ColourQ combo for something using black and when I spotted #262, with pink, I thought it could make a lovely and soft Christmas card.

Little stars were stamped in Pink Pirouette in the back, then Santa's sleigh in Basic Grey, and I added falling snow in Whisper White ink. The village was created by layering Silver Foil paper first, then a second piece die-cut out of Silver glimmer paper. I am really loving the dimension we get by doing two different metallic.

Once again, I gave stamping on the patterned paper directly and heat-embossing a try. This paper had way less details than the other did, so I think it turned out better, but it's still a subtle effect. Since my window is popped up, I made a larger-sized envelope out of matching paper, to accomodate for the bulk.

inspiration: Stamp Ink Paper #128 and Fab Friday #127

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Ensemble à Noël (Hearts Come Home)
Cardstock: Smoky Slate, Pink Pirouette, Silver Foil Paper, Silver Glimmer Paper
Designer Series Paper: Merry Music
Ink: VersaMark, Whisper White, Basic Grey, Pink Pirouette, Smoky Slate
Accessories: Sweet & Sassy Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Hometown Greetings Edgelits, Envelope Punch Board, Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder,
Blushing Bride 3/8" Shimmer  Ribbon, Rhinestone Basic Jewels

 

Watercolored Forest Scene

I was watching a couple of videos on YouTube and stumbled on this ONE from Kristina Werner. I was intrigued by the way she did her watercolored background. I liked that the result was intricate but the process quite easy, so I got inspired to pull out a few supplies to give it a try. The freehand trees Kristina did reminded me of the trees in the Card Front Builder Thinlits. I did not want to use the die cuts as a mask, though, as the technique uses a lot of water and I knew the watercolor would be seeping everywhere, so I thought of another way to achieve the look.

I first used a placement tool to stamp the sentiment in the center of the watercolor paper in VersaMark and emboss it with clear powder. Then, since the stamp was still in the placement tool, I cut a piece of copy paper to 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" (cardfront size), placed it in the placement tool and used a random ink color to stamp the sentiment in the paper. That was a guideline to see where I could place the trees and the moon and stars around it. I used low-tack tape to keep the dies in place where I wanted them and ran the copy paper in the Big Shot.

What that did is produce a mask that I was able to glue in place with temporary adhesive and then I pressed my VersaMark ink pad everywhere on it so that the VersaMark would create the tree, star and moon shapes. I then took the mask off, pourred clear embossing powder on my shapes and heat-embossed. Once all the images were embossed, I was able to do the watercolor smashing technique Kristina is showing in her video. Again, I adapted a bit. I was not using watercolors, I was using my Stampin' Up! ink pads, so I smooshed a bit of colour on an acetate (when you purchase embellishments like self-adhesive pearls or something similar, keep the clear backing those come on once you've used them all. Those clear plastics are great for various uses like this one.) and spritzed it with water, then smooshed the acetate on my watercolor paper. I warn you - it's a big blob of a mess, initially, but once you dry the ink and layer colors, it looks good! I also dipped a very wet Aqua Painter brush in Chocolate Chip ink and tapped it on the edge of my hand over the project to get speckles. I then ran a tissue over the embossing to take the extra colour off, I rounded two corners using my Envelope Punch Board , tied a piece of gold ribbon and I was done!

To make a matching envelope, I scribbled some inks on a leftover piece of watercolor paper and die-cut some trees using the same dies.

The colour scheme was inspired by ColourQ #203, the layout by Tuesday Morning Sketches #432 and Naughty or Nice #46.

 

 

 

 

The stencil I created and used to clear-emboss the trees and stars:

 

        

 

Colour Combo: Pacific Point + Island Indigo + Lemon Lime Twist + Chocolate Chip

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Cantiques de Noël (Carols of Christmas)
Cardstock: Pacific Point, Watercolor Paper, Lemon Lime Twist, Whisper White
Ink: Pacific Point, Lemon Lime Twist, Island Indigo, Chocolate Chip, VersaMark
Accessories: Aqua Painter Brush, Acetate, Water Spritzer Bottle, 1/8" Gold Ribbon,
Envelope Punch Board (Corner Rounder Punch), White Medium Envelope

 

From Packaging to Card

Stampin' Up! had a picture of a gift box shared online and I thought I could turn the concept into a card, so I gave it a spin.It goes without saying that with the ribbon bow and the mini ornament, it makes for a really bulky card. For that reason, I used matching Designer Series Paper and made an oversized envelope.

I've no clue how the concept artist managed to make the subtle watercolor wash on the paper. Despite my best efforts (trying with various paintbrush, wetting the paper before adding the ink), I still ended up getting some very sharp brushstrokes. The paper soaks up the ink instantly and you can't move the ink around like you would on watercolor paper or even on cardstock. In the end, it does not really matter once the card is put together, because it's sitting behind the tag, but obviously, I'm msissing something.

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Joyeuses petites étiquettes (Merry Little Labels), Cantiques de Noël (Carols of Christmas)
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Old Olive
Designer Series Paper: Merry Music, Merry Little Christmas
Ink: Old Olive, Basic Black, Whsper White, VersaMark
Accessories: envelope Punch Board, Layering Circle Framelits, Stitched Shapes Framelits,
Mini Ornaments, Linen Thread, 7/8" Striped Ribbon, White Stampin' Emboss Powder,
Aqua Painter Brush

 

Silver Shining Star

This card was inspired by Global Design Project #116 and SUO challenge #189. I was looking at stamps to reproduce a similar design and decided on Star of Light. For colours, I referred to past ColourQ challenges and picked #192.

 

 

 

  

Colour Combo: Pear Pizzazz + Island Indigo + Smoky Slate + Soft Sky

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Étoile lumineuse (Star of light), Timeless Textures
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Soft Sky, Island Indigo
Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Soft Sky, Island Indigo, Smoky Slate, VersaMark
Accessories: Metallic Enamel Shapes, Soft Sky 3/8" Classic Weave Ribbon,
White Medium Envelope, Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder, Rhinestone Basic Jewels

 

Reading Time

I bought this Stamping Bella image a while ago and never got around to using it. When I spotted the Curtain Call challenge, A good Read, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get this stamp to good use. I used the Stamping Bella sketch #36 and picked some colorful papers to go with the fun vibe of the image. I decided to go old school and pulled out my Prismacolor pencils to color the image.

I switched the banner from the sketch to the left since the image was lower on that side, and added a sentiment that reads "have a nice day" on the right. I also die-cut the white panel and the background papers with the Stitched Rectangle Stackables dies from Lawn Fawn to add interest with a touch of stitching. I added precision glue to the glasses to make them shiny.

I wanted my image to be popped up on the card and instead of using a ton of foam adhesive, I tried out a trick I have picked up online: I cut a piece of white fun foam slightly smaller than my main image and used double-sided tape to sandwich it between the image and the card. I like how there's no lump or bumps and how it will hold up nicely in the mail. I think this card will be flat enough to ship with a regular stamp (which is rarely the case since my cards are so embellished - I always have the stamps for "oversized parcels" on hand because they are required on most of the cards I send out. You read that right - I make cards AND I send them out as well! From what I gather, this is not always the case for every crafter...)

 

This image reminds me of myself when I was younger, with the glasses, the frilly dress and my head always in a book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Tiny Townie Dorothy the Dreamer (Stamping Bella), Messages d'amitié (Florilèges Design)
Cardstock: Summer Sun, Whisper White
Patterned Papers: Summer Dreams (Echo Park)
Ink: Tuxedo Black, Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay
Accessories: Stitched Rectangle Stackables Dies, Prismacolor Pencils, Regals Brads,
White Fun Foam, Melon Mambo Scallop Polka Dot Ribbon, White Medium Envelope, Precision Glue

 

Bethlehem Night

This idea for this card was born after seeing a card with silhouette dies placed inside a negative shape. We carry a few Edgelits in the current Holidays catalogue, so it was a nice way to put them to good use. I decided to go with the Bethlehem Edgelits, in both Gold Foil paper and Gold glimmer paper. The star was stamped and embossed in Silver powder on Silver foil paper and die-cut with the matching die, then topped with a clear faceted gem.

The sentiment was heat-embossed in gold and reads "The gentle miracle of Christmas." It's not easy to read on the patterned paper, and I actually tried stamping it in silver first, then doing ink resist to make it pop, and the more I fiddled with it, the worst it got, so I used a second piece of patterned paper and stuck with gold embossing. The sentiment can be easily read when the embossing catches the light.

inspiration: Freshly Made Sketch #315 and Color Throwdown #471

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Nuit à Bethléem (Night in Bethleem)
Cardstock: Thick Whisper White, Silver Foil, Gold Foil, Gold Glimmer Paper
Specialty Patterned Paper: Merry Music
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: Stampin' Emboss Powders (Gold, Silver), Envelope Punch Board,
Sweet & Sassy Framelits, Bethlehem Edgelits, Foam Adhesive Strips, Clear Faceted Gems

 

Holidays Hot Beverage

I'm still putting cards together for my downline members and I wanted to turn the Coffee Café stamp set into something for the Holidays, so I paired this set and matching Framelits with the Hang Your Stocking stamp set and matching Framelits. The colour combo was inspired by an old ColourQ combo (#101) and the colors allowed me to pair the Foil Frenzy Specialty Designer Series Paper with the Merry Little Christmas Designer Series Paper. The result is wonderfully inviting and cozy. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but the Foil Frenzy background paper was embossed with the Holly embossing folder. The result is subtle, but gives nice dimension to the patterned paper.

Inspiration: Global Design Project #115 + Tuesday Morning Sketches #431 + Naughty or Nice #46

 

 

 

        

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Café à emporter (Coffee Café), Bas de Noël (Hang Your Stocking)
Cardstock: Sweet Sugarplum, Old Olive, Pool Party, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Foil Frenzy, Little Merry Christmas
Ink: Sweet Sugarplum, Old Olive, Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry, Tuxedo Black Memento
Accessories: Coffee Cupcs Framelits, Christmas Stockings Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals, Black Rhinestone Jewels,
Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter, 7/8" Striped Ribbon, Black Mini Sequin Trim, White Medium Envelope