Encre, papier, ciseaux

Sweet Penguin Wishes

Inspiration: Clean & Simple #95 + Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Anything Goes)

I sat down to stamp and pulled out all kinds of new goodies: the gorgeous Freezin' Season papers from Simple Stories, the Sweet Holiday Penguins stamp set from My Favorite Things (so happy to see Canadian artist Stacey Yacula featured by MFT), the new Vintage Drops from Nuvo and the mini Snowcap stencil from Tim Holtz.

I stamped and colored all of the images from the set, to match the papers' colors. For the middle panel, I used two papers and added snow to the separation using the mini Snowcap stencil and Grit Paste. I added white glitter to the paste while it was still wet, for glistening snow. (I used Martha Stewart cristal fine glitter and I love that it's pure white - it glitters, but it has no shades of blue, purple or pink in it so the effect is really reminiscent of real snow. Trust me, I live in Quebec, so I've already seen a lot of snow in my lifetime!)

I was looking at circle options to mat my penguin and I landed on the center piece of the Prem layering circles from Birch Press Design (layers A and B). It goes well with the snowflake pattern and the open design doesn't make the circle overwhelming to the design. I looked for sentiment that would fit the remaining space and settled on "Best Christmas Wishes to you" from an old Stampin' Up! set. Finally, I added little beads of Nuvo drops in various colours. I used the remaining images to decorate the inside of the card and a matching envelope. (I used a Blonde Metallic A2 envelope from my envelope haul I've previously shared.)

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Sweet Holiday Penguins (My Favorite Things); Souhaits gracieux (Christmas Blessings - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Barely Banana, Pool Party, Granite Grey, Flirty Flamingo, Whisper White
Patterned Papers: Freezin' Season (Simple Stories)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Midnight Muse (Stampin' Up! Classic Ink)
Accessories: Markers (Copic); Blonde Metallic A2 Envelope (envelopes.com);
Dotted Rectangle Stackables, Stitched Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn);
Grit Paste (Ranger); White Crystal Fine Glitter (Martha Stewart);
Stampin' Dimensionals, So Saffron Taffeta Ribbon (Stampin' Up!);
Aquatic Mist and Silver Moondust Glitter Drops, Pale Gold Glitter Dust, Earl Grey Vintage Drops (Nuvo);
Prem Layers A, B and C Dies (Birch Press Design); Sweet Holiday Penguins Die-namics,
Wonky Stitched Ovals Die=namics (My Favorite Things)

 

Gnome for Christmas

Inspiration: Global Design Project #162

I pulled out my new Cozy & Bright papers to pair with the GDP sketch and as I was flipping through the paper stack, I realized there is a page with sentiment images, so I was inspired to forego stamps and create a card using only the papers. I chose the "I'll be gnome for Christmas sentiment and cut the banner out of gnome paper to go with the theme. I ended up with a turquoise rectangle on a turquoise banner, though, which was a problem as the sentiment was getting lost. So I did some creative matting to solve that problem. I was looking at twine options for the top and remembered the clear tinsel trim I have, that was perfect to match the clear glitter on the patterned paper.

(By the way, I LOVE that tinsel and I'd be inclined to use it on everything, but I'm rationing it since I don't have a clue where I could buy mor once my roll is empty - if you have an idea, let me know! This roll was from Stampin' Up!)

Green and clear gems were added to the card, and I embellished a Seafoam envelope to go with the card.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Green Galore (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Paper: Cozy & Bright (American Crafts)
Accessories: A2 Seafoam Envelope (envelopes.com); August Crystals (Studio Katia);
Triple Banner Punch, Clear Tinsel Trim, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!);
Stamp Decorative Scissors (?); Dotted Rectangle Stackables Dies, Lacy Borders Dies (lawn Fawn)

 

Majestic Fall Leaf

Inspiration: Just Add Ink #431 + Try Stampin' on Tuesday Color Challenge #5

I was instantly inspired by the color combo from the Try Stampin' on Tuesday challenge. I looked at stamps and decided to pull out the Falling for Leaves bundle once again. It was also perfect for the Just Add Ink sketch, so the card quickly got in motion. The background piece was stamped with the awesome Buffalo Plaid background stamp.I've been buying my background stamps in wood mount ever since I started collecting them, even after clear-mount became available and after the purchase of my stamp-positioning tool. But for some of the background stamps, I've found it hard to get a even or more importantly, a straight impression on my project. When I decided to purchase the Buffalo Plaid, I new lining would be important so in order to use a stamp platform, I decided to switch to clear-mount. It was the first time I made the switch and I'll be honest: this made my job much easier! This is also a stamp that can benefit from being reinked and restamped to get an even impression, so the stamp positioning tool is your best ally to be able to do so.

The main elements of this card came together very quickly: the plaid background, the patterned paper pieces, the lacy center strip (made with the lacy border from the Detailed Leaves Thinlits set), the leaf die-cut out of Joyous Noel glimmer paper, the sentiment... That's when I decided the detailed leaf was getting lost over the Mango Melody cardstock. So I tried out a couple of backing options and opted for Copper Foil Paper behind the detailed leaf. The details were getting a bit lost, thoguh, so I got this crazy idea of papier piecing some of the colours back into the openings. So I die-cut the leaf two other times out of Lovely Lipstick and Highland Heather and glued the pieces in. As I was doing this, I realized the mix of rose gold, hot pink and purple look exactly like a pair of earrings I bought this year from Thomas Sabo, that look like this:

Same color combo! Adding the pieces took a bit of fidgeting, but it was worth it as it totally changed the final look of the card and made the result ten times more striking.

 

 

 

   

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Feuilles en fête (Falling for Leaves)
Cardstock: Lovely Lipstick, Highland Heather, Mango Melody, Copper Foil Paper,
Joyous Noel 6" x 6" Glimmer Paper
Designer Series Paper: 6" x 6" Subtles Pack
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Lovely Lipstick
Accessories: Detailed Leaves Thinlits, Stampin' Dimensionals, White Medium Envelope

 

Crafty Friends

Inspiration: As You See It #187 (I need to say Happy birthday to my best friend Maggie) + Stamp Ink Paper challenge #172

I needed a birthday card for my crafty friend Maggie. I wanted to make something that would make her smile and then I thought of the Snarky Small Talk stickers I had waiting to be used in my stash. I started reading a few and initially, I was planning on pairing "Sorry, did I roll my eyes out loud?" with the Oddball Sparkle Fairy image, but then I spotted "She said, that's a lot of money to spend on crafts, and I knew we couldn't be friends" so I just had to pick that one, as Maggie is a fellow crafter who totally gets it! That's where I lost a lot of time going through my supplies, trying to find stamps or patterned papers that have to do with crafting. I know I have some, but the one hostess set from Stampin' Up! I had in mind was not where I thought it would be, so I pulled out the Craftybella stamp instead and paired it with pretty, non-craft related papers from Simple Stories. One of the page caught my eye because it has the "creative" definition printed on the background - perfect! So I decided I would make this the card front and use a Reverse Stitched Scalloped Circle Windows die on the front and put my image in there. It was a much tighter squeeze than anticipated, though, and I was not feeling it, so back to the stamp stash I went and I started digging. Ironically, it was the Pumpkin Spice It Up from The Greeting Farm that caught my eye. It has nothing to do with crafting, but it was sized perfectly for the circle window. (And honestly, it's one of my favorite sets - it's the second time I use it this past month).

My window was lined with vellum as I was planning to make a shaker card. That plan changed as well, as I liked the paper glued flat and decided to forgo that idea. I sprinkled sequins around the card instead. The scalloped border of the window was covered in Glitter Gloss Aqua Shimmer for a touch of shimmer, and I added an enamel dot on the coffee cup, just 'cos. As you can see, this project evolved and changed course quite a few times, but I'm happy with the end results.

 

 

 

 
 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Pumpkin Spice It Up (The Greeting Farm by Simon Says Stamp)
Cardstock: Powder Pink, Very Vanilla, Vellum (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Paper: Bloom (Simple Stories)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Powder Pink (Stampin' Up! Classic Ink)
Accessories: Pumpkin Spice It Up Dies (The Greeting Farm); Glitter Gloss Aqua Shimmer Brush *Nuvo);
Envelope Punch Board, Basic Adhesive-Backed Sequins, Subtles Enamel Shapes (Stampin' Up!);
Dotted Rectangle Stackables Dies, Outside In Sttched Rectangles Stackables Dies (Lawn Fawn)

 

Poison Potions

Inspiration: Inspired By #42

I kept going on my Halloween packaging series, this time using the Laboratory dies. I used the Black Foil Sheets from the 2018 Holidays catalogue to make the front bottles so that they would be shiny. I stamped Yum onthe tag, using the old Oh, Goodie! stamp set.

My favorite detail is the cork. I was trying to find cork sheets at my local store but they didn't have any. When I got back home, I stumbled onto something I had put aside to use in my crafting: a little pocket made out of cork that i received from Anthropology when I bought a piece of jewelry at their store. The cork even has some tiny copper flecks in it - it's really pretty, and it's thin enough to be die-cut easily. I knew I'd get more use out of the material than the actual pocket, so timing was perfect. And considering how small the corks for the bottles are, the piece of cork is going to last me a lifetime!

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Oh les petites friandises ! (Oh, Goodie! - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Thick Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Grey, Smokey Slate, Black Foil Sheets (Stampin' Up!)
Designer Series Paper: Witches' Brew
Ink: Basic Grey (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Laboratory Dies (Tim Holtz for Sizzix); Cork (Anthropologie);
Takeout Dies (Stampin' Up!); Glitter Gloss Aqua Shimmer Brush (Nuvo)

 

Twinkling Christmas Lights

Inspiration: SUO Challenge #209 (Holiday Catalogue) + Clean & Simple Sketch #93 + ColourQ #266

I wanted to use the Making Christmas Bright stamp set and pick something colorful, so I went looking at old ColourQ challenges for inspiration. Combo #266 caught my attention, and I picked current colors to recreate a similar look, pairing Shaded Spruce, Poppy Parade, Granny Apple Green and Mango Melody. The result is unexpected and a little bit retro, which goes with the big bulb Christmas lights perfectly.

The design is quite simple: I stamped the strings in Shaded Spruce, stamped the Christmas bulbs in all four colour on a strip of white cardstock and punched the lights out with the matching punch. Using a strip of cardstock will make your life easier when punching, and you will have less waste - the punch has two pieces on it, since you can make the top a different colour. While this is a cool feature, it can also produce a lot of little pieces if you're cutting through a regular cardstock sheet. The cardstock strip solves that problem.

I added the curly strings of lights in Granny Apple Green ink to fill the rest of the space. Then, I started gluing the top row of lights and used the Craft Whisper White ink to stamp the light glow at the bottom of each bulb. I make sure to do that before gluing the bottom row or lights, which would have been in the way of the stamping. I added the glow at the bottom of those as well.

The sentiment was stamped in Pumpkin Pie ink. It's not part of the colour combo, but it pairs really nicely with the Mango Melody cardstock as it is just a shade darker. It made the sentiment easier to read than if I had used tone-on-tone ink. The last embellishments was the part where I flip-flopped for a while. I didn't think I had current buttons to fill in the space, so I went looking through my current dies to see what could work. When I spotted the retro-looking stars in the Santa's Signpost Framelits set, I thought it could fit the card well. I wasn't sure what to cut the stars out of, but finally opted for Dazzling Diamonds glimmer paper. I was still unsure, so I looked at embellishments, I spotted the tinted faceted buttons, and all three colors were going with my color scheme really nicely, so I started going back and forth between ideas. I finally tried topping the little stars with Glitter Enamel Dots and when I did, it made the whole card feel more complete, so I stuck with this idea and I'm happy with the final result. The Dazzling Diamonds glimmer paper also ties in with the white glow around the lights, so it works.

 

 

 

    

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Illuminez les Fêtes (Making Christmas Bright)
Cardstock: Poppy Parade, Mango Melody, Granny Apple Green, Shaded Spruce, Whisper White,
Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper
Ink: Poppy Parade, Mango Melody, Granny Apple Green, Shaded Spruce,
Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Accessories: Christmas Bulb Builder Punch, Glitter Enamel Dots, White Medium Envelope

 

Thanks a Bushel

inspiration: Clean & Simple #92  + Inspired By #41 + Lawn Fawnatics #38

When I work on a scrapbook page, I will often use the same supplies afterwards to work on a card. It's a great way to use paper scraps and take advantage of already having a bunch of matching supplies out. This time, it's unclear whether I got the idea for the page or the card first. When I saw the latest Clean & Simple sketch, I immediately thought of using the Reverse Stitched Scallop Circle Windows dies from Lawn Fawn to capitalize on the sketch. So I went looking for stamps to put in the middle, spotted Thanks a Bushel, which was perfect, and I went looking for papers to match. I remembered I had put aside the Orchard Harvest DSP to use on a fall project and when I pulled the papers out, the apple pattern caught my eye and made me think of our recent outing at the apple orchard. That's when my creativity veered and I decided to print out pictures and make THIS page. That being said, while working on the page, I knew I wanted to revisit my original idea for a card, so I actually ended up coloring two sets of images at once so that I would have some for my page and some for my card. This creative process was different as I usually make the page first and then, work on a card afterwards.

I like how this one turned out. I'm unsure about the sentiment strip - I feel like there's something missing but I tried a few embellishments and failed, so I decided to let it be. I love the plaid strip with the scalloped border and the reverse window showing the green wood pattern. And the best part was the cool medallion I was left with, that I used to embellish my matching envelope.

 

 

  

 

Supplies
Stamps: Tous mes remerciements (Thank You Kindly); Thanks a Bushel (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Raspberry Ripple, More Mustard, Island Indigo, Very Vanilla
Designer Series Paper: Orchard Harvest
Ink: Early Espresso, VersaMark (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Envelope Punch Board, Early Espresso Stampin' Emboss Powder (Stampin' Up!);
Pencils (Prismacolor); Buttons (Autumn Leaves); Lacy Borders Dies, Thanks a Bushel Dies,
Reverse Stitched Scalloped Circle Windows Dies (Lawn Fawn)

 

Pumpkin Patch

Inspiration: Hand Stamped Sentiments #300 + MFT Sketch #406 + Sunday Stamps #189

I fell in love with the colour scheme from the Sunday Stamps challenge the second I saw it so it was the first challenge I picked when I sat down to stamp. I paired it with the Fall Friends stamp set from MFT (Birdie Brown sets are always my favorites, it seems). MFT had an interesting sketch this week, so I decided to use stamped cardstock squares to create a a background, and I used the Stitched Shapes Framelits to do so. I picked the square size I could repeat six times and once the squares were die-cut, I then figured out which card base size it would fit on - I ended up with a 3-3/4" x 5-1/2" card, which is just a little narrower than the usual A4 card.

For the sentiment, I picked "I Miss You" simply because it was on my list of sentiments missing in my card stash. I found this sentiment in the Hand Delivered hostess stamp set (2018-2019 Stampin' Up! annual catalogue). Since it was small, I embossd it on a scrap of cardstock and die-cut it with a Stitched Oval die to make it stand out more and balance out the card. I added two red pearls from Little Things from Lucy's Cards - I'm loving those pearls. They are red, but they have an opalescent finish that make the color adapt to what's around on the project. Here, the pearl color picks up the gold and orange shades, working really well with the overall design. (If you pick ornaments that have iridescent or opalescent finish, they are usually easier to match with various colours, as opposed to matte finishes, which will more visibly clash if the color are not the same. Just a tip to get more use of what you buy.)

 

 

 

 

    

 

Supplies
Stamps: Fall Friends (My Favorite Things); En main propre (Hand Delivered - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Thick Whisper White, Morning Marigold, Peach Passion, Soft Sky,
Poppy Parade, Tango Tangerine (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); VersaMark, Morning Marigold, Peach Passion, Soft Sky,
Poppy Parade, Tango Tangerine (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!);
Markers (Copic); A2 Blonde Metallic Envelope (envelopes.com);
Fall Friends Die-namics (MFT); pearls Glossy Berry Mix (Little Things from Lucy's Cards);
Stitched Oval Stackables Dies (Lawn Fawn); Rose Gold Embossing Powder (Simon Says Stamp)

 

Biting into an Apple

Inspiration: Lawn Fawnatics #38 (Awesome Autumn) + Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Anything But a Card) + Lasting Memory Layout Challenge #415 (Harvest)

This was a fun layout to make. I found some old papers from Stampin' Up! with apples on them and it sparked the idea to print the pictures taken when we went apple-picking this past Septermber. I somehow managed to wind up with pictures of everyone biting into an apple - even the baby (who was really just sucking on it for the juice)! It was also a good occasion to pull out the Thanks a Bushel stamps to embellish the page with. The images were colored with Prismacolor pencils.

For the title, I pulled out the Suite Sentiments stamp set, which has the word "bite" in it, that I was planning to use as part of my title. I wanted the title to be "Je croque une pomme" in reference to an old song (click the link to hear it on YouTube if you are curious) from my favorite childhood TV show. Then, I hesitated because the whole sentiment from the set could have worked very nicely (something like "Bite into life fully") but in the end, sentimenality won and I stuck with my first idea.I even ended up handwriting the lyrics of the song around the page at the last minute, for a different taken on journaling.

For the last word of the title, I used the Alphanumeric Cutout Lower Thinlits from Tim Holtz by Sizzix. I went back and forth so many times before buying that alphabet. It grabbed my attention a few times online when the upcoming release items were shown. I liked the whimsical look but while the letters with no cutouts are very trendy right now, I was wondering if I would get over this look quickly. Then my local store got it in and I kept looking at it - and putting it back on the shelf. The 25% rebate on my birthday finally did me in, and the fact that this is a very affordable alphabet to begin with. Organizing the letters on a magnetic sheet was a drag at first since there are so many letters, but now that it's done, I think I'm going to appreciate having mutiple of each letters so that I don't have to Big Shot over and over. (Here, 2 Ms in just one pass!) There's also 7 e's in there, which is perfect for French as E is our most used letter. The letters are also a big smaller than I initially thought, which is another plus, as they are easier to fit on various projects. I'm happy with my purchase so far.

 

 

Sketch: July 2018 Page Maps

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Thanks a Bushel (Lawn Fawn); Label Love French (Altenew);
Une Date (Date It), Mots coordonnés (Suite Sentiments - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Raspberry Ripple, Lucky Limeade (Stampin' Up!)
Designer Series Paper: Orchard Harvest
Ink: Island Indigo, Early Espresso, More Mustard, Raspberry Ripple, Tea Dye (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Thanks a Bushel Dies, Double Slider Surprise Dies, Twine (Lawn Fawn);
Alphanumeric Cutout Lower Dies (Tim Holtz for Sizzix); Pencils (Prismacolor);
Modern Tag Topper Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponge Daubers (Stampin' Up!);
Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Lace Border Punch (Martha Stewart);
Eyelet (American Crafts); Gems (Little Things from Lucy's Cards)

 

Christmas Hipster

Inspiration: Try Stampin' on Tuesday #381 + ColourQ #225

Aren't those new Tim Holtz by Sizzix dies awesome? I really love the hipster look to them, with the glasses and monocle. I wasn't sure which character to begin with and in the end, I looked at colour combos for inspiration, and I picked a combo that had coral and brown in it, which led me towards the reindeer. I worked in a couple of other new items in the design as well: the Shifter Mint stencil and the Winter Snowflakes 3D embossing folder (which is the best snowflake embossing folder I've seen so far).

I ran my Antique Bronze Distress crayon over the snowflakes' raised surface to highlight them a bit and I love the soft shimmer it gave them. I will say, I kept being drawn to the Distress crayons when they came out, but I was doubtful I would really use them since I don't do a whole lot of mixed medias. I ended up getting two free crayons with an online order, so I had the chance to play with them. The colors were randomly picked for me and I ended up with teal and pumpkin orange, two colors I love, but despite playing with them and having fun, I still was not sure this was something useful. It was only a year later when I saw some black crayon being used on an embossed piece of silver cardstock to highlight the raised surface that I figured that maybe neutral colors would be more useful. So on my next trip to the store, I grabbed Black Soot and Antiqued Bronze , and those colors were a game changer for me with that product. I have not put them away since buying them - they sit on my desk next to my scissors and adhesives and I've used them quite a few times to distress elements. What I love most is how easily the crayon can be smudged. This is perfect for smaller areas where applying ink would be too dark or too difficult to reach. You simply use your fingers and smudge away. Here, I added detailing to the scarf with the same crayon as well.

Isn't that striped stencil just delightful? I think the fact that you get the thin and large lines , and can easily alternate the colours makes a huge difference on the end result. I see myself using this one a ton, and not only for Christmas. For the sentiment, I wanted to make a small tag like on the sketch and I lucked out: while looking for something else, I spotted the small stitched tab in the Stitched Labels Framelits set. I had already matted my deer with a stitched square (my initial plan was to add the deer directly to the striped cardstock), so the stitched tab looks like the continuity of it. I also found the perfectly-sized sentiment, which reads "Merry Christmas to you and yours" from the Tags & Tidings stamp set (Stampin' Up!'s 2018 Holidays Catalogue).

For the borders, I dusted off the Adorning Accents Edgelits and matching embossing folders. Festive Farm cotton twine was tied around the striped cardstock and two deep red pearls were added to the vellum square. I'm loving how this untraditional Christmas card turned out.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Étiquettes des Fêtes (Tags & Tidings - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Calypso Coral, Cherry Cobbler
Ink: Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Cool Yule Thinlits, Winter Snowflakes 3D Embossing Folder (Sizzix);
Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stitched Labels Framelits, Stitched Shapes Framelits,
Adorning Accents Edgelits and Embossing Folders (Stampin' Up!); Shifter Mint
Stencil (Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous); Stitched Rectangles Stackables (Lawn Fawn)

 

Sending You a Bouquet of Wishes

Inspiration: Create with Connie and Mary Monday Inspiration #40

I loved the inspiration piece provided by Connie and Mary this week. The clean design and white images on the pop of colour was really inspiring. Instead of splitting a long image over the three panels, though, I picked smaller images from the Various Vases stamp set and embossed them in white powder on matching colored panels. I alternated the positioning of the vases between both edges, and I added a sentiment to the middle panel. On a whim, I also added the scalloped border to all three panels in VersaMark. I initially planned on adding white powder on those as well (hence the VersaMark use) but then I liked the tone on tone look and decided to forgo the powder. I might have gotten a clearer border on the Crushed Curry panel had I used the matching Classic ink. but it was not worth redoing the whole panel, as the VersaMark still shows, just paler.

This is a fun design that shows how you can make something pretty using just one ink pad, one stamp set, a jar of embossing powder and a few colors of cardstock, You rarely see something done with so very few supplies from me!

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Vases divers (Various Vases)
Cardstock: Crushed Curry, Gorgeous Grape, Bermuda Bay, Thick Whisper White
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: White Stampin' Emboss Powder, White Medium Envelope

 

A Moose With Attitude

Inspiration: Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Let's Get Ready for Christmas) + MFT Sketch #405 + Little Red Wagon #466 (Use a Stencil)

There was no doubt in my mind I was going to purchase the Merry Moose dies after seeing the Tim Holtz Sizzix Christmas release video. Not only is it perfect for Canadian Christmas cards, but this is the cutest moose die I've ever seen. There is just something about his puffed out chest and his knobby little legs that scream confidence and attitude! I liked the angled card sketch from MFT to go with it, and I wanted papers that had a homey, woodland feel so I pulled out the Festive Farm Design Series Paper from Stampin' Up! (2018 Holidays Catalogue), which were perfect to pair with the dies. The long tall tree comes from the same set. There's a separate die that cut the pieces you need to either add foliage to the tree or in this case, I turned the pieces into snow instead. I used the Snowcap stencil from Tim Holtz (also newly released this year) to add snow on the ground.

The sentiment was also die-cut. I used Core'dinations cardstock for almost all of my pieces, which allowed me to grunge it up a bit and add texture with the distressing. I moved the strip from the sketch to the top of the card, and instead of a big embellishment (which I didn't have room for with the large sentiment), I added three iridescent stars around the strip instead. I made a matching envelope out of the same patterned paper and Core'dinations cardstock. This card took surprisingly long considering the ideas kept coming and I didn't really try out various ideas, like I sometimes do. There's quite a few little details to die-cut to embellish the moose, so this can be deceiptively long to put together. I did back every single piece of cardstock I die-cut with Big Shot adhesive sheets, which allowed me to stick the minuscule pieces quickly without having to fidget with glue. Adding the sheets took a bit of time, but less than adding glue would have taken, I'm sure.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Neutrals and Cherry Cobbler Core'dinations (Stampin' Up!)
Designer Series Paper: Festive Farm
Dies: Stitched Oval Stackables, Dotted Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn);
Merry Moose (Tim Holtz for Sizzix); Meilleurs Voeux Dies (Dee's Distinctively)
Accessories: Crystal Stars (Buttons Galore & More); Antique Bronze Distress Crayon (Ranger);
Texture Paste, Envelope Punch Board, Big Shot Adhesive Sheets (Stampin' Up!);
Snowcap Stencil (Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous)

 

Hello Dear

Inspiration: Create with Connie and Mary #530 + Inspired by #40

The colors and patterns were inspired by the Inspired By picture. I liked the neutrals hues with a touch of light blue, and the large letters, as well as the wood textures. It inspired me to pull out the Large Letters Framelits, which became the starting point of this card. Because most French words are long, "Allo" (hello) seemed like a good short option, and the Create with Connie and Mary sketch had a great large main panel that was perfect for my letter. I knew I wanted to use the Tree Rings background stamp and the Pinewood Planks 3D embossing folder. The Buffalo Plaid background stamp was an afterthought - the card base seemed a ltitle bare and I thought the Buffalo plaid would work with the warm, cozy cabin feel. I didn't want to use Classic ink as I thought it would be too dark, so I used VersaMark and clear embossing powder instead. I'm happy with the soft result (and the little bit of shine).

Because the card still seemed a little bare with just the letters, I found "dear" in the Stitched All Around stamp set and I added it on a slim piece of cardstock, topped with a galvanised button trimmed with Vanilla cotton twine (both from the Holidays catalogue). I also added four silver pearls in each corner of the embossed cardstock. By the way, I used a dauber and Basic Grey ink to hilghight the embossed patterns of the wood. This step totally changed the look of the card and gave it better dimension.

 

 

 

 

   

Colour Combo: Smoky Slate + Basic Grey + Balmy Blue + Very Vanilla

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Buffalo Plaid, Tree Rings. Cousu avec soin (Stitched All Around)
Cardstock: Smoky Slate, Very Vanilla, Balmy Blue, Basic Grey
Ink: VersaMark, Basic Grey, Balmy Blue
Accessories: Large Letters Framelits, Galvanized Buttons, Festive Farm Cotton Twine,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Metallic Pearls, Sponge Daubers, Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder,
Very Vanilla Medium Envelope

 

Christmas Snow Drifts

Inspiration: Clean & Simple #91 + Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Let's Get Ready for Christmas) + Color Throwdown #513

This card was inspired by the Nutty or Nice? stamp set from Lawn Fawn that was exclusively released from Simon Says Stamp during Stamptember. It took a while before I received my order, and this is the first card I made using the new set. The idea evolved from the sketch - I transformed the scallop border in a branch to divide the two card sections and instead of the flower, I added the squirrel running on the branch. I hung the ornaments from the branch, and I decided to use the Jack Frost stencil from Echo Park to add snow snow drifts at the top, using Lawn Fawn's white textured embossing powder. While I love how the stencil pattern looks embossed with the textured powder, I'm not sure if the pattern adds to the card design or detracts from it. Either way, while there's nothing wrong with this card per se, it's just not my favorite I've ever made.

The tag was something that was lying on my desk and that was the right shade of green to be added to my card. A piece of Lemon Lime Twist ribbon was added to it to match the color combo. Gems and pearls were used to embellish the ornaments, and I also added clear gems in the sky between snow drifts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Nutty or Nice? (Lawn Fawn); Étiquettes des Fêtes (Tags & Tidings - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Thick Whisper White, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Perfectly Plaid Chill, Perfectly Plaid Christmas, Knock on Wood, Really Rainbow Christmas (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); VersaMark, Call Me Clover (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: White Textured Embossing Powder, Nutty or Nice? dies,
Dotted Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn); Markers (Copic);
Pearl Basic Jewels, Lemon Lime Twist Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Christmas Tags Thinlits (Stampin' Up!);
Jack Frost Stencil (Echo Park); Gems, Pearls - Glossy Berry Mix (Little Things by Lucy's Cards)

 

Jack-o-Lantern Tote

Inspiration: Lawn Fawnatics #38 + The Paper Players #412 (Patterned Paper + Pumpkin + Orange)

This project started innocently enough. My local store offers a 25% rebate if you shop on your birthday, so I managed to score some awesome new items for myself. (And my mom was with me, so she offered to pay for part of the haul as a gift, so thanks, Mom!) Part of that birthday haul was the Tote Bag die from Lawn Fawn. My store always has extra cute samples made with it and I was yearning to get it, even though I don't really need another bag die. (The size is pretty great, though, and the fact that it's open at the top, unlike boxes, present additional opportunities for packaging gifts of all sizes.) I had some loyalty cards from the store ready to exchange as well, so the bag came home with me.

Tonight, I was a little tired, but also curious to give the die a try and see how it looked assembled. I was not planning on making a whole ornated project, but I figured I'd pick some pretty Halloween papers and quickly assemble the bag. I picked some of the Happy Haunting Designer Series Paper, which I have used for some takeout Halloween boxes earlier this year, so I stayed with the same papers to coordinate. I picked the jack-o-lantern pattern and as I was assembling the bag, the wheels started turning.

Initially. I thought I'd only hang a tag made with the Fall Tiny Tags pumpkin and call it a day, but as I was looking through my dies for it, I also spotted the Spooky Fence Border and started thinking the Pick of the Patch pumpkins and the spooky fence die-cut out black glitter paper could look pretty cool. That's when I started fighting the fact that I was tired and kept going on "just one more thing before I stop for the night." Well, inspiration kept coming and the project was turning out really cool, so I kept going and ended up finishing it!

Another detail I really like is the moon. Another item from my birthday haul is Baked Texture embossing powders from Emerald Creed. I never looked twice at the powders in the store, but they had some embossed samples on the counter which grabbed my attention as I was waiting to pay. This is one of those things that doesn't look like much in the container, but is a whole other story on a project. The Vintage Beeswax on ivory tags looked beautiful, so I decided to grab a few for myself. Here, because the patterned paper had some Very Vanilla patterns on it, the Vintage Beeswax was a perfect complement, and the fact that the powder has flecks of other colours in it gave the moon a perfect shine and texture. To make my life simple, I covered a scrap of Very Vanilla cardstock with VersaMark, pourred powder on it and embossed it (heating from underneath the cardstock since the embossing powder is a little coarse and to avoid having it fly everywhere), and then after letting the powder cool a few seconds, I punched the piece out with a 1-1/4" circle punch. This way, I avoided not having anywhere to hold the circle without leaving a mark with tweezers.

And those little stars? Scraps found on my desk! I made a scrapbook page where I used the Star Confetti Border punch on a photo mat, and on a whim, I kept the black stars thinking I might glue them somewhere... Don't they complete the bag nicely? By the way, you would find stars the same size in the Say What? Gift Tags dies, as the set includes tiny stars you can use a shaker pieces in the tag.

I had stamped and colored a few images from the set and using them all on the front of the bag would have been a little crowded, so I used the other pieces on the back instead, and added a little banner with "Happy Halloween" stamped in French on it. I'm definitely happy with the Tote Bag die - a nice size and easy to embellish!

FYI, if you like the look of the pumpkins, they were colored with Copic markers and I used Y38 + YR15 + YR 18 on the tall pumpkin. The white pumpkin was simply shaded with W2 + W4. I really like how they both turned out.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Pick of the Patch (Lawn Fawn); Mystérieux félin (Spooky Cat - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Black Glimmer Paper (Stampin' Up!)
Designer Series Paper: Happy Haunting (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Accessories: Cute Cobweb Dies, Pick of the Patch Dies, Spooky Fence Border (Lawn Fawn);
Vintage Beeswax Baked Texture Embossing Powder (Emerald Creed); Markers (Copic);
Mini-Stampin' Dimensionals, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Star Confetti Border Punch (Stampin' Up!);
Glitter Gloss Aqua Shimmer Brush (Nuvo); Sentiments Die (Waffle Flower)