Two Cards, One Sketch - Making Spirits Bright

My friend Holly at Rubber Redneck STAMPede is quite creative and I love checking in with her blogs to see her latest creations. This week she posted some great projects and a Sketch Challenge that piqued my interest. Inspired by Holly, this morning I stamped today for the first time in three months! My stamp office is on the main level of our house and has been waiting for me to visit. I have passed through and even stopped occasionally to oversee kids' homework projects that require table space or paper and Big Shots, but haven't sat down to stamp in quite some time.
Holly's Sketch Challenge got me stamping these two cards, one Birthday card using the December 2014 Paper Pumpkin stamp set All Shook Up, and the other a Valentine's card using the Making Spirits Bright stamp set and the Bokeh Technique.  (Unfortunately, the photos are taken with my cell phone, because my camera battery was dead and neglected like my stamp room.)

The first card is using an old standby color combination of Rose Red, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive and Daffodil Delight. For Stampin' Up! fans who have been around for awhile, these (except Daffodil Delight) are colors that have been in the family for quite some time. I love the happy-ness of these colors together, which made it easy for me to reach for a birthday sentiment. This fun one is one of the stamp in All Shook Up, the photo polymer stamp set that came in the December 2014 Paper Pumpkin. I also stamped, in VersaMark ink, the happybirthdayhappybirthday repeating block stamp from this set on the Daffodil Delight strip.

Recipe:
Stamps: All Shook Up
Cardstock: Rose Red, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Ink: VersaMark, Rose Red
Accessories: Polka Dot TIEF, Island Indigo Baker's Twine, Circle Thinlets

For the Valentine's card, I used the heartini stamp from Making Spirits Bright stamp set with a Bokeh Technique background. I love this technique! So pretty, so soft and so easy! I sponged Rose Red ink onto a piece of Shimmer cardstock. Then I punched a few different sized circles from a Window Sheet to use as a circle template for sponging the bokeh. I placed the template here and there over my Rose sponged background and sponged White Craft ink into the circles. I finished with a few tiny circles using the eraser tip of a new pencil stamped in White Craft ink. I also did this on the Pink Pirouette strip using Illuminate ink to give a little shimmer.
The heartini martini is colored with a few markers and then I covered the martini in Crystal Effects for lots of shine and some glitter on the stir stick, too. The heartini sentiment is die cut with one the Teeny Tiny Banners Thinlets. Remember when you use Crystal Effects to set the piece aside somewhere safe until it is well dried, about 30 minutes unless it's really thick layer of CE. See the NOT smoothness of my martini Crystal Effects in the close-up at the beginning of my post? That's what happens when you se your piece inside your workspace to dry and set something on it while it's still wet - so sad!
Recipe:
Stamps: Making Spirits Bright
Cardstock: Rose Red, Shimmer White, Pink Pirouette
Ink: Rose Red, Whisper White Craft, assorted markers
Accessories: Heart strip (retired) TIEF, Venetian Crochet Trim, Crystal Effects, Circle Thinlets, Dazzling Details, Sponge Daubers

Which card do you like better? The Valentine card is my favorite and I'm thinking about re-creating it, using fat, round hearts for the Bokeh background.

Birthday Calendar Rolodex - Holiday Update

These Birthday Calendar Rolodex make a great gift!  

Birthday Brights is the most popular color combination of course. This includes Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Elegant Eggplant, Wild Wasabi and Tempting Turquoise.

 Cape Cod is a more subtle color combination in Marina Mist, Night of Navy, So Saffron and Soft Suede.

Neutrals Number  is another low key color combination with Basic Black, Soft Suede and Crumb Cake with the number sheet front cover.

Icy Winter includes Pool Party, Going Gray and Basic Gray for a cool color combination.

C

Scripture Reference Rolodex is a beautiful color combination and includes dividers to organize your bible verses or inspirational quotes.










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Stampin' Up! On-Line Stampin' Extranvaganza

The Stampin' Up! On-Line Stampin' Extravaganza Sale starts Monday!
Use Hostess Code TJH3CWE3

Preview items HERE.

Stampin' Up! is having a WEEK LONG BLACK FRIDAY sale!

• SOME items ONLY available on Monday, Nov. 24
• SOME items ONLY available on Monday, Dec. 1
• EVERYTHING else available the entire 9 days, from Nov. 24 to Dec. 2.
• Everything is "while supplies last", so don't delay!

Hostess Code TJH3CWE3 

All week long there are incredible deals on the things YOU want, some up to a 50% savings!  Don't miss out!

Do you know the best way to save money on Stampin' Up! products? 

The Stampin' Up! Starter Kit will be 25% Off this week only (November 24 - December 2). Over $50 in FREE product and it ships FREE for another 10% savings.  

Contact me for details.

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Visions of Santa Moose

Who's your favorite moose? While those dancing Santa's crack me up, this moose from the Visions of Santa stamp set makes me smile. I colored this guy in the same traditional red and green using my Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive Blendabilities Markers. I stamped the string of lights around his shoulders and added some bling to them with Dazzling Details.

I used the same piece of Santa & Co DSP with the evergreen trees in this set of three layout. This Nordic Designer Button adhering the sentiment is from the Holiday Catalog as well.

For the inside I used a narrow strip of another patterned paper from the Santa & Co DSP along with a Merry Christmas sentiment.

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Visions of Santa Easel Card

Here are my dancing Santa again! I used all four of the Santa images from Visions of Santa stamp set from the Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog. How can you not smile when you see these cute guys dancing and feeling frisky in their 'jamas or with their suit sleeves and pant legs rolled up?!

I placed all four of the photopolymer stamps onto my Acrylic Block and stamped the Santa boys all at one time. Because I made several of these cards, stamping them all at once saved a great deal of time as well as making it easy to get the same placement each time. 

This card is an easel card, so when it is opened, the dancing Santa's stand up as the card front folds in half and is propped behind the sentiment on the inside of the card. This 'May visions of Santas dance in your head' sentiment is placed on Stampin' Dimensionals so that it provides a prop stop for the card front.

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Stampin' Addicts Winter Holiday Blog Hop

Welcome to the Winter Holiday Blog Hop from Stampin' Addicts where we are featuring those Winter Holiday themed products from the Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog. And there are some gorgeous new products and stamp sets so I hope you find lots of inspiration in this blog hop. I am featuring the Partridge & Pears stamp set, which is a beautifully stylized set with a tree image and two coordinating sentiments.

Partridge & Pears stamp set has this stylized version of a pear tree with the partridge (of course!) perched on one of the lower branches. I stamped this image onto Whisper White cardstock and then colored it with my Blendabilities Markers, although this image also colors very well with Blender Pens or Brush Tipped Markers as well. I added a few layers of cardstock with lots of Big Shot Embossing, including the Fancy Fan and Argyle Textured Impressions Embossing Folders. Our new Venetian Crochet Trim is so lovely and lacy. I layered the Venetian Crochet Trim over the banner and then added the Christmas wishes sentiment over this. The sentiment is punched with the Extra Large Oval Punch. The narrow mat of Old Olive underneath is punched from the Decorative Label Punch and then I snipped it across the middle to pull it a little wider to create a curvy mat for the Oval piece.

{Inside}
Recipe:
Stamps: Partridge & Pears
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Old Olive, So Saffron, Whisper White
Ink: Memento Black, Blendabilities Markers
Accessories: Argyle TIEF, Fancy Fan TIEF, Venetian Crochet Trim, Extra Large Oval Punch, Decorative Label Punch

Here is an Spinner Hanging Tag I made using the same colors and pieces as the card above. This is a great gift tag with a To/From banner added to it and then it can be added to your Christmas tree. I colored two images of the tree and partridge and then die cut these with the Circles Thinlets. I love that I can get an exact placement of the Circle Die onto the stamped image using the Thinlets Dies and with the Magnetic Platform - a stampers dream! I also die cut two large star frames using the largest and second largest stars from the Stars Thinlets.
TIP: To create a perfectly balanced frame, place both dies on the cardstock at the same time. In addition to saving a rotation through the Big Shot machine, this also helps in the placement of the inner star and gives you a very balanced frame (instead of one that is off center on one side.)
To put the hanging tag together, I adhered a long loop of Gold Baker's Twine down the center of one Circle stamped image and used Mini Glue Dots to adhere it to the bottom and top of the Star Frame. Then I used plenty of adhesive to layer the other Circle stamped image cut to the back of the front piece. Finally, I adhered the second Star Frame to the back of the front Star Frame. To finish the Gold Baker's Twine hanger, I tied several knots and slid them together at the top of the Star Frame and one final knot at the end of the Baker's Twine pieces to create the hanger.

As I colored a few tree images with this partridge, I found myself coloring it the same color each time - however, what color is a partridge really? So for this card, I used my new FAVORITE color Blackberry Bliss. I stamped the image in Basic Black ink and then Heat Embossed it with Clear Embossing Powder.  I used a Blender Pen to color this tree, including a Blackberry Bliss, bright and oh-so-richly-jewel-toned, partridge.These are definitely not traditional Christmas colors, but this is my favorite card so far using this Partridge & Pears stamp set. I used part of a sentiment from Visions of Santa stamp set for the 'Tis the season tag, on a Real Red mat with the Ticket Duo Builder Punch.

Recipe:
Stamps: Partridge & Pears, Visions of Santa
Cardstock: Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Island Indigo, Tangerine Tango, Blackberry Bliss, Real Red
Ink: Basic Black, Blackberry Bliss, Blendabilities Markers
Accessories: Clear EP, Stylish Stripes TIEF, Blackberry Bliss Satin Stitched Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Be sure to click through to all the blogs on the Stampin' Addicts Winter Holiday Blog Hop. Use the Next and Previous buttons below to see more inspiration and ideas from Stampin' Addicts members. I also listed the Blog Roll at the bottom of this post. You'll find tons of creativity and inspiration! Happy Blog Hopping!

 

Blog Hop Order:

1) Cindy (CindyE) -- Cheerful Tags and the Gift Box Punch Board
2) Twila (tjdstamosalot) -- Wonderous Wreath Bundle
3) Kim (s1itcher45) -- Curvy Keepsake Box Thinlet
4) Betty (kittystamp) -- Gift Card Envelope & Trims Thinlet -- http://www.kittystamp.blogspot.com/
5) Mary T. (nuhddad) -- Holiday Home Bundle
6) Yapha -- Mingle All the Way
7) Jennifer (jentimko) -- Newborn King
8) Tina (tina123) -- Christmas Bauble
9) Heidi (hlw966) -- Festival of Trees
10) Paula (scrapshappen) -- Bright & Beautiful
11) Debra (WebDeb) -- Ornamental Pine
12) Tanya (tanya27) -- Visions of Santa
13) Rhonda (rhondag) -- Get your Santa On
14) Mary R. ( MaryR) -- Partridge & Pears



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Washi Tape

Washi Tape! So fun to use and such a variety of items you can decorate with it! However, here is a simple card using a few strips of the Santa & Co Washi Tape from the Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog.



I don't use my Washi Tape as often as I might and whenever I do, I think I should use this more often!! The Santa & Co Washi Tape include three rolls including these two patterns and a wide roll of Olive Green pattern as well. This card is pretty simple to make with a few layers of cardstock, Big Shot Embossing and then two strips of Washi Tape, torn on both ends. I stamped the hello sentiment from Four You stamp set in Pacific Point ink and Heat Embossed it in Clear Embossing Powder. The Paper Piercing Mat helped me pierce three holes in a straight line, and evenly spaced, to add the underline of Mini Silver Brads. This is punched out with an Oval Punch and adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals for a little lift. So quick and easy!

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Visions of Santa Moose Card

This adorable moose from the Visions of Santa stamp set has been fun to play with. This card uses elements from several of the Santa & Co product suite, including the Santa & Co Washi Tape and the Santa & Co Epoxy Circles as well as the Santa & Co Designer Series Paper.

I stamped this guy in Memento Black ink and colored him in Crumb Cake and Cherry Cobbler Blendabilities markers. But my favorite little touch is the string of Christmas lights around his shoulders. This string of lights is one of the accessory images included in the Visions of Santa stamp set. After coloring these, I added a touch of Crystal Effects to the eyeglasses and dabs of Dazzling Detail to each of the light bulbs on the light string.

For the inside I used the HO HO HO stamp from the Oh Goodie! carryover stamp set with a narrow strip of paper from the Santa & Co DSP and one of the cute Santa dancing images from Vision & Co stamp set.

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Cape Cod Inspired Rolodex

Here is a recent Birthday Calendar Rolodex that I made for a Cape Cod inspired color combination in Night of Navy, Soft Suede, So Saffron, and Marina Mist. These Rolodexes are the perfect way to keep birthdays, anniversaries and other celebrations organized along with the name, address, telephone number and e-mail of the recipient. And it's so pretty that you can keep it out on your table, desk or counter top to be a constant reminder for upcoming celebrations!







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Blackberry Indigo Watercolor - Perfect Blend

What is your favorite stamp set in the current Stampin' Up! catalog? I think I've mentioned it before, but Perfect Blend is mine! This sweet little set is inexpensive, has this sketchy coffee cup image along with two great sentiment stamps and is so fun to paper piece and color.

For this card using Perfect Blend stamp set, I stamped and Heat Embossed the cups on Watercolor Paper and then flooded them with watercolor in Blackberry Bliss and Island Indigo. I used the Aquapainter with a lot of water and wet paper, lifting color from ink pressed onto a stamp case for a pallet. Then I stamped and Heat Embossed the lids onto Naturals Ivory cardstock, cut everything out and layered the pieces onto a Big Shot Embossed piece of Blushing Bride cardstock. Of course, the 'coffee & friends' sentiment was the perfect one for this card and I tied it onto the Chevron Ribbon with a piece of Early Espresso Baker's Twine.

This card was one of my swaps for a Favorite Stamp Set swap at a recent Excite & Unite Event Stampin' Up! event in Littleton recently. What a great group of ladies and a fun day talking stamps, Stampin' Up! and of course - swaps!

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