Simply Christmas

Here is another simple Christmas card I created.  It features Pattened Pines, a Level 1 hostess set from the Stampin' Up Holiday Mini Catalog.  I really like how this card turned out.  I really like the rustic look that a little Linen Thread adds to a card.

Supplies

Stamps:  Patterned Pines, Christmas Punch

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Old Olive

Ink:  Old Olive

Accessories:  Curly Label Punch, Eyelet Border Punch, Modern Label Punch, 1/16" handheld circle punch, Linen Thread

This next card features those cute little penguins from the Cold and Cuddly stamp set in the Holiday Mini Catalog.  I was inspired to try and stack the little guys up after seeing Jill Hilliard's card here.  As you can see, I changed the layout around a bit and gave my little friends a hat to share.

Supplies

Stamps:  Cold & Cuddly

Cardstock:  Real Red, Whisper White, Basic Black

Ink:  Basic Black Classic Ink; Real Red, Summer Sun Stampin' Write Markers

Accessories:  Big Shot, Stampin' Up Textured Impressions Folder Petals-a-Plenty, 3/16" Black Gingham Ribbon, Whisper White Button (from Button Latte Collection)

Check back again tomorrow for more Christmas inspiration!

Sue

Let It Snow... Let It Snow... Let It Snow!

Well, even if you don't like to shovel the real stuff, you have to appreciate the beauty that can easily be created with the Serene Snowflakes stamp set from Stampin' Up's Holiday Mini Catalog!  I found this card designed by Jennifer Jackson here and fell in love with her color combination and simplicity.  The only changes I made were my use of the Eyelet Border Punch instead of the Scallop Border Punch and the greeting.  This is one of the Make & Takes we made at Jody's party last week.

Supplies

Stamps:  Serene Snowflakes, A Cardinal Christmas

Cardstock:  Bashful Blue, Soft Suede, Whisper White

Ink:  Bashful Blue, Soft Suede

Accessories:  Eyelet Border Punch

The next card features Serene Snowflakes as well as the "blue & brown" color combination once again.  The original creation by Natasha Zandbergen can be viewed on her blog here.  As you can see I made just a couple of changes such as my use of linen thread instead of the silver cord and my layering of the greeting. 

Supplies

Stamps:  Serene Snowflakes, All Holidays, Christmas Punch

Cardstock:  Bordering Blue, Night of Navy, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla

Ink:  Bordering Blue, Night of Navy, Soft Suede

Accessories:  Eyelet Border Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Linen Thread, Paper Pierecer, Mat Pack, Stampin' Dimensionals, Big Shot, Perfect Details Texturz Plate

Come back tomorrow to see what else I've been working on!

Sue

Sharing More Christmas Inspiration

I want to continue sharing the Christmas cards I created based upon the ideas of some very talented ladies.  First up is a simple yet elegant card featuring the Frost White Shimmer Paint, Delightful Decorations, and the new ornament punch, all of which are still available until January 4, 2010 in the Stampin' Up Holiday Mini Catalog.  I found the original card here, created by Kim Lampone.  Her technique sounded simple and yielded an elegant result!  I applied Serene Snowflakes using a sponge dauber and frost white shimmer paint, per Kim's directions.  As you can see, with four different ornament stamps to choose from you can make four different cards.  I love how the shimmer showed up in the photograph!

Supplies

Stamps:  Serene Snowflakes, Delightful Decorations, All Holidays

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Real Red

Ink:  Real Red

Accessories:  Frost White Shimmer Paint, Sponge Dauber, Silver Cord, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots

This next card is extremely simple to make and yet looks quite elegant, thanks to Stampin' Up's Christmas Cocoa Designer Series Paper!  My inspiration came from a card created by Karin Menghini which you can view here.    I changed my card just a bit by incorporating the new ornament punch, silver cord, and the pretty organza ribbon.  Did you notice that the greeting in the ornament is not part of the stamp set Delightful Decorations?  I found that this greeting from All Holidays fits perfectly inside the ornament punch.  I felt that the simple yet elegant font of the "Peace, Love, Joy" stamp complemented the beautiful flocked paper.

                Supplies

Stamps:  All Holidays

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Christmas Cocoa Designer Series Paper

Ink:  Real Red

Accessories:  Ornament Punch, White Organza Ribbon, Silver Cord, Stampin' Dimensionals

More inspiration tomorrow!

Sue

Christmas Cards

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Now that the turkey and pumpkin pie have settled and you've enjoyed your "Black Friday" shopping, it is time to start working on those Christmas cards!   I want to share a few new cards with you over the next several days.  Hopefully you'll be as inspired by these cards as I was... while I can't take credit for these samples as they were originally created by other talented ladies, I did try to recreate their works of art.  Enjoy!

I found this first card posted here and Kari Hurst was listed as its creator.  I was so impressed with her card that I challenged myself to recreate it.  I like the rich look of the Soft Suede as well as Kari's use of the Modern Label and Eyelet Border Punches.  I used the Frost White Shimmer Paint spray to give it some shimmer, too!  To make the shimmer spray I combined some rubbing alcohol and Frost White Shimmer Paint in a small spray bottle.  I love the effect of the shimmer spray.  Dasher is a pretty handsome fellow, isn't he?!

 Supplies

Stamps:  Dasher, Serene Snowflakes, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Cardstock:  Soft Suede, Whisper White

Ink:  Soft Suede

Accessories:  Modern Label Punch, Eyelet Border Punch, Soft Suede Ribbon, Sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals, Frost White Shimmer Paint (in Shimmer Spray)

This next card is my version of a card I found here originally created by Kerin Sylvester.  (Now if you want to follow the chain of inspiration, Kerin was inspired by card she found here on Jackie Wright's blog... Jackie was inspired by Michelle Zindorf, a very talented stamper and artist whose work you can check out here.)   As you can see, I made two different versions of the card... placing the circle mask in a different spot each time to create the moon.  The technique I used involved a brayer and three shades of blue applied to a piece of Whisper White cardstock:  Bordering Blue, Not Quite Navy, Night of Navy.  I started with the lightest shade first, then applied not quite navy next, and night of navy last.  After removing the circle mask (made with a post-it note and the 1 3/4" circle punch), I stamped Santa and his sleigh from the Wandering Words stamp set across the center of the piece of cardstock.  Lastly I sprayed the piece with the shimmer spray made with the Frost White Shimmer Paint and rubbing alcohol to give it a little sparkle.

Supplies

Stamps:  Wandering Words

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Not Quite Navy

Ink:  Bordering Blue, Not Quite Navy, Night of Navy, Basic Black

Accessories:  Brayer, Shimmer Paint (spray mixture), Silver Cord, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Post-it Note

Be sure and check back tomorrow for some more "borrowed" inspiration!

Sue

A Traditional Thanksgiving Card

This handsome gobbler is dressed up in his finest for this holiday of gratitude.  My mom always talks about how hard it is to find Thanksgiving decorations, especially plates and napkins with a turkey on them.  So I made this card with her in mind.  I hope she likes it!

Supplies

Stamps:  Gifts of the Earth

Cardstock:  Creamy Caramel, Not Quite Navy, Ruby Red, Very Vanilla

Ink:  Basic Brown, Not Quite Navy, Ruby Red, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Basic Gray

Accessories:  Scallop Border Punch, Big Shot, Scallop Square Die, Perfect Details Texturz Plate

Hope you all have a blessed holiday filled with fun memories and plenty of pumpkin pie!

Sue

Turkey Time!

Here's another Thanksgiving card I made for a friend featuring the turkey from the Gifts of the Earth stamp set in the Holiday Mini Catalog. 

Supplies

Stamps:  Gifts of the Earth, Falling Leaves
Cardstock:  Creamy Caramel, Ruby Red, Not Quite Navy, Naturals Ivory
Ink:  Creamy Caramel, Ruby Red Classic Ink; (various colors for turkey)
Accessories:  Big Shot, Perfect Details Texturz Plate, Linen Thread, Mat Pack, Paper Piercing Tool, Large Oval Punch, Blender Pen

Check back tomorrow for the final Thanksgiving card that I made for my parents.  Enjoy your turkey dinner!

Sue

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is another one of the Thanksgiving cards I made for friends and relatives this year.  Check back tomorrow to view the third and final Thanksgiving card I made this year.

Supplies

Stamps:  Gifts of the Earth, Falling Leaves

Cardstock:  Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Naturals Ivory

Ink:  Basic Brown, Chocolate Chip, Bordering Blue, Dusty Durango, Pumpkin Pie, Always Artichoke, Crushed Curry, So Saffron, Ruby Red, Soft Suede, Close to Cocoa

Accessories:  Blender Pen

Sue

Here is the Thanksgiving card that I made for my aunt who lives in Florida.  Since purple is her favorite color, I used elegant eggplant as the base of the card and under the acorn circle element.  I used the plain side of the dusty durango ribbon instead of the polka dotted side as an accent.  To the left of the card is the edge of the envelope that I also stamped to match the card.  I think it turned out pretty cool!

Supplies

Stamps:  Gifts of the Earth, Falling Leaves

Cardstock:  Elegant Eggplant, Always Artichoke, Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Naturals Ivory

Ink:  Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Elegant Eggplant, Always Artichoke, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, Chocolate Chip, Real Red

Accessories:  Dusty Durango Ribbon

Sue

Happy November!

Can you believe that it is November already?!  Where has this year gone?  Before we know it we will be having turkey dinner and planning our shopping expeditions for "Black Friday" on the day after Thanksgiving.  Stampin' Up is preparing for this as well and I want to remind you to "save the date" for their upcoming Holiday Extravaganza!

Over to the right is a link to the Holiday Gift Giving Guide with lots of awesome ideas for your loved ones who appreciate homemade gifts or are crafters themselves.  And don't forget yourself... you can use the Holiday Gift Giving Guide to prepare your own wish list for Santa!

Towards the bottom of the right column are pictures and links to the new Stampin' Up projects for November.  Turkeys and pheasants and snowflakes, oh my!  Enjoy the inspiration!

Check back here often for details and to see what I've been busy creating, too!

Sue