Christmas in July--Joy of Sets Style!

It is Christmas in July over here! Stampin’ Up! is adjusting their catalogue release dates which means that the new Holiday Catalogue Demonstrator pre-order period began July 1st! Just in time for me to create some fun cards for this Joy of Sets Blog Hop!

I had so much fun designing and creating these cards once I got into the Christmas mindset!

I used a new stamp set called Tag Buffet. It is actually the complimentary stamp set to create the Tag Buffet project kit. I thought it was a unique set to use for this blog theme.

To create this first card I started with a new Designer Series Paper called ‘Tis the Season. It is a 6x6 medley that features the colors Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Real Red and Shaded Spruce. I decided to add our new In Color, Just Jade into the mix as it looks SO GOOD with Shaded Spruce.

All of the elements on the 3 cards I designed were cut by hand, yes OLD SCHOOL, as there are no dies or punches that coordinate with this stamp set. I also used our Stampin’ Blends in Just Jade and Cherry Cobbler to color the stocking and ornament.

In the card above I stamped the sentiment in Cherry Cobbler and then flicked my marker over top to take away the white. I added a small strip of Shaded Spruce card stock that had been run through the Tasteful Textile 3D folder. And the gems I used on all 3 of the cards are, surprise, Blue Adhesive Backed Gems! There are two tones in this embellishment and one had a green feeling to me so I decided to add them in!

To create the second card I used Just Jade as the base and added a panel of Shaded Spruce card stock with some coordinating DSP from the ‘Tis the Season medley. I stamped some of the sprigs behind and used my water painter in the Just Jade ink to add a spray of color. I stamped two ‘leaves’ on Just Jade paper and used one of the blends to give them a bit more detail before cutting them out. The sentiment is also a part of the stamp set and is stamped in Cherry Cobbler with a spray of Just Jade ink. And once again I added in some of those Blue Adhesive Backed Gems.

The 3rd and final card in this cute little trio features a plaid DSP option from the ‘Tis the Season medley. I flicked a water painted across the Shaded Spruce card base and stamped a couple of leaves in the same ink color. I thought the little ornament was so cute and I decided to cut apart one of the larger phrases in the stamp set to be the greeting on the card.

I hope you love this trio of Christmas Cards, I am thrilled with how they turned out and can’t wait to offer them as a class when it gets a little closer to holiday season!

The next stop on our Christmas in July blog hop is with Libby Fens! I know you will love her creations and I hope our hop inspires you with projects and ideas!

Rainbow Baby Shower Invites

It was my absolute pleasure and joy to create these custom baby shower invites for a dear friend. A baby after a loss is lovingly known as a ‘rainbow baby’ and that is what is being celebrated here. I have my own rainbow baby so designing and creating these invites were especially meaningful for me.

Even though these invites feature a retired product I still wanted to share them as I did use a new stamp set called ‘So Inviting’. It a must have set for someone who likes to entertain and host events. I love to create handmade invites!

The rainbow colors match some party supplies and are Real Red, Flirty Flamingo, So Saffron, Mint Macaron, Seaside Spray and Pacific Point. I think they are soft and perfect for a baby shower invite.

I created the cloud by smearing Shimmery White embossing paste on strips of Whisper White card stock. I kept it full of texture so when I cut it out into the cloud it had had the appearance of looking fluffy!

I hope everyone who receives one of these whimsical and delightful invites knows how much love went into them and how much they mean to the mom. Especially during these times when gatherings have to be limited, they are extra special and it was a blessing to create them!

Around the World on Wednesday--Case the Designer!

For our Around the World on Wednesday blog hop we are casing another designer from the hop and I am lucky enough to CASE Annette Ball from Stampin’ With the Bees. I thought this was such a fun and unique idea!

This is a card that Annette created in June and as soon as I saw it, I thought it would be fun to CASE featuring the Forever Fern bundle in the new Catalogue. I loved the circle cut out from the front of the card that allows for the peek-a-boo look into the inside.

I have included a link so you can go directly to Annette’s Blog to check out her original post!

This is my take on Annette’s card—I added another panel to the front as it is easy to cut two circles out at once on our die cutting machine. I popped the front layer up on Dimensionals.

The Forever Fern bundle (pg 110) includes 14 dies in the set. I used the largest fern die on some Silver Foil Paper. I stamped out two of the smaller ferns in Blushing Bride ink on the same color card stock and die cut those. The fern image on the inside, which you get to see through the peek-a-boo window, is stamped in Old Olive. The sentiment is from Lovely You bundle (pg 22) and is stamped in Smoky Slate. I used the Lovely Labels Pick a Punch with my paper cut to 1 inch, which is the largest width you can use on this versatile punch. The ribbon is from the Ornate Garden Ribbon Combo Pack. Some Rhinestone Basic Jewels just added a bit of sparkle.

Please visit Tricia Butts next to see who she is CASEing and her fabulous project! Thanks for hoping along with us and please feel free to leave a comment!

Red, White and Blue with Connie and Mary!

This weeks challenge is a Red, White and Blue theme as it is July 4th in the United States! Happy Independance Day to all of my crafty American friends! I used this color scheme to create a masculine birthday card with one of my favourite sets in the new catalogue—Pallet Thoughts on page 137. It was in my very first order that I placed in June. In the stamp set there is a phrase, “Hello Handsome”, and I wanted to incorporate that into my card.

I stamped the Buffalo Check stamp in Real Red on Whisper White card stock. It reminded me of a picnic blanket. I stamped ‘handsome’ in Night of Navy and added some ‘screws’ to sides in Smoky Slate. This is also a fun little stamp in the set. I decided to emphasize the word Hello by using the Playful Alphabet Dies and the Foam Adhesive sheets. I cut the letters from Night of Navy Card Stock which is also the card base.

The card front is covered in a piece of DSP from the In Good Taste paper collection and then I added the Buffalo Check piece at an angle and cut off the excess. I used a retired circle punch to snip out a half circle at the top on each side so that I could tie some ribbon from the Playing With Patterns ribbon along the card.

This card is what I would call #simplestamping and the template of the card is unique without being too complicated! I hope you like it!

I can’t wait to see what amazing projects are showcased throughout this blog hop! You can go BACK to visit Melissa or you can go forward to visit Connie! Make sure to hop the whole way through!

#daydrinking...card style!

Adulting is hard, especially in these interesting times! So sometimes a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do and enjoy a day time beverage! You can also make a cute card like this while consuming your beverage!

I used the new Nothings Better Than stamp set which is Connie Stewart’s 1,000,000 achiever stamp set. Did you know that? When you sell 1,000,000 CSV you get to help design your own stamp set! It is such a cool thing. And I think if Connie and I lived in the same city we would definitely be friends as I also love Cookies, Chocolate, Coffee and Cocktails!

I created this card based around the color palette of the Playing with Patterns DSP. I absolutely LOVE the colors in this collection. The base of my card is Coastal Cabana with a layer of Smoky Slate and a strip of the DSP tucked along the side that ties in all of the colors used to embellish the card.

I cut a star out from the Stitched Stars dies in Misty Moonlight to create a fun layer. The sentiment is stamped in Highland Heather ink of coordinating card stock. The shape is from the Stitched Rectangles dies (a craft room must have!). Cocktails is cut using the “I love You More Than” dies from Gorgeous Grape card stock.

I added in two of the ribbons from the Playing with Patterns Ribbon Combo between the star and rectangle layers. I coloured the cocktail glass with my blends and added Wink of Stella over top of the blue drink. A few of the Playing with Patterns Resin dots and this card is complete!

I loved this card so much that I created a whole bunch for a swap I am participating in with my team. I hope they love them as much as I do!