more color mondays meets christmas mix and match

more color mondays meets christmas mix and match

Today’s More Color Monday color challenge cards could not get any easier to make with the new Mix and Match series from Stampin’ Up!’s new creativity stepped approach. Starting with this current Annual catalog, the powers that be at Stampin’ Up! devised a creativity system that is stepped and perfect for EVERY TYPE of crafter! Want a very quick and easy option – we got you covered, Want a little but more stepped up – we got that too! WANT IT ALL and want to step it up all the way – WE DEFINITELY GOT THAT!!!
(Speaking of wanting it all – if you are in that category do not miss the current JOIN special – OUR Stampin’ Up! Starter kit is still only $99 but instead of $125 worth of great merchandise of your choice you get to choose $155 worth of merchandise! Have you had your eye on a Stampin’ Cut and Emboss machine you can put that on your order! – BUT ONLY until the special runs out on October 31st!)

Here are the images from the current mini catalog of the
1) Gold Dipped Mix and Match Cards and Envelopes. #164108. $12
2) Tags for the Season Mix and Match Ephemera Pack. #164111 $9.50
3) Joyful Images Mix and Match Ephemera Pack. #164110. $9.50
4) Joyful Sayings Mix and Match Ephemera Pack #164109. $9.50

My first color challenge sample is a tag which comes from the Tags for the Season Ephemera pack and combines a sentiment from the Joyful Sayings pack and a pinecone image from the Joyful images pack. I added a little Red and white Baker’s twine and easy peasy!
My second sample is also a tag from the Tags for the Season Ephemera pack and I just added a saying from the joyful Sayings pack and some of the same Baker’s Twine – even simpler!
The next sample is a card made with the Gold Dipped Cards and Envelopes Pack which takes your cards to a whole new level!
I positioned the Gold Dipped card in the horizontal alignment and added a large sentiment from the Joyful Sayings, and a sprig of holly and greens along with a Garden Green strip and an image of gift boxes in hues of Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green and Night of Navy and Gold to tie it all together!
These packs are loaded with sayings and images so using multiple images to build the scene is easy and fun.
I loved this Night of Navy scripted saying “Wishing you a Christmas FULL OF Peace & Wonder” so it became the focal point on my Night of Navy Gold Dipped card and Envelope, after adding a row of evergreens and a blue bow and a Garden Green and Cherry Cobbler ornament on the side!
I added a reindeer image and a pretty single gold-foiled tree along with a pinecone and pine sprig adorned “Christmas Wishes” Gold-folied sentiment to a Garden Green card!
I added a poinsetta image as well as a holly and stocking full of goodies to a Cherry Cobbler card in the portrait position. I also popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals the Merry Christmas banner in the center!
On a Garden Green Portrait card, I added the drum image, a green striped candy cane and Green “Wishing you a wonderful Christmas Season” sentiment popped up in the center.
I love the snow globe effect of the house in snow image with the gold foiled circle enclosing the die cut – I added a lovely blue ribbon and a pinecone along with a blue banner of pool party to compliment the darer blue with the sentiment wonder and a gold striped banner below!
The gold die cut sentiments are striking on the card themselves but adding die cut images of holly, ribbon and a pine wreath set off the words and make an elegant and easy card!
My next card on a Garden Green Gold dipped background uses the Happy Christmas sentiment strip, a bow and three individual ornaments. i popped up the ornaments and drew a black line with a Stampin’ Write marker to the pine boughs adhered above!
My last sample places the Color dipped Gold card to the top of the portrait position and added a blue “Thinking of you this Christmas” sentiment popped up in the center of the card with a star, snowflake and skates as the complimenting images to finish off these lovely and super easy Christmas cards!
Check out these super fun and easy to use Christmas images for your fast and elegant cards with Christmas we are less than 60 days from Christmas now and these are a great way to make lots of great cards!

Current Hostess code until the end of the month is ST2ECEUQ.

Now go get started on creating your great Christmas cards – one stamp at a time or maybe using these great die cuts and no stamping!!

Happy Creating!
Natalie

peaceful seasons card – new mini catalog goes live

peaceful seasons card – new mini catalog goes live

Happy New Mini Catalog day! Hope you all got your personal copy in the mail – I will have extra copies with me at my upcoming library classes coming this Monday 9/9 at the Margaret M Schontz Memorial Library in Conneaut Lake from 1-3pm or at the Greenville Area library on 9/17 NOTE the new time I moved the class earlier to accomodate people that do not want to drive home in the dark when we have the time change this Fall so the class will be 3 hours in length and you can come early or whenever you can get there if you work 4:30 – 7:30pm that way everyone will be able to come when they can! I will also be hostessing a September to December Mini Catalog Open House on Friday, September 13th from 12:30pm to 3:30 pm with lots of new samples and mini catalog products available to see. There will be FREE make-n-takes and prizes for all those that RSVP and extra prize drawing entries for those that attend and bring a friend that is new to me!

Today’s card truely shows that the creative process is not always straightforward and linear – LOL – I had an idea in mind for this card and it developed into something more as the card progressed!

Measurements:
BASE: Cherry Cobbler 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 4 1/4″
scrap for the tag medallion die and word die
Basic Beige: 4″ x 5 1/4″
scrap for word matte die
DSP: 3″ x 5/14″

I originally started with the tag medallion die being cut from the Basic Beige cardstock but changed my mind.

I embossed the Basic Beige layer with the Distressed Tile 3D embossing folder and mounted it to the Cherry Cobbler base.
I stamped e merry wor dimage from the Peaceful season stamp set in Cherry Cobbler on the Basic Beige tag medallion die.
Then I decided there was not enough contrast and the tag would be lost on the embossed layer so I will save that for another project!
I die cut another tag medallion in the Cherry Cobbler cardstock and stamped the Merry in Versamark ink and sprinkled the gold embossing powder from our metallics embossing powder collection over the wet, sticky ink.
I heat set the powder with my Heat Tool and the heat melts the embossing powder to a shiny brilliant gold embossing!
The slits on the side of the tag lend itself well to looping ribbon through and I cut about an 8 inch piece of the new Cherry Cobbler and Gold satin ribbon and folded it in half and pushed it through the lower slit and behind the tag and through the top slit. I added Stampin’ Dimensionals to the back of the tag and added it to the card front center.
I added three Gold Textured Adhesive-Backed Dots to the card front and this made a sweet simple card but I decided I wanted to add more texture and color.
First I added Ink with a small blending brush and the Cherry Cobbler ink below where the tag medallion was resting on the card front and but the tag back on the card.
I still wanted a little more so I cut a 3″ x 5 1/4″ piece of the Cherry Cobbler Seasons of Elegance Specialty DSP and lifted the tag medallion one more time and added this to the card base.
LOL I pulled up everything one more time and using my Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Blend marker I opened the brush tip marker side and taped the side of the marker on the edge of my bone folder while holding the tip about 2-3 inches above the card. Tap the bone folder on the side of the marker this will cause the marker tip to spray a fine mist of ink over the card surface. Now I am done LOL! Not always a straight line but I am happy with the outcome!
Sometimes adding just a little bit more is the answer if you are not satisfied with the original design. Do not be afraid to experiment and add a little something to your next project! Now go and create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

creativity now fun

creativity now fun

Back on June 22nd, Stampin’ Up! hosted an event open to all demonstrators called Creativity Now. One of the objectives for this event was to have fun stamping virtually with other demonstrators from around the world and to give us a sneak peak into some of the new products and sets that would be coming in the upcoming September to December 2024 mini catalog!
One of my downline, Robyn joined me to watch the virtual broadcast and create all of the projects along with all of the guest demonstrator presenters!
The sneak peak set from the upcoming mini catalog is called Wintry Tree Tops Bundle and features a gorgeous set of wintry stamps and coordinating dies.
Join me in this sneak peak look at this great new set!
It is always fun to create but doing it with a friend is even better. Robyn and I listened to the presentations and crafted together and made all of the projects!
The first project shown below used the gorgeous frame die in Basic Grey as a background over a Misty Moonlight card base and colored in the bird stamp with watercolor pencils!
One of the Bonus projects used the Nests of Winter Suite collection DSP. We fussy cut out lovely birds from the upcoming Designer Series Paper called Nests of Winter and used the frame again but this time we cut the die out of Shaded Spruce cardstock for a totally different look!
It is hard to see in the photo but the crumb cake layer is embossed with the new Birch Wood 3D embossing folder and it adds so much to the background!
The next project shown features the double bird stamp also colored with watercolor pencils, die cut and layered onto Crumb Cake cardstock layer that is adhered to a Early Espresso card base.
This scalloped gift box was decorated with a smear of Metallic Enamel Effects Basics and then we added the sprigs in a wreath arrangement and we added Iridescent Pearls as the berries.
The second bonus card used some additional Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper as the background and the Wintry Sprigs in the foreground.
The last card I have to show you used the negative die of the frame as a mask! This created a unique background – I really like the way this mask created a great background from something many would just thrown away!
Creativity Now is a fun perk of being a demonstrator! Looking for a fun community? People to craft with? I would love to have you join us on the next creative retreat! If you would like to know anything about what we do and the many ways to do this art of papercrafting whether as a customer or a new team member do not hesitate to contact me for additional information.

Now go and create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie