Stampin' Fancy Friday Core Colors Challenge

Being that I am totally charmed by the Banner Year Stamp Set, I combined colors to fit a non-traditional Christmas palette for the Stampin' Fancy Friday Core Colors Challenge.  From the Regals I included Shaded Spruce, Melon Mambo from the Brights, Merry Merlot from the Neutrals, and to finish the challenge I added in some Blushing Bride from the Subtles collection.

A Sketch to Try

The sketch above is one to try out that I think you'll enjoy.  It has been designed by Hand Stamped Sentiments and you too can play along and link up with us.

I grabbed two stamp sets and one pack of dies to put this spunky Christmas card together.  I used Snowman Season and Peace and Joy to stamp and main image and the greeting.  For the word "bright" I used the Joy Dies, which I have to say are the dang cutest dies.

To help set a snowy scene I included a piece of Trimming the Town Designer Series Paper which is mounted on a Misty Moonlight card base.  If you take a close look I stamped the snowman image twice.  Once in Misty Moonlight and again in Memento Black.  I colored the black stamped snowman with Magenta Madness and Seaside Spray Stampin' Blends and then fussy cut it out.  I mounted the cut snowman directly over the blue to give some dimension.  I love all the Irridecent Snowflakes and the flurry that encircles the scene.

I mentioned I used the Joy Dies to cut out the two layers of the word "bright."  The bottom layer is Magenta Madness and is embossed with Tasteful Textures.  The thinner detail layer is Basic Black Glimmer Paper.  The "and happy Christmas" is Memento Ink on Seaside Spray cardstock and the long shoestring bow is the twine from the Flowers for Every Season Combo Pack.

All Things Fabulous is Just That--Fabulous!

Of all the floral stamp sets that Stampin' Up! is currently offering my most favorite is All Things Fabulous.  It lives up to it's name and is super fabulous.  I love all the bits and pieces and how they layer, not just two step but three step layers!

I thought I would try bold colors for this card.  I pulled out Melon Mambo, Gorgeous Grape, Pumpkin Pie, and Bermuda Bay.  To really make these colors pop I backed them with Sahara Sand, a fantastic neutral tone.  To cut all the floral and leaf images I used the matching Fabulous Florals Dies. Seriously, this bundle of stamps and dies is THE BEST.

It's been fun sharing with you one of my favorite stamp sets for this blog hop.  Next up is Julie Warnick.  I'm excited to go see what she has been stampin' lately.  If you like traveling in the back ward direction then you will be visiting with Dani Dziama.

to Julie

to Dani

"TGIF291 is Thankful for You

Wow, our current inspiration challenge is so massive! We're stamping anything we want with a theme of "thanks." With there being a huge abundance of things which we are grateful, this challenge is so timely and one that all of us can use. So, #TGIF291 is anything sharing our thankful thoughts.

I paired two stamp sets for this awesome inspiration challenge, Beautiful Autumn and Darling Donkeys.  The second set is so adorably sweet and will be available in January as a Sale-a-bratiion offering.

For this card I could see in my mind this cute donkey sitting in a pile of fall leaves.  The perfect set for a both a fabulous thankful greeting and fall leaves was Beautiful Autumn.  And, for the fall feel I went with the Gilded Autumn Specialty Designer Series Paper along with Early Espresso, Mint Macaron, and Very Vanilla Cardstocks.

Christmas Gift Packaging

Hello stampers.  It's a new inspiration challenge time over at Hand Stamped Sentiments.  Pick one of the photos in the collage or combine elements from any or all of the pictures to motivate your next stampin' project.  I chose the snowy trees and the green and white colors.

With two pieces of Tis the Season 6"x 6" DSP I wrapped a Mini Paper Pumpkin Box to start a festive look for this gift packaging. 

Tis the Season 6"x6" DSP

Mini Paper Pumpkin Boxes

Then I used two Whisper White labels cut from the Celebration Labels Dies to create the combination handle-wrap carrier. With one of the dies from the Layering Circles set I cut the large hole in the handle.

Christmas Cards in a A Bright Palette

While I love the classic colors of Christmas and even more their meanings.  There are times though when I just want to break the mold and go with a bright palette of colors to create Christmas cards that bring a smile to my face.

This trio of cards are created in a palette of Granny Apple Green, Magenta Madness, Shaded Spruce, Bermuda Bay, and Poppy Parade.  The stamps I have used are all from the Peace and Joy Stamp Set and the Joy Dies that match they set. 

For this first card I used a sponge roller to add color to a Thick Whisper White card base.

Here's a top view of this card.  You can get a good look at how I carried the design work over the fold and onto the back.

While looking for some inspiration I came across an add that I cased to make this merry and bright card.  I did all my stampin' before I embossed with the Dainty Diamonds Folder.  To cut the word "merry" I pulled out my Playful Alphabet Dies and Green Foil.  I love the way the three green tones on this card clash.

For this last card I started with a hand painted background.  I used the widest of the Watercolor Brushes to dry brush stripes of ink.  My colors are Granny Apple, Bermuda Bay, Magenta Madness, and Poppy Parade.  When I painted the stripes I used a very tiny amount of water and went one direction only, from top to bottom, to get the wispy look.

Follow the pictures below for a look at how I created the peace and joy focal point.  1.  Die cut the "peace" and "joy" to make a stencil.  2.  Position the stencil on the dried painted background.  3.  Use a spackle knife to add Sparkling Shimmer Paste on the background piece.  4.  Remove the stencil and gently tap the skinny version of the "peace" and "joy" into the paste.  5.  Add a second set of Red Foil "peace" and "joy" on the white.  6.  Finish the card.

Here's a close up look at my finished card.  If you look close you will see a carefully inked up the star images to match the background. 

Have a bright and happy day.  Enjoy the hop!

to Dani

to Julie

#TGIF 289 Joy to the World

The Great Outdoors Creation Station Blog Hop

Greetings and a warm welcome to everyone.  Since today is the first Sunday of the month it's time for a Creation Station Blog Hop.  This month's theme--The Great Outdoors.  There is a twist to this theme.  We were to create in a monochromatic color palette.  I came close to the monochromatic challenge with shades of green, but I took liberty to add some silver.  Once I added the silver a little bit of grey seemed to fit right in.

When I think of the great outdoors I always picture the vast expanse and wilderness of Alaska.  My image of the great outdoors also includes bears, moose, deer, and other furry animals.  With the holiday season quickly approaching I went with a deer theme to accentuate a printed gusseted cello bag.

For this hand crafted gift packaging I used stamps, dies, and printed paper from the Wonder of the Season Suite.  Playing an important back up role for this project is one of the Celebration Label Dies.  It makes for a classy and quick bag topper base.

Well it's been sweet having you stop by to check out our Great Outdoors Blog Hop.  Now it's time to click on over to Sara Levin to see what she has been stampin' up.  Enjoy and as always, "happy stampin'."

Peace and Joy in the Night Sky

Welcome everyone to another Monday Montage Blog Hop.  At my last monthly class one of the projects we made were these "peace on earth" cards.  Creating the background by blending watery inks was the fun of this card design.

I first painted a wash of plain water on watercolor paper.  Next was to paint lots of Pool Party to create a central moon effect.  Surrounding the Pool Party is Highland Heather, then Misty Moonlight, and last Blackberry Bliss.  With each additional color I added less and less being sure to allow a bit of each color to show.

Once the watercolors were dry I splattered with plain water all over. I also added a bunch of Wink of Stella Splatters to resemble stars. This all together made for the perfect background for the Snow Globe Die Cuts and the "peace on earth" sentiment. Take a close look at the "peace" and you'll see that it was cut from Black Glimmer Paper which relates to the Basic Black Stitched Rectangle panel.

The last touch that adds to the sparkle of the card are the iridescent Adhesive Backed Snowflakes.

Use the buttons below to navigate through the hop.  Thanks for joining us and be sure to come back in two weeks for another Monday Montage Blog Hop.

to Cheryl

to Julie