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

Trick or Treat #TGIF287

Welcome to our Trick or Treat #TGIF287 Challenge!  I thought I would share a fancy folded card designed just for this upcoming tasty-sweet holiday.

The perfect stamps and pre-printed die cuts for any Halloween project come from the September "Hello Pumpkin" Paper Pumpkin Kit.   I found that those elements combine perfectly with a few of the pieces of paper in the Plaid Tidings DSP.  And, with a few other die cut pieces of cardstock I had the best elements to make a fun "Have a Happy Halloween" card.

For this style fold I started with a  5 1/2" x 11" piece of cardstock.  Score along the long edge at 1 3/4", 3 1/2", 5 1/4", and 7".  To make the specialty cuts turn the cardstock and slice from the first scoreline (1 3/4") to the third scoreline (5 1/4") along the 1 1/2" mark.  Repeat and make a second slice between the same scorelines along the 4" mark.  (see diagram)

For the "bleeding" and "ghosting" greeting I first paint a strip of cardstock with water and a bit of Cajun Craze ink.  I let it barely dry and then stamp the greeting with more Cajun Craze ink.  I wanted the image to wick into the water for a blurry look.  Once the strip was getting close to being dry I stamped the same greeting with Memento Black Ink.  While the cardstock was still not completely dry I curled and molded the strip for a curvy dimensional banner.

Triangle Twist Folding "Bright" Christmas Card

What Christmas Means to Me

It's time to share what I created for "My Kind of Christmas" Stampin' Fancy Friday Challenge. 

Many memories and traditions come to mind when I ponder what Christmas means to me.  First, it is the season to celebrate our Savior Jesus Christ whom I chose to love and serve everyday.  Second to my mind comes music and decorations shared with family and friends.  And the season wouldn't be complete without traditional foods and gifts. 

Since I was a child I have loved listening to Christmas music.  Every year I blast it from morning to night, especially Brenda Lee and Bing Crosby.  My most favorite holiday traditions include singing in choirs, caroling, playing the handbells, and watching Christmas performances and concerts.  With my love for music "For Unto Us" caught my eye; it's a stamp set that I certainly had to have in my collection.  And, because I love those J-I-N-G-LE bells the Sounds of the Season Dies were also a must have.  For me, Christmas means music!

I love a colorful Christmas.  Retro Shiny Bright ornaments in hues of fuchsia, turquoise, chartreuse, red, and kelly green are the stars of my home holiday decor.  For this card I blended the non-traditional bright colors with classic Christmas elements.  I love how the two styles juxtapose for a fresh 2020 finish.

My card base is Blushing Bride.  A second layer of Blushing Bride which was textured with the Dainty Diamonds 3D Embossing Folder sets the stage for the card's focal layers.  Tucked behind the Very Vanilla Stitched Rectangle Die is a Very Vanilla Beautiful Bough.  The Gold Embossing Powder was perfect for lending a special touch to the main greeting.  And, for the shining showpiece of the card, the Brass Foil bells with Red Foil holly were cut with the Sounds of the Season Dies.

To complete the inside of the card I adhered the holly leaves which were popped out from the bells on the front.  I love it when you can artfully include all the bits and pieces.  Cherry Cobbler was the best choice for stamping the coordinating inside greeting as I think the color picks up the Red Foil touches from the bells on the front of the card. 

I wish to share a heartfelt thanks for stopping by today.  I'll conclude by asking "what does Christmas mean to you?"  Ponder your answer and let that be the inspiration for your next hand stamped fancy project.

Slim Line Sketch for Hand Stamped Sentiments

For our latest Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge I took it quite literally.  I almost copied the digital layout version by using die cuts and designer papers closely resembling the sketch.  Why?  Because I drew the sketch!  I created it for our current challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments.

One of my most used die cut sets from last season was Beautiful Boughs.  It remains a classic and favorite of mine for this year too.  For the greenery I used Shaded Spruce and the pinecones are Soft Suede with Early Espresso overtop.

My backdrop for the pinecones and boughs is a piece of Flowers for Every Season DSP and a layer of Just Jade Cardstock.  The circle on which the pinecones and Brass Foil "peace" are mounted is Mint Macaron. And last, I pulled apart some of the Braided Linen Trim for the bow.

Peace & Joy Bundle [155167] $45.00	Beautiful Boughs Dies [150661] $35.00	Layering Circles Dies [151770] $35.00	Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [119686] $8.75	Just Jade 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [153079] $8.75
Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730] $9.75	Flowers For Every Season 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [152486] $11.50	Brass Foil Sheets [153057] $5.00	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [147114] $7.50	Greenery Embossing Folders [152716] $8.00
3/16" (1 Cm) Braided Linen Trim [147808] $7.00	Paper Trimmer [152392] $25.00	Bone Folder [102300] $7.00	Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755] $4.00	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $4.00

You're Just Like Chocolate

Welcome Monday Montage Blog Hopper Friends.  It's truly awesome to have you visit with us all. Today I am giving you a look at a card I made featuring the Nothing' Better Than Bundle.  I will delightfully share that this card includes a delicious and sophisticated mix of elements.  I love the blend of Pool Party, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, and Brass Foil for the chocolatier look and style here.

For added layers and detail I used the Ornate Frames Dies for the card front and the inside too.  All of the chocolates were colored with Stampin' Blends in Crumb Cake, Bronze and Ivory.  To create the texture in the back layer I used the Brick and Mortar 3D Embossing Folder.

It's been great to have you here to check out my chocolate themed card made using the Nothing's Better Than Bundle.  Now is you chance to pop "back" or "next" along our Monday Montage Blog Hop. 

 

Nothing's Better Than Bundle [154061] $46.75	Ornate Frames Dies [150664] $34.00	Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [122924] $8.75	Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [119686] $8.75	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [101650] $9.75
Brass Foil Sheets [153057] $5.00	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [147114] $7.50	Bronze & Ivory Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154922] $9.00	Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack [144601] $9.00	Brick & Mortar 3D Embossing Folder [149643] $10.00
Paper Trimmer [152392] $25.00	Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755] $4.00	Bone Folder [102300] $7.00	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $4.00