Joyful Holly CAS Sketch Challenge # 384

 I loved the Joyful Holly stamp set from the new 2020 Aug - Dec Mini Stampin' Up catalog the moment I saw it.  I loved the elegant simplicity of the holly and knew it would make fabulous 'simple' Christmas cards. 

I made this card for a Sketch Challenge - CAS(E) this Sketch # 384 HERE.  I do love a clean and simple card, even though most of my cards end up being more involved than when I first start out designing it.

This stamp set is photopolymer which means it is clear and easy to line up for the outline and fill-in stamps.  When using a photopolymer stamp set, it is advisable to use a pad or a Stampin' Pierce Mat (see links below) to give a bit of a cushion so that you will get a much better impression when stamping with photopolymer stamps. 

I only used 2 ink pad colors for this card (another great point for Clean & Simple card making).  Garden Green and Real Red.  The Joyful Holly stamp set has 2 different holly branches, a larger one and a smaller one, each with an outline stamp and a stamp with just the holly leaves to fill in the outline.  For the outline, I inked up and stamped the outline stamp in Garden Green.  For the fill-in of the holly leaves, I inked up the stamp and stamped off once on scratch paper then lined it up to stamp on the card front.  This gives a lighter color look. 

The card base is the thicker Whisper White cardstock which is great for card bases and is a sheet of Thick Whisper White cut in half in 'portrait' orientation, 4 1/4" X 11" and scored & folded in half at 5 1/2" on the 11" side.  The Whisper White panel on the card front is regular weight Whisper White cardstock and is cut at 3 3/4" X 5", and the red mat layer behind the white is cut at 3 7/8" X 5 1/8".  I used Stampin' Seal tape runner to adhere these two layers together.  You can use your adhesive of choice. I inked a sentiment from the Joyful Holly stamp set in Real Red and stamped it directly on the card front. I then put Stampin' Dimensionals on the back of the red layer to give it more dimension before putting it on the card base. A very simple and very elegant card.

I also stamp something on the inside besides the inside verse.  For this card, I inked up the outline stamp and stamped off on scratch paper to give a lighter impression on the holly leaves.  I did the same for the holly berries. I stamped the inside verse in Real Red directly on the card without stamping off.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today!  I hope you will come back again soon!

 

If you would like to order any of the items I used on my card today, just click on the pictures below to be taken to my online Stampin' Up store and you can add them to your cart. If you live in the United States and do not already have a Stampin' Up demonstrator, I would love to be yours!

Poinsettia Petals card

 I absolutely LOVE the new Holiday Mini Catalog this year!!  Oh. Wait...  The 'real' name is 2020 August-December Mini Catalog.  But it will always be 'The Holiday Mini' to me.  And I know a lot of people feel that way too.  

Anyway....  The Poinsettia Petals Suite was one of my first purchases when the Holiday Mini became available for Demonstrators to order from.  I will no doubt make a lot of cards using this suite of products.

 

 I used Real Red cardstock cut at 4 1/2" X 11" and scored and folded at 5 1/2".  I stamped the poinsettias from the Poinsettia Petals stamp set (3 different sizes of poinsettias) on Real Red cardstock using Versamark ink pad.  I then used Gold embossing powder and heat set them with my heat tool.  I did the same with the poinsettia leaves only stamped them on Garden Green cardstock.  I then die cut the poinsettia petals and green leaves using the Poinsettia dies, also part of this suite.  For the sentiment, I stamped the Merry Christmas from the Poinsettia Petals stamp set using Versamark ink on a scrap piece of Whisper White cardstock and them used the gold embossing powder & heat set it as well.  I cut a strip of Real Red cardstock 5 1/4" X 1/4" for the skinny strip behind the sentiment.  The vellum piece is also from the Poinsettia Place suite of products.  It is from the Plush Poinsettia Specialty Paper.  There are 3 different papers in this pack and they have flocked designs and are ohhh soooo pretty!!  The vellum layer is cut at 4" X 5 1/4". When using vellum, you can't tape the vellum unless you 'hide' the tape, or else the tape will show on the front of the vellum.  So, to hide the tape, I used Stampin' Seal tape behind the flower and behind the red strip across the bottom to adhere the vellum to the red cardstock.  I then used Stampin' Dimensionals to pop up the flower petal layers.  I also used Mango Melody Stampin' Blend marker to color the Beaded Pearls center for the poinsettia.

I always decorate the inside of the card as well.  The inside sentiment is from the same Poinsettia Petals stamp set.  I stamped the verse in Versamark ink and embossed with gold embossing powder & heat tool.  Here is the inside:

The inside poinsettia was stamped with Real Red stampin' pad and the center was stamped using Crushed Curry stampin' pad. The inside poinsettia is the same stamp that I used for the top layer (smallest) of the poinsettia on the front of the card.

Thank you for stopping by my little corner of the world today.  If you would like to take a closer look or would like to purchase any of the items used to make this card, please click on the pictures below and it will take you to my online Stampin' Up store.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  My contact information is at the top of my online Stampin' Up store.  If you live in the United States and do not already have a Stampin' Up demonstrator, I would love to be yours!

Framed For You color challenge

Here is a card I made for a Color Challenge. Flirty Flamingo, Mango Melody, Granny Apple Green & Early Espresso. These colors make a bright & cheerful card!

Card base is Granny Apple Green cut at 5 1/2" X 8 1/2" and scored & folded at 4 1/4".  Whisper White front layer is 3 1/2" X 5" and the Early Espresso mat behind the white layer is 3 5/8" X 5 1/8".

I stamped all over the front whisper white panel to make my own DSP ( Designer Series Paper = background).  I had to trim a little strip off the front panel so I thought why not attach it to the inside?  Use every little bit you can! 

 

 

The white layer started out at 3 3/4" X 5" and I realized it was too wide after I finished stamping my homemade patterned background so I cut off 1/4" from one side and adhered that to the inside of the card, so I didn't have to waste it.  It was just too pretty even for a little wisp of a strip.  See?  Mistakes are just unintentional design alterations! 😁  The photo below shows the strip I put along the side on the inside of the card. The inside white panel is cut at 5 1/4" X 4".

 

Stamp set used is Framed For You in current Stampin' Up annual catalog. Early Espresso die cut borders on sentiment is from Ornate Border dies also in the current Stampin' Up annual catalog. I stamped off twice on scratch paper before stamping the flowers on the sentiment piece to make it lighter and colored in the flower centers with Bronze & Light Mango Melody Stampin' Blends markers.

Glad you stopped by today and I hope you can come back soon!

If you would like to purchase any of the products I used to make this card, please click on the pictures below and it will take you to my Stampin' Up online store.   If you live in the United States and do not already have a Stampin' Up demonstrator, I would love to be yours!  Thanks!

 

 

 

Sympathy : Positive Thoughts stamp set

It's always so hard to make sympathy cards....  My husband needed a sympathy card for work for a coworker's family member that had passed.

I've always loved the Positive Thoughts stamp set (item # 151490) since it came out in the Occasions catalog in Spring of 2019. The sentiment is from Peaceful Moments stamp set (item # 151595) which is a sentiment set that I use quite often. The sentiment is stamped with Early Espresso ink.

 

Misty Moonlight

Sahara Sand

Whisper White

Early Espresso

When I make cards for my husband to pass around at his work, I always make them 5" X 7" and with 2 extra pages inside to have enough room for everyone to sign. I cut down a regular sheet of 8 1/2" X 11" cardstock to 7" X 10" and I score at 5" while in 'landscape' orientation, on the 10" side.  This makes a 5" X 7" card base.

The card base Misty Moonlight and is a brand new In-Color for 2020-2022.  The tan layer is Sahara Sand and is stamped with Versamark ink around the edges with the same fern stamp on the front of the card and textured with the Pinewood Planks embossing folder. The Whisper White layer is stamped with the fern in Misty Moonlight, twice, (without reinking the stamp in between) and also Sahara Sand ink, stamped twice as well. The white layer was then textured with my Big Shot machine using the Subtle embossing folder.  The sentiment was stamped on Whisper White and punched out with the Everyday Label punch (item # 144668).  I also punched 2 pieces from a Sahara Sand scrap piece with the same punch.  I cut 1 Sahara piece in half width ways and the other piece in half length ways and spread them out on the back to create the border around the white piece. I used 2 pieces of Braided Linen Trim and holding them together, made a knot and frayed the ends and attached it with a glue dot.

I cut the inside pages (blue cardstock base for the inside pages) at 4 7/8" X 7" ( 1/8" narrower, width wise ) and score at 1/4" in from the long side edge to butt up against the center score to fold easier. All of the inside white pieces are cut at 4  5/8" X 6  5/8" and adhered to front & back side of the blue bases for the middle pages.  This gives them room the put money in the card for donations to help the family. I always stamp something on the inside pages also.  For this card, all the left-hand sides are stamped with Sahara Sand and the right-hand pages are stamped with Misty Moonlight.

Here are photos of the inside pages and center scoring so you can see what I mean.

This gives more room in the center of the card for money (donations) to the family.

If you would like to purchase any of the items used in this card, please visit my store by clicking on any of the links below.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you come back again soon!  If you live in the United States and do not already have a Stampin' Up demonstrator, I would love to be yours!