Sparkly Gently Falling Leaves

I think I had told you a few weeks ago that I had participated in some swaps.  I was able to share all of the Halloween ones with you, but I haven't been able to share all the Fall/Thanksgiving themed ones yet.  This is one that really knocked my socks off.  I love that she added some depth and texture to her layers and used sparkles to glam up the leaf!  I feel so lucky to have received so many good pieces of inspiration.  I hope you enjoy it, too!

Supplies used include: Gently Falling stamp set, Woodgrain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (retired), adhesive pearls, the Word Window punch, and the Modern Label punch.

Papillion Potpourri Birthday

Here's a birthday card I created awhile back and never got around to posting.  I try to be humble, but I've got to admit that this is one of my favorites.  I just love all the textures, patterns and layers...don't you?  This was a fun card to make, and I'm curious to see what it would look like in different color combinations, so if you decide to try it, post a link to your creation so that I can see!

Supplies used:
Paper: Cardstock (Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Basic Black, Whisper White) and Sycamore Street DSP (polka dots, retired)
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Stamps: Papillion Potpourri (butterfly) and a retired sentiment
Other: rhinestones, Elegant Butterfly punch (coordinates perfectly with the Papillion Potpourri butterfly stamp), Little Leaves Sizzlet, 1-3/4" scallop circle punch, Delicate Doilies Sizzlet, Houndstooth Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Scallop Edge Border Punch
Tip:  I used the scallop edge border punch to layer black on black.  It adds a little depth and interest without being too distracting.  It's hard to see in the photo but it's along the bottom edge.  Also, I used Stampin' Dimensionals adhesive to get some depth to my layers.

Summer Silhouettes Birthday

I've been posting a lot of fall/Halloween cards lately and I decided to take a break, and show you a flowery one that reminds more of spring or summer.  I was inspired by this card.  As you can see, I changed it a bit by matting the stamped image and eliminating the bow.  But it still achieved a clean and simple look, which is what attracted me to the example.  I think it would also look pretty in a shade of purple or yellow.

Supplies used for this card include the Summer Silhouettes stamp set, the Simply Sketched stamp set (sentiment), cardstock (whisper white and primrose petals), ink (gumball green, basic gray, and primrose petals, the Modern Mosaic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, a Big Shot machine, and Primrose Petals 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon.

Punchy Halloween

Isn't this adorable? I received this in a swap awhile back and I love it.   I think this would be a wonderful card for crafty kids.  The ghost and owl are made using our Owl Builder Punch, and the moon is a circle punch.  I love how Nikki sponged the moon to give it some texture or depth! Not only would this be a great card to copy, but I love how it challenges me to look at my punches in a whole new way! 

Happy stamping!!!

Halloween Bash/Witches' Brew

As promised, here is another piece of Halloween inspiration.  This time it comes to you courtesy of Jessica Morgan via a swap we both participated in.  I love that she used the new Chevron Punch to create the gray accents.  And I also love the sentiment.  The font and arrangement of the text reminds me of an Old West "Wanted" poster, so the crumpled texture and frayed edges suit it well, in my mind.

Supplies used include: Witches' Brew Designer Series Paper, Halloween Bash stamp set, Chevron punch, cardstock (Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Summer Starfruit), a brad, and Basic Black ink.

Come back soon to see a punchy piece of Halloween art...until then, Happy Stampin'!!!

Witches' Brew/Halloween Hello

Isn't this a great card?  A few weeks ago I had posted a few Halloween swap card (one that I had submitted for the swap and I had received in exchange). This is another of the cards I had received in exchange.  I love how she kept simple to assemble and used the popular banner and damask-like motifs.  This stamp set (Halloween Hello) comes with a nice assortment of small Halloween images, and she used four of them on this card.

Supplies used include Witches' Brew Design Series Paper, cardstock (pumpkin pie, basic black, very vanilla), ink (pumpkin pie, basic black), and circle punches.

Thanks, Misty, for a great card!  Check back in a few days for more Halloween inspiration from another swap card I received.

Joyful Christmas

I knew as soon as I received the holiday mini that this stamp set - Joyful Christmas - would make its way into my collection and now I'm so glad it did.  I used it to make cards for a swap I was in and I'm so happy with how it turned out.  I love it when I can use lots of layers, lots of patterns, and lots of textures, and this stamp lends itself perfectly to those criteria.

This card is labor- and supply-intensive, but oh-so-worth it!  It will knock the recipients' socks off!

Here's what you'll need:
Paper: Season of Style Designer Series Paper, Cardstock (whisper white, crumb cake, cherry cobbler and old olive)
Stamps: Joyful Christmas
Ink: Old Olive (sentiment), Crumb Cake (to make the watermarks on the crumb cake layer), and Versamark (for the embossing)
Other: adhesive-backed rhinestones, paper snips (for "fussy cutting"), white embossing powder, paper piercer, Apothecary Accents die set, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, Paper-Piercing Mat, sticky strip (to adhere the embossed layers together).

Tip: When "fussy cutting" something, I find it easier to turn the paper rather than turn the scissors...you get a cleaner cut that way.  Also, try to slowly close the scissors as you can rather than lots of jagged open-close movements.

Festive Flurry/Winter Frost Swap Card

I might’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: I’m a sucker for snow: snowflakes, snowmen, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, snow angels…if it involves the cold, fluffy, white stuff, I’m in!!!  So this past spring when Stampin’ Up! retired their snowflake die from last year, I was a bit disappointed.  Until I got to thinking about it and realized that SU! Is hardly ever snowflake-free, so perhaps that meant something bigger and better was in the works.  And boy, was I right!  The holiday mini catalog that was just released on August 1^st has not only a set of snowflake dies, but a set of snowflake stamps that coordinate well with it. The good thing? It’s different enough from previous snowflake products that I could justify adding it to my collection! The best thing? If you buy it as a bundle you save 15%!!!  The bonus? It also pairs beautifully with the new Winter Frost Designer Series Paper.  So the first thing I did was create this card for a swap that I was in.  I hope you enjoy it!  This may be the first card I did with this bundle, but it won’t be the last, so check back to see what else I come up with! 

This card brought me a little out of my comfort zone...which is always a good thing! I had never used glitter on a stamping project before...can you believe that?  So, after stressing a bit, I sought some advice from some stamping friends and learned how to use our Heat 'n' Stick Powder.  As it turns out, that was really fun and not worth the worry!

Stamps: Festive Flurry
Paper: Winter Frost DSP, cardstock in Whisper White and Island Indigo
Embellishments: Silver Glitter
Ink: Versamark, Pool Party (for the inside)
Tools: Big Shot, Apothecary dies, Festive Flurries dies, ovals dies, heat tool

Tips:

• The white die cut shape behind the oval was created by cutting out the die from the Apothecary die set and then cutting the die cut shape in half and adhering one half to each end of the oval.
• To use glitter, stamp your image with Versamark ink onto your desired background paper.  Sprinkle Heat 'n' Stick powder over it.  Tap off the extra back into the container for re-use.  Heat it using your heat tool.  You want to heat it just until the powder turns shiny and liquidy.  Do not overheat it or it won't work.  You'll know you overheated it if it turns from shiny to matte and/or if it turns brown, like it's burned.  While it's still liquidy, sprinkle your glitter onto it.  Tap off the extra back into the container for re-use.  Quickly reheat the glittered image to set it. You will see the glitter glisten as it settles into place.  Let it cool, and then you can die cut the image.  I use a fine paintbrush to remove the extra glitter that is clinging around the image.
• Save 15% by ordering the Festive Flurries bundle (you get the stamps and coordinating dies for 15% less than it would cost you to buy them individually).
  
  

So Sorry/Gently Falling Swap Card

This is the second card I made for the swaps in which I participated.  This is probably my second favorite of the four I made.  I LOVE textures, layers and patterns and this card did all that for me!

I started out with a Chocolate Chip cardstock base.  Then I added another layer of Chocolate Chip, but this layer was 1/8" smaller on each side and had been run through the Big Shot using the Wood Grain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  Then I added the layered focal piece.  I created that layer by stamping one of the Gently Falling leaves onto a piece of Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper with Early Espresso Embossing Powder.  I heat-set the leaf, then cut it by hand using my Paper Snips.  I adhered it with Dimensionals to the Very Vanilla layer.  The Very Vanilla layer is 2-1/8" x 4".  I stamped Gently Falling leaves onto it using Crumb Cake ink and "So Sorry" onto it using Early Espresso.  I mounted it onto an orange piece of paper from the Sweater Weather DSP which was an 1/8" large on each side.  I then mounted that onto a piece of plaid paper from the Sweater Weather DSP pack.  This plaid layer is 1/2" large on the right side, and 1/4" larger on each of the other three sides.  Between the orange layer and plaid layer, I added a piece of Crumb Cake Seam Binding.

Stamps:  Gently Falling, So Sorry
Paper: Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper, cardstock in Chocolate Chip & Very Vanilla
Embellishments: Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon, Early Espresso Embossing Powder
Tools: Paper Snips, Heat Tool
Tips: When cutting fussy items like the leaf, I find it easier to hold the image and turn it rather than trying to turn the scissors as you go around the image.  I also find that using smooth, long cuts rather than lots of short, fast movements help keep the cut more smooth.

The design could easily be used for anything fall or Thanksgiving related by simply changing out the sentiment.  Also, by changing the color scheme to blues and green, you could make this card into a masculine card for that special man in your life for his birthday, Father's Day or an anniversary.

Come back tomorrow to see the cards I received in exchange for this one.  They inspired me, I hope they will inspire you, too!

CAS'ing a Hoarded Card!

It’s confession time:  I’m a hoarder.  There, I said it!  I’m a craft hoarder.  I love collecting paper, embellishments, knick knacks, gewgaws, sketches, etc.  Anything that can be used to create or inspire my work.  I’m sure you have NO idea what I’m talking about, right? ;)  Well, recently I decided that it has gotten a little out of hand.  So, in an effort to use what I have, I decided to tackle this project.  You see, a few years back my upline sent me this wonderful card using a stamp from the then-current Faith in Nature set:

 

 It was just too beautiful to actually use.  So I set it aside so that I could make more like it for my stash, with every intention of eventually using that card.  Well, the best laid plans sometimes fail and I just came across that card again.  The Faith in Nature set is now retired, so I decided to make it using current Stampin’ Up! product, and the result is very nice, if I do say so myself.  See for yourself:

 

 As you can see it’s not exactly the same as the prototype, but that is the charm of CASe’ing (Copying And Sharing Everything) – use the original as a starting point and modify it to fit your own tastes, or in my case, to fit what you have on hand! 

The good news is that my version uses current stamping supplies so you can re-create these cards yourself.  The stamp sets are Teeny Tiny Wishes ("thinking of you" sentiment") and Simply Sketches (flower image and the sympathy sentiment).  The Simply Sketches stamp is a hostess set that you can get for free with an order or party of $150 or more.  The gray card was made with the new Smoky Slate ink and cardstock, Basic Gray ink and cardstock, and Whisper White cardstock.  The yellow card was made using So Saffron ink and cardstock, Basic Gray ink and cardstock, and Whisper White.

A little tip: to get the squares of inked color, I pressed an acrylic block onto the ink pad and then onto my piece of Whisper White to get a faint, inky square.  Then I stamped my flower image and sentiment over that in Basic Gray ink.  I found that the images were more visible if you used lighter colors for the square ink "splotch".

Thanks for checking in on me…have a great day!

Halloween Happiness Swap Card #2

Yesterday, I shared with you a card that I made for a swap using the Halloween Happiness single stamp and the Witches' Brew Designer Series Paper.  Today I'm back to show you an awesome alternative.  This is a card I received back in that swap, so it was designed by someone else.  I didn't get her information, so if you are the original artist, feel free to let me know.  In any case, I was surprised that there were some similarities in our cards, but her card a few twists that I loved.  First, she stamped the pumpkins in two colors like I did, but she left off the greeting and then she cut it out by hand and mounted it on some Stampin' Dimensionals to give it some depth.  LOVE that!  And then, as you can see from the photo below, she used a funky fold and put the greeting on the inside.  Pretty neat, huh?  It sure gets my mind spinning with possibilities.

Supplies used for this card include Witches' Brew Designer Series Paper, Halloween Happiness Stamp Set, Cardstock (Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, and Summer Starfruit), a brad, ink in Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black and a shade of green, and Stampin' Dimensionals.  The funky fold she used is called the Fun Fold and you can find a tutorial for it on my upline's (Dawn Olchefske's) blog here.

Hope you are enjoying the first days of fall!  I will be posting more fall and Halloween-themed cards and crafts here in the coming months, so be sure to check back...

Until next time, happy stamping!!!

Halloween Happiness Swap Card

Hello, stamping friends!  It's been awhile, hasn't it?  Well, I thought I'd pop in tonight and show you a card that I created recently for a swap that I was in.  If you're not familiar with a swap, you gather a group of people either online or in real life and you each make a set number of identical cards.  Then one person gathers them and distributes one of each card back to each participant.  That way you get back many different cards.  It's a great way to get a nice stash of cards using materials that might be different from your own.  This is the card I made to send everyone.  I've always been more of a happy or cutesy Halloween-type person rather than the ghoulish and scary type, so when I saw this single stamp, I knew it was just my style.  I also don't do much for Halloween crafts, so I couldn't justify a full new Halloween set, but at $9.95 and one stamp, I felt like it was justifiable.  So enjoy!

Stamp: Halloween Happiness
Paper: Witches' Brew Designer Series Paper, Cardstock in Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, and Early Espresso
Other: Tasteful Trim die, button and linen thread

Tip: In order to get several colors on your stamp, cover your whole stamp with Pumpkin Pie ink, the color over the words with Basic Black and the stems/leaves with Early Espresso.  Then breathe or "huff" the ink to remoisten it and stamp it onto the paper.

It's not too late to get started on your Halloween projects, and I'd be happy to help you do so...just let me know!  Also, check back tomorrow for another example using this great set!

Until then, happy stamping!!!

Designer Series Paper Special

If you took a spin through my craft area, you would see that patterned paper is my most abundant supply.  I LOVE patterned paper....it's a wonderful, and relatively inexpensive, way to add layer and interest to scrapbook pages without adding too much lumpiness.  In fact, I started my relationship with Stampin' Up! in an effort to try and use up the leftover patterned papers from my scrapbooks by creating cards and gifts.  Well, that didn't work as now I have access to Stampin' Up!'s beautiful Designer Series paper.  Check out all of our beautiful Designer Series Paper, and take advantage of this sale.  For every three you buy at regular prices, you get one for FREE!!!

Here's the details:

Offer Dates: July 1-31, 2013

Offer Details: Buy three packs of select Designer Series Paper and get one for free!

• These items don't qualify for the offer: Designer Series Paper Stacks, Specialty Designer Series Paper, Designer Series Paper ordered through hostess benefits
• Orders may be placed on any type of order (workshop, customer, or online).
• No limits. Order six? You'll get two for free. Nine? You'll get three for free.
• Check out our Designer Series Papers in the annual catalog pages 151, 153, and 154.

Contact me to place your order today.  Only a week remains for this special offer!!!

Happy Birthday, Melissa!!!

If you would like to pin this to Pinterest, please hover over the image and then click on the P. 

My cousin, Melissa's birthday was in the end of February, so I created this card for her.  I wanted something clean & contemporary, which is her style.  I also know she is favoring greens right now and damask prints - so this what I ended up with.  I like it.  I hope she does, too!

So, here's what you're going to need if you'd like to make this card yourself:
Paper: Basic Gray, Whisper White, Summer Starfruit, and Gumball Green cardstock
Ink: Basic Gray, Summer Starfruit, Basic Gray (for the inside) and Gumball Green ink pads
Stamps: Summer Silhouettes, any sentiment you desire* (I used a retired Happy Birthday sentiment).
Other: Adhesive (Snail for assembling most of the layers, Dimensionals behind the gray label to pop it up from the card, and Sticky Strip**), Labels Collection Framelits and coordinating Festive Paper Piercing Pack, paper piercer and foam for piercing on.

*this card would also be great for other occasions, like Mother's Day, or as thank you, get well, sympathy, and thinking of you cards - just dig through your stash and find one that fits...and of course, have fun experimenting with different color combos to match the mood of those other occasions.

**Tip: I like to use Sticky Strip whenever I'm adhering smooth layer to an embossed layer.  It seems to get into the crevices a bit better and without smooshing the embossing back down.  For example, on this card, I used it to adhere the Summer Starfruit Layer to the embossed Gumball Green layer, and the embossed Gumball Green layer to the Whisper w\White layer.

Don't forget to have fun with the inside - here's what I did, leaving me plenty of room to write a personal note.

Playing with Pleasant Poppies - Day 4

If you would like to pin this to Pinterest, please hover over the image and then click on the P.  

Welcome to the final day of my Pleasant Poppies spree!  I had a lot of fun playing with this set, and as you can see, there is enough similarity between the 4 cards (see three previous posts) that you could sit down and whip all four out in one sitting.  This is my personal favorite of the four cards I've posted using this set, so I saved it for last.  Which is your favorite?

To re-create this card, you'll need to gather:

Paper: Designer Series Paper* (this particular pattern is retired), cardstock to coordinate with your DSP (I used Poppy Parade (retired), Basic Black, and Whisper White).

Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Old Olive marker, Basic Black Craft ink pad, Poppy Parade ink refill (retired)

Other: adhesive pearl rhinestones, adhesive (I used Snail), black embossing powder, embossing heat tool, aqua painter.

*as an alternative to DSP, you could use plain, colored cardstock.  Or you could jazz up the cardstock by embossing it with a Textured Impressions Embossing Folder or stamping with Versamark or colored ink.

Playing with Pleasant Poppies - Day 3

If you would like to pin this to Pinterest, please hover over the image and then click on the P. 

Today's Pleasant Poppies card uses the same watercoloring techniques as the last two. But, I decided to pair it with some Designer Series Paper (this particular pattern is retired, but many of our DSP's will work well with this). I tried to keep the embellishments simple - ribbon with no bow and a simple punched, layered sentiment. Come back in a few days for my final Pleasant Poppies card.

To make this card you will need:

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, and Poppy Parade (retired) cardstock; Designer Series Paper* (while this particular pattern is retired, many of our current papers would look great - just modify your ink & cardstock colors to accomodate).

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes, Pleasant Poppies

Ink: Old Olive marker, Basic Black Craft Ink, Poppy Parade Refill (retired)

Other: narrow white ribbon, black embossing powder, embossing heat tool, adhesive (I used Snail to adhere the layers together & Dimensionals to pop up the sentiment), Modern Label Punch, and Word Window Punch.

*as an alternative to DSP, you could use plain, colored cardstock. Or you could jazz up the cardstock by embossing it with a Textured Impressions Embossing Folder or stamping with Versamark or colored ink.

Happy Stamping!!!

Playing with Pleasant Poppies - Day 2

If you would like to pin this to Pinterest, please hover over the image and then click on the P. 

I was cruising Splitcoaststampers.com one evening (if you haven't been there, check it out - TONS of stamping ideas!!!), when I came across this beautiful card by Karen Barber (actually, all of her work is just beautiful).

So, I adapted the card a bit to fit the supplies I had on hand and this is what I came up with.  A little simpler than hers, but still pretty, I think.  I showed these poppy cards to my mom and of the four, this one is her favorite (but she's a sucker for anything with gingham or polka dots).

To make this card, you'll need:

Paper: Whisper White, Poppy Parade (retired), and Basic Black cardstock
Ink: Basic Black Craft Ink, Old Olive marker, Poppy Parade refill ink (retired)
Stamps: Pleasant Poppies (background stamp)
Other: Adhesive (I used Snail), Black Embossing Powder, ribbon (I just used up a piece from my stash), Big Shot, Bigz XL Tasteful Trim die (that's how I got the large scallop at the bottom), Aqua Painter (use with ink refills to achieve the watercolored look).

Playing with Pleasant Poppies - Day 1

                                                    Please over over the image and then click the "P" if you would like to pin it to Pinterest.
Good morning!  While most people grumbled about the wicked weather of these past few days, I called into work for a day of PTO, flipped on the fireplace, opened the blinds (so I could watch the storm) and got down to playing.  I had bought the background stamp Pleasant Poppies when it first came out because poppies always remind me of the train rides I took across Italy a few years back.  Poppies always look so happy, and so light & playful.  But, as sometimes happens, the stamp set got pushed aside in the busy-ness of everyday life & I never used it.  So, I decided to dust it off and put it to use.  And the end result is that I have four great cards to share with you, so check back in the coming days for more fruits of my labor.

To create this card, I used:
Paper: Whisper White, Poppy Parade (retired), Marina Mist, and Basic Black cardstock
Ink: Old Olive marker, Marina Mist & Poppy Parade ink refills, black craft ink, Island Indigo marker
Stamps: Pleasant Poppies (background stamp)
Other: adhesive (snail and sticky strip), black embossing powder & heat tool, aqua painter, color spritzer tool

Steps & Tips: 

• Cut the Whisper White layer - I used 4.75"x3.5".
  Heat emboss the Pleasant Poppies image with Basic Black Craft ink & Black embossing powder.
• Using your Aqua Painter & a small amount of Marina Mist ink refill, lightly watercolor the background with Marina Mist ink.
• When the paper dries, color in the stems with Old Olive marker.  Use your Aqua Painter and Poppy Parada ink refill to watercolor in the image.  I like a bolder image, so I used the refill straight out of the bottle.  If you like a softer image, dilute it with water.
• Once the image is dry, use your Color Spritz tool & Island Indigo marker to spritz a little color here and there to add a bit of interest.  Set aside for a few minutes so the spritz can dry.
• While you are waiting for the drying process in the steps above, you can assemble your card.  My card is just half of an 8.5"x11" sheet of Basic Black cardstock, cut in half.  The half is then folded in half, so you end up with a 4.25"x5.5" card, which fits perfectly in our envelopes.  The Poppy Parade strip is 4.25"x2.5".  The Marina Mist layer is 1/8" larger on all sides than the Whiper White layer.
• Tip:  The paper curled a bit because of the watercolor technique, so I used sticky strip (which is a bit stronger than Snail) to adhere the Whisper White layer to the Marina Mist layer.  And then I used snail adhesive for the rest of the layers.

Color Challenge: cQc #177

 

Please over over the image and then click the "P" if you would like to pin it to Pinterest. 

I saw the current color challenge over at the ColourQ blog, and immediately thought the colors would be great for a masculine card or for Christmas cards.  I opted for a Christmas card so that I would have a head start on them for this year (and also because I was to lazy to go find my more masculine sets)! 

I also received my most recent order from Stampin' Up! this past week and instead of putting things away immediately, I have decided to challenge myself to use each item at least once before putting it away.  Too often, things get put away and then I don't use them quickly.  So, those items were the Scallop Circle die, the 3-1/2" circle die, the Pool Party Embossing Powder, the Pool Party 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon and the Pool Party Baker's Twine.  All in all, a successful challenge, I think!

So now on to the details...to create this card, you'll need:

Ink: Always Artichoke for the pine branches.  I also broke the rules a bit, and used a tinge of Basic Gray (marker) for the tops of the ornaments and for the sentiment because I didn't have a Cherry Cobbler or Kraft Marker and I thought going with Always Artichoke would make for too much green in that "corner" of the circle. I also didn't have anything in Always Artichoke, so I substituted Old Olive.  I used our Illuminate pad to stamp the snowflakes on the Pool Party and Always Artichoke squares in the background.  And if you plan to emboss like I did, you'll need some Versamark ink.

Cardstock: all five colors from the challenge: Cherry Cobbler, Pool Party, Kraft/Crumb Cake, Whisper White, and Always Artichoke (I used Old Olive).

Stamps: a Christmas sentiment (I used a portion of a stamp from the For the Birds set), pine branches (I used the pine bough from Watercolor Winter), snowflakes or other background stamps for the faint background on the Pool Party and Always Artichoke squares (I used Snowflake Soiree), ornament stamps (I used Ornament Keepsakes).

Other: Big Shot machine, Holiday Ornaments Framelits, ribbon and bakers twine (I used Pool Party Baker's Twine and Pool Party 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon, and some retired narrow ribbon in Old Olive), Scallop Circle Die, 3-1/2" circle die, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, and Pool Party Embossing Powder, an Embossing Heat Tool and Smooch to paint over the branches for a snowy look.

This picture isn't the greatest - I was having a hard time with glare from the embossing powder - but it does show you the highlights from the embossing powder and smooch.  It also shows you two different ways you can layout your ornaments.

Hints:

• I used Smooch on the branches for a subtle snowy shimmer.  You could also use a Versamark marker and Iridiscent Ice for a blingier effect.
• I used a marker to color just the "Merry Christmas" part of the For the Birds stamp.
• I stamped snowflakes on the Pool Party and Old Olive squares to add sublte interest.  You could use any stamps that works for backgrounds.  You could also use Versamark or Pool Party and Old Olive ink for a more dramatic effect.  Or you could emboss them with any number of our Textured Impressions Embossing Folders.
• The Pool Party ornament is embossed with Pool Party Embossing Powder; the Cherry Cobbler ornament was stamped with Versamark, then Cherry Cobbler ink, then I used Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder on it.
• You can get directions for an Easel Card here.
• The layout of this card inspired my layout.
• You might have also noticed that my card is larger than the standard 4.25"x5.5" card.  I did that to accomodate the Scallop Circle Die, which is almost 5" in diameter.  Luckily, I have some old envelopes in my stash that will accomodate them, so I designed them with those envelopes in mind.  My envelopes are roughly 5"x7".  So my card is 5"x5" when closed.  So for the easel directions, I cut one square of Crumb Cake to 5"x5", and I cut the other piece to 5"x10" then scored at the 5" and 2.5" marks.
• When you decorate the bottom of the base, make sure you add enough layers/thickness that it can hold up the card when it's open.
• Don't forget to decorate the inside for an added surprise!  I will stamp a sentiment or write a note next December when I get ready to mail it.

Pinterest

I am in the processing of trying to add a "Pin It!" button to my blog so that you can save my examples to use later, or to share with friends.  Right now, you can click on "Links to this Post" and find the pin under there...I'm trying to find an easier way, though!  :)  Thanks for stopping by.