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Free Shipping December 15 & Santa’s Express Christmas Cards
Merry Christmas everyone! Stampin’ Up! has a gift for us. Check out the Clearance Rack and the Last Chance Listing! It’s not too late to be thinking about next year’s cards and getting supplies at a discount with NO SHIPPING charges.
December host code is EJT6KYGE. Thank you for your support!
Have you ever started a card design by wanting to match the envelope liner?
That is really backwards! Were you able to do it or did you give up?
I did succeed! I purchased the Santa Express Memories & More Cards & Envelopes from the mini thinking it would be a great way to save time and make 20 Christmas cards. The cards are a bit bigger than our standard A2 size which I also liked. I know this is blurry but the pictures in the mini were so small!
The Poppy Parade (or Sweet Sorbet) card envelope liner is striped but the card is polka dots, whereas the Shaded Spruce card envelope liner is polka dot but the card has a bit of speckle like snow on a solid green front.
I am going to post these cards for ideas to help those of you who might have just a few, hopefully not 20, Christmas cards yet to make.
Two at a time!! I started by working with one red and one green and I cut off one inch on the right front side of each. I used the polka dots cut off from the red card to make the inside right side of a flap card on the green card with the green strip as its flap. For the inside left side of the red card I used a 1″ X 6 1/4″ strip of polka dots from the Santa Express DSP which matches perfectly. There was no red stripe in the Santa Express DSP paper to match the envelope liner but the Sweetest Christmas DSP had a stripe that I used to tie in the envelope liner.
. You lost me. How about a picture?
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Do you see how the polka dot strip on the green card right front comes from the red card base? I used the green cut off strip to make the flap for the card by cutting off 2″ and scoring at 1″ so it glues behind the polka dot strip. The 2″ part I cut off I used on the flap of the red card.
The red card uses a 1″ X 6 1/4″ strip of the striped paper in the Sweetest Christmas DSP for the right side and another strip 1″ X 4 1/4″ scored at 1″ for the flap. Stamp and corner round the flap, and glue it halfway down on the inside strip before gluing that strip down. (I loved that the other side had little candy canes!) The flaps are stamped with Versa Mark and embossed with white embossing powder with the greeting ‘Christmas Cheer’ from Sweet Candy Canes. The ‘Candy Cane Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses’ greeting is also in the Sweet Candy Canes stamp set and cut with the Candy Canes die which has those two larger holes at the side which I used for ribbon. The holes are large enough for a real candy cane to fit through with the greeting stamped vertically.
I cut one candy cane from the Sweetest Christmas Designer Series Paper (DSP) for each card and cut two evergreen boughs from Shaded Spruce using the dies from the Christmas Banners Die set. I cut a So Saffron Stem from the Banners die set and also five red berries in Real Red which I sparkled up with Wink of Stella. I stamped two mistletoe boughs from the Sweet Candy Cane stamp set and cut them out with the Candy Canes Dies. I punched three little white berries with a small hole punch and layered them above the mistletoe.
The layer under the candy cane and greenery is 2 3/4″ X 5 3/4″, one in Poppy Parade and one in Sweetest Christmas DSP.
The inside greeting is my favorite for this year-“May your days be happy, your heart be light, your Christmas Merry and the new year bright”- from the Very Best Occasions Stamp Set, a great set for your stamp collection with greetings for birthday, love, gratefulness, thinking of you and Christmas!
Free shipping tomorrow….just saying!
Thanks, Sal!
These next two cards use the Candy Canes Die that makes stripes!
These card bases are larger than a standard A2 so the cut out wouldn’t cover the full base so start with a piece of DSP for the green card and poppy parade for the red card and cut them at 5 7/8 X 3 7/8 which leaves an uncut left side perfect for wrapping ribbon around. The banner is from the Christmas Banners Die. It is the best banners stamp and die set yet. ( I think I have about three sets from the past.) I did use a Shaded Spruce Stampin’ Blend to color in the green a little darker.
The last cards I want to show you use retired products. The Seasons of Fun set has a little girl pulling a sled and my daughter just sent me a picture of our little granddaughter pulling her baby sister in a sled.
Did you know if you layer Lt Mossy Meadow and Lt Shaded Spruce you get Garden Green?
For the red card, I folded the dotted side to the back and embossed the front with a retired embossing folder. I used the Stitched Seasons Framelits to cut the layers and also to cut the bow in polka dots to match the back. ‘Christmas Cheer’ is in the retired Itty Bitty Christmas stamp set.
And here is the matching green card:
I cut the bow out of the color I wanted and then two other layers of basic white, gluing all three layers together to give the bow a bit more dimension. Be sure and use your double back sticky sheets to do this so you don’t have a mess of glue.
One last example using the same Stitched Seasons Framelits and the matching Blended Seasons stamp set:
And that, my dear stamping friends, is how you start with an envelope and then tie in the card!!
Free Shipping tomorrow for one day only!
December host code is EJT6KYGE. Thank you for your support!
Merry Christmas everyone! Have a wonderful day celebrating the birth of Jesus!
Karen
Christmas Ornament/ Party Favor/Gift Tag
One of the projects we made last December at club was this ornament. It could be used as a party favor or a gift tag or……
It is a case of Sandra Roberts tag on sandrascraftstudio.com.
Recipe
There are six pairs of stars from the Stitched Stars Dies with an Evening Evergreen base and a smaller star die cut layer in the Painted Christmas DSP. The DSP is glued directly to the Evening Evergreen with Tombow adhesive and then the top two pairs are popped up using Stampin’ Dimensionals.
- Largest Star: Evening Evergreen, 5 1/2 X 6, die cut with stitched stars die
- Layer: Painted Christmas DSP, 4 X6, die cut with next smaller stitched stars die
- Note: After gluing on the DSP, punch a small hole for the ornament hanger, down far enough to be covered by the point of next star
- Next Star: Evening Evergreen, die cut with next smaller stitched stars die
- Layer: Painted Christmas DSP, die cut with next smaller stitched stars die
- Top Star: Evening Evergreen, die cut with stitched stars die
- Layer: Painted Christmas DSP, die cut with next smaller stitched stars die
- Gold Stems: Gold Foil, 2 1/2 X 2 1/4, Die Cut with Poinsettia die
- Leaves: Garden Green, 2 1/2 X 2, Merriest Frames Hybrid Embossing Folder and Die
- Poinsettias (X2): Real Red, 1 X 2, die cut with Merriest Frames Die
- Add one large gilded gem to the top
- Greeting: Basic White, 2 1/2 X 1 1/2 stamped with Merry Christmas from Curvy Christmas stamp set in Evening Evergreen. Die cut with Stitched Nested Label die and then sponge the edges with Evening Evergreen.
- Hanger: Red Twine, 12″ for hanger, separate 6″ for bow. Double the 12″ and push the loop through the punched hole from front to back then bring the ends through the loop at the back and tighten pushing the sides down around the point. Tie a double know with the ends. Tie a bow and mount with a glue dot on top of hanger.
That would be a good idea, Sal! I did that one year with a circular ornament that I put in a pocket at the front of the card. I made a longer hanger so it could loop to the inside of the card where I attached it lightly with a note saying the ornament could be removed.
Are you going to make gift tags this year?
You know, Sal, I have trouble with spending time on gift tags since they are thrown away with the wrapping paper with hardly a second look and they are not recyclable since the name is written on the tag. They are pretty and I love getting them on gifts but I am just not into making them.
So followers, let me know if you make gift tags to dress up your packages each year.
Have a wonderful day and thank you for spending some of it with Sal and I.
Karen
Case The Creator #9, Recessed Panel Card
It’s time for another Case The Creator card!
This time we are creating a Recessed Panel Card.
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The recessed DSP (designer series paper) on the front is a full size piece so when you open to the inside the back of the DSP is the top of the card and quite nice- just be warned to not use directional papers that might be upside down on the inside!
There are many different versions with different placement of the recessed panel. I chose the dimensions used by France Martin of www.frenchiestamps.com. To access her video click on the pdf file not the screen shot of the dimensions – the video won’t work from the screen shot.
Case The Creator #9 printable pdf file
Screen Shot of Directions
. . That’s really cool and I like the picture of the fall card on the directions but what did you use?
That would be helpful, Sal, wouldn’t it?
The Christmas card I made uses the Painted Christmas Paper DSP for the recessed panel. This DSP carried over from last year to the new fall mini catalog, so check your stash, you may have it already!
The base is Evening Evergreen and the mat is Basic White. The greetings on the front are from the Hope & Peace stamp set and dry embossed with White Embossing Powder. The inside greeting is from the same set and stamped with Evening Evergreen Ink.
The holly berries, stamped in real red, and leaves, stamped in garden green, are from Merriest Moments stamp set and Merriest Frames Dies, another carryover from last year that is one of my all time favorite sets. The pine boughs are from Christmas Banner Dies cut from Garden Green cardstock.
Very helpful! Did anyone participate in the challenge.
Indeed they did, Sal! Ann used the Sweet Candy Canes stamp set with Candy Canes Dies and the oh- so- cool Sweetest Christmas Designer Series Paper. Her card is just beautiful and the green mat and mistletoe bough are perfect with the candy canes! Such a great job!
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Do you see what I mean with the back of the DSP panel? A lovely look!
Jo’s card has a recessed panel of many colored candies! She used a punch to cut out even more candies to embellish her card and added glittery snowflakes! So very fun!
Sharon used the smiley moose from our All Bundled Up stamp set! She turned the panel the other way which looks great. I love how the moose scarf is colored to match the DSP! We don’t have a die to cut out the moose so she fussy cut him and then added an oval of gold behind him. Beautiful work!
What’s up at the home office? Surely something is happening!
Yes, Sal, we have ovals back! They are designer ovals as well that will dress up any card. Check out this video from Leana and Holly of the home office:
Did you hear what I heard? The stamp and dies have the same name!
Yes, finally! We have been begging the home office to make life easier on us by naming the dies the same as the stamp set! Hurrah!!
Be warned! The Framed Florets bundle will be available in the Mini Catalog that starts in January but the other products are available only through January 4, 2023. The designer paper can be used year round and is luscious!
You have until November 10 to sign up for November’s Paper Pumpkin! Click on the image to sign up!
. Let’s see…. 50 days left until Christmas and less than that to get those cards mailed.
AAAAHHHHHH……. I better run!
SAL, Stamping A Lot of Christmas cards – (not yet)
Click on little Sal in the computer to go to the online store.
Christmas Stamp Camp
Let’s look at two Christmas cards we made at the Christmas Stamp Camp.
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You know how it is–we say “I don’t need that stamp set…” and then we see a wonderful card and, oh my, we must have the stamp set. That is what happened when I saw this card made by Mary Deatherage. She used The Sweet Candy Canes Bundle, bundle meaning a stamp set and die set sold together for 10% off. The stamp set is Sweet Candy Canes and the dies are Candy Cane Dies. Just as important to the card is the Sweetest Christmas Designer Series Paper. The paper has candy canes that you can cut out with the dies- and the candy cane dies have a die that faces right and one that faces left to create what you see above. The set is in the holiday mini catalog- pages 8-11. I used the label die for threading ribbon but check out how a real candy cane could be used:
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Don’t miss those little Flat Jingle Bell Trinkets! What fun to add those to your candy cane – or your cards!
Why would I want ‘flat’ bells?
Ahh, good question, Sal. I received several cards in years past with the jingle bells that are 3D and the post office machines completely smashed the bells. You also pay extra if your card doesn’t fit through a 1/4″ slot. They actually test it at the post office and if it doesn’t fit their slot the card becomes a package and you pay a lot more to mail it.
Recipe for Book Fold Candy Cane Christmas card:
- Base: Garden Green, 4 1/4 X 11, scored at 5 1/2 and 6 3/4
- Burnish the 5 1/2 score line in a valley fold and the 6 3/4 score line in a mountain fold
- Adhere the front to back between the 5 1/2 and 6 3/4 score lines
- Mats: Real Red
- 1 1/8 X 4 1/8, left side small mat
- 4 1/8 X 4 1/8, main front mat
- 4 1/8 X 4 1/8, inside mat
- Top Layers: Note: Build your front candy canes, labels and ribbon before adhering to red mat so you can adhere the ribbon under the DSP layer or the real red mat if you prefer the green ribbon matching up to the green base
- Sweet Christmas DSP in candy canes, 1 X 4, left side small top layer
- Sweet Christmas DSP in polka dots, 4 X 4, main front top layer
- Basic White, 4 X 4, inside top layer
- Candy Canes: Sweet Christmas DSP, die cut one going left, one going right
- Adhere directly to the DSP layer with liquid glue
- Label: Basic White stamped with greeting from Sweet Candy Cane in Real Red Ink
- Die cut with label die in Candy Canes Dies
- Mistletoe: Stamp two mistletoe sprigs in garden green and die cut with Candy Cane Die, adhere to right side of label
- Ribbon: Garden Green 3/8″
- 5″ to wrap through the holes in the label adhering ends behind the DSP with glue dots
- 8″ to tie a bow to attach to right side of label
- Embellishments: one red heart (retired) and three small pearls for the mistletoe berries
- Inside is stamped in real red with a sentiment from the Sweet Candy Canes Stamp set and the mistletoe is stamped in garden green, once full strength and once stamped off
How many candy canes can you cut from the DSP?
Good question, Sal. There are various colors of candy canes and two pieces of 12X12, so 32 from each sheet, 64 in total, if you don’t care which direction they are going or which color they are. For my stamp camp I used the red and green candy canes but here is what the DSP looks like – minus the red and green I used for my class:
Oooh, I like the pastel colored one!
Yes, and the Christmas Whimsey paper with its beautiful pastels just got added to the Clearance Rack.
The second card we did is a case of Lavonne Schwendeman’s Santa train card design and Crystal Best’s Circle Tri Fold instructions adjusted by me to fit our standard A2 envelopes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ0hUkZX_v0
Recipe for Circle Tri Fold Card
- Base: Evening Evergreen, 9 1/2 X 5 1/2
- Score at 1 1/2, 3, 6 and 7 1/2, on the 9″ side, fold and burnish this side only
- Score at 1 and 4 1/2, on the 5 1/2 side- do NOT fold and burnish
- Partial Die cut with 3″ Layering Circle Die
- Fold on 2nd score line
- Center the circle die between the horizontal score lines with the edge hanging over so it won’t cut on the folded side
- Place the cutting plate on the fold/die so the beveled edge is just barely beyond the score line and die cut
- Repeat on the other side
- Cut out the 1/8″ on the top and bottom of the circles from the circle to the horizontal score lines; look at the second picture and you will be able to see the 1/8 cut between the circle and the top score line
- Cut the top horizontal score line from the 1/8″ cut out on the right side to the 1/8″ cut on the left side
- Repeat on the bottom horizontal score line
I think I would tell them to ‘just watch the video’ for all that partial die cutting.
It certainly helps. From here I changed up a bit from what Lavonne did for decorating. I did use the Santa Express DSP (that means designer series paper) for the train images but I just cut them out with the Layering Circle Dies even though the Santa Train Die set has dies that could cut out the images.
- Top: Santa Express DSP
- DSP with trees
- 1 3/8 X 5 3/8 (X2), right and left sides,
- 1 3/8 X 7/8 (X2), bottom pieces to right and left of middle piece
- 2 7/8 X 7/8, bottom middle piece
- DSP with HO HO HO, Note- I purposely cut the right top little piece with the largest ‘Ho’
- 1 3/8 X 7/8 (X2), top pieces to right and left of middle piece
- 2 7/8 X 7/8, top middle piece
- DSP with trees
- Circle Layers (X4): Mint Macaron, die cut with Scalloped 3″ Layering Circle Die; 3 for front, 1 for back
- Santa Train: Santa Express DSP
- use the 2 3/4 Layering Circle Die and cut one santa, one car with gifts, one car with reindeer
- cut one 2 3/4 circle of the HO HO HO for back
- cut one 2 3/4 circle in Blushing Bride cardstock, lay the two together and cut less than half way down on DSP to make the two layer nicely for the back
- The greeting “Hoping the season….” comes from the Snowman Season retired stamp set. To emphasize how it ties to the Ho, Ho, Ho, I wish I had used a red marker and colored the ‘h’ and the ‘o’ on the greeting. Next time….
- Embellishments: I embellished differently than Lavonne, though she used current products
- by stamping ‘Christmas Cheer’ from the Itty Bitty Christmas retired set over the train car with the reindeer
- by adding a red jewel to the reindeer’s nose
- by adding a little tiny bakers twine bow on one of the packages
- by adding a whisp of smoke made with a bit of cotton ball
- by adding a white pearl to santa’s hat
- by adding clear jewels to the wheels which showed the green perfectly
For my party favor I used another sheet of the Santa Express DSP which has four 3″ strips of scenes on one 12 X 12 that worked perfectly with the Pretty Pillowbox Die set. I printed the attendee’s names on a Basic White cardstock and then used the Pillowbox Label Die to partial die cut one end, then lay the die on the partial cut label and cut the other end. With the stitched label, the partially die cut portion sits nicely in the stitches so you have perfect alignment as you run the label through a second time. Check out this cool die set!
Julie Gilson, of Stampingala.com, designed this box last year using the Frosted Gingerbread DSP.
Scroll to the 39 minute point where the pillowbox starts:
Recipe for Pretty Pillowbox Party Favor
- Box for inside: Granny Apple Green, 7 1/4 X 5 1/2
- score 2″ on each side and burnish (that means rub real well) the scores
- Cut the score lines on long side to the short side score lines, then cut out a diagonal piece from the end squares which makes a triangular tab on each corner
- Add liquid glue to the end triangles and adhere to long side to create a box; Julie used tombow glue and little clothespins to hold the tabs in place while the glue dried
- Base of the outside: Real Red cardstock (X2), 4 1/2 X 6
- cut two pillowbox dies
- cut off the tabs on the base of both
- cut off the circular edge of the tab part of the die cut; here is what the original die cut looks like and what it looks like after you cut off the tabs and the circle edge. I used the Stampin’ Trimmer originally so I got nice straight lines instead of just fussy cutting like I did on these.
- Punch a 3/4″ hole in the tops of each base
- Overlap the square part of each piece and glue together to make a nice sturdy bottom base
- Glue the granny apple green box you made above to the base, centering on the bottom and glue, then glue both sides to the base
- Layers on the box
- Santa Express DSP, 4 3/8 X 2 1/8 cut two pillowbox die portions (see picture) for the front and back
- Santa Express DSP (X2), 1 1/2 X 2 for the sides of the box
- One of your 3″ X 12″ strips of DSP will make the front, back and two sides
- The die is upside down on the picture but I wanted to show you how it would lay on the 3″ strip of DSP where the top edge is right at the top of the scene. You will cut on the score lines top and bottom of that section.
- The die is upside down on the picture but I wanted to show you how it would lay on the 3″ strip of DSP where the top edge is right at the top of the scene. You will cut on the score lines top and bottom of that section.
- Embellish! I added the name plates, snowflakes from our retired gems, and an Evening Evergreen bow -8″
- Red striped tissue paper and red striped mints make a perfect addition to the box
. Why do you write out all the directions and have a youtube video? Isn’t the youtube enough?
Good question, Sal! First off, what if the youtube links don’t work in a year or a few years and one of my followers wants to make the box. Secondly, it can be very time consuming to watch a youtube over and over, stopping and starting as you complete each step. Thirdly, if you are hearing disabled, the written directions are important.
If any of you find corrections, please let me know in the comments. I would appreciate being able to correct these directions so they are accurate for the reasons stated above.
Have a wonderful fall season!
SAL, Sharing A Love of stamping
Karen
Hostess code for October 2022 is W2J7GNXR
Click on little Sal in the computer to go to the Stampin’ Up! website to shop for any of these or other products! I appreciate your support of my little business.
Triangle Tri-Fold Card for Case The Creator #6
A card that twists from portrait to landscape? Yes, really! This was our Case The Creator card #6 in July. The creator, Twila Davis, was featured on Splitcoast Stampers with this amazing fun fold card. For this card I am using the Painted Christmas Designer Series Paper in Stampin’ Up!’s July-December Mini Catalog -pg 29. For the greeting, holly berries and greenery, I am using the Merriest Moments from the same catalog – pg. 23. It carried over from last year so you can check out last year’s creations with that set HERE.
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. . And the “JOY” stays upright even when you open the card! That’s unique!
Definitely different. I had to make one to wrap my mind around how it worked. Here is a picture of the two diagonal pieces that are on the top and bottom and just look like strips from the front.
Here is a printable pdf of the instructions if you would like to case the case!!
Case The Creator #6 printable pdf file
. My fellow stampers made some great cards for the Zoom meeting!
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Joy Meadows used the Wonderful World Designer Series Paper and stamp set available until August 31 as part of the Sale A Bration products!
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Beautiful card creations! Thank you, ladies, for participating!
Sale A Bration is going on for another five days!
Paper Pumpkin’s September kit will be a Halloween kit offering 18 treat boxes just right for goodies for the goblins!
. Sign up by September 10th HERE
Or go to the online store and buy a paper pumpkin subscription. With a 3 month subscription you will be entitled to a free Sale A Bration item!
speaking of kits, how about that new Christmas kit with oranges and cinnamon sticks?
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It is lovely and will probably sell out soon so best to get it for Christmas cards – NOW!
Thank you for spending time with me as Sal and I bring you a “pinch of creativity to spice up your crafting world!”
Our hostess code is X4C4NGU4 to use if your order is under $150. At $150 you will receive the stampin’ rewards yourself. If you don’t have a demonstrator I would be honored to have you shop with me or join my Carin’ Creators Team!
SAL, Sharing A Love of stamping
Karen Click on little Sal in the computer to go to the online store!
June Case The Creator Starburst Card
Hello Stamping Friends,
I made my first Christmas card! June’s CTC – Case The Creator card was a fun starburst card and, having just received the beautiful Lights Aglow Designer Series Paper from the new mini catalog, I used it with its beautiful gold foil. Take a look see:
. The greetings are from the Merriest Moments stamp set which carried over to the new Annual Catalog. The base is Soft Succulent with a layer of Evening Evergreen and a triple bow in 3/8″ Soft Succulent Open Weave Ribbon. A few embellishments of In Color Jewels and gold foil laser cut leaves and the card was done!
Here is a printable pdf for your files. The Case The Creator pdf has a link to a video where you will see Kathleen Wingerson making a starburst card. Click on the blue to access the pdf file.
Case The Creator #5 printable pdf file
I will post the card in the recipe box so you can look it up if you ever need the directions. Just click on the thumbnail picture in the recipe box and you will be taken to the blog post with all the directions.
Let’s look at what the rest of the stampers made for the Zoom meeting:
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It is a great card design for using up those scraps of paper!
Thanks for joining me today as I play catch up on my blog!
You could tell everyone our goal!
My fave – We are here to bring you a pinch of creativity to spice up your crafting world!
Thanks, Sal! If you need catalogs or would like to book a personal party we can help with that as well, just text me at 303-815-0838.
SAL, Stamp A Lot, Smile A Little and Share A Love as you stay Salt And Light to those you meet
Karen. Click on Sal in the computer to go directly to my online store! Thank you for all your support!
Gingerbread House Card Contest
Hello Stamping Friends,
Hostess Code for December is 6KSWKDMM. There will be no organized swap in December just holiday greetings to one another if you choose.
The club Christmas party is on our standard second Tuesday, December 14, from 9:30 – whenever! I provide lunch as a thank you for participation in club either as a member or guest. We each bring a white elephant gift – garage sale value between $5 and $10. We’ll make a Christmas tree ornament this year.
January is our last club rotation so contact me if you would like to be a part of a new club rotation starting in February. Guests are always welcome for a $5 fee or a $25 order. We have such fun and have made lasting friendships!
November’s stamping schedule was way wacko since Paul tested positive for COVID and we had to isolate for 14 days. (He is fine and said he has had worse colds than this.) Our regular club meeting was moved to the day we would have had the Zoom meeting (4th Tuesday) with a Mystery Card Challenge. So I created a new challenge – make a Gingerbread House using a Dutch Fold and bring it to club. We will vote and the top Gingerbread House will receive a prize!
There are a lot of Dutch Fold Cards on social media but the one that inspired me was Anna Helman’s Hen House:
. She has all the instructions on Youtube which I posted here and we need only to change it to a gingerbread house. In the video the basics of the house structure runs from about the 2 minute mark to the 10 minute mark. From there your creative genius kicks in to do a gingerbread house.
Basics for a house-
- 11 x 5 3/4″ Card Base, Scored Vertically at 1 1/2″ and 3″ then turn and Score Horizontally at 2 3/4″ and 8 1/4″ (this gives you 2 3/4″ on each side). The vertical scores are the roof and lay horizontally on the house.
- Cut off the top section on both sides cutting along the 3″ vertical score line to the 2 3/4 ” horizontal score line and then cut to the top
- Burnish the folds; Bottom should have two folds like doors that meet in the middle and the top folds down from the 1 1/2 score line to the 3″ score line- this is the roof
- Make the gables on your roof by making a pencil mark 1 1/2″ from the right and 1 1/2″ from the left on the folded roof and cutting through both layers in a diagonal from 1 1/2″ mark on each side to the 2 3/4″ score line (the top of your door).
- Think Gingerbread House and have fun!
I pulled out my left overs from last year’s Paper Pumpkin for a front entryway to my house and die cut little windows with the Tailored Tag hole reinforcers. The icing on the roof and below the windows is from the Gingerbread Dies and the icing on the walls and the snow on the ground are from the Polar Bears Dies. The greeting, the tag, the little candies and the stamped entryway are all from the Paper Pumpkin. I had trouble keeping the front shut so I dug up one of my little reindeer paper clips from Stampin’ Up! retired products. A square of gold glimmer paper behind the star and two jewel doorknobs complete the front.
When you open up the roof you can see the extra chimneys that show on the front:
For the inside I used a greeting from the retired Wrapped In Warmth stamp set and die cut it out with a Hippo die. The greeting was mounted on two more of the little house pieces from Paper Pumpkin.
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Let’s look at the contestants since yours obviously can’t be entered.
It would be weird to win your own prize. Sort of defeats the purpose of a contest.
The winner of the prize was Jo Brooks:
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The details, the wreath, the designer series paper and the glitter paper – oh my! Just beautiful!
A box of gingerbread cookies! Fitting don’t you think?!
Ann Hausmann made a gnome house:
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Those little gnomes are so cute! And remember they had to figure out all the layers themselves. They just had directions for the base.
Well, they did have that and Sharon even did the pop ups on the inside of her house like the video showed:
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She put an amazing amount of work into the inside. With most of her cards, the inside is as creative as the outside!
Lori went with a different roof line on an Early Espresso base, oodles of candies and puff paint!
Love those heart windows!
Thank you, friends for participating in a fun challenge.
I would love to see what you make as a gingerbread dutch fold card! Send pictures!
Anything else happening at Stampin’ Up!?
This month is the last for the mini catalog and the home office has posted the retiring list – with savings!
Jul-Dec-2021-Mini-Catalog-PDF Last-Chance-Products_page order
And today is the last day to sign up for Paper Pumpkin in January, a Lots of Pun kit!
. If you are a demonstrator you can preorder now from the new mini catalog and even earn the Sale A Bration products!
If you would like the perks of being a demonstrator, contact me and I will help you get started. Learn more by clicking on the blue ‘Join The Fun’ link. There is no pressure to sell and no penalty if you decide it is not for you. There are hobby demonstrators and there are business demonstrators so you can join to just get the discounted products or to make a little extra, it is all in your own control! You pay $99 for a starter kit and you get $125 of products that you choose for your kit! Win – Win!
Join The Fun
Thanks for stopping by to see some fun cards! Come back again soon.
SAL, Sparing A Little time to have some fun
Karen
Hostess Code for December is 6KSWKDMM, click on little Sal in the computer to shop
Merriest Moments and Poinsettia Petals Center Panel Easel Cards
Hostess Code Through October 25: H6TRE77D
If you are opening this email in your mobile device, be sure and click on the header again to go to the full blog.
Just in from the home office – “All the photopolymer stamps in the Annual Catalog will be on sale tomorrow for 24 hours only!”
Hello Stamping Friends,
I don’t know when I have had as much fun with a stamp set as I had with Stampin’ Up!’s ‘Merriest Moments’! Usually I search and search for just the right card to teach at club and then I combine different ideas from different cards to come up with what I like. This time was different; I found so many cards that I loved. If you are still on the fence about which stamp set to buy to make your Christmas cards, I recommend the Merriest Moments bundle. It has a stamp set, a set of dies and a hybrid embossing folder. You could make dozens of Christmas cards without a hint of boredom.
Join me here on Youtube or in the written words as I show off this amazing set with the Poinsettia Petals set coming along for fun!
Thank you, Julianne Richards, for the inspiration to make these easel cards! Stampin With Julie Richards.com
Let’s start with the Poinsettia Petals-
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Recipe
- Stamps: Poinsettia Petals
- Tools: Poinsettia Dies, Ornate Layers Dies, Stitched Rectangle dies, Double Oval Punch, sponge daubers
- Ink: Shaded Spruce
- Base: Shaded Spruce, 5 1/2 X 8 1/2 scored at 4 1/4. Cut 1 1/2 inches from the score line to the front bottom edge on both the right and left sides. Cut 1″ off the middle flap front edge then score 2 1/4″ from the score line to the cut edge. Glue down the side flaps.
- Side Flaps: Expressions In Ink DSP, 4 1/8″ X 1 3/8″
- Ornate Layer: Shaded Spruce, 5 X 3 1/2, Use the 2nd largest Ornate Layer Die to cut. TIP: Place a dryer sheet folded in half under the cardstock before die cutting to hold all the little pieces. Also place a piece of copy paper 2 1/2 X 1 3/4 under the cardstock on top of the dryer sheet to prevent a film on the back of your die cut piece since it will be visible from back.
- Middle Greeting: Basic White, 2 3/4 X 4, Die cut with the fourth from smallest Stitched Rectangle die; I usually say stamp first then die cut but in this case it is better to see the actual corners for stamping
- Oval Greeting: Basic White, 1 1/2 X 3, stamp then punch with the double oval punch
- Stitched Rectangle, three leaves and leaves for tiny flower : Just Jade, 2 3/4 X 5 1/2; picture below; cut one large and two small leaves and one tiny flower to be the leaves behind the poinsettia. Sponge the edge with Shaded Spruce and they come alive!
- Poinsettias: Cherry Cobbler, 4 1/4 X 5 1/2, Die cut four smaller flowers, 4 tiny flowers and 2 circle tops; picture below. TIP: place double back adhesive tape under the cherry cobbler on the 2 circle tops so you can easily glue them to the gold centers; if you are really careful you can place the tape so it only covers 2/3 or so of the circle and then it is easy to pull off. Happened by serendipity for me. The poinsettias are layered with two same size flowers offset and then a tiny one on top with gold solid centers covered with the red center with holes. TIP: Roll the edges of the flowers toward the middle with a pencil and sponge the edges with Cherry Cobbler.
- Gold Sprigs and centers: Gold Foil, (X2) 1 1/2 X 2 1/2, Die cut one solid round center and one sprig. TIP: cut two separate foil pieces; running foil through the cut and emboss machine can show lines from the cutting pad. Cut one little ball off the sprig for the center of the tiny poinsettia
- Inside Greeting: Basic White, 2 X 2 3/4 (Or use the stitched rectangle in the Merriest Frames dies)
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. The Just Jade rectangle is a duplicate. If you have a scrap you won’t need the length shown on the right. You need two of the gold foils and don’t forget to back the tiny Cherry Cobbler circles with double back adhesive tape.
The gold foil in the designer series paper and the gold sprigs make this card a wow!
I agree and last year we used the same tools for this card so the set is a great addition to a crafter’s stash! Click to see that post:
. Now on to the Merriest Moments Bundle shown on page 43 of the mini catalog:
. Don’t you just love those large greetings! Our cards today will use almost everyone of those stamps. So let’s start with the club card:
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Merriest Moments Center Panel Easel Card
Recipe
- Stamps: Merriest Moments
- Tools: Merriest Frames Dies and Hybrid Embossing Folder, Stitched Rectangle dies,
- Ink: Shaded Spruce, Cherry Cobbler, Evening Evergreen, Versa Mark
- Base: Shaded Spruce, 5 1/2 X 8 1/2 scored at 4 1/4. Cut 1 1/2 inches from the score line to the front bottom edge on both the right and left sides. Cut 1″ off the middle flap front edge then score 2 1/4″ from the score line to the cut edge. Glue down the side flaps.
- Side Flaps: Expressions In Ink DSP, 4 1/8″ X 1 3/8″
- Gold Foil Layer: Gold Foil, 5 5/8 X 4 3/8; place the border die inside the embossing folder and you can cut and emboss the gold layer at the same time. Of course, in our instance we really just need to cut the layer using the border die from the gold foil but it is so cool to see how it looks embossed! Just playing….
- Detail Layer on the gold: Shaded Spruce, 5 1/2 X 4 1/4, Two steps – 1-cut with the detailed die, 2- place in embossing folder and emboss
- Front and Inside Greeting: Basic White (X2), 2 1/4 X 3; die cut with stitched rectangle in the Merriest Frames Dies
- Bottom Greeting and Easel: Just Jade, 2 3/4 X 1 1/2, Stamp ‘Joy’ with Versa Mark, apply gold embossing powder, heat
- Stamped Images: Basic White, 5 1/2 X 4 1/4; I set up the Stamparatus with all the geenery on one plate and all the flower and berry parts on a separate plate. Stamp the greenery in Evening Evergreen and the Flowers and Berries in Cherry Cobbler. With the stamparatus, I could stamp the Evening Evergreen more than once to get a darker color. Stamp one of each of the greeneries from the set, one large and one small flower, one flower middle and one set of berries.
I used a little extra spacing so we could be sure and die cut each stamped image.
Glue the layers, embellish with three of the In Color jewels and you have one more Christmas card ready to send.
Oh yes, Sal, just remember that many are duplicates of what is on pinterest and all I had to do was add my special touches with different embossing, different DSP and of course – an inside!
Card #1
Inspired by StampWithTami.com using the detail cut out and a separate piece of Night of Navy for the greeting
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. There is a separate full card front layer of Night of Navy that is embossed with the Wintry 3D boughs embossing folder. Don’t be afraid of this mini embossing folder. You can run it through twice to cover the front. I stamped the “Glory to the Newborn King” in versa mark, embossed with white, then fussy cut around the words.
Stamps: For Unto Us, Music From The Heart (retired – but I really wanted music notes)
Card #2
Red Velvet meets Merriest Moments inspired by Margi Stamps:
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The pictures don’t do justice to the simple beauty of this card. The outside is embossed on a separate layer of Basic White. Look at all the little snowflakes or stars around the embossed greenery. Love it! The greeting is stamped directly on the embossed front. Red Velvet Paper is on page 41 of the mini. I suggest stocking up.
I wanted to carry the idea of the frame to the middle so I cut a piece of basic white 3 1/4 X 2 1/2 expecting to trim off the edges but I loved the extra embossing around the frame and left it untrimmed.
The outside greeting is ‘Merriest Moments’ and inside is a greeting from the ‘Snowman Season’ stamp set with the Merry Christmas from ‘For Unto Us’. Together is the best place to build heartwarming memories!
Card #3
Jenny Hayward at A Stamping Journey inspired this partial die cut:
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I used the center ‘frame only’ idea and ‘Painted Christmas’ Designer Series Paper (DSP) with the detailed Merriest Moments die- cut first, then embossed and cut in half for a side partial die. There is an additional layer of Basic White added on the inside and a matching piece of DSP cut with the stitched rectangle in the set. I used the bough stamp in the Merriest Moments stamp set to do 2nd and 3rd generation stamping for the boughs. The inside greeting and the pinecone are in the ‘Perfectly Plaid’ stamp set. The boughs Wintry 3D embossing folder is used on the right edge.
Card #4
Another partial die cut layered on the side inspired by Jenny Hayward at A Stamping Journey:
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I used the ‘Snowflake Wishes’ stamp set for the outside greeting and inside snowflakes, The inside greeting is Merriest Moments and the side DSP is from the ‘Gingerbread and Peppermint’ DSP. The large snowflake comes from the set of 24 iridescent snowflakes called Wonderful Snowflakes. (see page 25 of the mini) One of the Stitched Rectangle Dies cut out the greeting perfectly!
Card #5
Inspired by Lori Pinto at Lolly Pop Papers & Ink:
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Similar to our easel card in its layering and yet exceptional in the use of Evening Evergreen for the background and Crumb Cake for a layer and the greeting. The greeting is a separate stitched rectangle cut and popped up on the detailed embossed layer.
A ‘Snowman Season’ greeting is used for the inside and Merry Christmas from ‘For Unto Us’. I wanted to bring the outside colors in so I cut Crumb Cake squares diagonally in half and layered them with a little larger diagonal cut square in Evening Evergreen.
Card #6
Here is a different use of the dies by Stamp It Up With Jamie. She cut out the middle and popped up the embossed detail with stampin’ dimensionals (lots) on DSP. I didn’t have the DSP she used so I came up with this using ‘Painted Christmas’ DSP:
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The greeting comes from the ‘Frosted Gingerbread’ stamp set. The pine cones are fussy cut from the DSP.
Card #7
Jenny Hayward at A Stamping Journey used vellum so I had to give that a try.
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Isn’t it beautiful?! The inside greeting is from ‘Perfectly Plaid’ but everything else is ‘Merriest Moments’. The base is Fresh
Freesia as are the stamped flowers. The greenery is stamped in Soft Succulent and Evening Evergreen. I used three of the smallest In Color gems for the inside of the flower.
You know, it is a good thing they don’t limit you to the number of words you can use!
..or pictures, Sal, I would be in trouble!
So, Stamping Friends, you have 8 Merriest Moments cards for inspiration and 1 Poinsettia Petal card. Which would you use for your Christmas cards if you were to make just one version?? I would love to hear from you!
Hostess Code Through October 25: H6TRE77D. Don’t forget the sale tomorrow – all photopolymer stamps in the annual catalog!!
SAL, Sharing A Lot of Merriest Moments
Karen
September Swaps and Mystery Card #16
Hostess Code through October 26 is H6TRE77D
Hello Stamping Friends,
It is almost over – Sale A Bration – that is, and September – and summer – and ….. boo hoo
. NO it is “Woo hoo” – that means fall is here, with its pumpkins and scarecrows and pumpkin spice lattes and …..I know, Sal, but Sale A Bration has only one more day and then those specials go away until a new Sale A Bration in January.
Quick, get this post out and maybe one more person will take advantage of all the goodies.
I hope so, Sal. Friends, if you join my team of Carin’ Crafters you will get a FREE bundle. One of 12 bundles – See them at the end of the blog post HERE. Purchase $50 or $100 of products for a free Sale A Bration item.
. And only 86 days until Christmas! Just sayin……
We will be ready!! Club is October 12th at 9:30 or 1:30 with a potluck at noon and we will start our Christmas card making fun! Guests are welcome for a $5 fee or $25 order just RSVP by October 7th so I have card kits.
Mystery Card Challenge #16 printable pdf file
It is an Origami Frame Card (also called Shadow Box Technique, Folded Paper Frame, and Origami Window Frame)!
This is the one I created with the specific instructions. I used the wintry 3D embossing folder and since it is made for the mini machine, I just rotated the folder 180 degrees so there were no half embossed images and ran it a second time. I used the Baby Wipe Technique for the greeting from the Frosted Gingerbread stamp set by placing a baby wipe on our largest acrylic block and then drip dropping red and green ink from the reinkers on the baby wipe to create my own mixed color ink ‘pad’. The base is Cinnamon Cider and the DSP is Gingerbread & Peppermint DSP from the mini catalog.
- The 4X4 DSP is folded lightly in half and then opened up and folded lightly in half again to find the middle point, or use a pencil and a ruler to draw diagonal lines from each corner to corner to find the middle, then erase the pencil mark.
- Unfold and fold each corner with its point exactly in the center. Burnish well with your bone folder (1st folds)
- Fold back the corner points to about 1/8″ over the 1st folds and burnish well.
- Place at least two glue dots underneath the frame folds at the very edge of the 1st fold, you want the folds to pop a little at the second fold but be held in place at the first fold. Glue dots were less visible than when I used the mini dimensionals.
There are several different ways to place the frame on your card. In the card above, I used the 3X3 square offset from the frame to make added points to the frame but in this card I placed the 3X3 exactly under the frame for just a border:
I used an extra layer of Old Olive since I was using DSP from the Gingerbread & Peppermint DSP which was a bit busy.
- Old Olive Layer, 4 1/8 X 5 3/8
- DSP Layer, 4 X 5 1/4
- Basic White for stamping the greeting, 2 3/4 X 2 3/4 (I had fun with all the dies in the Gingerbread Dies!)
This next card uses the 3X3 for a border again instead of extra points since the back of the DSP that folds out is the same blue and got lost when I looked at having the extra points with blue on blue. This uses the Back On Your Feet stamp set.
Differences from the original:
- Beauty of The Earth DSP, 4 X 5 1/4
- Cinnamon Cider, 3 3/4 X 5, embossed with Painted Texture 3D embossing folder
- Basic White for stamping the greeting, 2 3/4 X 2 3/4
The Origami Frame would also fit on a card with a horizontal alignment.
Sharon used the 3X3 for extra points and made a stunning card with the Sale A Bration Peaceful Prints DSP, Cherry Cobbler and Basic Black:
Joy’s card uses the Hand Penned DSP and Gorgeous Grape with the Timeworn Type 3D Embossing Folder:
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Ann made two cards in differing colors and two different embossing folders- the Ornate Floral 3D on the left and the Timber 3D on the right:
Thank you for participating in the Mystery Card Challenge and sharing your cards!
We Zoom on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 9:30 to share our swaps and do a Mystery Card Challenge. Hop on by some time, just send your email address to me at stampalosopher@gmail.com.
Don’t go until you share those swap cards!
Oh dear, I almost did. This was my swap and if you click on the picture you can go to the blog post with all the directions and even a video:
Sharon’s card celebrates the beauty of fall with gorgeous die cut leaves on fall DSP and she used the Autumn Wheelbarrow Dies from last year’s holiday mini, Pierced Blooms Dies, Seasonal Layers Dies, and Autumn Wishes from Close To My Heart.
Jo’s Card uses Stampin’ Up! Reflected In Nature stamps on Thick Basic White with a full panel of brown embossed with the Wood Grain embossing folder. The shiny strip is Stampin’ Up! Rose Specialty Paper:
I wish you could see the sparkle on Joy’s card. She used the Triple Time Stamping Technique with the Stampin’ Up! Daisy Garden and Vine Design stamp sets with a border between her layers of Blackberry Beauty DSP. The little dragonfly is punched in black and then sparkled with the gold!
Ann’s card is a fun Halloween card using Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black. She sponged the edge of the Pumpkin Pie with black for a smoky look. She used Stampin’ Up!’s Frightfully Cute stamp set, the Scalloped Contour Dies, the Frightful Tag Dies, the Cute Halloween DSP, and Black Glitter Paper. The star sequins and black and white gingham ribbon are the perfect embellishment!
Your blog is like a virtual scrapbook of cards!
So true! And for you travelers and out of staters who missed the Mystery card, you can still make one and send me the picture and I can add it to the ‘virtual scrapbook’. I think it really helps everyone see the amazing things we can do with a bit of paper, stamps, tools and ink. An added benefit of our card scrapbook is to go back and see a card that we may have already mailed out but now want to make one like it. Well, here is your place to go to see those past cards. My cards are in the recipe box because they are linked to the full directions but you can always do a search by “swaps” and find the others.
And the ‘scrapbook’ brings a pinch of creativity to spice up their crafting worlds!
Mustn’t forget to say that, Sal, so they see where you come in!
Hostess Code through October 26 is H6TRE77D
SAL, Sadly A Last day for Sale A Bration
Karen (Click on little Sal in the computer to go to the online store)
Pinwheel Tower Cards
Hello Stamping Friends,
Remember to click the heading after you open your email to access the full blog.
Hostess Code Through October 25 with Sharon as our hostess: H6TRE77D
Club is October 12th at 9:30 and 12:30 with a potluck at noon. Guests are welcome for a $5 fee, or a $25 order, but please RSVP by Oct. 7th. By popular vote we will begin our Christmas card making at this club.
If you would really like to get a head start on Christmas cards, consider the October Paper Pumpkin for 10 cards with matching envelopes:
. That would be a really good idea for you if your next two months are like this last one!
That’s for sure, Sal, I always subscribe for the September, October, and November kits and they just keep getting better each year.
Friends, you can either subscribe through my online store or go directly to the Paper Pumpkin site and order.
Refills are available for the September Paper Pumpkin. The little pumpkin sandwiched nicely in the dash of my car and made little Emma in the back carseat giggle as we headed to Steamboat Springs. She helped with the construction!
Pinwheel Tower Card
These cards are the new rage on social media so I had an open house crafting day to gather together and make one. There were so many different versions online that I sent out three videos and the stampers picked the style of their choice and brought the kit components to the house. It was a fun morning!
This is how my work table looked to start:
The card cuts here are those used by Meg Loven though all the colors are different:
Recipe:
- Tower Base: Granny Apple Green, 4 1/4 X 4 1/4; Score at 1″, 2″, 3″ and 4″. This leaves a little 1/4″ tab on which you will put a piece of tear and tape, then lay it flat on your work surface and bring the opposite side over and press it down on the tab. This works so much better than trying to hold it in your hands and match the sides.
- Panels (X4): Granny Apple Green, 4 1/4 X 2 3/4
- Borders (X4): Basic Black, 4 X 2 1/2
- Borders (X4): Basic Black, 4 X 1 1/2
- Layers for stamping (X4): Basic White, 3 3/4 X 2 1/4
- Layers for pretty (X4): Pattern Party DSP, 3 3/4 X 1 1/4
That’s really all there is for pieces and now comes the fun part of decorating! I used the Counting Sheep Stamp Set and Sheep Dies, (each are free during Sale A Bration (ends September 30) with a $50 order). Emma’s birthday is this month and she turns 3, so the three sheep were perfect! I used the streamers and bow tie from the Birthday Chick Dies and stamps from the Hey Birthday Chick stamp set.
The sheep are all stamped directly on the Basic White, however, by outlining the image with a Light Smoky Slate Blend and then using the Color Lifter to soften the shadow you create a look of a whiter white. The candles are from a retired punch and the frosting is a piece of doily. The flames are made real with a drop of our Shimmery Crystal Effects.
Even if you don’t need the sheep, the sheep dies have this cool pennant, the sun, the balloon, clouds and the birthday hat. The grass, the greeting and the birthday hat come from the Counting Sheep stamp set. The streamers are in the Birthday Chick die set.
On this side I used a number 3 from the Playful Alphabet set, more Hey Chick streamers, a doily and a cute bow tie from the Birthday Chick Dies.
The Happy Birthday is another die in the Birthday Chick die set and the balloons are in the Sheep Dies. I cut the words once in basic black and once in the Pattern Party paper with horizontal stripes for a different look.
This is what the work table looks like at the end of making the card:
Ugh — I thought all the skeletons and halloween decorations were scary but this is worse.
A normal day in the life of a crafter!
Let’s look at the cards made by the others. Thank you Stampers for your amazing creations and letting me share them!
Sharon Fincham’s Christmas Card:
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Joy Meadows also made a Christmas card and used the Whimsy & Wonder Specialty Paper and the Christmas Trees Dies. The sparkly gold is the Sale A Bration Be Dazzling specialty paper:
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Heather Guitreau- for a friend using the Pierced Blooms Dies:
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Heather Guitreau- for Halloween using the Cute Halloween Designer Series Paper, the Cutest Halloween Stamp set and the Frightful Tags dies with the Black Glitter Paper from Stampin’ Up! and other fun Halloween sets. Those ghosts are upside down tulip punches.
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Heather Guitreau- for her Mother
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Ann Hausmann made a Halloween card as well! I must say, the Black Glitter Paper just makes the card awesome as does the Designer Series Paper with bats and cute little ghosts. Of course without the dies to cut the glimmer paper into owls and spider webs, and a witch hat and a tree and a fence, well — yes, my pretty, we must have dies! (she says in a witch’s voice!)
Did those wonderful cards inspire you to make your own Pinwheel Tower Card? When it is a very special occasion, it is worth taking time for a very special card!
Would you like to join us for other fun crafting events? Club is on the second Tuesday of the month and we Zoom together on the fourth Tuesday to share swaps and take on a Mystery Card Challenge – I give you directions for cuts to make and then you have the surprise when I show you how all the pieces go together! It is fun. Call or text 303-815-0838. I would love to be your creative coach and bring a pinch of creativity to spice up your crafting world!
If you are thinking of joining Stampin’ Up! for the sake of the 20% discount or to be a part of a community of crafters, I would love to have you on my Carin’ Crafters team! Join by September 30 and get the Sale A Bration special of a free bundle along with $125 of products for $99. Call or text 303-815-0838.
Hostess Code Through October 25 H6TRE77D
SAL, Smile A Little as you stamp your way to Christmas- only 87 days away
Karen. (Click on little Sal in the computer to go to the online store)
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