Why I Love Pinterest

Today's card is CASEd from Brian King (found on Pinterest). I just loved the look and altered it slightly to give it a Christmas feel.

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Silver Glimmer
Tools: Big Shot, Lattice Bigz Die, Window Framelits

There is actually no stamping on this card! No sentiments either... I thought about making this a "blank" Christmas card so that people could write their own message and sentiment. It could therefore be used as a thank you card during the holidays or given to someone who doesn't celebrate the Christmas season.

Why do I love Pinterest? Because I often find out things like the Lattice Bigz Die and the Window Framelits fit perfectly together to create a beautiful card! Love it...

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Pierced Ornaments

Today I have another Christmas card I created. The only stamp I used on this card is for the sentiment. The rest is paper pierced. Check it out:

Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Ink: Gumball Green, Raspberry Ripple, Early Espresso
Stamps: More Merry Messages
Tools: Big Shot, Stripes TIEF, Paper Piercing
Accessories: Jewels, Stitched Satin Ribbon

I used the ornament Paper Piercing Template to pierce my ornaments of choice. Once that was done, I used my Stampin' Write Markers to "connect the dots"... this gives the look of stitching. I fooled around a bit with my Blender Pen and moved some the ink around to give the ornaments some colour.

I added some ribbon to the top of each ornament and A LOT of bling with some jewels.

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

We're Getting Sketchy @ Sunday Stamps!

Welcome to another Sunday at Sunday Stamps! It's been a while since I've been able to create for the Blog, but I'm so happy to return this week. This sketch deemed to be a perfect fit for a custom card I was commissioned to design for a client. Check it out:

Paper: Basic Gray, Concord Crush, Whisper White
Ink: Sahara Sand, Basic Gray
Stamps: Memorable Moments
Tools: Big Shot, Typeset Alphabet Bigz Die, HB Embossing Folder (non SU!)
Accessories: Basic Gray Washi Tape

This is such a great sketch - so versatile. I cut some numbers from Glimmer Paper using the Big Shot which added a special little something, I think. Before embossing my first layer, I stamped the number '70' randomly all over the page.

For some added texture, I ruffled the Washi Tape in the top right corner. The beauty of Washi is that it's repositional and self adhesive!

Stop on by Sunday Stamps to see what the other DT Members have created to inspire you. We always look forward to seeing what you create! Don't forget that we're now a 2-week challenge, so you have until July 26th to play along.

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Christmas in July Series - Post 5

This has got to be one of my favourite cards from this series so far. I just love how it turned out and I'm quite proud of myself for really pushing my brain for this one!

Paper: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Baked Brown Sugar
Ink: Pistachio Pudding, Early Espresso
Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Delightful Dozen
Tools: Punch Pack Punches
Accessories: Summer Starfruit Satin Stitched Ribbon, Jewels

If you read my supplies above, it wasn't a mistake that I wrote Papillon Potpourri as one of the stamp sets used! Can you believe it?! When I first started this series, I pulled out all the stamps I thought I could work with. At our team meeting on Tuesday, my sideline (thanks Mirela!) was talking about how she's addicted to using this stamp set on all her cards... so that made me want to try using it for Christmas!

I used some grade school skills for this card... I cut a template from a piece of scrap paper and then randomly stamped one of the butterfly images, making sure to get into my pointed corners. The delicate design really worked for this:

I used the middle butterfly on the right.

Now I really set the bar high for myself on using non Christmas stamps for this series! But I gotta tell you, this has really helped me to be more creative and think about my stamps in a completely different way. I might have to try doing this series for another occasion later on, but for now, I can't stop making non-Christmas Christmas cards!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Christmas in July Series - Post 4

Good morning and welcome to the fourth post in this series. If you're just tuning in for the first time, I'm showcasing cards that use non Christmas stamps to make Christmas cards! Here's today's:

Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer
Ink: Pool Party, Island Indigo
Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Occasions Alphabet, More Merry Messages
Tools: Punches - Scallop Oval, Artisan Label
Accessories: Jewels
Technique: Heat Embossing

Aside from sentiments, the goal of this series is to us show you that you don't need to own a ton of Christmas stamps (or maybe any at all) because you can use what you've got in your stash! This is one of my favs. I love the colours and the tone-on-tone stamping and heat embossing - both in Pool Party! All the stamping, minus the sentiments, are from the same stamp set, Everything Eleanor. What a great set this is! I have used it a lot... there are so many fantastic images that are great for layering.

Hope this series is inspiring you to use your non Christmas stamps to think outside the box!

Check back tomorrow... you won't believe what stamp set I used to make a Christmas card. :)

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Christmas in July Series - Post 3

If you missed the previous posts, you might want to check them out starting a couple of posts back. I'm doing a week-long series on Christmas cards, but not using Christmas stamps. Here's today's:

Paper: Midnight Muse, Very Vanilla, Silver Glimmer
Ink: Basic Gray
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree
Tools: Big Shot, Heat Tool, Typeset Alphabet Bigz Die, Snowflurry Bigz Die
Accessories: Doily

Ok, so this isn't my favourite. It looked so much better in my head! ha. I hardly ever plan my designs out... I just create as I go. This one seemed to take hours!

The Typeset Alpha Bigz Die is so versatile! I've been using it a lot. On this card, "N O E L" fit just perfectly. After stamping and embossing the trees and cutting my letters, I thought it needed something else. After playing around with several ideas, I thought about using a doily. It didn't look quite right when I just laid the doily down, so I got the idea to cut a snowflake into it. It works, but I've got some other ideas floating around in my head with those doilies, so stay tuned...

Anyway, it is what it is. Maybe you love it. Creators are their worst critics after all. :)

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Christmas in July Series - Post 2

Sorry for the delayed post today... dealing with house hunt craziness! If you missed my post yesterday (the first one in this series), you can find it here.

Today's card uses the hostess set, Simply Sketched. I fell in love with this set the moment I saw it! It's not a Christmas set. I comes with three images and three greetings, but none of them Christmas. I thought the branch could be used for Christmas with the right colouring. Check it out:

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive
Stamps: Simply Sketched Hostess, Wacky Wishes (retired Hostess)
Tools: Big Shot, Petals-a-Plenty TIEF, Labels Framelits, Decorative Label Punch
Accessories: Dazzling Details, Vintage Faceted Buttons, Baker's Twine

I stamped the image on watercolour paper, coloured with a Blender Pen and then added Dazzling Details to the red berries. I fussy cut these by the way. :) The sentiment is from an old hostess set (Wacky Wishes) but you can easily swap this out with something else.

I added a little texture with an embossing folder & Core'dinations card stock and some of the fab Glimmer Paper.

Check back tomorrow for another card in this series.

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

A New Series! Christmas in July...

For about the next week, I'll be showcasing cards for a new series called Christmas in July. Not only will I be talking about Christmas, but I will be using (mostly) non Christmas stamps to show you that you can work with what you've got!

Today I'm featuring a card using the oh-so-popular Lovely as a Tree stamp set. Check it out:

Paper: Whisper White, Pool Party, Silver Glimmer
Ink: Pool Party, Midnight Muse
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Merry Messages
Tools: Heat Tool, Big Shot, Apothecary Accents Framelits
Accessories: Jewels
Technique: Heat Embossing

So, the sentiment is from the long ago retired set Merry Messages, but the main focal image is from a stamp set that is not specifically Christmas. This is one of two images that can potentially be used from this set, so the possibilities are endless!

After making this, I thought the evergreen would look pretty sweet if I had used Pool Party embossing powder, but I'm happy with the result. Perhaps I'll give that combo a try next.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for the second post in this series...

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph