Sunday, December 25, 2011

{12 Weeks of Christmas}: Week 12 -- Smeby Family Thank You Note

Once again, I've had fun using My Digital Studio to create a card for our family.  MDS is my go-to program for photo Thank You notes.  For example, I like to use a photo from each of my kid's birthdays as the backdrop for their Thank You note for friends and family.


This is our Christmas Thank You picture.  I'll trim it (which is why there's so much blue space below the photo) on the right side and bottom to fit a 4 1/4 by 5 1/2-inch card base.
The background color is one the I chose using the Color Picker function (I wanted it to coordinate with the kids' outfits); I simply guided my mouse over the photo and chose my color.  The snowflakes are from the Season of Cheer stamp set and the pinecone arrangement is from Pines and Poinsettias.  The Modern Label Punch is Always Artichoke and I lowered the opacity to make it translucent (one of my favorite effects to use!).  I've also added a silver brad to the Modern Label punch, as I would to a "hard copy" version.  The "Thank You" comes from one of my favorite sets, Thank You Kindly.  Finally, the photo has a small black mat and as well, I used the "Drop Shadow" effect on it.

Our Christmas Thank You notes turn out to be "hybrid" (which is often the case).  I usually add buttons, ribbon or some other embellishment as well as sometimes mounting it upon two different pieces of card stock for visual interest.  Here, I've simply trimmed the picture and mounted it on a Very Vanilla card base.  I've added a length of Whisper White Narrow Grosgrain and made a Faux Bow and added a rhinestone to the center of the small snowflake on the right.  So simple and just enough "Wow!"

Here are some past Thank You notes I've made with My Digital Studio:
Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  None

Paper:  Very Vanilla card stock (#101650)

Ink:  None

Accessories:  My Digital Studio (#118108), Whisper White Narrow Grosgrain ribbon (#109025), and Basic Rhinestones (#119246)

Saturday, December 24, 2011

{12 Weeks of Christmas}: Week 11 -- Smeby Family Christmas Card

I thought I'd show some photos of how I put together my family's Christmas card...  I make a ton of them, so I need to piece it apart and do it assembly line-style.

I started with a 5.25 x 4-inch piece of Wild Wasabi.  Above, you see it with a piece of Chocolate Chip, run through my Big Shot with the Perfect Pennants Die.  I laced the Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon through the holes of the die cut...
This is a picture of the pieces of Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper that I've punched using the Scallop Edge Border Punch.  I've done the same thing below with a piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock before I ran it through the Big Shot in the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.


The sentiment is from the Petite Pairs set.

The chickadee is stamped again on Very Vanilla, punched with the 1-1/4-inch Circle Punch and then mounted on a circle of Cherry Cobbler, punched with a 1-3/8-inch Circle Punch.  To make it stand out, I colored the holly berries with my Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write Marker.  If I weren't making 150+ of these, I'd probably color the "highlighted" image in it's entirety with Watercolor Pencils.

All in all, this was a manageable card to make.  The optimum way to do this is in phases, like this (just wish I hadn't made them as close to Christmas--I was really cranking them out toward the end!).

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Beautiful Season (#122680W, #122682C), Petite Pairs (#122495W, #122497C)

Paper:  Wild Wasabi (108641), Cherry Cobbler (119685), Chocolate Chip (102128), and Very Vanilla (101650) card stocks, and Jolly Holiday DSP

Inks:  Cherry Cobbler Classic (119669), Jet Black StazOn (101406), Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write Marker (#119681)

Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (117335), Perfect Pennants Bigz L die (123126), 1-1/4" Circle (#119861), 1-3/8" Circle (#119860), Large Oval (#119855), and Scallop Edge Border (#119882) punches, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding (#112920)



Tuesday, December 20, 2011

{12 Weeks of Christmas}: Week 10 -- My Digital Studio Christmas Picture

One portion of our family Christmas card is the picture.  These beautiful shots were taken by Yuen Lui, a local photography studio which has photographed everything from our engagement photos to our wedding, to countless pictures of our children.  We've had sittings in their studio, at our home and on-location.  They're terrific!

I like to create a collage with captions in My Digital Studio, have it printed in 4 X 6-format and then trim it to fit into my Christmas card (which is 4 1/4 X 5 1/2-inches).  The images are from the Pines and Poinsettias brush set.  I fiddled with the opacity of my rectangular punches to make them translucent (you'll see that again in our Christmas Thank You note).  I left the big Chocolate Chip bottom border because I'll trim an inch from it.  So simple!

My next post shows you part of my process in creating our family Christmas card.  It's a big job, but it's manageable because I do it assembly line-style...

Thursday, December 15, 2011

{12 Weeks of Christmas}: Week 9 -- Belly Band Gift Idea

O, the Belly Band!  How I love thee!  There are so many fun ways to use a Belly Band. In today's {12 Weeks of Christmas} post, I wanted to share a gift idea with you...

This funky origami project is actually a gift card holder!  It's so very simple, uses supplies which are readily on-hand and quick to make with a great WOW factor.

Start with a 4-1/4 by 10-3/4" piece of Always Artichoke card stock.  I scored it (using my FABULOUS Simply Scored tool) at 2-1/4, 3, 3-3/4, and 7-1/4 inches.  I made a careful slit in the 3-inch cut, being sure not to cut all the way across the piece (you're making a slit for the gift card here--note in the picture below that a scant 1/2-inch is left on either side, uncut).  You can easily use your paper trimmer to make this slit.  Add adhesive to the "inside" of the gift card holder part at those uncut places so that it stands up when opened.
Once folded closed, I added a 3-1/4 by 4-inch piece of So Saffron card stock, which I'd run through my Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  I made the sentiment tag using a scrap of Whisper White card stock and the Modern Label punch (do you see how much I love to lop off a side of that punch?  I use it all of the time). 
Finally, the Belly Band...  I created it starting with a piece of Always Artichoke card stock (measuring 9-1/2 by 1-1/2 inches), run through the Big Shot with my new Snow Burst (Holiday Mini) Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  Oh, how I love those snowflakes!  I scored it at 2-3/4 inches and 7-1/2 inches and adhered the flaps to make the band.  

It is adorned with an image from Sweet Season, which I colored with my Always Artichoke and Cajun Craze Stampin' Write Markers.  It's punched with the 1-3/4-inch Scallop Circle and popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals on a piece of Cajun Craze, which I punched with the larger, 2-3/4-inch Scallop Circle.  This piece is adhered to the Belly Band in an off-set manner to give visual interest.  A strand of white Baker's Twine completes the look.


Stampin' Up! Supplies:


Stamps:  Sweet Season (#116471) and Short and Sweet (#115060)

Paper:  Always Artichoke (105119), Cajun Craze (119684), So Saffron (#105118) and Whisper White (#100730) card stocks

Ink:  Always Artichoke Classic (#105219) and Stampin' Write Marker (#105113), and Cajun Craze Classic (#119671) and Stampin' Write Marker (#119678)

Accessories:  Big Shot (#113439), Snow Burst (#124096) and Perfect Polka Dots (#117335) Textured Impressions Embossing Folders, Simply Scored Scoring Tool (#122334), 1-3/4" (#119854) and 2-3/8" (#118874) Scallop Circle and Modern Label (#119849) Punches, Baker's Twine (#124262), Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430) and Stamping Sponges (#101610)

We're closing in on Christmas -- I hope you're able to find time to slow down and enjoy the festive spirit.  Stay tuned for a corresponding video and more {12 Weeks of Christmas} posts!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

{12 Weeks of Christmas}: Week 8 -- Resource Thursday: Inspired by the Catty

"Resource Thursday" means that I'll be creating a project and writing about its inspiration.  For this post, I used my favorite "Resource" as a demonstrator and that is the Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog.  When I first got my hands on this behemoth (over 10 years ago), I was totally overwhelmed.  Then I decided to focus my attention on one single aspect of a card.  I might look for particular features (like a punched accent) or color combinations.  For this card, I was focusing my search on layout...  Here's my take on the card:
I used the tree and sentiment from the Contempo Christmas set (#118734 W, 120594 C).  The large scalloped circle is from the Bigz Scallop Circle #2 die.  The More Mustard circle was punched using the 2-1/2-inch Circle Punch.  I punched holes in each of the scallops using my Paper Piercing Tool and Mat Pack.

The circle was mounted on a piece of Elegant Eggplant that I'd run through my Big Shot and the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  What isn't readily visible in my photos is that I've trimmed about 3/4-inch from the edge of the front of the card and allowed the scalloped circle to go to the edge of the card body...
I created the sentiment, on a piece of Whisper White card stock, using my Stampin' Write Markers.  I used Elegant Eggplant, More Mustard and Garden Green.  I sponged the edge of the Whisper White with More Mustard Classic Ink.  It's mounted over two scalloped circles from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, using Stampin' Dimensionals.  

For finishing touches, I've added Basic Rhinestones to the sentiment and the top of the tree (they come with self-adhesive).  I've also used a strip of (retired) Elegant Eggplant rick rack.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:


Stamps:  Contempo Christmas (#118734 W, #120594 C)


Papers:  Elegant Eggplant (#105126), Perfect Plum (#101889), More Mustard (#100946), and Whisper White (#100730) card stocks


Inks:  Elegant Eggplant (#105210) and Garden Green (#102272) Classic Inks, Elegant Eggplant (#105110), More Mustard (#100076) and Garden Green (#100080) Stampin' Write Markers


Accessories:  Big Shot (#113439), Scallop Circle #2 Bigz Die (#113469), Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (#117335), 2-1/2-inch Circle Punch (#120906), Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (#118309), Extra-Large Oval Punch (#119859), Paper Piercing Tool (#116631), Mat Pack (#105826), Basic Rhinestones (#119246), Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430)

Thank you for joining me for another {12 Weeks of Christmas} Post!  We're getting closer!  Hope you get a chance to catch your breath and enjoy the joys of the season...

Friday, December 2, 2011

December Makeover

December is upon us and I've just spent a bit of time updating the banner and buttons of Studio Sara with a winter look.  I used the branch and birds from the Christmas Lodge set (available in My Digital Studio #125611, as well as in the Holiday Mini for paper-and-ink use, #123767 W, #123769 C).  I loved the snowflake in the Season of Cheer digital brush set, so that's what I used as a background.  The card I highlighted was the {Technique Tuesday} post that I published earlier this week that you can view again here.

I love the ability to adjust the opacity of items, so I had a lot of fun with that this time on both the banner and the buttons..

The buttons were made using the Ornament Punch, which I have as a digital download (and in hard, cold metal  #119847).  Love it!  Such a fun way to make gift tags!

Anyhoo, I thought I'd just draw your attention to The New Look...  I will be posting some tools this weekend that will make your gift-giving a little easier (Studio Sara Exclusives and a wish list to print out).

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Reminder -- Online Extravaganza lasts through tomorrow!

Hey, Shoppers!  If you've got a paper crafter on your list this season (or if you have some goodies you'd like for yourself), please check out the Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza!  These great deals last through tomorrow, November 30.  Click here for my original post on these great offers...

{12 Weeks of Christmas}: Week 7 -- Technique Tuesday: Z-fold

Hi, there, and welcome to another installment of {12 Weeks of Christmas}!  This week, I've got a fun technique that adds *WOW* to your project without adding any cost (we love those, don't we?!).  It's called a Z-Fold and there are all sorts of variations.  I thought we'd start simple; I'll show you a more complex one in the future...

Start with a half-sheet of Riding Hood Red card stock, cut vertically.  Next, score (using Stampin' Up!'s fabulous new Simply Scored tool) at 5-1/2 inches and 8-1/4 inches.

I fed the (end) 2 3/4-inch piece through my Big Shot, using my Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.
The accents on that little flap include a piece of Baja Breeze (suggested by my Color Coach) that I edged using the Scallop Edge Border punch, a piece of 1/4-inch Whisper White grosgrain ribbon (which I tucked around the edges of the Baja Breeze so that the "Behind the Scenes" isn't visible on the card), and a Scallop Oval piece of So Saffron with the sentiment stamped in Baja Breeze and punched using the Large Oval punch.  Finally, I stamped the little bloom from Season of Joy on whisper White (using the Riding Hood Red Classic Ink) and cut it out, using my super-fine Stampin' Up! Paper Snips.  A "Faux Bow" of the same Whisper White grosgrain ribbon finishes off the front.
For the "inside" of the card, I inked the big blossom from Season of Joy in So Saffron and stamped it first (it's barely visible in the photo, hiding behind the sentiment), then followed it up with the square image/sentiment stamp that I colored using my Stampin' Write Markers (that's how I got parts to be Baja Breeze and the three blooms in the upper left to be Riding Hood Red).  The same big blossom is inked in Riding Hood Red on the envelope to tie the two together (remember, no naked envelopes!).

Stampin' Up! Supplies:


Stamps:  Season of Joy (#110384, $26.95)

Paper:  Riding Hood Red (#111348), So Saffron (#105118), Baja Breeze (# 111352) and Whisper White (#100730) card stocks

Inks:  Riding Hood Red (#111836 pad, #120971 marker), So Saffron (#105213), and Baja Breeze (#111833 pad, #120965 marker) Classic Inks

Accessories:  Simply Scored Scoring Tool (in the Holiday and Occasions Mini Catalogs, #122334), Big Shot (#113439), Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (#116824), Scallop Edge Border (#119882), Scallop Oval (#119856), and Large Oval (#119855) Punches, Paper Snips (#103579), and Whisper White 1/4-inch grosgrain ribbon (#109025)

Monday, November 21, 2011

{12 Weeks of Christmas}: Week 6 -- Online Extravaganza!

Are you a bargain stamper?  If so, Stampin' Up! has a Black Friday sale for you, before the bird!


Starting today, Stampin' Up! is offering discounts of up to 60% off on over 50 items!  Shop from the comfort of your home with no crowds to battle...  No chilly nights, waiting for the store to open...  No parking lots to brave...  You can shop any time between now and November 30 to achieve some great savings!  Click here to be directed to my online store...  Feel free to please call or email me if you'd rather we did the order together!

Here's what I'm excited about:
Click *HERE*

To sweeten the deal (please pardon the pun), Stampin' Up! is offering two of its newer products at a discount until 11:59 PM TONIGHT, Monday, November 21.

Christmas gifts!  I am giving these little gems to my young nieces and nephews.  What a fun and simple way for children to help in the kitchen!  They will have so much fun with these...

And for me...  I've had my eye on the Simply Scored and now's the time to buy.  I've got a scorer from another manufacturer and while I hate to duplicate my supplies, the Simply Scored is just a superior product.  I've fought through using my old non-Stampin' Up! one for long enough.  As long as I buy Simply Scored before 11:59 PM, I get it for 20% off!

Some other items worth mentioning:  BUNDLES!  There is a ribbon bundle and a Glimmer Brads bundle that I've got my eye on.
Bundle Up!

And how about some My Digital Studio downloads?!  Gracious, you know how I love the MDS!

Click *HERE*
and *HERE*



 And finally, Winter Post at 50% off!  Hooray!

Click *HERE*

 So with the exception of the Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps and Simply Scored tool, you've got until November 30 to snatch up these great deals.  If you've got a little elf who would like the cookie stamps or if your workshop could use a Simply Scored, order them NOW!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

{12 Weeks of Christmas}: Week 5 -- ReRUN SUNday: Card with a Gift

Today's (late) post is what I call a ReRUN SUNday...  I'll take a card I've made in the past and either tweak it and make it better or change it for a different occasion or season.

Here's my first edition.  I made this card for a challenge for which I was to be inspired by "warm and cozy."  I love a cuppa tea and a cozy blanket, so I used the mug from the retired Pun Fun set and some crochet trim to symbolize the blanket.

In the ReRUN, I've taken the idea, turned it on its side and made a gift to go along with the card.  I made the yellow piece a bookmark that folds over the page...
I've changed the Textured Impressions Folder and added texture to the bookmark, as well.  This time, I used the Snow Burst Textured Impressions Folder from the Holiday Mini for the body and the Perfect Polka Dots folder for the bookmark.
 The stamp sets I used were Serene Snowflakes and Teeny Tiny Wishes.
The Color Coach (#120148) provided me with the color palette...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:


Stamps:  Serene Snowflakes (#115438) and Teeny Tiny Wishes (#115370)

Papers:  Cherry Cobbler (#119685), Daffodil Delight (#119683), Early Espresso (#119686) and Whisper White (#100730) card stocks

Inks:  Cherry Cobbler (#119669) and Daffodil Delight (#119667) Classic Inks

Accessories:  Big Shot (#113439), Snow Burst Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (#124096 in the Holiday Mini), Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (#117335), Two Tags Bigz Die (#115954), Standard Cutting Pads and the Multipurpose Platform, Whisper White 5/8-inch Organza Ribbon (#114319), 1 3/4-inch Scallop Circle Punch (#119854), 1 3/8-inch Circle Punch (#119860), and Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430).

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Wahoo! Won a Card Challenge!

An exciting day here in the Studio...  One of my favorite stamping websites is the blog, 365 Cards, created and hosted by Pamela Maas.  Every week, you can count on at least one terrific sketch and six other fun challenges on which to base a card design and this week, I won!  I am one of the Spotlight Designers that Pamela and the Crew at 365 have chosen to highlight (I'll be writing about this card soon).  Thank you so much!

This is a great challenge blog -- we're inspired to create cards based on letters in the alphabet, white space challenges, movie posters, song lyrics, colors, seasons, holidays, advertisements, card recipes and more.  It's such a fun source of inspiration!

Thanks for the nod, 365ers (and for the lovely challenges and inspiration)!

Monday, November 14, 2011

{12 Weeks of Christmas}: Week 4 -- Mise en Place: Supply Check

Hello, Studio Visitors!  Welcome to another installment of my {12 Weeks of Christmas} series.  In this post, we're going to talk about more Mise en Place (loosely, "everything in its place").  This time, it's a reminder to make sure you have all of the envelopes, stamps and address labels that you will need.  Even though your Christmas cards and "Thank You" notes probably aren't finished yet, you can spend a little time prepping the envelopes now to make your life easier later.

The United States Postal Service will send you your postage stamps if you would rather not wait in line at the post office.  Simply shop online here in the Postal Store.  Purchase your stamps and they come to your door!

Now is also a good time to run your address labels.  If you're like me, I'd rather take the time to write a personal message to my recipients, rather than hand-write their addresses on the envelopes, so I use my computer to print out address labels.

I also create my own "personalized" return address labels by using the itty bitty ones (specifically called "return address labels") with my computer and stamp a small coordinating image in a light color over the return address.  It ties in nicely with what I'm stamping on the card (and envelope, if I have time), so it's a lovely presentation.

Hope these tips help you to prepare your holiday greetings so that stress is low and "Fa-la-la-la-la" is high (I just sang that to myself to be sure I got it right).

Thanks for your visit!  Hope to see you back soon!  Please drop me a comment and let me know you were here!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Happy November!


STUDIO SARA has a new look for fall!  I used My Digital Studio to create the banner and buttons.  I chose Always Artichoke, Cajun Craze and More Mustard (partly because they're fall colors, but also because they're found in the card I've spotlighted).

Here's the card that I included in my banner, up-close and personal...
It's simple to make (an easy one if you're in the market for a good number of "Thank You" notes, for example).  The card body is a half-sheet of Night of Navy, cut lengthwise and folded in half.  The Naturals Ivory card stock makes up the piece with the stamped leaves.  I used my corner-rounded to soften it.
The stamp set I used is French Foliage, which gives us this fun "button" in the lower left corner.  I inked it in Night of Navy Classic Ink and stamped it on Cajun Craze card stock.  Then I used my 3/4-inch Circle Punch...  Remember to stamp first then punch to make sure you've lined it up right!

So Saffron Taffeta Ribbon finishes the bottom edge...
Finally, here's the sentiment... I inked only the "thank you" part of this stamp from the With All My Heart set, stamped it on So Saffron and punched it with the Modern Label.  It's mounted on an oval punched from More Mustard and "popped up" with a Stampin' Dimensional.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  French Foliage, With All My Heart

Papers:  Night of Navy, Naturals Ivory, So Saffron, More Mustard and Cajun Craze card stocks

Inks:  Cajun Craze, More Mustard and Night of Navy Classics

Accessories:  3/4-inch Circle, Modern Label, Large Oval, and 3/16-inch Corner Punches, So Saffron Taffeta Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Paper Snips (makes cutting the ribbon so easy!)

Thanks for your visit!  I'm working on more {12 Week of Christmas} posts, so stay tuned!

Monday, October 17, 2011

{12 Weeks of Christmas}: Week 3 -- Mise en Place: Updating the Address List

Hello, and welcome to Week Three of my series, {12 Weeks of Christmas}!  Today's post is a quick one, but it's about something that I need to do early (before things go nuts).  I like to check the address list I used last year for any possible updates.  For example, a couple of friends have moved and I need their new addresses.  Better to fire off a quick email or Facebook message to these friends now, instead of realizing (with T-Minus two days until Christmas) that I don't have their addresses...

A word about my address list...  I use mailing labels for my envelopes.  With so many family and friends living out-of-state, we send a lot of Christmas cards (and we're old-fashioned -- we like to send them through the post, rather than over the Internet).  Labels help to free up precious time (and I can print them off super-early); I'd rather write a personal message in my cards than an address on the envie.  Anyhoo, my list is actually the labels document I've created in Word.  I just skim through it, double-check to make sure it's current and make necessary changes.  I also get a good count of how many cards we'll be sending (so that I can order supplies later -- that'll be its own post).

I'm not that organized, but this is something that helps me in lots of different ways.  Happy {Monday:  Mise en Place}!  I hope this was useful to you!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

{12 Weeks of Christmas}: Week 2 -- Keep It Scrappy, Santa!

Hello, and welcome to Week 2 of my series, {12 Weeks of Christmas}, where I try to give some tips and inspiration (early) so that making goodies for celebrating the fabulous Winter holidays like Christmas is easier and less stressful!

Today's project was created using the Snow Swirled set, which is one of my favorites.  I've simply inked the tree image in Pear Pizzazz (In Color) and then bedazzled it with snowflakes punched from scraps of Rich Razzleberry and Tempting Turquoise card stock.
The snowflake is inked with VersaMark on the Rich Razzleberry and with Tempting Turquoise Classic Ink for the top of the tree.  I popped them up using Stampin' Dimensionals and then added a bit of sparkle with a Basic Rhinestone.
I used more scraps and my Scallop Edge Border punch to make the treatment along the bottom, above the sentiment.  I inked the sentiment with Pear Pizzazz Classic Ink and used my Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to make it straight.  A Basic Rhinestone jazzes it up...
Placing all of these components on Whisper White card stock gives it simple, but effective, WOW.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:


Stamps:  Snow Swirled (#111690)

Papers:  Rich Razzleberry, Tempting Turquoise, Pear Pizzazz and Whisper White card stocks

Inks:  Pear Pizzazz and Tempting Turquoise Classic Ink and VersaMark

Accessories:  1 1/4-inch and 3/4-inch Circle and Scallop Edge Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Jewels, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig

Where to shop?  Click on the link in the upper left corner of this page to be taken directly to my Stampin' Up! website, where you can shop 24/7.  Have you got questions?  Please click further below on the left on the "Email Sara" button and I'll be happy to help!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

{12 Weeks of Christmas}: Week 1 -- Keep It Simple, Santa!

Wait, wait!  Don't go away!  I know it's a long time until Christmas, but I thought I'd provide one post each week between now and Christmas to give a little bit of inspiration and advice to help fend off the craziness.  Before you check my math, I'm actually one week late in getting this post published (long story...).

I thought I'd start with a relatively simple card.  This one uses one piece of card stock for the body and one for a mat to back it on.  There are two stamps involved, both from the Season of Joy set.

The most complicated part of this card is the two colors used in the inside image.

To do this, you can use Stampin' Write Markers and/or a Classic Stampin' Pad.  I carefully inked up the majority of this stamp in Classic Cherry Cobbler, avoiding the snowflake in the center.  I colored the snowflake using my Baja Breeze Stampin' Write Marker.  To make the image stamp well, I huffed (breathed hard) on the stamp before stamping...

The next step is the 3/4-inch Circle Punch.  I punched a circle from scrap and then holding the card closed, I loosely adhered* the scrap over the snowflake as I held it up to the light (the stamped image from the inside is easy to see through the front).
*To do this, I took a piece of double-stick tape, stuck it against my jeans a few times to lose some stickiness and then adhered it to my scrap.
Finally, I tied a snippet of Cherry Cobbler Baker's twine around the hole and the edge of the Whisper White card body and then adhered it all to a quarter-sheet of Baja Breeze card stock.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:


Stamps:  Season of Joy (#110384)

Papers:  Whisper White and Baja Breeze card stocks

Inks:  Cherry Cobbler Classic and Baja Breeze Stampin' Write Marker

Accessories:  Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, 3/4-inch Circle Punch, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig (I'm a klutz, so I need this to make my images straight), scrap paper

Thank you for your visit!  I hope this series of posts will provide you with some inspiration as we begin to prepare for the Christmas holidays.