Christmas In July - TSOT #161

WINNER UPDATE:  NEWS JUST IN!   

 TOP FOUR WINNER!

Click here to see the "Four" Winners for this Challenge! 

I was totally excited to see my card was chosen as part of the Top Four Winners in the Double Trouble Challenge #171.  I just had to share this awesome news!  I'll be posting my banner and making a few more of these cards, that's for sure! 

CHRISTMAS IN JULY TSOT #161 CHALLENGE: 

Click here to see the Design Team samples and challenge rules 

Here is the latest sketch challenge over at Try Stamping on Tuesday's blog - TSOT #651.    I love this sketch outline and will have lots of time to work on it as the challenge runs from July 16th to August 4th

I decided to pair the TSOT #651 with the Double Trouble #171 challenge that runs from July 19th to 31st.  

There are three parts to this challenge:   Things 1: add a window or apertures to your card, Thing 2: include snow, snowflakes, Frosty or any other snowpeople, and Thing 3: Christmas in July theme.  Whew that's a lot to try and cram into a card.  

HERE'S MY CARD: 

This card challenge was right up my alley as I had "Christmas in July" cards to make, so it qualifies for the Thing 3 Twisted Sister challenge.  The stitched circle window (aperture) qualifies for the Thing 1 Trouble-maker "What's Your Drive Thru Window", and last but not least the Thing 2 Double Dare, for the Jingle Bells "Dashing Through the Snow Challenge".  

I started with a Whisper White Card base and added a layer of Misty Moonlight card stock followed by a piece of winter scene designer paper from the Feels Like Frost Specialty Design 6 x 6 pack (#150444 R). 

I used some Sizzix nested stitched circles dies to cut the aperture window.   I found it was easier to start by adhering the top two mats together and lining up the 2" circle die on top of the designer paper mat.  I ran these layers  through the big shot twice to make sure I'd cut through both layers.  

Once I removed the circle of DSP I adhered the double mat to the card base.   To cut the circle through the card base I simply put the die back in the space where the circle was die cut from and then ran this stack through the big shot again, removing the white circle from the card front.  

I secured the two nesting circle dies on a scrap piece of Misty Moonlight cardstock with some washi tape and then ran this through the big shot.  I adhered the Misty Moonlight circle around the window to give it a more finished look.  

The cute little snowman is from an old Stampin' Up! set called "Snowman Season" #150458(R).   I used dimensionals to mount this 1 1/2" stitched circle to the circle left over from cutting out the window from the designer series paper. 

For my sentiment I stamped "Tis the Season to be Freezin" in Misty Moonlight ink on a scrap of Whisper White cardstock.  I cut this piece down and mounted it to a piece of Misty Moonlight and then adhered it to the card front with dimensionals.  A few silver flat sequins added some sparkle to the finished card. 

Well that's it for this "Christmas in July" card.  I hope you liked it.  This card design is a great way to show off some of those winter scene designer papers and is super quick and easy to make.   

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT! 

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up Demo Since 2006

Zany Zoo Birthday Card for TSOT642 Challenge

Here's another sketch challenge from Try Stamping on Tuesday which runs from March 5th to 17th.

Card Sketches are meant to be inspirational but each sketch challenge blog has its own rules, so remember to check them out.  For example, I'm able to change this week's TSOT642 sketch by rotating, flipping or changing it from landscape to portrait orientation.  I could even use a mirror image of the design layout and I could replace the sketch shapes with a circle instead of a shamrock, so long as the finished project visibly reflects the original sketch and includes a sentiment. 

So with all that in mind I set out to create my birthday card following these rules and remembering when the link closes so I don't miss out like last time.

Here's My TSOT642 Card: 

This was a very simple card to make once I decided all the elements.  I cut three strips of cardstock in Pool Party and Petal Pink for the angled strips.  The 5 1/4" x 4" layer was embossed with a large dot embossing folder that's available as a 3-D Embossing pack in the Online Exclusives.  

Once again I chose characters from the incredible Zany Zoo DSP pack in the Annual Catalogue.  You can do so much with this paper!  Love it! 

And here's the inside of my card: 

Well that's it for this week.  I didn't actually get a chance to post this to  the TSOT blog post as they had already closed it before the actual link closing time, which was a real bummer.  This is the second time this has happened so I probably won't post to that challenge site again unless I can get my card done really early.  Oh well, it still was fun making it and it'll make someone happy when they receive it on their birthday.  

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNYTOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006

Click here to visit my online webpage and store: 

Sending a Little Sunshine

We're already a week into March and so far we've had an arctic front, snow, heavy frost,hail, wind, rain and more rain. After a weekend of gray skies, heavy rain and winds I'm trying to stay optimistic and hoping for some sunshine and dryer weather in the days to come. 

With the weather focus on mind I decided to use this week's Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #FMS626 for my inspiration. Here's the sketch:

FMS#626

HERE'S MY CARD:

I chose to design a positive card with a "rain and sun theme" that could be used for a variety of occasions.  

Remembering that the sketch challenge rules say it's okay to replace the circles with another image, I went ahead and changed the half circles with clouds. My basic white stitched clouds were die cut using the medium cloud die in the Stampin' Up! Bright Skies bundle featured on page 51 of the Annual Catalogue.  

There's also a cheerful little sun that's part of the coordinating stamp set and it has dies that make it easy to cut out and add dimension.  I stamped the sun in Daffodil Delight and used the small stitched circle die to cut a center for the sun from Daffodil Delight card stock.

I chose the "Sunshine to Brighten Your Day" sentiment from the "Sending Smiles" (#158701) stamp set on page 26 of the Annual Catalogue, and embossed it on a strip of basic black cardstock with Versamark ink and White Embossing Powder. I cut out the sentiment strip with the larger of the two label dies in the coordinating "Sending" (#159271) die set. What fun!  I love all nine of the sentiments in this stamp set, and any one of them would have worked perfectly with this theme. 

The Smokey Slate card base for this card measures 4 1/4" x 11" and is scored at the 5 1/2"  center line. I added a layer of Basic White 5 3/8" x 4 1/8", a layer of Balmy Blue 5 1/4" x 4" and a layer of Rain or Shine designer series paper that measured 3 7/8" x 51/8".  This piece of DSP has a myriad of glossing raised raindrops that capture the light when the card is turned. 

For the inside of the card I cut a 5 1/4" X 4" basic white panel and adhered another die cut sun to the bottom right hand corner.  I left the rest blank for a personal message. 

So that's my card for today.  I appreciate your dropping by to visit, and hope if my card inspired you in any way that you'll leave me a comment.  I super enjoy doing card challenges as it's a way of stimulating my creativeness and this weeks FMS#626 was perfect for that.  

Why not try out this challenge yourself, there's still a bit of time to do it.  Cheers and have a good week!

HAPPY STAMPING
PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin Up Demo since 2006
Click here to visit my 24/7 Online Webstore

Using Up Paper Scraps - What About Those Strips?

For this week's sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches I'm going to be looking at using up some of the scrap strips I have been hanging on to.  You know the ones you didn't get around to using on the inside of a card, or for other projects.  

Here's the sketch:

What do you do with all your left over strips of card stock when you finish making cards for the day?  I don't throw mine out, I simple store them in a tall glass by my trimmer.  My scrap strips vary in length and width, and usually range anywhere from a 1/4" to 1" wide.  Most of these strips are a minimum of 6" long sometimes a bit shorter.  I use these strips for decorating the inside of my cards and or stamping sentiments on. Having them out on my table where I can see them means they get used up and I'm not always cutting strips from my larger papers.  

For today's card I needed three short narrow strips of card stock in Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape and Pool Party. It turns out I had all three colours in 1/2" x 5 1/2" strips and I only had to trim them down on the ends.  Made my day!  

Here's My Card Using The Strips & the Warm & Toasty Stamp Set:

I'm so happy with the way this design turned out.  It's a great sketch and came together very quickly.  

I started with an 8 12" x 5 1/2" piece of Highland Heather card stock and scored it at 4 1/4" for the card base. Next I added a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Gorgeous Grape card stock, followed by a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of the beautiful Snowflake Splendor Designer Series Paper(dsp).  

I embossed the dsp with the Winter Snow Embossing Folder and sponged the edges with Highland Heather ink and a sponge dauber, before adhering it to the first layer.  Love it!  

The snowflakes in the Winter Snow EF are beautifully designed to give a soft background yet dense enough that you can see each beautiful design.   This embossing folder is featured in the Holiday Catalogue until January 4th, 2021. 

I can't say enough about the Snowflake Splendor dsp, it pairs beautifully with Balmy Blue, Coastal Cabana, Highland Heather, Misty Moonlight, Night of Navy, Pacific Point, Pool Party and Whisper White.   The piece I chose for my background coordinated really well with the Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape and Pool Party card stocks I chose.  

I was able to shape the tops of these strips with my Lovely Labels Pick a Punch #152883. I used a sponge dauber and the corresponding inks to give each strip some definition and for fun I stamped the "just for you" sentiment from Warmy & Toasty on the ends of the strips. 

Create six unique labels using the Lovely Labels Pick a Punch. You get two designs in three widths--1" (2.5 cm), 3/4" (1.9 cm), and 1/2" (1.2 cm). Just cut a strip of paper to the desired width (any length), then slide it in, punch, and get a perfect label.  Item # 152883 in the Annual Catalogue.

I stamped the Polar Bear on a scrap of Whisper White and fussy cut out his image. Isn't he cute?  I really love his sweet little face and his cute little tush.

I coloured his scarf and toque with Highland Heather Light and Dark Stampin' Blends.  I drew a very thin line around the inside of the bear's image with a Light Smokey Slate Stampin' Blend.  His skates and nose were first coloured with a Dark Black Stampin' Blend and then I added some shine with Crystal Clear Nuvo Drops.

To provide a base for the polar bear, I cut out an oval using the Stitched Shapes dies from some old silver glimmer paper.   "Here's to a Cool Yule" was stamped in Gorgeous Grape ink on a scrap of Whisper White and then cut out using the tab die from the Tasteful Labels Die cuts. Some Basic Rhinestones were added to the tab and the three strips to give a little interest.  

For the inside of the card I cut a 4" x 5 14" layer of Gorgeous Grape followed by a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of Whisper White.  I added a small 1/4" strip of the DSP to the right of the Whisper White layer and stamped the sentiment "warm & toasty wishes to you" and a small snowflake in Gorgeous Grape.  

And that is my card for today.  I hope you liked it.  I'm working on a second one that will be in Coastal Cabana, Pool Party and Shaded Spruce, so come back tomorrow to see that version.  

HAPPY STAMPING!

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT 

Penny Hanuszak, Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator 

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Using Up Paper Scraps - Layering Circles

Welcome to my blog post today.  I love to find simple techniques for using up paper scraps and today I want to share a quick and easy one that turns nested or layered circle dies into some pretty fancy cards.  

When I saw a masculine card on Pinterest created by Sue Vine  of Miss Pinks Craft Spot I knew I had to try this out.  There are lots of different versions out there but I liked the simplicity of her card.  Here's Sue's card: 

Here's My Version of a Layered Circle Masculine Christmas Card:

I have a couple of gentlemen friends that love getting my Christmas cards, so I'm always challenged to come up with a special masculine designed card. Because they like rich but neutral tones, I chose a mix of non-seasonal designs from the Classic Christmas DSP in Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler and Sahara Sand.  

I've been using these papers a lot since they released the Curvy Creations bundle and I love them so much I just might have to order another package before they are sold out and gone forever. 

The card base is an 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock scored at 4 1/4".  The first layer is a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Sahara Sand and the second layer is a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of Whisper White, that's been embossed with the Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder to give this layer a bit of depth.  

For the swirling circle design I die cut three progressively sized circles using the Stitched Shapes Circle Dies.  These circles were cut in half then layered together and adhered with Tom Bow glue starting at the circle's edge.  It's best to use a liquid glue rather than snail, because you may have to shift the circle into place.   

Once the half circles were glued together I lined up each half of the circles on the center of the Whisper White layer and then glued them down with Tom Bow adhesive.  Note:  I didn't realize until I had them down that I should have layered the second half circle in the opposite layer so when they were put together the wave would be continuous.  Oh well.  Live and learn.  

The Stitched Shapes Die set is one of those classic "must haves" for your stamping tool kit.  It has nested dies for ovals, circles and squares so you can do a lot with it, not to mention spruce up your designs with the lovely stitched edges on your die cuts.   

The "Merry Christmas" sentiment is from the Curvy Christmas stamp set.  Its stamped in Cherry Cobbler ink on a scrap of Whisper White and I cut it out with the Rectangle Stitched Dies dies.  The sentiment was mounted on a 5 1/4 x 1/2" piece of Crumb Cake card stock............ and yes, this is another goof up.  It should have been Sahara Sand, but I grabbed the wrong scrap.  Anyway before adhering this strip I embossed it with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder.

To finish off the card front I stamped two of the holly leaf images from the Christmas Gleaming stamp set in Cherry Cobbler ink on scraps of Cherry Cobbler and Crumb Cake and then fussy cut out both images. These were glued together then attached to the card face with dimensionals.  A few Cherry Cobbler leaves were cut with a die cut from the Sunflower Die set and added to the flower bunch. To complete the card face three Cherry Cobbler rhinestones were added in the top right corner.

I'm so happy Christmas Gleaming stamp set was transitioned into the Annual Catalogue from last year's Holiday Mini.  I love the sentiments  and the ornament images and holly sprig stamp so clearly.  I think this is a classic stamp and I'll be using it for years to come. 

I kept the inside of the card very simple. A sprig image from the Curvy Christmas Celebrations set was stamped off in Cherry Cobbler ink and then I stamped the Merry Christmas again across the sprig.

I also created a matching envelope by stamping the Holly design a few times in the bottom left corner of the card front in Crumb Cake and I covered the flap with the coordinating designer series paper.  

Supplies Used:

Stamp Sets:  Curvy Christmas for the Sprig and Merry Christmas sentiments, Christmas Gleaming for the holly berry image 

Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake

DSP:  Classic Christmas 

Embossing Folder:  Tasteful Textile 3D 

Dies:  Stitched Shapes Dies - Circles 

Card Stock:  Whisper White, Crumb Cake and Cherry Cobbler

Elements:  Holiday Rhinestone Basic Jewels

I made a second card for a November birthday using the same technique.  This feminine version shows the versatility of this quick technique.  

Here is my  card:

Supplies Used:

Stamp sets:  Very Versailles #149275 for both sentiments on the card front 

Graceful Garden #143849 Retired.  For Rosebud on card front and inside and for the lattice on the envelope.

Here's a Card #149438 for the Happy Birthday on the inside of the card.

DSP:  Peony Garden #152483 6 x 6 sheet for three circles, Envelope Flap 2 1/4" x 5 7/8", 5 1/4" x 5/8" strip for inside of card. 

Inks:  Momento Black and Gray Granite inks.  Light/dark Petal Pink and Gray Granite Stampin' Blends.

Dies:  Stitched Shapes Circle Dies - largest of four dies 

Card Stock:  Gray Granite 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" for base and strip 3/8" x 5 1/4". Whisper White, 5 x 3 3/4" for front layer and 5 1/4" x 4" for inside layer.

Accessories:  Basic  Rhinestones

I love this Birthday card. I didn't make the same mistakes putting the circles together as I did with my first sample and it really makes a difference when you can see the proper flow.  

I'm astonished at how quickly this card comes together, with the hardest part being the choosing of papers and colours. The combination of Petal Pink and Gray Granite together is ultra soft and feminine and I'm impressed with the designer paper.  This card could have just as easily been for a wedding.  

 I hope you enjoyed today's post and the Layered Circles technique.  It's such a great way to use up your scraps.  Let me know if you try it out. 

HAPPY STAMPING!
PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT
Penny Hanuszak, Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

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Five Ornaments in a Row for Freshly Made Sketches #458

Kim designed this week's sketch #458  at Freshly Made Sketches and it had me really thinking this week what I would create.  Keeping in mind the FMS clean and simple themes, I wanted to make a Christmas card with clean lines.  Here's their sketch:

Here's My Card:

I wanted to fill out the five rectangles in my design with either a small Christmas stamp image or use coordinating papers.  As luck would have it I found a 6 x 6 piece of retired Stampin' Up! Designer series paper in my stash that would meet my needs.  I really liked the very delicate holly and bauble patterns on this paper and the red and green colour mix was just what I was looking for.  Perfect!   

I was able to cut out five baubles from  the design that were small enough to work as my focal point for the center panel.  I decided to match up the green and red in t he paper design with Real Red and Garden Green card stocks and threw in a layer of gold foil between the two to add some elegance to the card.    

I really liked the sprigs of mistletoe in the background of the paper, but not having a mistletoe stamp, I pulled out my retired SU Holly Embossing Folder (one of my all time faves) and I think it worked perfectly in adding some interest to the green layer.  

Supplies:

Card Base:  I used 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" Whisper White card stock for the base and scored it at 4 1/4".

Layers:  There are three layers on the card front.  The first is a 4 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Real Red card stock, followed by a 4 1/8" x 3 1/8" piece of gold foil and a 4" x 3" piece of embossed Garden Green card stock.

Ornaments:  I used my trusty 1" square punch to cut out the baubles and then added a 1 1/8" x 1 1/8" layers in Real Red or Garden Green.  The layering just brings these little baubles into a clearer focus and makes them stand out on the card.   

Stamps:  The sentiment "Merry Christmas" is from the Christmas Gleaming cling stamp set #150464.  I used my stamperatus to hold my scrap of Whisper White in place while I was stamping the sentiment in Real Red ink.  I find that this type of solid stamp looks best if it's stamped a few times to enhance the colour.  I fussy cut out the sentiment leaving a very narrow strip of white around it and then mounted it just below the baubles adding four mini dimensionals to the back.  I'm so happy that this set, coordinating ornament punches and designer papers made it into the Annual Catalogue this year.  This was one of my all time favourite Christmas bundles last year and I know I'll be hard pressed to part with it.  

Inside of Card:  For the inside of the card I cut a 4" x 5 1/4" panel of Real Red card stock and layered it with a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of Whisper White card stock.  The sentiment "May your days be merry and bright" is from a soon to be released stamp set called "Curvy Christmas".  Oh my is this a fun set and I can't wait to share some more samples using the dies and stamps from this bundle.  To finish the inside layer I stamped a small bauble in Real Red from the Christmas Gleaming set in the bottom right corner.  

So what do you think?  This was a super simple card to create and I hope you like it as much as I do.  What are your favourite stamp sets this holiday season?  Please leave me your comments, I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator 

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NOTE:  My post was not included in the FMS #458 post today because I keep forgetting it closed at 3pm EDT.  I was thinking it closed on MT.  Hopefully the next time I do one of their sketches I can do it earlier in the week.