END OF YEAR REVIEW - HAPPY NEW YEARS!

Was December a busy time for you?  I can certainly say it was around our home.  It was a month of commitments and too little time for stamping and preparing for the holiday season this year, and it left me feeling rushed and in a bit of a tizzy.  

I usually have all my cards made, envelopes stamped and addressed and ready for mailing by November 1st, but not this year.  Being behind really put the pressure on, but I'm happy to say that I kept persevering and finished 140 cards to send and give out. 

Here are some of the cards that I made using products from the Holiday Mini which retires in a few days.  If you still need bundles or products make sure you get your order in so you don't miss out and check out the Last Chance List for specials.  Sale ends January 4th, 2023:

All Bundled Up #159824:

The dots on the Racoon's hat and scarf and the Bunny's sweater are made with Stampin' Ups! White Chalk Pen.  This is a simple colouring trick to add soft texture and interest to your images.   The window frame which isn't elevated, simply adhered to the DSP also adds a different element The animal images and Merry Christmas sentiment were elevated with Dimensionals. 
   

Teeny tiny pearls add some unexpected texture to the snowflakes on this card. I loved adding the pop of Real Red on the bird's scarf and boots.  I love both the images in this card and went on to do make additional cards with non-traditional colours, like this one I made for a Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  

This is the first Moose Christmas card I made using this bundle which I'd borrowed from my sister. I used blends for the colouring and added some silver stickles to the snowflakes and ground. Even though the stamping and colouring in this card were very basic, I loved how it turned out, and wound up buying the set myself because I wanted to explore what more I could do with it.

After seeing this card, a friend asked me to make her a set of these cards but change the background DSP and card stock to red, green and gold for a more traditional Christmas look. At her suggestion, I also coloured the moose darker with Soft Suede and Crumb Cake blends and texturized the coat with a White Chalk Marker. Another change was applying Nuvo Drops to the antlers and hooves for a pop of shine.  What fun and the cards turned out great. 

The Christmas Barn and Barn Dies Bundle #159747: 

This is another favourite set of mine this season and I made many variations of this card by changing up up the barn and silo colours, the tree shapes and  colours, added a few more details to the background and so on.  Here are some later versions. 

Window Wishes #159751:

Another big favourite for me was the Window Wishes bundle.  I actually purchased this set by mistake but I'm glad I did. This is a very versatile stamp and die set.  I was able to make several cards featuring the house and tree design, and still have lots of ideas for using the window frame dies for future cards. 

This card features the window frame dies from this bundle.  They're easy to use and these frames can be used for much more than just Christmas themed cards.  I know I'll be putting them to good use throughout the year. 

Here's one for the golfer's on my Christmas card list featuring the window frames from the Window Wishes Bundle.  What fun and very popular.  

 Christmas Scottie #159740 

I made so many wonderful cards with this stamp set and coordinating punch.  What fun.  You can check out my easel card using this set by clicking here.

Here are just a few of the 25 or more cards I made using the Christmas Scottie.  Very enjoyable!

Family and Friends Stamp Set #159779:

Although I didn't use this set that much, I really love the images and plan to incorporate it into some future cards.  Here are two samples of cards I made, one for an anniversary and the other for a sketch challenge which you can check out here. 

This was a custom made anniversary card, and I designed a tunnel card with many layers of dsp and tree images along with the couple.  I paper pieced the Santa hat, and sweaters to give it a more realistic look and was well pleased with the end results.  

This card was made for a Freshly Made Sketch Challenge and featured the Family and Friends stamp set along with the Trees for Sale stamp set.  I loved the colours and the way it turned out.  

Paper Pumpkin October 2022: 

Another 18 cards were made featuring the October Paper Pumpkin kit.  I had a lot of fun making these and was extremely happy with the kit.  I'm glad I have a subscription as it gives me additional cards for various occasions throughout the year.  

Although I made many, many more cards and used up a lot of my Christmas stash I'm thinking you're probably getting tired of scrolling by now.  So, I'm going to end this year with best wishes for a Happy New Year and keep on Stamping!  All the best to my family, friends and faithful customers and followers.  I'm truly blessed.  I hope to continue to share my projects with you with a little more consistency in 2023.  See you in 2023!

HAPPY STAMPING

PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT

Penny Hanuszak, Independent CDN Stampin' Up! Demo