Patterned Pines Christmas - Christmas Stamp A Stack

I absolutely love making Christmas cards - don't you?  If you're like me you probably surf through a lot of blog sites looking for that perfect card or ideas that you can incorporate into your own design.   Often I spend more time surfing than stamping.............easy to do!  Anyway, after looking at many, many, wonderful sites I decided on the cards I would make for my Stamp a Stack Class.  So, over the next four or five days, I'm going to share my ideas and cards.  Hope you enjoy!

My first card I want to share with you is made with a retired set called Patterned Pines. I wanted to simulate a crisp walk in the forest while it's snowing. I chose the Patterned Pines set even though I know it isn't current because my customers and I love it.  I also know that some of my customers who purchased it last year didn't get an opportunity to really ink it up.  Here was their chance.

I used Whisper White for the card base, layered with Chocolate Chip.  Because I love background texture I ran this layer through the Big Shot using the Finial Press Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (115963 pg.214), before adhering to the card base. To me, that little bit of texture around the main image seems to make everything look more interesting and pulls it together.  And of course, being a texture person I just want to reach out and touch it.  What do you think?

For the next layer of the card, I stamped the trees from the Patterned Pines Stamp Set (retired) in Olive Green ink on a 3 1/2 x 4 3/4 piece of Whisper White cs.  I then cut around the pines with my scissors, leaving a little big of white mid way up the trees to simulate snow drifts and just a little edge around the trees to give depth.  To finish off this piece I took my two-way glue pen and ran it along the top drifts (between the trees) and then squiggled it through  and below the pines. And you know what's coming next, right?  Yes, Dazzling Diamonds...........I had to add a little bling!!! 

I wanted just a tiny little sentiment that wouldn't over-power the front of this card so I chose the "merry christmas!" sentiment from the Merry Crittermas  Stamp Set (121181(A)/120855(W) pg. 39 2010/11 Holiday Mini Catalogue), and stamped it in Early Expresso.I know I'll use this sentiment over and over again on my cards and tags, because it's just so teeny and perfect!  

To finish off this card I wanted a snowy background in a mid-blue, so I chose Baja Breeze (retired).  At first I was going to stamp snowflakes on the card stock, but then I went through my paper scraps and luckily found a small piece of Baja Breeze DSP that worked perfectly.  I punched out a larger snowflake (non SU) in Whisper White and sprinkled it with Dazzling Diamonds and then mounted it with dimensionals in the top corner. A red button was glued in the center.  The finishing touch, is a piece of 5/8" of real red grossgrain ribbon tied with a tuxedo bow. The ribbon was added to this card layer before it was mounted to the chocolate chip layer.  And here is the finished card.  What do you think? 

Please come back tomorrow to see the next card in my series of Christmas Stamp A Stack Cards.  See you then!

Color Challenge # 3 - UStamp with Dawn and Friends - Early Summer Edition 2010

Today I decided to work on the 3rd UStamp Color Challenge for the Early Summer Event by making another vintage card using two of my favourite new Stampin' Up! products.  The first product which I love is the Square Lattice Embossing Folder #119976 on page 214 of the 2010/11 Idea Book and Catalogue.  I can't seem to get enough of using this folder.  I'm enjoying the strong textured image and I find it perfect for layering.  My second product choice is the Elements of Style Stamp Set # 118611[W] or 120045 [C] featured on page 133 of the catalogue.  I am so happy with my clear mount version of this set.  I plan to use it a lot over the coming months and have lots of ideas swirling around in my head, so be prepared to see it a lot in my sample cards. 

This color challenge featured Bravo Burgundy, Night of Navy and Always Artichoke.  Even though I love all of these colours I thought they were too dark to work on their own, so after looking at the challenge card again I was inspired to add Crumb Cake as a neutral.  I've stamped the large flower image on the front of the card in Night of Navy and added a 1/4" gross grain ribbon in Bravo Burgundy for some contrast. 

Hope you enjoy this sample.  If you'd like more information about this session of UStamp With Dawn and Friends click here.  It's never too late to join in any of the sessions and there are so many lovely things you can make and great challenges you can enter.  Hope to see you on the boards!

Although a terrible picture, this is the inside of the card.  It looks much better in real life.