Rocky Raccoon meets FMSC #559

I really like having a sketch challenge to give me inspiration for creating a card, so I thought I'd play along with Jen Timko over at Freshly Made Sketches challenge #559.

Here's My Card:
As I've mentioned before, we live on the edge of the Discovery Trail forest in Abbotsford. With the drought this summer we've had a lot of animals accessing our property looking for water and food and recently we've had recurring visits from three raccoons.  They aren't shy and visit during the day and late evening drinking water from the base of my plant pots and scooping up grubs along the concrete edge.

This threesome is probably a mother and her two juveniles and they aren't afraid of us. So far they haven't touched or broken anything, on their visits. For our part, we don't feed them, handle or encourage them in any way, we just watch and enjoy their brief visits. 

All Bundled Up 8 piece red rubber cling stamp set from the July -  December Holiday Mini catalogue. 

When I was deciding what elements to use for this sketch challenge I was influenced by these raccoons and to use the sweet little raccoon image in the All Bundled Up stamp set.   Just look at this little "Rocky Raccoon", too cute! 

Stampin' Up! Products Used:

Stamp Sets:

• All Bundled Up Stamp Set 
• Checks and Dots Embossing Folder for Circle 

Card Stock and Paper:  

• Whisper White 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" for the card base, scored at 4 1/4".  A 4" x 5 1/4" piece for the inside of the card.  A 3" circle for the card front and a scrap for the white snowflake die cut.
• Highland Heather - 4" x 5 1/4" mat for card front, 3 1/4" scrap for circle mat on card front, Scrap for the snowflake die cut. 
• Gorgeous Grape - small scrap for snowflake die cut 
• Specialty Paper:  3 3/4" x 4" piece of Silver and Gold DSP (retired from  July Sale-A-Bration 2022) for mat layer on card front,

Ink:

• Momento Ink for Raccoon
• Gorgeous Grape for the "Merry Christmas" sentiment (from retired All That Glimmers)
• Stamping Blends:  Light and Dark Smokey Slate, Light and Dark Highland Heather, Light Flirty Flamingo, 
• Nuvo Drops clear for nose and eyes

Dies:

• Snowflake is from Celebrations Tag Dies #159866
• Circles are from retired Stitched Circles die set.
• The Merry Christmas tag was hand cut with scissors.  

Well that's it for this FMSC #559 sketch and I hope you've enjoyed my rendition.  Let me know your thoughts on this stamp set and my cards.  Very appreciated.

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Independent Stampin' Up! Demo

All Bundled Up for a Paper Craft Crew Challenge - #490

Today I'm created another Christmas card for my stash using a vertical sketch challenge from the Paper Craft  Crew Challenge, #490.  

Here Is My Card:

I'm using a stamp set called All Bundled Up #159824 from Stampin' Ups! July to December 2022 Mini Catalogue.

The forest animals dressed in their fuzzy hats and winter scarves really caught my eye  but it was the moose that captured my heart.  I'm a Canadian, so trust me when I say any moose picture whether it's of a real animal or just a caricature are such iconic symbols of our homeland. This one literally made me stop in my tracks because of his size, and sweet face and I could envision all kinds of cards and projects made with this image. 

Along with the raccoon, bunny and cute little song bird, this 8 piece cling stamp set also has three pretty cool winter sentiments which I've used on both the inside and outsides of my cards. It doesn't get any better than that!

Before colouring the moose, I spent some time looking through my stash of Christmas designer papers (dsp).  I knew I had some with snowflakes and thought that would make a perfect winter backdrop for this image.  I chose a piece from last year's selection that showcases a variety of white snowflakes on a blue and mauve background. These non-traditional colours at set the tone for my card.

I started with an 8 1/2 x 11 Whisper White card base. Next I added a 5 3/8" x 4 1/8" mat of Fresh Freesia cardstock, followed by a 5 1/4" x 4" Whisper White mat. The dsp mat measures 3 3/4" x 5" and the 1 3/4" strip of dsp comes from the recently retired Sale-A-Bration papers and is a white background with silver dots.

There aren't any coordinating dies for this stamp set, so I used my small detail scissors to fussy cut the moose.  I coloured it with my dark and light Crumb Cake Stamping Blends and used a combo of light and dark Fresh Freesia Blends for his hat and scarf. When I  fussy cut an image I leave a small margin of white around the figure.  For this image I coloured in the margin with a Gray Granite blend so it didn't stand out. 

The three inch Fresh Freesia circle was die cut and embossed with the Whimsical Wonderland embossing folder (pg. 39 Mini Catalogue) and I added a Whisper White snowflake cut from the Celebrations Tag Dies (pg. 67 Mini Catalogue).  

Whimsical Wonderland Embossing Folder 

Celebrate Tags Dies coordinate with the Celebrate with Tags Stamp set.

I chose the Merry Wishes sentiment from the Window Wishes (pg. 36 Mini Catalogue) for this card because I wanted a smaller sentiment to balance out the placement on this card. I stamped the sentiment in Gorgeous Grape ink so it would stand out. The die used to cut it out is from the Celebrate Tags Die set.

Although you can't see it in these pictures, I added a bit of glimmer with Wink of Stella to  the beautiful snowflake and to those pearly white teeth on the moose. I also added a bit to the pom pom on  the hat and the hooves.  

I hope you enjoyed this quick and easy card.  I am such a traditionalist and normally do my cards in reds and greens, so this colour scheme isn't something I would normally do.  Having said that it's really charming and I quite like it.  How about you, let me know if you dabble with non-traditional colours in your Christmas projects.  I'd love to know what your favourite non-traditional colour scheme is.  

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot 

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Independent Stampin' Up! Demo

Click here for 24/7 Web Site: https://pennyhanuszak.stampinup.net 

Ho Ho Ho Paper Pumpkin October 2022 Cards

My sister who is one of my downlines and awesome stamping buddies and I have been waiting with great anticipation for our October 2022 HO HO HO Paper Pumpkin kits with their jolly Christmas theme.  So when they came in we quickly set up a card making date and had a fun morning assembling them.

As always the October 2022 Paper Pumpkin arrived at my door step in a  seasonally decorated box that was filled with lots of goodies. It wasn't difficult to sit down and start creating our cards.  I was super impressed with all the pre-done paper images and layers, ink and embellishments, but believe me when I say I was most impressed with the 12 piece stamp set.  Wowzers! 

Here Are the Card Ideas provided in the kit:

There were enough pre-cut and coloured supplies in the kit for nine cards if you followed the instructions. Basically there were three of each card design and 9 coordinating envelopes.  

I decided not to cut up the envelopes that were provided and just work with what I had received in the kit.  Since I do prefer my cards to have a thicker card stock base, cut and scored Crumb Cake and Bermuda Bay card stock for the bases. Then I cut the original Paper Pumpkin card bases for each design on their score lines so I could use them as mats.  Cutting them in half gave me a total of 18 mats to work with for the fronts and insides of my cards.   

Here Are The Cards I Made: 

Along with the card stock and paper elements the Paper Pumpkin kit came with a great 12 piece stamp set that I know I'll use a lot this season.  I loved the  sentiments and know I'll make good use of them.

12 piece Photopolymer stamp set, exclusive to the October 2022 Paper Pumpkin kit.

My first card is a complete CASE of the suggested format and was pretty simple to construct.  I started with an 8 1/2" x 5" piece of Crumb Cake cardstock that was scored at 4 1/4".  I trimmed the Crumb Cake snowflake mat from the kit to 4" x 5 1/4" and adhered it to the card base. 

The kit provided six pre-coloured Santa faces and you're supposed to stamp the facial details on top of the coloured portion of the face.  An Early  Espresso Stampin' Spot ink came with the kit, but I decided to use my Momento Black ink.  

Tip No. 1: It took me about 3 tries and a change of glasses to line up the details with the face and before I realized if I used the Santa nose as a centering guide, it would all line up perfectly, and it did.  Tip No 2:  When I used the Santa stamp for my tenth card, I coloured the skin with Ivory, and the cheeks and nose with light and dark Flirty Flamingo Blends.  I was really pleased because my coloured Santa face looked exactly like the ones from the kit.  Yeah! 

Loved, loved, loved the "Christmas" sentiment stamp.  I know I'll be using it and the "Holiday" one a lot this year.  The word "Merry"  and the blue and white banner are all die cuts from the kit.  I used liquid glue to add the words to the banner and then mounted the banner below the Santa and large snowflake with Dimensionals. A sheet of Dimensionals and Glue Dots along with a small package of iridescent pearls were also in the kit, and there were plenty left over when I finished my projects.  

For my second card, I began with a standard Crumb Cake card base and adhered a 4" x 5 1/4" Pool Party mat.  For the next layer I reversed the snowflake mat so the white side was face up and I adhered it to the Pool Party mat. 

I arranged the words, Santa and banner on a 2 5/8" Pool Party stitched circle, and attached this to the top center of the card face with Dimensionals. To finish this card I added some basic rhinestones from my stash to give this element a little sparkle.  

For my third card I simply changed from a portrait to a landscape orientation, which again changes the look of the design and added another 2 5/8" Pool Party stitched circle to show off the large snowflake and other elements.  The snowflakes that were provided in this kit are pearlescent and were in small, medium and large sizes.  

For my fourth card I cut a 4 1/4"x 11" piece of Bermuda Bay cardstock and scored it at 5 1/2".  I cut the original card base front to 4" x 5 1/4" and embossed it with the Whimsical Woodland 3D Embossing Folder. I wanted the embossed side up so before  placing it in the embossing folder and running it through my Cut N' Emboss machine, I made sure I had the light bluish side face up in the folder. The the reverse side of the mat is white and is featured on my fifth and sixth card sample. The Whimsical Embossing Folder provided the perfect backdrop for the picture frame and took away the plainness of the card front.

Click here for details on this wonderful 3D embossing folder which is featured in the Holiday Mini catalogue.  

I didn't care for the stark white paper window frames that came with the kit and so I used my Bermuda Bay ink and a blending brush to add some colour to it.  A simple change, but it made all the difference in the warmth of this card. 

How do you like the "ho ho ho" lettering?  I fell in love with this lettering and accompanying velum shadow.  If this had of been an item in the Holiday Mini Catalogue I would have bought it for sure.  So, I'm going to put a suggestion in the Stampin' Up! Demo Sandbox asking them to consider creating a stamp set with this image and matching die cuts for the words and shadow.  Wouldn't that be great? 

I used the original card base front cut down to 4" x 5 1/4" for the inside mat. Before stamping the "Tis the Season to be Jolly" sentiment on this layer I added a light swath of colour from the top left side to the center of the right side of the mat with Bermuda Bay ink and a blending brush. I also stamped the small stars to add some interest to the sentiment and finished off this mat by adding one of the large pearlized snowflakes in the bottom right hand corner.

 

My fifth and sixth cards were constructed similarly, however I left off the window frame to make it easier and lighter to mail.

For the seventh, eighth and nineth cards I started with standard sized Crumb Cake bases.  I really liked the red stripe and crumb cake look, so I cut the original card bases down to 4" x 5 1/4" before mounting to the card base. The pre-cut snowflake layer measured 3" x 5 1/2", and has a cute stitched outline. It fit perfectly across the center of my cards.    

The only real changes on these cards was the placement of the green and red striped strips of designer paper.  I reversed them on cards eight and nine.  I stamped and embossed the first one with Black Momento ink and embossing powder, but found that it was too dark looking, so the next one I stamped with Whisper White ink and embossing powder, and it has a much cleaner look and is easier to read. 

Although it's a bit difficult to see, I added glue and dazzling diamonds to the Santa beard, hat and pompom trim on the ninth card.  The "J" "Y" and Santa head were all attached with Dimensionals to give the card texture. TIP:  I found it easiest to center the Santa face and then add the letters on either side.   And finally, I added Basic Rhinestones instead of the pearls to give some glitter to the snowflakes. 

I always finish the inside of my cards, which may be old school, however I think it lends towards a more professional look.  For these cards I used the original card base layers that I cut down to 4" x 5 1/4. 

One thing I really loved in this kit were the envelopes.  They were as beautiful on the inside as the outside, and thought that they added so much to these cards.  The only change I made to them was to stamp the sentiments "Tis the Season to be Jolly" and "Ho Ho Ho" on the outside of the flaps.  

Here is My Tenth Card: 

I decided to enter my tenth which features my own design and the stamps from the October 2022 Paper Pumpkin kit in the Freshly Made Sketches challenge #558 design challenge: 

I started with a Real Red 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" card based scored at 4 1/4".  I added a Basic Black layer that measured 5 1/4" x 4" followed by a Whisper White layer that measured 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  I stamped the sentiment "Tis the Season to be Jolly" in Real Red on a diagonal across this layer starting in the top left corner.  

The next mats which measured 3 1/2 x 4 1/4" and 3 1/8" x 4 1/4" are in Real Red and Basic Black.  The final layer measured 3" x 4" and is stamped with three Santa faces and the "holly jolly" sentiment.  I used layered circle dies to cut out the Whisper White, Basic Black and Red Glimmer circles and stamped the small snowflake and stars from the stamp set in Bermuda Bay.  A small red rhinestone finishes it off.  

Don't forget to check out all the other designs at Freshly Made Sketches #558.  Lots of great ideas. 

Well that's it for my October Paper Pumpkin.  Thanks for dropping by and I hope you've enjoyed my cards and details on how they were made.  I'd love to hear which card is your favourite if any or any comments on their "redesign".  It's really helpful and appreciated to receive feedback. 

If you're interested in knowing more about Paper Pumpkin monthly kits you can click on this link for subscription information, or contact me to discuss whether a monthly kit would work for you.  It's a great way to be creative without spending an arm and a leg on stamping supplies.  

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Independent Stampin' Up! Demo

Online 24/7 Web Site: https://pennyhanuszak.stampinup.net  

Christmas Barn by Stampin' Up!

Before I made my own Christmas cards I used to purchase ones that featured winter snow scenes.  I think that had a lot to do with my delight when I first saw the Christmas Barn stamp set and dies in Stampin' Ups! Holiday mini catalogue. 

Although this bundle which includes the Christmas Barn Stamp Set and Barn Dies has become a wonderful addition to my Christmas Occasion stamps it could just as easily be used at other times of the year.  

There are nine photopolymer stamps including a rustic barn, a traditional wooden fence, a horse-drawn sleigh, a wreath and tree plus three three wonderful holiday sentiment stamps. And, the 14 barn dies making creating the scene even easier. The 14 piece Barn Dies include a barn, silo, frozen lake/pond, snow flakes and a sign post as well as dies that give a fussy cut look to some of the sentiments.

Here is my card: 

Even though I'm not an artist I felt like one while I was creating this peaceful and nostalgic winter scene.   I began by layering a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Shaded Spruce card stock over a standard size Smokey Slate card base.  The stamped layer is a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of Whisper White card stock.  I used scraps from my Whisper White collection to stamp the barn, tree, fence and sled and coloured the images with Stampin' Blends before die cutting them with the coordinating Barn Dies.  

I used Pool Party ink for the sky portion of this layer.  I made the mistake of adding the sky colouring after I had stamped the trees and the Shaded Spruce ink blurred a bit.  Next time I'll do the sky first.  The silo was die cut from a scrap of Smokey Slate card stock and I used a Smokey Slate blend to give it a bit of texture and shadow.  I also used Smokey Slate Blends in light and dark to colour the roof, window and door details on the barn.  

I purposefully kept the inside of the card clean and simple.  The next time I stamp with this photopolymer sentiment I'll make sure to line it up a bit better.  With photopolymers it's always good to lay them out on a grid just in case they have a bit of a curl to them. The whisper white layer measures 5 1/4 x 4" and I stamped the images with Shaded Spruce ink. 

The "Merry Christmas To You and Yours" was cut with its coordinating die and I love how it turned out.  It was a little tricky lining up the stamped image with the die cut so I think the next time I want to use this sentiment I will start by making a template to use in my Stamperatus rather than stamping with the Acrylic block and lining up the die cut.  It's easier to make multiples that way.  

There is a small stamp that looks like tracks in the snow.  I stamped a little path going up towards the side of the barn and a few beneath the horse and sleigh in full strength Smokey Slate ink.  

The die cut for the fence is very detailed. I stamped the fence in Early Expresso ink on Whisper White card stock before die cutting it.  The white edges around the die cut image almost look like snow so I was happy with that.  I attached small strips of Dimensionals behind the fence rails to give the fence depth and full sized Dimensionals behind the sled, the single stamped tree, and wreath on the barn front for the same effect.  

Real barns rarely have beautifully even colouring and lean more towards mottled dark and lighter hues from all the layers of paint that have been applied over the years.  So when I began colouring this barn in light and dark Real Red Stampin' Blends, I kept that in mind.  I began by outlining all the doors and windows in the darker red before colouring in the larger red areas and shading in around the eaves and base of the barn. This made the colouring go much faster, especially the shading and I think it stopped the inevitable bleed you get with alcohol markers and dark inks.  

I originally was going to adhere the wreath over the top window on the barn, but I read in someone else's post that it worked better when it was spaced between the three windows.  I'm glad I made the change as it really did look better.  I added a little bit of Daffodil delight to the windows for a cozy glow.  

Well that's it for today's post, I'm dying to get back to my craft room and make some more cards with this stamp and die set.  I'm loving it!  Leave me a note to let me know if you like this card and if you like creating scenes too.  

Cheers and as always 

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, CDN Independent Stampin' Up! Demo

Easel Card Technique for Christmas

Hello and welcome to my happy place, where I love to show you my creative side and new projects.  Today I'm once again focusing on current stamp sets from Stampin' Ups! Holiday Mini Catalogue.

My first card is an "Easel Card".  I haven't made this one for a while, but when I watched a video by Connie Stewart on Yutube earlier this week, she made one using the Christmas Scottie, one of my favourite stamps this season and her rendition inspired my card.  

The Christmas Scottie Bundle includes the stamp set and the Christmas Scottie Dog Punch.  

Here's My Card:

This is the front of the card when it is closed.  The center panel is the easel portion. 

Here you can see the Scottie on the bottom acts as the anchor for the easel mechanism.  

This is the inside of the card.  I love the ribbon stamp in this set.

I used the blends to create the night sky, starting with Balmy Blue and then Starry Sky inks.  When I was satisfied with the saturation I spray a fine mist of water and then blotted it off with paper towel to make it look like it was snowing.  

Supplies:

Stamp Sets: 

• Christmas Scottie Photopolymer stamp set #159740 
• Caroling Mice Hostess Cling Stamp set #159912

Card Stock: 

• Whisper White (2 3/4" x 5 3rd easel layer and 3 3/4" x 5 inside panel)
• Cherry Cobbler ( 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" card base and 3 1/4 x 6 easel panel scored at 1/2" and 3 1/4").
• Shaded Spruce (4 x 5 1/4" for inside panel layer and 3 x 51/4" for 2nd easel layer on card front.

Ink Pads: 

• Momento Black, Cherry Cobbler, Shaded Spruce, Balmy Blue, Daffodil Delight, Starry Sky and Gray Granite

Blends: 

• Cherry Cobbler, Shaded Spruce, Cinnamon Cider

Accessories:

• Blends brushes, Wink of Stella, Iridescent Ice Glitter, Tombo liquid glue, scissors, Dimensionals, Christmas Scottie Punch, Masking Paper, Basic Red Rhinestones, Stamperatus

My second card which features the Caroling Mice stamp set was my own inspiration.  

This is a hostess stamp set that's only available to with Stampin' Rewards.  It's easy to earn rewards, just place an order that meets the Stampin' Rewards qualifications wither when shopping on line by yourself or by hosting a get together.  To learn more, click the Host a a Party Link on my web site. 

I've been waiting to use this one and see what I could come up with. I'm pretty happy with the end results.

This card features layers that are cut an 1/8" apart.  The first layer Soft Succulent measures a standard layer width of 4" x 5 1/4".  The second layer of Cherry Cobbler measures 3 7/8" x 5 1/8" and the final layer in Whisper White measures 3/34" x 5".  

I added Dazzling Diamonds to the fur part of the caroler's Santa hats and to the snow on the ground.  

I hope you enjoyed these two cards and will try the Easel fancy fold out yourself.  It's such a quick and easy card to make and very satisfying when you're done.  

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot