A little Christmas train magic

The Christmas Magic (142119) stamp set was one of the sets I first noticed in the 2016 holiday catalog and knew I would need to have in my collection.  It has so many possibilities.  I created this card for my friend's husband and his children.  She passed away this July and I wanted to make a special card for them.  He is a huge train enthusiast and I know he will appreciate the thought.

I really enjoy coloring so this stamp set was definitely for me.  I find it to be very relaxing.  I remember as a child my mom and I spending time coloring, especially during the holidays.  It was always a fun time.  My brothers didn't have the patience to color, so I would often have a little time with mom to myself while they were off playing.  We still occasionally sit and color together when I go to visit.  The images are stamped on Shimmery White cardstock with Stazon black ink.  I colored the images with an aqua painter.  

Some of the colors used are:

Crumb Cake, Emerald Envy, Watermelon Wonder, Real Red, Crushed Curry, Dapper Denim, Mint Macaron, Sahara Sand, Smokey Slate and Soft Suede.  I used a Stampin' chalk marker for the snow around the trees and on the North Pole sign, then added clear Wink of Stella glitter pen on top of that.  For the silver area on the train, I used a retired Stampin' Dazzle silver pen.    The sentiment is from the same stamp set.  It was stamped inside the banner from Thoughtful Banners in Emerald Envy and punched out with the classic label punch (141491).

Thanks for stopping by my blog day.  I know everyone is busy and I am truly grateful for your time.  Please leave me a comment and if you need any supplies, you can order from my online store by clicking on the shopping cart.  Have a blessed day.

Ugly Christmas Sweater card

I was inspired to make this card from several posts on Pinterest.  I found the pin by Sue Parker of Sparkled stamps which showed how to cut the card to make the sweater.  I set about making my own version and this is the result.  I was very happy with how it turned out.  I hope you'll agree.

I used the Cable Knit Dynamic embossing folder on this one.  It's so awesome.  I thought it would be adorable to put the Santa face peeping out of the pocket.  The v-neck took a little working out as I used a the retired embossing folder called stylish stripes to make it.  It's a bit fiddle to get the stripes matched up and going opposite directions in order to make it pleasing to the eye, but it was worth the effort.

List of supplies:
Jolly Friends (Santa) stamps142112
Jar of Cheer stamps (tree) 142161
Cozy Critters stamp set (presents) 142214
Cherry Cobbler, Sweet Sugarplum, and Shimmery White cardstock
Whisper White thick cardstock for the base card
Gold Foil sheets (stars on tree) 132622
Confetti Stars border punch 135861
Blushing Bride, Garden Green, Mint Macaron, Smokey Slate, Sweet Sugarplum and Stazon black ink pads

Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my blog today.  I hope I have inspired you in some small way to make something of your own.  I'd love for you to leave me a comment.  If you need any of the supplies I've used to create this card, please click on the shopping cart and it will take you to my online store where you can purchase what you need.  Have a great day.

Cozy Critter color challenge

I challenged my favorite group of stampers to a color challenge.  The idea was to make something using the colors mint macaron, night of navy, calypso coral and flirty flamingo.  This card is my submission for the challenge.

It features my favorite host set from the holiday catalog on page 3.  The stamp set is a photopolymer set called Cozy Critters.  You can order with a $150 order or when you host a workshop that totals at least $150 US.  I loved this set from the very first moment I saw it.

List of supplies:
Cozy Critters stamp set 142214
Jolly Hat Builder punch 141847
Owl Builder punch (annual catalog) 118074
Very Vanilla and Night of Navy cardstock
Calypso Coral, Mint Macaron, Flirty Flamingo, Night of Navy, Early Espresso and Soft Suede ink pads
Wink of Stella glitter brush (clear) 141897

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  I hope you are inspired to find a little time to stamp something today.  Feel free to leave me a comment, I'd love to hear from you.  If you need any supplies, please click on the shopping cart, it will take you to my online store.  I'd love to earn your business.

Cable embossed Jolly Friends trio

This card uses the lovely cable sweater embossing folder.  I love the depth of embossing this folder makes!  It's so awesome.  I also used the Jolly Friends stamp set and matching Jolly Hat Builder punch in the 2016 holiday catalog.  I absolutely adore the moose and had to have the set for that one stamp.  Do you also get stamp sets for a single stamp?  I like all the stamps, don't get me wrong, but I LOVE the moose.

 I used one of my favorite techniques for adding depth to a project.  I stamped and colored my images using an aqua painter, then used a stylus to go around the outside edge of the moose face.  I  turned the image over and went over the impression on the reverse side.  I then added some adhesive in the center and completely around the outside edge of the image.  I used a small amount of a cotton ball to stick on the adhesive in the center of the moose head on top of the adhesive.  (I saw this technique in a video by Deb Valder a former Stampin' Up demonstrator).  It gives a little extra depth and won't smooth down when mailed.  By putting the adhesive completely around the outside of the image, it will seal the cardstock down and push the cotton up to give the added depth.  I love this technique and it's really very easy.   I stamped and colored the hat pieces then used the punch to cut them out.  A tip for being able to stamp the images all at once is to use the punch as your stamping block.  Place your stamps directly over the images on the top of the punch, then ink and stamp!  They'll be lined up perfectly for the punch.

A list of supplies used is:
Shimmery white cardstock (it works well for using with an aqua painter)
Sweet Sugarplum cardstock
Cable Knit Dynamic embossing folder 143537
Jolly Friends stamp set 142112
Jolly Hat Builder Punch 141847 (Can be purchased in a bundle to save 10% #143511)
Labeled Alphabet (for the Christmoose saying)
Emerald Envy, Damper Denim, Sweet Sugarplum, Blushing Bride, Flirty Flaming, and Stazon Black ink pads
Aqua Painter

I hope you are inspired to stamp something today.  Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my blog.  Please leave me a comment, I'd love to hear from you!  Any supplies you'd like to order can be purchased in my online store by clicking on the shopping cart on the right.  Have a blessed day.