30 Day Gratitude Challenge: Day 2 (Paper Players Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge)

Good morning!  For today's gratitude card I decided to have a little fun and play along with the Paper Players Tic-Tac-Toe challenge.  I'll admit, this one stumped me a little bit and then I remembered the Christmas Staircase Thinlits I used this weekend to make a Christmas tree on a scrapbook page I made so I thought about trying to take some of the die cut pieces to make a wreath, haha so excited with that!!

I started with Garden Green cardstock for the cardbase and then added a piece of DSP from the Merry Music Speciality Designer Series Paper package for a great neutral cardfront.  The greeting is from the Wood Words stamp set and was stamped in Garden Green ink on Whisper White cardstock and punched out with the 1" Circle Punch.  I used the 1 1/4" Circle Punch for the mat using Cherry Cobbler cardstock and used a dimensional to attach the greeting to the cardfront.

Now for the centerpiece of the card....I used the Big Shot and Christmas Staircase Thinlits to cut several pieces of greenery (I believe I used 8-9 pieces but play around with it for the thickness of the wreath you prefer) out of Garden Green cardstock.  I started by laying them out in a circle before gluing to make sure I had enough and to know what size of background I would need.





Next I started gluing the pieces onto Whisper White cardstock using my Fine Tip Glue pen to only add glue to the bottom of the greenery so I could fluff up the branches.  Once I was finished with the wreath I added a bow tied with Cherry Cobbler 1/4" Double Stitched Ribbon.  To dress things up a little I went over all the greenery pieces with my Clear Wink of Stella Pen to add a little sparkle (you can see it better in this closeup).  The final touch was to mat the piece with Cherry Cobbler cardstock and attach it to the cardfront.

Here's the challenge that we were given, so many options.

I really love how this card turned out, it has a ton of texture but will still lay nice and flat for mailing which is perfect for Christmas greetings which often get mailed.  I work hard to make my Christmas thank you's before the business of the holiday season so there is no reason
not to send thank you notes for all the thoughtful gifts you receive during the holidays.






Below are easy ordering links for the products used on today's card:

Product List

Wood Words Clear-Mount Stamp Set [143928]	Big Shot [143263]	Christmas Staircase Thinlits Dies [144679]	Cherry Cobbler 1/4" Double-Stitched Ribbon [144117]	1-1/4" Circle Punch [119861]
1" Circle Punch [119868]	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [141897]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]	Garden Green 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [102584]	Merry Music Specialty Designer Series Paper [144623]
Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [119685]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]

Enjoy!

Diana

SSINKspiration CASE the Designer: Rustic Birthday Greetings

Happy Friday!  It's shaping up to be another wonderful weekend, we're getting a break from the heat, my kiddo is coming home, and I got a big box of holiday catalog preorder goodies that are calling my name (I'm hoping for some quality time in the studio this weekend).  Before all the weekend fun gets started, the SSINKspiration designers are playing around and it's time to CASE the designer again, this month it's Nichole Loe and I love so many of her projects that it was tough to pick what I wanted to case and then I found this masculine goodie, here's a link to her project.  I decided to change things up and make this a card with no actual stamping but you get the same feel.

I started with Crumb Cake cardstock for the cardbase and then added a layer of Emerald Envy Cardstock as a mat for the cardfront.  The cardfront is where all the fun is, I started with a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock and embossed it with the Big Shot and new Pinewood Planks Dynamic Embossing Folder and then I sponged all over with Soft Suede Ink to really bring out the texture and pattern in the embossed image.

Next I used the Layering Ovals Framelits to cut out an oval in Crumb Cake cardstock and then a frame for the oval using two different sized ovals and a Gold Foil Sheet.  While I liked the popped up nature of Nichole's card I decided to keep mine a little flatter so it's easily mailed but still has the same effect.  The final touch was to cut out the birthday greeting using some Emerald Envy cardstock and the Happy Birthday Thinlits die and attached it using the Fine Tip Glue pen.

I really love how dramatic this card is and while not using a ton of products and colors, nice and elegant.  I can definitely see myself making this again and it may have to be one of the projects in an upcoming card class, thanks Nichole for the inspiration.  Make sure to check out the other projects the design team as created which were inspired by Nichole.

Below are easy ordering links for the product's used on today's card:

Product List

Happy Birthday Thinlits Die [143700]	Pinewood Planks Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [143708]	Big Shot [143263]	Layering Ovals Framelits Dies [141706]	Gold Foil Sheets [132622]
Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [120953]	Emerald Envy 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [141415]	Stamping Sponges [141337]	Fine-Tip Glue Pen [138309]

Have a wonderful weekend!

Diana

Fab Friday Sketch Challenge: Carols of Christmas

Good morning!  I know we still have a few weeks left of summer but I'm already starting to think about the holidays and how I can get a head start on all I have planned to do.  It also helps to put me in the holiday mood that demonstrators could start preordering from the upcoming holiday catalog this week and my box of goodies arrives later today so I have lots of ideas swirling in my head.  If you're like my Stampin' Up is here to help and offering a opportunity to purchase a new stamp set and coordinating thinlits from the upcoming catalog this month and you're going to love it, Carols of Christmas (in the research for this catalog this bundle was voted the most popular out of the entire catalog and it's no wonder why).  To help so you just how fun this bundle is I decided to use it for this weeks Fab Friday Sketch Challenge.

I started with Crumb Cake cardstock for the cardbase and then added a piece of Early Espresso cardstock as a mat for the Be Merry Designer Series Paper (this paper is in the annual catalog so no need to way, you can get it now!!).  The greeting was colored using Stampin' Write Markers and stamped on Crumb Cake cardstock before being cut out with the Big Shot and Stitched Shapes Framelits (the stitched border adds such a nice finish to these pieces and I love how nice and big the greetings in this set are!)

Now for the fun finishing details....I started with a piece of 1/4" Copper Trim and I fanned it out so it was a little wider and a little more see through (this ribbon really is awesome, if you don't like the fanned out look just run it through your fingers and it returns to the original shape and you can try again, and a hint of sparkle).  Next I used two of the pieces from the coordinating Card Front Builder Thinlits (this set really is a must have and not just for holiday projects it has so many great pieces!) to cut the tree (out of Garden Green Cardstock) and the deer (out of Early Espresso).  I used both regular and mini dimensionals to attach these pieces for some extra lift.

I had a Christmas in July card class last weekend and we had lots of fun making projects using just this bundle, there are so many great ideas and while we didn't make this card in class I had it up on display and it was a hit.  Don't forget, when you order the bundle you save 10% versus purchasing each item individually.  Here are all the details on the Carols of Christmas bundle items:

Below are easy ordering links for the product's used on today's card:

Product List

Carols Of Christmas Clear-Mount Bundle [146037]	Big Shot [143263]	Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies [145372]	1/4" Copper Trim [144179]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]
Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [120953]	Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [119686]	Garden Green 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [102584]	Be Merry Designer Series Paper [144111]	Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [144108]

Enjoy!

Diana

SSINKspiration Anything But a Card: Disney Cruise Treats!

Good morning!  This summer is flying by, can't believe we leave on our cruise in a few short weeks.  I've mentioned before that we like to give little gifts to our servers and stateroom hosts who always make our trip so magical so for today's SSINKspiration blog sharing anything but a card I decided to share one of the treats I've made for the cruise.

I used the Popcorn Box Thinlits and cut the box out of Real Red cardstock and then used the Burlap stamp set to stamp some texture all over the box.  I used the 2 1/4" and 3/4" Circle Punches to punch the pieces for my Mickey head and then since this is a cruise I used the Seaside Embossing  Folder to add some waves.  I used the scallop trim die (in the same thinlit set) and some Silver Foil cardstock to cut some rick-rack pieces to decorate the top of the box.  The greeting is from the One Big Meaning stamp set and was stamped in Real Red on Whisper White cardstock and then cut out with the Classic Label Punch (I did sponge around the edges with Basic Black ink) and then attached the greeting with dimensionals.

To finish off the treats I used one of our gusseted cello bags, filled it with chocolates and then tied it with some Silver 3/8" Metallic Edge Ribbon (absolutely love this ribbon!!)

I haven't decided if I'm just going to make more of this same design for the gifts or do different one's (a lot will depend on my ability to pack these to arrive at the ship safely) but I love how cute this is and know little treats are always appreciated for the crew who work so hard!

Below are easy ordering links for the products used on today's project:

Product List

One Big Meaning Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139420]	Classic Label Punch [141491]	Big Shot [143263]	Popcorn Box Thinlits Dies [141473]	Burlap Clear-Mount Stamp Set [143982]
Seaside Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [141481]	2-1/4" (5.7 Cm) Circle Punch [143720]	3/4" Circle Punch [119873]	Silver 3/8" Metallic-Edge Ribbon [144213]	Gusseted Cellophane Bags [141704]
Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]	Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [102482]	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [121045]	Silver Foil Sheets [132178]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]

Have a great weekend!

Diana