Holly Jolly Santa

I was recently asked to be a guest designer for a super exciting Instagram account that I follow and many of you know and love! This is actually my OUTTAKE project as when they approached me and gave me a list of stamp sets to chose from, I choose this set—or so I thought! haha! Turns out I had my stamp sets mixed up! So this project is now going to be inspiration for you!

The best part is I spent quite a bit of time thinking about this card and the design, so I cannot let it go to waste! This was actually the first time I broke the seal on the Picture This Dies even though I have had them since June! Does that ever happen to you? You buy something and then get distracted from using it?

Well I do LOVE how this project came out in the end. I tried to create 3 little panels that felt unique. The base of the card is my favorite color Coastal Cabana. The first layer is black and then a layer of Basic White was added in after another layer of Coastal Cabana was die cut with the Picture This Die.

In the first panel I stamped the little star from the Be Jolly stamp set on the Basic White layer using Smoky Slate ink. My first Santa is stamped with Momento Ink and colored with the Stampin’ Blends markers in Real Red, Ivory, Basic Black and Petal Pink. I use the Petal Pink chubby tip to add a dot too each of Santa’s cheeks for a hit of rosy. I also use the light Smoky Slate Stampin’ Blend to add detail to his beard and hat pom pom.

I love how the Picture This Dies leave a stitched detail behind. And do throw away all the little bits that get cut out, those can definitely be used on a new project!

I like to add details to my sentiments so for this project I added a little bitty scalloped detail underneath the “A Merry Hello” by using a die from the Stitched So Sweetly Dies and a bit of white twine from the Bakers Twine Essentials Pack!

You can see just a hint of the bottom panel—I ran it though the Star-Crossed Embossing Folder, focusing just on the star half of the folder. I added a ton of Coastal Cabana Playing with Patterns Resin Dots to my card to play up the fun and whimsy feel! This Santa is colored with the same Stampin’ Blends and both are hand trimmed with paper snips to tuck into the little panels.

So even though this card is my OUTTAKE I think its pretty damn cute! And I am wondering why the heck it took me so long to use the Picture This Die set! You will definitely be seeing it in the future! I hope everyone has a merry day and if you are inspired to create your own project, please consider shopping my store if you live in Canada!

Comments are always welcome and appreciated!

Project Supply List
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Be Jolly Cling Stamp Set

Picture This Dies

Bermuda Bay 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

Playing With Patterns Resin Dots

Baker's Twine Essentials Pack

Resin Hearts Embellishments

Stitched So Sweetly Dies

Basic Black Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

Real Red Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

Petal Pink Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

Bronze & Ivory Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

Create with Connie and Mary-Meet the Team!

Hello friends! I have been a part of the Create with Connie and Mary Design Team for a while now and its been such a fun experience for me! I personally love the weekly creative challenges as they do get me out of my comfort zone and using up stamps and supplies that I may not have been using!

I love everything about this card, especially because it really highlights #goodcarddesign a topic that I have recently begun working on with my team to help them develop crafting confidence. I touched on this topic last week so I really encourage you to go back and read this post! You will also find several other card examples following this same "#goodcarddesign as this strawberry card.

I do believe that every good card has 5 design elements and if we create a card that uses them it is a lot easier to create future projects using the same #goodcarddesign. This allows us to save time and also show others how you can create something similar with different stamps, paper and embellishments, because that is what it’s all about right?

I used the Sweet Strawberry bundle and I am so happy its a bundle carrying forward in our new upcoming catalogue! I stamped some of the little flowers on the background using Blushing Bride ink to create that tone on tone stamping. I added three strips of Designer Series Paper from the Playing with Patterns collection. They are 3/4 x 3 each. I also like the fact that they are offset from each other too as it gives are more whimsical feeling to this project.

A Blushing Bride Scallop Circle is cut from the Layering Circles Dies. I added a white circle over top and ran it through the Greenery Embossing Folder for a little bit of texture. In between the circles I added some Basic White twine from the Snail Mail Twine Combo.

The strawberry is stamped in Poppy Parade ink and I thought the little ladybug embellishment was the perfect little touch. The strawberry stem and sentiment are stamped in Soft Seafoam ink.

I hope this project inspires you to get stamping today!

Thank you so much for checking out my blog today! I share with the Design Team every Saturday so please remember to check back in every week!

You can head back to the main Create with Connie and Mary page by clicking “Next”!

A Card a Day in December--Day #29

Hello friends! I wanted to create a New Years card that featured my favorite product suite of 2020—Playing with Patterns. I just love the color combo in the DSP and the Playful Alphabet dies basically live beside my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss machine! I use them all time on everything from cards to scrapbook pages to 3D projects.

I also wanted to design a card that was EASY and one that you could quickly make a few of to get into the mail right at the start of the year.

I used one small strip of the Playing with Patterns DSP as this allowed me to introduce all of the colors in the collection.

I went with a base of Purple Posy as I just love this color. I added a half panel of the same color to build my card on.

Happy New Year is cut from Misty Moonlight card stock, the Playful Alphabet dies and Foam Adhesive Sheets (a MUST HAVE combo)!

I wanted this card to be fun and whimsy (which I am hoping can be my theme for 2021) so I borrowed a couple of stamps from the new Hey Birthday Chick stamp set. The font in the Let’s Celebrate and Hello matched that fun feel that I was going for.

I added a few embellishments from the Playing with Patterns suite and the All the Trimmings (retiring soon!).

I hope you have enjoyed my 29th project in my A Card a Day in December series!

Man's Best Friend

Recently a dear friend of mine lost her beloved dog after many years of being a beloved family member. She asked me to create a scrapbook page in his memory.

She asked me to use the Playing with Patterns Designer Series paper and the new Playful Pets stamp set. I decided to add in a retired set, Happy Tails, into the design too because it has some really special elements. I also borrowed the phrase “We’re the Best of friends” from the Bird Ballad stamp set.

I chose the color palette of Misty Moonlight, Seaside Spray, and Crushed Curry but you could easily reproduce this page with more feminine colors using the same 6x6 stack (Purple Posy and Calypso Coral).

I cut a large heart using the Stitched Be Mine dies to be the focal point of where Jake’s name was to go. This could also be customizable too. I added lots of stamped hearts and paw prints. This page is an eclectic mix of new products, older favourites and retired stamp sets. Some sets you just can’t part with!

A few different ribbons helped create this focal area. I used the Bumblebee Gingham ribbon, the blue from the Playing with Patterns Ribbon Combo pack and some silver twine I had laying around.

I really loved the sentiment “ A Best Friend” and it worked perfectly right above the Seaside Spray heart.

I actually loved how this turned out so much that I decided to turn it into a card too. Do you ever do that? I often do when I create something I love.

To create the card, I kept many of the same elements as the scrapbook page, but decided to stamp and color with Stampin’ Blends the cute dog from the Pampered Pets stamp set in Smoky Slate with a Crushed Curry collar to coordinate. I kept the ribbons and added in a couple embellshments from the Frosted & Clear Epoxy Droplets collection.

I hope both of these projects inspire you today and I am blessed my friend asked me to create such a meaningful memento.

Create with Connie and Mary--Hot Summer Days!

When I think of “Hot Summer Days” I definitely think of ice cream! I hope you enjoying this weeks Create with Connie and Mary Blog Hop theme! Make sure you visit everyone on the Hop!

We have been having some super hot days here in Alberta and I am LOVING every minute of it! And summer ice cream calories don’t count I have decided!

Have you been following along with my blog regularly? Are you noticing a trend…maybe with the Playing with Patterns Suite? Hahaha, I don’t even notice I am using it half the time! It just seems to work with EVERYTHING! Hopefully I have you hooked on it too and you can use my August Host Code to shop for anything you need!

What is unique about this page, is all of the DSP strips of paper are actually from 6x6 DSP stacks! You would never know though as I strategically hid the seams behind the photos. I used the Playing With Patterns, In Color, Whale of a Time and Flowers for Every Season 6x6 collections. I used my finger nail to soften the edges of the DSP to give it some added texture when I added it to the 12 x 12 Whisper White.

I used a trusty old favourite, the baby wipe technique, to create this soft background. I then used my Water Painter to flick the Coastal Cabana ink all over.

I don’t know how you feel about ice cream but I think the sentiments on this page describe my feelings for it perfectly! Hahaha! And my sons expression on his triple scoop ice cream cone is just priceless!

I used a bunch of different sentiments from three different stamp sets to enhance this page. I used Nothings Better Than, Blossoms in Bloom, and Bloom and Grow. And of course, the Playful Alphabet dies!

I hope you enjoy what the other gals have created this week for you and I hope you are having an awesome summer yourself! You can go back to see what Melissa has created and next to see what Connie has designed!