With a Stamp and a Song: Happy Birthday, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Happy Birthday, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!

Hello and welcome to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Birthday Blog Hop! Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is so excited to be celebrating four wonderful years!

If you have been following along already you should have come from Katlyn's. If this is your first stop, please head back to the SNSS blog and start from the beginning. You won't want to miss any stops along the way! Also, don't forget to comment on as many stops as you can....the more comments the better your chance of winning one of the fabulous prize packs! :)

SNSS was one of my very first design teams, and it holds a very special place in my heart! The friendships and faith of that group were strong and powerful then...while we don't necessarily chat on such a frequent basis, those ties hold firm, and we know where to go when we need prayer and encouragement! I cherish my SNSS friends!

A fantastic group of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps design team members past and present, along with some special friends, have put together this fabulous Birthday Blog Hop to kick off a whole month of fun. We have 36 stops so the hop will take place over three days - feel free to take your time visiting each blog! You have until 11:59 pm EST November 9th to leave comments on as many blogs as you can. On Saturday, November 12th Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps will announce FOUR winners (chosen at random from comments on random stops along the hop); each lucky winner will receive a prize pack including stamps, dies, paper and twine valued at $40!

The digital image that graces my card for today was illustrated by my sweet, amazing friend, Dina Kowal. I printed it twice on Copic blending paper, colored it with traditional Christmas reds and greens, and trimmed around the entire image with paper snips on one, and around the leaves only on the second. I printed it a third time on a scrap of Basic Grey Jovial designer paper which was cut and embossed with a nesties rectangle. The embossing provided the perfect guideline for outlining the focal image with a multi-liner, and some warm gray Copics and additional sponging with distress ink brought more depth, adding to the illusion of the warm glow of candlelight.

The flame of the candle was glued to the designer paper with a quickie glue pen; the candle and "brass" holder were popped up on dimensional adhesive dots. The entire piece was given a liberal spray with gold Shimmer spritz. The poinsettia designer paper background for the card front got a lighter dusting of gold as well. The simple yet elegant card was finished with a few dark red rhinestones, and an iridescent gold organza bow. The holly leaves were gently curled and adhered to the bow with a glue dot.

Your next stop on the hop is Stephanie's, but just in case there are any hiccups, here is the whole list of celebrants on this party train. Don't panic! Remember, you've got several days to make it through!