Fall Tag Trio

It's officially Fall now, and I'm so thankful!  I am really looking forward to temperatures that are cool enough that we can finally be outside sometime other than in the very early morning.  The last few days have been so beautiful!  

Today's Stamp Simply project is a simple, elegant Fall Tag Trio.  I love making projects like this that can be made quickly, assembly-line style.  I made my three exactly the same, but this stamp set has some lovely sentiments so if you wanted to you could easily make them a fraternal set rather than identical triplets.  They'd be so pretty to hang from a basket of fruit or flowers as a gift for a friend.  They'd even make pretty place cards for Thanksgiving dinner.  

This simple print from the Little Fawn and Friends designer paper pad is what inspired the design and color scheme, and it looks so pretty combined with the background colors from the rustic Metal Textures pad.  These were made with a base of 2 1/4 x 6 1/4 to get the most mileage from one sheet of 6 x 6 designer paper (three 2 x 6 strips for the mats, and three 2 x 2 squares for the accent pieces). Very easy to mass produce.  

The metallic print paper gives just a hint of the Fall colors to come...here in Florida, the leaves change much later than they do in colder parts of the country.  The oaks are still green but one can still feel the change in the air and the light is just beginning to take on that magical golden glow.  Hence, the splash of Delicate Golden Glitz to add that little bit of sparkle. 

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Combo Offer/Stamp & Die Give Thanks
• Craft Consortium Metal Textures 6x6
• Craft Consortium Little Fawn and Friends 6x6
• Spellbinders Die - Classic Ovals Small SM
• Spellbinders Die - Classic Ovals Large LG
• Delicata Non-Tarnishing Ink Pad - Golden Glitz
• May Arts 5/8" Faux Canvas - 3 yard Bundle (antique gold)
• May Arts Burlap String - 10 yard Bundle
• Rhinestones - Split Pea
• Copic markers
• Cropadile
• circle punch
• corner punch 
• buttons from stash

Christmas, From the Cradle to the Cross

Hi everyone!  Today's Stamp Simply project is a simple, sparkly Christmas card that is sort of Florida-ish, but with a deeper meaning.  This palm branches paper brings Palm Sunday to mind as a reminder that His entire story goes From the Cradle to the Cross.  It's so much more meaningful to celebrate Christmas with God's plan of the Cross in mind.  

This is an easy, fairly quick card to make.  There's a bit of slicing and simple scoring, some stamping, and very little coloring (done here with sparkly Wink of Stella markers).  I heat-embossed the ornament just to give it a bit more detail, but with Delicata ink, it really is not necessary.  Splashes of gold Delicata ink diluted with water splattered on with a tiny paintbrush, add even more festive sparkle.  

The inside has a strip of designer paper, a single gold pearl, and a beautiful gold sentiment.  

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Christmas Joy
• Delicata Non-Tarnishing Ink Pad - Golden Glitz
• Ranger Super Fine Embossing Powder - Gold
• Zig Wink of Stella Brush - Gold Glitter Marker
• Zig Wink of Stella Brush - Clear Glitter Marker
• Craft Consortium Tropical Paradise 6x6
• Pearls - Latte
• May Arts 3/8" Double Faced Satin - Red - 5 yard Bundle
• Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue
• Scrapbook Adhesives-3L 3D Self-adhesive Foam Squares - Thin

Christmas Peace

Hello friends!  I'm back today with a card featuring another new release, Christmas Peace and Joy from Stamp Simply!  This lovely candle is part of the new set, Christmas Peace.  (Christmas Joy features beautiful ornaments).  

The candle and the dark woodgrain designer paper made me think of an old church, its windows festively adorned with poinsettias glowing in candlelight for Christmas Eve, so I decided to try Beate's "Frosted Window" tutorial.  I used Stamp Simply's fishtail banners die to cut the window's frame and sash, mitering the corners as a real window frame would be, and adding the pretty floral print to give the illusion of wallpaper.  (Maybe next time I'll be even more adventurous and add diagonal panes of "leaded" glass...then the window would really remind me of my childhood church home)!

With this technique, the image is stamped onto card stock and also onto vellum.  I heat-embossed the top layer.  The darker marker colors and the candle's glow are colored on the underneath layer, and the lighter colors are colored on the back side of the vellum which is mounted on dimensional adhesive tape.  I added a bit of both gold and clear Wink of Stella to the right side of the vellum to give subtle shimmer and make things especially festive.  

I love how soft the colors are, and how simple yet elegant the result is with very little effort...using a stamp platform makes it incredibly easy to be sure that everything will be perfectly aligned.  The frost of the vellum camouflages the coloring on the card stock underneath, so it can be done with a little less "finesse" than usual, and since the marker inks sit on top of vellum and won't blend because of the paper finish, this really is a fast and easy technique that softens any struggles with blending that you might experience if you are new to blending with alcohol markers.  

There is a beautiful Christmas sentiment stamped on the inside.

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Christmas Peace
• Kaisercraft Under the Gum Leaves 6.5x6.5
• Vellum - Recycled 24# Clear
• Delicata Non-Tarnishing Ink Pad - Golden Glitz
• Ranger Super Fine Embossing Powder - Gold
• Spellbinders Die - 5x7 Matting Basics A (vellum opening
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Fishtail Sentiment Banners (window sash/frame)
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Floral Cluster and Sprigs
• May Arts 1.5" Sheer w/Glitter Dots - Gold/Gold - 3 yard Bundle
• Petaloo Botanica Baby Blooms - Red
• enamel dots
• Zig Wink of Stella Brush - Clear Glitter Marker
• Zig Wink of Stella Brush - Gold Glitter Marker
• Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue
• Scrapbook Adhesives-3L 
• 3D Self-adhesive Foam Squares - Mix
• Copic markers

Fall Center Step Gift Card

Hello everyone!  I had so much fun last week with Stamp Simply's new wreaths sets that I couldn't resist making another card with them!  

This is a Center Step Gift Card...the center panel is the perfect size for the wreath and the printed paper provides a pretty frame that brings out those lovely Fall colors!  This is also a card that, if one left off the enamel dots, would be flat for mailing, but the interesting fold keeps it far from being boring!  

Here you can see that the wreath and pumpkins were stamped directly onto the center panel in one layer with Memento Rich Cocoa ink, no fussy cutting involved!  You don't even need to make a mask!  I colored the wreath decorations with Copic markers and added a touch of clear Wink of Stella to emphasize the highlights.  

Because Copic markers bleed through, I opted to add another layer of card stock to the inside of the card (to the center panel above the fold) to make the appearance of the opened card a bit neater.

Then, there's a pocket for a gift card.  I love the idea that if (in this 2020 Covid world) my family and friends can't have dinner with me then they can have dinner on me!  

Supplies:
Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Seasonal Wreaths - Fall & Winter
Graphic 45 Fruit & Flora 8x8
Memento Full Size Dye Ink Pad - Rich Cocoa
Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Fishtail Sentiment Banners
Spellbinders Die - Standard Circles Small SM
Spellbinders Die - Standard Circles Large LG
Enamel Dots
Scrapbook Adhesives-3L 3D Self-adhesive Foam Squares - Mix
Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue
Zig Wink of Stella Brush - Clear Glitter Marker
Copic markers

I hope you'll indulge me for just a moment more...it's been almost a week since Hurricane Laura nearly completely decimated my childhood hometown of Westlake (next to Lake Charles), Louisiana. This was the view down Sampson Street the day after the storm, with a huge chlorine leak billowing in the distance.  

Please whisper a prayer for the people of Southwest Louisiana. They are hard-working, resilient people who rebuilt their lives after taking an awful hit from Hurricane Rita in 2005.  To have to go through it...and worse...all over again is really hard.  I've lost count of how many of my friends have lost their homes and their livelihoods.  Thankfully my brother's home did not suffer extensive damage, although he did have many shingles missing and his wood laminate floors were ruined.  He lost most of the trees on his property except for the big, strong Cypress trees, and he's there with limited running water and no electricity trying to get everything cleaned up.  Everyone is pitching in to help each other and make the best of a truly devastating situation.

If you are able, please donate to the relief efforts...it is going to be a long, difficult recovery.  Thank you!

❤️