Reindeer Tags--#tgifc235

The TGIF Challenges team changed the challenge up this week.  We have a project challenge:  Tags!  I love making tags--to use for gifts and also as bookmarks.  In fact, I'd just finished making a bunch of Snowman Season tags when I saw this challenge.  So, no more snowmen tags.  I pulled out by Detailed Deer dies (#147915) and had fun making a set of reindeer tags. I think I will make some more of these! 

I had a couple of two-inch strips of a Night of Navy design from the Feels Like Frost designer series paper (#150444) sitting on my desk, so I started with those.  I wanted to make a set of three tags for the challenge so I went through my stack of Feels Like Frost paper for the matching design.  I was sidetracked by the icy pussy willow design.  I said to myself or maybe out loud to Roxie, "Ooooh, Purple Posy!  I have to use this one."  That's why it looks like an odd set.  But. . .Purple Posy!

Here's how I fancied these up:

1.  Mounted the paper on Whisper White thick card stock to give the tags some heft and to have a nice white space on the back for a gift message.

2.  Punched the top with the Delightful Tag Topper Punch (#149518).

3.  Layered a Pearlized Doily (#146936) on each tag using Multipurpose Liquid Adhesive.

4.  Die cut 3 two-leaf sets from the Frosted Frames dies (#150658): two in Seaside Spray and one in Purple Posy.  I coated these with Shimmery Crystal Effects (#150892) and then sprinkled on some Ice Stampin' Glitter (#150445). After they dried, they were layered on the doily using Multipurpose Liquid Glue.

5.  Die cut 3 blossoms from the same die set out of Sparkle Glimmer Paper (#146957) and layered those on each tag using the Multipurpose Liquid glue.

6.  Stamped the greeting banner from Toile Christmas stamp set (#150469) three times:  two in Night of Navy ink on Seaside Spray and one in Highland Heather ink on Purple Posy.  These were heat embossed with Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder (#109130) and then die cut with the coordinating die from the Christmas Cardinal dies (#150640). They were adhered to the tag with Stampin' Dimensionals.

7.  Die cut two reindeer out of Night of Navy card stock and one out of Highland Heather card stock.  Then coated them with the Clear Wink of Stella Glitter Brush (#141897). They were adhered with Mini Stampin' Dimensionals.

8.  Added three Rhinestones (#144220) to each of the Night of Navy tags and three  Pearls (#144219) to the Purple Posy one.

9.  Tied  Seaside Spray 1/4" metallic ribbon (#150446) on the Night of Navy tags and Whisper White 5/8" Polka Dot tulle ribbon (#146912) on the Purple Posy tag.

I wish you could see all the fun shimmer on these tags!

 

If you need inspiration for your holiday tags, head over to the TGIF Challenges Blog and see all of the design team's  and challengers' entries.  They are fantastic!

Have a happy rest of your week!--Sara Nell

  

Monster Ghost in the Woods--#tgifc234

The inspiration for this week's TGIF Challenge is Halloween.  I don't quite know what it is, but the Boo to You stamp set just brings out my silly side--maybe it's the coordinating googly eyes.  Anyway, I hope you leave my blog today with a smile on your face.  I've created a monster ghost in the woods for you:

To make the card, I started with a piece of Whisper White card stock and stamped the monster from Boo to You stamp set in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink.  Then I started sponging with Rich Razzleberry ink, then Blackberry Bliss and finally with Night of Navy.  The monster was then painted with Frost White Shimmer Paint to create the ghost.  The woods were created with embossing paste and the tree pattern from the Basic Pattern Decorative Masks in the Holiday Catalog.  The embossing paste was tinted with Night of Navy ink for that eerie woods effect.

The greeting was stamped in VersaMark ink on Rich Razzleberry card stock and heat embossed in with White Stampin' Emboss Powder.  It was die cut with the smallest Layering Circle die and then sponged with Blackberry Bliss ink.  The piece was layered on Rich Razzleberry card stock and then on a Night of Navy card base.  Oh, and don't forget the googly eyes!

See some fun Halloween cards over at the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

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Happy Halloween!

--Sara Nell

Leaves in Silver and Blues???--#tgifc233

This week's TGIF Challenges sketch challenge has a striped background.  I started my entry by going through all of my designer series paper to see what striped paper I had.  Turns out that I had several options.  I was, however, mostly drawn to the silver stripe in the Feels Like Frost specialty designer series paper pack (a "B" side to the beautiful photo-realistic papers).  I thought snowflakes and silver and blues!  Then I thought leaves--can you do leaves in silver and blues?  Why not!!!

The reason I changed to leaves was to show off these die cut and embossed leaves from the Gathered Leaves die set.  I love how they look when you sponge the dies with the Silver Delicata ink before placing them on the card stock and running them through the die cutting machine.  You get a metallic body with veins in the color of the underlying card stock--in this case Seaside Spray and Night of Navy. 

I stamped the larger leaf from the Gather Together stamp set in the Silver Delicata ink and then die cut it as a base for my greeting, also from the Gather together stamp set.  I stamped it in VersaMark and heat embossed it with Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder.  The greeting was die cut with a Stitched Shapes oval die.  I added a few Night of Navy rhinestones from the Holiday Rhinestones Basic Jewels pack and some Basic Rhinestones. 

Do you love this sketch?  See more sketch inspired cards at the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Let me know what your think of these non-traditional leaf colors in the comments below.

--Sara Nell 

Leaf Cluster--#tgifc232

It's October and leaves are falling.  Which means I spend time while walking Roxie collecting the pretty, colorful leaves that catch my eye.  I place them in my seagrass basket in the entrance hall for part of my Fall decor.  When they shrivel up and turn brown, I toss them and collect more. I love this season!  

But what does this have to do with my post? The TGIF Challenges color challenge this week is Pretty Peacock, Grapefruit Grove and Crumb Cake.  When I saw the colors I got excited because I had a leaf in my basket with those colors--one of my prettier ones:

Okay, not exactly those colors when I looked at it.  But it shared the brightness of the colors in the challenge and inspired my card for today. 

I learned several years ago that the best way to recreate the leaves I find is to use the baby wipe technique (and, yes, every Fall I stamp loads of leaves!).  The baby wipe technique of creating your own multicolored ink pad on a baby wipe creates a mottled effect on the leaves and no two are the same.  For this card I created a baby wipe pad with drops of Grapefruit Grove ink and fewer drops of Pretty Peacock ink.   I used my "ink pad" with the solid leaf image in the Colorful Seasons stamp set.  I used the veined leaf image from the same stamp set to stamp the leaf outline in Crumb Cake on each of the leaves. I die cut these leaves and the Crumb Cake openwork leaves with two dies in the Seasonal Layers die set. I coated the Crumb Cake leaves and the bottom of the greeting layers with Shimmery Crystal Effects.  The greeting is from the Country Home stamp set and was stamped in Pretty Peacock.

I have layers of Crumb Cake and Grapefruit Grove card stock and a Pretty Peacock pattern from the Woven Threads designer series paper pack.

Check out other projects made with this color combo on the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Thanks for stopping by today!

--Sara Nell 

Creation Station October Hop--Black & White Plus One

Welcome to the October Creation Station Blog Hop and to my blog.  I'm happy you've stopped by and hope you click on the Next Up  button at the end of this post to hop to the talented Julie Beltramo's blog. This month our theme is Black & White Plus One.  I love this theme!  Black & White cards with just a touch of another color can be so elegant and textured and beautiful. I am sure you will see many such cards on this month's hop.  I, however, have taken another path:

WELCOME TO MY SILLY SIDE . . . 

A Parade of Zombies

Peek-a-BOO!

Little Creepy

For each card I used the Boo to You stamp set (#150550); Whisper White Thick card stock (#140272); Tuxedo Black Memento Ink (#132708); Subtle 3D embossing folder (#151775); and Assorted Googly Eyes (#150453) for my Plus One color on each card.

I hope you've had a bit of fun with me today.  Head over to Julie's Blog for something elegant.

To Julie's Blog . . .

Wishing You Well--#tgifc231

There's a bit different inspiration challenge for us this week at TGIF Challenges.  We are to be inspired by page 12 of the Annual Catalog. This is the samples page of the Woven Threads Suite.  It is full of the new In Colors, textures and embellishments.  I remember the first time I looked at this page.  I was immediately drawn to the note cards with the embossing paste used on designer series paper.   I knew I had to use that technique for this challenge. 

For my project I substituted elements from the Come To Gather Suite in the Holiday Catalog for the Woven Threads Suite:

I picked out this Cajun Craze pumpkin design from the Come To Gather designer series paper.  I used the stylized leaf mask from the new Basic Pattern Decorative Masks pack and Embossing Paste tinted with Mint Macaron ink to create the textured backdrop for my focal point.  The pumpkin, leaf and greeting needed something to anchor them in the design, so I decided to use a frame as on the Pretty Peacock "forever" card on the inspiration page.  I die cut and embossed the rectangle frame out of the same pattern of designer series paper using the Heirloom Frames die and 3D embossing folder set. 

The leaf was die cut out of Mint Macaron card stock.  I inked up the leaf die with Pretty Peacock ink before die cutting it, resulting in the dark leaf with light veining.  The pumpkin was stamped in Cajun Craze on Whisper White card stock and then colored with the Cajun Craze Combo and Soft Suede Dark Stampin' Blends. The stamps and dies are from the Gather Together stamp set and coordinating Gathering Leaves dies.

I layered my paper on a piece of Pretty Peacock card stock and then on a Pretty Peacock card base. Lots of texture on this card!!!

There are so many ways to be inspired by this page!  Check out the TGIF Challenges Blog here to see the different ways the designers and challengers were inspired.

Thanks for stopping by today!