Merry & Bright--#tgifc243

The TGIF Challenges challenge this week is to create with our favorite products from the Holiday Catalog.  Tough challenge!  I have lots of favorites from the Holiday Catalog. However, as I wrote my Christmas cards this year, I saw lots of cardinals and "Christmas Greetings" from the Toile Christmas stamp set (#150469). So I pulled out that stamp set and coordinating die set, Christmas Cardinal dies  (#150640), and decided to make a card without a cardinal or wreath made with the leaf dies  and without the "Christmas Greetings" stamp.

Most of my Toile Tidings designer series paper (#150436) is gone, too. Instead, I used a fun technique for my background.  I saw this technique on a card created by one of the Stampin' Up! concept artists and featured in a video that came out shortly after the Holiday Catalog went live.  It took me three tries and a now sorry looking Brick & Mortar 3D embossing folder (#149643) to get the background right on the first card I made with this technique, but I think it was worth it.

To create the German Schmear look on the background, I dotted the inside of the Brick & Mortar 3D embossing folder with drops of Snowfall Accents Puff paint (#150691) before placing the Real Red card stock inside and running it through the die cutting machine.  Then I hit the card stock with the Heat Tool as soon as it came out of the embossing folder to bring out the puff paint.  The first card I made with this technique was with Crumb Cake card stock and it looked great, but I wanted something different this time around.  I tried it on Cherry Cobbler and it looked good but was just too dark for this card. Learn from my trial and errors:  Do not try and spread the puff paint around on the folder--it will turn out ugly.  Just dot the paint on and dot it on more of the surface of the embossing folder than you think you need--when I first tried to be conservative with my puff paint, I ended up with glaringly blank spaces around the edges. Don't try to fix anything once it's out of the folder.  Be happy with an imperfect look (I know I have a problem with this one myself!)

WARNING:  Either have a tub of warm soapy water next to your die cutting machine to immediately drop the embossing folder into or be resigned to a cruddy looking embossing folder.  That puff paint does not come off after it dries--I found that out the hard way.  It still works, though.  The puff paint sometimes leaks out onto your cutting platform and plate--so wash those quickly, too.

I arranged two of the berry branches over the background.  They were stamped in Soft Suede and colored with the Cherry Cobbler combo, Old Olive combo and Soft Suede combo Stampin' Blends, then die cut.  The greeting was stamped in VersaMark on Old Olive card stock and heat embossed with White Stampin' Emboss Powder. It was die cut and adhered to the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals.

You are going to see lots of great projects over on the TGIF Challenges Blog this week.  Everyone is working with their favorites!

Wishing you a very Merry & Bright Holiday Season!

--Sara Nell 

Christmas Cardinal--#tgifc239

Whew!  I finished up a bunch of stamping projects today, just in time to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday and quality time with my grandson, Easton.  The only thing still on my agenda before we head to Charleston is to roll out my pie dough, get it in the pie pans and in to the freezer.  I will fill the pies and get them in the oven Thanksgiving morning.  Rolling out the dough for all my one-crust pies and freezing them for transport makes my life a whole lot easier.

My project for today is for this week's TGIF Challenges technique challenge:  dry embossed vellum. I love the look of dry embossed vellum!  

Today I used a piece of Old Olive vellum from the Perennial Essence vellum card stock pack (#149101) and the Seasonal Wreath 3D embossing folder (#151796) to create my card: 

I started with a Whisper White thick card stock base covered with a piece of the wood grain pattern from the Pressed Petals specialty designer series paper pack (#149500). Over the embossed wreath, I layered on pieces from the Toile Christmas bundle (#152367; including the Toile Christmas stamp set and Christmas Cardinal dies).  I stamped the cardinal in Tuxedo Black Memento ink and colored it with the Real Red combo and Mango Melody combo Stampin' Blends.  I stamped the greeting in VersaMark ink and heat embossed it with Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder (#109129).  I layered on die cut leaves in Mossy Meadow and die cut swirls in Gold Foil (#132622).   Gold Metallic Pearls (#146282) compete the card.

Check out the projects over at the TGIF Challenges Blog for more inspiration for dry embossing vellum.  You will love the look!

Wishing you a happy and safe Thanksgiving filled with family, friends and great food (football optional)!--Sara Nell