Holidays de Trois

 The July through December 2022 mini catalog is full of so many great holiday products, and since the holidays are coming on at full force the host for my local stamp class chose three cards--one for Halloween, one for Thanksgiving, and one for Christmas/Winter. There are also some very talented people that share the cards that they make on Pinterest and Facebook that inspire me for using the new products.

I fell in love with the Best Wishes stamp set and bought it early. Then I found other people sharing great ways to use it. The first card we made was taken from a card shared by Janneke Dijksha-DeJong. I used some other products and tools that I had that are now retired. 

The dimensions for the pieces are as follows:

• 5 ½” X 8 ½” Thick Basic White cardstock; score in landscape at 4 ¼”
• 5 ¼” X 4” Basic Black cardstock
• 5 1/8” X 3 7/8” Basic White cardstock
• 2 7/8” Basic White stitched circle
• 2 3/8” Pumpkin Pic stitched circle
• 3” X 3” scrap Basic White
• 4 ¾” X ½” Designer Series Paper (DSP)
• 4 ½” X 1” DSP
• 4” X 3/4” DSP
• Black twine
• Matte Black Dots

Visit the video on YouTube for putting this together and tips that I share.

The next card for Thanksgiving is using a stamp set that has nothing to do with fall--Forever Fern. Pat Tecza shared a simple way to create a fall wreath using the masking technique. There is a new masking paper available from Stampin' Up! that helps create this look.

The card recipe includes:

• 5 ½” X 8 ½” Thick Basic White cardstock; score in landscape at 4 ¼”
• 5 3/8” X 4 1/8” Rich Razzleberry cardstock
• 5 ¼” X 4” Basic White cardstock
• 2” circle of masking paper (stick onto your skin a little bit to remove some of the tacky)
• Color dots
• (Maybe, if desired, 2 ¼” white circle to stamp sentiment on and pop up over the center of the wreath)
  

You can watch how to use this technique on this video on YouTube. 

Another new product that caught my eye was the Snowflake specialty vellum. Some pieces are white flocked images and some are iridescent metallic images on the vellum. I loved a card that Michelle Last made that inspired the third card we made at the stamp class. This card used the Joyful Flurry stamp set for sentiments and images inside the card and the Frosted Flurry dies. 

Below are the measurements for the layers on this card:

• 5 1/2” X 8 ½” Night of Navy cardstock; score in landscape at 4 ¼”
• 5 ¼” X 4” Specialty Flocked Snowflake Vellum
• 5 ¼” X 4” Basic White cardstock (inside)
• 5 ¼” X 1 ½” Vellum cardstock
• 4th from largest circle die (Layered circles) from Silver Foil
• 2 small snowflakes die cut from Silver Foil
• Colored rhinestones
  

This YouTube video shares some tips about working with vellum and how to make embossed sentiments in other colors.

If you like any of these projects, please like and share the videos, and subscribe to my YouTube channel. When you click the bell icon, you will be notified when I upload a new video. I also hope that you will Shop with Me to purchase any of the stamp sets, dies, designer series paper, vellum, and so on.

A few other projects that I made with the Best Witches and Joyful Flurry sets are below. Maybe they will inspire you to make your own creations.

Inspired by Vicki Burdick

• 5 1/2" X 8 1/2" Basic Black cardstock; score in landscape at 4 1/4"
• 5 3/8" X 4 1/8" Basic White cardstock
• 5 1/4" X 4" Designer Series Paper
• 4 1/2" X 3 1/4" Gorgeous Grape cardstock
• 4 3/8" X 3 1/8" Basic Black cardstock
• 4 1/4" X 3" Basic White Cardstock
• Scrap white to stamp witch on
• Metallic Mesh ribbon (I also meant to add Orchid Oasis sparkly ribbon)
• 5 1/4" X 4" Basic White cardstock (inside)
• Stamp bats on outer white layer & add stars

Inspired by Sara Sherlock

Inspired by Cathy Autrey

Inspired by Dolly Werner

Forever Fern Watercolor Background

A great and easy way to create a watercolor background is by using ink, a clear block, and some water. There are a few ways to do this and each gives a little different look. 

My favorite way is to color the block with the Stampin' Write markers in the colors I want to use, starting with the lightest color, working to the darkest color in several areas over the block. Then I spray it a couple of times with water the Stampin' Mist. Some people like to use rubbing alcohol as it dries quicker. Once the color is a little fluid on the block (and not too wet that it drips) you will "stamp" the background where you want it on the cardstock. 

Another method to get ink onto the block is to use the Stampin' Classic ink pad or Stampin' Spots to apply ink in areas of the clear block. Always start with the lightest ink and work your way to the darkest. Then you will spritz this with either water or alcohol as mentioned above and "stamp" it on your cardstock. 

The last method that I'm aware of is using the Stampin' Classic ink refills. You would add small drops of ink, lightest to darkest, around the block, spritz it, and stamp it. This one can create more "blotches" of ink rather than the fluid watercolor look, but it is an interesting backdrop for stamping.

Once your backgrounds dry, you are ready to stamp images and sentiments over them. This technique allows you to create the color combinations you want for your stamping projects.

In my class we used this water coloring technique and created a set of notecards and envelopes to go inside of a clutch made from Designer Series Paper (DSP). The clutch idea I saw shared by Dawn Griffith from an idea she got from Kris Miller.

We used the Forever Fern stamp set to create the set of cards, the Forever Greenery DSP and Forever Flourishing Dies for the clutch. Check out the video here.