What happens when you have new items from the Spring Catalog that you are just itching to play with, yet you still need to make Christmas cards?  Why you just combine the two! I used the new Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, added Christmas Designer Paper hexagons, and topped it off with a wintery greeting.  The result? A holiday card with a decidedly country look which I hope you will like!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:  Easy Holiday Card
This finished card measures 5-1/2″ wide by 4-1/4″ long.

• Hexagons! Snippets of patterns from the Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper collection and a pattern from the Bandstand Simply Scrappin’ Kit were zipped through the Big Shot with the Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. Hexagons were then snipped out using the embossing lines as a guide.  How easy is that to get hexagons that are a perfect fit into the Naturals Ivory honeycomb cells!  

• Pearls for Pizzazz! Notice how the Warm Winter Wishes sentiment from Winter Memories was stamped into a partial honeycomb cell? This gives the sentiment a clever twist.  Of course, I had to add a few Basic Pearls!

Muffy’s Puppy

Once again, Muffy the Boxer went through her “special” time, which results in her annual false pregnancy.  Some of you may remember that last year she gave birth to a latex football. 

Muffy with last year’s “puppy”.

Well this year she gave birth to a latex fish.  This is the same fish that starred with Muffy in her famous The Howling video.  Poor sweetie!  Muffy is such a good momma.  Her baby is kept clean and warm, and she makes sure it is in a position to nurse.  I took the following pictures right after she had her “baby“.

Muffy cleaning her newborn baby.

A worried Muffy protects her baby.

Exhausted,  Muffy finally rests, her “baby” nestled safely between her front legs.

I hope you enjoyed another peek at the new HoneycombTextured Impressions Embossing Folder.  I can already tell that it is going to make my Spring Catalog “Top Ten List”.  And I hope you also enjoyed the peek at Muffy’s new baby.  Hopefully we can get her body back into show shape before her next show in January.  As always, I appreciate your comments, and I do read each and every one.  Until next time…

Stamp Set:  Winter Memories; Ink:  Cherry Cobbler; Designer Series Paper:  Be of Good Cheer, Bandstand Simply Scrappin’ Kit; Card Stock:  Naturals Ivory, Cherry Cobbler; Tools:  Big Shot, Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder; Glitz and Glam:  Basic Pearls

It’s Sunday, and time to play with The Paper Players! The sweet and lovely Nance Leedy has a delectable color combination for us:  Pool Party, Cherry Cobbler, Any Neutral.  My pick was Crumb Cake.  Why does it seem I always pick the colors named after food? Since I still need Christmas cards, I decided to use the adorable Scentsational Season stamp set and pair it up with two NEW Textured Impression Embossing Folders from the Spring Catalog:  Honeycomb and Needlepoint Border.  I hope you enjoy this little trio of Scentsational Trees!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips: Quick and Cute
This card measures 5-1/2″ wide x 4-1/4″ long.

• Pool Party Trees! A trio of Scentsational Season Trees are created in the wink of  an eye! No paper snipping necessary when you use the coordinating Holiday Collection Framelits!

• New Product Preview: Honeycomb!  How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways! When paired with Core’dinations card stock, the new Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder adds deep texture in a flash!

• New Product Preview:  Needlepoint Border! Finally there is help for the sewing impaired, like me! This cute little cross-stitch border can be added in seconds with the new Needlepoint Border Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  Don’t you love it?

I hope you enjoyed the peek at these new embossing folders.  They definitely get two thumbs up from me! What do you think of them?  Won’t you let me know in today’s comment? Your comments are important to me, and I do read each and every one of them.  And as always, if you have any questions about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away.  Until next time…

Stamp Sets: More Merry Messages, Scentsational Season; Inks:  Pool Party, Cherry Cobbler, More Mustard; Designer Series Paper:  Festival of Prints; Card Stock:  Cherry Cobbler Core’dinations, Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla; Tools:  Big Shot, Holiday Collection Framelits, Honeycomb Textured Impression Embossing Folder (Spring Catalog, Available January 3, 2013), Needlepoint Borders Textured Impression Embossing Folder (Spring Catalog, Available January 3, 2013), Stampin’ Sanding Block;

The Designers over at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown have a fabulous sketch challenge this week.  It’s just perfect for some of the larger images.  So I pulled out one of my favorite retired sets to create a card this morning.  I hope you enjoy this oldie, but goodie, image!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips: A Classic Card
This finished card measures 5-1/4″ square.

• Sometimes less is more! When working with a more complex image, often less is more!   Instead of coloring in this image, from Sleigh Bells Ring, which would have made it too busy when combined with this paper from the Merry Moments Simply Scrappin’ Kit, I opted to just stamp the image.  Heat embossing would be awesome, but when in a hurry, you can’t beat Jet Black StazOn for delivering a crisp, clear image!

• Add a wow! Top off a simple image with an awesome bow for a wow factor! I crafted mine from Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding. And don’t be afraid to drape and scrunch those tails!

• Add interest to your sentiment! A simple sentiment packs a punch when layered! Happy Christmas, from More Merry Messages, was layered upon an element from the Merry Moments Simply Scrappin’ Kit! Of course, I had to add a pearl!

 

I hope you enjoyed revisiting this classic image.  If you are like me, there are some stamp sets which will always hold a place in your heart, and this set is one of them for me.  What about you?  I would love to hear what set holds that special place for you!  Won’t you let me know in today’s comment? And of course, if you ever have any questions about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away.  Until next time…

(And a big thank-you to the team at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown for selecting my card as a winner in their Pearl Embellishment Challenge!)

Stamp Sets:  Sleigh Bells Ring (retired), More Merry Messages;  Inks:  Jet Black StazOn; Designer Series Paper:  Merry Moments Simply Scrappin’ Kit; Card Stock:  Very Vanilla, Basic Gray, Cherry Cobbler; Tools:  Curly Label Punch:  Glitz and Glam:  Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Basic Pearls