It’s Sunday and time to play with The Paper Players! This week the talented Nance Leedy is hosting a sketch challenge, and I am sure that you will agree that her design is a classic.  I hope you enjoy the Christmas card which I created using the perennial favorite stamp set, Lovely As a Tree.

• A Random Act of Stamping! The Leafless Trees from Lovely As a Tree were inked in Early Espresso and stamped onto Very Vanilla card stock.  Empty spaces were filled in with the Water Spots stamp from French Foliage and speckles from the Color Spritzer Tool.

 

• O Christmas Tree! The Pine image was inked with Always Artichoke and stamped onto Very Vanilla.  It was then overstamped with VersaMark and heat embossed with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder.  Basic Pearls were colored with a red permanent marker, and used to adorn the tree.

 

• Snip-a-dee-do-dah!  The Christmas Banner image from Pines and Poinsettias was inked with Early Espresso and Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Write Markers, and stamped onto Naturals Ivory card stock.  The snipped out image was popped up on dimensionals.

• Ribbon Roses!  Snippets of Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke Seam Binding were schirred and formed into ribbon roses and leaves for instant “wow”!

 

Early Espresso and Cherry Cobbler make a “yummy” color combination, don’t you think?  And this would make a wonderful Christmas card even without the Christmas banner.  If pressed for time, this card is still “Lovely As a Tree” even without the ribbon roses! Won’t you please let me know what you think of today’s card by leaving me a comment? And if you have any questions about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away!  Are you heading to Stampin’ Up!’s Louisville Regionals?  Let me know.  I would love to meet you!  Until next time…

Stamp Sets:  Lovely As a Tree (115026), French Foliage (W 120845, C  121166), Pines and Poinsettias (W 123762,  C 123764 );  Ink:  Always Artichoke (105219), VersaMark (102283), Early Espresso (119670), Soft Suede (115657);  Stampin’ Write Markers:  Soft Suede (120973), Early Espresso (119680), Cherry Cobbler (119681); Designer Series Paper:  Frostwood Lodge (124002);  Card Stock: Cherry Cobbler (119685), Very Vanilla (101650), Naturals Ivory (101849);  Tools:  Heat Tool (100005), Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder (101930), Color Spritzer Tool (107066), Big Shot (113439), Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (119976), Scallop Trim Border Punch (118402), Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border (119275);  Glitz and Glam:  Basic Pearls (119247), Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding (120992), Always Artichoke Seam Binding (121000);  Other:  Red permanent marker

It’s Thursday and time to play at Pals Paper Arts!  This week we are hosting a fabulous sketch challenge designed by talented Pal,  Margaret Moody.  I felt the urge to distress and layer, so I pulled out one of my favorite sets from the Holiday Mini…Christmas Lodge.  This is an easy card to make.  Yes, it’s a wee bit time intensive…but it is easy.  Texture, emboss resist, snowflakes and pearls…these are a few of my favorite things…and I hope you will enjoy them, too!  

• “Roughled” edges! The Seven-Sided Tool from the Cutter Kit is perfect for roughing up the edges of card stock.  Crumb Cake ink, applied with a Sponge Dauber, accents the distressing even more.

• Speckle and spots!  The Color Spritzer Tool, paired with a Crumb Cake Stampin’ Write Marker, adds speckles in a second, while the Waterspot stamp from French Foliage ages in an instant! Simply ink it up with Crumb Cake and stamp it off once before stamping on the image!

• Don’t resist the urge to resist! The Lodge image was stamped in VersaMark onto Naturals Ivory card stock and heat embossed with White Stampin’ Emboss Powder.  Crumb Cake ink was sponged over the image and the excess was removed with a tissue.

• Texture! The exquisite texture of the Snow Burst Embossing Folder is enhanced by brayering Crumb Cake over the surface.  The edges are daubed with more Crumb Cake for further definition.

• Let it snow! A flurry of Snowflakes was created in a jiffy with the Northern Frost Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die and the Big Shot.  The edges were kissed with Crumb Cake.  Pearls add a touch of elegance!

So there you have it! Each step in itself is simple, but when combined, the result looks complex.  When faced with a card with so many details, break it down into a series of smaller tasks, and you will be finished before you know it! 


As always, your comments are important to me, so please, won’t you let me know what you think of today’s card?  And remember, if you ever have any questions about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away! Until next time…

Stamp Sets:  French Foliage, Christmas Lodge;  Inks:  VersaMark, Crumb Cake, Crumb Cake Stampin’ Write Marker; Card Stock:  Naturals Ivory, Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso; Tools:  Big Shot, Northern Frost Sizzlits Decorative Strip Dies, Snow Burst Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Sponge Dauber, Heat Tool, Stamping Sponge, White Stampin’ Emboss Powder;  Glitz and Glam:  Early Espresso 5/8″ Satin Ribbon, Basic Pearls

 After a series of clean and simple cards…how about a card that is equally simple to make, but distressed, vintage-style and a little more time-intensive?  That is exactly what I made for the next Pals Paper Arts challenge. Trust me.  It’s not difficult to make, but it does take longer than 45 minutes.  Join me for Thursday’s reveal.


In the meantime,  make certain to check out this week’s Pals Artist Picks at Pals Paper Arts!