If you are in need of a quick and easy holiday card, then reach for Delightful Decorations! Non-traditional holiday colors of Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Bay, and Old Olive team up to create a fun and festive card that will surely stand out in the crowd! Stampin’ Up!s Jumbo Snowflake Punch is used to accent the sentiment, while little snowflakes from Merry and Bright Rub-Ons accentuate the ornaments. And of course, what holiday card would be complete without a little bling, this time in the form of Clear Rhinestone Circle Brads! Sneak peeks abound in this “Trio of Ornaments”!

• Prepare a 5-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ square card base from textured Old Olive card stock. Using a Corner Rounder, round all four corners.
• Ink the trio of ornaments from Delightful Decorations with the following inks: Bermuda Bay, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive. Stamp onto Whisper White card stock and punch out using the Ornament Punch (available September 1st). Embellish each with a Clear Rhinestone Circle Brad.
• Pop the ornaments onto textured Very Vanilla card stock which has been matted onto Old Olive card stock, followed by Bermuda Bay and Rich Razzleberry. For added interest, the Rich Razzleberry has been punched with the Eyelet Border Punch. Adhere to the card base.
• Using the tool provided, add a sprinkle of rub-on snowflakes from the Merry and Bright collection (available September 1st).
• Add a snippet of Rich Razzleberry Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon as illustrated in the photograph.
• Punch a snowflake from Bermuda Bay using the Jumbo Snowflake Punch and adhere to the card base with a Mini-Glue Dot.
• Ink the “Warm Winter Wishes” sentiment from The More the Merrier Hostess Level 3 set in Rich Razzleberry, and stamp onto Very Vanilla. Punch out with the Modern Label Punch and adhere on top of the Bermuda Bay snowflake.

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Stamp Sets: Delightful Decorations (116517—Available September 1), The More the Merrier Hostess Level 3 (115322)
Inks: Bermuda Bay (115655), Rich Razzleberry (115658), Old Olive (102277)
Card Stock: Old Olive textured (108697—Earth Elements Assorted), Very Vanilla textured (108693—Neutrals Assorted), Whisper White (100730), Old Olive (100702), Bermuda Bay (115317), Rich Razzleberry (115316)
Tools: Ornament Punch (116794—Available September 1), Jumbo Snowflake Punch (116628), Modern Label Punch (116630), Eyelet Border Punch (113692)
Embellishments: Clear Rhinestone Brads (113144), Rich Razzleberry Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (115613), Merry and Bright Rub-Ons (116801—Available September 1)

After a non-stamping friend of mine saw the “Serene Snowflakes” stamp set, she insisted that I design her Christmas cards for her using this set. In return, she would purchase her supplies from me. It sounded like a wonderful proposition to me. After all, I love to stamp and this stamp set is gorgeous! The wheels in my head were already turning…thinking in terms of Iridescent Ice and glitter. And then came the catch. My friend would be the first to tell you that she “thinks outside of the box” and “marches to her own drummer”. Her requirements were that the card be non-traditional, maybe using blacks and reds. It needed to be “edgy” like her! Oh, my! What had I gotten myself into? But, I armed myself with Real Red, Basic Black, and the phenomenal new Specialty Designer Series Paper, Night & Day, and gave it the old college try. I love non-traditional Christmas cards, but my idea of non-traditional is stamping Dasher in Old Olive…Ho! Ho! Ho! Er, I mean Ha! Ha! Ha! Well, what can I say? I think it is a wee bit on the “edgy” side…Let’s hope that she does, too!

• Prepare a 5-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ card base from Basic Black.
• Ink the Large Snowflake image from Serene Snowflakes with Basic Black and stamp onto Whisper White. Color using Real Red and Blender Pens. Punch the corners using the Ticket Corner Punch. Mat onto Real Red, followed by Whisper White and Basic Black.
• Add a Filigree Brad and a small Red Circle Fire Brad to the center of the snowflake. Silver Brads accent each punched corner.
• Layer a selection from Night and Day Specialty Designer Series Paper onto Whisper White. (Tip: Click on the photo to enlarge the wonderful pattern I selected.) Add snippets of 5/8″ Grosgrain Ribbons in Real Red and Old Olive. Adhere to the card base.
• Position and adhere the image mat to the card base.
• Ink the “Merry Christmas” sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes with Basic Black and stamp onto Whisper White. Punch with the Modern Label Punch. Adhere to a Designer Label which has been punched from Old Olive and paper pierced.
• Punch a second Designer Label from Real Red and cut into horizontal halves. Adhere each half to shadow the Old Olive label as illustrated in the photograph. Position and adhere the sentiment, and pop onto the card using a Stampin‘ Dimensional.

It’s time for the Pals Paper Arts first inspiration challenge, and I am so excited to share my card with you! With an inspiration challenge, you can draw your ideas from prominent colors, the theme depicted, or even a specific image. In my case, the blue striped rug just jumped right out of the computer screen. And how could I overlook the giraffe! He is stamped onto a tag that mimics the shape of the bulletin boards. I pieced my rug from textured card stock, and actually laid it upon a “hardwood” floor composed of Stampin’ Up!s new Wood Sheets! How cool is that! Enjoy the recipe for “You’re the Inspiration” and then head right over to Pals Paper Arts to check out the other inspiration cards. Please play along with us! Who knows…You could be the PPA’s next “Artist Pick”!

• Prepare a 5-1/2″ x 4-3/4″ card base from Sage Shadow (to mimic the wall color) and score at the top.
• Layer with a Texture Cuts Wood Sheet which has had its edges distressed with Night of Navy ink.
• Cut a 4-3/4″ x 4″ piece of textured Bashful Blue card stock. Cut 1/2″ strips of textured Ballet Blue card stock. Angle the Ballet Blue over the Bashful Blue to mimic the rug, and trim off the excess. Mat onto Whisper White, add a snippet of Crushed Curry Polka Dot Grosgrain ribbon, and adhere to the Wood Sheet. (Tip: I layered the ribbon onto the card stock solid side up, and then constructed my bow with the polka dots showing. A Brocade Blue button from Fresh Favorites II adds a little pop of color!)
• Ink the “Giraffe” image from Animal Stories with Crushed Curry and stamp onto Whisper White card stock. (Note: I cut the card stock 2-1/4″ by 4″ and the cut the top at an angle.) Using my Paper Piercer and Template, I outlined the perimeter of the tag, and then mounted it on Sage Shadow, which has been punched on its bottom border with the Eyelet Border Punch. This is then matted onto Whisper White. Distress the edges with Night of Navy. Add four Brocade Blue brads to the corners of the tag, and a White Jumbo brad at the top. (For a little something extra, I punched a 1/2″ circle from Ballet Blue textured card stock and adhered it to the white brad. Sage Shadow 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon completes the look!) Position and adhere the tag to the card base.
• Ink the “hello baby” sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes with Night of Navy and stamp onto Whisper White card stock. Punch out with the Large Oval Punch and distress the edges with Night of Navy. Layer this onto a Crushed Curry Scallop Oval with a Stampin’ Dimensional, followed by a Wide Oval which has been punched from the Texture Cut Wood Sheet. Distress the edges with Night of Navy, and adhere to the card base.

I will be the first to admit that I was challenged by this challenge! If you look at my past cards, I do not use a lot of blue. Yet, the blue color in the inspiration photo was what was catching my attention…that and the giant giraffe. SO…hop on over to Pals Paper Arts and get started on your challenge card. I am so looking forward to seeing what you create. As always, I will comment on your entries. And speaking of comments…please leave me a comment or send me an email. I love reading them! As I have said before, your comments and your questions are important to me! Until next time…

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