Christmas Eve Box Treats - Snowman Seasons

A few years ago I found a gorgeous Christmas Eve box in a local charity shop which I gave to my sister for my nieces. Every year I give little treats to be added to the box. Todays project is one of my favourite items to provide for the Christmas Eve box which is some Snowman Mallow Poles.

I used the Snowman Seasons Stamp set and the Snowman Builder Punch. It is a simple project which uses stamps, inks and card with a bit of bling. I love that you can choose how to decorate the buttons, today I went for simple Matte Black Dots.

I coloured the nose by using the Pumpkin Pie Stampin’ Marker but you could use a Stampin’ blends as no-one will ever see the back as they are stapled together.

Measurements:

Card Strips - CM - 4cm

Card Strips - Inches - 1.5” or 1.75” (both fit the snowman)

The video below shows how simple it is to make.

What I love about this project and the mallow poles is that you can use lots of different stamp sets and punches. I love the cookie cutter punch reindeer. I also think that the bunny looks good for a super cute Easter present (i still need to stamp his face though).

I also used the ice cream punch to create a version which you could use for a birthday item, may be in a party bag,

Which is your favourite?

Happiest of Birthday Rainbows - Simple Birthday Card

Over my last few posts, I have been using one of my favourite sketches, last week I showed how to stamp directly on to Designer Series Paper to create a card. Whilst cutting the DSP I created strips from the left-over piece to create a second card. I had said that I would show you how to create a card using those scraps. Unfortunately, the paper retired and then I lost my original video (somehow, I corrupted my videos again…. Whoops, I have a habit of breaking electronics.) So, I picked another design of DSP.

The DSP I have used is from the new 2021 to 2022 catalogue, it is a host reward called Pattern Party, which can only be ordered using Stampin’ Rewards. What are Stampin’ Rewards? Stampin’ Rewards can only be earned by an order from a party or an individual that is £150+ (before postage). If your Stampin’ Up! party sales reach between £150 and £274.99, the hostess of the party / individual will receive 10% of that total to spend for free!

I have to confess, I tend to use any rewards I earn to put towards bundles I love, but I loved the paper so much that I bought it in the Demo pre-order. After the 4th May the only way to get it is by using Stampin’ Rewards. I love the paper as it is a stunning combination of coloured patterns on one side and monochromatic black and white patterns on the other.

I had some strips of the new Pattern Party DSP left from crating a box (I haven’t sussed out the closure yet but when I do I will share it with you!) I have used the Petal Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Granny Apple Green, Flirty Flamingo and Bermuda Bay Stampin’ Markers to colour the stamp to make a multi coloured sentiment to match the stripes. Crazily, the Stampin’ Markers are from 3 colour families, or you can get them in one collection.

the sketch above shows the basics for the card, the layer works in any measurement from 9.5 cm to 7.5cms wide (3.75” to 3”)

My Metric

10.5 cm x 14.5 cm (10.5 by 29cm scored at 14.5cm)

2 x DSP strips – 2cm x 14.5cm

Scrap of White – 14.5cm x 6.3cm (to prevent a saggy middle)

White Front Panel – 14.5cm x 8.5cm

Inside White Panel - 10cm x 14cm

Inside strip –  1cm x 14 cm

Metric

10.5 cm x 14.8 cm (10.5 by full length scored at 14.8cm)

2 x DSP strips – 2cm x 14.8 cm

Scrap of White – 14.8 cm x 6.3cm (to prevent a saggy middle)

White Front Panel – 14.8 cm x 8.5cm

Inside White Panel - 10cm x 14.3cm

Inside strip – 1cm x 14.3cm

Imperial

4." x 5.5" (4” by full length scored at 5.5”)

2 x DSP strips – 0.75” x 5.5”

Scrap of White – 2.5” x 5.5”

White Front Panel – 3.5” x 5.5”

Inside strip –  0.5” x 5.25

Inside White Panel - 3.75” x 5.25”

The video above shows how I have made the card. I love the stripes of the patterned paper, what is your favourite patterned paper?

Blended Trees with Perfectly Plaid

Over the last few videos I have been sharing cards with my favourite sketch. It is a gorgeous simple sketch which creates a super pretty card, without too much faff. I like that it is super super simple and that you can add extra bling if you like. I also like that it works with DSP and also plain card.

For todays card I have gone back to using blending brushes to add ink to the Perfectly Plaid stamps. I think that this can make the stamp image pop more and especially with the Tartan tree, make the colour differentiation more obvious. I also love that there are a number of trees and sentiments to choose from.

The sketch is above. The Measurements are:

My Metric

10.5 cm x 14.5 cm (10.5 by 29cm scored at 14.5cm)

Panel – 14.5cm x 9.5cm

Inside White Panel - 10cm x 14cm

Metric

10.5 cm x 14.8 cm (10.5 by full length scored at 14.8cm)

Panel – 14.8cm x 9.5cm

Inside White Panel - 10cm x 14.3cm

Imperial

4." x 5.5" (4” by full length scored at 5.5”)

Panel – 5.5” x  3.75”

Inside White Panel - 3.75” x 5.25”

The video of me making the card in Shaded Spruce is above. But I think that it would work in any Christmas colours. You can also change the bling to suit your tastes. I love the holiday rhinestones, as they work perfectly on the trees. I do think I need to dig out some star embellishments or may be my retired star punch or dies.

I think I love the card in Night of Navy. Which is your favourite?

How I prepare my Stamps -Photopolymer Stamps and Punches

Today I thought I would provide advice on how I prepare my stamps to ensure that they are perfect and ready to stamp when I want to create a project.

I prepare my stamps for a number of reasons, to check they are all there (yes I have heard of stamps being missing - very rarely but it can happen.) To check that they stamp properly ( very rarely they can have a problem with the production process), this can sometimes mean priming the stamp using Versamark and cleaning it off. sometimes I just ink, just remember that all stamps need stamping before using it on a project (the first image is never the best.)

I have created a video on the process that I go through with each new stamp and die set that I buy. I first stamp the stamps with a matching punch in Basic Grey (i tried stamping in them black, but they looked too dark) and then punch them out.

I then stamp the rest of the stamps out and then also stamp out the combinations. Although it looks messy I like playing with the different combinations and working out what goes where.

I love the ice cream cones and the punch, but these are the actions that I take with all the photopolymer stamps that I purchase.

Do you have any tips to prepare your stamps?

An excess of Christmas Cards - Simple Birthday Cards Using DSP

 Having worked out how many weeks there are till the end of November, I have calculated that by December I will have over 400 Christmas cards so I have decided to tweak Claire’s Creative Christmas Card Challenge to Claire’s Creative Christmas creation challenge to incorporate ideas other than cards. I have also decided to add another challenge - Claire’s Creative Celebration Creation Challenge as I have identified that I also need to be better at making and sending Birthday cards.

I must confess I am pretty awful. the joys of a neurodiverse mind, the only Birthdays I remember really are mine, Toms and ones of my Sisters, everyone else’s, I know the month but not the exact day. I have invested in a card box to remind me of the dates, but need more cards which are ready to go to ensure that everyone gets a card!

In my last video I explained how I choose DSP and what actions I take when I receive it. In my latest video, I show how to make a simple card, using one of my favourite card sketches, the happiest of birthday stamps and also the retired perfect patterns Designer Series Paper. I also used the in the family stamp set for the inside of the card, but you could use any small stamp. I personally think that it is a perfect card for making multiples.

The video below shows how to make a card using the sketch,

I think it is a perfect layout for birthday cards. What is your go to sketch?