Stampin’ Up! Merry Medley and Santa’s Sleigh for the Happy Stampers Blog Hop

Good morning, y’all – welcome to another edition of the Happy Stampers Blog Hop!  Today’s hop is all about color.  So, it’ll be interesting to see how all the Ladies-Who-Hop interpret that challenge for you!  I hope you’ll spend some time scrolling thru all their offerings today!

Here’s our colors – some of my favorites!

I used one of my favorite-est stamps – the beautiful Merry Medley background stamp – and more of the Santa’s Sleigh Stamp set and matching Thinlits Christmas trees to make a serene and non-traditional Christmas card.  Take a look-see:

I used a layout sketch from the TGIF Challenges:

And it worked out that I could play along with the Stamp Ink Paper challenge, too!

So, this one kind of bamboozled me for a minute.  It became higher level math to create the background/card front.  But, I finally figured it out – and since I’m going to give you the card cuts and some tips, you’ll be able to make it for yourself it you like! 🙂

First off, I rubbed a Very Vanilla panel with my Embossing Buddy and then inked the Merry Medley stamp with Versamark.  I had the stamp rubber-side-up on my work surface and laid the panel carefully onto the stamp.  I put a large Acrylic Block over the panel to give me a solid, full-sized “press plate” – I can press down on the block and ensure a good impression on my card stock.  Then I carefully picked up the panel, sprinkled it with Clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder, and heat embossed the image.

With a wedge of Stampin’ Sponge, I inked up the embossed panel with Emerald Envy ink, adding color until I had it as dark as I wanted.  Then I used a paper towel to wipe off the little bit of ink that stayed on the embossed portions of the image.

Then, the math started!  The tricky part is to ensure that you keep the “top” of your image in mind and ensure that it stays at the “top”.

1.  Measuring from the left short side, cut the panel at 1 5/8″.
2. Use the top of that strip as your starting point, and cut the strip at a smidge shorter that 2 1/4″.
3. From the remaining piece, cut another smidge off on the side that you just cut.  Does that make sense?  What you’re trying to do here is give yourself room for that extra space between the two pieces when you put everything on your mat.
4. Cut the middle piece at 1 3/8″.
5. For the final strip, with the top as your starting point, cut the strip a smudge shorter than 1 1/8″.
6. Finally, cut a smidge off the remaining piece – cutting it from the side that you just cut.

Hope that didn’t just make it so confusing for you that you don’t try it – just take your time!  And – if you have to do a second panel…well.  Not the end of the world.  Don’t ask me how I know! 😉

Once I had all my pieces cut, I adhered them to my Dapper Denim mat, using Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue so I’d have some time to wiggle everything into place.

I SNAILd a plain piece of Very Vanilla card stock to a second Dapper Denim mat, then SNAILd the embossed panel to that.  And that got my card front ready to decorate!

I cut three trees with the Santa’s Sleigh Thinlits die from Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper.  Squint your eyes a little, and it’ll look Very Vanilla-ish! 😉  Using the sponge wedge that I’d used for the card front, and without adding anymore Emerald Envy ink, I lightly brushed the edges of each of the trees.  I used Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue to adhere the trees to the card front.  I let them sort of hang off the top and bottom of the panel.

Next up was a length of Dapper Denim 3/8″ Ruched Ribbon that I wrapped around the panel and secured in the back with scotch tape.

The sentiment, from the Christmas Greetings Thinlits, is cut from Silver Foil.  I cut two additional words from Very Vanilla and stacked them with Liquid Glue.  Then I adhered the sentiment over the Ruched Ribbon.  And that was if for the card front!

On the inside, I used the tree from the Santa’s Sleigh stamp set.  I inked the image with Emerald Envy ink, stamped it off twice and stamped it in the center of my Very Vanilla panel. Over that, I stamped the Santa’s Sleigh sentiment in Dapper Denim.

I SNAILd the panel to a Dapper Denim mat and into my Very Vanilla card base, popped the card front on with Stampin’ Dimensionals, and the card was done! 🙂

My Very Vanilla Medium Envelope got another Santa’s Sleigh tree in Emerald Envy (stamped off once first!) on the front…

…and the envelope flap got a Dapper Denim Merry Medley stamp.  I used Sticky Note tape to mask off the body of the envelope.

Et Voila!  Merry Medley is one of the coolest background stamps – it gives you WOW without even trying!  And it’s retiring, so grab it up while it’s still available!  Santa’s Sleigh stamp set and the thinlits are sticking around, but if you want to save yourself some money and get them bundled at 10% off – that you need to get right quick, cuz it’ll go away on 3 Jan.  Hope you like!

Now that you’ve seen my project, please take a little time to visit all the Happy Stampers Team blogs today!

If you click on the Next Blog button, you’ll go right to Jari Francis’ page.  And you can just click on the names below to go direct to all the blogs!

Amy Koenders

Mary Deatherage – YOU ARE HERE!

Jari Francis

Kristi Gray

Jaime Babarczy

Have fun on the Hop!

TTFN

Mary

HOST CODE FOR 1 DEC – 15 DEC: K2Z3RB2G
HOST CODE FOR 16 DEC – 31 DEC: WJCHVSZW

Year End Closeouts and 2017 Holiday Catalog Retiring Products

Promotion period: December 1, 2016 – January 3, 2017

• All products (and discounts, if any) can be found in the Year-End Closeouts category of the online store. Check it right here!
• Here’s a download with the Initial List of Retiring Items, but the very best way to know what’s still available is to go to the Online Store!  Hint:  There’s a lot under the “Everything” section – and be sure to Show “All”!
• This is a great list of all the items on Clearance, on the Retiring List and in excess inventory.  Use it as you will.  Note, though, that this list won’t be updated as things sell out!
  
• No minimum purchase is required to participate in Year-End Closeouts.
  
• Year-End Closeouts are eligible for Stampin’ Rewards with qualifying orders.
  
• New demonstrators may add Year-End Closeouts items to their Starter Kit.                                                    
  • Hint – this is a great way to make that $99 investment go even further!

STAMPIN’ UP! PRODUCTS USED IN TODAY’S PROJECT     

CARD CUTS USED IN TODAY’S PROJECT:

Very Vanilla Card Stock: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ (card base, score and fold at 4 1/4″); 3 5/8″ x 5 1/8″ (unembossed card front); 3 3/8″ x 4 7/8″ (embossed card front, cut up); 3 7/8″ x 5 1/8″ (inner liner); Christmas Greetings die cuts (x2)

Dapper Denim Card Stock:  3 3/4″ x 5 1/4″ (mats for unembossed card front); 3 1/2″ x 5″ (mat for embossed card front); 4″ x 5 1/4″ (mat for inner liner)

Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper: Santa’s Sleigh trees

Silver Foil: Christmas Greetings die cut

If you need any stamping supplies, I’d be very happy to be your Demonstrator. Just click on the Order Stampin’ Up! Online Now button on the right side of the screen to go directly to my online store or drop me an email if you have any questions. Happy Stamping!