Morning’, y’all…I’m not even going to say my normal thing about it being Monday. You know it’s Monday and I know it’s Monday. So…yea. It’s Monday.
If you were able to join me last night on Facebook, I appreciate you taking some time with me on your Sunday! If not, then here’s a link to the video on YouTube in case you want to take a peek.
This card came about at the request of my mom. She’s got a friend who’ lived in the mountains for a long time and is having to move to Arizona to be closer to their children. And she’s not feeling very happy about the move! So…the request was for a mountainy theme card.
Smack in my wheelhouse!
One of the new stamp sets in the 2017 Holiday catalog is called Christmas Happiness.
If you know me at all, you know that this set caught my eye right away. Yes – pine boughs. Pine Cones. Add in Christmas lights – and you’ve got me!
But I didn’t need a Christmas card – I needed a you’re-going-away-you’ll-be-missed-and-I-wish-you-the-best card. So…I pulled in a little help from the Wild About Flowers stamp set. Add in some plaid paper from the new Merry Little Christmas DSP and this is what I came up with. Take a look-see:
My design is inspired by the sketch challenge at MFT Card Challenges – I just turned it on end!
And I also played along with the theme challenge at The Paper Players.
I started with a piece of the gorgeous plaid paper from Merry Little Christmas and matted it on a piece of Basic Black for the card front.
The middle panel is a piece of Whisper White – first I cut the angle in it with my Stampin’ Trimmer. Then I used the new Ticket Tear border punch to add the scallops. I cut a slightly larger mat of Basic Black – and set it aside until I needed it.
I started decorating the panel using the wonderful pine bough images in the Christmas Happiness stamp set. I stamped it once in Old Olive and a second time in Always Artichoke.
The sentiment, from Wild About Flowers, is stamped in Basic Black Archival Ink. Be sure to let this ink dry, y’all. When you think it’s dry – give it another minute. Just sayin’!
Then I used some Liquid Glue to adhere the panel to it’s Basic Black mat. To make the two horizontal strips of the sketch, I first added a piece of Old Olive 3/8″ Mini Chevron Ribbon – securing it in the back with tape. And I used the new (not yet available!) Jute Twine – wrapping it around the panel twice and securing it in back – for the second element.
I stamped the two larger pine cone outline images from Christmas Happiness in Basic Black Archival Ink on Whisper White. Then I used the second – fill in – image and stamped the larger cone in Early Espresso and the smaller in Soft Suede. Then I fussy cut them.
I used Liquid Glue to adhere the larger pinecone to the card front. then popped the smaller on with a Stampin’ Dimensional. I also added one of the new Year of Cheer Embellishments in gold using a Glue Dot and a dab of Liquid Glue. Over top is a bow tied with Jute Twine and adhered with a Glue Dot.
I added one Old Olive Enamel Shape by the sentiment – and that was it for the card front!
On the inside, I added a second sentiment from Wild About Flowers in Basic Black Archival Ink on a piece of Whisper White. Across the bottom, I added another couple of Christmas Happiness pine boughs in Old Olive and the smaller pine cone in Basic Black Archival Ink and Soft Suede.
I Fast Fuse’d the panel to a Basic Black mat and into my Thick Whisper White card base, popped the card front on with Stampin’ Dimensionals and the card was done!
My Whisper White Medium Envelope got more Christmas Happiness pine boughs and pine cone on the front…
…and a little more Merry Little Christmas DSP on the envelope flap.
Et Voila! I’m already loving this set and doing little dances to the stamp-fairies to make it carryover!! The pine cone images are really just perfect – and the pine bough is, too. Can’t wait to make a Christmas card with it – and add some gold lights amidst the boughs! Hope you like!
TTFN
Mary
P.S. If you’ve been wondering if I’ll be doing a 2017 Holiday Catalog Share – the answer is yes! I’m working up the details now and will be announcing them later this week!! 🙂
HOST CODE FOR 1 AUGUST – 15 AUGUST: 2QVU4G6X
Use this host code when you order and receive a free gift from me! But, if your order is over $150, please don’t use this code (you’ll miss out on your own Stampin’ Rewards if you use it) but you’ll still get the free gift. The free gift is your choice of any item valued up to $10.00 from the 2017-2018 Annual Catalog! And – you can even select one of the Host-exclusive sets! See my Rewards page for more details.
The 2017 Holiday Catalog is On the Street!
My customers will be receiving theirs in the mail late next week or so! If you’ve got a SU! demonstrator, then you need to hurry quick and ask him or her to send you a copy of your own. If you don’t – I’d be happy to send you one. Just give me a holler right here – be sure to leave a mailing address! – and I’ll get one out to you ASAP! 🙂
You Earned ‘Em – Now It’s Time to Spend ‘Em!
All thru the month of August, be sure to redeem the Bonus Coupons you earned in July! You’ve got until 11:50 PM (MT) on 31 Aug to redeem your coupons. Check the digits:
There’s no limit on the number of coupons you can use on an order during redemption. Bonus Days coupon codes can be redeemed for any product, excluding Starter Kits, Demonstrator Supply Items, and Paper Pumpkin subscriptions. New prepaid Paper Pumpkin codes can be discounted with Bonus Days coupons.
Here’s how to redeem your coupons (click the pic to make it human-sized!):
PRODUCTS USED IN TODAY’S PROJECT:
Christmas Happiness, Merry Little Christmas DSP, Jute Twine and Year of Cheer Embellishments – will be available on 1 Sept!
CARD CUTS USED IN TODAY’S PROJECT:
Thick Whisper White Card Stock: 4 1/4″ x 11″ (card base, scored and folded at 5 1/2″)
Basic Black Card Stock: 4″ x 5 1/4″ (mats for card front and for inner liner); 4″ x 3 7/8″ (mat under sentiment panel)
Whisper White Card Stock: 3 3/4″ x 3 7/8″ (sentiment panel); 3 7/8″ x 5 1/8″ (inner liner); Christmas Happiness pine cones
Merry Little Christmas DSP: 3 7/8″ x 5 1/8″; envelope flap
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!
Shop the Clearance Rack here. Earn FREE Stampin’ Up! Products – Join my Punkin Head Peppermint Rewards – My online customer thank you program!
Finn-Fan Fix
A couple days back, Finn heard a noise! Someone was talking – but not in dog-talk!
He searched high and he searched low for the source of this foreign language!
But he searched to no avail and finally gave up.
A little later, Wayne heard a noise, too. Someone was talking – and it wasn’t in people-talk, either!
He searched high and he searched low for the source of this foreign language!
Having a keener sense of geo-location tactics than the average Aussie, Wayne ferreted out the source.
Can’t count them – four? Five? They’re in a doll-baby stroller (yes, we have one of those and it has old teddy bears in it. It was FREE from a garage sale – so of course we Wayne had to bring it home with him!). Mom thought that looked like a really good spot to put her kids, I guess. It’s only about 3 feet off the ground though, so….fingers crossed!
TTFN
M
Inky Bee Stampers
KarensCardCorner
Stamp with Amy K
Stamp With Nel
Stampin With Shirley G
Tarabeth Stamps
TL's Bright Spot
What an awesome shot of the baby birds! Stay away kittahs!!! What kind are they, do you know? Back to the regularly scheduled program…do you think the dies from Christmas Pines would work on the pine cones? You do a marvelous job fussy cutting, though. I passed over that paper going “meh” and now that I’ve seen you use it…”WOW”! I passed over the punch and thought, “I can use my pinking shears.” Ummm, I may be going back to the drawing board on that one too. Have a great week and thanks for sharing your wonderful talent with so many of us.
Probably just little barn swallows – we’ve got a ton of those! I don’t actually think the Christmas Pines dies woudl work – they’re smaller and more tightly shaped than these images. The Ticket Tear punch works well on straight lines – this angled-to-a-point line was the problem… Thank you so much, Karen – I’m really glad that you liked it! 🙂
Can’t say enough about this card. Love the whole theme, design, colors, elements, all of it! Given a choice (well, I have one, but, in reality it isn’t a choice) I would live among the pines, rocks and pine cones on a northern lake, in a snug little cabin where my friends could come and visit. 🙂
Great video too. Wondering….If you start the punch at the point and work outwards would that keep your shape better?
Love the little birds. Barn swallows eat TONS of insects. I’d be surprised if it is swallows though. Their nests are usually of the mudded variety. This doesn’t look like it is mudded. Robins?
Thanks, Julie – this is a wonderful stamp set! You sound like my Mom – she’s living that life (no lake, but in the middle of the Rockies in CO)! I’m going to try the backwards punch idea – that might work. Mudded. Yes, that’s right now that I think of it. I guess they might be sparrows. Robins also a possibility!
Love your card Mary! Such a pretty design and the papers that you used work perfectly with it! We have a nest on one of the pillars on our front porch. Every year we seem to get a family of birds who take it over…hope that your fabulous stroller full of old stuff doesn’t become the new favorite nesting grounds! Might be time for it to hit the dump once the babies are out. 😉
Wait….whaaaaaaa? Take old junk that someone managed to pawn off on us to the….DUMP!?!?! Girl! What if you could SELL that?!?! Or take it to the Goodwill for a tax write off!! You’re obviously missing out on a real goldmine! LOL!! Thanks for the nice words on my card – they make up for your silly suggestion of taking junk to the dump! 😉
Love the card!!!
Thanks, Kathelyn! 🙂
Spectacular card , Mary! Your Mom will be delighted to pass it on to her friend! Just beautifully done. Wow!
Thanks, Jari – I think she’ll like it! 🙂
Absolutely gorgeous card!
Thanks so much, Wendie! 🙂
It is perfect! Loved watching you make it, too!!!
Thanks, Mom! Glad you were able to watch the video! 🙂
Your card turned out beautiful. I love the colors and the natural elements of it. Really pretty. =)
Thank you so much, Tam! 🙂
Just stunning, Mary! I love the colors – I’m sure she will love it. – Ellie. P.S. You are a great story teller!
Thank you, Ellie! I wish I was enough storyteller to become a rich and famous novelist – then I could just write and card and stamp the days away! 🙂
WOW!! what a beautiful card. Love every little detail.
Thanks much, Kay! 🙂
Hate I missed the live event last night (was on the road). I love the card. I have the “retirement” set on my wish list and now the pines are too! Seems very versatile. Hope the birdies survive. Glad the mama is making good use of the buggy for babies.
Glad you’re home (I assume!) – safe! Yes, I got Wild About Flowers a while back – cuz I love the flowers in it! And the Christmas Happiness. Well – for sure! I am glad to see SOME babies in the baby carriage – hopefully they make it! 🙂
Stunning card! That embellishment sets it off perfectly! Love it! Love it! Sorry I didn’t make it to the party last night:-(. Watched the recording – late. Love the baby birds photo – hope Finn doesn’t find ’em – yikes!😬
He knows they’re in there. But – he hasn’t really figured out exactly where! So we try to keep him away from them but without making it so obvious that he really wants to go over there – just cuz he’s not supposed to. If that makes sense? Thanks so much, Elisha!! Hope to see you live next week! 🙂
Silly question. Why didn’t you use Pretty Pines thinlets instead of fussy cutting those line cones?
Not silly! I didn’t use them, though because I’m pretty sure those dies cut a smaller – differently shaped cone. I wanted the fun lines of these new cones! 🙂
Mary, this is gorgeous. True artistry the way you’ve combined so many different sets and elements all in a way other than they were intended. Beautiful use of the DSP and it looks like the perfect card for your family friend. Thank you for joining the Paper Players in The Great Outdoors!
Thank you so much, Nance! I appreciate the kind words and that you took the time to stop by and leave them! 🙂
Such a handsome, non-Christmasy Card!
Thank you so much, Robin! 🙂
Such a pretty card and I love that it’s non-Christmas! And great picks of the birds, too! Thanks for playing with the Players’ challenge this week!
Thanks, LeAnne! Appreciate you stopping by to leave a comment! 🙂
What a stunning, stunning card! Love the green with a touch of gold. Hope your baby birdies thrive! Thanks for playing along at The Paper Players.
Thank you so much, Deanne! I appreciate you stopping by to leave such a nice comment! 🙂
Oh my gosh…..how have I missed your videos?????? I loved watching you create this card..it is gorgeous, and thoroughly enjoyed your narration!!!!!!!!! And , as always, NOW I have to add ANOTHEER set to my wish list!!! Lol!!! Really beautiful card…Thanks so much for sharing!!
Oh that’s very sweet, Carol! Thank you so much – it tickles me to hear when people enjoy my videos! Thank you thank you! 😉