Merry Christmas, Champ!

You may not know, but I have another passion besides stamping. {It's true!} I also play tennis! I took a break from the sport after High School - you know, the whole joining the Navy, getting married, having 3 kids, & moving 4 times sort of took up most of my recreational time. But, in the past 2 years, I've played with the best bunch of sweeties on a USTA team called No Strings Attached. We had the most fun, and even made it to Regionals this year! Go, girls!
I wanted to make them a special Christmas Card. I thought the SU! Lattice Die had a little resemblance to a tennis net - my first though was to shrinkey dink them and interpret it literally ... but it didn't work out. This is what I ended up with, and I really like it. The Just Tennis set is so cute ... and will be one of the free set choices for Sale A Bration rewards! Inside it says "Merry Christmas Champ!"****************
STAMP SETS: JUST TENNIS, SPORTING, MANY MERRY MESSAGES (INSIDE); CARDSTOCK: REAL RED, GARDEN GREEN, WHISPER WHITE, KRAFT; INK: BASIC BLACK, REAL RED; ACCESSORIES: SU! BIGZ LATTICE DIE, SU! TEXTURED IMPRESSIONS PERFECT POLKA DOTS; 5/8" SATIN RIBBON

A Full & Happy Stampin' Table

I know I post about my Stamp Club all the time. If I'm blogging, it's usually about the Club! Well, we had a banner meeting last week. 1st, we were finally ALL together! 2nd, we had my Mom (far left) as a GUEST STAMPER, all the way from sunny Florida. What a treat! 3rd, we made 3 projects - a stamped candle, side-step photo card, and an embossed card with omitted oval. Plus, thanks to a few outside orders, we also had a record order (which translated to a bunch of free sets plus $95 in freebies to the lucky hostess!).
This meeting was just 2 days before Thanksgiving, and having a full and happy table of stampers really started my holiday off on a blessed note. Thanks so much, ladies! I {{heart}} you gals!
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STAMP SETS: HOLY TRIPTYCH, SCENIC SEASON; INK: REAL RED, CHOCOLATE CHIP; CARDSTOCK: REAL RED, SOFT SUEDE, WHISPER WHITE, SHIMMERY WHITE, CHRISTMAS COCOA DSDP; TOOLS: PETALS A'PLENTY TEXTURZ FOLDER (WITH OVAL CUT OUT OF CENTER), THE BIG SHOT, HEAT GUN; EMBELLISHMENTS: REAL RED RIBBON, BOLD BRIGHTS BRAD, (RET) HODGEPODGE, CRYSTAL EFFECTS & DAZZLING DIAMONDS GLITTER
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Please visit Sandy MacIver's blog to check out her tutorial for the Side-Step Card. I used her template and wonderful tutorial to create my photo card. Plus, she's done some crazy fantastic things with the Texturs Folders and Ornament Punch!

Snow Shaker Dasher

Hi, Mom! I thought you'd enjoy this darling Dasher card. We made them at my first Christmas Stamp A Stack. It's a shaker & you know how I love the shaker cards. The landscape is just a torn paper placed down and the blue sponged over. Super easy!! Make one of these when you get your Top Note die from the UPS man :)

I'll post more SAS cards soon!!
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STAMP SETS: DASHER; COLORS: REAL RED, BASHFUL BLUE, WHISPER WHITE, CHOCOLATE CHIP; ACCESSORIES: BUTTON LATTE, LINEN THREAD, CHUNKY GLITTER

"But I'm not a Christmas Set!"

All this blogging must really be subconscious procrastination of my endless list of projects, including: our own family Christmas Cards (to make, address, write in, take pictures for, and mail), gifts, thank you notes, club projects, etc. But, what the heck ... I want to post a few non-Christmas-sets. I just love when I learn how to use a stamp set in an "out-of-the-clamshell-case" kind of way. This is a case of a card by detour3 on scs. There is a gold embossed sentiment inside.
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STAMP SET: DOODLE THIS; INK: VERSAMARK; CARDSTOCK: HANDSOME HUNTER, REAL RED, BRUSHED GOLD; ACCESSORIES: CORNER NOTCH PUNCH, GOLD EP, BRADS.

Christmas Card*inal, Take 4

This was our Stamp Club project from last night ... and my last take on a Cardinal Christmas for a while. I've been truly inspired by this set, and have used it SO MUCH. It's one of those absolute classics for me - I hope it makes it into the new catalog! For this technique, stamp the holly image in VersaMark on a Pacific Point panel, dust with Winter White Embossing Powder, and use the heating tool to set the embossing powder. Then, appy VersaMark over the entire panel, and emboss with Irridescent Ice Embossing Powder. It's so beautiful & shimmery in real life!**************************************
STAMP SET: A CARDINAL CHRISTMAS; INK: VERSAMARK, BAJA BREEZE; CARDSTOCK: BAJA BREEZE, PACIFIC POINT, WHISPER & SHIMMERY WHITE; ACCESSORIES: TICKET CORNER PUNCH, VINTAGE BRADS, JOIN THE CHEER DECORATIVE STRIP DIE

Christmas Card*inal, Take 3

Here's a suprisingly lovely no-layer card. The reverse masking technique and tear of the right-hand edge give it dimension that belies the fact that there are no layers to this card. I threw a bunch of these together for a door prize.

For the reverse masking, make a mask by cutting an oval out of the center of a card-front sized piece of scrap cardstock. Place this mask on your cardfront, and hold in place while you sponge Old Olive onto the card. Keeping the mask in place, stamp an image - I used the holly stamp and kept the Old Olive color light by stamping off once onto scrap, then stamping inside the oval. Then, just remove the mask, and stamp a focal image in a darker color on top.
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STAMP SET: A CARDINAL CHRISTMAS
CARDSTOCK: NATURAL WHITE
INK: OLD OLIVE, BASIC BLACK
ACCESSORIES: OLD OLIVE POLYTWILL RIBBON

Christmas Card*inal, Take 2

I really LOVE this card. I can't put my finger on it, but it's lovely, classy, and simple!! It's a CASE of a KristaTracy card I saw on scs. I used Real Red, double stitched Chocolate Chip ribbon and a Botique button. The Top Note Die for my SU Big Shot cuts this lovely Kraft panel in no time!!!
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STAMP SET: A CARDINAL CHRISTMAS
CARDSTOCK: REAL RED, KRAFT
INK: REAL RED & CHOCOLATE CHIP CLASSIC
ACCESSORIES: TOP NOTE DIE, DOUBLE STITCHED CHOCOLATE CHIP RIBBON, BUTTON BOTIQUE

Christmas Card*inal, Take 1

Thanksgiving is over, and Christmastime is officially here!!! But I know I'd better get a move-on with my projects. My usual crafting time has been drastically cut back this year. My son's 8th birthday (& party) is coming up next week, we're having a SIL and her 3 kids stay in town for over a week, my Stamp Club to prepare for, family Christmas Pictures to take & develop, and 40 cards to stamp and send. Plus, there's the decorating, wrapping & mailing of gifts. Yikes.

But I'm still not set on a design. Here's Take 1 - a Free Standing Pop Up Card, and I've wanted to try one forever, but it looked too complicated. Guess what?! It's really VERY simple, thanks to this splitcoaststampers tutorial . I've used my favorite set from the Holiday Mini - A Cardinal Christmas - and a Faux Stained Glass Technique.
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STAMP SET: A CARDINAL CHRISTMAS
CARDSTOCK: OLD OLIVE, BASIC BLACK, WHISPER WHITE, VELLUM CARDSTOCK
INK: OLD OLIVE, CHOCOLATE CHIP, REAL RED, SO SAFFRON SW MARKERS
ACCESSORIES: OLD OLIVE WIDE GROSGRAIN RIBBON, BLACK HEMP TWINE, BLACK DETAIL EMBOSSING POWDER, HEAT TOOL, STICKY STRIP

Elf Packaging

There are genius stampers out there ... with artistic eyes that can look at the Bag on a Box pattern below ... and translate it into the most adorable Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Elf bags. I am not one of those genius ladies ... though I can do a pretty good CASE! I saw these by Patti Lee on splitcoaststampers.com & added real Hodgepodge buckles, Pretties pearls & Boquet buttons. TFS, PattiLee!***************CARDSTOCK: REAL RED, BASIC BLACK, OLD OLIVE, TEXTURED WHISPER WHITE; ACCESSORIES: SCALLOP EDGE, ROUND TAB & SCALLOP CIRCLE PUNCH, KIWI KISS RIBBON, BUTTON BOQUET, BUILD-A-BRAD, PRETTIES KIT