Very Simply Susan

Finally!  I am back to posting!  It has been an “all hands to the pump” few weeks for work and I simply haven’t had time to stamp or post!  But I hope that has ended for a while and I can get my nights back!  I did do 2 swap cards over the Labor Day weekend for a mail in Christmas Card swap that had to get done.  Today’s card is one of those.  I used my hands down favorite stamp set, Christmas Pines, from the Holiday Occasions catalog.

I knew I wanted to use a paper from the Presents and Pinecones Suite. But I was a bit stymied as to what paper in the Presents & Pinecones DSP that wouldn’t compete with the die cut pieces.  Finally I eyed the Delightful Dijon Paper with the stars and I had a winner! I also chose a Mint Macaron with a subtle design.  All that was layered on Cherry Cobbler and I had an unusual but unmistakably Christmas card!

I high recommend both the Christmas Pines stamp set and the Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies.  The pinecones in this set have texture and you have 3 choices, which create more interest in a card. I can see endless possibilities using this for holiday decor, tags, bag decoration and of course Christmas cards!

In fact, I die cut lots of extra pieces when making my swap cards so I could sit down and create when an idea came to mind.  Its one of my best tips for using these types of die sets. If you have plenty of pieces on hand, it is easy to create!

Recipe

Papers: Presents & Pinecones DSP, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Emerald Envy, Mint Macaron
Stamps: Christmas Pines
Tools: Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies, Big Shot

Hello I’m back!  I’ve been AWOL for a while.  Work has kept me from too much stamping!  But when I saw this weeks Global Design Project Sketch Challenge, I knew it was the perfect design to showcase some DSP!  The question was, which DSP? For me, the fun of doing a card is going through my DSP to see what will spark an idea. I knew I wanted to do something holiday and when my eyes landed on this great plaid from the Warmth & Cheer DSP Stack, I knew I had a favorite that work perfect for a fall themed card!  While this is in a Christmas DSP Stack, I think this plaid would work for Thanksgiving or even Halloween.  And I love this paper!  Definitely my favorite in the entire stack.

This week’s challenge is so easy to follow, I encourage you to try it!  And please take a look at what everyone else is doing by clicking on #GDP041 or the image below.

I settled on doing a fall design.  We actually went down in into the 50’s this morning.  I had to reach for a blanket last night as the temperatures dipped!  So, we had a little taste of the crisp weather to come! So, warmth and fall designs were definitely on my mind!

The fact that the challenge this week is a sketch made the design process so easy!  I just had to find a sentiment and come up with a decorative element.  The Grateful Bunch set had just the sentiment in just the right font.  I only had to mask off part of the image.  And of course, what isn’t there to love about the Thoughtful Branches set? The fall leaves in this set were just the right scale.  I had pulled out the Vintage Leaves first, but no, way too large. Although, with the right card design the Vintage Leave would love beautiful with this paper.

In the spirit of full disclosure, the DSP is actually in shades of Basic Black, Crumb Cake and Delightful Dijon.  But all the images are stamped using Early Espresso. I thought it looked much better and you have to believe me it matches well!

Recipe

Papers: Warmth & Cheer DSP Stack, Delightful Dijon, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso
Stamps: Thoughful Branches, Grateful Bunch
Tools: Grateful Bunch Framelits, Big Shot

I was playing around with some of the papers in the Love & Affection DSP to see what I could do with color.  I loved the green and yellow design on Crumb Cake in this particular paper.  I has it sitting on my desk, just waiting.  Then as I was cleaning up, I found the Pineapple stamp stuck inside my MISTI.  And it hit me, this is the perfect stamp to use with that paper! I have done a Pineapple card a few weeks ago, but you can always use more!

The MISTI, while admittedly not a Stampin’ Up item,  is a huge help in getting this Pineapple stamp to work.  Thank goodness for the MISTI and a big shoutout to Andrea for telling me about it.  In fact,  on a lot of designs where I want to make sure I get enough ink coverage I always use the MISTI.  The exact positioning allows you to “re-stamp” a design with much greater accuracy than a Stamp-a-ma-jig.  This is particularly good when you have a large area such as this Pineapple stamp or a really large sentiment.  I almost always do these kinds of cards using the MISTI.

Having said all that, I simply could not get the 2 colors to work using the MISTI on this particular card this time.  It was really me. I would mask off the green and ice up the Crumb Cake only to stamp down without removing the scrap paper and tape I had used to mask off the stem and vice versa! I must have done that 5 times.  I guess it just wasn’t my day to mask. So, I simply fussy cut 2 pieces I had not destroyed and adhered to the card. I covered up the space with a knotted piece of burlap ribbon.  And actually, I am glad I kept screwing up! The cut out pineapple gives the card more dimension. I will repeat my mantra from yesterday, your cheapest commodities in stamping are paper, ink and patience!

I did leave the Pineapple stamp stuck in the MISTI. The next time I bring it out, I want to remind myself to take off the masking paper before I stamp down!  The Pineapple stamp stuck in there will be a good reminder to do that.  🙂

Recipe

Papers: Love & Affection Specialty DSP, Crumb Cake, Cucumber Crush, Daffodil Delight
Stamps: Pineapple, Thoughtful Banners
Embellishments: 5/8″ Burlap Ribbon
Tools: Banner Duo Punch, Patience, A Sharp Pair of Paper Snips!