SUPPLY LIST
Dies: Concord and 9th (Kristina Werner) Gift Bows Dies, Honey Bee Stamps Big Birthday
Paper: Taylored Expressions Granny Smith and Peapod, Stampin' Up Pretty Peacock from 2019-21 dsp, polka dot is a scrap
SUPPLY LIST
Dies: Concord and 9th (Kristina Werner) Gift Bows Dies, Honey Bee Stamps Big Birthday
Paper: Taylored Expressions Granny Smith and Peapod, Stampin' Up Pretty Peacock from 2019-21 dsp, polka dot is a scrap
I just got the Nordic Bell from Poppystamps and then this week's sketch from The Paper Players came out and it was all meant to be!
I love to walk around my neighborhood. Every season has its beauty (loving the squirrels playing in the crunchy leaves right now) but I am most fond of walks before Christmas just as it is getting dark. It's cold and snowy outside but people still have their curtains open and with their Christmas trees and other decorations, their windows just glow. That's what I was trying to create here.
I'm using Stampin' Up's Decorative Tree dies. I love the variety of layered trees there are in this set. I embossed snowflakes and added a shimmery white pine branch on the ouside of the window. The inside is a sparkly tree and a warm yellow glow. The sentiment is a very old single sold by Stampin' Up but it is such a fun look and the perfect size for so many cards, it will always stay in my collection.
I hope to see you playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches.
SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Stampin' Up Be Very Merry (a long ago single)
Dies: Stampin' Up Decorative Trees, Decorative Pines and Stylish Shapes, Essentials by Ellen Essential Arches
Paper: Stampin' Up Gold Foil Sheets, Old Olive Glimmer (from Berry Burst, Old Olive & White 12 x 12 Glimmer Specialty Paper), Cherry Cobbler Glimmer (from Festive 12 x 12 Glimmer paper), Playing with Patterns dsp, cardstock in Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler and Crushed Curry
Other: Stampin' Up Winter Snow embossing folder
I got this big Thanksgiving die by Photoplay but hadn't found a way to use it. I generally like big sentiments because they can look so good on a great piece of dsp or an embossed background - and it's so easy. But so far I hadn't found the right way to use this one. Then Poppystamps added leaves to their Nordic collection and I knew what I needed to do! (BTW - with a last name like Singdahlsen and my mom's maiden name being Gustafson - I definitely have an affinity for anything Nordic!)
You gotta love the pink tone to all of my fall cards. All of my pictures are natural light - I've never invested in any kind of photo set up. But there's a massive and absolutely gorgeous red maple outside my craft room window so the light that filters in is pink! I do color correct the photo but I can only go so far before all the other colors start changing. Here's how it started!
This will be the last of my daily posts. I made a great dent on the pile of products that I wanted to remember to use, reuse or destash. The pile isn't gone but it is manageable. I made multiple cards for upcoming holidays. I made decisions about destashing. And it was great because for a week, I didn't have time to cook dinner, clean house or pay bills!! (Although I did manage to get to work every day, so no one can say I'm totally obsessed.) For sure, I'll still be here every Wednesday for Freshly Made Sketches and also whenever another card or challenge calls my name.
SUPPLY LIST
Dies: Photoplay Happy Thanksgiving, Poppystamps Nordic Oak Leaves and Nordic Maple Leaves
Paper: Stampin' Up Pumpkin Pie, Peach Pie, Crushed Curry, Daffodil Delight, Lemon Lolly, Granny Apple Green, Lemon Lime Twist, Pecan Pie and Lost Lagoon, Taylored Expressions Granny Smith and Candy Corn
Other: Stampin' Up Subtle Embossing Folder, Paper Rose Ben's Plaid Embossing Folder
Last week I posted a card with a stenciled leaf wreath but said I was thinking of destashing my stencils because I don't use them. It seems that, while many of you love using stencils, you've given me "permission" to destash!! The general view being that there are just too many great crafty products out there so why use something that I don't enjoy. I had totally decided to do that and what shows up in my mailbox? New stencil sets. (I think I have a problem!)
I absolutely love the series of postage collage stencils, dies, stamps, etc from Waffle Flower so I had to try them before cutting stencils out of my crafting life.
If any of you have this stencil set, you might be looking at my card like there's something wrong. There is. I got it all finished and pulled out the postage stamp die, tried to line it up, and cursed multiple times...loudly. My family came running - I don't typically curse, let alone at the top of my lungs. But guess what? I had done the whole thing backwards so it didn't line up with the die. It was a horrible moment. Obviously I got the job done - I die cut from the backside so the edges aren't crisp and clean. But I was not wasting my entire inky morning!
It hasn't changed my decision on stencils - in fact the panicked moment at the end just solidified my move away from stencils. It's really a shame and a loss on my part, because these postal collage stencils are amazing! (And yes, I ordered two different sets so I have one more to play with!) And then I'll destash!
Stamps: Waffle Flower Elegant Christmas Sentiments (and dies)
Dies: Waffle Flower Postage Collage Die
Ink: Stampin' Up Balmy Blue, Pecan Pie, Mango Melody, Flirty Flamingo, Daffodil Delight, Coastal Cabana, Fresh Freesia and Lemon Lime Twist
Other: Waffle Flower Postage Collage Snowman stencil, Frost Shimmer Spray
I've posted every day this week and "blaming" my friend Carol (or giving her credit for motivating me!) but truth be told, I needed the productivity of this week. I have three areas for my stash. The corner of my desk is for those products that absolutely must be used. It might be because I've used it once but it deserves to be used again, or maybe it's a product that needs "testing" (like a few days ago when I stenciled something to decide whether I was destashing my stencils) or quite frankly, maybe it cost more than I usually spend. The corner was overflowing and getting in the way of my regular crafting. I should have taken a before picture, but after crafting all week (I only posted a small portion of what I did) - my desk is looking fantastic!! Thanks to Carol!
In case you are curious, the second area of my stash is a rolling cart with boxes for products that I haven't used but someday I will...at least I hope I will! (Some of my stash has been there for years - literally purchased new but now retired.) Then there's actual storage for products that I've used. I keep stamps and dies by theme and/or company. I used the white mesh Elfa drawer system. We won't talk about how many drawers that I have. Unfortunately, many products tend to go there to just disappear. Frankly, I couldn't make enough cards to use all of it. But I know you all understand that collecting is as much fun as crafting!
Enough chatter - the cover die for today's card came from the corner of my desk and falls into the "cost-a-lot" category. Although in fairness, Concord and 9ths cover plate dies are very reasonably priced compared to other companies so I think I over-reacted by putting it on my corner. But being there got it used so it's all good!! (The sentiment came out of the second area of my stash.)
The colors were on my desk from yesterday's card so easy choice there. I went with the orange sentiment just to be different but I think I'm regretting it - I'm not sure it's a "strong" enough color. Of course, Christmas lights need tinsel so I added just a bit along the edge.
SUPPLY LIST
Dies: Concord & 9th Christmas Lights Inlay die, Simon Says Stamp Fancy Happy Holidays
Paper: Stampin' Up Granny Apple Green, Flirty Flamingo, Daffodil Delight, Pretty in Pink, Mango Melody, and Poppy Parade, Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist, Taylored Expressions Cilantro
Other: Stampin' Up Trim Tinsel Clear
I've had this card in my head since I got the die set. The card isn't unique, in fact, for a while it seemed like every other card out there had stripes...and I loved them all!!
These tree dies were going to be my go-to this year but I've only used them once. Not only that, but I didn't even love the one card that I posted here. But I do like this one! It's bright and cheerful with some sparkle in the star and the tree branches. The Decorative Trees set by Stampin' Up has multiple detailed dies. You could make any look or style with them. I guess I need to get busy using the rest!
SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Stampin' Up Brightest Glow
Dies: Stampin' Up Decorative Trees, Stylish Shapes (cut down to be a bit shorter)
Cardstock: Stampin' Up Pretty in Pink, Flirty Flamingo, Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody Coastal Cabana, Granny Apple Green, white glimmer paper (from a pack with Berry Burst, Old Olive and white)