One more Christmas CD{89} & SSC{182}

Hi everyone, sorry it's been quiet under the Canopy this week!  Like everyone, I've been rushing about with last minute holiday projects.  I know that you are just as busy so I will keep today's post short and sweet....kinda like my Color Dare card using this week's holiday colors of Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, and Soft Suede.

 

 

 I started out with this sweet little sketch from the operators at the Stamping 411.  Love 

this site!  An uber-talented group of SU demos with great techniques and fun challenges. 

 I don't make square cards very often but the operators had a great tip for this sketch--make a 4.25" square card!  It will still fit in a regular envelope, will not require extra postage and best of all it makes a cute little card!  With this in mind, I happily got busy with some Jolly Holiday DSP and a favorite retired set, Berry Christmas.

I thought my Soft Suede card base looked a little plain so I used the Sanded BG stamp in Soft Suede for a subtle effect.  I stamped the berry wreath in Old Olive on Very Vanilla CS and punched it out with a non-SU 2" circle punch.  Next the Merry Details sizzlit provided a sweet little Cherry Cobbler bird to nest inside the wreath.  Before the birdie could land there, I spritzed him up with some Champagne Mist shimmer spray.  Maybe you can see it here:

The sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes was stamped in Soft Suede on VV CS and popped out with the Word Window punch.  I fussed for a awhile about where to put it and decided I liked it inside the wreath as a perch for my Cobbler birdie.  Some Cherry Cobbler seam binding ribbon finished off the front nicely.

Not much room on the inside of a 4.25" square card but I made the most of it repeating the wreath to frame one of my favorite "inside" sentiments from Christmas Greeting.  Believe it or not, the sentiment is stamped in Cherry Cobbler and the bow hanger is Soft Suede.  The sun was so bright during this quick photo shoot that it washed out my colors a little!

So, you're probably wondering why this is Color Dare 89 again when last week was 89?  Sometimes life gets in the way of blogging, you know?!  So, there was no official Color Dare post last week.  This is still week 89 for challenges but with new colors for the holiday week!  So let's see your Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler and Soft Suede creations over at the Color Dare blog.  Be sure to check out the rest of the design team where you are sure to find loads of inspiration.  You can follow the links below to their blogs:

• Riley - our leader
• Glenda - Papers, Scissors & Rocks
• Heather - Princess Scrapper Stamper
• Joan - JJ Creations
• Marisa - Rosemary Reflections
• Melissa - My Paper Obsession

We're into the home stretch now...only 4 days until Christmas!  I hope this post finds you enjoying fun holiday traditions and making new ones with friends and family.  I hope to have another post for you by the end of the week but until then...happy wrapping, baking, shopping and merry-making!

supplies:

stamps: berry christmas [retired]; christmas greeting; sanded BG

ink: cherry cobbler, soft suede, old olive

paper: soft suede, very vanilla, cherry cobbler CS; jolly holiday DSP

xtras: corner rounder, 2" circle, scalloped ribbon border & word window punches; cherry cobbler seam binding ribbon; champage mist shimmer spray; merry details sizzlit

A Sketch for the Paper Players {25}

Happy Sunday everyone!  I am feeling rested and rejuvenated after some quality time with my Mom.  Everyone needs a little mama time now and then, right?!  Of course, our weekend included quality craft time so I am ready for a new challenge at The Paper Players.  I was honored when Lesley asked me to design a sketch for you :

I know, I didn't follow my own sketch quite exactly but it's just a starting point, LOL!  You can take liberties too!  I took my colors from the Candy Lane designer series paper: Baja Breeze, Garden Green and Blushing Bride.  Love these colors together!  The Blushing Bride and Baja Breeze Contempo Christmas ornaments were inked first in Versamark, then Classic ink, sprinkled with Iridescent Ice embossing powder and heat set.  The results are oh-so-sparkly but with the addition of a Basic Rhinestone trio at the top, they are downright festive!

Once I get into a design--the colors, shapes and mood of it--I can't stop at just the front!  So, the inside got a little Canopy treatment as well:

Just love the little sentiment and fab tree in the Contempo Christmas set.  Here I stamped the tree in Baja Breeze and overstamped, just a little, with the Garden Green sentiment.  A scrap of Candy Lane DSP and a Garden Green scallop ribbon border pulled it all together.

I will be so happy if you find inspiration in this week's Paper Players sketch. With a deadline of midnight (EST) Friday November 26th, our US friends should have enough time to recover from Thanksgiving and still get in on the challenge.  And those of you outside the United States will have a head start on us!  Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see your creation over at The Paper Players!

supplies:

stamps: contempo christmas; berry christmas (bows) [retired]

ink: baja breeze, garden green, versamark

paper: baja breeze, garden green, whisper white CS; candy lane dsp

xtras: scallop ribbon border punch; ornament punch; scallop trim border punch; iridescent ice stampin' emboss powder; basic rhinestones; polka dot impressions folder

delightful merriment

I love this stamp set and punch! This is what I love about SU--coordinating stamps and punches. Coordinating helpers like these are perfect for mass producing holiday cards especially with this simple layout. I can see a group of us making a bunch of these in an hour or two--throw in some christmas cocktails, some Frank on the CD player and it's a party! Oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself...it's still only September. Pretty easy to see the details on this one. I used Very Vanilla cardstock, a strip of Merry Moments designer paper and a little peek from a Chocolate Chip scallop edge. I stamped two of the ornaments from the Delightful Decorations set (#116517)--one in real red and the other in old olive. The ornaments are punched out with the coordinating Ornament punch (#116794) and layered on top of each other with the red ornament up on dimensionals. The chocolate chip "string" is part of another delightful set from the holiday mini catalog called Berry Christmas (#116509). So many to choose from! Warm Words (#115108), one of my all-time favorites, provides the perfect holiday sentiment inked up in cheery real red. Be Merry!

supplies:
stamps: delightful decorations, berry christmas, warm words
paper: very vanilla & chocolate chip cardstock, merry moments DSP
ink: real red, old olive, chocolate chip
extras: ornament punch, stampin dimensionals, stamp-a-ma-jig, scallop edge punch