Kool Kitty Musings

Peace on Earth

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with another festive make using the recently restocked Greetery 2023 Christmas release.

The Christmas Sampler stencil set makes some lovely wintry scenes, and this time I've used all the stencils in the set on Ivory cardstock with a mix of muted shades.

Stamps: The Greetery - Christmas Sampler Sentiments
Dies: The Greetery - Christmas Sampler Sentiments
Stencils: The Greetery - Christmas Sampler
Other: Puffy paint and Stickles

Once complete, I went in with some puffy paint to add snow to the house and added Stickles over the puffy paint and as frosty details on some of the sampler "stitches".

I then selected a sentiment from the coordinating Christmas Sampler Sentiments stamp and die set, stamped in forest green on white cardstock, and added some of the stitched details too.

The sentiments were cut from two extra layers of white cardstock to create a little dimension, enough to make the sentiments pop but still keep the card nice and flat for posting.

I love how the look of this sampler set can be changed up by using different shades of cardstock for the background and selecting ink shades that are more muted or super bold depending on the look you want to achieve.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Christmas Sampler Sentiments stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Christmas Sampler Sentiments dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Christmas Sampler stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Lawn Fawn - Hippo ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Manatee ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Blush Pink ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Fern ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Papaya ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sage ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Salmon ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	Simon Says Stamp - Ivory cardstock Shop at: MISC	Cosmic Shimmer - Fluffy Stuff Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)
Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Crafter's Companion - Gemini machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Christmas countdown - Festive Mail

Morning All!

While I had the supplies out on my desk from an earlier card, I came across a large ephemera piece in the Merry Days pack that got my imagination going.

I wasn't sure how else I'd use this ephemera, but the idea came to me to make a card in the style of festive mail.

Paper: Crate Paper - Bundled Up (r), Crate Paper - Merry Days (r)
Ephemera: Crate Paper - Merry Days (r)
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Postmarks (r)
Die: Papertrey Ink - Postmarks (r), Magnolia - ZigZag and Scallop Lace Border (r)
Other: Stickles

I started out by covering my card base with the B-side of the Tinsel paper from Merry Days. I added a striped border with an off cut of paper from Bundled Up, but before I stick it down I cut a white border with an old Magnolia border die.

Then I created the festive postage stamp with the Postmarks set from Papertrey Ink, adding the festive cancellation detail from the same set directly to the card base.

Finally, I glued some scrap cardstock to the back of the main ephemera image to give it some pop.

Once everything was in place, I added some Platinum Stickles to the snowflake for a little festive sparkle.

And that's it!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Lawn Fawn - Kiddie Pool ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Manatee ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Lawn Fawn - Sage Leaf ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK)	Crate Paper - Merry Days - Tinsel paper (r) Shop at: MISC | SBC	Crate Paper - Merry Days - Ephemera (r) Shop at: MISC	Tombow - Mono Aqua liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK)
Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Christmas countdown - Have a holly, jolly Christmas

Morning all!

I'm back with another Christmas countdown card, and this time it's the special festive card for my purple-loving niece!

Stamps: Mama Elephant - Holiday Messages, The Stamp Market - No Peeking (r), WPlus9 - Most Wonderful (r)
Dies: The Stamp Market - No Peeking (r), WPlus9 - Most Wonderful (r), Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine

I have to say, I was really pleased that The Stamp Market released some new shades of purple in their line-up. It's not a colour I gravitate towards, but when you do need to use it, it's good to have the right shades on hand.

I've used all three of the new shades here for the candy canes: Pale Plum, Sugar Plum, and Plum.

I have had some issues with this new release of ink pads though. (The ones that were released late September 2023 and shown here). I've not seen any similar issues posted online, but I did reach out to the UK store I purchased them from back in October, and they said they'd contact The Stamp Market to see if they'd had similar feedback from customers.

Not heard anything back re a response from The Stamp Market, but long story short:

I always order the full size pads as they become available and was really excited to get this new line up - especially Fresh Mint and Aspen!

However, on initial stamping many of the inks had a really frothy consistency and don’t stamp at all like the other ink pads I’ve got from The Stamp Market or indeed some of the other pads in this batch. The Cranberry, Begonia, Fresh Mint, and Pale Plum inks were the worst affected.

When I touched a stamp to the surface of the ink pad (even very lightly) it frothed up with tiny bubbles that then distort your stamped image and the froth sort of sits on the ink pad. I know foam pads can be juicy at first and bubbles of ink aren’t that uncommon, but this is more like a froth that stays frothy and the bubbles don’t pop.

I’m very familiar with using this brand of inks and foam ink pads, in fact I my Stamp Market ink pads are my go-to ink pads having invested in the full colour line-up over the years. And what I have always liked about the new generation of foam ink pads is that you don’t always need to stamp with a Misti to use them, as inking once on a block is sufficient to get a nice and crisp image.

But this batch of pads has been totally different. I left them to settle since I swatched them, thinking maybe something separated during transport and the ink needed to settle down into the pad, but almost 2 months on I’m still getting a frothy consistency for the worst affected pads (Cranberry being the main problem).

I basically always have to stamp at least twice in the Misti with these new colours, but don't get the same high-quality results as the other Color Crush shades when inked once and using an acrylic block for direct stamping.

I'm posting this here in case anyone out in stamping land encounters similar issues. You are note alone!

These inks are not cheap, and it's disappointing after all the excitement of the new release of colours that they have fallen short of the ink performance I have come to enjoy with my other Color Crush inks.

That being said, I am just grateful that I can still get solid impressions after 2 or 3 goes with my Misti. It's just a shame that the colours are inevitably darker as a result.

Anyway, back to the card project!

I created a dimensional background with all those stamped candy canes and then decided I needed a tag focal element.

Well, the perfect opportunity to use the snowman from WPlus9's Most Wonderful set.

It's only a shame that I totally I forgot to add the colour detail for the gloves and hat! Oh man, I was not with it when finishing this card. And I kept looking at the hat and gloves once I'd glued the snowman down, thinking hm, he doesn't look quite as detailed as I remember...

Never to mind!

A little puffy paint detail soon restored the festive look, and I finished off the tag with a bow cut from the lightest of the new purple cardstock shades. :)

Oh, and for more frostiness, I added glittery Nuvo drops in the gaps between the candy canes.

I really hope this card ticks all those purple boxes for my niece!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Mama Elephant - Holiday Messages stamps Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - No Peeking stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	WPlus9 - Most Wonderful stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - No Peeking dies (r) Shop at: MISC
WPlus9 - Most Wonderful dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Hello Bluebird - Holly and Pine dies Shop at: MISC	PTI - Tag Sale #10 dies Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Lakehouse ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Mango ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Pale Plum ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Plum ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Poolside ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Rusty ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Slate ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sugar Plum ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Waterfall ink pad Shop at: MISC
Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	The Stamp Market - Pale Plum cardstock Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Plum cardstock Shop at: MISC	Dr. Pj. Martin's Bleed Proof White watercolour Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tonic Studios Nuvo Glitter Drops - Silver Moondust Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Cosmic Shimmer - Fluffy Stuff Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Zig - Wink of Stella glitter brush pen - Clear Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC
Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

DCM - word prompt: Wish

Morning all!

It's time for a brand-new Christmas countdown challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog.

The prompt word this week is "Wish" and so immediately I knew I wanted to feature some festive wishes on a card and at least one sparkly star.

Paper: KI Memories - Winter (r)
Stamps: Avery Elle - Starry Scene (r), Concord & 9th - Sweater Season, Mama Elephant - Scripty Xmas
Dies: Avery Elle - Starry Scene (r), Concord & 9th - Sweater Season, Neat & Tangled - Scandinavian Prints Christmas (r), Essentials by Ellen - Home & Hearth (r), Hello Bluebird - Hill and Dale, Simon Says Stamp - Sentiment Labels, Sizzix - Animal Portraits (r), The Greetery - Bold Alphabet

This card is a riff on an old favourite, in fact "old" might as well be the prompt word for this card, as I've used a super old winter collection from KI memories originally released in the mid noughties!

I'm on a bit of an Odessa to reconnect with older papers in my stash, since very little seems to tick my boxes for Christmas releases at the moment. :(

But it's all good, as there is plenty to use, and there are also digital papers available of some of my favourite past collections. Here's to scoring some Black Friday digital deals!

The other older elements on this card are my ever faithful Starry Scene sky from Avery Elle, the Scandinavian Prints Christmas trees, and Sizzix bear.

But I did add in some new touches. I was determined to give the bear a Christmas jumper, so used the new Sweater Season stamps to add the knit pattern and used the dies to create the scarf detail. But the necklines tin the Sweater Season set weren't wide enough for this bear... so enter a moment of inspiration!

I grabbed the lowercase "L" from the Bold Alphabet set by the Greetery and with a little snipping managed to make it fit as a collar.

Glad all those elements came together, and hope my nephew likes his card. ;)

Make sure you check out the projects from the rest of the design team here, and play along if you can!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Avery Elle - Starry Scene stamps (r) Shop at: MISC	Concord & 9th - Sweater Season stamps Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Mama Elephant - Scripty Xmas stamps Shop at: SHC (UK)	Avery Elle - Starry Scene dies (r) Shop at: MISC
Concord & 9th - Sweater Season dies Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Neat & Tangled - Scandinavian Prints Christmas dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Essentials by Ellen - Home & Hearth dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Hello Bluebird - Hill and Dale dies Shop at: MISC
Simon Says Stamp - Sentiment Labels dies Shop at: MISC	Sizzix - Animal Portraits dies (r) Shop at: MISC	The Greetery - Bold Alphabet dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Lakehouse ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rosy ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Sea Glass ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SHC (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Taffy Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Hero Arts - Azalea cardstock Shop at: SHC (UK)
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	Memory Box - Majestic Hues glitter pad Shop at: MISC	Hero Arts - White embossing powder Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
EK Success powder tool Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Thermoweb iCraft - Purple tape for die-cutting - 1 1/2" Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Over the Rooftops

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with more festive projects from this year's Christmas release from Concord & 9th.

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Over the Rooftops
Dies: Concord & 9th - Home for the Holidays, Concord & 9th - Over the Rooftops, Lil' Inker Designs - Silly Stitched (r)

Today, the spotlight is firmly on the Over the Rooftops die set and coordinating stamps.

I don't know about you, but I am definitely a sucker for tiny houses that can make sweet little wintry scenes.

Last year, I spent many an evening cutting and assembling all the pieces I needed to make 20 cards with the Home for the Holidays Stacks dies and Card Stacks Base.

As someone who isn't usually a fan of assembly line card production, it has taken me a good while to recover from that project!

However, I was definitely ready to snap up the wonderful Over the Rooftops set, which can actually coordinate with the Home for the Holidays and Card Stacks dies.

Home for the Holidays was all about dimensional cards, while the Over the Rooftops set features an interactive element – the sky can be rotated to reveal another sentiment or go from day to night.

For my first outing with this set, I kept things simple. (I was still having some flashbacks to this time last year...)

With detailed die sets like this, I like to get a feel for the products by using inspiration from the manufacturer as a starting point.

Once that first card is made, I use it as a template and I can then quickly determine how many of each element I'll need to methodically die cut.

Let's just say, there were a lot of elements!

As you can see, I used neutral greys for my card base so that all those colours could pop. A stitched or fancy edge around that background panel adds a nice detail that brings the design together.

The sky elements were all cut with the insert that cuts snow into the disc. I had intended to just let white cardstock peek through the holes, but in the end I filled the holes with white Nuvo drops for extra pop.

Once the road and hill were assembled, it was time to put all those small elements together.

I used a few different colour combos.

This is definitely a set that can make use of all those colourful cardstock scraps, many of which were from the Concord & 9th cardstock sampler pack.

All the elements except for the lamp post are from the Over the Rooftops set – the lamp post is from Home for the Holidays.

Once I'd finished assembling everything (including the stamped coordinating sentiment at the top), I went in with the wintry details, aka white puffy paint and Stickles. Where would we be this time of the year without Stickles?

Those little finishing details really bring the cards to life. Sadly, the photos taken in wintry light conditions don't do them justice.

But I'm so pleased with how these turned out, and I think next time I reach for this set, I will be giving it the Stacks treatment!

Until next time, happy crafting!

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Concord & 9th - Over the Rooftops stamps Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Concord & 9th - Over the Rooftops dies Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Lil' Inker Designs - Silly Stitched dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops - Simply White Shop at: AZ (UK)	Cosmic Shimmer - Fluffy Stuff Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Christmas countdown - Holly Jolly Christmas Letter

Morning all!

I'm back with another Christmas countdown card!

Stamps: Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas, Mama Elephant - Mini Merry Messages
Dies: SugarPea Designs - You're My Type (r), Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles, MFT - Tall Snow Globe (r)
Stencils: Concord & 9th - Boughs & Holly

You're probably tired of seeing my staple typewriter festive cards, but hey, I had the typewriter and other elements still left over from other projects.

And while I had those Boughs & Holly stencils to hand, I had to use them, with a cooler colour tone this time. :D

I'm happy to see how perfectly the typewriter and tall snowglobe elements nestle inside the stencilled frame. A match made in heaven!

Hope you're having a nice crafty weekend!

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Hello Bluebird - Typed Christmas stamps Shop at: MISC	Mama Elephant - Mini Merry Messages stamps Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	SugarPea Designs - You're My Type dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Hero Arts - Infinity Nesting Rectangles dies Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
MFT - Tall Snow Globe dies (r) Shop at: MISC	Concord & 9th - Boughs & Holly stencils Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Coastal ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Emerald Isle ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Minty ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Raspberry ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rosy ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Versamark ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SHC (UK)	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Butter Mints Shop at: AZ (UK)	Concord & 9th - Assorted cardstock pack Shop at: MISC | SHC (UK)	Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK)
Lawn Fawn - Vellum Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Hero Arts - White embossing powder Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Tombow - Mono Aqua liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
EK Success powder tool Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)
Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

DCM - word prompt: Wood

Morning all!

There's a new challenge over on the Daring Cardmakers blog as we continue our Christmas countdown with a prompt word as inspiration.

The word this week is wood, so the perfect opportunity to combine the lovely Wood Slice Hearts from The Greetery with other supplies:

Paper: Crate Paper - Falala (r)
Stamps: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Christmas
Dies: The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics, The Greetery - Deco Frames, The Greetery - Wood Slice Hearts
Stencils: Concord & 9th - Boughs & Holly

I started out cutting and assembling the wooden heart, adding a good splattering of white paint for wintry detail.

While that was drying, I got on with blending the wreath on white cardstock using bright festive ink shades from The Stamp Market.

I cut the wreath panel out with the large Deco Frame from The Greetery and mounted it on a card base covered with my quickly depleting stash of Fa La La paper from Crate Paper.

I then grabbed the Sentiment Suite Christmas stamps and stamped a sentiment on pale pink cardstock cut with one of the coordinating sentiment strip dies.

Then it was time to assemble the rest of the elements, and hey presto, card made!

Make sure you check out the rest of the design team projects here, and play along if you can!

Happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Sentiment Suite: Christmas stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Sentiment Suite Basics dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Deco Frames dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Wood Slice Hearts dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
Concord & 9th - Boughs & Holly stencils Shop at: MISC | SBC | SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Cactus ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Cherry Kisses ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Forest ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Greenery ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Rosy ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Bazzill Cardshoppe - Pale Rose Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK)	Crate Paper - Falala - Very Merry paper (r) Shop at: MISC	Dr. Pj. Martin's Bleed Proof White watercolour Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tombow - Mono Aqua liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK)
Tombow - Mono-Multi liquid glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)
Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Tim Holtz - Distress Sprayer Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous Splat Box Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)	Waffle Flower - Mini Media Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Ranger - Artist brush set Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC

Wishing You Joy

Morning all!

I'm over on the Seven Hills Crafts blog today with another festive card project, this time using the lovely Christmas Sampler stencils from The Greetery.

Stamps: The Greetery - Written in Ribbons Holiday
Dies: The Greetery - Written in Ribbons Holiday, Lawn Fawn - Zig Zag Rectangle (r), The Greetery - PreText Banners
Stencils: The Greetery - Christmas Sampler

I started out by grabbing a panel of light grey cardstock to use as the "fabric" for my sampler.

I kept the colour palette minimal with a sage green, darker green, light grey, and light brown.

The Christmas Sampler stencils have a total of 6 steps to create the full background which includes trees, birds, baubles, and a little house. However, you can skip some of the elements and mask them off to pick out the designs you want to feature.

I just needed something to allow my sentiment to pop against a subtle background.

I also wanted to include some texture paste for the snowflake elements and fair isle border to add a little wintry detail, and I added additional snowy details with a white pen.

For my sentiments, I pulled out the Written in Ribbons Holiday stamps and coordinating dies. I love the hand-lettered look of these sentiments and how you can create different phrases with the stand-out words.

For festive pop, I used two tones of red to stamp the "Joy" sentiment.

The smaller greetings also fit on the PreText Banners dies, or you can simply stamp directly onto your card, or mix it up like I did!

Before assembling everything, I cut the sampler background down to size so that it would fit inside the largest of the Zig Zag Rectangle dies from Lawn Fawn (currently in the Bargain Basement - so once they're gone, they're gone!). The zigzag edge goes so well with the stitching theme.

The panel really stands out nicely against the jade card base.

Until next time, happy crafting!

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The Greetery - Written in Ribbons Holiday stamps Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	The Greetery - Written in Ribbons Holiday dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Lawn Fawn - Zig Zag Rectangle dies (r) Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Greetery - PreText Banners dies Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG
The Greetery - Christmas Sampler stencils Shop at: SHC (UK) | TG	Altenew - Limestone dye ink Shop at: MISC	Lawn Fawn - Pizza Crust ink pad Shop at: SHC (UK)	The Stamp Market - Aspen ink pad Shop at: MISC
The Stamp Market - Cranberry ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Lipstick Red ink pad Shop at: MISC	The Stamp Market - Matcha ink pad Shop at: MISC	Versafine - Onyx Black ink pad Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC | SHC (UK)
Neenah Classic Crest 110 lb smooth Solar White cardstock Shop at: AZ (UK) | MISC | SBC	PTI - Soft Stone cardstock Shop at: MISC	Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste - White Shop at: MISC	Uniball Signo White pen Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Bearly Art - Precision Craft Glue Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Lawn Fawn - Stamp shammy cleaner Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)	MISTI stamping tool Shop at: SBC	Waffle Flower - 6.5 x 8.5 Grip Mat Shop at: SBC | SHC (UK)
Craft blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Detail blending brushes Shop at: AZ (UK)	Sizzix - Big Shot machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Sizzix - Sidekick machine Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC
Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (maxi) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC	Tim Holtz - Tonic guillotine trimmer (small) Shop at: AZ (UK) | SBC