Holiday Season Inspirations

Hi Everyone,

One of the things I love about attending Stampin' Up! events, are all the wonderful card designs and ideas that inspire me with my creations.  At the Denver Regional, I had the opportunity to take photos of hundreds of different cards and projects on display that were generously shared by demonstrators.

Today I thought I would share a few photos of cards created that have that Wow! factor without being overly complicated.  Some feature punches, perhaps some Designer Series Paper or maybe some ribbon to make the design pop.

These first two cards are examples of how different techniques can provide a different look to your card design. The top card focuses on stamping, with the ornaments arranged with the smaller ornament stamped separately and die cut before adding to the card.  There is a classic elegance to this card design which is  in contrast to the card below it.

 

The bottom card was created using punch art and has a bold, fun feel to it.  The background has been embossed with the Petals a Plenty Embossing Folder. The "pom poms" on the elf shoes were created with a circle punch from Silver Glimmer paper for a little sparkle.

Both cards have that eye-catching quality without being overly fussy or difficult to create. The next two cards show how you can take die cutting and give it a little twist for an unexpected look.

The Season's Greetings card features Designer Series paper as the focus of the card.  The opening was cut with the large framelit from the Apothecary Accents set.  By filling the negative space with strips of Designer Series paper from the Be of Good Cheer DSP pack, you take a simple white card base and make it a Wow card.  The Cherry Cobbler 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon adds the perfect embellishment to the sentiment for a quilted look to a traditional Christmas card.

This next card was created using the Holiday Collections Framelits set, which can be purchase separately or as part of the Scentsational Season Bundle in the 2012 Holiday Catalog. Once again the negative space created by the framelits has been filled, this time with various ribbon scraps to add color and dimension to this card design.  The little tags and Early Espresso Bakers Twine give the card a rustic, country feel.

 

Christmas ornaments are a popular theme with Christmas cards and this pretty card features the stamp set Chock Full of Cheer. I love the combination of Gumball Green (one of the new 2012-2014 In Colors) with Cherry Cobbler.  The Designer Series paper provides a wonderful background and the Gumball Green 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon makes a great accent to the ornament.  This is just one of the five 2012-2014 In Color Ribbons that you can earn for free during the month of September with a $40 purchase of Stampin' Up! products.  Just think how many Christmas cards you could make with a free spool of ribbon.

 

The final card that I am sharing today, also features my favorite combination of Gumball Green and Cherry Cobbler.  This time the focal point is a Santa created using various punches.  Isn't it cute! I love the Cherry Cobbler 1/2" Seam Binding used to embellish this card. It really pops against the polka dots of the Gumball Green Designer Series paper.

 

I hope you have enjoyed the card designs I have shared with you today and I hope it helps demonstrate how you can create amazing Christmas cards to fit the style that best works for you.  Using a similar color palette, you can create something classic and elegant or something more fun and bold. It doesn't have to be overly complicated or fussy to have that Wow factor that will have you friends and family loving the cards you send them this holiday season.

Until Next Time.
Happy Stamping,
Tricia Butts
http://www.triciabutts.stampinup.net

Great Bootiful Occasions Swaps & Samples from Denver Regional

Hi Everyone,

Today I thought I would share some photos of samples on the display boards as well swaps I received at the Denver Regional last weekend.  These card designs feature a new stamp set in the 2012-2013 Catalog that I hadn't really looked at closely, but I must say I have since fallen in love with. The stamp set I am talking about, is the Bootiful Occasions stamp set which can be found on page 50 of the catalog and contains 5 stamp images you will love, especially if you love boots and will work for occasions throughout the year.

This first card was a swap card on display and I love this Christmas card design. The sparkle on the trim of the boots adds a little bling to this clean and simple design. Change the color of the boots and add a different sentiment and you could personalize this card to suit any occasion just right for that special person.

 

This second card design was featured on one of the display boards and I love the bright colors and cheerful design, it just brightens your day to look at it. This cute pair of Wellington boots was created by stamping the image twice and cutting out one boot to overlap the other.  This would be a great Get Well Card or Thinking of You card.

 

The next card sample is a swap I received from Sharon Pettit, a demonstrator visiting from Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I love the color combination she used for this card design and this would be a great idea for a masculine card.  The boot has been cut out and popped up using Stampin' Dimensionals and the gold brads are the perfect embellishment to finish off the card.

 

The last two cards I have to share with you today are fabulous Halloween Cards that add a little style to this spooky holiday. This first card design was featured on the Halloween Display board and I love the cute spider background created using the postage stamp punch. The web image is from the stamp set Wicked Cool (page 28) and the cute little spider is from the stamp set Spooky Bingo Bits (page 29).  I love the combination of Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black and the 1/8" Basic Black Taffeta ribbon makes a cute embellishment to the boot.

 

The second Halloween card is a card front I received as a swap from Sherry Huxtable, a demonstrator from Wichita, Kansas. I just love the bling on this card provided by the new Champagne Glimmer paper found in the new Holiday catalog on page 18. I love the way she used it as a background to make the boot image pop, but she also used the small circle punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack to create the accents to embellish the card.

 

I hope you have enjoyed these wonderful cards and the versatility of this amazing stamp set, Bootiful Occasions.  It never ceases to amaze me how creative Stampin' Up! demonstrators are and I just love the variety of ideas that I have for this new stamp set to inspire me with my projects. I hope that you will be inspired to create your own projects to share with your family and friends.

Until Next Time.
Happy Stamping,
Tricia Butts
http://www.triciabutts.stampinup.net

 

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Bootiful Occasions Clear-Mount Stamp Set Clear Mount 126597   Price: $17.95   Wood Mount 126595 Price: $24.95 You can never have too many pairs of fancy boots! Kick up your heels and wish someone a Happy Bootday with this fun-filled, five-piece set. Great for winter, spring, summer, or fall! Set Quantity: 5

 

Creative Card Share - Denver Regional Swap

Hi Everyone,

Last Saturday, September 8th, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend the Stampin' Up! Regional held in Denver at the Convention Center.  It was such an amazing experience and being a part of the incredible creative energy in that room was inspiring.

One of the traditions at a Stampin' Up! event, is of course the swapping of cards and other items.  The past month has been a roller coaster ride for my family so my focus was not on my stamping.  I did manage to create 20 card fronts to swap the night before the Regional, and I am so glad that I was able to get them finished and participate in the fun.

I decided to design a birthday card that would work well for anyone.  How many times have you had an unexpected birthday surprise you and you needed a card that would work at a moments notice? With this card design, I felt that I had achieved that, as well as a sense of fun that would make the recipient smile.

 

The 3 gift bags were created using Real Red, Daffodil Delight and Pacific Point cardstock and I embossed them with the Chevron Embossing Folder. The handles were created using the Whisper White Bakers Twine and the tissue paper was stamped with the circle image from the Confetti stamp set. I sponged the tissue paper and bags with the coordinating classic ink to add some dimension. I attached them to the card using Stampin' Dimensionals for added dimension.

Did you notice the scored lines on the Whisper White cardstock layer? They were created using the Simply Scored Scoring Tool and provide a little extra detail to the background. It also helps when it comes time to line up the bags on the card.

This is a card design that you could create in many different color schemes and have on hand as your emergency supply of birthday cards.  Create the bags in shades of pinks and purples for a more feminine version or use scraps of Designer Series Paper to create a designer look.

Over the next few days I will be sharing with you some of the cards I received from other demonstrators during the swap as well as photos of card designs featured on the display boards.  I hope you will find them as inspiring as I have, and I hope it will help you to create your own projects for your friends and family.

Until Next Time.
Happy Stamping,
Tricia Butts
http://www.triciabutts.stampinup.net


Recipe (All Supplies used are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamp Sets: Confetti, Teeny Tiny Wishes (Happy Birthday Sentiment)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pacific Point, Real Red, Daffodil Delight
Classic Inks: Pacific Point, Real Red, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Tissue Paper (Dollar Store), 1 1/4" Square Punch, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch, Chevron Embossing Folder, Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Whisper White Bakers Twine, Sponge Daubers, Stampin' Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive.