Rich Regal Scrap Drawer

Good morning!

I don't have much time to chat this morning, but I have lots of photos to share! You'd probably rather see the cards anyways, right?

Sometimes when I'm in the mood to stamp and don't have anything specific that I need to make, I like to challenge myself to take one stamp set and stamp all the images from it and make a set of cards.

That's exactly what I did with this set of cards I'm sharing today. This is a Stampin Up stamp set called Just Celebrate that was available in one of their mini catalogs recently. I'm only sharing 5 of the cards - but I made 8 because there are 8 stamps in the set.

To further challenge myself, I made myself use scraps from my Rich Regals scrap drawer. For even more of a challenge - I tried my best to use the scraps in the sizes that they were in the drawer!

As you can see, I was cuttlebug crazy on the scraps! I rubbed the same ink color as the paper on the folder before I embossed it to add a little more depth to the embossing. It's really such an easy and beautiful technique!

The images were all stamped with Stazon on Watercolor paper and watercolored with Stampin Up's Watercolor Crayons. I highlighted a few areas with some clear crystal lacquer and added some paper piercing.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Jessica

November Class Schedule

Hi everyone!

I've just finalized my November Class list with Gina for GinaK Designs and wanted to share it here on my blog with you. The website has been updated as well. I hope to see you sometime this month either at a class or at the One of a Kind Expo at the Alliant Energy Center in a few weeks!

Tuesday, November 4: *All Occasion Stamp a Stack (12:30-2:30; 3:00-5:00; 5:30-7:30)
Cost: $30 or $20 with a $50 purchase
Themes: Birthday - Adult & Juvenile, ThankYou, Congratulations, Get Well/Sympathy, Baby
We'll make 2 of each of the 6 card designs. All materials, envelopes, and a large Clear Box to store them in are included in the class fee.
Friday, November 7: *Advanced Nestabilities (1-3; 5-7)
Cost: $15 or $5 with a $50 purchase
This class will help you take your Nestabilities to the next level! You'll learn how to make frames, windows, and shaped cards. Basic Nestabilities cutting knowledge is preferred for this advanced class.
Tuesday, November 11: *Embellishment 101 (12:30 -2:30; 5:30-7:30)
Cost: $20 or $10 with a $50 purchase
Are you sometimes stumped with how to add embellishments such as buttons, brads, ribbons, etc. to your cards? We'll work together making 4 cards showing some basic embellishment principles showing that "More is More!" Feel free to bring in any cards along with your own embellishments that you would like to get advice on how to decorate.Thursday, November 13: Stampin Up Monthly Class (4-6 or 6-8)
This class is held in my home. For more information, email me at jessjean12@gmail.com for more information.

Friday, November 14: Stop & Stamp (12-7) Cost: $5 or free with $50 purchase

Tuesday, November 18: *Christmas Stamp a Stack (12:30-2:30; 3-5; 5:30-7:30)
Cost: $25 or $15 with a $50 purchase We'll make a total of 12 cards, 3 of each of 4 designs.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21-23: Our retail store will be closed.
Visit us at the One of a Kind Rubber Stamp Expo at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, WI. (Shop online 24/7)
Tuesday, November 25: *Coaster Class (12:30-2:30; 5:30-7:30)
Cost: $25 or $15 with a $50 purchase
We'll make two fun projects with coasters: an adorable coaster box and a hinged calendar/photo frame. These two projects are perfect for gift giving.

Friday, November 28: Christmas Stop & Stamp (11-6)
Cost: $5 or free with a $50 purchase
Come in after your early bird holiday shopping and make 2 Christmas cards. We'll have special sales in the store that you won't want to miss out on!
*Call (608) 579-1026 to reserve your class spot. No reservations are necessary for Stop & Stamp events.

Catch the Wave!

Good morning!


**** Just a quick reminder for my local gals... this Thursday, October 30th is my SU Christmas Stamp a Stack. I still have a few openings if you'd like to join me! For more information, see my blog posts here, here, and here. I'm really excited about the 12 cards we'll be making together. Email me at jessjean12@gmail.com or call me at 608 772-2906 to sign up.

Today's cards are some that I did last week for a Land Cruise Challenge that Carolyn King gave us in GinaK's Forum on Splitcoast Stampers. She wanted us to use a water element or theme on our cards and called it 'Catch the Wave.'

I loved her idea and immediately thought of Gina's adorable Kindred Kid's line of stamps. They are all adorable and several of them are perfect for this challenge.
This first card uses the At the Beach stamp set - isn't it adorable? I stamped the image in Memento Black ink and colored it in with Copic Markers and then highlighted some of the stamp lines with Doodlebug's Colored Glitters. I've been going crazy using them to embellish my Copic Colored images - it's such a quick and easy way to make a big statement! Sakura's Quickie Glue pen is the best adhesive to use with these glitters and it dries super fast.


To carry on with the water elements, I used some Raindots and added them to the DCWV paper's waves' scallops as well as around the sentiment. I chose this piece of paper as the cardfront because of how the bottom of it looked like waves. The circles are cut from the Standard Circle Nestabilities.

This next stamp image is called Exploring Nature and is such a fun one to color. Once again, I used Copic markers to color, Memento ink to stamp, and Doodlebug's glitter to highlight some of the stamp lines. I think the close up shot shows off some of the sparkle...

The rectangles are cut from the Megabilities Long Rectangles. The circle is a Petite Scallop Nestability and is supposed to be the Sun shining down on the adventuresome duo. I pulled out some Raindots again, but this time I used the Eyelet ones - they are really neat! I used the Metallic ones and used the tiny little dots that are included on the sticker sheet to highlight the sentiment again.

Did you notice the sentiments that I used on both of the cards? They are from Melanie's Jumping for Joy stamp set. I think that's my favorite animal set she has done with GinaK because I love all the animals in it and I love the longer sayings she included with it! Both of the ones I used here are 'out of the box' but worked perfectly with these images!

Be sure to check out the other gals cards that they uploaded to SCS for the challenge. You can find this challenge gallery here.

Have an awesome rest of your day and thank you so much for stopping by!
Jessica

Copper Foliage

Happy Monday!


Today's card is one that I shared earlier this month during Gina's Release Party. I haven't talked about it on my blog yet, so I thought I would today!


The stamps are from GinaK's Free with Three stamp set for this month Winter Foliage along with a few new things Gina just added to her store: Sateen Flowers and her Pure Luxury ribbons.


I ran the copper paper through the Cuttlebug machine using the Textile Embossing folder. I love how rich this looks. The ovals are cut from Nestabilities out of glossy paper.


When I first saw this set, I really wanted to try out Polished Stone with it. I used Stampin Up's Mellow Moss and Always Artichoke Reinkers along with Rubbing Alcohol. Then the pine leaves were stamped in Black Stazon and the pinecones were stamped in Versamark and embossed with Copper Detail Embossing powder. To highlight the scalloped oval, I rubbed some Metallic Rub-on Paste.

I used the White Luxury ribbon - could you tell? heehee... I colored it green with a Copic marker and then took a Copper Leafing Pen and colored the edges of the ribbon. I was so thrilled to see how cool this worked. Then, the White Sateen ribbons were colored and shaded with the same Copic marker.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
Jessica

Another Reject!

Good afternoon!

A few days ago, I shared a Stampin Up class card reject... did you see it? Even though it didn't make the cut - I really like a few things about the card and shared the tips I learned through making it in my post. Well, here's another rejected card.

See, I tried out the template again and this time pierced a couple of circles on the Chocolate Chip card base. I thought 2 circles might look cool together - but when I was finished, it didn't look the way I thought it would. To embellish the circle, I added a butterfly from the Stampin Up set called Priceless - but was stumped as to what I should put in that second circle. Another butterfly would cover up the piercings... so I decided to try a flower.

I don't think it was my best idea! It looks a little silly to me - hanging out there below the butterfly! I rarely throw my cards away though - even if I don't like the end results because just because I don't like it, doesn't mean that no one else will. I have a large stash of cards that I have on hand and occasionally let my family go through them to pick out some for them to take. Inevitably, they pick ones that aren't my favorites - but they love them!

Not every card has to be a work of art - sometimes it's about the process and playing. This is the way that we end up making the cards that we adore, don't you agree?

Thanks for stopping by and don't be afraid to share your card rejects! They just may end up being someone else's favorites!

Jessica

It's as Easy as 1,2,3...

Good evening!


Well, the Land Cruise party has ended in GinaK's Forum, so I thought I would share one of challenges that was issued during the party along with my cards for the challenge.


We recently added a new Senior Design Team member to GinaK Designs. Have you been to Donna Baker's blog yet? She is amazing and issued an awesome challenge for us that she called It's as Easy as 1,2,3.



The specific challenge was to use 1 ribbon, 2 layers of cardstock (cardbase included), and 3 of the same embellishment. The challenge runs until this Friday night, October 24th. I hope you have time to play - the winner gets to pick a free stamp set!

Both of my cards were cut out with the largest Megabilities Nestability Scallop Rectangle. Each image was stamped in Memento ink and colored with Copic Markers and then embellished with a glue pen & glitter.

The first card has 2 layers of white cardstock, while the second card is a one layered card with a small vellum rectangle because I had to use 2 pieces of cardstock to keep with the challenge.

The paper I used is some brand new paper that GinaK will soon be carrying in her store. She took some on the cruise with her to show off to the ladies and they have fallen in love with it as much as we have! You are going to LOVE this new thick smooth white cardstock... that's all I can say about that right now, sorry!

Be sure to check out the other challenges in Gina's Forum! I'll be sharing another set of challenge cards tomorrow, so stop back then!

Have a great night...

Jessica

Show and Tell!

Good evening!

Look! The ladies from Tuesday's Christmas Stamp a Stack were gracious enough to let me take photos of their beautiful cards to share on my blog tonight! I've been telling the ladies that I was going to start taking photos and sharing them on my blog and finally remembered my camera and had willing participants!

The first grouping of Christmas Tree cards are from Dayna - aren't they beautiful!? I love how she watercolored her Poinsettias. They are just stunning in person! She watercolored them with Peerless watercolors on Bazzil Textured paper.

This second grouping of Christmas trees are from Veronica. They were also colored with Peerless Watercolors and are so bright and cheerful! She put light green stickles on the garland and yellow stickles for the stars... beautiful!!

I only took one photo of Angie's Winter Church - but they all turned out beautifully! She stamped the church in Encore Silver ink and clear embossed it. Then, she used Copic Markers and stickles to decorate it - it's so soft and sparkly in person! Great job, Angie!

And, last but not least - here are Barb's Purple Dove cards. The doves are stamped in Black Memento ink and colored with Copics. Stickles are added to the lines for a subtle shimmer. That vellum embossed through the Snowflake cuttlebug folder is so amazing... love that look!

There you have it! My first show and tell! Didn't the ladies do a GREAT job!! They all worked hard making these 12 cards. Marianne was also there and made cards with us, but left before I thought to take photos of them! Sorry, Marianne! Next time I'll get photos of your cards to share!

Remember to stop by GinaK's forum tonight to party with us for the Land Cruise!

Jessica

Friday's Stop & Stamp Cards

Edited to add: I totally forgot to mention here on my blog about the Land Cruise Party that we'll be having in GinaK's Forum tonight!!

There will be contests, challenges, samples, and an awesome Cruising Special that you're not going to want to miss!! I won't be able to stop in the Forum until after we get back from church tonight, but I have a few samples of the challenges that I'll be sharing. I hope you can join us!



Good morning!

Here's the two cards we'll be making at this Friday, October 24th at my monthly Stop & Stamp class at GinaK Designs. This monthly event isn't a traditional class - it's more like a Make-n-Take on steriods! heehee..

I have 2 tables set up - one card at each one along with all the supplies that it takes to make the card. You start where you want, work at your own pace, and get to try out several new products and techniques. I mingle between the two tables and offer help when needed, demonstrate any techniques that may be unknown or new and sometimes even get a chance to stamp along with everyone! It's always a lot of fun!

This first card uses Basic Grey's Eva paper pack, Nestabilities, Kooh-i-noor pencils, OMS, Doodlebug Glitter & flock, Fiskar's Threading Water border punch, and Tim Holtz's Sanding Block. See - I told you I try to pack as much as I can into each card! lol!

Here's a close-up of the flower pot and the Scalloped Oval ... I wish you could see the purple glitter and the black flock a little better...

The second card is one of my most popular card designs. It's such a quick, yet elegant card to make and I'm excited that we'll be doing it together on Friday.

Each person can choose their own color scheme for this card. We have a Neutral DCWV paper stack to choose from and a large variety of Prima Flowers to decorate the leaf with. I chose this Rusty brown because I love this color so much right now.

We'll be using the Cuttlebug Leafy Embossing Folder, Tim Holtz's sanding block, Prima Flowers, Liquid Pearls, Twill Ribbon, Metallic Rub-on Paste, and Nestabilities Label Dies. Once again - lots of fun stuff to play with!

I hope you'll be able to stamp with Shelly, Karen, and I on Friday! Be sure to stop by between 11-7. The cost is $5 or free with a $50 purchase that day in the store. And, Gina is offering a fun little treat for everyone who stops by to make cards with me on Friday: Choose 5 free sheets of Bazzil Cardstock!

Have a great day!

Jessica

Watercolored Pumpkins & Gourds

Good morning!

Today's card is one that was a recent Stampin Up class reject. I love the Fall Harvest wheel and it was fun watercoloring, but I didn't like the layout and just wasn't 'feeling' the card, if you know what I mean... lol! But, there are a few things that I really like about it, so I thought I'd share it with you anyway.

First of all, this is a standard Stampin Up wheel - isn't it cute? I rolled the wheel in Black stazon and ran it quickly across a strip of watercolor paper. I was pretty surprised that it didn't run out of ink or dry up since it was Stazon ink, but it worked out pretty well. Using some SU reinkers from the Earth Elements color family and my waterbrush, I watercolored the images.

The other thing that I really liked is the pierced circle and how well it worked with the circle punches. I've had the Stampin Up Template Brass Stencil for a while now but haven't had the chance to use it yet. It's really neat - it has piercings for most of their paper punched shapes along with the actual shapes, so you can pierce or dry emboss them.

I should have chosen the largest circle for this sized circle but didn't realize it until I was already done. I love how the circle shape is perfectly round - it adds so much visual interest to a plain circle.

So, there you have it - a rejected card that taught me a few things and gave me some great ideas for me to use at a later time. Maybe it gave you some tips too! heehee....

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Jessica

Copic Coloring Class Samples

Good evening!

Here's the Copic Marker Samples I promised a little earlier tonight. The photos of my coloring book aren't the best - it's so hard for me to get good photos of my little book!

We'll be coloring all these images together at the Copic Class I'll be teaching at GinaK Design's Store this Thursday, October 23rd. I have 2 classes that day - 11-1 or 5:30-7:30.

We'll use a couple of different papers and inks and spend the entire time coloring together. It's a jam packed class as you can see from the sample images! I glued my samples into my coloring book to keep as a reference tool and suggest that each student does the same.

By the way, my owl coloring paper was added to my book by punching the left side of the paper with Stampin Up's Spiral Label punch. My coloring book is a Stampin Up Art Journal (the large size) and the paper punch fits the binding perfectly.

I hope you can join me on Thursday. It's always so much fun coloring and chatting together!

For those of you who love Copic markers like I do, have you started your own coloring book yet? If you have, I'd love to see a photo of it. I absolutely love mine and have enjoyed looking through it a lot.

Happy Coloring!

Jessica

Class Schedule for this week

Good evening!

Sorry to get this posted late this week! I didn't get around to it last night and the day has gotten away from me again. We're busy here at home cleaning the kid's rooms and trimming the branches and brush outside. I guess you could say the Fall Cleaning Bug has hit our home! Thankfully, we got a lot done over the last few days and are all ready for a break!


Here's the Schedule for Classes at GinaK Design's Store in McFarland this week:


Tuesday, October 21st: Christmas Stamp a Stack 11-1; 2-4; 5:30-7:30 *Make 12 cards (3 of 4 designs) for $25 or $15 with $50 purchase. Click on link to see photos.


Thursday, October 23rd: Copic Markers 11-1; 5:30-7:30 *Spend 2 hours coloring with Copic Markers learned blending and shading techniques. $15 or $5 with $50 purchase. I'll share these samples in another post tonight.


Friday, October 24th: Stop & Stamp 11-7 *Make 2 cards for $5 or free with $50. I share these cards on Wednesday here on my blog.


If you'd like to reserve your spot at the Christmas Cards or Copic Class, I still have some openings and would love to see you there! Call the store at 608 579-1026 to sign up.


I also teach private classes if there is a class you have missed or want to have scheduled. Call the store and let's set up a date that works for both of us! We'll set up private classes for groups as low as 3 people or up to 10.


Have a great night!
Jessica

October SU Class Cards

Good morning!

I thought I'd take a break from Christmas cards today to share the cards we made at last week's Stampin Up monthly class. I kept the cards super simple this time.

We made 2 cards together using this beautifully elegant stamp set called Kind Thoughts. It's not new to Stampin Up, but it is new to me as I just got it late this summer. We also used the new In Color Tangerine Tango along with the new Haiku Designer paper - which are both perfect for this time of the year!

For each card, we cut out an inside liner using the adorable new Top Note die - doesn't this look so cute!? For an added decoration, we stamped this medalion in versamark and embossed in white and then punched it out with the Scallop circle punch and added a clear rhinestone brad for the center. It makes me so happy that it works so well with Stampin Up's Scallop Circle!

I think the inside of the card is as pretty as the outside!

While I focused on the designer paper for the first card, the second card uses no patterned paper. That hardly ever happens anymore because I love patterned paper and have a lot of it, but loved how clean and simple - yet elegant this looked.

I pulled out one of my favorite In Colors from last year - River Rock and was really pleased with how well it worked with this year's Tangerine Tango. After cutting out the Top Note, we stamped the Flourish in versamark and embossed with white detail embossing powder. To add a little bling, we used a Fire Rhinestone Brad along with a snip of the Tangerine Ribbon off to the side.

Here's a close-up of the Medalion... see how well it works with the Scallop circle? That rhinestone is perfect - I love these Rhinestone stickers and got them from GinaK Designs. You can also see how nice the Top Note Stitching is - and the die does all the work! Yahoo!

Have a great rest of your day and thank you so much for stopping by!

Jessica

Country Christmas Angel

Good morning!

Here's another Christmas card for you! This is another one that I shared during the Release party at the beginning of the month...

This country angel is from Asela Hopkin's Christmas Blessings Stamp set. I stamped her on a Petite Oval Nestability shape cut out from Watercolor paper that I sponged with Inkssentials Foam Blending tool and one of Tim Holtz Distress inks... I just can't remember which one right now, sorry! The angel was stamped in black Versafine ink and embossed with Clear Detail Embossing Powder.

I watercolored her with a Niji waterbrush and Stampin Up reinkers: Old Olive, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Caramel, Summer Sun, Close to Cocoa. Then, I highlighted a few lines with Stickles.

The saying was stamped and embossed on watercolor paper and punched out with Stampin Up's new large Oval punch. To add a little country touch, I tied a gingham ribbon to a little Making Memories safety pin and added it to the oval punch out.

Have you started making your Christmas cards yet? I haven't really begun that yet... I've been so busy making a variety of cards that I need to start making several to keep on hand to get ready for Christmas!

Have a great rest of your day and thanks for stopping by!
Jessica

Blog Candy Winner Announced!!

The lucky winner of the Blog candy is:

Denise said...
Thanks for a chance to win some great candy and I don't even have to dress in a costume..lol. Even though I have purchased some copics, I am not an expert at them. My favorite coloring medium is my embossing markers. I just love the colors of them.
October 14, 2008 9:47 AM

Yahoo, Denise!! Email me your address at jessjean12@gmail.com and I'll get that out to you on Monday!

Thanks, everyone, for playing! I loved hearing about everyone's coloring favorites!

Jessica

Winter Church

Good afternoon!

Since I've been sharing Christmas cards this week, I thought I'd show this one that I made with Asela's new Christmas Blessings Stamp set. I showed it during the Release party earlier this month but haven't on my blog yet.

I am loving this color combination a lot lately - Sage Shadow, Handsome Hunter, and Vanilla. I cut out a Petite Oval Nestability from Stampin Up's Very Vanilla cardstock and embossed the edges. To highlight the edges, I rubbed Metallic Rub-on Paste over it. I love how easy that stuff is to use and how much it emphasizes the embossing.

Then, I stamped the church in Versamark ink and Embossed with Detail Gold embossing powder. I used Stampin Up's slot punch to allow me to thread some retired SU ribbon through it.

I used the Swirls Cuttlebug folder on the Sage Shadow cardstock and then rubbed the Inkssentials Foam Blending tool and Tim Holtz Old Paper distress ink to age it. The Sateen flowers were layered to make white poinsettias and the tiny rhinestones added just the right sparkle to the centers.

It took me longer to explain the card than it did to make it! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Jessica

Kiwi & Baja Christmas Cards

Good morning!

Have you entered to win my blog candy yet? If not, hurry and get yourself entered to win by tonight at 10 pm!

Today, I'm sharing the last of my Stampin Up Stamp a Stack cards with you. The first card uses the beautiful new SU Sizzix TopNote Die. Man, I love that thing! It is so elegant and adds such a punch to the outside or the inside liner of cards. I'm rather addicted to it right now, truth be told!

Along with the TopNote Die (which works great in the Cuttlebug, by the way. Here's the 'sandwich': B plate, TopNote Die, Paper, B plate - how easy is that!), we'll be using Winter Post that can be found in the new Holiday Mini catalog. The greeting is from the Elegant Greetings set that is in the Big Catalog. The oval punch is the new large oval punch that SU just released. I love the larger size because it fits a lot more phrases in it.

The cardstock colors are Kiwi Kiss and Vanilla, and inks are basic black, old olive, and sahara sand. The new Kiwi Kiss double sided satin ribbon is so luscious. A little bow added to the oval adds so much, but keeps the bulk down nicely. Then to add more of a 'snowflake' feel, I stamped the cardfront with the Polka Dot background stamp in Sahara Sand ink.

This last card is one of my very favorites because of the papers and those awesome snowflakes! The paper is Ski Slope which can be found in the Holiday Mini catalog and the blue paper is the new Baja Breeze In Color. And as for those Snowflakes - well, they are so cool! There are 2 different groups offered in the catalog. I bought both, of course, and used 2 of the Large ones on this card. I really like the large size for an easy focal point that really makes a statement!

The sentiment is a Level 1 Hostess Set that fits perfectly with the new Scalloped Square punch that Stampin Up added to their paper punch line. It's pretty neat how the design of the stamp image matches the patterned paper so well.

So, there you have it! I'm excited about all 6 of these Christmas cards and hope my customers will love them as much as I do. I can't wait to get together with them all and get stamping together. If you're interested in joining us, email me for more information.

Have a great rest of your day and thank you so much for stopping by! Tomorrow, I'll be highlighting the cards we'll be making next week at the GinaK Designs Christmas Stamp a Stack class. See, I said it would be Christmas all week!

Jessica

Punched Poinsettias

Good morning!

Don't forget about my Blog Candy Post that can be found here!!! Be sure to enter by Thursday for your chance to win some fun stuff!

Last night I shared 3 of the Christmas cards we'll be making at my Stampin Up Stamp a Stack in a few weeks. Today's card is the 4th card that we'll make together. It uses the new Holiday Treasures Designer papers (found in the Big Catalog) along with several Stampin Up paper punches.

The first photo shows a close up of the punched poinsettia. I love paper punches and was so excited to see how much these punches work together to mimic the flowers in the designer papers. To add more depth, they could be sponged, but for the sake of time we'll just punch out the flowers and layer them together during the class. I used a Dry Embossing Stylus to crease the flowers for a little more detail.



As you can see, the card itself is pretty quick and easy to put together - again, another important thing when you're making lots of cards! I also try to keep the layers to a minimum to help with mailing them. Extra postage isn't fun when you're sending out lots of Christmas cards!

I really like this new saying stamp from Stampin Up. The fonts and size are perfect for a good focal image. The set is called Heard from the Heart. We'll also use the adorable new Scallop border punch - I love that thing!

Here's one more close-up of the Red Ridinghood Poinsettia. We'll use the large 5 petal paper punch along with the now retired Spring Bouquet punch to make the flowers. On the Pink Pirouette flower, I layered 2 of the smaller 5 flower punches, while on this one I added the daisy punch. I'm not sure which one I like best, so I thought I'd show the ladies both options.

If you're interested in signing up for this class email me for more information. I'd love to have you join us!

Have a great day!
Jessica

GinaK Stamp-a-Stack Christmas Cards

Good evening!

I've got some blog candy up for grabs... check it out here if you haven't already!

I finally got some good photos of the four Christmas Cards that we'll be making at the Christmas Stamp a Stack class that will be held Tuesday, October 21st. There are several time slot available during the day and into the evening on Tuesday. If you're in the Madison area store and would like to join Shelly, Karen, and I for a fun day of stamping, call the store at 608 579-1026 to reserve your spot!

The first two cards showcase a technique that Cathy Tidwell shared on a beautiful card she shared recently. She embossed a cuttlebug folder on vellum, so I took her idea and used vellum for both of these cards.
For the first card, I tore the bottom of the vellum and stamped the saying on the cardfront. On this red Christmas tree card, I cut the vellum the same size as the red cardfront and adhered the vellum with 2 mini glue dots that are conveniently hidden behind those red glitter dots. There are lots of glitter on each card with everyone's favorite glitter glue - Stickles!

We'll be using 3 of the new Christmas Stamp sets that Gina released recently: Christmas Blessings, Year of Flowers, and The Magic of Christmas. I was so excited to have some new sets to design this month's cards with.
The Christmas Trees and Poinsettias are watercolored with Peerless Watercolors, while the Church and the Dove are colored very delicately with Copic Markers.


Thanks for stopping by for some Christmas Cheer this morning!
Jessica

Embossed Christmas Trees

Hi!

Here are 3 cards (of the six total) that we'll be making on October 30th at my Stampin Up Stamp a Stack. I think I do my Stamp a Stacks differently than most Demonstrators. Instead of doing 4-5 of each design, I have my customers only do 2 of each of 6 different designs.

It works well for all of us. I can make the cards a little more detailed and don't have to worry so much about stocking up on lots of paper, ribbons, and embellishments because everyone is only making 2 of each card. As for my gals, they get to play with more stamp sets, papers, embellishments, and have more examples to take home.

When I'm looking for Holiday card ideas, I'm always drawn to Heat Embossing. It always adds such a classy touch. And the added benefit? You don't always have to color when you emboss! Yes, I LOVE to color, but when I'm making loads of cards, I don't want to HAVE to take the time to color.

We're using 3 different Christmas trees from 3 different Stampin Up sets. The sets (in the order that is shown) are Snow Swirled, Jolliest Time of the Year, and Scandinavian Christmas. The first two cards use some Retired Stampin Up designer papers that I've been hoarding for this class.

Here's a close up of the last card since my photo below didn't capture the embossed snowflake very well. Isn't it pretty? Since I'm nearly full-blooded Norwegian, I HAD to get this set to make Christmas cards for my family. I love it and know they will too.

I'll share more of my Christmas cards tomorrow. If you are in the Madison, Wisconsin area and would like to sign up for my Stampin Up Christmas SAS class, email me for more information and to be put on my mailing list.

Oh, and be sure to enter my Blog Candy post from Sunday!

Have a great night!
Jessica

Copic Coloring Fun

Good afternoon!

Wow - I'm loving all your comments on your favorite coloring mediums in last night's post! So far it looks like Colored Pencils and OMS or Baby Oil seems to be in the lead... maybe I need to pull mine out again... heehee! Be sure to leave a comment on yesterday's post, to be entered to win some blog candy!

Yesterday, I mentioned about how much I'm loving Copic Markers right now, so I thought I'd share a couple of images that I've colored recently with them using GinaK's adorable Warm & Cozy Christmas stamp set.

I've talked about my Copic Coloring book before on my blog and thought I'd show another page from it in today's post. I've listed all the colors I used as well. I love doing this for a great reference tool.


To add some sparkle and dimension to the snow, I added liquid applique and glitter before I heat set the applique. It helps control the puff and is so sparkly afterwards - such an easy way to add some sparkle that won't flake off!

Here's the card I made and shared a few weeks ago during Gina's Release party. I used some paper that they were giving away as samples at the Coordinations booth at CHA this summer. I love that texture and wish I knew where it was from...wouldn't you love that Embossing folder? I sanded the edges and the embossed areas to bring out the light pink core color.

Everything else is pretty self-explanatory, so I'll leave it at that.

I have a few classes this week at GinaK Design's Store that I'd like to mention as well.

Tuesday, October 14th (11-1) Fall Acrylic Book $25 *We'll use the Bind-it-All, Basic Grey's Boxer paper & embellishments, and Ranger's Alcohol Inks to make a 6x6 acrylic book. I had to cancel the evening class because of my son's Soccer game - sorry for the inconvenience.

Thursday, October 16th (11-1 or 5:30-7:30) Clear Box Gift Cards $20 *I shared the details of this class in a post earlier this week. You can find out all the details here.

This week's posts will be all about Christmas! I've got 2 Stamp a Stacks coming up this month and am going to share the cards we'll be making at each one. The GinaK SAS will be Tuesday, October 21st & the Stampin UP SAS (held at my home) will be Thursday, October 30th. There are still openings for both classes if you're interested. You can email me for more information.

Have a great night and don't forget to check out yesterday's entry for some fun blog candy!

Jessica