Gratitude

How appropriate that it's so close to Thanksgiving and that today's featured stamp is called Gratitude. Using the Everlasting paper set (remember I used one of our bulk card making patterns for most of these cards this month so the paper is nearly all the same). Cut your paper as follows:

8 1/2 by 5 1/2 colonial white card base, folded in half
5 1/2 by 4 1/4 cranberry cardstock
1/2 by 5 1/2 ponderosa pine striped pattern paper
1 1/2 by 5 1/2 floral pattern paper
2 by 2 1/4 striped pattern paper
1 1/2 by 2 1/4 colonial white cardstock

Distress everything with desert sand ink if desired.

Use your trimmer and a dry embossing tool to impress lines into the cranberry cardstock, then sand to show off the white core. I was very haphazard on my lines for this one so it would be even more of a rustic, used look.

Put your skinny striped strip on the bottom of your card about 1/8 inch up from the bottom.

Add the floral paper 1/8 inch up from that. Sorry about the angle on these photos.

Stamp one of the small flowers from the Gratitude set in a random way on the small piece of colonial white cardstock, using cranberry ink.

Add "Thank You" in ponderosa pine centered right over the flower stamped image.

Glue striped piece 1/2 inch from left hand side of card and the Thank You piece to the right of that piece, about 1/4 inch from right hand side of card and 1/4 inch from striped piece.

Add three colonial white brads to the left hand side of the card in that small spot of cranberry cardstock and down at the bottom on the stripe about 1 inch from left hand side.

Add matching ribbon across the floral piece of pattern paper, glue down with Tombow.

Tie a bow in another piece of red ribbon then glue down on the ribbon strip, so much easier than trying to tie a knot once the ribbon is on. One thing I'm grateful for is the wonderful viewers like you who check in to see what I'm doing on my blog, it means more than I can say!

Childhood Portrait

Today I'm going to demonstrate a really special stamp set. When I saw the examples in our Close to my Heart catalog showing off this set, Childhood Portrait I was just in awe at how beautiful the little silhouettes are. I hope you'll like them too.

For this card you need Everlasting paper cut like this:

8 1/2 by 5 1/2 colonial white cardstock, scored and folded in half.
5 1/2 by 4 1/4 cranberry cardstock
1/2 by 5 1/2 ponderosa pine strip of pattern paper
5 by 1 1/2 floral pattern paper
2 by 1 1/2 colonial white cardstock
2 1/4 by 1 3/4 ponderosa pine striped pattern paper
1 1/4 inch colonial white cardstock circle (you should punch after stamping)

Distress all if desired.

I used a Cuttlebug this time to make my card embossed but you can make your own embossed paper without purchasing one of these, just see previous tutorials for how.

Here's this particular embossed look. I actually bought another embossing template and have misplaced it. I need to get out and get some more! This time I decided to use the back side of the embossed piece so the embossing is recessed.

Glue the ponderosa pine skinny strip down the left of the card near the fold, about a 1/4 inch away.

Next to the striped piece, attach the floral strip, just a touch away to let some red show through, center it between top and bottom of the card.

Stamp the little yo yo boy on your colonial white cardstock.

Attach that to the striped mat and thento the card about a quarter inch from the right hand side, about an inch from the top of the card.

On the circle you can stamp "Thinking of you," on some colonial white paper.

Punch it out with your circle punch, it's a little easier to do it in this order.

Attach to the bottom left corner of the boy stamped piece.

Add a window charm on top of the circle. Thread three green buttons with waxy flax and attach with glue dots to the bottom right of the card as shown. Now isn't this sweet?

Christmas Melodies

Don't you just love Christmas music? Not too early and not too long but right in the holiday season, it's so nice to have the radio on playing those tunes we've loved since we were children. Well, here's the stamp set for you. Christmas Melodies has 14 stamps that will remind you of those happy & meaningful songs. Again I've used Everlasting paper, can you tell I have been using one of the bulk card making patterns from Wishes? For this card you will also need a couple of flowers from the Gratitude stamp set too.

Cut your paper as follows:

8 1/2 by 5 1/2 colonial white card base, folded in half
5 1/2 by 4 1/4 card front cranberry cardstock
1 by 5 1/x floral pattern paper
1/2 by 5 1/2 striped pattern paper
1 3/4 by 1 3/4 colonial white cardstock
2 by 2 striped pattern paper
scrap colonial white cardstock for stamping

Distress all with desert sand ink if desired.

Despite owning a cuddlebug, I still like to do some of my own dry embossing with my trimmer and dry embossing tool, draw a line down the groove of the trimmer every half inch for this particular design.

Sand the paper with a sanding block.

Glue the floral strip 1/4 inch up from the bottom of the card front.

Just above the floral strip (about 1/8 up) attach the striped piece.

Glue down the striped square 1/2 inch from right hand side. I use the grooves of the dry embossing to help me line it up perfectly.

Stamp the "Let There Be Peace" song title on the colonial white square in cranberry ink and glue it to the striped square.

Add three green brads to the left top of the card. I put one on each of the first three dry embossed lines.

Using the Gratitude stamp set, stamp 2 poinsettias on your scrap paper and cut them out. Attach next to the Peace stamp overlapping slightly. The card is easy and pretty, you can do it quickly and spread a little Christmas cheer by just making it and sending it out. Have fun!

December Word Puzzle

Today's featured stamp set is the December Word Puzzle. I assume this one is retiring at the end of the year because Close to my Heart is probably making a whole new set of the montly word puzzles for 2010, how exciting as these stamps are very versatile. They are definitely my go-to stamps. For this card you will need Everlasting paper and cranberry and ponderosa pine inks plus desert sand ink for distressing.

You will need:

8 1/2 by 5 1/2 colonial white cardstock, folded in half
5 1/2 by 4 1/4 cranberry pattern paper
2 1/2 by 5 1/2 ponderosa pine striped pattern paper
2 by 5 1/2 floral pattern paper
1/4 by 5 1/2 floral pattern paper
2 x 1 colonial white cardstock
2 1/4 by 1 1/4 cranberry cardstock

Distress everything with desert sand ink and a foam tool.

Glue the skinny strip 1/4 inch down from top of cranberry pattern paper card front. Glue the striped paper 1/4 inch down from there keeping the sides flush with edges of card front.

Attach the floral pattern paper right in the middle of the striped piece.

Stamp "laughing all the way, making spirits bright on the bottom empty space on the card front with ponderosa pine ink and don't forget to use the sponge that comes with the stamp set under your paper to cushion.

Stamp two of the cute "ornament" stamps on the colonial white cardstock, one in cranberry, one in ponderosa pine.

Glue that to the cranberry cardstock and then down to the right hand side of the card, 1/4 inchfrom the left, 1/2 inch from the top.

Add three small colonial white brads in that skinny strip of red that shows through the papers, about 1/4 inch apart from each other. Stamp any other sentiment you like from the set inside the card. You're done! Now is there any real excuse for not making your own Christmas cards this year?