It's only August, but Christmas will be here before you know it! So, it's never to early to start making Christmas Cards. Today, I have three cards for you using the new Peace & Joy stamp set from Stampin' Up! I started with a very simple card that uses only stamping and minimal layering. Then, I stepped it up using a little ribbon and some Heartwarming Hugs Designer Series Paper. Finally, I stepped it up again by using the coordination Joy dies. Whether you want a super quick and easy card or something fancy, there's a design for you! So, on y go! Let's get stamping.

Casual Card Dimensions:
Real Red: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4"
Heartwarming Hugs DSP: (2) 3/4" x 5 1/2"
Whisper White: 3" x 5"
Pear Pizzazz: 3 3/16" x 5 3/16"
​Mossy Meadow: 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" 

From simple to chic to oh là là, I have 1 basic card design done in 3 different styles. Each card has been slightly stepped up from the last card. Each of the cards use the Celebrate Sunflowers stamp set and the final card uses the matching Sunflower dies as well. None of them were difficult to create though, it's just a matter of spending more time. So, on y go! Let's get stamping.

Cardstock Dimensions:
Early Espresso: 

• 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4"
• 4 3/16" x 2 15/16"

Whisper White: 4" x 2 3/4"
In Good Taste DSP: 5 1/4" x 4"

Cardstock Dimensions:
Early Espresso: 

• 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4"
• 4 3/16" x 2 15/16"
• 15/16" x 3 1/2"

Whisper White:

• 4" x 2 3/4"
• ​13/16" x 3 3/8"
  

In Good Taste DSP: 5 1/4" x 4"

Oh là là:
My final card uses the Sunflower dies extensively. I started by using the impressions mat for my Big Shot. (The new Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine will also have an impressions mat!) Using this special rubber mat, I was able to use the dies to emboss the sunflower images on Bumblebee cardstock. Then, I sponged on Crushed Curry, Crumb Cake, and Old Olive ink. The ink really helps the embossed images pop.

I cut a frame from the In Good Taste DSP using the Stitched Rectangle dies. Before cutting the frame, I mounted the DSP on Whisper White cardstock. This way, when I mounted it to my card using Stampin' Dimensionals, it wasn't too flimsy. 

I cut leaves from Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive cardstock and wheat from Crumb Cake cardstock. I sponged the edges with the same colors to help match the feel of the embossed panel. I stamped the greeting with Crumb Cake ink on Whisper White cardstock and cut around it with Paper Snips leaving a small border. I added a double bow of Linen Thread and a few Bumblebee enamel dots to tie it all together. 

Cardstock Dimensions:
Early Espresso: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4"
Bumblebee: 4 3/4" x 3 1/2"
In Good Taste DSP: approximately 3 3/4" x 5 1/8"
​Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive, & Crumb Cake: Scraps
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I have more samples using the Forever Fern stamp set today. This time, I am using the same card design to make three cards, from simple to chic to oh là là! Each card uses the color scheme of Pear Pizzazz, Garden Green, and Pretty Peacock, but each card has been slightly stepped up. So, on y go! Let's get stamping.

Spring has sprung! Even though it doesn't feel like it yet here in Michigan. To celebrate, I made three cards using the Thoughtful Blooms Sale-A-Bration stamp set. From Simple using only stamps, inks, and paper, to Chic using punches and ribbon, all the way to Oh là là adding the Stitched So Sweetly dies. All of the cards use cardstock in Petal Pink, Calypso Coral, and Whisper White as well as Petal Pink, Calypso Coral, Soft Sea Foam, Pear Pizzazz, and So Saffron ink. 

Whether you're new to rubber stamping and card making or you're a seasoned pro, Rooted In Nature is a gorgeous stamp set that is perfect for making elegant cards for all occasions. Because I'm stuck on plaids right now, I used with a blue plaid patterned paper from the Country Club Designer Series Paper pack. I created three cards that use the same basic layout and go from simple to oh là là!
​

Tips:

• Stamp the tree with Jet Black Stazon. Color the tree by getting Garden Green and Early Espresso ink on separate clear blocks. Use an Aqua Painter to pick up the ink and watercolor the tree.
• Wrap the card front twice with Linen thread and tie in a knot. Fray the ends. 
• Stamp the leaf with Jet Black Stazon on Garden Green cardstock then trim. Adhere with Stampin' Dimensionals.
• Stamp the greeting with Night of Navy ink on Whisper White cardstock. Then trim each phrase leaving a small edge of white. Adhere with Stampin' Dimensionals except where the words overlap the leaf. 

Tips:

• Emboss the piece of 5 1/4" x 4" Night of Navy cardstock with the Subtle 3D embossing folder.
• Stamp the tree and leaf with versamark ink. Then heat emboss (directions here) with black embossing powder. Put white ink on a clear block, then use an Aqua Painter to paint the tree and leaf. Color over it by watercoloring with Garden Green, Early Espresso, and Night of Navy. Cut out the leaf.
• Heat emboss the greeting with white embossing powder. 
• Wrap linen thread around two fingers three times. Trim and lay on the card front. Attach the leaf and the greeting over top using Stampin' Dimensionals. These will hold the linen thread in place. 
• Add silver pearls around the greeting.

As a Francophile, the new Parisian Beauty stamp set was a must have! It will be available in the new January - June 2020 Mini Catalog, but I just couldn't wait to sit down and have a play with it. And then I couldn't wait to share the results with you!

I used this stamp set to create three cards, one that is very simple but elegant, one that has a few more layers or what I like to call chic, and the last one where I pulled out all the bells and whistles, or embossing folders and masks, to create an over-the-top, Oh là là! card. For all three cards, I used a color combination of Pool Party, Petal Pink, and Smoky Slate.

​Finally, I pulled out all the stops for my Oh là là! card. Although, as you can see, it still has the same basic imagery stamped on the front, but there is a lot of other stuff going on as well.

This time I started with an even smaller piece of Whisper White cardstock (3" x 4 1/4"). I started by using a mask from the set of Basic Pattern Decorative Masks found on page 35 of the Holiday Catalog. I used a sponge dauber to lightly sponge Smoky Slate ink in the upper left and lower right corners. Over this, I stamped the long, hard-to-read sentiment from the stamp set in Petal Pink ink. I stamped off before stamping it each time. Then, I stamped the other images as I had on the previous two cards.

I ran this stamped piece of Whisper White through my Big Shot using the Subtle 3D embossing folder. Then I swiped my Smoky Slate and Petal Pink ink pads along the edges to give it a distressed look. I layered it on a piece of Petal Pink cardstock (3 1/8" x 4 3/8"), a piece of Pool Party cardstock (3 7/8" x 4 5/8"), a piece of Bird Ballad DSP (4 1/16" x 5 5/16") whose edges I had also swiped in Smoky Slate and Petal Pink ink, and finally onto my Petal Pink Card Base. 

​I stamped the greeting in black on a small piece of Petal Pink cardstock, clipped the ends with the Tailored Tag punch, and swiped the edges with gray and pink ink. I adhered this to my card with Stampin' Dimensionals so that it was somewhat off-center and across multiple layers. I added three Basic Rhinestones near the greeting, and in the upper right corner, I took a small piece of Petal Pink Metallic-edged Ribbon, folded it in half, tied a piece of White Baker's Twine in a bow around it, and adhered it in place with a glue dot and a little Snail adhesive. 

This card was definitely not quick, but like the chic card, it wasn't difficult either. It just took a little more time and fussing. The end results were completely worth it though! I can't wait to make more cards with this beautifully elegant stamp set. Did I mention it has matching dies as well? Hopefully, those will be coming to my stamp studio soon!