Joyful Season for Freshly Made Sketches 200th Celebration

So Freshly Made Sketches is celebrating their 200th Challenge this week! Congrats, FMS! Thanks for all the wonderful inspiration since you started out! The sketch is a very simple one with lots of room for variation and creativity:

I was trying to come up with something different at the same time as I was unpacking my Holiday Catalogue pre-order and when I saw the new photopolymer stamp set, *Joyful Season, I had a marvelous idea! I thought the branch would make a great divider between the two areas of the sketch! And I was looking for a simple project that I could do at my first Christmas Stamper's Dozen this week. But that idea was dashed as this stamp set is not quite as easy to use as it might seem!

Take a closer look and I'll explain why:

• This water-colour-like stamp set is described as a Two Step Stamping set, but in reality, it's more like 3 or 4 steps per image. With the photopolymer transparency, you can line up your images fairly accurately, and for a real water-colour effect you don't want exact precision. but I ended up redoing this a couple of times trying for the best look. With all the little extra accents here, it would take too long to be a good sample for a Christmas Stamper's Dozen.
• I love the big, bold, sweeping Joyful sentiment! What a great one word summary for the Christmas season! When I first stamped it, I thought I had really missed either inking up the stamp or using even pressure when I stamped it on the Whisper White cardstock. But as it turns out, it is supposed to look like that - quick brush strokes that are, again, not precise!
• Tip Top Taupe is the cardstock for the card base and the ink I used for the branch. And check out the foil backing the image! Yes, it's RED! Stampin' Up! has added *Red Foil Sheets for the holiday season. Brilliant! 
• Since I was a little girl, cardinals have been my favourite bird! I love the bright red plumage, especially against the snow-laden branches, the perky crest and the black mask. Unfortunately, I don't get to see one very often as our valley is not in their range, but I think they make a great Christmas image.

Here's a couple of photos of my favourite birds:

Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today!

Product List

Tip Top Taupe 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [138336]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [126949]	Tangerine Tango Classic Stampin' Pad [126946]
Tip Top Taupe Classic Stampin' Pad [138325]	Sahara Sand Classic Stampin' Pad [126976]	Brights Designer Buttons [130028]	Linen Thread [104199]	Fuse Fast Adhesive [129026]
Glue Dots [103683]

*Products from the Stampin' Up! 2015 Holiday Catalogue, available Sept.1, 2015: *Joyful Season Stamp Set, *Red Foil Sheets