As You See It Challenge #015 - Using Up Your Bits

Well, it's Friday again and that means another As You See It Challenge and this time the challenge was a tough one.  But it looked to me like a good opportunity to use up bits and pieces of my Christmas DSP before the season was over.  It was also a good opportunity to use some of the seasonal stamp sets I hadn't used yet.  Here's Amanda's great sketch:

And here's what I did with it:

• I used Season of Style scraps plus a little Champagne and Cherry Cobbler Glimmer Paper and some Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso cardstock for the colour scheme of this card.
• The two stamps sets I made use of were Warmth and Wonder, a hostess set from the Holiday Catalogue and A Banner Christmas.  Those small images were perfect for this project.
• I trimmed and arranged small pieces of Cherry Cobbler cardstock to figure out sizes and placement for all the little boxes on this card.  Then I measured and cut the DSP or other paper to fit them.

• I love the deer and cardinal images from the Warmth and Wonder set and even the small Noel that usually goes with the bird but I stamped it separately.
• The JOY letters come together like three banners strung together, but I separated each one by cutting around it and cutting off the banner end to make it fit on the small squares.  Each one is popped up with dimensionals.
• I used two different types of Designer Buttons -Regals Collection and Naturals.  The dark brown medium Naturals Designer Button has been threaded with Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine and a bow tied.
• The little fork bow above the Noel in the bottom right corner is just the right size for this square.

The Clearance Rack Blitz continues!  Don't wait too long or your desired items may sell out.  You can shop online for these or any other products 24/7 here.

Latest MDS Downloads:

LABEL LOVE STAMP BRUSH SET - DIGITAL DOWNLOAD Price: $4.95

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• Warmth Wonder Wood-Mount Stamp Set
• Warmth Wonder Clear-Mount Stamp Set
• A Banner Christmas Wood-Mount Stamp Set
• A Banner Christmas Clear-Mount Stamp Set
• Champagne Glimmer Paper
• Red Glimmer Paper
• Season Of Style Designer Series Paper Stack
• Season Of Style Designer Series Paper
• Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Early Espresso 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad
• Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad
• Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad
• Cherry Cobbler Stampin Write Marker
• Early Espresso Stampin Write Marker
• Regals Designer Buttons
• Naturals Designer Buttons
• Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine
• Early Espresso 1/8 Inch Taffeta Ribbon
• Large Oval Punch
• 1/2 Inch Circle Punch

Thanks for dropping by today!  Please try the sketch at As You See It Challenges.  I can hardly wait to see your take on this sketch!

Merry Christmas As You See It

Life has been good but busier than normal the last couple of weeks.  As you may remember, every year around this time, I get geared up to organize a Christmas event at our church called, "One Night in Bethlehem".  We turn the church into a Bethlehem market place at the time of Jesus' birth and people take part in interactive displays, crafts and a drama is performed.  Add that to my already busy business life and time becomes precious!  It also flies by and so it is that Friday has rolled around again and it's time to show you another As You See It Challenge design, 008 this time.

Here's the sketch by the talented Amanda:

It has a little bit of a shabby-chic feel to it but not over the top.  Here's my take on the sketch:

• In keeping with my retreat designing duties, I've again used DSP from the Winter Frost collection.  I love how it uses a lot the blue-greens we have currently:  Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Island Indigo and Pool Party.
• I used the Perfect Pennants Bigz L die to die cut the two doily shapes in Coastal Cabana and Silver Foil.  Underneath those I added a Tea Lace Paper Doily folded just off of halfway for half-circle of slightly different lengths.
• The stamp set is A Banner Christmas, and I also used the small snowflake from Snow Day, inked in Encore Silver Metallic Ink, on the Whisper White flag.  

• See that blue rhinestone?  Yes, it's one of our Rhinestone Basic Jewels coloured with a turquoise Sharpie.
• I used Bermuda Bay 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon to tie a little fork bow for the top.

That's all there is to it.  You could definitely make one like this!

Don't forget, there is a Mystery Hostess Contest on now.  Here's the Hostess code for it: H7CWVP3K

Add that code to any on-line orders you make and you will be entered into the draw to win all the hostess rewards for any orders that come in this week, extra entries for every $25 you spend.  And with 25 stamp sets at 25% off, there are going to be a lot!

If I can make my goal of selling 25 stamp sets during this week, for helping me do that, I will draw two more names to receive free stamp sets up to $25 in value!

Stamps:  Snow Day (w131892; c131895); A Banner Christmas (w130252; c130255

Paper:  Winter Frost Specialty Design Series Paper (132341); Silver Foil Sheets (132178); Smoky Slate Textured 12 x 12 Cardstock (132131); Coastal Cabana (131297), Island Indigo (122923) and Whisper White (100730) cardstock

Ink: Silver Encore Metallic Ink (132142); Classic Stampin' Pads in Island Indigo (126986)

Accessories:   1/8" Taffeta Ribbon in Bermuda Bay (131206); Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246); Tea Lace Doilies (129399)

Tools:  Perfect Pennants Bigz L die (123126); Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch  (119275)

A Banner Christmas

Bermuda Bay 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon

Snow Day Stamp Set

Perfect Pennants Bigz L Die

Encore Silver Metallic Ink

Tea Lace Paper Doilies

Rhinestone Basic Jewels

Winter Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper

Snowday Joy

As a former school teacher, I remember well the days of the first snowfall!   Someone would exclaim, "It's SNOWING!!"  and that would be it for the day, pretty much.  Noses would be pressed against the window watching the little flakes of snow come down, tentative at first, then with more and more enthusiasm, until the ground began to turn white. 

They could hardly wait to get out in it, even though it was almost a guarantee that someone would come in soaking wet, someone else crying because they slipped and fell, and at least two or three more in trouble for throwing snowballs.

But it was always fun watching the unfettered joy it would bring to the kids as they slid, danced and created awesome snow sculptures. There are days when I really wish I could recapture that joy, without all the concerns that adulthood brings with it.

I hope my next card recaptures it a little, with two stamp sets, one appropriately named Snow Day, and the other called Banner Christmas.  This is another in the series of designs for our weekend retreat.

• I'm getting a lot of mileage out of the Winter Frost Specialty DSP for these designs.  This one is Island Indigo with Whisper White Snowflakes.
• The main Whisper White panel is layered with Coastal Cabana cardstock.  The snowman is stamped with Smoky Slate and stamped of twice before applying to the cardstock, so it would be light enough.
• I added the toque (Canadian snowman, definitely) and scarf in Coastal Cabana ink, the eyes, mouth and buttons in StazOn Jet Black, the carrot in Tangerine Tango and the arms, though hard to see here, in Early Espresso.

• I stamped the Joy Banner stamp in Coastal Cabana ink and used an Island Indigo Stampin' Write Marker to add the Island Indigo shadow.  I then hand cut the individual banners.
• I tied two fork bows, one on either end of a Bermuda Bay 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon and attached the banners to it using glue dots.  I then added it to the card front, putting each bow in one of his hands.

I'm thinking of using this cute fellow to document my progress, selling stamp sets during the 25th Anniversary Stamp Sale from Oct. 22 - 28.  I'm aiming to sell 25 sets and I could add one more element to the snowman for every three sets I sell!

Here are photos of all the sets that are on sale for 25% off:

So, I've already sold 4 sets, so I've added his face.  He needs a name - Sheldon!  What do you think?  Don't forget that for every $25 you order you also get an extra entry in the Mystery Hostess Contest.  Hostess Code is H7CWVP3K!  I need your orders by noon on Monday, Oct. 28!

Each feature added equals 3 stamp sets sold.  Next thing Sheldon gets is a nose!

Stamps:  Snow Day (w131892; c131895); A Banner Christmas (w130252; c130255)
Paper:  Winter Frost Specialty Design Series Paper (132341); Smoky Slate Textured 12 x 12 Cardstock (132131); Coastal Cabana (131297) and Whisper White (100730) cardstock.
Ink:  StazOn Jet Black (101406); Classic Stampin' Pads in Smoky Slate (131179), Coastal Cabana (131175), Tangerine Tango (126946) and Early Espresso (126974); Stampin' Write Marker in Island Indigo (131262 as part of the Regals collection)
Accessories:  1/8" Taffeta Ribbon in Bermuda Bay (131206)

StazOn Jet Black Ink Pad

Winter Frost Specialty DSP

A Banner Christmas Stamp Set

Bermuda Bay 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon

Smoky Slate Textured 12 x 12 card stock

Snow Day Stamp Set