Happy New Year 2015 - Out with the Old and In with the New

One last holiday card for you today, in honour of it being New Year's Eve! Out with the old and in with the new! New Year's Eve is not my favourite holiday of all time. I think it has to do with all those perfect strangers coming up to you at midnight, wanting a kiss for Auld Lang's syne, and me having a fairly large personal space bubble. It was just too awkward. I don't mind celebrating with good friends with whom I have shared Auld Lang Syne (the old days), but I would avoid like the plaque parties where there were a lot of strangers and distant acquaintances in different stages of inebriation.

So, as we say good-bye to 2014 and welcome in 2015, this card has Stampin' Up! past, present and future as elements of it.

• The stamp set, Mingle All the Way, is Stampin' Up! Past.  It was one of my most used stamp sets from the Holiday Catalogue 2014 and will no longer be available after Jan. 5. So, you know, make sure you get it before the deadline!  I heat embossed the sentiment from this set with a mixture of Gold and Silver Stampin' Emboss Powders - getting an almost pewter tone to it. Since I'm working with both metallics here, I wanted something in between for the sentiment.
• The paper is definitely Stampin' Up! Present. All the paper used here is in the Annual Catalogue and will be available until at least June. I used Brushed Silver Cardstock as the card base and Shimmery White cardstock (which is impossible to catch the shimmer of with a camera) forms the background. I cut banners, using the Banners Framelits, from Silver Fancy Foil Designer Vellum and Gold Glimmer Paper and I added some Gold Glimmer Paper also on the sentiment banner (which is also on Shimmery White Cardstock.)
• Stampin' Up! Future is embodied in that amazing embellishment on the bottom right! It can be found in the the up-coming Occasions 2015 Catalogue and available January 6!  It is part of the Artisan Embellishments kit, which is seriously amazing.

I hope all of you have your Occasions Catalogues now.  I was a little disappointed that it took so long for them to arrive, since they shipped on Dec. 1, but I guess the holiday mail was pretty slow!  Enjoy pouring over them and making your wish lists. 

Free Occasions Catalogue Launch - "Make Something Special"

I am planning a free event, the Occasions Catalogue Launch, entitled "Make Something Special!"  I will have some make and takes using the new products, there will be games and goodies, and I will have my retired product available, including sets and paper from last year's Occasions Catalogue.  It will be slightly discounted, but you can get 50% of the purchase price toward free new products from the Occasions (or Annual) Catalogue! It is held on Saturday, January 10 from 1 to 3 pm.  Register right away for that here.

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! *List does not include Stampin' Up! sneak peek items.  They will be available Jan. 6, 2015.

Product List

Mingle All The Way Wood-Mount Stamp Set [135770]	Mingle All The Way Clear-Mount Stamp Set [135773]	Brushed Silver 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100712]	Shimmery White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [101910]	Silver Fancy Foil Designer Vellum [133364]
Gold Glimmer Paper [133719]	Versamark Pad [102283]	Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder [109131]	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder [109129]	Embossing Buddy [103083]
Heat Tool [129053]	Banners Framelits Die [132173]	Big Shot [113439]	SNAIL Permanent Adhesive [104332]	Fuse Fast Adhesive [129026]
Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]	Glue Dots [103683]

* Artisan Embellishment Kit

Boxing Day Review

I hope your Christmas was everything you hoped it would be!  Traditionally, Boxing Day has been my day to kick back after all the work of Christmas Day and before, and just relax and play with my new toys! I refuse to go shopping, as is the custom of some, to take advantage of all the big bargains out there! Why don't they have all the big bargains BEFORE Christmas?? Just sayin'!

Wondrous Wreath Stamp Set and Wonderful Wreath Framelits

In the spirit of kicking back and relaxing, I wanted to reshare some of the Christmas designs I posted this year and get you looking back at the Holiday Catalogue.  January 5 will be the last day to order from the Holiday Catalogue, so I want you to be sure that you haven't missed ordering something you really love! Click on each photo to take you back to the original post.

One of many designs using Ornamental Pine Stamp set.  

Ornamental Pine peek-a-boo with Blackberry Bliss!

Ornamental Pine with Bokeh Effect

Angled Easel Card with Mingle All the Way

Striped Grosgrain Ribbon Card with Mingle All the Way

Nutcracker from Santa Stache

         

Side Step card with Holiday Homes

                                   

Cardinal for Christmas with Beauty of the Season

                             

Product List

Wondrous Wreath Photopolymer Stamp Set [135047]	Wonderful Wreath Framelits Dies [135851]	Ornamental Pine Wood-Mount Stamp Set [135104]	Ornamental Pine Clear-Mount Stamp Set [135107]	Santa Stache Wood-Mount Stamp Set [135032]
Santa Stache Clear-Mount Stamp Set [135035]	Mustache Framelits Die [133741]	Holiday Home Photopolymer Stamp Set [135095]	Homemade Holiday Framelits Dies [135857]	Mingle All The Way Wood-Mount Stamp Set [135770]
Mingle All The Way Clear-Mount Stamp Set [135773]	Beauty Of The Season Wood-Mount Stamp Set [135776]	Beauty Of The Season Clear-Mount Stamp Set [135779]

Striped Grosgrain Ribbon for Pals Paper Arts!

I was gazing idly at my ribbon stash yesterday, when my glance fell on the 4 rolls of striped grosgrain ribbon.  I realized that, as much as I loved it, I had barely used it.  I just didn't have the occasion to get it out.  But sometimes I think that you have to create the occasion, and when I saw the Pals Paper Arts Challenge 224 for this week, I knew that it was the perfect opportunity!

Whenever I have a sketch that calls for narrow panels, I try to think of new ways to create them besides using just paper.  You can stamp border designs on them, you can dry emboss them, or you can use ribbon. And that's what I did.  It started out pretty plain.  Just the ribbons, the tag and the bow:

• I used the Cherry Cobbler and the Crumb Cake Striped Grosgrain Ribbons for the narrow panel on the sketch.  Fast Fuse adhesive is really helpful in adhering the ribbon to the cardstock.
• The sentiment/main image from the Mingle All the Way stamp set, was inked up using Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, and Old Olive Stampin' Write markers.  It took a while to get it all coloured, so you might think that some of the ink would dry while waiting for the other to be applied.  It does but it's not a problem. All you need to do when you're finished is "HUFF" on it.  That's right, "HUFF"!  You know, breath on it with your mouth.  The moist, warm air remoistens the ink and it stamps perfectly!
• I used the Scallop Tag Topper punch to get the tag shape for the sentiment panel.
• I layered some Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding ribbon with some Venetian crochet trim and tied a bow.  I used a glue dot to stick it to the top of the tag.

• I liked what I had done, but had a vague sense that it was incomplete, so hunted around for a way to complete it. I decided to add a matte to the tag, cut from Old Olive cardstock.
• I tried Candy Dots, large Designer Buttons with a Linen Thread bow, but nothing was working for me.  I finally settled on a medium sized Designer Button in Old Olive at the bottom right of the tag with a large Rhinestone Basic Jewel in the middle.

What do you think?  Which version do you like the best?

And it is Tuesday, so it's time for the....(drum roll please)...

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

Mingle All The Way Wood-Mount Stamp Set [135770]	Mingle All The Way Clear-Mount Stamp Set [135773]	Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [119685]	Crumb Cake 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [120953]	Old Olive 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [100702]
Very Vanilla 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [101650]	Cherry Cobbler Stampin Write Marker [119681]	Crumb Cake Stampin Write Marker [120967]	Old Olive Stampin' Write Marker [100079]	Cherry Cobbler 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon [134554]
Crumb Cake 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon [134553]	Cherry Cobbler 1/2 Inch Seam Binding Ribbon [120992]	Venetian Crochet Trim [134581]	Brights Designer Buttons [130028]	Basic Rhinestones Jewel Accents [119246]
Scalloped Tag Topper Punch [133324]	Fuse Fast Adhesive [129026]	Mini Glue Dots [103683]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]