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]

Ornamental Pine for Mojo Monday

I know, I know!  You're tired of Ornamental Pine. But it just worked so well with the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge this week. That little ornament was exactly the right size for that image square!                  
We just put up our Christmas tree yesterday, so that I would have it up for my last Christmas Stamper's Dozen of the year last night. I like having an artificial tree so that I can put it up early and enjoy it for longer, but I miss the tradition of going out and choosing a real tree and bringing it home with the lovely evergreen scent filling the house.  My hubby thought that a car deodorizer with a pine scent would take care of that.  Uh, no!  It smelled like Pinesol or disinfectant or after shave, not  an evergreen! Oh well!  Maybe someday we'll get a real tree again.

 Here's the tree and my mantle decor with the Many Merry Stars playing a 'starring' role!

The Mojo Monday Challenge was a "Tall and Skinny" this week! I really like Julee Tilman's design with the diagonal element.  I made my card 3-1/2" x 5-1/2" so that it would fit in a regular envelope.

• I used the Cherry Cobbler 1" Sheer Linen Ribbon for the diagonal element, but add an extra touch of elegance by backing it with a 1-1/4" wide strip of Brushed Gold cardstock. Don't those two colours coordinate well?
• I used some of the Cherry Cobbler Designer Series Paper Stack for the long rectangular piece, also backing it, as I did everything with the Brushed Gold cardstock.
• I inked up the pine branch image in Always Artichoke ink and stamped around the edges of the square, stamping a couple of times before reinking to get the feeling of depth. The ornament was stamped in Cherry Cobbler ink and a Rhinestone Basic Jewel added to the middle. I edged the sides of the square in Always Artichoke for a little more definition.
• The sentiment is from Wondrous Wreath stamp set and fits just perfectly under the diagonal strip.

And it's Tuesday, so, in addition to the amazing Online Extravaganza Sale, there is a new set of weekly deals happening and on sale until Monday, Dec. 1.

And don't forget the OnLine Extravaganza on now until Tuesday, Dec. 2.  Click on the photo for the link to all the amazing details:

And here's your chance to get everything you want and make some money for doing it!  The Stampin' Up! Starter kit is 25% off until Dec. 2

In addition to all the other benefits of being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, if you join my team during this period, you will be able to earn a 5% Cash Back Bonus for all your sales during December!  Whoop!  Click here and follow the prompts.

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

Ornamental Pine Wood-Mount Stamp Set [135104]	Ornamental Pine Clear-Mount Stamp Set [135107]	Wondrous Wreath Photopolymer Stamp Set [135047]	Regals Backgrounds Designer Series Paper Stack [130139]	Brushed Gold 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [102935]
Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [119685]	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [101650]	Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad [126966]	Always Artichoke Classic Stampin' Pad [126972]	Cherry Cobbler 1" Sheer Linen Ribbon [135839]
Rhinestone Basic Jewels Embellishments [119246]

Christmas Tree Bokeh Effect

I'm still having fun with the bokeh effect. It is so beautiful around Christmas time because of all the lights. I did another bokeh effect card here, but that time I used a palette of cool colours.  Today, I am sharing with you a card using the bokeh effect with a more traditional palette - a Christmas tree close up.  

It was pictures like these Christmas tree close-ups that inspired me:

• Ornamental Pine steals the show one more time.  I can't tell you how many times I've reached for this stamp set over this season.  For this card, I used the pine branch image along with the ornament and the sentiment.
• To create the effect of out-of-focus Christmas tree lights in the background, I first sponged a piece of Whisper White cardstock with Real Red, Mossy Meadow, Old Olive and Crushed Curry.  Using a piece of Window Sheet with two circles punched in it (one circle with the 1-1/4" Circle Punch and one with the 3/4" Circle Punch) as a mask, Whisper White Craft Ink is sponged to create two sizes of white circles, Then a sponge dauber is used to sponge smaller, more focused circles in Whisper White Craft Ink.
• After the background is created the pine branches are stamped in Mossy Meadow.  The ornament is stamped with VersaMark ink on a separate piece of Whisper White cardstock and Gold Stampin' Emboss powder is added and heat set. Then the ornament is hand cut and the 1/8" Circle Punch is used to cut out the paper inside the hoop for hanging the ornament.
• Some Old Olive Baker's Twine is tied through the hole and secured on the backside of the paper.  Stampin' Dimensionals are used to pop up the ornament image.
• The sentiment is stamped on Whisper White cardstock using Mossy Meadow ink.  The Project Life Framelits were used to die cut the sentiment.  It was a little wide, so I cut a sliver of equal side off both sides.
• Gold Glimmer Paper gives such a rich background panel.

It's Tuesday again:

Call me if something in the weekly deals grabs your attention!

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

Ornamental Pine Wood-Mount Stamp Set [135104]	Ornamental Pine Clear-Mount Stamp Set [135107]	Gold Glimmer Paper [133719]	Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [133676]	Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [100730]
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [126949]	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad [131173]	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [126953]	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad [133645]	Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad [101731]
Versamark Pad [102283]	Old Olive Baker's Twine [134579]	Stamping Sponges [101610]	Sponge Daubers [133773]	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder [109129]
Heat Tool [129053]