A Little More Peaceful Noel for Freshly Made Sketches

The Christmas card making season is just about over, but I have found myself needing more of them as I mail out batches, and I wanted to enter the next Freshly Made Sketches Challenge. This is a nice open-ended sketch just made for a Clean and Simple project. As the Holiday Catalogue has run it's course, I found myself drifting more and more often to a couple of suites in it that I just loved. One of them was the Joyous Noel suite, which included the Joyous Noel Specialty Designer Series Paper, (which, alas, is all sold out and discontinued now because obviously I wasn't the only one that found it alluring), the Peaceful Noel Stamp Set, which is very versatile, and the Joyous Noel 6 x 6 Glimmer Paper, both of which, as of the time I write this post, were still available.

Here's the sketch for Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #367:

I love the layers that give you a good look at every paper used. Here's how I handled them all:

• I wanted some texture for the front of the Merry Merlot card base, so I used the Subtle Dynamic Embossing Folder to achieve that raw silk kind of look.
• I layered it with two of the designs in the Joyous Noel Specialty Designer Series Paper set, one matted with the Merry Merlot 6 x 6 Glimmer Paper cut to the right size and one backed with Early Espresso.
• Using the Detailed Deer Thinlits, which are still available, I die cut the leaping deer from the Copper Glimmer Paper, which is from the Joyous Noel 6 x 6 Glimmer Paper Pack, and added it to the card front using Mini Dimensionals.
• The sentiment starts with a 2" Circle Punch in Copper Foil, layered under a 1 3/4" Circle punched in Whisper White cardstock. It is stamped with the paint splotch image, stamped substantially off, with the leaf or berry image (I don't know, you tell me!) stamped over it, still stamped off a bit in Merry Merlot ink. 
• Then the Noel sentiment is stamped in Versamark and embossed with Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder. This is heat set with the Heat Tool and glued to its Copper Foil backing then added to the card front with Dimensionals. Don't forget to let the coloured ink dry well before embossing and use the Embossing Buddy to ensure you only get the embossing powder where you want it.     

        You have two weeks left to get the products you wanted that are retiring from the Holiday Catalogue before they are gone for good. Don't leave it until the last minute and then miss out on a product that you really wanted. Sadly, it happens every year.

Don't let this be you, after finding out that you waited too long to try and purchase a retiring product from the Holiday Catalogue!

Here is a link to the list of retired products from the catalogues: Retired Products

You'll find some significant savings on several of the articles as well!

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

Peaceful Noel Photopolymer Bundle [149958] $41.25	Peaceful Noel Photopolymer Stamp Set [147694] $22.00	Joyous Noel 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [147816] $19.00	Joyous Noel 6" X 6" Glimmer Paper [147817] $20.50	Copper Foil Sheets [142020] $5.50
Merry Merlot 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146979] $11.50	Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [119686] $11.50	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730] $13.25	Versamark Pad [102283] $12.25	Gray Granite Classic Stampin' Pad [147118] $10.25
Merry Merlot Classic Stampin' Pad [147112] $10.25	Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder [141636] $6.75	Embossing Buddy [103083] $8.25	Heat Tool [129053] $41.00	Subtle Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [143706] $14.00
2" Circle Punch [133782] $24.00	1-3/4" Circle Punch [119850] $24.00	Detailed Deer Thinlits Dies [147915] $46.00	Big Shot [143263] $150.00	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $5.50
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [144108] $5.50	SNAIL Permanent Adhesive [104332] $9.50	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755] $5.50

Steampunk Leaflets for The Paper Players

I get the urge to do some steampunk work at the oddest times. Like for a clean-and-simple challenge such as the one over at The Paper Players this week. Everyone knows that Steampunk is the antithesis of Clean-and-Simple, right? Nevertheless, I had a hankering to play with gears and copper and I had this vision of adding them to a maple leaf for some reason. So, keeping in mind that this might be the first step in a long slide toward a complete breakdown, I kind of like how it turned out. You could let me know what you think, to reassure me that I'm still somewhat in control or to send me on a quest for help!

Here's the Challenge banner from The Paper Players:

All the leaves around my house are getting very coppery, and will all be on the ground very soon! I'm thinking we are all wishing they had wheels and gears and could clean themselves up to save us from raking! Take a closer look at my invention here:

• There is a lot of Copper Foil Sheet in this card and it just happens to be backordered right now, but there should be another shipment of it coming in today, so if you want to try something like this, you're in luck! I die cut the maple leaf from it using the Leaflet Framelits and the gears were die cut using a memory box die I've had for a while called Deluxe Gear Set.
• I also stamped a coordinating maple leaf using the Vintage Leaves stamp set in Versamark Ink and embossed it using Copper Embossing Powder, which happens to be in low inventory right now so should be ordered right away if you need it. I used the same Leaflet Framelits to die cut it, and tucked it behind the Copper Foil leaf, just offset a little. This was added to the card front using Stampin' Dimensionals after adding the largest of the gears with a glue dot.
• The other gears were added as shown in the photo above using glue dots or dimensionals.
• The sentiment is from the Wetlands stamp set, stamped in Cajun Craze ink.

So what do you think? Does it work? Can you have a steampunk, clean-and-simple leaf?

Don't forget: You have until Oct. 31 to take advantage of the Buy 3, get 1 package of Designer Series Paper promotion!

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

Vintage Leaves [138802]	Wetlands Wood Stamp Set [126695]	Wetlands Clear Stamp Set [126697]	Copper Foil Sheets [142020]	Cajun Craze 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [119684]
Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [101650]	Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad [126965]	Versamark Pad [102283]	Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder [141636]	Heat Tool [129053]
Leaflets Framelits Dies [138283]	Big Shot [143263]	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755]	Glue Dots [103683]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]

Also memory box Deluxe Gear Die Set