Quick Post

My in-laws are visiting, and I don't have much computer time right now (we're having way too much fun!). But here's a quick card for you...a two-layer, white-on-white that I just love!

This card uses the set A Wreath for All Seasons as a garland on a narrow white panel and a sentiment from Happiest of Holidays...both sets from Papertrey Ink. It's a great--and easy--way to use the wreath a little differently!

And bling. Because everything's better with bling.

Back when I can!

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Happiest of Holidays, Wreath for All Seasons
ink: Memento cottage green, SU real red
paper: Papertrey
accessories: rhinestones, dimensionals

Inspired by Courtney Kelley

Courtney Kelly had a fabulous "Ka-Pow!" card published on page 41 of Paper Crafts Handmade Cards. It's made to showcase using ready-made embellishments, and Courtney came up with such a fun design and layout!

While I cannot make a nice card with premade embellishments to save my life, I felt totally inspired by her layout and lifted it almost completely for today's Christmas card.

The poinsettias are made using daisy punches, layered, and yellowish green rhinestones. I had originally only used the large flower, but the design felt incomplete and just too plain, so I added the small one and like the way it moves your eye around the design.

I couldn't have made this card without being inspired by Courtney's fab card, so thanks so much Courtney!

And check out Courtney's blog HERE for some amazingly beautiful, hip, and trendy paper craft awesomeness!


Supplies
stamps: Hero Arts (shadow), Papertrey sentiment
ink: Memento
paper: Papertrey white, SU real red
accessories: flower punches, rhinestones

Can You Have Too Much Stuff?

Y'all know I don't mass-produce cards because I have stamper's ADHD and get sooooo bored making dozens of the same thing. This is more of a problem at Christmas because I need about 120 cards, and making 120 different cards is hard work.

Y'all also know that the simpler the card design, the happier I am. Oh, I like making funky, experimental cards with unusual placements and white-on-white layers, but the results rarely fill me with as much joy as the simplest image and sentiment placed perfectly centered or following the rule of thirds on one white layer.

As part of this year's Simplicity Christmas, I wanted to capitalize on a lesson I learned last year...making a few simple product variations on a simple design adds fun and decreases time spent on making Christmas cards.

Of course, variations are easier if you have, ahem, a bunch of stuff in your stash.

So a very simple, basic design gets a little different treatment using three different forms of red embellishments, proving once again that you can never have too much stuff. Having three forms of essentially the same thing can serve a stamper quite well, thank you very much.

And here's the proof:



Small Red Pearls

Close-up of Small Red Pearls

Red Nail Heads

Close-up of Red Nail Heads

Red Rhinestones

Close-up of Red Rhinestones

 

Of the three, the nail heads are the most postal-friendly embellishment because they are the flattest. But the pearls and rhinestones look better to me.

You are, of course, entitled to your own opinion as to which looks better.

No matter which you prefer, however, you simply must admit that having all three is preferable to only having one or two.

And if you only have one or two in your stash, I won't judge you if you run out and buy the ones you don't have.

That way, I won't have to feel guilty about longing for those stupid enamel-looking dots all the super-star stampers are using on their cards these days, right?

Of course I'm right.

Happy shopping stamping!

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Wreath for All Seasons
ink: Memento
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: rhinestones, pearls, nail heads, corner rounder

 

Results of the A/B Poll and an OLW165 and UYS Christmas Card

This week's OLW is on Ardyth's blog and it's to make a holiday card without using red or green. As you'll see below, this is so very do-able! Click on over to Ardyth's blog to play along!

The results of the informal poll on THIS POST were interesting. I asked whether you preferred Card A or B, the only difference being the use of colored card stock for either the stamped circles or the mats under stamped circles.

Hands down, the majority of you liked Card A. Out of 50 comments, 34 of you said A, for a variety of reasons. Thirteen of you said you preferred B, and most of those said it was because they could read the sentiment stamped on white more clearly. Two of you said you couldn't decide.

I'm with the two. I was struck by how different the two cards are but baffled as to how to decide which one is "better." Each is good for its own reasons, and I suspect that what matters most is how important you consider the readability of the sentiment. I deliberately made it one word in a simple font so stamping it on colored card stock would be as readable as I could make it. For the majority of you, this seems to have worked! 

These sorts of design questions are so interesting, mainly because there isn't really a "right" answer. We're all right, I think.

Anywho, today's card results from Ardyth's One-Layer Wednesday Challenge this week AND my Use-Your-Stamps Challenge. This four-block shadow stamp from Hero Arts is among the first stamps I ever bought.

This card was hard to photograph/edit. The light snowflakes contrast a just a bit more on the card, so they have a bit more visual weight and look more balanced in real life.

Click over to Ardyth's challenge to see her lovely black-and-white-and-glitter card. She rocked that bottle of Stickles. My free-handing with Stickles NEVER looks as good as hers turned out!

For those of you doing the Use-Your-Stamps challenge, this time of year is excellent for using all those winter/holiday stamps. If you feel so compelled, you could challenge yourself to use each and every winter/holiday stamp you own this year.

Of course, if you're shooting for a Simplicity Christmas, you might not want to do such a thing.

In fact, forget I said anything.

Supplies
stamps: Hero Arts (shadow), Papertrey Snowflake Serenade
ink: Memento, Versacolor
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: assorted rhinestones

Using What I Have

Years ago...and I do mean years...I purchased a bunch of Fabriano Medioevalis cards and envelopes. These blank cards, made from beautiful, deckle-edge watercolor paper, feel too good to use.

How silly is that?

I have occasionally screwed up the courage to use a few of them and even messed up some of the cards (the horror!), leaving me with extra envelopes. Of course, using other supplies as part of my Use Your Stamps Challenge makes sense, and I'm happy to say I've now used up all my FM cards and envelopes.

The world, as far as I know, is still spinning.

Here are the results. Note that the cards are not standard A2 size; they are about 3.25" x 5.25".

The last card isn't Fabriano. It's Papertrey vintage cream cut o Fabriano size. The texture of the watercolor paper didn't work with the solid block stamps (Hero Arts) of the nativity scene (I ruined a card trying to make them work). This card and a bunch like it will go into one of the leftover envelopes from the cards.

The grand total made with these cards and envelopes was 15 cards...not too shabby!

What do you have lying around in your stash that you could use up?

Supplies
stamps: various Papertrey and Hero Arts
ink: various
paper: Fabriano Medioevalis, Papertrey Vintage Cream
accessories: none

And the Winner Is...

Margaret, who said:

"My daughters have mentioned recently they're finding the idea of Christmas stressful, so I'm helping them by giving them permission to not get me a gift!
Loved your ideas, Susan, and really Christmas shouldn't been a burden. . ."

 

What a great way to reduce others' stress during the holidays!

 

Margaret, please send me an email at susanraihala at roadrunner dot com with your snail-mail address so I can send you your Copic markers!

 

 

Card A or Card B or Both?

I will announce the winner of the Copics some time on Monday.

In the meantime, thank you all for your comments and emails! Lots of good stuff.

Also, the current OLW is on Ardyth's blog and is really a fun one! Play the Game: make a card inspired by a game or some form of play. I really, really wish I had a stamp of a classic painting so I could do a card based on Masterpiece...my favorite board game ever. But alas, I hope I have time to play along with something....

Today's cards are a study in contrasts, and I'm curious to know which one you like better.

Card A: Stamping on colored card stock with white mats

Card B: Stamping on white card stock with colored mats

Which do you like better and why? Or are they the same in your estimation?

Inquiring minds, and all that....

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Ink (Paper Trey)
ink: Memento black
paper: SU turquoise, green galore, cool Caribbean; Papertrey white
accessories: MS scallop circle punch, circle punch, dimensionals, clear dome sticker