Merriest Moments Monday #12-14

Adding more detail to my Merriest Moments cards... as the dies set has a large "mat die" which I have used with the gold Metallic Speciality paper...

Mounting up my embossed, die cut and stamped main feature panel with gold mat three ways...

So we have A5 card blanks in Evening Evergreen and then Very Vanilla... and finishing off with a large A5 Very Vanilla blank 

And a tip (and/or a bit of a laugh for you!) You can of course die cut flowers, leaves and even a gold matting panel from the large gold mat before you adhere it to the main feature panel....

But please think about the die placement! I cut lots out where I didn' t mean to!! Though luckily it didn't really show from the front...  In fact it made the gold mat a bit lighter....

Simple Five on Saturday - Merriest Moments #6 to 10

Another day... another Merriest Moments card... well 5 variants actually... As... whilst I had a few different card blanks out... I had a play! So same greeting frame... but set 5 ways...

But before I start... an admin matter... regarding blog post notification emails not arriving... click HERE for details to rectify... or simply to subscribe to blog post notifications by email for the future....

On a plain A6 sized Very Vanilla card blank... (US Letter nearest equivalent A2 )

On an embossed A6 sized Very Vanilla card blank. (US Letter nearest equivalent A2)

On a plain A5 sized Very Vanilla card blank (US Letter nearest equivalent 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" /double A2!?... Please could one of my US subscribers tell me a name!!!? I've been searching but I can't find...)

On a plain A6 sized Evening Evergreen card blank... (US Letter nearest equivalent A2 )

On an embossed A6 sized Evening Evergreen (US Letter nearest equivalent A2)

Simple for Saturday - Merriest Moments #4

 

Seeing as it is Saturday... here's one of the even simpler Merriest Moments creations...

Look no embossing... just set on a standard A6 card... but still gorgeous!

Click HERE for the embossed version... and/or HERE for more details on the products and colourway used...

Merriest Moments #3

Another Merriest Moments card... set on a standard A6 card again... 

Be sure to check out this gorgeous embossed Evening Evergreen card blank

Click HERE for more details on the products used...

Merriest Moments #2

Next Merriest Moments card... 

All set on a standard A6 card this time... be sure to check out the embossed detail... it really is gorgeous!

Click HERE for more details on the products used...

Merriest Moments #1

Love love love this Merriest Moments bundle of dies, embossing folder and stamps... I really do! 

Which is of course... code for a long series coming your way... hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed making them...!

Starting off with a simple but stunning large A5 sized card... a real WOW for someone special... featuring gold embossed flowers... with Evening Evergreen and Very Vanilla... 

And seeing as this is the first post of the series...let me introduce you to the bundle...

Starting with the Merriest Frames dies... 

Along with the Hybrid Embossing Folder... emboss it... die cut it... add a die cut mat... mount it...  the options are vast!

As well as the Merriest Moments stamps... with such gorgeous greetings too... 

 You can get the stamps on their own... or the dies & folder... but they really do work so well together!

Merry Monday - Tidings of Christmas Round Up

A quick round up of the 4 cards shared over the past week in my series of Focus on Using 6x6 Papers... featuring Tidings of Christmas along with the Merriest Moments stamps for some Christmas makes...

Have to admit that this mini series has proven a very popular class....

So wait there's more! Be sure to return tomorrow for more on a "paper focus series"... 

Simple for Saturday - Tidings of Christmas #4

Finishing off with the simplest of the series focusing on using the 6 x 6 papers...  featuring Tidings of Christmas and  Merriest Moments for Christmas makes... 

A straightforward A6 tent fold card... perfect for using those scraps...

Fun Fold Friday - Lock & Pop Card - Tidings of Christmas #3

Seemed like a great time to make another of these Lock & Pop cards... as classes start up again.... 

Closed....

Another card in the series focusing on using the 6 x 6 papers...  featuring Tidings of Christmas and  Merriest Moments for Christmas makes... and using the Stitched So Sweetly dies for my all-time-favourite greeting label...

Opening Up....

Definitely a favourite card fold at the moment... though it probably won't be when I finish the 60+ thank you cards I have on the go at the moment... but more on those another day....

Open... and on display...

Thursday Tidings of Christmas #2 - Multi Layer Card - with some tips...

Another in my series of Focus on Using 6x6 Papers... featuring Tidings of Christmas along with the Merriest Moments stamps for some Christmas makes...

This card is a great way to use the scraps left from another card....

But before I start... remember that today  is the last day you can order with the Sale A Bration promotion offers available to you.... In brief... a free gift for every £45 ordered... a free stamp set (In  Your Words) for orders over £275... AND wow! A free extra bundle when joining (see pg 19) our Stampin Up! family ...

Bit of a back story with this card... as it is a re-worked or CASEd version of a card I made 8 years ago for a Male Card series using Dapper Dad and Parkers Patterns... and that has been sitting on my "re-make me as I'm great" pile ever since... So now I have... though I changed the sizes of the top mat and papers to suit my leftovers from a card I will share soon!

And I couldn't resist decorating the inside with another of my paper scraps...

And a few tips for you....

(1) Reduce the amount of ribbon/thread you use when you are just going to cover it up... hopefully the picture says 1000 words....

(2) Feel free to "gut" the centre of your paper square... again hopefully the picture says 1000 words... I went round lining up and cutting at 3cm on all 4 sides... so I now have a smaller square of paper to use on another card...

(3) The poinsettia is a small flower layered (using a 3d foam Stampin Dimensionals pad) over a larger flower!

(4) The poinsettia leaves are from the large poinsettia flower inked up in the green! (Evening Evergreen in this instance) Perfect finish!

14.8cm Square Card Blank Cheery Cobbler

Paper 14.3cm Square mat (Gut centre out at 3cm all round  - or not!)

Striped Paper 14.8 x 3.8cm. 

Cherry Cobbler mat 10.3cm Square with White 5.3cm Square panel plus 4 paper panels 7.5 x 2cm.

Tuesday Tidings of Christmas - Side Fold (aka Book Fold) Card

Start of a new mini series today... focusing on using papers...  And featuring Tidings of Christmas for some Christmas makes...

But before I start... remember that this Thursday, 30th September is the last day you can order with the Sale A Bration promotion offers available to you.... In brief... a free gift for every £45 ordered... a free stamp set (In  Your Words) for orders over £275... AND wow! A free extra bundle when joining (see pg 19) our Stampin Up! crew...

Oh and new Host Code raised... don't want you to miss out on getting another free gift... from me this time!

So this is a Side Fold card as I called it...  as when I first created one I didn't see all the Book Binding Fold Card and Book Fold Card tutorials for such a fold around the web over the years...

And the Side Fold name has now stuck in my head... oops! As I am not a believer of changing card fold names... but I don't actually "get" the Book meaning/term... maybe it was derived from a Mini Book way back when... ?

Other products used are the Merriest Moments stamps and the Label Me Lovely Punch... which I have to admit are both getting a major workout at the moment!

Merry (Magnolia) Monday

Can't take any credit for the idea of colouring the Magnolia Lane papers in with the Real Red Stampin Blends to create poinsettia flowers...

And annoyingly I forgot to note the name of my fellow clever demonstrator that first shared the idea on out International Demo Only FB site... so please let me know if it was you... and I will quickly update my post...

But thought I should share with you just in case you hadn't caught up with this great idea for getting more out of your papers!!

Carols of Christmas Poinsettias.... and Three Tuesday Tips

Just realised I forgot to share this card made using the pre-released Carols of Christmas stamp set and Card Front Builder dies...

These are in the Autumn Winter catalogue which will be released 1st September... but this set is available to you to purchase now... Wood mount bundle here and Clear mount here...

Now I have to admit to 3 reasons why I didn't post this earlier...

(1) It is in a different colourway to all my other Carols of Christmas makes so it didn't fit in my series! 

(2) This is in Real Red and Tranquil Tide... and I wasn't going to share until I re-made it all in golds! But then everyone at Team Training liked the colours - so what do I know... so thought I should share in any case...

(3) I struggled to line up the die and stamped images to cut out my poinsettias! In fact I just couldn't do it really... and although they are die cut on this card... it took ages in trial and error.... so I resorted to fussy cutting for some more I now have in stock... yes they are in gold!

But then fast forward 2 weeks to Team Training last week...and suddenly I could see the how! It just came upon me in a flash... so I can happily share the trick with you too....

So Tip Number 1...

Stamp up your poinsettias with the arrow on the stamp pointing to the top....

Place the die over your poinsettia (aligned top of image to the top!!!!) with the corner/90 degree angle of the die to the centre at the bottom... 

Note that there are 2 of these dies.... so you can cut 2 corners of a mat at a time...

So I have now marked the relevant die with a B for bottom as a reminder... note that the Sizzix/number etching is upside down...

And cut! See not so hard.... 

I even managed to space and stamp my four demo poinsettias perfectly for all to (just) be cut out just right! Phew!

Tip Number 2... cutting a smaller poinsettia out! Same theory... but using the other corner die... so Sizzix etching right way up this time... just had to tilt the bottom angle a bit more up to the right to get it to line up...

And Tip Number 3... The new Mini Stampin Dimensionals are the bomb!! So perfectly sized... 

Pop them in the die cut area of where you want your flower to go... remove the protective cover... and pop your poinsettia on top... much quicker and easier to line up right than a flower with a 3D foam pad underneath...