There are days when I sit down in my craft room and I have this great idea in my head.  I pull out all of the supplies I know I'm going to use and I settle in to stamping.  Then halfway through the project I hit a huge road block.  The idea in my head just doesn't translate to the project sitting in front of me.  Does this ever happen to you?  

For this card, I got the card base, Basic Black and DSP layers down and then....nothing.  The idea for the focal point of the card just wasn't working.  Sometimes when this happens, I find that the best thing to do is walk away.  Sure, I could get frustrated.  Maybe I could get some short term satisfaction over ripping the card to shreds in a mini temper tantrum, but later I would regret that decision.

I like to let things marinate.

By giving my brain some time to process the idea, I came to the realization that the direction I was taking the card in was wrong.  So instead, I went back to my clean and simple style of stamping.  I pulled out the Stitched with Cheer stamp set because I knew that the images would coordinate beautifully with the DSP I had chosen.  This card is just so easy to make, and I absolutely love the end result: classy and simple!  Some two step stamping, and overlapping the "Holly" in the sentiment with the actual holly image gave me the design harmony I was craving!  

Hi Stampers! 

Today I have a card to share with you that I entered into the Just Us Girls Challenge for this week.  It was a color challenge and I couldn't resist trying out some new stamps and dies.  The new Delicate Ornament Thinlits dies are so cool.  I pre-ordered the new Precision Plate for the Big Shot and it makes it super easy to cut out these intricate designs. No more wax paper for this girl!

The color challenge was to use black, red, and gray so I went with Basic Black, Real Red, and Smoky Slate as my color combo.

If you click on this image it will take you to the Just Us Girls Challenge blog where you can check out all of the fun inspiration for this color combo!

Here is a close up of the ornament.  Can you see all of the fun new products used?  

Stampin' Up! 2015 Holiday Catalog Items (Available Sept. 1st, 2015):

Delicate Ornament Thinlit Dies (available in a bundle for 15% off)

Embellished Ornaments Stamp Set (available in a bundle for 15% off)

Big Shot Precision Base Plate

Basic Black Archival Stampin' Pad

Silver Cording Trim

Red Foil Sheets

Hi Stampers!

Today I have a sneak peek at a bunch of products from the brand new Stampin' Up! 2015 Holiday Catalog!  I love being able to pre-order the holiday products so that I can get a head start on all of my holiday crafting.  

I took some inspiration from the Freshly Made Sketches challenge blog.  Here's the sketch that they posted for this week.

Here's my take on the sketch.  I wanted to use a bunch of the new Halloween themed products from Stampin' Up!  I used the new Witches' Night stamp set.  It's photopolymer set that coordinates with a brand new home decor project kit, but it is also a great stand alone set for Halloween cards.  Look at how big the stamp is!  It's a perfect focal point for a card.  I used it alone on a piece of Tangelo Twist card stock here, but it coordinates with the Lots of Labels framelits from the annual catalog.  Do you also see the new Happy Haunting Designer Series Paper?  It's really cute!

I repeated the same washi tape flags on the inside of the card for more interest.  This is the new Happy Haunting Designer Washi Tape.  You know I love washi!  There is also a third roll of tape which is Tangelo Twist with little white stars on it.

Hope you enjoyed some of my sneak peeks at the new catalog today!  If you need some inspiration, make sure you check out the Freshly Made Sketches blog by clicking on the sketch above.  

Sneak Peek Items (available Sept. 1st, 2015):

Witches' Night Photopolymer Stamp Set

Happy Haunting Designer Series Paper

Happy Haunting Designer Washi Tape

Basic Black Archival Stampin' Pad

Sadly, this stamp set, Love and Laughter, is no longer available.  I really loved this set.  I was a dummy and got rid of mine, so I had to go and borrow it from my friend!  I loved this Gold Soiree Designer Series Paper!  It's on the clearance rack right now so be sure to stock up!!!

Here is the sketch I used for inspiration.  I love it!   It's so simple, but you can really add to it depending on your personal stamping style.

Here's a close up of the gold emobossed bridal gown.  I love how the gown is formed from all different sized text.

Thanks for checking out my blog today!  I always love to hear from you, so drop me a "hello" in the comments! 

Do you have this alpha set?  Do you love it?  If not, what's your favorite alpha stamp set?  Let me know in the comments! :-)

Hi Stampers!

Today I have a non-card project for you.  Here is a festive way to dress up a bottle of wine that you may be giving as a gift this holiday season.  The one I have posted here is done in all Autumn colors, but this could very easily be done in Christmas colors for a last minute way of dressing up a bottle.  This would be a great hostess gift to give at a holiday party! 

I used my hot glue gun for creating the medallion and attaching it to the ribbon.  It just has a much better hold for this type of project than any other adhesive.

 

I love the burlap ribbon that Stampin' Up! sells.  It's perfect for making bottle tags because it lays so nicely!   I made my ribbon tails longer and then trimmed them down to the length I wanted right at the end.  I wanted my tails to come past the label so that it was more covered up.  That way the recipient moves the tag to the side to see what type of wine you gave them - it's kind of like unwrapping but with less mess! 

The banner was stamped using my Stamp-a-majig so that I could get perfect placement.  After stamping, I made the score lines on either side of the stamped image and then a second set of score lines 1/4" away from each of the first score lines.  After I did all of that, then I cut the flagged ends by hand. 

 

I really wanted to make a Halloween card with this sketch!  The Freaky Friends stamp set is so cute for Halloween cards!  I used my Old Olive Blendabilities to give the witch her greenish hue.  

 

Here's a close up of the focal point.  I used my new handheld stapler for attaching the sentiment.  I was so excited to see this new tool in the Holiday Catalog!  It's a fun way to attach pieces to cards and it's great for scrapbooking and Project Life!