Snowman Builder Punch is as much fun as paper dolls

Remember Paper Dolls?  When I was a girl my mom subscribed to McCalls Magazine. Each issue had a cardstock tear out of their signature character, Betsy McCall and several punch out dresses.  If you're too young to know what I'm talking about you can check out the picture below, or just google "Betsy McCall Paper Dolls"

I remember endless hours of fun playing with paper, clearly my love of paper crafts had an early beginning. Its more than just playing with pretty paper . . . its the stories you can tell. This little guy's raised arms reinforce the fact that he is very happy.

What could make him so happy?  Maybe the beautiful shimmery blue ribbon that matches the cardstock color. Or possibly the gorgeous shiny snowflakes in the designer paper.  Clearly he's not alone in loving that designer paper because its sold out for the season. I'll put links to the rest of the product used on this card at the end of the post.

Stampin'Up!'s Snowman Builder punch is nearly as much fun as paper dolls. And there's a coordinating stamp set. My grandchildren love playing with this punch. Its amazing the stories you can make up just by changing the angle of the arms and the tilt of the hat. And of course there are 2 other snowmen in the stamp set . . . its good creative fun!

Whether you live in a cold climate or not, I think every stamper should have at least 1 good versatile snowman stamp set and its a bonus that there is a coordinating punch.  If you don't already have a snowman stamp set I encourage you to give strong consideration to this bundle.

Thanks for stopping by. I'm happy to answer your questions about this or any other projects. You'll find specific product links for this project below, or just take some time to browse the Stampin'UP! store.

. . . have an INKcredible day!

When placing an on-line order you can earn extra rewards from me by using the Host Code of the Month . . . the Host code for December 2019 is:  P7URQWKP

Snowman Season Bundle (En) [152337] - $32.25

Seaside Spray 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [150883] - $8.75

Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [147110] - $7.50

Seaside Spray 1/4" Metallic Ribbon [150446] - $7.00

Feels Like Frost Specialty 6" X 6" Designer Paper SOLD OUT

Layered Pine Boughs and Colored Rhinestones

Recently I've been working with a group of new stampers.  In the beginning we concentrated on the basics:  "stamps" - - "ink" - - "paper".  We quickly added "embellishments" to the list. And now we've graduated to "layers".

This card is actually pretty simple but the layers make it look complicated. In truth its really just 4 steps:

1. stamp the sentiment
2. wrap the ribbon
3. glue on the die cut pieces
4. glue the layers to the base and add the rhinestones

The thing that makes it look complicated is the layers.  The paper layers for the framing on the card AND the layers of the die cut pieces. 

I really like the versatility of size and shape in this set of dies.  The Beautiful Boughs dies offers 2 sizes of branches as well as 2 sizes of pine cones.

 

I also love the detail on the pine cone dies..  I've layered 2 colors of brown for the cone on this card, a light color for the base and a darker brown for the detail on top. (links to specific product are at the end of the post)

 

Here's another trick that is really subtle (and easy to do) but also really enhances the visual effect: color the rhinestones!  The plastic of the rhinestones can be colored with an alcohol marker like Stampin'UP!'s Stampin Blends.  Here I've used Stampin'UP!'s Dark Old Olive Blend to match the bright green paper used on the card.

The take away from this project is that its easy to take your cards up a level by adding layers and small extra touches like coloring the rhinestones.  And Stampin'UP! has a wide range of dies embellishments and tools to help you do that.

Thanks for stopping by. You'll find specific product links for this project below, or just take some time to browse the Stampin'UP! store.

I hope you have an INKcredible day

When placing an on-line order you can earn extra rewards from me by using the Host Code of the Month . . . the Host code for December 2019 is:  P7URQWKP

Peaceful Boughs Bundle [153033] - $52.00	You can purchase the dies  &  stamp set individually, but you save 10% when you buy them as a bundle	Old Olive Dark Stampin' Blends Marker [144573] - $4.50	Rhinestone Basic Jewels [144220] - $5.00	Gold 3/8" Metallic-Edge Ribbon [144146] - $7.00
Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11"  [133676] - $8.75	Old Olive 8-1/2" X 11"  [100702] - $8.75	Soft Suede 8-1/2" X 11"  [115318] - $8.75	Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11"  [119686] - $8.75	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11"  [101650] - $9.75

Copper Embossed Sheltering Tree

I love the monotone look of this card made with Stampin'UP!'s Sheltering Tree stamp set.

. . . and the fact it was achieved by combining 3 different color products. The brown paper is Soft Suede, which coordinates beautifully with Copper Embossing powder. The Petal Pink Metallic Ribbon is a perfect compliment to achieve this overall monotone look. A complete list of products is at the end of the post. Its easy to color coordinate a project when the materials all come from the same company.

The copper embossing powder has a rich creamy look when heat set. Embossing powders all work the same, they contain bits of plastic and metal that you heat set to melt into the paper.  You need something to hold the powder to the paper in the desired pattern. This can be glue or a gooey ink.  Most stampers use Versamark ink to stamp the image. Due to the copper metal in this powder it is more granular and ends up with the beautiful creamy look you see in the picture above.

The Sheltering Tree stamp set has been a favorite. . . Check this card that uses the Rock and Roll technique to color the grass . . . or this spooky Halloween card with googly eyes in the tree.

Sheltering Tree is retiring the end of May, when the current catalog expires.   Click here to see all the retiring product.

I'm happy to answer your questions about heat embossing or any other stamping questions. Thanks for visiting - I hope I've inspired you to spend some time today in a little creative play. Have an INKcredible day . . .

If you haven't browsed the Stampin'UP! store I encourage you to spend a little time there. This is a great company with wonderful product. I do receive commission on sales and I appreciate your business - thank-you. My commission is paid by the company, you pay nothing extra when purchasing product through me.

Because I do appreciate your business, you can earn extra rewards when you shop with me
Just be sure to use the Rewards Code for the month (found in the left pane of the blog) when you place your on-line order.

Sheltering Tree Photopolymer Stamp Set [137163]- $25.00	Soft Suede 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [115318] - $8.50	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730] - $9.75	Versamark Pad [102283] - $9.00
	Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder [141636] - $5.00	Heat Tool [129053] - $30.00	Metallic Ribbon Combo Pack [146329] - $9.00