TGIF!!!! I love my weekends! It's time when the family tries to kick back and spend some quality time together. It doesn't always happen, but when it does, it's magical!
Speaking of magical, how about a Christmas card? As soon as I saw this week's Stamping 411 sketch, I knew that I wanted to make a postcard style card.
I have a new favorite Christmas stamp. It's called Merry & Type, and as soon as I flipped to that page in the new catalog, I knew it was fate.....that baby HAD to be mine!
Let me show you my card, and then we can talk about why this stamp set is nostalgic for me.
See that top ornament to the right? Well, my mom had ornaments very similar to that. They were multi-colored, sparkly and very fragile. Unfortunately, they've all broken over the years, but they are still crystal clear in my mind. This stamp set allows me to relive those memories as a child! I just love that!!!
As you can see, I did change the sketch a bit. My card only required four stamps, and I'm all about saving money. LOL!!!
Seriously, I love how you can take a sketch and tweak it.......make it work for what you have envisioned. A sketch is a starting point for your creativity!!!!
Let's chit chat about this card, shall we?
My base card is Early Espresso. It's a wonderful neutral that I hope you find yourself playing with! It works with all of the color collections beautifully!
Layer #2 is Cherry Cobbler. What a rich red!!! I stamped the three ornament image onto the right side of the cardstock using Versamark ink. I sprinkled on some Gold embossing powder and heated it with my heat gun. In fact, I overheated it a bit to make it look more tarnished and less shiny.
Here's a close up.....can you see what I am talking about?
For the postage stamps, I inked up the image with Cherry Cobbler ink, stamped onto Crumb Cake cardstock, punched with the Postage Stamp punch and sponged with Early Espresso ink.
For some balance, I added a 1/4" banner made with Early Espresso cardstock. I used my Pennant Builder punch to create the banner edge.
My finishing touches include lots of sponging with my Early Espresso ink and a generous spritz of Gold Glow Smooch Spritz! Yowza! Doesn't this just add the right amount of "wow" to this card?
Christmas is such a magical time for my family. I love building memories just like those special ornaments that my mom adored so much. I know our traditions are important to the kids.....they remind us if we don't do something "right". I can't wait to see what traditions they carry over to their families when the time comes.
I also can't wait to see what my stamping sisters have made with this week's sketch. I encourage you to check out the Stamping 411 blog and see what beauties they've come up with!
Card Recipe
stamps: Merry & Type
paper: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake
ink: Versamark, Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler
accessories: Gold Glow Smooch Spritz, Pennant Builder punch, Postage Stamp punch, gold embossing powder, heat gun, sponges
Hi Patti. Love this card! I've been so busy this past few weeks that I haven't had a chance to play along. Can't wait for school to start, lol. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Kristi Jones | August 22, 2011 at 09:06 PM
Beautiful card Patty, I love this stamp set as well!
Posted by: Diana Eichfeld | August 23, 2011 at 06:04 AM
This card really is magical and makes me think about getting into the holiday swing.. Beautiful work GF.
Posted by: Selene Kempton | August 23, 2011 at 04:04 PM
Beautiful card. I love the sponging!!!
Posted by: Diane | August 23, 2011 at 05:31 PM