Welcome to the February, 2025 edition of the Sparkles Christmas Challenge! The theme for this month, chosen by Melissa, is A Christmas Cup of Tea. When you get finished here, I hope you will visit the challenge site to view the creations from the very talented members of our design team. After you’ve created your own themed card, please don’t forget to upload it to our gallery.
I am not a tea drinker, and didn’t have anything tea related, so I am using coffee for my card. Here’s my card:
3 images: the coffee cup, and 2 different foam images
2 patterned papersin Cherry Cobbler and Basic Beige
1 sentiment that makes me smile – a cozy day certainly meets that requirement
Measurements:
I outlined all the pieces using a gold Wink of Stella brush
The Cherry Cobbler base measures 8-1/2 by 5-1/2 inches
The Cherry Cobbler and gold flecked DSP (designer series paper) measures 4-1/8 by 5-3/8 inches
I trimmed another piece of DSP to 6 by 2-/2 inches for the envelope flap
Then, I punched a 1-inch circle from the Basic Beige and ran it through my XYRON create-a-sticker for the envelope seal
Trim a piece of Basic Beige to 4 by 5-1/4 inches for the inside of the card
The Basic Beige vertical strip measures 1 inch by 5-3/8 inches
The Basic Beige square in the middle measures 2-1/2 inches square, for which I then rounded the corners
I used scraps of the Cherry Cobbler and Basic Beige DSP for the cups, foam images, and sentiment
Stamping, Cropping, and Assembly:
I stamped all the images from the Latte Love stamp set and sentiment from the Frozen Edges stamp setin VersaMark ink and covered them all with gold embossing powder, which needed to be heat set
Crop the coffee cup and foam images using dies from Latte Love
Crop the sentiment using a tag die from the Greetings of the Season die set
Add gold thread to the hole in the sentiment tag
I used multipurpose glue to adhere pieces unless otherwise noted
Adhere the Basic Beige strip, square, and foam pieces to the Cherry Cobbler DSP
Add dimensionals to the back of the gold and Cherry Cobbler DSP, the sentiment, and the coffee cup and adhere
After stamping the inside sentiment, adhere to the inside of the base of the card
With that, I’d finished this coordinated card, envelope, and envelope seal set.
Welcome to the December, 2024 edition of the Sparkles Christmas Challenge! I’m hosting this month’s challenge and I chose Snowflakes for our theme. When you get finished here, I hope you will visit the challenge site to view the creations from the very talented members of our design team. After you’ve created your own themed card, please don’t forget to upload it to our gallery.
Here’s my card based on a Christmas song:
It Pays to be a Paper Collector:
At first, I didn’t know what I was going to do for this challenge theme. In the end, I think it turned out great.
Sometimes it really comes in handy to be a collector of DSP (designer series paper), even though I have purged an incredible amount of paper in the past 6 months. I did keep just a bit of retired Christmas DSP, and this paper comes from that stash. As a matter of fact, the DSP, embossing folder, Poppy Parade ribbon, and stamp set are all retired. I guess it’s time to purge some more. I’ll make two girls very happy, again, when they get yet more hand-me-downs of craft supplies.
The current products are the deckled rectangle die set, which I used to crop the DSP on the front. The deckled circle dies used to crop out the Shaded Spruce mat and the white cardstock sentiment circles are also current.
Thank you very much for stopping by today!
Have a Peachy Day!
Sue
Two fabulous new kits!
This new Layered Landscapes kit is absolutely fabulous! Just take a look:
Here’s the unboxing video:
Of course, this kit comes with step-by-step instructions, as seen below:
If you like to water-color, this next kit is for you!
Product Details:
Embrace your creative side with the Nature’s Paintings Kit. This unique kit includes everything you need for a fun creative experience: a coloring book, watercolor pencils, and a water painter. All you need is some imagination and water! Create lovely, picturesque images using advanced coloring techniques with this craft kit. Or make something that’s never been seen before—like green flowers with purple leaves. Keep it realistic or color outside the lines—it’s up to you. And once you’re done, you can use your finished artwork to create a one-of-a-kind card front!
Kit includes: * Predesigned projects * Line art illustrations * Step-by-step instructions * 24 watercolor paper pages, 2 each of 12 designs * 8 Watercolor Pencils * 1 Water Painter * Coloring Book: 4-1/2″ x 6″ x 1/2″ (11.4 x 15.2 x 1.3 cm) * A 9-7/8″ x 6-1/2″ x 1-3/4″ (25.1 x 16.5 x 4.4 cm) printed designer box for storage or crafting on the go
Product colors: Berry Burst, Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Flirty Flamingo, Garden Green, Pumpkin Pie, Red
If you live in the U.S. and don’t already have a Stampin’ UP! demo from whom you order, I would be honored to work with you.
When ordering, please enter the following HOST CODE when prompted:
Welcome to the November, 2024 edition of the Sparkles Christmas Challenge! I’m hosting this month’s challenge and I chose Snowflakes for our theme. When you get finished here, I hope you will visit the challenge site to view the creations from the very talented members of our design team. After you’ve created your own themed card, please don’t forget to upload it to our gallery.
Lost Lagoon is one of my favorite colors, and this monochromatic card turned out beautifully.
Here’s my card:
I used retired Stampin’ Up! products, but love these snowflakes. The snowflake on the front was from a package of white shiny snowflakes. I used my Lost Lagoon ink pad and a blending brush to color the reverse side of the snowflakes. Don’t try to color on the shiny side ~ trust me, it doesn’t work well at all. I added about three layers of clear Wink of Stella on the individual snowflakes. Here’s a couple of close-ups of the difference Wink of Stella made:
The first photo is after the layers of DSP. The right is the snowflake before the Wink of Stella.
Hints:
I made this card at the same time I made and posted the polar bear cards, which you can see in the following gallery:
Karen Titus is a U.S. Stampin’ UP! demonstrator and her cards, templates, and videos are always step-by-step and easy to follow. Here’s her video:
You can see my total inspiration in the above video cover photo. It’s about time I create some more of these super simple One Sheet Wonder cards!
Thank you for stopping by today!
Have a Peachy Day!
Sue
If you are a scrapbooker, or a cardmaker who loves a fabulous deal, check out the Close to My Heart items now offered by Stampin’ Up!
You can find the whole set of products here. In the meantime, here’s a sample of CTMH items:
If you live in the U.S. and don’t already have a Stampin’ UP! demo from whom you order, I would be honored to work with you.
When ordering, please enter the following HOST CODE when prompted:
Welcome to the October, 2024 edition of the Sparkles Christmas Challenge! Our host for # 165, Debs., chose Use the Word Christmas for our theme. When you get finished here, I hope you will visit the challenge site to view the creations from the very talented members of our design team. After you’ve created your own themed card, please don’t forget to upload it to our gallery.
Here’s my card:
I am so thankful that the Magical Meadow DSP carried over for this holiday season. The DSP did all the work for this card. I embossed the DSP using the So Swirly embossing folder to (hopefully) add movement to the snow scene. This card definitely falls into the easy-peasy category.
What I Did:
The Misty Moonlight base measures 5-1/2 by 8-1/2 inches, scored at 4-1/4 inches
After dry embossing the DSP with the So Swirly folder, I trimmed the DSP to 4-1/8 by 5-3/8 inches
Trim another piece of DSP to 6 by 2-1/2 inches for the envelope flap
Punch a 1-inch circle from coordinating DSP for the envelope seal and run it through the XYRON create-a-sticker
Trim a piece of white cardstock to 4 by 5-1/4 inches for the inside of the card
I stamped the inside sentiment on the white cardstock using Misty Moonlight ink
Adhere a piece of ribbon (I used the retired Misty Moonlight ribbon) around the DSP
Here’s a set of pictures to show you how I adhered the ribbon:
Unless otherwise noted, I used multipurpose liquid glue to adhere pieces together
Adhere the DSP to the front of the card base
After using your embossing buddy on a scrap piece of Misty Moonlight cardstock, stamp the sentiment using VersaMark ink
Cover the ink with white embossing powder and heat set
Crop the sentiment using a deckled rectangle die
Crop the leafy branch from a piece of Misty Moonlight patterned DSP
Adhere the sentiment using dimensionals
Use mini-dimensionals and liquid glue to adhere the branch to the sentiment and DSP
Adhere the white cardstock to the inside of the card
With that, I’d finished this coordinated card, envelope, and envelope seal set.
Welcome to the September, 2024 edition of the Sparkles Christmas Challenge! Our host for # 164, Helen., chose Sentiment as the Focus for our theme. When you get finished here, I hope you will visit the challenge site to view the creations from the very talented members of our design team. After you’ve created your own themed card, please don’t forget to upload it to our gallery.
Here’s my card:
I’m so thankful that the Magical Meadow DSP, stamp set, and coordinating die set carried over! The DSP (designer series paper) made creating this card fall under the easy-peasy category.
Measurements:
The Basic Gray base measures 5-1/2 by 8-1/2 inches, scored at 4-1/4 inches
The piece of Magical Meadow DSP for the background measures 4-1/8 by 5-3/8 inches
Trim a piece of the same cardstock to 6 by 2-1/2 inches for the envelope flap
Next, punch a 1-inch circle using a scrap of the deer DSP for the envelope seal and run it through your XYRON create-a-sticker
HINT: When punching this seal, make sure you aren’t punching the bottom of the DSP where the deer lives
Trim a piece of Basic Gray cardstock to 2-3/4 by 4-1/4 inches
The deer DSP piece comes from the Magical Meadow cardstock and I trimmed it to 2-5/8 by 4-1/8 inches
Trim a piece of white cardstock to 4 by 5-1/4 inches for the inside of the card
I used a scrap of Basic Gray for the sentiment
You will also need a piece of Lost Lagoon ribbon to go under the sentiment block
Stamping & Assembly:
Unless otherwise noted, I used multipurpose liquid glue to adhere pieces of the card together
After I used my embossing buddy on the scrap of Basic Gray cardstock, I stamped the sentiment from the Greetings of the Season stamp set using VersaMark ink
Next, cover the sentiment with white embossing powder and heat set it
Then, crop the sentiment using a square die from the Stylish Shapes die set
Adhere the Lost Lagoon DSP to the card base
Adhere the deer DSP to the gray cardstock mat, then adhere it to the front of the card
Add dimensionals under the sentiment square
Fold the ribbon in half and use three mini-dimensionals to adhere the ribbon to the back of the sentiment square, then adhere the sentiment to the front of the card
Stamp the inside sentiment, again from Greetings of the Season, in Lost Lagoon on the white cardstock and adhere it to the inside of the card
HINT: I’ve learned that I need to adhere the inside after I stamp the sentiment in case I make a mistake
With that, this coordinated easy-peasy Christmas card, envelope, and envelope seal set is complete
I’ve been using the By Your Side kit to create a number of cards. You can see one of the cards here, and there will be more coming on September 11, 2024 for the Pals’ Blog Hop.
Here’s the unboxing video for the absolutely adorable By Your Side kit:
If you live in the U.S. and don’t already have a Stampin’ UP! demo from whom you order, I would be honored to work with you.
When ordering, please enter the following HOST CODE when prompted:
Welcome to the July, 2024 edition of the Sparkles Christmas Challenge! Our host for # 163, Melanie., chose Christmas Critters for our theme. When you get finished here, I hope you will visit the challenge site to view the creations from the very talented members of our design team. After you’ve created your own themed card, please don’t forget to upload it to our gallery.
Here’s my Christmas Critters card:
Once again, I used the retired Beary Christmas stamp set and punch. I did have to fussy cut the baby polar bear, the gift, and the tree, but there weren’t too complicated to cut out, even if you are left-handed like me.
Measurements & More:
Unless otherwise noted, I used multipurpose liquid glue to adhere the pieces of the card together
The Night of Navy base measures 5-1/2 by 8-1/2 inches, scored at 4-1/4 inches to create a tent fold
I used another piece of Night of Navy cardstock measuring 4-1/8 by 5-3/8 inches for the background
The Beary Christmas stamp set has two sizes of snowflake stamps. I stamped them randomly using Versamark ink on the background. I added clear embossing powder and heat set.
I stamped the sentiment in VersaMark ink as well and covered it in white embossing powder, then heat set the sentiment
Using the Countryside Corners die set, I cropped the center out of a piece of Real Red cardstock measuring 4-1/8 by 5-3/8 inches. Then, I added a bunch of dimensionals to the back of the Real Red frame and adhered it to the Night of Navy background
The present was also stamped using VersaMark ink on a scrap of Real Red cardstock. Once again, I covered it in white embossing powder, heat set it, and fussy cut it
I used Mossy Meadow to stamp the tree outline and inside on Old Olive cardstock and fussy cut the tree
The polar bears were stamped using Momento Tuxedo Black ink
Use the light Smoky Slate blend to add shading to the polar bears. I used the bears on the DSP as my guide.
Punch the adult bear and fussy cut the baby bear
Stamp the beanie and scarf on white cardstock scraps using Old Olive ink and fussy cut both
After dry-fitting the cutouts, I added dimensionals to the back of them only where they would not be touching the Real Red frame. I used liquid glue where the parts would touch the frame.
Thank you for stopping by my abbreviated post for Sparkles Christmas Challenge!
Have a Peachy Day!
Sue
Here are just a few of the new and ongoing ONLINE EXCLUSIVES!
Welcome to Just Peachy Stamping by Sue Jackson: an independent Stampin' Up demonstrator.
Through Stampin' Up!, I happily share my love of papercrafting through sales, classes, small stamping group meet-ups and workshops. I think that being a teacher in my "real life", I have a unique approach to sharing my fantastic hobby. I look forward to connecting with you!