Yesterday’s Stampin’ Up! Mini Catalogue launch was definitely a hit. So much so that a few things are already temporarily out of stock. The paper packs seem to be particularly popular, and with good reason, they’re gorgeous. If you haven’t yet placed an order don’t worry, more supplies are expected in the coming weeks. Meanwhile there’s lots of other pretty new things to keep you crafting. Today’s project uses the Joy Of Noel Stamp Set and coordinating Dies. However without a sentiment it could be suitable for lots of occasions.

I started with the more delicate leaf and berry image from the Joy of Noel Stamp Set. Using Pebbled Path ink I stamped it onto a scrap of Thick Very Vanilla Card, then settled down with my Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers for some quick colouring.

I began with a dark Shaded Spruce over the five holly leaves. Next I coloured the remaining leaves and berries with light Old Olive. Then I added a little dark Old Olive to the smooth leaf shapes. Finally I coloured over the Old Olive berries with light and dark Poppy Parade.

With the colouring complete I cut out the image using the coordinating die from the Joy of Noel Dies set. Then I put a little Tear & Tape Adhesive on the back of the die-cut piece. This allowed me to secure some loops of Linen Thread in place before setting it aside.

JOY OF FAUX TEXTURE

All I needed now was a tag base and for that I turned to the Tailor Made Tags Dies. I chose the largest (#4) of the flat-topped dies and used it to cut some Thick Very Vanilla Card.

My original plan was to simply attach the die-cut image onto the front. However now it was in front of me I wasn’t happy with the look of the plain tag base. Then I noticed the background stamp in the Joy of Noel Stamp Set. It was definitely worth a try.

So I inked up the stamp with Pebbled Path ink and stamped it onto some scrap paper. Too dark! I stamped again. Better, but still too intense. It was only after I’d stamped off a third time that I had the subtle background I was looking for. All I had to do now was re-ink the stamp and stamp off twice on scrap paper before adding the image to the tag base.

Initially I stamped in just two places, and with a very light touch so some of the edges of the image were barely there. But then I decided to keep stamping over the rest of the tag, not worrying about any small gaps between the images.

Once the background was complete I tied some Linen Thread through the hole at the top. Then using Stampin’ Dimensionals I added the die-cut leafy image and my all-occasion tag was done.

It was only after I’d finished that I realised my last-minute background stamping almost looked like an embossed surface. That was totally unexpected but now it makes me want to try it on a larger project. I think I’ll add that to my ‘to do’ list for later.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Joy of Noel Stamp Set and coordinating Joy Of Noel Dies using the single ‘bundle’ item number. This meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the same two items separately. I’ve included both options below in case you want to explore these for yourself.