Well Christmas is definitely in the air here in my little part of Nova Scotia. Overnight we had a couple of inches of snow and everything looks very pretty. Mind you I don’t think the pheasants that were out this morning were very impressed. Still, it was the perfect excuse to pull out the Christmas Pines Stamp Set with the large noel sentiment for today’s project.
PRETTY PINES
I decided to start this project with the Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies and my Big Shot and multipurpose platform.
From Mossy Meadow Card I cut out two of the medium pine branches and three of the smaller ones. Then from Soft Suede Card I cut out two of the more solid pine cones and one of the very open ones.
For the frame I cut some Copper Foil Sheet using the #4 and #7 plain-edged dies from the Layering Squares Framelits (counting from the smallest up).
NOEL
Next I needed the noel sentiment from the Christmas Pines Stamp Set. This was stamped onto Very Vanilla Card using Fresh Fig Ink.
I considered cutting out the sentiment with one of my many dies but in the end decided to fussy cut it with my Paper Snips.
To coordinate with the sentiment I opted to cut and score some Fresh Fig Card using my Stampin’ Trimmer. Then I folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder to create my card base.
SIMPLE LAYERS
With a layer of Very Vanilla Card I was now ready to assemble the card front.
Using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I began with the copper frame. Then I added three of the pine branches.
On top of the branches I attached one of each style of my die-cut pine cones.
Finally I added the noel sentiment using pieces of Stampin’ Dimensionals.
On the inside of the card I started by lining it with a layer of Very Vanilla Card. Then using liquid glue I added the two remaining branches and pine cone.
ENVELOPE OPTIONS
I always like to finish the envelopes on my projects but using die-cut pieces isn’t a method I tend to favour. If you’re giving the card by hand then it should be fine, but if mailing it I’m always worried that these pieces can catch in the machinery and be ruined.
So instead I decided to use the two pine branch images from the Christmas Pines Stamp Set.
I began with the more open, delicate pine branch image and stamped it coming in from the top left and bottom right corners on the front of a Very Vanilla Medium Envelope using Mossy Meadow ink.
Then I changed to the other pine image and inked that up with Mossy Meadow ink too. This time though I stamped it off onto some scrap paper before stamping over the first image. This created a really lovely two-tone effect on the pine needles that I love. Finally I over-stamped on the second branch in the same way and my project was complete.
It seems a long time since I’ve used this stamp set and I have no idea why. It has so many possibilities, especially when you add in the Pretty Pines Thinlits.
BUILD YOUR OWN BUNDLES
The Christmas Pines Stamp Set and Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies have been designed to coordinate together as I showed today. When these items were first released by Stampin’ Up! they were available for purchase using a single bundle code and at a 10% discount. Sadly that bundle is not longer available – but what if I told you there’s a way to get them with a 10% discount?
Starting on Friday (November 23rd), Stampin’ Up! are holding an Online Extravaganza promotion involving almost everything in the 2018/2019 Annual Catalogue. The 6 day promotion is divided up into three sets of two days, and during each one specific types of products can be purchased at 10% discount.
- On November 23rd and 24th it’s ‘Paper and Embellishments’.
- On November 25th and 26th it’s ‘Stamps and Kits’.
- On November 27th and 28th it’s ‘Tools and Inks’.
All you have to do is remember to order them during the appropriate 2-day window. You should also be aware that the beginning and end of each period is based on Mountain Time.
There are some items from the 2018/2019 Annual Catalogue that are not included in this promotion and you’ll find them all listed here.
I’m already putting together my wish list for period 1 which includes card, envelopes, ribbon, embossing powder and other embellishments. Stampin’ Up! have a fixed number of each product available at the discounted price and it’s possible some popular items may run out before the end of the two days. So I plan to get my order placed as early as possible before stocks run out.
Now I’m off to clear my desk as I’m expecting a delivery of new products today. I’m hoping the sunshine will melt the snow on the decks and driveway so I can stay in and play.
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