September 10, 2011

HOLIDAY MINI SPOTLIGHT SERIES - DAY FOUR

Happy Saturday!!! Whew! It is already soooo hot here, and it's not even 10am this morning! It is supposed to get to 104 today.......I am sooooo ready for some cool, crisp fall weather!!!! I have been doing a lot of fall stamping, and so now I am ready for the weather to cooperate, lol!!! Today I am going to showcase some more fabulous products from the Holiday Mini! I decided to show you this marvelous a la carte stamp called Leaves From a Tree because I think it is just a beautiful stamp!  I had so much fun playing with all the colors to make this a pretty fall tree! First though, let me tell you a little bit about the card itself and then I will provide more detail about the actual tree, lol! The base of the card is More Mustard and I used my Corner Rounder punch on it to give it a softer look! The layout of this card is actually a sketch I wanted to play with from the SFYTT weekly challenge - this one was last weeks.  I don't often do sketches, but this one was so awesome I just had to play :-) The patterned paper is another selection from the Spice Cake Designer Series paper collection - pure YUM!!! There are two  solid layers which are both embossed.  The first is Early Espresso, which I ran through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice embossing folder.  The second layer is Wild Wasabi card stock, which I also ran through the Big Shot, but this time I used the Stripes Embossing folder. Both of these can be found in the main catalog!  I also corner rounded both pieces of card stock to keep the card consistent.  Now, on to the image! The Scallop Circle is made with the Circles Scallop #2 Big Shot die and is cut with Pool Party card stock.  The actual image is stamped on a piece of Very Vanilla card stock that was cut out using the 3 inch Circle Big Shot die.
I stamped the image in More Mustard classic ink - I wanted to use the lightest color so that I could go back in with my Stampin' Write Markers and use a variety of fall colors to really make the tree colorful.  Here is a close-up of the image itself!  The colors I used are Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango, Peach Parfait, More Mustard, and Early Espresso with a little bit of accent coloring using the Wild Wasabi marker.  I then took my Versamark pen and randomly chose leaves on the tree and colored them in. I did the whole base of the tree as well.  Then, I covered the image in Clear embossing powder and heat embossed it  with my Heat Tool to get that shiny look you see on the tree.  It looks so pretty IRL - I hop you can see it!!  I then sponged around the edges using Early Espresso classic ink, pierced the scallops with my paper piercer, and Voila! Done! That yummy ribbon is also from the Holiday Mini and is Early Espresso Quilted Satin Ribbon - and yes, it is as good if not better than it sounds, lol! It also comes in Cherry Cobbler, which is just as amazing!!!  That last little touch is the sentiment, which comes from the Perfect Words hostess set found in the main catalog! You can only get this set if you host a workshop - so give me a call and we can schedule one :-) It is an AWESOME stamp set, and a great value!!! I stamped the sentiment is Early Espresso Ink on More Mustard card stock, made a little banner out of it (love my banners, lol), then added some texture with my mat pack and paper piercer! I got the wavy look by using my bone folder and breaking down the fibers to make it more pliable! So, there you have it - lots of fun products from the Holiday Mini on this one!! And, if you are in love with what you see here, you can shop in my online store and have it delivered right to your door *wink*.  Or, if you prefer, you can contact me and and I will be happy to place your order! I am spending the afternoon with some friends doing some stamping and drinking some wine - doesn't that sound like fun??!! I am really looking forward to it, it's the best kind of stamping! Since I don't post on Sundays (hey, everyone needs a day off, lol) I will be back on Monday with another wonderful project featuring products from the Holiday Mini! Until then, enjoy your weekend and find some time to be creative!!
Card Recipe:
Paper -More Mustard, Wild Wasabi, Early Espresso, Pool Party, Very Vanilla card stock, Spice Cake Designer Series paper
Inks - More Mustard, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango, Peach Parfait, Wild Wasabi classic inks and stampin' write markers, Versamark Pen
Stamps - Leaves of a Tree, Perfect Words (hostess set)
Tools - Big Shot, Square Lattice and Stripes embossing folders, 3 inch circle die, Circle Scallop #2 die, Heat Tool, Clear Embossing powder, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Corner Rounder
Accessories - Early Espresso 3/8 inch Quilted Satin Ribbon

2 comments:

Nikki Bond said...

Very cute Alex! I agree...I'm ready for the fall weather too...although it is a bit cold inthe mornings for my bike rides. Guess I'll ahve to buy cold weather gear! :P


{sMILES}

Hobby Musician Keyboard said...

Dear Alex,
I Just arrived at you blog. Oh my, do I love your art and creative mind! I'll be watching this blog closely, thank you for giving us so much of your time and mind. You make so wonderful and lovely works! I enjoyed the visit on your site. Many thanks for your beautiful inspirations!!
Many warm Hugs from Marina from Germany
I invited you gently to visit my creative Website: Bettyscardsandpaperdesign.com