Severnista

For this year’s holiday cards I’m focusing on using two stamp and die sets from Concord & 9th (C9): the Ornamental Die & Stamp Set and Deck the Halls Turnabout™ Stamp.

For these cards I have started with creating colorful designs using the Deck The Halls turnabout stamp in various sets of four ink colors. I’ve then cut the ornament shape using the die from the Ornamental Die Set. I also used C9’s Snowfall Card Front Die as a subtle background for the large ornaments. For a little shine I die cut the ornament tops in gold and silver card stocks. The holly leaves are from Simon Says Stamp’s Fresh Holly Sprig die image that I have cut and rearranged as you see here.

The sentiments are from Simon Says Stamp’s Making Spirits Bright stamp set and were stamped in C9’s Mushroom, which has become a preference of mine as it offers a neutral, softer tone than black. The neutral card stock is Neenah Desert Storm. For the card below I cut the turnabout stamp into a tree from C9’s All the Merry die set. The ‘Merry Christmas’ sentiment is a left over from last year’s holiday card project. It’s been heat embossed in white and is also from the Making Spirits Bright stamp and die set.

Using that same tree and banner sentiment design, I decided to mix up the backgrounds by using Picket Fence Studios’ Paper Glaze in Snowdrop White. I applied the glaze with a plastic craft knife through stencils. If you haven’t worked with this glaze before know that it dries hard and fast. Be prepared to clean your tools, stencils and work space quickly to avoid hard residue. The finished product is worth the extra care with cleanup. What you cannot see in the photos is the lovely glaze and shimmer!

Try purchasing a sampler set of three colors for under $10 from Simon Says Stamp. This set is perfect for the holidays and includes Snowdrop White, Golden Rose and Artemisia Silver, if available. Or try a different set of three like the Luxe Twinkle Lights Celebrations set.

Choosing the four ink colors for your roundabout stamped image is part of the fun! I love coming up with new color combinations or using old favorites. I like to explore beyond reds and greens. Shades of blue make for a terrific winterscape. You can also heat emboss your ink turns to add some glitz and shine.

The simpler, the better when mass producing cards! Yet you don’t want to lose style and beauty. These turnabouts were die cut using one of my favorite frame style die sets, Pinkfresh Studio’s Diagonal Stitched Rectangles. The stamped sentiments are simple and fit perfectly in this embossed edge hexagon die from C9’s Mix & Match Everyday Sentiments Stamp and Die Set. For dimension I glued extra layers of scrap card stock behind the hexagon to raise it just a little without adding bulk.

Here are two more designs using the turnabout as background while still simplifying the sentiment. In this case a bold and boxy ‘Merry’ stamped on a die cut tag, both from the C9 All the Merrys Dies and Stamp Set. Extra paper layers were added: one embossed in the foreground and one solid green behind the background.

Four designs are shown and more to come! I’m not sure which is my favorite. I mostly enjoy the flexibility that a colorful background like Deck The Halls can provide. Do you prefer simple or something with lots of shine and embellishment? Do you have a favorite?

Here’s a sneak peak at how I organize my stamps.

A plastic bin (I also use recycled cardboard boxes if they’re the right dimensions), cardstock dividers labeled using one of my die sets, C9’s All The Letters, and cut page protector sleeves to easily slide the stamps and dies in and out of. It’s a simple, low cost system and it works for me!