Facing the inevitable

It is four days into a brand new year.  I have stamp sets (new ones from the now-active Occasions catalogue) stacked on my crafting table.  I have a lot of left-over Christmas product on my table as well because it was easier to leave things where they wound up while I was in the throes of my final Christmas creations.

I sure loved that Festive Flurry bundle as well as the kit that has been offered.  I made cards and 3-D projects using those and, of course, those sparkly, wonderful Frosted Finishes Embellishments.  There is good news and bad news:  the Festive Flurry bundle is being carried over (hurrah!) while those gorgeous embellishments are no longer available (awwww!)

My final project using both products was a wreath for my daughter's house.  Her colours for Christmas usually highlight the whites, blues and silvers and the wreath fit in perfectly.

It's hard to capture the dazzle with a camera.  But you know how those embellishments shine and can probably imagine what the six on the wreath are doing with any light hitting them.  For some additional detail I have three of my snowflakes suspended away from the actual wreath, invisibly supported with strips of Window Sheet.

But it's time to begin thinking about my coming Open Houses and the new Occasions catalogue.  And, of course, I'm also part of a Blog Hop for which I have to feature products from that Occasions catalogue.  Time to face the inevitable and clear my table.

I only have so much room for stamp sets and, now that Christmas is over, I plan to take the seasonal sets from my shelves and replace them with the sets from the new catalogue.  There is a certain amount of sadness to saying goodbye to those sets.  With all the snow outside, it feels as if the season is lingering.

There are some styles of stamps in the new catalogue that are different from my usual picks.  I plan to stretch my "wings" and see what I come up with, using them.  Some of the sets are supported by some very nice new framelits.  They're always fun because new shapes that I don't have to hand-cut can only make card-making easier, right?

One of the new shapes isn't even a framelit.  It's a brand new punch called the Scalloped Tag Topper punch.  I've used it already for a new card, featuring the new Love You to the Moon stamp set.  Who hasn't said that to their child?  Or grandchild?  The moment I saw the set, I knew I had to have it.  The drawings are simple, but they say a lot that touches my heart.  For this particular card, I used that stamp set in conjunction with one of my old favourites, The Open Sea.  Along with the Basic Black dotted with the silver Dazzling Details, the tag-shaped sentiment with the moon is perfect.  I love the effect.

But now I'd better get back to re-organizing my table and my room.  I have a lot of other new products to show off but I need the room to be able to create.