The Wacky Watercooler August Blog Hop --- A Sneak Peek at the Holiday Catalogue

A month goes by so quickly, doesn't it?  So much goes on during the Summer that time seems to fly by faster than usual.  Of course, since our last Blog Hop, we've had a peek at the brand new Holiday Catalogue and have also been allowed to pre-order from it before it becomes "live" for customers on August 28th.  That gives us a chance to let you see what's coming up in our posts this time.  Prepare to be excited by the new products you're about to see as you go from blog to blog during our August Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop.

Remember, this is a circular Blog Hop.  That means that wherever you begin, if you continue to go the the "next" person on the list, you will eventually wind up right where you began.  I hope you'll take time to have a look at all our blogs.  We have some very talented people participating.

If you've been working forward, you'll have come to my blog from that of the exciting Deb Smart.  Deb is busy with many other blog hops and challenges and always amazes me with her wonderful projects.

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My first project is a simple one.  This year Stampin' Up! has introduced something to make tags a whole lot easier.   With this matching stamp set and punch bundle you'll find making tags a whole lot easier.  In the Merry Everything stamp set there are stamps for Hallowe'en, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  The Note Tag punch is a perfect match.  I used the Blendabilities to colour the Hallowe'en tag.  The two Christmas tags that I created from this stamp set are in the "chalkboard" style.  The other one was made using another stamp set, Festival of Trees, which has a co-ordinating punch as well.  I mounted that tag onto one made with the Scalloped Tag Top punch.  Won't this be a handy way to make your tags this year?

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My next project is a card made using the Wondrous Wreath stamp set and Framelits Dies bundle.  I was amazed at how much I enjoyed these Photopolymer stamps!  Each of the wreath stamps has a tag on the side.  As you stamp each layer---background lighter leaves, darker leaves and then berries---you just match the mark you've made for the initial tag and the layers are easy to match up.  I could get used to the convenience!

First for the inside.  Yes, it's a bit of a tease, but let's end with the front view, okay.  I've added a strip of paper from the Trim the Tree Designer Series Paper Stack because it echoes the front of the card.  For the greeting I've used the one included in the Wondrous Wreath stamp set and stamped it using Cherry Cobbler ink.

I've used Baked Brown Sugar as my base cardstock even though the colour is wonky for the inside of the card.  Then I added a layer of Cherry Cobbler and then a layer of Whisper White which I first stamped using my Hardwood stamp and Baked Brown Sugar ink.  It's lighter than it would normally be because I off-stamped once.  I also sponged the edges lightly using Baked Brown Sugar ink.

For the wreath I used Garden Green ink on Whisper White.  For the first layer I off-stamped once and then for the second layer I stamped full-strength Garden Green ink.  The next layer of berries is Cherry Cobbler ink.  After cutting the wreath out using the framelits and mounting it using Dimensionals, I added a ribbon heat embossed using Cherry Cobbler embossing powder and also three little flowers which are Cherry Cobbler off-stamped once to lighten them up.  The centre "Noel" is cut from Gold Foil as is the wreath holder.  Everything was cut using the framelits for this set.  Convenient?  You bet!

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My final card is oversized.  I decided to make it 6 1/2" x 5".  I planned to use both the carried-over Joyful Christmas stamp set and the brand new Ornamental Pine stamp set.  Both the Poinsettia and the pine branch are very large images and so I knew I would need more room than the conventional 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" card offers.

Again, I'm going to lead off with the inside of the card.  I decorated it up with strips from the Trim the Tree Designer Series Paper Stack as well.  For the greeting, I used the one from the Joyful Christmas set because it was a better fit for the space.  The greetings from both stamp sets are great.  Since the base cardstock for the card is Mossy Meadow, I stamped the greeting using that ink.  

I decided to make this card horizontal to accomodate the design I had planned for the Poinsettia and the pine branches.  On top of my base of Mossy Meadow, I layered Cherry Cobbler and then Gold Foil.  On top of that I attached my stamped and coloured layer of Whisper White.  I also stamped a second Poinsettia and cut out the centre so that it would give more dimension to the design.  All the colouring was done using my Blendabilities.  The centre pearls, too, were first coloured with my Daffodil Delight Blendabilities before being attached.  The sentiment is from the Joyful Christmas stamp set.

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Well, that's it for my projects.  I hope you've enjoyed them.  Your next stop will be with the talented Gail Allen.  I know you'll enjoy her projects.  If you get a moment, please leave a comment...they're always appreciated.