AWH Heart of Christmas #22

Heart of Christmas Blog Hop: Spruced Up

Hello. Welcome to Valley Inspirations with Andrea and the last Art with Heart Team Heart of Christmas Blog Hop for 2022. Can you believe there is less than a month to Christmas? Eek

So glad you are joining us for our last 2022 Heart of Christmas Blog Hop. I have enjoyed creating cards to share using the Spruced Up Christmas bundle. Here are my cards:

 

The Spruced Up bundle is so gorgeous. I have so many ideas of designs, but time only enabled me to create two cards for this Blog Hop.

CARD 1:

I recently saw Emma Goddard, a UK Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and past Artisan, create a card that had a background with Granny Apple Green ink blending onto a Parakeet Party piece of card-stock. As I was musing on a design for a card for this Blog Hop I remembered Emma's background and thought it would go well with the Spruced Up bundle. That is where I started. 

A piece of Parakeet Party card-stock had Granny Apple Green ink blending added around the edges with the base being a slightly heavier application. Deciding I wanted it a little darker, I added some Evening Evergreen Classic Stampin' ink as well. The panel was dry embossed with the pine embossing folder from the Wintry 3D set of folders. A splattering of water was added over the panel - I love this effect. Then some White Craft ink was also splattered over the panel. The panel was put aside to allow the splattering to dry properly.

The larger tree from the Spruced Up stamp set was inked with Soft Sea Foam ink and then some Granny Apple Green and Evening Evergreen inks were added to the stamp with Blending Brushes. It was stamped onto Very Vanilla card-stock. The smaller tree was stamped using Soft Sea Foam and Granny Apple Green inks. The stamped trees were cut with coordinating dies from the Spruced Up Outines dies. These tree dies also cut trees in Evening Evergreen, Very Vanilla and Gold Glimmer Speciality paper. I love the way the die cuts both the tree and an outline in one go. The two pieces can be used together or separately, depending on your desired design. It is hard to pick up all the glimmer of the Speciality Paper with the camera. 

The background darker edges were trimmed off before adhering the background panel to a Thick Very Vanilla card-base. I forgot to add some split Gold & Vanilla Satin-Edged ribbon before adhering the background to the base, so I needed to tuck the ribbon around the edges with a couple of Glue Dots. Whew! A bow was tied separately and adhered over the ribbon after the various pieces of the Spruced Up forest were arranged and adhered with either Multipurpose Liquid Glue or Mini Dimensionals. A sentiment from the Hope and Peace stamp set was white heat embossed using Versamark ink, White Emboss Powder and a Heat Tool. It was then fussy cut and added with Mini Dimensionals. A number of Iridescent Rhinestone Basic Jewels added extra shimmer.

A Very Vanilla card-stock panel was stamped with another sentiment, this time from the Brightest Glow stamp set was stamped in Evening Evergreen ink and a remaining stamped tree and outline were adhered to a corner. Another outline piece was adhered onto the front of a Very Vanilla C6 envelope.

CARD 2:

I had a number of trees and tree outlines left over from my earlier creating so also created a simpler more mono-tone card.

A piece of Basic White card-stock had some Pool Party ink blending added to the top of the panel. Both water splattering and White Craft ink splattering was added. Looking at the card as I write this blog, I wonder if it should have had some dry embossing added to the background panel. Perhaps the snowflake embossing folder from the Wintry 3D EF pack would have been good. What do you think?

A Basic White card-stock stitched circle die cut, having been cut using the largest circle from the Stylish Shapes dies, was on my work table. It was popped up on Dimensionals and a Wonderful Snowflake was adhered on top. Trees were stamped in Pool Party/Evening Evergreen inks and light Pool Party ink, before being die cut with coordinating dies. 

A small Evening Evergreen Glimmer tree and a larger tree outline of White Glimmer paper (from the Real Red and White Glimmer Paper bundle) were arranged with the two stamped trees. A left over sentiment from the previous card was fussy cut, removing a couple of the sentiment’s original words. I love the way using part of a sentiment provides more options. Some white sequins from the Adhesive-Backed Seasonal Sequins add some extra sparkle.

A smaller stamped tree and a white glimmer tree outline were added to a Basic White card-stock panel with a sentiment from the Brightest Glow stamp set, stamped in Evening Evergreen ink. A larger tree was stamped on the front of a Basic White C6 Envelope to bring some coordination with the card's design.

I have numerous die cut trees remaining, so may create similar but different cards to ensure the die cuts don't go to waste. It will also help to build my card stash. Thank you for dropping in for our last Heart of Christmas Blog Hop for 2022.

It is always a delight to see everyone's creations and I am sure there will be gorgeous Christmas projects on show so don't miss checking out each blog. To continue with the blog hop, click the "onto the next" graphic below to be taken to the blog of my fellow South Aussie and talented friend, the lovely Tina Gillespie. I always look forward to checking out Tina's creations together with everyone else's. 

Don't forget the weekly Colour Creations Blog Hop by the Art with Heart Team that launches every Wednesday at 8.00pm AEST. This Wednesday we are focussing on Mossy Meadow.

Stay well, stay safe and be kind to yourself and others.

Andrea XXX

If you find a broken link and the next blog doesn’t come up or you started part way through, please head to the blog of our Heart of Christmas Blog Hop Host, the very special Sharon Davern, and she will have the list of all Art With Heart Team members who are participating in this blog hop with links to each blog. Check out her beautiful creation while you are there.

If you are in Australia, don't already have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and would like your own copy of Stampin' Up's 2022-2023 Annual Catalogue and or the July - December Mini Catalogue or the coming January - April 2003 Mini Catalogue, then let me know and I will be delighted to send them to you. Pease don't hesitate to contact me with any other queries about these projects or Stampin' Up!

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