I know that I say it every Monday but that weekend just flew by! I had another pretty productive day yesterday. I spent a lot of time in the Stampin’ Galley, pretty much the whole weekend. I was in there yesterday morning and then my friend Sandy came by and we played with embossing paste for a bit. After she left I did some more crafting and then had some dinner. I wanted to get finished a little early so I could have some down time and that’s just what I did! It was a very busy weekend, the Control Freaks Tour on Saturday and the Creation Station Tour on Sunday. Lots of crafting but that is always fun for me. I think I need to switch the Stampin’ Galley with the bedroom, I spend much more time in there!
Today is a double header, I have my card for this week’s Pals Paper Arts sketch challenge and my usual Monday standard for this week’s Paper Players CAS Masculine Birthday. First we’ll do the Pals Paper Arts sketch…
We all know how I feel about traditional Christmas cards but every once in a while it’s nice to have a red and green one! The card begins with a base of Very Vanilla Card Stock and I covered the whole front with a piece of Mossy Meadow. In the lower right corner I embossed the greeting from the Bright & Beautiful Stamp Set in Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder. The frame is a piece of Brushed Gold Metallic Card Stock that I cut the center out of with my Stampin’ Trimmer. I adhered the frame to the card with lots ‘o Stampin’ Dimensionals. The large star is also form the Bright & Beautiful Stamp Set and is also heat embossed in Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder on a piece of Cherry Cobbler and cut out with the Stars Framelits. My little stars are from the Pictogram Pinches Stamp Set and again are heat embossed in Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder and punched out with the star from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack. A very traditional red, green and gold Christmas card for all of you purists out there! I will admit that it does have a familiar holiday feel to it!
The second card for today is for this week’s Paper Players CAS Masculine Birthday from Jaydee….
I was poking around on YouTube the other day when I came across THIS video from Jennifer MacGuire. She showed you how to create a celestial background using ink. I absolutely loved the look so I had to give it a try! I used some Very Vanilla Card Stock for my base and a piece of Brushed Gold Metallic Card Stock to cover the front. My background is a piece of Watercolor Paper. I used Blackberry Bliss and Night of Navy Ink with a Ranger Mini Round Ink Blending Tool. I’m sure that you could use a Sponge Dauber but I like the ink blending tool, I feel it gives you a little better control. After I was happy with the ink coverage I took a paintbrush and flicked some water onto it. That’s what creates the dots with the halo like look. The other dots are a mixture of water and Perfect Pearls also flicked from a paintbrush. A piece of Vellum Card Stock is cut out with the Starburst Framelits to serve as a background for my… yes… feathers! LOL! I heat embossed the feathers in Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder onto Blackberry Bliss and Night of Navy and cut them out with the Feathers Framelits. They are adhered to the starburst with SNAIL. The greeting is from the And Many More Stamp Set and again is heat embossed in Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder and cut out with the banner from the Snowflake Card Thinlits. I adhered that to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals. I’m so happy with the way the background turned out! It really does look like a celestial night sky.
I really hope that you enjoyed both of my cards for today, one for the Pals Paper Arts challenge and the other for the Paper Players. It’s always fun to try something new, I hope that you’ll give the celestial background a try! Thank you for coming by and visiting with me today. I hope you all have a marvelous Monday! 🙂
Stampin’ Up! products used:
Pals Paper Arts Card:
Stamp Sets: Bright and Beautiful and Pictogram Punches Clear Mount
Specialty Ink: Versa-Mark
Stampin’ Emboss Powder: Gold
Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Mossy Meadow and Cherry Cobbler
Specialty Card Stock: Brushed Gold Metallic
Framelits: Stars
Punches: Itty Bitty Accents
Tools: Big Shot, Stampin’ Trimmer, Heat Tool. Stampin’ Dimensionals and SNAIL
Paper Players Card:
Stamp Sets: Four Feathers and And Many More Clear Mount
Ink: Blackberry Bliss and Night of Navy Classic Stampin’ Ink
Specialty Ink: Versa-Mark
Stampin’ Emboss Powder: Gold
Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Blackberry Bliss and Night of Navy
Specialty Card Stock: Watercolor and Vellum
Framelits: Starburst and Feathers
Thinlit: Snowflake Card
Tools: Big Shot, Heat Tool. Stampin’ Dimensionals and SNAIL
NON Stampin’ Up!: Ranger Mini Round Ink Blending Tool and Perfect Pearls
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jk cards 
Good morning Justin, Both cards are beautiful!, I am more of a traditional rich reds and greens for Christmas and your star card used the the best SU colors for the holiday ( in my opinion ), Cherry Cobbler and Mossy Meadow. Love your gold embossing! And your second card is just amazing!!! Will have to look into the video to learn a new technique. Thanks for highlighting the feathers! Have a nice fall Monday!
Hi Beth!
Thank you! I am really liking the Mossy Meadow and Cherry Cobbler together! It might be just the thing to sway me to more traditional cards! I love the technique on the second card, it’s so cool! Hope you enjoyed the video! She’s very clever! 🙂
Yes, back to Monday already. I always feel Mondays are a new beginning and a fresh start. I make more resolutions on Mondays, ha, ha. I like both your cards. The Christmas card is very “corporate”. The BD card technique is one I’ll have to try. Maybe you/Sandy can do this during a class. Have a great day.
🙂
I know, Monday comes way too soon doesn’t it Nancy?! I like the way you look at them though, I like to look at Friday as a fresh start! Thank you! Yes, the Christmas card is very traditional! I love the celestial background technique, I had to try it as soon as I saw it! I think we might have to bring our own ink pads and mini blending tools if we did that in class! My day was good and I hope that yours was too! 🙂
Good Morning Justin. I did enjoy both cards! The Christmas card is really stunning, I do love red and green together and the gold just really adds the “wow” to it.
Your creativity with the feathers is endless! The card really reminds me of the 70’s- lava lamps and psychedelic posters! Great stuff.
I know what you mean about trading places with your crafting space and bedroom. It is such a haven and I often remind myself that my stamping addiction is cheaper than therapy!
Have a great start to your week!
Hello Marty!
I’m glad that you liked both cards! I could get used to red and green as long as there is some gold! I really do love the feathers and yes, I use them way too much! I can see the lava lamp reference for sure! I really am seriously thinking about it, I am in there way more than I ma in the bedroom! I don’t think my bed would fit in the Stampin’ Galley sadly! I hope you had a great Monday! 🙂
Two great cards today Justin – love the background on your masculine CAS birthday card and your colour choices for this card. Happy Monday to you!
Thanks very much Joanne! The celestial card was fun to do, I’ll definitely be doing that again! Happy Monday to you too! 🙂
Hi Justin:
It’s nice to find someone featuring embossing these days. It seems to have been kind of put on the back shelf on most blogs. The cards are really neat, especially the birthday card with the new technique you learned. AND – those feathers look absolutely phenomenal with the gold embossing. Love it! Glad you had a nice weekend and just to let you know, I’ve been trying to get the hubs to switch my craft room and the master bedroom around for years. For some strange reason he isn’t cooperating. LOL I feel I’m just blessed to have a room to craft in after all the years of hauling stuff on and off the dining table so I don’t fight too hard about it. 🙂 Have yourself a Magical Monday!
Hello Grace!
I’m glad to hear you say that Grace, I thought that I have been doing it too much, but I love the look! I am using the feathers too much too, but I have wanted us to have a feather set for a really long time! LOL! I want it to carry over!! The background on the birthday card was a lot of fun and not as difficult as I would have thought! Ha ha! I really wish that I had a nice big space for my craft room, but apartments are so expensive here! Maybe one day! LOL! I’m also happy to have a separate space but I will admit that I liked it in the bedroom in my last place. I kind of miss the craft corner. I hope that your Monday was magical as well! 🙂
HI there! Love Love Love the background on the birthday card!!! Did I mention I love it?? 🙂 And I am not too fond of Mondays either. Need another few weekend days in there.. Have a good rest of the day!
Hi Mary Ann!
Thank you! I really enjoyed seeing the background come together! It was such a fun technique! I think that a tree day weekend and a four day work week would be much more fair! LOL! I hope you had a good day! 🙂
I like em both! I think it’s the gold that really catches my eye, so rich looking. And I love that background on the second card. Awesome! thanks for playing along at The Paper Players this week!
Thank you Laurie! I do love gold, I too think it gives the card so much oomph! The background is s o much fun to create! Here’s to a great week! 🙂
Love the stars, you used the sketch perfectly! Thanks for having fun with the Pals this week!
Thank you very much Sandra! Enjoy your week! 🙂
Hi Justin,
Hope you are well and Monday has gone fast for you. Wow for both these cards, absolutely fab! The celestial sky in those colours really stands out.
The Boo theme for Control Freaks was fun and going to try a Halloween banner after seeing yours. The creative station blog hop was great too, lots of talented friends you have.
Take care,
Michelle xo
I think you need a fold away bed in the Stamping Galley!!
Hello Michelle!
My Monday wasn’t too bad! I am in love with the background on the birthday card! I had to try it immediately! Somehow I always end up making a Halloween banner and this was was pretty easy. I am lucky to be among such talented people! I hope you had a nice Monday! A foldaway bed would be great, I would get a loft bed if the ceiling was high enough! XOXO
Gorgeous cards, Justin! The celestial background on the second one is…well…heavenly! LOL. It’s also gorgeous and a beautiful entry for our masculine birthday challenge…Thank you for sharing with us at The Paper Players!
Thanks so much Nance! I loved doing the background for the birthday card! So happy you enjoyed the card!! Have a wonderful week! 🙂
Justin, both cards are great and, IMHO, even the second one could have been for the PPA sketch challenge… just turned & tweaked it a bit. Will have to try the celestial background… that was way cool. You went starry with both cards. Love the embossing on the first one… thanks for including the PPA in your fun time this past weekend!!
Hi Katy!
Thanks very much! I really enjoyed making both of the cards but the birthday card was so much fun! The video is great so yes, you will have to give it a try! I am a little obsessed with stars, feathers and heat embossing! Love the Pals!! Enjoy your week! 🙂
Hi Justin! Happy Monday to you! I love your Christmas card! I love how you framed it with the gold. So nice! And your birthday card is outta this world! 😉 I love that technique and I will definitely have to try that. Thank you for including the link to that. So sorry I didn’t get a chance to respond to your Creation Station projects yesterday…they were fabulous! I especially loved the pumpkin placecard holder! So cute. And that headdress card you did was unbelievable! I just don’t know where your creative genius comes from! I hope your Monday’s been a good one so far! They sure do come around fast, don’t they?
Hey Karen!
Happy Monday to you too! Thank you! It’s a very traditional one for me! LOL! Yes the background on the birthday card is just fun! Jennifer has some great videos, she’s quite clever! That’s ok, I’m glad that you got a peek at the Creation Station projects! I always have so much fun making the projects and look forward to hearing what you think of them! Little things float around in my head all the time! LOL! My Monday was pretty good, hope yours was too! 🙂
I believe I have a new favorite color-that Mossy Meadow is such a perfect green. Beautiful cards, so unique. And now–as to your stamping space. If you need to move into the other room, then do it if it works for you. I think you’d be happier. Just crash on the couch when you get tired. It doesn’t sound like you ever sleep all that much, anyway!
Yes Georgie! I’m with you on the Mossy Meadow, it’s the perfect Christmas Green! Thank you! Ha ha! No, I don’t sleep much but my bed is much more comfortable than the couch is! 🙂
OK i’m speechless!
WOW! I guess you really liked them Linda! 🙂
The colors on your celestial sky card are absolutely beautiful. The gold embossed feathers adds an elegant touch. Fun card! So glad you to see you again at The Paper Players.
Thank you very much Andrea! Love those feathers! Have a very nice week! 🙂
My goodness that feather card is just beautiful! I love the rich colours you have used… you’ve given me lots of inspiration!
Thank you so very much Sophie! So happy that I inspired you! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Gorgeous cards! So elegant!
Thank you Linda! 🙂
Wow. Just wow. What a gorgeous card, and I can say that it is even more “stellar” in person!
Thank you very much Sandy! Yes, you did see it in person! 🙂