Luv 2 Stamp Blog Hop November 2022

November 27, 2022

Welcome to the Luv 2 Stamp Group’s 2022 Blog Hop! We are excited to share projects. We hope to inspire you to create beautiful new projects. Each month we will have a different theme based on the next month’s celebrations using Stampin’ Up! products.

Once you are done with each post, scroll down to the bottom and you will see a list of Blog Hop participants, you can click on their name to go to their post, or you can click the next button to go to the next post in line. Happy crafting! This month’s theme is Christmas featuring the July-December Mini Catalog.

One of the reasons I purchased the Christmas Barn bundle, found on page 28 of the Mini Catalog, was because the horse and carriage image is so cute. I hadn't used it yet so I needed to make a card with that in mind. I wasn't sure about my first card, so I enlisted the help of my husband John. He helped me think through a few things and we decided the designer paper I used as the background was too busy. John really can be a big help! I remade the card. You decide which you like best.

The cards are the same except for the sky. Which do you like best? I can hear you right now. You are wondering what happened to the horse and carriage, aren't you. I can solve that part for you. If you look carefully, you'll see that the barn is on a flap. What could possibly be under there? I just bet you have already figured it out. So, the barn is covering the sleigh!

I was excited to figure that out. Let's talk about how to make this card. They are both the same as I said.

The base is Thick Basic White 5 1/5 x 8 1/2. Score at 4 1/4 and then burnish this fold with a Bone Folder.

I used the Storybook Gnomes for the sky in one card. Cut it 4 1/4 x 3 1/4. Glue to the top of the card. For the other card, use a piece of Balmy Blue cardstock cut to the same size, For this layer I used a Blending Brush to add just a little color near the bottom. Glue it to the top of the card. For the Balmy Blue cardstock, stamp with Craft White to make more snow in the background. I did feel it needed something. The stamp I used is from the Window Wishes stamp set.

For the snow, you'll need a piece of Basic White cut to 4 1/4 x 3 1/4. Cut with Paper Snips starting at about the 3 inch mark on the side. Curve up as you cut and then begin to curve down. You'll have a little hill across the center. Glue this to the bottom of each card.

We are ready for our stamping. You'll use Basic White. I stamped all of the images in Basic Gray ink. Stamp 3 trees, one barn, one wreath, and of course the horse and carriage.

I used Watercolor Pencils Assortments 1 and 2 for my coloring. I hadn't used these pencils in quite a long time. They were perfect to help me get that two toned coloring of the barn using the Cherry Cobbler and Basic Gray pencils. The trees are colored in Garden Green and Early Espresso pencils.Once I finished coloring, I went over it all with a Blender Pen. It smoothes out the color. Cut out all the shapes with the Barn Dies. While you are cutting, cut out a bunch of the tiny snowflakes. There are three dies there that eac cut out 3 snowflakes. You can cut out 9 at a time. Glue the wreath to the barn.

Glue the three trees and the sleigh in the center of the card. But wait! I discovered that the flap didn't want to stay closed. I had some magnets on hand and decided to find them. Put one magnet under the heads of the people in the carriage. Use a glue dot.

Cut a strip of Thick Basic White 1 x 4. Score 1 3/4 and fold. This short part will be glued to the back of the card with the rest folding fowared and over the front. Arrange the barn so that it looks right and also covers the sleigh. While laying in place figure out where the glue will need to go.

Lay another of the tiny magnets on top of the heads of the people. The magnet will snap into place over the first one. Put a glue dot on top of the magnet. Close the flap so that the barn again covers the sleigh. The glue dot will adhere the magnet exactly where it needs to go. Magic!

Stamp the saying in Basic Gray at the bottom of the cards.

For me the easiest way to add the stars is to put tiny little dots of glue around. Make sure the snowflakes are lying right side up. Use your Take Your Pick Tool to place the snowflakes. The snowflakes do not show up very well on the designer paper.

Some of you may be wondering about the tiny magnets. Of course they came from Amazon. Here is the link. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VYHQ13J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They come in a very small package. Don't be thrown by the picture.

If you would like, please leave me a comment and let me know which card you like best!

Don't forget to visit everyone on the hop. Christmas will be here soon and you just might need some great ideas! Taleena is up next. You'll love her post!