More Simon Says Stamp Holiday Sparkle!

Hi there! Today, I have a couple more projects using the new Holiday Sparkle release from Simon Says Stamp, both featuring tons of texture and layers. I may have started as a stamper, but die cutting is one of my most favorite ways to create these days. Standalone dies just have so many ways to that you can customize them to make them truly unique from project to project! One of my favorite ways to make dies extra exciting is to add lots of texture using different types of fancy papers. The new Pawsitively Velvet cardstock from Simon Says Stamp is the perfect way to add some luxurious texture to your card front without adding a ton of extra bulk! I have two projects to share with you today using these new papers, so let’s get started with the details!

Both of my projects feature an icy color palette using some beautiful Bazzill Icy Mint cardstock as the starting point. I love super pale colored cardstock; it’s just a hair off of white cardstock, but adds that hint of color to a crisp card or tag project!

For my first project, I used the green Pawsitively Velvet cardstock to die cut the Etched Berry Branch die. Because this die cut is very delicate, I also die cut the same branch from some black cardstock and adhered it to the velvet die cut to add some stability while I determined the rest of my card front. I used the white Pawsitively Velvet cardstock to die cut the base layer for the Layered Warbler bird die, adding some details with Icy Mint and Granite cardstock.

For the background, I trimmed a panel of white cardstock down to A2 size, then ran it through my die cut machine using the Exotic Vines embossing folder. I love how classy and elegant this folder is. The vines and berries help to give it a bit of a botanical feel to work well with my bird and berries!

To ground my bird and branch, I die cut the A2 Thin Frames dies from some white glitter cardstock. (Tip: keep your rectangle dies together in order to have double the amount of frames from one pass through your die cut machine!) I selected a very thin frame and smaller, but thicker, frame, then saved the rest for another project. I backed the smaller frame with some vellum to soften the area behind it a bit. This provides a clean canvas for my bird, branch, and sentiment.

I die cut the detail layer of the Snowy Greetings die set from some more Granite cardstock. I also heat embossed a greeting from a set that seems to be retired (whoops!), just to flesh out the greeting a bit. I adhered the thin frame around the edge of the embossed panel, then arranged the remaining die cuts on the vellum rectangle. The final touch was to add a few coordinating blue pearls as “berries” for the foliage die cut.

My second project is a simple tag to adorn a holiday gift! I die cut one of the Large Tag Dies from some more Icy Mint cardstock , then lightly blended some Winter Sky ink around the edge using a blending brush. I splattered the blended tag using some pearlescent watercolors to create some wintry shimmer.

I die cut a few individual snowflakes from the new Sparkling Snowflake Frame and Trio die set using the white velvet from the Pawsitively Velvet cardstock pack. I arranged them on the blended tag, snipping off the overhanging edges. I love the texture that this creates on this simple tag! I added a “for you” greeting, customized by snipping off the “here” from the CZ Design Here For You die. I popped up the glittery greeting using some very thin strips of foam adheisve and added a simple white raffia loop to make for easy attachment to a gift!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! The Pawsitively Velvet cardstock adds such a luxurious textural element to your holiday projects, and so inexpensively. Love that! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!