sugar and spice

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!

Hi friends! I have some unusual holiday inspiration to share with you today, featuring an interesting combination of colors designed to evoke an icy winter’s sky! I loved the Nordic aesthetic of the new Wintertime Celebration Plate from the Simon Says Stamp Sugar and Spice release (which you can check out HERE), as well as the ability to use both the positive and negative die cuts for your projects. I used an interesting combination of ink colors with some sparkling glitter foam to create this unique holiday card. Let’s get started on the details!

*I have gathered links to all of the products used at the bottom of the post for your convenience, using affiliate links. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

To begin my project, I used blending brushes to blend Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Morning, Shark, Dolphin, Galaxy, and Whale, creating the icy blues and grays of a wintertime dawn. Mixing blue and gray ink blending was not on my color palette bingo card, but I absolutely love the final result! I did go over the A2 panel twice with each ink, making sure that each color blended seamlessly into the next using the Pinkfresh Studio 1″ Blending Brushes.

Next, it was time to up the sparkle factor for this project. I die cut the Wintertime Celebration Plate from silver glitter foam, creating both positive and negative sparkling die cuts with one pass through my die cutting machine! (Be sure to save those positive die cuts, too!) I love how the use of glitter foam adds such texture and height without adding tons of extra bulk or having to fuss with tiny pieces of foam adhesive release paper. A little liquid glue and you’re ready to go! Side note: I do recommend liquid glue over other types of adhesive simply because the foam can be finicky with tape. The MISTI Precision Glue Press is perfect for this project with it’s needle-nose nozzle, and you can fill the extra bottles with your favorite liquid adhesive! I have 4 different bottles with four different types of adhesive that I switch out depending on the project!

For the greeting, I kept things simple, heat embossing a poignant message from Inside Greetings Holiday onto white cardstock using silver embossing powder, then die cutting the finished sentiment with it’s coordinating die. I used residual ink left on my blending brushes to add some subtle coordinating color to the sentiment die cut, then popped it up on my card front using a double layer of foam adhesive so that it had a bit of extra height from the foam cover plate die cut. I addd a few sparkling Clear Pawsitively Dazzling Gems and a silver twine bow for one last touch of sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I know that blue and gray aren’t traditional holiday colors, but the Nordic imagery works so well with them, I think. Do you prefer traditional holiday colors or are you loving the non-traditional holiday colors that are gaining in popularity? I love them all! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!

Hi friends! The brand new Sugar and Spice release from Simon Says Stamp is now available for your perusing and shopping pleasure! We are officially kicking off the Christmas Crafting Season with this gorgeous release, filled to the brim with beautiful holiday imagery, poignant sentiments, nested tag dies, and some bits and bobs that will make your holiday crafting a breeze! You can check out the entire release by clicking HERE. I have a vintage-inspired project to share with you today using the absolutely stunning new Christmas Candles Embossing Folder, so let’s get started with the details!

To begin, I ran an A2 panel of plain white cardstock through my die cutting machine using the new Christmas Candles Embossing Folder. This super detailed 3D embossing folder creates the most lush and nostalgic holiday arrangement, putting me in mind of the beautiful centerpieces that my Grammy had on her holiday table. I wanted to create a detailed, vintage-inspired project, so I used my OLO Markers to add color to the images, with crisp emerald greens and reds for the greenery as well as pale yellow and a touch of pale gray for the candles along with generous amounts of colorless blender to keep the candles looking a creamy white.

After I had added detailed coloring to the images with my alcohol markers, I used a blending brush to add some Night Pawstively Saturated Ink around the edges fo the card front, leaving plenty of white space around the main imagery to give off that candlelight “glow.” I used some scrap paper and covered the candles and greenery, then used the Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Perfect White Splatter to splatter some snowflakes in my dramatic navy blue background. After adding some sparkling glitter watercolor embellishments to the candles and berries, I also used some glue to add glittering snow to both the greenery and the snowy backdrop with fine Rock Candy Glitter. I think the Rock Candy Glitter really enhances the vintage feel of the card, don’t you?

For the greeting, I used the new Label Slides Christmas and the coordinating Label Slides die to create a sentiment slide. I die cut the slide from deep blue cardstock to coordinate with my blue backdrop, then white embossed the “Silent Night” sentiment in the center. I threaded a double strand of red hemp twine through the slide and adhered it directly over the candle arrangement, adhering it with foam adhesive. I also added a pretty red twine double bow for even more texture. Finally, I added a few sparkling Clear Pawsitively Dazzling Gems, finishing off this dazzling vintage card!

Well, that’s all for my project today! You can check out the entirety of the Sugar and Spice release HERE, and don’t forget to check out the Simon Says Stamp Sugar and Spice Blog Hop this weekend for tons of fabulous inspiration using these new goodies. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Nordic Sky Christmas Blessings with Simon Says Stamp!

New Release: Simon Says Stamp Sugar and Spice!