July Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop: Featuring Christmas and the new Annual Catalog

Welcome to the July Blog Hop.

Merry Christmas!

This hop is a little different…but then again…aren’t they all?    This hop we are featuring Christmas in July (a favorite starting time for stampers to get their cards underway), a CASE of the new Annual Catalog and we are also featuring a new punch.   I have to admit…I may be cheating just a wee bit on those last two since I really, really want to do Christmas for all three!  LOL

Hopefully you’ve arrived from  the wonderful and always inventive Buffy Cooper’s blog.  Now that she’s a Grandma she’s probably making plans for an amazing Christmas for the family and one little munchkin in particular.     As usual you can follow this hop in a circle going either direction.  Of course you can also return to the home hop site if you ever get lost along the way.

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I am so excited that Christmas is back in the catalog and really loving the few new sets Stampin’ Up is tempting us with.  I say tempting because like an appetizer that tempts the appetite they kept the number of new Christmas sets small so we’ll be ready to enjoy the feast that is the Holiday Catalog.  Only a month and a half to go until customers can purchase the full Smorgasborg that is always found in the Holiday Catalog.   Pardon me if I do a little Na-na-na-na-na.   Demo’s get to order a month earlier at the beginning of August.   Makes it worth while to join up right?

Here’s my favorite new set showcasing the new corrugated paper as well.  As you’ll see on both Christmas cards…I really wanted to create cards that used all the possible stamps in the set.  Of course in these pictures you won’t see the inside sentiments…but trust me…they’re there.

Every Blessing

Don’t you love silhouette sets?  I do.  I’ve been mourning the retirement of Welcome to Bethlehem.  And now I’m glad I kept it!   These shepherds will be perfect in joining the wise men from the former set this coming Christmas.  I got just a wee bit carried away with the new gold metallic thread.  Good thing there are 50 yards on the spool.

Supplies:

Stamps: Every Blessing

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark

Paper:  Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Corrugated Paper (Kraft used though package also includes white)

Punches: Itty Bitty Accents Pack (star)

Other: Big Shot, Chalk Talk Framelits, Star Collection Framelits (for the inside sentiment), Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Gold Metallic Thread, Basic Jewel Rhinestones, SNAIL or Tombow multipurpose adhesive glue, glue dots.

Check back Sunday to see more detail shots and for my Men in Black version and then you can vote for which one you prefer.  Who knows…there may even be a bit of candy involved.  😀

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My next celebration of Christmas in July is also a Luminaria.  Or it would be if I had remembered to bring the little electric candle back from my last event so I could take a picture.  Sigh.  By Sunday I should have found my others so you can see it all lit up.   Sunday I’ll also show you the ornament made from the pop out die cut star.  And I’ll also show you imagination gone awry.

Gentle Peace Star Filled Luminaria

Now really…can’t you almost see the candle flickering through the vellum?   Of course you can…you’re stampers with stamping imaginations right? 😀

Supplies:

Stamps: Gentle Peace

Ink: Versamark

Paper:  Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Vellum Cardstock, Corrugated Paper (Kraft used though package also includes white)

Punches: Itty Bitty Accents Pack (star)

Other: Big Shot, WoodGrain Embossing Folder,  Star Collection Framelits, Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Gold Metallic Thread, Basic Jewel Rhinestones, Very Vanilla Seam Binding (retired), SNAIL or Tombow multipurpose adhesive glue, Glue dots.

Can you see the subtle detail I got by running the hardwood stamped section through the Woodgrain embossing folder.  It’s almost something you notice by touch more than by sight.  Still…I like it.

This card was a CASE of one by Carol Payne.  Click on her name and you’ll see her version and a wonderful video showing how she puts it together.

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And lastly….my catalog CASE…and my new punch entry.  Yep…I cheated just a smidge by combining the two bits.   Of course…I also created a new technique…well…seems a bit new to me though of course…there’s rarely much new in stamping when it comes to techniques if you’ve been around awhile.

The catalog image is this one:

2015-2016 Annual Catalog page 73 book mark project.

And here’s mine:

A Watercolor Wings Bookmark/Tag..on a card!   And a color background to reflect all the colorful hanging tags in the original catalog project.  To get that color I threw in my Watercolor Wash Embossing Technique for a background just for fun.  Took me awhile to come up with name and of course…lots and lots of color (but which ones exactly was the question).  Butterflies are all about color after all.  The new punch is the Triple Banner Punch that gave my bookmark a banner cut tail.  And a newish punch that carried over from the Occasions catalog – The Ornate Tag Topper Punch.   I substituted the dots image from the stamp set for the colored paper border on the original and I got a little crazy with the color combo.  Also went for pearls and a flower since I didn’t need the punched hole for a string or ribbon.   Though come to think of it…I could have added a bit of ribbon anyway to make the resemblance to a bookmark/tag a little more noticeable.

The Watercolor Wash Embossing Technique is really pretty simple.  Lots of markers to add a color wash to the embossing folder (fill in each of the little butterflies with a scribble of color).  You may have to go back with more ink if you aren’t quite fast enough.  I recommend leaving the caps off and grabbing as fast as you can to make your squiggles.  Don’t try to get it solidly colored…it really doesn’t work for this basic method and you’ll tear your hair out.  Once you have the ink in place…take a deep breath and blow gently over the folder.   Since the folder is 6″ x 6″ that will be a lot of breath!   Then insert the paper and run through the big shot.   Use the whole piece or cut it down as needed.    One tip…keep track of the inking…it’s easy to miss one.  Ask me how I know…or check out the white butterfly peeking behind the tag.

Stamps: Watercolor Wings

Ink Markers: Red Rose, Tempting Turquoise, Always Artichoke, Pear Pizzazz, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Blackberry Bliss

Paper: Blackberry Bliss, Whisper White Thick, Whisper White (thin), Vellum Cardstock

Punches: Itty Bitty Accents Pack (flower), Triple Banner, Ornate Topper

Other: Big Shot, Butterfly Thinlits, Bold Butterfly Thinlits, Stampin’ Trimmer,  SNAIL or Tombow multipurpose adhesive glue, dimensionals, glue dots

**Thanks Stampin’ Up for creating such wonderful catalog samples and even better tools to work with!**

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That’s it for my share of the hop.  Time to move on over to Miss Heidi’s wonderful post sharing her always creative outlook and gorgeous projects that celebrate Christmas, punches and a CASE from the new catalog.

To follow the hop click on the link below: