Serendipity Stamps December Blog Hop #2

Hello Friends and Happy Holidays!

I hope that you are busy finishing up those Christmas cards and sending them out to your friends and families. I have just one last Christmas card to share with you, but first a reminder...

Today is the first day of Serendipity Stamp's second December BLOG HOP!

Serendipity Stamps showcases a new set of stamps every two weeks. Just comment on the Design  Team's blogs listed below to enter to win a $20 Serendipity Stamps gift certificate.....the more blogs you comment on, the more likely you are to win!

Here's a list of all the designers participating in the blog hop today...

Marybeth Lopez
Mary's Blog (Serendipity Stamps owner)
Julie Warner
Vickie Zimmer
Beth Chiu (that's me!)
Miriam Napier

The card I made for today showcases the gorgeous Rejoice die.

I decided to use this die to create a shaker card...I love sequins and anything shiny, especially during the Christmas season. I decided to use both gold and silver for a fun and festive look. 

I first cut my larger frame from silver mirror cardstock and created my shaker using acetate,  a double layer of foam tape, and ivory Stardream cardstock for the back panel. I filled my shaker with TONS of sequins from my stash! I mixed a variety of gold, silver, and clear sequins together and I loved how it turned out!

Next, I die cut a smaller rectangle frame from gold mirror cardstock and a center rectangle from more of the ivory Stardream paper. I cut my Rejoice sentiment from gold mirror cardstock and glued it at an angle onto my smaller frame. Of course I kept having to stop and shake my card from time to time....I'm like a little kid when it comes to shakers!

Now comes the really fun part....adding the finishing touches. I made a little gold bow and attached a crystal star to it and placed that on my panel. Then I glued a few sequins to the front of my card and filled them with gold and white Nuvo drops.

I think anyone would love to receive a fun shaker card like this....the possibilities with this design are endless. You can use any dies for the front of your card and use your favorite color palette to customize your own card. For example,  I think the Hello die would make an especially beautiful everyday card.

Thanks everyone for visiting my blog today. I hope you and your friends and families have a wonderful holiday season filled with all your hearts desire!!

Good luck on the blog hop!

Serendipity Stamps December Blog Hop #1!!

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving...can you believe it's only 19 days until Christmas? I've been super busy making holiday cards and I can't wait to share these two with you today. 

Just a reminder.... today is the first day of Serendipity Stamp's first December BLOG HOP!

Serendipity Stamps showcases a new set of stamps every two weeks. Just comment on the Design  Team's blogs listed below to enter to win a $20 Serendipity Stamps gift certificate.....the more blogs you comment on, the more likely you are to win!

Here's a list of all the design team members participating in the hop... 

Carol Mayne
Vickie Zimmer
Miriam Napier
Marybeth Lopez
Beth Chiu (that's me!)
Mary's Blog (owner)
Patti Kehl
Julie Warner

Today's first card features the adorable Winter Rabbit stamp. 

This is a really versatile stamp that can be used to make either a Christmas card or a Winter card...the detail on this stamp is fabulous!

This image was so much fun to color! Here are the Copic marker colors I used...

Sky - BG0000

Pine Needles - YG61, YG63, and YG67

Holly leaves - YG13, YG93, and YG99

Rabbit - E40, E41, E42, E43, and E44 (and R20 for his tongue and ears)

Holly Berries - R35

Pinecones - E23, E25, and E27

Snow on Tree and ground - C0, C1, and C2

Birch trees - C0, C1, and C2

Tree in background - YG03, YG17, and YG67

Frame Colors - YG63 and BG01

After I finished coloring my image, I added a few dots around the rabbit's nose with a brown Micron 0.45mm pen to add some extra detail. I also added some Nuvo Crystal drops in Red Berry gloss on my holly bushes for a pop of dimension and color.

While the Nuvo drops were drying, I prepared my A2 sized card by cutting a diagonal panel of blue Stardream cardstock. I laid this on top of a green piece of cardstock and cut both out using a stitched rectangle die. I then adhered a sparkly blue ribbon across the diagonal edge using a strip of Scor-Pal tape. I cut out the image using my paper trimmer and mounted it onto my background using foam tape.

I created a fun focal point on the left side of my card using a metal "Winter" charm, some green jute twine, and a tiny white button. 

After the card was finished, I felt that it needed a little extra "something", so I took a white glaze pen and dotted it all over the green cardstock to resemble snow.

For the inside of my card, I stamped a sentiment from Serendipity Stamp's For Unto Us cling stamp set using green ink. (If you haven't taken a look at this set, check it out...it's a set of 6 different holiday stamps for a very reasonable price, and the fonts are gorgeous!) I then mounted my sentiment panel to my card using more blue Stardream cardstock and a dotted green patterned paper. 

My second card was made using Serendipity Stamp's Sled stamp!

I think this is such a beautiful scene. I grew up in the South so snow was a rarity...and if we did get snow it certainly wasn't enough to go sledding! Looking at this stamp made me dream about living up North and jumping on a sled and racing down a hill...it just seems like so much fun!

To create this card, I first stamped the sled image onto Copic X-Press it paper with Memento

Tuxedo Black Ink. I first colored my background sky using Copic BG0000 and BG000. I then colored the rest of the image using the following Copic colors:

Sled - YG93, YG95, and YG97

Wooden building - E41, E42, E43, and E44

Snow shadows - C0, C1, and C2

I also used a bit of  Spectrum Noir Sparkle in clear to add a bit of glitter to the snow.

After I finished coloring the image I decided to create a snowy scene using Copic Opaque White Pigment paint. I've been using it to create lots of snowy scenes on my cards and I absolutely love it! I just put a little bit of it on an acrylic block, thin with water to create a thin liquid, and "spray" it onto my scene by flicking it with a brush or a tooth brush. I think it really helped to make this scene look inviting!


After I finished my scene, I die cut it using a rounded rectangle frame die. I also cut a frame for my scene using this same die and olive green cardstock. 

I created a background for my snowy scene using coordinating patterned papers and a rectangle die with rounded corners. Before I mounted my scene onto my background papers, however, I tied the edge of my scene up with some olive green silk ribbon, some navy blue jute twine, and a metal snowflake accent. I added a glittery green enamel dot on my snowflake for an extra bit of color.

Finally, I popped up my scene using foam tape and adhered it to my background papers. I used desert storm heavyweight cardstock for this A2 sized card.

For the inside of my card, I stamped the Winter Wishes stamp with black ink and colored it in an ombre style using YG93, YG95, YG97, and B32. I added a little white gel pen on the "snow" on top of the letters. I used the same dies and papers on the inside of my card as I did on the outside. 

Thanks so much for spending a little time with me today. I hope you all enjoy this holiday season with your friends and families. Happy Cardmaking! And good luck on the blog hop too!