Cards from Christmas past

I have been doing this for a couple of years now and like I said in my past posts I just love this craft.  So I am posting cards I have done in previous years.  I hope you enjoy them..

P.S.- I will make sure to link to any techniques or stamp sets I have picked up. Enjoy and see you soon..

Ornament card

Stamped this image twice, colored, then added sentiment from Stampin' Up! (since retired). I used scrap paper from other project to create this scalloped border.

Three Kings

Hero Arts stamp stamped wise men twice. Cut one out then sponged the sky scene. Card face was on glossy stock and sponged going one direction which created a shadow effect. 

Simple blues

When I saw this Inkadinkado Mindscape Star stamp I had to have it. Simple gray pearlescent paper. Sentiment is called four the holidays which has since been retired. Blue and white is such a wonderful color combination

Tagging it

Layers of greens and reds with a distressed tag.

Art Deco Noel

This card took a bit of research on the colors used during the Deco period.  Brown cardstock dry embossed with VersaMark ink then heat set with bronze powder. 

Holly Card

Patterned harlequin with hollys. Then I stamped another holly cut the patterned paper to match the holly colored and added a bow.. 

Snowy Glittery Poinsettia

Stamped poinsettia on red paper embossed black. Used stamping glue on the tops of the leaves then added glitter. Dry embossed holly on crisp white card stock. Used striped background paper to add some color.

Elegant Christmas Card:

Offset silk knot and patterned paper give this card some elegance.

Bleached Poinsettia

Stamped and heat embossed poinsettia and sentiment. then used household bleached to 'color' the leaves.  It is always such a surprise to see the color you will get when doing this technique.  The antique lace is a perfect addition to this card. 

In this card I was trying something new. I used leaves from my front yard to to stamp. Well the effect wasn't really what I wanted so I made it into a Christmas card and now I just love the Hello, Doily Stamp by Stampin Up! (It has since retired but I linked to the digital download), embossed background with green pearlescent embossing powder. Then put the 'Dec 25' sticker on a scalloped cardstock and added it to the card. 

  

Jeweled Card

When I finished this card it wasn't my favorite but it grew on me and now I just love it.. Patterned paper, scalloped border with all the bling on the tree puts this card together beautifully.

Well I think that is enough reminising.. Now to look forward to new projects and crafts!! See you then..

Almost time for thank you notes!

Well here we are 4 days till Christmas and I am still on projects that need to mailed, etc.. I think it is safe to assume that none of my gifts will make it for Christmas.. But this year I am giving myself some grace.. I would rather do a good job and send it out late then do a crappy job and send it on time.. So to add salt to the wound all the gifts came from all my friends and relatives on time.. Yikes..

But I am very grateful for all we have been given and will be sending out a note of thanks after this holiday season.  Here are a couple of thank you notes that I am posting. One is a set made from sponging the Solace stencil by TCW in various colors. After I sponged using the stencil I would use the same color ink to sponge around the edges of the card.. I love the effect...

 Stenciled Thank You notes..

Here is a closeup of one of the cards. 

That is it for me! Time to go and work on Christmas, or should I say New Years, presents.. Thank you for reading and see you soon and have a wonderful holiday season!

Lots of new Cards

Hello All!

Thinking this post will be short and sweet. Succinct, to-the-point, no fussy words like succinct.. 

I have been very busy this past couple of weeks. Creating, coughing, stamping while coughing, coloring while, well... coughing, sneezing, yada, yada, yada. We have all been sick with a cold for the past two weeks. We just keep passing it around like a game of 'Hot Potato'. 

Anyhooooo, here are my new cards..

Autumn's Beauty

I just love Autumn. The colors and vibrancy is just a treat to see every year. Here is an image that was printed on vellum then colored on the back with alcohol markers to get a 'stained glass' effect.  The sentiment says it all!! 

Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

Stamping on Velvet

This card was actually heat embossed on velvet. The silver detail adds a bit of sparkle and I think compliments the wooden 'Merry Christmas' and pearls.

Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

Hidden Presents

My son just turned seven years old and of course why would I look for wrapping paper that I thought I had. Well none to be found and just a couple of hours to get things done. What to do! Well instead of wrapping paper I created riddles on note cards that tell where the gift is located in the house. In the end, I think it was better to have him find his gifts then just open them. I think I may have started a new tradition!

Card Size: 5.5" x 4.25"

ROY G BIV Birthday

This stamp by Tim Holtz I just had to have. It literally took my breath away and then this see-thru Papertrey birthday die was a perfect complement to such a colorful background. You will see more of this stamp soon!! One of my favs!!

Celery Stamping

How about stamping with celery to create rose patterns.

Card Size: 5.5" x 4.25"

1,000,000 Thanks

This card was more of an experiment. Still like it with gold and green background. Stamp set is from the retired Stampin' Up! Word Play set. 

Card Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

Distressed Polka Dots

 This card was created using Distress Inks blended together to get this great polka dotted background. A black stripe with a 'Thank you' sentiment goes perfectly with the black retro circle stamp. 

Card Size: 5.5" x 4.25"

Thank You Bump

This is called the 'bumping' technique. This technique is offsetting the stencil to create a shadow effect. I sprinkled brown embossing powder to add some texture. 

Card Size: 4.25"x 5.5"

Keeping Warm

One of my new favorites. Background is stamped, embossed, then bleached to show the stars and border. Added some pink pearl embellishments and mittens of the same color. The sentiment is perfect for this card. 

Card Size: 4.25"x 5.5"

Absolutely Fabulous!

This is set of note-cards I have colored from an amazing artist.

named ladyegg. This set is colored only once then scanned and copied on cardstock. Stamped with a sentiment and DONE. 

I just love peacocks.. Their colors are brilliant and how ladyegg depicts them using zentangle art is amazing!!

Well so much for short and sweet and well... Succinct.. Take care all and we will see you soon with more from TheGrandStampede!   

Blessed

Hello All!

Today I wanted to share with you a technique I just fell in love with.  It is how to color embossing paste and then use your die cuts as stencils. This is so incredibly easy and effect is outstanding! You may get a bit messy but then why craft if you don't get a bit messy..  Everyone will be asking you 'How did you do that?'  

How to color and use your embossing paste

I highly suggest that you subscribe to this channel.. It is full of very useful information! Also, I suggest you hop over the Make It Monday blog. It is a wonderful resource for ideas. 

I usually don't to copy exactly what the video does but in this case I had to do it.. The stencil was made from individual leaves from this Papertrey die to make my own image for the embossing paste. I just switched a few colors and sentiment and VOILA. This card is perfect for my son's teacher. 

Blessed

you can see the texture and color!

So tell me, what do you think? I just love the texture of the embossing paste. It just invites you to feel it.

'How did you do that?' Well now you are in the know. Have a great day and see you soon!!

Groovy Birthday

Hello All and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Well like many others, I was asked what I was thankful for tonight. One of the many things I was thankful for is my sight.  I went through a lot this year with my eyes! Sight was clearly on my mind and I thank God everyday for the colors I see, the shapes I see, the family I see, and smiles I see.. What a gift to have sight!!

The card I am presenting today was so much fun and easy to make!! My daughter had a birthday party a couple of weeks ago and, of course, needed a card.  Considering the amount of money we have spent on stamps my family is officially banned from buying cards.

The girl I made it for is fun and so full of ideas and life. I thought the bright colors and groovy design suited her well.

Groovy Birthday

The negative die cut space was offset from the 'O's just a bit to create a kind of 'groovy' font. I think it succeeded.. The bands of color are just different colors of washi tape!  This card took about 20 minutes to complete.. My daughter came back from the party and I ask her 'what did she think of the card?'.. She just rolled her eyes and said 'MOM!'  I guess that is an indicator how much I love this craft.

Well Happy Day to all!! Take care and Happy Thanksgiving!

First Blog post from TheGrandStampede

Hello from ccccc-ooooo-lllll-dddd Michigan... My name is Shawna Standish and I am an avid card maker, busy mother of two, and wife to my wonderful husband Rob.  

I have been making cards for about 2 years now and have learned a lot from other blogs, YouTube, Pinterest, etc. I have become addicted to stamping and all the fun that comes with it. I enjoy experimenting with new techniques and media which led me to start TheGrandStampede.. I figured I could share some of my work with you and then add links to where I came up with my design inspiration.  You can also follow on Pinterest and Twitter (still new so bear with me.).  I will start out with my most recent work..

  

 Wedding Card- Very subtle colors look great with cracked background. Perfect for a fall wedding. Stamped with brown ink, embossed sentiment, and colored flowers with Prismacolor pencils. Size: 4x6

Harvest Greetings- Used printed chevron paper with colored scarecrow and stamped corn scene. Word 'Harvest' and 'Greetings' are from two different sets.  Embellished with Stampin' Up brad. Size 4.25x5.5

Reindeer wishes- This is actually a free printout I believe from PaperCrafts. Thought cutting out the second deer gives it a sense of dimension.  The red banner adds a touch of color. Size: 4.25x5.5

God is Love- This elegant card has a touch of color with the Penny Black flower stamps. I think the gray in the border and oval also act as a color.  I love it when that happens.!

Hoppy Day- Stamped pod scene watercolored then added lilypad background paper with red border. Sentiment was hand drawn with white gel pen (any tips on how to use white gel pens without the mess would be awesome)

  Peddler Pack- I just adore Peddler pack stamps. The image does the work for you!! Just add color (if you want!), in this case I used Perfect Pearls and Pearl-Ex for the color. It gives a shimmery look of ornaments on a tree. The blue banner with a Stampin' Up sentiment ties the whole card together.

Well that concludes my very first blog post. I will get more savvy as time goes on so bear with me as I learn!! Also, you can follow me on Pinterest!! Just type in TheGrandStampede. I will come up with a link later. ;)