Happy New Year! The Wilderness Awaits....

Well, it is another 10 months until I begin posting Christmas cards again and I will tell ya, I am relieved to show you some things other than Christmas stuff!  How about a few masculine cards using The Wilderness Awaits stamp set?  Just a little inspiration for those upcoming birthdays!

In this card, we stamped the duck using StazOn ink so we could color the duck using an Aquapainter and Classic inks.  Lots of layering and the English Garden Designer Series Paper brought this look together.

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Product List

The Wilderness Awaits Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139365]	Petite Pairs Clear Stamp Set [122497]	Age Awareness Photopolymer Stamp Set [135381]	Jet Black Stazon Ink Pad [101406]
Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad [126951]	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad [126975]	Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad [126978]	Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad [131181]
Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad [126973]	So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad [126957]	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad [133645]	Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad [131179]
Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [126974]	Marina Mist Classic Stampin' Pad [126962]	Garden Green 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [102584]	Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100867]
Soft Suede 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [115318]	Marina Mist 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [119682]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]	English Garden Designer Series Paper [138440]
Boho Chic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [138286]	Note Tag Punch [135860]	Linen Thread [104199]	Silver Basic Metal Buttons [133319]

Stampin' Up! Big Shot Plates - When & Why Do You Need Them?

Stampin' Up! is introducing so many cool thinlet dies including the gorgeous Bloomin' Heart from the upcoming Occasions Catalog and I thought it would be a great time to share with you the various platform offerings that Stampin' Up! has and when and why to use them.  I am including my own recommendations in this blog entry and video below.  I hope they help you in your die-cutting endeavors.  Let me know what you think!

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Product List

Big Shot [113439]

Big Shot Magnetic Platform [130658]

Precision Base Plate [139684]

Standard Cutting Pads [113475]

Cozy Christmas....

 One of my customers found a card on Pinterest that she wanted to make and this was my version.  I love how it turned out!  We used the trees from Happy Scenes at the bottom and also the back trees using a copy paper mask for the snow line and masking of the bottom portion of the trees.  We stamped them twice without reinking so some of the trees were dark and some were lighter.  I think this added to the visual depth.  Masks were used for each of the rolling snow lines and the moon.  The snow was created using Soft Sky and Pool Party inks.  A few well placed Silver Foil stars from the Confetti Stars Border Punch finished it off.

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Product List

Cozy Christmas Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139779]	Happy Scenes Photopolymer Stamp Set [139821]	Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100867]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]
Silver Foil Sheets [132178]	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [126970]	Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad [131181]	Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad [126982]
Confetti Stars Punch [135861]	Iced Rhinestone Embellishments [139637]	Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter [133751]

Got A Lot of Designer Series Paper?

 Do you have a lot of scraps of Designer Series Paper left over from some of the Christmas cards you have been making this year?  Here's a great card that uses up quite a bit of it!  On watercolor paper, we used an Aquapainter and Tempting Turquoise and Night of Navy inks on a moistened Embellished Ornament stamp to create this watercolor ornament.  We then stamped and embossed the holly using Gold Embossing Powder.  Add lots of Designer Series Paper and you have this card!

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Product List

Embellished Ornaments Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139759]	Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [119685]	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [101650]	Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [133676]
Home For Christmas Designer Series Paper [139592]	Watercolor Paper [122959]	Gold Foil Sheets [132622]	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [126970]
Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' Pad [126952]	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad [133645]	Versamark Pad [102283]	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder [109129]
Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details [125585]	Gold Cording Trim [139618]	Gold 1/8" Ribbon [134583]	Home For Christmas Enamel Dots [140536]