Thinking Stamping: Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team

This month, the Stampin' Up! Artisan Design team is showcasing the In The Pines bundle. I'm delighted to be able to share with you some of the things I've made with this versatile bundle. Although it appears in the August-December Mini Catalogue, in the Christmas section, trees are timeless images and the variety of sentiments make it useful all year round.

So here's my two projects: A gift box and a card.

As you can see, I've gone for a non-traditional colourway. I've used Rich Razzleberry, Flirty Flamingo and Gold. At first, I wondered if I'd lost my mind when I gave those colours a go but I discovered that they really appealed. Has that happened to you - trying something that seems outrageous and then finding it works?

1. Gift box of tags

This colour experiment started when I used an acrylic block to smoosh together Rich Razzleberry and Flirty Flamingo on to some Shimmery White Cardstock. Then I used that wonderful lacy tree die cut to see what would happen and I discovered that I loved those trees.

I started with one of the Mini Paper Pumpkin boxes. I cut a top in Rich Razzleberry, one slightly smaller in Gold Foil and one slightly smaller again in Whisper White. This one, I embossed using the Evergreen Forest 3D embossing folder. I highlighted the forest with a touch of sponging in Flirty Flamingo.

The Rich Razzleberry panel is embossed using the Dainty Diamonds embossing folder. I've added in a twist of gold cord from the Wonder of the Season Ribbon Combo pack and some Snowflake adhesive-backed embellishments.

The box closes with a tie of 1/4" Whisper White Crinkled Seam Binding ribbon for an extra bit of drama.

Inside the box, I created a divider so that 5 tags could sit in each half. I place the trees on different sides so that when the box is opened, the trees are centred. I've used all the same materials as the box and the tags are cut using the stitched scallop-edged rectangles from the Stitched So Sweetly dies.

2. Christmas Card

This card is on a Rich Razzleberry card base with a mat of Gold Foil. I took the Whisper White card front and cut out the filagree tree from it. I cut a second filagree tree from my piece of smooshed Rich Razzleberry/Flirty Flamingo but took care that the pieces did not come out of the cut.

I put that to one side while I completed the rest of the card front: gold embossing the sentiment, adding in the stamped grounds for the trees and assembling the second tree. Isn't it great that the solid shaped dies that fit the stamped images also fit perfectly with the lacy die cut trees? I used the outline die for the small tree and cut it in Gold Foil to make a backing for the small lacy die-cut tree.

When I attached the card front to the Gold Foil mat, I made sure that I laid down plenty of Stampin' Seal behind the cut-out tree shape. Then I got took the tree cut from the ink-smooshed paper and carefully transferred the pieces into the card front layer, making sure to push them firmly onto the Stampin' Seal backing. Before you go thinking that I'd once again lost my mind, the Take Your Pick Tool makes transferring those tiny pieces an absolute breeze. Trying to do this without one probably would be madness!

Once again, a few of the Snowflake Adhesive-backed embellishments finished the project.

If you like the idea but not the non-traditional colours, of course you can use any colours you like.

For more inspiration with the In The Pines bundle, keep moving around the hop. Next up is the fabulous Lauren Alarid, aka The Crafty Peach.

In case you get lost along the way, or want to re-visit a blog, here's a list of everyone on the hop with a link.

Caroline van der Straaten Emma Goddard Helene den Breejen Jan Clothier Lauren Alarid Leah Fedynak Manuela Geiswinkler Marine Wiplier Martha Groger Martin Stone Narelle Farrugia Nina Waldschmidt Rochelle Blok Stesha Bloodhart Tammy Wilson Zsuzsanna Balazs

If you live in New Zealand and don't have a Stampin' Up Demonstrator, I'd love to be yours. I can help you with ideas, get you catalogues and provide you with Stampin' Up products. You can leave a message in the comments or contact me using any of the methods listed in the Contact Me tab at the top of the page. You can shop with me from anywhere in New Zealand by clicking on the SHOP NOW button in the sidebar or clicking on any of products below.

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