Dia de Los Muertos

Hello, crafty friends!

Today’s post celebrates Dia de Los Muertos - the Day of the Dead.  A day that celerates and memorializes family and friends who have passed and is widely celebrated in Mexico.  My card features the beautiful Day of the Dead Sacred Heart Sugar Skull from Blank Page Muse.

Here’s what I used to make it:

Day of the Dead Sacred Heart Sugar Skull

Brutus Monroe Clear Embossing Ink

Brutus Monroe Gilded Embossing Powder

Black A2 card base

Cream 4”x5.25” card panel

Black 3.75”x5” card panel

Scraps of Gold Metallic cardstock

Grabie Acrylic Markers

Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Tea Dye

Delicata Golden Glitz Metallic Pigment Ink

Brutus Monroe Tea Stain Spray

Prima Marketing Paper Flowers

Here’s how I made it:

Adhered cream card panel to black card base and blended Tea Dye ink around the edges.

 

Stamped sugar skull onto black card panel with clear embossing ink and then heat set gilded embossing powder.

Colored the skull with acrylic markers.

Spritzed the colored image with Tea Stain spray.

Dabbed the card panel with gold metallic pigment ink using a baby wipe.

Adhered card panel to card base.

Brushed paper flowers with Tea Dye ink and glued them to card.

Created sentiment with label maker, glued to gold metallic cardstock scraps, and cut them into strips.  Glued the strips to the card.

Here’s a closeup of the card:

Thanks for stopping by Paper Play to read about this project.  Until next time . . . be well!

Hop along with us by clicking here to view the other blogs!

https://blog.blankpagemuse.com/2024/10/halloween-and-day-of-dead-celebration.html

BPM/IBFS - A Sequined Background!

Hi, friends!

I hope that everyone is having a great summer!  Mine has been great so far.  I've been able to enjoy some time off while also keeping up with my crafting time.  Speaking of summer, today's card is a celebration of it featuring another one of the Rick St. Dennis bear stamps.  Who doesn't love spending some time at the beach?  A little fun in the sun is good for the soul - even if you're a bear!  My inspiration for the card was a picture of the bear on the beach being given to say hello to a friend.  What sets this card apart from others is that the card panel background is completely made up of sequins.  It was the first time that I've tried this and I am really happy with the results.  What do you think?

Here's what I used to create it:

• Beach Costume Bear by Rick St Dennis Line Art Rubber Stamp
• Special Day CLEAR Sentiments Flowers Stamp Set designed by Pam Bray 
• A2 Kraft card base
• 3.25" x 5" Light Turquoise card panel
• 2.5" x 4" White card panel
• Sequins . . . lots and lots of sequins!

 Here's how I made it:

• Adhered turquoise card panel to card base with double sided tape and stamped the sentiment at the top.
• Stamped the bear onto the smaller white card panel and colored it with alcohol markers, pastel gel pens, and glitter gels pens.
• Starting at the bottom of the card, glued sequins down to the card base and worked my way up to the top: used cream, brown, and gold sequins for the sand and rocks; turquoise sequins for the ocean; light blue sequins for the sky; silver sequins for a couple of clouds; and yellow sequins for the sun.
• Adhered the smaller panel to the card; angled the smaller panel to give it a more relaxed, whimsical feel.

I love how the sequined backgrounds almost mimics a mosaic type of look!  It's also nice that some of them are a little more flat and others are a little more shiny to break it up.  I am definitely going to try this technique again!

That's it for this post.  I hope that you continue to enjoy your summer.

Until next time . . . be well!

BPM/IBFS - A Bearable Birthday!

Hello, friends!

Welcome back to Paper Play.  Do you ever find yourself needing a quick birthday card and not having the right one in your stash?  It's nice to be able to fall back on something to help save you time when that happens - and that's the focus of today's post.  Blank Page Muse has a great digital download kit, It's Your Party, that will all will you to create a really nice handmade card.  It has a variety of papers, ephemera, greetings, and more.  I chose a paper that I really liked and paired it with one of Rick St. Dennis' adorable bear stamps.  The result is a card that is certain to make someone smile!

Here's what I used to create it:

• It's Your Party Birthday Printable Papers, Bookmarks Ephemera for Junk Journals Cardmaking and more designed by Pam Bray Designs
• Birthday Bear with Cupcake Hat Line Art Rubber Stamp by Rick St Dennis 
• Special Day CLEAR Sentiments Flowers Stamp Set designed by Pam Bray
• A2 sized Light Purple Card Base
• Rainbow Colored Gems
• Glossy Accents Clear Dimensional Medium
• Hampton Art Wobbler Action Spring
  

 Here's how I made it:

• Used the printer app for my printer to reduce the size of the digital background paper for the card (3.75" x 5") and printed it.
• Adhered printed panel to card base with double sided tape, stamped the sentiment, and applied Glossy Accents to the balloons on the panel to give them texture and make them shine.  TIP: use a heat tool on low or a hair dryer to speed up the drying time of the glossy accents!
  

• Stamped the bear onto white card stock; colored the image with a mix of alcohol markers, pastel gel pens, and glitter gel pens; fussy cut the image.
• Adhered the bear to the card with a Wobbler Action Spring, which gives the bear some motion when tapped.
• Placed two rows of rainbow gems under the sentiment.

Such a quick way to make a colorful and fun birthday card!

I hope you enjoyed this post and my tips for making a beautiful card in no time at all.  Let me know what you think!  I'll be sharing another card featuring a Rick St. Dennis bear in my next post.  Stay tuned!

Until then . . . be well!
 

BPM/IBFS - Stained Glass Flowers

Hi there, friends!

Welcome back to Paper Play.  You know the old adage "April showers bring May flowers"?  Well, it's certainly true in regards to this card design.  It's May and flowers are blooming, trees are growing new green leaves, and my allergies are at a peak!  I do, despite my allergies, like the Spring and all of the beauty that it brings.  I wanted to capture that in my first project for the month and my thoughts immediately turned to the gorgeous Stained Glass rubber stamps from I Brake for Stamps.  I decided on using stamp #4 as the focal point and the Wild Berries rubber stamp from Blank Page Muse as the background.  I really like the way that they look together!

Here's what I used to create it:

• Stained Glass Flowers #4
• Wild Berries Background Coloring Art Rubber Stamp
• Special Day CLEAR Sentiments Flowers Stamp Set (sentiment)
• Vellum
• Acetate
• Black card stock
• Gray A2 card base
  

 Here's how I made it:

• Embossed Stained Glass Flowers onto vellum with black embossing powder; colored the image with alcohol markers; adhered a piece of acetate over it.
  
• Embossed the Wild Berries background stamp onto black card stock with silver embossing powder; colored in the berries with Brutus Monroe Creamy Blue Aqua Pigment.
• Used a circle nesting die to cut a whole in the center of the embossed berry panel; adhered the stained glass panel behind the berry panel with double sided foam tape.
• Adhered the panel to the card base with double sided foam tape.
• Stamped sentiment onto piece of scrap gray card stock, glued it down to a slightly larger scrap of black card stock, and adhered it to the card base with double sided foam tape.

 

The black embossed lines, combined with the effect of the alcohol ink on the vellum and the shine of the acetate, truly mimics the look of a stained glass window.  I love it!  And it's a lot of fun to create.

I hope that you enjoyed learning more about my creative process today.  For my next project, I'll be using the circle that I cut out of the embossed berry card panel used in this one.  Stay tuned!

Until next time . . . be well!

BPM/IBFS - Life's Precious Things

Welcome back to Paper Play, crafting friends!

I'm really excited about this card that I'm sharing with you today.  It's another vintage themed card using the Silhouettes #1 stamp set from I Brake for Stamps.  I knew that I wanted to capture a nice town/village scene as soon as I saw the stamp of the photographer with the old camera.  I thought of him as being a photographer hired to capture the magic of a small town for a postcard.  There he stands, high up on the hill, focused down on the town below on a beautiful day.

Here's what I used to make it:

• Silhouettes #1
• Village #1 
• Postage Stamp Nesting Die Set

Here's how I made it:

• Die cut the postage stamp card panel using the largest postage stamp die in the set; blended some white pigment ink around the edges.
  
• Stamped the village at the bottom of the panel using Walnut Stain Distress Ink.
• Created a mask for the village using masking paper and adhered it to the village.
• Ink blended the sky with Salty Ocean Distress Oxide Ink; added some clouds using white pigment ink.
• Colored the village with alcohol markers and a white gel pen.
• Spritzed the panel with Antique Linen Distress Spray Stain to add some age and grunge.
• Adhered the sentiment ephemera to top center of panel.
• Stamped the photographer with black ink, fussy cut it out, and adhered to the panel with double sided foam tape.
• Adhered the card panel to an A2 Kraft card base that had grunge added to the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

 

 

I thought that the postage stamp shape would make a fun way to add a little something extra to the card.  This card looks like a quintessential New England town in the early 1900's.  Is it Massachusetts?  Vermont?  Perhaps New Hampshire?  It could be any of them!

Thanks for spending some time on the blog with me today.  What do you think of the card?  Do you like the vintage style?  I'd really enjoy hearing what you think!

Until next time . . . stay well!
 

BPM/IBFS - Make a Wish

Welcome back to Paper Play!

You can probably tell from my creations that I'm a fan of the vintage style.  I'm an old soul - I remember my mother telling me that as a kid.  I love photos, postcards, and newspapers from bygone years.  I love the smell, the feel, and to think about what life must have been like for them.  That's what drew me to the Silhouettes #1 stamp set from I Brake for Stamps.  There are so many nostalgic images to stamp and tell a story with . . . so many possibilities.

The first stamp that I wanted to create with is the one featured on today's card.  It's the silhouette of a family standing by each other and looking forward.  There's a lot of love to be felt from them.  I envisioned them looking out at the stars in the night sky and making a wish.  Perhaps they're enjoying a warm summer night or waiting for some July 4th fireworks?  Either way, I feel a sense of closeness and happiness when I see them.

 

Here's what I used to make it:

• Silhouettes #1
• Steampunk Romance: Digital Printable Papers for Journals, Cards, ATCs - paper for frame
  
• Scrap Divas A2 Front Shadow Frame 

Here's how I made it:

• Started by blending the sky backdrop on a white card panel; began at bottom with pink, worked up to purple, and then blended the blue.
• Stamped the image with black ink; stamped twirly leaf element in black on each side.
• Used the vintage handwriting digital paper from Steampunk Romance to make the shadowbox frame; added some grunge to it with Vintage Photo Distress Ink
• Attached the card panel to the back of the shadowbox frame with craft glue.
• Distressed an A2 Kraft card panel with Vintage Photo Distress Ink; attached shadow box to front.
• Used a fine tip gold metallic marker to add some stars into the sky.
• Added the Make a Wish sentiment strip to the shadowbox frame.

 

 

It's such a simple, yet beautiful, card that is perfect for a birthday, an anniversary, or just to say I love you.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and learning more about why I chose to create with this stamp.

Until next time . . . be well!
 

BPM/IBFS: A Vintage Dream

Welcome back to Paper Play, friends!

Do you enjoy Steampunk designs?  I find them fascinating and fun.  They combine my love for the vintage theme with elements of the fantasy and industrial themes.  I find it to be a fun way to tell a story using unconventional and, sometimes, abstract, items.  Blank Page Muse recently released a downloadable digital Steampunk kit designed by artist Pam Bray, and it includes lots of beautiful images, ephemera, and paper.  I used two of the papers from this kit to create this really fun encouragement card.

Here’s what I used to make it:

• Steampunk Romance: Digital Printable Papers for Journals, Cards, ATCs Pam Bray Designs
  
• Woman’s Head
  
• DREAM grunge distressed style word Art Rubber Stamp
  

Here’s how I made it:

• Cut a vintage paper sheet from the kit down to an A2 size panel and adjered it to the front of an A2 card base.
• Cut a written text paper sheet and a patterned paper sheet crom the kit down to 3.75”X5”.
• Used a deckle edge ruler to tear the patterned paper sheet in half on a diagonal.
• Adhered the written text sheet to the card base with double sided tape, and then adhered the patterned paper to it with double sided tape.
• Stamped the woman’s head onto a piece of white card stock several times; alternated the stamping between black ink and Vintage Photo Distress ink to achieve a more vintage look.
• Fussy cut the woman’s head, applied double sided foam tape to the back of it, and adhered it to the card base.
• Spread some gold mixed media paste across the top of the card and let it dry.
• Stamped the word dream in black ink on the dried gold paste.
• Adhered three pearl gems to the card.

I found this to be such a fun card to create!  This woman’s head stamp is so beautiful and full of detail, and I think that the combination of patterned papers behind it adds to the vintage feel.  The word dream goes so well with it as a sentiment, and this card could be used for so many different occasions.

I hope that you enjoyed reading about my inspiration for this card!  Until next time . . . be well!

BPM/IBFS: St. Paddy’s Day Step Card

Hi, friends!

Welcome back to Paper Play.  St. Paddy’s Day is only a week away, and today’s card is in honor of the one day when we’re all Irish!  Blank Page Muse recently released some fun mini calendar digitial papers, and I used the March set to create this fun step card.  Just download, print, and design!

Here’s what I used to make it:

• Digital Page with Small Calendar and Versatile Green-themed Images 2024 March Pam Bray Designs
  

Here’s how I made it:

• Printed out the kit pages on 65lb white card stock.
• Used a step card die from Amazon to cut the card base from kraft card stock.
• Used the die set pieces to cut coordinating decorative papers from the kit and adhered them to the front of the card base.
• Fussy cut each of the ephemera items that I wanted to use on the card.
• Adhered ephemera to the card base with double sided tape and craft glue.
• Colored two tooth picks with a dark brown alcohol marker, adhered a piece of ephemera to each, and adhered them to the card base.
• Adhered a white card panel to the back of the card to allow for space to personalize the card.
• Sprayed the front of the card with Antique Linen Distress Spray to add some age and grunge to the card.

This digital kit from artist Pam Bray makes it super easy to make a fun holiday card.  I hope that you enjoyed reading about I created with one of them!

Until next time . . . be well!

BPM/IBFS: Stamping on Wood with Romance Classic Stamps

Hey, friends!

Welcome back to Paper Play.  The theme of this post is vintage romance given that the month of February celebrates all aspects of love.  Today's creation may be used as a card, a mini-junk journal, or simply as a gift book.  The design is rather unique - but rather fun to make.  It was inspired by the Romance Classic stamps from Blank Page Muse.  I saw the images and immediately thought of the being displayed on thin wooden panels with a look similar to wood burning and coloring.  They're then bound together with waxed thread and faux leather front & back covers.

Here's what I used to make it:

• Romance Classic Couples Line Art Rubber Stamp Sheet Set SC92
• Birds & Clocks Rubber Stamp Set for the embossed clock on the cover
• LOVE word art rubber stamp SC88-08
• Timeless with Floral Spray Word Art Rubber Stamp 
• Everlasting Fancy E Art Word Rubber Stamp
• World Map Global View with Compass Art Rubber Stamp 
• Brutus Monroe Gilded Embossing Powder
• Various Tim Holtz Distress Ink Sprays
• Tim Holtz Walnut Staun and Tea zdue Distress Inks
• Wooden rectangle plates

Here’s how I created it:

• Stamped each of the couple stamps onto the wood plates using the walnut stain ink.
• Using a paintbrush, brushed various spray stains onto each of the wooden plates.
• Stamped words onto wooden plates with walnut stain ink.
• Colored each of the images with colored pencils.
• Added some grunge to the wooden plates with tea dye ink.
• Created front and back covers with brown card stock, chipboard, and spray inks.
• Once dry, used Gilded embossing powder and heat set images onto front and back covers.
• Stamped sentiment onto inside of front cover using walnut stain ink.
• Using a Dremel tool, drilled holes onto left hand side of plates.
• Aligned front and back covers with wooden plates and punched binding holes into each.
• Sewed the wooden plates and covers together with waxed thread to bind them together.

The project is now complete!  I think that this would make a beautiful and unique card. - there is plenty of space on each of the inside covers to write a message!  How fun is this?

Thanks for spending some time here with me today.  Until next time . . . be well!

BPM/IBFS: You Belong to Me

Hey there, crafty friends!

Thanks for coming back to Paper Play.  Today’s post is all about L-O-V-E.  I am what you might call a hopeless romantic.  I always have been.  I’m also not ashamed to say that music, movies, the news, and even commercials can make me tear up - especially music.  It speaks to me on a personal level.  I truly believe that there is a song for every occasion or moment.  With this in mind, I heard a song in my mind as soon as I saw these photo booth stamps on the Blank Page Muse website.  Do you know, “You Belong to Me”?  No . . . not the Taylor Swift song!  Or even the great Carly Simon pop song.  I heard the original You Belong to Me, made popular by Jo Stafford in the 1950’s:

See the pyramids along the Nile 
Watch the sun rise on a tropic isle
Just remember, darling, all the while
You belong to me

I used this song as the inspiration for my design: photo booth photos of two couples, a classic car, some vintage grunge showing the age of the card, and words in colors that remind me of that decade.  I framed the card panel with the black card stock of the card base.

I used the following Blank Page Muse products to create it:

• Vintage Image Photobooth Collage Rubber Stamp KIT KITPhb Slimline Card
• Classic Car Front end view Black Art Rubber Stamp
  
• Romance Classic Couples Line Art Rubber Stamp Sheet Set SC92
  

Here’s how I created it:

• Stamped classic car in black ink at the bottom center of card panel
• Filled in metallic accents on car with a silver gel pen

• Stamped the photo frames (from Deep Red Stamps) with three shades of Distess Ink (Tea Dye, Antique Linen, and Lost Shadow) to get the color I was looking for
• Stamped the couples with vintage photo and colored them in cool gray shades
• Added some aging with Antique Linen Distress Ink
• Adhered the photos to thr frames with double sided tape
• Decided where I wanted to place the photos so that I knew where to stamp the romantic words
• Stamped the words in various colors
• Affixed photos with double sided foam tape
• Added light grunge to the card panel with Antique Linen Distress Ink
• Affixed card panel to card base with double sided tape

Overall, a very simple card to create!  But it tells a deep story of two couples, from years gone by, the special times they shared together, and their love that grew stronger.  What better way to tell your special someone that you love them?

I hope that you enjoyed your time with me on Paper Play today.  I look forward to the next time.  Until then . . . be well!

BPM/IBFS: Winter Fun

Hi friends!

Welcome back to Paper Play.  Today’s share continues with the theme of my last Blank Page Muse post of celebrating through the eyes of childhood wonder.  The thrill of skating in the winter; gliding along as the snow gently falls.  The quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson is the perfect accompaniment for it.

Here’s what I used to make it:

Blank Page Muse Winter Wonderland Art Rubber Stamp Sheet Set https://blankpagemuse.com/products/winter-wonderland-art-rubber-stamp-sheet-set.html

Blank Page Muse Announced By All Sentiment Art Rubber Stamp https://blankpagemuse.com/products/announced-by-all-sentiment-art-rubber-stamp-tts124-04.html

Trees stamp from Tim Holtz

Blue foil card stock

Black card stock

Here’s I made it:

Cut a 1.5” strip of blue foil card stock and adhere to card panel with doible sided tape.  This becomes the ice.

Stanped the trees just above the ice on card panel with Indigo blue ink.

Splattered white ink to make snow.

Stamped the ice skaters onto gray card stock with blank ink; colored over the skaters with a metallic black market; fussy cut the image and adhered it to the card panel with double sided tape.

Adhered card panel to card base with double sides tape.

The vintage images are so beautiful and make me happy.  This is the perfect card to send as a hello to a winter weather lover!

Thank you for spending some time here with me today.  Until next time . . . be well!

BPM/IBFS: Sledding into the New Year

Happy 2024, friends!

Welcome back to Paper Play.  I hope that your 2024 is off to a wonderful start.  The new year is an opportunity for all of us to remember, reflect, start anew.  Today’s card celebrates that through the lens of childhood innocence and winter fun.  I hope we all sled into the new year with this in mind!

I fell in love with these vintage images as soon as I saw them on the Blank Page Muse website.  They reminded me of the hours I’d spend outside sledding as a kid.

Here’s what I used to make it:

Blank Page Muse Winter Wonderland Art Rubber Stamp Sheet Set https://blankpagemuse.com/products/winter-wonderland-art-rubber-stamp-sheet-set.html

Blank Page Muse Beyond the Border Christmas Set 1 https://blankpagemuse.com/products/beyond-the-border-christmas-set-1-clear-stamps-designed-by-pam-bray-pbcbbx1.html

Clear Embossing Ink

White Sparkle Embossing Powder

LawnFawn Yeti White Pigment Ink

Navy Blue Ink

Here’s how I made it:

Used a set of nesting rectangle dies to create a frame and then stamped the snowflake border on it using the white pigment ink.

Cut hills from white card stock, inked with clear embossing ink, sprinkled with white sparkle embossing powder, and set with a heat tool.

Adhered hills to card base with double sided foam tape.  Stamped Let it Snow and snowflakes onto card base with white pigment ink.

Adhered frame to card base with double sided foam tape.

Stamped the sledders onto white card stock with navy blue ink and fussy cut them out.

Adhered sledders to the hills with double sides tape.

Such a fun card to celebrate the new year.  I hope that you enjoyed reading about these beautiful stamps and my creative process.  I look forward to more time with each of you here on Paper Play in the coming weeks.

Until next be . . . be well!

BPM/IBFS - Here We Come A-Caroling

Welcome back to Paper Play, friends!

It's hard to believe that Christmas Eve is only four days away.  The weeks leading up to the holiday just seem to fly by so fast.  I was able to squeeze in a viewing of A Christmas Carol, which is one of my favorite Christmas movies.  (Side note: I enjoy both the 1938 and 1951 versions, but prefer the 1938 one!)  It always helps put me into the Christmas spirit.  That's why I knew that I had to make a card with the stamp featured on today's card - Vintage Style Christmas Carolers.  It looks like they stepped right out of Victorian England!

Here's what I used to make it:

• Vintage Style Christmas Carolers Art Rubber Stamp
• Beyond the Border Christmas Set 1 CLEAR Stamps designed by Pam Bray 
• Wishing You a Merry Christmas Stamp by Gina K Stamps
• Beautiful Christmas Tide Sheet Music Paper from Grabie
• Concord & 9th Cranberry Premium Dye Ink
• Altenew Evergreen Crisp Dye Ink
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Antique Linen
• Delicata Golden Glitz Pigment Ink
• Lawn Fawn Jet Black Ink
  
• Sizzix Clear Embossing Ink
• Ranger Clear Embossing Powder
• Ohuhu alcohol markers
  

Here's how I made it:

• Stamped the holly & berries stamp from the Beyond the Border set horizontally in alternating gold, evergreen, and cranberry rows onto a 4.5"x6.5" white card panel.
  
• Cut an oval from the center of the stamped card panel using an oval die.
• Ran gold ink along the inside of the oval and along the outside of the white panel.
• Cut the Beautiful Christmas Tide paper to 4.5"x6.5", stamped the carolers onto it using black ink, stamped it again using clear embossing ink, then applied clear embossing powder to the stamped image, and set it with a heat tool.
• Colored the stamped image with alcohol markers.
• Applied some Antique Linen ink with a blending tool.
• Placed double sided tape to the back of the card panel and adhered it on top of the sheet music paper.
• Placed double sided tape onto back of card panel and adhered it to a 5"x7" green card base.
• Stamped the words A Merry Christmas onto a strip of green card stock using gold ink, cut the strip to size, and adhered it to the inside of the oval with double sided tape.
• Ran gold ink around the edges of the green card base.
• Placed pearl stick on jewels in the corners of the white card panel

I really like this card.  It reminds me of A Christmas Carol and helps me feel the Christmas spirit.  I hope that you enjoyed today's post and wish you a wonderful holiday!

Until next time . . . be well!

BPM/IBFS - May You Never Be Too Old

Hi there, crafty friends!

Thanks for stopping by Paper Play today!  The holiday season is in full swing and Christmas magic is in the air.  Today's post is all about that.  I have always loved the saying, "May you never be too old to search the skies on Christmas Eve."  It's so nostalgic for me - it brings back Christmas memories from my childhood and the good times that we had as a family.  Not to sound too corny, but those really were different, and in some ways much nicer times: spending time with family, the excitement and anticipation of Santa Claus visiting, and the magic of the season as seen through a child's eyes.

The card that I'm sharing today on the Blank Page Muse blog today captures that magic.  It has a vintage feel to it thanks to the wonderful rubber stamps designed and sold by Blank Page Muse.

Here's what I used to make it:

• Country Lane Cottage Line Art Rubber Stamp by Rick St Dennis
• Vintage Santa & Sleigh from Winter Wonderland Stamp Set
• Beyond the Border Christmas Set 1 CLEAR Stamps designed by Pam Bray
• May You Never be too Told to Search the Sky on Christmas Eve sentiment stamp from Bella Carta
• Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain Stormy Skies
• Tim Holtz Distress Spray Mica Winter Frost
• Tim Holtz Distress Grit Paste Opaque
• Altenew Pure White Ink Spray
• Altenew Evergreen Crisp Dye Ink
• Lawn Fawn Yeti White Pigment Ink
  
• Ohuhu Alcohol Markers

Here's how I made it:

• Stamped the village in black ink onto a horizontal 4.5"x6.5" white card panel
• Made a stamping mask by stamping the village onto masking paper, fussy cut it out, and placed it over the stamped image on the card panel.
• Sprayed card panel with Stormy Skies spray ink and then with Winter Frost Spray Mica
• Used a heat tool to dry the panel.
• Sprayed some white ink spray onto my glass craft surface, spritzed it with water, and used a paint brush to add some "snow flakes" to the sky.
• Removed the stamping mask from the village and colored it with alcohol markers.
• Inked one of the trees from the Beyond the Border Christmas stamp set with Evergreen ink and stamped it next to the village; repeated this two more times for a total of three trees.
• Used a pallet tool to add opaque grit paste to add snow to the ground around the village and trees.
• Used a paint brush to add some opaque grit paste to roof tops and bushes.

• Stamped Santa & sleigh onto a piece of white card stock; colored the image with alcohol markers and fussy cut it out with detail scissors.
• Stamped the sentiment with white pigment ink in the upper left hand corner of card panel and dried it with a heat tool.
• Added double sided foam tape strips to the back of the Santa & sleigh image and adhered it to the sky in the card panel.

• Adhered double sided tape to the back of card panel and centered it onto a 5"x7" navy blue card base.

These stamps are gorgeous and work so well together!  I love this country cottage stamp and think that I'll be creating seasonal cards to show life in this village.

My hope is that this card invokes some wonderful Christmas memories for you and helps you believe in the magic of Santa Claus this holiday season.  I'd love to hear from you if it did!  Please consider sharing a comment with a favorite Christmas memory, favorite Christmas movie, or whatever you may like to share.

Thanks again for spending some time with me on Paper Play today.  Until next time . . . be well!