Stamping Inkspirations Blog Hop – Sounds of Christmas

Hello, Welcome to the Stamping Inkspirations Blog Hop with what has to be one of my all time favourite themes – Sounds of Christmas.

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Christmas carols are probably my favourite part of the season. Ever ever since I can remember, our home was filled with the beautiful carols and songs. Having a mother who was a choir director meant I had additional exposure to Christmas carols going from one carol service to the next. When I had my daughter, I carried on the same tradition with her – taking her along with me from one choir practice to the next, with Christmas being our busiest season.

Selecting a favourite carol or song was tough – there are so many traditional and modern Gospel songs I love. In the Bleak Mid Winter has been a favourite since a child. I remember my mum having an old carol book which had illustrations and I used to love playing this on the piano. I love this carol for 2 reasons – the harmonies are beautiful and for this verse in particular.

What can I give Him,
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb
If I were a wiseman,
I would do my part
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my hea
rt.
Poem by Christina Rossetti 1872
Composer Gustav Holst

I printed the lyrics and tore the paper, blending Misty Moonlight and Early Espresso over it to age it. Then using the torn edges to create an uneven edge, I went over the back panel of Basic White Cardstock with these same colours which gave it a little bit of a wintry night look. To depict my mum’s carol book with it’s pictures, I stamped the printed lyrics with the trees from the Peaceful Place stamp set in Misty Moonlight stamped off.

Of course, the Merry Melody Embossing Folder had to have a part in this project and I added a little of blending over it to bring out the music notes.

Another set of trees were die cut. To this I added Shimmer White Embossing Paste. Once dry, I stamped the tree image in Misty Moonlight on top of the embossing paste to give it that variation in colour. I’ve layered some ribbon and coloured the Pool Party ribbon in Misty Moonlight Stampin’ Blends to coordinate with my card.

Stamping Inkspirations Blog Hop, Sounds of the Season, music, Vintage, Merry Melody Embossing Folder, Embossing Paste, Peaceful Cabin, Stampin' Up!, SU, Christmas Card, Rustic, masks

Thank you for stopping my today and I hope you have enjoyed my story and my favourite carol. Below is a link to some of my favourite Christmas music which I’ve been listening to. It’s a mix of various artists. I hope you enjoy it.

Next on our hop is Tricia Butts. Please follow through to see her beautiful project.

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Angie McKenzie  ●  Libby Fens  ●  Leonie Stuart

Mo Rootes  ●  Gez Carpenter

Rochelle Laird-Smith  ●  Tricia Butts  ●  Elaine de Montmorency

 Jill Chapman ●  Jo Blackman  ●  Jan Musselman  

Annette Ball  ●  Karen Henderson  ●  Teri West 

Danielle Kassing  ●  Terry Hamilton  ●  Susan Simpson

If you live in Australia and currently don’t have a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, I would value the opportunity to help you with your crafting needs. I can be contacted on Ph: 0404 255 001 or email rochelle@stampingflair.com

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Create Beautiful Blended Backgrounds with Blending Brushes

I’m sharing a card today which I created to have this beautiful image from the Enjoy the Moment stamp set stand out. I wanted a simple yet striking card. Creating an effective background can really make a stamped image just pop.

I started off by using Shimmery White cardstock and the oh-so-soft Blending Brushes. First thing you do with these when you get them, rub them on your hands – or your face! Just because you won’t be able to stop yourself. They are super soft. Then you craft with them!

I blended all the greens, starting with Soft Sea Foam, Granny Apple Green and Just Jade, Then I spritzed the cardstock with water. This created a lovely stippled look. Once completely dry, I stamped the image.

I cut 2 frames from Very Vanilla Cardstock using the Stitched Rectangles Dies and glued them together to add more depth around my stamped image. A sentiment heat embossed in White on Early Espresso cardstock adds a striking contrast against the blended greens.

If you love this stamp set, you are going to love the cards in Card Club this month. You’ll get to make 8 gorgeous cards with it and learn lots of tips and tricks with full PDF instructions emailed to you. You also get heaps of products and lots of member perks including $35 at the end of 6 months to shop products from my Online Store and 5% discount on the featured stamp or bundle of the month. This month Club Members enjoy a discount on the Enjoy the Moment stamp set. Click on the image to learn more about Card Club.

February Card Club, Enjoy the Moment, Stamp Club, Stampin' Up!, Card Kit to go
 
1 MONTH ONLY
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Have a lovely weekend.

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