Hi, There, Stampers!
I’ve been seeing so many references to “Christmas in July” that I thought I’d really have to join in. Especially with this hot, hot, hot weather we’ve been having, it’s lovely to think of some cooler weather. So why not use the fun Host Stamp Set that’s in the new Stampin’ Up! 2022 July – December Mini Catalog? Sounded like a good idea to me, so off I went.
A Plain Card Can Still Look Really Nice
As you can see from this card, there’s just one set of layers. It starts with the Basic White card base. Then there’s a Poppy Parade layer just 1/4″ smaller that the Basic White, a Shaded Spruce layer, and finally the stamped Basic White layer. But that larger detailed stamped image of the Caroling Mice, coupled with two spruce trees and a lamp post really is all the detail you need to make a successful card. Sure, fun folds are nice. But when you’re making about 100 Christmas Cards, such as I am, a simple stamped card make so much more sense. Of course, I love coloring as it relaxes me more than just about any other crafting does. So all that coloring is a plus for me.
Masking Is the Key to This Design
There are three different stamps from the Caroling Mice Stamp Set in the picture: The Caroling Mice themselves; a small spruce tree; and the street lamp. The key to making them all work together is masking. If that’s a term that’s new to you, here’s a quick explanation.
- When you have two (or more) stamped images and you want one of them to appear in front of the other(s), you stamp that one first. Then you stamp the same image on a piece of scrap paper. That’s paper as in thin copy paper weight. Many people use sticky notes. Better yet, stamp it on a piece of Stampin’ Up’1 Masking Paper.
- Cut out the stamped image and then place the paper over the same image that you stamped on card stock, using some kind of temporary adhesive to keep it in place. If you’ve used the Masking Paper, that sticky part is already done for you.
- Then stamp the other image where you want it to appear behind the first stamped image.
How I Masked This Card
I first stamped all the mice, using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink, and masked the little critters. Then I stamped the small tree on the bottom left. But I wanted another tree next to it and higher, so that it peeked up behind the singer on the left. To do that, I also had to mask the first tree or else the bottom part of the second tree was going to show stamped onto the first tree (about where the orange arrow is).
Then I had to pay attention to the mice on the right because I wanted the lamp post also to show as behind them. Once all this masking was done, I stamped the trees and the lamp post. Then I started coloring.
Puff Paint for Texture
Another new-ish product in the new Mini Catalog is the Snowfall Accents Puff Paint. I say new-ish because it’s been in Stampin’ Up! catalogs in the past, mostly in the Mini Catalog that features winter holidays. After all, that’s usually when is snows in the Northern Hemisphere.
I used the Puff Paint to give a bit of texture to the pom-pom on the hats that the mice are wearing. To use the Puff Paint, apply however much of it you want to show on your project and then heat it with the Stampin’ Up! Heat Tool. It will puff up very nicely. I definitely didn’t want to the little dots that formed the pom-pom in the image to be hidden by the Puff Paint. Otherwise that white puff would have disappears into the Basic White Cardstock that I used for stamping these images. So I just put a little dab of it on this picture.
And Then There’s the Coloring
For this picture, I used Stampin’ Blends. The colors are all shown in the slideshow at the end of this post. The one exception is the Mango Melody Stampin’ Blends that I used for the light in the lamp post. I really wanted that orange-ish color to go with this picture, so I pulled my Mango Melody blends out of my stash of “retired-products-I-just-can’t-give-up.” But the Mango Melody Stampin’ Write Marker from the Brights Stampin’ Write Markers will work just fine.
I hope that this made you feel a bit cooler this hot week in July. I think that’s what Christmas in July is all about.
Keep cool!
