Cheer and Joy Simon Says Stamp Blog Hop ~ Day 2

Hello everyone and welcome to

Today, is the second day of the Simon Says Stamp Cheer and Joy Blog Hop and I'm really excited to be joining so many talented designers as one of the stops on this hop! If you'd like to see this fabulous new release in full, then just pop over to Simon Says Stamp and if you've been hopping along, you'll have arrived here from the very talented Bibi's blog but if you've just popped by and would like to join us for this fun hop, then just head back to the beginning and Simon Says Stamp's Blog. Also, we would love to see your creations using any of the products from this release, so don't forget to share them with us in the Cheer and Joy Gallery.

So, let's get started and here's how I created my card...

To begin with I'll start by building up the background layers and I created a kraft card blank measuring 20 x 16.5cm and applied a white ink pad direct to the edges of the card blank, allowing the ink to just kiss the card and transfer a little of the colour.

I then cut a panel of decorative paper from the Tim Holtz Christmas Paperie Stash to measure, 18.5 x 15cm and matted onto a panel of kraft card, followed by Midnight Green card before mounting it onto my card blank.

For the smaller inner panel, I cut a piece of the woodgrain design paper from the paper stash, 17 x 13cm and to create the look of snow, I placed the Falling Snow stencil onto the top section of the paper and applied Grit Paste through the stencil using a palette knife.

Carefully remove the stencil and allow the paste to dry before machine stitching a border around the edge using ivory coloured thread, leaving some of the threads hanging loose. 

After matting the panel onto a further piece of Midnight Green card, I mounted it onto my covered card blank using foam
pads.

Add Hex Fasteners to the top left and right hand corners of the woodgrain background.

To create the crochet border that sits just underneath the foliage and snowflake, I used one of Tim Holtz's Crochet Dies and cut the decorative strip from a piece of Mixed Media Heavystock card and ink the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. Attach the strip across the bottom section of the card layers.

I now have the base layers for the card and we can move onto the embellishments...

To begin with I'll start with the snowflake.

Cut three layers of the Mixed Media Heavystock card using Marie Snowflake die and layer each of them over the top of one another to create a substantial, thick snowflake embellishment. Paint the snowflake with Picket Fence Distress Paint and once it's dry, I applied a layer of Matte Collage Medium over the top and then sprinkled some Rock Candy Distress Glitter over the top, tapping away the excess. Allow the glittered snowflake to dry before adding a gumdrop to the centre.

For the foliage I used the Christmas Foliage die to cut a selection of leaves from green Classic Kraft Stash. I then used a paint brush to dry brush the tips of the foliage with Picket Fence Distress Paint and once the paint is dry, I used my fingertip to apply a smear of Matte Collage Medium to the tips of each piece before dipping the foliage die cuts into the Rock Candy Distress Glitter to create a frosty feel.

To make the foliage just a little more festive, I added some berries and used Tonic Nuvo Autumn Red Crystal Drops to create the gorgeous little domed berries.

Moving onto the circular window, I began by creating the frame and used the two largest dies from the Tim Holtz Stitched Circles Die set. Place the smaller die centrally inside the larger die and then cut a piece of kraft card. Repeat to cut a further two pieces of kraft card before layering them to create a solid circular frame.

Using a clear embossing ink, I dabbed the ink pad over the random areas of the kraft card frame and then sprinkled Stampendous Shabby white Embossing Powder over the top. Heat emboss until molten.

Cut a circular piece of heat resistant acetate and a circular piece of vellum, the same size as the frame. Using Picket Fence Distress Paint, splatter some paint across the acetate to create the look of falling snow and then gently heat the painted surface until it's dry. Attach the acetate to the back of the frame, followed by the vellum, attaching both pieces to the narrow border using Matte Collage Medium.

Add foam pads to the frame and place this directly onto the background layers.

Using the Merry Christmas die, die cut the wording from red Classic Kraft Card and then cut a second set of wording from gold glitter card. Layer the red wording over the top of the gold glitter wording, slightly offsetting the lettering and then attach the Merry Christmas onto the centre of the circular frame.

Arrange the snowflake, together with the frosty, glittered foliage in the bottom right hand corner of the card.

You can see how I've built up the foliage to create the dimension in the photo below.

For the finishing touch to complete the card, add some Metallic Droplets around the edge of the frame.

Thanks so much for hopping by today, hope to see you again soon!

Emma xx

HOP DETAILS:

Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon to every stop on the blog hop! This means you can leave a comment here and on every stop along the way to increase your chances. Winners will be posted on the Simon Says Stamp blog on Wednesday, 16th October. 

Also, last but by no means least ~ we are giving away a free gift with any purchase, the Simon Exclusive Post Office enamel pin! This offer is valid until 13th October or while supplies last and to claim your gift just add HPYML9 at checkout!

HOP ORDER:

Simon Says Stamp Blog   

Debby Hughes

Laura Bassen

Yana Smakula

Nichol Spohr

Yoonsun Hur

Heather Hoffman

Amanda Korotkova

Cheiron Brandon

Bibi Cameron

Emma Williams

Vicky Papaioannou

Anna-Karin Evaldsson

Bobbi Lemanski

Preeti Chandran

RECIPE FOR CARD:
(Where items have sold out due to popularity, then I have listed suitable alternatives and hope that helps)

Simon Says Stamp Cheer and Joy Release: Marie Snowflake, Christmas Foliage
Simon Says Stamp: Falling Snow Stencil, Merry Christmas Die, Vellum

Tim Holtz/Sizzix: Stitched Circles, Crochet
Tim Holtz idea-ology: Christmas Paperie, Metallic Droplets, Hex Fasteners, Gumdrops
Distress Paint: Picket Fence
Tim Holtz Ranger Ink Grit Paste

Rock Candy Distress Glitter
Nuvo Crystal Drops Autumn Red (or Red Berry)
Hero Arts Pigment Ink Pad Unicorn White
Stampendous Shabby White Embossing Powder (or Eggnog Creme Embossing Powder)

Surfaces: Classic Kraft Card, Mixed Media Heavystock Card, Kraft Card, Midnight Green Card, Crafters Companion Heat Resistant Acetate, Gold Glitter Card from my own stash
Foam Pads
Big Shot

Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat

Heat Gun