InKollage

More Ideas from the Soiree Gallery...

The Memory Box Design Team shares two extra-special holiday cards here - featuring pictures of "the kids."  Both cards also include hand-decorated elements - the stamped Woodland Vine with Cherry Jewel Sticker accents, and a punched ice cream cone turned upside-down to create a warm hat for a new member of the family.

Combining photography and papercrafts is a great way to enhance holiday greetings.  It takes your card way beyond the standard warehouse store photo-card  -  and adds your personal touch.  It also helps you answer household questions, like "How many stamps do you have/need?"..."Don't you have enough paper?...and "Did you just buy another punch?")

On the topic of quantifying stamps, paper and punches - we're doing our Penguin Calendar class at Impress tomorrow.  We'll be using 28 Memory Box Stamps, 7 Impress and Savvy background stamps - the Spiceberry, Glitterati, Butterfield and Fernbrae 6x6 Sets - and some great punches too.  That should answer some of those questions, right???  

We'll be painting with Smooch Accent Inks too.  There are "just" 16 beautiful colors right now, so no one's really noticed that growing collection in our workroom...yet.

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Celebrate with Soiree

Here are two more holiday ideas featuring projects created by the Memory Box Design Team.   Tree Silhouette, on the first card, always elicits "ohhs and ahhs."  It's an easy stamp to use - and a simple way to add a handmade touch to a stack of cards waiting to be mailed.

 

The rich red  Pearlescent Poppy ink on the bird goes perfectly with our Cherry Cardstock.  It's true that the invitation sets the mood for the party - and this is sure to be a fun, festive event.

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A Flurry of Birds

A soft wash of Twinkling H20's  creates a dreamy background on another card by the Memory Box Design Team. Blues and aquas give it a frosty, wintery look  - and the twinkly iridescence  of glitter glue adds a festive sparkle.  

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Ideas from the Gallery

Here are several cards created by the Memory Box Design Team.  They feature stamps from our new Brighter Days Collection - and an array of techniques, colors, styles and papers.  Pine Border (D1298), Branch Border (C1304) and the holly leaves from Woodblock Bird (D1307) are featured on the first card.   Enjoy - and be inspired! 

A multi-tasking polar bear (Fishing Bear C1306) - sipping hot chocolate while catching fresh fish for dinner - on a cool card for a busy person.  Matching ribbon and Mint Pearl Stickers add a nice touch.

Christmas Cheer Block (E1299) and Woodblock Bird (D1307) layer beautifully on a print from the Spiceberry 6x6 Set and a rich Crimson Notecard.

Visit our Christmas Ideas Gallery for the details -  and other holiday card designs...

November Penguin

The November penguin, dressed for culinary success, shares the spotlight with the new Flurry of Birds stamp from the Brighter Days Collection.  It's a great stamp for any season - and perfect for celebrations throughout the year.  Stamping it with Autumn Leaves Kaleidacolor creates a spectrum of fall colors in a single step.  Quick and easy is the way to go as the days get shorter and the to-do list grows.

I hope entering Cate's $100 Memory Box Bucks Contest is on your to-do list this week - the deadline is Saturday, October 31st.  The prize is a $100 of Memory Box products - you select the products, and Dave sends them to your favorite Retailer for you.  Wouldn't that be a nice treat?

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O Christmas Tree(s)

Our third deer card features a rope-jumping deer celebrating with a trio of glittered trees from the Funky Forest Design Adhesives from Clearsnap.  Thank goodness Dave's attached the greeting to the side of the deer stamp - that's a good reason to jump for joy.

Design Adhesives are exactly what they sound like...clear adhesive designs that are simply burnished onto paper, glass, metal, tiles, acetate, and many other surfaces.  They work perfectly with glitter, embossing powder and metallic foils.  Instant gratification.

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Reindeer Wishes

Here's another deer card - featuring the new Christmas Cheer Block from the Brighter Days Collection,  and the contemporary Deer Silhouette stamp.   I like combining matte chalk inks with the sparkly Cherry Jewel Sticker, Peridot Glitter and metallic luster of the Mars A2 Notecard.

It's an easy design to repeat in other colors too.  Try it with prints from the Dewfrost 6x6 Set on a Soiree Aqua A2 Card. Use a light aqua ink instead of lime - and use Clearsnap's new Ocean Spray Glitter.  Experiment!

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Oh Deer!

I usually try to post a variety of card designs for InKollage and the website gallery -  with a mix of styles, images and layouts.  That didn't happen this weekend - and I accidentally did three consecutive "deer" cards - I hope you like them!

The new Fancy the Fawn deer, from the Brighter Days Collection,  has a sweet, storybook look.  The antlers image is attached to the side of the stamp, so we can stamp it in a different shade of brown - and maybe use it with a polar bear or on one of our holiday penguins too.  Adding a striped scarf cut from the Spiceberry 6x6 Set dresses her for the holidays.

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Trees on a Hillside

Tree Silhouette is another new stamp from our Brighter Days holiday release.  It's stamped here in Hint of Pesto - a dark green, with a touch of brown.  It's a great color for stamping a combination of evergreen and deciduous trees.

I love combining aqua, brown and red on a holiday card.  The three Dewfrost prints, two stamps and three inks could become a bit much.  I think (and hope!) the different elements work here because the patterns are subtle and there's just a bright pop of red off to the side.

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Winter Games

Reindeer Rex (231C) - from Poppystamps - is ready for a friendly snowball fight with his stockpile of Snowballs from Impress.  He is the best dog I've ever seen - smart, happy, obedient - he even lets you tie a scarf around his neck and perch antlers on his head.  Try doing that with Patty or Lexi, the cocker spaniels who rule our house.

Stamp him on a 3" x 4-1/2" piece of the Spiceberry 6x6 print and on  Kraft Cardstock with VersaMagic Jumbo Java.  Stamp the scarf section on the striped Spiceberry print.  Dry the inks. Cut the Kraft Rex out, without his ears (ouch...sorry boy, it's a lot easier that way) - and glue it to the background.  Add a little brown chalk for shading.  Cut the striped scarf out and glue it over the Kraft scarf.

Daub VersaMagic Gingerbread along the edges of the background print and mat it with Parsley Cardstock. Attach it to a Dill Notecard. Attach a pyramid of Snowball Stickers. Attach Memory Box Canary Yellow Jewel Stickers to the flower centers.

We had a great time at the Impress Holiday Open House today. Dave did a wonderful presentation of holiday ideas - cards, gift-packaging, and papercraft projects.  Going green - with a touch of shimmer and shine - was the underlying theme of the beautiful designs he shared.  Warm reds, rich greens, earthy browns and snowy whites made everything look extra-special.   Visit all of the stores, enjoy the holiday displays, and be inspired.