Good morning everyone!  I hope you enjoyed the blog blitz last week. There are so many wonderful products in the holiday release, it was so hard to pick which ones to use. It seems that Trina and I chose the same products to use for our blog posts last week.  If you didn't get to see her beautiful card on Friday's blog post please check it out here.  Even though we used basically the same supplies and layout for our cards, it shows how different the outcome can be.

For my card I used a piece of the new foil paper and embossed it using the Snowy Forrest 3D embossing folder.  To reveal the embossed image a little better, I used a blending tool with a piece of steel wool on it. This is a tip I saw from a Tim Holtz video. This easily removes the top layer of foil and shows the paper underneath.

Next I trimmed my embossed piece and adhered it to a black cardstock mat.  I die cut the words Merry Christmas from red glitter paper and glued it to a strip of vellum paper. Then I wrapped the vellum strip around my card front and glued it to the back of my card.

I die cut a small circle from white cardstock and glued that to my card.  Next I die cut the Santa and sleigh from black cardstock and glued it over the moon.  

Here's a photo that shows how shinny the card is.  

To finish I added a red rhinestone to Rudolph's nose and some black bling to the side of the vellum strip.

I hope you enjoyed today's card!  Thanks for stopping by.

 

 

Thank you to everyone who stopped by last week and left comments to our blog blitz posts.  We are very excited about the new products and hope that you are too.

Here are the winners from the blitz.  Winners were selected at random from the post comments:

From Anne's Monday post, winner of the Pinecone Stackers is Shirley L

From Michelle's Tuesday post, winner of the Vintage Sled die is Lucille Kearin

From Donna's Wednesday post, winner of the Stitched Tree die is Krissy Webber

From Jean's Thursday post, winner of the Tall Fir Collage die is Lori Lehnen

From Trina's Friday post, winner of the Snowy Forest embossing folder is Hideko

Congratulations winners!  I have sent emails to the winners to collect their shipping information.

For today's card I created a scene with three bears playing in the snow.  Aren't they the cutest?!!!

materials used

• white notecard
• scraps from a Powder (blue) notecard and tiny scraps of black cardstock
• bright white and black glitter papers from FROSTED GLITTER PAD 6X6 GP1004
• red/white/gold plaid paper from CHRISTMAS PLAID 6X6 PP1009
• brown dot/stripe paper from GARLAND STRIPES AND DOTS 6X6 PP1011
• SINGLE PINE LANDSCAPE FRAME 94480
• VINTAGE SLED 94495 and a piece of skinny twine for the tow rope
• the bear die from the SNOWGLOBE BACKER 94491 die set
• SPECIAL MERRY CHRISTMAS 94499

how I assembled this card

• I started with a white notecard, cut a piece of the plaid paper 4 X 5 1/4, and adhered it to the front for a top fold card.
• To make the tree frame background with the blue behind it, I stacked up the white glitter paper on top of the piece of Powder notecard and ran that stack through my die cutting machine with the Single Pine Landscape Frame. 
• While the papers were still in the die, I flipped it over and added strips of wide Scor-Tape to the back which kept everything lined up and made it easy to attach to the plaid paper.  
• Then I popped out the piece of white glitter paper exposing the Powder blue sky.

• Next I made the sled.  This is what you get when you die cut everything.

• I cut the sled on the left again, the one with the slits in the die, and used more of the dot paper with Scor-Tape added on the back.  That made it really easy to attach the slats to create a three-dimensional sled.

• I cut the three little bears from more of the bright white glitter paper.  I added small strips of black cardstock behind their eyes and noses.
• I used Scor-Tape for the bear standing on the snowy hill.  
• I added a foam pop dot behind the head of the bear on the sled which helped to hold the sled in place too.
• I attached foam dimensional tape behind the bear holding the tow rope.  A piece of a tiny Glue Dot holds the rope securely on his paw, and other small pieces on the back of the tow bar hold the rope in place and help to secure the sled to the card.

• I die cut the Special Merry Christmas from the scrap of plaid paper I had left from the front and used a glue pen to add it on the top right inside the frame.
• And on the inside I used the last scrap of the plaid paper and another bear, this one cut from the black glitter paper.  (Our bears in Maine are black bears and the University of Maine teams are Black Bears.)

Beary Merry Christmas!!!

And...Congratulations to the winners of our Blog Blitz!  Thank you for all of your comments--I loved reading them!

Happy Crafting!

 

Greetings friends. Yesterday I shared a felt ornament that I made using the Plush Big Penguin die.  I stitched my pieces together using thread and the holes that the die cuts in the material.

Today I wanted to share a card I made using the same die.  Once again, the die cuts holes along the edges for stitching, but I decided I liked the look of the die on its own and opted not to stitch my paper. 

To cut out the penguin, I used some of the Frosted Glitter pad paper.  I really wanted a penguin that sparkled. I might make another one as an ornament because I think the glitter paper will reflect Christmas tree lights beautifully.  When I layered my card, I was surprised how much I liked the red and black plaid paper paired with the glitter paper.  Usually I would think of the plaid as more "rustic" and the glitter as "glitzy," but I liked the contrast of the two together.

I cut out a matching plaid scarf using a die from the Plush Beautiful Snowman set.  I have plans to also use the top hat from the snowman set with my penguin since it fits him as well.

One last note about the card...  although I left the holes unstitched, I decided to put colored paper behind the holes on the fet and the scarf. I thought those holes were a bit distracting when left open:

I hope everyone is having a wonderful, and perhaps crafty, weekend!

 

 

Supplies

 

94403 Plush Big Penguin

GP1004 Frosted Glitter Pad

PP1009 Christmas Plaid 6x6 pack

99305 Plush Bundled Snowman

30094 Wrapped Stitch Rectangles

Greetings friends.  I hope that you enjoyed the blitz this week and got some holiday ideas with the latest release.  We will be continue to post with the latest products, so I hope that you will check back for more inspiration.  Remember, you have until Sunday night to leave a comment on the Monday-Friday posts for a chance to win prizes.  Also, if you follow us on Instagram, there is a chance to win the new amazing foil pack of paper.

For my project today, I used the new Plush Big Penguin die to make a felt ornament.  Tomorrow I will be showing you the same die using paper to show you how you can achieve very different looks with the same dies.

To make my ornament, I first cut out all the pieces using wool felt.  Wool felt tends to die cut much better than cheaper felts since you get crisper edges.  I cut out two of the black body pieces so that there would be a front and a back. 

I am not a sewer, so I stuffed my penguin with a few cotton balls to give it a bit of volume.  Here is a close up that shows the stitches a bit better:

I must admit, the stitching on the back isn't the best (refer back to the poor sewing skills).  However, using black thread on black felt was very forgiving.

To add the face, I glued the little pieces using fabric glue.  I didn't like the look of black felt eyes, so I actually used black cardstock eyes instead.

I'm really pleased with the finished project.  I am definitely going to be making more to give as Christmas gifts.  Check back tomorrow to see my glitter penguin project!

 

 

Supplies

 

94403 Plush Big Penguin

Welcome to the last day of the 2020 Christmas release Blog Blitz.  Just like the Gracious Leaves 3D embossing folder (EF) from the previous Garden Party release, I think the Snowy Forest EF would look just as beautiful with a simple stacked die cut sentiment added to it.  But it appears my teammate Donna and I thought it would also make a fun Santa scene.  She kindly allowed me to show my version while she shared two fabulous cards made with the Stitched Tree die HERE.

I started by die cutting a circle mask from Post It Note using one of the die from the Circle Basics set.  Adhered the mask to the flat side of the EF.   Using a rubber brayer, inked up the same flat side of the EF with VersaMark ink first followed by Chipped Sapphire distress ink.  Removed the mask then ran a piece of Bristol paper in the EF through my Big Shot machine.  Heat embossed the newly dry embossed piece with clear glitter embossing powder (EP) to make it all sparkly!  This is the reason for inking with VersaMark first.

Santa is from the new Cabin Snowglobe die set.  I wanted him to appear behind the trees.  Initially, I created a DIY stamp of Santa from fun foam. I stamped Santa with black dye ink directly onto the flat side of the EF after removing the circle mask and before running it through my Big Shot, but he came out too faint.  So on this version, I die cut Santa directly from the embossed panel, then used a permanent black marker to color it, being extra careful to avoid the white branches.

Finished off with a custom sentiment using the Vintage Varsity Mini Alphabet die from last year’s release.  Each letter was die cut twice from thick white cardstock and the top layer from the new Polished Foil paper.  Isn’t that foil paper so shiny and gorgeous? 

Ready for today’s giveaway?  For your chance to win the Snowy Forest EF, leave a comment on this post by this Sunday, August 9, at 11:59 pm EST.  Winner will be randomly selected and be announced on this blog the following day on Monday, August 10.  Thank you for joining me.  Good luck!

 

Supplies

 

EF1010 Snowy Forest 3D Embossing Folder

94494 Cabin Snowglobe craft die

FP1001 Polished Foil Pad pack

94342 Mini Vintage Varsity Alphabet

 

30087 Circle Basics Set

It's already the 4th day of our holiday blitz and giveaway!  There are so many great designs in our 2020 Christmas Collection that it's hard to select a new favorite. Hi, Jean Okimoto here with a collage-in-a-frame idea that combines two new dies - and a chance for you to win one of them!

Cut the holiday floral print from the new Garland 6x6 set with the largest Wrapped Stitch Rectangle die.  Cut the oval using with the inner Winter Tree Oval Frame.  Save the dark gray diecut tree for a Halloween card.

Cut the tree and a portion of the snowy bottom from the silver 6x6 sheet in the Holiday Glitter Pad.  Cut the bottom half of the Tall Fir Collage from green cardstock.   Trim and attach the silver and green trees behind the oval cutout. Attach the diecuts to a top-folded white A2 card.

Cut the Starlit Breeze stars from the red Holiday Glitter Pad sheet.  Starlit Breeze is a versatile die from an earlier release.  

Shake the Sunlit Gold Glitter Glue to blend the contents, then squirt a big drop of it onto scrap paper.  Use a skewer to place dots of Sunlit Gold on a few blossoms.  Set the card aside to dry the glitter glue.

The Garland 6x6 set of floral prints is part of our new Christmas Collection - but the vivid designs (2 each of 12 prints) aren't just for the holidays.  Several are perfect for summer and fall cards too - and the colors coordinate beautifully with the new Garland Stripes and Dots 6x6 set.  

Want a chance to win the new Tall Fir Collage for your holiday projects?  Leave a comment on this post by Sunday, August 9th at 11:59pm EST.  One comment will be chosen at random to win the die.  Winners from the blitz will be posted on the Outside the Box blog on Monday, August 10th at 6pm EST.  Good luck!  One comment/entry per person per day please.

Thanks for visiting - hope you're loving the blitz!  Enjoy Trina's card - and have another chance to win a prize tomorrow.

 

 

 

94480 Single Pine Landscape Frame craft die

PP1010 Garland 6x6 pack

94502 Tall Fir Collage craft die

30094 Wrapped Stitch Rectangles

GP1005 Holiday Glitter Pad

94309 Winter Tree Oval Frame

99398 Starlit Breeze

40127 Sunlit Gold glitter glue

Good morning everyone! Welcome to day 3 of  Memory Box's Blog Blitz.  Today I used the new Stitched Tree Craft Die for my cards. There's a chance for you to win prizes by leaving a comment on each blog post this week.

For my cards I used the same technique of die cutting the tree onto kraft cardstock and used embroidery floss to fill in the design.  Just by changing the background papers and adding a few embellishments you get totally different looks. I am showing you only one idea to stitch this tree, but there are so many more ways to use this die and I'm sure I'll be back with a few more ideas for you!

I die cut my tree onto a larger piece of kraft cardstock and then trimmed my background as needed for my card.  

For this sample I kept the design simple.  I thought it could be used for a more masculine card. The sentiment was white heat embossed onto the black cardstock mat.

For the second card I added a few more embellishments and gold heat embossed the sentiment.  I used the plaid paper to give it a more country look.

I hope you enjoyed today's cards and don't forget to check back all week for some more great inspiration!

Would you like a chance to win the new Stitched Tree Die?  Leave a comment to this post by Sunday, August 9th at 11:59pm EST.  One comment will be chosen at random to win the die.  Winners from the blitz will be posted on the Outside the Box blog on Monday, August 10th at 6pm EST.  Good luck!  One comment/entry per person per day. 

 

Supplies

 

CL5246 Merry and Bright Mistletoe clear stamp set

94405 Stitched Tree

Welcome back to Day 2 of Memory Box's Blog Blitz Week!!! If you missed Day 1, check out Anne's post HERE. There will be a chance to win some of the newest products from 2020 Christmas Release!!! The products I used on this card today are some of my favorite!!! 

The Pinecone Stacker die is amazing!!! I die the layers and used Copic Markers in shades W1, W3, W6.  I adhered the layers together and added some Dew Drop Glitter Glue for some shimmer. Next, I die cut the Forest Pine Branch and used shades W3, W6, YG03, YG61, YG67 to color. I adhered the pinecones to the pine brach. 

I die cut the Vintage Sled and used shades R56, R46, R35, N5, C7, C4 to color. Lastly, I die cut Special Merry Christmas sentiment using the Polished Foil Paper.  The shimmer on the foil paper is incredible!!!  For the card base I trimmed a piece of pattern paper from the Christmas Plaid Paper Pad and a strip of gold glitter from Holiday Glitter Pad. I assembled my card and finished it off with twine bow and some sequins.

Would you like a chance to win the new Vintage Sled Craft Die? Leave a comment on this post by Sunday, August 9th at 11:59pm EST. One comment will be chosen at random to win the die. Winners from the blitz will be posted on the Outside The Box Blog on Monday, August 10th at 6pm EST. GOOD LUCK!! One comment/ entry per person per day.

 

Supplies

 

94495 Vintage Sled craft die

94481 Forest Pine Branch craft die

40125 Dewdrop glitter glue

94486 Pinecone Stackers craft die

PP1009 Christmas Plaid 6x6 pack

FP1001 Polished Foil Pad pack

GP1005 Holiday Glitter Pad

This week we are celebrating the new 2020 Christmas release.  You can view all the new products here.  There will be samples and a chance to win a prize each day.  We hope you will stop by from Monday, August 3rd- Friday, August 7th to see the new products and enter to win some of the latest release.

 

Because I live in the Pine Tree State, when I saw the pine-themed dies in the 2020 Christmas Collection I had to have them all!  I love the pinecone and tassel (Maine's state flower) Merry Christmas card I made for this post.

Materials used

• Juniper notecard
• pretty plaid papers from CHRISTMAS PLAIDS 6X6 PP1009
• brown and green striped and dotted papers from GARLAND STRIPES AND DOTS 6X6 PP1011
• three shades of brown cardstock
• PINECONE STACKERS 94486
• FOREST PINE BRANCH 94481
• POINTY PINE NEEDLE SPRIGS 94487
• SPECIAL MERRY CHRISTMAS 94499
• gold foil paper from POLISHED FOIL PAD 6X6 FP1001
• Scor-Tape

I started this card by die cutting everything multiple times, placing the pieces in each envelope with the die.

My biggest challenge was assembling the pinecones after cutting all of them from three shades of brown cardstock.  Throwing them all together in the envelope was not the best idea.

What I ended up doing was placing each of the pieces from one shade of brown back onto the die and attaching a narrow piece of Scor-Tape down the center to hold the pieces in size order.

I then put another piece of Scor-Tape sticky side up on my work surface and chose pieces from each color to create the different pine cones, working from the smallest at the bottom to the top.

Once I had my pinecones assembled, I took the branch that I had die cut from the brown striped paper and attached just the pine needle clusters snipped from the branch that I had cut using one of the green plaid papers, laying them right on top of the brown ones.

I had already chosen another plaid paper, cut it to 4 X 5 1/4, and adhered it to a top-folded Juniper notecard.  I added the branch and tucked in a small pinecone.

For the sentiment on the card front, I chose gold foil paper which I backed with a large rectangle of Scor-Tape (I purchased some in sheets) and used the Special Merry Christmas die.  That adhered easily in the lower right corner.

Inside the card I added the leftover piece of plaid paper from the front, a larger pine cone, and two Pointy Pine Needle Sprigs.

I think this card will have to go to a native Mainer living in another part of the country as a reminder of home.  This will be a busy month for me as I use the new Memory Box 2020 Holiday Collection to get most of my holiday cards made.  Friends have challenged me to make a card every day in August.  We'll see.  I'm already behind!

Be sure to share your holiday cards with us for this month's Challenge which is posted here.  We love to see what you create!

Would you like a chance to win the new Pinecone Stackers die?  Leave a comment to this post by Sunday, August 9th at 11:59pm EST.  One comment will be chosen at random to win the die.  Winners from the blitz will be posted on the Outside the Box blog on Monday, August 10th at 6pm EST.  Good luck!  One comment/entry per person per day. 

 

Set the Single Pine Landscape Frame into a Christmas Plaid offcut and create a simple guy card for the men on your list.  The card is simple...not the guy!  Hi, Jean Okimoto here with another 2020 Christmas Collection design for you.

Cut the new Single Pine Landscape from Open Studio Watercolor Paper and leave the diecut in the die.  Add more texture by pressure-embossing it using the embossing mat and plates required for your machine.  

Cut the green and white plaid background from the new Christmas Plaid 6x6 set - we're using the offcut here.  Place the offcut in the frame and tape the plaid and watercolor paper together on the reverse side.  Attach it to a green slimline card (3-½" x 8-⅜").  

Cut three of the Singing Birds from the red glitter cardstock in the new Holiday Glitter 6x6.  Attach them to the card - use foam tape for the center and right birds.  

Prep the Celebrate Cursive Script die by rubbing it briskly with a piece of scrunched waxed paper to help release the diecut. Cut Celebrate Cursive Script from the red sheet in the new Polished Foil Pad.  It's easy to cut delicate designs with this special foil and you won't have to remove those stringy threads.  Attach the shimmery greeting to the card...and that's it!

I love slimline cards and how they can surprise someone who thinks the business-sized envelope they've received is just another bill or "special offer."  See the new dies, printed papers, foil, glitter cardstock, embossing folders and glitter glue here, write your wishlist, then visit or order your holiday designs.

Thanks for visiting!

 

Supplies

 

94480 Single Pine Landscape Frame craft die

PP1009 Christmas Plaid 6x6 pack

WP101 Watercolor Paper

FP1001 Polished Foil Pad pack

GP1005 Holiday Glitter Pad

94393 Celebrate Cursive Script

99953 Singing Birds

Greetings friends. It is time for another challenge.  I hope you will join us this month for the challenge.

Thank you so much to everyone participated in last month's challenge.  The winner of the blog badge was Super Stick Chick from the Super Stick Chick blog.  We loved the way the trees framed the Aurora Borealis:

 

The random winner selected from all the entries to win the prizes was Lucie G from the Lucie G Blog.

Please contact me at stampjournal@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Want to play along in this month's challenge?  The rules are simple - just create a project following the theme, use at least one Memory Box stamp or die on your project and link your entry to this blog post.  You can make a card, a scrapbook page, a home decor item, etc..  To encourage participants with various levels of stamping experience, one entry will be selected at random to win a prize. Enter as many times as you want, but your name will only be entered once into the random prize drawing.   In addition, the design team will select their favorite entry to  be highlighted on the Outside the Box blog and that designer will receive our winner badge to proudly display on their blog. 

You don't have to have a blog in order to participate.   You can upload your project to any online gallery and link it to this post.   In fairness to other players, we reserve the right to remove entries that do not use at least one Memory Box product.  You are also welcome to link your design to other challenges.  Feel free to grab our badge to post on your blog post or side bar.

 

We didn't do a Christmas in July because our holiday release didn't debut till the end of the month.  Now we are all excited to share holiday ideas with you.  Perhaps you would be willing to do the same for us.  We would love to have you share your holiday cards with us.  Do you celebrate Christmas?  Hanukkah?  Do you make Kwanza cards?  Or do you just want to ring in the new year?  We would love to see your take on the challenge.  All we ask is that you use at least one Memory Box products on your entry.

Here are some samples to help get you started:

by Donna Sledzik

There are several ways for you to enter the contest:

1.)  Link your finished work below

2.)  Enter on Instagram by tagging your sketch project with the #mbchallenge64 hashtag

You have until the end of the day (EST) on Sunday, August 30th.   Don't forget, you have to use at least one Memory Box item on your entry.  One project will be chosen at random to win the following prize:

 

Supplies

 

PP1009 Christmas Plaid 6x6 pack

94479 Single Pine Tree Frame craft die

94499 Special Merry Christmas craft die