Merry Makings Day 1: Make it Beautiful

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Welcome to the most exciting week of the year here at The Greetery! Holiday crafting is my very favorite, and I”m so excited to start the full reveals of this year’s holiday collection, Merry Makings…

Before we get to today’s product introductions, one more bit of news – Laurie will be hosting an Instagram Live presentation of all of the new products on Thursday morning, October 8 at 11:00am CDT, so tune in if you’d like to check it out!

Today’s product introductions are perfect for making beautiful holiday cards, tags, and more. With classic wintery images, much of what we’re introducing today will be at home in your stamping arsenal all winter long.

Banner & Bough Stamp & Stencil + die

Create beautiful focal points using this stamp + stencil set! The stamp and stencil combo makes it quick and easy to produce beautiful holiday cards, perfect for mass-producing during the busy holiday season. The stamp set also includes individual floral and leaf elements for the option to get creative with your own arrangements, step it up with layers, or create matching tags, and more. You’ll have fun experimenting with different color combos for lots of different looks!

The Banner & Bough stamp + stencil set comes on a 4″ x 8″ sheet and includes a 5-piece stencil set and a full-color stamp/stencil guide. The matching die is a 9-piece set of wired dies.

Made in the USA
Banner & Bough stamp + stencil price – $26
Banner & Bough die price – $27

Click HERE for more detailed information

Merry Sprigs stamp set + die

You’ll want to add these pretty wintery sprigs to every project! Simple to stamp and with a fun variety of floral and berry designs, these sprigs are just the right thing to finish off nearly any project. Use single sprigs as accents, or cluster several into bouquets or wreaths. This set is finished off with a handful of sentiments done in a hand-drawn casual font. There is a total of 8 different sprigs included in the set.

The Merry Sprigs stamp set comes on a 6″ x 8″ sheet and includes a full-color stamping guide. The matching die is an 8-piece set of wired dies.

Made in the USA
Merry Sprigs stamp set price – $24
Merry Sprigs die price – $35

Click HERE for more detailed information

Written in Ribbons Holiday stamp set + die

Written in Ribbons for the holidays! You loved our Written in Ribbons sentiment set, and now we’re brining you a collection of holiday sentiments in the same beautiful font. Like flowing, graceful ribbons, these pretty sentiments will wrap your cards in style. The large-scale two-step script words can be stamped in any colors you can imagine. Using two shades of the same color will give you a pretty tone-on-tone look. Have fun experimenting with different inking techniques to create an ombré effect, or layer different ink colors for a bolder look. The companion dies are a bit different than your typical centered outline die in that they are slightly offset to create a fun shadow effect. The smaller text phrases can be combined with the larger script words to create a variety of phrases for the holidays

The Written in Ribbons stamp set comes on a 6″ x 8″ sheet and includes a full-color stamping guide. The matching die is a 6-piece set of wired dies.

Made in the USA
Written in Ribbons stamp set price – $24
Written in Ribbons die price – $25

Click HERE for more detailed information

Wood Slices die

The Wood Slices die is a wonderful basic that you’ll love having in your collection! Perfect for the holidays and beyond, it’s great for creating tags, focal points, or even backgrounds. You’ll love layering all sorts of elements over the top of these pretty wood slices – stamp them with a sentiment, or even create a scene! This 6-piece set includes two different “bark” bases, along with separate dies for layering the “wood” portion. The optional ring embossing detail can be used, or snipped apart from the die to cut a smooth layer if desired.

Wood Slices is a 6-piece wired die/embossing set. The large slice measures 2.75″ x 3.5″, the smaller slice measures 2″ x 2.2″

Made in the USA

Wood Slices die price – $27

Laurie has put together a video for you, showing the Wood Slices die, along with a fun way to use the Banner & Bough set!

I’m so excited to share some projects with you using these new products!

First up is a grouping of tags that I shared last week during the sneak peeks. Tags are some of my favorite things to make during the holidays. I envisioned using the Merry Sprigs set to create these tags that looks like vintage botanical prints. They were so fun to create!

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I started by cutting several 1-3/4″ x 3-1/2″ panels of white cardstock. I stamped one of the sprigs from Merry Sprigs onto each panel. I used colored pencils to add shading to the images to really give them that vintage botanical look. I also used a white pen to add some details.

I also used the Pretty Postmarks stamp set to add some subtle text to the background, and sponged a bit of Antique Linen oxide ink around the edges. To finish them off I used two planks cut with the Shiplap Builder dies. I scored these planks in half lengthwise and folded them around the top and bottom edges of my stamped panels. When wrapping the top edge of the panel I also sandwiched a length of twine inside, and tied the ends to create the hanger for the tag. I also stamped the to/from from the Merry Sprigs set onto the backside of the panels. I can’t wait to add these to my gifts this year!

Next I have more tags, these were done with the new Wood Slices die. I’m slightly addicted to this new die! So fun for tags and focal points and more. The details and embossing really make them so realistic.

Tip: fold a piece of cardstock and cut the wood slice layer – positioning the die so that it does not cut the fold. This creates a tag that flips open, allowing you to stamp a to/from sentiment on the inside.

I created a crate for the tags using the Create-a-Crate die – wouldn’t it make a fun little gift?

My next project is a card that uses the same Wood Slices die and Merry Sprigs stamps and dies. I really wanted to play around with creating a background with the slices. I started with a panel of watercolor paper, and added lots of loose brown watercoloring.

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For the slices, they were colored just by sponging with Distress Oxide inks. I layered the stamped and diecut sprigs over the slices. Once again I used colored pencils to add some shading, and a white pen for some details and highlights on the berries and flowers. the sentiment is also from the Merry Sprigs set – I stamped it once, then without re-inking, I stamped again, slightly offsetting it from the first, making it look like it’s burned into the wood.

My next card is just classic Christmas! I used the larger Wood Slice die to create a focal point layered over a buffalo plaid background that was created with the Square Dance die and stencil. I started with a panel of red cardstock, diecut the Square Dance die from wine cardstock, and sponged it with black ink using the Square Dance stencil.

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I used the Written in Ribbons Holiday set for the sentiment, and added several sprigs from the Merry Sprigs set along the left side. I also snuck in some pine needles cut with the BotaniCuts Pine Bough die.

Next I have several cards using our new Banner & Bough stamp and stencil set. I loved creating with this set! That pretty focal point looks like it takes so much more effort than it actually does. The cards I’m sharing below will get progressively “stepped up” as we go through the post…from very simple one-layer cards, to some with more dimension and detail. Banner & Bough is a great set for whichever way you’d like to go!

Before I get to my projects, I have a video to share with you, showing the new Banner & Bough in action…

Here is the card from the video…

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I decided to add some white ink splatters and Stickles glitter along the branches to finish it off. I also embellished the flower centers with a white pen.

You can create lots of different looks just by mixing up the colors. This card again uses just the stamping and stenciling for a card that is perfect for dropping in the mail.

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I can’t resist adding colored pencil shading to almost all of my projects lately, and I did some of that here as well, also adding some white pen dots to the flower centers once again. Adding some additional shading to the banner really makes it look so dimensional!

My next card uses Banner & Bough again, this time with the banner layered over the top using the matching Banner & Bough die set. This set is so perfect for projects that are simple as well as “stepped up” projects.

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I went with a much softer color palette this time – Iced Spruce, a bit of Speckled Egg, Victorian Velvet, and Aged Mahogany. I stenciled the banner, then diecut it with the matching die, added a sentiment from the set, and popped it up with some foam tape. I also used the pine branches to stamp some pale branches around the outer edges. More white pen details and colored pencil shading finish it off and really make the images pop. I also glittered the branches with some stickles for a bit of frosty sparkle.

I showed the masking stencil that’s included in the set in the video, where I added some soft yellow ink sponging around the bouquet. For this card I went more dramatic, and sponged Black Soot Distress oxide ink around my bouquet.

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This time, instead of finishing it off with a sentiment from the Banner & Bough set, I used the pretty Joy sentiment from the Written in Ribbons Holiday.

My next two cards show how you can use the elements from Banner & Bough set to get creative and create your own looks. For this first card, I started with the stencils and added some soft stenciling in the background, just as a starting point and to give my design a lot of depth.

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Then I added lots of the individual flowers and leaves from the Banner & Bough set using the stamps and matching dies. Instead of using one of the banner sentiments from the set I used the “let there be Peace on earth” from Written in Ribbons Holiday. I also incorporated a few pine branches using the BotaniCuts Pine Bough die and glittered them up using some glass glitter.

And finally, this card uses the large bouquet die to create a different look with that pretty stamped & stenciled bouquet. This time I decided to use it as an accent instead of a focal point.

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I started with a couple of rectangles cut with the Crimped Frame die. The pretty “merry” sentiment from the Written in Ribbons Holiday set makes for a beautiful focal point. I also used one of the flourishes that’s included in that set. To frame that pretty sentiment, I used a single Banner & Bough bouquet. I positioned it in the upper left corner first and trimmed off the excess from around the edges. I used that excess piece at the lower right corner. I also cut a few individual flowers and layered them over the top. Of course every good holiday card needs some glitter, so I added some Stickles to the branches. I love how this one turned out!

That wraps up my projects, but there is so much more to see from the team, plus a chance to win!

Now that you’ve gotten to meet all of today’s new products and see them in action, you can “greet” them for a chance to win a $50 gift card. We will be giving away one $50 gift card for today’s blog hop!

Read on for details…

• Comment here on the blog for one entry (one comment per person). I’d love to hear – what is your favorite thing to create for the holidays…cards, tags, treat wraps, or something else?
• Comment on our Inspiration Team Members’ and Guest blogs for more entries (one comment per person, per blog)
• Comments close at 11:59pm EDT on Thursday night, October 8
• Winners will be posted at 7am EDT on Friday, October 9 here on the blog

You are in for such a treat! It’s time to see what our amazing Inspiration Team has to share with you today!

(click on the images to visit the Inspiration Team blogs, or click HERE if viewing this post via email)