October 2023

Thank you so much for stopping by! We’re on the second day of product reveals for our 2023 holiday collection. This year’s holiday collection is called Recollective and it will be available in the shop on Friday, October 6 at 10am EDT. Today we’re showcasing some of the products from this new collection. We’ll have one more reveal day tomorrow before everything hits the shop on Friday.

InstaLive

Before I get into today’s product intros, just a little advance notice that Laurie will be hosting an Instagram Live on our Instagram channel on Thursday evening, 10/5 at 8pm EDT/7pm CDT showcasing our new Recollective collection. If you aren’t able to join us live, you can watch it any time from our feed.

Now for today’s product introductions…

Below is a quick look at the new products being showcased today. Click on the links below each product heading for more details and information (sentiments, measurements, etc.), or click HERE to see all of the new products in the shop. (**Please Note: although you can preview the new products in the shop, they will not be available to add to cart or purchase until 10am EDT on Friday, October 6).

Plaid Tidings: Very Merry

This product suite features a big, bold So Very Merry sentiment! It consists of three products – a die, a stencil set, and a stamp set. Each of these products can be used on their own, or combined for lots of design options. The stencil set allows you to create the sentiment in striped or plaid patterns and can be stenciled directly to a card base or panel, or it can be combined with the die. The stamp set contains several companion sentiments.

Click HERE for Plaid Tidings: Very Merry die info ($32)
Click HERE for Plaid Tidings: Very Merry stencil info ($16)
Click HERE for Plaid Tidings: Very Merry stamp set info ($16)

I put together a video showcasing this product suite:

Bright & Bubbly

Our Bright & Bubbly set adds a fun touch of nostalgia to your projects! There are three products in this product suite. The Bright & Bubbly die can be used as a stand-alone die, or it can be combined with the images from the Bright & Bubbly stamp set. We also have an add-on die that will cut out the three larger sentiments from the stamp set.

Click HERE for Bright & Bubbly stamp set info ($16)
Click HERE for Bright & Bubbly die info ($18)
Click HERE for Bright & Bubbly Sentiments die info ($16)

Christmas Sampler + Fair Isle

Our Christmas Sampler product suite includes three products, a stencil set, a sentiments stamp set and matching die. The Christmas Sampler stencil creates a cute cross-stitch inspired design. The coordinating sentiments are done in a fun cross-stitch font. We also have a Fair Isle stencil which features an all-over fair isle print that fills an A2 card front.

Click HERE for Christmas Sampler Stencil info ($18)
Click HERE for Fair Isle Stencil info ($16)
Click HERE for Christmas Sampler Sentiments stamp set info ($8)
Click HERE for Christmas Sampler Sentiments die info ($18)

Angelica is popping in with a video showcasing the new Christmas Sampler products…

Popcorn Garland + Mint & Berry Bits

Sweet and nostalgic, or Popcorn Garland die is ready to string up some fun. There are two popcorn strands as well as some individual kernels and circles to embellish the strands. We also have a new Bits mix that includes peppermints and small flat-back berries. These are perfectly sized to fit on the circles in the Popcorn Garland strands.

Click HERE for Popcorn Garland die info ($14)
Click HERE for Mint & Berry Bits info ($6)

I had so much fun creating…I have a ton of projects to share with you! Let’s get started…

We’ll start with some Plaid Tidings: Very Merry projects. First off is a very simple one layer card (except for the popped up holly berries!) that just uses the stencil and stamp set to create the sentiment.

• You don’t need to stencil all of the steps to create the sentiment. Here I stenciled two of the plaid steps along with the shadow to create a more open plaid.
• This would be a great card to mass produce!
• A few score lines using a scoring tool and scoring board make for a quick and easy way to create a subtle border (Inspired by Laurie’s wonderful use of embossing!)
• Red and turquoise is always a great go-to color scheme for cheery holiday projects.

Up next I had fun going all-out with the layers!

• Instead of stenciling a plaid design, use just two of the Very Merry stencils to create pepperminty stripes instead.
• Stencil onto the outline die and then layer it over a second diecut cut from contrasting cardstock (red here). Offset it just a bit an pop it up with foam tape so the bottom layer creates a shadow effect.
• Our Twinkle Background has a fun retro feel that goes wonderfully with this sentiment and popcorn garlands.
• The Mint & Berry bits are the perfect size for adding to the circles in the Popcorn Garlands.
• Add some individual popcorn kernels to the popcorn strands, popping them up with foam tape. Don’t worry about matching up the kernels as they’ll actually look more realistic if you don’t!

Next up I used both the individual letter dies and the shadow from the Plaid Tidings: Very Merry die. I stenciled the plaid onto the letter diecuts.

• For a more elegant, woodsy look I used rustic greens and golds. This changes the vibe from retro to rustic.
• Keeping with the more rustic look, instead of using the holly clusters from the Very Merry set, tuck in some greenery instead. Sprigs of BotaniCuts Juniper and Big Branches Pine were used here.
• For an elegant background, stamp a gold-tone cardstock using the Pine & Berry Background.

For an easy way to cut out the letters like I did on the card above, stencil the sentiment onto the shadow die, then cut it out using the “so very merry” individual letter/phrase die. This is what I did and was left with the negative cut-out I used on this next card. It was lying on my table and just looked too pretty to toss!

• Layer some greenery under the peek-a-boo sentiment. Big Branches: Pine and Ruscus were used here, along with some stamped/diecut images using the Winterland Layers set.
• White ink splatters are always one of my favorite techniques – it’s an easy way to add an artsy touch.
• This Gray Kraft cardstock is such a nice, light-feeling color. A fun alternative to regular kraft. It’s available from Cardstock Warehouse.
• Can you find the little peppermint that snuck its way into my project? ha! 🙂

Next let’s get to some fun Bright & Bubbly projects!

This first one pairs the new Bright & Bubbly with an older product – our Ornament Box Top stamp. I love this combo!

• The Ornament Box top Verticle or Horizontal are great for pairing with the Bright & Bubbly set.
• Add some shine to the background with our Twinkling hot foil.
• A few BotaniCuts Juniper sprigs peeking out from under the Ornament Box top adds a bit of fullness to the design.
• Add some glossy accents to the candle portion of the lights to make them look like glass.

Up next I wanted to use the Bright & Bubbly stamp set to create a one-layer card. It’s been a while since I’ve done a lot of good old-fashioned stamping and I’ve been missing it!

• To build a background with a lot of depth, start by adding some light ink blending around the edges, then build from there.
• After ink blending, stamp some branches from the Winterland Layers set. Stamp twice before reinking to get branches in lighter and darker shades.
• After stamping the lights/candles I felt like the candles were blending into the background a little too much, so I outlined them just a bit with a white pen.
• Stamp the “sparkles” from the stamp set, then heat emboss with metallic powder for some shine.
• Add some white ink splatters and Stickles glitter to the background and the bubble lights to make them shine.

For my next Bright & Bubbly card I wanted to try to make the bubble lights look like mercury glass – I love how it turned out!

• Diecut the bottom of the bubble lights from silver mirror cardstock, then splatter with alcohol ink. I used Copic refill ink in a couple of shades of gray, but any alcohol ink will work (it must be something that will stick to the slick surface of the mirror cardstock).
• The Glow Hot Foil is a fun way to add some shine to the dark background.
• Stamping the pine branches from Winterland Layers onto the dark green card base using white pigment ink was an easy way to create the base for this design.
• Layering some diecut greenery over the stamped images adds lots of depth. The BotaniCuts Juniper sprigs and berries are a good size and contrast in texture to the stamped pine.
• Silver glass glitter was the perfect finishing touch for a really vintage look.
• The sentiment was heat embossed in gold and is from the Wrapped in Love Sentiment Additions set.

For this next pair of cards I used the “merry and bright” sentiment from the Bright & Bubbly set along with the Popcorn Garland die. These were fun and quick to put together and would be another design that would be good for mass producing.

• Stamp the pine branch from Winterland Layers onto dark cardstock using white pigment ink for an easy background.
• Criss-cross several popcorn strands to fill the background.
• For more “buttery” popcorn, ink the garlands with a bit of pale yellow ink. Add more shading with colored pencils if desired.
• Pick and choose the bits from the Mint & Berry Bits mix to suit your color scheme. On the green background I used all red, and vice versa.

Next I have several projects that use our new stitching-inspired products!

This first card uses the new Fair Isle stencil along with a sentiment from the new Christmas Sampler Sentiments set.

• Our Hoopla Oval or Hoopla Round dies are great companion products for the new stitching inspired products. The smaller Hoopla Oval was used here to frame the sentiment.
• Pop up the hoop with foam tap to add dimension.
• The insert was cut using the Hoopla Oval Inserts die – the pierced detailing adds a fun touch.
• A few BotaniCuts Juniper sprigs and berries adds the perfect finishing touch.
• I used a fun color combo of Rustic Wilderness, Brushed Corduroy, Bundles Sage, and Forest Moss Oxide inks to stencil this Fair Isle design.

This next card uses the new Christmas Sampler stencil and Sentiments stamp set

• Add some white pen details to the stenciled design to mimic french knots. I also added some “snow” to the window sills with a white pen.
• Keep it simple by just stenciling the design then adding a diecut sentiment popped up foam tape for a little dimension.
• I used the same color combo here as the card above to create a coordinating set – Rustic Wilderness, Brushed Corduroy, Bundles Sage, and Forest Moss

My next card again uses the Christmas Sampler stencil. This time I framed it with the large Hoopla Oval die.

• After stenciling the design, use our Aida Cloth Texture Plate to add some texture to resemble aida cloth.
• Ink the hoop with shades of brown ink to resemble wood. Add some splatters too!
• A few sprigs at the top of the hoop add the finishing touch – I used BotaniCuts Juniper and some leaves from the Embroidered Blooms die.
• The Herringbone Parquet die made a great background for this design. Cut it from dark cardstock and sponge it with a bit of white pigment ink to bring out the planks and woodgrain.

Lastly, I couldn’t resist pairing the new Fair Isle stencil with our Hearts at Home: Sweater die…

• It’s fun to play with different color combos for the Fair Isle stencil. From rustic to bright, it can take on different looks depending on the colors used.
• The yarn ball from the Wrapped in Love die set is a fun detail to add with the Hearts at Home Sweater. Perfect for knitting friends!
• A Crimped Circle diecut is also a fun coordinating touch with the edge that resembles stitching.
• I used the “yarn strands” from the Wrapped in Love die to guide the eye from the top sentiment down to the ball of yarn and the remainder of the sentiment.

Now that you’ve gotten to meet all of today’s new products and see them in action on my projects, you can hop along to see more projects from the Inspiration Team!

We’ll be giving away TWO $50 gift cards for today’s blog hop.

Read on for details…

• Comment here on the blog for one entry (one comment per person).
• Comment on our Inspiration Team Members’ blogs for more entries (linked below – one comment per person, per blog)
• Comments close Thursday, October 5 at 11:59pm EDT
• Winners will be posted at 7am EDT on Friday, October 6 here on the blog

Now for more the team blog links…