Category:

October 2020

Merry Makings Release Day!

by Betsy October 9, 2020

written by Betsy

Good morning and happy Friday! Today’s the day everything we’ve been showcasing this week from our 2020 holiday collection will go up in the shop!

All of the products will be available for purchase in the shop, beginning at 10am ET today.

First of all, we have some winners!

Day 1 is Amy Vitriani from Heather Nichols’ blog…

Day 2 is Mary Beth from Kay Miller’s blog…

And Day 3 is Karen from Kelly Lunceford’s blog…

Ladies – drop an email to customerservice @ thegreetery.com and we’ll get your gift certificates sent over right away.

October Lookbooks

The October Lookbooks are live! You can view all of the projects from the team in one place! Such a beautiful resource!

Quick Shop Bundles

We will be offering three bundles for the new release items. They are listed below. These quick-shop bundles will be located in the top product row on the home page. Please note that none of the bundles include the limited edition Hug in a Mug Embellishment kit. If you wish to purchase the embellishment kit you will need to add that to your cart separately. The Embellishment kit will be in the bottom row of products on the home page.

Merry Makings Complete Stamp + Die + Stencil Bundle

This 19-piece bundle includes all of the stamps, dies, and stencils from our new Merry Makings collection. (Hug in a Mug Embellishment kit NOT included in the bundle)
Merry Makings Complete Stamp + Die + Stencil Bundle price – $434

Hug in a Mug Stamp + Die Bundle

This 4-piece bundle includes:

Note: The limited edition Hug in a Mug Embellishment kit is not included in the bundle

Hug in a Mug bundle price – $89

Snowflake Soirée Stamp + Stencil + Die Bundle

This 3-piece bundle includes:

Snowflake Soirée stamp, stencil, & die bundle price – $62

Before I sign off today, I wanted to share a special Give & Make announcement.

Our shared hobby is inherently giving…we spend time creating cards and gifts that are meant to be given away. When establishing The Greetery, we wanted to incorporate giving into our very being. Our tagline is “where making and giving meet”, and we want to carry that theme through in more than just our crafting.

With this in mind, $3.00 from the sale of each Destination: North Pole stamp set will go towards putting together shoeboxes and shipping costs for the shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. The collection date for the shoeboxes is November 16-23. After this time, we will continue to donate the same $3 per set for the lifetime of the set, but it will be given to the broader Samaritan’s Purse charity, which is so instrumental in providing emergency relief during hurricanes and other natural disasters (and is also the parent charity of Operation Christmas Child). I know this is a cause that is near and dear to many of your hearts as well – thank you for partnering with us on this project! ❤️

Thank you so much for joining us in all the merry making this week! I loved reading all of your comments and Christmas memories. They made me smile many times! 😊

October 9, 2020 10 comments

All New Product Meet & Greet October 2020 Video Tutorials

Merry Makings Day 3: Make it Sweet

by Betsy October 8, 2020

written by Betsy

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 finally get to share all of the details of this year’s holiday collection, Merry Makings. Welcome to the final day of reveals before everything goes up in the shop on Friday morning at 10am ET!

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

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Today’s product introductions are bound to make the holidays a whole lot sweeter. Christmas is the time I pull out all the stops and create wraps, teacher treats, place settings for our Christmas table, and whatever else I can manage to squeeze in! It’s my favorite thing to do and it’s become a sort of tradition at our house! Today’s products are perfect for all of those things…

S’more Holiday stamp set + die

Stampers have s’more fun! This set is filled with all of the ingredients you’ll need to make some sweet holiday projects. There are marshmallows, a chocolate bar, and a roasting stick, along with lots s’more sentiments to mix and match. Create cards, tags, wraps, and gift card holders with this fun set!

This stamp set comes on a 4″ x 8″ sheet and includes a full-color printed stamping guide. The matching die is a 7-piece set of wired dies.

Made in the USA
S’more Holiday stamp set price – $18
S’more Holiday die price – $14

Click HERE for more detailed information

Graham Cracker Cuts die

This graham cracker die is the perfect starting point for your next sweet project! Use it as a background layer, a tag base, or cover it in sprinkles just for fun! Sized just slightly larger than a standard gift card, you can also use it to create gift card pockets and more. It’s the perfect complement to our S’more Holiday set!

Single die measures appx. 3.75″ x 2.6″
Made in the USA
Graham Cracker Cuts die price – $12

Hug in a Mug die + Hug in a Mug Holiday stamp set

Nothing is as comforting on a cold winter day as a warm cup of joe (or cocoa, or cider, or anything warm and sweet!). The Hug in a Mug die and matching stamp set allows you to create adorable mug treat containers. Have fun embellishing them with the matching stamp set, then filling them up with sweet treats!

This stamp set comes on a 4″ x 8″ sheet.
The die is a 7-piece set of wired dies.

Made in the USA
Hug in a Mug Holiday stamp set price – $18
Hug in a Mug die price – $39

Click HERE for more detailed stamp information
Click HERE for more detailed die information

Hug in a Mug Saucer die

The perfect accent for our Hug in a Mug, this saucer die is simply adorable, and easy to assemble. Stamp or embellish it to match your Hug in a Mug, or put out a sweet spread for Santa using our Hug in a Mug Sweet Treats die!

2-piece set of wired dies.
Made in the USA
Hug in a Mug Saucer die price – $14

Hug in a Mug Sweet Treats die

You can’t have cocoa without cookies! The Hug in a Mug Sweet Treats die contains all the bits and pieces you’ll need to cook up a batch of paper crafted goodies. Experiment with cutting them from different materials for realistic looks, and don’t forget the sprinkles!

11-piece set of wired dies.
Made in the USA
Hug in a Mug Sweet Treats die price – $18

Hug in a Mug Embellishment kit

The Hug in a Mug embellishment kit will bring your Hug in a Mug projects to the next level. It’s all in the details! This kit contains a holiday mix of clay sprinkles, clay chocolate sprinkles, sugary glass glitter, foam marshmallows, miniature candy canes, and red-striped paper straws. You’ll have fun using these elements to dress up your mugs and sweet treats!

Kit contents:

10 red-striped paper straws
24 foam marshmallows
5 mini candy canes (approx 1″ tall)
small glass vial of sugary glass glitter (approx. 2 tsp)
small glass vial of clay chocolate crumbles (approx. 2 tsp)
large glass vial of clay holiday sprinkle mix (approx. 1 tbsp)
the kit comes packaged in a reclosable mason jar zipper bag

Hug in a Mug Embellishment kit price – $20
**please note that this is a limited edition kit – due to the limited availability of some of the items, we will not be offering more once they are gone. We may offer some of the individual items separately, but not the kit as a whole.

**the items in this kit are not edible and should be used with caution if crafting with children

Before we delve into today’s projects, I have a video for you showcasing all of the Hug in a Mug products. It’s a lengthy one…I’ll show you how to assemble the mug and saucer as well as how to do some fun embellishing!

I have so much to show you, I hardly know where to begin! But let’s start with those adorable mugs. 😊

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I LOVED creating these! So much fun. They are going to be our favors at Christmas Eve dinner this year. I embellished these with some air dry clay for the whip cream and then some sprinkles, marshmallows and striped straws from the Hug in a Mug embellishment kit (note, the embellishment kit does not include air-dry clay).

Those cookies? So fun to put together using the Hug in a Mug Sweet Treats die! I diecut the “chocolate” from brown foam and it is so realistic! The others are all just cut from cardstock and sponged with a bit of Vintage Linen ink. I added glitter, sprinkles, candy canes, and marshmallows from the Embellishment kit. One thing that I added that is not included in the kit is Nuvo Drops for the frosting. I had fun playing around with different combinations for a whole assortment of cookies.

I created several different mugs in different colors and stamped with different sentiments from the Hug in a Mug Holiday stamp set. These will all be filled with (real) chocolates for our Christmas eve table.

For my next project, I thought it would be fun to create a mug full of cider for fall! I tucked in a real cinnamon stick for a realistic touch.

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I stamped the “warm wishes” sentiment from the Hug in a Mug Holiday set and also stamped a small leaf, which is from the All Blessings Flow stamp set. Instead of using the saucer die, this time I created a “coaster” for the mug using our new Wood Slices die. I diecut three of the larger slice and stacked them up for a little more thickness. I sponged them with brown inks for a deep, rich wood-tone. I pulled out the peach slice from the Print Shop: Peachy Keen set and inked that up to create an apple instead of a peach. I layered it over a BotaniCuts Mighty Oak leaf diecut along with an acorn from that same set and a real cinnamon stick. I also made a little cinnamon cookie using the Hug in a Mug Sweet Treats die. I’m going to fill it up with apple caramel candies and bring it to someone special. 😊

Up next I have several projects using the new S’more Holiday set. This one is so fun to create with as well! For this first card I used the “let it snow s’more” sentiment and paired it with some Snowflake Soiree snowflakes and the Hug in a Mug Sweet Treats dies for some realistic chocolates and graham crackers!

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I diecut a frame using the Crimped Frames die, and layered the snowflakes, chocolates, and crackers under the frame, trimming off any excess from around the outer edges. I also incorporated a couple of the roasting sticks and some BotaniCuts Pine Bough branches cut from white cardstock. I love the multi-step “s’more” sentiment from the set – it stamps up so cute! The chocolates were cut from brown foam for some added realism. I added some white ink splatters as “snow” to finish it off. Such a fun winter card!

My next card has a fun homespun feel to it. I layered several elements from the S’more Holiday set over the Graham Cracker Cuts die and a bright green gingham background which was done with the Square Dance die and stencil.

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The “s’more’ sentiment was stamped in brown ink – I sponged it to create an ombre effect, then sponged the top part of of the word with Versamark Ink and embossed it with white embossing powder to create a marshmallow-y effect. The “sweet holiday wishes” sentiment is from the Hug in a Mug Holiday set.

I have a treat wrap up next, using the S’more Holiday set. I picked up some yummy s’more snack mix at Costco, knowing I had just the right thing for wrapping it up into a cute treat! (please pardon my photos today…somewhere between my craft room and photo shoot my pine needles slipped and are covering my sentiment! 😜)

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I started with the Create-a-Crate die cut from kraft cardstock, and embellished it with the S’more Holiday set and Graham Cracker Cuts die. I tied up some of the snack mix in a cello bag and embellished it with a couple of foam marshmallows from the Hug in a Mug Embellishment kit and a BotaniCuts Pine sprig. A quick and easy treat for teachers, bus drivers, and more!

I named my last project for today Graham Cracker Pull-aparts. Doesn’t that sound yummy? These were quick and fun to create. The Graham Cracker Cuts die is just slightly larger than a gift card. I cut two of the crackers, cut them in half and glued them together around the outer edges – basically creating two pockets that I could slip a gift card inside.

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I embellished them with elements from the S’more Holiday set, and also some tiny s’mores made with the Hug in a Mug Sweet Treats die. I made sure to adhere everything only on the left side of the graham cracker pull-apart so that the gift card was easily accessible.

I so hope you enjoyed all of my projects today. They brought me such joy to create!

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…

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Comment here on the blog for one entry (one comment per person). So many of our holiday traditions revolve around food! What’s your favorite holiday treat or food?
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

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And now 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)

ANGELICA

DAWN

HEATHER

KAY

KELLY

LAURIE

NORINE

WANDA

Thank you so much for joining in the fun this week! I’ll be posting here with some info in the morning before the release goes up in the shop at 10am ET!

October 8, 2020 270 comments

All New Product Meet & Greet October 2020

Merry Makings Day 2: Make it Bright

by Betsy October 7, 2020

written by Betsy

All of the new products being showcased today will be available for purchase beginning at 10am ET on Friday, October 9 in the shop.

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 sure to make the holidays just a little bit brighter! This year is destined to be a different sort of Christmas, but I’m determined to make it just as special as ever! We might just have to get a little creative, but hey…that’s what we do best. 😊

Destination: North Pole stamp set + die

All aboard for the north pole! Map out your next holiday stamping adventure with this adorable set filled with holiday icons. Perfect for special deliveries straight from Santa’s workshop, use these fun images and sentiments for cards, tags, and wraps. The new Destination North Pole set can be paired with the rest of our Destination collection for projects that are really going places.

This set comes on a 6″ x 8″ sheet and includes a full-color printed stamping guide. The matching die is an 25-piece set of wired dies.

Made in the USA
Destination: North Pole stamp set price – $24
Destination: North Pole die price – $27

Click HER E for more detailed information

Snowflake Soiree stencil, stamp set, + die

Swirling & twirling, these snowflakes are ready to dance across your next project! If you enjoyed our Pinwheel Party collection you’ll love Snowflake Soiree! The Snowflake Soiree stencil set includes a 4-step border stencil that makes it so fun and easy to create beautiful multi-colored snowflake borders. The individual snowflake stencil can be used to stencil snowflakes onto backgrounds, or onto the matching dies. There’s also a mask stencil to use with the border, allowing you to sponge additional color around that pretty border.

The matching Snowflake Soiree die collection includes dies for all of the individual snowflakes in the stencil set, a die for the border, and a “be merry” sentiment and matching shadow. The coordinating stamp set includes an assortment of smaller snowflakes and some mix and match sentiments that can be combined with the “be merry” die or stamp.

This Snowflake Soiree stencil set includes a full-color printed stenciling guide. The matching die is an 11-piece set of wired dies.
Made in the USA

Snowflake Soiree 6-piece stencil set price – $16
Snowflake Soiree stamp set price – $7
Snowflake Soiree die price – $39

Click HERE for more detailed stencil information
Click HERE for more detailed stamp set information

I once again have so many projects! I could not stop creating! 😊 Before we get into the projects, I have a video for you that showcases Snowflake Soiree, showing you all of the details of what you can do with these stencils, dies, and stamps.

Here are some close-ups of the cards I created from the elements that were stamped and stenciled in the video. So quick and fun to do!

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Next I have several more cards using the Snowflake Soiree elements. This one uses the multi-step border stencil on a vertical A2 card. I used Broken China, Blueprint Sketch, Victorian Velvet, and Festive Berries oxide inks for the border.

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I layered a diecut the stenciled border with the border die, and also popped up an individual snowflake to add some more dimension. The sentiment was done with a mix of the dies and stamps. I added a few single snowflakes as accents around the sentiment, and also used the stamps to stamp a few tiny snowflakes in the background.

I sat down and stenciled a whole pile of those pretty flakes in alllll the colors and had the best time mixing, matching, and layering them for a rainbow of flurries!

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I was inspired by Heather’s tone-on-tone diecut background she shared a few weeks ago for a TGIF post. I lightened it up and did a white-on-white background using some branches from the BotaniCuts Pine Bough die. It’s the perfect backdrop for these colorful snowflakes! I arranged them in rainbow order on a slim-line card base, working from cool to warm across the card front. I finished it off with a Written in Ribbons Holiday sentiment.

I created a matching card that is a bit simpler, using the multi-step border stencils. I worked my way across each stencil left to right, from warm to cool ink colors to create these stenciled rainbow flakes.

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I also added some individual snowflakes to the background with the stencil, using texture paste to create an embossed effect. I finished it off with the diecut sentiment, sponged in a rainbow of inks and layered over the shadow diecut, which was cut from vellum for a light and airy look. A few sequins add a little sparkle!

Next I switched to an ultra cool color palette…it reminds me of Frozen! I stenciled the 4-step border at both the top and bottom edges of this vertical A2 panel using shades of blue and purple inks. I used Blueprint Sketch, Shaded Lilac, Milled Lavender, and Stormy Sky.

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I stamped a few snowflakes as well, to the centers of the stenciled snowflakes just to add a little more depth to the centers. I added some pine branches, cut with the BotaniCuts Pine Bough die, which were glittered with some glass glitter. I finished it off with a Written in Ribbons Holiday sentiment.

For my final card featuring Snowflake Soiree, I miiiight have gone a little overboard. 😂 I mentioned at the start of this post, that Snowflake Soiree is very similar in concept to our Pinwheel Party set. That got me to thinking about how fun it would be to combine the two. And that is what I did here and it was so very much fun!

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It turned out looking almost like intricate Moroccan tiles. I stenciled several pinwheels and several snowflakes in shades of all different blues and greens. Then I had fun arranging them on my card base, and layering all sorts of different combinations. The pretty “merry Christmas” from Written in Ribbons Holiday is layered over the top, and a few iridescent sequins add some shine!

Next I have some fun projects using the new Destination: North Pole set. These are so fun to work with as well. I just sat and stamped a pile of the small icons from the set so I could just add them to my cards as I went along creating. This first card uses the previously released Destination: Round Map die as my base.

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The two-step North Pole sentiment that’s included in the set is so fun! I stamped it using my MISTI so that I could add some shading on the inside portion of the letters by sponging some darker green onto the lower half of the letters with a finger sponge. The street names are such a fun little touch, too! The stamps are straight, but you can curve them on your block to fit along any of the streets on the Map dies. There are also dies for all of the other small sentiments that go along with the “north pole” words so that you can easily layer them when using the maps dies, etc.

This next one uses the previously released Destination Map stencils. I used some texture paste along with the waterfront map stencil to create dimensional snow drifts. Before adding the texture paste with the map stencil, I used the Snowflake Soiree stencil set to add some snowflakes to the background as well.

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I added lots of details from the Destination: North Pole set and that fun sentiment as well. The polar bears might be my favorite. I stamped them in a very light gray ink, then added just a little shading with a gray colored pencil and a pink pencil for rosy cheeks. The eyes and nose were added with a black pen – to both the polar bears and the reindeer.

My next card was inspired by a book I used to read my kids when they were little…Snow Bear’s Surprise, an adorable book about sweet polar animals and the northern lights. The last page of the book had little twinkling lights – my youngest especially loved that book! This card was inspired by it. 😊

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I started with a panel of water color paper and used my watercolor paints to create something resembling the northern lights. I added some splatters for “stars”. I used the Drifting die along the bottom to create a place to tuck some mountains from the previously released Destination stamp set. I used the polar bears and trees from the new North Pole set. The sentiment is also from that set, of course. I layered everything over a Postal Frames diecut. I also added a few Snowflake Soiree snowflakes.

Lastly, I have a few tags using Destination: North Pole along with the new Wood Slices die. Such a fun combo! I layered lots of elements from North Pole over the slices.

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I used a brad to secure my embellished slice to a second slice which was stamped with the to/from sentiments from Merry Sprigs. This allows the tags to “swivel” to reveal the to/from message. Everything used to embellish the slice is from North Pole, with the exception of the “special delivery” sentiment, which is from the Pretty Postmarks set.

I so hope you enjoyed all of my projects today. They brought me such joy to create!

Read on for details…

Comment here on the blog for one entry (one comment per person). I’d love to hear your best Santa story…maybe a childhood memory or something you’ve done with your children or grandchildren!
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

And now 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)

ANGELICA

DAWN

HEATHER

KAY

KEEWAY

KELLY

LAURIE

NORINE

WANDA

Thank you so much for joining me today! We have one more day of reveals tomorrow before the whole collection goes up in the shop on Friday, October 9 at 10am ET.

October 7, 2020 233 comments

All New Product Meet & Greet October 2020

Merry Makings Day 1: Make it Beautiful

by Betsy October 6, 2020

written by Betsy

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…

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!

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?
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