Sneak Peek Week: Christmas Trimmings, Embossing Folders & Oval Dies!

Hello and welcome to our Holiday Sneak Peek Week!  All this week I will be showcasing cards using our new collection for Winter coming out on Friday, September 28th.  :)

Today I have our newest layering stamp set for winter with a set of coordinating dies, a new set of Stitched oval dies and two new 6x6 embossing folders to showcase!  Let's jump in!  

Card No. 1: Our new layering set for the holidays is called Christmas Trimmings and it comes with a shorter tree branch to compliment our Holiday Style set which is facing the opposite direction.  It also includes three layered holly leaves, two different options for berries, a fun pine cone image and a Merry Christmas sentiment.

For this card I started by stamping the new smaller tree branch around the edge of my black cardstock panel using clear VersaMark Ink which I heat embossed using Wendy Vecchi's Fern Green Embossing Powder (I completely adore the coverage and quality of all the Ranger embossing powders). I then stamped all my images to layer over the top using the new set, combined with the flowers from our Petite Poinsettias set.  

I considered using the coordinating dies for this one, but in the end I really wanted to see the colors pop directly against the black background so I chose to fussy cut my images.  I will say that I didn't let a single piece go to waste.  I was able to cut many flowers, pine cones and holly leaves in half and adhere them off the edge of my card to give the appearance that I had stamped and cut so many more.  ;)  I finished off my card with our Merry Word die and the word Christmas from our Merry Sentiments Stamps which I heat embossed using Wendy Vecchi's Red Geranium Embossing Powder.

Card No. 2:  Up next is a card using both the new tree branch, along with the original one from our Holiday Style set.  I love that they are the same scale and that with them facing different directions can be used to create beautiful groupings together!  

I layered the three unique holly leaves together with two of the pinecones and the largest poinsettia from our Petite Poinsettias set, adhering some with foam tape for extra dimension.  I then added a little strip of gingham paper from our Gingham Jewel Tones 6x6 Paper Pack and stamped a sentiment from our Festive Greetings set using VersaFine Onyx Black Ink.

Card No. 3:  With this release we are introducing a new product in our line-up: 6x6 Embossing Folders!  For this card I embossed my front card panel using our Dapper Diamond embossing folder before adhering it to a top folding notecard. 

To create my wreath from the holly leaves, I started by cutting a small ring using two nesting circle dies run through my die-cutting machine at the same time.  I then loosely laid out my leaves before adhering them to my ring with a glue pen.  To complete my look I used both sizes of holly berries which I topped with some glossy accents and a red bow and sentiment from our Holiday Style set.

Card No. 4:  One of my favorite things about the over-sized 6x6 embossing folders is their ability to be used on all cards, whether they have a horizontal or vertical orientation!  For this card I flipped my paper the opposite direction before running it through my machine.  

I then used two of the six ovals from our new Stitched Oval Dies to layer together with one of our Fancy Frames Oval Dies.  We realize ovals can come in all shapes and sizes so due to popular request we have created a new set of basic oval dies to compliment our original Fancy Frames.

I completed this simple card with some holly and berries from the new stamp set.  This card would be a great one for mass producing.  It came together really quickly, but I adore how clean and crisp it looks with all of the fun textures!

Scrapbook Layout:   As I was creating some of my cards I kept coming back to the idea of recreating these looks on a larger scale with a scrapbook page.  

To form my oversized wreath, I started my tracing around a small 8-1/2" plate with a pencil onto ivory cardstock. I then set to work stamping the tree branch along that circle, alternating between Tree Frog & Grasshopper ink. To keep my branches from overlapping too badly, I used a post-it note as a mask along the opposite side of the circle from where I was stamping.  The results at this point weren't pretty as nothing lined up perfectly, but I knew I could then hide all that imperfect stamping along the center seam with my other stamped pieces later.

I had a bit of a assembly line style stamping party one evening with all the holiday layering stamps and my mini MISTI so I actually quite a few extra stamped pieces leftover after creating my cards.  In the end I squeezed all my extras onto this page, doing my best to space out my pinecones and poinsettias to look balanced around my circle before permanently adhering anything.

For my title I used a new set of dies that I will be sharing more later this week, but I must say I'm in love!  They are such a fun font and work great for scrapbooking, custom card sentiments and even personalizing some fun holiday home decor projects.  I can't wait to share more at our Third Birthday Blog Hop on Friday!  ;)

To help you line up our Christmas Trimmings Stamps like a pro I've created a special layering guide (you can click on the photo below to view it larger).  For all the images I started by stamping them with the lightest ink color, working towards the darkest.  The black outline indicates where that layer touches the previously stamped layer.  :)

I frequently am asked which ink colors I used for my layered images.  While I think there are so many great options out there that can provide good results, these are the colors I used today for my stamped images (in the ordered shared from lightest to darkest)...

Pinecones
Colorbox Gingersnap
Versafine Acorn
Colorbox Mudslide

Holly Leaves
Colorbox Grasshopper
Colorbox Green Apple
Colorbox Golf Course

Holly Berries
Colorbox Strawberry
Colorbox Cranberry

Dark Red Poinsettias & Red Bow
Colorbox Strawberry
Colorbox Candy Red
Colorbox Cranberry

Lighter Poinsettias
Hero Arts Pale Tomato
Colorbox Blossom
Colorbox Cranberry

Poinsettia Leaves
Colorbox Kiwi
Colorbox Grasshopper

I'm so excited you've joined me for today's sneak peek!  Here's a look at the new stamps, dies and new 6x6 embossing folders (which will be available for purchase on Friday, September 28).

      

While I didn't get to showcase the new Cable Knit embossing folder today, I promise to have more ideas using it as the week progresses.  ;)

Other Sunny Studio Supplies Used:

Holiday Style Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Holiday Style Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Merry Sentiments Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Merry Word Die Shop at: Sunny Studio	Festive Greetings Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio
Petite Poinsettias Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Petite Poinsettias Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Fancy Frames- Ovals Shop at: Sunny Studio	Gingham Jewel Tones 6x6 Paper Shop at: Sunny Studio