Friday, August 27, 2021

Sneak Peek: Holiday Express, Bear Hugs & Forest Trees Stencils

Hello and welcome to the last day of our 2021 Holiday Peek Week!  Every morning this week I have showcased cards using our newest fall & winter collections which will be begin shipping today! Hooray!

Today I am sharing our last two new 4x6 Stamp sets for winter, along with our very first set of stencils, called Forest Trees. This is an idea I have been tossing around for several years and I finally decided to take the plunge and create them. It consists of three numbered 6-inch wide stencils that can be used alone or layered together to create the look of a dense forest backdrop for your cards.

I have created a video sharing not only the new products from today, but also a closer look at all products and cards shared over the past six days. I hope you will join me! You can also watch directly on our YouTube channel HERE.


Card No. 1: For my first set of cards today I'm sharing ways to use our new Holiday Express Stamps. The set comes with a train engine, a gondola style rail car, a peeking Santa, reindeer, polar bear, penguin, tree, gifts, a number of fun elements to decorate the cars with and several versatile mix and match greetings. 

For my card, I started by inking my background lightly with tumbled glass distress ink before inking in my trees using the new Forest Trees Stencils with Twisted Citron for the first layer and Mowed Lawn for the second layer. I then added a layer of brush below my trees using our Fluffy Cloud Border Dies and a bank of snow with our Slimline Nature Border Dies. The set comes with the bells to decorate with and I stamped multiples of the reindeer from the set, giving one a red nose to look like Rudolph. I tucked a bag of toys behind the last one using an image from our Santa Claus Lane Stamps. I was running out of a good place to fit a greeting so our Comic Strip Speech Bubbles Dies came to my rescue and allowed me to stamp a sentiment from the Holiday Express set.
Sunny Studio Christmas Wishes From The Whole Gang Santa with Reindeer in Red Train Card (using Holiday Express Stamps, Forest Trees Stencils. Fluffy Cloud Border Dies & Slimline Nature Border Dies

Card No. 2: For my next card I created a slimline style card using the largest die from our Stitched Rectangle Dies set which I elongated by hanging one end off the cutting plate before running my paper through the die-cutting machine and then repeating the process on the opposite side. The stitching helps you lock the die into position making this super easy to do and get beautiful results. For my tree lined background I also elongated the border from our Winter Scenes Stamps by first stamping it in the center (with pale blue ink) and then masking off the edges before stamping them again on both sides. I then shaded the trees using my Copic Markers before adding a snowy sparkle using my favorite Stardust Stickles by Ranger.

For this card I used the little string of lights from the Holiday Express set to decorate my box cars which were filled with penguins, polar bears, trees and gifts all colored in a cool blue, green and turquoise analogous color scheme. I finished my card with a cute greeting from the set which I stamped using VersaFine Onyx Black Ink.

Sunny Studio Sending Greetings From Across The Miles Polar Bears & Penguins Slimline Train Card (using Holiday Express & Winter Scenes Stamps, Frilly Frames Retro Petals Dies)

Card No. 3: Up next is an everyday take on the cute train (and gifts) from Holiday Express. For this fun birthday card I paired the critters from our Beach Buddies stamps with the balloons from our Floating By Stamps and the little banners from our Balloon Rides Stamps. For my fir tree with grass hillside backdrop, I turned to a border from our Scenic Route Stamps. Lastly I inked up the stitched cloud border from our Slimline Nature Border Dies with some Twisted Citron Distress ink to form a little brush directly behind my train. I just love how happy and festive this turned out!
Sunny Studio Birthday Train Card (using Holiday Express, Floating By, Scenic Route, Beach Buddies & Balloon Rides Stamps)

Card No. 4: For my next card I started by inking up my background using the three layers of Forest Trees Stencils before die-cutting my panel using the outer stitched rectangle from our Frilly Frames Quatrefoil Dies. I then stamped some tufts of grass along the bottom half of my panel using images from our Barnyard Buddies Stamps. I thought this train would also make a cute baby boy card so for my focal point I colored it with more whimsical colors and added the little bear from our Beach Buddies Stamps, I framed the image using a scalloped circle from our Fancy Frames Circle Dies, inserting a little half circle beneath my train to ground my scene.  For my sentiment I paired the word "congrats" from our Tool Time Stamps with the phrase "coming your way" from the Holiday Express Stamps, stamping them both onto a small banner from our Banner Basics Stamps.
Sunny Studio Bear on Train Congrats Card (using Holiday Express, Beach Buddies & Banner Basics Stamps, Forest Trees Stencil, Frilly Frames Quatrefoil Dies & Fancy Frames Circle Dies)

Card No. 5: For my last train card for the day, I mass produced this playful holiday card for our brick and mortar stores to display, focusing almost entirely on the elements from our Holiday Express StampsOne time saving measure I utilized was using a basic solid aqua cardstock for my background rather than inking it up with distress inks like I often do for my one-of-a-kind cards. I also chose to set up the three cloud puffs of steam in my MISTI tool and to stamp them all at once which saved me so much extra time in stamping, coloring, cutting and gluing the individual pieces later. I also used the basic stitched hillside border from our Slimline Nature Border Dies, which cuts a stitched slope on both sides of the cutline. I used this to my advantage by positioning the die in the center of my white cardstock and cutting two snowy borders at once. For my sentiment, I used a greeting from the set which I also set up in my MISTI tool and stamped quickly and easily with my favorite VersaFine Onyx Black Ink. All these time saving measures kept me from wanting to pull my hair out during the assembly line process, but I don't think the average recipient would ever know I cut corners to make the cardmaking process quicker.

Sunny Studio Holiday Smiles Across The Miles Santa & Reindeer in Christmas Train Card (using Holiday Express Stamps & Slimline Nature Border Dies)

Card No. 6: Switching gears, I have a series of cards showcasing our new Bear Hugs Stamps. This set with all the hugging bears works great for the holidays, Valentine's Day, Father's Day and Mother's Day and even to let someone know you miss their hugs during Covid.

For this card I started by inking up my sky and fir tree background using our Forest Trees Stencils with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink. I then added some birch trees to either side of my card using the Bear Hugs Stamps and a stitched drift of snow using our Slimline Nature Border Dies. For my focal point I used the sweater clad bears rubbing noses from the Bear Hugs stamps and a greeting from the set. I then stamped five little hearts (also from the set) with red ink. Finally I added a strip of the candy cane striped paper from our new All Is Bright Paper pack, backed with a thin strip of red cardstock to the bottom of my card.
Sunny Studio Wishing You A Berry Merry Christmas Card (using Bear Hugs Stamps, Forest Trees Stencils, Slimline Nature Border Dies & All is Bright Paper)

Card No. 7: Starting with the same Forest Trees Stencils and Tumbled Glass Distress Inks, this time I inked my borders on a card panel with a vertical orientation and added a fourth row of trees to the foreground using our Winter Scenes Stamps. This scene set comes with a separate line image that hugs the edge of the trees which gave me the opportunity to create separation so I could color the icy Arctic Ocean with my Copic Markers for my sleeping polar bear with his ice block to float on. For my greeting I borrowed a sentiment from our Lazy Christmas Stamps which felt so perfect for this image and I couldn't resist adding the tiny Santa hat from our Christmas Critters Stamps as a last minute touch. I just love this bear!  Sunny Studio Have A Lazy Christmas Sleeping Bear Winter Holiday Card (using Bear Hugs, Christmas Critters & Winter Scenes Stamps + Forest Trees Stencils)


Card No. 8: For this card I paired the three images featuring the hugging Mama and Papa Bears from the Bear Hugs Stamps. To ground my images I lined them up on the scalloped gift tags with matching toppers included with our Sliding Window Dies set. I cut out the toppers from a aqua checked patterned paper from our All Is Bright Paper pack and covered the tag's holes with small red hearts from our Mini Basic Shape II Dies which were coated with Glossy Accents. For my card background I used a red stitched scallop print from that same holiday paper pack and die-cut the bottom edge with a lacy scallop to match my tags using our Slimline Basic Border Dies. I wanted to have a white shadow behind my red scalloped edge so I cut a second strip from white cardstock with the plain scalloped border die that also comes with the border die set to offset behind my background. For my greeting, I heat embossed several words from the Bear Hugs stamps with white embossing powder and paired them with the scripty "hugs" word die-cut from our 
Scalloped Oval Mat 3 Dies.

Sunny Studio Scalloped Tag Card (using Bear Hugs Stamps, All Is Bright Paper, Sliding Window Dies, Slimline Basic Border Dies & Scalloped Oval Mat 3 Dies)

Card No. 9: For my next card I took one of those same hugging bear images, this time coloring them to look like polar bears for my card's focal point. I thought a pink and lavender color scheme would be a fun change of pace so I started by inking up a piece of white cardstock with Spun Sugar Distress ink for my sky and then layered it with varying shades of Shaded Lilac Distress Ink using our Forest Trees Stencils. I cut a snowy hillside using our Slimline Nature Border Dies to layer along the bottom of my scene and then trimmed a Stitched Arch from a piece of pink snowflake patterned paper from our Holiday Cheer Paper pack to layer over my entire background. This window gave me a wonderful frame to showcase my hugging bears and a great place to stamp my greeting from the set. I then cut a number of small snowflakes from our Snowflake Circle Frame Dies to randomly scatter in the foreground which I topped with our Metallic Silver Drops. These drops are so much fun to work with and they really make your cards shine!
Sunny Studio Card (using Bear Hugs Stamps, Holiday Cheer Paper, Forest Trees Stencils, Snowflake Circle Frame, Stitched Arch & Slimline Nature Border Dies)

Card No. 10: For my last card of the day I thought I would create an everyday themed card using the Bear Hugs Stamps to show how well they work for cards outside the winter season. For this card I used the bear, mug and birch trees with leaves from the set to create a light and airy scene, pairing them with the mountain from our Alpaca Holiday Stamps. I colored my sky using Spun Sugar Distress ink and then when it was fully dry, I heat embossed a sentiment from our Beautiful Autumn Stamps. My grassy layers were created by flicking on color with my Copic Markers and trimming the edges using the grass border die from our Picket Fence Dies. As my last touch I added a number of daisies to the grass using the flower image from our Spring Scenes Stamps. Finally I had drew some steam coming from my coffee mug using a Sharpie White Extra Fine Point Paint Pen.
Sunny Studio Birch Trees & Mountains with Pink Sky Card (using Bear Hugs, Alpaca Holiday, Spring Scenes & Beautiful Autumn Stamps & Picket Fence Dies)

Well, that wraps up all my sneak peeks for the week! I'm so happy you've joined me! I read all your comments and they mean so much!  I'd love to give a $25 gift code to one lucky winner using the rafflecopter below.  Don't forget there's still time to enter our giveaways from earlier in the week, including our birthday blog hop HERE with loads of prizes at every stop. The contests run through TODAY at Midnight PST with winners announced here on Sunday, August 29th. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This week we also have three different discount codes to chose from, however you are limited to one discount code per order so please chose the one with the biggest savings for you. ❤️

Sunny Studio Blog Hop: Use discount code SIXYEARS at checkout to save 20% off on Sunny Studio Branded products (excluding clearance & new release items) through 8/30/21 at Midnight PST. Limit one discount code per order

Sunny Studio Stamps: Save $5 on orders of $49 or more using Promo code SAVE5 at checkout OR use promo code FREESHIP on orders of $25 or more to receive free US shipping. Limit One Discount code per order.

Plus all order will automatically come with our newest free mini ornament die for the season!

Sunny Studio Stamps: Receive a free Mini Ornament Die Automatically with every order placed through end of 2021

Here's a closer look at the our new Holiday Express Stamps & Dies, Bear Hugs Stamps & Dies and Forest Trees Stencils used today (which are available for pre-order as part of our birthday festivities and will begin shipping on August 27th):

Sunny Studio Stamps: Holiday Express Christmas Critters with Train 4x6 Clear Photopolymer Stamp SetSunny Studio Stamps: Holiday Express Christmas Critters with Train Metal Cutting Dies

Sunny Studio Stamps: Bear Hugs polar bear with Ice & birch Trees Winter 4x6 Clear Photopolymer Stamp setSunny Studio Stamps: Bear Hugs polar bear with Ice & birch Trees Winter Metal Cutting Dies

Sunny Studio Stamps: Forest Trees Set of Three 6" wide Layering Border Stencils

Other Sunny Studio Supplies Used:

Beach Buddies Stamps
Beach Buddies Stamps
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Outback Critters Stamps
Outback Critters Stamps
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Picket Fence Border Dies
Picket Fence Border Dies
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Sunny Studio
Stitched Rectangle Dies
Stitched Rectangle Dies
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Sunny Studio

Tsukineko Jumbo Dauber
Tsukineko Jumbo Dauber
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Sunny Studio
Versafine Onyx Black Ink
Versafine Onyx Black Ink
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Sunny Studio
Barnyard Buddies Stamps
Barnyard Buddies Stamps
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Sunny Studio
Fancy Frames-Circle Dies
Fancy Frames-Circle Dies
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Sunny Studio
Beautiful Autumn Stamps
Beautiful Autumn Stamps
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Sunny Studio
Sliding Window Dies
Sliding Window Dies
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Sunny Studio
Holiday Cheer 6x6 Paper
Holiday Cheer 6x6 Paper
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Sunny Studio
Alpaca Holiday Stamps
Alpaca Holiday Stamps
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Alpaca Holiday Dies
Alpaca Holiday Dies
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Sunny Studio
Mini Basic Shape Dies II
Mini Basic Shape Dies II
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Sunny Studio
Fluffy Clouds Border Dies
Fluffy Clouds Border Dies
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Sunny Studio
Comic Strip Speech Bubble Dies
Comic Strip Speech Bubble Dies
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Sunny Studio
Scenic Route Stamps
Scenic Route Stamps
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Sunny Studio
Scenic Route Dies
Scenic Route Dies
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Sunny Studio
Snowflake Circle Frame
Snowflake Circle Frame
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Banner Basics Stamps
Banner Basics Stamps
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Sunny Studio
Banner Basics Dies
Banner Basics Dies
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Floating By Stamps
Floating By Stamps
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Floating By Dies
Floating By Dies
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Spring Scenes Stamps
Spring Scenes Stamps
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Spring Scenes Dies
Spring Scenes Dies
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Tool Time Stamps
Tool Time Stamps
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Stitched Arch Dies
Stitched Arch Dies
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Frilly Frames Quatrefoil
Frilly Frames Quatrefoil
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Slimline Basic Borders
Slimline Basic Borders
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Slimline Nature Borders
Slimline Nature Borders
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Winter Scenes Stamps
Winter Scenes Stamps
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Winter Scenes Dies
Winter Scenes Dies
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Sunny Studio
Balloon Rides Stamps
Balloon Rides Stamps
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Scalloped Oval Mat 3 Dies
Scalloped Oval Mat 3
Dies
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All Is Bright Paper
All Is Bright Paper
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Hero Arts White Detail
Hero Arts White Detail
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Sunny Studio

Lazy Christmas Stamps
Lazy Christmas Stamps
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Sunny Studio
VersaMark Watermark Ink
VersaMark Watermark Ink
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Sunny Studio
Metallic Silver Drops
Metallic Silver Drops
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Sunny Studio

50 comments:

  1. Pin, pin, pin...today's cards are outstanding, and so unbelievably cute. Happy birthday again SS and looking forward to many more years. This release is fantastic. I love the ornament set, the train set, the bears & the tree stencil most, but I love pretty much everything in the release.

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  2. You saved the best for last BEAR HUGS! This release is JUST INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  3. My favorites are the Gingerbread House Die and the Words of Gratitude stamp set.

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  4. It's been a great week of sneak peeks. It's so hard to choose a favorite but I love the Holiday Express and Fall Friends.

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  5. Great shares on how to use the images, especially the small tree. I like the flower die.

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  6. What a fun week of sneaks! Congratulations!
    Loving all of the trees!

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  7. Your new stencil was the 1st thing on my order list!!! This release is amazing 👏 can't wait to stamp!!!! BTW your cards are the BEST!!! Congrats! 🎉

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  8. I am most excited about the train stamp set. It can be used in so many ways, with so many animals, for so many occasions :)

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  9. Love all the designs! The cards look amazing!

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  10. This release was just fantastic. Wonderful products. I want them all.

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  11. The train stamp!! Be still my heart!

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  12. The Forest Trees stencil looks interesting. All of the cards today are beautiful! Great products in this release.

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  13. I love Deck the Halls! Those adorable ornaments got me!

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  14. SO Dang Cute!!! I'm afraid I had to buy everything to make the 'Have a lazy Christmas' card, just made me laugh so much, I know a lot of friends & family that will appreciate it :) just bummed the 20% didn't work on the new releases!

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  15. Love the tree stencils, the peeking critters and the bears! It’s all so cute!

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  16. fantastic release - LOVE those darling ornaments

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  17. Your release is awesome! There is something for everyone. Think I’m most excited about the Bear Hugs stamp set and the trees stencil! Really like all the scalloped oval dies and the new paper pads, too! Happy birthday and many more years of creating crafty awesomeness! Crafty hugs to you!

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  18. Happy 6th birthday, thanks for all the fun inspiration throughout the week! I adore the Bear Hugs set showcased today!

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  19. Happy 6th Birthday! Such wonderful inspiration throughout the week! Love the bear hugs!!
    Have a wonderful day,
    Migdalia Rodriguez
    Migdalia's Crafts

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  20. Marisela Delgado said: it's all so beautiful! mariandmonsterd@yahoo.com

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  21. Adorable cards! The Bear Hugs set is darling!
    My favorite new item is Deck the Halls!
    Happy 6th Birthday! The new release is fabulous!

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  22. Love the Bear Hugs stamp set and fun cards.

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  23. Holiday Express is so fun. I also love the forest trees stencil. The paper packs are always on my list. Such a fun release and I thank you for this!

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  24. What a incredible release. I want so much, too bad I can't afford all I want.

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  25. Love the adorable critter trains especially the one with the polar bears & penguins! Soooo pretty! Of course, I love everything you do. I love this cute set along with the Christmas Critters set. And all the oval dies! Wonderful release!!

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  26. I'm love so many new products, but I think I'm most excited about is the train. It's just darling! What a great release! Thanks for all the inspiration! Congrats on 6yrs and Cheers to 6 more and more!

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  27. Since I can't choose just one: the Forest tree stencils, Winter Greenery dies, and Pristine Poinsettia dies are my favorites! Fabulous release - thank you!

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  28. What a great release! The Holiday Express is my favorite!!!! Happy 6th Birthday, Mendi! So excited and happy for you!
    Rosalie B

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  29. Great release. Love the Bear Hugs stamp set.

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  30. Love many sets from this release! My favorite though is the Bear Hugs. I struggle to make cards to send to my son at college, but he loves polar bears and this set is perfect!

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  31. Fabulous cards. I really like Bear hugs and the Pristine Poinsettias dies.

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  32. Loving everyone of these cool projects. You are so amazingly talented!! What a treat it would be to sit down and chat with you and color with you and learn all your big skills. Wishing you all the best!!

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  33. Oh, my favorite sets are the train and the gingerbread house.

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  34. I love bears and I love trains too! I'm pretty sure there is not one thing I didn't love in this release.

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  35. I love Holiday Express and Bear Hugs, and the fact that they can be used for more than just Christmas!

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  36. Marisela Delgado said: The polar bears kissing is my favorite! So cute! mariandmonsterd@yahoo.com

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  37. You always have tons of cute images! I wish I could buy them all💕

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  38. Holiday express & gingerbread house are at the top of my list. Fabulous release & inspiration!!

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  39. Those peeking animals are so adorable!

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  40. W0W what a Wonderful Holiday Stamp Collection & Art Display!!! Mum and I have created our Need To Get List: Bewitching Kitty Set, Fall Friends, Bear Hugs, Train Set, and the Tree Stencils, the gems -- oh and the oval die cuts too!

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  41. So many fun creations. I love the train.

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  42. Love these adorable critters and they go so well with so many scenes. The stencils, express train and the hugging bears are I think essential items for me.

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  43. There are so many wonderful products in this release. I am always in love with the adorable critters.

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  44. I am most excited about the "Holiday Express" stamp/die set! Just the other day I needed a train stamp and couldn't find one in my stash. I definitely have my eye on this one. Thanks for the inspiration this week. :D

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  45. My favorite is the Forest Tree Stencil. Congratulations on your new release!

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  46. The sloth! You are right!! Absolutely the most darling image set to remind us all to slow down for the holidays and take some time together! (And that train is darn sweet too)

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  47. Most excited about the Crisp Autumn Stamps and Dies--it is my favorite time of year.

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  48. Wonderful new releases! I love the Tree stencil and the sloth!

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  49. Fabulous new release! The sloth is so fun and a I love the oval mat dies (Not sure I can pick a favorite yet!)

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