9th Birthday Blog Hop + Introducing Toasty Hugs & Merry Mocha

Hello and welcome to the final day of our Holiday Sneak Peek Week!  Each morning this week I have been showcasing projects using our newest fall & winter collections which are now available in our store!!!

Today I have the pleasure of celebrating our company's 9th birthday with all of you and our talented designers who are joining us for an inspirational blog hop with prizes at every stop and a special sale (more details below). Each milestone feels like such an accomplishment and I couldn't have made it this far without your sweet support. Thank you so much. ❤

Card No. 1: My first card features the Merry Mocha Stamps, I used the cute script greeting from the set with the coordinating dies. I paired the drink with an extra candy cane and gingerbread man from our Baking Spirits Bright Stamps and mounted them onto a scalloped mat cut using our Mini Mat & Tag 2 Dies. I layered a slightly smaller piece of green cardstock beneath to peek out behind the eyelet lace scallops and then mounted them onto a red and white snowflake print from our Joyful Holiday Paper pack.

Card No. 2: For this Merry Mocha card, I started by cutting out my red striped, scalloped mat by combining the inside portion of our Frilly Frames Stripes Dies with the outside portion of our Frilly Frames Hexagon Dies. I then backed it with white cardstock and mounted it onto an A2-sized kraft cardstock panel. I then cut a Large Stitched Circle and mini gift tag from our Sweet Treats Gift Bag Dies, inking them both along the edges using Tea Dye Distress ink.

To create my grouping of three unique hot drinks, I paired the Merry Mocha mug with the cups and sugar cookie from our Mug Hugs Stamps. I then heat embossed the "warm wishes" greeting from our Alpaca Holiday Stamps, tying the tag with red baker's twine to slip around one of my mug handles and securing it on the back before adhering the mug to my card with foam tape.

Card No. 3: Up next is a card set featuring the same card design with the Merry Mocha Stamps in two different color palettes. For both cards, I started by adhering a small pale grey striped patterned paper to my background using a print from our Subtle Grey Tones Paper pack. 

I then cut an elongated Scalloped Tag from Joyful Holiday tone-on-tone snowflake patterned papers using our Scalloped Square Tag Dies. To achieve this I partially cut the top portion of the tag while hanging the bottom portion of the die off the cutting plate, I then flipped the die over and hung the top half off my cutting plate, matching up the scallops and securing the die with washi tape to help me keep them straight. Once you've done this trick a couple times, it becomes super easy to do, looks like the die came that way, and really makes you look at your die stash with a fresh eye.

For my sentiments on each card, I heat embossed the word "warm" using our Heartfelt Wishes Stamps, pairing them with our Wishes Word Die cut from a pink Gingham Pastel Paper to match my pink mug. To add a little interest to each of my mugs, I framed them with our Small Stitched Circle Dies and added some twigs and leaves from our Winter Greenery Dies. For this particular card, I matched my aqua mug to the Wishes Word cut from an aqua grid print from our Classic Gingham Paper pack.

Card No. 4: Switching gears I have a few cards to share using our new Toasty Hugs Stamps featuring a new girl and boy bundled up for winter. I paired them with the new snowman from our Snowmen in Sweaters Stamps and the snowy neighborhood background from our Winter Scenes Stamps. For my sky, I blended a light amount of Seedless Preserves, Picked Raspberry, and Worn Lipstick distress inks before heat embossing the falling snow using our Frosty Flurries Stamps. For the stitched snowdrifts and banner to match the curve of my scene, I used our Slimline Nature Border Dies with our Fishtail Banner Dies.

Card No. 5: I had the idea that it would be cute to arrange the kids from our new Toasty Hugs Stamps with the kids from our retiring Eskimo Kisses Stamps to make them look like they are sort of holding hands around a world globe. To achieve this, I cut out my land mass using this Silhouette cut file HERE and then added the curved outside edge using our Slimline Nature Border Dies. For my miniature clouds, I used the two cloud dies that come with our Comic Strip Everyday Dies. I completed my card by heat embossing the greeting from our Holiday Express Stamps onto a red banner die-cut using our Brilliant Banner 2 Dies.

Please note: The new Toasty Hugs stamps and Eskimo Kisses stamps use the exact same dies so if you already have the dies for Eskimo Kisses, you can pick up the new Toasty Hugs stamps and use the same dies for both. Likewise, if you like this set and would like to pick up the Eskimo Kisses Stamps to add to your stash at the same time, those are still available at a discounted price in our store HERE while supplies last.

Card No. 6: For my last card of the day using the new Toasty Hugs Stamps I colored my boy and girl pair all in red and white to look like Santa suits. I framed them with our Stitched Heart Dies and Scalloped Heart Dies. Before die-cutting my stitched heart though, I embossed the background using our new Buffalo Plaid Diagonal Dies and then inked the gingham print using our new Diagonal & Straight Stripes Stencils. Since I hated for any part of my background to go to waste, I positioned it so that I could save the outside to use for another card which I shared on Tuesday. 

To create a tone-on-tone background to match, I inked up another cardstock panel with worn lipstick distress ink and stamped it with the polka-dot print from our Background Basics Stamps using Candied Apple distress ink (with a Misti tool so I could repeatedly stamp it until the dots were solid). I then die-cut it into a square using our Stitched Square Dies and mounted them onto a Scalloped Square 1 Small Die to form my card base. Lastly, I heat embossed the sentiment from the set using white detail embossing powder onto our Brilliant Banner 2 Dies which had been cut from red cardstock to match.

In honor of our 9th birthday festivities, we are celebrating with an inspiring BLOG HOP which also includes a $25 gift code giveaway to our store at every stop on the hop!  Visit each link to see more amazing ideas by our team & guest designers. Leave a comment at each stop to be entered to win each drawing.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our blog hop and daily contests will run through Monday, August 26th at Midnight PST with winners announced here on Friday, August 30th. :)

Blog Hop List:

Sunny Studio Blog (you are here)
Leanne West
Marine Simon
Nicky Meek
Hanh Nguyen
Amanda Fitterer
Teri Anderson
Tina Henkens

Your next stop in the hop is Leanne's blog HERE.

You can also enter to win a $25 gift code at each of our daily contests earlier this week and view more ideas using our new release at each of the posts linked here: 

Sneak Peek Day 1: Autumn Garland, Buffalo Plaid Dies, & Striped Stencils
Sneak Peek Day 2: Happy Howl-o-ween and Brilliant Banner 3 & 4 Dies
Sneak Peek Day 3: Crisp Apple, Wood Barrel, & Punny Apple Greetings
Sneak Peek Day 4: Distinctive Door, Holiday Add-on, & Inside Greetings Seasons
Sneak Peek Day 5: Roly Poly Penguins & Snowmen in Sweaters Stamps

In honor of our birthday festivities, we are also running a sale for 20% off all Sunny Studio branded products (excluding the new release and clearance items) using the discount code NINEYEARS at checkout through August 30th at Midnight. Limit one discount code per order.

With each new collection, we always have a free mini die we include automatically with orders placed in our online store. For this release we have a fun new mini snowflake die!

For those of you who might want to bookmark the video to watch later, I've also created a special video sharing the full Fall and Holiday Release, as well as a closer look at each of the projects I made with it (you can watch it on our YouTube Channel HERE).

Here's a closer look at our new Basic Mini Shape 5 Dies, Merry Mocha Stamps & Dies, and Toasty Hugs Stamps & Dies used today:

  

Other Supplies Used:

Heartfelt Wishes Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Mug Hugs Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Mug Hugs Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Wishes Word Die Shop at: Sunny Studio
Holiday Express Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Tsukineko Jumbo Dauber Shop at: Sunny Studio	Versafine Onyx Black Ink Shop at: Sunny Studio	Frosty Flurries Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio
Background Basics Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Classic Gingham 6x6 Paper Shop at: Sunny Studio	Comic Strip Everyday Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Alpaca Holiday Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio
Gingham Pastels 6x6 Paper Shop at: Sunny Studio	Frilly Frames Stripes Die Shop at: Sunny Studio	Frilly Frames Hexagon Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Subtle Grey Tones Paper Shop at: Sunny Studio
Scalloped Tags-Square Shop at: Sunny Studio	Sweet Treats Gift Bag Shop at: Sunny Studio	Slimline Nature Borders Shop at: Sunny Studio	Winter Scenes Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio
Winter Scenes Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Stitched Circle Small Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Stitched Circle Large Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Winter Greenery DIes Shop at: Sunny Studio
Scalloped Heart Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Stitched Heart 2 Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Mini Mat & Tag 2 Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Joyful Holiday Paper Shop at: Sunny Studio
Brilliant Banner 2 Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Baking Spirits Bright Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Baking Spirits Bright Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Stitched Square Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio
Scalloped Square 1 Small Die Shop at: Sunny Studio	Snowmen in Sweaters Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Snowmen in Sweaters Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Buffalo Plaid Diagonal Die Shop at: Sunny Studio
Bear Hugs Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Diagonal & Straight Stripes Stencils Shop at: Sunny Studio	Hero Arts White Detail Shop at: Sunny Studio	VersaMark Watermark Ink Shop at: Sunny Studio

Sneak Peek: Roly Poly Penguins & Snowmen in Sweaters Stamps

Hello and welcome to Day 5 of our Holiday Sneak Peek Week!  All this week I have been sharing cards showcasing our newest collection which will be available for purchase tomorrow, along with our 9th Birthday celebration festivities!

I am super excited for today because I have two adorable stamp sets to share which are so perfect for winter and Christmas cards!

Card No. 1: First up, is a card featuring our new Roly Poly Penguins Stamps. This set comes with seven adorable chubby penguins. I created these to be a larger scale to complement the polar bear from our Holiday Hugs. When asked what large critters people wanted to see next penguins were high on the list, but I liked the idea of going with a medium size for extra design flexibility and options. Just like with our Big Panda, Big Bunny, and Holiday Hugs, one of the penguins has dies that cut out their flippers so they can hold objects.

For this card, I started by die-cutting our Scalloped Square 2 Large Dies from white cardstock and then cut a square window just inside the stitched line using an Xacto knife with a metal ruler. I then used our Stitched Square Dies to cut out an opening from my 5" square black cardstock panel so that I could layer the two pieces and create a window for my penguins to peek around. I inked the front of my white card base using some tumbled glass distress ink and then stamped the "you warm my heart" sentiment in the center using our Mug Hugs Stamps.

Card No. 2: Up next is a fun card featuring the new Roly Poly Penguins, paired with a classic red and black buffalo plaid background which was created using our new Buffalo Plaid Straight Dies and the coordinating Diagonal & Straight Stripes Stencils. I added a lacy scalloped edge along the bottom using our Eyelet Lace Border Dies and framed my two penguins using our Stitched Heart 2 Dies. I finished my card by heat embossing "Waddle I do without you?" from our Penguin Pals Stamps onto a red wavy banner die-cut using our new Brilliant Banner 3 Die.

Card No. 3: I once again found myself unintentionally drawn to a particular color scheme with these stamps so I apologize if you are seeing a trend form. Ha-ha! For this card using our Roly Poly Penguins Stamps, I wanted to focus on the little coffee (or hot cocoa) cup which led me to use the cafe table and umbrella from our Paris Afternoon Stamps. I also used a red and white striped background I had made earlier with one of the new Diagonal & Straight Stripes Stencils in the 2-piece set. Coloring my umbrella in matching red and white stripes was just too tempting to pass up. 

To make it look like my center penguin is sitting behind the table, I used the penguin with no body and only arms to be propped above the table and then used the legs from another penguin to dangle below the table like he's sitting on a stool that lines up with the table legs. I framed my scene using our Stitched Rectangle Dies and added a sentiment from our Inside Greetings Seasons Stamps.

Card No. 4: This time I had the little Roly Poly Penguin hold a Christmas card from the set and paired him with the extra letters and mailbox from the Snail Mail Stamps. For my neighborhood backdrop behind him, I layered two of the borders from our Scenic Route Stamps and added a bit of sparkly glitter to the trees using Stardust Stickles. I found the perfect greeting to compliment my scene using a sentiment from our Holiday Express Stamps.

Card No. 5: For my last card today showcasing the Roly Poly Penguins Stamps, I wanted to create a pile of penguins with all the adorable different personalities from the set. My daughter had the honor of fulfilling her lifelong dream of visiting Antarctica this past December and seeing the large colonies of penguins so I reimagined them here huddled up together and dressed up for winter. It was so much fun coloring all their scarves, earmuffs, and hats in a rainbow of colors! For the trees in my backdrop, I used a border from our Winter Scenes Stamps and then stamped a punny greeting from our Penguin Pals Stamps.

Card No. 6: Switching gears, I have a card featuring our new Snowmen in Sweaters Stamps. This set includes seven adorable snowmen dressed for winter, two snowy trees, a number of unique snowflakes, the oversized "warm winter wishes" greeting I used here, and a "Yay for sweater weather" sentiment. For this card I let all the elements of the set take center stage framing them with our Stitched Rectangle Dies and using a pink confetti dot print from our Joyful Holiday Paper pack. The two little trees that come with this set are larger versions of the one from our Winter Scenes Stamps so I was able to bring in the smaller-sized one from that set for my background. I'm really happy to have the additional size options for this cute tree!

Card No. 7: For this card using our Snowmen in Sweaters Stamps, I created a rainbow cable knit background. I started by inking my cardstock panel with Distress inks and then embossed it using our Cable Knit Embossing Folder. I then colored the snowmen's sweaters in rainbow colors to match and framed them using our Stitched Circle Large Dies. I heat embossed the "Yay for Sweater Weather" sentiment from the stamp set onto a pink wavy banner die-cut using our new Brilliant Banner 3 Die. I had the stitched scalloped border sitting on my desk from our Ribbon & Lace Dies leftover from another card since the die from that set cuts both a positive and negative version on either side of the cut line. I adhered it to the bottom of my card and it added that extra bit of detail I was seeking to put the finishing touch on my clean and simple design.

Card No. 8: Continuing with colorful cards, I have a rainbow gingham background I created by embossing a piece of white cardstock using our new Buffalo Plaid Diagonal Die. I then took turns masking off every other row to ink them in a rainbow of Distress ink colors (substituting Picked Raspberry for red). I am so in love with how it turned out! In hindsight, I wish I had made several of these backgrounds at the same time assembly line style to have on hand for future cads so that I could ink the same color several times with the same mask before switching colors.

For my focal point images, I colored the snowmen from our Snowmen in Sweater Stamps to match the colors in my background and framed them using our Scalloped Oval Mat 1 Dies. I then heat embossed my sentiment from the set onto a banner die cut using our Brilliant Banner 1 Dies. Lastly, I added three snowflakes accents cut from cardstock colors to match using our Basic Mini Shape Dies 2 and Basic Mini Shape Dies 5. The third snowflake shown in green will be a free gift with all retail purchases in our online store, starting on Friday (while supplies last).

Card No. 9: For my last Snowmen in Sweaters card today, I paired three snowmen with the hanging lights from our Scenic Route Stamps and the smaller tree from our Winter Scenes Stamps to create the look of a Christmas Tree lot. It's difficult to see it, but peeking out a tiny bit from the background is a stitched snowy hill using our Slimline Nature Border Dies and a stitched edge along the bottom from our Ribbon & Lace Dies. I tucked a strip of striped paper from our Joyful Holiday Paper pack along the bottom and stamped the "season's greetings" sentiment from our Inside Greetings Holiday Stamps onto a Brilliant Banner 4 Die.

Treat Bags: I couldn't let this holiday season pass without creating some cute treat bags using our Treat Bag Topper Dies. For these gift bags, I used the patterned paper from our All is Bright Paper pack together with the snowman from Snowmen in Sweaters Stamps and the penguin from Roly Poly Penguins Stamps. I added the "Merry Christmas" greeting using the word "Merry" from our Merry Mice Stamps and the word "Christmas" from our Bells & Baubles Stamps. For my kraft bags, I used a 4x6-sized bag purchased HERE or you can alternatively use Wilton 4x6 clear bags and glassine bags.

That wraps up today's sneak peek. I'm so happy you joined me today! I'd love to give a $25 gift code to one lucky winner using the Rafflecopter below. Our daily contests will run through Monday, August 26th at Midnight PST with winners announced here on Friday, August 30th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Here's a closer look at our new Roly Poly Penguins Stamps & Dies and Snowmen in Sweaters Stamps & Dies used today and available for purchase on Friday, August 23rd.

Other Supplies Used:

Mug Hugs Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Stitched Rectangle Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Holiday Express Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Memento Tuxedo Black Ink Pad Shop at: Sunny Studio
Versafine Onyx Black Ink Shop at: Sunny Studio	Cable Knit Embossing Shop at: Sunny Studio	Basic Mini Shape Dies 2 Shop at: Sunny Studio	Merry Mice Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio
Scenic Route Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Scenic Route Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Eyelet Lace Borders Shop at: Sunny Studio	Slimline Basic Borders Shop at: Sunny Studio
Inside Greetings-Holidays Shop at: Sunny Studio	Penguin Pals Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Penguin Pals Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Winter Scenes Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio
Winter Scenes Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Snail Mail Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Snail Mail Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Stitched Circle Large Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio
Scalloped Oval Mat 1 Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	All Is Bright Paper Shop at: Sunny Studio	Paris Afternoon Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Paris Afternoon Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio
Stitched Heart 2 Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Joyful Holiday Paper Shop at: Sunny Studio	Ribbon & Lace Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Brilliant Banner 1 Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio
Bells & Baubles Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Bells & Baubles Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Treat Bag Topper Die Shop at: Sunny Studio	Scalloped Square 2 Large Die Shop at: Sunny Studio
Inside Greetings Seasons Shop at: Sunny Studio	Brilliant Banner 3 Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Brilliant Banner 4 Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Buffalo Plaid Diagonal Die Shop at: Sunny Studio
Buffalo Plaid Straight Die Shop at: Sunny Studio	Diagonal & Straight Stripes Stencils Shop at: Sunny Studio	Basic Mini Shape Dies 5 Shop at: Sunny Studio	Red Zircon Jewels Shop at: Sunny Studio
Rubellite Pink Jewels Shop at: Sunny Studio	Peridot Green Jewels Shop at: Sunny Studio	Hero Arts White Detail Shop at: Sunny Studio	VersaMark Watermark Ink Shop at: Sunny Studio