2020 Stink Stank Stunk- The Grinch Special


 

I love the Grinch and this year is his year to shine!!  As soon as I saw the "Christmas Means More" stamp set in the Stampin' Up!Ⓡ mini catalog, I knew I had a Grinch card in me that would work it's way out!!

As an added bonus, my office held a Grinch day instead of our usual Ugly Christmas Sweater day so I had every reason to whip up some signs to hang about.  "Stink, stank, stunk"!  Yep, that pretty much sums up 2020.  

Here are the products I used in each project.

Christmas Card:

  • Christmas Means More Stamp Set (sentiment)
  • Sweetest Time Stamp Set and Dies (holly and greenery)
  • Heartfelt Stamp Set (small hearts)
  • Heart Punches (hearts on cover)
  • Make a Difference Stamp Set (numbers on heart)
  • Layering Circles Dies (circles)
  • Granny Apple Green was the perfectly grinchy color and I ran it through the embosser using the Tasteful Textile folder. 

The most challenging item on this card was the hearts.  I punched the heart from white cardstock and punched the scalloped heart from cherry cobbler cardstock.  I stamped the small heart from Heartfelt in the center, then used the medium heart from Heartfelt but used a Stampin' Write marker to ink just the heart.  I then used the numbers from the Make a Difference to label them 1 and 2. 

I should have made a video but it would not have been a PG rating!  Sometimes, you just have to try until you get the result you want.  And maybe it won't be what you intended, it might just be something better!!  Don't be afraid, it is just paper and ink!!!!


2020 Sign:

  • Oh so Ombre paper (coming in January's Sale-a-bration!!)
  • Playful Alphabet Dies
  • Foam Adhesive Sheets


The alphabet dies and foam adhesive sheets made this sign embarrassingly easy!  Don't tell my co-workers! They thought it was brilliant. 

Just adhere the ombre paper to the front of the foam sheet. Keep the backing on.  Use the dies to cut out the letters.  The die will cut through the paper and foam.  Just remove the backing and adhere it to your sign.  Easy!  And it pops up your letters to give a dimensional look.


Thanks for looking and if you have any questions, just e-mail me at cardzenbyjen@yahoo.com.


Darling Donkeys Thank You

 


Thank you for joining us for our Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator Training Program Monthly Blog Hop! We are so happy that you could join us today for this blog hop for ideas and creative inspiration. We are a group of Stampin' Up!® Demonstrators from around the world that are taking part in training that is helping us to build a successful Stampin' Up!® business and reach some goals we have set. We really appreciate your support.


You may be starting here or have come from another blog - either way you can find the link list at the bottom of this post so that you can see every blog post and idea today.



Today I will be showing the Darling Donkeys thank you card.





Order with me and I will send you this card as my "thank you!"


I only have one word for these donkeys- adorable!! This is a special sneak peek of items awaiting you on January 5th in the new Jan-June Mini  and the SALE-a-bration! catalogs.  Demonstrators not only get a discount, we also get to pre-order from the catalogs and even earn SALE-a-bration items before the official release.  I don't know about you, but patience is NOT my virtue.  Become part of my team  and order today!!

Okay, on to the main attraction.  Here are the items used on this card!

  • Darling Donkeys (FREE with a $50 order)
  • Dragonfly Garden (in the new Mini catalog)
  • Oh So Ombre Designer Series Paper (FREE with a $50 order)
  • Mossy Meadow Braided Linen Trim (in the new Mini catalog)
  • Quite Curvy Dies (in the new Mini catalog)
  • Ladybug Trinkets (in the new Mini catalog)
*Links to shopping the new items cannot be created until 1/5/2021 when the catalogs are released.


Directions:

Start with mossy meadow cardstock cut to 8½" x 5½", scored at 4¼" to create your card base.  

Cut white cardstock to 5½" x 4¼".

Cut the Bermuda Bay ombre paper to 4¼" x 3".  Adhere it to the top of the white cardstock to be the sky.

Using the curvy die, cut the Granny Apple Green ombre paper through the embossing machine.  This will create two pieces with curved edges.  Make sure to place the die so that the "decorative edge" is on the lighter area.  Adjust the two pieces so that they will resemble rolling hills.  Adhere them together AT THE BOTTOM ONLY to hold them together, then cut them shorter, if needed, and to a width of 4¼".  DON'T FULLY ADHERE THEM YET!!



Stamp the butterflies in the sky. 

I used the stamparatus to stamp the flowers in the correct position on the left and right side of you card.  I stamped in Mossy Meadow ink.  (Remember to leave room for the donkey!)


Stamp the donkey on white cardstock.  I used Smoky Slate ink.  Color the donkey with Stampin' Blends, colored pencils or watercolor.  Then fussy cut the donkey...**sigh*** I HATE fussy cutting, but he is so darn cute that he is worth it!

Here is the tricky part.  We just want to raise the top of the outer green piece to give dimension.  Place dimensionals between the top of the two green pieces as shown but don't remove the the top liner yet.  Place adhesive along the sides (glue dots or tape).  Then remove the liners on the dimensionals and adhere the pieces to each other.  I also used my finger to bend up the edge of the lighter green also.


Adhere your donkey with dimensionals.  (Is anyone else getting hungry for waffles??)

Add your Mossy Meadow Braided linen  by adhering it on the back of your cardstock.  

Stamp your sentiment, cut and adhere with dimensionals.  

Add the ladybug.... aren't they adorable!!! (Whoever came up with these at Stampin' Up! should get a raise!!)



Attach this to the front of your cardbase and voila!!  Now we can go eat waffles!


BLOG HOP LINKS


Christmas 2020- Don't Stop Believin'

 

So Many Snowflakes Dies

This card combines two of my favorite things- the Don't Stop Believin' stamp set and a sense of humor.
This year has been a rough one, even for Frosty.  He is a hot mess, just like the rest of us!


The items used for this card-

Paper:

Thick whisper white cardstock for base, cut 5 ½" x 8 ½", scored at 4¼"
Specialty paper of your choice, cut 4" x 5 ¼"
Seaside spray cardstock, 2 pieces cut 4" x 5 ¼"
Whisper White cardstock, cut 3 ¾" x 5"

Stamps and Dies:
Snowflake Wishes stamp set and So Many Snowflakes Dies
Don't Stop Believin' stamp set
Tasteful Labels Dies

Stampin' Blends to color the snowman and mug
Computer and Printer 


The cover:
  • Use the snowflake window die centered on the specialty paper then adhere it to the front of your cardbase. 
  • Stamp the melted snowman (only) with Memento Black and color with Stampin' Blends.
  • I used my computer to print the "Christmas 2020" and "Even Frosty is a hot mess!" on whisper white cardstock. Use the label die of your choice to cut them out. I used the dies from Tasteful Labels for both.  I duplicated the larger label die with Cherry Cobbler cardstock and offset it to create an accent.  Carefully ink the spilled mug and stamp it to the side of your sentiment, coloring with the blends.  
  • Cut the snowflake from from Seaside Spray cardstock and adhere as shown.  Add some Wink of Stella to make it shimmer. 



For the inside:
  • Cut the large snowflake from the middle of one of your Seaside Spray pieces, then adhere to the top portion of the inside. 
  • Stamp the "Sadly, Frosty's first hot cocoa turned out to be his last" from the stamp set onto the whisper white.  I also stamped Merry Christmas in Cherry Cobbler from the Christmas Gleaming stamp set but you can use any that you wish. I surrounded the sentiment with snowflakes from the Snowflake Wishes stamp set.  Center it on the Seaside Spray piece and adhere both to the cardbase.
Shhhhhh!!!!!!
Now for my little secret... sometimes the best creations come from making a "mistake".  When I first made this card, the blending markers bled through the cardbase making a light mark on the inside.  That's when I decided to use the large snowflake cut out of cardstock on the inside of the cover.  I loved this unique look.  Never be afraid of making a mistake, let it be part of the creative experience!




Get the bundle now! Ends 1/4/2021



Only available until 1/4/2021!!! 
Clip on image to shop now!

Fair Frenzy


What an exciting (and exhausting) November!  

It was a craft fair frenzy.  During a time when most craft events have been cancelled, home-made enthusiasts were chomping at the bit to get their Christmas shopping on.  The little fire hall was filled with a masked community who came out to support local craft vendors. 

This was just one of many firsts this year.... my first craft fair.  In May, I began selling my cards at Card Zen by Jen on Facebook to give my family and friends a safe alternative to grocery store cards.  Truth be told, my love of stamping created an abundance of cards and I needed to support my habit. But a fair gave me the chance to show the quality products that Stampin' Up! offers.  After all, anybody can do what I do with the right products, tools and some really good instruction.  I won't lie, I learned from the best.

Now on to the frenzy!!!  Anybody who knows me knows that I can go a little overboard.  I don't do anything half-way.  Even if I screw it up, it will be with my whole effort.  Here are some photos of my craft cave in chaos!! It wasn't pretty.

 I worked till midnight during the weeks leading up to the fair to make sure that I had a good mixture of cards and other items for sale.  My poor husband tried to reign me in but after 16 years, he knows my drive and stubbornness.  Even the dogs gave up on me.

In the end, I nervously showed up to the fire hall early that morning with 168 cards.  This is no small feat given that I usually spend no less than an hour on each card. Oh, did I tell you I had shoulder surgery the end of July??  Yeah, that's another story altogether! 





Will I do it again?  I will, but in my own way. I love sharing my creations.  I couldn't hide my enthusiasm even with the mask on my face. 

The stamping, the creating, the sharing - I love it! 

So why just share the finished product? It's time to share the journey.  

Welcome to my Stampin' Up! adventure!


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