Thoughts of a Grasshopper

I'll be honest with you.  I hesitated on this set.  Remember a few years ago they had a stocking set.  I really liked that set and I struggled to come up with cards for it.  I had CASEd a card from Janine T. (I noted others used her card for this stamp set as well.)  The nice thing about the older set was it could be used to make a baby bootie for a shower card.  I think it was the embellishments that sold me on this. Stamps:  Hang Your Stocking CS:  WW, Garden Green, Real Red, Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Mint Macaron Ink:  Real Red, Garden Green, Smoky Slate (stamped off) Thinlet:  Christmas Stockings Stamps:  Hang Your Stocking CS:  Mint Macaron, Cherry Cobbler, WW, Presents & Pinecones DP Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, Emerald Envy Thinlet:  Christmas Stockings Misc.:  Linen Thread, Banner Punch

I knew when I saw this set that it would get a lot of use.  What I didn't count on was the designer paper being so useful on its own.  Look at the above card.  Cut out two houses from the paper, add a little dazzling diamonds to the roof for snow.  Stamp a greeting and run the paper through the Big Shot and you have a simple and yet cheerful card. While I anticipated using the gingerbread man a lot, I didn't think I would take to the reindeer as much as I did. Stamps:  Cookie Cutter Christmas Punch:  Gingerbread Tape:  Warmth & Cheer CS:  Real Red, WW, Crumb Cake Ink:  Early Espresso Misc.:  Linen Thread I like this card.  So simple and cute.  Maybe it is the red glitter paper for the bows.  Maybe it is the designer paper with the candy cane hearts.  The contrast of the colors.  Whatever IT is, it makes me happy. Another great card with tape, punched out designer paper and the mint candi...

As I prepare to address the envelopes for Christmas cards, I can't help but to be grateful for Pinterest and those that share their creations.  I CASEd many ideas and used some for inspiration swapping out sets.  This card I liked for its simple elegance.

Stampin' Up! has so many great sets to make Christmas cards with.  I decided to play around with this set because I have been using the Pretty Pines thinlit dies that coordinate with it.  I got this stamp set to go along with the ornament stamps.  I should have used the dies to cut out the pine cones but it seemed easier to cut them out myself. For the pine cones I stamped off the crumb cake on the first image and I stamped off tip top taupe for the second layer.  The third layer is regular stamping of tip top taupe. Stamps:  Christmas Pines CS:  Real Red, WW Ink:  Crumb Cake, Tip Top Taupe, Mint Macaron, Emerald Envy, Garden Green Misc.: Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Real Red 3/8" woven satin ribbon

I needed a simple card that young girls between 8-10 could make to write thank you notes in.  Another leader gave them a lesson on Thanksgiving and they watched a short video of random people in NYC being asked what they were thankful for.   I knew I wanted to use the big shot because kids are always dazzled with it.  I turned to Pinterest to see if I had pinned anything that I could get together easily enough.  I had pinned this card but it is only a picture, from the URL , you can't tell who shared it.  I can't give proper credit but it was perfect for my needs. I cut all of the cardstock ahead of time and adhered the burlap ribbon to the cardstock.  They needed to punch the circle and stamp, sponge and cut the leaf.  As expected, they enjoyed running the card stock through the big shot to add texture. Stamps:  Gently Falling CS:  Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, WW Ink:  Chocolate Chip EF:  Square Lattice...