Is there ever a better day than the day your Stampin’ Up! order arrives? Woo hoo! On Friday, I received some great new products in my latest order from the Holiday Catalog. As a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, I can purchase (and earn) free products from the Holiday Catalog well before its August 28 release. I love this gig! 
Today I’m excited to share a new project I made with one of these new items – a stamp set called Santa Stache. This adorable set features a cartoon-like Santa and a cartoon-like Nutcracker. Both are designed to work with the Mustache Framelit. Woo hoo! I made this quick-and-easy tag (pictured here in front of a box I made with my Gift Box Punch Board:
Tips, Tricks and Reminders
- Color Selection. This Nutcracker is adorable, don’t you think? Rather than focus on the traditional red and green (they are also in there!), I thought it would be fun to let him shine in primary colors (I associate these colors with childhood). He’s stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink and colored with Blendabilities. I didn’t do much “blending” here and love the coverage one color gives. The lightest shade of the Night of Navy Blendabilities looks very much like Marina Mist, while the lightest shade of Cherry Cobbler is pretty close to Real Red.
- Punch it Out! The top of this tag is punched with the Angled Tag punch, and the Real Red layer beneath is hand-snipped at the top to mimic the angle of the punch. Instead of keeping with the small hole in the center of the tag top, I punched a hole in a scrap piece of paper and then cropped around it with a 1/2″ Circle punch. I like that it reinforces the hole and adds a little extra color.
- That Mustache! The Mustache Framelit was introduced in this year’s Annual Catalog. There weren’t a lot of uses for it (in my short-sighted view), but I won it on the cruise, so I have it. The moment I saw this Santa Stache set in the Holiday Catalog, I was SO HAPPY I got it. What a cute, cute stamp set with a wonderful tie-in to this Framelit!
My Favorite Tool. Tomorrow is the Pal’s August Blog Hop. We were challenged to present our “favorite Stampin’ Up! tool” in the blog hop. How in the world can I pick just one. I’ll give you a hint: glitter is not a tool – it’s a terrible, terrible weapon sent to us from the depths of middle Earth. My post tomorrow will include this tag, along with a brief history of the tool I love most. I used this tool to make the tag above.
Want to take a stab at which tool I love best? 🙂
Stamp Sets: Santa Stache, Petite Pairs Papers: Real Red, Whisper White, Smoky Slate Inks: Blendabilities (Cherry Cobbler, Night of Navy, Smoky Slate, Skin Tone Assortment) Accessories: White Stampin’ Emboss Powder, Angled Tag Punch, 1/2″ Circle punch, Large Oval punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals
Thanks for stopping by today!
Brian
Awesome Promotions. Stampin’ Up! is offering some really great promotions in August – from Big Shots to great bundles, check them all out here.
Weekly Deals. They’re here! They’re here! Click here to check out the weekly deals – current products discounted for just one week. You don’t want to miss out on these!
Has Your Demonstrator Disappeared? I’ve received several messages over the past couple of weeks from avid stampers who’ve lost their demonstrator. If your Stampin’ Up! demonstrator won’t return your calls (possible reasons: on an indefinitely extended vacation, simply closed-up shop, mysteriously abducted by aliens), please reach out to me at [email protected]. I would LOVE to be your demonstrator and earn your business. 🙂
Very cute..
Thanks, Sharon! I had a lot of fun with it.
Very clever tag. Great use of product.
Thank you, Carolyn.
Very clever tag. Great use of product.
Love the tag. So great to make these ahead of time too. Great question here . . . I think your fave product is . . . oh can I have three guesses? Cutting board, heat embossing or punches.
🙂
All three are great guesses, Nancy. You might have my favorite tool in that list…or it could be missing. 🙂
Love that you used the Blendabilities to color. Great tag. I didn’t think I HAD to have that stamp set but have added it to my never ending list of “must haves.”
What an adorable tag! His stache gives him a playful little attitude. Super cute and I think the Big Shot is your favorite tool. Happy Stampin’.
My guess is the Big Shot
How do you earn product as a dem?
Big Shot is a good guess… 🙂
As a demonstrator, we earn a 20% discount on all product we purchase for our business or ourselves (and still earn Host Rewards as laid out in the catalogs). During the year, Stampin’ Up! also has incentives for demonstrators to allow them to earn free stamps sets or products – for example, there was a promotion in June to earn a free stamp set for meeting [very achievable] sales goals during that month AND to earn a free stamp set for selling a handful new Paper Pumpkin subscriptions. I also earned quite a few sets at Convention for meeting certain annual goals. Have you ever given thought to joining Stampin’ Up!? I’d love to chat with you about it if it’s something you’re interested in. Email me at [email protected].
I’m thinking heat gun… Embossing is so cool! I’ll be reading tomorrow to see what your chosen item is. The tag is darling — love the “stache” and the colors!
Oh, gosh, Barbara. I do love heat embossing, and the Heat Too is really, really great. I’m starting to think I may have been too haphazard with the selection of my favorite tool…
I almost missed these two guys in the catalog…very fun! But what I really like is how you made them into tags…even funner, heehee! Love it!
Brian
I love this tag! It’s definitely going on my list now!!
Oh, he’s adorable!
Have to agree with Amy ….this fella makes a cute tag ! Love your tip on the circle reinforcement ! Guess you could use a punched circle also …. Can`t wait to see what you are going to do with the stamp set released today ???? I have to get it cause I`m a southern gal and it has a Y`all stamp in it !!!
I do love punches, Sonny. They are right up there in my list of favorites.
Are you going to do a holiday catalog share?
ABSOLUTELY! I’ll be “rolling out the red carpet” on the shares and swatch books late next week. 🙂 WOO HOO!
Your nutcracker is adorable and his color combination is just as it should be! The mustache Framelit is great here … adds SO MUCH character to him! Looking forward to tomorrow’s reveal of your favorite Stampin’ Up! tool.
Well, MY favorite tools are the big shot and the cutting board and I THINK yours is one of those two. Nearly every card uses the big shot, BUT EVERY card needs the cutting board and Stampin Up’s is the BEST one made. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. (I might have purchased 5 or 6 until SU’s came out…So many unused products once I find a favorite!)
To make a card:
1. You need Cardstock
2. You need to cut it (and any additional layers) with my favorite tool
3. Then the creative part: stamps, and embellishments…enter…the big shot.
Looking forward to seeing your favorite SU tool.
Gail, I’m really starting to question the big reveal I have planned for tomorrow. If it were a valid selection, I’d choose “the catalog” as my favorite tool. How is it possible that I’ve picked ONE? Your assessment is very on-point.
I’m gonna guess either the Big Shot or your embossing gun. 🙂 Super cute tag!
BOTH are very solid guesses.
Brian, I L-O-V-E your blog. You have an amazing gift and I look forward each day to reading your blog. Your enthusiasm for Stampin Up inspires me. This bookmark is amazing and I can’t wait to get my new holiday catalog to get busy.
Thanks, Kathy!
Since you have mentioned it many times … your favorite tool is white embossing powder. Like your cute tag.
Oh, gosh, Rosemarie – that’s a great choice. I think (and I might go back on this one day) that my favorite product is Stampin’ Dimensionals – I use them on EVERY card. If I had to select my favorite product to showcase, it just might be White Embossing Powder. I didn’t consider it a “tool” but maybe I could have…
I must agree with Gail on the cutting board. (You sold me two, after all!) 😉 I am waiting to see how that mustache could possibly improve a Santa!!
I DO love the Stampin’ Trimmer. I have three (or four) of them. What a great tool! I did use the trimmer on this project, so it might be my favorite thing…or…
What a cute little guy that Nutcracker is! I too wondered how much use you could get out of the mustache but you’re right – it’s perfect with this stamp. I really love the way the blendabilities cover. Great card, great color combo – this one really brings a smile to one’s face for sure Brian.
🙂 Thanks, Grace. It was a fun project to make.
Really love the Blendabilities tip with the Night of Navy. Looks wonderful on your Mr. Nutcracker tag. Actually, I think your favorite tool would be your paper snips. You are a master at snipping. I used to think it was a big deal, but you make sound like fun! So now I snip and think of you and I smile instead of frowning 🙂 *I know you didn’t snip as much with this project, still think your snips are like an extension of your hand, lol!
Oh, Jill! Paper Snips – of course! I do love those little things – I have them on every table in the Fungeon and use them ALL THE TIME. Boy, that certainly would have been a great choice. I’m really re-thinking my choice here.
Oh Brian, this tag is adorable. Reminds me of the annual Winter Holiday program we did at one of the schools where I worked. We did a version of The Nutcracker, minus the ballet. Two sneak peeks from the Holiday Catalog, the Santa Stache stamp set and the Gift Box punch board. Favorite tool, hmmmmm, I’m going to go with The Big Shot too.
You strike me as a multiple-tasker and so is the Big Shot.
Love the ‘stache tag! Is the”squint” considered a tool?? If not, I’m guessing Big Shot
I am thinking that your favorite tool is the Stamp- a- ma-jig.
Ok, so I call in regularly (let’s not say stalk, because that might be weird) and don’t comment – not any more! I promise to comment when I call in. I love that you opened your blog post with your front door – so welcoming and I only wish I was at it surprising you with wine and Tim Tams!
Agreed – Nutcracker IS totally adorable and yes, wishing the moustache framelit had more options, but I still love it.
As always, love everything you do and love that you share it all. (I’ll be back, threat and promise! LOL)
Hugs, Lou xo
Hi Brian, I’m fairly new to your blog and I’m really enjoying your postings – thanks very much! love your tag too and love the bold coloring with the blendabilities.
I also love that you have everyone guessing what your favorite tool is – as a newbie I won’t guess but am looking forward to the big reveal! Thank you!
Brian, I always enjoy visiting your blog for ideas. Love your creativity! What a cute “Stache”.