Winter Scenes and a Go-To Design Tool

The card I’m sharing today started simple. While it’s still a clean design, there are far more layers than I expected when I first sat down to make it. What’s new, Brian?! BUT – today I’m sharing two things: (1) my card and the products I used to make it and (2) one of my favorite design tools that came in very handy while I was making this one. I hope you enjoy both.

Here’s the card I made to share with you today:

It’s rare for me to create a card with no sentiment on the front – a sentiment is always nice, but it’s not always necessary. The sweet scene and stylish stack of circles are enough to make this card feel super-special on their own. The mountain cabin, nestled among tall, snow-covered trees, is pulled from the Winter Scenes stamp set. Here’s a look at the four images in this set:

I heat-embossed the cabin scene with white Wow! Embossing Powder and punched it out with the 2-3/8″ Circle Punch. From there, I framed the image with two additional circles using the Spotlight on Nature Dies. Such a great combination of layers! Here’s a closer look:

After building the trio of circles at the heart of the card, I needed a backdrop that would make them shine – so I reached for one of my favorite design tools…

A Go-To Design Tool

I keep my Designer Series Paper Swatch Books close by so I can quickly flip through colors and patterns when I’m designing. But I also use another super-helpful tool: the “Shop By Color” feature in my Online Store.

Here’s how it works:

• From the Online Store, click MENU and scroll to Shop By:
• Choose Color.
• From there, you can browse all products that feature a specific color.

Here’s a look:

When I was making today’s card, I “Shopped By Color” for Shaded Spruce to see what patterns I might have overlooked. That’s when I rediscovered the striped paper from the Turtle-y Cute Designer Series Paper. It wasn’t even on my radar before the search. Here’s a look at the colors and patterns in the Turtle-y Cute Designer Series Paper:

To finish the card, I added five Balmy Blue dots from the Frosted Iridescent Dots. While flipping through my embellishments for the perfect finishing touch, these popped right up during my “Shop By Color” search for Balmy Blue. They add just the right amount of coordinating shine.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes the best designs come from mixing a simple idea with a few favorite tools. Today’s card reminded me how much I love building layers, rediscovering papers I’ve forgotten about, and letting color guide the whole design. If you haven’t used the “Shop By Color” feature yet, give it a try – you might find the perfect element hiding in plain sight.

Stamps: Winter Scenes  Papers: Turtle-y Cute Designer Series Paper, Subtles 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper (Balmy Blue), Shaded Spruce, Balmy Blue, Basic White  Inks: Versamark  Accessories: 2-3/8″ Circle Punch, Spotlight on Nature Dies, Frosted Iridescent Dots, White Wow! Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Winter Scenes Cling Stamp Set (English) – 166088

Price: $22.00

Turtle-Y Cute 12″ X 12″ (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper – 165221

Price: $12.50

2-3/8″ (6 Cm) Circle Punch – 161354

Price: $25.00

Spotlight On Nature Dies – 163580

Price: $35.00

Subtles 6″ X 6″ (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper – 165306

Price: $12.50

Frosted Iridescent Dots – 165766

Price: $9.00

Shaded Spruce 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock – 146981

Price: $14.00

Balmy Blue 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock – 146982

Price: $14.00

Basic White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock – 166780

Price: $14.00

Versamark Pad – 102283

Price: $9.50

Basics Wow! Embossing Powder – 165679

Price: $21.00

Heat Tool – 129053

Price: $32.00

Stampin’ Dimensionals – 104430

Price: $4.25

Thanks for stopping by today!

Brian

Upcoming Promotions

It’s that time of year – Stampin’ Up! is rolling out a Black Friday Sale next week (Tuesday, November 25 – Monday, December 1) and a Cyber Monday Sale (Monday, December 1 – Tuesday, December 9). I’ll be sharing more detail about these promotions tomorrow. ♥