CSS Customer Appreciation Month!!!

Hello, hello!  I have some exciting new to share today.  December is Clear & Simple Stamps Customer Appreciation Month!  During this time they release a new year-end Limited Edition stamp set.  This set is not for sale, for details on how the stamp set is earned (it is earned in increments), please visit the Clear & Simple Stamps Blog.  

Here is the stamp set: 

Isn't it FAB? As you can see it focuses on JOY, but not just holiday joy.  This set can be used year round and I will show you that throughout the month.

If you've been hanging out around these parts for a while, you know that I make Christmas cards every year.  I usually make about 75 and work on them over the course of a couple months.  Not so this year! I made my cards in three days!!!  It really helped that the kids were in school all day and I had big chunks of time to dedicate to the task.

Here's my process:

• First things first.  You need a prototype.  Once I figured out what my card was going to look like (above), I could start cutting all the components.  
• I cut these trees out on my Silhouette.  They perform double duty.  Since you only see the right side of the tree, I cut the tree down the center and then took the left side and flipped it over.  That way I only needed to cut out half the amount of trees and it was less wasteful that way too.  

• I cut the stars out on the Silhouette as well.    

• Here's all the paper items I needed to assemble the center panel.  
• I started off by using adhesive to apply the tree, then I trimmed the edges off the top and bottom of the tree.

• Then I adhered the star using liquid glue.

• Here they are all spread out.

• While I was waiting for the glue to dry on the stars, I stamped the sentiment "Wishing You Hope, Peace &" on the red strip.

• It's very important to do this in front of the TV to stave off boredom.  I did all my holiday card making on the coffee table in my living room, not in my studio.

•  Once the stars were dry, I trimmed off the excess. 

• I must have forgotten to photograph the next part, but I stamped the word "JOY" on each tree base.  
• Then I stamped the snow.  I used white ink and little snowflake stamp from the stamp set "Taglines".

• All that was left now is to apply the red sentiment strip with foam dots and then adhere the entire panel to a white card base using more foam dots.  
• I cut and scored all of the card bases a few weeks ago at a girls craft night.  At that point I had no idea what my card would look like, but white card stock for the base was a pretty safe choice.

• Here's what they look like all spread out on my coffee table, all 74 of them!  (I'm missing one because my first prototype was a disaster).

Clear & Simple Stamps is also releasing metallic card stock, envelopes, ribbon and gift wrap!  Just in time for you to make holiday cards and to decorate gifts.  They come is gold, silver, and a shiny white.

I can't wait for you to see what the other designers have created with the new, limited edition JOY stamp set!  You won't want to miss it.  

• Laurie Willison
• Lori Tecler
• Elena Roussakis
• Jaclyn Miller
• Kim Duran
• Jennifer Rzasa
• Tracy Schultz
• Laura Bassen
• Clear & Simple Stamps

Have a great day!

{Wishing You Hope, Peace & Joy}

Stamps: Limited Edition JOY, Taglines (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: A Blanc Check, Glamazon Green, True Blue Fan, Say Yellow to All Your Fans, Dare to Be a Diva Red (CSS)

Ink: True Blue Fan (CSS), White

Accessories: Foam Dots, Silhouette Shapes (Tree & Star), Silhouette Machine