Splendid Thoughts Mystery Card #3

Happy Friday, Stampers! Every Wednesday in October, Shannon West, the Stampin’ Up!® Demonstrator Development Manager (DDM) for the Great Lakes Region of the United States, along with one other DDM from the US, has presented a “Mystery Card” using the Splendid Thoughts Bundle from the July-December Mini Catalog. On Monday, we’re given a supply list, and then on Wednesday, Shannon and her guest present a card for us to create. It’s so relaxing, because we are stamping just for fun. And Shannon, of course, is a fabulous presenter. The cards are fairly simple, but each week, Shannon has shown a technique or product we may not have used before. Here’s the card from week three (October 19).

This card uses the Gilded Leafing that we’ve had for a year or so. I love it. It’s so easy to use. For this week’s card, the idea was to use a background stamp inked in Versamark to stamp on the Soft Succulent layer. I discovered I don’t have a current background stamp, but since I knew it would be a Christmas Card, I used the Merry Melody 3D Embossing Folder instead. I inked the folder with Versamark (on the side with the Stampin’ Up! logo), then ran it through my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine with the Soft Succulent Cardstock.

Next, I covered the card stock with Heat & Stick Powder. This works so well with the Gilded Leafing, and I’m so glad we have Heat & Stick again. You use it like Embossing Powder, but you need to be very sure you do not overheat the powder. As soon as it’s melted, move to another area – and it doesn’t take long to melt. Overheating will cause it to lose its stickiness. You may be tempted to touch it to be sure it’s sticky. Do NOT yield to that temptation! Touching it will also cause it to “de-stickify.” (That’s a made-up word, but I’ll bet you understood what I was saying! And aren’t all words made-up once?)

Now it’s time to add the Gilded Leafing. The easiest way to use it is to dump the entire jar of leafing into a box with a tight lid. I bought a plastic shoebox from the dollar store, and it works perfectly. Simply place your card stock sticky side down into the leafing. You can press the leafing into the sticky areas, then use a Blending Brush or sponge to remove the excess leafing. I prefer a sponge, and I leave one in the box with the leafing so it will always be ready.

All that’s left is to add the stamped/die-cut pieces, the bow, and the sentiment. The bow is Soft Succulent Satin Shimmer Ribbon, and the sentiment is gold embossed on a Real Red Die-cut from the Splendid Stems Dies.

One of the things I love most about Shannon’s Mystery Card Events is almost everything she uses is from the Splendid Thoughts Bundle, including the sentiments. However, even though the Splendid Thoughts Bundle is in the Mini Catalog with holiday products, there are no Christmas sentiments in the bundle; it’s more of an all-occasion set. So I used a sentiment from the Regal Reindeer Stamp Set for my greeting.

I can’t wait to show you the card from week four (October 26). It was a little sad when it was over, but, hopefully, Shannon will offer more events like this.

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day and a wonderful weekend!

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