merry & bright

Christmas comes calling again! I've been wanting to play with this new Sparkling Sayings Christmas set since it arrived last month and finally got around to it this week. I made the "bright" piece several days ago, but got stuck on how to combine it with the "merry". I finally came up with this and decided it was time to move on!

For the "bright" piece, I stamped the Paisley in Certainly Celery on Whisper White. After it dried, I stamped the "bright" stamp in Versamark on top of the Paisley and embossed it with clear embossing powder. Next, I rubbed Rose Red ink over it with a sponge dauber, wiping away the extra with a paper towel. (This is called emboss resist, right? I don't do fancy techniques very often! p.s. I call any technique requiring the heat tool a fancy technique!)

After struggling with the "merry" piece, I finally pulled out an oldie, Label Classics, and made a similar frame for it. After stamping the whole thing, I applied Versamark to the whole piece and embossed it with clear embossing powder. There was no "resist" involved in this part, just plain embossing.

The Whisper White pieces felt a little flimsy after all this, so I glued them to a piece of chipboard (the kind that comes in designer series paper packaging) and this gave them a nice, sturdy feel. I had to use a scrap of that Cutie Pie DSP I had, because I am obsessed with polka dots. (I'm sure I'll keep it up until someone finally begs me to give it a bloody rest, I'm just warnin' ya!)

I also broke out my Certainly Celery 5/8 inch grosgrain ribbon, which I love, but haven't used much yet. I couldn't get it work for a whole card wrap around, so ended up punching a slot with the Horizontal Slot Punch on each piece. I forget about this punch a lot, need to try and use it more. How have you used it?

Lastly, I really need photography tips! I've tried lots of different places in my house (which is dark) and different lighting, blah, blah, blah, but my photos really suck! How do you take good photos? What are the secrets?! Help!

Recipe Stamps: Sparkling Sayings, Label Classics, Paisley BG, Everyday Flexible Phrases. Card Stock: Kraft, Whisper White, Bashful Bluek, Cutie Pie & Certainly Celery Prints DSP. Ink: Rose Red, Certainly Celery, Versamark. Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Sponge Dauber, Horizontal Slot Punch, 1/2 inch Circle Punch, 5/8 inch Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon, Slit Punch, Dimensionals.