New Sizzix / Hero Arts combo sets

Lots and lots of cooking today.  I'm making dinner ahead for tomorrow for seven of us (beef stew) and while I was at it, I thought I'd roast extra veggies to have on hand in the fridge for later in the week.  Whew!

I did find some time to relax and play in the art studio ... it's so great to have a place to take a break from cooking.  Last week I bought a few of the new sets from Sizzix / Hero Arts and today I'm using the Holiday Cheer set.  It's a combination of stamps from Hero Arts and matching die-cuts from Sizzix.  It's an adorable set with reindeer wearing sweaters - how cute is that!!  Hope you like.

"Holiday Cheer"

Stamps:  Holiday Cheer (Hero Arts); Easy Events (SU!)

Paper:  Old Olive, Whisper White (SU!)

Ink:  Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Real Red, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Bashful Blue (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Sizzix die-cuts (Holiday Cheer), Big Shot, sponges, adhesives and dimensionals

* * * * *

I stamped two of the larger trees in Always Artichoke ink onto a large piece of Whisper White cardstock.  I stamped another large tree on a scrap piece of Whisper White and cut it out with the matching die-cut in my Big Shot.  I inked a smaller tree with Old Olive ink and then "kissed" it with a small snowflake stamp inked in Always Artichoke.  I inked a second small tree the same way and then cut both of them out with the matching die-cut in my Big Shot.  I then inked the reindeer stamp with Early Espresso for the outline and Real Red for the sweater and nose.  I ran it through my Big Shot with the matching Sizzix die-cut.  I then colored in the reindeer with Crumb Cake ink.

I made a "cloud" template by hand-drawing a row of different sized scallops on a large piece of scrap cardstock and cutting them out.  I placed the template at different angles on the tree-stamped background and sponged along the top of the scallops with Bashful Blue ink.  I kept moving the template down the page and changing the angle as I went, sponging until it was near the bottom of the trees.  I then sponged blue over the bottom of the cardstock.

I ripped two pieces of Whisper White cardstock to make the hills of snow.  I sponged Bashful Blue along the edges to highlight them.  I adhered the two hills of snow at the bottom of my sponged background paper and then stamped the sentiment in Real Red ink.  I added the die-cut trees and reindeer, popping them up with dimensionals to add depth.