Stamp Review Crew - A Work of Art

Stampin' Up! Work of Art and Ornamental Pine

It's the first Monday of the momth and that means it's time for the Stamp Review Crew.  We are a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators focused on sharing a ton of ideas focusing on a single stamp set.  This week it's one of my favorites - A Work Of Art.  You have likely come from Beth Beard's blog on your way through this amazing hop.  If you get lost, simply click on the banner for a list of participants and get back on track.

So many times I focus on making this set part of the focal point of my card, but this week I decided to show you what a great coloring tool this set can be.  Growing up in Michigan in the 50's I vividly remember our Christmas tree - always a scotch pine, because they held their needles much longer - decked with C7 lights (7 lights to a string) in Real Red, Pacific Point, Garden Green, Whisper White, and Pumpkin Pie, (Forgive the use of Stampin' Up! color names!) and how the needles were silhouetted by the glow of multicolored bulbs.  This is my interpretation of my early Christmas memories.

 

Work Of Art Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$21.95

Work Of Art Wood-Mount Stamp Set

$29.95

Ornamental Pine Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$18.95

Ornamental Pine Wood-Mount Stamp Set

$25.95

Wonderful Wreath Framelits Dies

$24.95

Circles Collection Framelits Die

$26.95

 

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Step by Step Tips:

• For my background color palette I used So Saffron(126957), Pool Party(126982), Pistachio Pudding(131177), and Crisp Cantelope(131176) on Very Vanilla card stock.  I used the smallest brush stroke stamp and randomly placed splashes of color over the background.  Overlapping the splashes creates another color - totally okay!
• My pine branch was created with Mossy Meadow(133645).  In creating the branch, I made sure that the stem of the branch lined up with other branch stems to give the illusion of a continuous branch.  I used Dazzling Details Gold Glitz(133755) to accent some of the pine needles.  No need to follow a needle line exactly.  Just make sure the lines are all going in the same direction!
• The 2" ornament was colored using the same color palette as the background and the same stamp, but eliminating white by allowing the images to overlap.  The zigzag and line images from the Work of Art set were stamped in Encore Gold Metallic Ink(132141).  The ornament hanger was created with a Gold Foil Sheet(132622) cut out with Finishing Touches Edgelits die(127010).  Top the ornament with a bow made from 1/8" Gold Ribbon(134583) and secured using a glue dot.
• The sentiment was created from the Wonderful Wreath Framelits die using Cajun Craze(126965) and Calypso Coral(126983) card stock and secured it to the face of the card using a 2-way Glue Pen(100425).  The same card stock was used to mat the card.  Simple!

Next stop on the Hop is Shana Gaff where she'll wow you with her beautiful design skills.

Comments

[Lisa Young]

What an amazing card! Loved your thought process behind the card - I also remember those Scotch pine trees trimmed with bright lights. Good times! And I must say I think the way you created the top to the ornament is very clever.

[betty traciak]

Love the artistic sweep of the needles. Sure looks like a real tree. Also the Cajun Craze is such an unexpected and fun pop of color-- nice compliment to the lighter colors.

[Kim Jolley]

Very creative! Love the use of color.

[Carol Cariveau]

Truly wonderful to back in time to capture childhood memories!

[Carol Cariveau]

Wow, Mike...how wonderful! We did not have that type of tree - my dad liked the ones that had lots of branches but you could count them!!! Yes, we did have the big lights - no little twinkling ones on those days!!! Remember that my grandmother had a silver foil tree and a spinning light with colors that changed the tree...lol! LOVE your design...my husband and I have had this type of pine tree before and I loved it!

[Theresa R]

Lovely card! We had C7's too, and C9's outside when I was growing up.

[Evelyn]

Beautiful colors, fantastic card! I remember those colors from my past Christmases, too. We had whatever evergreen my brothers found in the mountains and brought home. We put it in the corner between two windows and made it beautiful with homemade ornaments. Thanks for sharing this beautiful card and your memories.

[Janet Keyes]

Mike, you have amazed me once again with your artistry. I love this card. Hope to see you soon.

[Wendie]

Beautiful, Mike!

[Holly/Rubber Redneck]

Wow Mike this is awesome and so highlights my childhood christmas trees too! It's awesome!

[Amy Seigler]

Wonderful card! I love everything about it!

[diane oliver]

Mike this card is fantastic and the Michigan Christmas tree memory is the same as mine! the background stamping is perfection. GREAT card! Hugs.

[jessica]

Oh Mike, what wonderful memories of my own Christmases you prompted! We always had scotch pines too. I love their long needles. It took my mom a week to decorate because she put on tinsel one strand at a time! Starting from the bottom, one row at a time. When she was done you could see all the ornaments, and the tree was awash in silver, raining down. The shimmer of those colored lights thru it was spectacular!
Sorry, got carried away. Obviously I love the card. The bits of gold add a great shimmer. Thanks again, my friend. Hugs, Jess

[Shannon Hokanson]

Mike, I love the bursts of pastel colors behind the pines. So unexpected. I also really like the ornament hanger, very creative.

[Ann Schach]

Wow! Absolutely stunning! So creative and unique!

[Dawn Tidd]

What a wonderful portrayal of your memories! I remember those lights too. The ornament is fantastic and along with the splotches in the background, what a great use of the stamp set.

[Tanya Boser]

Oh, WOW! Your card definitely feels like the Christmas trees of my youth too (although it was a different decade)! Truly a timeless and gorgeous look. When you listed the colors you used, I was a bit surprised as I would not have guessed how well they worked here. And the touch of gold Dazzling Details is just right :)

[Nancy]

Great card, Mike! Love the brush stroke "lights" shining behind the branches.