Welcome to our Di’s Country INKers monthly blog hop! This month we are featuring products from the 2017 Stampin’Up! holiday catalog. This year’s catalog is filled with awesome products that are only available September 1-January 2, 2018. To view an online copy of the catalog, just click on this link: Stampin’Up! 2017 Holiday Catalog PDF.

Sugarplum Dreams Watercolor (stamp set on p.24 of catalog)

If you’ve been reading my blog lately, you know that my grandchildren (Ben-3 and Aurora-7) and I have been crafting together this summer. I stamped the images for his latest picture from the Sugarplum Dreams stamp set (catalog page 24) under Ben’s close supervision, and then I turned him loose with his watercolors. He’s made real progress over the past month; see one of his earlier works here. I love  that he tells me all about his color choices as he works. The sweet images in this set are all designed to be colored and would be perfect for children to make their own Christmas cards, especially if they have seen the Nutcracker!  Aurora and I have been talking about having a craft play date with several of her girlfriends so they can do just that. Am I nuts to try to stamp and color with five second graders?

 

Images from Painted Harvest stamp set

For those not quite ready to make Christmas cards, the catalog has several beautiful fall stamps. I played with the Painted Harvest set (catalog page 49) earlier this week. The images are two-step photopolymer  stamps. I actually CASED Dawn Griffith’s card.  She has a couple of good tips about how to make sure the two layers line up properly. Mine isn’t perfect, but I’ll enjoy working on my technique by creating more sunflower cards! I used Early Espresso cardstock, and stamped the flowers with Crushed Curry, So Saffron, and Early Espresso ink.

Sunflower Ben grew from a seed

I’m happy to see that sunflowers are popular again. I had numerous sunflower pictures, trays, flower arrangements, etc. years ago, and I was sad to put them away. Now I can stamp sunflowers and send them out into the world! My husband helped Ben plant one of the sunflowers from our bird feeder last month, and it bloomed recently. Now he is anxiously waiting for it to make seeds. Here’s hoping that it does!

Thanks for stopping by. Next up on the hop is Nita at Dreaming Chipboard. To visit her blog, just click on the Next button below.

 

Our Blog Line-up

Di         http://www.stampingwithdi.com

Barb    http://www.beelinestamping.com

Kathya http://www.stampwithkathya.com

Ellie     http://www.elstamper.blogspot.com

Connie https://www.texasschoolmarm.com    You are here!

Nita     http://www.dreamingchipboard.blogspot.com

Mary   http://www.doggandponyshow.blogspot.com