Clear Dollar Stamps December Digi Release

If you are looking for the Crazy for Cocoa Blog Hop, please scroll down one post or click here.  This is my second post for the day.

Today is the day of the Clear Dollar Stamps December Digital Stamp release.  There are so many great sets this month (do I say that every month?  *grin* ). I was able to play with three of them. 

Little Bethlehem

I really like the line art look of this stamp. I'd seen monochromatic Bethlehem scene cards done with regular stamps and wanted to see if I could recreate the look with a digi. Here's how I did it:

1. I opened the jpg version of the digi in PSE.  

2. After creating another layer, I unlocked the image (background) layer and moved the new layer under the image.

3.  Using the Magic Wand tool, I removed all the white from the image.

4.  I created another layer on top of the image and colored it brown.  With the brown layer highlighted, I clicked CTRL+G and I ended up with a brown line art Bethlehem image.  I followed the same process for the sentiment.

I accented the trees and buildings and colored in some of the roof lines and domes with a Sakura clear star pen. This shows up as silver in the picture. The star was colored with a gold metallic pen and then has clear star pen on top.  I used lots of inking and distressing on this card and used the rail of my paper trimmer to guide my paper tearing. The cream colored cardstock came pre-embossed.  What a time saver!

Supplies:
Cardstock: SU (brown), ANW Crestwood (corduroy white)
Paper:  Royal Langnickel Watercolor Paper, BG (Oxford)
Stamp set:  Clear Dollar Stamps (Little Bethlehem)
Ink:  Colorbox Fluid Chalk (Chestnut Roan), Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Walnut Stain)
Embellishments/Tools:  PSE (used to recolor image & sentiment brown), Brads (MM metallic basics mini circle), Recollections gold pen, Sakura Clear Star pen, Heidi Swapp Edge Distresser, Ribbon (Michael's), Bow Easy

I'm entering this card in the following challenge: Paper Sundaes #99 - Anything Goes Christmas.

Totally Tags

This set is sooo versatile.  There are so many ways to use them beyond the obvious tags...cards, bookmarks, medallions on altered crafts, and the list goes on. For today, I chose to make a card.  

Back in October I saw this card on Patter Cross'  blog.  I loved the design.  I chose to CASE it for my card today.  Instead of using a ticket for my sentiment, I used The Merry Christmas sentiment and punched a flower from my patterned paper for the center.  I accented this flower with Sakura glaze and clear star pens.  I used a copic marker to tone down the white in the baker's twine. 

Supplies:
Cardstock - Recollections
Patterned Paper - Echo Park (Season's Greetings)
Stamp - Clear Dollar Stamps (Totally Tags)
Ink - SU (Creamy Caramel)
Embellishments/Tools - Paper Studio 1 7/16" circle punch, Spellbinders (Circles large & small, Lacey Circles), Sakura pens (glaze and clear star), The Twinery Baker's Twine (maraschino), Copic Marker (E33), SU Stampin' Write pen (Close to Cocoa)

I'm entering this card in the Craft Your Passion #88 - Tag You're It and Paptertake Weekly - I'm dreaming of a (red, green, and cream) Christmas challenges.

Hoppily Ever After

For a total change of pace, and holiday, we have this cute set.  Aren't these frogs adorable?!

 After coloring the image with Prismacolor pencils blended with Gamsol, I used a glaze pen all over the frog.  This gives her a wet look.  I used glitter pens on her hat, flowers and eyelashes {even a frog princess likes her makeup} for a little shimmer.


Supplies:
Cardstock - Bazzill (kraft), Georgia pacific (white)
Patterned Paper - SEI (Winnie's Walls)Stamps - Clear Dollar Stamps (Hoppily Ever After)
Embellishments/Tools - The Twinery Baker's Twine (Cappuccino, Honeydew), Spellbinders (Petite Ovals, Petite Scalloped Ovals), SU Stampin' Write pen (Close to Cocoa), Prismacolor pencils, gamsol, Sakura pens (glaze, pink star, clear star, green star)

I hope you'll stop by the Clearly iStamp blog to see the rest of the digi sets being released today and to see the beautiful projects made by my fellow design team members.

Thanks for visiting today.