Happy Snowman!

   Happy almost New Year to everyone!  Of course, this is as close as we've been to snow since Octsnowber...paper crafted images on paper with bright, swirly colors!  [Have you seen the movie, "Elf"?  I cannot hear, write, or speak the word "swirly" anymore without conjuring the funniest images and laughing out loud!  'I like to whisper too....']  You'll understand if you've seen the movie!  [oh--and the link takes you to a favorite movie website of mine too!]
   I used a bunch of scraps for my holiday cards this year...didn't get to them in time for Christmas greetings, and decided to go with Happy ______ [fill in the blank with whatever makes you happy!]  I had some of these pieces of blue embossed paper I made last year for a color challenge over at the Hero Arts blog.  They've been in my scrap [cardboard shoe] box since then.  I made some fresh snowmen [my favorite one in my extensive collection of them] and proceeded to build some fun.  I discovered a few tricks along the way I thought I'd share in case you could use them too!

   I liked this layout the best of the set...thought it balanced well, and I really like how the snowflakes turned out--that's the first thing I discovered while making these.  I wanted just the same color as I'd used in the marker to color the scarf, and found out that just drawing some lines on photo paper scrap not only dried instantly with my water-based markers, the technique will lend itself to a variety of free-hand designs I plan to experiment with later!

   Here a couple more I made for the set using the marker, snowflake punch, inchie punch and layering ideas.  Also used my marker to add some color to the swirly [hee hee] background just like I did in this card and this one.  The second trick I used was to cut off the fringe of the scarf [instead of embossing two new snowmen since it didn't take as well as it could have] and I like the way it looks too!  [Don't you sometimes have the nicest accidents, and discover things in the process of covering them up!?!]
   Lastly, the best trick I use all the time and always try to share with every stamper I meet, is an old newspaper layout one.  I wonder if most modern newspaper folks even know about this old method what with computers and such now....Introducing:  The Dummy Sheet.  That indispensable, visual/sanity check for layouts of all kinds.

   These handy 4.25 x 5.5 inch recycled paper beauties are kept in vast quantities on my desk near my right hand for all stamping projects.  I can run through any number of them while experimenting to find the look I'm after on a card.  These are the ones I used to develop the snowman set, and I never worry about wasting my good cardstock trying to find the right proportions for something.  When I get a new stamp set, I'll make several of these and keep the ones I like for later use.  I save my dummies of all the cards I love and only end up making one copy.  Sometimes I'll get them out years later and make them again...especially if I need a quick card and my brain is tired!
   So--thanks to my mom and dad who used to own and publish a small newspaper when I was in high school!  I use tools of the trade all the time in my hobby life--my mom is still a terrific graphic design artist...something that didn't used to have such a fancy title;  she used to be the one to work up ads for all the businesses that supported the paper and they were always pleased with the results!
   Hope you found something useful, fun, and/or informative today!  Thanks for visiting--and know that I wish health and happiness for you and yours in the coming New Year!  
   See you soon!