Steppin' it UP! for the Creative Crew! And the Divas Too!

This month's theme for the Creative Crew is "step it up!" Start with a simple card and show ways in which it can be "stepped up". This is a great technique for demonstrators as it allows us to show a simple card at our workshops and then show how to "step it up" for a little bit of WOW!

New stampers will love the simple version because it means they can get stamping right away and not be overwhelmed and experienced stampers will be able to add the extra details of the stepped up version making it their own.

Here's the simple version and stepped up version side by side:

I used my Lovely as a Tree set (after all, it is a classic!) and used the direct to rubber technique. I used my More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Lucky Limeade and Early Espresso markers to colour the tree and stamped it directly on my Crumb Cake base. Since I don't send many "Happy Thanksgiving" cards, I opted for the "thank you" from Teeny Tiny Wishes. It was stamped in Early Espresso.

The detail on the stepped up version:

I started off by colouring my tree using the same technique as above and stamping it onto a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock. I then matted it on Early Espresso.

I cut a piece of Orchard Harvest Designer Series Paper and used my piercing template to poke little holes in the corners. If you DON'T have this yet, it's a must have in my opinion. You can a lot of detail with very little effort! There are TWO paper piercing packs currently available: The Essentials Pack and The Festive Pack. The Festive pack is a great addition to your holiday stamps and is available only until January 3rd, 2013. The Essentials pack is a great addition to your everyday stamping.

In order to dress up the background, I used the leaves from my Confetti set and my Versamark ink. I stamped the image in a random pattern over the whole base.

My sentiment was stamped in Early Espresso on a piece of Very Vanilla and punched out using the Decorative Label punch.

My stepping it up continues on the inside of my card too!

I stamped the base using my versarmark ink again, added a layer of Orchard Harvest DSP and a layer of Very Vanilla stamped with Early Espresso.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Confetti
INK: Early Espresso
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake and Early Espresso Cardstock; Orchard Harvest DSP
ACCESSORIES: Markers, Paper Piercing Mat/Pack/Tool, Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!