Encre, papier, ciseaux

Joyful

Inspiration: October 2019 Page Maps Sketch

This picture was taken at an office party a few years ago. The chalet theme worked really well with the Simple Vintage Christmas Lodge collection from Simple Stories, which I was looking forward to using. It was not hard to come up with something pretty as this collection has a lot of choose from. 

The sketch I was working with was a Halloween one and had a spiderweb in the top right corner. I replaced it with the doily from the chipboard clusters (I am loving this new addition to the Simple Vintage elements). I picked one of the beautiful woodgrain foam sentiments to create my title. For the patterned paper on the left side, I used one of the papers that already has a cluster printed on it. I cut the top and bottom at 3½" all the way to the image and then I fussy cut the rest of the overlapping image. I really liked the plaid patterned paper but it was clashing with the buffalo plaid from the main picture when I was using it as a paper on the right side of the page. To split the difference, I ended up creating a scalloped border to slide underneath my Santa paper. I added green sparkly washi tape along the edge, and I added 49 and Market Hardware stickers to both ends. I secured it in place with black brads.

The main image was matted in grey with paper from the Basics kit. I roughed the edges up with the blade of my scissors. I had a piece of white cardstock that was embossed with the Ski Lodge embossing folder on my desk. I inked it up with Lost Shadow Distress ink and slid it under the black patterned paper to add another layer. Since I was using a larger picture and my left-hand border was a tad larger than the original sketch, I moved the tag from the right of the picture to the bottom. I looked at my tag dies and picked the Square Tag from Graphic 45, which gave me plenty of room for journaling. I used word editing software to print my text on green paper (also from the Basics kit). This die has quite the large hole, so I used a few stickers from the sticker book and a button I had previously made with my button press. This die set also includes a clock and I realized this would get me three extra points if I die-cut a clock out of gold foil paper.

Total points for this page: 36 points

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Metallic Kraft-stock (Tim Holtz for Idea-ology)
Ink: Lost Shadow Distress (Ranger)
Patterned Papers, Chipboard Clusters, Sticker Book, Foam Stickers, Cardstock Stickers,
Decorative Brads, Enamel Dots: Simple Vintage Christmas Lodge (Simple Stories)
Dies: Square Tag & Clock (49 and Market)
Accessories: Pastel Dreams Sequin Mix (28 Lilac Lane/Buttons Galore & More);
Button Press (We R Memory Makers); Black Roughly Sewn Rub-Ons (49 and Market);
Stampin' Dimensionals, Green Glimmer Washi Tape, Black Brads, Rhinestone Basic Jewels (Stampin' Up!);
Blending Brushes (iCrafter); Ski Lodge Embossing Folder (Spellbinders)
Font: Harrington

 

Wishes of Light and Hope

Inspiration: Tic Tac Toe challenge #197 (CAS + pink + embossing)

I kept going designing with the Joyful collection from Cocoa Vanilla. I fussy cut a circle frame out of the cut-apart sheet and used it for my focal point, adding a fussy cut star and the fox ephemera piece. Underneath, I added a striped scalloped square matted with Venetian Gold mirror cardstock (a new favorite). 

The background piece was die-cut using the Wonky Stitched Rectangle dies and I stamped a sentiment from the Brightest Glow stamp set, embossed in gold. I fussy cut a fox image from one of the patterned papers and added it to my Aquamarine metallic envelope to finish the set.

 

 

 

Joyful Bunny

Inspiration: Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Emboss It)

This card was inspired by a few straggler pieces on my desk. I had embossed the Sweater folder on white cardstock but the cardstock had moved before going in the machine so it was embossed at an angle. It didn't work for my previous card, but here, I was able to hide the side that was not embossed by layering a border over it. I used the Ribbon Threading border punch and wove white crinkled ribbon in it. I added a border from the cut-apart patterned paper and a very slim piece of Venetian Gold mirror cardstock.

The main image was created with the gold-foiled scalloped circle frame, with polka dot patterned paper under it, and the bunny ephemera piece placed in the middle. I added the holly ephemera image and one of the puffy stars from the collection. For the sentiment, I used a film strip stamp from the Framed stamp set and added a "Happy Holidays" sentiment from a Stampin' Up! set in it. I layered a banner ephemera piece underneath for a touch of colour.

I repeated the bunny image on the matching envelope and included a framed bunny image fussy cut from patterned paper inside the card to match as well. This Joyful collection is just so very sweet and a lot of fun to create with.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Framed (Elizabeth Craft Designs); Moments lumineux (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Pool Party, Basic White (Stampin' Up!); Venetian Gold Mirror (Tonic)
Patterned Papers, Chipboard Stickers, Cardstock Stickers, Puffy Stars, Ephemera: Joyful (Cocoa Vanilla)
Ink: Watermelon Wonder, Pool Party (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, White Crinkled Ribbon (Stampin' Up!);
Sweater 3D Embossing Folder (Sizzix); Hustle & Bustle Thickers (American Crafts);
Ribbon Threading Border Punch (Dress My Craft); A2 Aquamarine Metallic Envelope (Envelopes.com)

 

Mix & A-Mingle

Inspiration: March 2021 Page Maps Sketch + Simon Says Stamp Monday (Frame It)

The office Christmas party tradition finally came back after two years of being put off. There was a photobooth available, so my colleagues and I went to have our pictures taken together. I had a printed copy that was given to me from the photobooth, but it was a little scratched and the colours were off. I had also received a digital copy by email, so I went back to it and played around in Photoshop to see if I could improve on the quality. I actually ended up changing it from portrait to landscape, cropping it to keep our faces and as I was playing with saturation to make it black and white, I realized that if I kept a very low saturation, I was getting a very nice retro-looking picture with soft colours that matched the green in my papers and solved our blotchy skin problem. It also allowed me to use one of the chipboard frames, which I love to do.

I really wanted to use the Mix & A-Mingle collection from Simple Stories to make sure it was represented in my scrapbook album. It was love at first sight when the company released previews of the collection online and even though I had made a few cards with it, I had yet to scrapbook with it. I had plenty to pick from, as I pretty much purchased the entire collection. I went to the foam stickers for my title and immediately realized Mix & A-Mingle was appropriate since that was exactly why we wanted to attend the Christmas party: to have the chance to mingle outside of work. (We're also a fully remote team, so I actually met some of my coworkers in person for the very first time at the party, even though we talk on the phone almost every day.)

I based my design on a Page Maps sketch. It's for a 8½ x 11 page, but I stretched it to a 12" x 12" page. As I mentioned, I love using the chipboard frames when I can because it really draws the eye to the picture and gives a strong starting point to the design. Because the title was going to be on two lines, I didn't even try to fit it above the frame, I went straight to the right side to fill the space left empty by stretching the sketch to a larger page.

I looked through the Journaling Bits for a journaling block and didn't have anything big enough for the scale I needed, but I realized that if I layered a few of the pieces I liked, I could create a bundle that had the right visual weight and gave me more room to tell the story.

I had already decided I wanted the star paper for the background and the striped ledger paper for the center. After cutting it to size, I saw the poinsettia background, which I also liked and when I auditioned the two pieces to pick the one I preferred, I  realized the best look was stacking them both and using the mint paper to mat the poinsettia one. I also realized I needed to turn the star paper 90 degrees so that the stars would be going up and down, first so that I wouldn't layer stripes on stripes going the same way, but also because it then looked like hanging decorations (curtain-style), which worked well with the theme.

Because my base was already pattern-heavy, I wasn't sure what to do with the overlapping banners from the sketch. I tried a few things and decided I liked the red banner the best. I also realized that I could turn to the Color Vibe cardstock to find a matching colour in a neutral pattern. I have been investing in this cardstock when I've found it on sale and it has now become a staple whenever I work with Simple Stories collections as I love the coordination. I made a note of the cardstock that matched the collection and decided to add the colour Green, as it was only shown in the little stars and nowhere else so far.

The top part of the banners was not showing a lot, so I picked a decorative brad to top it and it was enough to fill the space there. The bottom looked pretty empty, though. I had this label from the Page Pieces that looked nice, especially overlapped with the flower bunch from the same pack. I slid the red berry die-cut underneath to make it fuller and the pink star on the other side and then I stamped my date and wrote where the party was held on the label. I also topped the flowers with a champagne bottle chipboard piece to go with the party theme. The light string also came from the Page Pieces. I liked it but was worried the page was already getting full. I tried it a couple of places where it didn't work, before I strung it between the two journaling sections and decided I liked the look.

At that point, I started adding enamel dots, decorative brads and opals and I felt the page was close to being done. But one more flip through the sticker book had me wishing I had included the cute stamps somewhere, so I layered two at an angle in the corner of the frame, and then I spotted the Christmas Party circle sticker and couldn't help adding it to the opposite corner. Then I also wanted the pink door because its ornate look reminded me of the renovated church where the event was held. And when I saw the pink champagne bottle, it went very well with the pink glasses on the journaling block, so I slid that in there as well...  And then I wanted sentiment stickers and the ones from the sticker book were not holding up well because they're made of flimsy paper, so I used the cardstock stickers instead, and went for the rule of three. One my rule of three was taking care of for the embellishments, I decided to call the page done.

I'm happy with the result, I feel this page will represent this beloved collection well in my album!

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Date Stamp (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Pretty Peacock (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Page Pieces, Sticker Book, Cardstock Stickers, Enamel Dots, 
Chipboard Stickers, Chipboard Frames, Decorative Brads, Journal Bits, 
Foam Stickers: Mix & A-Mingle (Simple Stories)
Cardstock: Green Color Vibe (Simple Stories)
Accessories: 2021-2023 In Color Opal Rounds, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Pretty Peacock and Old Olive Stampin' Write Marker (Stampin' Up!); 
Large Eyelets (We R Memory Keepers)

 

Santa's Visit on Christmas Eve

Inspiration: Colour Inkspiration #136

I love the soft colours from the latest Colour Inkspiration challenge and based on elements that I had lying around my desk, I ended up making a holiday card.

I stenciled Cracked Pistachio and Pine Needles Distress Oxide inks on Sahara Sand cardstock, using the layering Nordic Winter stencils from Honey Bee. I heat set the ink with my heat tool and then I overstamped images from Tim Holtz's Department Store stamp set in Versamark. I embossed the tag in Blushing Bride powder and the 25 and music notes in Rustic Wilderness embossing glaze.

I have Clocks chipboard pieces from Mintay and I decided to stain one silver using the Iron Gate Distress mica stain. The center looked a little too plain to me, so I dug through my pieces previously done with moulds and I found this gear that I had previously colored with Sage wax that was the right size and colour, so I adhered it to the center of the clock.

For the main image, I assembled Tim Holtz's Retro Santa die. This was my first time using it and this is arguably the easiest layered die-cut set I've ever used - cut and assembled in two minutes, top. I considered adding a silver belt buckle but I decided against it. The base layer was die-cut out of black kraft-stock paper, so it's more gunmetal than black and it has a nice shine to it.

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Department Store (Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous)
Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Blushing Bride, Garden Green, Mint Macaron (Stampin' Up!);
Metallic 3 Kraft-stock (Tim Holtz for idea-ology)
Ink: Cracked PIstachio, PIne Needles Distress Oxide, Clear Emboss It (Ranger);
Blushing Bride (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Retro Santa (Tim Holtz for Sizzix)
Accessories: Clocks Chippies (Mintay); Iron Gate Distress Mica Stain, 
Rustic Wilderness Embossing Glaze (Ranger); Mould, Clay, Sage Wax (Prima Marketing);
Stampin' Dimensionals, Blushing Bride Stampin' Emboss Powder, Crumb Cake Medium Envelope (Stampin' Up!)

 

Icy Fun This Way!

Inspiration: Festive Friday #127 (Ribbon + Fancy Fold + Something Shiny)

I kept playing with the Snowball Fight collection from Photoplay. I fussy cut another snowman from the cut-apart sheet, as well as the sign post. I wanted to revisit the flap cards I had done last Christmas, as I really liked the look and they are quite easy to put together. I layered two papers on the left side, added jumbo eyelets and threaded a bright chevron ribbon tied in a bow. On the flap, I layered the striped and the polka dot papers, and then I glued the post flat on the panel and I added the snowman popped on dimensional adhesive.

I stamped the Merry Christmas sentiment on Lime Light pearlescent cardstock, embossed it with Verdigris powder and punched it with a 1-1/8" circle punch. I added it to the card with dimensional adhesive as well.

To embellish the card, I added Frosted Lace Stickles to the snow and glitter enamel dots to the snowman's outfit. I made a matching envelope out of patterned paper and I used the Stars and swirls dies to make an address block. I reused one of the tiny stars from this die cut on the sentiment circle.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Fêtes branchées (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Lemon Lime Twist, Daffodil Delight (Stampin' Up!); Lime LIght Pearlescent (Tonic)
Patterned Papers: Snowball Fight (Photoplay)
Ink: VersaMark
Dies: Stars and Swirls (Yvonne's Creations)
Accessories: Calypso Coral Chevron Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Envelope Punch Board,
Jumbo Eyelets (Stampin' Up!); Verdigris Antiquities Embossing Powder, Frosted Lace Stickles (Ranger);
Hello Assortment Glitter Sprinkles (Doodlebug Design)

 

Festive Drink

Inspiration: Scrapbook.com Cardmaking Techniques Class 

I was watching a video tutorial on scrapbook.com and decided to use the scraps from the Snowball Fight collection to try out making an acetate card. I don't like when adhesive is showing, so I did line the back of both pieces of cardstock (on the cover and inside the card) for a neater finish. I wanted to use the adorable drink pattern, so I looked through my dies to see if I had a mug and I found one in the retired Cup & Kettle die set. I used the heart that's usually the steam to decorate the mug and I filled it with whipped cream from another set instead, cut out of Pink Frosting glitter cardstock. I used the spoon die-cut on silver kraft-stock to embellish.

I wrapped white twine around the patterned paper and I embossed a seasonal sentiment in Turquoise Lagoon embossing powder at the top. I made a matching envelope with patterned paper and fussy cut a little cup to decorate the address block

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Joyeux moments (Stampin' Up!) 
Cardstock: Lemon Lime Twist, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up!);
Metallic Kraft-stock (Tim Holtz for idea-ology); Lime Light Pearlescent,
Pink Frosting Glitter (Tonic)
Dies: Cup & Kettle, Coffee Cups, Stitched So Sweetly (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Mini Stampin' Dimensionals, White Baker's Twine, 
Envelope Punch Board (Stampin' Up!); Turquoise Lagoon Embossing Powder (Nuvo)

 

Chilly Pocket

Inspiration: Cardmaking Technique Lesson from Scrapbook.com 

I used some more Snowball Fight paper scraps to make a pocket card inspired by the sample shown in the linked video above. I changed the pocket measurement to be able to use the scraps I had on hand (I made the pocket narrower).

I fussy cut the upside down snowman image and used it to show in the pocket window. The window felt a little bland so I pulled out the Stitched Scalloped Circle Frames dies from Lawn Fawn and Lovely Lipstick foil paper to line it up. I tore sparkly washi tape to create snow at the bottom and I popped up the fussy cut penguin on dimensional adhesive.

The tag is actually a card, as shown in the video. I added a brad and threaded ribbon on the front part of it. The leftover part of my town washi was used on a matching green envelope, and I added another fussy cut snowman, as well as a couple of snowflakes.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Lovely Lipstick Foil Paper (Stampin' Up!);
Lime Light Pearlescent (Tonic)
Patterned Papers: Snowball Fight (Photoplay)
Dies: Layering Circle (Tonic); Stitched Scalloped Circle Frames (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Christmas Fairy Crystals (Memory Box); Stampin' Dimensionals, Window Sheets,
Sparkly Washi Tape (Stampin' Up!); A2 Metallic Fairway Envelope (Envelopes.com);
Sticker Strip (Starform)

 

Snowmen Fun

Inspiration: Try Stampin’ on Tuesday #591

I found some papers from an older Photoplay collection called Snowball Fight and the cheery colours seemed appropriate to make sunny Christmas cards to give to the children's hospital. I cut two images from the cut-apart sheet.

The snowman in a mason jar image was used on the card inspired by the Try Stampin' on Tuesday sketch. I was also excited to try out the Noel Buzzword dies from Honey Bee that I found in an after-Christmas sale. I love the font and size and the fact that it has three layers. It's also nice that it works for French cards (even though it's missing its umlaut on the e). I added black gingham ribbon for a bit of texture and topped it with a gold fabric star that I found on my desk. The little gold stars placed around the image are negative die-cuts from the Stars and Swirls die-cut I used on the second card.

Speaking of which, the second card measures 4" x 6" as the starting point was the cut-apart sheet. Because of the pink frame, I didn't want to cut it down to fit a regular A2 card, so I made a larger card. I was liking the look of the snowcone snowman image over it, so I added the gold star swirl in the background to add shine and fill the space, and I returned to the Noel Buzzword die-cut as it filled the space nicely and added colour to the layout as well. I topped the snowflake with a turquoise gem and added a few leftover gold stars around the card.

Both envelopes were done with the Envelope Punch Board and matching patterned paper. On the green envelope, I die-cut a stitched nested tag out of Daffodil Delight cardstock and added a fussy cut snowman from the patterned paper.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Lemon Lime Twist, Granny Apple Green, Melon Mambo,
Coastal Cababa (Stampin' Up!); Pearlescent Vellum (Lawn Fawn);
Metallic Kraft-stock (Tim Holtz for idea-ology)
Patterned Papers: Snowball Fight (Photoplay)
Dies: Dotted Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn); Wonky Stitched
Rectangles (My Favorite Things); Noel Buzzword (Honey Bee); 
Stars and Swirls (Yvonne's Creations); Foundation 4 (Queen & Co)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Envelope Punch Board, Black Gingham Ribbon (Stampin' Up!);
Gold Stars (Cocoa Vanilla); March Crystals (Studio Katia)

 

Joyful Diagonal Pocket Card

Inspiration: Graphic45 YouTube video

I tested out the diagonal pocket card technique shown by Graphic45 in one of their recent YouTube videos using Cocoa Vanilla's Joyful collection. I had cut a lot of stars from the patterned paper previously, and I grouped them around the side of the flap, overlapping a candy cane and fa la la la ephemera pieces, then adding the chipboard bird.

The ephemera pack included a small tag, which I topped with a copper eyelet and white trim and slid inside the pocket for decoration. For the message, I created a larger tag out of aqua patterned paper using MFT's Do-It-All Gift Tag dies. I added an heart eyelet and pink ribbon at the top, plus a leftover scalloped piece and one of the wooden buttons. I also added gold ribbon on the edge of the pocket for a bit of shine.

The striped ribbon was repeated on the envelope, along with a fussy cut circle image.

 

 

 

Supplies
Square Cards and Envelopes: Anita's (Docrafts)
Patterned Papers, Wooden Buttons, Chipboard Stickers, Ephemera: Joyful (Cocoa Vanilla)
Dies: Do-It-All Tags (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: 1/8" Gold Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Blushing Bride Satin Ribbon (Stampin' Up!);
Eyelets (We R Memory Makers); Marshmallow Scrubby Sparkle (Red Heart)

 

Hat and Stocking

Inspiration: In[k]spire Me #497

This is one more creation made with the Joyful collection from Cocoa Vanilla. I had this scalloped circle ephemera piece that was perfect as a starting point from the sketch. I placed the chipboard Santa hat on it and overlapped the Ho Ho Ho ephemera image. It was a little blank, so I fussy cut a stocking and holly berry from the patterned paper and placed it underneath the sentiment. I added a circle die-cut out of Venetian Gold mirror cardstock underneath and a wooden button at the bottom of the banner. I had this acrylic sentiment but I was not liking it placed at the bottom of the banner, so I moved it underneath the Ho Ho Ho image. To finish it off, I added a few stars from the chipboard stickers and puffy title stickers.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Pool Party (Stampin' Up!); Venetian Gold Mirror Cardstock (Tonic)
Patterned Papers, Chipboard Stickers, Puffy Title Stickers, Wooden Buttons, Ephemera: Joyful (Cocoa Vanilla)
Dies: Dotted Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn); Circle Double Stitched (Art Impressions)
Accessories: A2 Rose Quartz Metallic Envelope (Envelopes.com);
Décos Mots Doux Céladon (Florilège Design)

 

Sweet Fa La La

Inspiration: Sunday Stamps #300

This is another card inspired by the Joyful collection from Cocoa Vanilla. I wanted to put the bird in the wreath, so I mirrored the sketch in order to have the bird looking towards the center of the card. The center part is one of the pocket cards, matted with Lost Lagoon cardstock and trimmed with the Deckle Trimmer. The vertical strip comes from the Mystical opulent cardstock pack, embossed with the Wintry embossing folder, and topped with Soft Succulent ribbon. I added a tab at the left, decorated with a puffy sticker, and a few gold-foiled chipboard stars.

I was finding that the top of the center card felt a little bare, so I hunted in my stamp collection for a set with music notes and found something of the right size in The Cat's Pajamas Idols stamp set. I stamped the small notes in matching ink colours and it helped fill in the space.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Idols (The Cat's Pajamas); Framed (Elizabeth Craft Designs)
Cardstock: Pool Party, Lost Lagoon (Stampin' Up!); Mystical Opulent Cardstock (Sizzix)
Patterned Papers, Puffy Stickers, Ephemera, Chipboard Stickers: Joyful (Cocoa Vanilla)
Ink: Pool Party, Blushing Bride, Watermelon Wonder (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Wonky Stitched Rectangle STAX (My Favorite Things); Photo Film Slides (Elizabeth Craft Designs)
Accessories: Deckle Trimmer (Tim Holtz for Tonic); 
A2 Rose Quartz Metallic Envelope (Envelopes.com); 
Stampin' Dimensionals, Wintry Embossing Folder  (Stampin' Up!)

 

Santa's Workshop Tag

Inspiration: Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Something New)

My local scrapbook store offered 12 Days of Christmas sales so I had a few new items to play with, including the Easy Layers Tag dies from Avery Elle and the Snow Flurries Backdrop from Lawn Fawn (from which I used the snowflakes). Those were the starting point for this card. I pulled out the Holiday Magic collection from PinkFresh and layered different stickers, ephemera pieces and puffy stickers on the tag. I added a large eyelet at the top and threaded twine on it.

The backdrop was done by embossing a piece of white cardstock with Sizzix's Sweater 3D embossing folder and using the spritzed ink on an acetate technique to add a bit of blue to it. A sentiment was stamped in green ink on the gold-foiled tag sticker.

 

 

  

 

Supplies
Stamps: Moments lumineux (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Shaded Spruce, Basic White (Stampin' Up!); Mystical Collection Opulent Cardstock (Sizzix)
Patterned Papers, Ephemera, Enamel Dots, Cardstock Stickers,
Puffy Stickers: Holiday Magic (PinkFresh)
Ink: Shaded Spruce (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Easy Layers Tag (Avery Elle); Dotted Rectangle Stackables, Snow Flurries Backdrop (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Sky Baker's Twine (Lawn Fawn);
Jumbo Eyelets (We R Memory Makers); A2 Rose Quartz Metallic Envelope (Envelopes.com);
Sweater 3D Embossing Folder (Sizzix)

 

Farm Fresh Christmas Trees

Inspiration: Mojo Monday #391 + Festive Friday #125 (red + envelopes + slimline card)

I was playing around with the Hello Christmas collection and came up with this design, based on an old Mojo Monday sketch. The sentiment was stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock and fussy cut. I added a puffy sticker bird to the top of it.

The main image is one of the chipboard accents images. It was too cute to cover up, so I let it be the main image. I added a small sentiment strip and a flower puffy sticker at the top, and a holly chipboard circle at the top.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Moments lumineux (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Thick Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Puffy Stickers, Chipboard Accents: Hello Christmas (Carta Bella)
Ink: Merry Merlot (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Mini Slimline Stackables (Lawn Fawn); Stitched Shapes (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Mint Macaron Ribbon, Envelope Punch Board (Stampin' Up!)

 

Joyful Christmas Tree

I was puttering around with the Elizabeth Craft Designs dies I scored on sale during the 12 Days of Christmas at my local store and I decided to try out the folder die from the General File Folder Set 2. I was wondering how big it was and it turns out the largest one is a regular 4¼" x 5½ card size once folded. I looked for double-sided paper that would work well and ended up picking the Joyful collection from Cocoa Vanilla. With the soft colours and cute animals, I think this could be a nice collection to pull out for the Christmas cards made for the children's hospital. Here, I ended up picking the chipboard Christmas tree as my main image, though. I framed it with a wooden polaroid frame (leftover from the 'Tis the Season ephemera pack). To fill the background, I cut a piece of Lawn Fawn's pearlescent vellum (which I love) to size and embossed it with the Wintry embossing folder. The chipboard gifts were a little big, so I turned to the puffy stickers pack and the gift stickers were the perfect size.

This felt a little bare on the card front, so I used one of the pocket cards and matted it with Lost Lagoon cardstock, cut using the Deckle Trimmer from Tonic. I wrapped Calypso Coral baker's twine around the polaroid frame and topped the bow with a wood button. I added a banner sticker at the top and a "ho ho ho" foiled sentiment on the side. I added a candy cane puffy sticker at the bottom and three little stars around the tree.

I added a couple of stickers inside the card and on an Aquamarine metallic envelope to match. I am very pleased with how this card turned out. The colours of this collection are just so beautiful together. Cocoa Vanilla has a real knack for doing soft colours that draw the eye.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Lost Lagoon (Stampin' Up!); Pearlescent Vellum (Lawn Fawn)
Patterned Papers, Pocket Cards, Puffy Stickers, Wood Buttons, Puffy Title Stickers, 
Chipboard Stickers, Accessory Stickers: Joyful (Cocoa Vanilla)
Accessories: Calypso Coral Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals, Wintry Embossing Folder (Stampin' Up!);
Deckle Trimmer (Tim Holtz for Tonic); General File Folder Set 2 Dies (Elizabeth Craft Designs);
A2 Aquamarine Metallic Envelope (Envelopes.com)

 

Sweet Gingerbread House

Inspiration: Sunday Stamps #299

The color combo inspired me to pull out the Sweet Gingerbread suite and put together this simple card. The white background was embossed with the Wintry embossing folder an the snowy hill was die-cut out of pastel glitter cardstock from Memory Box. I borrowed a French sentiment from another stamp set to add to the smoke cloud. I used a loose flower flourishes embellishment for the doorknob.

 

 

 

 

Color Combo: Blackberry Bliss + Rich Razzleberry + Polished Pink + Mango Melody + White

 

Supplies
Stamps: Sweet Gingerbread (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Polished Pink, Basic White, Rich Razzleberry (Stampin' Up!);
Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad (Memory Box)
Designer Series Paper: Brights, 2021-2023 In Color (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Polished Pink, Mango Melody, Pear Pizzazz, Blackberry Bliss, Soft Sky, Rich Razzleberry (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Loose Flower Flourishes, Gingerbread House Dies, White Medium Envelope,
Distressing Tool (Stampin' Up!)

 

Christmas Town Packaging

I'm trying to use the precious time we have left before Christmas rolls around to finish getting everything ready. I got things off my to-do list today but I was a little off my game so I kept dropping things, getting things crooked, nothing was working quite right. Gift wrapping was part of my to-do list, but inspiration was not really there, so I was planning on waiting for another day, but somehow I found a spark of inspiration and I ended up with packaging that I'm really proud of. As a general rule, Doodlebug will never fail to impress my nieces. The oldest one has turned 10 this fall so I keep thinking at some point, she'll decide it's too childish for her, but because she's really into everything kawaii, Doodlebug keeps holding strong.

The first gift was made out of leftover paper from the Christmas town collection. I simply bent the papier around the gift, added washi paper on both sides and wrapped red scrubby sparkle trim around it. I used a cut-apart image to make a tag, hiding the English sentiment with a strip of Petite Pattern paper, on which I stamped my niece's name. I added gems for the earrings, a little candy sticker and a wax seal over the bow.

The other gift would have been hard to wrap with papers, due to the fact that it was a bunch of little items grouped together, so I decided to make my own box using patterned paper. I pulled out Home for the Holidays, an old collection that dates back to 2013. I reused the same idea for the top of the gift: strip of patterned paper lined with washi tape on both sides, white scrubby sparkle trim wrapped around, a flair in the center of the bow and a tag made out of an album insert piece. I cut it in half, punched the corners, stuck a sentiment banner using dimensional adhesive and stamped my niece's name. I added a few snowflake sequins and a heart sticker in the corner of the box.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Stay Colorful Alphabet (Dear Lizzie for American Crafts)
Ink: Gumball Green (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Flairs, This & That Stickers, Simply Put 4" x 6" Album Inserts: Christmas Town,
Home for the Holidays (Doodlebug Design) 
Accessories: Gem, Stampin' Dimensionals, PInking Hearts Border Punch (Stampin' Up!);
Strawberry, Marshmallow Scrubby  Sparkle Trim (Red Heart);
Washi Tapes (Recollections, American Crafts); Snowflake Wax Seal (Honey Bee); Wax Pellets (Honey Bee);
Tag Corner Punch (We R Memory Keepers); Moonshine Snowflake Sequins (Cartwright's) 

 

Ice Skating Outside

Inspiration: Mojo Monday #251

I kept going with the Santa Express collection, creating new cards based on Mojo Monday sketch #251. The little scene in the circle was punched from one of the Memories & More cards, and matted with Burnished Rose mirror cardstock.

The ribbon used at the bottom is actually one of the ribbons I had dyed with mica Distress spray after watching Tim Holtz's Live presentation. It was actually dyed with orange spray but it dried very pastel and I realized when I held it against the Petal Pink paper that it actually matched, so I decided to put it to good use here. Mrs. Claus' dress was embellished with solid faceted gems. 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies (unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Joyeux Noël (Spellbinders)
Cardstock: Poppy Parade, Bermuda Bay; Burnished Rose Mirror Cardstock (Tonic)
Designer Series Paper, Memories & More Cards: Santa Express
Ink: Shaded Spruce
Dies: Layering Circles; Dotted Rectangle Stackables, Mini Slimline Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
3D Embossing Folder: Tasteful Textile
Accessories: Solid Faceted Gems, Stampin' Dimensionals, White Crinkled Seam Binding,
White Medium Envelopes; Mica Distress Sprays (Tim Holtz for Ranger)

 

Snowman Wishes

Inspiration: Mojo Monday #245

Here is one more card made with the Home for the Holidays collection from Doodlebug (2013) and one of the cards & envelopes from Doodlebug, pulled from the School Days kit. The scalloped card is really cute and does half of the job. For the rest of the design, I drew inspiration from an older Mojo Monday sketch, rounding the corners of patterned papers and matting them with green cardstock and silver foil. The little banners are stickers from the cardstock sticker sheet, and so is the wreath image. I wasn't sure which colour to make my main circle, so I thought to use vellum instead, and emboss it using the Wintry embossing folder. The snowman image actually comes from a cut-apart sheet from another Doodlebug collection (Christmas Town), but the colours fit very well. I cut it out and mounted it on dimensional adhesive. The card base was stamped with little snowflakes and I added a piece of red ribbon. I also added a little die-cut bow to the wreath with mini Stampin' Dimensionals to make the bow stand out more.

The sentiment, which reads "to your whole family for the holidays" was stamped in VersaMark and embossed in Emerald Envy glitter Stampin' Emboss powder. I decorated the envelope to match with stickers.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Moments lumineux, Anges de paix (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Lucky Clover, Vellum (Stampin' Up!); Silver Opulent Cardstok Pack (Sizzix)
 Patterned Papers, This & That Cardstock Stickers, Mini Icons: Home for the Holidays, Christmas Town (Doodlebug Design)
Ink: VersaMark, Granny Apple Green (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Wintry Embossing Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals, Real Red Double Stitched
Satin Ribbon, Emerald Envy glitter embossing powder (Stampin' Up!);
School Days Cards & Envelopes (Doodlebug Design);
Corner Chomper (We R Memory Makers); Mini Wreath Dies (Lawn Fawn)

 

Christmas Tabbed Card

Inspiration: Mojo Monday #437

The starting point for this card was the white tabbed card from Doodlebug's Cards & Envelopes kit and the "Wish List" sticker. I stamped my sentiment in Emerald glitter embossing powder on it and layered it over ribbon. For the circle on the sketch, I decided to hang a little sticker tag from the ribbon bow. I had previously done two die-cut bows for my other card and picked the one I liked the best, so I reused the other one on the gift here. I added a stamp sticker at the bottom and a heart sticker on the tab, topped with two red gems.

The envelope from the set was turquoise, which didn't match, so I made my own envelope out of patterned paper using the envelope punch board. This street and Christmas house pattern is my favorite from the set - I just find it incredibly cute! Because I love the pattern, I didn't want to hide it too much, but I did need an address block over the busy pattern, so I created a small tag out of one of the album inserts, cutting it down to size and punching it with a tag topper punch. I glued it a little lower to avoid hiding the store and house.

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Pétales de poinsettia (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Call Me Clover (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, This & That Cardstock Stickers, Doodles Seals
Cardstock Stickers: Home for the Holidays (Doodlebug Design)
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: Put a Bow on It (Lawn Fawn); Stampin' Dimensionals, Envelope Punch Board,
Wonderful Gems, Emerald Envy Glitter Embossing Powder, Eyelets, Tag Topper Punch,
Silver Cord, Real Red Double Stitched Satin Ribbon (Stampin' Up!)

 

Hilarious

Inspiration: April 2022 Page Maps Sketch

I wanted to craft yesterday and I was struggling to find inspiration, so I decided to put together embellishments, using the Make It Merry collection Simple Stories (released in 2021). Today, I thought if I used the chipboard frames pack and my handmade embellishments, I'd have a nice base for a scrapbook page, so I printed a couple of Christmas pictures and found a sketch for inspiration.

I made my pictures black and white to go with the collection and trimmed them to size for the double-picture frame. I matted the back paper with White Smoke Cardstock (a nice warm white cardstock from My Mind's Eye). 

One of the handmade embellishments I put together was a ribbon cluster, using jewelry clamps and a hanging mother-of-pearl star. I had also done a nice little banner cluster using leftover papers and die-cut images. As well, I had used the Seasonal Sketch dies from Tim Holtz to make layered poinsettias, using the papers from the collection and silver foil paper for the overlay. Those were all arranged on the circle at the top left of the sketch. I thought of using the alphabet stickers from the sticker book for my title, but I was afraid the flat brown letters would get lost in the pattern. Using Thickers gave it a little more shine and weight, giving it enough contrast to stand out.

I typed my journaling in Word and formatted it to fit on one of the cut-apart tags from the papers. I added a sentiment sticker, cut in two, and a cute clip from the cardstock stickers, as well as the word Christmas in a frame at the top of the page. I pulled the two gifts from the puffy stickers and added them to the frame. I used the holly image from the puffy stickers at the right of the title.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: White Smoke (My Mind's Eye); 
Metallic Kraft-stock (Tim Holtz for Idea-ology)
Patterned Papers, Cardstock Stickers, Sticker Book, Puffy Stickers, Enamel Dots,
Decorative Brads, Chipboard Frames: Make It Merry (Simple Stories)
Dies: Seasonal Sketch (Tim Holtz for Sizzix)
Accessories: Baker's Twine (Recollections); Stampin' DImensionals, Ribbons (Stampin' Up!);
Star Charm, Silver Clamp (Bead Landing); Say It WIth Crystals (Prima Marketing);
Garden Party Thickers (American Crafts); White Ricrac (Fabric Store);
Letters to Santa Washi Tape (Carta Bella)

 

Wish on a Snowflake

Inspiration: Mojo Monday #343 + 52 Christmas Card Throwdown (Snowflakes)

Earlier this year, I found some Doodlebug Cards & Envelopes kits on sale. One of the kits was School Days, but since the cards were monochromatic and that Doodlebug introduces the same colours in their various lines, I knew they would probably be easy to pair with other collections. This week, I was playing with the Home for the Holidays collection, so I pulled the red card out of the kit and looked for a design that would work with it. 

I started my design around the snowman block sticker, so I looked though old Mojo Monday sketch for something that would have a long rectangle on it. Inspired by sketch #343, I used a scrap of paper with trees on it and matted it with brushed silver cardstock. In the back, I included two green paper scraps to fill in the space. 

I used the Snowfall stencil from Newton's Nook and Ranger's Metallic White texture paste to add snowflakes in the background. I also die-cut a little snowflake out of white glimmer paper and added to to the snowman block. I stamped a sentiment in VersaMark at the top and embossed it with red powder. I glued the snowman block to the tree paper using dimensional adhesive and wrapped white scrubby sparkle yarn, topped with a glitter button, before adding to the card base. To finish embellishing, I added glitter enamel dots at the top, a decorative brad from a Simple Stories collection and a little red gem. 

I used paper and stickers to embellish the matching envelope, and I cut down one of the album inserts so that it would be added inside the card without showing on the side, so that it would be easier to write a message than on the patterned red.

 

 

 

 

  

 

Supplies
Stamps: Pétales de poinsettia (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Silver Opulent Cardstock (Sizzix); White and Red Glimmer Paper (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Simply Put 4x6 Album Inserts, Stickers: Home for the Holidays (Doodlebug Design)
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: School Days Cards & Envelopes (Doodlebug Design); Make It Merry Decorative Brads (Simple Stories);
Mini Snowflakes Dies (Lawn Fawn); Toile Tidings Glitter Enamel Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); 
Red Embossing Powder (Top Boss); Snowfall Stencil (Newton's Nook); July Crystals (Studio Katia);
Metallic White Texture Paste (Ranger); Santa's Sparkle Buttons (Buttons Galore & More);
Marshmallow Scrubby Sparkle Yarn (Red Heart)

 

Vintage Sled

Inspiration: In[k]spire Me #494

I assembled this cute sled when I received the dies, using red foil paper for the sled base, and I despite auditioning it on a few projects, I couldn't get it to work. Tonight, I was playing with the Make It Merry collection released by Simple Stories in 2021 and I found that I really liked the sled placed over the cardinal paper background. I had this white cardstock embossed with the Ski Lodge embossing folder and while I like the pattern, the white was clashing with the paper, so I embossed a piece of warm white cardstock and it made a huge difference.

I tested the Vintage Merry Christmas die cut out of Lime Color Vibe cardstock and the vintage font matched the sled very well. Before adding the sentiment, I matted the embossed paper with Green Color Vibe cardstock and used my Deckle Trimmer to cut the edges. (I know it got mixed review when it was released, but I personally love the soft vintage touch it adds to projects. I added a cardinal puffy sticker to the top of the sentiment.

The top seemed a little bare, so I cut a stitched banner using the Tasteful Labels dies and I topped it with a decorative brad from the collection. I decorated the inside of the card and the envelope with matching stickers.

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: White Smoke (My Mind's Eye); Lime, Green Color Vibe (Simple Stories);
White Grosgrain (Memory Box); Red Foil Sheets (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Puffy Stickers, Sticker Book, Decorative Brads: Make It Merry (Simple Stories)
Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Vintage Merry Christmas (Carta Bella); Large Vintage Sled (Memory Box);
Tasteful Labels (Stampin' Up!); Dotted Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Ski Lodge Embossing Folder (Spellbinders); 
Deckle Trimmer (Tim Holtz for Tonic); Blender Brushes (Waffle Flower);
A2 Fairway Metallic Envelope (Envelopes.com)

 

Santa's Route

Inspiration: Mojo Monday #274 + In[k]spire Me #494

After I was finished packaging my Christmas gifts, I decided to use the Home for the Holidays collection from Doodlebug (2013) to make a card. Hopefully, some more Christmas cards will be collected next year to give to the children's hospital again and those fun, cutesy collections are perfect to make cards for a younger audience, so I figured, why not start the new stash...

I went to my list of old Mojo Monday sketches and picked one based on the Santa image I wanted to use. I liked the idea of making a circle card, so I pulled out my Tonic layering circles dies (the largest ones I have) and prepared the card base, plus three layers of patterned papers. I used the street paper for the rectangle behind Santa and matted it with brushed silver cardstock before die-cutting the circle.

Tip: To ensure that the card stands up on a flat surface, I cut a small portion at the bottom of the card backside. This also ensures that the card stays level when it is displayed. 

I picked a sentiment from the French Spellbinders stamp set (still excited about that one), stamped it in Gumball Green ink and cut the strip at an angle, before adding to the circle and cutting the edge to match. I added a sparkly button from Buttons Galore & More, threaded with silver cord. I added white mini pompoms from Queen & Co to the Santa suit and hat.

The overdyed seam binding I used is actually hand dyed. It was inspired by one of the Facebook Lives Tim did this season, where he used his Distress mica sprays to dye seam binding. I was curious so I tried it with a couple of ribbons I had on hand. The seam binding worked out the best, especially to hold the crinkling after it dried. I got this really cool green shade that will work well with a lot of holiday collections in my stash. I will need to dye more and now I'm wondering if I'll be able to reproduce the same colour, as we know with hand dying that every time produces unique results.

I made a square envelope out of matching patterned paper, using one of the stickers for the address block and adding a stamp sticker, since this card will most likely be hand delivered. Considering how hard it was to find my crafting groove earlier today, I'm pretty happy with this finished project.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Joyeux Noël (Spellbinders)
Cardstock: Smoky Slate, Basic White (Stampin' Up!); Silver Opulent Cardstock (Sizzix)
Patterned Papers, This & That Stickers: Home for the Holidays (Doodlebug Design)
Ink: Gumball Green (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Layering Circles (Tonic)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Envelope Punch Board, Seam Binding (Stampin' Up!);
Santa's Sparkle Buttons (Buttons Galore & More); Black and White Mini Pompoms (Queen & Co);
Mica Distress Sprays (Tim Holtz for Ranger); Silver Cord (Unknown Source)

 

Doubleheader Skating in North Pole

Inspiration: Mojo Monday #249

Having images ready to fussy cut from the Designer Series paper really makes the process of cardmaking faster and easier. Here, I fussy-cut the image of Santa and Mrs. Claus skating together and created a little scene for them based on an old Mojo Monday sketch. I have not been into the DSP as much in recent years, but the Santa Express DSP is right up my alley. I love the retro colours and the variety of patterns in the pack (no repeats in different colours, a personal pet peeve as it makes designing harder).

The sentiment comes from the Angels of Peace stamp set. It's a three-line sentiment, but I inked the first line with a Stampin' Write marker and cut it using a little tag die. I couldn't find ribbon that I like threaded in the dainty tag, so I used an eyelet instead and placed the die-cut bow from the Santa's Train die set underneath. At the bottom of the card, I lined up In Color opal rounds. I liked having Mrs. Claus' cape hanging off the side of the card, so I made an oversize envelope (4½" x 5½") to accommodate for the overhang.

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies (Unless Otherwise Noted)
Stamps: Anges de paix
Cardstock: Mint Macaron, Basic White, Granny Apple Green
Designer Series Paper: Santa Express
Ink: Shaded Spruce Stampin' Write Marker
Dies: Santa's Train, Stitched So Sweetly; Lacy Borders (Lawn Fawn)
Do-It-All Gift Tag, Wonky Stitched Rectangle STAX (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Eyelets, 2021-2023 In Color Opal Rounds,
Envelope Punch Board

 

Mrs. Claus' Kitchen

Inspiration: Freshly Made Sketch #565

I thought the Let's Bake dies from Elizabeth Craft Designs could pair nicely with the Baking Spirits Bright collection from Simple Stories, so I started assembling the cooking lady using cardstock in colors that matched the collection. It should be noted that this die set does not include the face part, so you do need to have another matching die set in order to have a complete character. Here, I used the Mrs. Claus die set as well to complete her. She's holding her cookie sheet a little awkwardly so I'm wondering if I picked the right set of arms, since there's a few arm positions to choose from in the set. The little oven mittens are definitely a cute detail, though.

There was this cut-apart image from the paper that reads "Mrs. Claus' Kitchen in a frame, which was perfect for her and for the Freshly Made Sketch, so I added patterned paper at the bottom and matted the side with red cardstock. I've started using the Color Vibe cardstock when using the Simple Stories paper to make color matching easier. I stamped my sentiment on a strip of Mint cardstock using the Joyeux Noël set from Spellbinders and I used the Treasured Tags Pick a Punch to punch the end. I used enamel dots and decorative brads to add details to the images and a little fussy cut cookie at the top, on the edge of the ricrac border.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Joyeux Noël (Spellbinders)
Cardstock: Petal Pink (Stampin' Up!); Metallic Kraft-stock (Tim Holtz for Idea-ology);
Mint, Red, White, Pear, Black Color Vibe (Simple Stories)
Patterned Papers, Sticker Book, Decorative Brads, Enamel Dots: Baking Spirits Bright (Simple Stories)
Ink: Mossy Meadow (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Mrs. Claus, Let's Bake (Elizabeth Craft Designs)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensioinals, Envelope Punch Board, Treasured Tags
Pick a Punch (Stampin' Up!); Markers (Copic); Deckle Trimmer (Tim Holtz for Tonic)

 

Santa Express

A little something simple inspired by the Santa Express Designer Series paper. I cut the wagon and train images with the matching dies, used the background scene paper and added a strip of green paper at the top. On the Petal Pink card base, I stamped the stars in matching ink.

The sentiment was stamped in Evening Evergreen ink on Mint Macaron cardstock and die-cut using the Stitched Shapes dies. I dug out the retired Santa's Workshop enamel shapes to add a bow to the top of the circle, little green dots to the train and "smoke" coming out of the engine. At the bottom, I used a sparkly white ribbon (now retired). A mini white pompom was added to Santa's hat.

A matching envelope was made out of patterned paper and topped with a shape from the Stitched So Sweetly die set.

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies (unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Wagon de cadeaux
Cardstock: Petal Pink, Mint Macaron, Granny Apple Green, Basic White
Designer Series Paper: Santa Express
Ink: Petal Pink, Evening Evergreen
Dies: Stitched So Sweetly, Stitched Shapes, Santa's Train
Accessories: Santa's Workshop Enamel Shapes, White Sparkly Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Envelope Punch Board; Black and White Mini Pompoms (Queen & Co)

 

Smiley Santa

Inspiration: The Paper Players #620

The Santa Express suite was the first thing that jumped out at me when I leafed through the new Holidays minicatalogue. I have a sweet spot for train and I love retro-inspired Christmas collections and unusual colour schemes, so it was love at first sight for this suite. I got most of the items, including the Memories & More card pack. One of the 4" X 6" card from this pack became the starting point for this project.

I matted the card with Petal Pink cardstock, punched the bottom with a Round Binding Edge punch, embossed it with the Wintry embossing folder and inked the edges for better definition. I die-cut a pine branch using the Decorated Pine dies and sandwiched it between the two layers. I stamped the little stars and dots from the Decorated with Happiness stamp set in Crumb Cake ink to add to the Santa card's background, and I sprinkled a few Polished Dots in there as well.

The wooden hohoho came from the card pack as well. It doesn't have any colour in the pack (light wood veneer) but I covered it with VersaMark and used the Emerald Envy glitter embossing powder (from many minicatalogues ago) to colour the die-cut. In the back, I tied a bow of Smoky Slate textured ribbon (also retired). That made the card a little bulky, so I handmade a matching envelope out of patterned paper and I made it slightly larger to accommodate the bow.

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies (unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Fêtes branchées
Cardstock: Petal Pink, Shaded Spruce
Designer Series Paper: Santa Express
Ink: VersaMark, Petal Pink
Accessories: Emerald Envy Glitter Embossing Powder, Sponge Daubers, Wintry 3D Embossing Folders,
Decorated Pine Dies, Santa Express Memories & More Card Pack, Polished Dots,
Smoky Slate Textured Ribbon, Envelope Punch Board, 
Round Binding Edge Punch (EK Tools)

 

Winston All Bundled Up

Inspiration: Hand Stamped Sentiments #403 (snowman from mood board)

Winston is one of my favorite snowman dies out there and he was on my wish list when Tim released his new dies... until I saw the price. That gave me pause. I was lucky to find him on sale recently, so this is my first time putting him together. I basically just went through my paper scraps and assembled him. I'm happy to report that he is one of the easiest Colorize die-cuts I've put together so far.

Then I was so enamored with the result that I wanted to turn him into a card. I went back to look into my scrap drawers and it turns out that I recently pulled apart some My Mind's Eye 6" x 6" pad, thinking I might have better luck using the paper if it was filed by colours rather than as a full collection and it seems my theory was right, because I found all of the colours I needed to reproduce the Color Throwdown combo, pairing different papers together.

Another recent acquisition is the gorgeous Crest stencil that Tim Holtz just released this week. I love that it looks like a fancy flourish or wallpaper and I think it will class up a lot of my projects. Here, it was paired with the Champagne Stardust Butter, which I couldn't wait to try, and this product does not disappoint. The shimmer is beautiful without being overwhelming, the consistency is great and not too runny and the gold is a nice antique colour that's not too brassy. I'm really pleased with this new purchase, and how it looks on the newsprint paper.

I layered a mustard gold paper and a polka dot one, and I die-cut a Seasonal Seal out of Blue Obsidian mirror cardstock from Tonic. I used Old White wax from Finnabair to highlight the details. At the top, I added a sentiment die-cut out of Cobalt Blue glitter cardstock, layered over vellum. I added mini gold pearls to the scarf and red rhinestones to the berries.

To fit Winston comfortably, I made my card 4½" x 6", which means that I made my own oversized envelope out of 12" x 12" patterned paper and I repeated the Seasonal Seals on the envelope as well.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Navy (My Colors); Textured White (American Crafts); Navy, Green (Bazzill);
Blue Obsidian Mirror, Cobalt Blue Glitter (Tonic)
Patterned Papers: Assorted Scraps (My Mind's Eye, Prima Marketing, Bella Blvd.)
Ink: Antique Linen Distress (Ranger)
Dies: Winston, Colorize (Tim Holtz for Sizzix); Seasonal Seals Switchlits (Sizzix); Stitched Mini Scallop 
Square STAX (My Favorite Things); Falalalala (Paper Rose)
Accessories: Sponge Dauber, Stampin' Dimensionals, Envelope Punch Board,
Metallic Pearls (Stampin' Up!); Champagne Stardust Butter (The Crafters Workshop);
Crest Stencil (Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous); Old White Wax (Finnabair)

 

Santa Gnome

Inspiration: October 2022 Card Maps Sketch + The Paper Players #620

I wanted to put together the cute Holiday Gnome die-cut, so I picked a paper collection to match it with and I pulled out Sugarplum from My Mind's Eye (2016). This is a really quick and easy assembly. I used white velvet paper for the pompom and the hat trim, for a bit of texture.

I then turned to the Card Map sketches for inspiration. I used a 5¼" x 5¼" white card base, but I ended up glittering the edges with the antique gold glitter I have in my Recollections Halloween assorted glitter set. I put double-sided tape on all four sides of the card and burnished the glitter into it. I figured if I didn't like the look, I could just use another card base, but it actually worked out very nicely!

The Ho Ho Ho was die-cut out of glimmer paper and staggered a little bit to add dimension to the design. I used gold striped washi paper between the two papers and a little poinsettia image that was fussy cut from the patterned paper. The snowflake was die-cut using the Sparkly Snowflakes dies and I added another fussy cut snowflake topped with a pearl in the center.

The tree felt a little bare, so I added small metallic pearls from Stampin' Up! to it. I added fussy cut images to the inside of the card and the envelope as well.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Poppy Parade, Basic White, Soft Suede, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Sky,
White Velvet Sheets, Champagne Glimmer Paper (Stampin' Up!); 
Square Card Bases and Envelopes (Docrafts)
Patterned Papers: Sugar Plum (My Mind's Eye)
Dies: Ho Ho Ho (Creative Expressions); Sparkly Snowflakes (Crafter's Companion);
Holiday Gnome (Echo Park)
Accessories: Washi Tape (Unknown Source); Arctic Breeze Pearls (Studio Katia);
Halloween Assorted Glitter Set (Recollections)