Encre, papier, ciseaux

Joyful Figgy Pudding

Inspiration: Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Anything Goes)

I circled back to the Joyful collection from Cocoa Vanilla to try and finish it off. I paired it with the Dancin' Figgy Pudding dies from Spellbinders, which are just so incredibly cute. I picked my cardstock colour to match the patterned papers and assembled the character to have the moving legs.

For the rest of the card, I die-cut the plaid paper using the Wonky Stitched Rectangle STAX dies and I picked a sentiment banner from the chipboard piece that can work for both a French or English card. I used the 25 dec. banner from the ephemera pack and I tied a piece of baker's twine at the top to add another touch of gold. I used two of the stars from the same ephemera pack in the background. For the third star, I used a gold puffy star. 

I placed the little envelope from the puffy stickers in the character's hand, and I added a wooden button next to the banner at the bottom. I mounted the card front on a Mint Macaron card base.

I picked a Rose Quartz metallic envelope and I decorated it with a strip of patterned paper and more ephemera pieces.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Mint Macaron, Lost Lagoon, Blushing Bride, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Basic Black (Stampin' Up!);
Glacier Glitter Paper (Pinkfresh Studio)
Patterned Papers, Die Cut Ephemera, Wooden Buttons, Puffy Stars, Chipboard Stickers,
Puffy Stickers: Joyful (Cocoa Vanilla)
Dies: Wonky Stitched Rectangle STAX (My Favorite Things); Dancin' Figgy Pudding (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Gold Crochet Thread (Michaels); Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!);
White Gel Pen (Sakura); A2 Metallic Rose Quartz Envelope (Envelopes.com)

 

Bundled Up for Christmas

Before putting away the Bundled Up paper pad, I thought I would pair it with the Big Tidings dies and make a card with a giant Noel on it. I did the shadow piece out of red mirror cardstock and cut the word Noel out of blue polka dot paper. I used the winter word patterned paper in the background, cut with a scalloped rectangle die. I used a strip of patterned paper to ground the word and I die-cut the holly berry out of patterned paper. I used one of my leftover holographic snowflakes in the top left corner and one of my wooden snowflakes in the opposite corner. 

This was a really quick and simple project, but it helped me to put some more of the patterned paper to good use.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Mysterious Myst (Stampin' Up!); Holographic Foil (Recollections);
Red Mirror (Prism Studio)
Patterned Papers: Bundled Up (Carta Bella)
Dies: Scalloped Contours (Stampin' Up!); Dotted Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn);
Big Tidings (Tim Holtz for Sizzix); 3D Snowflake (Anna Griffin)
Accessories: Pearl Adhesive-Backed Berries, Toile Tidings Glitter Enamel Dots,
Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Wooden Snowflake (DeSerres);
Say It in Crystals (Prima Marketing); A2 Metallic Sapphire Envelope (Envelopes.com)

 

Yeti Greetings and Winter Reading

Inspiration: In[k]spire Me #560

To use the remaining pieces of paper from the Bundled Up pad, I put together a square envelope inspired by the In[k]spire Me sketch, and I put together the little yeti from the Snow Cute Doodle Cuts die set. The large sentiment was die-cut out of holographic cardstock and added to a large banner piece. 

For the circle, I layered the Darling Doily over a piece of Mysterious Mist cardstock, because the doily was getting lost in the background pattern. I used the little snowflakes from the same die set, and another wood snowflake, topped with a faceted gem.

 

 

Then, I was left with very little paper so I used up the scraps to make bookmarks. I embellished one of them with the little penguin, made with the Snow Cute die set, and for the rest, I reached into my stash, pulled out the sticker sheet from A Perfect Winter by Echo Park, which fit perfectly and allowed me to quickly embellish the bookmarks.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Basic Black, Basic White, Mysterious Mist, Morning Marigold (Stampin' Up!);
Holographic Foil (Recollections)
Patterned Papers: Bundled Up (Carta Bella)
Dies: Snow Cute Doodle Cuts (Doodlebug Design); Zig Zag Circle (Pink & Main);
Tall Tag Duo (My Favorite Things); Meilleurs voeux (DIY & Cie); Darling Doily (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Faceted Gems Trio Pack (Stampin' Up!); Wood Snowflakes (DeSerres);
Square Card Base and Envelope (DoCrafts)

 

December 25

Inspiration: Hand Stamped Sentiments #461 + Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Patterned Paper, featuring Doodlebug)

I looked through my Doodlebug paper pads and picked Milk & Cookies, which I paired with Tim Holtz's Christmas Minis side-order. I cut my different pieces following the Hand Stamped Sentiments sketch and I used one of the cut-apart as my main image. I put together the candy cane and the holly berry to arrange over and under the image. I wrapped red and white baker's twine around the right-side paper and I added a big bling in the corner of the main image.

I repeated one of the cut-apart images on the envelope to match.

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Thick Basic White (Stampin' Up!); Glacier 
Patterned Papers: Milk & Cookies (Doodlebug Design)
Dies: Dotted Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn); Scalloped Contours (Stampin' Up!);
Christmas Minis Sidekick Side-Order (Tim Holtz for Sizzix)
Accessories: Large Rhinestone, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Baker's Twine (Simon Says Stamp);
Cherry Red A2 Envelope (Envelopes.com)

 

Santa Greetings

Inspiration: Freshly Made Sketch #682 

I pulled one of the paper pads I'm trying to finish, Bundled Up from Carta Bella, and placed a few pieces at an angle to mimic the sketch. I placed strips of holographic paper in between the paper pieces for added shine.

For the main image, I decided to assemble the Santa Greetings Colorize dies. I was my first time assembling him and I had to go look up the assembly video because I was a little lost, but I ended up making it work. Rather than use the individual letters to create the message he's holding, I pulled the Holiday Banner dies and used the "Noel" one. Pulling another die set, I die-cut the word "merry" from red mirror paper to complete the sentiment. I added a wooden snowflake at the bottom and a die-cut holographic snowflake at the top.

I decorated a red envelope with matching patterned paper and another holographic snowflake to match.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Grey, Basic Black, Basic White, Petal Pink (Stampin' Up!);
Fog (Lawn Fawn); Red Mirror (Prism Studio); Holographic Foil (Recollections)
Patterned Papers: Bundled Up (Carta Bella)
Dies: Santa Greetings, Colorize (Tim Holtz for Sizzix); Holiday Banners (Scrapbook.com);
Scalloped Contours (Stampin' Up!); 3D Snowflake (Anna Griffin); Joyeux Noël (Simon Says Stamp)
Accessories: Drusy Adhesive-Backed Embellishments, Pearl Adhesive-Backed Berries, Faceted Gem Trio Pack,
Wonderful Gems, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); A2 Cherry Red Envelope (Envelopes.com)

 

Whimsical Ho Ho Ho

The next paper collection on my radar to try and finish off is Stampin' Up!'s Season of Cheer. I found My Favorite Things' Ho Ho Ho dies and thought this could fill out a card front nicely, so I paired red mirror cardstock and Night of Navy cardstock to assemble the sentiment, and then I picked which paper it would show up the best against. I did love the watercolored light strings, so I cut a piece out with the Dotted Rectangle dies and i picked a couple of other patterned papers to layer underneath.

To add texture, I placed a piece of pompom Pool Party ribbon and tied a piece of Night of Navy/Sahara Sand baker's twine over it. I added red gems to the words to dress them up, and I made a matching envelope out of a remaining full sheet from the same pack.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Basic White, Night of Navy (Stampin' Up!); Red Mirror (Prism Studio)
Designer Series Paper: Season of Cheer (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Dotted Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn); Ho Ho Ho (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Stampin' Dimensionals, Night of Navy/Sahara Sand
Baker's Twine (Stampin' Up!); July Crystals (Studio Katia)

 

Winter Mason Jar

Inspiration: The Paper Players #730 + Festive Friday #180 (stripes + torn paper + musical notes)

I found an old collection called Merry Merry from Pebbles and decided to pair it with the Paper Players sketch. My design came together very quickly. I liked that the mason jar was just the right size to represent the circle from the sketch, and I found some red sentiment strips that I had leftover from another project. I picked the one that says "Just because" to use as my sentiment. I wanted to incorporate torn paper so I added two pieces underneath the sentiment strip - a piece of Old Olive cardstock that had been embossed with the Mini Corrugated embossing folder and a piece of specialty paper. I remembered I had some wooden snowflakes in colours that would match the collection, so I pulled them out and I topped them with silver metallic gems. I also added a tiny clear heart at the bottom of the jar. I used patterned paper to make my matching envelope as well. 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Plaisir d'offrir #3 (4 en scrap)
Cardstock: Old Olive (Stampin' Up!); Snowdrop Meadow (Tonic)
Patterned Papers, Accent Stickers: Merry Merry (Pebbles)
Ink: VersaMark
Dies: Cross-Stitched Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Emboss Powder, Envelope Punch Board, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Mini Corrugated 3D Embossing Folder (Stampin' Up!); Crystal Clear Hearts (Essentials by Ellen);
Silver Crystals (Studio Katia); Wood Snowflakes (DeSerres)

 

Santa's On His Way

Inspiration: One Fold - Six Card Designs tutorial from Einat Kessler (March 2025 Card Making Success Summit) + Jingle Belles (Predominently green)

I was following along Einat's video where she uses one card fold six different ways and I thought I could easily use a cut-apart image for the centre image, so I looked through my paper collections and pulled out Santa Express from Stampin' Up! (retired), as I realized it would be a great way to use up the journaling cards. I used the one with the Santa on a train image for the card front and I used another one with room to journal on right underneath as the space to write inside the card. When selecting papers and cardstock, I focused on adding green so that the card could work for Jingle Belles' predominantly green challenge. 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Ode à Noël, Classiques de Noël (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Shaded Spruce, Granny Apple Green (Stampin' Up!)
Designer Series Paper, Journaling Cards and Accessories: Santa Express (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Shaded Spruce, Granny Apple Green (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Stitched Banners (Lawn Fawn); Scalloped Contours (Stampin' Up!);
Stitched Ric Rac (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Elegant Faceted Gems, Sequins,
Envelope Punch Board (Stampin' Up!); Arrow Wood Veneer (Unknown)

 

Joyful Journaling Cards

Inspiration: My Time to Craft Christmas #108 (Use Ribbon)

I am making good progress on finishing up the Joyful collection, but I still had a few journaling cards to use up, so I decided to make a couple the main focus of the card, and pairing them with the chipboard gift and stocking images. I matted one of the journaling cards with Glacier glitter paper and the other one in gold mirror cardstock.

I also had two angles pieces of paper that were seemingly leftover from previous card I had done, so I layered those over remaining patterned paper to make quick backgrounds. I used the Pool Party Pompom ribbon, which pairs very nicely with this collection. I added puffy stickers to the images and gold chipboard stars.

I used the matching chipboard images on Lagoon metallic envelopes to finish the set.

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Gold Mirri (Hunkydory); Glacier Glitter Paper (Pinkfresh Studio)
Patterned Papers, Chipboard Stickers, Journaling Cards, Puffy Stickers, Accessories Stickers: Joyful (Cocoa Vanilla)
Dies: Cross-Stitched Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Crystal Clear Hearts (Essentials by Ellen); A2 Lagoon Metallic Envelopes (Envelopes.com);
Pool Party Pompom Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); 
Christmas Puffy Sentiment Stickers (Spellbinders); Washi Tape (Recollections)

 

Festive Candy Cane

Inspiration: Mojo Monday #301

This is another card created with leftovers from Cocoa Vanilla's Joyful collection. For the main image, I fussy cut the candy cane from one of the journaling cards and I layered it over a plaid die-cut oval. I tucked a few greenery ephemera pieces and puffy stickers underneath.

For the card front, I followed the design of an old Mojo Monday sketch. I added a couple of die-cut stars, my last wooden button and a banner sticker from the sticker sheet. I added a clear heart on the banner and a couple of staples, which I colored gold using a gold foil marker. I added an enamel dot to the center of the ribbon bow on the candy cane image.

I made a matching envelope out of my remaining sheet of patterned paper. I layered two ovals to create a journaling block, and I added a chipboard candy cane topped with a chipboard holly berry image. I also used little gold die-cut hearts to the other side.

 

 

 

 Supplies
Card Base: #2 Card Bases (Photoplay)
Patterned Papers, Puffy Stickers, Accessories Stickers, Chipboard Stickers, 
Die-Cut Ephemera, Journaling Cards, Wooden Buttons: Joyful (Cocoa Vanilla)
Dies: Cross-Stitched Rectangle Stackables, Stitched Oval Stackables (Lawn Fawn);
Foundation 17 (Queen & Co); Wonky Stitched Ovals STAX (My Favorite Things);
Wanted to Say (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Stapler (Stampin' Up!);
Enamel Dots (Spellbinders); Crystal Clear Hearts (Essentials by Ellen)

 

A Gift Under the Christmas Tree

Inspiration: TGIF Challenge #515 

I was working on finishing an old pack of Crate Paper chipboard embellishments and they fit the TGIF color challenge very nicely, so I picked patterned papers that matched the color scheme and created a few layers to create a base for the Christmas tree and gift chipboard pieces. I stamped a sentiment that reads "Best Wishes" in Fresh Freesia ink and fussy cut it out, then popped it on dimensional adhesive.

I tied Crushed Curry baker's twine around the rectangle, and I used the leftover Sequin Mix pieces I had from my previous card. I used matching patterned paper to make my envelope and I used the last chipboard piece to decorate it. One more embellishment package completed used - small crafting victory of the day!

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Souhaits des Fêtes (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Green (Bazzill)
Patterned Papers: Various Scraps
Ink: Fresh Freesia (Stampin' Up!);
Dies: Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black); Dotted Rectangle Stackables, Sequin Mix (Lawn Fawn);
Stitched Shapes (Stampin' Up!); Concave Rectangles (Pink & Main)
Accessories: Crushed Curry Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals, Envelope Punch Board (Stampin' Up!);
Thrift Store Borders Rub-Ons (October Afternoon)

 

Winter Snow Day

Inspiration: 52 Christmas Card Throwdown (March Sketch)

I'm trying to finish using up the Winter Fun paper pack from Carta Bella (2012). The 52 Christmas Card Throwdown sketch was perfect for it. I used the Doily Hearts die from Lawn Fawn to create the circle from the sketch, and I used my Scalloped Stitched Nesting Circles dies to die-cut one of the images from the patterned paper to use as my main image.

I stamped "Merry Christmas" in the lower right corner in Lost Lagoon ink. I used a Copic marker to color the hearts on the doily for added detail, and I finished the card off with enamel dots.

I die-cut the same image from the other sheet of paper in the pack and added it to a Crumb Cake medium envelope to match the card.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Souhaits des Fêtes (Stampin' Up!(
Cardstock: Tip Top Taupe (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Winter Fun (Carta Bella)
Ink: Lost Lagoon (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Doily Hearts, Dotted Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn); 
Scalloped Stitched Nested Circles (Tutti Designs)
Accessories: Banner Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Crumb Cake Medium Envelope (Stampin' Up!);
Ice Ice Baby Gumdrops (Your Next Stamp); Marker (Copic); 
Simple Vintage Berry Fields Glossy Enamel Dots (Simple Stories) 

 

New Year Snowflake

Inspiration: Sheetload of Cards March 2025 + Cut It Up Challenges #324 (Tie It Up)

I played with the Sheetload of Cards March cutting template today, picking the Winter Fun collection from Carta Bella (2012) as my base. I tried to see if there was retired cardstock I could use and it happens that Tip Top Taupe was a perfect match to the paper. I did not like left blank, so I pulled the very old Serene Snowflakes stamp set from Stampin' Up! and stamped the small snowflakes around the card base.

I did not want to mat everything with the same cardstock colour, so I picked through my cardstock scraps and decided between Baja Breeze and Cherry Cobbler depending on which colour looked the best with the patterns I had paired on each card.

I did the same thing for the twine I wrapped around the left panel, I picked between Very Vanilla and Cherry Cobbler based on what looked best, and it worked out that I finished my roll of Vanilla cotton twine on the very last card, so it felt good to use something up completely.

I wanted to die-cut a large snowflake, and I picked the Fanciful Snowflakes dies from Tim Holtz. This is a set I had received for free with an online order and I had never really used it much, so it was a good chance to put more mileage on it. I picked a pearly vanilla paper from Stampin' Up! to die-cut the snowflake out of.

For the sentiment, I used the Stitched Banners dies from Lawn Fawn to cut banners out of patterned paper and I stamped the "Happy New Year" sentiment from a Stampin' Up! stamp set on it. I initially picked the scripty font, but I ended up switching to the cleaner font on other cards and liking it better. I added two gems to the center of the snowflake and end of the banner to decorate. 

For the matching envelopes, I picked a dark cherry red envelope and stamped the snowflakes from the same stamp set on them in matching ink. This gave me a total of 8 different cards, as per the original instructions.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Serene Snowflakes, Souhaits des Fêtes (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Tip Top Taupe, Pearlized Paper (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Paper: Winter Fun (Carta Bella)
Ink: Crumb Cake, Island Indigo (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Fanciful Snowflakes (Tim Holtz for Sizzix); Stitched Banners (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Gems (Graphic 45); Festive Farm Cotton Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!);
A2 Envelopes (Envelopes.com)

 

Yuletide Wreath

Inspiration: 52 Christmas Card Throwdown (Masculine Christmas)

I had to think about what masculine Christmas means to me, but I kept thinking of the Simple Vintage Yuletide collection, so I decided to pull it out and see what I could make with it. I picked neutral images like the large wreath and I fussy cut some bells from the patterned paper. The word Noel was added using the rub-ons, giving me the option to send this card to someone who speaks French or someone who speaks English. The design is quite simple as this is mostly a lot of die-cutting and layering elements from the collection.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Thick Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Cardstock Stickers, Rub-Ons, Designer Brads,
Enamel Dots: Simple Vintage Yuletide (Simple Stories)
Dies: Thick Flag Banner (Pink & Main); Cross-Stitched Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn);
Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black)
Accessories: A2 Avocado Envelope (Envelopes.com); Hemp Twine (Hemptique);
Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

 

Santa Cup

Inspiration: Tic Tac Toe #264 (Enamel Dots + Die-Cuts + Dry/Heat Embossing) + Little Red Wagon #794 (Red Alert) + TGIF Challenge #512 

On a whim, I decided I wanted to assemble the Christmas Cocoa set from Doodlebug Design. I was really happy when Doodlebug decided to create the Doodle Cuts, giving us the chance to create our own die-cut images in their trademark cutesy style. Isn't that cup and aren't those gingerbread cookies adorable? The little squiggly hair on the top of their heads just take it over the top. You just have to arm yourself with patience and the right tools to handle those teeny tiny dots and bows, but the result is worth the extra effort.

Once my images were assembled, I embossed a piece of Pear Pizzazz cardstock using the Forever Plaid 3D embossing folder from Stampin' Up! I matted this piece with Early Espresso cardstock, and I mounted it on an piece of Real Red cardstock embossed with the Vintage Ornaments 3D folder from Spellbinders. I tied red and white twine at the bottom and created my sentiment, which reads "Just for You", using a stamp and matching die set from 4 en Scrap. I added enamel dots in matching colours at the top.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: À ouvrir sans tarder (4 En Scrap)
Cardstock Base and Envelope: DoCrafts
Cardstock: Real Red, Pear Pizzazz, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Basic White, Basic Black, Blush Blossom (Stampin' Up!);
Red Mirror (Prism Studio); Green Glitter (Unknown); Golden Satin Specialty (Tonic)
Ink: VersaMark
Embossing Folders: Forever Plaid (Stampin' Up!); Vintage Ornaments (Spellbinders)
Dies: Cadres #11 (4 En Scrap); Christmas Cocoa (Doodlebug Design)
Accessories: Red Embossing Powder (Top Boss); Red and White Twine (Simon Says Stamp);
White Glitter Foam (Spellbinders); Bright Glitter and Red, White and Blue Sprinkles (Doodlebug Design);
Stampin' Dimensionals, Real Red & White Adhesive-Backed Peppermints (Stampin' Up!)

 

Let It Snow

Inspiration: Cut It Up Challenge #323 (This Makes Me Smile - Lawn Fawn does!)

I finally tested my coloring stencils from Lawn Fawn for the first time, using the Simply Celebrate Santa set. This was a very clever addition by Lawn Fawn to their product line, to offer a different and easy way to color their images. I've been using the little brushes from Spellbinders and I'm not sure how I feel about them, I might need to test other tools to see what I like better.

I looked in my Lawn Fawn paper pads and pulled out Let's Bokeh in the Snow to create my background. I picked the blue bokeh patterned for the bottom, and die-cut the Giant Let It Snow sentiment from Spellbinders' white sparkly foam. To fill the space underneath, I added a Aidan Snowflake die-cut, and I also created a border with the Scalloped Arches Border dies and red foil cardstock. I added sequins to fill in the space, and pulled a metallic green envelope to match.

This made for an interesting result. Not sure this is my favorite creation, but it did give me the chance to play with some supplies and test things out. I realize the coloring with the stencils is softer than when using alcohol markers, so the image does not stand out against patterned papers the same way. Something to keep in mind when deciding which medium to pick when coloring my images.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps, Stencils and Dies: Let's Celebrate Santa (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Basic White (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Let's Bokeh in the Snow (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Dies: Giant Let It Snow, Cross-Stitched Rectangle Stackables, Scalloped Arches Border (Lawn Fawn);
Aidan Snowflake (Simon Says Stamp); Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black)
Accessories: Brushes (Spellbinders); Stampin' Dimensionals, Loose Silver Sequins (Stampin' Up!);
White Glitter Foam (Spellbinders); Snowflakes Glitter (Studio Katia); A2 Fairway Metallic Envelope (Envelopes.com)

 

Candy and Gingerbread House

Inspiration: Jingle Belles (Hard Candy Christmas) + 52 Christmas Cards (Fussy Cutting)

For hard candy and fussy cutting, there was a very clear item to pull from my stash: the Cosy Winter - Sugar and Spice Creative Pad from P13. This 12" x 12" paper pad is chock-full of pastel images ready to be fussy cut. I already had a large pile of images that had been cut ahead of time, so I started arranging what I had in piles to see what it would inspire me, and then I ended up picking a large gingerbread house and arranging foliage and candy around it. To create the background, I used the backside of one of the papers and die-cut it using the Stitched Rounded Rectangle Stackables dies from Lawn Fawn.

I stamped a sentiment that reads "A little something for you" in grey ink in the top left corner. I layered it using foam adhesive on a darker patterned paper also from the paper pad, and I mounted it on a white card base. I added a few gems and mini star confetti around the images, a mini heart button to the center of the gingerbread house, and Star Dust Stickles to the images. 

I picked a kraft envelope and I used some of the same images in a smaller scale to decorate the envelope, adding Stickles there as well. I also included a little gingerbread house inside the card.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Enveloppé d'amour (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Thick Basic White (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Paper and Images: Cosy Winter - Sugar and Spice Creative Pad (P13)
Ink: Basic Grey (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Stitched Rounded Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Star Dust Stickles (Ranger); Mini Button (Queen & Co);
Kraft Medium Envelope, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); 
Iridescent Mini Star Confetti (Pretty Pink Posh); Round Iridescent Gems (Studio Katia)

 

Another Holly Days Gift Box

I had those red glittered gift boxes that date back to the very short time that we've had Target in Canada, quite a while ago. It was the perfect size for my niece's gift, but I wanted to zhuzh it up a bit, so I used the Holly days collection from Simple Stories again. I couldn't find large ribbon that matched, so since i was working with narrower ribbons, I decided to use two colours to add visual weight.

I tied a tag from the cut-apart sheet. Initially, it was all pink, but I had a tag topper leftover from fussy cutting an image for another project, so I glued the teal topper on it and added a little glitter strip sticker, plus a little holly leave from the sticker book. I added a puffy sticker to the gift and a few embellishments.

The box looked good, if maybe a little plain at the bottom, and then I spotted the leftover piece I had from the Page Pieces set. It was the large Holly jolly sentiment, which would have to be used on a scrapbook page given how bit it is, but i realized it would fit very nicely on the box, and it was just the right width to fit between the ribbons and the edge. I popped it up with dimensional adhesive, added two red sparkly pompoms to each side, and a little embellishment in matching colour on all letters. 

Cute packaging and finishing up supplies - win-win!

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Gift Box: Target
Patterned Papers, Page Pieces, Sticker Book, Puffy Stickers: Holly Jolly (Simple Stories)
Accessories: Shaded Spruce Ribbon, Old Olive Chevron Twill Ribbon, 1/8" White Taffeta Ribbon,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Blooming Pearls, Opal Rounds Assortment, Basic Adhesive-Backed Sequins,
Real Red & White Adhesive-Backed Peppermints (Stampin' Up!); Border Stickers (Starform)

 

Holly Days Gift Box

I decided to make a box using the Holly Days collection to house the paper wallet I had made previously, so everything will match (and this helps me use up this collection as well. 

I was able to make the bottom and cover of the box with one sheet of 8½ x 11 Ballet Slipper cardstock. I used Glacier glitter paper and some patterned paper to create a layer on the top, then I wrapped red satin ribbon around to keep it in place.

I used one of the die-cut from the Bits and Bobs and using jump rings, I layered it with a star wire element and a rose gold jingle bell, to snap on the ribbon bow.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Ballet Slipper (Lawn Fawn); Glacier Glitter Paper (Pinkfresh Studio)
Patterned Papers, Bits & Pieces: Holly Days (Simple Stories)
Accessories: Real Red Satin Ribbon, Snowflakes & Stars Wire Elements (Stampin' Up!);
Rose Gold Jingles (Fun Stampers Journey); Jump rings and clip (Amazon)

 

Holly Days Paper Wallet

Inspiration: Tutorial from Pinkstrawberryz

Michelle shared another really fun tutorial this weekend and since I'm planning to give money to my niece for Christmas, I thought it would be a lovely way to package it. I pulled the Holly Days collection (2021) from Simple Stories for it.

I had to change how I did the center pocket in the wallet because I had used a piece of paper that had cut-apart on the backside and I realized as I was following Michelle's instructions that some partial images from the cut-aparts were showing and it did not look great, so I pulled a third piece of paper and did some piecing to get something that worked out better.

I was inspired by one of the little tickets from the Journal Bits & Pieces and I decided to make little tabs for each pocket. The others were made with paper scraps and I rounded the corners with a punch. I embellished to my heart's content, and this was a great way to make a dent in this collection. 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Patterned Papers, Cardstock Stickers, Puffy Stickers, Decorative Brads,
Enamel Dots, Sticker Book: Holly Days (Simple Stories)
Accessories: Velcro Dots (Amazon); Corner Rounder Punch (Stampin' Up!);
Twine (Lawn Fawn)

 

Seasonal Birdhouse

Inspiration: Cut It Up Challenges #319 (Use more than one die-cut) + Colour Inkspiration #179 

The Nordic Winter stencil set from Honey Bee was the starting point for this project. I used Balmy Blue and Shaded Spruce on white cardstock to create a background and I cut it to size using the Dotted Rectangle Stackables dies. 

Looking through my dies for inspiration, I spotted Build-A-Birdhouse and the Christmas Add-on as well as the Winter Wonderland Window dies. I started cutting the pieces to make a colorful little birdhouse, adding snow made out of glitter paper and little peppermints embellishment on the shutters. I thought the Pink Frosting glitter paper from Tonic might match the Flirty Flamingo cardsock nicely, so I used it to cut the snowflake frame. It was not quite working out like I wanted, even though the color was a good match. I got the idea to cut the frame again out of gold mirror cardstock, snip the snowflakes off and layering the frame over it and it already looked much better. To tone the stenciled background a bit without hiding it, I layered a piece of pearlescent vellum underneath.

At the top, I used the additional dies from the Build-A-Birdhouse Christmas Add-on set to add foliage and a little bow, topped with another peppermint. At the bottom, I used the last piece from a very old felt ornament set I had on my desk, topping it with a yellow button, a red twine bow and I added twine around the card front as well.

I mounted the card front on a Shaded Spruce card base using dimensional foam, and since the card was thick, I made an oversize envelope out of green gingham patterned paper. I used the snowflakes from the Winter Wonderland Window set and the Pink Frosting glitter paper to embellish the envelope and inside the card.

I'm pretty pleased with how that turned out, especially since I was not sure at first how I would like working with such bright colours for the holidays.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Shaded Spruce, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Balmy Breeze, Flirty Flamingo (Stampin' Up!);
Pearlescent Vellum (Lawn Fawn); Rich Gold Mirri (Hunkydory); Pink Frosting Glitter (Tonic);
Glacier Glitter (PinkFresh Studio)
Patterned Paper: Jingle All the Way (My Mind's Eye); Foiled Brown Paper (Unknown)
Ink: Shaded Spruce, Balmy Breeze (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Dotted Rectangle Stackables, Winter Wonderland Window, Build-A-Birdhouse,
Build-A-Birdhouse Christmas Add-On (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Blender Brushes (Waffle Flower); Midas Touch Aqua Shimmer Brush (Tonic);
Real Red & White Adhesive-Backed Peppermints, Envelope Punch Board, Felt Snowflake,
Designer Button, Thick Red Twine (Stampin' Up!)

 

Warm Wishes and Christmas Merri-mint

Inspiration: Lawn Fawnatics #186 (Coffee, Tea & Treats) + TGIF #502 (red, white and gold)

I looked through my Lawn Fawn sets and dies for the challenge and thought that the mint jar could fit the treats theme, which was perfect for seasonal creating. I realized that this could fit nicely with the TGIF challenge, as I could limit the colours I was using and make the mint red.

I did use grey Copic markers to add a bit of shading inside the mason jar, making sure to avoid touching the mints to avoid any ink bleed. I stamped the lid on gold paper, embossing it in gold powder, and I tied a red ribbon around the jar for a bit of texture.

I was looking for ideas on what to do for the background and decided to use the Layered Plaid dies from Tim Holtz. I did the thinner layer in gold and the larger layer in red. When I placed it over a white card base, I found the result to be too stark, so I decided to try grey cardstock to tone it down, and I have Fog from Lawn Fawn, which is a very soft grey. It made a huge difference and looked much softer, so I added a grey layer in the back, and used the white card base. But I had another surprise - I was not sure why there was such a large margin around the plaid. I would have expected the plaid to be either the exact size of an A2 card or just ¼" smaller, but the size is actually not proportional to a regular card front. Width-wise, it is 3/8" smaller, but height-wise, it is ½" smaller. Make that make sense... I ended up just cutting my card base to size, but I have to admit I was not impressed.

It took me a while to find inspiration for the sentiment. What sparked inspiration is that I spotted the foiled images I had done at Thanksgiving to demo my Glimmer machine to my mom and nieces. I had a few pieces left from that demo that I had slipped into a pocket, and the gold-foiled snowflakes looked perfect to decorate the card. As I was fishing them out, I spotted a metallic red die-cut sentiments that I had also slipped into this pocket after not using it on another project. Here, the size and color was working perfectly, so that solved my problem.

I added one more mint behind the jar and one in the front, popped up on dimensional adhesive, and I topped the snowflakes with ombre glitter drops. I used my remaining images on a red envelope to match.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: How You Bean?, How You Bean? Mint Add-On (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Basic White, Cherry Cobbler, Vellum (Stampin' Up!);
Fog (Lawn Fawn); Opulent Gold Specialty Paper Pack (Sizzix); Red Metallic (Hunkydory)
Ink: VersaMark, Cherry Cobbler (Stampin' Up!); Tuxedo BLack (Memento)
Dies: How You Bean?, How You Bean? Mint Add-On (Lawn Fawn);
Layered Plaid (Tim Holtz for Sizzix); Outlined Christmas Sentiments, Glimmering Snowflakes (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals Red Ribbon (Stampin' Up!);
Sparkle & Shine Ombré Glitter Drops (PinkFresh Studio); Rich Gold Embossing Powder (Wow!);
A2 Red Envelope (Envelopes.com); Markers (Copic)

 

Christmas Book Stack

Inspiration: Color Throwdown #822 

The Merry Bookmas die and stencil set is one of my latest acquisition. i was looking forward to using it and drew inspiration from the Color Throwdown color combo. I paired Lumberjack Plaid and Peeled Paint Distress Oxide and Altenew's Antique Gold inks to do the stenciling, and when using the center die, I used an embossing sandwich, as I did not want the details to be cut out.

I then used my heat tool on the lowest setting to set the ink and proceeded to add words to the books using the Elegant Christmas 2 stamp set. Most of the sentiments were too long so I masked off some words to keep only one and I embossed them with gold powder. This added a very elegant touch to the book stack. 

I wanted to add this to an embossed background and I wanted it to be elegant. I looked at options and immediately jumped on the Scripty 3D embossing folder. Before running it on the cardstock, I did die-cut it to size using the Stitched Rounded Rectangle dies from Lawn Fawn. I wrapped some seam binding at the bottom of the panel to ground the stack and I added some gold foil pearls and gold sparkle crystals around the books and on their spines. 

I created a card base out of Old Olive cardstock and hesitated between using plain cardstock or adding patterned paper. I did not want to make the card too intricate, but since I have so much patterned paper, I thought I'd at least audition something and I figured the Simple Vintage Yuletide collection might work nicely, as I remembered it includes olive green and warm white in it. Sure enough, it worked very well and I loved how the plaid paper looked so this was a no-brainer.

I then started playing with the Layered Books dies to decorate the inside of the card and the matching envelope. This requires a few steps for each book, but the results are quite cute. I am really excited about this bookish card turned out.

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Elegant Christmas 2 (Waffle Flower)
Cardstock: Old Olive, Real Red, Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!);
Opulent Gold Specialty Paper (Sizzix)
Patterned Papers: Simple Vintage Yuletide (Simple Stories)
Ink: Peeled Paint, Lumberjack Plaid Distress Oxide (Ranger); Antique Gold Pigment (Altenew); VersaMark
Dies: Layered Books, Merry Bookmas (Waffle Flower);
Small Stitched Rounded Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Merry Bookmas Stencils, Blender Brushes (Waffle Flower); Scripty 3D Embossing Folder,
Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Seam Binding (Unknown); Rich Gold Embossing Powder (Wow!);
Gold Sparkle Crystals, Gold Foil Pearls (Studio Katia); Green Envelope (The Paper Cut)

 

Don't Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle

Inspiration: The Paper Players #718 (Be a Deer) and Tuesday Morning Sketches # 784

I had been wanting to use the Simple Vintage Holly Jolly collection and I was pretty sure it had some vintage deer images, so it was perfect for the Paper Players challenge. Because the Tuesday Morning sketch was using an angled paper, I thought if I cut the top and bottom off rather than just overlay a piece of paper on my card, I could make two cards at the same time, so that's the strategy I went with.

I added gold-rimmed red ribbon to the seams and I die-cut two doilies two place behind my main images, both of which I picked from the cardstock stickers sheet. It felt a little bare, so I looked in the collection for other elements I could overlay. I found some rectangle words in the sticker book, so I mounted them on cardstock and cut them out in order to be able to move them around the card and decide where to layer then. The little circles also came from the sticker book.

 

 

 

  

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Thick Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Basics Kit, Sticker Book, Cardstock Stickers, Enamel Dots,
Bits & Pieces: Simple Vintage Holly Jolly (Simple Stories)
Dies: Decorative Doily Duo (My Favorite Things); Dotted Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: 1/8" Red Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Medium Vanilla Envelope (Stampin' Up!)

 

Warm Hugs from Mr. Fox

Inspiration: Mojo Monday #230

I colored multiple images in shades that match the Sugar Plum collection earlier today, and I designed this one around the fox image and the sentiment embossed with Peeled Paint Distress glaze on vellum. I picked an old Mojo Monday sketch as inspiration, and I fussy cut a little poinsettia from the patterned paper to mimic the embellishment in the corner of the rectangle on the sketch. I added iridescent rhinestones to the center of the poinsettia and around the card.

The card base was cut out of rose gold shimmery cardstock. I used a sticker from the collection on my matching envelope.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps and Dies: Winter Wishes (Paper Smooches)
Cardstock: Rose Gold Opulent Cardstock (Sizzix); Solar White (Neenah); 
Vellum (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers and Stickers: Sugar Plum (My Mind's Eye)
Dies: Scalloped Borders (Queen & Co); Perennial Postage (Stampin' Up!);
Layering Circles (Tonic)
Accessories: Iridescent Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals, Washi Tape (Stampin' Up!);
Square White Envelope (Envelopes.com); Markers (Copic);
Peeled Paint Distress Embossing Glaze (TIm Holtz for Ranger)

 

Sweet Santa

Inspiration: Hand Stamped Sentiments #449

The starting point of this card was the cute little Santa, which I put together using and older Echo Park die set. I used the solid papers from the Christmas Time 6n x 6 Mega Pad, except for the face, which I cut out of Petal Pink cardstock. (The cheeks as well, and I colored them with a Copic marker.) 

One of the cut-apart image from the paper pad was perfect to frame my little Santa, which I used to hide the sentiment. I added another piece of paper from the snowflake pattern at an angle underneath and then I went to the Sticker Book to find the little elements to add at the top and bottom to mimic the sketch. 

I'm really liking this collection - the sage colour that's included in the classic red and green combo really softens the papers and adds a very nice touch.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Petal Pink, Basic White (Stampin' Up!)
 6 x 6 Mega Pad, Sticker Book, Adhesive Brads: Christmas Time (Echo Park)
Dies: Santa (Echo Park); Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black); Cross-Stitched Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Pink Marker (Copic);
A2 Metallic Jupiter Envelope (Envelopes.com)

 

Peace on Earth

I have very little leftover pieces from the Hello Christmas collection from Carta Bella (2020), and the starting point for this card was one of the little labels I had created with the Christmas Labels bundle from Stampin' Up! I liked how I could place the chipboard truck image right underneath the last word of the sentiment, so I looked for a rectangle die that could create the base piece for this setup. I finally ended up using the Mini Slimline Stackables dies from Lawn Fawn and to fill in the space a little bit on the left side, I wrapped thick baker's twine around, tied in a bow and added a snowflake chipboard piece over it, topped with a little red snowflake chipboard piece. The little flourish is actually a negative piece from one of the tags from the Christmas Labels bundle, which I recycled here as an embellishment. I added a puffy sticker bough next to the sentiment and two more circle snowflake chipboard pieces in the right corner. 

I placed a piece of green cardstock on my white card base, and added another layer of patterned paper, also die-cut with the Mini Slimline Stackables dies. 

I used the Mini Slimline Envelope die from Simon Stamps Stamp to make my matching envelope. It was a tight squeeze, but thankfully, I had a couple of 12" x 12" patterned papers from this collection to make it work. I used a leftover die-cut piece as the journaling block and a couple more chipboard piece and puffy sticker to make the envelope match the card.

For something made out of scraps, this turned out pretty nice. I have recently sent in a box of cards to contribute to the Cards for the Cure fundraising, and I'd like to send Christmas cards before the holiday season rolls around, so this would make a great card for this cause. Since the cards are sold in Vancouver, this is giving me a nice opportunity to make English cards, which is a nice opportunity to use up stickers and stamps that I don't usually pull out when I make French projects.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Christmas Labels (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Mini Slimline Card Bases (Simon Says Stamp)
Patterned Papers, Puffy Stickers, Accent Chipboard: Hello Christmas (Carta Bella)
Dies: Christmas Labels, Stitched So Sweetly (Stampin' Up!); Mini Slimline Stackables (Lawn Fawn);
Mini Slimline Envelope (Simon Says Stamp)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Garden Green Thick Baker's Twine (Stampin' Up!);
Rich Gold Fine Embossing Powder (Wow!)

 

Winter Wishes

The starting point for this card was the second label I had stamped using the Christmas Label bundle from Stampin' Up! I was trying to work with current sketches I had found online but I'm down to paper scraps and could not quite make it work, so I let the die-cut pieces that I had dictate the design. I had a large reindeer image leftover from the Chipboard Accent set, so I place it at the bottom of the sentiment, and I added a fussy cut flower in the opposing corner. This is again another very simple design, but the elegant label elevates it nicely.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Christmas Labels (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Thick Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Chipboard Accents: Hello Christmas (Carta Bella)
Ink: VersaMark
Dies: Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black); Wonky Stitched Squares Stax (My Favorite Things);
Christmas Labels (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Washi Tape (Unknown); Very Vanilla Medium Envelope, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!);
Metallic Gold Rich Super Fine Powder (Wow!)

 

Celebrating The Holidays All the Ways

Inspiration: Simon Says Stamp Monday (Christmas/Winter) + Mojo Monday #335

I wanted to try out the Christmas Labels bundle from Stampin' Up!, so I die-cut the labels out of green and red Carta Bella paper and embossed sentiments in gold powder on each of them. For this card, I picked the "Celebrate the Holidays in all the ways" tag as my starting point. I layered the label over a mini scalloped square die-cut out of the tree patterned paper. I found some stockings image in the Chipboard Accents set, and I tucked a fussy cut flower underneath the sentiment block.

For the background, I combined a green polka dot paper and a red gingham piece, adding gold-foiled striped washi between the seam, and topping it with two chipboard pieces as well. I used the Zig-Zag Stackers dies to add stitching around the edges for added detailing. I mounted the card base on a piece of Thick Very Vanilla cardstock.

I repeated similar elements on a vanilla A2 envelope to make a matching set. This card is very simple, but I love how elegant the stamped label turned out.

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Christmas Labels (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Thick Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Puffy Stickers, Chipboard Accents: Hello Christmas (Carta Bella)
Ink: VersaMark
Dies: Zig-Zag Stackers (Penny Black); Stitched Mini Scalloped Square Stax (My Favorite Things);
Christmas Labels (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Metallic Gold Rich Super Fine Powder (Wow!); Washi Tape (Unknown);
Stampin' Dimensionals, Very Vanilla Medium Envelope, Small Oval Punch (Stampin' Up!)

 

Warm Hugs Diagonal Pocket

Inspiration: Linda Heller YouTube Tutorial

Linda's tutorial reminded that I had not done a diagonal pocket in many years and as I was trying to finish off my paper scraps from the Sugar Plum collection from My Mind's Eye, this pocket card was a perfect way to do so. I had a couple of leftover images from my coloring session and the remaining sentiment embossed on vellum, so I used those pieces to decorate the envelope. I added Glossy Accents to the bird's glasses.

I made my insert out of Pear Pizzazz cardstock and used my Circle Tab punch to create a little tab out of gingham paper at the top, on which I added two faceted gems.

I picked a metallic Aquamarine envelope to match and used leftover papers and a colored image to make it match.

Supplies
Stamps: Winter Wishes (Paper Smooches)
Cardstock: Lost Lagoon, Vellum (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Sugar Plum (My Mind's Eye)
Dies: Do-It-All Gift Tag (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Pear Pizzazz Satin Ribbon, Circle Tab Punch, Solid Faceted Gems,
Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); White Detail Embossing Powder (Wow!);
Glossy Accents (Ranger); A2 Metallic Aquamarine Envelope (Envelopes.com)