Encre, papier, ciseaux

Gold Christmas Tree Trio

Inspiration: Global Design Project #323 (Celebration)

I wanted to use revisit the idea of the three tags on a card and pair it with the Trimmed Trees stencil from Clearly Besotted. I die-cut the tags out of the plaid paper from the Home for Christmas paper pad from Carta Bella and I stenciled a different tree on each one using White Gold Icing Paste from Finnabair. I threaded the tags with green and white baker's twine and I added snowflake stickers from the Sticker Book. I stamped the "Happy Holidays" sentiment from the Heartfelt Wishes stamp set (from Stampin' Up!'s current Holidays catalogue) and cut it out. I used the Everyday Sentiment Banners dies from Lawn Fawn to cut a banner to put behind the sentiment for better definition, which I popped up on dimensional adhesive.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Voeux sincères (Heartfelt Wishes - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Basic Black (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Sticker Book: Home for Christmas (Carta Bella)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Dies: Outside In Stitched Rectangle Stackables, Say What? Gift Tags,
Everyday Sentiment Banners (Lawn Fawn); Labels Collection (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: A2 Midnight Black Envelope (Envelopes.com);
White Gold Icing Paste (Finnabair); Trimmed Trees Stencil (Clearly Besotted);
Garden Green/White Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

 

Framed Tannenbaum

Inspiration: Little Red Wagon #632 (Do They Know It's Christmas)

I watched my local store's Facebook Live video today and kept myself busy doing some fussy cutting while watching. I had pulled out the Cosy Winter - Sugar and Spice creative pad from P13 and I ended up cutting out a big pile of images, not necessarily having a specific plan on how I would use them. Once I was done, I started playing with the shapes and I ended up with this layered card.

I used Pool Party Core'dinations cardstock for the background (because I thought I would use an embossing folder and sand the surface) with the Wonky Stitched Rectangles Die-namics and I added a piece of Pearlescent Vellum embossed with the Tufted 3D embossing folder in the center of my frame. The rest is pretty much just fussy cut images that I arranged around the card to make something pretty.

 

 

The second project that I made with the images I had fussy cut is an ATC. It wasn't necessarily planned that way, I just liked the look of the striped frame overlapping the scrap of pink paper and I started filling the frame with the candy images and I reused an organza bow that had not worked for a previous project and had been left on my desk. I then used Glossy Accents and added Frosted Sparkle glitter to parts of the images. I had initially planned to add this to a card, but the size reminded me of an ATC, so I pulled out my ruler tp check the size and sure enough, it is 2½" x 3½". My local store owner has encouraged her clients to make ATC and trade them in when they go to the store. This is a first for me, I have never made ATCs before in all of my years of crafting and stamping. While the idea of doing a series assembly-style is not appealing to me, the idea of making individual ones with available supplies as a way to give new life to scraps is more enticing. 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Thick Whisper White, Pool Party Core'dinations (Stampin' Up!);
Pearlescent Vellum (Lawn Fawn)
Patterned Papers: Cosy Winter - Sugar and Spice Creative Pad (P13)
Accessories: Wonky Stitch Rectangle Stax Dies (My Favorite Things);
Stampin' Dimensionals, Tufted 3D Embossing Folder, Shimmery Crystal Effects,
White Medium Envelope, Magenta Madness Organza Ribbon (Stampin' Up!); 
Champagne Celebration Satin Baubles (Trinity Stamps); Bora Bora Pearls (Studio Katia);
Frosted Sparkle Glitterbitz (Cosmic Shimmer); Glossy Accents (Ranger)

 

Poinsettia Tag

Inspiration: In[k]spire Me #466 (Elegant Christmas Colours) + Just Add Ink #585 (Gift Packaging)

I am putting the finishing touches on Christmas gifts. My mom bought my sister's gift when she visited in October, had it gift-wrapped at the store and asked if she could leave it at my place rather rather than having to lug it back and forth twice, which I was totally fine with. I figured I'd add a gift tag on it just for fun. The store had wrapped the gift in gold paper with a red twill ribbon, so it gave a lot of creative freedom to do any kind of tag. I really wanted to use the Seasonal Sketch dies from Tim Holtz. I dug through my scrap drawers to find colours I liked and I added a bit of gold foil sheets to make the design stand out. I wanted a neutral background and I found a white polka dot kraft cardstock in my neutral scraps that is from an old Stampin' Up! paper collection. The tag die was pulled from a Planner Essentials die set from Elizabeth Craft Designs.

I added my sister's initial using the Tall Skinny Alphabet dies on Red Berries Specialty paper from Tonic. As I mentioned in a previous post, the texture unfortunately get squished during the die-cutting process, but the sheen remains, so the colour is not as flat as it would be with regular cardstock. I'll be adding Old Olive/Pretty Peacock reversible ribbon on the tag once I'm ready to tie it to the gift.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Various Scraps; Red Berries Specialty Paper (Tonic); Gold Foil Sheets (Stampin' Up!)
Speciality Designer Series Paper: (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Seasonal Sketch (Tim Holtz for Sizzix); Tall Skinny Alphabet (Scrapbook.com);
Sidekick Essentials 11 Dies (Elizabeth Craft Designs)

 

And To All a Good Night

Inspiration: Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Bling It On) + Hand Stamped Sentiments #379

I was happy to spot the Santa sleigh in the inspiration image as I was really looking forward to using the Dash Away All die from Tim Holtz. I have wanted a small to medium size Santa sleigh die for the longest time and the ones that I've seen in the past were not what I was hoping. I remember one in particular from a year or two ago where the deers' antlers were shooting straight up above their head and were not delicate at all. Good things come to those who wait and I love the look of this one. The delicate moon and star trail included in the die set are the cherry on top.

When I started the card, I had two ideas I wanted to implement: overstamp some kind of graphic text in the sky and use Chibitronics to light up the stars.

I started by inking a piece of Bristol with Milled Lavender, Seedless Preserves, Dusty Concord and Chipped Sapphire inks. I spritzed with water, then splattered with Liquid Stardust. I die-cut the sleigh out of Misty Moonlight cardstock, the moon out of gold glitter paper and I die-cut the star trail, which I backed with vellum to diffuse the light from the Chibitronics. I had not done a lighted card in a long time, so I went back to YouTube to find a video to refresh my memory and make sure I didn't mess up. I used white lights. In hindsight, I think I should have tried yellow lights (and three instead of two) to get a warm glow, but it still looked good enough to keep as is.

Once the lighting part was put in place on the bottom piece, I went back to my inked cardstock. I pulled out the Music & Advert background stamps from Tim Holtz and I was trying to decide which type of ink to use for it. I kept thinking it would look amazing in gold foil. A while back, when I started getting the supplies to try out foiling, I had purchased a bottle of toner from Heidi Swapp. I wasn't that keen on the stamp set idea, because you basically have to trash it out every time you use it and buy a refill pad. But during the pandemic, Tim paired with Heidi for a Instagram Live where he showed how he was using a brayer to apply ink to stamps instead. Heidi's mind was blown by this idea - and so was mine! I didn't want to work from memory and risk ruining any of my supplies, so I searched for the video and watched it again to be able to follow the steps. I have to admit that I'm not a messy crafter so any kind of mixed media that leaves your work space looking like a kindergarden kid went to town with craft supplies is not my fave, but this went surprisingly well and I was able to get everything cleaned up pretty quickly and easily. I have the travel-size media mat which worked perfectly for this. For foiling, I used Heidi Swapp's gold stars foil. The result is beautiful, but because this foil is holographic, the shine is a lot. I might have preferred straight-up gold, but considering that this was my first ever try at this technique, I'm still really pleased with the result.

I was loving how the top of the card was turning out, so now I was left with the dilemma of what to do with the bottom. I tested out creating snow banks out of glitter paper. I first tried with pure white glitter paper, but the result was too flat. I pulled out Dazzling Diamonds glimmer paper and it was pairing with the purple sky much better. I had to find a way to let the recipient know where to push the activate the lights, so I used the Snowflake Embosslits on Purple Posy cardstock and I inked it with the ink pads I had used for the sky to give it dimension. I added a smaller punched snowflake in the center, and a Say It in Crystals gem. I punched a small tag from my leftover inked paper and handwrote "push here" in French. I pulled out my ribbon box and I liked how the Magenta Madness organza ribbon was pairing with the Seedless Preserves ink and the delicateness of it, so I added a bow.

The card is pretty thick due to the Chibitronics, so I made an oversize envelope for it. I repeated the sleigh die and snow banks on it, and I added my niece's name spelled with the Wonderland alphabet Bigz die. Megan just turned nine this fall and she has been spotting the cracks in the Santa Claus story for a few years now, but she's also smart enough to know that if she announces that Santa is not real, some of the things we do in his name might disappear as well, so I know she is keeping up the pretense (and for her younger sister's benefit as well). When she was explaining her Santa logic to me this fall, I asked her if she was still expecting to receive a card from Santa in my little Christmas mailbox and she said "Yes..." while cracking a knowing smile. So here we are and this Santa card will be waiting for her in my little Christmas mailbox on Christmas Eve.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Music & Advert (Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous)
Cardstock: Bristol (Canson); Gold Glitter Paper (Unknown);
Misty Moonlight, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper, Purple Posy, Vellum (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Dusty Concord, Chipped Sapphire, Seedless Preserves, Milled Lavendar Distress Oxide (Ranger)
Dies: Dash Away All, Snowflake Impresslits (Tim Holtz for Sizzix);
Slimline Stitched Hillside Borders (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Brayer, Envelope Punch Board, Mini Tag Punch, Magenta Madness Organza Ribbon (Stampin' Up!);
Toner, Gold Stars Reactive Foil (Heidi Swapp); Snowflake Punch (EK Success);
Pretty Pale Say It in Crystals (Prime Marketing); Blender Brushes (Taylored Expressions);
Liquid Stardust (Lawn Fawn); Spritzing Bottle (Tim Holtz for Ranger);
Lights, Battery, Copper Tape (Chibitronics)

 

Christmas Bench

Inspiration: October 2020 Card Maps Sketch + Little Red Wagon #632 (Christmas)

I'm trying to squeeze in some last-minute Christmas creations before the Holidays roll in. One of the collections I purchased this year was Home for Christmas from Carta Bella, including the sticker book and the chipboard pieces. I used the Say What? Gift Tags dies from Lawn Fawn to create the tags from the sketch, and I layered two chipboard pieces over them. The Falalalala Fine Script dies had been sitting on my desk for a while, waiting for the right project to be added on, and the size and length was perfect here. I used the Red Berries Speciality paper from Tonic. The texture got squished and lost during the die-cutting process, but I still have the nice sheen, which makes it stand out more than regular cardstock would have. I tested adding the shadow piece in vellum, but I didn't like the bulky result and stuck with the word only. I used a few stickers to decorate the envelope and quickly had a finished card.

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Sticker Book, Chipboard Accents (Carta Bella)
Specialty Paper: Red Berries (Tonic)
Dies: Falalalala Fine Script (Paper Rose);
Say What? Gift Tags, Outside In Stitched Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: A2 Avocado Envelope (Envelopes.com)

 

 

Eat, Drink and Be Magical

Inspiration: Tuesday Morning Sketch #637

I've been working on my nieces' Christmas cards and this is the one that will be going to the youngest. They're both fascinated with interactive cards, so I picked the Magic Color Slider for this one. I pulled out the Home for the Holidays collection from Doodlebug (2013). I colored the image with Copic markers and I decided to add a holly leaf sticker to the stocking so that it looked a little embellished even when it's in black and white. The little frame was fussy cut from patterned paper. I made a matching envelope out of patterned paper, using a slightly larger format to accommodate the height of the card. I couldn't resist including my tinsel yarn on the card, which I've been adding to half of my creations this year.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Eat, Drink and Be Merry (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Going Grey, Whisper White, Window Sheet (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Home for the Holidays (Doodlebug Design)
Ink: Jet Black (StazOn); Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Dies: Simple Stripes Diagonal, Magic Color Slider (Lawn Fawn);
Wonky Stitched Rectangles Stax (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Silver Stickers (Starform); Holly Berries Sprinkles Shapes (Doodlebug Design);
Christmas Fairy Crystals (Memory Box); Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Envelope Punch Board (Stampin' Up!); Silver Tinsel Yarn (Craft Smart);
Markers (Copic)

Let It Snow

Inspiration: Festive Friday #98 (Sparkle + Emboss + Die-Cuts)

This card was born from a bunch of pieces left on my desk from past crafting sessions.

The sparkly white tree was me testing the Bottle Brush Trees dies. For the background, I had dry embossed a piece of cardstock and inked the tree branches with a brush, but I was not liking the result, so the cardstock had been left aside. I ended up stamping one of the the Perfect Plaids background stamp on the backside of the embossed cardstock and I liked the result much better, so this became my background piece. The blue cardstock with holographic foiled snowflakes was a leftover foiled piece from this previous card. I also had the washi tape from my most recent collection purchase, Feelin' Frosty. The colors were matching the pieces I was putting together, so I used it at the top of the card.

The one piece I specifically created for this card was the sentiment. I found those Tim Holtz dies at a really good price in a clearance section and I was eager to try them, so I used dazzling diamond glimmer paper for the back and added Polished Pink for the words. I had a scrap of this color on my desk that had been stamped with the Knit Together background stamp and I loved the look, but the scrap was too small, so I stamped a new piece of cardstock with my stamp again to have the proper size. 

To finish off my card, I tied a piece of white baker's twine at the top and added pearls in matching colours to my tree. I created two more die-cut trees to embellish the inside of the card and the envelope. I'm very pleased with how cute this one turned out and that I cleaned up my desk a bit as well.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Perfect Plaids (Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous); Knit Together (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Mint Macaron, Misty Moonlight, Polished Pink,
Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Mint Macaron, Polished Pink (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Bottle Brush Trees (Spellbinders); Festive Words (Tim Holtz for Sizzix)
Accessories: Feelin' Frosty Washi Tape, Frosty Snowflakes Stencil (Simple Stories);
Holographic Foil (Recollections); Transfer Gel Duo (Deco Foil);
White Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals, Wintry Embossing Folder (Stampin' Up!);
San Marina, Hibiscus and Teal Ocean Pearls, Snowflakes Glitter (Studio Katia);
Coin Envelope (Envelopes.com)

 

Comfort and Joy - Skate

Inspiration: Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Cold as Ice) + October 2021 Card Maps Sketch

I kept going with the Comfort and Joy paper collection. I found the Detailed Skate dies and decided to use the skate as the central image for the snowflake sketch. I started getting my skate ready and picking patterned papers to layer and then I remembered I had this ephemera pack that I've barely used while making my cards this week, so I had a look in there - and I started getting layer happy! The finished card is definitely more full than the sketch, but you can see, the basic shapes are all there. I am pleased with the result I achieved on this one. 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Pistachio Pudding, Shimmery White (Stampin' Up!); Holographic Paper (Recollections)
Patterned Papers, Ephemera: Comfort and Joy (My Mind's Eye)
Dies: Deco Labels, Detailed Skate (Stampin' Up!); Dotted Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Cable Knit 3D Embossing Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals,
White Baker's Twine, Medium Envelope (Stampin' Up!)

 

Peas on Earth Snow Globe

Inspiration: Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Cold as Ice) + Little Red Wagon #630 - Never Used Before Stuff (both the Peas on Earth and Ready, Set, Snow stamp sets had never been used, so I got a twofer by combining them on this card)

I combined the Peas on Earth set with the Ready, Set, Snow set from Lawn Fawn. I used the Shaker Add-On to make the snow globe 3D, but didn't fill it with any shaker bit, as I felt the scene already had a lot of details and I didn't want to distract from it. I wanted the plaque on the snow globe to be metallic, so I used gold foil sheets with gold embossing powder to make it. I also grabbed one of my gold seasonal seals and incorporated it in the design as well. I had been looking for pure white glitter paper (with no pink, green or orange colours showing when the glitter catches the light) and I finally found what I was looking for at Michaels about a month ago. I used it to make snow banks at the bottom of both embossed panels. The left panel was embossed with Sizzix's Christmas Tree Pattern 3D folder and the right panel was embossed with Stampin' Up!'s wintry 3D folder. 

The Bashful Blue background was created with the Stitched Snowflake backdrop die and the Perfect Plaids stamp from Stampers Anonymous, although you can barely tell once all of the other elements have been added over it. The tiny white snowflakes are snowflake glitter from Studio Katia. They have such a nice size (and again, pure white!) and I've been sprinkling them on all of my winter projects lately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Perfect Plaids (Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous); Peas on Earth,
Ready Set Snow (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Brocade Blue, Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Lucky Limeade,
Night of Navy, Gold Foil Sheets (Stampin' Up!); White Glitter Paper (Recollections)
Ink: Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, Lucky Limeade, Night of Navy (Stampin' Up!);
Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Embossing Folders: Wintry (Stampin' Up!); Christmas Tree Pattern (Sizzix)
Dies: Ready Set Snow, Ready Set Snow Shaker Add-On, Peas on Earth,
Dotted Rectangle Stackables, Stitched Hillside Borders (Lawn Fawn); Seasonal Seals (Sizzix)
Accessories: Night of Navy Corduroy Ribbon, Night of Navy Baker's Twine,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Blue Adhesive-Backed Gems, Stampin' Blends Markers (Stampin' Up!);
Snowflake Glitter (Studio Katia); Dauber Brushes (iCrafter);
Markers (Copic); A2 Navy Linen Envelope (Envelopes.com)

 

Christmas Den

Inspiration: CAS Colours & Sketches #449 + Retro Rubber Challenge #173 (Holiday Helpers stamp set, purchased two years ago)

For this card, I wanted to use the Shadow Box Card Fireplace Add-On dies from Lawn Fawn, which had been sitting in my stash since their release. I wasn't sure I wanted to make a shadow box card, though, so I tried making a fireplace I could use flat on a card. I picked colours based on the CAS Colours & Sketches challenge.

I stenciled a brick pattern on So Saffron and on Soft Suede cardstock, using Soft Suede ink. I die-cut the fireplace opening and I layered the two pieces of cardstock, adding the Santa legs and the fireplace elements. I die-cut embellishments for the mantel, using patterned paper for the stockings.

I then went hunting through my stamp sets to find what I wanted to build a scene with. I liked the idea of using the elves from Holiday Helpers, along with the box and toys. For the background, I used Gold Rush cardstock from Lawn Fawn (a personal favorite) and I embossed it with the Painted Texture embossing folder from Stampin' Up!, which looks like a stucco wall to me.

The card was still feeling a little bare, so I used the frame from Den Sweet Den. I added red mini pompoms to the elves' hats and I made a matching envelope out of patterned paper, topped with a tag. I need to sleep on this card and see how I feel about it once I've had time to step back. It's cute, but right now, if feels blah to me (maybe because the colours are quite muted).

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Den Sweet Den, Holiday Helpers (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: So Saffron, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede, Mint Macaron, Basic Black, Whisper White,
Copper Foil Sheets (Stampin' Up!); Gold Rush (Lawn Fawn); White Glitter Paper (Recollections)
Designer Series Paper: Peaceful Prints (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Soft Suede (Stampin' Up!); Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Dies: Den Sweet Den, Holiday Helpers, Shadow Box Card Fireplace Add-On (Lawn Fawn);
Tailor Made Tags (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Painted Texture 3D Embossing Folder, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals,
Stampin' Blends, Envelope Punch Board (Stampin' Up!);
Red Mini Pompoms (Queen & Co); Satin Gold Pearls (Studio Katia)

 

Christmas Tree and Berries

Inspiration: Global Design Project #321 + SUO challenge #290 (Christmas)

I dug into the Peaceful Prints Designer Series paper to make more Christmas cards. I wanted to paper piece the skirt of my Delivering Cheer lady in plaid paper, and I colored the rest of the image using the Stampin' Blends markers. I used the Merriest Frames embossing folder and dies combo to create a layering piece out of Mint Macaron cardstock and I inked the raised portions with matching ink to make the details more apparent. I used another sheet of the DSP for the background, die-cut with a stitched rectangle die.

For the center rectangle, I used the stitched rectangle from the Merriest Frame set and DSP, and I added a mat cut out of green glimmer paper (sold in a past Holidays catalogue). I looked at ribbon options and I have only one Garden Green option, but the sides were Very Vanilla, which was clashing with the white from my papers and stamped image. So I cut the length of ribbon I needed and I used my Mint Macaron Stampin' Blends marker to change the color of the edges. I'm trying really hard to use the large collection of ribbon I've cumulated over the years and the alcohol-ink markers are a really effective, colorfast and fast-drying way to modify ribbon to what is required. (I've noticed it does a number on the marker nibs, though!) 

For the sentiment, I picked one from the Merriest Moments stamp set and bubble-cut it to add to the card. I still felt it needed something more, so I stamped the berries from the same set and cut them out with dies to fill in the foliage a bit. I also added a red candy dot that was sitting on my desk after coming off another project.

I used one of the sheets of DSP to make a matching envelope using the Envelope Punch Board, and I added a tag die-cut with the Tailor Made Tags dies for the address block.

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Delivering Cheer, Joyeux moments (Merriest Frames)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Garden Green, Green Glimmer Paper
Designer Series Paper: Peaceful Prints
Ink: Mint Macaron, Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green
Accessories: Merriest Frames Embossing Folder and Dies, Envelope Punch Board,
Stampin' Blends Markers, Tailor Made Tags Dies, Garden Green Ribbon,
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponge Daubers, Stitched Rectangles Dies,
Regals Candy Dots

 

Merriest Christmas Frames

Inspiration: SUO Challenge #290 (Christmas) + ColourQ #102

This is my first time purchasing an hybrid embossing folder and I was really curious to see how it worked. I'm not sure if I did this right. I put the die in the folder matching the embossed detail and tried to find the right sandwich for the Big Shot. The first time didn't cut deep enough, the second try had a faded embossing, so I ended up die-cutting first and embossing second. I'll do more research to see if I can find a video showing it done with a Big Shot instead of the Stampin' Up! cutting machine, but in the meantime, I ended up with an okay result.

I stamped my card base with the Birch background stamp and layered my Mint Macaron die-cut piece. I inked the edges and detail to give it a bit of dimension. Then I die-cut the stitched rectangle out of Poppy Parade cardstock, stamped and embossed my sentiment in white and then I proceeded to stamp the images from the set in Basic Grey, Poppy Parade, Mint macaron and Wild Wasabi (I tried all of the current green and couldn't make a single one work with the colour combo, so wasabi was the colour that matched the best). I used the matching dies to die-cut the images and then I arranged them around the card.

This bundle is great to make relatively simple cards that look very layered and intricate. There is definitely less work involved on this card than the result would suggest.

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Joyeux Moments, Birch
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Poppy Parade, Mint Macaron, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Grey, Poppy Parade, Mint Macaron, Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Merriest Frames Dies and Embossing Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals,
White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Sponge Daubers

 

Comfort and Joy - Ornament

Inspiration: In[k]spire Me #464 + October 2021 Card Maps Sketch

I'm still riding the inspiration wave of the Card Maps sketches combined with the Comfort and Joy collection from My Mind's Eye (2016). The ornament sketch was clearly calling for the Stitched Ornaments dies from Lawn Fawn to be pulled out. I wasn't sure first how to embellish my bauble, but once I started trying out things with the dies, I got in the groove. My elements were feeling flat, so I decided to pull out the Antique Linen Distress ink to add to the edges and that gave it a fun vintage look that made the overall card more appealing. I embossed my sentiment in old white powder that has sort of yellowed over time, matching the vanilla tones of the papers nicely. For the ornament, I used Gold Rush cardstock from Lawn Fawn for the snowflake element and the top of the ornament. I borrowed a snowflake from the Stitched Snowflakes die set from Stampin' Up! to add a layer. I used the Genial Gems around the snowflake on the ornament for a bit of texture. I am truly loving those gems paired with this paper collection, the colour is truly perfect for it.

I repeated similar elements on the envelope to match and used a few leftover pieces to embellish the inside of the card.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Joyeuse année (Wonderful Year - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Evening Evergreen, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Pistachio Pudding (Stampin' Up!);
Gold Rush (Lawn Fawn)
Patterned Papers: Comfort and Joy (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Antique Linen Distress (Ranger)
Dies: Stitched Snowflakes, Deco Labels (Stampin' Up!);
Stitched Ornaments (Lawn Fawn); Wonky Stitch Rectangle Stax (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Genial Gems, Stampin' Dimensionals, White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Circle Punches (Stampin' Up!); 
Blending Tool (Ranger); A2 Metallic Anthracite Envelope (Envelopes.com)

 

Christmas Sweater Trio

Inspiration: Inspired By #197 + Festive Friday #98 (jumper + jingle bells + red/green/gold)

I have wanted an ugly sweater stamp set for the longest time and I kept seeing some that were close but not quite what I wanted. When I saw the Ugly Sweater Party set from Photoplay, I decided this most closely resembled what I was hoping to find. I had been looking forward to pulling this set out, so the Festive Friday list was perfect timing with "jumper" being on it.

I stamped and colored my three sweaters with Copic markers, using colors that match the Ugly Christmas Sweater collection from Simple Stories. I cut a piece of heart-pattern paper for the card base using the Dotted Rectangle Stackables dies from Lawn Fawn. As I was looking through papers, I found a handmade envelope I had done a few weeks ago for another card and where I somehow had messed up the dimensions so the envelope was not the correct size for the card. I knew I could reuse it for another card, so I left it in my paper pack. I checked to see if it would work for this design and it seems like it would, so I made a 3¾" x 5¼" card base, added my patterned paper panel and then I was inspired to dig through my scraps to find my leftover gold frames from the Fine Frame cover die from Altenew.

I die-cut a cross stitched circle to mat one of the sweater, similar to the sketch and to break up the design a bit. I used a knit snowflake sticker for one of the smaller circles and the elf hat for the other smaller element and I added a sentiment banner at the top (that reads "our best wishes").

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Voeux sincères (Stampin' Up!); Ugly Sweater Party (Photoplay)
Cardstock: Garden Green, Very Vanilla, Gold Foil Sheets (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Stickers: Ugly Christmas Sweater (Simple Stories)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Garden Green (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Fine Frame Cover Die (Altenew); Dotted Rectangle Stackables,
Cross Stitched Circle Stackables (Lawn Fawn); Ugly Sweater Party (Photoplay);
Tailor Made Tags (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Mini Jingle Bells, Stampin' Dimensionals, 
Envelope Punch Board  (Stampin' Up!); Markers (Copic);
Christmas Fairy Crystals (Memory Box)

 

Trimming the Tree

Inspiration: Lawn Fawnatics #113

My local scrapbook store owner offered a really nice sale on Black Friday, so I was able to put my hands on a few stamp sets from the Lawn Fawn fall release. I decided to pull out Merry Mice today. I didn't have much of a plan when I started, I just stamped all of the images, then I pulled out the Let It Shine Snowflakes 12" x 12" papers. I pulled my 6" x 6" Lawn Fawn papers to see which papers could make an interesting colour combo and I coloured my images accordingly. I die-cut the images and placed them on an oval die-cut out of the B side from the white snowflake paper.

The sketch was inspired by a Mojo Monday sketch I hadn't used yet. I used papers from Let's Bokeh in the Snow and Knit Picky. On the soft grey knit pattern, I stamped and embossed my sentiment in green embossing powder. I added mint lace and silver trim, then I created a bow out of the soft peach bokeh paper, topped with a snowflake sequin and fairy crystal. I still felt the card was too bare, so I reached for my beloved Stitched Snowflakes and Mini Snowflakes dies and filled in the space at left. I also added a piece of washi tape on top of the sentiment. I did a large stitched snowflake on my matching envelope as well.

 

 

 

  

 

Supplies
Stamps: Merry Mice (Lawn Fawn); Voeux sincères (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Petal Pink, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Let It Shine Snowflakes, Let's Bokeh in the Snow, Knit Picky (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); VersaMark
Dies: Merry Mice, Outside In Stitched Rectangle Stackables, Stitched Oval Stackables,
Put a Bow on It, Mini Snowflakes, Stitched Snowflakes (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Christmas Fairy Crystals (Memory Box); Markers (Copic);
A2 Lagoon Metallic Envelope (Envelopes.com); Gumball Green Stampin' Emboss Powder,
Washi Tape, Mint Macaron Lace Trim, Silver Trim, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!);
Ice Ice Baby Gumdrops (Your Next Stamps); Aquas Hero Hues Enamel Dots (Hero Arts);
Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

 

Bringing the Christmas Tree Home

Inspiration: In[k]spire Me #463

I was inspired by the pretty colour combo from the challenge, so I pulled out cardstock pieces and started prepping different pieces with different embossing folders, background stamps and stencils. Then I looked for which stamps I would use and selected the Seasons of Fun hostess set from the current minicatalogue. I love when Stampin' Up! does characters, which is a nice break from flowers.

For the Misty Moonlight cardstock panel, I used the Frosty Snowflakes stencil on it and covered the images with Transfer Gel Duo. I left aside to dry and in the meantime, I used the Knit Together background stamp on the Polished Pink cardstock. (I love that realistic-looking knit pattern, I expect this one to remain a seasonal favorite for years to come.) Between the two panels, I added washi tape from the new Feelin' Frosty collection by Simple Stories, plus a strand of Silver tinsel yarn for texture. Once the gel was dry, I ran the panel through my laminating machine with a holographic foil sheet. The result is really pretty! I had purchased the gel duo because it can be used with a die-cutting machine to transfer foil, but I will say that the result if much more even using the laminating machine instead. (My current laminating machine is hit and miss, though. I've spent more time unclogging paper from it than anything else, so it hasn't always been a joy to work with, but when it does work, the results are a lot of fun.)

Because the colour combo includes Crumb Cake, I decided I wanted to get my colored pencils out to color the image. I used a white gel pen to add falling snow over the image, and glued on a couple of silver stars that I had on my desk (confetti from a card I received in a card exchange).

I was trying to use the sketch from the challenge as well to put the card together and I was struggling. I had also colored the little dog catching flakes and couldn't make it work in the design. I finally decided to keep the dog for the inside of the card and flipped the card to landscape mode instead of portrait and it immediately worked much better better.

Sitting on my desk were a few pieces die-cut with the awesome Seasonal Seals Switchlits from Sizzix, so I picked the silver snowflake seal and used it as the second piece from the sketch. I then looked for sentiment options and layered a die-cut "merry Christmas" over the seal. While going through dies, I spotted the Streetlights dies from MFT and decided to see if this would make a nice addition to the card. I masked some portions of the streetlight and made the colour darker with matching ink to give it a big of dimension. I dabbed So Saffron ink on Very Vanilla cardstock with a dauber and masked the inside the light with it. I added Midas Touch Aqua Shimmer to the light.

I used the dog image inside the card and repeated the same colors and elements on my matching card.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Seasons of Fun (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Misty Moonlight, Polished Pink, Mint Macaron, Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!);
Metallic Kraft-stock (Tim Holtz for idea-ology)
Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Misty Moonlight, Polished Pink, Mint Macaron (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Feelin' Frosty Washi Tape, Frosty Snowflakes Stencil (Simple Stories);
A2 Metallic Sapphire Envelope (Envelopes.com); Joyeux Dies (DIY & Cie);
Silver Tinsel Yarn (Craft Smart); Seasonal Seals Switchlits (Sizzix); 
Streelights Die-namics (My Favorite Things); Polychromos Pencils (Fäber-Castell);
Joyeux Noël Dies (Les ateliers de Karine); Stitched Oval Stackables Dies (Lawn Fawn);
White Gel Pen (Gelly Roll); Holographic Foil Sheets (Recollections)

 

Christmas Shopping

Inspiration: Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Anything Goes)

I have been meaning to use the 3D Shopping Cart and matching Shopping Bags dies for a while and I finally got around to assembling them tonight. I wasn't sure what I would make exactly, but I ended up grabbing the Winter Farmhouse collection that was lying around nearby to make the shopping bags with and I kept going with the collection for embellish the card as well. I had a few silver snowflakes made with the Tim Holtz Impresslits lying on my desk and while I didn't want to do silver on silver, I got curious how it would look if I colored it with my Copic markers. I was happy with the result, so I tied ribbon around the cart and added the snowflake with a Stampin' Dimensionals, then I added a snowflake from the sticker book and a gem in the center. I used the tiny tag die from the die set to add to one of the bag, and the wording on it comes from the sticker book - I cut the sticker in half to fit it on the tag.

For the background, I stamped a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock in Sahara Sand ink using the Knit Together background stamp from Stampin' Up! I added floral paper on the left side and a piece of striped ribbon between the two blocks. I was initially going to keep only those two sections, but the plans changed when I started trying to work a sentiment in my design. I stamped and embossed a sentiment from the Merry Mistletoe set in Platinum embossing powder. I wanted to do a side banner layered over the cart, but it was not working well, so I decided instead to stamp the little banner image a couple of times on the edge of the knit pattern and add my sentiment strip vertically. The handle of the cart was going right over the sentiment, so placement was good, and I added another snowflake sticker at the top to fill in the space.

I rounded the corners of the background paper and added it to a Thick Very Vanilla card base. I have yet to make a matching envelope (which I usually do right after I finished my card), but with the dimensional cart, this card is quite thick, so I will need to be creative if I plan to send this card out by mail. 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Knit Together, Sous le gui (Merry Mistletoe - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Thick Very Vanilla, Basic Grey, Basic Black, Silver Foil Sheets (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Paper, Sticker Elements, Sticker Book: Winter Farmhouse (Simple Stories)
Ink: Sahara Sand, Evening Evergreen, VersaMark (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Corner Rounder Punch, Soft Succulent Open Weave Ribbon, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals,
Silver Elastic Cord, Genial Gems, Delightful Dijon Striped Ribbon (Stampin' Up!);
Snowflake Impresslits (Tim Holtz for Sizzix); Markers (Copic); Platinum Embossing Powder (Ranger);
Shopping Bags and 3D Shopping Cart Dies (Spellbinders)

 

Keeping Warm

Inspiration: July 2021 Card Maps Sketch + Lawn Fawnatics #113

After finishing a page with the Ugly Christmas Sweater collection from Simple Stories, I wanted to create a card as well, and it seemed like a good time to pull out the Say What? Holiday Critters set. Aren't those animals adorable in their Christmas attire? I liked that one of the sketches from the July Card Maps selection had three squares, which allowed me to fit all of the images from the set, and I was happy to do a mini slimline cards, as 3¼" x 6½" has been one of my favorite card size for many years. I created my background with two knitted patterns and I used a leftover scalloped edge I had not used on my scrapbook page (die-cut with the Stitched Scalloped Borders dies from Lawn Fawn). 

The scalloped squares were die-cut using Nestabilities dies, and I layered squares in the same Very Vanilla cardstock embossed with the Cable Knit embossing folder from Sunny Studio. At the bottom of the patterned paper, I added a piece of Cherry Cobbler curly ribbon for texture. In the now retired Cozy Christmas set, I found a sentiment that reads "Warm and Cozy Christmas" which fit the theme perfectly and fit nicely in the Everyday Sentiment Banners dies (although I did have to run it through a second time to shorten the banner a bit). To finish the card, I embellished the squares with a few silver gems.

I made a matching envelope out of patterned paper using the Envelope Punch Board and I used the Tailor Made Tags dies from Stampin' Up! to create an address block. I added a sweater sticker from the collection.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Say What? Holiday Critters (Lawn Fawn); Noël au chaud (Cozy Christmas - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Thick Very Vanilla, Very Vanilla, Garden Green (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Stickers: Ugly Christmas Sweater (Simple Stories)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Basic Grey (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Stitched Scalloped Borders, Everyday Sentiment Banners (Lawn Fawn);
Tailor Made Tags (Stampin' Up!); Scalloped Squares Nestabilities (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Cable Knit Embossing Folder (Sunny Studio); Markers (Copic);
Cherry Cobbler Curly Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Envelope Punch Board (Stampin' Up!);
Silver Crystals (Studio Katia)

 

Christmas ATC

Inspiration: Simon Says Stamp Monday

My local scrapbook store has been encouraging her clients to try out ATCs in the past year and she has set up an exchange box at the store, where you can come in with your creations and exchange them for other crafters' ATCs. When I saw the Simon Says Stamp challenge, I thought it would be a good time to finally bite the bullet and make at least one. What's mostly been holding me back is that I have a ton of Christmas crafting that I want to get done before the end of the year, so I am trying to prioritize that, but I had this leftover piece from a previous project that had not quite worked out to my liking that I figured make actually make a nice ATC background.

I had basically die-cut the hanging ornaments image from an Elizabeth Crafts Planner Essentials die set out of green glitter paper and glued it on a piece of paper from the Jingle All the Way collection (back when I was making a card series with that collection). It wasn't quite what I needed so it has remained in a scraps box since. I had also some embossed wax seals leftover from testing out a new Switchlits set, so after cutting my ATC to size, I added that to the empty spot. I wanted to add a little sentiment, so I went digging for my Jingle All the Way stickers and while I was looking at the content, I also found a foam sticker of holly leaves that I added to the wax seal. I then used various colours of Nuvo drops to fill in the elements of the die-cut. This made a huge difference on the finished result. Had I thought to do that on the original piece, I might have been more inspired to turn it into a card. I rounded the corners and inked the edges and here is my very first ATC card! Hoping to make more after the Holidays.

 

 

 

Supplies
Glimmer Paper: Dark Green (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Foam Stickers, Sticker Book: Jingle All the Way (Simple Stories)
Dies: Planner Essentials (Elizabeth Crafts Design); Wax Seals Switchlits (Sizzix)
Ink: Soft Sky (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Blending Daubers (i-Crafter); Distress Crayon (Tim Holtz for Ranger);
Crystal and Dream Drops (Nuvo); Corner Chomper (We R Memory Makers)

 

 

Ugly Christmas Sweater

Inspiration: October 2021 Page Maps Sketch

I was looking forward to scrapbooking this picture of my brother-in-law wearing his ugly Christmas vest, but I kept the picture aside after seeing a preview of the upcoming Ugly Christmas Sweater collection from Simple Stories, which was totally perfect for this picture. I made sure to purchase the Page Pieces as well, which made putting this page together really easy. I used one of the cut-aparts to add my handwritten journaling, and I fussy cut another image from a cut-apart, the "ugliest sweater ever" ribbon. The three sweaters, the title, the aqua tag, the knitted hearts and the "so ugly it's cute!" tag all come from the Page Pieces kit (and I've got a few leftovers for future projects). I borrowed a couple of brads and chipboard sticker from the Make It Merry decorative brads pack and I used a few stickers from the collection sticker sheet. This was a pretty fast and easy page for a fun Holidays memory.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Stickers, Page Pieces: Ugly Christmas Sweater (Simple Stories)
Accessories: Gold Sparkle Crystals (Studio Katia); Make It Merry Decorative Brads (Simple Stories)
Glossy Berry Mix Pearls (Little Things from Lucy's Cards); Green Velvet Ric Rac, Taupe Ribbon (American Crafts);
Aqua Enamel Dots (Hero Arts); Mini Hearts - Cotton Candy Gossies (Pure & Simple);
Stampin' Dimensionals, Cherry Cobbler Ribbon (Stampin' Up!)

 

Delivering Cheer

Inspiration: Tuesday Morning Sketches #631

I was going through my recent purchases to see what would spark inspiration and I decided to pair a Stampin' Up! set from the Holidays minicatalogue with the Joyful collection from Cocoa Vanilla. I started by stamping the lady with gift image in grey ink (to fit the pastel colors of the papers) and I used the collection as inspiration to color the image with alcohol markers. Once I was done, I fussy cut the image.

I used the floral pattern for the background and I was not liking the look of a patterned paper for the banner as my stamped image was getting lost on it. On a whim, I pulled out the Gold Rush cardstock from Lawn Fawn (which I really love) and it matched the golden yellow flowers beautifully, so I cut a banner out of it and I embossed it with one of the Wintry embossing folders from the Stampin' Up! annual catalogue. Using my Perfect Layers tool, I matted the banner using the coral patterned paper.

The backside of that same paper had stars on it, so I fussy cut a couple and placed them underneath the lady. The top felt bare, so I pulled out a roll of gold washi tape. While looking for the tape, I found the Wonderful Snowflakes (also sold in the Holidays minicatalogue). I added one underneath my layers, and I added genial gems in the center of both stars.

I used the Everyday Sentiment Banners dies to cut a banner like in the sketch, and ran it through the Big Shot twice to shorten it. The sticker sheet from the Joyful collection includes a bunch of gold-foil sentiment strips, so I picked a short one and added it with dimensional adhesive over the image. I also used a banner sticker at the top as well.

For the envelope, I used a journaling card on my matching envelope for the address block. This will be a fun collection to create with!

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Delivering Cheer (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Powder Pink (Stampin' Up!); Gold Rush (Lawn Fawn)
Patterned Papers, Stickers, Journaling Cards: Joyful (Cocoa Vanilla Studio)
Ink: River Rock (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Wintry 3D Embossing Folders, Wonderful Snowflakes, Genial Gems,
Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); A2 Rose Quartz Metallic Envelope (Envelopes.com);
Gold Washi Tape (Unknown); Outside In Stitched Rectangle Stackables Dies (Lawn Fawn);
Markers (Copic); Lemon Drizzle Glitter Marker, Midas Touch Aqua Shimmer Brush (Nuvo)

 

Comfort and Joy - Snowflakes

Inspiration: October 2021 Card Maps Sketch

And with this card, I have fully completed all October Card Maps sketches. This is one of the designs that first caught my eye, but I kept it until the very end so that I could work with paper scraps, since I was planning to punch small circles and scalloped circles. I tested a couple of colours for the snowflakes and ended up choosing silver glitter paper. The background was embossed with the Timber 3D embossing folder (currently sold in the Holidays minicatalogue). I am going to like this one. It's very detailed and quite flat, despite the 3D aspect, so I think it will be easy to incorporate into various designs. The pattern is also small enough that I will be able to work it into smaller die-cuts like mini houses, door frames, etc.

I think the stitching detail from the sketch makes a big difference on the card's finished look, so I pulled out the Roughly Sewn rub-ons from 49 and Market and added a line of stitching to each row. For the sentiment, since the design allowed me to layer a larger sentiment block, I took the opportunity to pick a more wordy sentiment, which is not always easy to incorporate into busier designs. I repeated the circles and stitching on my matching envelope.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Tourbillon de flocons (Beautiful Blizzard - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Pistachio Pudding, Basic Black, Silver Glimmer Paper (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Comfort and Joy (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Stampin' Dimensionals, 1" Circle Punch, 7/8" Scalloped
Circle Punch, Timber 3D Embossing Folder, White Medium Envelope, Stitched Snowflakes Dies,
Clear Faceted Gems (Stampin' Up!);  Black Roughly Sewn Rub-Ons (49 and Market);
Dotted Rectangle Stackables Dies (Lawn Fawn)

 

Comfort and Joy - Poinsettia

Inspiration: October 2021 Card Maps Sketch

I'm on the fence about this one. I followed the holly sketch from October 2021 and decided to use my Layered Poinsettia dies from Spellbinders. I've purchased two sets of poinsettias dies - one from Spellbinders and one from Stampin' Up! and so far, I've been very underwhelmed with the results I've achieved with both. I think I might have to explore YouTube videos to see if I can find tips on how to get better results as poinsettias are classic and I would love to be more happy with the flowers I create for my Holidays cards.

Instead of one rectangle, I actually used two, placed at an angle. I just made that change so that I could use the scraps I had on my desk as much as possible. I've made a good dent in my Comfort and Joy collection with all the cards I've put together this week, but I still have enough paper to make more projects with it.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Tourbillon de flocons (Beautiful Blizzard - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Pistachio Pudding, Silver Glimmer Paper (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Comfort and Joy (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Antique Linen Distress (Ranger)
Dies: Outside In Stitched Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn);
Layered Poinsettia (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Beaded Pearls, Peaceful Poppies Sequins, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Very Vanilla Medium Envelope, Clear Faceted Gems, Scripty 3D Embossing Folder.
Riding Hood Red Folded Ribbon, Always Artichoke Cotton Twine (Stampin' Up!);
White Gold Metallic Thread (DMC); Blending Tool (Ranger)

 

Comfort and Joy - Miss Anya

Inspiration: October 2021 Card Maps Sketch

I kept working with the Comfort and Joy collection and the October Card Maps sketches. The sketch I was using had a Santa on it, but I spotted my Miss Anya All Year set and since I hadn't used the winter girl, I decided it would fit well to stand in place of Santa. I colored her in shades to match my papers and fussy cut the image out.

Included with the patterned paper was a small sheet of stickers, and I realized the "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas block would be a good size on my card. If you look closely, the edge of her hair even follows the shape of the sentiment nicely! I hesitated every so slightly because I've been making quite a few English Christmas cards these past few months and I'm going to end up not having enough French cards on hand when the Holidays roll around. That being said, this was working out so beautifully here that I couldn't resist going with the more pleasing design option rather than the practical choice.

To keep the sentiment legible, I placed the block on top and the circle behind (although it is shown the opposite way on the sketch). I used the snowflake pattern for the top portion and the mitten pattern for the bottom section. I looked at my ribbon spools to find something to tie around the papers as my horizontal strip and I settled on black lace. I've seen a lot of black on Christmas projects this year, so even though this collection is from five years ago, it's still very much on trend.

I started going through my embellishments and put a few possible options aside, but when I found the Winter Wonderland and Frosted Finishes embellishments, I loved the look so I went with one of each, sprinkled around the card.

I repeated the cross stitched circle on the Metallic Anthracite envelope and used the mitten sticker as well.

This is one of those cards where I have been able to include a little bit of everything that I like: stamping, die-cutting, coloring, ribbon, patterned paper, stickers... Love the result. 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Miss Anya All Year (The Greeting Farm)
Cardstock: Evening Evergreen, Pistachio Pudding (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Stickers: Comfort and Joy (My Mind's Eye)
Dies: Outside In Stitched Rectangle Stackables, Cross Stitched Circle Stackables (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories: Markers (Copic); A2 Metallic Anthracite Envelope (Envelopes.com);
Frosted Finishes and Winter Wonderland Embellishments, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Black ½" Trim Lace (Stampin' Up!)

 

Comfort and Joy - Deer

Inspiration: October 2021 Card Map Sketch

I have those beautiful Comfort and Joy papers and matching ephemera pieces from My Mind's Eye that date back to 2016, that I wanted to use. I went back to my Card Map sketches and ended up with this card. One of the patterned paper has seasonal wreaths on it, so I punched one out and layered a piece die-cut with the Encircled With Beauty die set (in black cardstock). I wanted a rick rack square, so I used my Zig Zag Rectangle Stackables dies from Lawn Fawn and shortened the piece of a square by running it through the die-cutting machine a second time. I layered the wood deer die-cut on the circle with dimensional adhesive and tied Evening Evergreen ribbon at the bottom. The ephemera pack included little banners, which was perfect, so I layered two, and the top one felt empty, so I fished a heart sticker from the Winter Farmhouse mini sticker tablet. I layered the patterned paper on Pear Pizzazz cardstock and added it to the Evening Evergreen card base.

I embellished my envelope and the inside of the card and was about to call the card done when I realized I found it a little boring. I decided I might need to embellish further, so I tied two jingle bells to the ribbon bow using Cherry Cobbler twine. I have some old brads sitting on my desk because I'm trying to get them used, so I cut the prongs off a darker square metal brad and added it at an angle on the other side of the ribbon. I dug through my Stampin' Up! embellishments and decided to add a Candy Dot to the heart sticker. I also found the Expressions in Ink ephemera pack and decided to add gold foliage behind the deer for a bit of layering. The card now feels more complete to me.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Basic Black, Evening Evergreen (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Ephemera Pack: Comfort and Joy (My Mind's Eye)
Dies: Zig Zag Rectangle Stackables (Lawn Fawn); Encircled with Beauty (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Evening Evergreen Chevron Weave Ribbon, Cherry Cobbler Cotton Twine,
Mini Jingle Bells, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals, 2" Circle Punch, Expressions in Ink
Ephemera Pack, Rich Regals Candy Dots, Very Vanilla Medium Envelope (Stampin' Up!);
Square Metal Brads (Making Memories)

 

Comfort and Joy - Wreath

Inspiration: October 2021 Card Maps Sketch

The next sketch that caught my eye was the one with the leaf wreath. I wasn't initially sure what I would make with this one, but then I thought it looked like the Magic Iris Snowflake Add-On die, so I pulled it out with white glitter paper and it became the starting point of the card. I absolutely love the wooden patterned paper with white snowflakes on it, so I used it as the card background. I reused a leftover piece of mitten patterned paper from the previous card and glued that on as the rectangle piece. I looked through my dies and selected the Deco Labels dies for the label piece. I actually used the die on three different patterns before I found something I was happy with when layered. I did add black doodling around the border to try and make it stand out even more.

For the sentiment piece, I happened to have a long tag on the sticker sheet, so I stamped the "Happy Holidays" sentiment from the Beautiful Blizzard set (retired) in black ink, and I added three gems from the Genial Gems pack. Isn't the green a perfect match?

At this point, I realized that while the card looked nice, the center of the snowflake circle was way too open and that the card looked too empty. The sticker sheet included a wreath, which I had pulled off, tried over the snowflake circle, decided I didn't like and put back on the sticker sheet. But I decided to revisit the idea again - this time, I popped the wreath on dimensional adhesive and I decided I would try adding a dimensional bow. I created red buffalo plaid bows in two sizes, using the Put a Bow on It dies from Lawn Fawn. I liked the middle size better, so I went with that, and once the bow was added to the wreath, I decided I liked the layering, so I kept the sticker in the end.

I repeated the Deco Labels on the envelope and used the tree sticker. I used my leftover small bow on the tree sack. This is a gamble, as a 3D embellishment on an envelope might get ripped up in transport, but I could slip the envelope in a clear envelope (as long as you add the postage stamp on the clear envelope so it can be stamped, that works) if I really want to play it safe. I did use liquid glue to make sure the bow would be really secure.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Tourbillon de flocons (Beautiful Blizzard - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Evening Evergreen, Pistachio Pudding (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Stickers: Comfort and Joy (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Dies: Outside In Stitched Rectangle Stackables, Magic Iris Snowflake Add-On,
Put a Bow on It (Lawn Fawn); Deco Labels (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Genial Gems, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!);
A2 Metallic Anthracite Envelope (Envelopes.com); White Glitter Paper (Et Cetera)

 

Elfs on a Shelf

Inspiration: Global Design Project #314

My local scrapbook store owner added new items to her clearance section. I saw the Elfs and Their Shelf dies and remembered I have purchased this stamp set years ago. I checked out my stash and realized I did not have the dies, so I snagged them at the store for a very reasonable price. This set therefore became the starting point of this card. The Global Design Project sketch was working well with its horizontal line that I could transform into my shelf. I had found the Christmas Town papers from Doodlebug and was liking the colorful Christmas hues to pair with my elfs, so I based my coloring on the paper collection.

I had no clue what I was planning to make exactly, so I stamped all of the set images, colored and die cut them. Then I started playing with the images on the card and decided to do the elf pair on the shelf, the gifts at the bottom and the stocking hung on the corner of the paper square. The top of the card was really bare, so I added my die-cut Merry Christmas sentiment there. I used some red chunky glitter paper (a happy clearance find from Michaels two years ago) for the first word and Dazzling Diamonds glimmer paper for the second word. 

After making a matching envelope out of patterned paper and decorating the inside of the card with a leftover stamped image, I was left with the image of the little girl holding the sign and thought she would make a fabulous tag, as it leaves space to write the recipient's name. I used leftover pieces of the same papers from my desk to make a cute tag, threaded with red twine.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Elfs and Their Shelf (Neat & Tangled)
Cardstock: Real Red, Whisper White, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper (Stampin' Up!);
Chunk Glitter Paper (Recollections)
Patterned Papers: Christmas Town, Milk & Cookies Petite Print (Doodlebug Design)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Dies: Small Dotted Circles, Outside In Stitched Rectangle Stackables, 
Cross Stitched Circle Stackables (Lawn Fawn); Elfs and Their Shelf (Neat & Tangled);
Sentiment Labels (Simon Says Stamp); Joyeux Noël (Les ateliers de Karine)
Accessories: Markers (Copic); Envelope Punch Board, Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

 

Tree and Ornements

Inspiration: Color Throwdown #664

I was very intrigued by the Pixel Christmas stamp from Impression Obsession. I love the image itself, but I'm very curious to play with different techniques and see how it comes out best. I tried googling pictures of samples made with it before purchasing the stamp, but could not find much online, so I guess it'll be up to me to experiment.

Here, I stamped the image in Early Espresso ink on Crumb Cake cardstock. I dusted off my old Stampin' Pastels and using a dauber, I added colour to the elements of the image. I also inked the edges of the cardstock with Early Espresso ink.

I overstamped a greeting and the little stars from the Christmastime 3 stamp set from Tim Holtz, and embossed the images in Aqua Tinsel embossing powder from Ranger. I created a mat for my main image using the Deckle Trimmer to keep with the vintage look. I inked a Coastal Cabana card base and added my image to it.

I was trying to think of think of embellishments to add to the card and remembered the shapes I had made with my mould. It included an ornament and the sizing was working well, so I colored it with my waxes and glued it to the top of the Christmas tree. I also found the Tiny Bells from Tim Holtz - I tied a metallic thread bow on top of a bell and a jingle bell and added those to the tree as well to add a bit of dimension and interest.

I stamped the image tone on tone on a seafoam envelope to match the card.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Pixel Christmas (Impression Obsession); Christmastime 3 (Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous)
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Coastal Cabana (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Early Espresso, Coastal Cabana, VersaMark (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Aqua Tinsel Embossing Powder (Ranger); Deckle Trimmer (Tim Holtz for Tonic);
Tiny Bells (Tim Holtz for idea-ology); A2 Seafoam Envelope (Envelopes.com);
Blender Brushes (i-crafter); Metallic Thread (Altenew); Christmas Sparkle Mould (Prima Marketing);
Sage Leaves, White Gold and Graphite Waxes (Finnabair)

 

Make It Merry: Card #3

Inspiration: October 2021 Card Maps Sketch

This card is pretty simple, but I love the resulting look. I paired the poinsettia chipboard piece with a few stamped elements from the Merriest Moments stamp set. I also pulled out the retired pearl clusters for the center of the poinsettia. The sentiment was embossed in black powder on the green ledger patterned paper and die-cut with a stitched circle. The sketch didn't have a vertical line, but I decided to add a piece of silver satin ribbon to fill in the space a little bit more. I added two decorative brads from the collection on each end.

I wasn't sure the size of card I would need to keep the proportions from the sketch, so I started with the poinsettia and build out. The finished card measures 4½" x 7". I made a matching envelope using patterned paper. 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Joyeux moments (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Soft Sky (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Chipboard Stickers, Decorative Brads: Make It Merry (Simple Stories)
Ink: Old Olive, Poppy Parade (Stampin' Up!)
Dies: Stitched So Sweetly, Merriest Frames (Stampin' Up!);
Circle Double Stitched (Art Impressions)
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Stampin' Dimensionals, Pearl Clusters,
Silver Satin Ribbon, Black Stampin' Emboss Powder (Stampin' Up!)

 

Make It Merry: Card #2

Inspiration: Card Maps October 2021

I think this second card showcases the charm of the Make It Merry collection from Simple Stories better than my first one. Because the collection has a modern feel to it, I tried to reflect that in the design and pick cleaner lines than I had on the first card. 

I followed the sketch pretty closely, but I did move the sentiment to the left and I skipped the ribbon coming out of the oval. I had put the Chevron stripe die-cut in between my two patterned paper and I wasn't liking the addition of the ribbon or cords I tried, so I switched gear. Without the ribbon, the bottom of the panel felt a little bare, though, so I added a couple of additional chipboard pieces to fill the space better and make the card more balanced. I also played with a few mini banner options on the left side before I was happy with the look. This adorable Santa is probably my favorite image from the collection (even though the retro chair, typewriter and phone are all tugging at my heartstrings as well).

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Joyeux moments (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Black Foil Sheets (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Sticker Book, Decorative Brads, Chipboard Stickers: Make It Merry (Simple Stories)
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: Chevron Stripes Die-namics (My Favorite Things); Eyelets (Unknown);
Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keeper); 5¼" x 5¼" Square Cards and Envelopes (DoCrafts);
Mini Banner Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Gumball Green Stampin' Emboss Powder,
Black Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Wonderful Gems, 1/8" Handheld Circle Punch (Stampin' Up!);
Circle Double Stitches Dies (Art Impressions); Stitched Oval Stackables Dies (Lawn Fawn)