CHRISTMAS STAR SWIRLED DESIGNS

I wanted to use the star die cuts from Swirled Design today, and what better way to use them but for a Christmas Card?

I turned the large gold star die-cut into an "ornament" by layering it over the stamped circular swirl image from the stamp set.  To create a hanger for my ornament, I used one of the narrow scrap gold strips that are created when the star is die cut.  If you look closely at the star you will see that I had plenty of the little strips to choose from.  I adhered it above the star and then added a Cherry Cobbler & Gold Bow.

The front of the Cherry Cobbler card base was covered with the Cherry Cobbler Season of Elegance Specialty Paper.  Doesn't it make a pretty card base?

A brushed gold foil mat creates an elegant border around the Basic White cardstock, AND -- I was able to die cut the large star and several of the small stars from the center of that foil cardstock before I adhered the Basic White cardstock to it.  

I always try to remember to do this as it really stretches the use of foil and expensive specialty papers.  

The Merry Christmas greeting is from the Long Time No See stamp set.  It is stamped with Cherry Cobbler ink directly on the Basic White cardstock to keep the card nice and flat for mailing.  The small die-cut stars added to the center of the large star and above the sentiment also create a "flatter" card than other gems or embellishments would.

For the inside of the card I used another piece of the Season of Elegance Specialty Paper as the mat, and then I die cut a lot of stars from both the Season of Elegance Paper and little gold foil scraps that I can never seem to throw away.

I thought it really dressed up the inside of the card and tied it to the front.

What do you think?

Use this link to download a tutorial for today's card.

A list of the products I used is shown below.

Product List

Swirled Designs Bundle (English) [167311]	Long Time No See Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [166189]	Hope & Peace Cling Stamp Set (English) [159773]	Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [119685]
Season Of Elegance 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [164144]	Brushed Silver And Gold Foil 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [164861]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [166780]	Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad [147083]
Cherry Cobbler & Gold 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Satin Ribbon [164028]	Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653]

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THEM BONES CHRISTMAS

If you have been following me for the last month or so you know that I am challenging myself to make one Christmas card each week using whichever product I am featuring for the week.

Making a Christmas card from Halloween Designer Series Paper was a challenge, but I love how my Christmas Card turned out.

There was one design within the collection that was Starry Sky Stripes, so that was my starting point.  It was the only design that I thought I could make work for Christmas.  Orange and Black Plaids or Orange Houndstooth patterns can certainly be used for non-Halloween cards, but I didn't think they worked for Christmas.  I like to use non-traditional colors for Christmas, but orange just wasn't working!

The design with a border of tombstones on each side of the paper had a starry "sky" section in the center of it, but it also had a bunch of bats flying around in that sky, so I knew I couldn't use much of it for my sky as bats didn't seem appropriate for Christmas either.  In order to have a "bat-free" sky I would only be able to use a narrow strip.  But this created challenges with the layout because.  Using such a narrow strip made the proportions look wrong.

I had seen a Double Z Fun Fold that used a narrow strip near the bottom of a card, and that gave me a brainstorm!  Why couldn't I use the narrow Z-Fold at the top?  And when I remembered the Horse & Sleigh bundle, everything fell into place.

The bush on the front is heat embossed on Starry Sky cardstock with White embossing powder.

The tree on the base of the card to the far right, was heat embossed with both white and silver embossing powder on Basic White cardstock.

The Sleigh is attached to the left panel of the card with dimensionals and the horse is not adhered to anything.  When you open and close the card the horse moves across the scene.

The foiled designer paper on the two far left front panels is from the Naturally Gilded DSP collection.  I scattered several iridescent rhinestones in the sky to create sparkle as you open and close the card.  What do you think?  Does THEM BONES work for Christmas?  

Use this link to download a detailed tutorial with diagrams for cutting and scoring.

Below is a list of products I used.

Product List

Horse & Sleigh Bundle (English)

[162126]

Hope & Peace Cling Stamp Set (English)

[159773]

Starry Sky 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159263]

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock

[159229]

Them Bones 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[162215]

Naturally Gilded 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[161639]

Silver Foil Sheets

[132178]

Starry Sky Classic Stampin' Pad

[159212]

Versamark Pad

[102283]

Starry Sky Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[159222]

Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154880]

Pecan Pie Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack

[161674]

Lemon Lime Twist Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack

[161682]

Smoky Slate Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154904]

Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154883]

Stampin’ Blends Light Combo Pack

[159465]

Basics Embossing Powders

[155554]

Metallics Embossing Powders

[155555]

Iridescent Rhinestones Basic Jewels

[158130]

Heat Tool (Us And Canada)

[129053]

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

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PETAL PARK CHRISTMAS

I continue to strive to meet my self-imposed challenge to create a Christmas card each week using whatever products I am featuring that week.

Well, using the Petal Park Bundle to create a Christmas card was certainly a challenge.  This bundle definitely does not scream "Christmas!"  But I was determined.

I first got some assistance from the Christmas Pinecone Dies, and then I also took color inspiration from a card I saw by "Frenchie" on Demonstrator Planning Place.  She shared a couple of cards she had made with the Saint Nicholas stamp set.  On one of the cards, she gave Santa a Lost Lagoon Santa Suit, and I really liked the warmth of her card, so I decided to use Lost Lagoon for my Christmas card.

The pine branch background was die cut from Pretty Peacock Soft Shimmer Specialty Paper, and I used Pecan Pie and Early Espresso for my pinecones.

Then it was time to add some Petal Park flowers.  I tried several different reds embossed with white embossing powder and also white cardstock embossed with the colored embossing technique using various red inks.  I ended up with Cherry Cobbler flowers heat embossed with white embossing powder.

After scattering several flowers around the pinecones, I still thought it needed some additional white to brighten it up a bit.  So, I die cut an additional piece of Basic White cardstock with the pine branch background die and snipped it apart to make several little branches.  Then I tucked them among the pinecones and flowers.  And just in case, the Pretty Peacock Soft Shimmer pine branches didn't give enough sparkle, I brushed some clear Wink of Stella on the white branches.  The sentiment from Hope & Peace completed the card.

What do you think of my result?  Did I successfully meet my challenge?

With all of my experimentation on the front of the card, I ended up, as usual, with leftovers.  I was brought up in a home where leftovers never went to waste.  As a result, it is difficult for me to throw away leftover stamping bits!  As I often do, I used my leftovers to decorate the inside of my card and added another sentiment from Hope & Peace.  I love the Christmas sentiments in this stamp set.  It is available as an ONLINE EXCLUSIVE.  You can click on it in my Product List below to see the additional Christmas sentiments it includes.

For a tutorial for today's today, use this link to download a FREE COPY.

Product List

Petal Park Bundle (English)

[160577]

Hope & Peace Cling Stamp Set (English)

[159773]

Christmas Pinecone Dies

[156309]

Lost Lagoon 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[133679]

Soft Shimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper

[161750]

Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[119685]

Pecan Pie 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[161717]

Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[119686]

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

Versamark Pad

[102283]

Pretty Peacock Classic Stampin’ Pad

[150083]

Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush

[141897]

Basics Embossing Powders

[155554]

Heat Tool (Us And Canada)

[129053]

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

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