A Child is Born

Now that the weather is officially more autumn than summer, I can really get into creating Christmas cards.  I just struggle making Christmas cards when the weather is touching 70 degrees or higher.  It has to be at least chilly to get in the mood.  But I've been going through my stamps and singing Christmas carols as I've been working today.  Yup, I'm finally in the mood for Christmas!  I figured I'd be smart and get a head start on the cards needed for mailing to the shut-ins from church for the month of December.  I hate doing all the same cards, so I usually make them in lots of 8 or so cards.  Today I had fun planning out one of the designs and getting everything cut for them.  The stamp set I chose to use is A Child is Born.  It's found in the September - December Mini Catalog and is a stand-alone stamp set.  I wish it had dies to coordinate, but we'll work around that.  Thought you'd like to see the finished card.

Seems like I do at least one card that falls in the blue and white category every year.  I usually stick more with Night of Navy or Misty Moonlight blues.  This time, I went bolder and brighter with Blueberry Bushel.  I just love the finished look of this card idea!  It all started with the idea of using the Peaceful Garden Glimmer Paper and just went on from there.  What do you think?  Shall we get started?

Like I said, the card base is Blueberry Bushel that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

The layer is Basic White cardstock that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This is embossed with the Peaceful Greenery 3D Embossing Folder.  I love all the detail that keeps all that white layer from being boring.  So pretty!  This layer is attached to the folded card base using Tombow Liquid Glue (green glue).

TIP:  If you're running into a problem with the detail not showing up great, I add an extra layer of cardstock when I'm embossing.  Basically, embossing two at a time.  This gave me much greater detail.  Might want to think about trying that.

The dies for the Peace on Earth set have two label dies that fit into the recessed area of the embossed design.  I used the larger of the two to die-cut the blue Peaceful Garden Glimmer Paper.  This is so beautiful.  I really hated to cover it up.

So, instead of using the smaller matching die and having almost no blue glitter show at all, I looked through my all my label dies to see what I could use.  The 2nd largest circle die in the Stylish Shapes die set fit nicely for my idea, and I liked the stitched edging.

Then I chose the Layering Circle Dies with the scalloped edge to frame the image.  This is the 2nd largest size also.  It's cut from the Blueberry Bushel cardstock to match.

On the white circle die-cut, first the manger from the A Child is Born set was stamped with Night of Navy ink.  I wanted this to be a little darker than the rest of the stamping.  Above this, one of the sentiments from the same set is stamped with Blueberry Bushel ink.

A Wink of Stella brush was used to add a soft glimmer to the straw area.  I added a tiny bit of extra ink to darken the indentation of the straw.  These two things make the manger stand out a little more.

The white circle was attached to the scalloped circle using adhesive. Then these two layers were centered onto the glimmer paper and attached with Dimensionals to raise it up.

I used the Basic Rhinestone Jewels for the bling on the design.  I tried coloring with Blueberry Bushel Blends, but they weren't dark enough.  I added the dark Night of Navy over this and liked the nice dark look.  Three of these gems were added to the design and it was finished.

I think the design turned out great. It certainly isn't what I first had in mind when I set out to make a Christmas card. But I am really happy with this idea. Hope you like it too and if you have some of these materials, give it a try. And don't be afraid to put your own twist on it and come up with a card that your family or friends will treasure. Plus, it reminds every one of the true meaning of the season! 

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon