Snowy Delights Card

Hello friends.  I didn't get a chance to share this idea with you before because of IT issues, but I'd love to hear what you think about making this type of card into a winter birthday or thinking of you card.  It's basically snowflakes so it's not a Christmas card per se.  Please tell me what you think. 

I love the crisp navy and white look with just the large snowflake.  It's quick and easy to do, but I think it looks stunning.

Start with a Basic White Thick piece of cardstock that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This card will be made using the Snowy Delights dies only.  It will have the snowflake outline die-cut from it.  I didn't use the largest outline die, but the one that more closely follows the contours of the larger snowflake.   

Using the segment that you just cut out, center the large snowflake die on this and cut again.  Don't throw out the excess you just cut from around the snowflake.  I've got plans for that too.

Ok, let's do some stamping and layering to put this card together.

On the Thick Basic White cardstock piece, stamp the sentiment.  I used this one from the Peace on Earth set along with Night of Navy ink.  I thought it looked lovely along the bottom area.

Next this white layer is attached to a Night of Navy layer.  This measures 5 3/8" x 4 1/8".  This will give you a tiny navy edge that is so elegant surrounding all that white.  And don't you love the navy showing off that snowflake cut-out?  I used "green glue" for this step, so I had a little wiggle time to get it nice and straight.  

These two layers were then attached to a Basic White card base.  It was attached with the "green glue" also.

Now to get that lovely snowflake attached to the center of the navy snowflake.  I used some Mini Dimensionals that had been cut in half.  When you look closely at the snowflake, you see in the outer star at the "V's" there is no light showing through.  This is where I placed the Dimensional half pieces so they wouldn't show through.  Another half Mini Dimensional was also placed under the circle of each snowflake arm where the glitter dot was placed later.  That half of the Mini Dimensional fit there perfectly.  This is just enough to hold the snowflake in place on the card.  (Make sure you carefully put this in an envelope so none of the little details get messed up.)

The final touch on this elegant card was adding just a touch of bling to draw the eye around the design.  the cute little pale blue sequins are from the Traditional Sparkling Sequins found in the Sept - December Mini Catalog.  I debated about using the clear Basic Rhinestones for the bling, but I think the light blue sequins enhance the frosty appearance.

In case it's bothering you, at this point I need to mention that I did go back and pop those last three holes in the die-cut.  Yes, the picture is driving me crazy, but the card has already been long-gone in the mail so I can't take new pictures!  

Now, I need your honest opinion.  I was considering sending some of these style of cards to the shut-ins in January.  I'd change up the sentiment to something like - a warm hello.  Yes or no???  What do you think?  I need some opinions here.

Now remember that extra piece that was die-cut from between the outline of the snowflake and the detail of it?  Well, just keep reading and you'll see what I did with it.  

I thought the piece was just too interesting to throw out and I needed to do something with it.  

The card base is Lost Lagoon cardstock.  It has a snowflake cluster from the Snowy Delights set stamped in each corner with Lost Lagoon ink.  This gives just a bit of subtle interest to the card background.

The Thick Basic White snowflake left over piece was attached to the card front with "green glue".  I was going to use the same snowflake die to cut a sparkly snowflake but decided to use the smaller one instead.  This way I still have two completely different looks on the card that complement each other.  I used the Peaceful Garden Glimmer Paper in the soft greenish color for this design. 

The sentiment and oval die are both from the Snowy Delights bundle.  The sentiment was stamped with Lost Lagoon ink to match the design.  It's popped on the card front with some Dimensionals. 

The little snowflake embellishment on the sentiment label is just the tiny center piece from the large snowflake.  Isn't it perfect here?

The only extra bling on this card is a pretty retired white "ribboned" gem that seemed to be just the right one.

That's it for today's card idea.  Yes, I know you've already got you cards all finished and sent out.  But I thought these ideas were too good to ignore.  Just because I couldn't share any ideas with you for two weeks doesn't mean I didn't have any ideas that I wanted to share.  Again, I wish to make a sincere apology for not making any posts throughout the month because of my IT issues.  This whole teaching an old dog new tricks is really hard on me.  Thank goodness my hubby is better at finagling things than I am, or I'd be totally lost!

Merry Christmas!  and have some fun stamping and creating,

Sharon

Branching Out Again

Happy November!  I find it so hard to believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner and Christmas is racing along right after it!  Where has this whole year gone?  I feel like I've frittered too much of it away and really need to buckle down these last two months of this year to get some of my goals accomplished.  Do you feel the same way?  One of the things I need to accomplish is getting a handle on making my Christmas cards.  I'm usually much farther along by this time of the year.  So, let's get going.

Today I've returned to the Branching Out bundle.  I totally love the dies for the set, and the stamps are just as great.  I've always loved the back-to-nature look of pine branches on Christmas cards.  Either that or trees tend to be my go-to images, so this fits right in.  This card was not only fun to do but was really fairly quick to make.  This could easily be done in a production line if you have piles of cards, or maybe only a half dozen to make.  Let's get started.

The base for the card is Basic White Thick cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

The Basic White layer was cut next.  It is cut with the 4th largest die of the Branching Out die set. I love both the shape and the stitching on these dies.  

Now for the stamped images.  I started with the smaller branch in the set but didn't even stamp the entire branch on this piece.  First, I stamped the longer section of branch to the left side using Early Espresso ink.  Then just a small section of the stamp added another branch to the design.

The triple pine needles stamp was used to add the Shaded Spruce needles.  You can see that I stamped two or three times without reinking to fill in each needle cluster.

The single pinecone that I used was first inked with Pecan Pie ink, then the edges were rolled in Early Espresso ink before stamping.  This gives them more color variations.

The sentiment comes from the Snowy Delights stamp set.  It's stamped with Secret Sea ink.  Looking at this layer, it looked a little bare at that point.  Using the snowflake cluster from the Snowy Delights set, I stamped the background with Cloud Cover ink.  To get the snowflakes where I wanted them, some places have only two snowflakes inked up before stamping.

At this point, a spattering of Wink of Stella was added to the design.  I thought it would continue the snowfall look of it along with a little extra sparkle.

A layer of Secret Sea cardstock was cut with the 2nd largest Branching Out die.  This gives a nice wide border to frame the stamping.  The layers are attached with adhesive, then are added to the card front with Dimensionals for height. 

The inside of the card was stamped to bring the outside design into the inside.  The sentiment is from last year's Greetings of the Season set.  It's stamped with Secret Sea ink.

The same branch stamp was used to stamp partial branches where I wanted, but they were off-stamped before adding to the card.  The Shaded Spruce pine needles were also off-stamped before stamping.  Likewise, the pinecones were inked, rolled, and off-stamped before adding to the design.  

It's very hard to see in the picture, but there are the same snowflake clusters added to the design.  They are inked with Cloud Cover ink then off-stamped before adding.  They are almost too light to see so I might not add them the next time I make this card.

I thought a bow would finish the design off nicely.  After trying several ideas, a double length of the Black & White & Gold Baker's Twine was used to make a bow for the card.  It's attached with a Mini Glue Dot at the top of the stamped layer.

For the very last item, three Pecan Pie and Clear Ribboned Dots were used to add a subtle bit of accent to the design.

Well, what do you think?  I just love this card idea and think I need to make a few more of these cards for Christmas.  I really love the colors and design.  Yes, I can see me sending out a number of these for Christmas.  Time to get stamping!

Thanks for sharing some of your precious time with me today.  Hope you're inspired and want to either make this card just like I did or maybe use the layout with different stamps to make your very own special card!  Whichever way you do it, I hope you have fun creating and sharing your ideas with others.  

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Elegant Pine Snowflakes Card

Hello, my stamping friends.  Have you gotten a head start on your Christmas cards yet? I've only made a few of them so far, but I was thinking ahead to the cards I'll need for the shut-ins come December.  I know I have lots of time yet and Thanksgiving cards to make, but it's never too early to plan Christmas cards.  Right?  I have to tell you that I'm in love with the Elegant Pine Snowflakes DSP.  It's different and I think the colors and prints are all fabulous.  Especially the DSP prints that are on the dark backgrounds.  Truly scrumptious!  So, the card I'm sharing today needed to be easy to make but look eye-catching and very Christmas-y.

The card turned out a dark, rich blend of colors that were chosen to match the print.  I started with a base of Cherry Cobbler that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half to make a landscape style card.

Next is a layer of the Shaded Spruce cardstock that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  

There is a layer of the Elegant Pine Snowflakes Designer Paper cut to 5" x 3 3/4".  This DSP can only be found in the Online Exclusive section in the store.  It's definitely worth it to spend the time looking for it! This layer is attached to the Shaded Spruce layer with adhesive.  Then both of these layers are attached to the folded card base with adhesive also. 

Next the Everyday Arches Dies were used to cut the sentiment pieces.  The 2nd smallest die cut a piece of Basic White cardstock.  The 3rd smallest die cut a piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock.

On the white piece, a small snowflake cluster from the Snowy Delights stamp set was stamped with Soft Sea Foam ink towards the curved end.  Then the sentiment - Joy to the World - was stamped with Cherry Cobbler ink right over the snowflakes.

The white layer was attached to the Cherry Cobbler layer with adhesive.  Then both layers were attached to the card front with Dimensionals to make it stand out more. 

I made a mistake.  I thought the ribbon I used on this card was from this year.  Unfortunately, it must be retired from last year.  Oops.  It's Cherry Cobbler with gold edging and it worked here.  So, I guess this means go through your stash and fine something that works!  It's attached with a Mini Glue Dot to hold in place.  

The glittery dots are a fun addition here.  They are from the Traditional Sparkling Sequins that are found in the Sept-Dec Mini Catalog.  I've used the green ones here and the red ones on another one of these cards.  I think I prefer the green ones that tend to show up a little better.

TIP:  I considered a gold bow and gold gems of some kind for the bling.  I think the gold would be very elegant!

So far, the inside is a layer of Basic White with a 1/2" strip of the DSP along the bottom edge.  I just haven't decided on the wording I want to use yet.  That will come later as needed.

Well, there you have it.  Just a nice, quick, and simple card if you're doing multiples for Christmas.  Of course, you'll want those fabulous show-stopper cards for special people, but these work out well when you've got stacks of cards you need to mail out and you're running out of time to get them done.

Thanks for stopping by to see what's new around here.  There will be both Thanksgiving and Christmas cards coming in the near future.  I've got lots of ideas in my head.  I just need to get downstairs and get the creating part done.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon