Black & White Christmas

Good morning friends!  Today I'm sharing a card that is a collaboration between my daughter and myself.  She's having some friends from both church and work over next week Sunday to make some Christmas cards.  Not a single one has ever done any stamping or knows anything about the process of making their own cards.  So this will be interesting to say the least.  She has a great sense of style and very definite ideas of what the cards should look like, including color, layout, etc.  Let's just say that I made several ideas that she turned down or did some tweaking, and this one had a few adjustments made to become this final card they'll make.  It did turn out nicely, and I hope these ladies will be happy with what they make.

She wanted a black & white card and liked the layout I had used for some Thanksgiving cards a couple weeks back, so that's where this started.

The card base is a half sheet of Basic Black cardstock cut at 11" x 4 1/4", scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half.  I cut two pieces of Basic White at 5" x 3 3/4", one for the front and one for the inside.  The front piece was die-cut about 1 1/4" up from the bottom edge with the Giving Gifts Dies using the Santa and reindeer die.  Truly, this is why I got this bundle in the first place just to get my hands on those rectangle window dies.  They are just so cute!

The sentiment comes from the Time of Giving set that coordinates with the above dies.  It was stamped with Real Red ink to add just a pop of color to all the black and white of the card.  The sentiment goes with the image and also fit the space nicely.

We struggled to find the perfect paper to go behind Santa, because she wanted something sparkly black.  This is the closest we could come.  I'm not sure how many years ago Stampin'Up! had this designer paper, but it's been awhile.

Luckily I had just enough to make the cards for her friends.  We ended up needing a piece about 3 1/2" x 2" for each card.  This was attached behind the window with adhesive.  Next the white layer was attached to the folded black card base with adhesive.  It was tucked in right at the top edge so there was more black showing at the bottom edge.

We also had some discussions about the ribbon, and I think we came to a great decision to use the Black Glittered Organdy Ribbon.  Isn't it pretty with the card?  It's still black, but the sheerness and sparkly glitter are perfect to make it more festive.  Also added two small rhinestones, one on either side of the sentiment, to add a little more sparkle.

The inside uses the 2nd piece of Basic White cardstock that was cut.  The sentiment we chose was another retired item from my stash of retired Christmas sentiments.  (You can never have too many sentiments to choose from as far as I'm concerned!)

Here's one more picture of one of the cards we'll be making on Sunday.  I hope the ladies will like the style and colors used.  We've also got a card that's more traditional red and green but with a fun twist, and a third one that's Misty Moonlight and Shaded Spruce in color.  Each card has a specifically different style to it, so hopefully each lady with find at least one she's really happy to have to share at Christmas time.  

It's been almost a year since my last class I held in Michigan and I truly miss the planning and deciding what to have for you ladies each month.  This has been a real time of rethinking what I want to do and how I want to do it.  Yes, I love holding classes and sharing with ladies how to make cards that they are proud to send out to family and friends.  Still trying to find an avenue to do this here.

That said, I miss all of you, my friends, that I've met through this Stampin'Up! business and the classes I've held each and every month for years!  Thank you so much for being a part of the joy in my life for so many years, and becoming great friends along the way!  What a blessing you've been to me, and I hope I've been a small blessing in your life in return.

If you're planning on ordering this month, I'd be grateful if you'd use the Current Host Code shown at the top of this blog post.  I appreciate all your support, both now and in the past.  During this month of Thanksgiving, you're one of my greatest blessings!  And I'm so thankful for you.  😁

Have fun creating and stamping,

Sharon

Time of Giving for Thanksgiving

 Hello friends!  Hope you're doing well and are able to be out enjoying this wonderful autumn weather.  I was lucky enough to go on a field trip today to a nearby plantation with the 4th grade classes my grandson is in.  I found it so fascinating.   Since coming from Michigan, I didn't grow up learning much about plantations and the way of life there.  So here I am, still learning and loving it!

The last couple of days I've been using the Time of Giving Bundle to create some fall cards.  This has been too much fun!  I've been using lots of textures and colors to get the feel of fall.  First I have a darker, maybe more elegant card for Thanksgiving to share with you.  And then a bright and happy Thanksgiving card.  Both are simple card layouts, but have a totally different look and feel to them.  Enjoy!

The materials for this card start out with a base of Crumb Cake cardstock cut at 11" x 4 1/4", scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half.   Next is a layer of the wonderful Beauty of the Earth Designer Series Paper.   I chose to use the print that is a mix of olive green tones.  This is cut at 5 1/4" x 4" and is attached to the very top of the folded card using Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.

Then comes the fun layer of Early Espresso cardstock cut at 4 3/4" x 3 1/2".   This layer has all the magic going on.  The oblong pumpkin die from the Giving Gifts Dies was cut out about 1 1/4" up from the bottom edge.  After it was die-cut, the layer was embossed with the Timeworn Type 3D Embossing Folder.  Looking at both sides on the layer, I decided I liked the backside of the embossing for this card.  So it was attached over the green DSP layer again right to the top edge of the card using Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.

The sentiment is from the Time of Giving stamp set.  The block-style letters looked nice on a clean cut 3/4" strip of Crumb Cake cardstock.  It was stamped with Early Espresso ink.  Then trimmed down to 2 1/2".

I tried several different things to layer behind the sentiment and finally went with the gold from the Gold and Rose Gold Metallic Specialty Paper found on page 135 in the Annual Catalog.  The brushing on the gold paper softened the color and made it the perfect accent for the card.

Lastly was the ribbon wound around the inside of the card and tied in the front with a bow.  This is the Gold Fine Art Ribbon that is a cross between country and chic because of it's golden fibers woven in with the linen.  Just Perfect!  Oh yes, we can't forget a few of Champagne Rhinestones sprinkled across the front.

Now for the next version...

Way different!  This card starts off with a base of Bumblebee cardstock cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.  The first layer is Early Espresso cardstock cut at 5 1/2" x 4".  Next comes a layer of Pumpkin Pie cardstock cut at 3 7/8" x 5 1/2".  I left both layers longer than needed so they could each be ripped off on the bottom edge when ready.  Before that, I stamped the 3 leaves from the Time of Giving stamp set multiple times over the Pumpkin Pie cardstock using a VersaMark ink pad to give a very subtle print pattern.  Then it was embossed with the Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder to give it some texture.  I love the subtleness of both the stamping and embossing on here.  It adds so much interest, but doesn't scream at you.  At this point, both layers were ripped to fit the card front and then attached with adhesive.

When I first got the Time of Giving Bundle, I wanted to see what the dies looked like after cutting, so I had this sample of the pumpkins cut out of Early Espresso cardstock.  It was just the accent piece needed for this card.  To add more contrast to the die-cut image, I tucked a small strip of one of the Harvest Meadow Designer Series Papers behind it.  Then it was popped up on the lower part of the card using Dimensionals.

For the sentiment, the Word Wishes dies were used.  Before die-cutting, the Early Espresso cardstock had a strip of the Adhesive Sheets attached to the back.  It was run back and forth twice through the Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine to make sure it was cut through.  Then the words had the backing taken off from the adhesive and added to the card front.  So very easy to attach the words this way!  The words were curved a little when attaching.  

It needed something more, so I die-cut the smaller leaves of the die set from the same piece of Harvest Meadow DSP used behind the pumpkins.  They were tucked in around the card front and I loved the look.  They were attached with adhesive.  A few Champagne Rhinestones were also tucked in the design on this card too.  Just a side note - I was really surprised how different the rhinestones looked on the two cards even though they were the same color.  The rhinestones really pick up and enhance whatever color they are placed on.  Who knew?! 

Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to stop in today.  Hope these two very different looking cards will give you some ideas to get you crafting and creating.  It's always fun to see what different things you can create using the same tools but changing up the color.  That's one of my favorite things about stamping - you can always get something different from the items you have on hand.

Remember, if you're planning on ordering this month, please use the Current Host Code at the top corner of my blog site page.  It's much appreciated!  Thanks!

Many hugs,

Sharon