Hello, hello! Hope you're doing well and having a great day. I went back and finished up a card I had started yesterday and I'm so excited about it. This card idea is way out of my comfort zone when I'm planning Christmas cards, but it's really growing on me. I'm trying to remember that no one says you have to use Real Red and Christmas green for your cards. There's a whole world of possibilities out there that I need to explore. So here goes...
How do the colors Polished Pink and Mint Macaron work for you for possible Christmas colors? Like I said, they're kind of growing on me!
When I made my card yesterday, I stamped an extra tree using the same Soft Succulent and Mint Macaron colors, but this time I die cut it with the coordinating dies. This gives it a different look and it doesn't need to always stay on a white background then. Cutting it out leaves you with many more options.
I started out with the Polished Pink cardstock for the base and measured it at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2". It's then scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half. I thought the Silver and Gold DSP pack from Sale-a-Bration would work out nicely here. The silver dots had the look of snowfalling. (Yes, I know you still have some left!) I was going to use a full layer of the white with silver dots, but it was too much of a pattern for me. I like it so much better as just accent pieces. It was cut down to 3" x 5 1/2". To frame it in a little, I used Mint Macaron that measures 3 1/4" x 5 1/2". These were layered together using adhesive. Then they were attached to the folded card front using adhesive also. I kept it only about 1/4" from the bottom of the card.
The sentiment I chose for this card is from the Hope & Peace stamp set in the 2022 July - December Mini Catalog. It has the best Christmas sentiments by far if you're looking for anything religious in nature. It's one of my favorite picks. It's stamped with Soft Succulent ink onto a Basic White cardstock piece. The Decorative Circle Punch was used to punch it out. The curvy edges just add another bit of fun to the design. Using a Blending Brush and Polished Pink ink, a small amount of ink was added to enhance the curvy edge. Both the tree and the sentiment were added to the card front with Dimensionals.
Since the tree needed some bling, I added some of the new Adhesive-backed Seasonal Sequins in the red shade. Since the red and green sequins are iridescent, the red ones blended so nicely with the Polished Pink cardstock. In fact, they matched so well, I added a large one and two small ones to the sentiment layer too. A silver foil star was die-cut and added to the top of the tree with a Mini Dimensional to finish.
The final piece was to finish the inside of the card. I cut a piece of Basic White to measure 3 1/4" x 4 1/2". The sentiment from Peace & Hope was stamped on this using Soft Succulent ink. To frame this before putting it in the card, I cut some Mint Macaron cardstock at 3 1/2" x 4 3/4". These are attached together with adhesive and then attached inside the card with adhesive also.
And there you have it. Another Christmas card for the finished pile. It's a traditional style of card with slightly unconventional Christmas colors. Hope this inspires you to get started on your stash of Christmas cards. Don't be afraid to try something a little bit different or unusual. Yes, even try something outside of your comfort zone. You might surprise yourself and come up with something new that you really love.
If you like this idea with the Trimming the Tree and the coordinating dies, remember that Stampin'Up! has these (and 5 more sets of dies that match sets in the Annual Catalog) available through the end of September only!! You really don't want to miss out on these. I know that it's possible to fussy-cut these stamps out, but I'd much rather have the dies and do it that way! Yup, just call me lazy! Or is that just making good use of my time? 😉
Happy stamping and creating,
Sharon
