Night Divine Nativity Card

Hello, hello!  Are you staying warm?  Oh my goodness, it's cold here.  It's been getting below freezing the last two days, and I'm so not prepared for that!  This isn't why we moved to the south.  We thought we'd get away from the cold.  I know, most of you are already dealing with that kind of weather and maybe some snow too.   So, I shouldn't complain.  Well, maybe just a little now and then.  😄  I'm still working on making my cards for Christmas.  I keep planning to use the Night Divine Bundle, but then I end up grabbing some different stamp set.  Well, today is the day.  I saw a similar card using this set that I thought was on Pinterest.  It totally intrigued me.  I went back to get the person's name that made it to give her credit, but I couldn't find it anywhere.  I must have seen it somewhere else.  If you've seen this idea, please let me know so I can credit her here.

The major idea that I copied was using wood-grain paper for the layering.  I love the realistic grained look for this die-cut!  I'll be honest and tell you I rummaged through all my wood-grained paper, and I have a lot.  I was looking for the heaviest graining I could find.  Needless to say, this is a retired DSP.  But you can use any wood-grained paper you have that you like.  Also, this card uses 4 different stamp bundles to get the look I wanted.  That doesn't mean you need to go out and buy everything I used.  I'm sure you have stamps that fit the look just fine.  The big item that's really necessary is the Night Divine Bundle.

My card starts with a card base of Shaded Spruce cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.  Next is a layer of my wood-grained DSP.  It measures 5 1/4" x 4".  Before attaching this to the card base, die-cut the image using the Night Divine dies and set aside.  Attach the layer to the card base using adhesive.  What was die-cut from the middle will not show once the card is put together.

The next layer is Very Vanilla that measures 4 1/4" x 4".  This has a sentiment from the Night Divine set.  It's stamped with Shaded Spruce ink about 3/4" from the top of the layer.  This was embossed with the Timber 3D Embossing Folder (page 169).  I like how this look matches with the wood-grained layer and looks a little rustic.  After embossing, attach this to the card front using adhesive.  The top and bottom should fit right over the wood-grained DSP with it showing only on the sides.

At this time, attach the die-cut piece with adhesive.  Place the bottom edge of the die-cut about 1 3/8" from the bottom edge of the layer. This makes it a little higher than middle of the card.  

Next a double evergreen die from the Joy Of Noel Bundle was used to cut five branch sets from Shaded Spruce cardstock.  Two of them are attached to the left side overlapping them.  Then two of them were turned over to the backside and attached to the right side to match.  The last double branch was cut off at the stem to make it fit on the card.  This picture shows how everything is layered together.

The bow I made uses the Pecan Pie Center Stripe ribbon that's in the Mini Catalog.  I tried the Gold and Vanilla Satin Edge ribbon in the Annual Catalog, but it didn't fit as nicely with the rustic look of the card.  After making the ribbon, it's attached over the evergreen branches with two Mini Glue Dots to hold in place.

The inside of the card is finished with a layer of Very Vanilla.  It measures 4 7/8" x 3 5/8".  I wanted more of the Shaded Spruce showing on the edges so it's cut smaller than usual.

The sentiment is from the Wishes All Around stamp set.  It's stamped in Shaded Spruce.  This has turned out to be one of my go-to sentiments this Christmas season.

The evergreen branches on the left are from the Christmas Classics set.  They are stamped multiple times to give it a fuller look.  These are also stamped with Shaded Spruce ink.

Now I need a little help here.  I've been debating about adding a few of the tiny gold Festive Pearls in the Annual Catalog.  Or maybe one of the gold Star Trinkets in the Mini Catalog?  Does the gold accent work on this?  Does it even need anything else, or should I leave it as is?  Help!  A little input would be appreciated.

Ready for some big information?  The retiring list for the Mini Catalog is available now.  Yes, it's that time already.  So, if there are any items in the Mini Catalog that you were debating about getting, time is running out.  You know how fast some items sell out!   So, make your choices now.  Click on the label to take you directly to the retired list.

Last Chance List for 2023 Sept. - Dec. Mini Catalog

If you are ordering, please consider using the Host Code at the top of this blog post.  It would be very appreciated.  Thanks for sharing some time with me today.   It's always pleasant to hear back from you and find out whether you like what I've made each day.  You make me want to create and share with you!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Blue Tree Card

Hello!  It's been so cold here the last few days.  The temps have been in the low 30's and quite breezy, but at least there is sunshine today.  The wind is doing a good job of knocking down the leaves.  We have so many trees that my hubby is out there blowing them every day.  We started getting all the outdoor decorations placed.  They are all coming along nicely, so we're taking a break.  At least I get to stay inside for a while where it's toasty warm and cozy.  All the cold was making me think about cards in blues and silvers.  You know I like my blue cards, so let's share another one today.

It was so funny trying to take the pictures of this card.  The silver layer is so shiny that all the pics were showing a reflection of my arm.  Didn't think you wanted to see my blue arm in the photo.  At least my sweater matched the card!

The card base is Blueberry Bushel.  It measures 11" x 4 1/4", scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half. The first layer is the shiny Silver Foil.  It's cut to 5 1/4" x 4".  Before attaching this to the card base, cut a rectangle from the center with the Scalloped Contours Dies.  No one will see the hole in the layer because it will be hidden.  Attach with adhesive to keep it flat so far.

The next layer is from the Winter Meadow DSP, and it measures 5" x 3 3/4".  This is the third time I've used this lovely print on the cards I've shared.  There is just something about it that draws me to it, and I keep reaching for this print all the time.  Looks like it needs to go on my shopping list because I've just about used it all except for some scraps.  Anyway, this layer is attached over the silver layer using adhesive.

A tree was cut from Blueberry Bushel cardstock using the Forever Forest Dies.  This is mounted onto the die-cut silver rectangle that was already cut.  It's attached with adhesive along the left edge of the silver with part of the branches hanging over the edge.  A piece of the Silver and White 1/2" Sheer Ribbon was wrapped around near the bottom and tied into a knot.  Trim the ends with snips.  I like the added ribbon here, because it looks so shivery cold.  This layer is added to the card front using Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the Stars At Night Bundle.  I love the font on this Merry Christmas greeting.  It is stamped with Blueberry Bushel ink onto a Basic White piece.   A favorite retired punch from Stampin'Up! was used because it fit nicely.  It's attached to the card front using Dimensionals.

The inside of the card starts with a layer of Basic White cardstock cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4".  It features another of the die-cut Blueberry Bushel trees from the Forever Forest set.  There is also a 1" strip of the same DSP print that I had leftover.  I made use of it attached near the bottom of the Basic White layer.

The sentiment is from the Wishes All Around stamp set.  It's stamped in Blueberry Bushel ink.  The layer is attached inside the card, as usual, with adhesive.

There are a few other embellishments to finish the card.  One of the stars in the Stars At Night Bundle was die-cut from the More Dazzle Specialty Paper.  I liked the glittery-ness of the star because it contrasted nicely with the shiny silver.  It's attached with a Mini Glue Dot. It's also partially off the silver layer to help it stand out.

There are also some Blueberry Bushel gems added to the card.  They're from the Tinsel Gems Four-Pack.  Instead of snowflakes or clear gems, I thought the blue ones were the perfect accent.

That's it for today's card share.  If you've got the items used, this card goes together so quickly!  If you're wanting to make multiples of these cards, just do everything in stages and put together when all the pieces are ready.  Easy peasy.  

PS, did you notice the blue sleeve reflection at the bottom of this photo?  You should have seen the contortions I went through to get these pictures without a reflection.  You would have been laughing at me like crazy.  

Thanks for stopping by to see what's new.  Hope this card inspires you to get going on your Christmas card making.  It's always a pleasure to send your own hand-made cards to let family and friends know you care about them, and they are very special to you.  Come by again for another card idea.  I love sharing them with you.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Wishes All Around Wreath Card

Hello friends!  Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful, and you truly enjoyed yourself.  Did you get enough turkey and stuffing to last you awhile?  Did you have enough time to spend with your family and friends, or is there never enough time to spend with those you love?  The week went by so quickly and here we are at the tail end of November.  Are you ready for Christmas and getting all the cards mailed, cookies made, and presents purchased and wrapped?  Yup, it's that time of year again when we all get frazzled from too many commitments.  But who wants to give up any of those parties and time spent together?  Not me.  So, I suggest you find a quick and easy way to make your cards and get them out of the way first.  Today I have an easy card idea that was shared by my friend Ruth.  This is a perfect card to make in stages and then put together a whole stack of them. This way they're finished quickly and get popped in the mail.  Then on to the cookies!!

If you're looking for a slightly modern look to your red and green cards, this card fits the bill.  There are clean lines and lots of white space with a modern take on those Christmas trees.  Plus, it goes together quick as can be.  I started with a base of Shaded Spruce cardstock that measures 11" x 4 1/4".  It's scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half.  Next there is a layer of Real Red that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  It's attached flat to the card base with adhesive.

A layer of Basic White cardstock is cut at 3 3/4" x 3 3/4" square.  After cutting, it is embossed with the Snowflake Sky Embossing Folder.  (I've been using this folder often 'cause it's so cute!)  After embossing, it's attached flat to the red layer with adhesive, leaving room at the bottom for the green plaid strip of DSP.

The green plaid strip is from the Joy of Christmas DSP.  I think even that 1" strip packs a lot of wow to perk up the card.  It's also attached flat with adhesive.

The tree wreath is from the Wishes All Around Bundle.  First, it's stamped with Shaded Spruce ink, and then die-cut with the coordinating die.  When stamping, stamp an extra tree on a scrap of Shaded Spruce cardstock also.  Die-cut the extra tree with the matching die.  Also cut two of the berry branches from Read Red cardstock to add to the wreath.

Using "green glue", attach the tree wreath in the center of the embossed white layer.  I only added the glue on the outer edges of the wreath.  Add the two red branches to the bottom right area of the wreath.  Then add the green tree using one Dimensional under it to give it some extra height.

The sentiment is also from the Wishes All Around Bundle.  It's stamped with Shaded Spruce ink on a strip of Basic White that is just under 3/4" wide to fit all the letters.  The ends are just angle cut to finish.  It's attached over the green plaid DSP using Dimensionals to hold in place.  Did you notice how the tips of the sentiment just peek over the edge of the layer.  I like it when things are just a little different from lining up just so.  I think it adds just a little bit of added interest.

The finishing touch to the card are the three Real Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels.  After the card was finished, I realized that the red rhinestones are actually retired.  Oops!  How can we not have red rhinestones?  It seems impossible to me.  Especially at this time of year.  Oh well, if you have them, use them!  If not, use the clear rhinestones that we do have and color them with the Real Red Blends in the Dark color.  It will do in a pinch.

The inside of the card is finished with a layer of Basic White that measures 5 1/4" x 4".   The sentiment I used is from the same Wishes All Around Bundle, and it's stamped with Shaded Spruce ink.  There is a 1/4" strip of Real Red cardstock added near the bottom of the white layer.  Another one of those modern trees from the set is stamped with Shaded Spruce ink on the right side for a little accent inside the card.

That's it for this card.  It really is easy and each of the components can be finished and ready to put together all at once.  I think it's a really cute card and would be fun to receive in the mail for Christmas.  Thanks, Ruth, for another adorable card idea.  And thank you for checking in to see what's been happening around here.  Thanksgiving was a lot crazier than normal, but in the end the dinner was delicious and more than enough!  We almost didn't have a turkey, but it all turned out well.  I'm still munching on turkey and pies, and cheesy hors d'oeuvres.  That means I'm almost in heaven!!  Yum!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Blue NOEL Card

Happy Monday to you, my friend!  I can't believe that another week has quickly passed.  It's almost Thanksgiving time and I'm not ready yet.  How about you?  Have you mailed out any cards to family and friends?  Have you got that dinner menu planned?  And the house decorated with turkeys and pumpkins?  I'm not there yet, but I'm working on it.  I'm so excited that seven ladies are joining me on Tuesday to put together the Thanksgiving cards for the shut-in members from church.  It will be fun to introduce them to the glories of stamping and card making.  Hope this works out well and is just the beginning of this group effort to send cards out each month.  I've been doing this on my own, but you know it's always more fun with friends!

Here's what I made several days ago to share with you.  I've looked at it for 4 days and just wasn't really happy with it.  Don't you think it needed something?  It just wasn't great - rather boring.  After fretting about it for days, I figured if I wasn't happy with it, I needed to take the card apart and make some adjustments to it.   And that's exactly what I did!  

The NOEL was really bothering me, so that's what was peeled off first.   I die-cut another set of letters in Blueberry Bushel and started to play around with the card by using only the blue, or the blue over the silver sparkle, or....  Here's what I came up with.

I love the look so much better with that small bit of framing of Blueberry Bushel cardstock underneath the More Dazzle die-cut letters.  It just makes the whole card better, more cohesive.  So, let's talk about how to make the card.

It starts with a Blueberry Bushel card base that measures 11" x 4 1/4", scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half.  Next a layer of the beautiful Winter Meadow Designer Series Paper was cut to measure 3 7/8" x 5 1/8".  Isn't this snowy forest-looking paper just perfect?  I love it!  A small frame of Basic White is cut to go under it.  That measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This leaves just a bitty frame of white to set the paper apart from the Blueberry Bushel cardstock base.  

Before attaching them together, the NOEL die was used to cut the letters out of the DSP.  This would allow me to get the letters spaced nicely when putting the card together.  The same die was used to cut the More Dazzle Specialty paper also.  At this point, I should have also cut the letters from the Blueberry Bushel cardstock that I added later.

Attach the DSP to the Basic White layer with adhesive.  Using adhesive, tuck the Blueberry Bushel letters into the die-cut space on the DSP.  Layer the More Dazzle letters over the blue letters with adhesive.  I off-set these to the right and down when attaching them.

The tree dies from the Forever Forest Bundle were used to cut three different sized trees from the Blueberry Bushel paper.  These were lined up on the bottom left of the card front and attached with adhesive.  A 1/2" strip of the More Dazzle Paper was added across the card and covered the bottom of the trees.

This card front was attached to the card base using Dimensionals.

The inside of the card has a layer of Basic White measuring 5 1/4" x 4".  The sentiment on it comes from the Wishes All Around stamp set.  It was stamped with Blueberry Bushel ink.  The trio of snowflakes are from the same set.  These are also stamped with Blueberry Bushel ink but were off-stamped before stamping to get a lighter color on the snowflakes.

There was a 1" strip of the same DSP that was left over, so it was attached to the white layer using adhesive.  The finished white layer was then attached to the inside of the card with adhesive.

The final touch on this snowy card is the addition of some clear Rhinestone Basic Jewels.  They sparkle just right to blend in with the More Dazzle design elements without competing with them.

Isn't this version better?  I think it was well worth the effort to do a remake on this card.  So now you've gotten a look into the card making process when things don't look quite as nice in person as they do in my mind.  Sometimes some tweaking is needed.  Don't be afraid to finagle your cards if they don't turn out quite right.  Try moving around the elements of the card or consider adding something different instead.   You never know what will work until you try it!  

Thanks for sharing some of your day with me.  I love hearing what you think about my ideas, so leave me a comment if you would.

If you'd like to order, I want to tell you that Stampin'Up! is having a Seasonal Sale on November 14 - 16.  You can save up to 20% on select items.  Make sure you check the online store to see all the items available.  Have fun stocking up on some of your favorite inks (pads, markers, refills), ribbon & trims, and papers.  These items are all from the Annual Catalog.  Thank you in advance for your patronage.  I always appreciate your business!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Christmas Classics Updated

Hello friends!  My goodness!  Here it is Sunday again already.  Where does the time fly?  It was a busy week and obviously I didn't get much of anything done.  I did do a little stamping, but not any posting.  Sorry for the long wait since the last post.  I do have a pretty Christmas card for you today though.  The colors are Moody Mauve and Pretty Peacock - not quite traditional colors, but I think this turned out quite nicely.

This card used little bits of several different specialty papers that came together perfectly.  I started with a piece of the All About Autumm 6" x 6" Specialty Paper.  It was back in stock at that time, so I felt free to use it.  I had a piece that was 4 1/8" x 3" left over and that's what the card was made around.  This is such a pretty print with the copper detailing all over it.  It has a nice baroque feel to the design and would look wonderful as an ornament, but that's not what I'm doing today.

Picking out the card colors from the paper, I chose to use Moody Mauve and Pretty Peacock.  The card base is Moody Mauve that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" scored and folded in half.

A piece of Pretty Peacock cardstock was cut to frame the All About Autumn DSP piece.  It measures 4 1/4" x 3 1/8" to give it just a tiny frame to offset the pretty paper.  These are attached together with adhesive and then attached to the card front using Dimensionals.  Now for all the extras.

Using the large frame die from the Christmas Classics Bundle, the frame for the sentiment was die-cut from the Pretty Peacock paper in the Soft Shimmer Paper Combo Pack.  You can find this in the Annual Catalog on page 127.  This is very easy to overlook but is so pretty!  The frame with the open-work holly and leaves with the berries is really lovely with that very subtle shimmer.  

The sentiment label from this set was die-cut from Basic White.  The label is stamped with a sentiment from Christmas Classics in Pretty Peacock ink.  This is attached flat to the frame we just made.

Using an open-work leaf spray from the same set, three were die-cut from the Oxidized Copper Specialty Paper found in the Mini Catalog.  When cutting, two were cut from the mottled copper, and one was cut from the paper with the Peacock color running through it.  Two of these leaf sprays were attached under the frame with the last one on top of the frame.   This was all attached to the front of the card using adhesive.

The holly branch and berries were also from this same set.  The holly was stamped with Pretty Peacock ink and colored in with the Pretty Peacock Light Blends.  The berries were stamped with Moody Mauve ink.  These were all die-cut with the coordinating dies.  I used Mini Glue Dots to attach each of these pieces to the sentiment area.

The inside of the card has a layer of Basic White cardstock.  The sentiment is one that I like a lot from the Wishes All Around stamp set.  Pretty Peacock ink was used to stamp it.  

When die-cutting the leaf sprays to accent the front of the card, I tried a couple in plain copper that were from a retired pack.  I thought it was too bold for the look I was going for, but it seemed to accent the inside of the card just right.  It's attached with adhesive to the left of the sentiment.

Here's one last look at the finished card.  This time I used no extra bling on the card.  I thought it was pretty enough just as it was.  What do you think?  Does it need any more added to it?  With the metallic accents on the DSP along with the leaf sprays, I was happy as is.  Of course, I'm always open to options when it comes to adding extra bling!

Thanks for sharing a bit of time with me today.  I'm having fun thinking outside the box when choosing my Christmas colors lately.  Don't worry though, the navy cards will be showing up again soon.  That seems to be my stand-by color for Christmas.  Have a very blessed day!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon 

Love Those Wreaths

 Hello and welcome on this beautiful Monday.  It seems like the weekend went way too fast and it's time to get back into the groove.  As promised, I'm actually sharing Christmas cards today.  I loved the Wishes All Around Bundle when I saw it in the Mini Catalog.  Especially the snowflake wreath die!  Woo Boy - it's just gorgeous.  So of course, that is the first item from that bundle that I'm sharing with you.

I've got to admit, I used a retired Season of Chic DSP to play around with the die and get a feel for how it cuts, etc.  I thought they turned out beautifully, so I had to share them with you.  So that's why there are 3 cards in the picture.  We are going to focus on the Night of Navy version first because all the items used are current.  Then we'll touch on the other two cards for a little bit at the end.

Aren't the three cards lovely though?  I wish you could see them in person and touch them.  They are just so pretty!! I like how airy the snowflake wreath looks!  It really is easy to cut and get all the little pieces poked out of the snowflakes.  Usually, I only had five or six little 'chads' to poke out after cutting.  Like I said, so easy.  I can't wait to play with the other dies to see what else I can create.

For this card, I decided to work with my favorite Christmas card color scheme - navy, white, and silver.  The base of the card is Night of Navy cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half as usual.

The DSP that I chose to frame the snowflakes is from the Countryside Inn Designer Series Paper pack.  Yes, I know - that's not Christmas paper!  But I thought this print gave a feel of snowflakes falling with the Balmy Blue dots all over the design.  This measures 5 1/4" x 4".  It's attached to the folded navy card base using adhesive.

The snowflakes are die-cut from a piece of Basic White Thick.  I added a layer of the Adhesive Sheets cut to fit.  You can find this on page 138 in the Annual Catalog.  It's a great tool when die-cutting intricate pieces and trying to attach them to your card.  The adhesive is already there, so you just peel the backing and attach.  It's attached near the top of the card to leave lots of room for a sentiment.

There are single snowflakes dies in the Wishes All Around set also.  I cut three of these out of Silver Foil paper to add to the design.  It added a nice bit of shine to it.  They are each attached with a Mini Glue Dot in the center to hold in place.

The sentiment also comes from the Wishes All Around set.  This is stamped on a strip of Basic White that is about 3/4" wide.  It's stamped with Night of Navy ink close to the left side.  Then the right end is flagged with the Banners Pick a Punch.  It's then attached to the card front with adhesive at the left edge and a Dimensional under the right edge.  I liked it kind of lifting off the card as it went across.

A bow was made using the Silver & White Sheer Ribbon to highlight the extra silver snowflakes.  The bow is attached with Mini Glue Dots near the bottom of the wreath.

After looking at the finished card, I thought some small Clear Rhinestone Basic Jewels would add a touch more sparkle. They are added to the centers of the snowflakes that you can see, so only six were used.  But it does add a pretty touch.

Let me tell you about a problem I ran into so maybe you won't have the same problem.  Or maybe you will come up with a better way of doing this.  This was the first incarnation of the snowflake card idea.  The snowflake was still made of Basic White Thick cardstock, but I added a layer of the Foam Adhesive Sheets under this since I wanted some dimension.  After going through the cutting machine 4 times, it finally cut through the outer edges.  But when you look closely, you'll see that most of the inner chads on the snowflakes were absolutely impossible to remove.  Lots of poking to just get the outer circles empty.  So, that was just too thick.  Maybe it would work better with regular cardstock.  I don't know, I didn't try that.  I really liked the thickness of the snowflake wreath, but I don't think that out-weighed the hassle. 

The sentiment is from the Brightest Glow stamp set.  Same ribbon and silver snowflakes added and a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels to sparkle.

On this card, the retired White Velvet Specialty Paper was used on the snowflake wreath.  Love this.  The sentiment is from the Wishes All Around set and just fussy cut around it.  It's popped up with a Dimensional.  

For the bling on this one, something new was used.  These are the Adhesive-backed Glitter Sequins.  Oh my, they are so pretty and sparkly!  Again, the silver snowflakes were added along with the Silver & White ribbon bow.

Ok, there you have it - snowflakes in three versions.  I really love each one of these.  I wish that velvet paper was still current because it made lovely snowflakes.  But now that these are finished, I really need to make some cards using the wreath made from little trees.  I think that will be adorable.

Thanks for hanging with me for a little bit today.  Have fun trying out these creations as is or add your own special touch to the idea.  If you have an idea for something different to use for the snowflakes, let me know.  I love new ideas.  If you order, please use the Host Code shown at the top of the page.  Thank you!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon 

Christmas Tag Fun Fold Card

Happy Saturday!  What a perfect day for sleeping in, so I did!  It was a rough night of no sleeping last night, and I really needed a few hours of sleep this morning.  Do you have no-sleep nights like this?  It sure messes up my day.  But the time wasn't wasted.  While I was awake, I watched a video by Connie Stewart that showcased this fun fold.  Thought it would be a great way to play with some new stamps and dies.  I finished a card during the middle of the night.  Since I was sleep-deprived, we'll hope this card is ok.   Let me know what you think of it. 

I have just gotten the Tiny Christmas Trees Die in the mail yesterday, so why not use it right away? I thought I'd keep it fairly simple, but then kept adding a little bit here and there until this card appeared.

It starts with a basic 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" card base using Garden Green cardstock.  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  Next 3 pieces of Very Vanilla were cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4".  One is for the front of the card and the other two are for the inside of the card.  Taking one of them, I die-cut the trees over the entire card front.  A little Garden Green ink was blended onto the edges with a Blending Brush.  I kept this as light as possible.

This is backed with a layer of Gold Foil Specialty Paper that's cut to measure 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  It makes the gold just barely smaller than the die-cut piece, but still covers all the trees.  It's a little tricky, but once I got the measurements down, it was a piece of cake.  I used "green glue" between the rows of trees to hold the gold paper in place.  Six Dimensionals were used to attach this to the card front.

The tags were cut with the Tailored Tags Die set.  The two middle sizes of the fancier tag were used.  The smaller one cut Very Vanilla and the next size up cut the Garden Green tag.  The vanilla tag was stamped with the single tree in the Forever Forest set.  It's stamped in Garden Green ink.  Then it's stamped two more times without re-inking to make the shadowy trees at the sides.  These two tags were put together at an angle with a small amount of adhesive.

On two 1/2" strips of Very Vanilla, the Merry from the Christmas Classics stamp set was stamped, once in Garden Green and once in Real Red.  These were punched with a 1/4" circle punch and layered over the two tags.  A red ribbon from the Real Red and Burlap Ribbon Combo was used to add a pretty bow.  Dimensionals were used to attach the green tag and Mini Dimensionals are under the ends of both of the merry tags to hold in place.

The inside has the two extra vanilla pieces stamped on with Garden Green ink.  The left side has the row of trees from Forever Forest.  The right side has a sentiment from Wishes All Around.  They are attached to the inside with adhesive.

Now for the fun fold part.  A piece of red plaid from the Joy of Christmas Designer Series Paper was cut to measure 5 1/4" x 8".  It was then cut diagonally from bottom left to top right.  This gives you two pieces to make two different cards.  Because I used a plaid design, the second half got flipped around and both cards can be made the same.  Starting at the wider side, this piece is scored at 2", 4", and 6".  

Both the left and right sections are attached to the inside of the card and the center sections are v'd out.  Here's a good picture of the opened card.  Just something a little different to share with your family and friends for the holidays.

As you can see from the picture, I missed the mark when scoring one of the lines.  Make sure you pay attention to the measurements better than I did!  Did I mention sleep-deprived?  I guess this is what happens when you don't get any sleep!  Not so good!!

Thanks for stopping by today.  I know a lot of my Michigan friends are stamping and creating at an all-day crop today.  Miss all of you so much.  Hope you're having fun today sharing all your ideas with each other.

If you're wanting to order any of these items, please consider using the Host Code shown at the top of this post.  It is so much appreciated!  And leave a comment if you can.  I love hearing from you!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Magical Meadow Christmas

Hey there!  Boy, I can sure tell that autumn is here along with wet and cloudy days.  Brrr.  I know you probably don't think that 62 degrees isn't too cold but add in the rain and it's pretty chilly.  Sue and I started talking about soup this morning, so I thought I'd get some started in the crockpot - Chicken Tortellini.  Yummm.  Today is the perfect day for soup.  Anyway, I miss the bright sunshine we had yesterday afternoon.  It was a perfect day for my grandsons' cross-country meet yesterday.  The girls' team won top honors for the Regional Meet, but the boys' team only placed fourth.  Too bad, but everyone ran their heart out and did their very best.  That's all you can ask for, right?  What's that?  You didn't come here to talk about soup and cross-country races?  Where's the card???  Ok, let's buckle down and get to business here.

Here is today's card for you.  I love the different die-cuts in the Magical Meadow Bundle, and several of them are used on this card along with bits and pieces from some other sets.  Let's get on with the creating.

Start with a card base of Basic White Thick that measures 11" x 4 1/4".  It's scored at 5 1/2" and folded in half.  The first layer is Pretty Peacock that's cut to 5 1/4" x 4".  Next comes a layer of the new Tartan Foil Specialty Designer Paper that is 12" x 12".  I love this tone-on-tone Lost Lagoon plaid.  If you're looking at this on an angle, it's a very subtle plaid.  But with the light shining on it and looking straight on, it's so pretty!  Isn't it? This Specialty Paper is an Online Exclusive item and well worth getting.  The one side has a solid color diagonal plaid, while the other side is a straight-on plaid on a white background.  Either side is nice and of course you can use them together too.  For this card I used a piece that measures 5" x 3 3/4".  This is attached to the Pretty Peacock layer with adhesive.

A length of Silver & White Sheer Ribbon is wrapped around this and tied in a loose knot to the left side.  These layers are then attached to the folded card base using adhesive.

On to the good stuff - all the die-cuts!  First two images were die-cut from Pretty Peacock cardstock using the evergreen and berry die from the Magical Meadown Bundle.   Then the berry stem (?) die cuts the Lost Lagoon cardstock piece.  This one I cut into two pieces to fit them where I wanted.

I envisioned some snowflakes on the card and thought white would work.  Three of them were cut from the Wishes All Around Die set.  Love the look of those snowflakes, but I didn't like the color.  So, three more were cut from Silver Foil Specialty Paper.  Oh yes!  So pretty!

Next came the sentiment.  I wanted to use the sentiment from Night Divine.  Each of these sentiments are wonderful, but I wanted to use the "Glory to God in the highest".  After trying several different dies and punches, I decided on the Deckled Circles Dies.  I think this left enough room not to crowd the sentiment.  And the deckle edge added just a little sweetness to the look.

One of the sentiments from the Wishes All Around set was used for the inside of the card.  It's stamped with Pretty Peacock ink.  A small strip of the Tartan Foil plaid paper was attached to the bottom of the inside to carry the design inside the card.

Putting the card together, figuring the positioning of everything was first.  The two evergreen & berry die-cuts were attached with some adhesive just down the middle of each so the pieces were fairly loose. 

The berry stem needed something to make it stand out.  I had some white frost liquid from several years ago.  I added this to the sides of the berries.  It needed to be set aside to dry.  When dry, the bottom ends of the stems were attached behind the sentiment with adhesive.  Then the sentiment was added to the card front using multiple Dimensionals to hold all the pieces in place.

With everything else in place, the snowflakes were added to the design.  Each snowflake was attached with a Mini Glue Dot in the center of it.  That just left any extra bling that was needed.  The Adhesive-backed Glitter Sequins seemed to be the perfect little bit of bling.  The glitteriness (is that a word?) just made the card frostier and more wintery looking.

That's it today.  I've got to admit, I'm really loving the Pretty Peacock and Lost Lagoon used as Christmas colors.  It's surprising how much I love this since it is rather untraditional!  Normally I go either red and green, or navy and white for my own Christmas cards, but I'm giving these colors some serious thought.

Thanks for sharing some time with me.  If you're thinking of ordering, I'd appreciate it if you'd use the Host Code at the top of this blog page.  Each order helps so much to keep me going.  Love you all so very much!!

Remember to check out the Online Exclusives for the Tartan Foil DSP.  It's truly gorgeous in person.  Plus, there's many wonderful items that you can only find online including stamps & dies and Designer Paper that you won't find anywhere else.  Also check out the Clearance Rack.  There are new items added quite often.  You never know what treasures you'll find that you've been wishing you had ordered earlier.  Now's your chance!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon