Christmas

Through the Branches

I have sent handmade Christmas cards for many, many years — even before I became a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator. In recent years, I’ve moved away from creating one single card design because I found myself agonizing over which of my favorites would be the star of the holiday card show each year. I love being able to create a variety of designs using both current and retired products in my stash and then choosing a design that really fits a recipient. What about you? Do you send a single card design? Or do you mix it up?

I love creating designs that seem to be peering through the trees. I’ve made several cards over the last couple of months that use this design concept. Today, we’re peering through the evergreens to this lovely Christmas tree in the center.

We get started with a base of Mossy Meadow cardstock. Our background panel is a sheet of the Take a Bow designer paper. I loved the variety of greens and the contrast that this patterned sheet provided to the design. Our focal panel has many layers and begins with a background panel of Mossy Meadow that is diecut using the largest Deckled Rectangle die. The evergreen branches are cut from Mossy Meadow using the Winterly Treetops dies from the Nests of Winter suite. Layers of dimensionals give the illusion of us looking through layers and layers of branches. Our focal tree is from the Joyful Images ephemera pack, and I cut around the image to remove as much white space as possible. I added a star, also from the ephemera pack, to the top of the tree. The sentiment is from the Joyful Sayings ephemera pack, and I love how the lighter green really pops against our mossy background panel. We finish things off with gold thread and snowflakes for a little touch of sparkle to bring out the small gold foiling elements on our tree.

Next week, we’ll be looking at all the ways we can use our crafty goodies to create special holiday gifts. I hope you’ll tag along.

Products used in today’s design:
Mossy Meadow cardstock
Take a Bow DSP
Joyful ephemera
Deckled Rectangles, Winterly Treetops dies
Gold thread
Snowflakes assortment
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Christmas · Coming Soon

Sending Snowy Cheer

It’s that time of year where we’re all in holiday mode. Swiping all of the sale items off our lists to give to loved ones and friends. Taking the annual family photos. Carefully choosing the annual holiday cards.

Today, I’m sharing another holiday card from this year’s crafting stash. I have several versions of this particular design that I hope to try, but this is by far the simplest one, I think. And I just love the look of the new Soft Waves embossing folder that will release with the new catalog in January. Doesn’t it give the perfect look of snow drifts swirling swiftly across this scene?

We get started with a base of Real Red cardstock. The background panel is a quarter panel of Real Red that’s embossed with the new (not yet released) Soft Waves embossing folder and then lightly wiped with craft ink to give the look of swirling snow. To create the snowdrift in the front, I took a panel of white cardstock and tore it to create the perfectly soft and frayed-looking top edges. Our mailbox from Sending Love is stamped in black on white cardstock and colored with Stampin’ Blends. I cut with the coordinating die and then made the cuts even tighter with my paper snips. The wreath from the Sophisticated Sled stamp set is stamped in Shaded Spruce and Old Olive and then colored with Stampin’ Blends before I cut it out with the coordinating die. I also tightened up the edges around the wreath with paper snips to reduce the white space. I slit the wreath and then put it around the mailbox. Dimensionals help give it definition all around. The bow is cut using the Peaceful Evergreens dies and is cut from gold foil paper. Dimensionals help give the whole scene layers and dimension for all of the elements. I wrapped some red & white baker’s twine around the bottom of the focal panel and added the sentiment from the Joyful Sayings ephemera pack. Gold snowflakes and gold iridescent gems finish things off with just the right amount of sparkle.

Tomorrow, I hope you’ll pop in to see how I’ve updated our dinner table prayer for the season of Advent.

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Christmas · Holidays

Merry Stockings

Happy December, everyone. I don’t know about you, but I’m over here wondering how I ended up in a time warp! Every year, I feel like the fall months just whiz by and we end up at Christmas in the blink of an eye!

The last quarter of my year has definitely felt like it’s on fast forward after returning to work. I just can’t seem to find a good rhythm to keep all of the balls in the air. Each week, something has to give, it seems. So for those who have been following along for a while and for those who are new here, I’m still working on finding a good balance in order to find time in the craft room.

I was fortunate to have a few days at home over the Thanksgiving holiday and could carve out a little crafty time. I’m still working on Christmas cards and it’s going to be a race to the finish to get enough made to get them all out before Christmas! Today’s card uses the Joyful Ephemera packs to create a super simple and very festive holiday card.

We get started with a base of white cardstock. The focal panel is machine embossed using the Cute Crochet embossing folder that is then matted with some red Festive Glimmer paper. The mantle is a strip of the Take a Bow patterned paper pack that is mounted with dimensionals. The stockings and bows are from the Joyful Images ephemera pack and the banner sentiment is from the Joyful Sayings ephemera. A few iridescent discs finish things off with a twinkle and help the eye pass across the design.

I’ll be bringing you some more holiday designs as the week moves along. Thanks for dropping in!

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Clean and Simple · Winter

Woodsy Thoughts

I don’t ordinarily post twice in one day or even on Sundays, for that matter. But sometimes our schedules get a little off-kilter and we have to make some quick adjustments. I returned to working full-time in September, and as things are beginning to pick up at work, maintaining a good balance has become a little challenging. So hopefully you guys will bear with me as I work to find that perfect balance between enjoying down time with the family and time doing things I love, like crafting.

This week, we’ve been designing around the theme of in the woods. And I wanted to finish off with a really simple design that combines paper, a die, and ephemera.

We get started with a base of Mossy Meadow cardstock. Our focal panel has a sparkly backdrop of white glimmer paper with a panel of Garden Green diecut with the Winterly Treetops die and mounted with dimensionals to give us the look of peeking through the evergreens. Two reindeer from the Joyful Images ephemera pack are standing in the open glen as snow is softly falling (represented by the iridescent faceted gems). Our sentiment comes from the Joyful Sayings ephemera pack and is matted with a textured gold banner. I just love how simple and elegant this design turned out.

This next week will be a little hit and miss with card designs as I have to fly out of town midweek for some training. Our new design theme will be stopping by on a snowy evening. I hope to give you some fun ideas for working with this theme with some unexpected product combinations.

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Christmas · Holiday Mini Catalog · Holidays

Peace & Wonder

It’s hard to believe that we’re already to the end of another card series. I don’t know about you, but it seems like the closer we get to the end of a year the faster the time goes!

This week, we’ve been using the Joyful ephemera packs from Stampin’ Up! to create simple yet beautiful card designs. If you find yourself short on time, the full line of ephemera packs that SU! offers allow you to continue making beautiful cards. With or without any extras, ephemera cards are just as stunning.

Today, we’re mixing things up with a whole combination of elements from the crafting stash. I have a box of pre-cut card bases and typically have at least one or two pre-cut focal panel bases on hand, as well. And both were go-to items for creating this lovely card in a jiffy.

We get started with a base of Pretty Peacock cardstock. Our focal panel base is a sheet of the Season of Elegance designer series paper. I cut a circle from white glimmer paper using the Spotlight on Nature dies that is just a bit larger than the snowy cabin circle image from the Joyful Images ephemera pack. These are adhered with dimensionals over a twist of the Pretty Peacock & Gold metallic ribbon. The sentiment from Joyful Sayings is also adhered with dimensionals and just a bit higher than our image panel. Things are finished off with a few gold snowflakes with rhinestone centers for a bit of added twinkle.

Are you interested in learning how you can get started on your Christmas cards? Check out my upcoming card classes for both virtual and in-person options!

Next week, we’ll be using Season of Green & Gold to create our cards. I hope you’ll stop by and check it all out.

Products used in today’s card:
Pretty Peacock cardstock
Season of Elegance, white glimmer DSP
Spotlight on Nature dies
Joyful ephemera
Snowflake assortment, rhinestone jewels
Pretty Peacock & gold metallic ribbon
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Christmas · Holiday Mini Catalog · Sketchy Fridays

Sketchy Fridays: Holiday Joy

Do you ever have weeks where you aren’t sure which end is up much less what day it is? I’ve been confused about what day of the week it is all week and it’s NOT even a holiday week! Perhaps it’s a phase of the moon or something.

Today is another installment of Sketchy Fridays, where each week we’ll be using a card sketch to design our featured card. Right now, we’re working through a full series of designs using the card sketches found in current Stampin’ Up! catalogs.

This week’s card is based on Sketch #13 in the Holiday Mini catalog and features the Joyful ephemera packs and the fun Take a Bow designer series paper in the new Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini catalog.

I know I probably say this often enough that you’re beginning to think that I’m a broken record, but what I love about using sketches to build a card design is that it’s merely a starting point. There aren’t any rules that say your card HAS to look exactly like the sketch that inspired it. Today, you’ll notice that I’ve taken some liberties with the sketch. Rather than using actual rectangles in the design, they’re a representation of the images from the Joyful Images ephemera pack. Can you see it?

We get started on this card design with a base of white cardstock. Our background panel is a sheet of the red polka dot Take a Bow patterned paper with a strip of the green star pattern from the same pack. In each of the places represented by rectangles in the sketch, I’ve put images from the Joyful Images ephemera pack, building a cute scene of a cup of cocoa surrounded by snacks you might enjoy with it. There’s a twist of the peppermint baker’s twine tied behind the images for a little visual interest. The sentiment down below is mounted on a banner from the Images pack while the word Joy is from the Joyful Sayings ephemera. A few adhesive peppermints and some drusy embellishments help the eye move across our design and add some pops of fun color and sparkle.

Tomorrow we’ll be rounding out this week’s series with a trip to grandma’s house. I hope you’ll come along!

Products used in today’s card:
Basic White cardstock
Take a Bow DSP
Joyful ephemera packs
Real Red & White twine
Real Red & White peppermints
Drusy embellishments
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Christmas · Holiday Mini Catalog · Holidays

‘Tis the Season

Are you looking for a way to make beautiful cards but are short on time? The ephemera packs by Stampin’ Up! are the perfect answer! The images and sentiments are beautifully detailed and make it a snap to create beautiful cards, especially if you’re short on time.

Today, we’re pairing the Joyful ephemera packs with a few extra elements to create this beautiful holiday card.

We get started with a green Gold Dipped card base. Our focal panel base is a piece of gold mercury vellum that has been diecut with the Spotlight on Nature dies. We then layer our drums and greenery from the Joyful Images ephemera pack on our focal panel using varying heights of dimensionals and then hang our sentiment from the Joyful Sayings pack above. For a pop of seasonal color, we add a twist of Cherry Cobbler & Gold satin ribbon behind our panel and red iridescent discs around.

Tomorrow, we’ll be pairing our ephemera with a sketch. I hope you’ll tune in for another installment in the Sketchy Fridays series!

Products used in today’s card:
Gold Dipped cards & envelopes
Joyful Images ephemera
Joyful Sayings ephemera
Gold mercury vellum
Spotlight on Nature dies
Cherry Cobbler & Gold satin ribbon
Iridescent discs
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Christmas · Holiday Mini Catalog · Holidays

Happy Holidays

This week, we’re exploring all of the ways we can use the new Joyful ephemera packs in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini catalog. The ephemera packs provide both images and sentiments for super quick and simple cards. You can use the ephemera all on its own or dress up your card designs with additional elements.

Today, our clean and simple design includes one simple additional diecut piece that really packs a lot of design punch and completely transforms the look of this card.

We get started with a blue Gold Dipped card base. Our focal image panel base is a circle cut from white glimmer specialty paper using the Spotlight on Nature dies, and then we layer the set of skates and a blue bow from the Joyful Images ephemera pack on top using dimensionals. We break up our sentiment above and below the image panel and adhere both directly to our card base. A few snowflakes finish things off with an additional gold twinkle in the center of our design.

Beautiful cards do not have to take a lot of time. And when you’re short on time, I highly recommend giving the Stampin’ Up! ephemera packs a try!

Products used in today’s card:
Gold Dipped card & envelope
Joyful Images ephemera
Joyful Sayings ephemera
White glimmer paper
Spotlight on Nature dies
Snowflake assortment
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Christmas · Holidays · Terrific Tuesdays

Season’s Greetings

This week, we’re taking a closer look at the new Joyful ephemera packs available in the current Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini catalog. Although ephemera packs have been available for some time, I’ve been hesitant to purchase them because I didn’t think I would like working with them. But let me tell you, these are a lifesaver if you’re wanting to create a card but are crunched for time!

We’re going to be using the Joyful ephemera packs this week in a number of different ways. You can use ephemera all on its own to create beautiful cards, just like I did yesterday with the Christmas mantle design. Or you can add additional elements to dress up your designs and add a bit more complexity, like we’re doing with today’s card.

This card begins with a green Gold Dipped card base. We’re using the reinker watercoloring technique I first introduced to you on Saturday to create a sheet of custom paper to cut our tree from using the Merriest Trees dies. Each of the tree layers is separated by dimensionals on the bottom edge to give it a more realistic look, and the bottom layer of the tree is adhered directly to the card front. Our bear and packages from the Joyful Images ephemera pack sit directly in front of the tree. The packages are adhered to the card front and the bear is adhered with dimensionals to have it appear to be oriented in front of our packages. I added a gold star to the top of the tree for a festive finish. The sentiment from the Joyful Sayings ephemera pack is adhered directly to the top layer of our tree. A few drusy embellishments add some sparkle and draw our eye across our card design.

Would you like to learn how to create your own watercolor paper and see this card come together from start to finish? Check out today’s episode of Terrific Tuesdays to watch the magic happen!

Products used in today’s card:
Gold dipped card & envelope
Joyful Images ephemera
Joyful Sayings ephemera
Watercolor paper
Water painter
Pretty Peacock, Old Olive ink
Merriest Trees dies
Drusy embellishments
Dimensionals
Adhesives

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Christmas · Holiday Mini Catalog · Holidays

Peace on Earth

We’ve made it to another bright and shiny new week, friends! I hope you all enjoyed a restful weekend. Although we had places to be all weekend, all in all I would call it a relatively low-key weekend. It’s nice to have the opportunity to rest and recharge.

Today we begin a brand new series of card designs. And this week, we’re still in the Christmas spirit as we take a closer look at all that the new holiday ephemera packs to have to offer, particularly when you’re looking for gorgeous cards on the go! Today we get started with a festive mantle.

Our card base is the Real Red Gold Dipped card base. We use a combination of the Joyful Images and Joyful Sayings ephemera packs to build our mantle scene. We use the red rectangle as our mantle and then decorate with stockings, of course, and then add some larger ornaments and a bell. Our elements are layered with dimensionals to give many different depths in our scene. The sentiment is hung above our hearth as the perfect focal point. A few drusy embellishments add a little sparkle.

Tomorrow’s clean and simple holiday card design features another look at the watercoloring technique I shared last week. I hope you’ll pop in and check it out.

Products used in today’s card:
Gold Dipped cards & envelopes
Joyful Images ephemera
Joyful Saying ephemera
Drusy embellishments
Dimensionals

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