Christmas/Holiday Card #24 - Pop Up Picture Holder

I'm almost caught up with my posts.  These cards were made at my sister's request.  She wanted cards that will "hold" pictures she wanted to send out for the holidays.

The construction is the same as the pop up gift card holder.  The exception is the size, these are 4.5" x 6" cards as opposed to the standard A2 cards.  These are pretty simple and easy to mass produce.  If you want information on how to create this pop-up card, see this POST.

With the first card, I rummaged through my stash bin and found the poinsettia embossed panel, die cut ornament and the small scallop circle.  So I basically created the card using those items.  I made the card base with pomegranate card stock to match the ornament and I selected the sentiment to fit in the small scallop circle.  I used lucky limeade ribbon because I liked the contrast between pomegranate and lucky limeade.

The second card is even simpler than the first.  I made the card base with white cardstock.  I stamped various size snowflakes all over the card front  and sponged the edges using Baja Breeze ink.  I stamped the sentiment with Midnight Muse ink and tied a ribbon around.  If I wasn't in a hurry I would have heat embossed some of the snowflakes.  But as it is, it looks very cool and crisp in person.

This is the inside with a picture inserted.  I found the snow flake patterned paper from my stash and that's where I got the design idea for the front of the card.

Hope you got some inspirations for your holiday cards from this series.  We're almost at the end, I will share the last one tomorrow.

Until then............. Cheers!!!

Christmas/Holiday Cards #19 - Ornaments

I just had to include these cards featuring the Ornament Keepsakes in this series.  I won this bundle of stamp sets and coordinating dies from a raffle held at one of our stamping group meetings.

All the ornaments were heat embossed with white embossing powder on cherry cobbler card stocks.   I wanted to use the same elements and create three distinctly different cards.

The first card came together pretty quickly until I got to the sentiment.  I tried different placements and punches but ultimately decided to add another ornament with the "merry" adhered in the middle.

The next card layout came to me the first time I saw this particular stamp.   Somehow it reminded me of those sparkly bead "curtains" from the sixties.  I thought the embossed double lines added just the right touch of texture.  This is my favorite out of the three cards.

With the last card, I tried to create a non-holiday card using holiday elements.  I made a "flower" with the ornaments and used a vague sentiment.

Here's the side view.

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time .............. Cheers!!!

All supplies used were from Stampin' Up

Can this be a Christmas Card?

Continuing on with the acrylic block collage technique posted HERE, today I want to share with you another 'aha moment' when I finished the next card using this technique.

On this card I used a long acrylic block and stamped it with River Rock and Crumb Cake inks.  Using the same stamp set Garden Silhouettes, I selected the  flower bunch stamp for the collage images and stamped it multiple times in Cherry Cobbler ink.  Then I stamped the contrasting image in black StazOn.  When I was trying to decide on the sentiment I saw that the flowers look like poinsettias and that this could be a Christmas card, the aha moment!  I added the sentiment in black and admired my card.  See for yourself if you think this is a Christmas card or not.

After I took the picture I decided it needed a ribbon.  I used Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon.  I love working with this ribbon, somehow I always get perfect pretty bows I can't get with other ribbons.

If this is gonna pass for a Christmas card I better add some sparkle to it.  So I added dots of glitter adhesives called Dazzling Details on the center of each "poinsettias".

Trust me it's sparkly in person just can't capture it on film.  I'm definitely making more of these for Christmas with a slight adjustment on layout.  As it is now, it looks bottom-heavy.

What do you think?  Christmas or not?

Until the next post ............. Cheers!!!

All supplies used were from Stampin'Up.

Christmas Card Swap - October Meeting

In the beginning of September I designed my swap card for my card group's October meeting.  I made sure I have enough supplies for 25 cards after I decided on the design.  For weeks, I would look at the sample I made and somehow cannot get onto the next step, which is to start making the other 24 cards to complete my swaps.  I love the design and the elements but can't find the motivation to proceed.

When I was playing with the sponged frame technique and came up with the red cardinals I knew that my swap cards will change.  If you read my post on the red cardinal cards here and sponged frame technique here you know how excited I was about the results.  So 25 swap cards were quickly put together.  Below is the card I swapped.

Another angle.

Our group meeting was on Saturday, October 13th.  At each meeting, there is a Swap Card Contest.  All the meeting attendees get to pick their three favorite cards.  Guess who won?  ME, first place baby!!!  How cool is that?   I picked the Halloween Kit as my prize and will share my projects soon.

Cheers!!!

Christmas Cards - Red Cardinal

I had so much fun making cards with the sponged frame technique (see previous post) that I decided to make Christmas cards using the technique.

I mentioned I'm not fond of glitter so I had to find an alternative.  I used Dazzling Details instead, a glitter adhesive!  You get the "dazzle and sparkle with less mess" (that's the Stampin'Up product description).  Look how the little birdies turned into majestic cardinals!  And they're dimensional!

  

What do you think?  I'm so pleased with myself, LOL!

Cheers!!!

All supplies used are by Stampin'Up.

Cardstock:  Summer Starfruit,  Gumball Green

Ink:  Summer Starfruit,  Green Gumball

Stamp:  Serene Silhouette, Seasonal Sayings

Embellishments:  Square Lattice EP, Dazzling Details in Cherry Cobbler

Christmas Cards 2012 - Part 1

September is normally too early for me to be making Christmas cards and these cards were made in August.!!  Back in June, I won one of the giveaways from our group meeting.  I don't think I ever mentioned here that I am a Stampin' Up Demonstrator hobbyist.  I occasionally attend group meetings and workshops to get new ideas and spend a day with a group of talented artists.

At our June meeting, my upline Patty Bennett told us to write down on a piece of paper our name and one item that we would like to get from the upcoming Holiday Catalog and she will draw one name.  She picked my name from the bucket and I selected the Ornaments Keepsake Bundle which consist of a nine-piece set of clear stamps called Ornament Keepsakes plus the coordinating eight-piece dies called Holiday Ornaments Framelit dies.  Woohoo, I was elated since I never win anything from raffles like that.

I didn't get my actual prize until early August since items from the Holiday Catalog were not available until August first.  And to show my appreciation, I tried to make some cards to share with our group right away.  I quickly realized that I am not so keen on the ornaments as my main focus for card making since I have been playing and creating with ornaments the last two Christmas seasons.  I struggled with the layout and design but I finally managed to create something I can live with.

This one is another center-step card.  The card base was embossed with an embossing folder and all the elements were heat embossed in white embossing powder.  This is the most elaborate of the three samples I made.  I was going for a non-holiday look using holiday stamps but ended up with a poinsettia looking focal point so it's a holiday card after all.

This is the side view, you'll see why it's called a center-step card.

This card is more traditional and I think I achieved the clean and simple look I was going for.  Again, all elements were heat embossed in white embossing powder.  I was too lazy to dig for a better sentiment.

Lastly, my favorite!  I will actually make more of these and send them out this Christmas.  I had this layout in mind and I was able to execute my vision pretty quickly.  When I finished the card, I thought it looked retro and named the photo file 'retro Christmas'  but when my niece saw it she said "Oh, this one is very modern."  You be the judge.

 All supplies used were from Stampin' Up.