Vintage Christmas Greetings- Two Challenges in One!

Hi Stampers! 

I am still working on my Christmas cards and decided to play along with The Paper Players PP174 Evergreen Challenge along with the Stampin’Celebration SCIC73 Inspiration Challenge.  I am having so much fun making the Christmas cards, hopefully I will take the time to mail them- lol!!

If you have not had a chance to visit either of these challenge sites yet, I hope you will find the time to do so- again, great inspiration from the Design Teams and all of the other entries as well!

To save time, I used My Digital Studio (MDS)to create this card but you could use the regular stamps..it was easier for me to insert, print and create!  Love MDS for cardmaking :-) !! 

To create this card:

In MDS, open a blank 8.5 x 11 custom page and insert the Christmas Lodge image and overlay the Evergreen tree a bit to the right of the lodge.  Also insert the sentiment to be printed separate as well as the poinsettia image (again, I arrange randomly on the page leaving room for cutting out by hand, etc. and filling the page before I print on my printer).

Print out onto Whisper White cardstock and color the images using Stampin’ Write markers in Primrose Petals and Gumball Green.

Create a mask using a sticky note and mask the sky area- sponge a bit of Crumb Cake over the sky and the snowy banks in the front (a bit hard to see in the photo).

Close-up to show the shadows and distressing :-)

Distress the edges using the Distressing Tool and sponge additional Crumb Cake Classic Ink onto the edges- hand tear the corners and adhere to a piece of Primrose Petals cardstock.  Tear to "mirror" the edges of the focal image and distress in the same manner.

Add a few highlights using the Chalk Marker and Frost White Shimmer Paint (you cannot see the shimmer in the photo).

Use the Big Shot™ along with the retired Lacy Brocade Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder (ink the smooth side of the embossing folder using the Crumb Cake Classic Ink pad direct to the folder) and emboss a piece of Whisper White cardstock.  Add this layer to a piece of Primrose Petals cardstock and mount onto the Basic Black card base.

Use the Hexagon Punch to add the banner points to the sentiment and sponge a bit of Crumb Cake Classic Ink to distress the sentiment.  Adhere to a piece of Primrose Petals cardstock and add the banner points with the same punch.

A view of the layers :-)

Add the focal image to the card front and adhere the sentiment using Stampin’ Dimensionals®.    Hand cut the poinsettia image apart to create three separate pieces and adhere to the corners and around the sentiment using Stampin’ Dimensionals®.  

Add a few Pearls to the sentiment corners to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets:  Christmas Lodge, Bells and Boughs, Special Seasion- all MDS versions

Ink: Printer Ink- Black, Crumb Cake Classic Ink, Stampin’ Write markers- Primrose Petals, Gumball Green, Chalk Marker

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Primrose Petals

Accessories:  Big Shot™, retired Lacy Brocade Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder, Hexagon Punch, Distressing Tool, Sponge Daubers, Pearls

Thanks again for stopping by!  Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday- God Bless!

Another "Hybrid" Christmas- Touch of Nature for the Dynamic Duos

Hi Stampers!!

I have been busy creating Christmas cards and utilizing the My Digital Studio (MDS) program.  I love the fact that we can re-size images and none of the “stamp sets” retire :-)  plus when you combine it with traditional card making techniques, you can  barely tell that it is digital (I will keep the secret if you do). 

I created this quick and easy card for the Dynamic Duos DD31 Color Challenge- Real Red and Certainly Celery.  I must admit that I have neglected Certainly Celery since we have had so many new green colors to choose from and it was refreshing to pull out this color to use.  The Design Team at the Dynamic Duos have done a marvelous job, and again, if you have not had the time to do so, check them out!!

This card is another Clean and Simple (CAS) card and is so easy to create!    Touch of Nature (MDS version used here) is not normally a Christmas set but I think this color combo feels festive- what do you think?

Print the image from MDS onto Whisper White cardstock (I generally print many images on the same sheet of 8.5 x 11 cardstock leaving room to cut with the Big Shot™ or trim).  Color the stem and flower center using a Stampin’ Write Certainly Celery marker and Real Red Classic Ink with the Aqua Painter.

Use the Big Shot™ with the Apothecary Accents Framelit™ Die to cut out around the image and also cut a piece of Basic Black using the same die (don’t tell anyone but I cut the black layered die piece from one of the black cardstock layers – you will never see it and it helps eliminate some of the weight for mailing).  Cut the black die cut in half lengthwise and position to layer behind the focal image.

Use the Big Shot™ with the Lacy Brocade Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder to emboss a piece of Certainly Celery cardstock.  Trim this panel to size and mount onto Basic Black and again onto Certainly Celery, Basic Black. 

Add the digital sentiment banner layer, 5/8” Basic Black Satin Ribbon bow and pearl to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets: None- My Digital Studio- Touch of Nature,  Christmas Lodge

Ink: Printer Ink- Black

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Certainly Celery

Accessories:  Big Shot™, Lacy Brocade Impressions™ Embossing Folder, Apothecary Accents  Framelits™ Die, 5/8” Basic Black Satin Ribbon (retired), Pearl

Thanks again for stopping by and if interested, I will be sharing more "hybrid" cards tomorrow eve.   I hope all of you have a marvelous Monday!

Chickadee Christmas- "Hybrid" Clean and Simple

Hi Stampers!   

In January, I decided to sign up for the CCC12Splitcoaststampers Christmas CardChallenge and create at least 20 cards per month- unfortunately due to my unforeseen overtime work schedule and a few unexpected Design Team assignments, I am woefully behind on my commitment :-(

While enjoying an extra day off during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I decided to take a day to create a set of Christmas cards for the CCC12 Challenge using the Splitcoaststampers WT402Challenge- Black and White with a “pop” of color.

One way I have found that is successful in creating a batch of cards is to utilize My Digital Studio (MDS) to create the images and then use dry embossing, ribbon and other techniques to create a “hybrid” card.  I love the crisp and detailed image of the bird with MDS :-)  

 Just a reminder- if you have not tried MDS yet, now is a great time since it is half price through November 28^th (check out the Online Extravaganza Sale thru my Online Store).

Smaller circle image 

I used MDS to print out the chickadee image from Beautiful Season (in several sizes to fill the entire piece of 8.5 x 11 cardstock), the sentiment from More Merry Messages and a few sentiments from Christmas Lodge onto Whisper White cardstock.  

FYI- All of these sets were additional downloads that I purchased after the initial investment in MDS but the digital version of the stamp sets are so economical that I like to purchase the actual stamp and the digital as well to supplement my “inventory” - a girl cannot have too many stamps! :-)

Some of the cards I used a Circle Punch to cut out the chickadee image and others I used an oval Sizzix Framelit™ or just cut a rectangle with the paper cutter around the image.  Add the "pop" of color on the berries using a Real Red Stampin’ Write marker.

Easy Rectangle Image 

Layer the focal image onto a Whisper White or Basic Black card front (Whisper Whitee embossed with the Petals-A-Plenty and Basic Black with the Lacy Brocade Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder).  

Punch banner corners on some of the sentiment pieces (using the corner of a 1” Square Punch) and layer onto Basic Black or Real Red.  Adhere at an angle either at the top or bottom of the focal image. On one of the sentiment banners I used the Circle Punch to round the corners versus the banner points :-)

Add the 5/8” Real Red Satin Ribbon bow, adhere to a Whisper White card base and you are finished!

   

Version with the Lacy Brocade Basic Black card front 

Stamp Sets:  My Digital Studio- Beautiful Season, More Merry Messages, Christmas Lodge

 Ink: Printer Ink- Black , Stampin’ 

Write Marker- Real Red

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red

Accessories:  Big Shot™, Petals-A-Plenty and Lacy BrocadeTextured Impressions™ Embossing Folders, Oval Framelits™, 2" and 2 1/2' Circle Punches (or use the Circle Cutter),  5/8” Real Red Satin Ribbon (retired)

Thanks for visiting!  Have a wonderful week and hopefully, I will be sharing more Christmas cards shortly (time is running out! :-))