Ornaments Deck the Halls Christmas Card

There's not been much activity lately in my craft room, a very sad state of affairs!  I'm trying to kickstart my mojo and get back to creating more often and to help with that I've signed up for a monthly online class.  One of the things that appealed to me about the class is that you get a number of card layouts to work with throughout the month.  I find when you have a good sketch to start with you're halfway to creating a card, as your layout is already decided on which saves time!   I signed up late for the August class so I probably won't get all the sketch cards made but I'm hoping to do more for the rest of the monthly classes.

I decided to make my first layout card a Christmas card because, as per usual, I haven't started making them early enough in the year, even though I always say I will!  I've used some new SU! supplies from the 'Brightly Gleaming' suite of products.  The papers in the 'Brightly Gleaming' Specialty DSP pack are gorgeous, rich colours with copper foil detailing, so luxurious!  I love the unusual, non traditional colours for Christmas showcased by this suite.  You can never go wrong with stamps and matching punches either, that always makes a card come together quickly!

My colour combo is Night of Navy, Pretty Peacock, Mossy Meadow and Very Vanilla.  I stamped the ornaments using VersaMark, heat embossed with copper embossing powder, punched them out and popped them up after drawing strings and bows with a metallic Sharpie.  I also used the Sharpie to add lines all around the die cut stitched rectangle and then I popped the whole panel up.  To finish the front I added a couple of rhinestones.  

 

Here's the inside and the envelope.

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Christmas Gleaming' set
CS: SU! Night of Navy & Very Vanilla 
Patterned paper: SU! 'Brightly Gleaming' Specialty DSP
Ink: VersaMark, SU! Mossy Meadow & Night of Navy, metallic Sharpie
Tools: SU! 'Gleaming Ornaments' Punch Pack, 'Stitched Rectangle' die set
Embellishments & accessories: SU! copper embossing powder, rhinestone jewels, Dimensionals
Ruth

Birdie Card & Matching Gift Bag

Two friends came over to craft with me a few weeks ago and I designed a card and a gift bag for them to make using the beautiful SU! 'Bird Ballad' suite of products.  We had such a lovely time together, I enjoyed it so much!  Here's the Card, envelope and gift bag together.

 

Here's the card - it's a fancy fold design - an aperture is cut out from the card front.  I stamped the image in Memento Rich Cocoa ink and coloured using SU! Stampin' Blends.

 

Here's a view of the card within a card fancy fold.  Inside the Crumb Cake card there's a smaller Pool Party card. The bird panel is popped up with Dimensionals.  I love that the sentiment is hidden until you open the card!

 

Here's another view.

 

Here's the inside of the card and the envelope.  The birdie on the envelope flap was cut out with a circle punch from a piece of 'Bird Ballad' DSP.

 

I gave each friend a mini card (made using the SU! 'Lots of Happy' card kit) and a small gift - I placed the card and gift inside a kraft pillow box which I decorated with an element from the 'Lots of Happy' kit, some Granny Apple Green woven ribbon and a circle tag.   A sweet little token of friendship and appreciation!

Supplies for card & gift bag:
Stamps: SU! 'Free as a Bird' set
CS: SU! Crumb Cake, Pool Party & Whisper White 
Patterned paper: SU! 'Bird Ballad' DSP
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, SU! Stampin' Blends alcohol markers
Tools: SU! 'Stitched Nested Labels' die set , WRMK Gift Bag Punch Board, circle punches
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Bermuda Bay ribbon, Dimensionals

Supplies for mini card & pillow box:
Stamps: SU! 'Lots of Happy' set
CS: SU! Whisper White, elements from the 'Lots of Happy' card kit, Kraft Pillow Boxes
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Stampin' Blends alcohol markers
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Granny Apple Green textured weave ribbon, Whisper White baker's twine, Metallic Pearls, Dimensionals
Ruth

August 2019 Card Group Projects

We got together on the 1st August for our August card group meeting.  I only made two projects for the ladies this month as one of the projects - a pop up flower pot card - is a little time consuming.

Chris Slogar designed the pop up flower pot card for Splitcoast Stampers and her fabulous YouTube video tutorial can be found HERE.

Here's the front of the card.

 

A view from the back.

Here's a side view.  The pop up element folds flat so the card can close to be placed in an envelope.  To have the card on display a band of CS is slipped over the base to keep the base flat.  Ingenious!

 

I added a daisy to the envelope flap to finish.

For the second card we revisited a design we've made before at card group.  Back in June we made a butterfly closure card but for this card I swapped the butterfly to a dragonfly.  I stamped the dragonflies as a background using Mint Macaron ink on the Mint Macaron card base - I do love the tone on tone look!  After I'd glued the fancy outline dragonfly over the solid dragonfly shape I added shimmer to the wings using a Sakura Clear Gelly Roll pen.  I added strips of Tranquil Tide CS cut using a Grosgrain Ribbon die, popped up the sentiment label and scattered a few iridescent flower sequins to complete the card front.

 

The dragonfly wings slide through  the die cut aperture when the card is opened.

 

Here's the inside.

 

I stamped pretty Mint Macaron dragonflies on the front of the envelope to finish. 

 

I wasn't really sure how the ladies would like making the flower pot card but I'm very happy to say it was a hit!  In fact we'll be making a Christmas version next time featuring poinsettias!

Supplies for flower pot card:
Stamps: SU! 'Daisy Delight' set, Personal Impressions 'Large Everyday Messages' set
CS: SU! Cajun Craze, Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight, Grapefruit Grove, Melon Mambo, Old Olive & Whisper White, SU! Window Sheets (acetate)
Patterned paper: SU! 'Delightful Daisy' DSP
Ink: SU! Cajun Craze & Early Espresso
Tools: SU! Simply Scored, Daisy & 1/2" circle punches, M&C Boutique Stitched Rectangle die set
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Old Olive linen thread, glue dots, Dimensionals


Supplies for dragonfly closure card:
Stamps: SU! 'Dragonfly Dreams' set
CS: SU! Mint Macaron, Tranquil Tide & Whisper White
Ink: SU! Mint Macaron & Tranquil Tide, Sakura Clear Gelly Roll pen
Tools: SU! 'Detailed Dragonfly' & 'Petals & More' die sets, Memory Box 'Grosgrain Ribbons' die set
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Dimensionals, iridescent flower sequins
Ruth

Medallion & Flower Birthday Wishes Card - RRCB 115 Challenge

One of my cards was a top pick over at the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog a while ago which meant I was invited to join them as a Guest Designer for a future challenge, woohoo!  Well, challenge #rrcb115 has arrived and it's a fabulous colour challenge - to use purple, yellow and green on your card.

So here's the card I've made featuring one of my all time favourite stamps ever - the gorgeous SU! 'Medallion' background stamp.  I've had the stamp in my stash since 2009 so that's ten years, wow!  When SU! started selling in the UK our catalogues were much smaller and our choice of products was limited.  I can still remember going to my SU demo's house for a make and take evening when she shared the new 2009 UK catalogue with us.  I'd seen the 'Medallion' background stamp online and was SO hoping that it would be available for purchase in our UK catalogue.  When I saw it on the page I leapt up out of my chair and did a happy dance around the room!  I loved the stamp then and I still love it now! I've used more oldie but goodie SU! sets for this card also - the 'Petal Potpourri' stamp set (from 2015) and the sentiment is from the 'Simply Sketched' set (from 2013).  

The card measures 5 3/4" square and my colour combo is Gorgeous Grape, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green and Whisper White.  The button in the centre of the flower is an Old Olive button that has been in my stash for many years - it's a good enough match to the Granny Apple Green though!  The sentiment bookplate, the circle and the flower are all popped up on Dimensionals.

 

Here's the inside of the card and the envelope.  For the envelope flap I stamped the 'Medallion' and used a circle die to cut out just the centre portion.  I added a Granny Apple Green punched circle and a Daffodil Delight flower from the 'Petite Petals' retired set

 

I love that the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog encourages us to show some love for our older stamps in our stash and it was a complete delight to ink up my chosen stamps to create this card, I had a blast! I hope you'll rummage in your own stash to find some older rubber treasures and join in and create a card for the #rrcb115 challenge!

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Medallion' background stamp, SU! 'Petal Potpourri', 'Simply Sketched' & 'Petite Petals' sets, Hero Arts 'Everything Wonderful' stamp
CS: SU! Daffodil Delight, Gorgeous Grape, Granny Apple Green & Whisper White
Ink: SU! Daffodil Delight, Gorgeous Grape & Granny Apple Green
Tools: SU! 'Flower Medallion' punch, circle punches & dies, Sizzix Originals 'Bookplates' die, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Granny Apple Green textured weave ribbon, Old Olive button, Dimensionals
Ruth

July 2019 Card Group Projects

We had such a lovely afternoon at our last card group get together, I'm so lucky to have a fabulous group of ladies!  You really can't beat an afternoon of crafting, fun and laughter!

Back in May I discovered the magic envelope card - blog post with link to tutorial here - and I thought it would make a great card group project.  I opted to use the SU! 'Lift Me Up' hot air balloon set and the matching 'Carried Away' patterned paper.  On my first attempt I found out that if the paper you're using has a definite direction you need to position it a certain way on the diagonal plate if you want your pattern to be the right way up on the front!  So, for the paper I used I made sure the side with the balloons was turned upside down and placed face down on the scoring plate.  The second attempt was a success!

 

Here's the card opened out.

 

Here's a closer look at the panel on the inside.

 

I took various patterned papers from the 'Carried Away' DSP pack and it didn't take long to discover that if the double sided paper has a directional pattern on BOTH sides, well, one pattern (either the front or the one on the inside) is going to end up upside down!  It's true to say certain papers work better than others for this type of card but I was able to substitute a couple of the papers so all was well.  A lesson learned for sure though!

The next card is a CASE of a lovely fun fold window card made by Jackie Bolhuis from Klompenstampers. I stayed pretty faithful to Jackie's original card but I changed the colour combo and didn't use baker's twine.  My colour combo is Bermuda Bay, Mango Melody, Basic Black and Whisper White.  I stamped and fussy cut the flower and leaves and glued them in place behind the aperture.  I used a journalling pen to add black ink to the centre of the flower - I love the pop!  Here's the card closed.

 

Here you can see the square window aperture. 

 

Here's another view of the card.  A card within a card is a good way to describe it I think! 

 

Here's the inside of the card.  I stamped the sentiment and then added a stamped circle image from the SU! 'Swirly Frames' set - such a useful set!

 

Here's the envelope.  The flourish from the 'Flourishing Phrases' set is just so gorgeous!

 

The third card features the SU! 'Artisan Textures' stamp set, the 'Floral Essence' stamp set and the 'Perennial Flower' punch - plus the large rectangle frame from the 'Swirly Frames' set. I made an A6 sized Crumb Cake card base and stamped the splatter image on opposite corners using Crumb Cake ink.  The Flirty Flamingo gingham paper is from the Brights 6" x 6" DSP pack and I matted that on a strip of Early Espresso CS.  I stamped the leaves in Granny Apple Green and cut them out with the 'Leaf' punch - I snipped one leaf off when I came to arrange the images on the card.  To make the flowers I stamped the largest image in the 'Artisan Textures' set a few times in Flirty Flamingo ink, stamped the outline petals image over the top in Early Espresso ink and cut them out using the 'Perennial Flower' punch - a fab way to get coloured flowers!  I popped the flowers up on Dimensionals and added a clip embellishment with a knot of Early Espresso ribbon.

 

Here's the inside and the envelope.

Supplies for magic envelope card:
Stamps: SU! 'Lift Me Up' set
CS: SU! Mint Macaron, Night of Navy & Whisper White
Patterned paper: SU! 'Carried Away' DSP
Ink: SU! Mint Macaron, Night of Navy & Watermelon Wonder
Tools: SU! Simply Scored & Diagonal Scoring Plate, 'Up & Away' & 'Layering Squares' die sets
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Dimensionals

Supplies for flower window card:
Stamps: SU! 'Flourishing Phrases', 'Swirly Frames' & 'Best Yet' sets
CS: SU! Bermuda Bay, Basic Black & Whisper White
Ink: SU! Bermuda Bay & Mango Melody, SU! Black Journalling Pen
Tools: SU! 'Layering Squares' & 'Layering Circles' die sets

Supplies for floral friendly thoughts card:
Stamps: SU! 'Artisan Textures', 'Floral Essence' & 'Swirly Frames' sets
CS: SU! Crumb Cake, Early Espresso & Whisper White
Patterned paper: Flirty Flamingo gingham from 'Brights' 6" x 6" DSP pack
Ink: SU! Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Flirty Flamingo & Granny Apple Green
Tools: SU! 'Perennial Flower' & 'Leaf' punches
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Early Espresso stitched ribbon, clip embellishment & Dimensionals
Ruth

Floral Friendly Thoughts Card

This is a card I made for a friend a while back but hadn't got round to sharing on the blog.  My crafting time has been limited sadly!  I used some marvellous new SU! goodies - the 'Birch' background stamp, the 'Floral Essence' stamp set and the 'Perennial Flower' punch.

I stamped the 'Birch' on Whisper White CS using Crumb Cake ink and I layered that panel onto a mat of Night of Navy CS which I adhered to the front of an A6 sized Crumb Cake card base.  I stamped the flowers in Night of Navy ink on Balmy Blue CS, stamped the leaves in Granny Apple Green ink on Granny Apple Green CS and stamped the flower centres in Night of Navy ink on Daffodil Delight CS.    I flagged the end of the sentiment banner and popped the flowers up on Dimensionals.

 

I used different flower stamps from the 'Floral Essence' set to decorate the inside and the envelope.

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Floral Essence' set, 'Birch' background stamp
CS: SU! Balmy Blue, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Night of Navy & Whisper White
Ink: SU! Balmy Blue, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green & Night of Navy
Tools: SU! 'Perennial Flower' & 'Leaf' punches, circle punch
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Dimensionals
Ruth

Floral 69 And 3/4 Birthday Card

A lady will be turning 80 but she is telling everyone she'll be celebrating  reaching 69 and 3/4!  Her friend is a friend of mine at Wilko and she asked me to make a card with 69 and 3/4 on - how could I possibly have refused a fun challenge like that?!

First of all I played around with the numbers and settled on a large stamped and die cut 69 with stamped numbers 3 and 4 with a scrap of CS for the forward slash.  I die cut several 6 and 9 numbers and stacked them together to get some dimension.  Once I'd created the stitched rectangle numbers panel I turned to designing the rest of the card.

The card base measures 5 3/4" square and my colour combo is Highland Heather, Basic Black and Whisper White - with a bit of Granny Apple Green thrown in for the leaves. I layered a square of Highland Heather gingham paper onto a larger square black CS mat.  I stamped the solid flowers and leaves in stamped off once Highland Heather and Granny Apple Green inks and then stamped the detailed images over the top in full strength inks in the same colours.  I die cut the flowers and leaves and played around with a layout.  I chose to use the same size die cut rectangle that I'd used for the numbers and I just offset the two on the card front, after layering both rectangles on black CS mats.

I stamped the sentiment, arranged the leaves and flowers and popped the flowers up on Dimensionals.  To complete the card front I added some iridescent faceted gems for a touch of sparkle.

 

Here's the inside of the card and the envelope.

 

Happily, my friend loved the card, I just hope the recipient enjoys receiving this one of a kind card for her milestone birthday!

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Oh So Eclectic', 'Number of Years' & 'Memorable Moments' sets
CS: SU! Highland Heather, Basic Black & Whisper White
Patterned paper: SU! 'Gingham Gala' 6" x 6" DSP pack
Ink: SU! Highland Heather & Granny Apple Green, Memento Tuxedo Black
Tools: SU! 'Eclectic Layers', 'Large Numbers' & 'Layering Squares die sets, M&C Boutique stitched rectangles die set
Embellishments & accessories: the Works iridescent faceted gems, SU! Dimensionals
Ruth