Poinsettias & Scene Season Of Joy Card

A few weeks ago Jan came over to make a Christmas card and to pick up her SU! order which contained the 'Under the Mistletoe' DSP pack.  After she'd finished making the card we spent some time leafing through the SU! 2018 Annual and Autumn/Winter catalogues looking at cards we both liked.  I was taken with a card on page 100 of the Annual catalogue which features the 'Hometown Greetings' Edgelits die set plus papers from the 'Under the Mistletoe' DSP pack.  The 'Hometown Greetings' die set was one of the last Christmas items I purchased last year and I hadn't used it.  Jan kindly allowed me to have half of her pack of DSP which I'll replace when I get my own pack so that I could make my version of the card.

I made an A6 sized Night of Navy card base and glued the patterned paper in place.  I don't have the 'Stitched Labels' Framelits die set so instead of the fancy shape featured on the catalogue card I used a 'Stitched Shapes' oval for my card.  I sponged Pool Party ink on the oval and glued the die cut scene over the top.  I fussy cut the poinsettias and leaves, placed those - popping some shapes up - attached the ribbon and the button with linen thread tied in a bow.  I stamped the 'season of joy' in VersaMark on Crumb Cake CS and heat embossed with white powder and popped up the sentiment strip to complete the card front.

Here's the inside and the envelope.

This is definitely a 'one off' card, it's not a design to be cranked out in a hurry, it took ages to get the elements placed to my complete satisfaction!  I'm glad I made the card and I'm happy how it turned out but I won't be making another one!

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Hearts Come Home' & 'Christmas Pines' sets
CS: SU! Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Old Olive & Whisper White
Patterned paper: SU! 'Under the Mistletoe' DSP pack
Ink: SU! Old Olive, Pool Party & Real Red, VersaMark
Tools:SU! 'Hometown Greetings' Edgelits & 'Stitched Shapes' Framelits die sets
Embellishments & accessories: SU! white embossing powder, linen thread, Real Red ribbon, Old Olive button & Dimensionals
Ruth

September 2018 Card Group Projects

Last Thursday we got together for our monthly card group meeting and as it's September that means we start on Christmas cards.  I asked the ladies how they wanted to do it this year and we agreed that in September, October and November we'd do two Christmas cards and one non Christmas card.

The non Christmas card this month is a jar of roses birthday card.  I glued Rich Razzleberry CS and some patterned paper to the bottom of a white A6 sized card.  I stamped the jar direct to a piece of watercolour paper, stamped the roses and leaves on a separate piece of watercolour paper, added colour to the images with inks and an Aquapainter and die cut the roses and leaves.  I used a wonky stitches rectangle die to cut out the image panel, layered that onto a mat of Rich Razzleberry CS, popped up the roses and the sentiment and glued the leaves behind the roses.

Here's the inside and the envelope with more patterned paper and a sweet die cut bow strip.   

I love a snowman stamp and I just had to buy the Inkadinkado 'Ornate Christmas' set when I saw the lovely snowman with his gorgeous damask scarf!  I made a Night of Navy A6 sized card and covered the front with a Coastal Cabana panel embossed with the Darice 'Snowflake Swirl' folder.  I stamped the sentiment, cut it out with a wonky stitched oval die, fussy cut the snowman and popped the oval and snowman up.  I added two punched snowflakes with gem centres to finish the card front.

Just simple stamping to decorate the inside and the envelope.  The lovely bird nestled in the snowflake corner image is from another Inkadinkado set called 'Winter Birds'.  A definite oldie but goodie in my stash!

The second Christmas card features a beautiful flourish die from the Sizzix Tim Holtz 'Mixed Media #2' die set.  We've made cards before using the Mixed Media die sets - HERE and HERE and they were very popular with the ladies so I thought they'd appreciate making a similar style Christmas card. 

My colour combo is one I've used before but not for a Christmas card but I think it works so well for Christmas too - it's Rose Red, Garden Green and Very Vanilla.  I love this ornament from the SU! 'Ornament Keepsakes' set muchly, I love the shape and the elegant damask style pattern and I return to it time and time again.  The set is retired but it's staying in my stash for sure!  I die cut a gold foil ornament topper, glued that in place, added some gold cord tied in a knot and popped up the ornament.  I used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to stamp the sentiment - I know some of my ladies are not fans but I love using it to get perfect placement!  I'm very happy with all the elegant swirls going on in this card!

Here's the inside and the envelope with more elegant swirliness!

Supplies for jar of roses card:
Stamps: Stampendous 'Build a Bouquet' set, SU! 'Dragonfly Dreams' & 'Blooming with Kindness' sets
CS: SU! Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, Basic Black & Whisper White
Patterned paper: Magenta 'Wheat Field'
Ink: SU! Granny Apple Green, Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry, Smoky Slate, VersaFine Onyx Black
Tools: Stampendous 'Build a Bouquet' die set, Creative Dies Plus 'Nesting Rectangles Wonky Stitches' die set, SU! 'Petals & More' Thinlits die set, SU! Aquapainter, sponge dauber
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Dimensionals

Supplies for snowman card:
Stamps: Inkadinkado 'Ornate Christmas' & 'Winter Birds' sets, Hero Arts 'Joyful Christmas Season' set
CS: SU! Coastal Cabana, Night of Navy & Whisper White
Ink: SU! Coastal Cabana & Night of Navy
Tools: Darice 'Snowflake Swirls' embossing folder, Creative Dies Plus 'Nesting Ovals Wonky Stitches' die set, XCut snowflake punch
Embellishments & accessories: clear gems, SU! Dimensionals

Supplies for ornament card:
Stamps: SU! 'Ornament Keepsakes' & 'Greetings of the Season' sets, IndigoBlu 'Vintage Flourish' stamp, Penny Black 'Beautiful Season' stamp
CS: SU! Garden Green, Rose Red & Very Vanilla
Ink: SU! garden Green & Rose Red
Tools: Sizzix Tim Holtz 'Mixed Media #2' Thinlits die set, SU! Holiday Ornaments' Framelits & 'Delicate Ornaments' Thinlits die sets
Embellishments & accessories: gold cord, SU! Dimensionals
Ruth

Santa & Trees Ho Ho Ho Fancy Fold Card

Recently I came across this fancy fold card made by Ange McKay using the SU! Rooted in Nature set and I loved it.  I decided to make a version of this fancy fold card but make it a Christmas card.

I've gone very traditional with my colour combo - Real Red, Old Olive, Whisper White with a touch of Gold Glimmer Paper.  I covered the fold down flap with patterned paper from the SU! 'Merry Little Christmas' DSP pack and popped up the HO, HO, HO sentiment pieces that I'd cut apart.  I used the SU! 'Layering Circles' die set for the trees and Santa's sleigh scene, popping up two trees.

Here's the card with the banner piece opened.  I added a die cut scalloped circle to the back of the banner.

So to open this fancy fold card you pull the banner to one side and then lift the flap up.  Here's what you see when you've done that.  I added patterned paper and a strip of Real Red CS to the bottom of the panel and simply stamped the sentiment.

Now, the thing about fancy fold cards for me is that I prefer it if they stand up for display and this design doesn't work that way.  So I've added a die cut easel to the back of the card which resolves that issue nicely!

Here's the back of the envelope which I've decorated with stamped trees cut out with circle dies.

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Rooted in Nature', 'Hearts Come Home' & 'Labels to Love' sets, Hero Arts 'Wonderful Christmas' set
CS: SU! Real Red, Old Olive & Whisper White, Gold Glimmer Paper
Patterned paper: SU! 'Merry Little Christmas' DSP pack
Ink: SU! Real Red & Old Olive
Tools: SU! 'Layering Circle' & 'Nature's Roots' Framelits die sets, Sizzix Tim Holtz 'Small Easel' Bigz die
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Dimensionals
Ruth

Tarnished Foil Background With Leaf Cluster Anniversary Card

Today hubby and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary - 34 years, blimey!   I decided to try a technique I discovered recently - the Tarnished Foil technique.  Owen loves black and metallic cards so this seemed the perfect technique to use for his anniversary card!  I learned this technique from Lisa Curcio - her blog post is here where Lisa shares a fabulous video tutorial plus some lovely technique example cards.

Here's the card and envelope together.

There was some SU! 'Champagne' Foil Sheet in my stash which had never been used so I chose that and embossed a panel of the foil with the SU! 'Hexagons' 3D Dynamic embossing folder.  I followed Lisa's excellent instructions using SU! Black Archival ink, VersaMark and Copper and Silver embossing powders.  I was really pleased with the way the panel turned out, Lisa does promise that the technique is fool proof!

For the sentiment panel I stamped onto a die cut rectangle, stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed using Copper embossing powder.  I die cut two leaf clusters, one in black and one in Copper Foil sheet, leaving the pieces in the copper shape I removed the pieces from the black shape and glued it on top of the copper shape.  I popped up the leaf cluster and the sentiment rectangle.  To finish the front I added some copper metallic gems.

Here's a closer look at the tarnished foil panel.

Here's the inside of the card.  The sentiment is copper heat embossed and I added three Champagne Foil Sheet punched hearts.  Underneath I adhered a die cut black 'ribbon' using a Grosgrain Ribbon die and added a narrow strip of Copper Foil Sheet underneath.  I used the largest die in the Creative Dies Plus 'Nesting Rectangles Wonky Stitches' die set to cut the panel for inside the card.  I just LOVE that it fits A6 sized cards when the majority of die sets are more suitable for A2 sized cards!  I'm very happy about that - plus the bargain £5.49 price! 

Here's the front of the envelope with a popped up leafy cluster and a bookplate name label.  I added silver nailheads to the bookplate label.  It's fun to mix up metallics now and then!

Supplies:
Stamps: 'Sincere Sentiments' set free with Simply Cards & Papercraft mag #169, Clearly Besotted 'Brushed Greetings II' set
CS: SU! Basic Black & Whisper White, Foil Sheet in 'Champagne' & 'Copper'
Ink: VersaMark
Tools: SU! 'Hexagons' 3D Dynamic embossing folder, leaf cluster die from M&C Boutique, Creative Dies Plus 'Nesting Rectangles Wonky Stitches' die set, Sizzix Originals 'Bookplates' die, SU! 'Heart to Heart' punch
Embellishments & accessories: SU! silver & copper embossing powder, Dimensionals, Marianne Design metal adhesive gems, silver nailheads
Ruth

Sparkly Village Merry Christmas Card - RRCB#94

Woohoo, my flip-flops card was chosen as the Top Pick for challenge #92 over at the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog and as a result I'm a guest designer for their current challenge!  I'm excited to be joining them for their Anything Goes Retro Rubber Challenge #94!

Well, I've gone from a summery flip-flops card to a wintery Christmas village card!  The PSX 'Christmas Village' stamp has been in my stash for a VERY long time - the date on the stamp is 1999 so that's pretty retro!  My friend Jan also owns this stamp and each year we both try to use the stamp to make at least one Christmas card. 

I stamped the image in Cherry Cobbler ink onto a piece of Whisper White CS and stamped the sentiment in Tranquil Tide ink.  The sentiment comes from the SU! 'Four the Holidays' set which came out in 2009.  I cut a piece of double sided adhesive sheet, adhered it to my stamped panel, removed the backing sheet and covered the panel in SU! Dazzling Diamonds sparkly glitter.  After trimming the panel to size I layered it onto mats of Mint Macaron and Tranquil Tide CS.  I made a 5 1/2" square Cherry Cobbler card base and added a strip of patterned paper from the SU! 'Delightfully Daisy' DSP pack.  No, not typical Christmas paper but I think it looks snowy so I went with it!  I die cut a strip of Cherry Cobbler 'ribbon'  using a Memory Box 'Grosgrain Ribbons' die and I popped up the main image panel.  To complete the card front I added some retro embellishments - Cherry Cobbler Candy Dots.

It's really difficult to capture sparkle in a photo but here's a closer look at the sparkly village panel.  In real life it is super sparkly!

Here's how I decorated the inside of the card and the envelope flap.  I stamped the sentiment in Tranquil Tide ink, coloured the holly leaves with Mint Macaron ink and a Blender Pen and coloured the berries with a Cherry Cobbler marker.  For the envelope flap, I stamped the village again and used a circle die to cut a portion out and then used a 2" circle punch and another die to cut out the matting circles.

Another Christmas card to go in the box - that's always a good thing!  To the team over at the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog, thanks so much for having me, I loved joining in as a guest designer!

Supplies:
Stamps: PSX 'Christmas Village' stamp, SU! 'Four the Holidays' set, Stampendous 'Merry Wishes'
CS: SU! Cherry Cobbler, Mint Macaron, Tranquil Tide & Whisper White
Patterned paper: SU! 'Delightfully Daisy' DSP pack
Ink: SU! Cherry Cobbler, Mint Macaron & Tranquil Tide
Tools: Memory Box 'Grosgrain Ribbons' die set, SU! 2" circle punch, 'Layering Circle' Framelits die set & Blender Pen
Embellishments & accessories: double sided adhesive sheet, SU! Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Candy Dots & Dimensionals
Ruth

Sparkling Forest Christmas Card

Having just purchased the absolutely beautiful SU! 'Rooted in Nature' bundle I went to YouTube to watch the SU! video for the bundle.  Jessica presented the video and a card she showcased really took my fancy - the card is also featured on page 144 of the SU! annual catalogue.  I decided to make my own CASEd version and to make it a Christmas card - because I need to increase the stash in the Christmas card box!

Jessica's tips for stamping the forest were very helpful and I stuck with her guidelines and I stayed with the layout of the card.  I've used Mint Macaron, Tranquil Tide and Whisper White as my colour combo and I made an A6 sized card base.  Once I'd decided to use the 'may your Christmas sparkle with joy and happiness' sentiment I knew I'd have to introduce some seasonal sparkle to the card!  I've used some Mint Macaron glimmer paper and I added Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the trees.  The sentiment panel and two die cut trees are popped up.

Here's a closer look at the sparkly trees.

Here's the inside of the card and the envelope.  I used the Stamparatus to stamp the sentiments and I stamped 'Christmas Blessings' twice in order to get a deeper shade of Mint Macaron ink.  I added a touch of twinkle inside by placing a tiny dot of Mint Macaron glimmer paper on each side of the 'to you and yours' sentiment. 

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Rooted in Nature' & 'Christmas Pines' sets
CS: SU! Mint Macaron, Tranquil Tide & Whisper White, Mint Macaron glimmer paper
Ink: SU! Mint Macaron & Tranquil Tide
Tools: SU! 'Nature's Roots' Framelits dies, 'Triple Banner' punch, Stamparatus
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Dimensionals
Ruth

Leaves To You From Me Aperture Card - RRCB#93

Back to work for me tomorrow after a two week holiday - as it was a staycation I've enjoyed spending lots of time getting inky in my craft room!  I wanted to create a card on my last holiday day and I visited the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog and took part in their #93 Tic Tac Toe challenge.

For my card I chose the diagonal line - die cut or punch, green and leaves.  I used circle dies to create an aperture and frame, my colour combo is SU! Granny Apple Green, Mossy Meadow and Whisper White and I've used two old SU! sets, the leaves are from 'Gently Falling' (released 2011) and the sentiment is from 'Best Yet' (released 2008).

'Gently Falling' is a two-step stamping set and it produces gorgeous images!  I inked the solid background images in Granny Apple Green ink, stamped off once, added some Mossy Meadow ink around the stamps using a sponge dauber and then stamped onto Whisper White CS.  I stamped the leaf outline images in Mossy Meadow ink using a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to ensure perfect placement.  I made an A6 sized card base from Whisper White thick CS and used the SU! 'Layering Circle' Framelits die set to cut the aperture from the card front and to cut the Mossy Meadow scalloped circle frame.  I stamped the sentiment through the aperture, fussy cut the leaves and popped them all up.  To finish the card front I sprinkled on a few gold sequins.

I added two stamped and fussy cut leaves on the inside of the card and stamped a leaf direct to the envelope flap.

Many thanks to the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog for encouraging us to use our old stamps from our stash - 'Gently Falling' is one of my all time favourite stamp sets and it's always a joy to ink it up!

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Gently Falling' & 'Best Yet' sets
CS: SU! Mossy Meadow & Whisper White (regular & thick)
Ink: SU! Granny Apple Green & Mossy Meadow
Tools: SU! 'Layering Circle' Framelits dies, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig
Embellishments & accessories: gold sequins, SU! Dimensionals
Ruth