Hello!

The week is speeding by, isn't it?  Christmas is now only 3 days away; the lines in the stores are getting pretty long, the adults are tired, and the kids are over-stimulated.  It's so exciting!  [NOT!]  When all of the craziness begins to get to you, just remember that this Season is all about the Love.  So share a smile and/or a hug with a friend or neighbor, perform some random act of kindness for a stranger (or two), and listen to some music of the Season on the radio.  Bottom line:  Find ways to include, and treasure, the Love.

If yesterday's gift card packaging seemed a little intimidating, I have another solution for packing gift cards. 

(click on cards to see larger image)

These little gems are just 4" square but pack some definite visual impact into a small space.  With this size, you could:

• Tuck these into a couple of branches on the tree,
• Punch a hole in the upper left corner, string some ribbon, and hang them from a branch on the tree, or
• Use them as gift tags with a surprise tucked inside.

The card bases for these cards are Baja Breeze, Real Red, and Garden Green.  Each card has a piece of Candy Cane Specialty Designer Series Paper matted with a coordinating piece of cardstock.  Ornaments from the Delightful Decorations stamp set were stamped with craft ink on Whisper White cardstock and heat embossed with Clear Stampin' Emboss powder provide the focal point for the cards.  The ornament on the Baja Breeze card was stamped with Real Red Craft ink and features a large clear Rhinestone in the center of the ornament and a Pretty in Pink 1/8" Taffeta bow at the neck of the ornament.  The ornament on the Real Red card was stamped with Pretty in Pink Craft ink and features a Whisper White 1/8" Taffeta bow at the neck of the ornament.  The ornament on the Garden Green card was stamped with Garden Green Craft ink and features a Real Red 1/8" Taffeta bow at the neck of the ornament.  All of the ornaments were adhered to the card fronts with Stampin' Dimensionals.

(click on cards to see larger image)

The Baja Breeze card seemed to have plenty of character with the embedded red glitter in the Candy Cane Specialty Designer Series Paper and the clear Rhinestone; so I felt that no additional embellishment was necessary.  However, for the Real Red and Garden Green cards, I added some Real Red and Garden Green die cuts made using the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die and the Big Shot. 

The inside sentiment area of each card is lined with a piece of Whisper White cardstock.  On the opposite side, a piece of Candy Cane Specialty Designer Series Paper was die cut with the Scallop Envelope Bigz die.  The envelope was folded and the side flaps attached with thin lines of Tombow Multi Adhesive.  Then the envelope flap was folded back to the front side of the envelope and adhered in place with another thin line of Tombow Multi Adhesive.  The back of the envelope was adhered to the cardstock with SNAIL.  Since the envelope flap is now part of the decoration (and a fun way to show both sides of this adorable paper), there's no impediment to sliding a gift card into the envelope.  Note that some gift cards may be too wide to fit horizontally, so just stand them up vertically and slide them in the envelope that way.

[Important Note:  Unfortunately, the Candy Cane Specialty Designer Series Paper is no longer available for purchase.  However, you can download a digital version of this paper for use with My Digital Studio or with your own photo/digital scrapbooking applications.  Just print the design on Whisper White cardstock and mount it to the coordinating cardstock mat.  You could even replicate the embedded red glitter dots on the Baja Breeze background with some Mini Glue Dots and Red Fine Galaxy Stampin' Glitter.]

Making these gift card holders is a great way to use up those random scraps you have lying around looking for a home.  The larger scraps can be used for the envelopes, the medium sized for the card fronts, and the smaller ones for the decorative trims.  And your scraps don't have to be Christmas themed, either!  As long as the colors work together, the ornaments will carry the theme for you. 

Oh, and if you don't have the envelope die cut, don't despair.  Just cut a piece of decorative paper 2 1/4" x 3 15/16", punch a fun border along one of the 3 15/16" edges, put a line of Sticky Strip along the three remaining edges and adhere to the inside of the card with the Sticky Strip aligned with the left, bottom, and fold of the card.  Burnish the paper over the Sticky Strip with a Bone Folder to ensure that the adhesive is good and stuck to the cardstock.

Stamps:  Delightful Decorations; Craft Inks:  Garden Green, Pretty in Pink, Real Red; Cardstock:  Baja Breeze, Garden Green, Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Whisper White; Designer Series Paper:  Candy Cane Specialty Designer Series Paper; Embellishments:  Basic Rhinestones, Pretty in Pink 1/8" Taffeta ribbon, Real Red 1/8" Taffeta ribbon, Whisper White 1/8" Taffeta ribbon; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Tombow Multi Adhesive; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Ornament punch, Big Shot w/Standard Cutting Plates, Standard Crease pad, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, XL Cutting Plates

Hi there!

Now that Christmas is only a few days away I'm guessing that, like me, you're in a wrapping paper frenzy.  But what can you do about packaging those pesky gift cards?  Here's one solution...just Look Here!  [Note:  I made a variation of this card last year with my Stampin' Up! upline, Catherine Harwood.  To see her card, just click here.]

(click on card to see larger image)

The card front was decorated with a piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock embossed with the Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Embossing folder (Big Shot) and a few pumps of the Gold Glow Smooch Spritz.  A few Shimmery White cardstock snowflakes were created using the Northern Frost Decorative Strip die (Big Shot) and added to the upper left corner.  Two pieces of Night of Navy 1/4" grosgrain ribbon were knotted and pressed into place along the lower half of the card front; the ribbon ends folded to the back of the Cherry Cobbler cardstock and pressed into place with SNAIL.  On top of the ribbon, a focal point was created using a stern message from the Winter Post stamp set stamped on Whisper White cardstock using Cherry Cobbler ink and punched out with the Designer Label punch.  This image was placed on top of a piece of Night of Navy cardstock punched with the Decorative Label punch. 

Brushed Gold cardstock was used to create a mat for the Night of Navy Decorative Label by punching two more Decorative Labels from Brushed Gold cardstock.  One label was cut lengthwise and the other label was cut widthwise.  The center points next to the cut for the lengthwise label were snipped off and the outer "bumps" of the widthwise cut label were trimmed away from the upper and lower edges of both pieces.  The lengthwise cut pieces were adhered to the upper and lower lengthwise edges of the Night of Navy Decorative Label using SNAIL leaving approximately 1/16" of Brushed Gold cardstock visible beyond the edges of the Night of Navy cardstock.  The widthwise cut pieces were adhered to the left and right sides of the Night of Navy Decorative Label using SNAIL, again leaving approximately 1/16" of Brushed Gold cardstock visible beyond the edges of the Night of Navy cardstock.  The focal point was adhered to the card front with a Stampin' Dimensionals placed at each corner of the back of the matted Decorative Label.

The Cherry Cobbler cardstock was adhered to the Whisper White Textured cardstock card base using Tombow Multi-Adhesive.

(click on card to see larger image)

The inside of the card has the real impact for this card because, let's face it, that's where the gift is!  The Night of Navy cardstock was die cut with the Look Here Bigz XL die (Big Shot).  When you first look at this die you may think that it's just a tad complicated to work with, but it's actually pretty easy as long as you take your time and follow the directions included with the die.  A piece of Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper was adhered to the back of the top half of the Night of Navy die cut using SNAIL and then the top half of the die cut was adhered to the top half of the card interior placing the center fold of the die cut just a hair above the center fold of the card interior.  The die cut fold that holds the gift card was then adhered and a smaller piece of Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper was adhered to the back of the lower half of the die cut to cover the opening where the arrow rises up to meet the gift card holder.  The bottom half of the die cut was adhered to the bottom half of the card interior.  [Important note:  Don't forget the tiny piece of cardstock that attaches to the back of the arrow that rises from the bottom half of the die cut and the front of the gift card holder.  Use Sticky Strip here to make sure that this piece remains in place and works properly.]  More Shimmery White cardstock was used to create snowflakes to cover the arrow heads that point to the gift card holder on the top half of the card interior.  Three more snowflakes decorate the bottom half of the card interior.  One on the arrow that rises from the bottom half of the card interior, one to cover the arrow shape in the die cut on the bottom half of the card interior, and the other to "balance" the snowflake placed over the arrow shape.

(click on envelopes to see larger image)

The stern message from the Winter Post stamp set was stamped on the lower left front of the Whisper White envelope using Cherry Cobbler ink.  And the Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Embossing folder was used to emboss the envelope flap.

You may think that making this gift card holder is pretty labor intensive; however, because the Big Shot is doing so much of the work, you can complete a few of these cards in just about an hour.  My guess is that when a loved one receives this present, they'll feel that the packaging is just as impressive as the gift!

Stamps:  Winter Post; Inks:  Cherry Cobbler; Cardstock:  Brushed Gold, Cherry Cobbler, Night of Navy, Shimmery White, Whisper White, Whisper White Textured; Designer Series Paper:  Deck the Halls; Embellishments:  Night of Navy 1/4" grosgrain ribbon; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Sticky Strip, Stampin' Dimensionals, Tombow Multi-Adhesive; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Gold Glow Smooch Spritz, Color Catcher, Designer Label punch, Decorative Label punch, Big Shot w/XL Cutting Pads, Look Here Bigz XL die, Northern Frost Decorative Strip, Decorative Strip Cutting Plates, Decorative Strip Cutting Platform; Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Embossing folder, Multi-Purpose Platform w/Standard Cutting Plates; Other:  Medium Whisper White Envelope

Hello!  It's coming down to the wire now...Christmas is only a few days away.  I hope that you're finding time to sneak in some fun with family and friends in between all the errands and chores associated with the Holidays. 

Here's the fifth (and final) card I designed for the Christmas Card class.  This one includes some non-traditional colors to focus on the fun and excitement of the Holiday Season while conveying an important message of the Season.  The Angels brought the shepherds this most significant message of the Christ child's birth--a message designed to bring Comfort to those who longed for the Messiah and Joy to celebrate in HIs arrival. 

(click on card to see larger image)

A large mat of Blushing Bride cardstock was embossed in the Big Shot using the Big Dots Texturz plate.  A strip of Candy Cane Specialty Designer Series Paper was adhered to the left edge of the cardstock.  A second strip of Candy Cane Specialty Designer Series Paper, this time one that includes some embedded glitter dots, was run through the Big Shot using the large scallop border portion of the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die.  This piece was adhered alongside the first strip of Designer Series Paper.  The edges of the Blushing Bride cardstock and edges of the Designer Series Paper where they meet the edges of the Blushing Bride cardstock were sponged with Real Red ink.  A piece of Real Red 5/8" Satin ribbon was placed on top of the seam between the two pieces of Designer Series Paper with the ends folded to the back of the Blushing Bride cardstock and adhered in place with SNAIL.  The Blushing Bride cardstock was then adhered to the Real Red card base.

The focal point for this card uses a stamp image from the Word Play stamp set.  The image was stamped first on Whisper White cardstock and then again on Blushing Bride cardstock using Real Red ink.  The Whisper White image was punched out with the Decorative Label punch.  The center of the ornament on the Blushing Bride image was dotted with 2-Way Glue Pen and sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter.  The ornament was cut out of the Blushing Bride cardstock and adhered to the Whisper White cardstock ornament with a Stampin' Dimensional.  The edges of the Whisper White cardstock were sponged with Real Red ink. 

A frame for the Whisper White cardstock Decorative Label was created by punching two more Decorative Labels from Garden Green cardstock.  One label was cut lengthwise and the other label was cut widthwise.  The center points next to the cut for the lengthwise label were also snipped off and the outer edges of the label were sponged with Garden Green ink.  The outer "bumps" of the widthwise cut label were trimmed away from the upper and lower edges of both pieces and the outer edges of the label were sponged with Garden Green ink.  The lengthwise cut pieces were adhered to the upper and lower lengthwise edges of the Whisper White Decorative Label using SNAIL leaving approximately 1/16" of Garden Green cardstock visible beyond the edges of the Whisper White cardstock.  The widthwise cut pieces were adhered to the left and right sides of the Whisper White Decorative Label using SNAIL, again leaving approximately 1/16" of Garden Green cardstock visible beyond the edges of the Whisper White cardstock.  The focal point was adhered to the card front with a Stampin' Dimensionals placed at each corner of the back of the matted Decorative Label.

(click on card to see larger image)

The interior of the card was lined with a piece of Whisper White cardstock.  Pieces of Candy Cane Specialty Designer Series Paper decorate the top and bottom edges.  The top piece has some extra interest with a border punched with the Scallop Edge Border punch.  The edges of the liner were sponged with Real Red ink.

(click on envelope to see larger image)

The lower left front corner of the Whisper White envelope features the same sentiment used for the focal point, again using Real Red ink.

The folks who participated in the Christmas Card class this year enjoyed making these cards to send to family and friends during this Holiday Season.  As for me, sending Christmas cards seems to be way down on the list of piorities right now.  Three weeks after his brain tumor hemorrhaged, Dad is beginning to show some small signs of recovery.  He's finally out of the Intensive Care Unit and beginning a complicated rehabilitation.  I think that if Dad had time on his side that he would likely make a nearly full recovery, even taking into account the areas of paralysis on his left side.  Unfortunately, the brain tumor will likely take most of that time away from him.  So we pray that God will allow Dad to heal to the extent that he may be able to recognize his family and have some interaction with them before the brain tumor takes him away from us for good.  It's certainly our Christmas Wish this year.

[Important Note:  Unfortunately, the Candy Cane Specialty Designer Series Paper is no longer available for purchase.  However, you can download a digital version of this paper for use with My Digital Studio or with your own photo/digital scrapbooking applications.  Just print the ornament design paper and mount it to the cardstock.  You could even replicate the embedded red glitter dots on the Baja Breeze background with some Mini Glue Dots and Red Fine Galaxy Stampin' Glitter.]

Stamps:  Word Play; Inks:  Garden Green, Real Red; Cardstock:  Blushing Bride, Garden Green, Real Red, Whisper White; Designer Series Paper:  Candy Cane Specialty; Embellishments:  Real Red 5/8" Satin ribbon; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, 2-Way Glue Pen; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Sponge, Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter, Decorative Label punch, Scallop Edge Border punch, Big Shot w/Multi-Purpose Platform, Backgrounds #1 Texturz Plates (Big Dots), Standard Texturz Impression Pad, Standard Texturz Silicone Rubber, XL Cutting Pads, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die; Other:  Medium Whisper White Envelope

Hello! Brrrrrrrrrrr....

Winter has arrived in Central Florida.  Last night, as my husband and I were driving home from visiting with my Dad at the hospital, we stopped at a Starbucks for hot chocolate instead of making our usual stop at the local "stop and rob" (convenience store) for a couple of bottles of water.  This morning, as we're digging our sweaters and sweatshirts out of the storage boxes under the bed and brushing the dust off the shoulders of our coats as we remove them from the backs of our closets, the early morning news programs are showing reporters standing in orange groves cutting oranges to see if there's ice in them (an indicator of a ruined orange crop) and talking about ice on windshields.  Bah Humbug!

Today's post showcases a more traditional looking Christmas card, the fourth project from my Christmas Card class.  In fact, with it's warm colors and vintage feel, you can almost feel a warm fire and smell the wonderful aroma from the kettle of warm rum punch hanging over the fire (evoking the memory of a visit to my former mother-in-law's lake house near St. Peter, Minnesota many years ago when the high for the day while I was visiting there was MINUS 10 degrees F--I wanted to crawl into the fire because I just couldn't get warm!).

(click on card to see larger image)

The card base is Always Artichoke.  A strip of Deck the Halls Designer Series paper (the edges sponged with Always Artichoke ink) was adhered to the bottom half of the card front and a piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock (the edges sponged with Cherry Cobbler ink) embossed with the Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Embossing folder (in the Big Shot) was adhered to the top half of the card front.  The card was then placed in the Color Catcher and hit with a few pumps of Gold Glow Smooch Spritz to add some holiday shimmer.  A piece of Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin ribbon was wrapped around a strip of Always Artichoke cardstock punched with the Eyelet Border punch and the edges sponged with Always Artichoke ink.  This strip was then adhered to the card front to straddle the seam between the embossed cardstock and Designer Series Paper. 

The Christmas Postcard image was stamped on a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock using Basic Black ink and the image was colored with Watercolor Crayons and a Blender Pen.  The edges of the Very Vanilla cardstock and its Cherry Cobbler and Crumb Cake mats were distressed and then all the distressed edges were sponged with Cherry Cobbler ink.  The cardstocks were adhered and then Gold Brads inserted at each corner.  The focal point image was then adhered to the center of the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals.

(click on card to see larger image)

The interior of the card was lined with a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, the edges sponged with Always Artichoke ink.  The bells image from the Bells & Boughs stamp set was stamped in the upper right corner using Basic Black ink and colored with Watercolor Crayons and a Blender Pen.

(click on envelope to see larger image)

The bells image was stamped a second time using Basic Black ink at the lower left front corner of the Very Vanilla envelope.  Like the card interior, this image was also colored with Watercolor Crayons and a Blender Pen.

I guess it's pretty apparent that I'm in love with the vintage Christmas images that are incorporated into the Christmas Collage background stamp, the Bells & Boughs stamp set, and the Christmas Postcard single stamp.  They are just so very lovely and lend themselves to so very many creative possibilities.  I hope that the projects I've made using these stamps have provided you with some inspiration as you've contemplated your holiday greeting card, gift tags and wrappings, and ornament designs. 

Stamps:  Bells & Boughs, Christmas Postcard; Inks:  Always Artichoke, Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler; Cardstock:  Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla; Designer Series Paper:  Deck the Halls; Embellishments:  Gold Brads, Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin ribbon; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Sponge, Gold Glow Smooch Spritz, Color Catcher, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Eyelet Border punch, Assorted Watercolor Crayons (Always Artichoke, Marina Mist, More Mustard, Old Olive, Real Red), Blender Pen, Big Shot w/Standard Cutting Plates, Multi-Purpose Platform, Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Embossing folder; Other:  Medium Very Vanilla Envelope

Hello and Happy Friday!

Today's post features the third project from my Christmas Card class.  This card was probably the most eye-catching due to all the shimmer and shine incorporated into the design of the card.  [Unfortunately, the photos don't capture the shimmer and glimmer of this card, so you'll have to trust me on this.] 

 (click on the card to see a larger image)

The Northern Flurry Textured Impressions embossing folder was used with Shimmery White cardstock to create the snowfall for topmost layer of the card front.  The "Peace on Earth" sentiment, from the Peaceful Season stamp set, was stamped in the open area using Marina Mist ink.  The edges of the Shimmery White cardstock were sponged with Bashful Blue ink and then matted with a piece of Bashful Blue cardstock (the edges also sponged with Bashful Blue ink).  The Bashful Blue cardstock was then adhered to the Marina Mist card base (the edges of the card front sponged with Marina Mist ink).  A piece of Marina Mist 1/4" grosgrain ribbon was wrapped around the left edge of the card front, next to the fold, and knotted on the front.

(click on card to see larger image)

The inside, sentiment area, of the card was lined with a piece of Whisper White cardstock.  This cardstock was stamped with images from the Serene Snowflakes stamp set.  The medium-sized snowflake was inked with Platinum Shimmer Paint using a sponge dauber and then stamped near the upper left and lower right corners of the cardstock.  The small-sized snowflake was also inked with Platinum Shimmer Paint and stamped on the middle left and lower left side of the cardstock.  The smallest snowflakes (a trio of them) were randomly stamped, using Bashful Blue ink, along the left and right side of the cardstock among the larger Platinum snowflakes.  The edges of the Whisper White cardstock were sponged with Marina Mist ink prior to adhering the cardstock to the card base.

(click on envelope to see larger image)

More snowflakes decorate the left front of the Medium Whisper White envelope.  As with the interior of the card, the medium-sized and small-sized snowflake stamps were inked with Platinum Shimmer Paint and the trio of snowflakes was stamped between the two larger snowflakes using Bashful Blue ink.

This card was designed for my BFF, Terry, who is a regular participant at my annual Christmas Card class.  She was raised in New England and has fond memories of magical Winter snowfalls.  Each year, as she signs up for the class, Terry always asks for a snowflake card.  (Since I'm a Florida girl, snowflakes aren't usually the first thing I associate with Winter.)  When Terry arrives for the class, she cruises the project work tables and takes her seat at the table with the snowflake card.  Her happy smile is brighter than any glittering snowflake.

Have a great weekend!  If you begin to feel consumed by the hustle and bustle of the Season, take a few moments think back on and treasure the wonderful memories of holidays past that fill our hearts and help to make the current Season so very special. 

Stamps:  Peaceful Season, Serene Snowflakes; Inks:  Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, Platinum Shimmer Paint; Cardstock:  Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, Shimmery White, Whisper White; Embellishments:  Marina Mist 1/4" grosgrain ribbon; Adhesives:  SNAIL; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Sponge, Sponge Dauber, Big Shot w/Standard Cutting Plates, Multi-Purpose Platform, Northern Flurry Textured Impressions Embossing folder; Other:  Medium Whisper White Envelope