Christmas 2014 – Christmas Card Making –Stripes & Snow Flakes

This Christmas card is probably my favourite of the season and was the most enjoyable to make. I was so proud of it. I made it for a friend that has become very dear and who I share many similar interests with, such as card-making and jigsaw puzzling.

In the Lawn Fawn Snow Days 6×6 Paper Pack there is a pattern paper that has pattern stripes made up from the individual pattern papers. When I first saw it, I didn’t think I would actually use that paper for anything because it’s so busy but I found I liked the four stripes seen pictured and so I cut them from the other stripes to use as a border piece on the card.

I then found a coordinating pattern paper (also from the Snow Day paper pack) and I liked how it was the same jade green as the snow flake pattern stripe and has smaller snow dots on it. I think it makes it flow nicely.

So going with the snow flake theme of the card I die cut three snow flakes from white card stock using the Simon Says Stamp Kate Snow Flake Craft Die which is very affordable at only $6.99USD (I love cheap things). And it’s so cute! I think it’s very versatile. I guess I’m lucky living in Australia as Christmas time is actually summer, so I’ll be able to cheat and use these dies again for actual ‘winter wishes’ cards in June and July.

I only put foam squares on one of the snow flakes. I placed the other two (the top and the bottom one) directly onto the pattern paper. I tried to arrange them in a way that was pleasing to the eye. The striped pattern paper on the left side is also raised with foam squares so I was able to tuck the bottom snow flake partially under the paper.

I was really happy with the look of this and as it had such a pretty delicate look with the snow flakes on the right-hand side I didn’t want to cover it up with a sentiment too much. I wanted the sentiment to be mostly on the stripes.

With stripes and snow flakes being the continuing theme, I made a tag out of striped pattern paper from the Snow Day paper pack with the same coordinating colours. After punching holes at each corner using the Big Bite 2, I used the Lawn Fawn Peppermint cord to thread through the holes creating the tag handle.

I adhered it to the card askew and placed one of the arms of the raised snowflake over the top of the tag.

I love the ‘Ho ho Ho’ sentiment stamp from Penny Black’s Whoooo’s Wishing Stamp Set and I thought the delicate italic/cursive ‘ho’ would tie in nicely with the delicate snow flakes. I used the Memento Dew Drop inks ‘Lady Bug’, ‘Cottage Ivy’ and ‘Teal Zeal’ on white card stock to stamp the sentiment. I overlaid the ‘Teal Zeal’ and ‘Cottage Ivy’ to try and get a colour closer to the jade green of the pattern papers. Then I adhered that on top of the tag.

I was really happy with the final result and my friend was really pleased when I presented it to her. I enjoy the crafting get-togethers with my friend a lot and I hope to have another real soon in the new year.

Christmas 2014 – Christmas Card Making – Basic Grey Evergreen with Penny Black Whoooo’s Wishing Ho ho Ho Stamp

I made this Christmas card before I started my blog so didn’t think to take pictures of it in progress. I made this and two others at a friend’s house. We got together to make a few Christmas cards together.

I made this one for my father.

I used the papers from the Basic Grey Evergreen 6 x 6 paper pack. I chose out the pretty pattern paper with the red birds and the leaves first. But I didn’t want to use it as the entire background. I wanted to try a vertical stripe effect so I chose the green pattern paper as the background with the bird pattern paper as a stripe in the middle on top.

Now I was at a loss. It took me quite a while to brainstorm that I would put a lighter pattern paper in the middle of the bird pattern paper with a sentiment. But it took me even longer to to think of using the ‘Ho ho Ho’ sentiment stamp from Penny Black’s Whoooo’s Wishing stamp set and to use it in an alternating pattern of red and green.

I was pleasantly surprised with the effect and the results. It was still missing a little something, so I finished it off with some hemp cord by tying a couple bows top and bottom of the sentiment piece.

I’m really happy with the result and it has since been posted to my father and I hope he enjoys the results as well!

I hope this Christmas card inspires you and has given you some ideas for card making of your own.