Have a Holly {JOLLY} Christmas

 Hello and welcome, friends! I hope you're having a wonderful week! I've been having the best time creating and crafting, getting in the Christmas spirit! I love this time of year and wish I could savor it a bit longer; it seems to go by in a flash!

My card for today is based on a store-bought Christmas card I had saved in my Christmas inspiration folder. The reason why I am particularly drawn to the card is because of its colors, clean design, and I knew it would be loads of fun to put together!  It became a scavenger hunt as I shopped my stash to find just the right elements to bring it to life!

To begin, I used two different alphabet die sets for the letters; Kelly Alpha Uppercase and Heather Uppercase for the pink L. These appear to be discontinued, but they are the ones that worked the best to recreate the look of the inspiration piece. I cut the J from More Mustard (SU!) cardstock, the O and the Y from Forest cardstock from Cardstock Warehouse, the pink L is Lovely Lady from PTI, and the other L is Pure Poppy, also from PTI. I cut all of them twice with the exception of the green ones because that cardstock is incredibly heavy, so it didn't need any reinforcement. I wanted sturdy pieces and the double-thickness did the trick!

Once the letters were all cut, I got to work on each of the tiny elements and details that are included. The holly and berries are from the Curio: Attic Ornaments Die as well as the little bows on the ornament and the tiny gift, and the red "sparkle". I cut the leaves from New Leaf and Pure Poppy cardstock, both from PTI. I didn't have a gift die that was small enough, so I simply cut a tiny box from the same New Leaf cardstock and added the red bow using liquid glue.

The little sparkles and dots are from assorted die sets: the sparkles (besides red) and the dots are from the Build--a-Christmas Tree Die as well as the ornament and ornament topper. The tree and star are from the Winter Globes: Believe Die.  The bow at the top was an add-on (the inspiration piece did not have bow, but a flower that I couldn't replicate) and was cut using the Wrap-it Ribbons Die from Lovely Lady cardstock.

Once I had all of the letters and details ready to go, it was time to assemble the card. I tried the Press n-Seal technique, which has never failed me before, but it didn't work with this card so I just did everything with as much precision as possible using tweezers to help. I cut an oval from vellum using the Love to Layer: Ovals Die and placed everything using tiny bits of foam tape and liquid glue. Once it was all done, I gave it a spritz of Shimmer Spray-Sparkle. I also gave the bows, ornament, star and holly berry a tiny gem for added sparkle.

Once I had everything glued and in place, I realized it was off-center! Eeek! I decided to balance it out by adding a trio of sparkling clear sequins. I really didn't want to do that, but it was the only way to fix it without ruining the entire thing! The original card was very white and CAS, but I chose to bring my own style to the project and layered it on a piece of floral holiday paper. I simply turned the oval over and strategically added foam squares where they were directly underneath and attached it to the floral paper and card base. 

I love how it this card came out and now I can get it out of my head! ha ha! Thanks for fluttering by!

Warm Holiday Wishes

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'm headed to The Nutcracker this afternoon with my mom, sister, daughter, and her boyfriend so I thought it would be fitting to share this card with you today! To begin, I cut a 5 by 7 piece of Weathervane cardstock and embossed it using the beautiful Merry Moments 3D Embossing Folder. When I bought this particular folder a few months ago, I didn't realize it was 5 by 7, but it works well with the amount of flowers I chose to use and the tall nutcracker. I added some Stormy Sea and black ink around the edges and over the raised embossed portions to give it some added depth.

I cut quite a few poinsettias in varying sizes using the Into the Blooms: Poinsettia Die from white cardstock and then colored them with ink and blender brushes. I layered and glued them using both liquid glue and foam squares. I inked up the four leaves from the same die set and set those aside.

I die cut all of the pieces that I would need for the nutcracker using the Lovely Layers-Nutcracker Die. 

The pictures are washing the poor guy out a bit, but his skin is a peachy color and his hair and beard are cream. This is the first time I have used or assembled this nutcracker, so I learned that the base layer should be the color you want his hair and pants. I initially thought it would be the color of his face, so I went with peach, so now this dapper fellow is wearing peach pants! ha ha! He DID have peach hair, but I decided to cut the top portion again to give him the cream hair and just glued it to the base.

I adhered the poinsettias and leaves using foam squares and then secured the nutcracker in the middle using a double-stack of foam squares. I added some white acrylic paint splatter and then got to work on the sentiment.

For the sentiment, I chose an older one from Honey Bee Stamps that I bought a few years ago and haven't used yet called Home For the Holidays. I heat embossed it with gold powder and then cut it using the coordinating Home for the Holidays Honey Cuts. I secured it to the card front using foam squares. Each of the flower centers got a gem and then I also added a trio of sparkling clear sequins. It was looking just a bit bare, so I turned to my leftovers pile and found some bits of foliage that I tucked here and there. I gave it a spritz of shimmer spray and called it done! 

Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Love Story

The wedding invitations are still arriving at a rapid pace which means my wedding card stash is dwindling!  My arm didn't need to be twisted very hard to spend a crafternoon creating the pair! I actually have enough of everything leftover to make another one, but with a Spring Moss book and lighter pink flowers instead. ****EDITED***** I made the third card and added it to the bottom of this post! 

To begin, I created all of the flowers; I did this so I could choose which colors of book covers would look best with the flowers. I die cut all of the pieces included in the Into the Blooms: Anemone Die from white cardstock, with the exception of the flower centers; those are cut from gold cardstock. I cut everything three times and then got to work adding the color using dye ink and blender brushes. 

The pink for these flowers is Pink Passion from Stampin' Up!....I love the bright, cheery saturated look! I also die cut two different styles of daisies included in the Into the Blooms: Daisies and two flower centers. Each Daisy is stacked with two die cuts for a fuller bloom and then I added the centers. Once that was done, I used my stylus and a foam mat to give them their shape.

The inspiration for the flowers was from a beautiful cluster of flowers I saw, so I added some bluebells from the Honey Cuts: Wildflower Die. I didn't add any on the other card, so I still have two beautiful stems of bluebells waiting for another project. Once I had all of the flowers cut and colored, I got to work on the tiny books.

The main body of each of the books was die cut using the Have a Spine: Short Story Die; gold for the pages and corner details. This card uses Lemon Tart cardstock for the cover and Spring Moss for the spine. The cute heart lock is from Have a Spine: Lock and Key Die and is also cut from gold cardstock.

All of the sentiments are from the Bookish Frames: Romance Edition Stamp + Stencil. I also used the beautiful Nordic Hearts die for each of the two covers. It's the perfect size for the Love Story sentiment, which is heat embossed in gold.

For the background of this card, I used the Elegant Notes Stationery Kit to do the stenciling on an A2 white card base. I also used the beautiful Fall Harvest Hot Foil Plate over the top....I'm combining two of my most recent favorite background products! ha ha! I layered all of the elements over the top using foam squares and liquid glue. Also, I forgot to mention...both of the cards were made so they can open and there are additional sentiments on the inside.

I feel like I'm in a "background rut" so I decided to switch up the background for the other card. I absolutely love the On the Border: From the Heart Die and I haven't used it for quite a while. I die cut it from white and then glued it to an A2 panel of white cardstock. 

I added all of the elements using foam squares and liquid glue. You can see here how I have the cover of the book slightly overlapping the larger flower. I'm hoping this will allow the recipient to realize they can open the book and see the inside greeting.

I didn't make this card a full as the other because I didn't want to hide the detail of the background.

Both of the cards got a slight spritz of shimmer spray.

I had so much fun creating the pair and they will be perfect for the upcoming weddings this month! Thanks for fluttering by!

****I took the time to create the third card so this is a LONG "P.S."! ha ha!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I made enough of everything to create three cards. I ran out of time, but when I was cleaning my desk, I decided to just quickly put the final one together.

This particular book doesn't open because I messed up on  some of the stamping and I wasn't in the mood to do any more die cutting! ha ha! I don't think that really takes away from the overall look, but maybe some of the charm!

I was supposed to be doing other work, so I created a quick background with an old Cuttlebug embossing folder. I'm so glad embossing folders are back in style, or did they ever go out? I just feel like there's been a resurgence of popularity, which makes me so happy! I cut a panel of white cardstock measuring 4 by 5 1/4  inches and then ran it through my machine. I layered it onto a top-folding A2 card base using foam squares.

I tried a different arrangement with the flowers and I really like how it turned out. I had a few of the small flowers leftover from a previous project that I'll be sharing next week. I added them to the book to create some balance in the design. The larger flowers are colored with Sweet Blush ink  and then I added some ink splatter for added detail and interest.

I dissected the bluebells to add them here and there.

For those of you who stop by regularly, you probably have noticed that I love to add adhesive gems to the centers of the anemones. I didn't add any to the first two cards, but decided to add some on this card. I just love how they look sparkling with the gold.  I may go back and add some to the other two cards.

I gave the card a light spritz of shimmer spray....I've been going overboard with the shimmer spray lately so I decided to hold back a little! ha ha!

I had so much fun creating this trio of cards and I can't wait to use them for the upcoming weddings! Thanks for fluttering by again! (wink)

 

He Has Risen, Just as He Said

Well friends, this is the last "leftovers" post using bits and pieces from the last few months of crafting! I was so pleased with how many pieces I was able to use since I had worked so hard ot create each and every piece. I mentioned before, but I didn't end up throwing much away at all, which made me so happy! Now I have a nice clean slate for all of the fun events and things that happen at the latter part of spring, so stay tuned for all of those fun projects coming your way soon!

I decided to create a floral bouquet using different flowers from three different projects. The tulips are from THIS collection of cards and the forget-me-nots were made for THIS release; the honeycomb chick box/basket.

The other floral clusters were leftover from yesterday's post from The Greetery.

I chose to add some blue ink and splatter under the flowers to anchor them a bit and then stamped the sentiments using the Hymn Sing: Easter Refrain stamp set.

It felt a bit naked, so I used the photo corner die from the retired Fairytale Christmas kit from PTI. I layered it at an angle on some of the large gingham paper I've been using this spring. I don't normally put things on angles, but you couldn't see any of the white on the gingham paper if it was straight and I liked the white! ha ha! I hope you all have a wonderful Easter celebrating the miracle and wonderous gift of our resurrected Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Easter Blessings

As promised, I'm back with my next card using all of the leftover spring/Easter pieces from previous projects. While this card has quite a few little pieces, it came together in a snap because I already had all of the pieces ready to go! It was all just fun as I used things here and there!

The background for this card was all ready to go because I thought I messed up on one of the my backgrounds for the Bunnies and Bows collection, but I realized my mistake would be covered, so I abandoned the second background which ended up coming in handy for this card.

I had the focal panel cut from the  Love to Layer: Laced Edges Die all ready to go as well so it was just a matter of adding all of the sweet details.

The Bunny Tales and Easter Blessings sentiments AND the bunnies and frame are all from the Bunny Tales Stamp Set. I have had so much fun with this particular set this spring; it's going to be hard to put it away until next year!

Another bow from the Tiers of Cheer: Easter stamp set found its way to the top of the frame, but I just love the fresh aqua with the purple! The two pansies are from THESE cards and I just love cute they look at the bottom of the frame! I tucked a few floral clusters from an upcoming project from The Greetery, so stay tuned for that! I love how this card turned out and I have to say, it was so nice how quickly it came together because all of the pieces were ready to go! Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. I still have two more cards to share so be on the lookout for those!~

 

April Showers and Bunny Tales

Thanks for stopping by today! I'm having the best time creating all kinds of spring and Easter cards this year! I sat down to make ONE card and ended up making three! It reminded me of my springtime crafty session from last year when I made THESE cards and tags. I have so many leftover goodies from recent projects that are just begging to be used! That being said, I wasn't planning on mixing companies and products, but that is where my creative juices flowed! ha ha!

I originally sat down to create with some Honey Bee Stamps products because I bought them last year and just HAD to have them and only made THIS card. I've been itching to use them again, so that is where my starting point began. When it was all said and done, I actually NEVER used the bunny last year that is shown on this card, so I was happy to use it!

Also, I fell in love with Melissa's darling gingham chicks she made for the recent Bunnies and Bows release from The Greetery so I ordered 2 pads of gingham paper only for them to arrive being this LARGE gingham rather than the petite gingham I was hoping for (so I could make my own gingham chicks)! ha ha! Anyway, I was feeling irritated, but then I fell in love with this Vintage Gingham Paper as I was using it for these cards, so it all worked out!

To begin, I die cut all of the pieces for the bunny using the Honey Bee Stamps Lovely Layers: Rabbit Die from white cardstock. I used distress oxide inks and finger sponge daubers to color the pieces. I used liquid glue to adhere them together. To make the eyes look a little more realistic, I added a dot of white get pen to the centers and I also used a pale pink colored pencil to add pink to the inside of the ears, the nose, and the cheeks.

Once the bunny was complete, I was going to use him with some other Honey Bee Stamps pieces (I ended up using them on the other two cards), but as I was looking at the leftover pieces on my desk, I just casually picked up the extra Bunny Tales sentiment left over from the release and thought it looked so cute with this sweet bunny! In an instant, all of my crafty plans changed and I was on a new mission! I grabbed the gingham paper and adhered it to a top-folding A2 card base, added a leftover frame that was also on my desk and started building my card. I had leftover clusters of flowers from the Bitty Botanicals Stamp + Stencil, so those got tucked around the frame as well as a few Forget-Me-Nots.

I used a few leaves from the Lovely Layers: April Showers Die to tuck around the Forget-Me-Not. As I mentioned earlier, I was only planning on making one card and it was going to features the boots, umbrella, and bunny. So.....that meant I still had boots and an umbrella leftover, but funny story....these are not the boots OR the umbrella! ha ha! I will save that story for my FINAL card for today! 

As you can see, the large gingham paper was the clear winner for these spring cards. This card ended up being tough to photograph for some reason and the gingham is coming off as more peach than yellow, but it is yellow. 

I rummaged around in my stash of 5 by 5 paper pads and found this charming floral print from an ancient Making Memories pad, but with the petite print, it was perfect for the umbrella. All of the pieces for this card, with the exception of the pink flowers and sentiment are from the Lovely Layers: Spring Showers die. 

The sentiment is from the Honey Bee Stamps Blessings of Spring Stamp Set and I stamped it in black and then die cut it using the coordinating Blessings of Spring Die. 

All of the flowers are die cut from white cardstock and then colored with distress oxide ink and finger sponge daubers. I also added some details with colored pencils for added depth. 

And here is the final card for today. This was the first umbrella I made (once again using Making Memories pattern paper) and the original boots. I had put this card together second after the bunny card and was going to call it a day, but decided to use this particular sentiment. I didn't have any "dirt" on the boots or the background so I thought it might seem weird to use that sentiment, but it was already stuck down! ha ha! I REALLY should have decided on the sentiment AHEAD of time so I could make better design decisions, but I didn't! ha ha!

It was easy to add rain with some Blueberry Sky ink, but deciding about how to add dirt was giving me fits! Lightbulb moment....I remembered I bought some Art Glitter Sediment  a few years back for one of The Greetery releases!

I enlisted my daughter's help and we brainstormed on how to make the dirt look more organic rather than just stuck to a line of glue. I used an old frayed paintbrush dipped in glue to add glue here and there and then I poured the glitter/dirt. I felt immediate regret once I added the glitter and I thought I'd ruined the card.  

I came back the next day with fresh eyes and I thought the dirt looked much better, especially since the sentiment REQUIRES dirt, right? ha ha! Anyway, since I thought I'd ruined this card, I made more boots and another umbrella for the second card! LOL! Needless to say, it was a fun crafty session and I'm pleased with the results (even the dirt when it was all said and done)! Thanks for fluttering by!