Its been a busy holiday season around here! My kids are in full swing of school and extra-curricular activities winter performances. Between last week and this coming week, we have something happening every day. But I still love the season and all the opportunities to see everyone and see the joy in my kids faces as they get to perform and show us what they have been working on!
Well, let me share a little of my joy… one of the holiday cards I’ll be sending out this year to send some cheer. This was a card I created for one of my holiday card classes and it uses the awesome Totally Trees stamp set (it’s retiring this month, FYI!) and the great emboss resist stamping technique.
Tips for making this card:
- Heat emboss your tree image onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock using White embossing powder AFTER cutting out your oval! Normally I advise folks to stamp first and then die cut, but in this case, because you want to make sure your trees are spaced so they will all fit in your oval, it works better to stamp after cutting out the shape.
- Use the yellow Stampin’ Sponges for smooth color coverage over your embossed images. Once you have done your heat embossing, you can sponge color right over the top of them to create a colored background. The ink won’t stick to the shiny embossed areas, so you get color in between the tiniest of details. And the yellow sponges give you a much smoother color coverage than sponge daubers and makeup sponges!
- Add some sparkle and color shading with Wink of Stella. If you look at my trees, you’ll notice that the blue looks a little darker around the tree branches. That is because I colored with the clear Wink of Stella after I was done sponging the background. The glitter paint darkened the background slightly and adds lots of shimmer to the card in person!
I had been using my layering ovals for the blue scalloped background and then wanted to add a little more detail so I ran some SNAIL adhesive on the back of the blue oval and created loops out of the Silver Metallic Thread and just pressed the loops into the adhesive on the back of the oval to hold them in place. I also layered everything over some of the Loose Burlap Ribbon to add a rustic or natural touch… and to keep the card from drowning in blue. 
Change the colors and the sentiment and you could use this for a sympathy, masculine birthday, or thinking of you card any time of the year!
Christmas is coming! Make sure your holiday orders will arrive on time!
Stampin’ Up has said that the deadline for orders to arrive before Christmas is December 15th. If you are on the west coast, you may have a little more time, but don’t add stress this holiday season. I know I’m trying to wrap up my holiday shopping lists…so get those last few gifts (for you or for a friend!) and then kick back and enjoy not having to worry or stalk the delivery man.
- Great holiday deals over in the Year-End Closeout and Clearance sale
- Gifts in a box! Perfect gifts with Project Kits
- Gifts that last all year with a Paper Pumpkin subscription!
- Give yourself a gift of fun, community, and savings on all your purchases with the Stampin’ Up starter kit!
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Project Measurements
- Soft Sky cardstock – 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”
- Island Indigo cardstock – 1 3/4” x 5 1/2”
- Whisper White – 1/2” x 3 1/2”
Product List
