Christmas Shoebox Fun - Braided-Edge Technique!!

I have recently met a couple of ladies who live in my area, who are active Splitcoaststamper fans. . .one is actually a hostess for the "Ways to Use It" weekly challenge.  After getting together for a meet and greet coffee and cardmaking fun, we decided to try and meet at least once a month.  For our November get-together, we decided to do a "Teach-a-Technique Christmas Shoebox Exchange," but unfortunately, life got in the way, and we had to cancel November and re-schedule for early December. 

We will each make a sample Christmas card that features a technique the others have not tried.  We will take a plastic "shoebox" full enough materials and the tools needed for the others to make our particular sample technique card.  It's so nice to meet and get to know others who enjoy the same hobby that I do.   It should be a fun day!

The technique I decided to teach with my Christmas card is the Braided Edge, aka Basket Weave, aka Lattice Edge.  Thankfully, neither of the other two ladies have used this technique before...it will be something new and exciting!  My card will also feature the peek-a-book technique, though they have probably used this idea previously.  I chose Whisper White, Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, and Night of Navy for my card's color combination.  I'm looking for a soft, peaceful look when my card is done.  Take a peek at my finished braided-edge technique card and the inside verse designs below.  I think I achieved my goal of a soft and peaceful-looking card.  I've made two identical cards and they will be perfect for my two cardmaking buddies when we have our annual Christmas luncheon!

Ingredients: Stampin' Up Products:  Cardstocks--Whisper White, Soft Sky.  Darice Core'denations Opulent Opal.  Stamps--Lovely As a Tree, More Merry Messages (sentiment), Joyful Christmas (inside verse)  It's A Celebration (mini snowflakes).  Ink--Pool Party (sponging), Wild Wasabi & Garden Green (trees), Night of Navy (sentiment/ verse), White Craft (snowflakes).  Dies--Festive Flurry (largest).  White Mica Flakes.  Other products:  Dies--Lifestyles Scalloped Ovals.  Embossing Folder--Darice Snowflakes.  Punches:  Martha Stewart--Corner Rounder.  Recollections--Mini Snowflake (colored with Copic marker).  Sequins--Pink Posh.  Ribbon--stash.  Technique: Braided-Edge, aka Basket Weave/ Lattice Edge. Size: 4-3/4" x 6-1/4".

Making the Card

To make my card, I measured and cut all my cardstock pieces to fit my 4-3/4" x 6-1/4" finished card size.  Cut the cardstock pieces as follows:  Whisper White Cardbase: 6-1/4" x 9-1/2" with the long side 4-3/4" scored for the fold; Soft Sky Layer = 3-7/8" x 6-1/4"; Opulent Opal Glitter Top Layer = 3-1/2" x 6"; Opulent Opal Glitter Sentiment Underlayer = 1-1.2" x 3-1/2"; Whisper White Tree Stamp Layer = 3-1/4" x 5"; Whisper White Sentiment Stamped Layer = 1-1/2" x 3-1/2."  

Next steps are to Prepare Paper Pieces and Assemble, as follows:  1) Complete the Braided Edge (aka Basket Weave) technique to the fold side of the card.  Here is a YouTube link with a tutorial:  https://youtu.be/3LEU7Hzgb2I that will show you how.

2) Adhere the Soft Sky layer to the cardbase with the top, right, and bottom sites fitting exactly to the cardbase edges and the left side butted against the braid cuts (see picture); set aside.  

3) Die-cut Opal Glitter paper with the largest Festive Flurry snowflake die.  The die is offset to the right over the edge of the card.  Make sure the largest snowflake cutout is exactly vertical from top to bottom about 3/8" below the top edge of the card and position to allow for the dark green stamped tree to be vertically centered in the snowflake's cutout area (see picture).  

4) After die-cutting, emboss the Opal Glitter paper with a snowflake embossing folder, using your Big Shot.  Since my embossing folder was about one-inch shorter than my Opal Glitter paper, after running it through once, I re-positioned the unembossed edge only back into the folder and ran it through the Big Shop only until that part hit under the rollers and then backed it back out so that the paper would not be marked with a line where the folder ended.  To achieve a good looking embossing pattern, I was very particular about how the pattern lay on my first past in order to be able to re-position my paper to fill in the blank area with snowflakes.  I have a Big Shop Plus, so I was able to turn my embossing folder sideways to find a pattern I like for the second pass.  

5) With Pool Party ink, sponge the surface of the 3-1/4" x 5" white cardstock before stamping on the trees in the area that will peek through the Festive Flurry die-cut  (see picture).  

6) Position and stamp trees onto sponged piece, as follows: Stamp-off once, the side trees first, using Wild Wasabi ink (see picture).  Position the trees so that they will fit in the die-cut snowflake opening and be slightly shorter than the darker green center tree.  Lay the die-cut Opal Glitter piece over to get an idea where each tree should be positioned.  There are two trees on each side of the dark green middle tree.  

7) Position and stamp the middle tree, using Garden Green ink (do not stamp-off this tree.  

8)  Stamp mini snowflakes on the sky around and above the tree tops, using White Craft ink.  

9) Apply Mica Flakes, as follows:  Dot the snowflakes with quick-dry glue in the areas that will peek through the snowflake open window.  (Stampin' Up Two-Way Glue Pen works well.)  Also glue dot any other areas of the trees that you want it to look like snow has fallen.  Liberally sprinkle white mica flakes over all glue dotted area.  Tap off card; repeat steps and re-apply more flakes where needed (see picture) until you get the look you'd like.  

10) Adhere die-cut Opal Glitter layer over trees, positioning to allow the Soft Sky layer to show all around evenly.  

11) Sentiment:  Sponge surface of small piece of Whisper White cardstock with Pool Party ink; stamp sentiment over sponging when dry, using Night of Navy ink; die-cut with scalloped oval die. 

12) Sentiment Under-layer: die-cut, with same scalloped oval die, from small piece of Opulent Opal Glitter paper; cut in half and trim edge in curve so that sharp cut edges will not show; adhere sentiment oval onto Opulent Opal scalloped oval halves so that the under-layer peeks out at each end and around top and sides (see picture); pop it up centered horizontally at base of middle tree trunk (see picture).  

13) Ribbon bow:  using a 3/8" wide ribbon, tie a small bow and using Glue Dots, adhere it to the upper left where braid and Soft Sky meet (see picture).

Little Owl Valentine for Mom!

Valentine's Day is coming and I decided to start with my card for my Mom.  I went to a cardmaking event last Saturday and made a little owl card that gave me the idea for mine.  I decided on my card I would add two more layers and enlarge my card as well.  I dug out the Stampin' Up More Amore paper that I bought but did not get a chance to use for my patterned layer and then matched it to the Cherry cardstock in my stash.  My banner uses two banner flags punched from the More Amore paper, and the other banner flags were stamped with Strawberry Slush ink (SU) using the Banner Blast SU stamp set offered in the current 2014 Sale-A-Bration promotion currently in progress.  I also decided my owl was definitely a little girl, so she gat a bow for her head made from the bitty hearts on the owl stamp using the More Amore paper.  I made a duplicate little owl to place on the inside to dress up the verse.

Recipe:  Staples cs: Cherry (base), SU: More Amore, Smoky Slate cs, Pink Pirouette cs, Basic Black cs.  SU Emboss Folder: Woodgrain.  SU Punches: Full Heart, Heart to Heart, 1-3/8" Circle (wings), Modern Label, Banner (SAB 2014).  SU Stamps: Banner Blast (2014 SAB).  SU Ink: Strawberry Slush.  Maya Arts Fine Twine.  Recollections: Cherry rhinestones, medium Googlie eyes.  (Inspiration card by Janine Henrickson.)

Tickets to Merry Christmas #1!

I went to a Christmas card-making event sponsored by my friend, Liz Thayer.  She shared several techniques that I really enjoyed.  One was the glitter window (like a snow globe shaken), the second was double embossing, and the third was techniques and ways to use washi tape.  My card was inspired by one that Liz had us make during this event.  

The double embossing was done with Stampin' Up's Stripe Embossing Folder, which is a diagonal multi-stripe. By rotating the paper 180 degrees and embossing it a second time, it made a diamond-shape embossed plaid.  On this card, the glitter window is created by punching out the ornament shape and putting clear 2-inch wide packing tape over the hole on the back side with the sticky surface showing through the ornament window and then sprinkling with white fine glitter and tapping off excess glitter.  On this card, three patterns of washi tape are diagonally placed on the second paper surface beneath the window, creating a pattern to show through as the ornament's pattern and through the glitter window.  The washi tape was also used diagonally on one of the tickets.  Just love the way this card turned out.

Recipe:  Stampin' Up products: Old Olive (base), Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede cardstocks.  Authentique: Festive-Glistening (plaid); Stamps: That's the Ticket; Ink: Old Olive; Punch: Ticket Duo, Christmas Ornament; Stripe Embossing Folder; Washi tape set: Season of Style; Soft Suede seam binding ribbon.  Scotch 3M 2" Clear Packing tape. Martha Stewart white fine glitter.