Christmas = a Star of Wonder...Star of Night!

This pocket card is my tenth and final Totally Lovin' Christmas card remake.  I used the color scheme and papers from the kit, but added quite a few additional papers and elements to satisfy my creative thoughts and edit ideas after taking a look at the original design.

Of course, again, I wanted my card to be the larger A6 size, and I wanted more color and pizzazz.  Here is a list of the changes I made:

1) I wanted a livelier color scheme, especially for the star panel that was the beautiful focal point of the front of the pocket card.  I chose a pretty Copic color close to Stampin' Up's Seaside Spray cardstock, which allowed me to add a new coordinating Seaside Spray cardbase and automatically enlarging my card as well.  My blue star with its added Navy highlights and a gold filigree gem in the center was so much more eye-appealing than the monochromatic grayish-blue star with its tiny clear rhinestone.  I was stoked with the look of the changes, and my juices were flowing!

2) The original star panel was backed with gold glimmer paper, but this was the only area the glimmer was used.  I wanted MORE for lots of sparkle and sheen.  I used the gold glimmer as a mat layer between the balmy blue cardbase and the navy plaid pocket, plus I added it to the sentiment pocket insert as described below in #4.  

3) The original design's pocket was all navy cardstock, using the navy/ green plaid as an accent rectangle on the lower front pocket only.  It just called for MORE!  I add the plaid to fill my pocket back and the entire front of the pocket, leaving the plain navy cardstock on the fold-over pocket flap only that hosts the ribbon band and star focal panel.

4) For my pocket insert, I left the navy cardstock as the bottom layer, but added a gold glimmer mat layer between the navy base and white sentiment panel.  I also added a gold glimmer half circle pull tab to the insert with a bitty navy star.  The original design used a silver brad added into the sentiment area as the way pull the insert out.  On the insert, I dropped below the sentiment at the top and added the navy Merry Christmas stamping, plus a little verse with a navy star at the bottom, leaving a space in the center for the sender's signature.

All these little additions changed the look of the finished card oodles, and I was really please with the results.  Check out the finished pocket card below...inside and out.

Recipe Ingredients:   Stampin' Up products:  Cardstocks--Night of Navy, Seaside Spray, Whisper White.  Patterns--Wrapped in Plaid (2019 Holiday p. 14).  Stamps--Shine Bright (star - 2019 Holiday p. 28); Star of Light (sentiment/verse - retired).  Ink--Night of Navy.  Ribbon--3/8" Cherry Cobbler Diagonal Stripe (2019 Holiday p. 25).  Gold Faceted Gem.  Other:  Paper--DCWV Gold Glimmer.  Wink of Stella-Clear + Gold (star spokes: clear/ overlaid in gold).  Copic coloring--star--B41 + B97.  A6 Size: 4-1/2" x 6-1/4".  

Bubble Over with Happiness!

I wanted to make a happy and encouraging birthday card bubbling over with sunny thoughts for my  youngest daughter for her recent birthday.  Mom is a little behind playing catching with hand recovery.

I visited several SCS challenges to come up with some ideas, and I settled on two happy colors that kept popping up in all of my browsing. . .a rosy pink and yellow combination.  Those two words bubbling over stuck in my brain, and I remember a stamp set with a similar name.  A little research gave me Stampin' Up's Bubble Over set that features soda bottles, bubbles, and a bubble over sentiment.  That also brought to mind a card I started at a card class by Liz Thayer way back in early 2018 with this same stamp set.  I dug it out of my unfinished To-Do Stash, and I loved the look, so decided to continue with Liz's idea, though I liked a few more stamped bubbles and Glitter Enamel dots, as well as one more colorful mat layers and some corner punching to dress it up.  Take a look below at my Bubble Over card for my daughter's birthday.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White.  Ink--Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight.  Stamps:  Bubble Over (2018-19 Annual retired), Life is Grand (2019 Occasions-retiring).  Dies:  Bottles & Bubbles Framelits (retiring June 2019).  Glitter Enamel Dots (retired).  Other:  1/4" ribbon (unknown).  WRMK Corner Punch: Deco.  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

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).