Reindeer Prancing & Dancing!

After my abysmal failure with getting 2020 Christmas cards made and sent to friends and family, other than my four children, and I was probably only successful with those, because I always make a gift pocket inside their cards to hold their Christmas checks...basically the "packaging" to hold their present.  These four cards were all one design with four different colors that I made just two days before Christmas.   

As the New Year approached and I was still in my funk, I woke one morning and was just fed up with my down mood that had persisted during all of the holidays.  I was really upset with myself and "kicking myself in the hindquarters" for not forcing myself into my craft room to make Christmas cards.  I felt that I had pushed by depressed vibes onto everyone else and not cheered them up if they needed it by getting happy mail at Christmas!  I vowed never to let another Christmas go by without me making and sending my cards, because with all my surgeries for my knees and hands in the previous three years, I had missed other Christmases as well.

In early January, I pushed myself into my craft area and gave myself a good talking to.  I made a wonderful New Year resolution.  I would stay in my craft area and make enough cards to cover family and long-time friends for Christmas 2021 (that would be around 70 cards) by the end of January; I was not allowed to make other cards; and I was not allowed to put what Christmas materials I had out away until I finished.  To help me out, my first two designs were alternative designs off the October 2020 Paper Pumpkin, "Joy to the World."

YAY! I completed my resolution, though I fudged a little on "other cards."  After I got over 3/4 of the cards finished, I had a few sympathy cards I felt I really needed to address...so I cheated a wee bit.  I spent many, many hours and literally a minimum of three weeks of January continually at my craft table getting my 70 Christmas cards finished, except for their inside design and verse.  I developed about 15 designs and made four to six of each.  This blog post is for my fourth card design, which is a take-off of an unfinished 2019 card kit from my Stampin' Up mentors, Daralee Peterson and Luci Kirschbaum.  Its design was originated by Dar, and I modified and embellished upon it, changing it to make it my own. 

The original design only had two layers and both were the same color...Very Vanilla.  I exchanged the Very Vanilla cardbase for one in a lovely, soft navy, called Blueberry Bushel, plus added additional layers in copper foil and Pretty Peacock.  I colored the stamped berries, peeking from under the foliage framing, with Copic markers to match the blueberry cardbase.  I added clear embossing and glitter to the Pretty Peacock foliage framing, and added an embossing folder design to the dashing deer.  I enlarged single layer sentiment, changed its shape to a double fishtail flag, and added a double fishtail blueberry mat layer beneath.  I moved it from a right off-center position, centering it up below the framing.  To finish, I Copic-colored rhinestones to match the color of the Pretty Peacock cardstock and added them to the four corners of the vanilla layer.  I am really pleased with all the colorful paper and embellishment additions.  It is so pretty and sparkly!  Take a peek below at my finished card:

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up Products:  Cardstocks--Blueberry Bushel, Pretty Peacock, Very Vanilla; Foil--Copper; Pattern dsp--Brightly Gleaming Specialty; Stamps--Frosted Foliage, Itty Bitty Christmas; Dies--Dashing Deer (2018 Hol.), Frosted Foliage (2018 Hol.), Stitched Rectangles, Lakeside Dies (sentiment banner) (2019-20 Annual) (coor. stamp: Lilypad Lake); Rhinestones (Copic-colored).  Other:  Spellbinders Mystique Embossing Folder.  Size: 4-3/4 x 6-1/4 inches.

Joy to the World Wreath (October 2020 - "Joy to the World" Paper Pumpkin Alternative)

 I was really please with my first alternative card for the Stampin' Up Paper Pumpkin October 2020 "Joy to the World" kit using the pretty Christmas rose flowers provided in the kit.  I had a little mojo going now, and I came up with some ideas for the wreath die-cut provided in the kit.  I thought I'd try my hand at another alternative card using it.

The pine needle wreath in the kit was so lightly colored that it was difficult to see what it even was...it really needed help.  I watched a few YouTube videos on completing this kit, and I saw that most were using the stamp set provided and stamping a new wreath with the leaf/ pine needle wreath stamp.  One particular video showed how to turn the stamp so that it fit best over the other wreath and did not cover up the red berries on the original...that was very helpful!  I used the wreath, the stamp set, and the red twine provided in the kit, but I added the other papers, loving the color combination from my first card, plus another "Joy" die that I had recently purchased from Stampin' Up.  I also loved the look of the first card's embossing folder so I thought I'd use that again as well.  Take a look at my finished card below:

  

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Paper Pumpkin October 2020 "Joy to the World" kit elements.  Paper/ Cardstock--Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Call Me Clover, Gold Glimmer.  Dies--Joy Dies (2020 Holiday).  Ink--Call Me Clover; Memento Tuxedo Black.  Other:  Paper--DCWV Kraft & Gold.  Hot Off the Press--Diamond Dots EF.  Pretty Pink Posh: red sequins.  Size:  4-3/4" x 6-1/4".

Christmas Flowers Bring Joy (Paper Pumpkin October 2020 - Joy to the World Alternative)

I think I mentioned several months ago that I finally signed up for Stampin' Up's Paper Pumpkin subscription hoping that would motivate my lost cardmaking mojo.  It helped a little, but not as much as I'd hoped.  I still didn't get started on Christmas cards until just a few days before Christmas...YIKES!  I did fall in love with the October 2020 "Joy to the World" Paper Pumpkin kit, and it did finally spark me to try some alternative designs of my own rather than just make the couple of designs provided in the kit. 
 
I received a cute little penguin card from Ann Otto, the hostess of the Splitcoaststampers' Christmas Card Challenge...one I have participated in many times in past years.  I loved Ann's simple layout design with its left side triangle so much that it immediately gave me the idea to use the bones of her layout and incorporate it into the Stampin' Up October 2020 "Joy to the World" Paper Pumpkin kit elements to create my own card.

My deviations to Ann's layout were to add several layers to the card background, enlarge the left-side triangle and add layers and embossing to it as well.  Instead of a cute little alcohol inked penguin, I positioned two layers of kit's Christmas rose flowers on the triangle to which I did a bit of fussy-cutting and coloring.  I also added gold sequins to the flower centers and added green to the leaves.  I wanted the leaves to show off more and wanted to add depth and texture with the layers, sequins and dry embossing.

The kit came with gold metallic "Joy" die-cuts, but I decided to use my own "Joy" die, cutting it in two colors and setting them in an off-set,  layered placement.  The kit provided two vertical Crumb Cake card bases with a gold-etched vertical patterned, but I wanted to make multiple numbers of my card design to build up my Christmas stash, so I found a background stamp that I thought would work really well.  I stamped and heat embossed the pattern in gold onto plain Crumb Cake cardstock to create eight more card fronts.  I also added ribbon and more sequins that were also not part of the kit.  (Unfortunately, the other seven pre-cut and prepared card pieces are still waiting for me to finish putting them together!)  

Take a peak below at my first alternative card design using the Paper Pumpkin kit supplies, plus some added items and supplies not provided by the kit.  I have included the card ingredients below for your information:

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Paper Pumpkin October 2020 "Joy to the World" kit elements.  Cardstock--Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Call Me Clover.  Gold Embossing Powder; Versamark Watermark Ink.  Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon.  Other:  My Favorite Things background stamp: Balloon Strings.  Alina Craft die: "joy."  Hot Off the Press:  Diamond Dots EF.  Pretty Pink Posh sequins.  Colorbox Ink: Chestnut Roan (edge distressing).  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

Christmas Stars Shining on High!

These next cards are for my four children for Christmas and they are all using the same design, but with a different color scheme using their favorite colors.  This design was presented at a monthly Stampin' Up card class hosted by Dar Peterson and Luci Kirschbaum in the fall of 2019.  I believe the original design was Luci's, and my thanks to Luci for her design, which I am casing with some modifications.  

I  added more layering, making the card larger, changed the sentiment tag shape, the colors, star positions, and ribbon placement.  I also used a ribbon knot rather than a bow.  The large center star uses beautiful silver Mercury Glass Acetate backed by the darkest color shade.  I have made an inside verse and design which focuses on the bright star seen on Christmas night...the Star of Bethlehem.

The first card is navy and periwinkle (Seaside Spray) and was made for my oldest son David:

The second was made for my oldest daughter, Michele, using Bermuda Bay and Pool Party, since aquas and turquoises are her favorite colors:

The third card is for my youngest daughter, Jackie, and her husband, Josh.  Jackie has always loved red and black and you will find her wearing those colors often.  They were even the color theme for her wedding:

The final card is for my youngest son, Mark, and his wife, Ginger.  Ginger's favorite color falls in the purple hues, and though she likes the lighter shades, I believe she really loves the darker ones more.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstocks--Silver Glimmer, Silver Mercury Glass, Night of Navy,  Seaside Spray, Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Gorgeous Grape, Purple Posie, Whisper White.  Stamps--So Many Stars.  Dies--Stitched Stars Dies; Chalk Talk Framelits (sentiment dies/ modified).  Ink:  Delicata Metallic Silver, Night of Navy, Bermuda Bay, Memento Tuxedo Black, Gorgeous Grape.  1/4" Seaside Spray Metallic ribbon.  Basic Rhinestones.  Other:  3/8" Offray ribbons--turquoise, black & silver, lavender.  Size: 4-3/4" x 6-1/4".  

Christmas Trees Black & White

 I really got the COVID lost mojo syndrome!  I have just been so unmotivated to do most anything, including one of my favorite pastimes...making cards!  I made only a few Christmas cards, and only those that I didn't have to mail got delivered, because they were VERY local!

Here's an example of how unmotivated I was...I revisited a card I designed back in 2018 and really loved.  I decided to try motivating myself by re-making just a few for two family members that I really needed to give a card to and who didn't receive this design in its first go round in 2018.  This wee bit of motivation only started about six days before Christmas...YIKES!  See this card's design and this year's first completed card below:

Ingredients:  Paper:  Stampin' Up--Whisper White (cardbase); Recollections Signature Glitter Paper/ white; Core'dinations--Black Tie.  Dies:  Spellbinders--Tear Drop Circles; My Favorite Things--Stitched Circle STAX, Stitched Snow Drifts; Sizzix TH-Alternations--Woodlands; Cottage Cutz Expressions--Merry Christmas.  Stampin' Up: Metallic Stars (retired).  Inside:  DCWV--Silver Stag Star dsp.  SU--Basic rhinestones.  SU--Silver Glimmer paper.  EK Victorian Photo Corner punch.  Chatterbox verse.  Size: 4-3/4 x 6 inches.

A Little Paris for Your Birthday!

My oldest daughter's birthday is coming up next week.  Her sister is hosting an early, social-distancing, birthday party in her gigantic backyard this Sunday.  It is a potluck...bring your own masks, gloves, wipes, hand cleaner, side dish, beverages, and lawn chairs.  That way we are not touching an ice chest or chair that belongs to someone outside our own household. 

  

I needed to have her birthday card finished early for this week-end celebration.  I had several things going on in my head.  I just signed up for Stampin' Up's Paper Pumpkin after avoiding it since its inception.  I am not one to make cards from pre-set kits, but I have seen several this last year that I really wished I'd been able to get, plus I bought a kit from the catalog and tried it out and found I could use the kit parts to make other cards not exactly like the pre-designed cards.  I also got the free kit during the annual 2020 Sale-A-Bration (SAB) back in December (a perk as a "hobby demonstrator," and I had yet to open it to even make sure all the parts were there!  

My first Paper Pumpkin kit, A Box of Sunshine, arrived a few days ago, and I was going to try it out by making my own design from part of its paper and embellishments.  But, my daughter loves turquoise/ aqua colors, and there was no aqua to be found in this new kit!  I really wanted to go with her favorite color, which is when I remembered that SAB Kerchief Card Kit had the perfect color in one of its flower kerchief papers.  Needless to say, I immediately switched gears.

One day in early March, when we were first housebound with "social distancing," I did a Pinterest search for ideas to use with the Kerchief kit.  I fell in love with a card by Krystal Roberts that used the Eiffel Tower die from the new SU Mini Catalog and saved it to my Board.  I particularly remembered it, because a few years ago on a Las Vegas vacation with this daughter, our hotel window had a close-up view of the Paris Casino Eiffel Tower without any impediments...what a gorgeous site to see each night with its colorful lights changing every half hour!  To commemorate that fun trip, I purposefully revisited Kyrstal's Kerchief card yesterday.  I was still in love with it and my commemorative idea, so I decided to plan my card using the Eiffel Tower die as she did.

I did do some changes, but because of using the patterned paper, dotted vellum, and prepared flower die-cuts in the Kerchief Kit, it still bound to resembles\ her card a lot, thus I give her credit and thank her, hoping it is okay to CASE her card if I give her credit!  

For my card, I cut the flower-patterned front off the aqua linen pre-folded cardbase provided in the kit.  I added a larger Night of Navy card base and a gold foil mat layer under the flower-patterned card front, which enlarged my card much more to my liking.  I did not use the kit's pre-cut oval, the two-tone green leaves, or the burlap twine.  I die-cut my own Night of Navy label, using the Stitched So Sweetly label die and my own Pear Pizzazz leaves, using an old Sizzix Leaf Branch Sizzlet.  I did used the kit's gold foil leaves and mini flowers.  I lightly ink distressed my flower-patterned layer and the rose die-cut with navy ink.  I added a gold embossed, stitched flag sentiment as well.  Take a peek below at the finished card inside and out.  The inside verse is my own Chatterbox verse.

INSIDE "UNDER CONTRUCTION"

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Night of Navy, Pear Pizzazz, Gold Foil, Kerchief Card Kit papers/flowers/leaves; Stamps--Birthday Banners (modified sentiment); Dies--Parisian dies (Eiffel Tower), Stitched So Sweetly (navy label).  Other:  Dies--MFT Basic Stitch Lines (sentiment flag).  Sizzix Sizzlit--Leaf Branch.  EK punch: Victorian Corners.  ColorBox Cat Eye--Navy (ink distressing).  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".  

Great Father's Make the World a Better Place!

I just received the new Stampin' Up Beautiful World stamp and die set, and I was anxious to use it.  I had a sentiment and verse percolating in my head, and I wanted to use them with this new set.  I also went in search of some Splitcoaststamper challenges that might work well with my card as well.

Next, I tried out my sentiment on vanilla cardstock and found a font I liked with the look of the stamps.  I printed it out, die-cut it and used the layered sentiment to build my card from using the SCS challenges to help me decide on the look and design.  Take a peek below at the final design both inside and out.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Copper Foil.  Stamps/ Dies--Beautiful World/ World Maps Dies.  Embossing Folder--Hammered Metal.  Other products:  Patterned Paper--DCWV Maps, Text & Ledgers Stack.  Colorbox Ink--Chestnut Roan (ink distressed edges).  EK punch--Victorian Corner.  Pattern:  DCWV Maps, Text & Ledgers Stack.  Chatterbox sentiment/ verse.  A6 Size: 4-1/2 x 6-1/4 inches.

Have An A+ Birthday While Dancing to Tutti Fruitt!

Ah...the fourth and very last Splitcoaststampers' Virtual Stamp Night Mini Challenge.  Our hostess wishes to honor Little Richard and his song Tutti Fruitti!  Did you know that tutti fruitti is Italian for "all fruit."  With this in mind, we are to put some fruit on our cards.

I don't usually buy fruit stamps, but I remembered I recently bought the Harvest Hellos Stampin'  Up stamp set from the 2019 Holiday mini catalog, because there is a challenge every now and then that requires the use of fruit and things related to teachers and schools.  An apples fits both, plus this "apple" stamp and punch can also be turned into a pumpkin...that sold me!  I do like apples, schools (after all, I am a retired elementary school office manager), and pumpkins!  I am so thankful I was SOLD!

I don't have any close friends who are teachers...most have all retired, but my sister is a pre-school mentor coach, who also teaches college courses to students looking toward certification as pre-school teachers.  I thought I could use my apple card with a little twist for her upcoming birthday. . .I came up with an A+ birthday card.  See it below!

Here is the little "verse" that I cooked up to place inside with a bit matching rickrack as seen on the front and some apple-colored photo corners!

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Basic Black, Whisper White, Granny Apple Green, Real Red, Old Olive, Soft Suede.  Patterned paper--6 " x 6" Brights Color Family dsp--Daffodil Delight Gingham Checks.  Stamps--Harvest Hellos.  Punch--Apple Builder.  Other:  Ink--Memento Tuxedo Black; Colorbox--Chestnut Roan (edge distressing).  Dies--Papertrey Ink--Rick Rack Border.  Chatterbox sentiment (computer).  Size A6:  4-1/2" x 6-1/4."

Essence of Love Is Kindness!

This is a continuation of the Splitcoaststampers' Virtual Stamp Night Mini Challenges.  The second challenge was issued last Friday night at 6:00 p.m., ET and is entitled:  Don't Stand So Close!  Sound familiar?  Our hostess is doing a sketch challenge with a take-off from our COVID-19 social distancing and a song by The Police...Don't Stand So Close to Me!   This challenge requires that we use the sketch provided and incorporate 4 corners on our center panel all of the same shape...all circles, all stars, etc., which depict keeping our distance from one another.  

My 4 shapes are the sparkly circular beads on each of my corners.  I dressed up my sketch interpretation by adding a few more layers below the centered rectangle. . . 3 base layers:  vanilla cardbase, black mat, and newsprint mat, plus 3 layers for my centered rectangle:  Calypso Coral, black, and vanilla.  This card was saved and given to my wonderful Mom for her birthday.  See her finished card below:

This is the little birthday verse I cooked up to place inside:

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Basic Black, Caylpso Coral, Very Vanilla.  Patterned dsp--Typeset Specialty (2015-16 Annual/ retired).  Stamps--Love is Kindness (2015 Occasions/ retired).  Ribbon--1/2" Seam Binding--Calypso Coral.  Other: Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Colorbox--Charcoal (edge ink distressing).  Wink of Stella, Clear.  Copic Markers (tulips).  Jolee's All That Bling--Black Circle Bling Gems.  Size A6:  4-1/2" x 6-1/4".

Summertime Birthday Blues!

Splitcoasterstampers is hosting their Virtual Stamp Night at the end of June, but traditionally, they kick off the event with three to four mini challenges about a month prior to the official two-day challenge event just to get you in the mood.  The idea is to make a card that fits the challenge requirements in one hour or less.  Planning your card, making a sketch and gathering tools and papers to not count against your time.  You may have cardbases, mat layers, patterned papers pre-cut, and even some homemade watercolored papers prepared.  You really don't know what the challenges will be, so you may or may not be able to use some of your pre-prepared stash items.  Once you begin cutting, stamping, and die-cutting your timer should be set for your one-hour countdown.

This summer's Virtual Stamp Night is called Summer Playlist, which is all about summer and your favorite music.  It starts on Friday, June 26 from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m., ET and resumes on Saturday,  June 27 from Noon to 9:00 p.m., ET.  The mini challenge was on May 29 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET with four challanges.

The first challenge at 5:00 p.m. is Summertime Blues...make a card using at least two shades of blue, but you may add other colors as well.  I am saving this card for my friend's birthday next February, as her favorite color is blue.  Below is my finished card:

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Blueberry Bushel, Balmy Blue, Flirty Flamingo, Very Vanilla.  Patterned Paper--Garden Impressions dsp.  Stamps--Southern Serenade (2018-2019 Annual).  Ink--Flirty Flamingo.  Punches--1-3/4" Circle; Bitty Blooms Punch Pack.  Embossing Folder--Stylish Scroll (2019 Holiday).  Ribbon--1/4" Calypso Coral Ombre.  Pearl Basic Jewels.  A6 Size:  4-1/2 x 6-1/4 inches.

Birthday Blooms to Cheer You!

It was my daughter's birthday in early April, and she and her husband went off into the wilds to do a little quad riding in the sand dunes of eastern Washington.  As we would not be seeing them with their mini vacation and social distancing going on, I had a bit of time beyond her birthday to complete her card.  This was great for me, because I just had no creative mojo...social distancing seemed to take every creative bone in my body to some distance beyond my reach.  But, I had the new Stampin' Up Painted Poppies paper and dies, and I thought I'd see what I could come up with.

I attended a class card several months ago, and we made a card using some these materials, including a fishtail banner.  I liked that look so well, I thought I'd do a wee bit of casing of our hostess, Luci Kirschenbaum's design.  But, I decided my new card would be a larger horizontal card rather than vertical and with a lot more color layering.  Take a look at my finished card for daughter, Jackie:

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstocks--Basic Black, Mossy Meadow, Flirty Flamingo, Poppy Parade, Whisper White.  Pattern--Peaceful Poppies dsp (2019 Jan-June Mini).  Stamps--Seaside Notions (sentiment)(2019-20).  Dies--Poppy Moments dies.  Ink--Memento Tuxedo Black.  Peaceful Poppies Sequins.  Other:  Pink Posh Evergreen Sparkle sequins.  Chatterbox verse.  Size A6: 4-1/2 x 6-1/4 inches.

A Little Happy Birthday!

I bought a kit, Made to Bloom, from the Stampin' Up 2019 Jan-Mar Mini catalog and had not opened it.  Here it is in late March 2020, and I thought it was about time.  I'm not having much mojo with the Covid-19 isolation requirements, so thought I'd try to see if kit pictures would give me any incentive.  I did find that though there were ready made pictures to follow, I was inspired to use the parts to make something totally different.  What a relief...some sort of creative mojo going on!

First of all, since I like card more closely in size to A7 (4-1/2" x 6-1/4") than the more common A2 (4-1/4" x 5-1/2"), I was able to cut the card bases, which were patterned on front and back in half, giving myself the opportunity for twice as many cards.  I used a white iridescent oval with a patterned edge creative when making a frame with an inside scalloped edge to host one of the gold foil, yellow floral die-cuts that I cut down to fit inside the oval and added blushing pink pearl embellishments.  I add a new cardbase and a Blushing Pink patterned dsp below the Calypso Coral, white flecked card front paper.  I used the same Blushing Pink pattern with double fishtails for the stamped happy birthday sentiment.  Voila, a card is completed with my own design using the card kit parts.  Take a peek below:

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up:  "Made to Bloom" Card Kit parts--Calypso Coral dsp, yellow/ foil die-cut floral (fussy cut to size).  Papers--Whisper White cardstock, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer, 2018-2020 Subtles Color Collection dsp/ Blushing Bride Lattice.  Ink--Blackberry Bliss.  Pearls (Copic-colored).  Other:  ColorBox Cat Eye--Chestnut Road ink distressed edges.  Scrap: oval negative die-cut leftover.  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

A Peaceful Snowy Night!

I still have a few more Christmas kit designs in my "To Do' Stash, but I'm getting close!  This is another Dar Peterson/ Luci Kirschbaum card kits from 2017.  Some of my parts were missing, probably due to long-time storage, but I had taken a picture of the original design and had already die-cut my village scene.  

I made a new and larger Shimmery White card base than the original card.  I added a Misty Moonlight mat layer and another white layer beneath my blue night sky card front.  I used Misty Moonlight ink on the sentiment rather than the brown on the original design.  I also added white craft ink to the embossed snowflakes to make them stand out more.  This was such a fun die set, which was part of the 2017 Stampin' Up Holiday mini catalog.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up Products:  Cardstock:  Whisper White, Misty Moonlight, Shimmery White.  Stamps--Star of Light.  Ink--Misty Moonlight, White Craft Ink.  Dies--Hometown Greetings Edgelits.  Embossing Folder--Softly Falling.  Size:  4-3/4 x 6 inches.

Christmas with Snowflakes and Gold Bling!

Here are a couple of cards from my "To Do" stash, I made from a card kit I bought from Daralee Peterson and Luci Kirschenbaum back in the fall of 2017.  I'm still working on my unfinished card kits, and with these two completed, I only have ONE more!  

I embellished a bit on the original card designs, thus enlarging each card to a size I favor more, plus these additional modifications:  

On Card #1, I added a white and gold foil patterned dsp mat layer and a sponged gold metallic mat layer (outer edges only that show), plus I did not offset my snowflake to the right as much; therefore more snowflake embossing was included.  See the finished card below.

 On Card #2, I added a Gold Glimmer mat layer, sponged my snowflake and distressed my sentiment banner with gold metallic ink.  See the finished card below.

Card #1 Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Shimmery White, Gold Foil, Copper Foil.  Stamps--Christmas Pines (sentiment). Ink: Metallic Gold Ink;  Dies--Seasonal Layers Thinlits (copper snowflake), Stitched Shapes (circles, ovals, squares).  Embossing Folder--Winter Wonder.  Embossing Powder--Gold.  Washi--Year of Cheer (2017 Holiday).  Embellishment--Foil Snowflakes (2017 Holiday).  Other:  DCWV Paper Pack--Gold & White.

Card#2 Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Shimmery White, Rich Razzleberry, Gold Glimmer.  Patterned--Year of Cheer Specialty dsp--Checkered (2017 Holiday).  Stamps--Star of Light (sentiment).  Punch--Duet Banner.  Embossing Folder--Winter Wonder.  Embossing Powder--Gold.  Washi--Year of Cheer (2017 Holiday).  Gold Metallic Thread.  Rose Red Rhinestones (Copic-colored).  Other:  Encore Gold Metallic stamp pad (sponged snowflake).

Let's Go Plaid for Christmas!

I love the plaid paper stack that was in the 2019 Stampin' Up Holiday mini catalog.  The two cards below were card kits I purchased from Dar Peterson and Luci Kirschbaum that I didn't finish for this past Christmas; therefore, it was now in my radar for finishing up partially completed cards that were cluttering my "To Do" stash.  

I thought their design was a lovely look in plaid, so I finished them up without making any changes to the original card front design, though I did add two additional cardstock layers in white and green to both.  I also designed an inside with layers and simple punched corners around my computer-made Christmas verse.   Take a peek at the two different plaid versions below.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstocks--Whisper White, Night of Navy, Shaded Spruce.  Patterned Paper--Wrapped in Plaid 6x6 Paper Pack (2019 Holiday catalog).  Stamps--Merry Christmas to All (sentiment--2019-20 Annual).  Dies--Layered Ovals (plain + scalloped).  Punch--Curvy Corners (inside verse corners).  Other:  EK Victorian Corner Punch (inside verse corners).  Chatterbox verse.  Size 4-3/4 x 5-1/2 inch.