A Christmas Peek A Boo Window!

I purchased the Memory Box Woodland Oval die late last summer, and I really wanted to use it for several of my Christmas cards this year.  As I am in the midst of preparing for a wedding, I did not have time to make as many cards of totally my own design as I originally thought I would.  Instead, I gave all of the many cards I made from class events that I attended from summer through fall to friends and family who needed their cards "snail mailed."  The end results of my class cards represented either total rec-creation the event holder's original designs, or I tweaked their designs just a bit, or on several, I completely modified the original design using the card parts provided.  

My stash of accumulated of class cards helped a lot to fulfill my Christmas card needs, but though about half were completely finished, the other half were only partially finished.  I had to make quick work of moving all of my stash to the completely finished group.  I made a fast tally of those that needed to go by "snail mail," and I realized that I still did not have quite enough for the "snail mail" group; therefore, I really had to get busy and make some of my own design creation.  I was pleased I found time to use the Woodland Oval die that I so love for at least one Christmas card this year. 

To start, I prepared my cardbase with its creased fold.  Next, I embossed the front half of my card base with Stampin' Up's Softly Falling Embossing Folder.  As I made my card 6-1/2" tall in order to encompass the oval, the frame I wanted, and the sentiment to go under my framed oval window, I had to carefully re-position my embossing folder and emboss the lower half in a second pass through the Big Shot.  My third step was to cut my oval out with the Memory Box Woodland Oval die.  In using this die,  I did find that I wished the oval was not quite so long vertically and was more of a rounded oval so the card front would not have to be as tall.  After using it this one time, I do have some thoughts of how I might change that a bit, but that will be an idea to remember for next year!

I wanted to frame my oval, and to get the right size I ended up using my Spellbinders Grand Ovals, which was a surprise to me!  I used Oval #1 (the smallest) and Oval #2 (the next larger), which made a frame just the right width and to my liking.  I wanted some little red Cardinal birds on my branches, and I had purchased Poppystamps Cherry Cardinals for this purpose.  Next, I decided I did not want to leave my window open to the inside view of my card, so I die-cut another of the larger ovals from a white glitter paper by Core'dinations.  I adhered it on the inside directly behind the window cutout.   I backed my sentiment with the same red textured foil paper and framed the edges of the cardfront in this same red.  I decided I was pretty pleased with the outcome for a card I did not have a whole lot of time to dwell on!  Take a look below at the card front and its inside coordinating design and verse.

Recipe:  Stampin' Up products: Shimmery White cardstock.  Stamp: To You and Yours Too.  Ink: Real Red.  Dies: Memory Box Woodland Oval; Spellbinders Grand Ovals; Poppystamps: Cheery Cardinals.  Other papers:  Core'dinations: White Gloves Glitter paper; Recollections Signature Especial: Foil Texture Paper-Brilliant. Computer verse.