You Are Looking A Little Green! (VSN#1)

 I needed a get well card for my daughter's long-time friend, who will have eye surgery in a few days.  It was like a stroke of perfectg serendipity, because I also needed a get well card to fulfill one of the three VSN mini challenges!  Other than Christmas cards, I really like to know who is going to receive my card when making and designing it as it helps me decided what I want to do when I can think about who is getting the card when finished.

My daughter's friend must remain immobile and face down for up to two weeks after surgery.  My daughter plans take meals when she visits, along with this funny get well card, which will go along to cheer her up.  More of the card's story continues below the card images.  Take a peek at the finished card inside and out below:

Ingredients:  Papers:  Cardstock--SU-Cherry Cobbler, Basic White; Darice Kraft. Patterned Paper--Cosmo Cricket/Earth Love-rethink; Fancy Pants/ Rusted Sun-Umbrella; October Afternoon/ Cakewalk-Hula Hoop; Jillibean/ Macho Nacho Soup-4 Parts Hero. Image: ClipArtMax-Funny Frog Cartoon Animal.  SU Border Punch--Scalloped Scallops. Colorbox--Chestnut Roan ink distressing. Maya Arts--Jute Twine. Copic Marker--G40. Chatterbox sentiment/ verse (computer-generated). Size--4-3/4" x 6".

CARD STORY & HISTORY

As mentioned above, needing this get well card tied in nicely with my yen to participate in the Virtual Stamp Night Challenge (VSN), which is December 17 & 18 with a total of approximately 18 challenge all due by December 29.  The December theme is a fun one...Let TV Be Your Guide!  All challenges will focus on something to do with TV shows (no movies) in the past or present. 

VSN has already had its 3-card VSN Mini Challenge in mid-November to get you excited and interested to participate.  In the past, I've started with the Minis, but something always comes up that prevents me from participating in the entire main event.  I hope this time it will be different.

  

The first VSN Mini Challenge presented by one of the three VSN coordinators who recently had hip replacement surgery and is actually still in recovery.  Her hospital stay exposed her to many medical professionals...some cheerful and friendly and some business-focused only.  She felt better with more cheer than glum, which encouraged, uplifted, and helped her to recover in body and spirit.  This experience led to her challenge to make a humorous get well card, based on the old 1972 TV show, M*A*S*H, which was about Army doctors who treated Korean War casualties and other personnel in the battlefield surgical center.  Strangely enough, it had a lot of comedic humor, helping them be better doctors and helping patients and others as well.

I used a time-saving, pre-colored image adding Copic-coloring in soft green to the BG and sentiment to stay within the one-hour cardmaking time limit.  I used patterned paper scraps, a pre-cut cardbase and a pre-cut Kraft layer.  The sentiment is a Chatterbox creation printed with the computer.

It's A Night Sky for Christmas! (VSN#3)

Splitcoaststamper's Virtual Stamp Night sprang onto the scene, leaving me with the exclamation, "How did I miss that VSN was coming up?!!"  I think I first noticed it when they did a call for Hostesses several weeks back, but it completely slipped my mind with unexpected family happenings!  Bottom line, all of a sudden there it was, and I was spurred me to action.  

I have always wanted to fully participate, but I never seem to accomplished more than the Pre-MINI challenges and just a few of those during the main event.  This theme sounds really fun, "Let TV Be Your Guide!"  I really wanted to play!!   So, I am already playing catch up! 

Since LuvLee's MINI3 will be easy for me as I have a kit card I'm going to use, I'm going to undertake that one next!  It will meet the galaxy night sky requirement.   My goal is to complete the last of the three MINIs within the next few days since they have now been posted for slightly over a week!  

With this card completed, I have two down and one to go.  Then, I'll be ready when the main event starts on December  17th.  After the card image below, I will follow with "The Story" of my changes making this card into a bit of an Alternative rendition rather than just like the kit version.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up:  Kit--Christmas Whimsy--papers, stamps, die-cut, and embellishments.  Cardstock--Blueberry Bushel, Red Foil.  Ink--Night of Navy. Glitter--Dazzling Diamonds (retired). Wink of Stella/Clear. Basic Rhinestones. Other: Gelly Roll-White/fine.

THE CONSTRUCTION STORY

To start, I cut the fronts off all of the kits pre-folded card bases.  I wanted to add more color layers, and I also wanted my cards to end up as a 4-3/4 x 6-inches, as I prefer this size to the traditional A2 size of 4-1/4 x 5-1/2-inches.

I cut my new cardbase from Blueberry Bushel and then the added a Red Foil layer which will be underneath the card front itself.  Working with the kit's card front scene, I stamped an array of galaxy stars with Night of Navy ink and added metallic star and snowflake gems scattered about.  To the evergreen trees and using a fine white Gelly Roll pen, I added white lines to depict a sparse layer snow.  To the snow shadows, I added Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  I also added Wink of Stella/Clear to all the red parts in the scene: packages, elf hats, and elf shoes.  I adhered the card front to the Red Foil layer.  Next, I popped up my elves, package, and sled onto the card front and finished by adding clear rhinestones to the elf hats.  I thought all these additions dressed up the fun snow scene quite nicely and added lots of pizzazz to the original kit design!

Santa's Sleigh Christmas Tag Card! (VSN#2)

 

At the end of September, I went to a card class hosted my Stampin' Up demonstrator duo and friends,  Dar Peterson and Luci Kirschbaum.  It was their annual holiday card event and it was so nice to see friends of old!  I'm always looking for more Christmas cards, so I was only too happy to attend!  

As always when presented with a finished card sample, my creative edit mode kicks in with ideas that I might like to change or include that would make the card more me.  This never means that I do not like the original design, it just means that I can not curb myself to just make the card as is...my bad??!!  Therefore, I often complete cards at home after leaving the class, keeping in mind while at class where I might want to make changes.  I got this card's die-cutting, embossing, etc. complete at class and brought the pieces home, along with a picture, but I just finished putting it together last night because it was so perfect for one of the  Splitcoaststampers' VSN mini challenges (more about that later).

This card's original design is by Dar Peterson.  She used Stampin' Up's new holiday die, Giving Gifts, using the Santa Sleigh, plus the Tailor Made Tags dies from the Annual catalog.  Though I contempted adding a red foil layer instead of the regular Real Red cardstock, I loved this sweet Christmas card pretty much just as it was.  I ended up deciding to only add red rhinestones to give a little sparkle. . . three to the upper left and two to snowflakes.  Take a peak at the finished card, which is almost ready to mail after I add my verse and inside design: 

NOTE:  I just found another card on Pinterest by Cindy Brumbaugh that is very similar to this with a few tweaks.  It was made about 5 weeks before Dar's; Dar's uses a different sentiment and ribbons; but I suspect they should each be given credit for this card design, thus I am doing so.  My  rhinestone additions were a different twist not on either card.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up Papers:  Cardstock--Sahara Sand, Real Red, Basic White. Pattern Paper--Tidings of Christmas dsp.  Stamps--Peaceful Deer (sentiment).  Dies--Giving Gifts; Tailor Made Tags, So Many Snowflakes.  Ink--Real Red.  Embossing Folder: Wintry 3D.  Red Rhinestones.  Ribbon--Playful Pets (red); White Cotton twine.  Chatterbox inside verse.  Size:4-1/4 x 5-1/2-inches.

Triangle Christmas Trees!

This is a Christmas card design by Luci Kirschbaum from a Stampin' Up card class I attended at the end of September. I brought it home to think about what it needed, if anything, before I felt it was finished.  It has been sitting in my unfinished Christmas cards for well over a month!  It was time revisit it and make up my mind what I wanted to do. . .leave it as is or add something more.

 

The design is geometric, not normally my style especially in a Christmas card, but somehow I found this card very appealing.  I decided I liked it, but maybe it needed a little sparkle and be a bit larger to fit the card size I generally prefer.   I added some rhinestone tree toppers for sparkle and a new Always Artichoke card base, enlarging its size to 4-3/4 x 6-inches.  I do like the sparkle, extra color, and layering that I added to tweak just a little.  See my finished card below:

Ingredients: SU Cardstock--Evening Evergreen, Basic Gray, Always Artichoke. SU 2021 July-Dec Mini: Peaceful Place Specialty DSP & Sweet Little Stockings stamps. SU Dies--Stitched Triangles. SU Ink--Evening Evergreen. SU Embossing Folder--Evergreen Forest 3D. SU Basic Rhinestones. Colorbox Charcoal ink distressing (trees). Chatterbox computer verse.  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

A Happy Day Birthday! (Paper Pumpkin--March 2021--"Here's to You" Alternative #3)

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up Products--Cardstocks/ Papers: Old Olvie, Pretty Peacock, Basic White, Copper Foil; Paper Pumpkin March 2021--Here's To You (scenes, die-cuts, dsp=envelope inserts, fussy-cut scene pieces). Stamps: Itty Bitty Birthdays. Die: Stitched Nested Labels. Ink: Early Espresso, Pretty Peacock, Old Olive, Seaside Spray. Embossing Folder: Subtle Dynamic Textured. Sequins: Artistry Blooms.  Other-- Colorbox Chestnut Roan pigment ink (inked edge distressing); Maya Arts Hemp Twine; Copic Markers (sky, water enhancement); Chatterbox verse (inside); Size: 4-3/4" x 6".

CARD STORY & CONSTRUCTION NOTES

My friend's birthday was yesterday while I am away at a crafting get-away with my long-time group of crafting buddies.  This hobby event has been a long time coming as the last was pre-COVID (over two years ago)!  Now that we've all been vaccinated, we've been anxiously awaiting getting together again! So, while I am here, my primary project was to make this needed birthday card.  I wanted to keep my crafting supplies to a minimum, so I've decided to take Paper Pumpkin kits that either were not finished or ones not started, along with their coordinating papers, inks, extra sentiment stamps, ribbon, and other embellishments that I might need.

For this first project, I decided to use a kit I had already made two alternative cards from...the Paper Pumpkin--March 2021 - Here's To You. It, of course, is Alternative Card #3.  I used the cloud-meadow scene that I have not yet used.  Like I did previously, I fussy-cut scenery parts to double layer these areas in the scene in order to add more depth, texture, and color. For this Alternative #3 card, I focused on the clouds, lake shadows, green trees, and meadow with flowers leading to the lake.  

Onto the fussy-cut pieces, I sponged on more ink for color depth, plus I ink-distressed the edges with the Colorbox Chestnut Roan ink that I loved to use when I want ink edge distressed this effect.  Notice that I sponged Pretty Peacock on several of the cloud formations and Old Olive onto the green trees before double layering them onto the scene.  I Copic-colored the fussy-cut lake shadows as I did not have an appropriate ink color to use and double layered them as well.  

Next, I embossed the card base front and the copper foil layer with the SU Subtle 3D embossing folder.  I really like the copper foil with this particular kit as it enriches and brightens the entire look of the completed card.  To finish, I added my trio of twines and adhered all layers including the card front together.  I stamped the sentiment, added the copper die-cut layer pieces, attached the sentiment layering, and finished with sequin embellishments.