Christmas To You & Yours Star Shaker!

I recently purchased the To You & Yours Shaker Card Kit from Stampin' Up's 2015 Holiday mini catalog.  It is a very versatile kit, and it will complete 18 cards of three designs if you follow the instructions provided, plus there are oodles of leftovers in the kit that can be used to create additional cards of your own designs.  In addition, if you cut the foil designer card bases in half and added these halves as a front layer to another colored cardbase, you can actually end up with 36 cards using the three different patterned foil papers that are provided, which was exactly what I decided to do.

The kit provides three different sets of die-cut white card fronts for your shaker windows consisting of: star cutouts, circle cutouts (to make round ornament shakers), and tree-shaped cutouts.  I decided to start with one of the star cutouts.  I decided to modify my card a bit from the design provided on the instructions.  I added a white card base and adhered a layer of brushed gold cardstock.  This would be an added layer under the green, white, and silver foil diagonal striped designer paper.  So, now instead of having just a striped designer paper cardbase, I now had a white layer (the card base), a brushed gold layer and then the striped foil layer.

Next, inside my star shaker window, I decided to stamp a filigreed snowflake from the Letterpress Winter stamp set (2014 Holiday catalog), stamping with Silver Metallic ink to incorporate more silver to bring out the silver foil in the diagonal striped paper.  My snowflake was large enough that it just forms a filigreed background pattern inside the star shaker window.  On opposite diagonal corners, I used the tiny stars stamp from the To You & Yours Too stamp set as recommended by the kit instructions, but decided to add a few more stars and to use a combination of metallic gold and silver inks instead of just the Crushed Curry they recommended.  I think I just wanted a bit more verall bling!  Also, my reasoning was to coordinate with both the gold foil outlining the star cutout that was provided for this card, as well as the silver foil in the diagonal striped paper.  In addition, I thought the card needed a bit more silver than shown in the original design.  I am pretty happy with all the modifications I made so that my card is more mine and not just a copy of the design provided.  

My goal is to try different variations for each of my star shaker cards so they are not all exactly the same.  I may even mix match my papers from the original directions given!

Recipe:  All items other those additionally listed provided in the Stampin' Up: To You & Your Shaker Cards Kit (Holiday 2015).  SU cardstocks:  Whisper White (card base); Brushed Gold (retired); Cucumber Crush (inside).  SU Stamps:  To You and Yours Too; Letterpress Winter.  Encore Metallic Inks:  Gold; Silver.  My Favorite Things dies: Photo Corners.

Following is a copy of the original card design provided by Stampin' Up in the card kit.

....WOW...BIRTHDAY 100!!

I have an aunt that turns 100 today, May 27th!  WOW...WOW...WOW!  It is definitely hard to believe...almost takes your breath away.  I wish I could claim to have her genes, but unfortunately she is an aunt-in-law (my mother's brother's wife).  I know she is French Canadian by birth and had 13 brothers and sisters, and somewhere, she has longevity in her DNA!!  I do know that she never smoked, liked her coffee and loved her wine.  (My uncle was kind of a wine snob.)  So, if any of those things helped, we had all better get to it!

Last year, I made her a fashion card, because she always, always looked like she had just left a couture designer shop...dressed to perfection.  This year, I thought I'd just make a very feminine card for my petite 4-foot 9-inch aunt.  So, I chose a card I made using a design from a Rebecca Feeken card kit I received while I was subscribed to her short-lived monthly card kit.  We received exclusive dies with each kit that were designed by her and made for her by Spellbinders Paper Arts and exclusive stamps made by JustRite Stamps.  It is a card with many, many layers, and elevations; therefore, it will definitely have to be mailed as a parcel...no getting a break in postage on this one!  But, I think she will love it!

My finished inside design to coordinate with the outside.  I just love to do those details and add my own verse sited to each card and person to whom it is to be delivered.

Recipe: Becca Feeken Amazing Grace Kit: October 2012.  Bazzill cardstocks: Classic White, Mulberry.  Kaisercraft 6x6 pad: Magnolia Grove.  JustRite stamps: It's Sew Vintage.  Stampin' Up ink: Rose Red.  Hug Snug White seam binding ribbon.  ColorBox ink: Chestnut Roan (distressing). Spellbinders Exclusive Becca Feeken Kit dies.  Velvet Rose (unknown vendor).