Let His Light Bring You Joy!

I'm trying to catch up on my blog posting, and I found this Christmas card that I made earlier this year that hadn't been posted.  I used this same card design for two sympathy cards back in January, but planned to remake it into several Christmas cards as well.   My card design was based on a My Favorite Things sketch from April 2018 - MFTWSC383, plus some Splitcoaststamper Challenge ideas as well.  

I liked the Feels Like Frost paper that I used on the sympathy cards, and I planned to use it on the Christmas cards as well.  I did not make the same mistake in measuring the flap this time, so it was plenty long enough to be positioned at the top of the layering scheme so the ribbon strip and bow would rested directly on the flap.  Take a peek at my finished  card:

My design rotated the sketch design to a portrait style and shortened the flap so it did not drop as low onto the body of the card.  I decided to place my sentiment on the flap similar to where MFT shows the white rectangle but lower in the angled area, and I layered the flap with navy.  In addition, I added vertical paper strips from top to bottom with the envelope flap overlaying the top portion of the strips.  Take a look at the My Favorite Things sketch that I based my card design from:

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Balmy Blue, Night of Navy, Silver Glimmer; Patterned paper--Feels Like Frost 6x6 dsp; Stamps--His Light (2018 Holiday); Ink--Night of Navy, Balmy Blue (sponging); Ribbon--1/4" Snowflake Splendor; Basic Rhinestones.  Other: Copic Markers (ribbon coloring); Chatterbox computer sentiment/ verse; Size--4-3/4 x 6-inches.

Love & Prayers Bring Healing & Comfort

I needed two sympathy cards right after Christmas and the New Year, and my sympathy stash is ZERO!  I was in the middle of fulfilling my New Year's resolution to make at least 60 Christmas cards by the end of January before putting my Christmas materials away.  I had just finished a card design idea a  few days ago, based on a My Favorite Things sketch from April 2018...MFTWSC382.  I felt my new design would actually make an excellent sympathy card made exactly like I was planning to make the Christmas card.  

The cards are made from the Stampin' Up Feels Like Frost paper scraps, which was carried over from the 2019 Holiday mini catalog to the 2020 catalog. I got busy and changed my new card design yet again to use up all the leftover kit pieces, plus cutting a few more in order to make two cards the same.  One would be given locally and the other mailed to Denver, Colorado, so neither would ever know they received cards with the sames style.  

My design change involved using an envelope flap at the top of the card where I would place the sentiment.  It is actually adhered not a flap.  I used white cardstock and sponged it with Balmy Blue ink.  I added the sentiment with the computer/ printer and then measured and cut the triangle-shaped envelope flap to fit the card top.  On these two sympathy cards, unfortunately, I measured wrong, and the flap ended up too short to go all the way to the top of the card according to my design.  Not to worry, I placed it an inch lower from the top and added the planned ribbon band and bow onto the cardstock layer above instead on the flap.  Though I think I'll like it better almost all the way to the top as I will do on the Christmas cards, I decided it really didn't look too bad this way.  I used Stampin' Up's Snowflake Splendor Holiday ribbon, which is a sparkly iridescent white normally, but I colored blue it with the broad nib of a blue shade  of Copic Marker to coordinate with the blue shades in the card.  I randomly popped on some rhinestone sparkly gems, made a little sympathy verse for inside, and the card was done.

Take a peek below at both my modified Christmas card design made into a Sympathy card and the inside design and verse below:

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Balmy Blue, Night of Navy, Silver Glimmer; Patterned paper--Feels Like Frost 6x6 dsp; Ink--Balmy Blue; Ribbon--1/4" Snowflake Splendor.  Basic Rhinestones.  Other:  Punch--EK Victorian Corners; Copic Markers (color ribbon); Chatterbox computer sentiment/ verse; Size--4-3/4" x 6".

Valentine for Son & Wife

This next card is for my son Mark and his wife, Ginger.  The designer was my sister, Heidi Gonzales (My Lil' Scrap Corner), but I enlarged the card, by adding one more paper strip and matted it on black and white backgrounds.  The original design remains as the original. . .how can you improve on perfection!  I just loved her idea with the shaker heart filled with silver and red hearts!  I know Mark and Ginger will be thrilled!

Inside decorations and poem for Mark and Ginger's card, which is my design and verse.