… and I kept it really simple using the Christmas Tags and More speciality DSP kit. Just so easy to use this kit and I kept fairly faithfully to the sketch!
I made a square 6×6 card base from the crumb cake cardstock. Next a panel of the patterned paper. I made three strips from the patterned paper scraps. Then cut a square from the tag elements.
I used a corner rounder on the end of the strips and the topper square and inked the edge of all pieces to frame them a little.
I added the glitter cardstock square, with rounded corners, as the base for the focal point and then added the sentiment onto the top.
Then added some of the rose gold little sequin elements to embellish.
Inside the card I added one more strip with rounded corners and then a die cut stocking on the white panel.
A quick card compared to some of the others but easy is sometimes exactly what we need! And the sketch is a good one for interpreting with different papers or elements I think! Will have to use this one again!
Do let me know if it inspires you to make cards using it!
I used the same image, same colouring technique, and same 1” strips of paper but chose to arrange them slightly differently and changed the orientation of the card. I also added different sentiments – but the principles of bulk making mean that you can quickly get cards made by using similar supplies and working in stages.
So I stamped the main image twice. Obviously if you want you could stamp your focal point many many times – the important part is to do this as a stage and get all that done in one go before moving to the next stage.
Stage two for me was colouring. Normally when I am bulk making my advice is to do all the colouring of that colour and then all the colouring of the next colour – but I didn’t do that for these – maybe it was because I was painting rather than using pens or maybe because I didn’t turn the paper to paint the second image. But as it didn’t take long to do the loose painting in this case I don’t think it would have really saved time.
Then I die cut the focal image out. So this is stage three. Whether it be die cutting or fussy cutting – do all your cutting as a stage. It becomes routine and less thought required – although for these cards it was only twice so super quick!
Next I sorted out the card bases and the background panels for each card and made life easy by keeping them the same – knowing card sizes and layering panel sizes helps a lot. For a UK size C6 card I usually fold the cardstock in half and then cut at 10.5cm to create two top fold portrait card blanks. Then I cut a panel for the background of the card at 13.9cmx 9.5cm. This gives it a lovely frame.
With that sorted I decided to create 1” strips of the patterned paper and then when I trimmed them from 6” long to about 13cm I kept those little rectangles for layering too!
Again all this cutting is a stage and if you do it for all the cards you need it for it’s so much easier than retaining measurements whilst you layer up and make your cards.
Once you have everything cut its assembly time and this is where you can choose to go matching or to differ the designs – and of course I chose to differ the designs – I am not a fan of making the same card multiple times. Instead I like to use the supplies and change it up.
For these cards I changed the orientation and the positioning of the small rectangles and on one I went wonky with the background strips not straight!
I also chose to add different sentiments and unusually didn’t grab ready made ones but instead stamped and die cut from this stamp set – so this took me away from my usual bulk making tips and would have advised to do that at the beginning when the stamping stage was happening – but hey that’s the way it goes sometimes!
A lovely set of cards and happy with my bulk making tips!
I decided to make use of the scrap strips again and make a bright and cheery floral card for my design team contribution for this fortnights challenge at Addicted to stamps and more .
I made this fab slim card using the panel and mounted that onto yellow and then black cardstock.
I wrapped the panel with the bakers twine in orange.
Then I took the charming day floral stamp image and added it to yellow cardstock. I then coloured it with ink and water.
I fussy cut the cluster out and then added it with foam adhesive for some dimension and then added the sentiment over the twine bow.
Traditional colours are of course simple to create Christmas cards with so I went with the tartan paper from Indigo Blu and then die cut elements from the Snowcapped Holidays for this one.
The rich green and red work so well for the die cut elements and then the pop of the angel hair gold paper makes it extra special.
I also added in those two glitter cardstock leaves for another touch of fun!
I really like my branch of joy with the two birds.
For Silent Night for day 6 of Christmas in July I decided on creating a peaceful nights scene and so went with the trusty northern lights inspired sky with snow drifts for the scene.
I of course added lots of splatter – both water drips and gesso splatter!
I then used the Indigo Blu stamps to create the scene – any silhouette stamp would work well with this kind of scene.
I added a scrap of ribbon, a banner and a die cut stamped sentiment for the finishing touch.
Then I created the card base from vellum and added white panels all the same size as the front to go on the inside to strengthen the card and to ensure adhesive was covered up!
Inside the offcut from the front became the element to draw the outside in.
Love this different card with using the vellum as the base – and such a beautiful way to create a scene!
And considering I made this card in the middle of a heatwave I think I did a good job of making a frosty scene!
Filming this during a heatwave was a funny turn of events! I imagine frosty would be a big old puddle if he was really in my craft room when I made this last week!
Anyways … the card actually was made over two days as I decided to add a layer of the texture glass bead gel paste – which of course needs time to dry – so after the layer of inking and the layer of paste I set it aside and came back to it the next day!
The panel itself is a layering stencil set I used last year and struggled with … and someone suggested using a paste so I gave it a try!
I love it! The snowmen look so frosty and fun with all of the texture and the gorgeous little hats and scarves.
Because it turned out so well I decided to keep the finish of the card simple – just a sentiment raised up and a panel of the purple to frame it.
Can’t help but sing today’s theme (fortunately in my head – you don’t need to hear that!) – although I concentrated on the mistletoe part of the theme for my day 4 card for Christmas in July!
I made a shimmery panel using two colours of the Kingston Crafts shimmer spritz’s and then die cut the panel with the My Favorite Things die.
I stacked it with another plain layer and then mounted it onto the green cardstock.
Next I created the sentiment from the overlapping Christmas words stencil and die set from Waffle Flower.
Then I added to a card blank (I cut down a larger one) and then added lots of sequins to resemble the mistletoe berries!
Inside I added some scraps and then some more of the sentiment elements!
And then as I couldn’t bear to waste the background I had cut I made yet another card!
This one I cut the die from dark green and then pieced in the sections left over. I added this straight to the card base and then added the three remaining words and some of the stars.
I love the shimmer on the cards.
Inside I added a panel of white and the remaining star elements.
I decided that a wreath would work as deck the halls so went for a stamped wreath using some fab oldie but goodie stamps!
I used the Paperartsy stamps the lovely Darcy created and went with a heavily stamped and masked wreath and then used three green coloured brushos for the painting and two colours of red for the berries.
I then added the gold wink of Stella splatters to the panel which is so pretty!
I mat the layer with black cardstock which gave it a nice frame.
I stamped and embossed the sentiment and after adding the mat of the black I raised it above the rest of the card panel using my foam adhesive.
Then I realised I hadn’t got a 7×7 card base which I thought I had so I decided to improvise and used two of the 5×7 card blanks from Kingston Crafts to create a gatefold card.
I trimmed the front panels of the cards into 3.5” wide so that when placed edge to edge they make a 7×7 card!
I adhered the main topper to the left hand side only and then created a panel inside with more stamped and painted leaves.
This card is a clean looking design but lots of work with the stamping and masking. But absolutely worth it!
Love those different shades of green and the different pigmentation variations from brushos.
And how I managed to make a simple fun fold! Not like me but it worked well!
I chose to use papers from the magazine kit I still have some bits and bobs left from a few years ago … and then kept the sketch fairly similar to the original although I did reverse it as my printed version had it on the other side! 🤣
It’s a patterned paper heavy card but I think the sketch is still visible!
I used two papers to create the mat and the background and the same for the circle. I also added the fussy cut wreath element.
I stamped and coloured the holly leaf images from the stamp set that was in the magazine.
I then added a thread bow and the sentiment banner above it with foam adhesive to give it some dimension.
Inside the card I added another panel of the solid red with a panel of white on top.
I also added another holly leaf and then a fussy cut flower.
Love how this came out. Not the biggest fan of the paper but I think it worked so well!
Now a sensible person would have planned to do this as a video and included in my CIJ series but I realised too late and so an additional card made for my design team contribution for Creative Knockouts. I’ve been given the image by Rachelle Anne Miller – Christmas Peace and this is the card I made.
I decided to print onto watercolour cardstock and then went for a lovely inky multi coloured watercolour finish!
I used two distress inks for the colouring and blended the colours together (I did use a separate colour for the skin) – once dry I then added some Perfect Pearls for adding shimmer on the star and the halo and the wings!
I then added lots of splatter over the panel – so pretty!
Next I chose some patterned papers from my stash and layered them up – then added a vellum layer which I embossed with a snowfall pattern.
Next I added a ribbon and a cluster of ribbons for the embellishment … plus a little star embroidered piece from a Hey Little Magpie embellishment kit.
I added the whole topper to a Kingston Crafts card base which I thought worked colour wise.
Next I added a couple of the scraps of the paper to the inside of the card – it’s not much but it helps to bring the outside inside.
So here you are, another card for the stash of Christmas cards made!
Inkyfingeredcat 