Spotlight Poinsettia

Here is my final card for my personal challenge of Christmas cards in July. This card was created so it could be entered into Unity Stamp Company's “Holiday, any Holiday” challenge on their Facebook show and tell page. This group has some very talented artists, but I am up for the challenge. 

I initially viewed the challenge as a Christmas holiday type challenge, and settled on some older stamps to use. I purchased their newest snowman stamps, but wanted to use stamps that others may not be using. Knowing my chances of winning is based on appearance and not a random number generator, I wanted to step it up a notch. I used this spotlight technique and colored this single poinsettia and made it the focus of the card. I wanted red cardstock to match my holly berries, so that was colored with a Copic marker. 

Here are the supplies I used:

Stamps:

Sending Holiday Wishes (Unity Stamp Co.)

Paper:

Garden Green (Stampin Up)

Very Vanilla (SU)

Ink:

Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Copic Sketch Markers (Various)

Accessories:

Sizzix Big Shot

Holly TIEF (SU)

2” Circle Punch (SU)

Stitched Shapes Framelits (SU)

Modern Label Punch (SU Retired)

Word Window (SU Retired) 

Ombré butterfly

This card was created as part of the “Make it Monday” challenge at Papertrey Ink. I was introduced to this company by my friend Crystal, who also challenged me to create a card to go along with this weeks theme titled: Color Blocking. To participate in this challenge you gave to use at least one PTI item. My inventory from them is mainly cardstock, so I was limited with other items I had on hand. 

I grabbed my stamps and quickly decided on this butterfly cover plate. I had about 30 minutes to spare before I left for work (and my cat was sleeping) so it was the perfect opportunity to quickly whip something together. I pulled out my favorite Tim Holtz Distress Oxide color combination, and inked an ombré type look. I lightly spritzed it with water a couple of times before die cutting the butterfly. What I was hoping for as a result came out better then I imagined. I chose to leave the card without sentiment and will be able to use this for a variety of occasions. 

Here are the supplies I used:

Stamps:

None

Paper:

Stampers Select White (PTI)

Blueberry Sky (PTI)

Ink:

Faded Jeans Distress Oxide (Tim Holtz) 

Cracked Pistachio Distress Oxide (Tim Holtz)

Broken China Distress Oxide (Tim Holtz)

Accessories:

Sizzix Big Shot

Butterfly Hope cover plate die (PTI)

Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer

Joy to the World

This marks the fourth Christmas card I have made this month. If I haven't stated a hundred times before, I am a font junkie. This set was a new release last year and I immediately saw how easily it would fit into scalloped circles, inside the center of wreaths, and coordinate with other stamps I already had. I used this set in my first holiday workshop and I believe I sold the set to everyone in attendance. 

I wish I could tell you which DSP pack the musical paper came from. It seems like I have saved it for many years. With the sentiment in the front paired with that particular DSP, I think that card may actually sing “Joy to the World”. This design was an original from the SU Artisan design team, and I have duplicated it with supplies I had on hand. 

Here are the supplies I used:

Stamps:

Tin of Tags (Stampin Up Retired)

Paper:

Cherry Cobbler (SU)

Very Vanilla (SU)

Brushed Gold (SU Retired)

Ink:

Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Accessories:

Sizzix Big Shot

Holly TIEF (SU) 

Stars Framelits (SU retired)

Stitched Shapes Framelits (SU)

Classic Scalloped Circles (Spellbinders)

Quick & Easy Cardinal

Not everyone celebrates Christmas, and for this reason I try to have my share of seasonal cards handy. Not celebrating Christmas doesn't always mean you celebrate Hanukkah, there could be other reasons or factors in play. In my area of the world, winter means lots of snow and cardinals. 

Cardinals are birds that are around all year. I think the reason we spot them more in the winter is that their beautiful feathers stand out sharply against the pure white snow. They are commonly associated with Christmas, maybe it's because they are already dressed in the proper colors for the big day. Cardinals are one of my mother in laws favorite birds, so it was an easy choice for this quick and easy card.   

Here are the supplies I used:

Stamps:

Poinsettia Wishes (Unity Stamp Company)

Paper:

Whisper White (SU)

Real Red (SU)

Ink:

Real Red (SU)

Accessories:

Sizzix Big Shot

Woodland TIEF

Modern Label punch (SU retired)

Word Window (SU retired)

Little Birds Die (Gina Marie Designs)

Elegant in Gold

I really had no plans of making all Christmas cards in July… but here I was looking over my Christmas stamps again. I pondered over this background stamp several times before I actually bought it last December. I had several ideas in mind, but I decided to change up a past design that was dry embossed and use heat embossing instead. 

The main picture does not do this card justice. You can not see the glimmer of the paper and the dimension of the raised gold embossing. Up close you can see the details much better. While this card will look beautiful with other jewel tone colors used in place of the vanilla, I like the elegant look of the vanilla here as pictured. 

Here are the supplies I used:

Stamps:

Merry Medley (SU Retired)

Solemn Stillness (SU Retired)

Paper:

Brushed Gold (SU Retired)

Very Vanilla (SU)

Ink:

Versamark

Accessories:

Marry Heat Tool

Gold Embossing Powder (SU)

Christmas in July

Christmas in July… say what? I am one of those people who just love to make Christmas cards. With the preview of the new Stampin Up Holiday catalog just a few weeks away, I decided to play with some of my favorite stamps in preparation for this upcoming release. 

This is a new set I purchased outside of the holiday season. I think this snowman can be colored or even paper pieced in a variety of colors to really change up the final look. I choose the purple simple because I like using non traditional colors for Christmas. Don't get me wrong… I love to use red and green, but nobody says we have to color inside the lines with this holiday. As hard as I tried, you simply cannot see the beautiful shimmer on this hat from the clear Wink of Stella marker in my picture.

Here are the supplies I used:

Stamps:

Snowy (Penny Black)

Snowbody warms my heart (Unity)

Paper:

Wisteria Wonder (SU)

Whisper White (SU)

Ink:

Archival Basic Black (SU) 

Accessories:

Copic Markers

Sizzix Big Shot

Frosty's Snow Die (Penny Black)

Darice Embossing Folder

Spellbinders Nestabilities

Clear Wink of Stella