Slow Stitching - Door Decor - Bethlehem Star

 I made a Christmas piece for my door.  It features the Bethlehem Star.   I chose a dark blue background fabric with a flannel foundation layer. Cut 6x8 inches. The star was cut with the Sizzix Star and Starburst die from white felt. It was stitched along each of the points with white thread.  The stars around were stitched with white thread as well. I tried to have a variety of sizes. 

I used some eyelet lace and other lace to create the hills around the town.  I put the building in the v shape where the hills met. I hand cut the buildings from grey felt and added yellow windows. I did highlight the building in white to help them stand out a bit more. 

Again, the backer fabric was dark blue cut to 8x10 inches. Folded to the front and folded again and top stitched to create the frame.  I added a hanger on the back of twill tape which I attached by hand.

Self Closing Card - Christmas

I cut the Memory Box Birch Tree Trio from black pearl paper. I left some at the bottom attached so I could glue them all together onto the sparkly paper.

I added a pearl snowbank with I cut with my Cricut Ceramic Knife. Works very well.

I punched a moon from the same paper and placed it behind the trees then used Quick Dry Adhesive to glue the trunks of the trees.

All put onto a teal card base measuring 6x12 inches. Scored at 5.5 inches and just less than 1" for the flap.   Double sided tape on flap and generous insert.

Sparkly paper background with a silver foil star cut with the Sizzix Star #2 die.  Mounted with 3D foam tape.

A greeting with SU Modern Label punchie and a SU Word Window greeting.

Dark green card base measuring 6x12 inches. Scored at 5.5 inches and just less than 1" for the flap.   Double sided tape on flap and generous insert. 

A navy card base measuring 6x12 inches. Scored at 5.5 inches and just less than 1" for the flap.  

I cut the Sizzix Large Starburst with a thick die from silver matte card stock.  

It was mounted on a piece of white textured decorative paper strip.

A SU Modern Label punchie in silver offset behind a white one with blue greeting. Mounted with 3D foam tape.

A background of sparkly paper.

Double sided tape on flap and generous insert. 

Another Tim Holtz Winter Wonder snowman card.  Cut from white card stock. 

The snowflake and the Creative Memories star punchie from pearl card stock.

A great sparkly paper background and a pearl snowbank hand cut with the ceramic knife.

This card base is green linen which measures 6x12 inches and is scored at 5.5" and just less than 1" for the flap.

A generous insert.

Cards - SC Christmas - Colored Pencil

I worked on more Christmas cards this morning.

I chose to use images I have drawn digitally.  This is my Bethlehem which I had to resize to accommodate this card size but that was easy. It was printed on ivory 65lb card stock.

I used colored pencils and colored the sky, the sand dunes and the windows. 

I cut the large star with the Sizzix Star & Starbursts die in silver card stock. I then punched the others with a CM Star Border punch. Large star adhered with 3D foam and the littles with QuickDry Adhesive.

The image was then adhered to the card with double sided tape, the white insert adhered with glue stick and a strip of d/s tape with carrier on the flap.  This is a self closing card made with 1/2 sheet of 12x12 navy card stock.

I really love how this one came out.

This is an angel a drew digitally based on a wicker angel I saw in a garden center at Christmas many years ago.

Subtle blue background, metallic halo, green metallic on the wings, a red dress with a green and gold border at the bottom.

A bit of flesh color on the face.

A self closing card from a 6x12 inch piece of card stock.  I adhered the drawing onto the card with a white insert opposite.  A length of double sided tape with carrier on the the flap.

A nativity I drew a few years ago. 

A subtle night sky, a yellow star with a wooden stable. 

The figures were colored with traditional blue for Mary and brown for Joseph. Just a wee head for Jesus.

Subtle blue sky, green and tan for the ground background.

Drawing adhered to the card, a blank white insert (not sure if I will regret this later when I have to handwrite the sentiment), carrier tape on the flap. 

Card is 6x12 navy blue linen card stock.

R2Go Christmas Kit - Star of Wonder Copper

I chose this wonderful designer paper of stars by FlairDesigns - Star Bright in warm colors of chocolate, beige, rust, and caramel.  It is cut to 4.00 x 5.25 inches.

I paired it with a warm brown card.

I printed the greeting in Really Rust on vellum and clear embossed it.  I ripped the top and bottom edges. I added a strip of card stock under the words to provide the contrast.  The vellum and strip are held in place with 2 tiny copper brads.

I die cut a copper star with the Sizzix Star & Starburts die and I adhered it over the vellum greeting strip.

Nativity - Special Card Order

This is a large card which is a half sheet.

I started with the gold starry night vellum which I purchased in 8.5x11 package. I mounted it onto a navy card.  I added 2 gold star brads in the top corners.  I placed adhesive where the stable and snowbanks will be placed.

I chose my new nativity graphic.  I added a gradient background in the stable. I made the stable blue to coordinate with the card color.  I sized and printed it only white card stock and fussy cut around the edge.  It was then adhered to the vellum.

I ripped several layers of white for snowbanks in the front.  I applied Bashful Blue chalk to a couple of them and layered them getting shorter as I moved into the foreground.

I cut a star from sticker paper adhered to white card stock.  I used the Sizzix Star and Starburst die.  The star was adhered above the stable wit 3D foam tape.

I printed the greeting on white card stock and ripped the edges to repeat the edges on the snowbanks.

Christmas Card Challenge - Nov - Sparkle / Nativity

I made cards for my monthly Christmas Card Challenge but I changed copper to sparkly.

I wanted to use my QuicKutz Nativity die which is a 12 inch die.  It presents a challenge when I am making A2 cards which only accommodates a portion of the die.  I found some A6 black cards in my stash from a previous project which would allow me to put more of the die onto the card front.  I cut a piece of this sparkly paper to leave a generous border on the 6.25 x 4.75 inch card.

I cut the QuicKutz Nativity from matte silver card stock and you can see that I could include the 3 wise men on half of the cards and the shepherds the other half. 

I cut the star from foil paper with the Sizzix Star and Startbursts Die and mounted it over the star cut with the die.  I glued it to card front with the sparkly paper providing a sense of a starry night.

I created the greeting for the Stampin Up Modern Label Punch which was color printed then punched.  

Once punched, I mounted it to the card front with 3D foam tape.


I made 6 of these cards.

Christmas Card Challenge - Sept - Lavender / Bethlehem

My Christmas Card Challenge for September - Lavender and Bethlehem.  I make Christmas cards every month so my cards are ready by Dec 1st to be addressed and sent out.  Do it today!
I started with the We Three Kings cling mount rubber stamp by Cornish Heritage Farms.
I then selected my Bethlehem digital image.  I had to modify it to make it proportional to the kings stamp so I added a 4th hill for the 3 kings stand on.  I printed it on a quarter sheet (4.25 x 5.5 inches) of white card stock. The hills and windows have been colored in medium grey and the buildings are black. I trimmed this piece to just under 4.00 x 5.25 inches.
I then stamped the kings on 4.00 W x 4.25 T inch piece of vellum with Versamark ink in Lilac.  This ink allows for clear embossing very nicely as it does not dry quickly.  Once embossed, I ripped about 1/8 inch from the left hand side of the vellum. I placed a bit of vellum adhesive on the back in the bodies of the camels.  It was aligned along the right hand side and the top and bottom edges were folded to the back of the Bethlehem layer and taped down.
I chose Pale Plum card stock by Stampin Up. The Bethlehem layer was adhered to the light purple card front.
I cut a starburst star from silver no shed glitter card stock with the Sizzix Star & Starbursts die.  It was then adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.  It was aligned along the ripped edge of the vellum.  I have 99 cards in my box.

Submitting to Christmas Card Challenges #38 - Anything Goes

Christmas Card Challenge - Jan - Gold / Star

This is my first Christmas card in 2016.  I run a challenge on this blog every month to get my Christmas cards made by December 1st.  January's challenge is Gold / Star.  I started with a deep red card.  I mounted a piece of designer paper by Carta Bella - Christmas Time by Carina Gardner - Christmas Tags, this is the back side.  I color printed my red greetings onto vellum and clear embossed them.  I ripped the top and bottom edges.  There was not enough contrast against the green patterned paper so I added a strip of white card stock between the designer paper and the vellum.  Both were trimmed to the edge of the designer paper.  I cut the star from gold glitter paper with the Sizzix Star & Starburst die.  I mounted it to the left of the greeting with 3D foam tape.

Please join me making Christmas cards every month.  You can find the themes for each month here.  If you make cards leave me a comment with a link to your cards and I will check them out.

Christmas Card Challenge - June - Nativity - Brayer - Glitter

It's time again for the June Christmas Card Challenge.  The three elements are Nativity, Brayer and Glitter.
I started by making a brayer background with several blue ink pads from light to dark.  I brayered the lightest in the center and then layered the darker colors towards the top and bottom edges. I then stamped it with a script background stamp and clear embossed it.  I then used the same stamp with navy blue ink.  I chose a medium to dark royal blue card.  I trimmed the brayer background to leave a small border.  I punched the night sky stars with a Creative Memories Star border punch.  That gave me dark stars in the sky.  I cut the nativity from pearl card stock with the QuicKutz Nativity die.  I was able to include the shepherds but not the wisemen.  I adhered the background to the card front then the nativity die cut to the background. I repeated the stars in the sky with a non shed glitter card stock cut with the Sizzix Star and Star Bursts bigz die. I trimmed away the star that came with the die cut to add a glitter star adhered with 3D foam tape.

In this close up you can see the clear embossed sections to the right of the glitter star.

R2G Christmas Card Stack Kit - Joy Star

Here's the second card in this kit.  I chose a purple diamond designer paper which could be used with a few shades of purple card stock.  I chose a deep purple card and matched it with pearl white card stock for the JOY layer.  I paired the copper metallic paper with a lighter card stock. The metallic layer was cut to the 4"x 5.25"inches then the JOY was punched with a Martha Stewart border punch. The punching was pretty easy because I punched the centre one first then just aligned the other two.  The stars are cut with a Sizzix star die with the largest in the metallic card stock and the smaller one in glitter card stock. The designer paper was cut to 3" x 4.75" and layered onto the metallic JOY layer. The metallic star was adhered directly to the designer paper and the glitter star was adhered with 3D foam tape making sure to align the horizontal rays.

Update: When I did the class with this kit the participants discovered that the sentiment insert I had included was portrait but the card was landscape.  As they worked on the other cards my brain was desperately trying to find a way to make the best of the situation.  Here's the solution:

Photo - Office Decorating - Nativity

We are having a office decorating contest at work and I created this display on the floor tucked into a nook at the front of my desk.  A friend lent me the nativity set which is unbreakable and about 12-14 inches high.  I struggled on what to use for background but this morning I realized I had heavy weight wrapping paper in navy that would do just great.  I spritzed it with Maya Mist in Snow White then adhered it to the nook in the front of my desk with double sided tape.  I added white fiberfill snow then covered it with is gold mesh fabric. Works very well.  I added Mary, Jesus and Joseph and the 3 Wisemen.  I added the green garland which is the same one I used last year. I found a coppery gold foil gift bag the other day which worked with the some of the color on the head coverings on the Wisemen.  I cut the central Bethlehem star by hand then die cut the others with a Sizzix star die which provided 3 different sizes.  Adhered those along the sky.  I added a tree made with a Styrofoam form covered with foil gift wrap paper.  I added a bamboo skewer through the center to hold the die cut star at the top.  I added some sequin held in place with pearl straight pins. 

R2G Card Kit - Bethlehem Star - Silver

I'm working on Ready 2 Go kits so I've made card kits with the same sketch I used in my November Card Club.  Changed the paper and star color.
I selected some bold striped handmade paper for the background. I cut a 1.5" strip of red card stock and trimmed the edges with scallop decorative scissors. This is glued to the decorative paper as shown and trimmed to the same width as the striped paper. The greeting was glued on on top and trimmed as needed. This layer is glue onto a black card front.  The silver star (Sizzix) is 3D foam taped to the left of the greeting.

R2G Card Kit - Bethlehem Star - Copper

I'm working on Ready 2 Go kits so I've made card kits with the same sketch I used in my November Card Club.  Changed the paper and star color.
I selected some bold striped handmade paper for the background. I cut a 1.5" strip of purple card stock and trimmed the edges with scallop decorative scissors. This is glued to the decorative paper as shown and trimmed to the same width as the striped paper. The greeting was glued on on top and trimmed as needed. This layer is glue onto a black card front.  The copper star (Sizzix) is 3D foam taped to the left of the greeting.

Cmas Card Challenge - March - Star

My Christmas Card Challenge theme this month is Star.  I chose a Bethlehem star.  There are many options for stars: Bethlehem, one, many, night sky, layered, 6 point, 5 point, primitive, traditional, die cut, stamped, watercolored. What comes to mind for you?

I started with the glitter star background from American Crafts which does not shed glitter.  It was on sale because it is rolling and not very attractive from a retail point of view.  I brought a sheet home because I wanted a starry background for my QuicKutz  Nativity die.  I found some navy card stock that matched the blue in the glitter paper.  The glitter paper was cut to 4"x5.25".  I tried several colors of nativity before I settled on a white one.  This die is a 12" cookie cutter one and I cut a piece of white 5.25" wide then placed in along the die to get the manger scene.  It was great because I managed to get the shepherd as well. The die has a star on the stable but I wanted something bigger so I cut it off and replaced it.  I chose a Sizzix star die to cut the central star.  I selected some thin glitter paper but it needed some stiffness to allow it to be raised from the card with 3D foam tape.  I glued it to white card stock which I pressed for a while to ensure good adhesion before diecutting. I applied narrow strips of 3D foam tape to the points of the stars as well a square in the center then aligned it with peak of the stable. Very happy with these cards.  I made 6 of these.

R2G Card Kit - Glitter Bethlehem Star

I just love this card which I did for Card Club in November so I decided to make some Ready 2 Go kits from the same design. I found decorative paper that works then used coordinating accents. I used a Sizzix star die for the star.  I color printed the greeting in red and plum. I made some with silver stars and some with copper stars. I cut a 1.5" strip of card stock and trimmed the edges with scallop decorative scissors.
 
This was glued down and the greeting was added on top leaving enough space for the star on the left.  This was added to the designer paper, trimmed to the edges then glued to the card front. The glitter star is 3D foam taped to the left of the greeting.

Card Club - Gold Glitter Star

I just love this card.  I bought the scrapbook paper on sale at one of the local stores.  I ordered Real Red and Soft Suede card stock to go with it.  It works great!  I used a Sizzix star die for the gold star!  I color printed the greeting in Real Red and Soft Suede with the greeting being the same as the card color.  I made some red cards and some soft suede cards. I layered the Designer Paper on the card. I cut a 1.5" strip of card stock and trimmed the edges with scallop decorative scissors. This was glued down and the greeting was added on top.  The gold star is 3D foam taped to the left of the greeting.