A Little Christmas Greeting Created by Accident

This card came together in the most roundabout way! I started out with a completely different focal image, but I just couldn't get it to look right. I had already cut the matting layers of Real Red and Old Olive and I didn't feel like wasting them. I happened to have my Decorative Label Punch sitting around on my craft table, and one thing led to another and this card layout came to me. (Just for the record, the base is River Rock and the large mat is Very Vanilla.)

The best part of this card, in my opinion, is the Petals A Plenty Textured Impressions Folder for the Big Shot that was used on the top half of the Old Olive piece. I used the debossed side and it just really is striking that way. I'd only ever used the folder to make an impression on an entire piece, and I really like how it makes a sort of border without adding another layer.

A side note: I am not an early adopter when it comes to trying new things, but I have to tell you that if I'd known how much I would enjoy the Big Shot die cutting machine back when SU! began offering it in 2008, I would've bought it immediately! It has enhanced my card making immensely, and it's super easy to use! Don't forget that the Mr. Santa in your life is probably looking for some idea of what to get you for Christmas. I can help him and he'll never have to leave his house! One phone call and he's DONE! Have him contact me at jenn@nahrstadt.com. He'll thank you, I promise!

The most accidental thing about this card's metamorphosis was the sentiment. It's from a retired set, The Best Is Yet to Be, and I inked it in the aforementioned colors directly on the rubber and stamped it on Very Vanilla. Then I pulled out my Designer Label Punch. It fit perfectly, but I cut off the rounded portions of the punched image before I changed my idea about using the original focal image, so I had this little ticket shape left. It fits so nicely inside the Decorative Label Punch, though, don't you think? The addition of the 1/8" Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon was also just a whim that turned out just as I'd hoped.

What have you created that turned out better than you expected? I hope you're finding time to do something creative during your busy days. It makes such a difference in my mental state, I confess. Have a very happy, if chilly (it's supposed to be in the 30s overnight here), weekend. Don't forget to turn your clocks BACK one hour Saturday night!

A Quickie

Everyone needs a card in their stash that comes together quickly, especially during the holidays. This is a flat 4.25" x 5.5" card that would be suitable as the front for a photo card (who would miss .5" from the bottom of a 4" x 6" photo?) or as a thank you note. We all have need of those, right? There's a lot going on in this simple, elegant card, so let me describe the details so you know what I did.

First, I cut 1-8.5" x 11" sheet of Old Olive card stock into quarters. Then I cut a piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock to 4 1/8" x 5 3/8". Then I took a piece of Whisper White card stock, originally measuring 4.25" x 5.5", and ran it through the Big Shot inside the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder. Such visual appeal this little thing creates!

Then I punched out the corners with my Scalloped Trim Corner Punch. Fancy lookin', huh!

The main eye catching element of this card is the Merry Christmas label from Seasonal Sentiments in the Holiday Mini Catalog. This uses 3 of the Decorative Label punches. The first one contains the sentiment. The Old Olive one is cut in half horizontally and separated slightly. The Cherry Cobbler one is cut in half vertically and spaced to create this unique focal image. I must confess I was inspired by this card on SCS. Doing this with the Decorative Label Punch is brilliant! I added a rhinestone to cover up an unintentional ink spot, and I think it adds a little something.

I wanted to incorporate ribbon into this card, and I ended up using 3/8" Whisper White taffeta ribbon and 1/8" Old Olive taffeta ribbon. I'm super thrilled with this result.

Quick and Easy Gift Card Holder

When that "most wonderful time of the year" comes around, many people struggle to know what to buy folks so they purchase gift cards. Nothin' wrong with gift cards, except there's not much to give. No package to unwrap most times, and just handing over what the store gives you to put it in can leave you feeling like you didn't quite do enough. Am I alone in this? I don't think so.

So, why not take a few moments and create some great packaging for these little cards? That's what I did the other day when I had this great scrap left over from SU!'s new Decorative Label Punch after I punched a sentiment out of a piece of Whisper White card stock. It made such a sweet frame that I began to wonder what sentiments might fit inside it. Since I had the stamps from Seasonal Sentiments, also from the current Holiday Mini Catalog, on my table, I pulled out the beautiful Christmas greeting.

The complete stamp says "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year", but all of that wouldn't fit. So I used my Basic Black SU! Marker and just colored the Merry Christmas part and stamped it on a scrap of Real Red card stock. I popped the frame up on Stampin' Dimensionals and had a nice greeting...in like 2 minutes!

Then I reached for a scrap of Garden Green card stock. Conveniently, it measured 3.5" x 8.5", so I scored it at 4.25" and began to play around with the placement of the greeting I'd created. While I liked it, it needed something, and when I discovered what it was, I had to order it and wait until late last week for it to arrive.

"It" was the Petals A Plenty Textured Impressions Embossing Folder for the Big Shot. It creates a sea of poinsettias, perfect for Christmas! I placed just the front of the Garden Green card stock in the folder, ran it through the Big Shot, and was stunned at the difference that the dry embossed look made. I added some small Rhinestones to give some shimmer and more visual interest. WOW! I'm lovin' this, and so far it has taken, oh, maybe 5 min.

I used the now-retired Slit Punch to create a place for the gift card to rest inside, but Mono Adhesive or Glue Dots would work equally well.

See how easy it is to make a simple gift card a more special gift? The time to get started is NOW, friends, so don't delay. The highlighted items, and the card stock, are all you need to make this sweet holder. If you don't have the resources to purchase the Big Shot, let's work together to plan an event for you and your friends so that you will have a stash of gift card holders ready for holiday gift giving. This is just one of 4 different holders I've created that we can make in a private class. Contact me!