I know what you’re thinking – it’s too early for Christmas cards. Well, no, it’s not. As many crafters know, it’s imperative to get started early when it comes to handmade cards and presents. And now that I have some new stamps and paper to play with from the Stampin’ Up!T Holiday Mini catalog, it was time to start working on some. I know, I know! It’s hard to get in the Christmas spirit when the temperatures are still soaring into the 90’s everyday. So crank down that AC, grab a cup of warm cocoa and start thinking Christmas!
Remember, you can click on the previews to see a larger image.
OK. Now that I have you convinced it’s time to start working on Christmas cards, let me explain a little how I made this one. It started with a sketch. Sketches are valuable resources and really give you a jumpstart to get your creative juices flowing. The sketch I chose is one by Flourishes. It doesn’t matter where you get your sketch, it’s just a jumping off point.
From there, I had to decide on my colors. Of course I had to play with the new Christmas Cocoa Specialty DSP (#116770). The pattern I chose was somewhat monochromatic, so I decided to run with it. I’m not normally one to create a monochromatic card, so this is far from norm for me. From there it was simply stamping and then layering and sponging and layering and sponging and layering and sponging – oops! I already said that. Have you all figured out yet that I REALLY like lots of layers and sponging? We’ll delve more into the sponging later.
Ya know, it just dawned on me as I’m typing this up that this card is perfect for one of the card swaps going on here at CS – the Non-traditional colors holiday card swap. Hmmm – might have to think about using one of these for that! We’d love to have you join in on some of our swaps! They’re free and great for the beginner swapper as most of them only require you to make one card!
Moving on. Here’s a close up of the stamped image. First, I stamped the Serene Snowflakes (#115438) in Very Vanilla Craft ink, and after that dried, I stamped them with Soft Suede Classic ink. The vanilla snowflakes are kinda hard to see on camera, but trust me, they’re there. You can see them pretty good in the header image up top as well.
To soften the edges and the overall look, I sponged every single piece of paper used in these cards. The background texture was created by lightly sponging over the raised texture created using a texture plate. This really helps the texture pop. On the Sahara Sand scalloped border and snowflake, not only did I sponge the edges lightly, but I also did a little pouncing all over the paper to give it a more “mottled” look.
I layered a couple punched snowflakes and sewed them together with some of the hemp twine and a button I had in my stash. I’m loving using buttons in my projects now, so this is a trend you’ll see in a lot of my cards I’m sure. It just gives a little extra dimension and makes it more countryfied <-is that a word? LOL. Being a long time crafter, I have tons of buttons – and if I ever do run out, I have lots of clothes. 
As I mentioned yesterday, you should also dress up the inside of your card just a bit. Here I used a couple of strips that were trimmed from the paper that I used on the front. Yes, these were trimmings that normally would have just been thrown away – Trash to Treasure! Anyway, then I simply added a simple sentiment to the bottom. As my daughter says, “Easy peasy lemon squeezy!”
I hope this inspires you – or rather motivates you – to get started on your holiday cards and presents. Christmas will be here before you know it!
Supplies: (all Stampin’ Up! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Serene Snowflakes (shown right), The More the Merrier
Paper: Christmas Cocoa Specialty DSP, Soft Suede CS, Sahara Sand CS
Ink: Very Vanilla Craft, Soft Suede
Other: Soft Suede Grosgrain Ribbon, Hemp Twine, Texture Plate (Fiskars), Button (from stash), sponges, Dimensionals, Glue Stick, SNAIL Adhesive, Snowflake punch, Scallop Edge punch
Happy Stamping!
Lianne Carper
CS partner and DTM for Brenda Cook
Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator
December 8, 2009 
I made this card using a tutorial by Zindorf. I did not do mine exactly as her card, but for the most part, I followed the techniques. You can’t see it, but it is embossed and very shiny and snowy! It was a fun card to make because I got to use one of my favorite techniques, which is sponging. And, I just LOVE how the embossing resists the sponged ink. When you emboss first with clear embossing powder, you can add ink colors to your heart’s content and still have a sharp and clean image.Supply List:
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