Loaded Envelope

So last weekend I had my small but mighty team over to my place for a Christmas party! We played some fun Christmas themed games, we had yummy treats and of course we did some crafting. And as a way to show some my team how much I appreciate them I always give them some extra goodies. It’s usually a combination of crafting supplies and chocolate. This year I created a Loaded Envelope for each of them. Inside I was able to fit a flavoured pack of hot chocolate, some transparent sticky notes, a gel pen and some ribbon, amoung other things.

I’ve made this once before and I really like it for a couple of reasons. The big one is because of how much stuff I can fit into it… I probably could have fit more! And the other reason that I really like making loaded envelopes is because of how easy they are to make. All you need is a 12″ x 12″ piece of patterned paper and whatever you want to add on to decorate.

For mine I used designs from the Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper. To create it you’ll score the patterned paper at 3 1/4″ on the left and right hand side. Then at the bottom, you’ll score it at 3 3/4″. Next you fold in the two sides and then fold the bottom up. Before you secure it all with Tear & Tape Adhesive, fold out the corners at the top of the envelope.

To decorate I added a bird from a different design from the Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper pack. And for the sentiment I used the Christmas Labels bundle.

Loaded Envelope

Everyone loved their loaded envelope… and all the goodies inside! I’ll definitely be making this again.

If you want to check out another project I made using the Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper, you can check that out here!

Product List

Basket Weave Technique

I really like the Take a Bow pack of Designer Series Paper. But I didn’t get it at first because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get the punch that goes with it. I do love the idea of being able to make my own bows! But with a full time job, 2 kids (4 if you count Leo and my partner) and all my cardmaking, I just don’t have the time. In the end I decided to just get the Designer Series Paper pack. And one of the first ideas I had for a card design uses a basket weave technique.

So for this design I chose 2 fairly simple designs. And for colours, I chose to use 2 different coloured designs; Real Red and Garden Green. This card would also look nice with designs with different shades of the same colour.

To create the basket weave technique I simple wove one strip in front of and behind the other. And then with the next strip I wove that design in front of and behind the ones I didn’t with the last strip. Then I just repeated this until I used up all my strips of patterned paper.

To adhere it all to my piece of Very Vanilla cardstock I used Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue. I definitely like that it gives you some time to get things in place! Behind this I have a Real Red card base and a Garden Green card mat. On top of all that, I kept it very simple! I just stamped a sentiment from the Christmas Labels stamp set with Garden Green ink. Then I die cut it with one of the coordinating dies. (I’m so sad this bundle is retiring!) To finish is off I popped it up with some Stampin’ Dimensionals. And then I added a couple Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Basket Weave Technique

The basket weave technique is a great way to use up all those scraps of patterned paper! And we all know we have plenty of those in our craft stash, lol! Plus you don’t need to add much of anything else on top… just a sentiment.

Check out another card I made using the Christmas Labels bundle here. And don’t forget this bundle, like all the others that are retiring, are only available while supplies last!

Product List

Embossing Paste and Frosted Forest

A few weeks ago I shared a fall themed card using the Frosted Forest Decorative Masks. Check it out here. And now I’m back with a Christmas themed card using Embossing Paste and Frosted Forest. Somehow in all my current and retired stamp sets I don’t seem to have one with evergreen trees. So these masks have definitely been helpful!

For this card I’m using Mossy Meadow as my main colour, with a splash of Crumb Cake to balance it out. To start I created 3 of the smaller trees using Mossy Meadow and a Blending Brush with the first two masks. Then I added some Whisper White using the last mask to give them a snowy look. And for the bigger tree it was basically the same… Mossy Meadow with the first two masks, but then I used the Matte Finish Embossing Paste with the last one. This definitely steps up the snowy look!

Next I fussy cut the large tree… once it was dry of course. You may want to grab your heat tool to help speed up the process. Then I popped it up with a few Stampin’ Dimensionals. And for my sentiment I used one from the Christmas Labels stamp set with Mossy Meadow ink. Then I used the coordinating die and popped that up with a few more Stampin’ Dimensionals. To finish it off I added a few of the smallest Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Embossing Paste and Frosted Forest

I like a nice simple card like this one. But if you want to add a little something more, you can add a little bit of Mossy Meadow to the edges of the Very Vanilla card front that has the 3 smaller trees.

Either way using Embossing Paste and Frosted Forest Decorative Masks is a great combination! And with the other set of masks in the set, you can use these for just about any season. Check out the fall themed card I made here if you haven’t already.

tams# 92020

Product List

Mossy Meadow 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock

Crumb Cake 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock

Very Vanilla 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock

Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin’ Pad

Uninked Stampin’ Craft Pad & Whisper White Refill

Frosted Forest Decorative Masks

Embossing Paste

Palette Knives

Christmas Labels Bundle (English)

Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine

Rhinestone Basic Jewels

Paper Snips

Stampin’ Seal

Stampin’ Dimensionals

Paper Trimmer

Stampin’ Scrub

Stampin’ Mist

Add All to Cart

Quilting Technique

I dipped back into my stash of Winter Meadow Designer Series Paper for my recent Fancy Fold Christmas Card class. And it remined me how much I love this pack of patterned paper! So when I was thinking of what card designs I wanted this week, I decided I wanted something that let me feature the Designer Series Paper. In the end, I chose to do the quilting technique.

I pulled from the Winter Meadow Designer Series Paper pack for my colours. For my strips of patterned paper I’m using Misty Moonlight, Pretty Peacock and Smoky Slate. And for my card base and ink I’m using Misty Moonlight. This is one of my favourite colours!

To create the quilted card front I cut long 1/2″ strips and layered them onto a piece of Basic White cardstock. The quilting technique isn’t a difficult one. But you do want to take your time. I started with the 3 strips across the centre and then switched the angle for the sides. To maximize my patterned paper, I only do a few strips at a time. That way I can use almost all of the strip.

On top of that I added a sentiment from the Christmas Labels stamp set. I stamped it using Misty Moonlight ink. Then I die cut it with one of the coordinating dies. Next I popped it up with some Stampin’ Dimensionals. And then to finish it off I added a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Quilting Technique

I think the next time I try the quilting technique, I’m going to try a different pattern. Doesn’t this one look like a wrapped present?!

Check out another card I made using Misty Moonlight and the Winter Meadow Designer Series Paper pack here.

Product List

Slimline Christmas Card

I haven’t made a slimline card in a long time. Maybe that’s because I don’t have the right size envelopes… I really should do something about that! In the meantime, I was inkspired by a design I saw online and decided to make my own slimline Christmas card.

For this card I’m pulling out the More than Autumn bundle. This is probably my favourite bundle in the Holiday Mini catalogue! And since this is a Christmas card, I’m using the little candy cane and gingerbread cookie as inkspiration for my colours. Crumb Cake is the card base and Real Red is the card mat. The card base is 7″ x 9″, scored at 3 1/2″ on the short side.

On top of that I stamped a few candy canes using Real Red ink and some hearts in Crumb Cake ink. The gingerbread cookies I decided to stamp in Pecan Pie. Then I stamped a bunch of the cups. Double what I actually needed so I could use the top part of half of them to create lids.

Then I coloured the cups with the light and dark Crumb Cake Stampin’ Blends. And each cup sleeve got either a candy cane or gingerbread cookie. I stamped them with Tuxedo Black Memento ink and then coloured them with the light versions of the Real Red and Pecan Pie Stampin’ Blends. Once these were done I stacked them all up on the card with some Stampin’ Dimensionals. Then on top of that I layered on the sentiment that I stamped with Pecan Pie, Crumb Cake and Real Red ink.

Slimline Christmas Card

The More than Autumn bundle makes a great slimline Christmas card don’t you think?! I’m definitely not ready to put this bundle away yet! This is definitely what I’ll be using for the cards for our friends and family.

So until I share those designs, check out this other card I created using the More than Autumn bundle here.

Product List

Handmade Christmas Cards

The Christmas holidays are a wonderful time of year! A chance to spend time with those we love… share gifts… and enjoy lots of good food. And one way we can show how much we love and appreciate these special people is with handmade Christmas cards and gifts. But the Christmas holidays are also a very hectic time of year. The stores are busier and there are lots more dinners and events to attend. Very stressful!

So to help make things easier for you to craft those handmade Christmas cards, etc. I have my 12 Weeks of Christmas! This is a special series of weekly emails for my newsletter subscribers to take all the guess work and frustration out of the equation. Each week you get an exclusive holiday themed project, complete with photos, step by step instructions and a complete list of supplies. You won’t find these projects anywhere else!

I’m also here to help you with any questions or concerns you might have. And I can get you any of the supplies you need to make your handmade Christmas cards and gifts.

There’s still lots of time to join in on all the holiday crafting fun! For more info about my 12 Weeks of Christmas emails click here. Or you can jump right in and sign up for my weekly newsletter here.

As an added bonus you’ll also get a PDF showing you how to make you’re very own patterned paper with just stamps, ink and paper!

Don’t miss out!

Handmade Christmas Cards

Monochromatic Christmas Card

I’m definitely getting into the Christmas spirit with my crafting! And one pack of patterned paper that I love for this time of year is the Winter Meadow Designer Series Paper pack. I’m so glad that Stampin’ Up! decided to keep it after last year’s Holiday Mini catalogue. The colours and designs are so pretty and it’s not you’re traditional Christmas paper. So for this design I wanted to show it off the paper and this design is a great one for creating a background. It’s also great for a monochromatic Christmas card!

So Misty Moonlight is the main colour for this one. And then on top of the Designer Series Paper I layered on a piece of Basic White cardstock. The sentiment is from the Christmas Labels stamp set and of course it’s stamped in Misty Moonlight ink. Then on top of that I stamped the pair of birds from the Winterly Tree Tops stamp set. I die cut it with the coordinating die and then sadly there isn’t a Misty Moonlight Watercolour Pencil, so I lightly coloured them with Night of Navy. And added a little more in certain spots for some shadows and depth.

Finally to finish it off, I popped up the birds with some Stampin’ Dimensionals. And then added a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Monochromatic Christmas Card

I love a monochromatic card! And so crafting this monochromatic Christmas card was a nice bonus.

As we get closer to Christmas I’ll share some more Christmas cards. But in the meantime sign up for my weekly newsletter! Right now we’re in the midst of my 12 Weeks of Christmas. Extra, exclusive, holiday themed projects to help you get ready for the holidays and avoid some of the stress that comes with it! Sign up here.

You can also check out another card I made using the Winterly Tree Tops bundle here.

Product List

Shoebox Swap using Winterly Tree Tops

I’m finally starting on my Christmas crafting! Maybe I’ll even get my Christmas and Hannukah cards done before December! And it’s all starting with the card design for my team shoebox swap using Winterly Tree Tops. I just love these little birds from the Winterly Tree Tops bundle and it’s starting to get a little frosty around here so I thought why not make it a Christmas card. What’s a shoebox swap you might be asking… It’s similar to a regular card swap in some respects where you make the number of cards to match the number of people in your group. That way everyone gets one of each person’s card designs. But for a shoebox swap you prepare all the bits and pieces needed for people to make your card and you put them in a shoebox, or another container.

Our team swaps also have a couple of extra rules. One is that the products be current and no online exclusives… as much as we all love them the availability is somewhat unpredictable. So I’m featuring the two birds on a branch from the Winterly Tree Tops bundle. And that’s where I started with this design. I wanted to make them blue so I used my Pool Party Stampin’ Blends. Pool Party is also my card base colour and the ink colour for my sentiment from the Christmas Labels stamp set.

Behind my pretty little birds I have a piece of the Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper that coordinates with this bundle. I also dry embossed a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock using the Cane Weave 3D embossing folder. Then to match with the DSP, I added a Crumb Cake card mat behind the embossed cardstock as well as a little bit to frame the sentiment.

Shoebox Swap using Winterly Tree Tops

I hope my team members like my shoebox swap using Winterly Tree Tops!

Check out one of the other cards I made using the Winterly Tree Tops stamps and dies here.

Product List

Merry Christmas and Happy 2024!

I want to take a moment and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy 2024! It’s been a busy few days for us here. We visited with both sides of the family, enjoyed great food and the munchkins were very happy to get a “few” presents. Lol!

For this year’s Christmas card for my customers I used the Cottage Wreaths bundle from the Annual catalogue and the retiring Christmas Tidings embossing folder. Shaded Spruce is my main colour, but I did throw in a splash of Cherry Cobbler for the berries. Great Christmas colours!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2024!

I hope you all had the chance to spend time with those you love this festive season. And I hope you also have some time to relax and do something you love.

Merry Christmas and Happy 2024 everyone!

Don’t forget there’s still time to take advantage of the Last Chance sale. You can get up to 60% off until January 3rd. Some things have already sold out, so for the most up to date info, check out my online shop.

Also I’ll be posting details for my upcoming events and classes soon. So make sure to keep checking back here!

Product List

Suspended Book Fold Card

It’s been quite a while since I shared a fancy fold card and so when I saw this one I couldn’t resist! It’s a Suspended Book fold card. Now this card is a little bigger than I usually make. It’s 5″ x 7″ instead of 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″. But I love how this card looks!

I’m still deep into my Christmas crafting, so my card design is Christmas themed. Although I did go in a little bit of a different direction with some of my colours. My main colour is Misty Moonlight. I’m using that colour because I wanted to use the Winter Meadow Designer Series Paper pack. I just love the designs in this pack of patterned paper. And I’m so glad that it’s not retiring!

For my sentiment and images I’m using the Joy of Noel bundle. I used Misty Moonlight ink for the berry branches and “Noel”. And for the pine boughs I used Garden Green cardstock. I stuck the pine boughs and berry branches to the back of the sentiment first. That made it so much easier to then stick it all to the strip of window sheet.

Here it is….

Suspended Book Fold Card

The Suspended Book fold card is probably one of my favourites! I might need to make another version of this.

Check out another card I made using the Joy of Noel bundle here.

And just in case you love this bundle as much as I do, you’ll want to grab it before it retires on January 3rd… or sooner if it sells out. You can find it in my online shop.

A Walk in the Forest

Can you believe there’s only about 5 weeks left until Christmas?! I feel like I’m only just starting to get into my Christmas crafting groove. Thankfully I think I finally figured out my designs for the card I’ll be sending to my friends and family. And while this isn’t it, it is using this pack of Designer Series Paper… A Walk in the Forest.

For this card I’m pairing up the Joy of Noel and More Wishes stamp sets. I think the holly leaf image from the Joy of Noel stamp set goes nicely with the design I chose. And to play up the pine cones in this design I’m using Pecan Pie for my card base and as a frame for the DSP and sentiment.

I stamped the holly leaves in Garden Green. And I stamped the “Merry Christmas” from the More Wishes stamp set in Pecan Pie. Then I popped up the sentiment with a few Stampin’ Dimensionals. And then to finish it off I added a few of the green Adhesive-Backed Glitter Sequins.

A Walk in the Forest

Stay tuned for the designs I use for my family and friends!

In the meantime, check out another Christmas card I made using the Snowflake Magic Specialty Designer Series Paper here.

You can find both packs of patterned paper in my online shop. And when you buy the A Walk in the Forest DSP pack Stampin’ Up! will donate $4 to support organizations dedicated to spreading cheer and providing support to those who need it.

Lost Lagoon Christmas Card

I don’t remember liking Lost Lagoon this much last time Stampin’ Up! had it. But since the colour refresh, it’s become one of my favourite colours! So much so that I decided to make a Lost Lagoon Christmas card. It’s definitely not a traditional Christmas colour, but I do like to try some non-traditional colours every once in a while.

For this card I’m using Lost Lagoon for the card base and ink colour. I stamped some holly and berries from the Joy of Noel stamp set on a piece of Basic White cardstock. Next to that I layered in two of the designs from the Snowflake Magic Specialty Designer Series Paper pack. Then on top of that I added a sentiment that I sponged the edges of the cardstock with using more Lost Lagoon ink. And behind that I put a little bit of silver Simple Elegant trim.

Lost Lagoon Christmas Card

This Lost Lagoon Christmas card is what I made for my large team’s September to December Mini Catalogue card swap. I just love doing card swaps with my team! The cards I get are so pretty and such a great way to see samples with products I don’t have.

Check out another Christmas card I made using the Joy of Noel stamp set here.

And check out my online shop to stock up on all your Christmas card making supplies!

Christmas Card with Winter Meadow

Patterned paper can make it so easy to create beautiful handmade cards! And the Winter Meadow Designer Series Paper pack is no exception. The colours and designs are so pretty. And one thing I really like about this pack is that it’s not your typical Christmas patterned paper. I really didn’t need to add much to craft this beautiful Christmas card with Winter Meadow DSP.

I started with choosing the design from the pack of patterned paper. And this one is great just on it’s own. So I decided to use it as my card mat. For the card base I went neutral… Crumb Cake. The other colours came from the patterned paper; Misty Moonlight and Garden Green.

I paired it with the Joy of Noel bundle. The pines branches are Misty Moonlight cardstock. And the berries I stamped in Garden Green. Then for NOEL I used Crumb Cake. To make it easy to pop all this up with some Stampin’ Dimensionals I punched out a Basic White circle and layered them on. And to finish it off I added some Wink of Stella to the NOEL, along with a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Christmas Card with Winter Meadow

I really like this Christmas card with Winter Meadow DSP. And I can’t wait to craft some more!

Check out a fun fold card I made using the Joy of Noel bundle here.

And if you want to see all the different designs in the Winter Meadow DSP pack, then head over to my online shop.

Corner Box Card

Fancy Folds Design Team

This month the Fancy Folds Design team is making a Corner Box card. It’s such a simple card to make and it’ll fit in a typical envelope… which is always nice! For my card design I’m taking advantage of the upcoming holiday season for my inkspiration. Plus I recently got the Winter Meadow Designer Series Paper pack and am excited to get crafting with it!

I started with choosing my patterned paper. I wanted one design that was fairly simple, so I can write a little note on it. And I wanted the other to have a bit more to it. I chose a Misty Moonlight design from the pack. And what was perfect is that this sheet of DSP worked for both! So for the card base I used Misty Moonlight cardstock.

To make the card base, I used a piece that was 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ and scored along the long side at 2 1/8″, 4 1/4″ and 6 3/8″. Then I also needed a strip that was 1″ x 5 1/2″ and 2 1″ circles. And both of these needed to be scored in half. The strip holds the card base together so that it stands up. I used Tear & Tape Adhesive to hold it all together. Then the 2 circles held up my image and sentiment.

I used the Joy to Noel stamps and dies bundle for my image and sentiment. I stamped both with Misty Moonlight ink. And then used the coordinating dies to cut them out. Once I got them all stuck to my card base I added some Wink of Stella to my “NOEL”.

Here’s the front and back of my Corner Box card…

Remember to keep hopping to see all the Corner Box card designs! Up next is Mette Nordling Shaw and you can check out her card here.

And if you want to check out last month’s hop you can do that here. Last month we made a Pop Out Fun Fold card.

12 Weeks of Christmas for 2023

I can’t believe it’s only 3 months until Christmas! Can you? I keep saying to myself that I’ll start my Christmas cards earlier, but somehow I never do. Maybe this year will be different… there’s still time. If you’d like to get a jump on your Christmas crafting, I’d love to help! And my 12 Weeks of Christmas for 2023 is designed to do just that! This is an exclusive perk for my newsletter subscribers. And you won’t find these project ideas anywhere else!

On Tuesday October 3rd I’ll be sending out my first holiday themed project for the upcoming holiday season. Each project sheet comes complete with a list of supplies and step by step instructions. I’ll be starting with cards, of course! But I’ll also have gift ideas and tag too.

For me the hardest part is deciding on the design for my cards, etc. This totally takes care of that for you! You can copy the projects just as they are… or you can switch out/add on to them. These projects sheets are here to spark your inkspiration and make it easier for you to spend time with your loved ones… which is really what the holidays are all about!

Christmas can be such a hectic time of year. Let me help you get started so you have plenty of time to enjoy the season! Sign up for my 12 Weeks of Christmas for 2023 before October 3rd and you’ll catch all of my projects. Plus when you sign up for my weekly newsletter you’ll get an extra project sheet to help you make your own patterned paper!

Sign up here or for a little more info check out my contact me page.

12 Weeks of Christmas