It's Official...

I have now made my first Christmas card of 2008! This may be a personal record, I'm not sure. It was kinda fun to pull out my Christmas paper stash from last year (I always over buy on that stuff). Every year I have grand plans and projects I want to make for the holidays but always run out of time, energy and money. I'm hoping this year will be different. This could be just the first of many early Christmas cards in the works!


My little deer and trees were stamped right onto some patterned Basic Grey paper using Dark Chocolate Palette ink. I colored them using the same technique I described in this post. I stamped a piece of Dark Chocolate satin ribbon and adhered it around the end (yes, Palette ink will work on ribbon and fabric!).


I scalloped a contrasting piece of pattered paper using my slit punch from Stampin' Up! If you haven't tried this technique, you really should! Just turn the punch over so that it creates a scalloped shape along the edge of your paper. Punch once, move it over, punch again, and keep punching until you've moved down the entire length of your paper. You want to try to get the punches as close together as possible, so that the effect is cleaner and you can easily remove the paper when you are done. (The previous punched scallop will serve as your guide when placing the next one.) Practice on some scrap paper a few times until you get the hang of it. Once you've got it, you won't want to stop! I also like to punch holes in each scallop when I'm done, as I did here:

All the patterned paper layers were inked along the edges before being adhered to the card base. I love distressing my cards when I use Basic Grey paper, I think it just calls for it. I also added a few Stickles here and there. It adds a nice snow-like sparkle on Christmas cards and is a great contrast to the distressing. Okay, so one Christmas card down...




Supplies:

Stamps: Merry & Bright by SU!, Mixed Messages by PTI
Ink: New Canvas and Dark Chocolate Palette by PTI, Old Olive, True Thyme and Creamy Caramel by SU!
Patterned Paper: Figgy Pudding/Shiver and Fruitcake/Berry Branch/Maraschino by Basic Grey
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate by PTI
Tools: Crop-a-Dile, slit punch by SU!, blender pen by SU!
Other: Diamond Stickles by Ranger, Dark Chocolate satin ribbon by PTI