Pierced frame

Pierced frames are a quick and easy way to add interest to a card. To create the frame for this image, I just cut a scrap piece of paper to the size I wanted, then used a corner rounder on the edges to create an interesting shape. Use low-tack tape to hold it in place and pierce around it.

Olive green and red is a little twist to the traditional Christmas colors, making them look a little more contemporary and fun. Red and green are complementary colors, or opposites, so this is being entered in 365 Cards challenge #285, to use "opposite colors."

The tree is a die-cut sticker. Actually, there were three slightly different versions of the tree on the sheet of stickers, so I made three versions of this card, because I think it's fun.

a more elegant Christmas

White-on-white embossing always strikes me as quite elegant, and I hope it adds a touch of that to this card. I added a few pearls to increase that feeling.

This card is based on this weeks sketch for 365 Cards, #284.

The ornament is an extra from a previous card I made.  I silver-embossed the sentiment and cut it out with nesties. (My standard "Merry Christmas" stamp was an old cheapie. It wasn't stamping properly and I thought it was warped so I decided to unmount it. It literally cracked and fell apart while I was trying to get it off. I guess the rubber had dried out. That has NEVER happened to me before, and now I have to head out to find another one).

I used the textile embossing folder to give the background a little dimension and a pattered ribbon to add a little more color.

Non-traditional Christmas colors

What’s Christmas without traditions? Well, it’s the premise behind a lot of card challenges, for one thing.  Black and white is certainly not a traditional Christmas color scheme, so I think this card is non-traditional in anyone’s book.

The ornaments (both from Stampabilities) were silver-embossed on black paper, then cut out. They are “hung” from tinsel cord and popped up. The sentiment is also silver-embossed.

I’m entering the card for three challenges:

52 Christmas Card challenge to use Black, White and Metallic as colors.

CAS-ual Fridays CFC81  to make a card incorporating Knots.

Victorine Originals #49 to make a Christmas card with non-traditional colors.

Splattered and tied

The COTM theme for a group I'm in is "paint splatter technique." Calling this a technique is a bit of a stretch, since all I did was mix a little water and reinker, load up a paint brush, and flick it. I guess it makes an interesting background -- easy enough to do, and you could make bg paper any combo of colors you wanted to.

The tree is embossed with a glittery white  EP called Winter Wonderland.  It looks quite glittery in real life.

I used a scrap of the paint-splattered paper  to make a tiny tag for my sentiment, and a scrap of embroidery thread

The card is for 365 Card challenge #279, to use gingham. I think the gingham ribbon goes will with the casual look of the paint splatters.

For all the Whos in Whoville

A few weeks ago, the Technique Lovers Challenge at SCS was making a folded tree. Couldn't be simpler -- you take half a circle and put three folds in it, and you're done. I made several of them that day, figuring they'd be useful on Christmas cards.

Sure enough, those trees are proving handy to have around as I make Christmas cards. This one fit perfectly into this week's sketch at 365 cards #277.

There's something about the trees I made that makes them look a little Seussical. I think they'd be perfect for Cindy-Lou Who, don't you? (Actually, I suspect they would also look quite elegant if done in an embossed white, and I need to try that).  I happen to have a pad of Christmas dp someone gave me that also has that sort of Seussical feel to it. Personally, I like my Christmas stuff traditional, so I've been struggling to use this paper in ways I can live with. I think the little Whoville tree card with the whimsical circles and squares on the dp actually works pretty well together.

Little ice skater

Not to rub it in, but there is one nice thing about living in the South.... you can be making an ice skating card secure it the knowledge that right outside your window it's sunny and in the 60s.

I tried a new technique on this -- adding glitter to an embossed piece (just spread it on with a brayer). I must say, it really adds a snow-like sparkle, although I'm afraid it might not show up very well in the photo.

This card is going into several challenges:

There's Magic in the Air -- Sparkle and Glitter
Victorine Originals #48 -- Blue and White
365 Cards #272 -- Wintery with patterned ribbon.

The cute snowman is from Impression-Obsesson.  The snowy DP is from Hobby Lobby, I got it last year after using up the pieces I bought the year before. I hope they still have it as I love both the color and the print.