'Tis the season for stepping up my Christmas card making. To make it easier I have an 8 x 14 lucite bin that I store all my Christmas themed dies, embossing folders, stencils, and leftover die cuts. I keep the stamps separately "filed" in a drawer by theme such as sentiments, snowflakes, trees, religious, etc. Because snowflakes are my favorite design element, I get out all my snowflake dies early in the year and cut multiples of each and keep them sorted in clear "flip flop" pockets. If I need a quick Christmas card I can get out a card base, pick a background from my stash or a trimming from one, add a large snowflake or several small ones, a leftover sentiment or quickly stamp one, add a sparkle in the center of the snowflakes and I have a card. If I have time I can add a few more touches like an extra layer or embossing.
Towards the end of summer I go through my other stencils, embossing folders, and dies and add any that might be useful to my Christmas bin to have handy, Let's face it. Most of the cards I will be making for the next few months will be holiday cards. Last week when I was looking through my embossing folders I found a Sizzix 3D Impresslits Snowflake folder by Tim Holtz hiding in the back which was easy for it to do because it's only @ 3 x 4.5 inches. It cuts and embosses a 2.75 and 1.75 inch snowflake in one step. Talk about a time saver! I bought it as part of the 2021 release and forgot all about it. I have never used it!!! It has now lost it's status as a NBUS (Never Been Used Stuff). I used it and the sketch below from CAS Colours and Sketches for the Alphabet K for Keep it Simple Challenge.
I followed the "add a few more touches" version of my quick(ish) formula. I picked a strip left over after trimming a background I made I don't know how long ago and swiped the edges with ColorBox silver metallic pigment ink. I put a small scrap of silver foil into the newly rediscovered embossing folder, ran it through my die cut machine and had a 3D snowflake to use now and a small one for my stash. I looked through my snowflake stash and selected one cut using the retired Beautiful Blizzard die from Stampin' Up to layer on the silver one and finished my focal point with a sparkle. I cut a 4 x 5.25 piece of white to add a layer for interest and heat embossed a sentiment from Close to My Heart's Snow Flurries set in silver. All that was left to do is attach everything to the card base and stamp a sentiment inside.
I also plan to enter this in the NBUS, Jingle Belles Cardstock Christmas (no patterned paper), Can You Handle the Pressure Anything Goes Using an Embossing Folder, and Peace on Earth Anything Christmas Goes Challenges. Thank you for stopping by! Until next time, Hansi
Yes, it's a simple card but it's so very elegant with the shiny snowflake.
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