Christmas Card 2012 - Red Nose Knows!

These are my "bulk" Christmas cards this year.  I know "Shock" "Horror" "Gasp" "How can you"?  I have my reasons.  Even when I used to buy my cards from the shop I didn't like trying to select which card went best to whom.  It just isn't me.  It is far better for my own personal well being this time of year to send almost everyone the same card.  I admire those who don't stress with these small decisions however, that is not me.  So help me celebrate me and let me know what you think.

To be honest I think the process is pretty self evident.  The stamps are Clear dollar dear stamp and the greeting from Kitchen Sink Stamps.  I did test out some combinations before I went with the black sentiment, but it was the most pleasing to my eye on this card. 

It took about 8 hours to complete 104 cards.  I will be honest I thought I was making 100 but somewhere along the line miscounted.  Better to be on the safe side right? LOL!  I cut 26 sheets of white cardstock down into four 5 x 3 3/4 rectangles. I was able to stamp both the sentiment and the deer at one time so I just kept stamping until I got to the bottom of the stack.  Then I took the stack and colored until I got to the bottom of the stack.  As I colored with Copics I made certain to move the card onto a piece of paper to color because of color saturation through the cardstock.  Once those were done, I went through and colored the noses red.  This was more of a safety feature in case the rhinestones came off the card the reindeer would still have a red nose.

At this point I scored and cut down 52 pieces of kraft cardstock for the base.  Once I folded these, I attached the top layer to the base.  Then I glued on red rhinestones.  I will be honest with you, these rhinestones were self adhesive but the adhesive was very flexible and I just didn't feel it was secure enough.  I did a test run with some Martha Stewart glitter adhesive and boy does that stick! So I used it on all the cards to adhere the rhinestones.

My next worry was the post office machinery destroying them.  So I decided to line my envelopes with cardstock.  Because it is best if the cardstock is texture I just went for it and sent all this through a wintery embossing folder before I adhered it to the inside of the envelope.

Once the envelopes were complete I set out to make my inserts for the cards I will send out and stamped the backs.  I won't go into trying to sort out my printer/computer- ok my brain so that it all looked right!

The other thing I do is try to hand address the cards.  I have had bad experiences in the past with using labels and they don't get delivered because it is assumed they must be from businesses etc.  So hand address I do.

Ingredients
Card Size - 5.5 x 4.25 inches (13.97 cm x 10.79 cm)
Cardstock - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Smooth, Recollections Kraft, Georgia Pacific white cardstock
Stamps - Clear Dollar Stamps - deer, Kitchen Sink Stamps
Ink - Memento
Color - Copic, Sakura Red Stardust gel pen
Accessories - 3mm red rhinestone, Embossing folder

Birthday Flowers

This is a digital stamp from Clearly iStamp . It was a freebie a few months ago for a competition that I downloaded it for and never entered. So when I was in a bind this week for a large flower stamp and really couldn't think of something productive to make this is what jumped off my computer and said color me!
 
Originally I was going very plain with just the basket of flowers on the background.  TBH it just didn't look right.  I then thought I would add some color to the background to focus the eye.  That looked worse.  So I went through my hoard lovingly procured stash of designer paper and thought this was a decent match and kept the card light and fun.

Do you think it worked?

This card went to our 81 year old auntie with failing eyesight.  It was really important to use a large vibrant image.

This was the first time I had used a digi stamp.  I'm in love!

Ingredients
Card Size 8.5in x 5.5 in 
Cardstock - Neenah Solar White Classic Crest Smooth, The Paper Studio
Stamps - Clearly iStamp, Kitchen Sink Stamps
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Color- Copics
Accessories - clear glitter glue.



Just a not so quick note

 

Sometimes I just don't know what to do with myself... and other times I play.  I had this idea that kraft and white are the ultimate combination that aren't nearly exploited enough and can be masculine, fresh, yada, more, etc... well you get the idea. Hmmm... So I set off and stamp my phrase, staggering it to make a background strip, not perfect but I can work with it.  I then wanted to mount the image on white.  Yikes! It really didn't work the way I thought it would. Second thought! Can I save it.  I dry embossed it to make it look like it was intentional.  ugggg.... I'm really not sure.  So I inked the edges to help it.  No, this really isn't working (although I'm sure I will use it).

 

 

I then decide maybe it is pink and kraft the ultimate combination that aren't nearly exploited enough and who cares if it masculine but it will be fresh, yada, more, etc... well you get the idea.  So I stamp a light memento pink (do you really expect me to remember the color) oooo I love it.  I go ahead and stamp one phrase in the deeper pink and stamp my 3 step quill and ink. I might just go straight to nirvana at this point... then it dries! OH MY where did my beautiful light pink background go?  I don't believe this! *shaking my head*...

 

 

Third time is charm right? So I decide that grey, pink and kraft the ultimate combination that aren't nearly exploited enough and may not be masculine, but it is fresh, yada, more, etc... well you get the idea by this point don't you? because to be honest I'm not certain I do.  This is absolutely going to work. Um, um, um, it is ok.  but that's about it... maybe it is the placement of the quill that is still off...  Well I have had plenty of practice now.

 

I think it is time to stop counting and just be full of belief that grey, black and kraft are  the ultimate combination that aren't nearly exploited enough and are masculine, fresh, yada, more, etc... well you get the idea. Hmm... that quill and ink.  I need it because without it the card is just a card with words on the front.  I want it.  I'm stubborn, this has to work somehow doesn't it?

 

 

So have I told you about the card I made with kraft, black, grey and white ink? The ultimate combination that aren't nearly exploited enough and can be masculine, fresh, yada, more, etc... I'm still not certain about it.  I will let you know if I ever work it out.

 

Ingredients

Card size - 4.5 x 5.5 inches

Cardstock - Recollections Kraft

Stamps - Kitchen Sink Stamps "3 step school days"

Ink -  Brilliance, Memento - desert sand, potter's clay, angel pink, rose bud, london fog, Tuxedo black.

H20 Pink Butterfly

I decided I wanted to try painting my stamp with my Twinkling H20s and then misting them and to stamp.  To be honest it seems to have turned out like a do it yourself Rorshach Test.  This was the best one so I decided to make it into a card. After stamping the butterfly I had to let it dry.  Then I used a circle mask to leave a highlight around the butterfly when I stamped and airbrushed the background. 

I liked the concept of this card but I don't know if I really like how it turned out.  It was fun trying different techniques and keeping it to one layer though.

Sometimes I have difficulty in putting a sentiment on a card, guess I solved that problem for this one!

In the end this was a messy time consuming process and I didn't like the result.  I might try it again with a rubber stamp in the future.  I did toy with the idea of going ahead and stamping the other two steps of the butterfly on top but didn't want to risk the one image I really liked after I had stamped this about a gazillion times (okay that might be a slight exaggeration).  I'm sure I will try it again though probably not this year!

Ingredients
Card Size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in
Cardstock - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Smooth
Stamps - Kitchen Sink Stamps (3 step butterfly) (Happy Birthday)
Ink - Memento London Fog, Tuxedo Black
Color - Twinkling H20s, Copic for airbrushed background.




Pink & White themed Roses

Join in with me, "another GinaKDesigns challenge card" this one was to keep to one color and one neutral.  I really like this card.  From the soft stamped background to the "flick" technique to color the rose.  I don't know if that is what it is called but I used the same technique that I saw used to color hair on YouTube.  I think it works and ads another bit of interest to the coloring of the rose.

Ingredients
Card Size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in
Cardstock - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Smooth
Stamps - Stampendous, Kitchen Sink Stamps
Ink - Memento
Color - Copics
Accessories - Spellbinders Nestabilities



Primary Birthday

Yet another challenge card from July from Gina K Designs challenges.  If I remember this one correctly, it was to use primary colors.  I think I mastered that! LOL!  I like it but I don't love it.  I hope I work out what I don't love about it, because I liked the concept.

Ingredients
Card Size -  5.5in x 8.5 in
Cardstock - Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Smooth
Stamps - The Pink Cat Studio, Kitchen Sink Stamps
Ink - Memento
Color - Copics