Final Christmas Card Post for 2025!

I can't believe it's the end of 2025 already!  That was one fast year!

To finish off with a couple of Christmas cards.  The first is for Inkspirational "Cold" and Addicted to CAS "Christmas".

I've been making some backgrounds lately using the cling wrap technique (see this SCS tutorial). For this one I used Magical Powders (shimmery powdered dye based pigments) sprinkled and spritzed with water on black mixed media cs with cling wrap scrunched up on it to create my background. Love the sparkle and the texture I got.

I topped it with a die cut village and a sentiment and added the panel to a slimline card base.  That sky looks very cold and icy to me, and having the houses and landscape all in white makes them look like they are covered in snow!

For 52 Christmas Card Throwdown "Use a Previous 2025 Technique", I chose the one from May "Use Die Cuts or Punches" and got out my old Martha Stewart pine branch punch and some square dies.  It's also going to the Snippets challenge as it used up lots of bits of green cs and dp for the wreath, a scrap of dp for the background, and scraps of green and red cs for the bordering layers. 

I made a thin circle out of scrap green cs using two circle dies, then punched many little pine branches out of scraps of dp (mostly pieces that had images of grass or leaves on them).  I glued them onto the die cut circle, added it to the background square of dp, and bordered with squares of red and green cs.  Finished with a small stamped sentiment and red gemstones for berries.  It's not the quickest card to make but I love the results.

     

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white and black cs
Size - 7x3.75"
Accessories - aqua Magicals, village die cut

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - SSS sentiment
Ink - Memento Rhubarb Stalk
Paper - scraps of various dp; chalk, red, and green cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - Martha Stewart pine branch punch, Spellbinders circle and square dies, red gems

Recycled Bottle, Layered Flowers, and Monochrome Doves

Today is Earth Day so it seems an appropriate day to post this card for both Jingle Belles and Sweet Stampin' challenges to include a recycled element.

The little bottle came off a commercial card I received and the ribbon off a Christmas gift.

I stamped the sentiment on white cs and cut the sections out and layered everything on some festive dp.

I feel that the sentiment is such a major part of the card so I'm also linking it up at Word Power.

Next up is a card for The Flower Challenge "Add Layers".  I've got a watercoloured focal image layer, a pink bordering layering, and a dp layer on the card base.  It's also for Colorful Options "Pastels".

And last for today, Addicted to CAS wants a monochrome card.

 I used a little scrap of cling wrap background made with a couple of different blue Brushos (sprinkled, spritzed with water, then cling wrap scrunched up on it, and left to dry).  I framed it, added the two die cut doves, and added a blue heat embossed sentiment.

                  

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Dylusions sentiment
Ink - Versafine Onyx Black
Paper - white cs, dp
Size - A2
Accessories - recycled little bottle, recycled ribbon

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - SU Echoes of Kindness flower
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - white and pink cs, dp, watercolour paper
Size - 6.25x3.25"
Accessories - watercolour paints

Supplies for card :
Stamps - Stampendous sentiment
Ink - ColorBox Royal Blue
Paper - watercolour paper, white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - clear embossing powder, Memory Box dove dies, Impression Obsession frame die

Winter Scenes

For The Sisterhood of Crafters "Winter Blues" challenge, The Four Seasons Challenge "Winter", and the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown "Blue and White" challenge:

I sprinkled a couple of shades of blue Brushos onto watercolour paper, spritzed with water and got it all to run and create a soft blue background.  When dry, I sprinkled with "Fractured Ice" embossing powder and heated it from underneath so that it wouldn't blow off.  Trimmed the background to fit behind my die cut of two reindeer in a partial circle (I cut it twice for more dimension), glued it all together and stamped a winter sentiment in blue.

For Shopping Our Stash "Winter Wonderland" and Christmas Craft Creations "Glitter and Sparkle", I have another card with a winter die cut.

I had a piece of a cling wrap background done with blue and mauve reinkers that was just large enough to work with my die.  Normally the die cuts an aperture for the card (as it did in this card) but I didn't want the whole front of the card to be glitter cs so I cut it so that I only had the cabin and trees and some snowy ground, and trimmed the bottom of it with a circle die cut.  Trimmed the background with the same circle die and glued the glitter piece on top.  Out of the leftover bits of the glitter cs, I cut some tiny stars and some snowflakes and embellished the card with them.  To keep with the "glitter and sparkle" theme of the Christmas Craft Creations challenge, I used a sentiment with the word "sparkle" in it.

                  

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black sentiment
Ink - Distress Chipped Sapphire,
Paper - watercolour paper, white cs
Size - 4.25" square
Accessories - Memory Box Deer Family, Emerald Creek Fractured Ice embossing powder

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Mama Elephant sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, blue and mauve reinkers
Paper - mixed media, white, and white glitter cs
Size - A2
Accessories - Memory Box Countryside Circle die, Spellbinders circle die, cling wrap, small snowflake and star dies

Smooshing with Cling Wrap

The Group of Seven Cardmakers are using cling wrap with smooshing this month.  Here's my first card:

For this one I used Magicals on black mixed media cs.  Love the sparkle and the texture I got.

I die cut a reindeer out of silver glitter cs and had him leaping off a sentiment die.

Up next:

This card uses Magicals on watercolour paper.  I didn't get as much texture with this one but I do love the colours.  I had to use quite a lot of Magicals and a lot of water to stop the colour getting absorbed too quickly into the watercolour paper.  Loll kindly lent me her reindeer stamp that I've been trying to buy for ages and I stamped and heat embossed it in black.  Luckily I was using my MISTI as it took a lot of repeat inking and stamping to get a good impression on the watercolour paper.  

I wanted to border it in black but all my black cs looked dull next to the shine of the black heat embossing and the sparkly streaks from the Magicals, so I ran Versamark around the edges of a die cut rectangle of cs and then heat embossed with black embossing powder.  It's much more effective as a border.  To continue the shine I used a white shimmer cs for the card base.

Head on over to Group of Seven Cardmakers if you want to see more examples of this technique using different papers and different products.  And feel free to add an example of your own to the linky!

Supplies for card 1:
Paper - black mixed media cs, white cs, silver glitter cs
Size - 7x3.75"
Accessories - aqua Magicals, Penny Black reindeer die, Memory Box sentiment die

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Studio Light
Ink - Versamark, Versafine Clair Nocturne
Paper - watercolour paper, white shimmer cs
Size - A2
Accessories - black and clear embossing powders, blue and mauve Magicals

Blue / Purple Sky and a Birthday Cat

Sneaking in under the wire for Color Hues "Light Blue and Purple":

The background was done with blue and purple reinkers on mixed media cs, then covered in wrinkled cling wrap while it dried.  The snowy tree die is cut from white glitter cs, and it's mounted on a blue/grey card base that in real life matches the blue in the background better than it does in the photo.

As you probably know, I'm very focused on making Christmas cards right now, but friends do have birthdays coming up.  I used Seize the Birthday "Neutrals Only" to get me to make one for a guy friend.  He adores his black cat, Maisie, so I had to add her to the card!

I inked up the background stamp randomly with various Distress Oxide inks, spritzed lightly with water, and stamped onto mixed media cs.  Once dry, I stamped the cat in black (using my MISTI to get a good solid impression) and heat embossed it, then bordered in black cs, and added to an off-white card base.

 

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Make an Impression sentiment
Ink - ColorBox Heliotrope, various blue and purple reinkers
Paper - blue / grey cs, white glitter cs, mixed media cs
Size - 4.75" square
Accessories - cling wrap, Spellbinders circle die, Memory Box trees die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Savvy Stamps sentiment, Lavinia cat, Magenta (?) branches
Ink - Versafine Clair Nocturne, various Distress Oxide inks
Paper - mixed media, black, and off white cs
Size - A2
Accessories - SU label punch, black embossing powder

Polar Bears, a Cabin, and a Sentiment

The month is flying by and I've got some challenges I want to enter.

First up, did you know there was such a thing as Polar Bear Day?  Well there is, and part of the reason is to draw attention to the world's largest carnivore and the threat of extinction facing it.  The Day of the Month Card Club Challenge chose it for its February challenge.  And polar bears are perfect for the Paper Players wildlife challenge.

Stamped and watercoloured, then trimmed and put on a gold shimmer panel that has "merry" die cut out of it.

Moving on to Christmas Cards All Year Round where they want to see a cabin or cottage.

I kept it simple to let this lovely detailed image take centre stage.  Stamped in navy, trimmed and bordered with navy cs, and glitter added to all the snowy places.  In real life, it's lovely and sparkly.

And finally, a chance to use up a strange piece of background from my UFO box.  The Christmas Kickstart Challenge wants the sentiment to take centre stage.

I don't know what I was thinking when I made this background - I sprayed some gold spray on navy cs, then scrunched up some cling wrap on top and let it dry.  Then added two types of Frantage embossing powder (one with chunky white bits, one with smaller white and gold bits) and heat embossed from underneath.  I was going to toss it and then decided to try using it for this challenge with just a gold die cut sentiment and a few die cut gold stars.  To add a bit more interest (as if there wasn't enough going on already), I die cut the navy panel with a hemstitch rectangle and layered it over a gold card base to co-ordinate with the sentiment and stars.  So what's the verdict - a hot mess (as Jennifer McGuire likes to say) or a passable attempt at mixed media?  Believe me, you won't hurt my feelings as I'm quite ambivalent about this one!

Challenges:

Day of the Month Card Club Challenge - "Polar Bear Day"

 

The Paper Players - "Wild about Wildlife"

 

Christmas Cards All Year Round - "Cabin / Cottage"

Christmas Kickstart Challenge - "The Sentiment Takes Centre Stage"

Supplies for card 1:
Stamps - Penny Black
Ink - Archival Jet Black
Paper - watercolour paper, gold shimmer and cream cs
Size - A2
Accessories - watercolour paints, TH merry die

Supplies for card 2:
Stamps - Crafty Individuals cabin, Penny Black sentiment
Ink - Versafine Clair Twilight
Paper - white and navy cs
Size - A2
Accessories - glitter

Supplies for card 3:
Paper - navy and gold cs
Size - A2
Accessories - gold spray, cling wrap, Stampendous Frantage embossing powders, Spellbinders hemstitch rectangle die, Memory Box star dies, Penny Black sentiment die

Winter Birds

I love birds on cards and also in real life - I have several bird feeders up in my backyard and love seeing all the birds out there.  I get a lot of birds in the winter so thought they'd be a good subject for this month.

This image reminds me of the clusters of birds sitting in my trees, waiting their turn at the feeders.

I tried using cling wrap with a watercolour wash (without the spray starch that I usually use with cling wrap).  I did quite a wet wash with blue watercolour paint and then scrunched up the cling wrap and left it overnight to dry.  I didn't get the really noticeable texture that you get with spray starch - just a bit of very subtle texture - easiest to see down at the bottom right corner.

When thoroughly dry, I stamped the image.  It looked a bit blah, so I sponged a bit of blue ink around the edges, since I wasn't planning on bordering it with anything.

I popped it up on fun foam and scattered a few die cut snowflakes (cut out of the same white cs as the card base) around the outside.

Supplies:

Stamps - Viva Decor

Ink - Archival Jet Black, Distress Salty Ocean

Paper - watercolour paper, white cs

Size - A2

Accessories - blue watercolour paint, cling wrap, small snowflake dies, fun foam

Blue and Silver Peace Dove

Christine is hosting the first CAS Christmas challenge for 2019:

I love this colour combination - blue is my favourite colour and I think silver sets it off perfectly.

Every year my best friend asks me to make several Christmas cards with a peace dove theme so this one was made for her.

The background was created by spraying starch on mixed media cs, sprinkling with blue brushos, and then scrunching cling wrap over the top.   I left it to dry and then removed the cling wrap.

I die cut the dove and the frame from silver shimmer cs, and added a sentiment, heat embossed in silver.  Here's a closer photo:

We'd love to have you join us!  Check out CAS Christmas for more inspiration by the Design Team and our wonderful Guest Designer, Kaja (Kajcyika Crafts).  You have until January 24th to link up your cards.  Please keep them Clean and Simple, and follow the "blue and silver" requirement of the challenge.

And don't forget to check out the new CAS Stencil Card Challenge:

Its first challenge will be up and running on January 4th!

Happy New Year to everyone!

Supplies:

Stamps - A Muse sentiment

Ink - ColorBox silver

Paper - white and silver cs, mixed media cs

Size - A2

Accessories - Impression Obsession dove die, MFT pierced frame die, silver embossing powder, blue Brushos, spray starch, cling wrap

Blue Star

The last CAS Christmas challenge of the year!

I combined three of my favourite things - stars, brushos / spray starch backgrounds, and the colour blue:

The background was created by spraying a piece of mixed media paper with spray starch. Then sprinkling with a couple of shades of blue Brushos, scrunching a piece of cling wrap over the top, and leaving it to dry for a few hours.

I then trimmed it down to fit nicely on a white shimmer card base.

The star was cut from a piece of cs on which I'd stamped a Christmas text background, sponged lightly with blue ink, and went over with a tiny snowflake stencil and sparkly embossing paste (unfortunately the openings on the stencil are so tiny that I lost a lot of definition of the snowflake shapes - note to self that this stencil is better for sponging than for using with embossing paste - but I do have a nice bit of sparkly texture.).  The die cut star is popped up on fun foam for dimension.

The December CAS Christmas challenge is shorter than the rest of the months to give us a nice break for the holidays.  So please get your card linked up by December 15th.  For inspiration, head on over to CAS Christmas to see the cards by the rest of the Design Team and the very beautiful one made by our Guest Designer, Cindy of Escape to Stamping.  Please remember to keep your card clean and simple, and to use the theme of stars.

Supplies:

Stamps -

Ink - blue Distress inks

Paper - white shimmer, plain white, mixed media cs

Size - 4.75" square

Accessories - various blue Brushos, spray starch, cling wrap, Spellbinders star die, tiny snowflake stencil, sparkly embossing paste, foam tape