2016 Christmas cards - Day 10 - Stitched tree

These stitched tree cards are easy to do and look very effective if you use glittery thread. I stuck with tone-on-tone for my cards, but they'd look great in any colour combination.

I made a template (see below - click the image for a larger version to print) of where to put the holes, then poked holes through the front of my card using the template as a guide. The numbers show where the threads should go - 1 to 1, 2 to 2, etc. You could also add a final line along each side to create a point at the top.

To finish the card I added a star punched out of glittery gold card at the top, and a sentiment at the bottom. If you stitched the design in a plain thread you could add gems as baubles as well.

As a variation I tried doing the stitching on the bottom and one side instead of the two sides. I added in the third side with one long stitch. It was quite effective, but I think I prefer the version with the sides stitched.

Supplies:

• Glitter thread
• Needle
• Sentiment
• Glitter card stock
• Star punch
• Gems

2016 Christmas cards - Day 9 - Christmas tree shaker card

All my shaker cards to this point had been very simple shapes, so I thought I'd try something different for this card.

I started by part embossing a piece of white card with a snowflakes die, then used square dies to cut out a Christmas tree shape. I filled the shaker with sequins and gold punched stars, then fixed green card to the back. I finished with another gold star on top of the tree and a sentiment at the bottom, then fixed it to a card base.

If I was doing this card again I think I'd add glitter glue lines inside the tree shape (like tinsel) to add a bit more interest to the shape.

2016 Christmas cards - Day 8 - Recycled crackers

A quick one today. Last year we had some crackers with this gorgeous pattern on them. After they'd all been pulled I thought they were too nice to throw away, so I rescued them, cut them down to rectangles and put them aside to flatten out.

After a few months I pulled them back out, mounted the cracker pieces on gold card and put that on red card bases. Very simple but quite effective.

2016 Christmas cards - Day 7 - Contented mouse cross stitch

I enjoy doing cross stitching, especially the small kits you can buy for a pound or so. When I saw this little kit I immediately thought it would make a lovely Christmas card. I did the cross stitch in a couple of hours one evening, altering the pattern a little bit around the flame.

For the card, I cut a piece of red card just smaller than the card base. I chose an oval die the right size for the image and then attached the cross stitch to the card base with double sided tape, and the red window piece on top with foam tape. To finish I added a gold sentiment at the bottom.

    

2016 Christmas cards - Day 6 - Sleepy kitty

This stamp made an appearance in last year's cards as well, as it's one of my favourites. It's a House Mouse stamp and I love the mouse taking a nap on top of the sleepy kitten's head.

I made two cards in a similar way, I keeping things simple.

For both cards I stamped the image and watercoloured it, with pencils for one and paints for the other, then mounted them on red card.

For the smaller card I stuck on a sentiment and some gold ribbon to finish the card.

For the large square card I stamped a sentiment and mounted that on the same red card, and used strips of the same card on the side of the card base, which is embossed and has a satin finish.

The finished card is very simple with the image being the focal point.

2016 Christmas cards - Day 5 - Dimensional nativity scene

I love biblical images on Christmas cards and when I saw this new die cut set from Concord & 9th I wanted to use it. Concord & 9th is an American company but I found Seven Hills Crafts, which stocks US products in Britain.

The set includes three layer dies, a curved shape which could be used to shape the top of the card, a tiny star and the word 'Noel'. I used the layers and the small star for this card.

Because the detail is in the die cuts, the card is very quick to put together. I die cut all three layers in one pass by carefully positioning my dies on the card, then it was just a case of trimming the edges and layering everything up.

The only issue I had was that the dies are designed for a US sized card whereas my card base is 6"x4", hence the decision to do a portrait card. There are notches on the cutouts for making a more 3D card - pictures are on the Seven Hills Crafts product page here.

I really like the effect this card gives and I'm sure the die will get lots of use for next year's cards.

Supplies:

• Holy Night dies from Concord & 9th
• White cardstock
• Starry night paper free from magazine
• Foam tape
• Sizzix Big Shot die cutter

2016 Christmas cards - Day 4 - Snowman shaker

I have some gorgeous snowy sparkly sequins I got from a pound shop and the perfect use for them seemed to be in a shaker card.

I stamped the snowman on to a piece of card and used watercolour pencils to colour him and a wintery sky.

For the top panel I cut a piece of card the same size as my card base and die cut an oval for the shaker scene. I embossed the snowflakes over the top half of the card and stamped the sentiment on the bottom section.

Finally I assembled the card with two layers of foam tape around the window and added in a generous sprinkling of sequins.

Supplies:

• Wood mounted snowman stamp (no idea where it was from)
• White card
• Inktense watercolour pencils
• Black Ranger archival ink
• Sentiment stamp from Newton's Nook (Fox Hollow?)
• Snowflake embossing folder free from magazine
• Sequins
• Acetate, double sided tape, foam tape

2016 Christmas cards - Day 3 - Purple fox

I wanted to try a non-traditional colour scheme for some of my cards. I'd coloured this little fox without having any idea what to do with him, then I found the purple card he's mounted on. It was actually part of the packaging of some crafty supply I'd bought, but it was a pretty colour and it looked good with the fox.

The image panel was a bit blank without anything on it, so I tied the glitter thread around the side and then mounted the panel on the purple card with foam tape. I stuck the panel on to the card with double sided tape.

To finish the card I stamped the 'peace on earth' sentiment from the same stamp set and added sequins to add to the sparkle.

Supplies:

• Newton's Nook Fox Hollow stamp set
• Frame die
• Glitter thread
• Sequins
• Black Ranger archival ink
• PVA glue, double sided tape, foam tape
• Copic markers

2016 Christmas cards - Day 2 - Meowy Christmas

I wanted to do a Christmassy tag to mount on a card, and as I was looking through my stamps I realised I'd never used this particular image before, so out it came.

I stamped on to the tag (which is the back of a tag which came on a new pair of jeans!) and coloured with copics.

The cat's collar tag is coloured with a gold sparkly gel pen, and I went over the red floor with a clear sparkly nail polish top coat to add more shimmer. I'm a great believer in using what you have to craft with, and the shimmer looks really nice.

I rounded the corners of the tag, then cut a piece of red and white snowflake paper as a background and rounded the corners of that too. I stuck that straight to my card base, then mounted the tag on foam tape.

I stuck the string where I wanted it using PVA glue, and finished by rounding the corners of the card base.


Supplies:

• Newton's Nook Newton's Holiday Mischief stamp set
• Copic markers
• Glitter gel pens
• Dovecraft vintage Christmas 6x6 paper set
• Ranger archival black ink
• Corner rounder punch
• Double sided tape, foam tape, PVA glue
• Glittery nail polish

2016 Christmas cards - Day 1 - Fair Isle mittens

I'm going to do a Christmas card series again this year, starting with these mitten cards. I took my inspiration cards from two created by Kristina Werner in her holiday card series (here and here).

I started by masking off the sides of the front of the card then used a Memento dewdrop ink pad in Lady Bug to stamp a series of Fair Isle patterned stripes in a block, leaving space above and below.

Next I pierced holes in the corners around the edge of the pattern and threaded some brown and white baker's twine to create a border, tying a bow at the bottom. I cut another short length of twine and stuck each end to the mittens, then fixed the mittens to the card.

Finally I used a dab of pva glue to stick the twine in a loop shape.

The mittens I used are foam self-adhesive shapes that I bought from The Works, as are the stamps I used for the background. I love that shop for affordable embellishments at this time of year!