Use Simple Shapes to Make Holiday Cards

by Jennifer Vanderbeek

Use Simple Shapes to Make Holiday Cards

There are so many cute and fun stamps and dies on the market these days for the holidays that it’s truly tough to resist them. I don’t know about you but there’s only so much room in the budget and the stamp storage to go around, so I’m always happy to come up with ways to use the things I already have and getting more mileage out of my tools and supplies. To that end, these cards use patterned stamps that are not holiday-specific and simple shapes you can cut with basic dies, punches, or even just scissors. These simple shape cards are also perfect for crafting with kids in preparation for the holidays!

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour depending on the number of cards

Directions

Supplies

Imagine

• Delicata – White Shimmer, Pink Shimmer, Ruby Red
• VersaFine – Olympia Green
• VersaMark – Champagne Dazzle
• Embossing Powder – Gold, Clear
• All-Purpose Ink – Vegas Gold
• StazOn Studio Glaze – Claret
• irRESISTibles Spray – Wedding Dress
• Fantastix – Brush Tip
• Creative Medium – Shimmer
• Palette Knives
• Tear It! Tape
• On Point Glue

Other

• Cardstock – Dark green, Green, Royal Blue, Burgundy, Cream, Yellow
• Patterned Paper – Red with White Dots
• Pencil
• Fiskars – Scissors
• Darice – Heat Tool
• Acrylic Blocks
• Stampers Anonymous – Doily Stamp
• Studio Calico – Make a Wish stamp set
• Joy Clair Stamps – Lovely Swirl Background stamp
• Our Daily Bread – Vine Background stamp
• Simon Says Stamp – Merry and Bright stamps
• Bo Bunny – Sentiments Stamp
• Marvy Uchida – Star Punch
• My Favorite Things – Pierced Oval Stax dies
• Lawn Fawn – Stitched Circle Frames dies
• Sizzix – Big Shot Plus
• Bone Folder
• Ribbons & Threads

Create a Home Décor Using Leftover Letter Stickers

by Elina Stromberg

We scrapbookers and card makers love letter stickers. And we have lots of them. However, after using the sticker sets for writing card sentiments and scrapbook titles we end up with a growing pile of sets with only a few letters left. This project idea takes those single letter stickers of varying patterns, colors, and size into a new use. Choose your favorite inspirational quote and favorite colors to create this fun project!

Skill: Beginner
Time: 1 hour + drying time

Directions


Step 1

Select letters from various sticker sets to write your quote. Form words and glue letters on a white painting board or canvas.


Step 2

Cover the letters with white gesso. Apply a few thin layers letting the layers dry in between.


Step 3

Color the letters with VersaFine Clair ink. Use one or several colors of your choice. Let dry. Decorate with sequins, seed beads or stamped patterns.

In addition to the whiteboard I decided to do another version of the quote board with a colorful background and white letters: I placed the loose letters on my craft mat, painted them with gesso, colored the background, and as the last step glued the letters on my board. The background is heavy watercolor paper, and I painted it with a few Fireworks! inks. That shimmering watercolor look creates a beautiful contrast to the simple white letters!

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • White gesso
  • Painting board or heavy watercolor paper
  • Glue
  • Sequins

The Purrfect Card To Make for Your Cat Loving Friends

by Kyriakos Pachadiroglou

It’s time for someone to take charge and change the “myth” and set things straight! That was what the cat was thinking and decided to scratch out the dog in man’s best friend and replace it with the right word! Celebrate cats with your cat-loving friends by making this high contrast purrrfect card. Black and red stamping in contrast with the white card and gray distressed background enhance the bold dimensional design. Add a cute kitty stamp front and center with a little ball of string for her to bat around as adorable final touches.

Skill: Intermmediate
Time: 1 hour

Directions

Step 1

Cut a 4 x 2 ½ piece of watercolor paper and stamp the words “DOG man’s best friend” with the VersaFine Clair Nocturne inkpad.

Step 2

Use a craft knife to scratch the word “DOG” out making it look like a kitty paw might have done it.

Step 3

Stamp the word “CAT” with VersaFine Clair in Tulip red.

Step 4

Stamp the cat design with the same color on a scrap piece of watercolor paper and cut around the shape.

Step 5

On a 3 x 1 ¼ pice of watercolor paper stamp the word “Purrrfect” using both colors of VersaFine Clair already used.

Step 6

Die cut hearts frames from watercolor paper and full hearts from tracing paper.

Step 7

Distress a 4 x 6 in. white cardstock with Memento in London fog and a sponge dauber. Then use the stencil and the same dauber to create a darker overlay pattern.

Step 8

Add Tear It! Tape to the back of your inked cardstock, remove the backing and adhere to your card base.

Step 9

Continue to add the rest of the stamped and die cut pieces using On Point Glue.

Step 10

Cut a 5-6 in. long piece of the red jute cord. Form a little ball and set on the card with On Point Glue.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Watercolor paper
  • Tracing paper
  • Alphabet stamps
  • Cat stamp
  • Heart shape dies
  • Die cutting machine
  • Kaiserkraft – checker plate stencil
  • Red jute cord
  • Craft knife

 

Quick and Easy Owl Christmas Card

by Nadine Carlier

Owl Christmas Card by Nadine Carlier IC

Stamping over Delicata Inks with another ink like VersaFine Clair or Memento Inks creates such a cool shimmery effect.
Watch my video below to see exactly what I mean.  Enjoy!

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 15 minutes

Supplies

Imagine
Other

Visit our YouTube Channel for more inspirational videos and subscribe to get updates when we post new videos.

Create an Elegant Christmas Tag with Grey Ink

by Jowilna Nolte

It is that time of the year again when I try and get a head start in making my Christmas cards and tags. This holiday tag is an easy one that I could replicate quickly without making too much of a mess and yet it looks gorgeous. I love the layered look of grey stamping and colorful ink blend for a simple and elegant statement. The grey color from VersaFine Morning Mist is gorgeous and it’s not too harsh making this my perfect go-to ink color for stamping.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour

Directions


Step 1

Stamp a wreath and sentiment onto a manilla tag in VersaFine Clair Morning Mist.


Step 2

Use Memento Luxe and a jumbo dauber and blend Love Letter ink around the edges outside of the stamped wreath.


Step 3

Use Memento Luxe Pistachio and blend inside the stamped wreath area.


Step 4

Use VersaFine Clair Shady Lane and stamp several leaves onto smooth white cardstock. Cut out the leaves.


Step 5

Use On Point Glue and adhere the leaves in clusters in two sections on the stamped wreath.


Step 6

Use On Point Glue and make small drops of glue on the berries and then lightly sprinkle with gold glitter and leave to dry. Shake off the excess glitter and brush clean the tag of stray glitter pieces.


Step 7

Adhere the leaves, add embellishments as desired and then add some colored ink or paint splats to finish off your tag with some added details.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • White cardstock
  • Kaisercraft – Christmas stamps
  • Embellishments
  • Tag
  • Glitter – Gold
  • Microbeads
  • Old Postage stamp
  • Watercolor paint

Create a Matching Envelope and Christmas Card

by Kassy Tousignant

Create a Matching Envelope and Christmas Card

VersaFine Clair Ink and large sponge daubers make great patterned background papers for all of your projects! Check out this video to see how I used them to make a beautiful, distressed background for my Christmas card and matching envelope. The colors are so rich and vibrant and create the perfect matching set.

Skill: Advanced
Time: 1 hour

Supplies

Imagine

• VersaFine Clair – Nocturne, Pinecone, Rain Forest, Morning Mist
• VersaMagic – Cloud White
• All-Purpose Ink – Cool Grey
Embossing powder – Black
Memento Markers – Tuxedo Black, London Fog
• Ink Potion No 9
• Sponge daubers
• Fireworks Shimmery Craft Spray – London Fog
• Walnut Ink – Walnut
• IrRESISTibles Pico Embellisher – Black
GooseBumps – shimmer
• Tear It! Tape

Other

• Prima – Clear gesso
• Black twine
• Cardstock – white
• Envelope
• Stampers Anonymous – Tim Holtz Christmas stamp set