This is my 1st Christmas Card for the 2008 season...

and I have to thank the ladies at the Splitcoast Stampers site for my design inspirations, which were created for Tuesday’s (October 14th) Color Challenge CC188 and Wednesday’s (October 15th) Sketch Challenge SC198!!! I love them both. I know that pink, black and white seem like strange colors for a Christmas Card, but I personally think they are great! The beautiful pink poinsettia blooms that I cut using my Pazzles Inspiration were designed by a very talented lady in the UK named Sharon Long, but better known as “The Scrapbook Lady”. Here is a link to her site where you can find about 19 free GSD files for download, although I’m afraid that I don’t see this file any longer: http://www.thescrapbooklady.co.uk/catalog/gsddownload.php. I used Photoshop, “Santa’s Sleigh Full” font and my Canon Pixma MP530 inkjet printer to do “Happy Holidays”. I paper sculpted the poinsettias and filled the center with Stickles and some black fun foam that I punched with my tiny hole punch. By the way, I once again pulled out my sewing machine and some thread…..check out the “sewn” leaves on the bottom black panel on my card! I think I may be getting addicted!LOL
Finished Card Size: A2/4.25”x5.5”

Supplies

Papers: Westrim Crafts (Black CS), The Paper Company (White CS), Bazzill (Pink CS)
Tools: Pazzles Inspiration, Brother i6000 Sewing Machine, Cuttlebug
Accessories: Spellbinders Nestabilitis Small Standard Circles, Mark Richards “Pearls Perles” Crystal Stickers, Offray Black Satin Ribbon, “Black Diamond” Stickles, Fiskars Hole Punch

Well....finally I'm back and feeling much better!

For the Splitcoast “Technique Lover’s Challenge” this past Monday (TLC190), they selected the “Stair Step Fold” and I decided that would be great for making my friend Liz’s birthday card……….so here it is! My actual design started around the beautiful ribbon that I recently purchased at Michael’s for $1.00!!! The butterfly that I cut with my Pazzles Inspiration was a free paper piecing from the Better Homes and Gardens Scrapbooks, etc. The only thing I changed was the “body”….I kind of redesigned it in my Pazzles software and I used some beading “eye pins” that I re-shaped for antennae. If any of you would like the “recipe” for the Stair Step/Accordion Card, you can find it here at the Splitcoast site. I also want to mention that I made a little “card in a card” for this project so that I would have a place for my personal signature! The little metal looking “celebrate!” piece at the top of the ribbon is “faux metal” that I made some time back. The “Happy Birthday Liz” was done using Adobe Photoshop CS3 and the “Young Love ES” font and I used Color Code #122903 and then I printed it using my Canon Pixma MP530 inkjet printer. I also want to mention that this is the very first time that I have used machine stitching on a paper crafting project, but I will be doing it more often….love the look!!!

Supplies

Papers: Bazzill & “Kiwi Iridescent” EFFECTS Papercraft by Canson
Ink: “Ultra Fine Silver” by Old Town Crafts (for “faux metal”)
Tools: Pazzles Inspiration, Cuttlebug, Ranger “Heat It”, Martha Stewart “Embossed ZigZag” Border Punch, Brother i6000 Sewing Machine
Accessories: Ribbon is Michaels Stores “Shimmering Crystals”, the Paper Studios “Peel-Off Stickers” (silver border), Silver Stars were a gift of Peel-Offs from a friend in the UK, Mark Richards “Peel-Offs” (the remainder of the silver stickers), Craft Expressions “Eye Pins” (antennae), Spellbinders Nestabilities “Small Petite Scalloped Ovals” & “Small Petite Ovals”, “Mesh”, “Textile” & “Tiny Bubbles” Cuttlebug Embossing Folders. Coats & Clark “Silver Metallic Thread”