My Five Favourite Christmas Makes in 2020

Hazel is asking for our five favourite Christmas makes in 2020 for this week's Fezzwig's Festive Challenge - the perfect challenge for my last post of the year.

These are my five favourite Christmas cards in 2020:

Christmas Flowers - I like the simplicity of this card and it was one I made several times so I could use lots of snippets.

Upcycled Christmas Ornament - I love to upcycle and this card used the front of a gold gift tag for the background of the bauble and bow, together with the flowers from a birthday card for the overlay.

Opulent Baubles - this card uses an embossing folder and stamp set that were cover gifts with a magazine.  It's another card that was quick to make, but had a lot of detail too.

Candy Canes - I have started to do a lot more cross stitch in 2020 as I find it easy to take away when we travelling in our campervan.  I enjoyed stitching these candy canes and have sold several of these cards too.

Embossed Holly - another CAS card using an embossing folder that was a cover gift with a magazine together with a lovely Clearly Besotted stamp and die set.

Kath x

Spring Scene

I made this card using a new die I've just purchased and lots of snippets - it was a lovely change to make something other than a Christmas card!

I die cut the image from white matt card and layered it onto watercolour card before attaching it to the front of the card blank.  I used snippets of gold mirri to die cut the zigzags for the Easter eggs and used a tiny snippet of brown card to die cut the rabbit's eye.  To finish the card I added tiny pink enamel dots to the centre of the flowers.

To make this card I used:
     5.5" x 4.25" white matt card blank
     Die-versions Whispers 'Spring Scene' die
     Snippets of green watercolour card, white matt card and gold mirri
     Pale pink enamel dots

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Cards - Made in Minutes
     NBUS - Challenge 21
     Pixie's Snippets Playground - Challenge 393

Kath x

Cross Stitch Christmas Wreath

I made this cross stitch card using a Kate Knight kit that had been a cover gift with a magazine ages ago. The kit should have had French knots for the centre of the poinsettias and the mistletoe berries but I used Mill Hill seed beads instead.

After completing the cross stitch I attached a small red ribbon bow to the top.  The cross stitch was adhered to the back of a scalloped panel of brown pearlescent card before being attached to the card.

Kath x

Another Delightful Dangles Christmas Tree

Whilst tidying the remains of my Christmas crafting I found this Delightful Dangles Christmas tree that I had already stamped and embossed.  Time to make it into a quick card to put away for next year.

I used green ink to stamp the tree and sentiment onto white card and embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I trimmed the panel so it was slightly smaller than the front of the card blank, rounded the corners and attached it to the front of the card. I then used a gold gel pen to highlight the ornaments on the tree.

To make this card I used:
     7" x 5" white matt card blank
     Woodware 'Delightful Dangles - Christmas Tree'
     Versafine Olympia Green ink
     Gold gel pen
     Stampendous clear embossing powder
     Woodware Corner Rounder punch
     Snippet of white matt card

I am entering the following challenges:     
     AAA Cards - Made in Minutes + Optional Twist - Christmas
     Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Use the Word Christmas
     Fezzwig's Festive Frolics - Last Minute Makes

Kath x

Hope and Chances Charity Kit - December 2020

The December Hope and Chances Charity Kit is being sold to support the Last Chance Animal Rescue.

The kit has everything to make a 'Thank You' card, other than adhesive and gems.  I know the 'Thank You' sentiment was in the bag from Christine, but I couldn't find it anywhere when I made the card so I decided to make a Christmas card.  I used my MISTI to stamp the sentiment (Woodware Festive Verse) into the centre of the panel using dark green ink to match the poinsettia leaves.

The centre panel was attached to the card with a piece of a foam sheet and I attached clear gems into the middle of the flowers. I didn't have any gold coloured gems, but thought the clear ones matched the silver matting layers.

I really like the instructions for the silver matt layer behind the fancy square.  The silver layer was cut down the centre so that it would form a shadow on both sides of the white layer.  I must remember that tip when matting and layering on other cards.

I also found the 'Thank You' panel after I had finished the card, although I think I prefer it with the Christmas verse.

Kath x

To a Very Special Husband

My final Christmas card this year is, as always, my card for Steve.  I recently made a card as a special order for one of my customers and decided that I would make a similar one for Steve.

I die cut the 'Woodland Scene' from white card and attached it to the blue paper before trimming around the edge.  I die cut and embossed the largest stitched square from dark blue pearlescent card and the largest classic square from silver mirri card.  I layered the scene onto the silver square and the blue square.  I put the card blank into my MISTI and placed the topper in the centre so I could see where to position the sentiment stamp.  I stamped the sentiment in dark blue ink and then highlighted 'husband' with a Wink of Stella.  The Woodland topper was then attached to the centre of the card.  To finish I die cut a star from silver mirri and attached it above the deer.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 6" white matt card blank
     Creative Dies 'Woodland Scene', Lawn Fawn ' Outside In Stiched Square Stackables' and Spellbinders Nestabilities 'Classic Squares Large' dies
     Clearly Besotted 'Happy Birthday All' stamps
     Versafine Majestic Blue ink
     Snippets of dark blue pearlescent and white matt card, silver mirri card and blue paper
     Wink of Stella

I am entering the following challenges:
     ABC Christmas Challenge - Y for Your Favourite Things (for me this is die cutting)
     Allsorts - Christmas
     52 Christmas Card Throwdown- Pick a Previous 2020 Challenge (I chose the April 2020 Theme - Forest and Deer)
     Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes

Kath x

Merry Christmas Nan

This was a commissioned card I made for one of my regular customers using one of my favourite embossing folder and dies.

I embossed a piece of white card with the baubles embossing folder and trimmed around the edge so it was slightly smaller than the card blank before attaching it to the card.  The embossing folder also die cut the bauble shape.  I attached a snippet of the green paper to a piece of white card and die cut the bauble shape before inlaying it into the front of the card.  I used the separate bauble die to cut a purple layer and attached it to the card.  I then used purple ink to stamp the bow onto a snippet of orange textured card and embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I fussy cut the bow and attached it to the top of the bauble.  I printed the sentiment onto green paper (the same paper I had used for the bauble), attached it to a snippet of white card before cutting it with a fishtail flag and attaching it to the top of the card.

To make this card I used:
     6" x 4" white matt card blank
     Practical Publishing 'Opulent Baubles' embossing folder and stamps
     Versafine Imperial Purple ink
     Stampendous clear embossing powder
     Snippets of green paper, white matt card, orange and purple textured card

I am entering the following challenges:
     Allsorts - Got to be Christmas
     Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Use the word 'Merry'
     Let's Squash It - Use any embossing folder and dies/fussy cutting (I've used an emboss and cut folder, as well as a die and fussy cutting)
     Winter Wonderland - Anything Christmas Goes

Kath x

Cross Stitch Blue Tit Card

Another cross stitch card using a pre-loved kit that had been a cover gift with a magazine.  The completed cross stitch has been attached behind a piece of dark brown card which has a stitched circle aperture and rounded corners.

Kath x

Cute Cottage Garden

I made this card for my nephew's wife's 40th birthday using a cute Lili of the Valley Art Pad image and snippets of papers.

I covered the front of the card blank with blue paper, leaving a border around the edge.  I didn't have a long enough strip of pink paper for the card so attached a snippet at the top and a snippet at the bottom of the blue panel.  I die cut the precoloured image with a rectangle die - cutting it in two halves so I could make a longer rectangle.  I attached the panel with a foam sheet to the middle of the card.  To finish I layered pink paper onto a snippet of white card before die cutting '40' and attaching the numbers to the lower edge of the panel.

To make this card I used:

     7" x 5" white matt card blank
     Lili of the Valley 'Cute Cottage Garden' Art Pad
     My Favourite Things 'Inside & Out Stitched Rectangle STAX Die-namics' and Memory Box 'Classic Numbers' dies
     Snippets of Lili of the Valley 'Beach Bliss' and 'Heartfelt' paper, white card

I am entering the following challenges:
     Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - December challenge
     Pixie's Snippets Playground - Challenge 392

Kath x

Joy, Hope, Peace, Believe, Christmas

I've spent so long making Christmas cards for other people that I'm running short of time to make my own.  I decided to make some quick cards - perfect for a few current challenges.

I die cut the Christmas tree from red self adhesive glitter paper and attached it to the centre of the card blank.  It really doesn't get much quicker or simpler than that (although it did take ages to get all the small bits of glitter paper from out of the die!).

To make this card I used:
     5" x 5" white hammer card blank
     Creative Expressions 'Festive Collection - Christmas Tree Greetings'
     Xcut Adhesive Glitter Sheets

I am entering the following challenges:
     AAA Cards - Made in Minutes + Optional: Christmas
     52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Pick a Previous 2020 Challenge (I've chosen the April 2020 Colour Challenge - Red & White)
     Crafty Calendar Challenge - Christmas
     Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Quick and Easy
     Winter Wonderland - Anything Christmas Goes - End of Year Challenge

Kath x

Cross Stitch Christmas Angel

Another stained glass cross stitch Christmas tree decoration from a pattern in Christmas Cross Stitch magazine - this is the Christmas angel.  After finishing the stitching I ironed some thin interfacing on the back of the cross stitch before trimming it to fit the frame.  I attached a circle of white felt to the back of the decoration and a small piece of blue ribbon at the top.

 

I didn't enjoy stitching this design as much as some of the other patterns as there are a lot of half stitches, but I do like the finished angel.

Kath x

November Card Chain Challenge

This is the card I made for the November Card Chain Challenge.  I used the Sketch Option, the Theme Option (Friendship) and the Product/Technique Option (Glitter & Aperture Card).

A friend had recently sent me a Stampin' Up 'Kerchief' card kit which I used to make three notecards.  I had used the back of the fourth card to stamp the sentiments for the notecards but had kept the embellishments which I've used for this card.

I trimmed a piece of white card so it was slightly smaller than the front of the card blank and rounded the corners.  I die cut a stitched oval from the top and then stamped the sentiment along the lower edge.  I fastened the dotted vellum behind the aperture before attaching the panel to the front of the card.  I attached two of the green leaves and two gold leaves to the blue oval and then layered the turquoise flower with foam pads.  The topper was then attached to the lower edge of the aperture.  To finish I highlighted the flower and leaves with a Wink of Stella to add some sparkle.

To make this card I used:
     7" x 5" white matt card blank
     Stampin' Up 'Kerchief' card kit
     My Favorite Things 'Inside & Out Oval STAX Die-namics' die
     Clearly Besotted 'Dandelion Dreams' stamps
     Versafine Majestic Blue ink
     Woodware corner rounder punch
     White matt card

I'm not entering any challenges with this card - just sharing it as the CCC Reveal has been published today.

This is the cute card that I received from Suzanne:

Kath x