Welcome to Stamp With Nel. I’m glad you’re here.
Today I am bringing you a card I made for the Sunday Stamps Challenge. Challenge SSC321 is a color challenge. For this challenge I had to use three of the color options.
Although the challenge title is Autumn’s Riches, I saw Christmas lights. I chose to use the following colors for my Christmas card:
I used a slightly modified stamped one sheet wonder that I saw Robin Armbrecht do several months ago. I used an 8-1/2″ x 11″ sheet of white cardstock with horizontal and vertical center lines lightly drawn in pencil. I then stamped the string for my lights in Tuxedo Black Memento ink along the pencil lines. Since I was working with three blues, I started with stamping three bulb sockets in Cajun Craze ink in each quadrant, lining up with the light string. I stamped the three bulbs – one each of Balmy Blue, Lost Lagoon and Pretty Peacock. Full strength ink was a little strong for the bulbs in my opinion, so I stamped off once before stamping each bulb. Before I put the bulb stamp away, I checked make sure i was happy with the bulb coverage on the paper. In some places I felt I could fit 4 bulbs, but 3 was the average in each quadrant. I then stamped the each light bulb with a filament in full strength ink that matched the bulb color.
I filled in some of the blank spaces with the “Santa Was Here” stamp with Cajun Craze ink. I stamped the star in full strength Pretty Peacock where I felt I had too much white space.
I erased any pencil lines that could still be seen and then trimmed the paper at 4-1/4 x 11, then cut each piece in half again at 5-1/2″. This is a little larger than the final panel will be, but I wanted to make sure that I got the most out of the stamping so I trimmed each quadrant down again to the final size of 5-1/4″ x 4″.
You know I love using an embossing folder and today’s card is no exception. My husband is a lifelong singer and belongs to several choirs, so when I saw the Merry Melody 3D Embossing Folder I knew I had to have it. I embossed the stamped 5-1/4″ x 4″ white panel. I then adhered the stamped panel to a piece of Three Color Glimmer Specialty Paper in Pretty Peacock. This specialty paper is one of the new online exclusives released November 7. I didn’t waste any of the glimmer paper, though. I used a decked rectangle die to cut out the center of the glimmer paper for another use. I used liquid glue to adhere the white panel to the Pretty Peacock glitter paper.
I cut a long length (about 24″) of black bakers twine and wound it around the card front panel three times. I tied a knot on the left side where my sentiment was going to go and trimmed the ribbon short. I used the I used the nested essential dies to cut 2 rectangles cutting the largest rectangle from Lost Lagoon and the 2nd largest from Basic White. I curved the Holly Jolly sentiment from the Merry & Bright stamp set and stamped the sentiment on the Basic White rectangle. I stamped the Christmas sentiment below Holly Jolly in Pretty Peacock and stamped a star in Balmy Blue between the two sentiments. I used liquid glue to adhere the white sentiment panel to the Lost Lagoon sentiment panel offsetting the rectangles.
I used the Merry & Bright dies to cut out a large Balmy Blue bulb, a silver filament from the Silver & Gold Adhesive-Backed Glimmer Paper, a cajun craze socket and a silver socket (also from the glimmer paper). I assembled the bulb and added black baker’s twine through the loop and tucked the excess near the other twine and secured it with a mini glue dot (a dot of glue or Stampin’ Seal would work too – just allow the liquid glue to dry a little) behind the sentiment forming a loop up top. I adhered the bulb to the upper right of the sentiment rectangles with Stampin’ Dimensionals. I adhered the sentiment panel to the front card panel with Stampin’ Dimensionals. I added three silver Festive Pearls to the front card panel. Finally, I adhered the whole front panel to the card front with Stampin’ Dimensionals. Y’all, there are a lot of Dimensionals on this card!!
For the inside layer, I cut a 3/8″ strip of Merry Bold & Bright designer series paper and adhered it to the Basic White inside panel with liquid glue. I stamped a Cajun Craze socket, a Tuxedo Black string, a Balmy Blue (stamped off once) bulb and a Balmy Blue filament and the three light lines on the upper left of the inside panel. I adhered the inside panel to the card base with Stampin’ Seal.
For the envelope, I used the Merry Bold & Bright designer series paper on the envelope flap. I stamped another string, socket and Balmy Blue light bulb on the front of the envelope.
Your card is ready to mail – who will you send it to today?
Thank you so much for checking out my blog today. I hope you will make this card. To help you do that, I have both printable instructions and video instructions for you.
Supply List
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Use my host code when you order $50 (before tax and shipping) or greater and receive five (5) handmade cards and a variety of 6″ x 6″ double sided Designer Series Paper (a $20 value) FREE from me. You will also receive the monthly online tutorial. The May tutorial features the Adventurous Sky Bundle.
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Who knew a tangled mess of lights could make such a great card. Thanks for playing along with our “Autumn’s Riches” color challenge over at Sunday Stamps!! Your rocked our Autumn color palette these retro lights!!
-Deb Horst, DT #SSC321
Thank you so much, Deb.
What a fun card! It has such a retro feel to it, between the challenge colors and the those fab Christmas light bulbs! Thanks for sharing with us at Sunday Stamps!
Thanks, Stef. I appreciate you stopping by.