A Small Triptych Card

November 3, 2020November 3, 2020 | ullycatdesigns

Angels announced the coming of the newborn babe and in centuries old tradition of iconic triptychs this little card does similar with its gatefold doors opening to the simple stable under some palm trees on a starry night.

This is the second in a series of blogs about Christmas cards made from the 2020 Hunkydory paper collection entitled The Miracle of Christmas.

To create this card, I played with scrap paper cute to the size of the heavy colored card stock I was using. After deciding on a simple gate fold with the inside top and bottom folds cut and inverted, I fussy cut out all the printed paper elements. Knowing that the palm trees were going to be adhered with tiny foam squares cut to fit, I added the foam at one step in my preparations before assembly.

The measurements of the outer adorable scorable card is 5 ½ inches (140 mm) tall by 8 ¼ inches (252 mm) wide. It was scored at 2 1/8 inches (55 mm) and at 6 1/8 inches (158 mm).

The inside, light weight, navy blue cardstock is also 5 ½ inches (140 mm) tall by 8 ¼ inches (252 mm) wide. And scored at scored at a hair more than 2 1/8 inches (55 mm) and at a hair less than 6 1/8 inches (155 mm). The inside card needs to have a slightly smaller center than the outside card to fold properly at the two folds. Using a T-topped ruler, I marked where the four cut lines should go (see downloadable template) and cut using a metal straight edge and craft knife. (You could use a sliding trimmer if you have one.)

triptych-template Download

To fold the inside piece, I first folded the card as a gatefold and then carefully aligning the inverted strips edges with card edges and made the inverted folds.

Decorating the inside of the card Involved cutting two strips of starry paper at 4 x 2 inches (100 x50 mm) and one 4 x 3 15/16 inches (100 x 98m) and gluing them so that the card fold were left exposed. The stable was glued down, and the foam padded palm trees adhered so as not to impede the card folds. Two stars were cut from the papers and the top on adhered with a foam square.

The outside decorations involved some reinforcement of the angels’ trumpets by gluing them onto scraps of the same paper. Once the paper decorations were added, Nuvo drops were added as stars by opening the card flat and allowing to dry flat.

The final sentiment was cut using an Impression Obsession die from an old cream envelope and glued to the back of the card.

I stamped the A2 envelope back with the Little Town of Bethlehem stamp using Crumb Cake Stampin’ Up ink which almost matches the gold Nuvo drops used on the card.

Thank you for reading about these cards.

The Miracle of Christmas Series

Post 1 – The Miracle of Christmas Papers

Post 2 – A Small Triptych Card

SUPPLIES

Paper

Dies

Impression Obsession – Die – Joy to the World – DIE462-R

Stamps

Hunkydory – For the Love of Stamps – Little Town of Bethlehem – Club-FTLS26B

Ink/Nuvo Drops

Miscellaneous

Cosmic Shimmer Acrylic Glue
Scrapbook.com Clear Double Sided Adhesive Roll ¼ inch
Foam Squares from my stash

Santa Delivers to the Tropics

September 2, 2020August 7, 2022 | ullycatdesigns

How does Santa deliver presents to places where there is no snow for his sleigh? I think he goes in his trusted vintage white convertible with Rudolph to those tropical places. This is the sixth house card in my series of “A Week of Christmas Houses” using Poppy Stamps 2020 Winter House Pop-Up Easel die set.

This double easel card is designed as a slimline card to fit a #10 envelope. The car and Santa are part of the Spellbinders’ Sunday Drive collection.

I found both the Poppy Stamps and Spellbinders sets easy to use following the images on the packaging but recommend having a pair of tweezers handy to glue and place the tiny details. I also recommend having a small container or bag to put your die cut pieces into as you cut them out. They are quite easy to lose on your workspace or get dropped onto the floor.

To make sure the Fired Brick Distress ink I used under the Ho Ho Ho did not bleed onto the white car, I clear heat embossed the piece which adds some texture and shine to the license plate.

Because both die sets for this card are designed to represent snow and cold weather, I had to modify the die cut pieces. For Santa, I cut the sleeve off his shirt and used colored papers to have him wearing a more causal tropical shirt and created his arm by tracing around the outside of the skeleton’s arm in another add-on set for the Sunday Drive collection. On the house I trimmed off any of the snow on rooflines and used the poinsettia flowers from the Sunday Drive collection to plant in front of the house. To fit in a #10 envelope the tiny tips of the roof edge had to be trimmed off the card base.

Once again, I used peach organza ribbon to create some interest at the windows of the house. The door and roofs are inked dark with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. The door wreath is from the Tonic Studios set and the palm tree towering over the house is from a Karen Burniston pop-up die set. Nuvo drops were used for the doorknob and flower centers.

The welcome mat, which acts as the easel stop, was stamped and heat embossed using a stamp from a retired Stampin’ Up set. I used a blend of Ranger Black Sparkle and Recollections Ebony Detail Embossing powders that give the welcome mat a snowy sparkle. Once heat embossed, the mat was weathered using Antique Linen Distress Ink on a sponge dauber and cut out with the coordinating die. Foam squares where used to adhere the mat to card and make it tall enough to act as an easel stop.

The “Merry Christmas” is cut from heavy black cardstock glued down. A personal message can be written behind the house.

Finished off the card by stamping its envelope with some hints as to what’s inside using a “Magical Christmas Wishes” sentiment in dark green ink.

See the more the series of “A Week of Christmas Houses”

Day 1 – From Our House to Your House

Day 2 – Santa is Coming

Day 3 – A Baby is Coming

Day 4 –Keeping the Home Fires Burning

Day 5 – Red Four-Square

Day 6 – Santa Delivers to the Tropics

Day 7 – House Luminary

2019 – 12 Days of Christmas Trees

Other Sunday Drive cards:

Sunday Drive Celebration

A Snowy Sunday Drive with Santa

Santa Bauble

Santa Delivers to the Tropics

Being Spooky

Driving into a Spooky Sunset

The Best is Yet to Come

Hoppy Spring!

SUPPLIES:

Dies

Stamps

Winter Woodland Stamp set by Sheena Douglas from Creative Stamping magazine Issue 62, December 2018.
Stampin’ Up – At Home with You – stamps & die set 143681 (Retired)

Papers

Scraps of card stock from stash
Matte silver cardstock
Heavy White Cardstock 110# weight 8 ½ x 11 inches

Ink/Embossing Powder

Miscellaneous

Foam squares
Cosmic Shimmer Acrylic Glue/PVA Glue
American Crafts – Metallic Marker – M – Silver -62212

Florida Snow Day

July 31, 2020July 24, 2020 | ullycatdesigns

What’s a Florida snow day? Well, one version is a snow globe with a palm tree that says Florida.

This card was inspired by Sharon-Elaine Jone’s spinning shaker card on Craftworld.com, Spellbinder’s Santa’s Workshop die set’s snow globe and one very hot and humid day in Florida.

A. Die Cut – 2 trees (I used textured paper for trunk), 2 globes from white cardstock, 2 globes from acetate , 2 globes from foam (I put double-sided adhesive sheets on both sides of foam before cutting.), 2 globe bases from orange cardstock and 2 “Snowday” sentiment.

B. Snow globe

1. Palm tree
  - Glue one branches onto top of tree trunk.
  - Glue backside of tree to monofilament. Glue second tree trunk to encase monofilament line. Glue remaining branches to tree.
  - Distress ink tree.
2. Assemble snow globe
  - Glue 1 paper globe to1 acetate globe and let dry. Repeat with second globe paper and acetate pieces.
  - Peeling back only the top knob off adhesive on foam globe, adhere to inside of one acetate globe. Peel, align and slowly adhere all of one foam globe to one acetate globe. Repeat with second foam globe and other acetate globe.
3. Filling snow globe
  - Using the grid on a craft mat, lay the palm tree on top of one acetate globe against foam side. Tape aligned monofilament line to the craft mat above and below globe
  - Loosen backing paper from top of globe and press monofilament into sticky foam. Do not take off any other backing paper but globe knob.
  - Sprinkle sequins into center of globe, pushing some under and over palm tree. Keep sequins away from foam edges.
  - Lay second acetate globe over first globe, foam side to foam side. Slowly, remove backing paper from both foam sides, aligning edges together a little bit at a time until globe is sealed.
  - Pull monofilament taunt and test the spinning action of globe shaker.
  - Using scrape foam with double-sided adhesive as foam tape, adhere orange globe bases to globe on monofilament. (Write “FLORIDA” on bases before adhering.)

C. Card Base

1. Select decorative papers (three pieces – two at 6 x 4 ½ inches for front frame and one at 6 x 4 ¾ inches for inside back)
  - Tape one of the small decorative paper pieces to front of card base and tape rectangle die (Needs to be large enough for globe to freely spin inside of) to over both paper and base. Die cut out rectangle. Remove tape and use decorative paper to trace in pencil the placement of die for other piece of decorative paper and cut out rectangle. (I cut the frames separately, so any die embossing/decorative piercing is prominent on both fronts of frame pieces.)
  - If you want, you can cut a narrow border frame for the opening as I did.
  - With a pencil, lightly mark the center point of the rectangular opening at the top and bottom of the card base. Using the marks, score the card base and fold the right front half of base to the left to make a valley fold.

D. Attaching globe spinner

1. Open card base open so “frame” section is flat and the top and bottom fold creases are aligned on craft mat grid. Aline the globe shaker’s monofilament line with fold creases on card base extending the line to match craft mat grid line. Tape extended line to mat to hold firmly in place.

- Glue monofilament line to the top and bottom of card base frame. Let glue dry 1-2 hours or overnight.

- Once glue is dry, wrap extra line around frame at fold. Tape over wrapped line with clear tape on inside of fold.

E. Decorating Card

Adhere one of the 6 x 4 ½ inches decorative paper frames to the front of card alining the opening with the halved card base frame. Adhere on the inside of card the other decorative frame piece so that the two decorative pieces from a front and back frame for the snow globe to spin inside of.
If you cut a border frame adhere it now.
Add “Snowday” sentiment at bottom on each side of frame.
Aline the third piece of decorative paper on inside back of card base with the front frame.
Mark the corners of where the decorative paper should go lightly with pencil on card base.
With the decorative paper laying on card base, position inside greeting stamp and tape stamp in place with removable tape.
Carefully remove the paper to be stamped and place in a stamping platform to stamp with Versamark Watermark ink. Remember to wipe paper with an antistatic bag or tool before stamping.
Once stamped, use white embossing powder and heat emboss sentiment.
Adhere embossed paper to inside of card using pencil alinement marks.

Decorate the back of card (This may be the place you choose to write your personal message at.)

I stamped the back of the envelope with what I hope would be taken as a palm tree, using what stamps I had since I don’t have a palm tree stamp.

Supplies

Dies

Stamps

Pink Fresh Studio – Photopolymer Clear Stamp Set – Leafy Backdrop – PFCS3618
Sheena Douglass – Winter Woodland – from Creative Stamping, issue 62, December 2018

Paper

Little Makers -white craft foam sheet

Dura-Lar .0005 Clear Film acetate
My Mind’s Eye – Cozy Christmas – 6 x 6 Paper Pad
Textured and colored scraps from my stash
6 ½ x 5 inch cardbase and envelope – Recollections

Inks

Miscellaneous

PVA Glue – Cosmic Shimmer Acrylic Glue
Elizabeth Craft Designs – Clear double-sided tear tape
Elizabeth Craft Designs – Clear Double Sided Adhesive – 6×6 inches
Zebco – OmniFlex – 20 lb. 9.1 kg Line – monofilament fishing line
White iridescent sequins from stash
Clear tape like Scotch Brand Magic tape

12 Days of Christmas Trees – Bonus Day

September 6, 2019August 7, 2022 | ullycatdesigns

I could not forget those who celebrate Christmas in the warmer climates. (Yes, Karen Burniston has a die for this one too!)

Using the Palm Tree Pop-up die set, heavy kraft paper, baker’s twine and vintage Mrs. Grossman’s Christmas light stickers, this card comes together. The sand is a brown fine tip marker. The vintage postcards are free from copyright.