snow

House Luminary

| ullycatdesigns

Building off of the red four-square house, this four-panel card becomes a wrap-around screen for a battery powered candle. This is the seventh house card in my series of “A Week of Christmas Houses” using Poppy Stamps 2020 Winter House Pop-Up Easel die set.

The house goes together easily by looking at the photos on the Poppy Stamps packaging. It does involve a lot of die cutting as there is only one die of each window type.  (I cut lots of the small pieces and store the extras in a tiny plastic bags that I keep with the die set.) To add depth to the porch and dormer windows I cut those pieces four times and glued together. The snowy pieces are cut from glitter paper.

Papers Used: The house is cut from a dark red cardstock with the windows and porch posts cut from cream. Note that two matting layers to each house panel – one pale yellow and one on heavy weight white cardstock. The red, cream and pale yellow come from monotone color packs of cardstock by Recollections.

Once again, peach organza ribbon to create some sparkly interest at the windows of the house. I masked off the front door with sticky notes and used Walnut Stain Distress ink to darken the door and frame. A wreath cut with a Tonic Studios die set to complete the door. (See Day 2 for details.)

Once the four houses were assembled, I glued together the pale yellow and white matting layers and then used the solid house die to trace where the windows needed to be cut out on to the pale yellow with a pencil. Because the tracing was inside the window, I had to cut 1/8 inch away from the outer edge of the pencil lines to make the window opening as large or slightly larger than the die cut window openings. I used a metal ruler and a craft knife to do this.

Once all the window openings were cut, I could glue the house fronts on to their matting layer panels. Lining the four completed panels up, I then used clear tape to hinge the panels together.

The panels can accordion fold to fit in an A2 envelope which I stamped with a greeting since the card has no greeting on it. I expect this will be a hand delivered card with a boxed candle.

Free PDF of display instructions.

house-luminariaDownload

See more house luminaria:

Victorian Trim House Luminaria

Holiday House Luminaria

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

An Old-Time Christmas Parlor

2019 – 12 Days of Christmas Trees

Supplies

Dies

Stamps

  • Kaisercraft – Clear Stamps – Sentiments -Traditional – CS313

Paper

Ink

Miscellaneous

A Baby is Coming

| ullycatdesigns

Baby is coming-Front envelope

Who doesn’t look forward to welcoming a new baby at Christmas? This card is the third house card in my series of “A Week of Christmas Houses” using Poppy Stamps 2020 Winter House Pop-Up Easel die set.

The house is cut from heavy card stock in a pale blue that has been in my stash from a card kit. The dark blue and pale yellow come from monotone color packs of cardstock by Recollections. Note that there is a pale-yellow outline layer of the house that provides the window inside color as well as framing the outside edge of the house. The card base is cut from heavy weight white cardstock.

This card goes together easily by looking at the photos on the Poppy Stamps packaging. It does involve a lot of die cutting as there is only one die of each window type.  (I cut lots of the small pieces and store the extras in a tiny plastic bags that I keep with the die set.) To add depth to the porch and dormer windows I cut those pieces twice and glued together. The snowy pieces are cut from glitter paper and some of the window frames and siding have Nuvo Glitter Drops used thinly to give the illusion of melted snow.

Baby is coming-Front open

I masked off the front door with sticky notes and used Salty Ocean Distress ink to darken the door and frame. A tiny drop of gold Nuvo Crystal Drops for the doorknob and a wreath cut with a Tonic Studios die set, complete the door.

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 pads where used to adhere the mat to card and make it tall enough to act as an easel stop.

The windows all have a piece of pale blue organza ribbon taped behind the window frames to give the shine of glass and the rosy glow comes from some shading with Fossilized Amber Distress Ink on the pale-yellow cardstock. The rocking horse and woman decorating a Christmas tree that can be seen in the windows are from an older Tonic Studios Toy Emporium die set. Also from the Tonic set is the outside fir tree.

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

Baby is coming-Front envelope

I used two stamps on the envelope flap. I stamped Joy in green and then masked it with a sticky note and stamped the wishing you circle (which has a different sentiment in its center) in blue.

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 – Keep 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

Supplies

Dies

Stamps

Paper

Ink/Embossing Powder

Miscellaneous

A Snowy Sunday Drive with Santa

| ullycatdesigns

I was so excited when I received the Sunday Drive die set from Spellbinders in May and now I am happy to show off one of the new holiday add-on sets for the Sunday Drive collection on this clean and simple slimline card.

The die sets I found easy to use following the images on the package but recommend having a pair of tweezers handy to glue and place the tiny taillights, box-ribbon-bow, and reindeer antlers. 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. (I am still finding lost antlers on my crafting table.)

All the pieces were cut from scraps in my stash. I had to use my embossing mat to get good definition on the bummer piece cut on silver matte cardstock.

This was my first attempt at foiling multiple times the Spellbinders Twinkle Lights foiling plate on one card. Lessons I learned: Be patient and let the foiling plate cool down so you can place it exactly where you want it for the second and third pass. Don’t foil directly onto your slimline card unless you want the snow embossing effect inside your card too. Foil onto a panel you can adhere later.

The card base is an 8 inch x 9 inch piece of heavy white cardstock scored and folded long ways in half.

Inside the card is a green foiled Christmas tree which was one of test pieces I had foiled previously on a die cut rectangle scrap from another project.

Finishing of the card by stamping its envelope with some hints as to what’s inside using a vintage Disney stamp set.

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:

Stamps/Dies

Papers

Inks/Foils

Miscellaneous

From Our House to Your House

| ullycatdesigns

Snowy house -house CU

It’s a cold and blustery day where snow is covering everything. You’ve walked to your neighbor’s house down the lane to drop off a bit of Christmas cheer and now you’re walking back to your home all aglow in the afternoon sun. How lovely and welcoming it looks with its bright paint underneath all the snow.

This is the feeling I hope the recipient of this card will have when they open and display the card.

Snowy house -front

This is the first house card in my series of “A Week of Christmas Houses” using Poppy Stamps 2020 Winter House Pop-Up Easel die set.

The card goes together easily by looking at the photos on the Poppy Stamps packaging. It does involve a lot of die cutting as there is only one die of each window type.  (I cut lots of the small pieces and store the extras in a tiny plastic bags that I keep with the die set.) To add depth to the porch and dormer windows I cut those pieces twice and glued together. The snowy pieces are cut from glitter paper and some of the window frames and siding have Nuvo Glitter Drops used thinly to give the illusion of melted snow.

Snowy house -easel

I masked off the front door with sticky notes and used Walnut Stain Distress ink to darken the door and frame. A tiny drop of gold Nuvo Crystal Drops for the doorknob and a wreath made from green scraps and a piece of red embroidery floss, complete the door. Greenery was cut from food boxes to get the thickness using a greenery die by Christina Griffiths and snipped into smaller pieces and glued to a wreath shape cut freehand.

Snowy house -door CU

The welcome mat, which acts as the easel stop, was stamped and heat embossed using a stamp from a retired Stampin’ Up set. Once heat embossed, it was weathered using Antique Linen Distress Ink on a sponge dauber.

The windows all have a piece of peach organza ribbon taped behind the window frames to give the shine of glass and the rosy glow of sunlight.

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

Snowy house -inside

The house is cut from Bazzill heavy card stock in a 2014 color of Gold Coin. The red and pale yellow come from monotone color packs of cardstock by Recollections. Note that there is a pale-yellow outline layer of the house that provides the window inside color as well as framing the outside edge of the house.

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 – Keep 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

Supplies

Dies

Stamps

  • Stampin’ Up – At Home with You – stamps & die set 143681 (Retired)

Paper

Ink/Embossing Powder

Miscellaneous

Snowy Forest Day

| ullycatdesigns

It’s a snowy day as you walk through the woods of white birch trees and here the red cardinals singing their sweet song, and then he appears. The majestic stag, who quietly walks to the ridge and surveys his kingdom. Finally, you come to a small fir tree that has been decorated for Christmas. You know this is your destination and the faint tune of “We wish you a Merry Christmas” hums through your head.

This is the story I hope the recipients of this card have when they open the card.

Stag XMAS-front

I fell in love with the Creative Expressions Paper Panda Forest Stag die the first time I saw it and designed my card around this large die creating a 5 ½ x 8 ½ inches card using two pieces of heavy white cardstock. I went through my dies to find a large enough opening to go behind the stag that still left a sufficient border to keep the card sturdy. I used one from the Crafters Essentials I by Kat Scrappiness.

Having scored and folded both pieces of 8 ½ x 11 inch white cardstock in half, knew I had to cut the rectangular aperture in three of the four panels. Laying out how I wanted the front of the card to look with my dies, I cut two of the panels at the same time by putting the sheet folded in-half through the die cutting machine.  Once the front and middle were cut, I laid-out how the second folded sheet of cardstock would overlap on the middle panel and traced the aperture opening onto the overlap panel. I cut this aperture with the cardstock fully open so a wide format die cutting machine was needed.

Stag XMAS-Extended wide

I didn’t have any birch trees long enough to fill the apertures so I scoured my favorite on-line crafting stores and found on my favorite discount die store Dies R Us the Impression Obsession birch trees with the tiny cardinal dies. I cut two sets of trees out from the same white cardstock as the card base. I cut two sets of cardinals (front and back) from red scrap cardstock.

To make the stag, I cut the shape three times from brown cardstock. The last of the three stags was cut from brown cardstock covered on one side with double-sided adhesive and then when the backing paper on the adhesive was pulled off I laid the piece on scrap paper and shook ultra-fine glitter over the adhesive to ‘frost” the stag much the same way you would cover an inked image to be heat embossed. The excess glitter should stay on the scrap paper so it can be put back into its storage container. Once glittered, I glued the three stag shapes together off setting, the glittered one on top to create a slight shadow.

Stag XMAS-front-CU

Being new to heat foiling, I practiced some on scrapes before using the Christmas tree foiling plate on my good paper. The Glimmer Foiling System by Spellbinders is easy to use if you watch a lot of videos on how to use the system and follow the instructions faithful. I do not recommend doing heat foiling when you are tired or in a hurry, that’s when mistakes happen.  Because the card is a large size, I had to foil the tree through the cut aperture to fit it through my die cutting machine. The season’s greetings sentiment is foiled in silver and die cut out using a dotted sentiment banner die that comes in the same Spellbinders Holiday Sentiments set. I placed scrap red cardstock behind the dots before gluing the banner in place.

Stag XMAS-inside back

Once all the elements had been cut and foiled, the assembly began with laying out how the layers would look when the card was closed. Four birch trees were glued behind the stag then the four birch trees were glued to backside of the middle panel. Then the two middle panels were glued together sandwiching the trees between them. Then the stag was glued to the front with the antlers glued to the trees.  A cardinal was laid-out on each of the tree panels and each glued down with its matching back piece glued on the back side of the trees. The “Season’s Greeting” banner was glued on the front to anchor the stag.

Stag XMAS-inside middle

Supplies

Dies & Glimmer Foil Plates

Paper

Foil

Miscellaneous

Sue Small-Kreider ©2020

See the video at https://spark.adobe.com/video/oYtdMGCXyVNe9

Let It Snow Shadow Box

| ullycatdesigns

Shadowbox -frontShadow box cards can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make them. Let It Snow is of medium difficultly. This die set, along with strong double-sided tape, makes it quick to cut and assemble a four-panel shadow box with depth and character.  You can choose to color or not.

Shadowbox -materials

Step 1: Using the shadow box frame set, cut out one large box frame – your choice of oval or rectangle opening. See video on assembly of shadow boxes. (I used a shimmer pen on the blue panel as well as snow highlights on other panels.)

Step 2: Using both the smaller panel frame from shadow box die set and the four panels of winter scene diet set, cut one of each panel. (Because of the delicate detail of some of the dies and the score marks, you may have to use a precision metal cutting pad or make two passes through your die cutting machine.)

Step 3: Cut a piece of blue cardstock and a piece of white cardstock3 inches x 4 inches (76mm x 101mm). Using the snowy background die from the winter scene die set, die cut the snowy background onto the blue cardstock.

Step 4: Fold the tabs and sides of box and panels first one way and then the other way. Flatten to decorate.

Step 5: Flatten to decorate. Colored pencils, watercolors, or just some glitter pen gloss are some ways of decorating.

Step 6: Place double-sided strong tape on all panel flaps on the face-up side. Place double-sided tape on both front and back tab flaps of shadow box.

Shadowbox -snowy panel backStep 7: Assembly – start with blue background and peel off backing of one shadow box tab tape on inside of box. Line up long side of blue paper to folded edge of tab.

Shadowbox -back panelStep 8: Peel off tape on back panel same side as blue panel and line up with fold of shadowbox tab.  Shadowbox -all panelsRepeat with other three panels butting the edge of new panel up to folded edge of previous panel until all panels are adhered to inside of shadow box.

Shadowbox -front panelStep 9: Peel off tape on Front panel and line it up on opposite side of shadow box to be equal distance from front opening as other side of panel. Shadowbox -most panelsRepeat with remaining three panels.

Shadowbox -snowy backStep 10: Peel off tape on inside of shadow box tab and adhere blue panel.

Shadowbox -white backStep 11: Peel off tape on outside of shadow box tabs and adhere white card panel.

Shadowbox -frontStep 12: Decorate outside of shadow box as desired using sentiment die cuts from Winter Scene set.

 

SUPPLIES USED:

Dies

Paper

Miscellaneous

12 Days of Christmas Trees – Day 11

| ullycatdesigns

Each day for 12 days, I have been showing card variations made with Karen Burniston’s Christmas Tree Pop-up die.  I recommend watching her assembly video before attempting to cut and assemble the pop-up tree.

For all of these cards I started with an A7 size card base (10 x 6 ½ inches), but because my die cutting machine can only accommodate 6-inch-wide pieces of paper, I had to trim the cards down to 10 x 6 inches.

Day 11 – White Christmas

White Christmas front

This card was inspired by my memories of the movie “White Christmas” with Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney and Danny Kaye (Yes, I had to look that one up and sure it wasn’t Bob Hope.) Every time I watch it, I keep wishing it would snow during certain scenes, but (SPOILER ALERT) it doesn’t really snow until the end of the last scene.

So this card is bit like the old inn with it’s wooden rustic floors, cold New England nights, and a bit sentimental. The tree may have the allusion of blurred tiny lights, but it is really a Bo Bunny paper of succulent plants.

White Christmas inside

For the embossed tree skirt, used an older Karen Burniston die set from her Elizabeth Craft Designs time called Cup Pop Stand. I embossed the card base and then cut the circle in the wood grained paper (from the same Bo Bunny Garden Party Collection as the succulent paper). The die cut “Merry Christmas” and tree squiggles on the front of the card are also cut from the succulent paper. The mittens sticker and the front sentiment topper came from the Echo Park Home for the Holidays Collection.

White Christmas inside cu

Read the past posts of the 12 Days of Christmas Trees by clicking below on the list. Don’t miss the 12th post tomorrow.

Day 1 – Give Joy -Plaid

Day 2 – Home for the Holidays-Village

Day 3 – Holly Joy

Day 4 – Snowy Day

Day 5 – Give Joy – Holly

Day 6 – Gingerbread Joy

Day 7 – Home for the Holidays-Joy to the World

Day 8 – Nutcracker Greetings

Day 9 – Plaid Joy

Day 10 – Home for the Holidays-Let It Snow

Day 11 – White Christmas

Day 12 – Home for the Holidays-Peace and Joy

Bonus Day – Tropical Christmas

Click Here for video of all 12 trees

SUPPLIES USED:

Dies

Stamps & Ink (on envelope)

Paper

Miscellaneous

12 Days of Christmas Trees – Day 10

| ullycatdesigns

Each day for 12 days, I will be showing card variations made with Karen Burniston’s Christmas Tree Pop-up die.  I recommend watching her assembly video before attempting to cut and assemble the pop-up tree.

For all of these cards I started with an A7 size card base (10 x 6 ½ inches), but because my die cutting machine can only accommodate 6-inch-wide pieces of paper, I had to trim the cards down to 10 x 6 inches.

Day 10 – Home for the Holidays-Let It Snow

HFH-Snow-Inside

Echo Park Home for the Holidays Collection Kit by Alisha Gordon made this card quick and easy as well as professional looking. The double-side cardstock papers in the kit make it quick to create a card base. I used the Snowflake paper (HFH73013) for the tree and Festive Chevron (HFH73002) for the card base. A large card sentiment topper for the front and stickers for additional decoration inside and out made it a super-fast card to create.

HFH-Snow-Front

This a top fold card because of the orientation of the sentiment topper.  For the tree inside I cut two layers cut for the two taller center tree pieces so that all sides of the tree would show the green side of the paper while smaller side trees are single layer because the white side of the paper is not visible. Two snowflake stickers form the star atop the tree. The tree base was cut from a scrap piece of black cardstock The holes created by the tree mechanism cutting into the card base were pieced from the inside of the card to match the outside pattern. A sticker covers the front hole.

HFH-Snow-CU-Inside

Follow the rest of the 12 Days of Christmas Trees with a new post tomorrow.

Day 1 – Give Joy -Plaid

Day 2 – Home for the Holidays-Village

Day 3 – Holly Joy

Day 4 – Snowy Day

Day 5 – Give Joy – Holly

Day 6 – Gingerbread Joy

Day 7 – Home for the Holidays-Joy to the World

Day 8 – Nutcracker Greetings

Day 9 – Plaid Joy

Day 10 – Home for the Holidays-Let It Snow

SUPPLIES USED:

Dies

Stamps & Ink (on envelope)

Paper

Miscellaneous

12 Days of Christmas Trees – Day 9

| ullycatdesigns

Each day for 12 days, I will be showing card variations made with Karen Burniston’s Christmas Tree Pop-up die.  I recommend watching her assembly video before attempting to cut and assemble the pop-up tree.

For all of these cards I started with an A7 size card base (10 x 6 ½ inches), but because my die cutting machine can only accommodate 6-inch-wide pieces of paper, I had to trim the cards down to 10 x 6 inches.

Day 9 – Plaid Joy

Plaid Joy-Inside

My inspiration for this card was my working on a platform challenge card as well as needing a masculine card.  I had just picked up Ms. Sparkle Camping paper pad and saw the two plaids used in the card. The green, white and blue plaid reminded me of how the snow often is in the weeks leading up to Christmas – kind of spotty with some grass picking through it.

Plaid Joy-Front

The cover for the card is made up from extra pieces from the trees, the cardinal from the tree set, plastic confetti stars and a die-cut “Joy” from the Impression Obsession die “Joy to the World.”

Plaid Joy-CU Inside

The platform is something I had seen Karen Burniston do for a Halloween card and thought it would create a hill for the tree to stand on which the matched plaid paper helps camouflage in the photos. I cut two of the platforms from KB’s House & Fence Pop-up set and adhered the sides with the center pop-up together to make one large platform. Next, I placed the plaid paper where I wanted it to be on the base of the card and then played with placing the platform to make sure there was enough room for the tree to fold down inside the card when closed. Turning the platform upside-down onto the back of the plaid paper, I tracked the outline of the platform. Then I cut out the platform plaid paper and adhered it to the platform. Next, I flattened the platform to cut the tree-stand flaps into the center of the platform. I adhered the tree-stand to the platform before I attached the platform to the card base. (Before adhering the platform, I installed the plaid paper to the card base matching the plaids.)

The Merry Christmas and snow swirls come from an older Karen Burniston die set called Merry Christmas Pop-up. The holographic star and cardinal on the tree are in the Christmas tree set.

Follow the rest of the 12 Days of Christmas Trees with a new post tomorrow.

Day 1 – Give Joy -Plaid

Day 2 – Home for the Holidays-Village

Day 3 – Holly Joy

Day 4 – Snowy Day

Day 5 – Give Joy – Holly

Day 6 – Gingerbread Joy

Day 7 – Home for the Holidays-Joy to the World

Day 8 – Nutcracker Greetings

Day 9 – Plaid Joy

Day 10 – Home for the Holidays-Let It Snow

Day 11 – White Christmas

Day 12 – Home for the Holidays-Peace and Joy

Bonus Day – Tropical Christmas

Click Here for video of all 12 trees

SUPPLIES USED:

Dies

Stamps & Ink (on envelope)

Paper

Miscellaneous