Quick but beautiful Christmas Cards to make in a batch – and yet another blooper…

Once upon a time, long long ago, (read that as:  last year), I could only count on committing to making my Christmas cards each year.  No other projects would come out of my craft room…or my dining room table (as the craft room didn’t exist until last year) …or anywhere else in my home.  BUT I needed about 80 Christmas cards for friends and family.

When the number is that high and the time is that short, finding “Clean and Simple” (CAS) cards is vital! 

If this describes where you are – or if you need as many or even more cards than I do, it is imperative that you find something that makes you feel accomplished.  I offer this first suggestion:

I love that this card is so stark – but that the textures and the sentiments are so lush.  It is a very quick card to make, if you are only making a few.  But it lends itself extremely well to a large production run of cards as well.

Here are the measurements:

Using the Stampin’ Up Pine Tree punch, I punched all the trees that I needed for my batch of cards from the Be Dazzling Gold paper from the Sale-a-bration catalog.  However, unless you already have this DSP, it is no longer available – even before the special ended.  This is the “blooper” – but I have a fix for this…see below in the “Confessions” area.

With the 4” x 5-1/4” panel, I stamped my Christmas message from the Stampin’ Up! Heartfelt Wishes stamp set.  (I think that this particular stamp set is an excellent investment for anyone’s collection.  It has beautiful and varied messages that will never go out of style.  I’ll have a few other cards in the upcoming weeks using this stamp set.)  I used Real Red ink for these cards.

If you are using your Stamparatus, I would suggest doing all the stamping at once – particularly if you are mass-producing these cards.  Once my front panels were stamped, I stamped the inside message using a few different messages from the Heartfelt Wishes set including: “and heartfelt wishes”, “from our family – to you and yours”, and “and a happy new year”.  These wishes will let me pick the best one for each recipient.

I mentioned texture – and here is where that comes in:  I played with several different embossing folders to create a little more interest on this card. 

I used several Stampin’ Up! embossing folders:  Merry Melody (which was a detailed and happy), Evergreen Forest 3D (my 2^nd favorite), Tasteful Textile 3D (subtle and rich), and Timeworn Type (which became my favorite),  I’ve tried to photograph them so that you can compare. 

• Do you need to do this to get a gorgeous card?  No.  But texture to an all-white card adds a depth and richness that is lovely.  But “lovely” costs time…don’t fail to complete your cards because you didn’t have time for this.  But give it a try if you do have the time.

• I liked all of them – and would be very happy with any one of them.  It isn’t necessary for you to have them all…unless, of course, that is your particular brand of obsession. 

Mount the Christmas trees in the middle of the small panel and assemble the rest of the card front.

I added a simple bow using Stampin’ Up! Simply Elegant Trim in the gold.  (This cord reminds me of the cord that Christmas Tree ornaments are frequently tied with.)  Again, these bows add a special touch – but they are optional! 

Mount the inside panel to the card.  The one thing I did try was a simple outline on the inner panel prior to mounting.  I “pounced” the edges of the panel in Stampin’ Up! Crumb Cake ink pad to get a very subtle edge.

And then you are done!

This is a simple card that lends itself to mass production with short sessions of cutting or stamping or assembling as you have the time.

The Confession –

I had completed all of my samples and was writing this entry.  As I put the supply list together, I found that the Be Dazzling DSP was sold out…good grief…not again…

So, I was absolutely DETERMINED that this entry and this design was going to come to you – but how?  Then the Muses visited me:

• Using the Stampin’ Up! Gold Foil Sheets, I embossed a couple of the detailed designs. 
• THEN I punched out the trees with the Pine Tree Punch and voila!!!  Textured.  Sparkly.  Perfect.

My friend and co-conspirator, Ro, looked at all the cards and determined that she liked the Gold Foil/embossed trees even BETTER than the Be Dazzling DSP trees!  Who knew?  Take a look below and see what you think.