Three Vintage Christmas cards - CMSS inspired.

 NB - lots of photos 

Over the last few days, I've been working on some more Christmas cards inspired by the Card Makers Sucess Summit.    Today's cards were inspired by Sande Woodson and Erin Reed.  Sande's presentation was about making an e-card or you could print it.   She provided a lovely freebie with some awesome Vintage Christmas images, which inspired me to make some hybrid Christmas cards using the digital images. 

First up -

Started by choosing my image and importing it into Word on my computer - at A2(US) size. Sande used CANVA but I find I can work adequately in Word.  Once I had printed the image, I used a Gina K Master Layout to trim it.  I added some Vintage Photo Distress Oxide all around the edges of my card base and lightly blended around the focal panel.   I created a sentiment sheet using the Merry Christmas using EFCO Brookshire font.  I used a die cut banner to cut it out and added ink blending around it. 

First time I printed it, the panel went skewwhiff so I couldn't use it... but waste not, want not - I die cut out a circle and that became the focal point on my second card

I used the circle from Gina K Master Layout #12 to cut it and then took some navy card and cut out the frame.  Used the circle that it cut out to add a bit of dimension behind the circle panel.  Found a lovely background paper in my stash and added it to the base.  Used another of the printed sentiments matted with some of the navy card to finish this one. 

My third card also used one of Sande's free images, but the card design is inspired by Erin Reed.  Her presentation was a fun fold - which I believe is called Flying Seagull fold.  I did mess up the measurements, but you can't really tell too much!

Card standing open showing the "wings"

Card lying flat for posting.

I printed the image and then die cut with a square die from a Gina K Master Layouts set.  I decorated it with a Spellbinders Poinsettia die which I spritzed with water and scrunched up.  Once they layers had dried, I carefully unfurled them and added gold Glitter Glue to them before layering them up.  Found some pearl swirls and added them to the card with the poinsettia.   Added the same sentiment again.  It's the perfect font for vintage cards. 

Thank you if you made it this far... I appreciate it.  

CMSS - Inspired by Juliana Michaels... not one but three cards!

 Yeap, I loved the presentation by Juliana Michaels and made not one card, but three!   Her technique was using stamping foam and an embossing folder.   This is a favourite technique, but one I don't use all that much.  

As I am doing mostly Christmas Holdiay cards this summit - I chose an Altenew folder.  Classic Pinecones Slim 3D folder.  I heated my foam and pressed it into the folder.   Chose the "sticky up" side (although hard to determine with a 3D folder)  

First card I inked the foam with some Vintage Photo Oxide ink.   I used some 240gms Fabriano Start Mixed Media paper.  It says it is white... but it is really an off white colour.  It's A4 size so my card bases become 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" - just a smidgeon less than a US A2 size card.  

Love the colour I got with the Vintage Photo ink.  I trimmed the stamped panel leaving a tiny white border.  Matted the panel with some brown card - the same colour as my pinecones.   I used an Elizabeth Craft Designs die set - Christmas Accents.  It's an older die set, with two sizes of pinecones and two sizes of the poinsettia flowers and leaves.   I used two tones of brown for the cones, and some red paper.  I made my own green paper by using Distress ink in Pinecone direct to the paper.  A little fellow centre finished my poinsettias.   I made these cards yesterday and fortuitously my order from Krafters Cart arrived - with the Concord & 9th - Big on Christmas stamps and die set.  I stamped the big FA LA LA and used the die to cut it... and added the sub-sentiment directly on the card. 

Card two- I used Weathered Wood Distress Oxide to stamp the foam, trimmed and added to a dark green mat.  

This time I chose an older stamp and die set from Hero Arts- Holly Jolly.  We have been tidying up the storage space under the stairs - where I store some of my stamps... ones I haven't used in forever!  Saw this set and thought it would be perfect against the background.  I used more of my own green paper to stamp on and die cut the holly leave.  Added some Altenew enamel dots for the berries.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set.  

For my third card, I reheated the foam and used the other side of the folder.  Used the Weathered Wood Distress Oxide ink and definitely got a totally different look. 

I trimmed a larger border around the panel and used a Gold Sharpie to add a faux mat.  I stamped another of the stamps from Concord & 9th set - gold embossed directly onto the panel.  Added some die cut stars (from the same die set) with a little gold gem in the centre. 

The stash of Christmas cards is growing quickly with the inspiration from the Card Makers Success Summit.. and I still have nearly 40 more presentations to watch.  

More cards from the CMSS- August 2024

 I managed a few more presentation watched and two cads inspired by Jess Crafts and one by Desiree Kuemmerle. 

First up are the two cards I made following Jess Craft's template and cutting guide - using 6"x6" papers. Her templates use double sided papers, which make it a no scraps cut...but some of my papers are only one sided.   The templates show how to get two cards from one sheet.  I made one where I used the double sided paper to act as the matting layer which means I need two sheets.  And the other used one sided paper and some of the double sided left over pieces. 

First up the double sided paper card. 

I cut the papers following the template and added some Christmas ephemera.   A few red gems finished off this one.

And the second one.

For this one, I changed the orientation to portrait.  I love the grey stripes with the navy blue and then the pop of colour from the ephemera.  Added tiny red gems to the flower centres.   The sentiment was a freebie from a previous class I attended. 

And my card inspired by Desiree.... Her presentation was "Use any image Holiday ready"  - how to change any image to make it a Holdiay card. 

I took a Pinkfresh Studio stencil and die set to make this Christmas card.  It's called Daisy Wreath.   The way to make any image into a holiday card is all about choosing appropriate colours.   So for me it was about using reds and darker greens to add the colour to the image.   I used Altenew inks - Burnt Red and Mahogany Bark with a touch of Grey Denim inks for the flowers and Eucalyptus and Forest Fern inks for the leaves.   After die cutting I added the wreath to a grey panel and added a red and white foiled sentiment - from Yana's Christmas sentiments by Spellbinders.   Added some Pinkfresh clear gems in Scarlet. 

My Christmas stash is growing and there are so many more presentations to watch so I'll be sure to have enough cards to send in November!  

Christmas cards at Card Makers Success Summit - Aug 2024

 There is an upcoming Card Makers Success Summit starting 8 August - 11 August.   It's free - but each presentation is only available for 24 hours... however you can purchase a life time VIP pass that allows early access to the presentations.  Great for me as I work full time and the presentation times are usually the middle of my night.   And it's a perfect theme - Christmas/Holiday cards.   Just the thing to spark some Christmas card making.  

So I've been watching a few of the videos and made a couple of cards.   I was inspired by the presentation by Ardyth Percy-Robb (Mod Merry Christmas Cards with Minimal Supplies) where she used her own homemade stencils amongst other ideas.   Ardyth took some post-it's and cut some pointy ovals to make some ornaments.   Well, I will tell you - mine turned out terrible - so I adapted the idea a bit... I took a sweet little ornament die and made myself a stencil with some masking paper.  

The die I used was from a Catherine Pooler stamp and die set- Wonderful time of the Year.  I used the dies to make the stencils and then used  Altenew's Coral Berry, Ultramarine and whatever the green ink was on my blending brush on a 4"x 4" panel.   I used the little ornament topper from the set - stamped in Charcoal Suit grey ink and also the little star on the ornament. I added some little metallic pearls as embellishments. Stamped the sentiment from Waffle Flower Star Snowflake set in the grey ink as well.   I used a grey alcohol marker to add dots around the edge and layered the panel onto some grey card.  Added to a 5.5" square card base.   

And my second card was inspired by Therese Calvird (Unlock Basic Shapes to make FUN & EASY Holiday Cards) where she used basic circles, rectangles etc to make some cards.  Both her cards used circles to make a Snowman.  One was a big snowman and the other a smaller one inside a snow globe.

I remembered I had a polaroid stamp in a Lawn Fawn Set so the idea came to put the snow man in the frame.   I stamped the image from Say Cheese set (currently sold out).  I don't have the die so fussy cut the frame and cut out the centre.  Went around all the edges with a black marker.  I cut some circles from a Spellbinders Nestibilities dies in white to make the body, used a long thin rectangle die from MFT for his hat and two circle dies cut together to make the scarf from some card I had coloured with a Copic marker.  Two tiny triangles made the ends,  A snippet of orange coloured card made his nose and some green shapes cut for leaves.  A bit of white pen to add veins and they became my holly. Added red gems for the berries, black gems for his eyes and some dark grey enamel dots for the buttons on this body. His mouth was a few black dots with a Sharpie marker.  Made a blue blended piece with some white spray and some dots of the white pen for snow.   Layered my snowman behind the opening and added the blue panel behind.   Used another sentiment from the Waffle Flower Star Snowflake set added on the frame.   Found some pretty glittery snowflake patterned paper to add to my card base and then added the polaroid frame on a jaunty angle.

I can see myself making a few more of that sweet snowman and the ornament card.  

I've watched a few more presentations and got two more cards made - still to take photos.   Can't wait to watch some more presentations and get some more ideas.