floating element christmas card

floating element christmas card

Swap cards provide ideas – that is one of the fun parts of receiving swap cards in the mail. I have highlighted the Floating Elements technique in the past but when I received this swap card in the mail from fellow demonstrator, Kathi D. I loved her use of the new Snowflake Specialty Vellum paper as the platform for the floating element. Normally acetate is used for the base of the Floating Elements Technique but Kathi used the vellum instead and this substitution peaked my creative juices and I wanted to detail the process for you with a card I made from the CASE card (Copy and Stamp everything is what CASE stands for)
Measurements:
Snowflake 12 x 12 Specialty Vellum
3 1/2″ square
Boughs of Holly DSP 3 1/2″ square
Real Red CS 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ scored at 4 1/4″
Basic White CS 4″ x 5 1/4″ and scrap for
sentiment
Garden Green scraps for die cuts

I chose the largest circle from the Stylish Shapes die set (#159183) and cut one from the flocked dots pattern of the Snowflake 12 x 12 Specialty Vellum (#159832). Save the negative space as well.

Cut the Boughs of Holly DSP to a 3 1/2″ square and cut five 1/2″ strips. Adhere the strips to the top half of the negative vellum square.
Die Cut the Boughs of Holly strips with the circle die.
Add the strips to the vellum circle die cut with Stampin’ Seal Plus. Add Stampin’ Dimensionals to the back side of the vellum circle hiding them behind the strips.
Cut a Real Red Cardstock into 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ scored at 4 1/4″.

Run the Basic White CS (#159276) through the Stampin’ Cut and Emboss machine (#160885) with the Fern 3D Embossing Folder (#158804).

Cut Garden Green scraps with the leaf, and sentiment piece. And Basic White CS die cut the smaller sentiment piece.

Adhere the Basic White piece to the Real Red base.
In the upper middle space of the embossed white CS adhere the Vellum Circle to the center of the card.
Stamp the small white sentiment die cut with the “to you and yours this Christmas” from the Brightest Glow (#159542) stamp set. Adhere this to the Garden Green sentiment piece.
Add Stampin’ Dimensionals to the bottom half of the sentiment piece only.
Add Stampin’ Seal to the top half of the sentiment piece and adhere to the bottom portion of the die cut vellum circle. (Because the circle is popped up on Dimensionals – you need to have Dimensionals on the bottom half only)
Add Festive Pearls to the card front.
This is a fun interpretation of the acetate Floating Elements technique. Try your hand at it and go create some art of your own, one stamp at a time.

Happy Stampin’

Natalie

boughs of holly suite collection product review and samples

boughs of holly suite collection product review and samples

There is something about Holly Leaves that just screams Christmas time – don’t you think? This new Suite Collection from the current July to December mini catalog is just stunning. The Designer Series Paper called Boughs of Holly is brightly colored with holly and poinsettias in rich shades of Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, Poppy Parade, Mossy Meadow, Evening Evergreen and Shaded Spruce. This DSP makes it super easy to make gorgeous Christmas cards in a snap!

My first sample uses a Cherry Cobbler base cardstock, the Boughs of Holly DSP (#159600) cut to 2″ x 5 1/2″ with a Crumb cake tone on tone piece Stamped with the large holly leaf from the Leaves of Holly stamp set (#159601) adhered atop the DSP. I colored the Textural Elements (#159966) in Cherry Cobbler Dark and Soft Suede Dark Stampin’ Blends markers directly to the wooden holly berry element and adhered it to the card with mini glue dots. I finished the card with a few silver pearls from the red and green adhesive backed pearls accessory (#159963)

This card sample starts with a Real Red cardstock base, a 2″ x 5 1/2″ piece of the Boughs of Holly DSP (#159600), bough die cuts in two sizes in Evening Evergreen, Basic White and Distressed Gold Specialty paper (#159237) arranged in a spray behind the “joy” sentiment piece. The ribbon is Pale Papaya Open Weave ribbon (#155672) colored with Real Red Dark Stampin’ Blends marker (#154899) to corrdinate with the cardstock perfectly!
The layered holly dies make this simple card! In a base layer of Soft Succulent cardstock layered with Evening Evergreen accen t overlay and the berries in a base color of Real Red cardstock overlaid with Cherry Cobbler accents makes a stunning popped up focal piece. Layered on the Silver foiled dotted DSP from the Snowflake Specialty paper (#159832) makes a gorgeous Christmas card to send to anyone special!
On an Evening Evergreen cardstock base, I layered two pieces of contrasting DSP the red polka dotted paper in a 3″ square and the Holly Berry and leaves paper in a 4″ x 5 1/4″ DSP piece. Accented with the Threaded Twine (#159662), the distressed Gold Specialty paper die cut holly berries from the Holly Berry dies set (#159607), stamped Crumb cake tone on tone holly berries and the Soft Succulent pearls from the Red and Green Adhesive Backed Pearls collection (#159963) to finish the card off!
The large poinsettia DSP is so pretty on both sides I decided to do a DSP flap card which I detailed in a recent blog post, so that you can see both sides of the paper when opening up the card! I added the Gold Satin Edged Ribbon (#159555) to the left edge and Gold pearls to the sentiment focal piece die cut from the Stylish Shapes die set and the Gold distressed Specialty paper die cut holly leaf popped up over the sentiment piece.
This card starts with Evening Evergreen CS with a 4″ x 5 1/4″ DSP that looks like birch tree bark to me. I fussy cut the poinsettias from the opposite side of the DSP and layered them around the sentiment piece, added a colored Textural Element and some red pearls to add some bling!
I think this tree background DSP makes an awesome masculine Christmas card, with the Distressed Gold Specialty paper die cut with the holly sentiment piece and lahyered above with Evening Evergreen and Crumb Cake cardstock.
My feature card begins my coloring the Textural Element with Cherry Cobbler Dark and Soft Suede Dark Stampin’ Blends markers.
Cut a 3″ wide piece of the silver foiled dotted Snowflake Specialty paper (#159832) and then cut it to 4 1/2″ x 3″ to layer on the Red DSP cut to 4″ x 5 1/4″. I stamped a holly leaf in Crumb Cake ink on Crumb Cake CS for a tone on tone effect and layered all of these on the card and added two die cut holly leaves in Old Olive and Mossy Meadow.
Here is the finished featured card with Red Pearls (#159963) on the popped up sentiment piece.
This Boughs of Holly Designer Series paper is gorgeous – check out all the rich, vibrant colors and patterns!
Never too soon to start crafting your Christmas cards – hope I inspired you to go out and create some beautiful art of your own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’

Natalie