Missing Christmas Already

I loved this past holiday season, and I'm kind of sad that is over; it went by too fast! I'm also kind of in denial that we are not in the holiday season anymore. I'm still jamming out to my Glee Christmas album.

I made quite a few Christmas cards this past year and was unable to share all of them on my blog. Not wanting them to be forgotten, I decided to post them anyways ( I know, I know. Christmas is over :( ). I hope you enjoy them anyway, and maybe they will be an inspiration for next year.

I was really proud of this card. I thought it was simple, but it turns out that my lovely stamp-a-stack attendees showed me that it was the most time-consuming card that I have designed in a while.

This card was CASEd from a fellow demonstrator that I found on Stampin' Connection (a benefit of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator).  Even though the Northern Flurry Textured Embossing folder was featured in the now expired Holiday Mini, it is a carryover item and is still available for purchase (120902, $7.95 US). 

This card is another one that I CASEd and offered it at my stamp-a-stack in November. I love the new Rhinestones. They are the perfect touch to this card.

In October, I held a gift card holder class where we made two different Christmas gift card holders. This was the first holder we made.

And here is the second gift card holder. This one was my favorites. I love the Baja Blue and Chocolate Chip color combo.

Hope you enjoy my throwback to Christmas. You know, it's never to early to start preparing! :)
  
~Cita

Have Yourself a SIMPLE Little Christmas

Many times, simplicity can go a long way. I don't know how many times in my life that I have been told that I make things too difficult, and I believe that oftentimes when designing scrapbook pages or cards that I make things more difficult than what they should be. I like elaborate pages and cards, and I LOVE to cut things out (which can be time consuming). However, there is always a time and place for simple designs, and these simple designs can still have a strong and loving impact on the recipient or viewer of your creation.

As I was prepping for my Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack last week, I needed one more card design, and I knew I needed it to be a simple design. So I did what almost every demonstrator probably does when they need inspirations, I started to surf the internert; more specifically, I started to browse through other SU! demonstrators' blogs. That was when I found Kween Bee Kreations and her awesome take on this Clean and Simple layout . I loved her ideas and decided to CASE one for the stamp-a-stack.

CASEd Simple Christmas Card

• Use Garden Green CS (102584, $5.50) for your card base.
• Layer a strip of Christmas Cocoa DSP (116770, $11.95) on top a slightly bigger strip of Real Red CS (102482, $5.50).
• Adhere a strip of Whisper White Organza Ribbon (114319, $5.95) in the middle of the DSP.
• Stamp the Merry Christmas bird from the Holiday Best stamp set (Hostess Level1, 115364) in Real Red ink (103133, $5.95) on Whisper White CS (100730, $7.50). Use the 1-3/8" Circle punch (104401, $15.95) to punch out the image.
• Sponge the outside of the punched out image with Real Red ink. Adhere to middle of card using Stampin' Dimensionals (104430, $3.95).
• Use the 3/16" Corner Rounder (109047, $7.95) to round the right corners of your card. Remember to do this in the front and back.
• Don't forget your sentiment in the inside of the card.

~Cita

Loungin' Dasher

I have moved on from Bermuda Bay and discovered Taken with Teal. In this card, I had the opportunity to play with the oh-so-popular Dasher stamp. Dasher is one of the stamps that you can by as a single. It's such a fun and versatile stamp.

Loungin' Dasher Card Details

• Use Basic Gray Cardstock (108692, $7.95) for the card base.
• Emboss Dasher (116816, $8.95) with White Stampin' Emboss Powder (109132, $4.75) on Brushed Silver CS (100712, $7.95).
• Layer the Brushed Silver CS on top of Real Red CS (102482, $5.50).
  
• Use the Stampin' Up! Joyful Sizzlit Die (115973, $5.50) and the Big Shot Die-Cut Machine (113439, $99.95) to cut out the "Joy". Use a 2-Way Glue Pen (100425, $3.50) to adhere to the card. You'll probably end up getting glue on your fingers. :)
• Use the Holiday Lounge DSP (115676, $9.95) on the bottom of the card and line it with 1/4" Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon (109034, $4.95).
• Don't forget your greeting inside the card and to decorate your envelope.

~Cita

Bermuda Pines

I'm a bit hooked on the Bermuda Bay/Soft Suede color combination. As in my previous post, I used the Cocoa Christmas Specialty Paper and Bermuda Bay to create this beautiful Christmas
card. I decided I needed to add a third color and ending up choosing Rose Red, which I think works out beautifully. We made this card at my Christmas Stamp-a-Stack. If you missed the Stamp-a-Stack and would like to learn how to make this card, I can always come over and demo this card at a workshop. Contact me to find out how to host a workshop.

Bermuda Pines Christmas Card Details:

• The base of the card is a 4.25" x 5.5" in tent orientation. Use Bermuda Bay cardstock (115317, $5.50) and then adhere the snowflake paper from the Christmas Cocoa Specialty paper (116770, $11.95). Make sure the Christmas Cocoa paper is not 4.25" wide. Cut it about a 1/4" shorter to leave a border on the edges.
• Use the Eyelet Border Punch (113692, $15.95) to punch the border on the bottom of a 1" strip of Whisper White cardstock. Adhere the border at the bottom of the Christmas Cocoa paper.
• Stamp the pine trees from Patterned Pines (Holiday Mini, Hostess Level 1) on Whisper White cardstock in Bermuda Bay (115655, $5.95), Rose Red(101778, $5.95), and Soft Suede (115657, $5.95) Classic ink. Make sure to use the Stampin' Scrub (115657, $16.95) with the Stampin' Mist (102394, $4.95) to clean off the stamp before switching inks.
• Use your Paper Snips (103579, $9.95) to cut out the trees. To add a decorative element to the trees, leave a little white as a border (e.g., do not cute on the "lines").
• Adhere the pine trees to the card. I used Snail to adhere the Bermuda Bay tree directly to the card. I then used one Stampin' Dimensional (104430, $3.95) to adhere the Soft Suede tree to the card, and then I used two Stampin' Dimensionals stacked on top of each other to adhere the Ruby Red tree. Doing this gives the tress a genuine layered look.
• Stamp the sentiment in Whisper White Craft Ink (101731, $7.50) in the lower right-hand corner
• Don't forget to stamp your sentiment inside the card.
• Remember that envelopes are a blank canvas! Stamp a few things on the envelope. Also personalized stamps are a great way to quickly add your address to all your envelopes!

~Cita

Introducing Carmelita's Christmas Stampin' Series

It's October already! Christmas is just around the corner, and I'm super excited about it. For some reason, I'm overly excited about Christmas and have already started planning Christmas cards, presents, and parties. I have also planned my Stampin' UP! Christmas Stampin' Series, which is a series of classes starting October 13 that will focus on different projects you can make using paper and stamps (with some help with the Big Shot every now and then).

Here's the current Christmas Series schedule:

October 13: $5 Awesome Stamp Class - Photo Cards
6:30 PM Fee $5 (pay when you come). RSVP deadline has passed, but I have room for one more person in the class. Send me an email if you are interested in attending.
We will explore the Holiday Photo Card Kit and make two photo cards using this kit and Christmas stamps. Also, I will be offering the kit 20% off if you order during the class.

October 27: $5 Awesome Stamp Class - Gift Card Holders
6:30 PM Fee is $5 (pay when you come). Please RSVP by October 23.
We'll learn how to make two types of gift card holders.

November 10: $5 Awesome Stamp Class-Gift Tags
6:30 PM Fee $5 (Pay when you come). Please RSVP by November 8.
We will be making three gift tags.

November 14: Christmas Stamp-a-Stack
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Fee:$20 (pay when you come). Please RSVP by November 7.
Come make 20 Christmas cards for $20. There will be four designs, and you will make five of each design. Everything is already cut and ready for you to stamp and assemble.

December 4: Christmas Open House
6:00 PM FREE!
Come to this free Christmas Open House! Bring a friend and come make a Christmas Card and eat Christmas Food! This will also be a great time to order any last minute Christmas Gifts. This open house will conclude the Christmas Stampin' Series

If you would like to attend any of these classes, shoot me an email or check out my website. Also, watch my blog for samples from all these classes.

~Carmelita

P.S. That cute little graphic at the top of this post was made with My Digital Studio.