Christmas Cards - using scrapbooking kit

I bought an 8 x 8 scrapbooking kit when I went shopping last week. There are cardstock, designer paper and die-cuts in the kit. I have never done anything using a kit before so I decided to give it a go. There were 8 pages of die-cut greetings and tags which I made I used for my card toppers. There was no stamping involved in all. It was quite a challenge for me not to stamp anything. I did do some inking and outlining with a Signo white gel pen for one of two of the cards. 

I end up making 15 cards to fit into a box I made using Craft Companion's Top Score. This is the first time I am using the tool and I must say, it is very user-friendly. I only needed to figure out the size of the box I wanted and cut the paper accordingly. The lid of the box was made with paper of the same size. The tool automatically adjusts the size of the lid by about 2mm or so for a good snug fit over the base. 

I decorated the box cover by wrapping it with one of the designer paper I used in the cards. There was a frame left over from making the cards and a few pieces of the journalling tags and greetings so I layered those over the frame to complete the cover design. The ribbon I tied around the cover is an organza ribbon. I have tons of these cut for a previous project and they all hang on an S hook. I am trying hard to use up all the cut ribbon. =)

Now for the cards. I mixed and matched the designer paper and cardstock for the 4 x 4 cards. I cut the 8 x 8 papers into two, getting two cards per sheet of cardstock. There are enough for 30 cards. I kept the other 15 for another project. These are the 15 I came up with after playing around with the die-cuts from the kit.

In the first photo, the extreme left cards got a little cut off when I took the photos. The card base colours are red and deep olive green. The second photo showed a light cyan and light green cardstock. The last group of cards were made using a pale yellow/off white cardstock.

I am amazed at how fast I could finish all the 15 cards. It was all relatively easy. I spent more time mixing and matching than actually assembling the cards. Most of the elements on the cards are popped on foam tape to give some dimension. 

I didn't have any 4 x 4 square envelopes and used the Craft Companion's envelope maker to make custom envelopes. It was also relatively easy and quick. The final thickness of the stack of cards and envelopes came up to just under 3 inches and so my box had to measure 4.5 x 4.5 x 3 inches. 

i am quite happy with the effects of using ready-made elements such as the die-cuts to complete the cards. I may make more if I can find more bargains for small kits like this one. 

Christmas Cards

I just finished 2 cards for a shop competition. Not sure if I should be posting this before I actually submit the entries but I suppose it shouldn't hurt. The first one is a recessed window card with the main image layered in paper tole style. There are a total of 3 raised layers on the image. The recessed window technique is perfect for this type of layering as the main image will be somewhat protected by the frame on the outside. With the 2 close up photos, you can see the layers more clearly, as well as the glitter on the small elements to bling up the card a little. The greeting on the front was heat embossed with gold embossing powder. The colour of the card base coupled with the lighting when I was taking the photo doesn't seem to show the greeting clearly.

    

The second card is much simpler, with background stamping using versamark and white brilliance ink. The main image is a cute kitty from penny black. The round sentiment on the card front as well as the one on the inside are both from Hero Arts. I added glitter on the ornament though the camera did not pick up the glitter. It makes the ornament look very pretty IRL. =)

  

The reason why I chose to attach almost a whole sheet of insert with the stamped background and greeting is due to the thin cardstock I was using for the card base. It was cardstock from a 12 by 12 pad of scrapbooking paper. I have tried and did not like the cardstock from that brand. Neither did I like the other brand I have tried so far - American Crafts. They are both too thin for my preference for card bases. 

Which of the two do you like better?

Christmas Card-making Class

I just finished the first round of Christmas Card-making workshop for this year. The participants completed these 4 cards. They are designed more for the basic or starter stamper in mind.

  

  

The techniques include using versamark to create watermarks, sponging, popping elements up to create dimension, spotlighting using a strip as well as making use of designer paper in card-making. 
I will be running a second round of this workshop on 24 Oct in the morning. If you are keen to sign up for this workshop, do drop me a comment and I will get back to you with the details. I will also be having a Basics I Rubber Stamping workshop in the afternoon on the same day, where we will be covering several techniques. Participants of my technique classes will all be given technique pages so that you can keep notes for your reference after the workshop.