Christmas - Right as Rain

Newton’s Nook Christmas Nap

Hello! Today, I am sharing a holiday card featuring the Newton’s Nook Christmas Nap stamp set with coordinating die. Picture a watercolored Christmas scene featuring a lovable dog and a cozy cat nestled in a chair.

- Cut an A2-size rectangle of Light Brown Woodgrain cardstock and add to card base.
- Stamp the Christmas Nap image with Versafine on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper and heat set. Color the image with watercoloring mediums of choice (I used Distress Ink, and Zig and Tombow markers). Once dry, cut the image with the die in the coordinating set. Simon Says has the stamp, and both the stamp and die are available directly from Newton’s Nook and Frantic Stamper. (Check out my “Resources for Watercoloring Stamped Images” HERE.)
- Stamp the Christmas Nap sentiment in VersaFine ink on Fern cardstock and clear heat-emboss it.
- Use the 3 3/4″ x 5″ Lawn Fawn Small Stitched Rectangle die to cut the sentiment panel on the bottom edge. Trim at top so that the panel is 1 3/4″ tall.
- Cut a 3 3/4″ x 5″ Snowdrift cardstock panel with the Lawn Fawn Small Stitched Rectangle die. Dry-emboss with the Taylored Expressions Bead Board embossing folder (now retired).
- Attach the sentiment panel to the dry-embossed panel and add the assembly to the card base.
- Add the watercolored scene with foam adhesive.

Newton’s Nook Holiday Haul

Hello! Today, I am sharing a holiday card featuring the Newton’s Nook Holiday Haul stamp set with coordinating die.

- - Stamp the Holiday Haul truck image with Versafine on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper and heat set. Color the image with watercoloring mediums of choice (I used Zig and Tombow markers). Once dry, cut the image with the die in the coordinating set. (Check out my “Resources for Watercoloring Stamped Images” HERE.) Add enamel dots (Spellbinders) and star (retired Taylored Expressions) to the tree.
  - Stamp and heat-emboss with clear powder the Holiday Haul sentiment on white cardstock. Cut the sentiment first with a rectangle die and then a snowbank die (now-retired MFT Stamps Snow Drifts set). Add the sentiment panel to a piece of patterned paper. The assembly measures 3 1/2″ x 4 3/4″.
  - Attach assembly to an A2-size light brown woodgrain card base. Add watercolored truck to the card with foam adhesive.

Spellbinders | Festive Christmas Ornaments

Hello! Today, I am delighted to share a Christmas card featuring the Festive Ornaments die set from the Merry Mugs & Circle Delights Collection at Spellbinders by Nichol Spohr. The ornaments take center stage against a backdrop of patterned paper. Previously, I shared a slimline card featuring this same die set HERE. Note: Now through November 30, save on many Spellbinders products with the Black Friday Sale!

With the Festive Ornaments set, cut ornament bases from red foil and green foil cardstock. With the same set, cut ornament holders from Brushed Gold and Brushed Silver. Cut the decorative elements from red glitter, green glitter, and Brushed Gold cardstock. Assemble.

After creating the ornaments, I went on the hunt for patterned paper on which to stamp a sentiment from the collection’s coordinating Santa’s Sippin’ Sayings stamp set. I stamped, as well as heat-embossed, one of the sentiments on several patterned papers and was not happy with the results; the sentiment simply did not show up enough. Going back to the drawing board, I found this patterned paper – Wonder of the Season – that was sold by Stampin’ Up! in 2020. I chose the paper because it had whimsical text on it, enabling me to forgo the sentiment. To embellish, I added snowflakes cut from Gold Glitter Foam with a die in the Holiday Decorations set.

Impression Obsession | Winter Mittens

Hello! Today, I am sharing a holiday-themed card featuring Impression Obsession stamp and die sets. Some of the supplies I have owned for years, and others I recently purchased.

To begin, I stamped the Nordic Stripes in white pigment ink on SU Basic Grey cardstock. (As I mentioned in this post on stamped backgrounds, I have been challenging myself to use my background stamps more often. I used the same background stamp on this card.) I used a 4 1/2″ square die to cut the stamped background and added it to a card base.
I cut a circle from patterned paper with a 3 1/2″ die. With the In & Out 11 sentiment set, I stamped the sentiment in black on white cardstock. I cut the sentiment with the 3 1/2″ circle die and then with a snow slope die (I used a die in the now-retired MFT Stamps Snow Drifts set).
I cut the mittens from red cardstock and white flocked cardstock with the Mittens set. I cut the snowflake with a die in the Small Snowflakes set from white glitter foam.
I added the circle assembly to the card with foam adhesive.
I added the mittens to the circle with foam adhesive and then added the snowflake to the mittens with glue.

These same elements could be used on a non-Christmas, winter-themed card. I wrote about extending the joy of the season with winter-themed cards that can be sent for occasions other than Christmas HERE.

52 Christmas Card Throwdown | Winter Countryside

Looking for the Spellbinders Blog Hop post? Head HERE.

Hello! A few weeks ago, I won the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown Theme Challenge. As the winner, I was invited to be a guest for the November Theme Challenge Winter Countryside.

The sight of a winter countryside evokes feelings of nostalgia with childhood memories of playing in the snow, building snowmen, and/or sledding. It offers a serene and idyllic backdrop creating a magical atmosphere that many people find irresistible!

To create the challenge card, I eagerly dug through my supplies. One of my favorite aspects of participating in card challenges – they provide an excuse to pull out favorite supplies and those that have never been used or used infrequently.

To begin, I stenciled and A2-size panel of Taylored Expressions Blue Corn cardstock with white paste through the Lawn Fawn Snow Flurries stencil. You can read more about stenciled backgrounds in my post HERE.
While the stenciled background dried, I cut the Memory Box Country Landscape (now retired) from Snowdrift cardstock. I used the Spellbinders Silent Night Make a Scene set to cut the red house and Santa and his reindeer. (The set is retired, however, I see that it is in stock at Frantic Stamper HERE. As I have mentioned before, Fran offers terrific customer service and has a large inventory.) I backed the houses with Blue Corn cardstock as I was depicting a nighttime scene.
With Hero Arts white powder, I heat-embossed the Essentials by Ellen Santa’s Flight set sentiment (released in 2015 and now-retired) on Pomegranate cardstock and cut it with a banner die.
I cut the frame from Snowdrift cardstock with the largest die in the MFT Stamps A2 Rectangle Frames set.
Once dry, I added the stenciled panel to the card base. I added the countryside landscape to the background, and then added the frame. Finally, Santa, the red house, and the sentiment were added.

I hope you are inspired to craft your own Winter Countryside card for the challenge!