Hello, Crafters.
Success! All my Christmas cards are written and posted! As I said yesterday, I’ve made a note in my 2020 diary that I’m to get my Christmas cards written and posted on 5th December 2020! Now I can concentrate on getting the Spring/Summer Catalogue – now called the Mini! – and the Sale-a-bration Brochures ready to post out to all my customers who have shopped with me in the past six months.
If you live in the UK, the Netherlands, France, Germany or Austria, (and don’t already have a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator) and would like to receive a copy of each, please email me at janb@janbcards.com. Let me have your full postal address, and also let me know if you would like the French or German copy, and I’ll be delighted to send you your own personal copies. I have all three languages and unless requested to do otherwise, I’ll send you the English versions.
Although I don’t need any more Christmas cards – and have quite a few leftover! – I’ll still carry on making them for the next four days or so! Today I made five cards, i.e. three Thank You cards, one sympathy card and today’s card. The sympathy card is for a guy Hubby works with whose father died last Saturday! I used the retired Lovely As A Tree Stamp Set, and the With Sympathy stamp was from the Flourishing Phrases Stamp Set. I’ll share the card within a couple of days.
The three Thank You cards were made using the Magnolia Lane Large Specialty Memories & More Cards & Envelopes (product code 149487 on page 171 in the Annual Catalogue). I’ll also share these with you at the same time. I can never get enough Thank You cards and I currently have a customer who’s waiting for Thank You cards as well!
To create today’s card I started with a card base of Whisper White Cardstock (CS), with a layer of Gold Foil, and then a top layer of the gold and white star designed card front that is part of the Most Wonderful Time Product Medley. The Christmas Gleaming Stamp Set includes two tall slim bauble stamps that fit the larger punch, and one smaller more squat shaped stamp that fits the smaller punch. This smaller stamp and one of the larger stamps have a “lacy” design, and the second larger bauble has a fairly solid diamond-shaped design.
I wasn’t sure which design would look best, so I heat embossed three of each design. Although I prefer the baubles with the “lacy” designs, I wasn’t surprised they didn’t look as good as the diamond-shape design did, but they would be sitting on a light gold and white background which was far more suitable to the more solid bauble design. Chances are that I won’t get to use the other three baubles this year but I’m pleased to say that the Brightly Gleaming Stamp Set will be carried forward to the 2020 Christmas Catalogue!
I wrapped a piece of the Very Vanilla Metallic Edged Ribbon around the top two layers before I adhered them to the card base! After I’d adhered the baubles, which I’d punched out using the matching punch, to the card front to look as if they are hanging down from the ribbon. I tied a small bow and adhered it to the top of the baubles.
I spent ages looking for a suitable sentiment that didn’t take up too much room before the penny finally dropped and I realised one of my favourites was in the Christmas Gleaming Stamp Set! DOH!! I stamped it in Versamark on a scrap of Whisper White CS, and sprinkled it with Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder. Then I heat set it. After cutting it out manually, I used Dimensionals to adhere it in the bottom right-hand corner. My finishing touch to the front of my card was adding some Gold Faceted Stars which come as part of the Most Wonderful Time Product Medley.
Inside the card, I adhered a layer of Gold Foil, and then a layer of Whisper White CS. I’d stamped three baubles at the beginning so I could adhere one inside in the top right-hand corner. I’ve added a bow that has been die-cut using White Glossy Paper. I’m not very happy with the bow and later today, I’ll go back to find where this bow came from, and find out if there a matching stamp to go with it. As it is, the bow looks incomplete! Apart from that, I’m very pleased how this card has turned out – from this point of view, it’s a shame I’ve sent all my cards out! LOL!
That’s about it from me today. I look forward to being back with you tomorrow. In the meantime, happy crafting.
JanB. xx
Jan, lovely card, as always, but I would be interested to see your Sympathy Card. I have a stock standard one I make but I need a new one. I do so love your cards as they are just so elegant. I totally understand if you are not able to share the Sympathy card. XXX Mal
Thanks, Mal. I’m planning to share the sympathy card tomorrow, and my attempt using a current stamp set, too. xx
Thanks mate. Knew i could count on you. My old sympathy card is one of yours!!!!!
Xxxx m
Another very pretty card Jan. The white and gold go very well together. TYFS
Many thanks, Claire. xx