Christmas Card Blog Hop

Welcome to the Christmas Card Blog Hop where we will be showcasing some amazing cards you can make using Close to My Heart products.  If you have come here from Jean McNulty’s blog, you are on the right path! When you are finished reading my post, you can click on the link at the end to move to the next blog.  This blog hop is designed to allow you to start here and work your way around. It’s simple, fun, and full of ideas you can use to create your Christmas cards this year. If you get lost along the way, you’ll find the complete list of participating consultants on Melinda’s Blog.

November is the time to start preparing for the holidays, writing lists, and sending out Christmas cards.   My husband and I send out quite a few cards each year to family, friends, and ministry partners, so I like to keep my designs as simple as possible.

A few months ago, I created a project using this adorable Thoughtful Bird stamp set and promised to show you more ideas, so I have created this elegant Cardinal Christmas card that you can recreate using the stamp set and Cricut® Design Space.

Paper Needed: 12″ x 6″ Cranberry Cardstock, 5¾” x 5¾” B&T Paper (Beary Christmas), 2½” x 5¾” B&T Paper (Beary Christmas), 5″ x 5″ Black Cardstock, 3½” x 3½” White Daisy Cardstock, 3″ x 4″ Gold Foil Paper

The Thoughtful Bird stamp set set is one of our “multi-layered” stamp sets which allows you to layer three different stamps together to create this beautiful cardinal.  When I first purchased the stamp set, it seemed a bit overwhelming, but after using it a few times I fell in love with the possibilities. I am going to share with you a few tips for using this stamp set.

Tips & Techniques:

• When you first receive your stamp, find a part of the image that you can use as a reference when you stamp the next layer.  On the bird, I used the eye, wing, and tail as my reference points.
• Use a larger block than necessary, a stamp positioner, or stamp platform.  These will help you to line up the images when stamping.
• When choosing the colors, search for images of the bird online.  The photos will help you determine which colors will look “realistic” when creating the bird.  This stamp set requires the ink tones to go from light to dark, so look at the undertone shades of the bird to see what might look best.
• Use second-generation stamping, multi-stamping, and rock-and-roll stamping techniques to change the shade of your inks.
• Don’t get discouraged if you mess up the first, second, or third time.  I stamped this Cardinal three times before I decided on the ink colors I wanted to use. Here is how my image came to life:

I initially stamped the first layer with Cranberry ink, but the shade of red was too close to the Ruby I used in the next layer.  I searched a Cardinal image and found one with a lighter undertone, so I choose to use Smoothie.  Do you see that “eye” hole? This is one of my reference points I used when adding the next layer.

The second layer was stamped using Ruby ink.  I used the “eye” hole, wing tip, and tail as my reference points when stamping the second layer. This layer was stamped twice for a more intense shade of red.

The final layer was the hardest for me to choose.  This layer adds the small details onto the bird image and it is the darkest color.  I initially considered black, but it seemed a little too intense.  Instead, I found that our Nutmeg Ink has a red undertone and blended nicely with the other red tones.

I stamped the beak, legs, and Holly branch once the bird was complete.  I love how it turned out! You can continue through the blog hop and see more ideas from twenty other Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their Christmas card ideas using Close to My Heart products.

w “Hop” on over to Brandi Robinson’s blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting tips and other fun ideas!  I can’t wait to see what you create!

Shop Cricut.com for 30% off Materials – excludes new, bulk, and bundle items.

* The links provided to the Cricut® website are through the ShareASale affiliate program and are posted as an endorsement. ShareASale compensates me a small portion of sales made through these advertisement links.