Back on track!

I finally finished a big research talk and can now allow myself some time to think about things other than work! It was really nice to see my college roommate when I was in Boston last week- we went out to Wellesley College to see my former Chemistry professor and meet with his student for a bit. He was so proud- it was very sweet! My friend Cheryl and I also found a fabulous martini bar in Boston, supposedly the best, and it was VERY good: City Bar on Boylston St- definitely a must if you are in Boston!

I have a class coming up this Friday night, so I had to get a move on making cards as soon as I got back Monday night. Somehow the time between Halloween and Christmas gets shorter each year and I was so far behind last year, that I am determined to get my holiday cards done by Thanksgiving!

This is one of the cards we will be making at my class Friday night. I get tired of the standard reds and greens for Christmas, so I was excited to see the new Stampin' Up Christmas Cocoa paper- chocolates and reds- just yummy!

I used the Mojo Monday sketch to jump start the layout. I have become a big fan over the years of using sketches as a starting point for my cards. It gives me a quick idea of scale, where to place embellishments and then I just fill in with paper and stamps. It also helps me break out of the rut of using the same layouts over and over again.

For this card, I used a Soft Suede card base and layered on Real Red and two patterns from the Christmas Cocoa paper collection. I ran a piece of Soft Suede dotted ribbon (back side which is solid) around the line between the two patterned papers and added red rhinestones along the edges.

I stamped the wreath from the Berry Christmas set in Soft Suede then cut it out using a nested die on my Sizzix machine with a background layer to match. I then stamped the holly leaves in Old Olive and the bird and berries in Real Red- they were cut out and layered on top of the wreath to give it some dimension. The poinsettia flower was cut out using a die and some shimmer added with Ice Stickles and a rhinestone brad. I also added a few more rhinestones to the greeting which was punched out using the Modern Label punch- I was in glitter mode so I went with it!

Thanks for stopping by- happy hump day!







Supplies:
Stamps: Berry Christmas
Paper: Soft Suede, Real Red, Christmas Cocoa DP, Whisper White
Ink:  Soft Suede, Real Red
Accessories: Soft Suede dotted grosgrain ribbon, Sizzix machine, nested dies, rhinestone brads, rhinestones, Modern Label punch