Countdown to Christmas!

Good morning! It's a chilly 28 degrees here in Atlanta this morning and there is a thick layer of glistening frost on the lawn, bushes and rooftops. My poor little southern children thought it has snowed-lol! This cool weather has finally gotten me back in the mood for stamping and creating- it's been a long time since my craft room has seen any action!

I am challenging myself this holiday season to make (and post!) at least one project every day from now until Christmas- that's going to be a bit of a hat trick for me since I will be working in the NICU the last two weeks of December, but I'm going to give it a shot!

The first card of the season is a true hybrid of digital and real elements. It starts with this adorable digital image from Birdie Brown (Torico). The bear was printed twice- once on Whisper White and once on paper from SU's Frostwood Lodge digital collection. I opened the plaid "paper" in Photoshop, re-sized the paper from 12x12 to 4x6 (which made the print smaller and more appropriately sized for the bear's shirt). The shirt and hat were paper pieced onto the white image after he was colored with Copics. Rule of thumb: color before gluing! I used some white flocking powder to give the edges of his hat some fluff:)

The rest of the card went together pretty simply- the Garden Green background was embossed using the Houndstooth textured impressions folder, the snowflake edge done by a MS punch and the layers cut with Nestability dies. Spoiler alert: Stampin' Up has finally joined the nested die world and will be coming out with some great dies in January in the Occasions Mini- stay tuned! A few Glimmer Brads in the corners and a some fluffy tinsel over the Real Red satin ribbon and it's done!

 

 The inside was finished with a computer generated greeting and another strip of the Frostwood Lodge paper sized for 6x6. I was going to keep this card on my desk as a start to the holiday mood, but a colleague at work really needed that bear hug yesterday, so it's on her desk instead:))

Come back around tomorrow- I'll have this card as a "More Is More" version- super sparkly and cozy!

Have a great day!

 




Supplies:
Stamps: Bear with Cocoa- Birdie Brown (Torico)
Paper: Crumb Cake, Garden Green, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Frostwood Lodge DP (digital)
Ink: Canon MX850 printer
Accessories: Houndstooth embossing folder, Sizzix Big Shot die cut machine,Nestability dies, Real Red satin ribbon, white flocking powder, dimensionals, liquid glue, snowflake edge punch