Santa's On His Way ..... Gift Card Holder

Santas almost here and he's checking his list to see who's naughty or nice!  

Isn't this Santa just the sweetest?  And, he's so easy to make.  What a perfect enclosure for a gift card. I made this Santa Gift Card Holder at one of Cheryl LeFore's recent stamp club evenings. This cutey takes about 10 minutes to make and is simply adorable.   

Supplies:
Stamp Set:   Cheerful Tags #135065 pg. 5 Holiday Catalogue
Classic Ink:  Real Red, Blushing Bride
Cardstock:    Real Red, Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Basic Black
Thinlet:        Gift Card Envelope and Trims Thinlets Dies
Diecut:         Gift Bow Bigz L Die #129977 pg 223 Annual Catalogue
Punches:      1/4" and 3/4" circle punches,  Window Word Punch
Embossing:  Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder #117335 pg 226 Annual     Catalogue
Accessories: Sponge Dauber, Dimensionals, White Pompom, Hot Glue Gun and 2-way Glue Pen Glue Dots, Big Shot Machine, Trimmer, Scissors and Bone Folder.

Here's How I Made It: 

1.  Cut two pieces of Real Red card stock to 6"x6" for the gift card and 3 1/2" x 4 1/2" for the Santa Hat.

2.  Cut the 6" x 6" piece or Real Red card stock with the Gift Card Envelope Die.  Score on the edges to form envelope.  Use glue dots to seal envelop sides.  Set aside.

Gift Card Envelope and Trims Thinlits Die #135854

3.  Use the 3 1/2" x 4 1/2" piece of Real Red card stock for the hat and mark the top center of the card stock at 1 7/8".  Using a ruler draw a line from the top mark to the right and left side forming a triangle.  Trim off the side pieces with scissors to form the triangle.  NOTE: You can also use the large pennant from the Perfect Pennants BIGZ L (retired) die if you have it. Sculpt the top of the hat with a bone folder to curl the point towards Santa's face.  Glue a white pompom on to the tip with the glue gun. 

4.  Cut a 1" x 3" piece of Blushing Bride for the face.  Punch out the nose with the 3/4" circle punch from a scrap of Blushing Bride card stock. Sponge edges of circle with Blushing Bride ink and set aside.

 5.  For the beard and mustache cut a 3 1/2" x 4 1/4" (beard) and two 2" x 4 1/2" (mustache) pieces of Whisper White card.  Place these pieces on the Gift Bow Bigz L Die and run through the Big Shot Machine.  Emboss these cut pieces with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder to give them some texture. Assemble the bow using glue dots.  

Gift Bow Bigz L Die cuts two sizes of bows - #129977 pg 233 of the annual catalogue. 

6.  Cut a strip of Whisper White card stock measuring 3/8" x 3 1/4" for the brim of the hat.  Use the Window Word Punch to punch out the 3 1/4" strip.  Using two way glue attach this strip to the bottom of the hat for the brim. 

The Window Word Punch is a versatile tool to have in your punch toolbox.  #119857

7.  Using two-way glue or tape runner attach the Santa face to the center back of the hat. There should be about 1/4" of the word window strip showing on either side of the face, to ensure it's centered. 

This is the backside view of the gift envelope once the Santa face is attached.

8.  Attach the bow to the center of the face with a dimensional. Add glue dots under the bow parts of the mustache and attach to the face. Punch out two eyes from the black card stock with the 1/4" punch and center them above the bow center; attach with glue dots.  Glue the nose to the center of the bow.

9.  Attach the Santa face on an angle to the front of the envelope with glue dots or tape runner.  I just added the adhesive to the back of the face and the bottom of the hat.  Glue it down well so the face doesn't fall off.  

10.  Cut a card insert measuring 2 1/3" x 3 3/4" to tuck inside the gift holder envelope.  I stamped "Holiday Cheer" from the Cheerful Tags set in Real Red ink for my greeting.  Add the gift card and you're done!  Easy Peasy! 
 

Cheerful Tags 7 piece Photopolymer Stamp set coordinates with the Note Tag Punch.

Merry Christmas and Happy Stamping
Penny Tokens

HOST A PARTY IN JANUARY AND GET AWESOME REWARDS

Between January 6th and January 31st you will earn great hostess rewards for holding a party.  Contact me today to set up a date and work out the details. 

Year-End Closeouts - Clearance Rack ........Save up to 80% off

CHECK OUT THE YEAR-END CLOSE OUTS and save up to 80% on Stampin' Up! products!   Stampin' Up!  is clearing up their inventory for year end and that means big savings for you!

The Clearance Rack has been expanded with many more items including some holiday ones and there are discounts up to 80 percent on some fabulous items.  Take advantage of these amazing deals before they're gone! Check out the Year-End Closeouts to see what's on sale!

The Fine Print:

Promotion Dates: 5 Dec 2014 - 5 Jan 2015

• No minimum purchase required.
• No refunds or exchanges on Year-End Closeout items.
• Items offered during the Year-End Closeouts are while supplies last.
• Online customers and demonstrators can add non-Year-End Closeout items to their order.
• Year-End Closeouts orders are eligible for hostess benefits/Stampin' Rewards with qualifying orders.
• Following the Year-End Closeouts sale, some remaining items may stay in the Clearance Rack. Other items may be removed from the Clearance Rack to be added at another undetermined time.
• Orders must be placed online or as demonstrator orders.

Deadlines:
Phone orders: January 5, 2015 3:50 pm (MT)
Online orders: January 5, 2015; 11:50 PM (MT)

Join Stampin' Up! Today - Special Bonus Offer This Week

 JOIN MY TEAM TODAY

Have you been thinking about becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator?  Well now may be the best time of the year for you!  

Join now during Stampin' Ups! One Week special for new Demos and get some great discounts!  From November 24 - December 2, join my team, and you will qualify for five percent cash back on commissionable orders placed in December.  You'll also get a 25 percent discount on the Starter Kit with all the same great products included! More details on this limited-time offer are listed below.The Fine Print:

• Demonstrators will not receive additional percentages off for multiple recruits. One recruit qualifies you for the five percent cash back. 
• All commissionable orders must be finalized in the month of December to qualify for the five percent cash back offer.
• Only active demonstrators are eligible to receive the cash back bonus.
• The five percent cash back for the recruiter is based off of her commissionable sales, not those of her downline.
• The five percent cash back will be paid with commission in January.

    Deadlines:

• Mail: All orders must be received by the end of the business day on December 2 . 
• Online: All Starter Kit orders must be finalized on December 2 by 11:50 PM (MT).

Online Shopping Extravaganza - Nov 24 to Dec 1, 2014

 

A big shopping extravaganza has just been announced by Stampin' Up!  This Online Extravaganza starts today with select items and bundles at discounted prices. 

There are limited-time door busters on November 24 and December 1, or while supplies last, so you don't miss out!

Check out this Online Extravaganza flyer to learn more about these deals and discover which products (including select Textured Impressions Embossing Folders) are going on sale here. 

Paper Pumpkin Past Kits Sale:

Also, during the Online Extravaganza a few of Stampin' Ups! past Paper Pumpkin refill kits will be 20% off and available to ALL customers. (Please note that refill kits do not include stamps or ink.) 

Stampin' Up! is adding two new kits to the existing Paper Pumpkin past kits offering (available to current subscribers only). Visit Paper Pumpkin today to see the latest kits available. 

Festival of Trees

Today I want to share a card I made at Cheryl LeFore's Stamp Camp last week that uses the Festival of Trees Punch and coordinating Stamp Set.

This is one of my favourite bundles this season, and judging by the fact that it's been on back order a few times, it's the favourite of many other stampers too. 

Save 15% off the regular price by ordering the bundle #137640.  This stamp set is available in English, French and Spanish.

Here's My Card:

Card design from Cheryl LeFore's Stamp Club

Supplies:

Stamp Set:  Festival of Trees
Card Stock:  Lost Lagoon, Soft Sky, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White,
DSP:  All is Calm Specialty DSP, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper (for stars)
Punch:  Tree Punch, Star Punch from Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack
Accessories:  Dimensionals, Trimmer

How Did I Make It:
1.  Cut a 4 1/4 x 11" piece of Lost Lagoon card stock and score at 5 1/2".
2.  For the 1st layer cut and adhere a 5 1/4" piece of Pear Pizzazz card stock.
3.  For the last layer cut and adhere a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of Pool Party card stock.
4.  Cut 2 1/2 x 4" strips of various designs from the All is Calm Designer Series Paper and punch out 10 trees.  No two patterns will match.
5.  Stamp the sentiment "A little merry wish..." in Lost Lagoon in the upper right hand corner of the Pool Party layer.
6.  Adhere three of the trees across the card face with the tip of the last one just below the sentiment line.
7.  Adhere a second layer of trees with dimensionals  overlapping the first layer.
Line up with the bottom of the card stock layer.
8.The last four punched tree designs need to be reduced in size before adhering them over the second row of trees.  To do this you need to cut a strip of scrap paper measuring 2 1/2 x 8 1/2" and adhere the first tree with repositioning tape to the end of the strip.  Fit the tree into the punch moving it so the stump of the tree is just above the stump area on the punch.  When the tree is positioning the way you want then depress the punch.  Voila a perfectly shaped smaller tree image.  Repeat this process for all four trees and then adhere them with two dimensionals (top and bottom) on each tree.  I positioned the center trees first placing them in between the three trees on the second row and then adding the other two trees one on each side.  I matched up the bottoms of the trees so they just barely touched. 

Here you  can see how the tree trunks are lined up with the bottom of the Pool Party layer and the bases of each tree just touch ever so slightly.

9.  Punch out 3 stars from Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper using the star from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch set.  Mount these stars randomly on the tree tops with pieces of dimensionals. 
10.  For the inside of the card, cut a piece of Whisper White card stock to measure 3 3/4 x 5".  Stamp the blank tree image on the left hand side in Pool Party ink.  Using Lost Lagoon ink stamp the image with the balls on it over top of the tree image.  Stamp the sentiment "For Lots of Joy at Christmas" in Lost Lagoon ink.

Card and Matching Envelope

Well that's it for today.  I hope to do some more cards and tags featuring this stamp set bundle in the coming days, so I hope you'll return to check them out.

Happy Stampin!
Penny Tokens

Christmas Star Card -FMS#160

Happy November everyone!  Halloween is over and the clocks are turned back once again as we head into late fall.  Although it's been a while since I've been able to post, I'm back in circulation again, and starting the count down to Christmas with some great cards and techniques. 

I'm starting off my month with a wonderful easy sketch I found on Freshly Made Sketches that was designed by Rita Wright, of Rita's Creations blog.   I liked the simplicity of this sketch, which helped my card come together fairly quickly.  Make sure you visit the site and check out all the great entries by the design team and other participants.

Here's the Sketch:

Here's my card:

I wanted to create a vintage style Christmas card using some of the awesome designer papers from the Trim the Tree Designer Series Paper Pack.  I chose two complimentary papers with Garden Green and Crumb Cake designs and then paired these up with Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green card stocks.  

Supplies:
Ink:  Crumb Cake and Memento Tuxedo Black
Card Stock:  Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green
Papers:  Trim The Tree Designer Series paper Stack, Gold Glimmer Paper
Accessories:  Stars Collection Framelits, Banner Framelits, Itty Bitty Accents Punch (star), Stripes Embossing Folder,  Paper Trimmer, Adhesive, Dimensionals, Glue Dots.

How It's Made:
1.  The card base measuring 4 1/4" x 11" and scored at 5 1/2 is cut from Crumb Cake card stock.  I sponged the front edges of the card with Crumb Cake Ink.

2.  My next layer was made with Champagne Glimmer Paper.  Now I love this stuff but I don't like wasting it.  As you'll see from the next two pictures, I make the most of it before using it as a layer on a card.

I used a variety of punches and framelits to punch out images from the center of the 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Champagne Glimmer Paper.

Here's the finished layer before I adhered it to the card front.   Looks pretty awful, but remember it'll be covered with the next layer of card stock and no one will ever know but you.   

After punching away the center of the piece (see above) I've cut away whatever scraps remained and left only a small border around the inside of the square.  This step saves on mailing costs by taking away the weight and bulk from the card

 3.  The next layer is a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock that's been texturized with the Stripes Embossing Folder before being adhered over the glimmer paper layer.   Note it's hard to stick card stock to glimmer paper so I used Tom Bow adhesive to attach.

4.  I cut a banner from the Trim a Tree Designer Series Paper Pack and a coordinating square which were both mounted on card stock to give them a little more stability on the card front.  The edges were sponged with Crumb Cake Ink to give them a vintage look.  
 

There are 48 sheets of 4 1/2" x 61/2" pieces of Christmas themed designer series paper in this stack.  Pages coordinate with  Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Sahara Sand, Early Espresso and Whisper White inks and card stocks.

5.  I stamped a medium sized star from the Bright & Beautiful stamp set in Cherry Cobbler ink on a piece of Crumb Cake Cardstock.  This star and a smaller one were cut out using the Star Collection Framelit dies.   I mounted the medium star on Cherry Cobbler card stock and fussy cut around it leaving a 1/8" border.  This was mounted over top of the banner with dimensionals.

6.  The smaller star was cut from the Garden Green piece of DSP and was stamped with the word "JOY", one of the five word stamps featured in the Bright and Beautiful stamp set. I cut out an additional small star from the Champagne Glimmer paper and mounted the DSP star to it with glue dots.  I also punched out five small stars with the Itty Bitty star punch and mounted them to the card front with glue dots.  

 

I hope you enjoyed today's card and brief tutorial.  Please leave me a comment if you have a moment, I really value your feedback.   Let me know how you do your Christmas cards........ all at once, or do you make a few at a time throughout the year and set them aside?  I'd be interested in any great methods you might have for making cards in bulk.  

Happy Stampin'!
Penny Tokens