Shaped Cards – Snowflake Tropics

Creating shaped cards just takes a little imagination and a large die. I thought this week I would put a little spin on my snowflake Christmas card and create a tropical scene – why not?!! After all, I did just spend 10 years in Florida!

This month at Happy Little Stampers, the Christmas Challenge focuses on Shaped Cards. Since it’s been snowing a little every day here in the forest, I thought a snowflake card would be perfect!

We also have a great guest designer this month – Rahmat – Cards & Cooking Corner  Be sure to check out her blog and project too!

Tomorrow I’ll have  a video to show you for this card as well, so stop on by!

How to create Shaped Cards – Tropical Snowflake

• Measure your snowflake die and cut a card base slightly larger. Mine measured 3 3/4 tall by 4 1/4 wide folded.  (7 1/2 x 4 1/4″)
• Score your card at 3 3/4″ and mask off the back flap with a post it note.

• Stamp your water using 139H Seaside Cove by Stampscapes in Early Espresso. Tip – you want to have the glistening part somewhere on your card.
• Mask off the horizon line at the top of your stamped image (the sky) and sponge in your bottom. Try to keep the glisten part light. I used Broken China, Mermaid Lagoon and Peacock Feather Distress Inks and Mini Sponge Tools by Ranger.
• Add a little extra color to the horizon line.Flip your mask so that the water is hidden.
• Cut a sun mask using a 3/4″ circle punch and post it note. Tip – if you can’t get the mask to punch cleanly, place your post it note in between a folded piece of copy paper and punch.
• Sponge your sky in your desired colors. I used Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick & Seedless Preserves Distress Inks.

• Create a stencil by punching the same punch in the center of a square post it note.
• Remove the sun mask and replace it with a sun stencil. Sponge with Fossilized Amber, Mustard Seed and a tiny bit of Spiced Marmalade at the bottom.
• Stamp your Palm Tree (Palm Stalks 123F [Stampscapes] – cut apart) & Palm Fronds – Stampscapes fronds #2 & #3 in Espresso.
• Add the birds either with a stamp or draw by hand. I used a partial stamping of Gulls #302A with an Espresso Marker, and free hand drew a few more.
• Stamp your greeting – I needed a small stacked greeting, so I used this one from Christmas Bell Medley by Stamplorations.
• Now that your scene is done, we can create the shaped card.
• Keep your card folded as you run it through your Big Shot or other die cutting machine.

• Be sure to slightly mis-align the top so that the card fold remains intact – meaning you have a flat edge at the uppermost top two snowflake arms (for lack of a better word!)
• Cut your die, make sure it cuts through both pieces!
• And there you have it – a snowflake shaped card.

Now this card is rather small, but it’s cute and would actually make a super cute tag or ornament – you could even pop a photo on the inside in the shape of a circle.

So I hope that inspired you a bit. I’m looking forward to seeing what you create. Don’t forget to check out the design teams cards too – we all have different shapes! Enter the Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge here.

Earlier this week, I saw my super talented friends Kristie and Bonnie play along with tropical themed Christmas cards for Merry Monday, so I thought I’d join them by combining the two challenges for this project! Be sure to check out those amazing cards too!

Hope you give both challenges a try. I’ll be back in a few days with a Mixed Media one!

Keep those fingers inky –

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