Easy DIY Mixed Media Christmas Cards + Video

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Save the Crafty YouTuber Video Hop

Have you ever wanted to quickly produce some fun and artistic Mixed Media Christmas Cards? Are you tired of sending bulky cards that require extra postage? What if I gave you the formula for how to create a whole stack of cards that have layered texture and character to them, but are pretty much flat, easy to put together and will have all your friends and family thinking you are quite the artist?!! Interested?

Now what if on top of that I told you that you could have a chance to win over 100 prizes – bet THAT sold ya!

Mixed Media Christmas Cards Video Tutorial

It’s that time of year again – my good friend Justine Hovey has organized the second Save the Crafty YouTuber Video Hop, and I decided to play along with 90 of my crafty friends – mixed media style! And I even have my OWN giveaway that I’m doing….so be sure to actually WATCH the video. I give the details along the way…

Click HERE to watch in HD on my YouTube Channel

Aren’t they FUN and super simple cards to make?!! Seriously – I’m going to be teaching this exact project (and so much more) in person in a few weeks in the Orlando, Florida area. If you’d like to come learn from me in person – be sure to email me at ingrid (at) thecreativegrove.com and I’ll send you all the details!!

For the specifics and Details to be entered for over 100 prizes – seriously…it’s more like 125+ prizes….GOOD ones too – read about those on my YouTube Channel in the section below the video!

The Save the Crafty YouTuber Video hop is a celebration of cardmaking video tutorials created by a group of talented crafters of all different styles and levels. We are coming together over 5 days to give our viewers a chance to discover other amazing cardmakers and help reach monetization goals!

Mixed Media Christmas Cards

All you have to do is watch, like the video, consider subscribing, and click the link in the video description below to hop to the next video. Let yourself be inspired! Don’t forget to comment (on the video hop over at YouTube) because we have tons of prizes to give away. Please indicate if you are located in the USA or International so that prizes can be awarded appropriately as some prizes (not all!) have restrictions on them.

To be entered in for MY giveaway (closed) – watch the video – I give details on what you need to put in the comment section (USA only for that one).

Monoprinting Christmas Cards

Don’t forget to check back every day this week since there are 5 themed days of video hops! You never know when you’ll discover your next favourite YouTuber! Hop Links are below.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Here are a few close up photos for you and the supply list. Be sure to come back to this post on November 10th to see who won the prize pack – I’m giving away Dies, Stencils and ink pads – it’s worth over $40!!! That Merry Christmas Die is one of them!!! 🙂 Happy Hopping!!!

Mixed Media Monoprint Christmas

Aren’t those the prettiest cards?!! These photos do not do them justice!! Interested in seeing more Mixed Media Christmas Card possibilities? Check out this tutorial – just adjust for the Christmas Season

Sponsors & Hop Links (Giveaways closed)

Here are all those sponsors….and SO many channels in each of the five hops are giving away additional prizes – this is an AWESOME hop!

Here are links to all five hop days:

  1. Day One Hop Beginning
  2. Day Two Hop Beginning
  3. Day Three – Start on MY YouTube Channel
  4. Day Four Hop Beginning
  5. Day Five Hop Beginning

Good luck on winning all those great prizes – over 100!!! Leave me a comment below if you liked these cards – I’d LOVE to know.

Thanks for watching – till next time…

Supply List

Affiliate Links used if available

Mixed Media Christmas Cards

Hailey’s Shower Photo Supply List – https://ldli.co/e/jpxx6p

Filed Under: Art, Blog Hop, Brayer, Christmas, Clean and Simple, Masculine, Mixed Media, Stencils, Techniques, Uncategorized, Videos Tagged: , , ,

Christmas Sugar Cookies Card

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Nothing is better than good Christmas Sugar Cookies, right? I have a quick and simple treat for you this evening. It’s the live public release of the new Catherine Pooler Home for the Holidays Stamp of Approval Collection! This fun collection of stamps, dies and brand new exclusive embossing glitters is a dream to create with. I’ve been having fun all week showing you how to create wreaths for your custom doors, mass producing my take on the classic nordic sweater turned Christmas tree cards, and I thought tonight we’d tackle the holiday sweet tooth!

Home for the Holidays Stamp of APproval

This release has 10 products in it (5 Stamp Sets, 2 Dies, and 3 Embossing Glitters):

In addition to the release, there are a few new products being released as well – including a brand new “colossal” sized block – you probably saw me use it in my video on this post here – it’s the lightest weight block of its size I’ve used yet!

If you aren’t familiar with Stamp of Approval, it’s a curated collection of stamps and dies that work so well together. It’s perfect to help take the guess work out of your holiday cards. These boxes always sell out, and they are going fast, so don’t miss it! To grab one, just go directly to the Shop Here.

Christmas Sugar Cookies Tutorial

So here’s some fun sugary inspiration for you. This project showcases the Sugar Cookie Dies and Christmas Cookies Stamp Set. The sentiment is from the nordic folk art themed Tiny Wishes Stamp Set using the new Tiny Tags Dies. There’s even a little of the new Thin Silver Cord on there!

I have similar cards here – you’ll have to tell me which one you prefer – with…or without the Angel? I love angels…but it was messing with my need to have odd numbers of elements on my cards. I literally could not decide, so I’m leaving it up to you!!!

TCG Giveaway – Leave me a comment below and I’ll choose three people randomly to send a Christmas Card to this season!! (I did make 12 the other day for the video hop….) 😉 I’ll announce the winners this weekend!

Christmas Sugar Cookie Card #1

Christmas Sugar Cookies Card by Ingrid Blackburn

Christmas Sugar Cookie Card #2

Christmas Sugar Cookies Card

To have some fun with the sugar cookie theme, The large snowflake die is embossed in the new exclusive Something Borrowed Embossing Glitter – what? Yup you read that right – embossing powder in Catherine’s colors – just in time for the holiday season! The Tree is in Lime Rickey Embossing Glitter – my favorite Party Line Green ink, what’s yours? Tell me in the comments below!!

Only one missing is Rockin’ Red, I know I probably should have snuck a peek of it – it’s awesome!

Christmas Sugar Cookies Card

I’m not a big straight glitter fan, but Embossing Glitters I can do! Why you may ask…well, they stick to the paper and don’t rub off! I swear, every time I use glitter, I wear it for days (hubby too), what about you? Do you have that same problem? For the Angel, I used Wow Metallic Sparkle Embossing Glitter and around the Circle Tag, some of Catherine’s exclusive Wanderlust Embossing Glitter – literally the BEST (hands down) sparkly clear glitter. See it in this photo?

Christmas Sugar Cookies Card

I hope you loved these cards. They are pretty straight forward. Stamp the two snowflakes in three colors – It’s a boy, Fiesta Blue and Something Borrowed. Stamp your dies in Versamark or WOW embossing ink and heat set with your desired embossing glitters. The warm wishes was stamped in Something Borrowed. The snowflake panel is also edged with Versamark and embossed in Wanderlust Embossing Glitter.  Tie a little Thin Silver Cord and you’re all set! I popped the dies up on a little foam tape and it’s a simple, cost effective card. VERY easy to mass produce.

Catherine Pooler Stamp of APproval

Thanks for joining me this week. There are still prizes up for grabs in the three hops – don’t miss out!! Here are the three hops, be sure you like, comment and subscribe all along the hops! There are three ways to win 7 prizes. You can always start on Catherine’s channels too.

  • Instagram Hop – 3 $25 gift certificates as Prizes
  • Blog Hop – 3 $25 gift certificates as Prizes
  • Video Hop – Stamp of Approval Collection as a Prize

You have through Thursday 9/20 to enter, winners will be announced on Catherine’s blog on Monday 9/24.

Have a great night!

 

 

 

Supplies

To make finding the supplies I used in these projects a bit easier for you, here are a few clickable links. Compensated Affiliate Links are used when possible. Click here for disclosure. Happy Shopping!


Filed Under: Catherine Pooler Designs, Christmas, Clean and Simple, Stamp of Approval Tagged: , ,

World Card Making Day Weekend

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It’s that time of year – World Card Making Day, and I thought this year….why not inspire you with projects all weekend long? Let’s kick it off today with a quick clean and simple card. I’m in love with angles and lines at the moment. So I thought it would be fun to get a little crooked today…

candy-cane-collection - clean and simple ingrid blackburn

This card is pretty straight forward. To duplicate it, stamp your favorite background stamp  – I used the new Peppermint Stick Background by Catherine Pooler Designs. For a muted look, use a deep red on kraft. Use the same color red for your candy canes. Now you can stamp these on white – but I thought I’d keep them deep red to symbolize love a little better.

candy-cane-love-cu

Did you know that if you criss cross facing candy canes they form a heart? Now you see it, don’t you! I layered multiple patterns, added a little holly & berries and stamped a cute sentiment. Keep it real simple – no sequins or embellishments. It helps to focus on the dies, angles and patterns.

Be sure you’re signed up for my free 12 Days of Christmas series coming soon – Click Here to sign up

What do you think? Tell me in the comments if you’re going to be creating this weekend for world card making day?

Over at StampNation, the Design Team and a huge list of guest designers are going to crazy inspire us all weekend long –  four times each day – that’s a lot of inspiration. There are tons of prizes for those creating along with us too – it’s a worldwide party….here are just a few of the cards I made for the weekend over at StampNation – and I plan to stamp along making more as well!

wcmd-photo-array

Hope to see you there – or on your own blogs. Tell me if you’re creating this weekend in the comments below and I’ll stop by your blog this weekend!!

wcmd-blogsized

And be sure to stop by tomorrow & Sunday – I’m part of a blog hop for a great cause – yup….cards & a fundraiser…how fun is that! There will be lots of designers and a ton of awesome inspiration! Hope to see you here tomorrow….

Till then, keep those fingers inky –

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Filed Under: Christmas, Clean and Simple Tagged: , ,

Gold Snowflakes

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Gold-Snowflakes---001

Snowflakes don’t always have to be white. Today’s project features the best in embossed snowflakes. This mixed media piece utilizes the best of emboss resist and sponging for a unique textured look with a flurry of gold snowflakes. Yup, the Christmas Challenge over at Happy Little Stampers is all about Snowflakes this month – so join us in all the fun!

HLS Christmas Challenge August 2016

To get started, stamp and emboss several snowflakes from Bring on the Snowflakes and Snowy Sayings by CAS-ual Fridays. Emboss in gold. I love all the little pieces in the Snowy Sayings set – those little dots and snowflakes are invaluable stamps to have!

Randomly swipe your versamark pad lightly over a few spots and sprinkle some Ulta Thick Embossing Enamel onto your project. Try not to add too much or get it too heavy in spots. Brush away if too thick in areas.  Heat from underneath to get it to start melting and heat set. This will trap the white color of the card base for some light in your project as you darken your project. The UTEE will also give you a little thicker and rough texture giving it a real mixed media feel.

Gold-Snowflakes---002

Add distress colors directly to your project and sponge them as well. Start with your lightest shade and darken on the perimeter always leaving some color exposed. I used Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs and Ground Espresso.

Matte it onto a white 1/16th wider base and onto your Espresso card base. A 3/4″ strip of espresso with one of the Snowy Sayings greetings in Gold is perfect.

For a cool effect, I used the Funky Flakes coordinating dies and embossed both snowflakes – one in gold, the other clear on espresso and attached them with a mini brad. TIP – To get your brad to coordinate, heat it with your heat tool, dip it into your embossing powder while hot and heat again.

Gold-Snowflakes-003

See, snowflakes don’t have to be the traditional white! Now it’s your turn – I can’t wait to see what you come up with…Christmas is only 4 1/2 months away – time to get going on those cards!! Every year I put out a free 12 days of Christmas series for the Creative Tips e-letter subscribers…be sure to see that when it begins later this fall – subscribe here for free.

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Till next time –

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Filed Under: Christmas, Distress Ink, Mixed Media Tagged: , ,

Gold Embossed Christmas Cards

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Today I have a fun gold embossed Christmas card for you. This month over at Happy Little Stampers the theme for the Christmas Challenge is Gold. I’d love to see what you create with this fun and wide open challenge!

HLS Christmas Challenge July 2016

Here’s my project:

Large Ampersand in Gold

 

I embossed the Holly leaf stencil by ARTplorations in Gilded Gold embossing powder by Brutus Monroe – I love it’s depth of color! I then die cut the large Ampersand from Catherine Pooler Designs – And dies. Doesn’t it rock?!! I smooshed it into some versamark and added the BM powder. I used the Catherine Pooler Designs And Sentiments for some great greetings. The card base is Old Olive and the card front is Cherry Cobbler. I just LOVE the look.

Gold-Embossed-Christmas-Cards-002

So hop on over to Happy Little Stampers and create some GOLD fun this month!!! It’s July…that means it’s time to get going on your Christmas cards…lol!

Now go get those fingers inky!

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Filed Under: Christmas, Techniques, Uncategorized Tagged: , , , ,

Creative Cards – Snowflake Gift

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Snowflake-Gift-001

This month’s Christmas Challenge card is a creative card for you – a snowflake gift. The theme at the Happy Little Stampers Christmas challenge this month is Gift, so why not just wrap it all up in a snowflake bow?

HLS Christmas Challenge May 2016

To create this card, I wanted a simple and straightforward background – white pigment ink stenciled with the Snowflakes stencil by Memory Box onto some Pool Party card stock by Stampin Up. I had some matching pool party satin ribbon for my wrapping, a couple Snowflake die cuts in Pool Party and Night of Navy card stock as my bow.

Snowflake-Gift-008

Just stamp the greeting from the Mixed Christmas Sentiments by Happy Little Stampers, cut some banner edges and pop up the middle for a little movement and Voila – all done!

Snowflake-Gift-0056Snowflake Gift Card

Quick, simple, interesting and this can be done over and over in any color theme and with any dies – think Graduation with hats and a diploma, Happy Birthday with anything – polka dots, little cakes, streamers – you name it. Baby, flowers, butterflies, I can go on and on and on. Quick, easily mass produced and so cute! Tell me YOUR idea in the comments below – I’d love to compile a list of awesome ideas.

Snowflake Stencil Gift

Thanks for stopping by today for this quick tutorial, be sure to swing by the Design Team’s cool creations as well. Now go create your own “Gift” for the challenge – I can’t wait to see what you do!

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Filed Under: Cards, Challenges, Christmas, Uncategorized Tagged: , , ,

Showcasing the Negative

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Negative die cuts

When you think Die Cuts, usually you would think about something laying on top of your project, or a paper piecing. But do you ever think in reverse? Today is all about showcasing what’s left over, once you use your die cuts to cut out your images – the negative die cut images. Over at Happy Little Stampers this month, the theme is Die Cuts. Now, normally I’d whip up something way cool piecing together some cool images that pop off your card. I thought it would be fun instead to pop UP my card and show a shadowed negative of the image. Best part – I still have the positive images cut out by my steel dies! That’s for another project….oh wait – I already created it HERE.

Happy Little Stampers Die Cut Challenge

Before I get into the nitty gritty of how easy it is to create this very cool card – be sure to welcome our Guest Designer for this month – Christine.

For this month’s project, I paired up with a rocking HLS sentiment from Everyday Sentiments and a few sparkling clear sequins – I have a great card that’s not only quick – serves double duty – not bad! Here’s how you can create your own:

using negative die cuts

How to Use Negative Die Cuts

  • Emboss your greeting in black first in the lower right corner of your card front – 3 13/16 x 5 1/16″. I wanted something big and bold to balance our my snowflake sky, so I chose Everyday Sentiments by HLS.
  • Arrange your snowflake dies – I used Bring on the Snowflakes by CAS-ual Fridays – , and cut out with your Die Cutting Machine. I got mine in the Holiday Collection from Stamp of Approval, but they’ll be released individually later this year.
  • Remove the dies cuts, leaving only the negative images in your card front

backgrounds for negative die cuts

  • On a second slightly smaller piece – 3 11/16 x 4 15/16″ , sponge your desired colors or use a fun colored piece of card stock. You can do anything here, washi tape, watercolors, solids, patterned papers – it’s literally endless possibilities. I sponged an Ombre look starting with Broken China-Salty Ocean-Faded Jeans-Seedless Preserves and ending in Dusty Concord.
  • Adhere your colored background piece to a black piece of card stock cut slightly larger than your card front – mine is 1/16th larger  – 4 x 5 1/4″

easy christmas cards

  • Now for the fun part – pop up your card front using fun foam, foam tape and dimensionals – I used all three with two sizes of smaller dots. Every nook and cranny was popped up – so nothing droops after shipping. You really want your card to have that full shadow effect.
  • Attach your black card stock to a folded A2 sized card (4 1/4 x 5 1/2″)
  • Add some sparkling clear sequins  by pretty pink posh – and you’re all set!

happy little stampers christmas challenge

And if you used colored card stock or sparkly paper, think of how easy and mass producible this card is!! Now it’s your turn – whip out those die cuts and get in on the action. It’s Happy Little Stampers birthday, so don’t miss out on some great prizes! Can’t wait to see what you create!

Now go get those fingers inky –

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Filed Under: Big Shot, Cards, Challenges, Christmas, Clean and Simple, Uncategorized Tagged: , , , , ,

Winter Berries

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WInter-Berries-001

It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to play along with the girls over at Merry Monday. This week Bonnie challenged us to use Berries on a Christmas Card. I was in a watercolor stamping mood, so I pieced this quick little card together.

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First I did a light wash using Broken China and Tumbled Glass Distress inks in the background, keeping the darker colors toward the top. Next I inked up my Berry Bevy stamp by Penny Black in Ground Espresso and Barn Door Distress Markers, gave it a good light spritz and stamped onto my watercolor background. I added a sponged and embossed greeting using the Handlettered Holiday dies by WPlus9.

WInter-Berries-002

It’s a quick and simple card, okay there are a few steps in there, but I love the CAS style. To finish the card I added a little paper piercing up top after matting my watercolored berries on espresso card stock.

Berries on branches are some of my favorite things, I’m always fascinated by them. Here’s another Christmas card done for this year…I’m running a bit behind…have to play along a little more with Merry Monday’s – hope to see you there too!

WInter-Berries-003

Thanks for stopping by today –

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Filed Under: Christmas, Distress Ink, Merry Monday, Uncategorized, Watercolor Tagged: , , ,
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