Polka Dots and Striped Christmas

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Striped and Polka Dot 003

Have you ever finished a project and just felt so-so about it?  That happened to me for this project.  So, what do you do when it just doesn’t feel right?  Well, make a tiny switch and then just like Emeril – BAM, that’s just what it needed!

128.pngCTS_94 Virginias View clean and simple

I created a clean and simple polka dot/striped card and entered it into three of my fav challenges – the Merry Monday Christmas, CAS(e) this Sketch, and Virginia’s View Challenges this week.  Here is what I came up with and how a small change made all the difference.  If you’re part of the VIP Community – there’s a step by step video tutorial on this project for you!

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Creative Tips –

  • To create subtle stripes, grab those left over 1/2 inch strips that you have from trimming down your card stock and cut them into 3” long strips.
  • Arrange them at the top in a back and forth pattern for a great backing to any element.Striped and Polka Dot 001
  • Cut out a shape – here you see Deco Framelits by Stampin Up and emboss your greeting – I used a bold greeting to be able to keep up with the polka dots.
  • For the polka dots, use any tiny circle stamp you have.  This is a double circle stamp I have from a floral set by Simon Says Stamp – love these little stamps!
  • Stamp them in versamark and emboss with clear powder
  • My original card used Gold Embossing Powder for the greeting and around the card front.  The gold got a bit overpowered – I’m not sure if it was all the elements or the Cherry Cobbler color, but it just wasn’t working for me.Striped and Polka Dot 007
  • To give the card a little more pop and make it work, as Tim Gunn says…I switched to White Embossing Powder for the greeting
  • I loved the embossed edge on the card front – so I duplicated that in white. It’s kind of hard to see the white edge in this photo though…Striped and Polka Dot 006
  • The original card uses pearls, but that didn’t work for me either, so I switched to sequins and BAM – perfection!

Here they are side by side – see the difference?  It’s night and day.  Sometimes minor changes make all the difference in the world.

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So don’t settle for mediocre, next time try it a second time and enjoy your success!

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

Black, Silver and Gold Christmas

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Black SIlver n Gold Xmas001

What do the colors Black, Silver and Gold bring to mind when you think Christmas?  You may be thinking…huh?  At first, I was a bit intrigued, as those weren’t colors I would gravitate towards…but I have to admit – I love the combo!  That was the challenge at the Merry Monday Christmas Challenge this week.  I’ve been wanting to play for a few weeks now, and sadly, didn’t have any stamps that went with the themes the past few weeks! Sad smile  Here’s this weeks:

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But this one…I have.  What do you think?  If you’re on the Creative Tips E-letter list, you’ll get a special tutorial on this and another Black, Gold and Silver Card!  If you’re a VIP Community member – you’ll have videos to go with those!  So watch your inbox this week!

Black SIlver n Gold Xmas005

Not on the E-letter list and want to be?  No problem – it’s free and you’ll get a few project videos sent right to you, Creative Tips list.

Interested in learning more online?  We add 20+ video tutorials every month to the ever growing VIP Community Project and Resource Library.  That’s less than $1 per tutorial!  Get all that and monthly classes right here.

Thanks for stopping by!  Let me know what you think of this card and what these colors mean to you – leave me a comment below!

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Filed Under: Challenges, Christmas Tagged: , , , , ,