stamped christmas cards

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!

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!

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.
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.
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…
The original card uses pearls, but that didn’t work for me either, so I switched to sequins and BAM – perfection!