Aloha, all!
This blog post was originally a part of the November 2010 Royal Blog Tour. If you missed this fall's tour, you'll definitely not want to miss the next one! Stay tuned to my blog throughout the year for information about this fabulous tour! But you can still enjoy the projects that I showed off during the 4 days of this fall's tour.
Let me begin by introducing you to one of my all-time favorite stamp sets, Punch Pals, one of my favorite sets of Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper packs, Jolly Holiday, and the projects I'll be sharing with you today:
Besides the stamp set and paper that these three projects all have in common, they also share a feature that I consider to be essential in Christmas Cards that I send to my family and friends: They have to have some small gift as part of their design. Besides that, I really do like to have something a bit unusual about my cards, whether it be the size or shape of the card, or the way it's folded (as long as it fits in a mailable envelope!). So with that in mind, let's look at what I've created just for you!
This first card is a Double Accordion Pocket Fold! There are TWO accordion folded pieces of Jolly Holiday Designer Paper, each of which has its own folded pocket on the far inside of the card. They're mounted together on a standard greeting card piece of card stock that fits an A2 envelope. You just cannot believe how easy this card was to make! I'll be sharing a step-by-step tutorial right here as part of my Countdown to Christmas posts beginning on December 1st!
The gift for this card is a set of two bookmarks – they decorate the card for the holiday season, then help your friends and family mark their place in all those new books they received as Christmas gifts! A fun reminder of the season for months to come. I really like the way that the stamps in the Punch Pals are outlined, so I try not to doctor them up with too much color. But this little penguin asked for a yellow beak and the tree really looked like it needed a yellow star. So for these two bookmarks, I added just a touch of Daffodil Delight to the featured colors, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, and Very Vanilla.
The front of the card is also decorated with two medallions made up of two of the stamps from Punch Pals, both heat embossed with White Stampin' Emboss Powder. The medallion stamp and the small snowflake stamp are two of several of the stamps in Punch Pals that have matching punches – the 3/4" Circle Punch and the 1-3/4" Scallop Circle Punch. I layered the two punched pieces together and matted them with the 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch. I think that makes a lovely combination for the front of the card, with plenty of space for the Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin Ribbon to tie the whole thing together.
The next two projects are 6-1/2" x 3", and both fit into one of Stampin' Up!'s Small Open-End Envelopes, which, in the United States, require only the standard first class postage. So they're practical as well as just darling!
You might recognize this as a variation of a Diagonal Double Pocket Card. And it's just as easy to make! I prefer these cards, with the pretty Designer Series Paper, not to have a cover on them. What I did do to make this sturdier and a bit more festive was to mount it on first a layer of Cherry Cobbler Card Stock, then on a layer of Old Olive Card stock which I punched top and bottom with the Scallop Trim Border Punch. I added a greeting from Punch Pals, tied on some Old Olive 5/8" Satin Ribbon and Cherry Cobbler 1/2" Seam Binding (from Stampin' Up!s 2010 Holiday Mini Catalog), and inserted yet another cut pair of decorated bookmarks. That snowman makes me smile every time I see him!
Finally, I've made up a card that contains not bookmarks but coupons! Of course, once the giftee tears out the coupon (perforated with the Perforating Tool in the Stampin' Up! Cutter Kit), he or she could use it as a bookmark! It might be more valuable as a coupon, though? I made the coupons with My Digital Studio, enlarging one of the frames from Frames with a Flourish and adding in some of the lines from one of the Recipes by Design embellishments. Too cool!
I'll be sharing a tutorial for making both of these last two cards in my Countdown to Christmas blogs in December. If you don't want to miss a thing here, you can either subscribe to my blog (through a reader or however you wish), my newsletter, or even join me on Facebook by clicking on the link to the left. I'll be posting notices about the projects in my Countdown to Christmas posts on Facebook!
What a fun project and great photos Robin! Beautiful ideas for Christmas!
Hugs,
Sharon Field – RBT Queen Crumb Cake Castle — Your friend, not foe!
Robin, you have just made a gorgeous paper so so much more glam!! I love them. Thanks so much for sharing.
Alisha – aj73@optusnet.com.au
oh, oh, oh!!! SOOOOOOOOo cute! What awesome projects!
your projects are awesome…I particularly like the fold card with the tags…really cute and looks like it would be fun to make…. Thanks for sharing.
Great projects and some fabulous gift ideas. Keep up the great work.
Such cute ideas. I really like that diagnol double pocket card.
Mrs. Messenheimer…you have outdone yourself again…LOVE IT ALL. Thank you for being a Princess and sharing your artwork.
Marisol Gutierrez
Really unique projects. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely amazing!!
Thanks for sharing!!
tionya
Adorable stuff, thanks for sharing your time and talents.
great projects. Dianne Bell
Great projects, your inspirtation to do something different has worked. I love all of your card they are fantastic. Will check back for tutorials.
Fun projects. I like the coupon book idea and may have to make something like that for my kids this year. Thanks for sharing and for a chance to win some blog candy. jmniffer
Your projects are all great. Thanks for sharing your creative talent and for a chance to win some candy.
Babe O'Mara
youiesmom@att.net
Love all of your ideas. I am getting in the Xmas spirit seeing all of these cards and fun ideas.
Allison W
allieqdub@gmail.com
Oh my Robin, just beautiful, and so practical. What a great idea to have your
holiday card be part of the gift. Can't wait for the details. And so glad things
in your life have allowed some time for being creative (I call is therapy).
Super cute stuff!
You did a great job on your projects, and I love your blog design! I'm an Island girl at heart.
HI Robin
I subscribe to your blog so I see your GREAT work everyday! Love these projects and can't wait for Christmas Countdown
Kathy
kjcummings63@gmail.com
Love your projects!
Love your projects – especially the coupon card. Thanx for the inspiration.
Beautiful group of of cards.
sharon l
sharon.lemon@sbcglobal.net
I absolutely loved your projects. Thanks for the inspiration!
lapalika@aol.com
All of your projects are so creative & unique…. love them all!
Thank you so much for sharing!!!
~Ola
okj83 at live dot com
Love your cards! My favorite was the last one you did in MDS! Now that I will have to case! Great idea! Beautiful projects all the way around though! TFS!
Jeanne
jvn89@aol.com
Cute cute projects!!!
I adore your projects and awesome blog. Love to make things with a little twist to keep it fun. Great ideas. Thanks
Robin your projects are awesome, love the details and the colors you chose
Awesome cards!
You do nice work! This is a set that didn't really stand out to me but I am having second thoughts. I definately like the DSP.
Your projects are wonderful. You make the kind of cards I like to make. I checked out your site and really like your style so have subscribed to receive emails. Thanks for offering great blog candy.
Theresa in Kitimat
I absolutely love your projects especially that first one. I can't wait for dec 1st to come around.
TFS,
Barb Slaughter (FL)
stamper0910@yahoo.com
Awesome projects, thanks for taking part in the tour and sharing with us!
Love all your projects. Those tall bookmarks are so cute. Great ideas!
Beautiful projects! Great Christmas ideas. Thanks for sharing.
Pam
WOW, I loved them all. Great projects for Christmas and for workshops. TFS
Your projects were wonderful and thank you for sharing. I especially like the card with the tags/bookmarks.
Kelli C
Your projects areadorable
Love all of the projects!
Such unique cards! I'm with you, I love different ones! Great ideas. Thanks.
Robin, your creations are totally beautiful. Thank you for sharing with us!!! Hugs and blessings, Martha Lucia Gomez
Love your blog and your ideas!
Thanks for sharing how you made them. Thanks also for the chance to win blog candy!
Sue Stevens
sls1219@aol.com
Love how you've taken a fresh spin on Punch Pals and your awesome projects. Thanks for sharing your awesome blog!
Great projects! I love the double accordian pocket fold card! Thanks for the ideas.
Debbie Peterson
Wow, Wow, Wow! Love them all! Hope you'll be sharing some details with us! Thanks for sharing your time and your talent with us on the RBT!
Robin, these are great projects but I love, love, love the coupon book idea. I hadn't even thought of using MDS to do something like that but it is a great idea! TFS!
Robin, what beautiful projects. I really love the card with the bookmarks. Thanks for being on the tour and for all your hard work on the committee.
Thought I commented during the blog tour but I don't see it here now. Great projects and see you must really know MDS to use recipe "stuff" in a totally different way. What a great stop along the tour!
Kathy Mc
bdlakebum at yahoo dot com