Aloha, all!
As I was putting the finishing touches on the content of my new Card Layout eBook, I decided that I wanted to group together the few cards that I've made using "quilt blocks." I haven't made one since earlier this summer, so off I went to make one with a Christmas Theme!
Once I got the squares figured out, I had to decide what to do as far as my quilting paper for the designs. After a few tries at some of the current Designer Series Paper sets, I retreated to my tried-and-true paper from the Patterns Stacks, this time from the Regals collection, using Garden Green and Robin Hood Red.
As an aside, I just got a couple of new books of the Patterns Stack papers and found that the papers are arranged in the stacks in a delightfully different way. Instead of each of the two identical sheets placed in the book both facing the same way, the second of each sheet is turned around. This way you can see all four patterns right away without having to go back and forth among the 4 sheets to see all of them. Great change, Stampin' Up!
So, back to the tree. I actually did use a little piece of the Early Espresso patterned paper from the Letters to Santa Designer Series Paper. It was a small scrap that I had left on my work table from an earlier project. In fact, that's what these little "quilt" patterns are great for – making use of all those otherwise nearly useless scraps left over from fine-trimming some squares and rectangles.
I've matted up the tree motif onto some Riding Hood Red and Garden Green Card stock, with a layer of brushed gold on which I stamped the Merry Christmas from the Holiday Mini stamp set, Christmas Lodge. The two Christmas Greetings in that set are so very versatile, and I think I would have bought that set just for the greetings – if I didn't like that tree so much!
I have the layout for the "Quilt Block" and the card itself all done and safely tucked away in my 2011 Greeting Card Layout eBook – to be published soon! Keep an eye out her for the publication date announcement!