Hello everyone!  Today is our last Stamp Off Challenge for a while.  Buffy, Jackie and I have been doing our challenges for almost six years.  It is hard to believe it has been that long.  I have enjoyed every single one of our challenges but, as a group, we have decided to take a break from regularly scheduled bi-weekly challenges and just do them when time permits.  I have to say that working with Buffy and Jackie has been one of the highlights of my stamping career.  They are both so talented and I have learned so much from them.  The good part is we will always be good friends.  We just aren’t going to do a bi-weekly challenge.

In any case our challenge this week is to showcase our own Christmas cards.

I decided to use the stamp set called Christmas Season for my card.  This stamp set has coordinating dies called Seasonal Labels.  This bundle is in the July – December Mini Catalog but I am happy to know that it is not retiring and will be available after that catalog is over.  If you order it before January 4th, though, you can still get the 10% bundle discount.  That will go away once this Mini Catalog ends.  The things I love about this bundle are the pinecones and the different leaves in this set as well as all the different labels it includes.

To make this card I first embossed a 4″ x 5.25″ piece of Basic White card stock using the Merry Melody 3D embossing folder.  I am so happy because this folder is also being carried over.  Next I stamped the pinecones in Crumb Cake and Soft Suede ink and cut them out using the coordinating die.  These stamps are two-step stamps which means it takes two or more stamps to make one image.  Next I stamped the different leaves in Soft Succulent and Evening Evergreen ink and cut them out using the dies too.  I layered them on the embossed piece of Basic White and then onto a Cherry Cobbler card base.

I do have to admit I had to change my original card a bit.  When I first designed it I had stamp the sentiment (from the stamp set called Heartfelt Wishes which will retire on January 3rd) in Cherry Cobbler ink and then embossed it with the Merry Melody embossing folder.  Then I began to mass produce my card and after I had embossed everything, I realized I had forgotten to stamp them first.  There was no way I was going to throw out 60 embossed pieces of card stock so I change the design up a bit.  I stamped the sentiment on a strip of Basic White card stock that I layered it on a strip of Cherry Cobbler card stock.

Lastly I added three Matte Decorative Dots around the images.

On another note, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year.  Thanks for all your kind comments on our challenges.  Each one made me smile.

Now let’s go see what Jackie and Buffy made for their Christmas cards.  I am sure they are going to be gorgeous! 

Product List