Poinsettia Merry Christmas

This is one of my favorite Christmas cards.  It was designed using Susan's Poinsettia, Pinecone, Evergreen Boughs, Winterberry, and Eucalyptus die sets.  The Eucalyptus is from an earlier release.

For the background, I used a piece of design paper from the P13-The Four Seasons Winter paper pad.  In the center of the card the Spellbinders Candlewick Rectangle die was used.  The rectangle was attached with dimensional tape.

Three red poinsettia were created using  the Poinsettia die set.  They were die cut using Susan's white Specialty card stock, brushed with red ink, and shaped using Susan's new Flower Tool Kit.  Bearly Art Glue was used to assemble them.  

I use Susan's white Specialty Cardstock from Spellbinders to die cut my flowers/foliage.  I like to color the flowers and foliage by placing them on the Waffleflower Media Mat and use brushes to add ink.  The Media Mat holds the die cut pieces down and makes it quick and easy to color using just one solid color and/or to highlight/blend with additional color.  The mat cleans up very easily when you are ready to color with different ink - I use a babywipe.  I prefer this method of coloring because it is a very smooth application and is also easy to blend colors. There are two sizes of this mat, which I have linked below, along with the brushes. 

The Eucalyptus die set was used to die cut five branches.  They were colored pale green and the ends of the leaves sponged using white pigment ink.  

The Winterberry & Mistletoe die set was used to die cut five Winterberry.  Red berries were added to these leaves.  I used bean bag filler for the berries.  I pick out the smaller balls, put them in a Ziploc bag along with a little acrylic paint, and squish around to get them all colored.  I pull them out with a chop stick onto a piece of waxed paper to dry.  If they stick together after pulling them out, don't worry because they will easily separate when dry.

The Pinecone and Evergreen Bough die set was used to die cut seven pine boughs.  The same die set was used to die cut the pieces to create one pinecone.  

All these die cut pieces were arranged on the left side of the rectangle.  

One of the sentiments from Susan's new Christmas Quotes stamp set was stamped using black VersaFine ink and added to the upper right corner of the rectangle.  

For additional embellishment, I added some red metallic jingle bells to the arrangement.

Hippeastrum Amaryllis

Good morning my crafty friends.  Today I have a card I designed using Susan's new Amaryllis die set.  This is a beautiful flower that generally blooms around Christmas time, so Susan has included it in her Christmas die set release from Spellbinders.

It's hard to see an amaryllis in full bloom without admiring it huge flowers and bright colors.  There are many different colors you can create for your cards.  Some of the most common varieties are the red/red-and-white blooms but there are also shades of pink, orange, yellow, green, purple and multi-colors. 

Rather than creating a card with the most popular red amaryllis, I decided to create an amaryllis called Hippeastrum.  Here is a picture of one I found on the Internet that I tried to duplicate.

This is a slimline card  I used a piece of embossed pearl green card stock for the background.  For the white die cut design, I used the Spellbinders Moroccan Kaleidoscope Slimline die set.  This die cut is a perfect background for this beautiful flower.

Susan's new Gathering Basket was die cut using white card stock and several colors of brown ink were brushed over the embossed design  It was attached using a couple of dimensional tape squares in the middle of the basket then glued down around the sides and bottom, leaving the top open to insert the flower.

The Amaryllis die set was used to die cut three flowers using Susan's Specialty Card Stock from Spellbinders.  Petals were also die cut to create two amaryllis buds.  The flowers were colored to resemble the flowers in the picture I found on the Internet.  The flowers were shaped using Susan's Flower Tool kit and assembled using Bearly Art Glue.  The ends of the stamens were cut in half, glue added to the tips, and dipped in Susan's Yellow Pollen.

To create a longer stem for the flowers, two stems, from the Amaryllis die set were die cut and glued together.  Leaves were die cut using white card stock and brushed with green ink, shaped and glued to the bottom of the stem.  For filler in the basket, I used floral moss.  Glue was spread across the opening of the basket then the moss pressed down in the glue.

One of the stamps in Susan's Christmas stamp set was stamped on white card stock, using black VersaFine Ink.  Using scissors I cut around the sentiment and attached it with dimensional tape.  

What is your favorite amaryllis color?   

Poinsettia Merry Christmas

This is one of my favorite Christmas cards.  It was designed using Susan's Poinsettia, Pinecone, Evergreen Boughs, Winterberry, and Eucalyptus die sets.  The Eucalyptus is from an earlier release.

For the background, I used a piece of design paper from the P13-The Four Seasons Winter paper pad.  In the center of the card the Spellbinders Candlewick Rectangle die was used.  The rectangle was attached with dimensional tape.

Three red poinsettia were created using  the Poinsettia die set.  They were die cut using Susan's white Specialty card stock, brushed with red ink, and shaped using Susan's new Flower Tool Kit.  Bearly Art Glue was used to assemble them.  

I use Susan's white Specialty Cardstock from Spellbinders to die cut my flowers/foliage.  I like to color the flowers and foliage by placing them on the Waffleflower Media Mat and use brushes to add ink.  The Media Mat holds the die cut pieces down and makes it quick and easy to color using just one solid color and/or to highlight/blend with additional color.  The mat cleans up very easily when you are ready to color with different ink - I use a babywipe.  I prefer this method of coloring because it is a very smooth application and is also easy to blend colors. There are two sizes of this mat, which I have linked below, along with the brushes. 

The Eucalyptus die set was used to die cut five branches.  They were colored pale green and the ends of the leaves sponged using white pigment ink.  

The Winterberry & Mistletoe die set was used to die cut five Winterberry.  Red berries were added to these leaves.  I used bean bag filler for the berries.  I pick out the smaller balls, put them in a Ziploc bag along with a little acrylic paint, and squish around to get them all colored.  I pull them out with a chop stick onto a piece of waxed paper to dry.  If they stick together after pulling them out, don't worry because they will easily separate when dry.

The Pinecone and Evergreen Bough die set was used to die cut seven pine boughs.  The same die set was used to die cut the pieces to create one pinecone.  

All these die cut pieces were arranged on the left side of the rectangle.  

One of the sentiments from Susan's new Christmas Quotes stamp set was stamped using black VersaFine ink and added to the upper right corner of the rectangle.  

For additional embellishment, I added some red metallic jingle bells to the arrangement.

Noel Poinsettias

Today I have another slimline card designed with poinsettia and pinecone.  

For the background, I used one of the Spellbinder dies in the Charming Christmas Words die set.  (At the time I used this die set, I didn't realize it is not longer available at Spellbinders, but you can use any border die.)  

Susan's Poinsettia die set was used to create one large poinsettia and three small poinsettia.  To create the smaller poinsettia I used the smallest die and die cut it twice.  The poinsettia and leaves were shaped using Susan's Flower Tool Kit and assembled using Bearly Art Glue. 

Using the Pinecone & Evergreen Bough die set, one pinecone was created and 6 pine boughs were die cut.  White berries were created using Bean Bag Filler.  They were glued down then a black fine line pen used to add a black dot to the end of each berry.  

One of Susan's Christmas Quotes was stamped using black VersaFine ink then cut out with a decorative die.  I used a red marker to trace around the edge of the die cut to help make it stand out.  It was attached with dimensional tape.  

Woodgrain Lantern

Good Morning.  Today I created a slimline card using Susan's Garden Lantern die set.  Also used are her Poinsettia, Pinecone & Evergreen Bough and Woodland Wreath & Feathered Friends die sets.  

A white piece of embossed cardstock was layered onto red card stock and attached to the front of the slimline card.

Using Susan's Garden Lantern die set, one lantern was die cut using a piece white woodgrain design paper/cardstock.  The lantern was die cut a second time using brushed silver card stock.  The trim on the top of the lantern, along the bottom of the lantern, and the frame around the windows was cut out from the brushed silver card stock and glued onto the white lantern.  A Quatrefoil die was used to die cut the design covering the windows.  This was also die cut using silver cardstock.

Using Susan's new Pinecone & Evergreen Bough die set, two pinecones were created. The pinecone scales were die cut using brown card stock and shaped using the leaf tool in the Flower Tool Kit. The tips of the scales were sponged with white pigment ink.   They were glued to the pinecone base using Bearly Art Glue. The  same die set was used to die cut the evergreen boughs.  Each needle on the bough was cut in half, to make them fuller, using the scissors in the Flower Tool Kit, then fluffed up for fullness.

The Woodland Wreath & Feathered Friends die set was used to die cut the cardinal.  It was colored using markers and attached with dimensional tape.  

At the top of the card, a red poinsettia was created using the Poinsettia die set.  It was die cut using Susan's White Specialty Card Stock from Spellbinders, brushed with red ink on the Waffle Flower Media Mat, shaped using Susan's Flower Tool Kit, and assembled using Bearly Art Glue.   

Poinsettia with Cinnamon Sticks

Good Morning Paper Gardeners.  Today I created a wreath with speckled poinsettias and pinecones created with Susan's new Spellbinders Christmas release die sets. The die sets used from this new release include:  Woodland Wreath & Feathered Friends, Poinsettia, Winterberry & Mistletoe, and Pinecone & Evergreen Bough.  

For the background I used a dotted embossing folder for to give a piece of white card stock texture.

It is hard to see, but I die cut the Woodland Wreath twice from brown card stock and attached it to the card front of the card for a base for the wreath.

Using the Pinecone & Evergreen Bough Die set, enough evergreen boughs were die cut to cover the wreath. The boughs were die cut using green card stock.     I used scissors, from the Flower Tool Kit,  to split the tips of each pine needle and fluffed them up for fullness.  They were glued around the wreath using Bearly Art Glue.

Using the Mistletoe die, six branches were die cut, using Susan's White cardstock.  Two shades of green were brushed on the leaves.  They were shaped using the tools in Susan's new Spellbinders tool kit.  For the mistletoe berries, I used white bean bag Styrofoam balls.  They were glued to the mistletoe branches.  A black fine line pen was used for the black dot on the end of each berry.  

An item you sometimes see at Christmas time on wreaths, are cinnamon sticks.  I used white computer paper and cut a narrow strip about as long as I wanted for the cinnamon sticks.  I brushed two shades of brown ink, on both sides of the paper, then using a small paint brush handle, rolled the paper about the size of a cinnamon stick, cut it off and glued the end down.  I brushed on additional ink after it was rolled.  Three sticks were glued together, then I wound thin twine around the middle to hold the three together and tied it off. They were glued to the wreath using Bearly Art Glue.

Using the Pinecone & Evergreen die set, three pinecones were created.  Brown cardstock was used to die cut the pieces.  Once assembled, white pigment ink was brushed on the tips of the cone scales.  This helped to add dimension to them.  

Using the Poinsettia die set, two red speckled poinsettias were created. I use Susan's Specialty White Card Stock to die cut all pieces.  I like to use the Waffle Flower Water Media Mat and brushes (linked below) to add color to my die cut pieces. To create the white speckles, a paintbrush was dipped in white acrylic paint and splattered over the petals.  Once dry, the poinsettias were shaped using the Flower Tool Kit and assembled using Bearly Art Glue.  The poinsettias and pinecones were attached to the wreath.

To finish off the wreath, a red bow was made and attached to the top.

I appreciate you visiting my blog.  I have added links to products below.

Pink Poinsettia

Oh how I love creating Susan's Poinsettias!  There are many different colors of poinsettias and one of my favorites are the pink variegated variety.

This is a six inch square card.  For the background I used a piece of Christmas cardstock from my stash.  It is from a 12x12 Recollections pad called Christmas Noel.

The die cut in the center is a Spellbinders Richelieu Square.  The larger piece was die cut using silver metallic card stock  It was attached with dimensional tape.  The white square die cut is from the same die set.  It was glued to the silver square.

The quote is from Susan's Christmas Clear Stamp set.  It was stamped using VersaFine Black Ink then die cut using a circle die from the Spellbinders Triple Tear die set.  It was attached with dimensional tape. 

I always use Susan's Specialty White Cardstock to create flowers with Susan's dies but I needed an off white for this particular poinsettia.  I used ivory card stock and die cut the petals for the poinsettia.   For the pink, I used pink watercolor, that was thinned down and brushed it down the center of each petal. I like the way it flowed not leaving harsh lines.    The tools in Susan's new Flower Tool Kit were used to shape it.   Nuvo drops were used for the bracts and a tiny yellow Prill glued to the top of each one.

Behind the poinsettia I used the Pinecone & Evergreen Bough die set and die cut three bough branches.  The needles on this die cut were cut in half using the scissors in the Flower Tool Kit.  The variegated leaves were die cut using the Winter Bough & Evergreen Shrubs die set.  Two shades of green markers were used to color these leaves.  For the berries I used tiny Styrofoam beads that were colored with pink acrylic paint.  A fine point black pen was used to add the black dot on the end of each berry.   

Bronze Lantern with Amaryllis

Good Morning!   Today I have a card designed using Susan's new Amaryllis and Garden Lantern die sets.  Also used are the new Pinecone & Evergreen Bough, Winterberry & Mistletoe and Christmas Quotes stamp set.

For the background I used a piece of white embossed cardstock.  

The Amaryllis were die cut using Susan's Specialty white cardstock from Spellbinders.  The very center of the petals was sponged with a light yellow green PanPastel.  Around the very edge of each petal, I used a red Copic Marker just to draw a very thin line.  Just rub the edge of the petal against the side of the nib of the marker.  The flowers were shaped using Susan's Spellbinder's Flower Tool Kit.  Each leg of the stamen was cut down the center to make them narrower.  Once rolled, the tips were lightly dipped into Bearly Art Glue and dipped in Susan's Yellow Pollen.  The flowers and leaves were attached to the right side of the card.  A small amount of Spanish moss was glued at the base.

The new Garden Lantern was die cut using an embossed bronze metallic card stock.  It was die cut again using metallic gold card stock.  The edge around the top of the lantern, the frame around the window and the trim around the top of the base were all cut out using scissors and glued to the bronze lantern.  The top decoration and door knob were also die cut out of metallic gold card stock.  These cut out pieces were glued to decorate the lantern.  The score line down the center of the lantern was traced using the leaf tool from the Tool Kit, then bent on that line to give the lamp dimension.  The decorative piece over the window was die cut using a quatrefoil background die. (The die I used is discontinued but I have linked to a similar one at the end of this post.)  The quatrefoil background was die cut using the same embossed bronze card stock.  The background was cut down to fit behind the windows and attached with double sided tape.  Double sided tape was attach to each side of the lantern being sure the center was raised up, and attached the sides to the card front.  Do not add adhesive to the top or the bottom of the lantern because you want it to have dimension.  Before attaching the Lantern, a piece of red metallic card stock was glued to the card front and the lantern attached over it.  

At the base of the lantern the Evergreen Bough was die cut using green card stock.  Each of the needles on the branch was cut in half with scissors to make them very narrow, then fluffed up for dimension.  Down the center of each bough, I used a brown thin line marker to create the branch of the bough.

The Mistletoe die was used to die cut one large and one small branch out of green card stock.  The leaves were shaped then glued over the Evergreen Boughs.  Tiny white bean bag styrofoam balls were used for berries and were glued on the Mistletoe.  A black fine line pen was used to press down on each end the berries.

At the bottom of the pine boughs a red metallic cord ribbon was added.  Two tiny gold bells were glued to the center of the bow.

A quote from Susan's new stamp set was added at the top of the card.  I had a few red rhinestones swirls that I attached at the top to finish off the card.  

What ideas do you have for the Garden Lantern?

Christmas Cactus with Poinsettia

I know you are all anxiously awaiting for the new Spellbinders Susan's Garden Christmas release.  It is will be available in a few days.  Her new sets include:  Winterberry & Mistletoe, Pinecone & Evergreen Bough, Woodland Wreath & Feathered Friends, Poinsettia, Garden Lantern, Winter Bough & Evergreen Shrubs, Gathering Basket, Christmas Cactus, and Amaryllis die sets, plus a new Christmas Quotes stamp set.  I will be linking all these in my product list below just as soon as they are available in the US.

This was a fun card to design using the Christmas Cactus, Gathering Basket, Poinsettia, Woodland Wreath & Feathered Friends and Pinecone & Evergreen Bough Die sets.

This is a 6-inch card.  A piece of black card stock was cut 5 3/4-inch square and attached to the front of the card.  A scalloped oval with a window was die cut to serve as a frame around a piece of watercolor paper that was colored with red mica power.  

Susan's Gathering Basket die set was used to die cut the basket.  It was die cut using an embossed gold cardstock. I know it is hard to see the basket because it is full of Christmas Cactus!   It was attached using dimensional tape  at the bottom of the card and glued around the sides and bottom.  

The Christmas Cactus die set was used to die cut all the green leaves. (Technically they are not leaves, they are cladodes which is a type of stem.)   Red cardstock was used to die cut the flowers. On Susan's new die sets, there is a number on each die to tell you how many to die cut which takes the guess work out of it.  The flowers were shaped using Susan's new Spellbinders Flower Tool Kit and assembled using Bearly Art Glue.   Susan's Yellow Pollen was used on the tips of the stamens.  Floral Moss was used to fill the top of the basket.  

The Woodland Wreath & Feathered Friends die set was used to die cut the Cardinal.  It was colored with markers and attached to the handle of the Gathering Basket, using dimensional tape.

The Poinsettia die set was used create the Poinsettia.  It was die cut using Susan's Specialty White Cardstock then red ink brushed on.  It was shaped using the Flower Tool Kit.  White acrylic paint was splattered on the petals to create the speckled poinsettia.  

The Pinecone & Evergreen Bough die set was used to die cut the pine branches out of green card stock.  The needles were all cut in half using the scissors in the Flower Tool Kit.

One of Susan's new Christmas Quotes was stamped using black VersaFine Ink and cut out with a small decorative die.  It was attached with dimensional tape.

This new collection of Susan's die sets will help you create just amazing Holiday cards for all your family and friends that they will cherish.  

I really appreciate you visiting my blog today and I hope I have given you inspiration to get an early start on your holiday cards.

As soon as Susan's new Christmas release is available, I will add links below to all her new products. 

 

Black Lantern with Poinsettias and Pinecones

Christmas In July!   Susan's new Christmas die set release, by Spellbinders, will be available next week so you can add these wonderful dies to your Susan's Garden collection.  As soon as the new release is available in the US, I will include links to all the new die sets below. 

 Today I am giving you a preview of a card I created with this new release.   Susan's flowers always are so realistic, but wait until you create pinecones with her new Pinecone die set! Susan has instructions on how to create the pinecone on her Susan's Garden Facebook Live and will also have instructions on YouTube soon. 

Here is how I created this card.  To create the lantern, use the Garden Lantern die set and die cut one lantern out of black glossy card stock.  For lantern details,  die cut the lantern again using gold metallic card stock and cut out the lantern details using scissors, which are included in Susan's Flower Tool Kit. I cut out the band for both the top and bottom of the lantern.   Glue these pieces to the black lantern. To decorate the windows, I used a quatrefoil die and die cut it out of black glossy card stock, cut it down, and attached behind the windows.   Gold Self Adhesive accents, from Spellbinders, were added to the top and on the handle for dimension.  To make the lantern dimensional, use the Leaf Tool from Susan's Tool Kit and scored down the center of the lantern, between the windows and slightly bend it to give it dimension.  Double sided tape was added along the sides and attached over the candles, being sure the center is raised up for dimension.  I did not attach the top, nor the bottom of the lantern to the card.

Included in the Garden Lantern die set, is a die for a candle.  I die cut the candle twice, using red card stock.  The flame was die cut using silver metallic card stock and colored with Copic markers.  Around the top ridge edge of the candles, I added clear glossy accents to resemble dripping candle wax.  I wanted to include two candles so I cut down both sides of each candle to make them narrower.  They were attached to the card at different heights.

Using the Poinsettia die set two red poinsettias were created. I used Susan's white Speciualty Card Stock from Spellbinders and brushed them with red ink.  I placed them on the Waffle Flower Media Mat to put the die cut pieces on, then used brushes to color. These media mats come in two sizes.  They were shaped using the Flower Tool Kit and glued together using Bearly Art Glue.  

Two pinecones were created using the  Pinecone die set.  Don't they look like real pinecones!!!  These were so fun to create.  They were die cut using brown card stock then once they were assembled, I used a sponge and white pigment ink to brush along the tips of each petal.  This helped accentuate the tips of each petal.   

Here is a picture of the same card that I added Snow Paste to the pine needles and pinecones, for a snowy effect.

For the foliage, the Pinecone & Evergreen Bough die set was used.  Each of the tips were split, using scissors from the flower tool kit, to give them a realistic pine needle appearance.  A brown thin line marker was used to draw a brown line down the center and out toward the tips.  Using my fingers, I fluffed out the tips on each pine branch.  Using the new Winterberry Holly Branch die set, five branches were die cut, using green card stock and shaped with the Flower Tool Kit.  For the berries, I used tiny white bean bag Styrofoam balls.  They were put in a small plastic Ziploc bag, along with red acrylic paint and rolled around until they were all colored.  They were then scrapped out of the bag, with a chop stick, onto a piece of waxed paper and spread out to dry.  Once dry, they were individually glued on the Winterberry berry branch.  Once dried on the branch, a fine tip black pen was used to push down on each berry to accentuate the end of the berry.  This makes it look more realistic.

I used one of Susan's quotes from her Winter Quotes Stamp set.  It was stamped on black card stock with VersaMark ink and gold embossed, then die cut with an oval die.  It was added with dimensional foam tape.   For finishing details, I added a gold bow created with thin gold cording and added Spellbinders gold self adhesive embellishments on the corners.   

This is an exciting new release and I will be sharing many more cards to give you inspiration.  Thanks for visiting my blog.  I will be adding links for the new release to the list below just as soon as they are available.