We Need a Little Christmas

That title is for my friend Darrah Hopper and all other lovers of musicals out there. Darrah used to insert lyrics from musicals into her forum posts; I’d have a song stuck in my head for days! We Need a Little Christmas from Mame was in my Pandora Christmas Classics play list the other day, and it just seemed appropriate for our Stamp Off Challenge this week. (And can we talk sometime about how completely amazing Angela Lansbury is?)

And, yes, it is time for a Stamp Off Friday Challenge! (insert drum roll) This week is a Christmas theme.

I have to admit, it was hard to make a Christmas card this week. I’ve made Christmas cards for several months, showing products from the Stampin’ Up!® Annual and Holiday catalogs. Now I have products from the 2019 Occasions catalog, and while I’m trying to use them sparingly in blog posts (because if you’re not a Stampin’ Up!® demonstrator, you can’t buy them until January, and I don’t want to tease you with things you can’t purchase), they’ve been a lot of fun to play with. I do have trouble remembering it’s not even officially winter yet, though, much less spring. I stamped all day with butterflies and flowers and spring things, then went outside and got blasted with cold air. Noooooo! It’s supposed to be warm and spring-like! Oh, right. It’s only December. Those Hallmark Christmas Movies should have been a clue, don’t you think?

I really enjoyed making this card, however.

This card uses four stamp sets – Winter Woods from the 2018 Holiday Catalog, and Rooted in Nature, Star of Light, and Itty Bitty Greetings from the 2018-19 Annual Catalog.

The Background

First, on a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Shimmery White Cardstock, use Balmy Blue Classic Ink and an Aqua Painter to paint the sky a light blue. You don’t have to cover every inch of the cardstock; you just want a “hint” of sky. Be sure to leave at least an inch or two uncolored on the bottom for snow.  Set this aside and let it dry.

The Trees

The largest tree is from a 2018 Holiday Catalog stamp set, Winter Woods. Stamp the large evergreen two times on a 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ pieces of Whisper White Cardstock using Shaded Spruce Classic Ink. Then, using the coordinating In the Woods Framelits Dies, die cut one tree with the open framelit and the second with the smaller, detailed framelit. Then layer the smaller over the larger to make a fluffy 3-D tree.  (And remember, you can bundle the Winter Woods Stamp Set and In the Woods Framelits Dies and save 10%, but only through January 2. After that, you’ll have to pay full price, so be sure to put these on your December shopping list. Because even though we know the stamps and dies are carrying over, the bundled price is not, so order them now!)

By now, your Shimmery White background layer should be dry. Stamp the single and double evergreen trees from the Rooted in Nature Stamp set several times on the Shimmery White layer using Shaded Spruce Classic Ink. You can stamp two to three times without reinking, and that will make the forest (or Christmas Tree farm) have a little more depth.

Stamp two single trees from the Rooted in Nature Stamp Set on a piece of Whisper White Cardstock using Shaded Spruce Classic Ink. Die cut them using the coordinating Into the Woods dies. (Ok…Mame is gone. Now I have a new musical in my head. Oh, wait…the dies are In the Woods, not into. But I still have the song running through my head.)

Oh, My Stars!

Add the starburst swoosh from the Star of Light Stamp Set over the trees using Coastal Cabana and Highland Heather Classic Ink. (Stamp off one time before stamping. And I only stamped part of the image.) Die cut one small star from Sparkle Glimmer Paper using the Starlight Thinlits Dies. Add the die-cut trees and star to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals. Place a few dots of glue from the Fine-Tip Glue Pen over the stars, then sprinkle Dazzling Diamonds Glitter over the glue.

The Sentiment

You can use any sentiment you want. I had planned to use a larger sentiment stamped directly on the bottom of the card, but I didn’t plan well. I got carried away with the trees and the singing and Angela Lansbury and Johnny Depp. So, on that Whisper White piece you’ve been stamping and die-cutting from, stamp ’tis the season using Itty Bitty Greetings in Shaded Spruce. Cut it out (or, if you’re scissor challenged like I am, punch with the Circle Tab Punch and snip off the circles), then add it to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Add the Shimmery White layer to a Shaded Spruce card base, and you’ve got a gorgeous Christmas Card to send!

That’s it for me. Now, head over to Jackie’s and Susan’s blogs to see their cards for this challenge. I’ve already gotten my Christmas cards from those two eager beaver overachievers, and they were stunning! I’m just hoping they’ll get their cards from me before Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!

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