Merry Christmas Shaker

Hello Scrapping Cottage friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit today. It's Mary Marsh here bringing you the Saturday edition of the Blog.

As you can see, I am still creating Christmas cards. I don't have all that I need for sending this year so I have been busy in my craft room making cards. Christmas is my favorite season and I love making and sending cards.

Today for your viewing pleasure, I created a Christmas shaker card. I used the Merry Christmas w/reindeer and Mistletoe & Bells dies. So let's get started with some details on how I created this card.

Step 1: Shaker cards are not difficult to make. And the following tutorial will show you how simple they really are. I started by cutting my circle in the image panel. Used the 3rd largest of the Circle dies- it's a 2 3/4"" circle. I embossed the panel with a falling snow folder.
Image Panel: 3 7/8" x 5 1/8"

Step 2: Cut the dies I am using for my card. The pine tree inside the shaker is from the Window Christmas Friends die, also used the Merry Christmas w/reindeer and Mistletoe & Bells dies. I used the largest of the Stitched Square dies and cut the panel that would hold the shaker elements in place. I stamped this panel with some snowflakes.

Step 3: Started the assembly of the shaker part of card. Used glue dots to attach the  3 1/2" window sheet to the back side of the image panel. I took a used dryer sheet and rubbed it across the window sheet. It eliminates the static. Used dimensional foam adhesive and attached to edge of circle. I used my powder tool (EK Success) and ran it around the inside of the foam adhesive. It keeps the sequins from sticking to the adhesive.

Added some different colored sequins to the inside of the circle.  

I glued the pine trees to the square panel and then centered the panel over the sequins.  

I used more dimensional adhesive on the back of this panel to allow it to sit evenly on the card base.

Attached this shaker panel to the red card base.

Step 4: Cut my Merry Christmas sentiment in red cardstock.

Used Ranger multi medium matte and attached to card front.

To complete my card, I added the mistletoe and bells and scattered a few red sequins. I hope I have given you some inspiration on a way to use these new dies. I will be back next Saturday- see you then!!!

 

Dies I used to create card:

 

 

 

Snowflakes with Kraft & Gingham

Hello Scrapping Cottage friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit today. It's Mary Marsh here bringing you the Friday edition of the Blog.

It's crunch time now to get your Christmas cards finished. But not to worry, because today I have for your viewing pleasure a quick and easy Christmas card idea. And, there is still time for you to order the dies and get them so you can make this card.

I am using the Snowflakes Set and the Season's Greetings w/Snowflakes dies. So let's get started with some details on the CAS card.

Step 1: I love the look of both kraft and white cardstocks together for Christmas cards.  It just has that country look to it especially when paired with red gingham ribbon.

White Card base: 4 1/2" x 5 1/2"
Kraft Panel: 4 1/4" x 5 1/4"

Step 2: Cut the snowflakes and the Season's Greeting phrase from white card stock. I also cut another seasons' greetings in gold as an afterthought. I did a slight offset just for added interest. This is something you could leave off the card as well.

 

I attached them to the card base with Ranger Multi Medium Matte. I like this adhesive because it dries clear.

Once I positioned the snowflakes I added my red gingham ribbon. I decided to add a bow to give this a more finished look. But you could leave that off also if you like. Then I thought some gold sequins would also be a nice touch.

Step 3: Attached the image panel to the white card base to complete my card. I hope I have given you an idea for a Christmas card. If you need these dies they are available now in the online store.

I will be back tomorrow with another idea for a Christmas card for you. See you then!!!

Dies I used to create card:

 

 

HOPE

Good Morning!

It is Pam creating with you today on the blog!

I am continuing to highlight our wonderful new release Get Well dies.  This one is for the women in our lives who are fighting breast cancer.  This horrible disease seems to touch almost everyone in some way or another.

 Design Steps:

1.  Start with an A2 light blue card stock base. Cut a piece of DP 4 x 5 1/4

 2.  Using the HOPE die cut it out in pink card stock.  Using the Nested Stitched Eyelet Rectangle die cut the second to the largest rectangle out of blue card stock

 3.  Shade the word Hope with Copic markers and then glue to the blue rectangle

 4.  Cut out the Rose bud in Pink and the stem in green using the Rose with Wedding Ring die.  Shade the rose with copics

 5.  Add the ribbon around the DP and attach to the card base then pop dot the HOPE rectangle  to the top half of the card

Cottage Cutz Products

Make sure to check out the fabulous sale going on in our store! Lots of great gift ideas for your crafty friends!!

Blessings

Pam

Get To Know Janet Axtman

Hello Scrapping Cottage friends! Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit with us. We started a new feature several weeks ago that we are continuing with today on the Blog.  We would like to give you a closer look at our designers.  It's  a "get to know the design team"  and today we are featuring Janet Axtman.

I'm Janet Axtman and my creative "handle" is SugarShine Designs. For me, crafting is sweet like sugar and pretty much all my work has some sort of shine incorporated in it. Thus, SugarShine Designs was born.

 

Heat embossing, glitter and Wink of Stella are my best friends for adding shiny elements to my projects. My style is definitely cute and casual. I create formal projects occasionally but I never have as much fun as when I choose whimsical elements!  

I live in the great state of North Carolina and have been married to my very supportive and patient husband Steve for 29 years. We have a wonderful son who is in 7th grade this year.

 

I've been crafting for as long as I can remember and my first projects were in crochet and embroidery. My grandmas were farm ladies who introduced me to these crafts and sewing. Over the years, I have dabbled in several different mediums but my favorites today are knitting, scrapbooking, and card making.

 

Scrapbooking was a latecomer and entered my life when my son was born and I wanted to make scrapbooks as keepsakes. That took off and for years it was my primary passion. Today, my focus has changed to card making. I so enjoy designing and creating on a smaller "canvas." I give most of my work away to family and friends and I am so surprised and pleased when I discover cards I had forgotten about are still being kept by some of my recipients. It's really heartwarming to know that a small act of kindness is valued as something special. 

Over time, card making techniques have become so diverse. I love that I can experiment and use so many mediums such as water color, pencils, markers, stamps, pastes, foiling, embossing and many others.

 

I have always been a fan of die cuts for all my paper crafting projects. I have electronic cutters but nothing is more satisfying and fun as creating with a steel die like those CottageCutz offers.

 

I can always find just what I'm needing in their expansive store and when I want to occasionally go more formal, they have lots to choose from in that style too. I am having a great time being on the Design Team as their video artist. It's been an honor and a creative journey that I will always treasure.

 

Here are a few of my favorite CottageCutz cards that I have designed.

 

 

 

 

As Autumn is fast approaching the holidays, my heart turn towards all the gatherings with family and friends.  I wanted to capture this in my art journal.

I die cut the Cottage Cutz Christmas Floral.  

I used watercolors to color in the die cuts.  For the small pieces of the greenery, it helped to use my paper piercer to hold the die cut in place as I painted it.

I pop doted the container on the cardboard and assembled then rest of the floral arrangement.  I added ribbons, twill, lace and buttons to complete.  

Wishing you a creative day, dear friends.

Sheila

Santa at the Window

Hi, CottageCutz friends!  Lois here with a Christmas card today.  It's hard to believe that it's already December.  If you haven't made all your Christmas cards yet, you best get cracking!   CottageCutz has lots of fun Christmas dies in their store.  Be sure to take a look!  My card for today uses two coordinating dies, Window with Shutters and Window Christmas Friends.

To start my card I cut cardstock and patterned paper as follows:

Black - 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4"
White - 4" x 5 1/4"
Patterned paper - 3" x 4 1/2"

One of my favorite embossing techniques is to ink up the embossing folder before placing the cardstock inside.  This Sizzix Bricked folder always works so well with this technique.  I inked it up with gray ink, inserted the white cardstock, and ran it through my Cuttlebug.  When you use a dye-based ink (such as Memento), the folder rinses clean under the faucet.

Next I die-cut the pieces from the coordinating dies, placing them on my sticky board to keep the small pieces from getting lost.

Using ink or markers, I added some texture to various die-cut pieces.

I wanted a window in my brick wall, so I laid the die-cut window in the center of the panel and drew inside the panes.  Then, using an Exacto knife, I cut the opening just outside the lines that I had drawn.

This photo shows the opening.

I placed some Scor-Tape around the perimeter of the window and cut a piece of acetate slightly larger than the opening . . .

. . . and, removing the protective paper from the Scor-Tape, I carefully placed the acetate over the opening.

I then glued the patterned paper in the center of the black card base.

I decorated the front of the card, gluing down the window frame and cornice and adhering the shutters and window box with foam pop dots.  After gluing the three flowers to the garland, I pierced the centers and added a yellow mini brad to the center of each.  I then glued the whole garland to the window box.

Before attaching the front of the card to the base, I had to construct Santa.  I used the illustration on the front of the packaging as a guide.  His head is attached with foam pop dots, which made it easy to place him on the front -- leaving his arm not glued down.  I then slipped the tree (on which I had applied some liquid glue) under his arm and pressed it down to hold it firm.  I had lined him up so that he would show through the window.

Because I had used pop dots on Santa's head, I needed to use thicker pop dots on the brick card front so that there was a bit of room between Santa and the window sheet.

I attached the brick card front so that Santa and the tree showed through the window -- and I was finished.

Be sure to check out all the wonderful Christmas dies on the CottageCutz website.  Dies used on this card are: