Pinecone Christmas Tag by Trina Pham

Hello everyone.  I have something a little different to share today.  This month is the 10th annual 25 Days of Christmas Tags event hosted by Tracey McNeely.  There are tons of tag inspirations each day for 25 days with chances to win prizes.  One way is to create a tag inspired by one of the tags.  When I saw one of Bobbi Lemanski’s beautiful tag on day 15, I couldn’t help myself to join in.

I didn’t use a specific tag die, and you don’t need one.  I started by die cutting a piece of Bristol paper and pattern paper from the Christmas Plaid pack using the 2.5”x3.75” Rectangle Basics die.  Glued them together then trimmed off one corner with my paper trimmer.

Flipped the cut-off corner piece to the opposite side and used it as a guide to trim off that corner.  Punched a hole with a hole punch and the tag is ready to decorate.  

The Pine Cone Stackers were die cut from suede cardstock and the edges sponged with white gouache paint using a sponge dauber.  The direct-to-paper method was then used to add color to Memory Box watercolor paper before die cutting the Forest Pine Branch and Mistletoe Swags from them.  For the pine branch, I used Lucky Clover and Evergreen Bough distress oxide inks, but it wasn’t dark enough, so Mowed Lawn and Pumice Stone distress inks were applied on top.  For the mistletoe, Candied Apple, Aged Mahogany and Seedless Preserves distress inks were used.  Copic markers BG99 and RV69 were used to color the edges of the die-cuts to cover up the white and give them a clean look.

The pine sprig from Antique Pine Label was die cut from Bristol paper and left uncolored.  Assembled the tag, then splattered with white gouache paint for a snowy look.  The Peace Cheshire Script sentiment was die cut three times from black cardstock and once from the gold Polished Foil paper.  Stacked them onto another piece of black cardstock and a black shadow was fussy cut from it.  Thread a black ribbon through the punched hole to finish.

One great thing about tags is it could easily be turned into a card if you don’t want to use it as a tag.  So with the leftover die-cuts, I made another tag for a matching card!  And that does it for me today.  Thank you for joining me.  Enjoy your day.  

 

 

Supplies

 

94486 Pinecone Stackers craft die

94481 Forest Pine Branch craft die

94485 Mistletoe Swags craft die

94337 Antique Pine Label

94017 Peace Cheshire Script

 

FP1001 Polished Foil Pad pack

PP1009 Christmas Plaid 6x6 pack

WP101 Watercolor Paper

30086 Rectangle Basics Set

Christmas TriFold Card by Trina Pham

Happy weekend everyone.  So it appears Jean and I had the same idea to create a trifold card with the latest collage dies from the Christmas release.  Even though we used the same dies, she made a fall version while I made a Christmas one.  Goes to show how versatile these dies are.

So I started by creating two A2 size card bases from mixed media paper by scoring two 5.5”x8.5” pieces at 4.25”.   On both pieces, trimmed off about 1/16” then folded on the score lines.  The shorter sides will be on the inside when these pieces interlock to create the base.  This will allow them to fit together better. 

The front panel opens like a regular card while the back panel is the opposite.  The front piece was die cut with the Pine Tree Collage die and the back piece with the Little Orchard Collage die.  To add support to the large front opening, a piece of Bristol paper was trimmed to approximately 4-1/8”x5.5” and die cut with the Wooded Glen Collage then adhered to the back. 

The accessory tree die from the Pine Tree Collage was used to die cut from Bristol paper and the white glitter paper in the Frosted Glitter Pad to form a snowy forest.  The Special Merry Christmas sentiment was die cut from the purple glitter paper in the same Frosted Glitter Pad.

To create the sky background on the inside of the front panel Blueprint Sketch, Shaded Lilac and Tumbled Glass distress inks were blended on with blender brushes.  The left side where the fold is was masked off to keep the back of the front clean.  Spritz with water and blot with a paper towel to give it a snowy look.  The Santa/reindeer from Cabin Snowglobe was die cut twice from white glitter paper so I could increase the reindeer from 3 to 5.  Partial stamped the sentiment from Spirit of Christmas with VersaMark ink onto a black cardstock strip and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  Hand cut a fish tail then adhered it to the front of the assembled card to finish.  Here’s a quick video of my

And that’s it from me today.  Thank you for joining me.  Have a wonderful weekend.

 

Supplies

 

94504 Pine Tree Collage craft die

94505 Wooded Glen Collage craft die

94506 Little Orchard Collage craft die

94494 Cabin Snowglobe craft die

94499 Special Merry Christmas craft die

CL5261 Spirit of Christmas clear stamp set

GP1004 Frosted Glitter Pad

Sapphire Poinsettia Christmas by Trina Pham

Hello everyone.  I am sharing a non-traditional monochromatic color Christmas card today made with several products from the 2020 Christmas collection.

Started by stamping the poinsettia from Spirit of Christmas on Memory Box watercolor paper with light blue Archival ink.  Did no-line watercoloring using Chipped Sapphire distress ink.  Added dots to the center with a white gel pen before die cutting it out with the coordinating die.

Next, ink smooshed Faded Jeans distress oxide ink (DOx) onto more watercolor paper then die cut with the Forest Pine Branch and Mistletoe Swags from it.  On a smaller piece of watercolor paper, ink smooshed Stormy Sky DOx then die cut from it with the berries in the Mistletoe Bundle die set.  

A Stitched Rectangle Trimmings frame was then die cut from silver foil paper in the Polished Foil Pad.  Heat embossed the sentiment from the same stamp set with white embossing powder onto a dark blue panel.  Assembled the card, popping the poinsettia up with foam tape.  Added shading to the berries with a dark blue Polychromos pencil to finish.

And that‘s it it for me.  Thank you for joining me.  Enjoy your day.

 

Supplies

 

CL5261-D Spirit of Christmas clear stamp and die set

94481 Forest Pine Branch craft die

94485 Mistletoe Swags craft die

94484 Mistletoe Bundle craft die

30082 Stitched Rectangle Trimmings

WP101 Watercolor Paper

FP1001 Polished Foil Pad pack

Let It Snow Pink by Trina Pham

Happy Sunday everyone.  October is breast cancer awareness month and there are several challenges honoring it with a pink theme.  I’m sure you’ve figured out where my inspiration came from. 😉  One of the challenges is generously donating $4 per entry to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  Pretty amazing, right?  So if you are interested in entering to donate, head on over to the Jingle Belles challenge HERE.  

Okay, now onto my simple pink Christmas card.  Started by die cutting the Charming Snowman Collage die from mixed media paper resulting in this.

Adhered a torn snowy ground mask to the bottom of the panel, and ink blended Spun Sugar and Picked Raspberry distress inks (DI) with blender brushes to create the bright pink sky.  After the photo was taken, I lightly blended Black Soot DI around the top and side edges.  Spritz it with water then blot with a paper towel to give it texture.

Die cut the snowman again, this time from white glitter paper in the Frosted Glitter Pad.  Colored the outline piece with Copic Sketch markers C00, C1, C3 and 100 (arms), then inlaid it into the panel. 

For better details and definition, the hat and scarf were die cut from alcohol ink friendly paper, colored with Copic markers then pieced on top.  The mixed media eyes, nose and buttons were also colored with Copic markers then inlaid back.  Black heat embossed the sentiment from Spirit of Christmas stamp set with clear glitter embossing powder and mounted the panel to a white card base to finish.

Not my usual or comfortable color to create with, but it was a fun change up.  And that’s it for today.  Thank you for joining me.  Have a wonderful week.

 

Supplies

 

94498 Charming Snowman Collage craft die

GP1004 Frosted Glitter Pad

CL5261 Spirit of Christmas clear stamp set

Mistletoe Print Making Coloring Technique by Trina Pham

Hello everyone.  I have another simple Christmas card to share today featuring the just released Mistletoe Bundle die and a fun and easy watercolor background technique called Print Making Coloring that Kathy Racoosin shared HERE.  

The mistletoe was die cut from Memory Box (MB) watercolor paper and placed on top of a full sheet of MB watercolor paper.  Spritz lightly with water then started watercoloring the mistletoe using Zig markers.

Spritz more water to get the colors to move and flow over onto the bottom piece.  While the mistletoe is still wet, flipped it over onto the panel to make the “print(s)”.  I wanted a lighter print background, so I used more water and added less color to the die-cut.  Repeated the process until I was happy with it.

For texture and more interest, added black splatters.  Set aside to dry.

Next, die cut a window opening from Bristol paper using Double Stitch Rectangle.  Heat embossed the sentiment from Berry Wreath stamp set with Liquid Platinum embossing powder on the bottom.

The bow and Stitch Rectangle Trimmings frame were die cut from gold foil paper in the Polished Foil Pad.  The berries were die cut from white glitter paper in the Frosted Glitter Pad.  Used C1 and C3 Copic markers to add shading to them.  Adhered the print background piece directly onto the card base.  Popped the Bristol panel on top with foam tape then assembled the card to finish.

More new products have been added to the Holiday collection, so make sure to check them out.  And that does it for today.  Thank you for joining me.  Have a wonderful day. 

 

Supplies

 

94484 Mistletoe Bundle craft die

94360 Double Stitch Rectangle Cut Out

30082 Stitched Rectangle Trimmings

CL5260 Berry Wreath clear stamp set

WP101 Watercolor Paper

FP1001 Polished Foil Pad pack

GP1004 Frosted Glitter Pad

Christmas Cardinal by Trina Pham

Hello there.  I have a simple Christmas card to share today made with products from the latest Christmas release.  It was inspired by this month’s Playing with Plaids challenge.  I don’t know about you, but plaids are great for masculine Christmas cards. 

Alcohol ink-friendly cardstock was used for the cardinal from Spirit of Christmas stamp set and the Forest Pine Branch die-cut.  Did no line coloring on both using Copic Sketch markers (R24, R27, R46, R89, Y32, Y35, Y38, 100 for the cardinal and BG93, BG96, BG99, E23, E25, E29 for the branch).  Added snow to the branch with a white gel pen and die cut the cardinal out with the coordinating die.  My alignment was off, so had to fussy cut to fix it.

Dies from Rectangle Basics were then used to die cut from the Christmas Plaid paper pack and from suede cardstock.  Heat embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder.  Inked around the edges with suede dye ink and lightly with Black Soot distress ink.  Added gold and black splatters for some texture then assembled the card to finish.  Since it’s a masculine card, no bling or fun embellishments. 😂

Currently, there is a problem with the challenge link tool, so feel free to enter your plaid cards on Instagram using hashtag #mbchallenge66.  That does it for me.  Thank you for joining me today.  Have a wonderful weekend.

Supplies

 

CL5261-D Spirit of Christmas clear stamp and die set

94481 Forest Pine Branch craft die

PP1009 Christmas Plaid 6x6 pack

30086 Rectangle Basics Set

Halloween Box Card by Trina Pham

Hello there.  Halloween is not very big here in Canada, so I don’t make Halloween cards, but I made an exception today. 😂  With so many great Halloween products in the Christmas collection, I wanted to have some fun and make my very first box card!  This is a modified version without the flaps.  There are dies available, but with some simple cutting and scoring, you can save money and make a box card to whatever size you want.

I started by creating the box card base.  Two strips of black cardstock were trimmed to 1.5” x 6”.  Scored each strip along the long side at 1.5” and 5.5”.  Add strong adhesive to the 0.5” tab and attach them to form a 1.5”W x4”L rectangle.

Adhere a 4.25”x4” black piece to the back of the rectangle box to complete the base.

The strips inside the box to which elements attach to are 1”x 4-15/16” pieces and scored at 0.5” from both ends.  I initially had them straight, but switched them out to a Wild Grass border to give it some interest.

 
Next, a piece of Bristol paper was trimmed to 4”x3.75”.  A circle mask for the moon was adhered to it and Willted Violet and Dusty Durango distress inks (DI) were blended on with blender brushes.  Removed the mask and blended Shaded Lilac DI to cover the moon.  Flicked on some water and dabbed off with a paper towel to give texture to this background.

Another piece of Bristol paper was then trimmed to 1.25”x3.75”.  Applied Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn DIs to it with blender brushes.  Stamped the sentiment from Halloween Pumpkin in Archival Black ink. 



The pumpkins were die cut from white card stock and colored with Copic Sketch markers. The rest of the die-cuts were die cut from black and/or dark gray cardstock.   Yellow cardstock backed the house to show light through the windows.  A strip of acetate was used to suspended the front large bat.  All supplies are listed below.  The finished box card size is 4” Wx1.5”Dx4.25H.  When collapsed, it fits easily into an A2 sized envelope.  When mailing it, I suggest placing a piece of cardstock on top to protect it.

I think I’m going to send this to my 5-year old nephew and surprise him.  He seems to appreciate the cards I give him. *lol*😂   Anyway, that’s it for me today.  Thank you for joining me.  Have a wonderful week.

 

Supplies

 

94508 Haunted House Dome Layer craft die

94507 Haunted Entrance Dome Layer craft die

94309 Winter Tree Oval Frame

94415 Wild Grass Border

30087 Circle Basics Set

CL5264 Halloween Pumpkin clear stamp set

Thankful Pumpkin by Trina Pham

Hello there.  it’s a shocker, but I am sharing a fall themed thank you card today! *lol*😂  I needed to get in some coloring therapy and the Halloween Pumpkin stamp from the Christmas collection fits the bill.  This was not quick because of the coloring, but it’s an easy one so this will be a short post.

The leaves on top of the pumpkin were stamped along the bottom edge of an A2 sized alcohol ink-friendly panel using the masking technique.  Stamped the pumpkin image, removed the masks, then colored in with Copic Sketch markers and Polychromos color pencils.

The sentiment from Harvest Love and Kindness stamp set was heat embossed on black cardstock with Liquid Platinum embossing powder.  Assembled the panel onto a white card base and added highlights with a white gel pen to finish. 

And that was it!  Thank you for joining me.  Have a wonderful day.

 

 

Supplies

 

CL5264 Halloween Pumpkin clear stamp set

CL5262-D Harvest Love and Kindness clear stamp and die set

Forest Pinecone Branch Through Two Seasons by Trina Pham

Hello everyone.  As I’ve mentioned in the past, Christmas is my favorite time of year.  So much so I usually skip over fall. 😂   Well, as you can see, not today!  Using the same process, the same layout and the same dies from this year’s Christmas collection, I made a fall version, too.

For both clean and simple (CAS) cards, the Forest Pine Branch was die cut from Memory Box’s watercolor paper and watercolored with Zig markers and a waterbrush.  The Pinecone Stackers were die cut from brown cardstock and the bottom edges sponged with white pigment ink.  It didn’t have enough contrast, so went in with a white gel pen to make them stand out more. The A2 sized panels were die cut from Bristol paper using the Wrapped Stitch Rectangle die.  Masked off the bottom half of the panel with masking paper... and this was where the process diverged.

For the fall card, a circle mask was die cut from masking paper using Circle Basics.  Made a couple of rips in it, then adhered it to the panel.  Applied Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade and Mustard Seed distress inks (DI) with blender brushes and a detailed blending tool.  Removed the circle mask and blended whatever ink was remaining on the Mustard Seed blender brush to fill in the setting sun.  

Stamped the sentiment from Winter Greenery with Fired Brick distress oxide (DOx) ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  Assembled the card to finish.

For the Christmas card, Wilted Violet, Shaded Lilac, Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean and Blueprint Sketch DI’s were used to create the wintry sky.  Splattered it with white gouache paint for snow.  A white gel pen was used to add snow to the pine branch and pinecone.

Stamped the sentiment from Mistletoe Swag with Wilted Violet DOx ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  Spritz the panel with a sparkle spray for some shimmer.  Assembled the card to finish.

I think if snow was added to the fall card, it would make for a fun non-traditional color Christmas card.  Well, that’s it for me today.  Thank you for joining me.  Have a wonderful weekend.

 

Supplies

 

94481 Forest Pine Branch craft die

94486 Pinecone Stackers craft die

30094 Wrapped Stitch Rectangles

CL5247 Mistletoe Swag clear stamp set

CL5235 Winter Greenery clear stamp set

WP101 Watercolor Paper

30087 Circle Basics Set

Winter Woodland by Trina Pham

Hello there.  I couldn’t let the other larger collage dies from the Christmas release not be featured in their own shadow box card, so I have another shadow box card to share today.  Unlike the previous shadow box card I did in the spring using large collage dies from the Spring collection, this time I did a pop-up shadow box card as shared by Jennifer McGuire HERE.  

Mixed media paper was used to create my card.  Started with two 6.25”x5.5” rectangles.  Scored down the long side at 0.5” and 1” on each end of both pieces.  These are the front and back of the card.  Mountain and valley fold the scored lines.

The largest of the collage dies - Evergreen Sky - was die cut in the middle of the front panel.  The third largest or second smallest collage die (used in the Wnter Cabin shadow box card - Tall Fir - was then die cut in the middle of a 5.5”Hx4”W piece and mounted with mounting tape behind the front opening.

Next, a piece was dry embossed with the Snowy Forest 3D embossing folder (EF) using Mermaid Lagoon and Wilted Violet distress inks like I showed HERE.  I adhere the paper to the (EF) with temporary adhesive, so that I can repeat the inking/embossing process to darken the colors.

Trimmed that panel down to size and adhered it directly to the back panel.  The second largest collage die - Lamplight Tree - was then die cut from a 5.5”Hx4”W piece.  Colored the lamplight with a black Copic marker.  The reindeer from Snowglobe Backer was die cut from kraft cardstock.  Added shading by applying brown dye ink with a detailed blending tool.  

Adhered the Tall Fir cut out piece over top the reindeer and Snowy Forest background with mounting tape as well.  So lots of dimension happening here  😂

Forgot to mention, all panels were spritz with a sparkle spray, but as you can see (or don’t see), the shimmer does not show up in the photos.

Attached the front and back panels together and white heat embossed the sentiment from Mistletoe Swag on black cardstock to finish. 

This card collapses down to A2 (5.5”x4.25”) size and fits into a standard A2 size envelope.  Because I used mounting tape, it’s a super tight fit and is not mail friendly.  To avoid these issues, just don’t use mounting tape. 😉

That does it for today.  Thank you for joining me.  Have a wonderful day.

 

Supplies

 

94500 Evergreen Sky Collage craft die

94502 Tall Fir Collage craft die

94501 Lamplight Tree Collage craft die

94491 Snowglobe Backer craft die

EF1010 Snowy Forest 3D Embossing Folder

CL5247 Mistletoe Swag clear stamp set