Hallelujah Gatefold Christmas Card

I signed up for a Christmas card swap in the FaceBook Altenew Fan Group, and I'm sending cards to New Zealand, the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, and several different states in the US. I spent an evening cutting out poinsettia layers from various cardstocks and embossing panels and then went to work assembling several cards.

For the card base of this fun fold, I followed Connie Stewart's tutorial here: How To Make A Beautiful Wedding Card That Stands Out. I used double-sided cardstock with a Christmas theme for the base. For the rectangles on the front, I sprayed white cardstock with Tree Lot Distress mica stain and embossed them using Altenew's Organic Linen 3D embossing folder. 

For the poinsettia die cut on the front of the card, I die cut layers of poster board I had colored with alcohol inks and gold foil for the red leaves and cardstock I had sprayed with Nuvo Sparkle Spray in green Apple Spritzer for the bottom layer. It's so shiny that it looks like metallic cardstock in real life! I die cut the center of the poinsettia using gold cardstock. Then I added a few of Altenew's gold sequins. 

For the panel on the right, I stamped "Hallelujah" using Altenew's Blessings stamp set. I added the sentiment to the panel and took pictures before deciding I wanted a few more sequins, so some of the photos have the extra sequins on that panel and on the inside of the card and some do not. 

For the inside of the card, I stamped "Wishing you the gift of faith, the blessing of hope, and the peace of His love this year and always" from Altenew's Blessings stamp set. 

Slightly opened:

Opened further:

Fully opened:

Close up of the sentiment:

Back of the card:

 Layered Poinsettia Holiday Cards | Inspiration Challenge (altenew.com): 

TIME OUT Challenges: My card is festive 😃(5/5; ends 12/4/24) C5

                                       

The Diva's that cut ....paper!: Any holiday (4/4; ends at the end of the month)

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: ATG (5/5; ends 12/4/24)

Snowdrop Flower Birthday Card

There was recently a challenge in the Altenew Fan Group on FaceBook to create a monochromatic card in greens. I created an alcohol ink panel using poster board and 4 shades of green alcohol ink, and I let it dry overnight. Then I made a gatefold card using green cardstock and trimmed panels from the alcohol ink background I had created to fit the card base. 

To decorate the card, I kept things simple since I wanted the alcohol ink panels to be the focus of the card. I die cut pieces from Altenew's Craft-A-Flower: Snowdrops and arranged them on the front panels of y card. Then I die cut the sentiments "happy" and "birthday" found in Altenew's Versatile Greetings 2 die set using vellum for the shadow layers and white cardstock for the words. I die cut two layers of the words for a little extra dimension. I adhered the words to the inside panel to finish the card.  

When the card is closed: 

Challenges I'm entering:

Anything Goes with a Fun Fold for Creative Creases #96: ends 12/6/24

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (4/5 for the week; 9/10 for the challenge; ends 12/4/24)

 simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: ATG (3/5; ends 12/4/24)

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (4/4; ends 12/16/24)

613 Avenue Create: ATG with optional twist of Give Thanks (ends at the end of the month)

A Place To Start: ATG with twist of Sentiments of Thanks (ends at the end of the month) Rising Star November Week 4

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge: ATG with flowers as the focus (4/6; ends 12/12/24)

Congrats Accordion Flap Card

My lovely sister-in-law recently had a glowing review and a raise at work, and I thought it would be fun to make her a special card to celebrate. I chose to do a monochromatic card in yellow with gold accents so I could follow along with this week's challenge in the Altenew Fan Group FB page. 

For the card base, I wanted a fun fold, so I turned to Iced Images for inspiration. If you'd like the instructions and measurements, here's a link to her video: 5"x7" Accordion Flap Card - YouTube. It's an easy card to make but looks special because of the accordion fold and the flaps.

For the background layers on the 5 by 7 white card base, I trimmed pieces of cardstock I had sprayed with Hero Arts' Two Tone Metallic spray in yellow and copper. I adhered them to the card base and then set to work on all the die cuts. 

I recently purchased Altenew's Zero Waste: Autumn Leaves die and had fun playing with it. I die cut it using some Yupo paper I had colored with shades of yellow alcohol ink. It's not easy to die cut Yupo paper, so I had to run the die through a few times and even use my craft knife to get some of the die cuts out. Next time I will try using bubble wrap as a shim and see if it cuts better. I also die cut some cardstock I had painted with gold acrylic paint, and that die cut easily. Then I did two more runs with the die using other cardstocks I had sprayed, watercolored, and/or ink smooshed in shades of yellow. Those die cut easily.

For the front of the card, I trimmed a piece of cardstock I had watercolored in yellow to 1 1/4 by 5 inches. I then arranged some leaves and dots from the Autumn Leaves die to decorate the panel and adhered everything down before attaching the panel to the bottom left side of the card. 

For the middle panel, I trimmed a piece of the same yellow watercolored cardstock as the front panel to 2 3/4 by 5. I die cut and embossed the fence from Altenew's Craft-Your-Life: Rustic Charm set using the same gold painted cardstock I had die cut the Autumn Leaves die from and attached that to the panel. Then I die cut just the base layer from Altenew's Pretty Pumpkins layering die set using the same yellow Yupo paper I had die cut with the Autumn Leaves die earlier. I die cut the stems from the gold-painted cardstock and attached those to the pumpkins before adhering them in front of the fence. I added some of the leaves I had die cut from the sprayed, watercolored, and/or ink smooshed cardstock using the Autumn Leaves die to the bottom of the pumpkins and then adhered the panel to the middle accordion fold of the card. 

For the back panel of the card, I arranged several of the leaves from the Autumn Leaves die in a wreath configuration and used Glad Press N Seal to keep them where I wanted them as I added liquid glue to the back of them and adhered them to the card. Then I die cut the sentiment and shadow die from several layers of white cardstock and one layer of the gold-painted cardstock for the shadow and one layer of the Yupo paper I had used yellow alcohol inks on. I glued the layers together to give the sentiment some dimension so it would stand out better. Then I added the sentiment to the wreath to finish the card. 

 Challenges I'm entering:

Anything Goes with a Fun Fold for Creative Creases #96: ends 12/6/24

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: ATG (2/5; ends 12/4/24)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (1/5 for the week; 6/10 for the challenge; ends 12/4/24)

The Paper Shelter: Add a sentiment

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (1/4; ends 12/16/24)

Allsorts challenge blog: ATG or use ribbon/twine (2/3; ends 11/29/24)

Polkadoodles Cardmaking, Craft & Scrapbooking Challenge: ATG (3/4; ends 12/14/24)

613 Avenue Create: ATG with optional twist of Give Thanks (ends at the end of the month)

A Place To Start: ATG with twist of Sentiments of Thanks (ends at the end of the month)

Inspiration Station: The inspiration photo features leaves and pumpkins, and I've included lots of leaves and pumpkins in my card  Prize winner 12/2/24

Fall Scene Pop Out Card

I've been making some Christmas cards lately, but I wanted to go back and make at least one more fall-themed card before I switch seasons completely. Fall is such a beautiful season, and I love fall colors so much! 

A friend of mine recently lost her mom, and I know this Thanksgiving is going to be rough for her without her mom. I thought I'd make her a special card to let her know I'm thinking about her and praying for her. I like to create fun fold cards, so I thought I'd choose a fun fold that I could add some fall details to. I came across this new-to-me fun fold on Susan Campfield's YouTube channel, and if you'd like the measurements and instructions, you can watch the video here: Crafternoon Creative Escape with Suestampfield, November 2024. I really like how this fun fold can be used for any occasion. 

I created the base of the card and the 2 bands with white cardstock and then used some fall-colored cardstock I had used sprays on to decorate all the panels. I die cut the birds from Altenew's Bird Bath layering die set. Then I die cut the layers of the tree using Altenew's Chestnut Tree layering die set. The leaves on the bottom side panels came from Altenew's Zero Waste: Autumn Leaves set. The "hugs" sentiment was die cut from Altenew's Watercolor Roses set. After doing all my die cutting, I assembled all the pieces and adhered everything down to the front of the card before starting on the back.

For the back of the card, I used the dies from Altenew's Craft-Your-Life: Sunshine Flowers set to die cut the "hello friend" and shadow. The pumpkin is from Altenew's Pretty Pumpkins layering die set, and the leaves and branches are from Altenew's Zero Waste: Autumn Leaves set. I'm hoping this pretty fall card will lift my friend's spirits as she faces her first holiday season without her mom. 

Front of the card:

Side view:

Top view:

Back of the card:

Challenges I'm entering: 
 

simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/: Trees (1/5; ends 12/2/24)

Anything Goes with a Fun Fold for Creative Creases #96: Ends 12/6/24

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: ATG (1/5; ends 12/4/24)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (2/5 for the week; 7/10 for the challenge; ends 12/4/24)

Allsorts challenge blog: ATG or use ribbon/twine (3/3; ends 11/29/24)

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (3/4; ends 12/16/24)

Polkadoodles Cardmaking, Craft & Scrapbooking Challenge: ATG (3/4; ends 12/14/24)

613 Avenue Create: ATG with optional twist of Give Thanks (ends at the end of the month)

A Place To Start: ATG with twist of Sentiments of Thanks (ends at the end of the month) Top Sprout 12/2/24

Inspiration Station: The inspiration photo features leaves and pumpkins, and I've included lots of leaves and a pumpkin on my card 

Diagonal Christmas Card

I signed up for a Christmas card swap in the FaceBook Altenew Fan Group, and I'm sending cards to New Zealand, the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, and several different states in the US. I spent an evening cutting out poinsettia layers from various cardstocks and embossing panels and then went to work assembling several cards. This one uses a top-folding white A2 card base I created using heavyweight white cardstock. 

I recently saw a video where Tiffany Solario used Lunar Paste in an embossing folder, and I  knew I wanted to try that with Altenew's Perfect Poinsettias 3D embossing folder. I added a fairly thick layer of the paste to the folder and let it dry overnight. Then I peeled it out of the folder. I like the texture of the embossed paste, but I don't know that I will use the technique too often because it takes a lot of paste to cover the inside of the folder with a thick enough layer so it won't rip when you peel it out after letting it dry. Still, I'm glad I experimented with it, and I may try it again if I find Lunar Paste at a deep discount. To make the most of the Lunar Paste background, I cut it diagonally so I could use it for 2 cards. I used a gold paint marker for the poinsettia centers on the Lunar Paste and adhered the panel to the bottom right of my card base. Then I cut a narrow strip of gold cardstock and adhered that before adding another panel of cardstock I had sprayed with Tree Lot Distress mica spray. 

For the die cut poinsettia, I used poster board I had colored with shades of red alcohol ink for the red leaves of the poinsettia and then a layer of green for the bottom of the poinsettia that was die cut from cardstock I had sprayed with Nuvo Sparkle Spray in Apple Spritzer. It makes the paper look metallic in real life it is so shiny! I added the poinsettia in the middle of the card to cover the seam in the gold cardstock scraps I used in the center of the green and red panels. Then I finished the card by adding a sentiment from Altenew's Blessings stamp set: May God's everlasting light make your season bright. 

 Layered Poinsettia Holiday Cards | Inspiration Challenge (altenew.com): 

Can You Handle The Pressure?: ATG with an embossing folder (ends 12/7/24)

Creative Knockouts: Tis the Season (2/2; ends 12/6/24) C8

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: ATG (3/5; ends 12/4/24)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (4/5 for the week; 9/10 for the challenge; ends 12/4/24)

The Paper Shelter: Add a sentiment (2/2; ends 12/4/24)

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (2/4; ends 12/16/24)

Polkadoodles Cardmaking, Craft & Scrapbooking Challenge: ATG (2/4; ends 12/14/24)

No more challenges. 

Glory to God Gatefold Card

I signed up for a Christmas card swap in the FaceBook Altenew Fan Group, and I'm sending cards to New Zealand, the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, and several different states in the US. I spent an evening cutting out poinsettia layers from various cardstocks and embossing panels and then went to work assembling several cards.

For the card base of this fun fold, I followed Connie Stewart's tutorial here: How To Make A Beautiful Wedding Card That Stands Out. I used double-sided cardstock with a Christmas theme for the base. For the rectangles on the front, I embossed red cardstock with Altenew's Perfect Poinsettia's 3D embossing folder and added gold marker to the centers of the poinsettias.

For the front panel, I assembled die cuts in red cardstock for the red leaves of the poinsettia and a layer of green cardstock I made by spraying white cardstock with Nuvo Apple Spritzer Sparkle Spray for the bottom layer of the poinsettia. I die cut the center from gold cardstock and adhered all the layers and added the poinsettia to the front of the embossed panel with some shiny red metallic thread behind the poinsettia under the foam tape I used to adhere the flower to the panel. 

For the panel on the right, I stamped the "Glory to God" sentiment using Altenew's Blessings stamp set and adhered it to the embossed panel. 

For the inside of the card, I stamped "Faith is at the heart of the holidays" using the same Altenew "Blessings" stamp set and added the sentiment panel and a few sequins to a red panel I had embossed with the same Perfect Poinsettias embossing folder I used on the smaller front panels. 

Close up of the poinsettia and the metallic thread behind it:

Close up of the inside:

Back of the card:

 Challenges I'm entering: 

Layered Poinsettia Holiday Cards | Inspiration Challenge (altenew.com): 

simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/: Emboss it (5/5; ends 11/25/24)

Anything Goes with a Fun Fold for Creative Creases #96: Ends 12/6/24

 

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge: ATG with flowers as the focus (3/6; ends 12/12/24)

The Diva's that cut ....paper!: Any holiday (4/4; ends at the end of the month)

Gem of A Craft Challenge: ATG (1/4; ends 12/21/24)

Allsorts challenge blog: ATG with option of ribbon or twine (I used metallic thread) (1/3; ends 11/29/24)

Polkadoodles Cardmaking, Craft & Scrapbooking Challenge: ATG (1/4; ends 12/14/24)

Lunar Paste Poinsettia Card

I signed up for a Christmas card swap in the FaceBook Altenew Fan Group, and I'm sending cards to New Zealand, the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, and several different states in the US. I spent an evening cutting out poinsettia layers from various cardstocks and embossing panels and then went to work assembling several cards. This one uses a top-folding white A2 card base I created using heavyweight white cardstock. 

I recently saw a video where Tiffany Solario used Lunar Paste in an embossing folder, and I  knew I wanted to try that with Altenew's Perfect Poinsettias 3D embossing folder. I added a fairly thick layer of the paste to the folder and let it dry overnight. Then I peeled it out of the folder. I like the texture of the embossed paste, but I don't know that I will use the technique too often because it takes a lot of paste to cover the inside of the folder with a thick enough layer so it won't rip when you peel it out after letting it dry. Still, I'm glad I experimented with it, and I may try it again if I find Lunar Paste at a deep discount. To make the most of the Lunar Paste background, I cut it diagonally so I could use it for 2 cards. I used a gold paint marker for the poinsettia centers on the Lunar Paste and adhered the panel to the top left of my card base. Then I cut a narrow strip of gold cardstock and adhered that before adding another panel of cardstock I had sprayed with Tree Lot Distress mica spray. 

The poinsettia die cuts were die cut using Altenew's Poinsettia 3D layering die set and alcohol ink panels I had created. I used posterboard instead of Yupo paper because I find it's easier to die cut than the Yupo paper. I did a layer of green for the leaves and then several layers of red topped by a layer of gold cardstock die cut for the center of the poinsettia. 

For the inside of the card, I used a panel I had sprayed with Tart Cranberry Distress mica stain as the background for my sentiment. I stamped the sentiment from Altenew's Blessings set and mounted it on a layer of gold cardstock. Then I added a small poinsettia I made using just the smallest layer from the Poinsettia die set (I made several of them and adhered them together). 

Layered Poinsettia Holiday Cards | Inspiration Challenge (altenew.com): 

 simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/: Emboss it (4/5; ends 11/25/24)

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge: Sparkle and Shine (5/5; ends 11/27/24)

The Diva's that cut ....paper!: Any holiday (3/4; ends at the end of the month)

TIME OUT Challenges: My card is festive 😃 (4/5) C5 

No more challenges. 

Poinsettia Split Front Card

I signed up for a Christmas card swap in the FaceBook Altenew Fan Group, and I'm sending cards to New Zealand, the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, and several different states in the US. I spent an evening cutting out poinsettia layers from various cardstocks and embossing panels and then went to work assembling several cards. This one uses a top-folding white A2 card base I created using heavyweight white cardstock. 

For the base of this card, I followed a tutorial by Diane Furniss here: (2) #274 (24) Split Front Card Using Stampin' Up! Products. - YouTube. My card is slightly different from hers in that the glued down portion is on the right side instead of the left side. 

To decorate the card base, I added a green panel I had colored with alcohol inks to the right side of the card where the flap was glued down to the base. For the larger section on the left of the card, I embossed a panel of white cardstock I had sprayed with Distress mica stain in Tart Cranberry. I added some gold maker to the centers of the poinsettias for more shine. 

The poinsettia die cut was die cut using Altenew's 3D Poinsettia layering dies. Then I stamped the "rejoice" sentiment using Altenew's Blessings stamp set and mounted it on a scrap of gold cardstock. 

For the inside of the card, I stamped "Wishing you the joy of holiday miracles" from the same Blessings stamp set and mounted it on another scrap of gold cardstock. I added a small poinsettia I made using the smallest size leaf die from the 3D Poinsettia layering die set. I die cut several pieces of cardstock using that die and then adhered them together and added the center with gold cardstock I had die cut. 

Layered Poinsettia Holiday Cards | Inspiration Challenge (altenew.com): 

simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/: Emboss it (1/5; ends 11/25/24)

Anything Goes with a Fun Fold for Creative Creases #96: Ends 12/6/24

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge: Sparkle and Shine (2/5; ends 11/27/24)
 

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge: ATG with flowers as the focus (2/6; ends 12/12/24)

The Diva's that cut ....paper!: Any holiday (1/4; ends at the end of the month)

Snippets Playground: ATG with snippets (1/1; ends 11/23/24) The gold mats and die cut poinsettia centers were die cut from scraps of gold cardstock C10 Top Pick 12/2/24

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (5/5 for the week; 5/10 for the challenge; ends 12/4/24)

613 Avenue Create: ATG (ends at the end of the month)

A Place To Start: ATG (ends at the end of the month) Rising Star November Week 3

No more challenges. 

Billowing Peonies Pop Up Congratulations Card

My husband asked me to make a wedding card for one of his customers, and I thought Altenew's Billowing Peonies set would work great because it has a beautiful large floral stamp in the set. I chose the challenge colors for this month's challenge on the Altenew blog and stamped, stenciled, and die cut the largest floral image from the set. I used Altenew's Martian Terrain fresh dye inks for the flowers: Pastel Sunrise, Canyon Clay, Burnt Red, and Mahogony Bark. After sizing up the die cut image, I created a red card base that is a whopping 6 by 9 1/2 inches! I don't usually make cards that big, but I happen to have some oversize envelopes big enough to fit a card this size, so I went ahead and left the floral focal point as is without trimming it down to fit a smaller card base. 

I wanted to make this card extra special, so I die cut 3 label dies from an old Spellbinders set. I folded two of them in half and glued them down so that they add some elevation to the center of the card. I glued the full label onto the ones that were folded and then added the flowers using Altenew's foam tape. This is similar to a recent card I made using an idea from Jennifer McGuire. If you'd like to see my other card using that technique, here's the link: Carrie's Custom Cards: Vintage Garden Pop Up Card (carriescustomcards.blogspot.com). This time I didn't add the cardstock springs on top of the folded label die cuts because I wanted some dimension but not quite that much this time. 

For the "congratulations" sentiment, I used a stamp from Altenew's Gift From Heaven set. I ink blended Altenew's Canyon Clay ink onto a strip of white cardstock before stamping the sentiment. I adhered the sentiment using Altenew's foam tape. 

For the inside of the card, I stamped the floral focal point again using Altenew's Burnt Red ink and then stamped "wishing you happiness" from Altenew's Paint-A-Flower: Waterlily Dahlia stamp set using black ink. 

For some reason, the leaves on the right look like they are hanging off the card base in the picture, but they actually fit on the card base in real life. Must have been a weird angle!

Side views. It's hard to see the label dies because I used the same color cardstock as the card base:

Inside the card:

 Challenges I'm entering: 

Layered Poinsettia Holiday Cards | Inspiration Challenge (altenew.com): 

Anything Goes with a Fun Fold for Creative Creases #94 (secretstamper.com): ends 12/06/24

613 Avenue Create (avenue613.blogspot.com): ATG with twist of "give thanks" (1/8; ends at the end of the month)

Stamping Sensations: ATG with option: Make it magical (1/3; ends at the end of the month)

We Love Stamping: Christmas with ATG option (1/3; ends at the end of the month)

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge: ATG with flowers as the focus (ends 12/12/24)

Colorful Options: Red (ends at the end of the month)

Word Art Wednesday:ATG (4/5 for the week; 4/10 for the challenge; ends 12/04/24)

Crazy is our fame - STENCILS are our game! (stencilfun.blogspot.com): ATG with stencils with optional twist of make it sparkle or shine (1/3; ends at the end of the month)

A Place To Start (hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com): ATG with a twist of Give Thanks (ends at the end of the month)