Archives for February 2015

Whenever I think about Winter, I think of pure white drifted snow, covering the rather drab (and dare I say, UGLY) cold world around me.  I think of cozy fires and hot chocolate (with plenty of whipped cream on top).  I think of beautiful snowflakes and glistening icicles.  I think of rosy red cheeks and noses on my kiddos when they rush in through the front door after spending hours out sledding and building snowmen.  Yes, Winter invokes many beautiful images and thoughts for me.  So when I was assigned to create a set of cards with the theme “Winter,” I wanted to do my best to translate the images in my mind to paper.  Here’s what I came up with:

Wintery, but not cheesy or too cutesy (although I am the first to admit that I L.O.V.E. cutesy and cheesy, it’s just not the look I always want to portray).  Here’s how I made this card set using the brand new “Cottage Living” collection by Jen Hadfield.

I started with the polaroid die and created two frames.

Next, I used the super cute “hello” die to cut two words from a darker gray paper (from the 6×6 pad because I wanted the pattern to be small and subtle).

I also used a die I had on hand to cut some snowflakes out of patterned papers from the 6×6 paper pad.  You could also use electronic die-cut shapes, or even cut the snowflakes by hand!

I knew I wanted to use white for my card bases, so I cut two 4 1/4″ x 11″ strips, then scored them in the center and folded them. I wanted these cards to open at the top, rather than the traditional left hand side.

Now I wanted to add a bit of  “glisten and gleam” to the background, so I pulled out the gold glitter mist that coordinates with this collection.

I use the boxes that my scrapbooking supplies come in when I order from online stores as a misting box.  This one is kind of like a pizza box – I love that it’s small and portable – and if I wanted to store my mists inside, it would be perfect for that too!  Shake the mist really well – get the glitter mixed in – and spray! I always like to take a couple of practice sprays to make sure everything is flowing perfectly.

 Don’t worry if your paper bows up like mine did – it will flatten out when the mist is dry.

Check out that shine!  Isn’t it fun?!?  After the mist is completely dry, add the frame to the card base.

Next, add the snowflake to the center of the frame opening.

It’s fun just like this, but I like to add extra dimension, so I opted to use foam adhesive squares on the back of a smaller snowflake and then add it over the center of this one.

Now I’m ready to add the sentiment:

And this is where I thought I was done. Until I decided that a little more shine was in order! These jewels ought to do the trick:

Ahhh, I think that is perfect!

I followed the same steps for my second card.

I can’t wait to share my wintery “hello” cards with some friends; hopefully it will brighten someone’s day!
Wendy Sue

Supplies:
Cottage Living “Petals” Patterned Paper
Cottage Living Paper Pad
Cottage Living Jewel Stickers
Cottage Living Dies
Cottage Living Gold Glitter Mist
White Cardstock