Stampin' Up Nests of Winter Christmas Cards

 

Hi everyone,

First up, I wanted to share some awesome news!  A couple of months ago, I was approached by the team at Splitcoaststampers to see if I would like to be a part of their Dirty Dozen Design Team.  I have been a part of Splitcoaststampers since 2008 and My Gallery on there has 511 cards which I started uploading before I even started blogging.  Everyone there has always been so encouraging and helpful and I just love being a part of their community - plus they introduced me to Stampin' Up.  I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be offered a spot on their Design Team! 

Once we discussed how it would all work and the commitment needed, I said a resounding "YES".  The tenure is for six months.  How it works, is that if you are a PAID Fan Club member of Splitcoaststampers, you get certain privileges like your uploaded cards show up straight away in your Gallery instead of being delayed until Admin approves your card - and you can take part in the Monthly Fan Club Challenges.  Being a paid member means you are contributing towards the cost of running their website and I've been a member for many years.  If you are not a paid member, the Fan Club Forum, Fan Club Challenges and Fan Club Galleries are hidden from view.  The main proviso for being on the Design Team is that you do not use any counterfeit products - which I never do anyway - but other than that, I can use whatever I have - old products, new products, retired products etc.

The Monthly Fan Club Challenges go live on the 15th of each month - and I and the rest of the Design Team get a month prior to the 15th to create our projects with the theme for that particular month - and have to upload them by the 15th so that Fan Club Members have a Fan Club Gallery full of projects and ideas to inspire them when the Challenge goes live.  The monthly themes are set by the Dirty Dozen Admins and I already have all the themes for my six months.  I started in December and will finish up in May 2026.  

One proviso is that I am not allowed to share my projects anywhere online until my six months is up so I will have LOTS to share after May 2026.  I feel so excited to be a part of the team and I just love that I am learning new techniques and styles of cardmaking that are taking me out of my comfort-zone.  I have felt so inspired by my other Team Members too as we all have different ways of creating, interpretations of the monthly themes and our own unique flair.  

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So, onto sharing one of the Christmas Cards that I made this season:

I made multiples of this card to give to family and friends and did them production-line style.  I saw a similar card on Pinterest a while ago but there was no link or name so no idea who made it.  In any case, I did add my own spin to the design to change things up a little.

First up, I diecut the birds on the branches from the Stampin' Up Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper using my Big Shot.  I love how Stampin' Up has brought out papers that you can diecut images from because it is a great timesaver when you want to make multiples.  

To do the background, I used a Blending Brush on Bristol Smooth White Cardstock to add Stampin' Up Pool Party gradually fading to white.  I made the ink a little darker on the RHS.  I used my Pool Party Reinker with a little water added to splatter the background using a Fan Brush.  I did the same with Kuretake Pale Gold Watercolour Paint.  I really like how the splatter just lifted the background from being a little plain.  I was in a bit of a hurry so dried my panels with a Heat-Gun.

Here is a different angle so you can see the splatter better:

I stamped branches from the Stampin' Up Golden Greenery Stamp Set - sadly retired - using Versafine Olympia Green Ink.  I stamped off first to make the lighter branches and full strength for the darker ones.

Next, I glued on the diecut image using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.  This panel was matted onto Pool Party Cardstock then Cherry Cobbler Cardstock.  I added some Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush to the berries for some sparkle.

The sentiment is from the Stampin' Up Greetings of the Season Stamp Set - another retired set - but a fabulous one if you can pick it up second-hand.  Here is a photo of it:

I stamped both the MERRY and Christmas using Versafine Onyx Black Ink - but separately so I could cut out the MERRY which is popped up on a little scrap of white cardstock.

On a couple of the cards that I was hand-delivering, I added 3 x small Gold Pearls but didn't think to take a photo beforehand.  I didn't want to post cards that had pearls on them because I wanted a flat card.

Lastly, I glued my card front to a Kaisercraft White Card Base.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stampin' Up Greetings of the Season #164325 (retired) + Golden Greenery #164331 (retired)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black + Olympia Green, Stampin' Up Pool Party

Designer Paper:  Stampin' Up Nests of Winter #164183

Accessories:  Big Shot, Stamping Platform, Kuretake Starry Watercolours - Pale Gold, Fan Brush, Blending Brush (Amazon), Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Canson Bristol 250gsm/110lb White Cardstock, Stampin' Up Cardstock - Pool Party + Cherry Cobbler, Kaisercraft White Card Base, Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush, Heat-gun

Dies:  Stampin' Up Winterly Tree Tops #164065 (retired)

Craft Creations Poinsettia Basket Decoupage Christmas Card

 

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing a Christmas Card:

This is also my card for the following Challenge:

• Neglected Stuff Challenge 12/25 - where the idea is to use your neglected stuff plus you have to state what you used.  I used the decoupage image (5+ years old), designer papers from 2016 and the border punch.

The main image is by Craft Creations - Poinsettia Basket - which is diecut decoupage aka paper tole.   I popped all the pieces out then trimmed any little daggy bits around the edges of each piece - then layered them together using 1mm Dimensionals.  I added some Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details Glitter Glue to the centres of the poinsettias.

The image was layered onto Kaisercraft Forest Cardstock.  All the layers were trimmed to either 1/16" or 1/8" using my Perfect Layers Guides.

The designer papers are by My Mind's Eye - Comfort and Joy - which are long-retired.  I adore this collection and it has been one of my all-time favourite Christmas Collections.  

I added a scalloped border to the centre panel using a Fiskars Scallop Border Punch and the Forest Cardstock - but it pretty much blends into the background:  oh well..... I probably should have popped this panel up in hindsight.  I have had this border punch for many years and it was probably the first border punch I ever bought.

The sentiment is by Kaisercraft - Cockatoo Carols - which was released in 2023.  All Kaisercraft paper pads have a bunch of sentiments at the back so very handy.  I popped the sentiment up on 1mm Dimensionals.

Once I had completed my card front, I glued it to a white card base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.  

Finished size is 4-7/8" x 6-7/8" or 123mm x 174mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer Paper:  My Mind's Eye Comfort and Joy 12" x 12" (2016-retired), Sentiment by Kaisercraft Cockatoo Carols 6-1/2" x 6-1/2" Pad (2023)

Accessories:  We R Memory Keepers Perfect Layers Guides, Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details (retired), 1mm Dimensionals, Craft Creations Ltd Poinsettia Basket 3D Diecut Decoupage DCD546, Cardstock - Kaisercraft Forest + White Card Base

Punches:  Fiskars Scallop Border

Stampin' Up Thoughtful Journey Sympathy Card

 

Hi blogging friends,

I needed to make another Sympathy Card - this time for a friend whose Dad suddenly passed away:

  

I seem to have needed quite a few Sympathy Cards recently.  My husband and I are of the age where our friends have elderly parents so I have made a couple of extras for my stash.  I always think that a handmade Sympathy Card is so much nicer than a bought one - and I especially like to be able to write my own message appropriate to the recipient's circumstances taking into account whether they are religious or not.  Some of the messages on the inside of bought cards makes me cringe!

I kept things very simple as you don't need to add much to the beautiful Stampin' Up Thoughtful Journey Designer Series Paper.  I stamped the foliage on the LHS with Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow Ink three times using one of the stamps from the Darkroom Door Nature Walk Stamp set.  I used my Stamping Platform for all the stamping for perfect placement and in case I needed to re-stamp.

The sentiment is from an old sentiment set by Stamp-It Australia released in 2008 and was also stamped using Mossy Meadow Ink.  This sentiment set is one that I have used countless times over the years.  Stamp-It Australia no longer make stamps for cardmaking.  I think someone was going to take over that side of the business some time ago now but the sale fell through which is such a shame. 

I layered the image panel onto Anko Cream Cardstock then Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow.  I trimmed the panels to 1/16" and 1/8" respectively using my WRMK Perfect Layers Guides.

As a final touch, I added a single Basic Grey Green Rhinestone next to the sentiment.  I added a tiny dot of Art Glitter Glue under the rhinestone to make sure the rhinestone stayed put.   I thought the rhinestone finished the card nicely.

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to a Kaisercraft White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is 4-1/8" x 6" or 105mm x 150mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stamp-It Australia siset014 (sentiment) - retired, Darkroom Door Nature Walk DDRS194

Ink:  Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow

Designer Paper:  Stampin' Up Thoughtful Journey 6" x 6"

Accessories:  Stamping Platform, Kaisercraft Trimmer, Basic Grey Green Rhinestone, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, We R Memory Keepers Perfect Layers Guides, Kaisercraft White Card Base, Cardstock - Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow + Anko Cream (KMart)

Stamperia The Owl's House Christmas Card

 

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing a Christmas Card that I made using some gorgeous papers by Stamperia - The Owl's House:

Challenges:

This is also my card for the following Challenge -

• Allsorts - #836 - Christmas or Anything Goes

No stamping on this card - just layering papers and some diecutting.

The main image was trimmed from the 8" x 8" paper pad then layered onto White Cardstock. 

The snowflake side border as well as the woodgrain paper on the card base are also from The Owl's House collection.

The Snowflakes were diecut from Silver Glitter Cardstock using my Big Shot and Impression Obsession Small Snowflake Set.  This is another set that I have had for years and one of my favourites.  I glued down the centres so I could bend up the snowflake arms for a bit of dimension, then added a Kaisercraft Silver Rhinestone to the centres.

The Silver and White Twine is from KMart (Australia) and came in a set but is no longer on their website.

Finishing touches were adding Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush to lots of areas on the card including the flames in the fireplace.  Shame it isn't visible in the photo - but it looks so pretty in real life.

Finished size is 4-15/16" x 4-15/16" or 125mm x 125mm.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  None

Designer Paper:  Stamperia The Owl's House 8" x 8" pad (2025 release)

Accessories:  Big Shot, Kaisercraft Trimmer, Silver and White Twine (KMart), Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Kaisercraft Silver Rhinestones, Silver Glitter Cardstock, White Cardstock, Kaisercraft White Card Base

Dies:  Impression Obsession Small Snowflake Set DIE 100-F (retired)

Stampin' Up Perennial Lavender Pocket Cards

 

Hi blogging friends 😀

Today I am sharing some Pocket Cards using Stampin' Up's Perennial Lavender Designer Series Paper.  I followed a tutorial by Patti Dolan from You-Tube which you can see here:

I changed the measurements to suit Australian-sized cards.

I made a bunch of cards for my stash but gave one to my sister-in-law as a Get Well Card.  It is always good to have some cards on hand with a neutral sentiment that can be used for a variety of occasions which is why I just used the "Hello" sentiment on all my cards.

The first card uses Pretty Peacock Cardstock which I think looks gorgeous with the Perennial Lavender Designer Series Paper:

The sentiment is from the Stampin' Up Simply Said Mix and Match set which is still current in the catalogue.  This is a great little set to add to your stash as it has a variety of sentiments and styles of fonts.

I stamped it onto white cardstock using Versamagic Ocean Depth Ink as it was the only ink that I had that matched.  Ideally, I would have liked to use Stampin' Up Pretty Peacock Ink but I haven't added that ink to my stash yet.  I diecut the circle using my Big Shot and a Lifestyle Nesting Circle Die.  I then layered that onto Pretty Peacock Cardstock that I diecut using a Spotlight on Nature Circle Die, then popped it up on dimensionals.  These Spotlight on Nature Dies are a great set to get because it has a 12 different decorative circle dies.

The floral insert is removable and here is a photo of the card with the insert removed:

And here is a photo of the insert:

The diecut butterflies are from a recently retired Stampin' Up Set called Sketched Butterflies.  I used some Metallic Teal Thick Paper which I bought from KMart (Australia) but I can't see it on their website anymore.  It came in a pad that has lots of different colours and is really good quality.  I glued just the body of the butterflies down so I could bend the wings up.

When you open up the floral designer paper, you can see that I added some white cardstock so I could write my message:

Now, here is another colourway:

I used the same Perennial Lavender Designer Paper.  The sentiment was stamped using Versacolor Violet Pigment Ink and I used a different Stampin' Up Spotlight on Nature Circle Die to diecut the Purple Cardstock.  The butterflies were diecut from White Glitter Cardstock.

Here are 2 photos of the insert:

And here is another colourway:

I, again, used the Perennial Lavender Designer Paper.  The sentiment was stamped using Versacolor Violet Pigment Ink.  The butterflies were diecut using Mauve Glitter Cardstock.  They look a bit more pink in the photo for some reason.

It was really fun to sit down and make a bunch of these cards so I could get to understand how this different fun-fold works.  I do struggle with cards that are different to the norm so if I make a few of them, it makes it easier for me to understand them - especially if I want to make them again in the future.  I ended up making 6 cards so it will good to have them on hand for all the family birthdays that happen just after Christmas when I find it harder to be creative 'cos I am soooooo tired from all the festivities.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:  

Card No. 1 -

Stamps:  Stampin' Up Simply Said #163756

Ink:  Versamagic Ocean Depth

Designer Paper:  Stampin' Up Perennial Lavender 12" x 12" #162593

Accessories:  Kaisercraft Trimmer, Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Big Shot, Cardstock - SU Pretty Peacock + White, Metallic Teal Paper (KMart)

Dies:  Lifestyle Nesting Circles (retired), SU Spotlight on Nature #163580 + Sketched Butterflies #163491 (retired)

Card No. 2 - 

Stamps:   Stampin' Up Simply Said #163756

Ink:  Versacolor Violet Pigment

Designer Paper:  Stampin' Up Perennial Lavender 12" x 12" #162593

Accessories:  Kaisercraft Trimmer, Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Big Shot, Cardstock - White + Purple, White Glitter Cardstock

Dies:  Lifestyle Nesting Circles (retired), SU Spotlight on Nature #163580 + Sketched Butterflies #163491 (retired)

Card No. 3 -

Stamps:   Stampin' Up Simply Said #163756

Ink:  Versacolor Violet Pigment

Designer Paper:  Stampin' Up Perennial Lavender 12" x 12" #162593

Accessories:  Kaisercraft Trimmer, Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Big Shot, Cardstock - White + Purple, Mauve Glitter Cardstock

Dies:  Lifestyle Nesting Circles (retired), SU Spotlight on Nature #163580 + Sketched Butterflies #163491 (retired)

Impression Obsession Halloween Hill Mixed Media Card

Hi everyone 😊

Today I am sharing a Halloween Card:

ETA:  I just learned that I made the top 3 over at Craftycatz!  Woo hoo!

I really enjoy making Halloween Cards because it gives me the perfect excuse to play with inky backgrounds to create atmosphere for that type of card.

This is also my card for the following Challenges:

• Crafty Catz Challenge #703 - Anything Goes with Optional Twist of Halloween

• C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #766 - Halloween/Anything Goes

I love to blend inks on Bristol Smooth White Cardstock because they just blend like a dream.  First up, I created a mask for the moon from Mylar Film by diecutting a circle from it.  Mylar Film is what some stencils are made from and I bought a pack of sheets on EBay.  You can buy different weights and the one I bought was 190 micron.  I attached it to my cardstock using Repositionable Adhesive.  The good thing about the Mylar Film is that you can wipe off the ink and reuse it.   

The Ranger Distress Inks that I used are:  Dried Marigold, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Seedless Preserves, Hickory Smoke and Black Soot - making sure that the RHS was lighter where the moon was.  I removed the mask and used a Tim Holtz Layering Moon Mask and Hickory Smoke Ink to add some detail on the moon - then inked over it very lightly with Mustard Seed Ink.  I used my Heat-Gun to dry off the panel.

The back diecut is an old die by Impression Obsession called Halloween Hill.  I have had this die for many years and it has always been a favourite of mine.  I used Anko Black Cardstock which I bought in a pad of neutral tones from KMart (Australia).  I inked up some scrap white cardstock with Mustard Seed and added that to the windows of the house - then used Wild Honey for the pumpkin face. 

The front diecut is by Memory Box - Graveyard Landscape which dates back to 2012.  I popped the diecut up on several layers of scrap black cardstock so that it gave the illusion of depth.

The white ghosts are another die by Memory Box - Ghastly Ghosts - from 2013.  It's a really fun die because it diecuts 5 different sized ghosts.

The sentiment is by Hero Arts - Happy Halloween - and is from 2012.  I stamped it using Versamark Watermark Ink and heat-set it using Stampin' Up White Embossing Powder.  I used a Powder Tool on the Black Cardstock before stamping so that I didn't get any stray dots of embossing powder.  I popped the sentiment up on Stampin' Up Black Dimensionals.  These black dimensionals are so handy for adding underneath dark cardstock.  I added a tiny self-adhesive Pale Orange Molossi Rhinestone either side of the sentiment but added a dot of Art Glitter Glue to the rhinestone because this pack is old and the glue dot isn't all that sticky.

To add more atmosphere to my card, I used some White Cobweb to the sky and gravestones adding tiny dots here and there with my Art Glitter Glue to stick it down.  This glue dries clear so is perfect for when you use it for something that would otherwise be glaringly obvious!  I bought the White Cobweb from my local supermarket.

I used a White Pastel Pencil to add some white highlights to the bottom of the moon and on the black diecuts.

As final touches, I added some sparkle to the pumpkin, house and moon using a Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, adding several layers for extra-sparkle.

I layered the scene onto Colormates Dark Terracotta Cardstock then onto Anko Black Cardstock - then glued my card front onto a Kaisercraft White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is 5-5/16" x 4-1/4" or 151mm x 108mm

Hope you like my card!  I had so much fun creating it 😀

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Hero Arts Happy Halloween CL353 (2012-retired)

Ink:  Versamark Watermark, Ranger Distress - Dried Marigold, Fossilized Amber, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Hickory Smoke, Black Soot

Accessories:  Big Shot, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Repositionable Adhesive Tape, Stampin' Up Black Dimensionals, White Cobweb (Woolworths), Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, Mylar Film - 190 micron, Blending Tools + Foam Pads, White Pastel Pencil, Molossi Pale Orange Rhinestones, Heat-Gun, Powder Tool, Stampin' Up White Embossing Powder, Cardstock - Bristol Smooth White 250gsm/110lb + Colormates Dark Terracotta + Anko Black/White, Kaisercraft White Card Base

Stencils:  Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Layering Moon Mask THMSK01

Dies:  Impression Obsession Halloween Hill DIE029-P (retired), Memory Box Graveyard Landscape #98375 (2012-retired), Memory Box Ghastly Ghosts #98701 (2013-retired), Lifestyle Nesting Circles (retired)

Sympathy Card using Porta Craft Embossing Folder

 

Hi everyone,

My SIL's Mum passed away aged 95 so I have been working on several Sympathy Cards to pass on to family members:

It's a very simple card but it's amazing how long it can take to come up with something that is understated and unfussy!

This is also my card for the following Challenges (click on the underlined link to take you to the Challenge Blog):

• Neglected Stuff Challenge - 10/25 - which is all about using your neglected supplies - mine is the embossing folder, stamp set and heart punch

I found a rectangular embossing folder in my stash that had a border around it so thought that I could turn it on its side so that I could have some white space on the bottom and top of my card.  I have had this Porta Craft Embossing Folder for ages and probably picked it up from a Craft Show here in Australia.

I used a Stamping Platform to stamp the sentiment in Versafine Onyx Black.  This sentiment is from an old set by Wendy Irving and is one of my first ever clear stamp sets and dates back to at least 2010.

I punched a heart using a very old Carl Heart Duo Punch.  This punch pre-dates dies!  I added some Designer Dries Clear glue to the heart and added some Opal Glitter which has a very soft and gentle sparkle to it which I thought was appropriate for a Sympathy Card.

This panel has had the RHS corners punched using a We R Memory Keepers 1/2" Corner Chomper.  I added the 3/8" wide White Organza Ribbon in two separate elements - and the bow itself was made using a Bow Easy.  I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.

I glued the panel to my card base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue that has also had the RHS corners punched with the same Corner Chomper.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Wendy Irving Expressions Clear Set J6412.01 (ret)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper:  None

Accessories:  Big Shot, Porta Craft Embossing Folder #107638 (ret), Celebrations of Australia Crystal Opal Glitter Superfine .008, Knight Smooth White Cardstock, White Organza Ribbon 3/8" wide, Fray Stop, Bow Easy, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Designer Dries Clear Adhesive, Stamping Platform

Punches:  Carl CP-8 Heart Duo Punch (ret), WRMK 1/2" Corner Chomper