Another Cup of Christmas Cocoa

Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper is one of the most beautiful paper collections that I have ever seen. Its metallic sheen is complimented by the luster of the gold Encore! ink which was used to stamp the tree image from Snow Swirled. Paired with a snowflake medallion from Serene Snowflakes, this card is my favorite of all of the Christmas and winter themed cards that I have created this year. The Mojojanette sketch was the perfect starting point for “Another Cup of Christmas Cocoa”. It’s oh, so sweet!

• Prepare a standard card base from Soft Suede.
• Ink the “Tree” image from Snow Swirled with Soft Suede and stamp onto Very Vanilla. Ink the stamp again with Gold Encore! ink. Using the Stamp-a-ma-jig, stamp this image slightly to the left of the original image. (Tip #1: This will result in a “shadow” image which is very striking in person. If you have never tried this technique before, please do! I like it better than Gold Encore! by itself.)
• Mat onto Soft Suede. Add a few Red Rhinestones for just the right touch of bling. Although you can “dissect” your Circle Fire Brads to retrieve the rhinestones, I happened to have some small rhinestones on hand, so I did not have to sacrifice five brads.(Tip #2: Because this card borderlines on monochromatic, the red rhinestones, circle brad and ribbon add just the right “pop” of color, transforming an already pretty card into one that is stunning! Try the “color pop” when you want a card to really stand out.)
• Ink one of the “Snowflakes” from Serene Snowflakes with Soft Suede and stamp onto Very Vanilla. Shadow with Gold Encore! ink. Punch out with the 1″ Circle Punch and layer onto a Real Red circle that has been punched with the 1-1/4″ Circle Punch. The scalloped circle was prepared by zipping a piece of Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper through the Big Shot with a Nestabilities die. A Red Circle Fire Brad in the middle completes this element.
• Using the Scallop Edge Punch, prepare a piece of Christmas Cocoa paper. (I selected the “Small Metallic Stripe” pattern.) Position and adhere this to the beautiful “Snowflake” pattern from the same designer paper. Add a snippet of Real Red 5/8″ Grosgrain Ribbon, and adhere to the card base.
• Position and adhere the Tree mat and the Snowflake medallion to the card base.
• Ink the “Merry Christmas” sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes with Gold Encore! ink and stamp onto Very Vanilla. Punch out with the Word Window Punch and adhere on top of the ribbon.

Stampin‘ Schach Design Tip of the Day: When participating in sketch challenges, it is acceptable to make the sketch your own. In this case, I deleted a bow in order to maintain the clean lines of the card (and to keep from competing with the swirls). The added sentiment achieved the balance I desired. Challenges are meant to be an inspiration, and Janette Olen did a wonderful job in creating this classic sketch.

This is a classic card, with classic lines, which are just perfect for this paper and the Snow Swirled stamp set. Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper will be available on September 1st, as will the Serene Snowflakes stamp set. Serene Snowflakes is definitely a set that will be usable throughout the year, as the medallion on this card illustrates.

Please remember to leave a comment! I do appreciate them, and read each and every one. Your comments and questions help me improve my card making and blogging skills. Never hesitate to email me your questions about any of the cards that I make or the techniques that I use! Until next time…

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