Yesterday’s Christmas decor piece was quite minimalist but still you seemed to like it. Today I have a card idea for you using the new Toile Christmas Stamp Set. As soon as I saw the bird and branch images I knew this set would be winging its way into my studio. On the day it arrived I inked it up to create this striking cardinal card.

CARDINAL COLOURS

I started this project with the Toile Christmas Stamp Set and the large branch image. Using Mossy Meadow ink I first stamped it across the bottom of a layer of Very Vanilla Card.

Next on another layer of Very Vanilla Card I stamped the berry end of the branch in the top left and right corners. Then I did the same on the front of a Very Vanilla Medium Envelope.

With the branches done I then inked up the bird image using Merry Merlot ink. I stamped my bird sitting on the large branch, and to be honest the colour looked a little ‘odd’. Oh well, I’d carry on and see how it turned out before starting over.

It was time to break out my Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers. Contrary to what you might have heard, you don’t always have to stamp your image in Tuxedo Black when you’re using Stampin’ Blends. You can actually use any of the 50 Classic Stampin’ Pads from Stampin’ Up!

To colour the berries I started with a light Mango Melody Stampin’ Blends, then added some light Poppy Parade. For the leaves I used light and dark Old Olive. Then I completed the branches with light Crumb Cake.

For the cardinal I coloured the beak with light and dark Mango Melody. That just left his feathers. First I coloured all the feathers using light Poppy Parade, then I went over the shaded areas with the dark Poppy Parade. Finally I went back to the light one and blended the edges of the darker colour.

CHRISTMAS WISHES

While my colouring was complete, I still needed to work on the sentiments.

I started with the Very Vanilla layer with the branch in the corners. Using Mossy Meadow ink I stamped the larger “may this season” sentiment in the centre of the layer. Then I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) to fix it inside a Thick Very Vanilla Card base.

For the main sentiment I took another piece of Thick Very Vanilla Card and wiped it with an Embossing Buddy to remove any oils and static. With that done I stamped “Christmas Wishes” using VersaMark ink. Next I sprinkled the sticky ink with Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder and tapped off the excess. Then once I’d removed a few stray specks I melted the rest with my Heat Tool set on 2 (high).

Now I needed to cut out the sentiment and for this I turned to the coordinating Christmas Cardinal Dies. I cut out the embossed sentiment and then cut two further banners from Thick Very Vanilla Card.

Using liquid glue I stacked the three banners on top of each other and fixed them to the front of my cardinal piece. Then I used more liquid glue to mount the completed layer onto some Real Red Card. Finally I added the whole thing to the front of my card base using Stampin’ Dimensionals and I was finished.

Although I was initially worried about my choice of Merry Merlot to stamp the cardinal, I shouldn’t have been. Now it’s finished, the lines of the stamp have become part of the bird rather than ‘outlines’ to be coloured. What do you think?

TOILE CHRISTMAS

I thought I would love the Toile Christmas Stamp Set and I was right. I have quite a few ideas for this set that I’ll share with you over the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, here’s a look at the whole stamp set.

I’ll share the coordinating Cardinal Christmas Dies with you in another sneak peek.

LAST FEW DAYS

Can you believe that there are only a few more days left in August? It hardly seems possible. This means that a couple of Stampin’ Up! promotions will end very soon. Here’s a reminder so you don’t miss out.

First, if you have not yet redeemed your Bonus Days coupons earned in July, please do so by August 31st. Your codes were e-mailed to you when you placed a qualifying order in July. If you can’t find them please check your junk mail / spam, or contact me asap.

Secondly, the Extra Extra joining promotion also ends on August 31st. Until then if you join Stampin’ Up! you can select $205 of product for just $135 with free shipping. In most provinces too you’ll pay no tax on your Starter Kit either. Then at the beginning of September Stampin’ Up! will also send you a $14 coupon you can redeem on an order by October 31st. For more details see my Joining Stampin’ Up! Q&A page, or contact me before the deadline about becoming a Crafty Canadian.

PRODUCT LIST

I bought the Toile Christmas Stamp Set and coordinating Christmas Cardinal Dies together using the bundle item number. This saved me 10% off the cost of buying them separately. I’ve included both options below.