Tag Archives: Carta Bella Christmas

Spellbinders Winter Garden Dies 3 Ways

Spellbinders Winter Garden Dies 3 Ways for Day 1 of Christmas in July

Hello, Friends!  Bundle up, put on your mittens and come for a stroll through Spellbinders Winter Garden Dies with me.  Yes, it’s the first day of Christmas in July here at Kathy by Design.  I know, I know…we’re all still wearing our flip flops, drinking iced tea and wearing Bermuda shorts.  But as fast as this year is going by, I thought we’d better get a head start on our Christmas crafting.

With shipping delay issues, handmade gifts are the way to go this year!  The remainder of this month (and into August and even September as my ordered supplies come in) I’ll be sharing some fun ideas for cards, folios, banners, gifts and tags.

Today’s post features 3 lovely Susan’s Winter Garden dies used in 3 different ways.  I’ve put together a little video tour with tips for you as well as a tutorial for creating a 5×7 double gatefold card base.  Are you ready to get your Christmas craft on?  Then let’s get started!

Spellbinders Winter Garden Dies Project #1: Carta Bella Christmas Rustic Ice Skate Card

Carta Bella Christmas Spellbinders Susan's Garden Skate, Christmas Rose, Evergreen Foliage by Kathy Clement Kathy by Design

Here’s a true confession: Although I grew up in Vermont, I never learned to ice skate.  Did you?  The closest I ever got to skating was falling down.  A lot.  But my dad was a marvelous skater.  He could go forwards and backwards and spin, too.  Ice skates and Christmas cards go together like Santa and reindeer.

This 6×6 top fold card features the Winter Garden skate, Evergreen Foliage and Christmas Rose dies.  You can find out more about this rustic Christmas card, learn some fun crafting tips,  and see the inside in the video below.

Spellbinders Winter Garden Dies Project #2: Stamperia Pink Christmas Slimline Card Folio

Stamperia Pink Christmas Slimline Card Folio Spellbinders Susan's Winter Garden Skate, Evergreen Foliage, Christmas Rose Dies by Kathy Clement Kathy by Design Photo 01

Care to join me for a Victorian skating party?  This 4 1/2″ x 8 1/2″  slimline card folio features pink ice skates, of course!  This time I layered 2 skates together and topped them with pearls and a bow.  This girly girl project was probably my favorite of the three.  Here’s how to make the trifold base from 1 sheet of 8 1/2″ x 11″ cardstock.

  • First, place the long side of  your cardstock on the your scoring tool.
  • From the left, score at 4 1/2″, 5″ and 9 1/2″.  (This measurement is wrong in the video; that’s why I’m adding it here.)
  • Fold the 2″ flap on the end to the inside of the card base.

It’s that easy!  Wait ’til you see the inside of this pretty card!  I hope you’ll enjoy the video tour with tips!

Spellbinders Winter Garden Dies Project #3: 5×7 Double Gatefold with Belly Band Tutorial

Photoplay Paper It's a Wonderful Christmas 5x7 Double Gatefold Card Tutorial Spellbinders Susan's Winter Garden Evergreen Foliage Christmas Rose by Kathy Clement Kathy by Design Photo 01

Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays!  This 5×7 Double Gatefold card sports a decorative belly band that I like more every time I look at it!  It’s made with Photoplay’s new Christmas collection called “It’s a Wonderful Christmas.”  And truly, this is a wonderful collection!

The Evergreen Foliage die is so versatile, friends.  Instead of keeping the boughs whole, I snipped them into individual pieces and built this lovely wreath.  Can you guess what I used to make the “berries” adorning the wreath?  You’ll have to watch the video tour to find out if you’re right.  I’ll also share a quick tutorial showing you how to assemble the card base.

Winter Garden Dies 3 Ways Video on YouTube

If you’d like to take a tour of the projects, the dies and the paper collections I’ve used in today’s post, I hope you’ll enjoy this video.

I’ll be back tomorrow with another tutorial featuring more new Christmas goodies!  I love Christmas in July!  It’s like getting to open your presents the night before Christmas!

You can find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

SUPPLY LIST

 

Carta Bella Christmas Ornament Card

Throwback Thursday Carta Bella Christmas Ornament Card Kathy Clement Kathy by Design Photo 01

Carta Bella Christmas Ornament Card for Throwback Thursday                                                                        PLUS Organizing Tips and Making a Card Background from Scraps

Hello, Friends!  For this installment of Throwback Thursday we’re going to make a Carta Bella Christmas Ornament Card.  This quick and easy holiday card is a Christmas “mash up” project made with 3 different Carta Bella Christmas collections.  You will learn how to make a darling Christmas ornament embellishment using dies and scraps.  The best part?  The ornament detaches from the card front and can be hung on the tree.  I’ll also be sharing tips for organizing your little bits of designer paper.  And, I’ll show you how to use skinny scraps to make a beautiful wintry card background.  So let’s get started!

How to Make a Christmas Ornament Card

  • Begin by creating a 5 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ top fold card base from a sheet of black cardstock.  Simply cut the paper on the short side at 5 1/2″.  Then score in half at 5 1/2″.
  • Next, cut a 5 1/4″ square panel of red cardstock to serve as a mat.
  • Now, measure out some paper scraps that are 5″ in width.  The height is not as important, because as you will see in the video tutorial, we are going to stitch panels of paper together.

Now that your base panel is prepared, you can start adding designer elements.

  • First, trim down a 3″ x 4″ image from the collection to measure 2 3/4″ x 3 3/4″.  Mat this on a scrap of red foil cardstock.  This helps the image to stand out on the card front.
  • Now prepare your ornament embellishment.

  • Die cut scraps of designer paper and thin chipboard with an ornament die.
  • Now figure out the placement of the ornament on the card base.
  • Once you know where the ornament is going to be placed, adhere a small magnet on the back side of the chipboard ornament.
  • Then cover the front and back of the ornament with the designer papers.
  • Place the magnet that will sit on the card base on the back of the ornament.  It will automatically attach to the die beneath the patterned paper.
  • Now remove the adhesive from the magnet and press the ornament in the spot where you want it to rest on the card base.
  • Cover the magnet on the card base with a decorative tag.  Now the ornament can be detached from the card, but the card will still look finished.
Finishing Touches

  • Now add a bow cluster on the left hand side of the sentiment.
  • See how I changed my mind?  I covered the border in the video with another tag.  Then add bows and buttons to the sides to finish it off.
  • Finally, sprinkle some sequins around to add just the right amount of sparkle and shine.
A Peek Inside

Finish the inside of the card with a pocket, sentiment card and a little gift card wallet.

Tuck a gift card or small treat inside and you are good to go!

Carta Bella Christmas Ornament Video Tutorial on YouTube

I hope this Throwback Thursday has inspired you to break out your paper scraps and make something beautiful.  I’ll show you how I used that paper pieced card background in a project later this month.  I think you’ll be surprised!

You’ll find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

SUPPLY LIST

NOTE:  Throwback Thursday projects use older collections and scraps to make new projects.  For this reason, I cannot always link to product that might be out of stock or retired.  Thanks for understanding.

 

 

Carta Bella Christmas Box Card Tutorial

Carta Bella Christmas Delivery Farmhouse Christmas Christmas Market Chocolate Box Card by Kathy Clement Kathy by Design Photo 01

Carta Bella Christmas Box Card Tutorial for Throwback Thursday

Hello, Friends!  Today’s Throwback Thursday is a Carta Bella Christmas Box Card Tutorial.  It’s a mash up made with 3 different Carta Bella Christmas collections: Farmhouse Christmas, Christmas Delivery and Christmas Market.  The color palette of these 3 collections blended together perfectly, so I was able to use up a bunch of little scraps on this long and lean box style card.

Home for the Holidays Inspiration

As I was organizing my scraps, I came across this cute border strip of Christmas houses.  Since it was long and skinny, I decided to make it the focal on this 8 1/2″ x 4″ box style card.   My paper scraps, however, were not that long.  So I had to innovate.

TIP: Join 2 complementary patterns of paper to create a designer look.  The black tartan panel is 6″ x 3″.  So I finished out the width of the card base with a 1 1/2″ x 3″ panel of a script pattern. The end result is pretty sharp looking.

TIP: Make your focal panel stand out from the crowd.  Mat the top and bottom edge on solid cardstock.  Then back it with dimensionals.  Height equals prominence.  Think about how a king’s throne always sits higher than its surroundings.  That’s so he stands out in a crowd. The same principle holds true in papercrafting.

The Shaker Element

I generally make the shaker element the focal point of my card.  But for this card, I turned the shaker element into the embellishment.  Here’s how.

  • First, punch the center out of a chipboard frame.
  • Next, back the frame with clear cardstock.  I use Dries Clear Adhesive for this task, but you can use scor-tape, red line tape or any other strong adhesive that dries clear and goes down neatly.
  • Now adhere 3 layers of 1/4″ foam tape to the back side of the shaker frame.  You will need to angle the corners  so that the foam does not show.
  • Next, place the filler mix in the center of the area where you plan to adhere the frame.  I used these adorable Sprinkletz to fill mine.  (Supply list is linked below the post.)
  • Then line up the frame and press it into place.  You only get one chance to do this, so make sure that you are centered and straight.
  • Finally, punch out the Christmas Wellies from the chipboard sheet.  Back with foam tape (height=prominence, remember?).  Adhere to the right side of the frame.  Dress up with a little bow, tiny jingle bells and a bit of greenery.
A Peek Inside

This is why I love this card style!  It makes the perfect base for a little Christmas gift!

 

You can tuck gift card wallets in the top pocket and treats in the bottom.

Carta Bella Box Card Tutorial #2: The Vertical Box Card

Reneabouquets Snowman Printed Beautiful Board Carta Bella Box Card Tutorial by Kathy Clement Kathy by Design Photo 01

This card base can also be turned vertically for a totally different look.

Die cut an Eileen Hull Mitten from scraps of Christmas Delivery papers and from chipboard.  Then adhere the patterned paper mitten to the chipboard. Next,  adhere a Reneabouquets Mini Snowman to a chipboard element from Farmhouse Christmas.  Create a border on the bottom of the card by layering ribbon together and wrapping around the base.

Now you can fill the side pocket with a Tea Party in a Box.  It’s another perfect little Christmas gift!

Video Tutorial

If you’d like to learn how to create this versatile card base, please enjoy this short tutorial.  I also share some great tips for organizing your paper collections and scraps.

 

I hope I’ve shared some tips and tricks that you can use in your next crafty adventure.  If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.  You will find a linked supply list below the post.

These cards are also available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

SUPPLY LIST