It's Time to Celebrate the Season...

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It's time to Celebrate the Season with Heartfelt Creations...you know...the "most wonderful time of the year"...yeah...Christmas!

I know it's July and at least here in Manitoba it's all sunny and warm outside...we're camping and spending time at the beach and on the boat...but one can never start too early on making Christmas cards for the upcoming holiday season!

The new Christmas release by Heartfelt Creations has just become available and I know you are going to love it!  

Let me tell you a little more about the newest collection...

The time has come to once again “Celebrate the Season” with Heartfelt Creations!  Non-traditional in color, this new holiday themed collection showcases an assortment of exceptional winter hues…shades of teals, pinks, greens and violets resembling the northern lights, whites as crisp as freshly fallen snow and ice blues mimicking frozen ponds beneath the blades of gently gliding ice skates.  Four fanciful cling stamp sets filled with old fashioned themed illustrations of ornate sleighs, wooden gates, gifts, skates, mittens, and simple wreaths filled with poinsettias and greenery, along with an assortment of charming sentiments will bring feelings of nostalgia from Christmas past to all of your crafty creations while being paired with the contemporary color palette of Christmas present.  Three coordinating sets of dies will have you creating your very own dimensional embellishments perfect for holiday cards, layouts and altered art pieces.  Join us as we “Celebrate the Season” and get an early start to all of our holiday themed creating.

I love the teals, pinks and purples of this winter themed assembling of papers...not to mention the new ice skates ready to take on the frozen pond, the warm winter mittens ready to build snowballs and of course the old fashioned sleigh and country gate!

For my first project with this collection, I chose to create around the image of the skates.  

Let's take a peek...

I really wanted this card to have an icy and cool feeling just like you get when you're ice skating on the dug out and need to warm up by the fire and down a good cup of hot chocolate!

I die cut the skate image from a premade card panel and stamped the sentiment in black ink.  I've raised it off of the card base to give it more of a focal point.  The larger poinsettias have been stamped onto white card stock and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  I've inked the petals slightly with a light lavender ink and the centers with a teal color.  The small pink poinsettias, along with the larger leaves, the decorative greenery and the holly leaves have also been created in the same fashion. I've added a touch of white flock to the tips of the petals of the larger poinsettias.

Here's a closer look...

The flocking is such a subtle technique that it really doesn't show up too well in the photos. 

I've added a touch of glitter to the tips of the smaller poinsettias as well as their centers.  Each of the larger flowers received a dazzling gem stone in the center that takes on the colors around them.  

I've used a Spellbinders die cut done in white to mimic the swirls and patterns that appear on the ice as you skate along.  The swirling pearls have also been added to create the same effect.  

Not a hard card to replicate should you be interested...and something a little different from the usual Christmas cards that get sent and received.  

I hope I've inspired you to get a jump on creating your holiday cards...it's always such a busy time of year and too often our creating is left to last minute adding to the busyness and the stress.  Why not start Christmas creating in July this year... inbetween soaking up some some sun and cooling off at the beach!  LOL

Be sure to stop by the Heartfelt Creations blog to pick up some more inspiration from the rest of the design team, and while you're there be sure to stop by the Heartfelt Creations Online Store to grab one of the "I Want It All" kits because I don't think they'll last long!

Until next time...

 Project Supplies and Instructions

HCDP1-268 Celebrate the Season Paper Collection
HCPC-3745 Ornate Sleigh Cling Stamp Set
HCPC-3747 Celebrate the Season Cling Stamp Set
HCD1-7104 Ornate Sleigh and Presents Die
HCD1-7106 Celebrate the Season Die
HCPC-3680 Sparkling Poinsettia Cling Stamp Set
HCPC-3679 Large Sparkling Poinsettia Cling Stamp Set
HCD1-766 Sparkling Poinsettia Die
HCD1-765 Large Sparkling Poinsettia Die
HCST1-401 Deluxe Flower Shaping Kit
TSMP701 Memento Dye Ink Pad - Cottage Ivy
TSMP504 Memento Dye Ink Pad - Lulu Lavender
TSMP708 Memento Dye Ink Pad - Olive Grove
TSMP704 Memento Dye Ink Pad - New Sprout
TSMP602 Memento Dye Ink Pad - Teal Zeal
159723 Designer Dries Clear Adhesive
352854 Metal Tip for Adhesive Bottles

Other Products Used:  white card stock, white embossing powder, heat tool, scissors, paper trimmer, VersaFine black ink, gem stones, Spellbinders Standard Circles Die, Spellbinders Intertwined Spirals Etched Dies, swirling pearl embellishments, BigShot die cutting machine, water, spritz bottle, sponge daubers, Glitter Ritz Transparent Glitter, white flock, pop dots

Watch this video for shaping tips and techniques on the Sparkling Poinsettia flowers.
 
Create a 6"x6" card base using white card stock.  Locate large square premade card panel with skates within the paper collection, trim and ink all edges with teal ink.  Using the large circle from the die in the Spellbinders Intertwined Spirals Die and your manual die cutting machine, cut out the center of the panel being sure to include skates.  Adhere background portion to card base.  Using white card stock and die cutting machine create one die cut of the Spellbinders Intertwined Spiral swirling cut and adhere over top of background.  Now using a smaller circle cut from the Spellbinders Standard Circle dies, fit the skates to the side and die cut being sure to leave room for sentiment.  Ink edges of die cut with teal ink and stamp sentiment using black ink.  Adhere to open center of card base using pop dots.  Stamp one inking of the Sparkling Poinsettia Cling Stamp Set along with the leaves from the Large Sparkling Poinsettia Cling Stamp Set onto white card stock and heat emboss using white embossing powder.  Ink the centers of the flowers with a teal color,  the outer edges of the petals with a light lavender color, and the leaves with a combination of darker greens.    Die cut using coordinating dies, and then shape using a spritz of water and flower shaping tools.  Assemble one large double blossom and leave the others single.  Add gem stone center to each flower and adhere to card as shown.  Stamp several inkings of the miniature poinsettias and holly leaves from the Celebrate the Season Collection along with several inkings of the greenery vines onto white card stock and heat emboss with white embossing powder.  Ink poinsettias pink, holly leaves a light green and the vines similar to the larger leaves.  Die cut, shape and adhere to card as shown.  Add vining greenery and miniature poinsettias to floral clusters as shown.  Add swirling pearl embellishments to both corners of card as shown, apply white flock to tips of each petal on large poinsettias, and glitter to tips of smaller poinsettias.