Deck the Halls

I have had this window that I die cut from kraft cardstock (using Spellbinders' "Window Two" die) sitting on my desk for several months at least. It's been so long, I don't even remember why I die cut it originally, unless it was a left over positive piece when I needed the negative area. At any rate, I decided it was finally time I used it on a card!

I decided to make a bit of a holiday scene card. I began by temporarily adhering a piece of pink cardstock to a white A2 card base. I ran that through my die cutting machine with the window die taped in place, making sure to open the card base so I only cut through the front. Sadly, the positive die cut windows got mangled when I tried to separate them from each other, so they ended up in the recycling.

I used My Favorite Things' "English Brick Wall" stencil & Hickory Smoke Distress ink to add a bit of visual texture to the pink panel. At first, I was going to adhere my window to a piece of acetate, but then I thought it would look more wintry with the frosty appearance of vellum. I left some of the vellum hanging off from the edges when I adhered it to the window, & glued that to the card base, before adhering the pink panel on top, sandwiching the vellum overhang in between.

For the swag over the window, I stamped 2 of the images from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps' "Christmas Borders" set (discontinued) onto Strathmore Smooth Bristol paper with Old Paper Distress ink. I colored them with my Tombow markers, and fussy cut them out. I stamped the bow from Sunny Studio Stamps' "Holiday Style" on bristol using Altenew Coral Berry & Ruby Red for the first two layers, and Ranger Gold embossing powder for the final layer. Then I die cut that with the coordinating die.

To finish off my card front, I used Simon Says Stamp's "Falling Snow" stencil & Golden Light Molding Paste to create the look of snow. I like how it also shows through on the inside of the card, through the vellum. It just seems to add to the whole scene. After the paste dried, I used liquid glue to adhere the swag & bow pieces above the window. I also stamped the greeting (from "Holiday Style") on the bottom part of the window, using Hero Arts Cup o' Joe ink.

View of the inside of the card (front panel of liner)

For the inside, I cut a liner piece from lightweight white cardstock, slightly smaller than the inside of my card base. I determined where I wanted Santa to be, so he would show through the window when the card is closed, and stamped him on the front panel of the liner, with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. (I have no clue where the stamp set that has this Santa came from. Update: the Santa is from Recollections' "Christmas Past" set, which is probably discontinued.) I then colored him with my Prismacolor colored pencils. Once I'd finished the coloring, I adhered the liner into the card base. I also die cut another window from white cardstock, and used that as a backing for the window opening in my card front, just for a cleaner look.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Aud Sentiments Challenge #184: "Christmas in July"
Die Cut Divas July Challenge: "Christmas in July"
Through the Craft Room Door: "Anything Goes"