Winter Woods Wonderland

The Winter Woods bundle in the Holiday catalog is super versatile. It’s only available as a bundle (save 10%) for a few more days. No matter what type of crafter you are, a Zen Beginner, a Paper Princess or a Stash Queen – this set will give you stunning results. I did three cards with this set and no matter the approach I took, from simple to advanced, I was thrilled.

The simple card used three elements, the Winter Woods stamps, Early Espresso ink, and a Delightfully Detailed notecard. These notecards already have the watercolor wash, so I stamped the cluster of trees with two images of the ground texture to anchor them. For the sentiment, I used a sticky note to mask off the part of the message I didn’t want to use (this Season), inked the stamp, removed the sticky (don’t forget this part) and then stamped the Thinking of you in the lower corner. Done. Doesn’t get easier than that.

For the second card, I started with a card base of Mossy Meadow. Instead of adding a texture layer or DSP, I used watercolor paper and Moss Green Brusho Crystal Colour powder. This stuff is cool. The results are a bit random. I misted my paper lightly with a Stampin Spritzer. Then I sprinkled the ink powder over the paper. Finally, I spritzed it again to activate the crystals even more. Then let it dry. Because the background was so dramatic, I stamped the tree cluster three times, right over each previous image, but slightly off. It gave the image thicker tree trunks and denser branches. I added a piece of burlap ribbon. I used two punches, the Leaf punch and some scrap I had in Old Olive and the Tailored Tag punch to cut out the sentiment. It came from the Beautiful Bouquet set and I stamped it in Early Espresso. For a final bit of flash, I added a nest of Copper Metallic Thread under the sentiment tag.

I like the mixed media effect. It is perfect for a masculine birthday.

For the final card, I CASEd a stunning card by Wendy Lee. You can see her card here. I can’t resist a collage of layers. I started with a base of Thick Very Vanilla. I was going to be adding a lot to the card and I needed a sturdy base. On top of that, I added a layer of Soft Suede embossed with the Woodland embossing folder. This is a very versatile folder that I use constantly.

Next, I added the graphic layer. I used Very Vanilla stamped with Early Espresso. The repeating tree branches echo the embossing but are a bold repetition that really pops from all the layers. I anchored that on a piece of Cajun Craze to echo the copper elements I planned to add. But first, I added a 2″x 3-1/4″ piece of vellum. This was directly from Wendy’s card and the contrasting material helped anchor the diecut/embellishment grouping.

The grouping was fun to create. First I spread out some Copper Trim. When pulled apart it becomes a netting. But, it gets shorter when you open it, so spread it and then cut it off the roll. Next, I got out the big shot and used the dies in the bundle to cut the Mossy Meadow leaves and the Copper Foil branches. I used the Tailored Tag punch to cut a Copper foil base for the sentiment. I tucked two wood leaf clusters from the Framed Elements embellishment back for even more texture. Lastly, I used the soon to be released, in the Occasions catalog, Well Written Framelits (148534) and Early Espresso paper. The card couldn’t hold one more thing, so I stopped and lined a Very Vanilla envelope. I used some retired scrap (5-5.8″ x 5-3/4″ scored 1-3/8″ in). A card that special deserves a nice envelope.

I hope I’ve shown you that no matter where your crafting comfort zone is, you can make a beautiful card. Happy Crafting!