Naughty Or Nice - Christmas Card Trio

Naughty or Nice - Christmas Card Trio

Here are 3 different Christmas Cards all made using the papers and foiling elements in Couture Creations "Naughty Or Nice" Collection.

 

 

I've brought these three cards together in one blog post to take a look at how using hot foil stamps compares to cut, foil and emboss dies.  I love working with both, but how I plan the elements in my cards is different depending on which type of foiling plate I'm going to use.

Working with cut, foil and emboss dies, is much the same as working with normal die cuts in a design (they just have foil on them) in that you can just add things as you go along or foil and cut lots of elements and then work out how to arrange them.

Working with hot foil stamps is more similar to conventional stamping, in that you need to make sure you've done all the foiling you want to do on the various elements before you start sticking them down. Also like stamping you have to get it in the right place first time - you can't move it afterwards.

Christmas Collage Card

For this card I've really just layered lots of die cut elements, with an arrange of a flower and foliage in the bottom left corner with the end of a lacy die cut strip tucked under it.  The Cut/Foil Curling Christmas Tree, Noel Frame and Merry Christmas Cut/Foil sentiment are then layered so that the lace is still just visible below them, so they do not have the appearance of floating in mid air.

Santa Topper Card

This card needed a little more planning for the sections of paper used for topper mat and top layer, but no more that I would have needed if I was just die cutting those panels.  I always trim the centre out of the foil I use with the cut, foil and emboss frames.  This means I can see exactly how the die and foil are lined up on the patterned paper, and also saves foil - if I cut the foil carefully and start with the largest layer first, I can then use the foil I cut out of the middle, to foil the next smaller size layer, or a sentiment.

All of the die cut elements, including the foiled sentiment and Christmas Tree can be added after the topper has been stuck down.

Three Panel Card

When making this card I had to remember to do all of my foiling before I started sticking anything down.  I cut out all of the panels, and their dark red mats (to give the red borders) before foiling anything.  The topper is cut from one of the 12x12 sheets and also matted onto some dark red card. 
I've used one of the border hot foil stamps on both the left hand panel and also on the strip at the bottom of the topper.  

I use a stamp press type magnet (wrapped in masking tape to create a handle) to position the hot foil stamp first on my card or paper, and then transfer it to exactly the right place on my GoPress & Foil hot plate.  I line the paper up with the white surround along one edge or in a corner, so that I can leave the hot foil stamp in place, take the card/paper away, add foil and then put the card/paper back in exactly the same place and tape it to the white edge (which doesn't get hot).  For the strip at the bottom of the topper, I taped my thin strip of card to a wider piece to make it easier to position and tape to the edge.  I'll show how to do this in my video.

I also use my magnet to to position the sentiment hot foil stamp in the topper and the Christmas Tree hot foil stamp used on the right hand panel.

Couture Creations Products Used

CO726927 - Naughty Or Nice - Curling Christmas Tree Cut, Foil and Emboss Die

CO726906 - Naughty Or Nice - Noel Frame Set mini dies

CO726343 - Mini Guillotine Trimmer
CO726889 - Naughty Or Nice - Collection Pack 12x12 Papers + Stickers and Postcards
CO726932 - Naughty Or Nice - Merry Christmas Cut, Foil, Emboss die
CO726903 - Naughty Or Nice - Die Cut Ephemera Set

CO726923 - Naughty Or Nice - Christmas Borders Set hot foil stamps

CO726920 - Naughty Or Nice - Merry Christmas Snowflakes hot foil stamp

CO726924 - Naughty Or Nice - Ornate Christmas Tree hot foil stamp

Dazzlia Cut, Foil and Emboss Sentiments - using Foil or Ink

Dazzlia Sentiments Using Foil or Ink

For these cards I've used the Nesting Butterfly Frames square cut foil and emboss frame nesting die set together with Sentiment cut, foil and emboss dies from the Dazzlia collection.   I've also used papers and dies from the Le Petite Jardin and Butterfly Garden Collection.  My cards are 14.8cm square as I've cut down an A5 card blank, but the design will also work for a 6" square card.

On the "Home Sweet Home" card I've foiled onto to some white pearl card stock, but on the "Lots of Love" Card I've letter pressed using ink onto plain white card.

To letter press with ink you need to use a pigment ink (or hybrid ink) as this type of ink dries slowly and doesn't pool on the metal of the die.  I inked the die with several inks similar in colour, but slightly different shades.  Use a light action to ink the die, as you don't want to get ink in the sunken parts of the die - only on the raised areas.

After foiling or inking and cutting out the square frame, I cut the centre out of it using the smaller  square frame die in the set - this creates the space for the sentiment.

This allows the backing paper to be seen in the aperture.

Both the frame and the sentiment are mounted on foam pads

Once you've stuck down your frame and sentiment, you just need to add some flowers and foliage at the top and bottom or the card.  I cut my foliage in 2 different colours on each of the cards to add a little more depth and interest to the arrangements. I've used the Evening Branch mini die from the Le Petite Jardin collection to die cut my foliage.  I find its a really versatile little die and looks great in any colour scheme.

Here are my videos to show you how to use cut, foil and emboss dies with either foil or ink.

Couture Creations Products Used

CO726728 - Dazzlia - Home Sweet Home cut, foil and emboss die

CO726725 - Dazzlia - Lots of Love cut, foil and emboss die

CO726467 - Modern Essentials - Nesting Butterfly Frames cut, foil and emboss dies

CO725937 - Le petit Jardin  - Evening Branch Mini Die

CO725435 - Le Petit Jardin  - 6 x 6 Paper Pad

CO726526 - Butterfly Garden - 12 x 12 paper pad

Snowy Christmas Baubles

Snowy Christmas Baubles

  

For this card I've stamped, heat embossed and letter pressed using pigment inks, silver, gold and  sparkly embossing powder.  The overall size of the card is 15cm square.

I started with a square of white stamping card for my topper, and stamping the baubles using Versamark (embossing) ink, and heat embossing using silver or gold embossing powder.

After heating the embossing powder, I've coloured the baubles using some ink from water based marker pens applied with a water brush - just scribble onto a glass mat or acrylic stamping block and then pick up the ink with the water brush.  Start colouring at the edges and then as the ink in the water brush runs out the colour gets lighter and lighter.  After the bauble has colour all over, you can add some colour directly from the pen in areas you want to be really dark.  Having darker edges gives the baubles a 3D look.

 

I also added a little colour, using the water brush, under the baubles so they have something they are sitting on, and extended this so that the Christmas tree has something to sit on too.

On the blue and white card, for the snowflakes I stamped in some light blue ink and heat embossed using some sparkly embossing powder.  On the red and gold version of the topper, I stamped the snowflakes with versamark and heat embossed with the sparkly embossing power - to get the sparkle without adding colour.

 

The Christmas tree is letter pressed using a the Curling Christmas Tree Cut, Foil and Emboss die.  You just ink the surface of the die, transfer to your die cutting sandwich, with the card on top and run it through your die cutting machine.  I've then added sparkly embossing powder.

For the blue card, I've added mats and layers using navy blue, white and silver card, and a die cut sentiment in silver.  

For the red and gold card I've used a page from the Naughty Or Nice 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" paper pad and used gold card as a mat for the paper and the topper.  For the sentiment I used the Noel Frame mini die set, cut in white card and coated with the sparkly embossing powder, with the "Noel" cut from the same gold card as my mats.

In my video I show you how to stamp, heat emboss and colour the baubles, stamp and heat emboss the snowflakes and how to letterpress and heat emboss the Christmas tree.

Couture Creations Products Used

CO726927 - Naughty Or Nice - Curling Christmas Tree Cut, Foil and Emboss Die

CO726912 - Naughty Or Nice - Christmas Baubles mini stamp

CO726915 - Naughty Or Nice - Snowflakes mini stamp

CO726906 - Naughty Or Nice - Noel Frame Set mini dies

CO726890 - Naughty Or Nice - 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" Paper Pad