Simply Seasons Greetings

Hi there stamping friends!
I am a little late getting my post up this morning - I usually try and schedule it for you the day before - but I had my fabulous 'Stampin' Fools' party group over last night and boy, did we have a good time! Such a good time, that when they left, I turned off the lights, went upstairs and sat! That was the end of me yesterday! LOL!

So, now that I've had my first cup of coffee, I'm ready to write something intelligent (I know, that's a matter of opinion!) here on the ol' blog! :)
We have a new group member in the Stampin' Fools and she was looking last night at designing some simple Christmas cards this year. So I showed her this card that I'd designed for my Christmas in September class last weekend.

It really doesn't get much simpler than this folks - but simple can be so striking and so lovely, sometimes it's just the best way to go.
This easy card takes just one stamp set (Snow Swirled), one ink pad (Night of Navy) and two colors of cardstock (Night of Navy and Whisper White).

For my card, I added a little bling in the form of the new Rhinestone Jewels, some Night of Navy 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon and a little texture provided by my Big Shot and the Petals a Plenty Embossing Folder.
In this next photo, you can see just a peek of the stamped inside as well, I simply added another piece of Whisper White cardstock and stamped some bitty snowflakes along with the inside greeting from the stamp set. So simple and so quickly done!

The cardstock cutting for this is easy too - my Night of Navy card base is simply a 1/2 sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock. I cut it across the middle at 5 1/2", then folded it to make a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card.
The large Whisper White pieces for the card front and card inside are cut the same - 4" x 5 1/4" (just a 1/4" smaller than the actual card base)

Now, here's the easy trick - when deciding what size to cut the cardstock for your focal image, a good rule of thumb is to cut the piece you will be stamping on the same size as your block. Then the layer, or mat for it is cut at just 1/4" larger, so when they are layered together, you have a nice 1/8" border all around.
That's pretty much what I do all the time, and it helps me to know what size to cut all the layers underneath as well, especially when I'm using more than just two.

The ribbon is cut at 5 1/2", giving you 3/4" of an inch to wrap around the back of the white cardstock and adhere in place. That's my rule of thumb as well for ribbon. 3/4" of an inch is a nice amount to fold onto the back to hold it in place well.

Another trick to make a simple card look professional is the use of Stampin' Dimensionals. These are one of my BFF's in stamping and I use a ton of them. Just ask my stamping friends who come to my classes! :) But, giving your focal image a little 'lift' really makes it pop and the dimension creates an elegance you don't find at your local card store.
I don't know about you, but I don't think that paying $3 - $5 apiece for a FLAT card is such a great deal!
And can I tell you something else? I am always thrilled to hear from friends who have received a card from me because they invariably say that they "just can't throw it out", or that they've tossed all their other Christmas cards, but even in April, they still have mine on display. Not only does it make me feel great because they liked it, but it makes me feel great because they liked it enough to KEEP. You can't buy that in a card shop......

So, now you know some of my secrets and I hope they help you in your creative process as well. If you need any of the supplies I've talked about, or others for that matter, please visit my Stampin' Up! website online store where you can shop in your jammies 24/7! Just click the SHOP NOW button at the top right to enter the store.
All of you who place online orders this month will receive a special handmade card from me in the mail, AND you'll go in the drawing for the Perfect Product of the month!

Have a great day everyone - and go stamp something! :)
~~Robin