A Very Martha Stewart Christmas Card

Alright, I'm going to come right out and say it.

I'm obsessed with the card I made today, and can you believe I only used my Cricut for ONE cut???

But first, a story.

I saw Lorraine make a wreath out of the Martha Stewart Branch punch, and I fell in LOVE.  The only problem is you can't buy this punch in stores anymore.

 I immediatly scoured my craft room, hoping maybe I had purchased this punch without realizing it and and it was just hiding in a drawer somewhere.

No such luck.

It just so happened that my friend Matt, who is Martha Stewart obsessed like me, had this punch and wasn't using it.

I drove to his house and stole it I politely asked if I could borrow it and once I had it in my hands I couldn't wait to do my take on the wreath.

I punched two different shades of green, and glued them to a scalloped circle to create the wreath shape.  To make it shimmery, I took a Mini Mister and added Forever Green Perfect Pearls and spritzed it all over my wreath.  I know it's hard to see in my pictures (sorry for the crappy lighting) but the Perfect Pearls made the wreath shimmery and GORGEOUS.  I added a bow using the MS Ribbon Bow Punch, and I flocked the bow using my Xyron and Martha Stewart Ladybug flocking.

To create the door, I ran a piece of BROWN (yes, the door is brown, although it looks purple in my stupid pictures) cardstock through my Cuttlebug using the Distressed Stripes folder to give it a woodgrain look.  To make the panels, I used the Blackletter cartridge on my Gypsy.  Yes, I know that is totally random and I have no idea how I discovered that shape on there but it works PERFECTLY for door panels.  I made them faux chipboard by gluing three together (I ran the last piece through the same folder as the door before I glued it to the top).  THEN, I sprayed the panels with Tattered Leather Glimmer Mist to make them stand out a little more.  I used a brad as the door handle.

"Merry Christmas" is from the Pink By Design "Scripted Year" stamp set.  This set is BEAUTIFUL.  If you only buy one of her sets (which is scientifically impossible, by the way, I can't stop buying them), MAKE IT THIS ONE. 

So there you have it folks.  My new favorite Christmas card.  As soon as I finished it, I wanted to immediately mass produce them for all of my friends.   Make sure you stop by Card Creations By Lorraine and watch her tutorial on how to make that beautiful wreath.  She's also made one with the frond punch if you don't have the branch punch.

Don't tell Matt, but he's probably not getting this punch back ;)

Recipe:

• DCWV "Christmas Combo" cardstock stack 
• Martha Stewart Branch Punch
• Martha Stewart Ribbon Bow Punch
• Perfect Pearls in Forever Green
• Mini Misters
• Tattered Leather Glimmer Mist
• Cricut Blackletter Cartridge
• Pink By Design "Scripted Year" Stamp Set

SweetSassyDiva Design Team: "Joy" Banner

Our challenge for SweetSassyDiva's Design Team project this week was to use the color green, use our Cuttlebug in some way, and to use felt.  I decided to make this "Joy" banner using chipboard coasters.  I used lovely green damask patterned paper from DCWV's "Christmas Combo" stack and inked around the edges of the coasters with Peeled Paint Distress Ink.  I really wanted to use my new digital carts on my Gypsy, so I used two in today's project, Blackletter and Christmas Solutions.  The word "Joy" is cut from the Blackletter Cartridge using the font and the shadow.  I ran the regular word through my Xyron and then used Martha Stewart Flocking in Ladybug to give the letters a "faux felt" effect.  After I flocked the letters, I ran it through my Cuttlebug using the D'Vine Swirls folder.  I love how you can emboss flocked letters!

The snowflake is from the Christmas Solutions cartridge, and I cut the regular snowflake and the shadow as well.  I flocked the snowflake using MS Flocking in Swan. 

I punched holes and set eyelets in all of the coasters using my Crop a Dile, and strung ribbon between the holes.  I think it turned out great and I love the traditional Christmas look :)

 

This project came together in a SNAP thanks to my Gypsy girl.  I used a rounded 4 x4 square as a template to make sure I had everything sized correctly, then laid EVERYTHING out on one mat!  That's right, I got all my cuts done on one mat, in one turn on the Cricut.  Love it!