Friday, September 6, 2013

The 9 Days of Christmas - Day 5 - Suzanne

Welcome to Quietfire Design's 9 Days of Christmas - Day 5!
 
If you've been following along, you'll know we have a wonderful way to share these new stamps with you during this event.
If you are a subscriber to Scrapbooking.com you will have seen Judi Kauffman's Holiday Headstart article published Sept 1, 2013. In that article each designer created three cards of increasing complexity. We will be continuing that theme for all 9 days!
 
Each designer has created
  1. One "quick and easy" card - in a style you can make multiples of, but nice enough to send out to your friends.  Basically; cardstock, stamp, patterned paper.
  2. One "a little more" card - the same card as the "quick and easy", but adding some embellishment or more complex.  This one would take a bit more time or cost a bit more to make.
  3. One "over the top" card  - Enough said!  This would be an heirloom card, something you'd keep, frame, display every year - perhaps something with a removable ornament. For hand delivery or shipped in a box.


 
 
The new stamps may be found
in the New Stamps department
by clicking
here.


Here is a seasonal sidestep into celebrating Chanukah!  Don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of this post to be eligible for a prize.




Sometimes I think it would have been easier to do the more complicated card first and then simplify, but that wasn't the way it was going to work for me today.
Here is my first card.  It would be very easy to take a few measurements and create many of these cards with relative ease!


 




To punch the corners I used a Martha Stewart punch "Gothic arches" which I thought mimicked the flames of the menorah.  The decorated  paper was from a collection I used to carry: S.E.I.'s Moonrise.  The VersaFine ink colour was Majestic Blue.
Here are the thumbnail links for the products I used in Card #1 (the simple version):







For Card #2, my intermediate card, I went quite a bit more complicated! I added the Happy Chanukah stamp, thermal embossed the stamped images and did more layers.  Positioning was critical as the borders were very narrow.

 
 

It's hard to photograph something so shiny! (I used gold Shimmer Sheetz behind the top layer - see the link below) The dark places are actually reflections of me taking the photo! Next time I'll have a light under my chin, too. I'd highly recommend stamping and embossing Happy Chanukah first on the cardstock and then positioning and trimming everything else.
The layers for this card, from the bottom up are:
  • Cardblank
  • Blazer Blue cardstock
  • Pop Dots
  • Gold Shimmer Sheetz
  • Diecut, stamped and thermal embossed Blazer Blue cardstock

 
Love that Spellbinders die!
Here are the links to the products for this card and the heritage card below:
 





My final card doesn't look that much more complicated as it has no new products, but it is, with additional layers of Shimmer Sheetz and Blazer Blue cardstock.



I think the Shimmer Sheetz give incredible richness to this card and I would hope someone would want to keep it. For a while. :-)
The layers for this card, from the bottom up are:
  • Cardblank
  • Pop Dots
  • Gold Shimmer Sheetz
  • Diecut, stamped and thermal embossed Blazer Blue cardstock
  • Pop Dots
  • Diecut Gold Shimmer Sheetz
  • Diecut Blazer Blue cardstock



I hope you've found this interesting!
Here are all three shown side by side.  The cards were all the same size, it's just me not matching them well in this photo! Sorry!


Thanks for stopping by!
Don't forget to leave your comment below to be eligible for a prize!
Happy creating, Suzanne

44 comments:

Wendy Zick said...

Very elegant!

Pam said...

Very pretty! Love the colors.

Anne said...

Card #1 - Wow!
Card #2 - Wowza!
Card #3 - Double wow wowza!

Carolynn said...

All 3 cards are quite stunning-- I think you really nailed each category!

Kathy Eddy said...

Wow, each one got better and better! Very elegant results!

christi said...

awesome trio of cards. love the color combo. gold is always so elegant. amazing what can be done to step up the cards. great hop.

Joni said...

Wow! These are gorgeous!

Francie in Montreal said...

Simply magnificent cards! Love how you build the theme from simple up to the most elaborate. Great choice of colours.

Kelly said...

Beautiful! Love the way you used the Shimmer Sheetz. Your cards capture the essence of this holyday: "The Festival of Lights". Thanks for the inspiration.

Mary O.K. said...

"My final card doesn't look that much more complicated....." Are you kidding???!!! Suzanne, all the cards are fascinating--such stunning detail and color combinations that beautifully offset the simplicity of the stamped images. But that final card. Oh. My. Yes, it's absolutely a keeper. Now I'm thinking a deep forest green and gold combination for the Christmas stamps....!
Best Wishes,
Mary

Nan G said...

Fab colors and the designs are amazing! All are so elegant!

SherylH said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
SherylH said...

Wonderful cards and the third one with the Shimmer Sheetz is definitely a keeper (I am partial to anything with gold on it).

Laura said...

Absolutely stunning card! Love the gold shimmer sheetz and will definitely have to check them out. I would certainly 'save it for a very long time' if I were the recipient! Hugs, Sandi B.

wendy said...

I like the first one. I think the effect of the punched corners is great. I also like the fact that it doesn't require large tools which I don't own.

Yogi said...

love the corners on the 1st one. Shimmer Sheetz give such a fabulous punch to anything. All 3 are wonderful.
Have a great day

Jill P said...

A very stunning card!

Janet L. said...

Very lovely and elegant cards!!

donna said...

striking design!

Froggietalks said...

Those are great cards Suzanne :) Love the last two especially with the gold.

Anonymous said...

I love the Festival of Lights cards, especially the last one! And I 'hear ya' about stamping FIRST then using the die cut machine! lol Mickey Drake

Anonymous said...

I love those Chanukah cards! Have to give the die cut a whirl.

Linda Carson said...

Outstanding artwork! Each one is so unique and so creative!

peaches234 said...

I don't know anyone I can send these gorgeous cards to - darn. All these cards are beautiful, especially the third one. I am loving the difficult cards in these "9 Days of Christmas."

Sher said...

Wow! Love following the changes in the cutting to add the layers. Love the colour too. Thanks so much.

Jutta said...

Very lovely trio of cards Suzanne, I especially like your choice of colors! TFS, Jutta

Terre Fry said...

Just lovely Suzanne and love the colors.

Lynne Martel said...

So elegant and vibrant.

Angelartistok said...

Wow! Great Cards! I needed some new Chanukah inspiration!

Evelyn said...

Enjoyed the progression of the card. Thanks for explaining what you did with each card.

Shirley said...

It's stunning with the shimmer sheet and gold enhancing the details of new Chanukah stamp.

Anonymous said...

Wow I really like your cards & I have a few Jewish friends I can make them for. Thanks for sharing your ideas with us.
Linda Gibb

Unknown said...

Beautiful and elegant - what a wonderful celebration of light! Thank you!

Charmaine Stack said...

Each one is amazing, Suzanne! I like the idea of Shimmer Sheetz peeking from behind the die cut.

Jan Castle said...

Stunning cards - Absolutely perfect for the holiday!!!!

Jane said...

Happy to see Chanukah represented amidst the cards. Gorgeous Suzanne!!!

Carol said...

The gold and navy combo is so rich looking. Love this card.

Beach Girl said...

Stunning cards. Blue and gold are such a great combination and the drawn menorah is gorgeous.

Unknown said...

The color combination is striking!

Lynne said...

Suzanne - It is so awesome to see how you take a simple card on up to an over the top card. Thanks for sharing.

julieB said...

I've never tried the shimmer sheets. I will be using this fabulous product soon. Such a rich look. jB

CraftyJo said...

Stunning cards, that last one especially appeals to me :)

Lisa said...

I too love the last card the best, probably cause it has the most work! Thanks so much for sharing with us. Blessings, Lisa

Anonymous said...

Your heirloom card is very elegant looking and even though you did not change up the style too much it is so very lovely...tfs.

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