paper

Falala-mingo! Holiday cards don’t all need to have pine trees and wreaths!

Laura's Craft Closet

Holiday cards are magical. Lots of beautiful winter scenes, snow, candy, red and green ornaments, and of course glitter.

I’ve created a lot of these holiday cards this season. But they can start to run together.

Want to make a card that stands out from the crowd? Maybe stands out on one foot from the crowd??

Try this flamingo card!

flamingo holiday card

Supplies:

Fabulous Flamingo Photopolymer Stamp Set

$21.00

Mango Melody Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$8.50

1-Month Prepaid Paper Pumpkin Subscription

$19.00

Among The Branches Photopolymer Bundle

Among The Branches Photopolymer Bundle
$21.50

Christmas Bulb Builder Punch

$18.00

Joyous Noel 6" X 6" Glimmer Paper

$15.00

Gold Metallic Thread

$3.50

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

$4.00

Easy steps to create this holiday flamingo card:

 

  1. Fold 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ Cherry Cobbler cardstock in half. Adhere on 4″ x 5 1/4″ holiday designer series paper (this one from the November 2018 Paper Pumpkin kit).
  2. On a scrap of white cardstock, stamp the flamingo outline, and stamp the lightest color (mango melody) for the fill, and stamp the darkest (cherry cobbler) for the highlights. Fussy cut out, and adhere to the left side of the card.
  3. Die cut “Falala” from both the Red Glimmer Paper and from Cherry Cobbler. Adhere these together with a slight off-set. Cut a 1″ banner from cherry cobbler and write “mingo” on it. Adhere both to the card in the lower right corner.
  4. Adhere a 2″ strand of the gold thread to the upper right corner, leaving enough room for the bulbs. Punch 4 bulbs from the red glimmer paper, and 4 bulb threads from the copper glimmer paper, and glue them together before adhereing them over the thread using dimensionals.

 

I think this card is an excellent way to use the stamps you have and see how versatile they can be. I fully support creativity and sometimes trying something less than traditional can yield a great result!

non traditional holiday card _ pinterest

With this card, I’m playing along with the following challenges:

 

Did you make any holiday cards using something not normally associated with the season? I’d love to see it! Comment below or Check out our Facebook Page and post your festive card! I can’t wait to see your cards! Happy Crafting!

10 tips for creating bulk cards twitter
Organization, paper

10 Tips for Creating in Bulk / Batches –How to Optimize Cardmaking for Holiday Efficiency

Laura's Craft Closet

Here’s a secret: Creating beautiful cards can be very relaxing! Sitting down, making something with your own hands, and having something beautiful to share with your loved ones are all reasons why many papercrafters (hobby and professional) enjoy what we do.

When the holidays happen, though, stress can go through the roof. There are a million things to do, and sitting down and being creative can often get pushed aside. How many cards do you have to make?? You can do it. This is definitely possible, and you can remain relaxed, too.

adult beverage breakfast celebration

See below for tips on how to optimize holiday card creation and make it easier for your friends and family to think “they definintely have their life together and got this adult thing down pat.”

10 tips for creating bulk cards twitter

10 Tips for Creating Greeting Cards in Bulk:

Continue reading “10 Tips for Creating in Bulk / Batches –How to Optimize Cardmaking for Holiday Efficiency” →

Quick and easy christmas card
paper

Quick Christmas Card – No Stamping Required!?

Laura's Craft Closet

Every cardmaker both loves and dreads the holidays. Creating cards for our loved ones is our passion, but suddenly we need…how many cards?? How do we know so many people??

Elaborate cards that use advanced techniques and tiny details are so fun to create, but when you have 30, 40, 50+ cards to mail out, you need a card that can be made in a shorter amount of time.

This card is quick, and can easily be made into multiples. See the steps below on how to create this quick holiday card and for bonus tips on how to easily make multiples when you are short on time!

christmas card with alcohol ink ornaments

Supplies:

  1. Alcohol inks — You can DIY your own with this tutorial, or have the bottles shipped to your door!
  2. Real Red 8-1/2 Red Cardstock, 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
  3. All Is Bright 12 Holiday-themed patterned paper
  4. 8-1/2 Glossy Paper
  5. Detailed Baubles Thinlits Dies Ornament dies
  6. Gold 3/8 Gold ribbon
  7. Mini Stampin' Dimensionals Dimentional adhesives

Steps:

  1. Create your red and green paper. TIP: When making multiple cards, create multiple sheets of glossy red and green with your alcohol inks. This is the bottleneck for time on this card, so if making multiples, create a bunch of sheets!
  2. Meanwhile, fold your red cardstock in half to form your cardbase. TIP: You can get 2 cardbases from one 8 1/2″ x 11″ cardstock but cutting it in half the short way. 
  3. Cut your favorite holiday-themed DSP to 4″ x 5 1/4″. Adhere to your cardbase.
  4. Die cut a few ornaments from your alcohol inked paper.
    • Arrange on your cardfront.
    • Glue strips of ribbon onto the patterned paper to their location.
    • Adhere the ornaments using dimensionals.

 

With this card, I’m playing along with the following challenges:

How many cards do you make for the holidays? I’d love to hear the number you strive for each year, so leave a comment below! Are you already done or just getting started? Don’t worry, you have time!

I’ll be posting lots of cards right here on the blog; many quick and easy, some a bit more elaborate, but all with step-by-step instructions and tips for how to make it easy! To see more creations, be sure to follow Laura’s Craft Closet on Instagram, too!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and are feeling crafty for the holidays! Happy Crafting!!

Quick and easy christmas card

 

Update: I was chosen by Crafting By Designs as the winner with this card for the “Get ready for Christmas, November edition” winner! Woot!!

CBD+Winner+Badge