Cardstock Christmas

We're still creating cards using Cardstock this week (embellishments are good ... but no designer paper).

These are the cards we made this week:

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie says, "I used the sketch from A Blog Named Hero featuring Hero Arts Stamps & Die Cuts ... I also added some SRM Sticker Stitches (the perfect cardstock embellishment).

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "I've always wanted to make and decorate a gingerbread house at Christmas time, but the trouble is... i don't cook! I'm pretty good with paper, though, so I've used cardstock, sequins, brads, buttons, glitter and loads of machine stitching to make my card as colorful and blingy as possible! (And for the record, my snowy background was made by using an old-school metal embossing plate to "stamp" distress ink onto plain white glossy cardstock!)"

Cards need to be linked-up by no later than 6pm EST on Wednesday, July 1st.  Use keyword JB:15:13 for our Flickr Group and other galleries.

The 12 Days of Cardstock

As you probably guessed by the title, our current prompt is celebrating CARDSTOCK.

We're asking you to step away from the designer paper ... yes, put it away, there is none allowed ... not even a scrap.  This prompt is to create a card without pre-made patterned paper, getting as creative as you'd like with CARDSTOCK, instead. You can tear it, ink it, stamp it, spray it, emboss it ... You can add whatever embellishments you'd like on top ... but all the paper you use for this holiday card design should be cardstock!

Here's what we made this week:

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "I'm pretty sure *everyone* knows how much I love patterned paper, so this kind of prompt most definitely makes me put on my thinking cap! But that's the great thing about challenges and prompts... they force us to move out of our comfort zone and be really creative. For this card, I used two coordinating shades of purple Core'dinations cardstock to make a hand-pieced harlequin pattern (more details on my blog) that I then embossed, sanded, and embellished with some clear chunky glitter. Fortunately, there is no restriction on embellishments, so I piled a few goodies on top, including a reindeer die-cut from some very thin wood veneer!"

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "I love creating with cardstock ... I pulled out some neglected Woodblock Stamps and used this weeks Sweet Sunday Sketch and colors from The Paper Players."

So break out the cardstock ... whole sheets or scraps ... and get festive.  We can't wait to see what you create.

Cards need to be linked-up by no later than 6pm EST on Wednesday, July 1st.  Use keyword JB:15:13 for our Flickr Group and other galleries.

An InLinkz Link-up

Santa Says, "WOW!"

The only thing more fun than making holiday shaker cards, or Santa-centric designs ourselves, is watching you guys do that... and we have a gallery full of awesomeness to attest to how brilliantly it was accomplished! Here are a few cards that made us smile especially broadly:

Marina of My Perfect Life

Used an image called "Disco Santa"... what else could you possibly need??!?!  (Ok, yeah, there's also perfect stamping, beautiful coloring and lots of glittery touches!) :)

Jessi Fogan of One Crafty Mama

Created a super-fun, totally dynamic design by making the circular element of a fab card sketch into an awesome snowman shaker!

Barbara of The Knackered Grouse

Combined both elements of the prompt-- and added lots of extra interest-- by placing the translucent shaker element on the front of the card with the Santa image inside! Awesome!

Please join us in thanking the lovely and talented Marianne of Marianne's Cards 'n Stuff for such an awesome idea, and for coming along with two absolutely brilliant cards to inspire us all! We'll be back at midnight with a brand new prompt that we hope will help you take stock of your holiday card supply! 

Claus and Effect

We're loving all your beautiful cards for Marianne's fun "Shake it, Santa Baby" prompt! Why not scroll down to see the reader's gallery and then link up your own card that features The Big Guy or rocks the holiday shaker card design?! Meanwhile, here's what we made this week:

Marianne's Other Card

Marianne says, "This week I just had to make a shaker card featuring this cute digital Santa babe (Winter Wryn) by Tiddly Inks. I coloured the image using coloured pencils and created my shaker using stitched dies, some patterned paper from my favourite Christmas paper pad, silver beads, sequins, a sheet of acetate and a double layer of foam tape. I applied a few tiny dots of multi-medium matte using a piercing tool and dropped some of the pierced interiors of the sequins (that were included with my Studio Calico sequins) and a few beads onto those for a little added interest."

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "I decided to focus on the man in the red suit this week, using a bunch of cuuuuute ready made embellishments and the rather wonderful sketch from Fusion Card Challenge."

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie says, "This week I combined Santa with a Snowman, a Jingle Bell and some Peppermint Washi Tape using a sketch from STAMPlorations."

Remember, you have until 6pm (EST) on Wednesday, June 17th to link-up your card.

Shake It Santa Baby

We are always thrilled to have a lovely guest star join us, especially when she brings along an awesome idea with a catchy title! This week we're lucky enough to have one of our favorite holiday cardmakers, Marianne of Marianne's Cards 'n Stuff! Let's meet her now and hear how she came up with this fortnight's prompt, which is to make a shaker card OR a card that features Santa Claus (or both?!):

"Hi everyone, I'm thrilled to be making a guest appearance on the Jingle Belles blog this fortnight. I'm a Dutch native living in Crete, Greece. I love singing as much as I love making Christmas cards, so as I was humming a song in the shower (Shake it up, baby - Twist and Shout), I had a light bulb moment. How about mixing things up a little and proposing 'Shake it Santa Baby' as a prompt for the Jingle Belles challenge?! As it happened, Lauren and Steph loved the idea, and I'm hoping you like it, too. I cannot wait to see what you come up with."

Marianne's Card

Marianne says, "For this week's card, I decided to focus on Santa. I thought this might be the perfect moment to break into the pack of dimensional Santa stickers I had brought home from a trip to Sydney, Australia some 18 months ago. I wanted to give Santa centre stage, so all I did was cut a few strips of patterned paper from an old Simon Says Stamp card kit, stamp a sentiment and adhere Santa and a small embellishment sticker from the same pack. And since this card came together so quickly, I made a second card, which can be viewed on my blog."

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "I love the vintage Santa stamps by Tim Holtz ... this one is inked in Festive Berries and Gathered Twigs (don't those ink colors just scream Christmas) ... the layout is this week's Freshly Made Sketch."

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "I love shakers cards, but I don't especially love engineering. Luckily, I found a great way to cheat: I flicked through my collection of beautiful store-bought cards received over the holidays and found one with a fancy diecut window and layered it over a second card with a pretty snowscape featuring Santa and his reindeer. Then all I had to do was back the window with a piece of clear acrylic, surround the edge with foam tape, and fill the center with clear iridescent microbeads that look like snow. EASIEST. SHAKER CARD. EVER!!!" :)

Now it's time to see what you will do: Embark on a shaker card design, feature Christmas' "big guy"... or maybe a bit of both? We can't wait to see! Link your cards up right here by 6pm (EST) on Wednesday, June 17th. Keyword for galleries and Flickr is JB:15:12.

An InLinkz Link-up

Snow Wonderful

We loved seeing all of the snowy creations ... so many ways to create with snow.

Here are a few that were Snow Wonderful:

Anni

of Annikarten

Anni's snowy background looks so magical (we just want to touch the wonderful texture) ... and the layout perfectly highlights her sweet little snowman.   

Annie 

of Annie's Paperworks

Annie pop of red with her tiny mittens is perfection ... and the combination of papers, layers and snowflakes really captures the snowy feel of winter.

Janette

of Kaarten a la Janette

Janette's coloring on her fallen frost is so pretty ... and the layers of snowy papers frame him perfectly with those glittery snowflakes as the icing on the cake.

Thanks again for joining our snowy fun ... and for taking back your December one holiday card at a time.  Join us at midnight for another great prompt to inspire your Christmas creativity.