When GinaK sent me this little tree stamp, I knew there would be a ton of possibilities for it. Yes, yes, I know there's still plenty of time until THAT time of year rolls around, but it's NEVER too early to start on your holiday cards.
This little tree reminds me of the kinds of trees my dad used to bring home the night before Christmas. My parents owned a bakery for YEARS and we were always working late into the evenings and mornings, trying to get orders done before the holidays. We didn't have time to think about the tree until right before Christmas. My father would go down to the Boy Scout lot and pick from whatever they had left over. He usually came home with the typical "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree." At least, this is how I remember it. ;) He'd probably argue otherwise.
Anyway.....I stamped the Skinny Tree from GinaK Designs with Handsome Hunter ink on Kraft cardstock. Now THERE'S an ink I don't use often at all. I don't know why.....it's just not one of those colors I gravitate towards, but I'm thinking it's time to challenge myself to use it more. It really is a nice, rich green.
I watercolored the pot in with Really Rust ink and then started decorating my tree. At first I was thinking rhinestones. I could have sworn that I had some hiding in one of my embellishment boxes and I STILL swear they're in there somewhere, but darned if I could find them. That's NOT normal, by the way. I usually know where EVERYTHING is. Somehow, those have fooled me (along with a little package of really great old fashioned pewter star brads that seem insistent on alluding me). That's when I spotted the little buttons in my box. I've had these for a little while now and while I haven't necessarily been hoarding them, I also haven't found a use for them yet. They're SO tiny, but that made them PERFECT for this card!
I used a little bit of Liquid Glue to adhere the buttons, but found that I was a bit messy with some of the glue. AND it wanted to squeeze out the sides and the little holes in the buttons. Looking back, I should have used mini glue dots. At the same time, though, if I hadn't used the Liquid Glue, I wouldn't have found the need to add Dazzling Diamonds glitter! I wanted to hide the glue, so what better way than to sprinkle it with Dazzling Diamonds glitter and add some bling to my card while making it SEEM like it's SUPPOSED to be like that! :)
Because of the Kraft cardstock, I wanted to add a little something extra to my Always Artichoke card base....but it had to be something that went along with the country-ish feel of the tree. I used some Natural hemp twine around the card front and tied it off with double knots.
The cardbase was stamped with the Burlap Background stamp with Always Artichoke ink. I found that this card was a bit on the darker side, so it needed a little lightening up. I chose the Be Merry stamp and stamped it with Whisper White craft ink and that did the trick. I mounted the tree on top of the hemp twine using Pop-dots because of the bulk that the twine created on top of the card.
Happy Creating!
-Stampin' Mama
This turned out really cute and I love the tiny little buttons. TFS!
Posted by: Marie | October 15, 2007 at 09:30 AM
LOVE this card!
Posted by: Vivian | October 15, 2007 at 10:41 AM
This is so cute, love it!!!
Posted by: Daniela | October 15, 2007 at 11:05 AM
Love the way you decorate this tree!!
Posted by: Pesc | October 15, 2007 at 12:31 PM
I think the glitter on the buttons is a great add-on. Aren't happy accidents the best!
Colleen
www.stampingoddess.com
Posted by: Colleen | October 15, 2007 at 12:40 PM
So cute. I love country Christmas. Your card has that home-spun feel.
Posted by: Heather Grow | October 15, 2007 at 01:32 PM
I love how you decorated the tree - it's so bright and sparkly and is one of those cards that just makes you feel happy:)
Posted by: Linda SS | October 15, 2007 at 02:53 PM
WOOOOOWEEE! This is incredible! I love it to pieces!
Posted by: Michele | October 15, 2007 at 07:01 PM
This is a gorgeous card. Such a sweet little tree!
Lots of great ideas :-).
Thanks.
Sam
Posted by: Sam | October 15, 2007 at 10:20 PM
I love the little tree stamp. I love that you added the buttons and the twine. Nice work Erika. ;)
Mary
Posted by: Mary C. Anderson | October 16, 2007 at 03:04 AM
This is a GREAT card! Love the glitter on the buttons, aren't "happy" accidents awesome?
Posted by: ~Shelly E.~ | October 16, 2007 at 09:42 AM
Very cute card Erica. Thanks for sharing.
Hugs
Judi
Posted by: Judi Markel | October 16, 2007 at 10:15 AM
Darling tree, terrific card!!!!! :)
Posted by: christina fischer | October 16, 2007 at 12:54 PM
This is adorable! I'm not normally a country gal, but this is super cute!
Posted by: erika | October 16, 2007 at 01:34 PM
OMG, I love all the detail on this card. The design is adorable to begin with...and then you added the sparkles and the twine and all the other details. It's just perfect!
Jane
Posted by: Jane | October 17, 2007 at 09:36 AM
Darling, and embellished *perfectly*!
Posted by: Debbie Olson | October 18, 2007 at 05:15 PM
Super cute Christmas Card--Love the country look of this one.
Laurie
Posted by: Laurie | October 18, 2007 at 11:09 PM