Author Topic: Winter Holiday Cards in July Challenge – 2019  (Read 6487 times)

Offline howdyheidi

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Re: Winter Holiday Cards in July Challenge – 2019
« Reply #30 on: July 19, 2019, 06:33:45 PM »
Daria, glad you got a kick out of that image! 

Here are two more cards, pretty simple, but I explained it in the gallery.

http://www.duhnproductions.com/Pics/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=0&pid=4580#top_display_media
~~Heidi~~

Offline djc

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Re: Winter Holiday Cards in July Challenge – 2019
« Reply #31 on: July 19, 2019, 07:35:43 PM »
That's a wonderful wreath image!  I'm glad someone is making Christmas cards. 

I made two cards today, but they are for birthdays this weekend--one for one of my sisters and one for one of my nieces.  I used images I had already stamped that I had in my stash.  That sure helped.  I still need to make the inserts.  I'll post them tomorrow.

Daria


Offline Iring

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Re: Winter Holiday Cards in July Challenge – 2019
« Reply #32 on: July 20, 2019, 02:33:41 PM »
Thoroughly enjoyed looking at all of the Christmas cards in the gallery!  I'm so happy some of you are building wonderful stashes of cards ready for mailing when Christmas gets hectic!  Hmmm, maybe there's hope for me yet ... we still have a bit of time left in July.
Cindi

Offline Iring

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Re: Winter Holiday Cards in July Challenge – 2019
« Reply #33 on: July 20, 2019, 03:50:09 PM »
Oh, forgot to mention ...

Daria, I love the link you shared!  The Christmas cards are beautiful and I also had a brief look at the rest of her blog.  I bookmarked it.

Heidi, I'm glad you're getting organized along the way.  Great idea to laminate the index sheets ... and I was thinking heat lamination, until Daria reminded me I have a Xyron, and can definitely go that route as well. 

Daria, how are your dies organized?  You mentioned magnets.  Are they in clear sleeves, in a frig bin?  A binder?  Heidi, are your stamps in sleeves?  And how are they stored?  Always in need of good organizational tips.   Probably the biggest tip is purge first, but I can't seem to do that so I just keep moving things around.
Cindi

Offline djc

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Re: Winter Holiday Cards in July Challenge – 2019
« Reply #34 on: July 21, 2019, 10:11:09 AM »
Cindy, most of my cling stamps are in binders on the boards Sunday International used to sell.  They seldom get used.  I want to put my newer clings into stamp pockets. 

After reading what Heidi did, I used my Xyron and laminated the index sheet.  The cling stamps stuck to the laminating but not very well.  They fell off very easily.  (I wonder if they would have stuck better to something that had been heat-laminated.)  So I attached the index sheet onto cardstock cut to size and put that into an Avery Elle stamp pocket.  I cut a piece of Grafix Dura-Lar (.005) the same size as the insert and attached the cling stamps to that.  They stayed put on the Dura-Lar film.  That way I can slide the Dura-lar out and leave the index inside the stamp pocket.  I don't know if this is how I'm going to do all of my clings that are not already in binders, but I'll try it out.

My dies are also in the Avery Elle stamp pockets.  I started out with Ellen Hutson's stamp pockets because they are a heavier weight.  However, they are so heavy that it was difficult to slide the dies in and out.  I was totally obsessive about the die storage.  In the beginning, I made inserts from chipboard but later switched to 110-lb cardstock which worked great and wasn't as heavy as the chipboard.  On the front of the cardstock inserts, I wrote the name of the die and its manufacturer and number.  Then I die-cut sample pieces and attached them.  If I had a good index sheet for them, I just attached that.  I just slipped large dies into the package.  I attached a magnet to the back of the insert so sets of dies would not be bouncing around inside.  I bought the magnets from Lowe's and amazon.com.  They're meant to cover air registers.

I cut all the dies apart and trimmed and filed off those sharp connecting pieces.  Those things are lethal.  I see people doing demos with the sharp points still attached.  I must be a klutz because if I leave them on, I cut myself every time. 

I'm using frig bins to store the dies.  I bought very inexpensive plastic folders and cut those up to make the dividers.  I even used the bottom flaps of the folders to make half-size dividers.  That way I was able to divide main categories into sections.  I really like this system.  I have yet to label the dividers, but I can still find things easily flipping through the dies.  This project took forever to do, and it was a pretty expensive undertaking.  Sometimes, I think of what else I could have bought if I hadn't done this.  However, I just wasn't using my dies when they were stuck in drawers.

One more thing.  I store matching dies with their stamp sets.  However, I made an index sheet for them and placed that with the dies so that if I'm looking for a particular type of die, I will be reminded of the ones that are stored with the stamps.  See what I mean?  Totally overboard and obsessive.

For both the stamps and the dies, I placed them in the stamp pockets so that the flap would protect them from falling out.  The flap tucks into the front of the insert, and the stamps and dies are behind the insert sheet.

Are you sorry you asked?  lol.

I'm glad you liked that link.

Daria

 
« Last Edit: July 21, 2019, 10:17:25 AM by djc »

Offline djc

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Re: Winter Holiday Cards in July Challenge – 2019
« Reply #35 on: July 22, 2019, 03:08:59 PM »
I finished eight backgrounds using the Concord & 9th Deck the Halls Turnabout stamp.  Now I need to turn them into cards.

Advice:
1.  Before doing multiple cards assembly-line fashion, complete one card so you find the pitfalls before you have eight cards in the works.

2.  If you are stamping with a Turnabout stamp and you want to emboss one of the layers, emboss the first layer.  That way you won't have a problem with the other layers picking up embossing powder.  I waited for the first three colors to dry for over an hour.  I used the embossing buddy generously.  I still got embossing powder on the first three inks right on top of the embossing-buddy powder!  I had to use a paintbrush to remove EP from almost all of the images I did not want to emboss--practically the whole piece!  After they were all done, I turned a reject over and made just that one piece start to finish, and I embossed the first layer.  What a difference!  It turned out so nice and crisp.  After I stamped the other colors, I just used a paper towel to remove any ink that overlapped the embossed images.  Worked great.  Yes, no matter how careful I was in placing the stamp and using the new alignment guide and jig, I still managed to overlap some images.

3.  Don't throw away imperfect pieces.  I watched a video where a woman was oohing and ahhing over her beautiful cards.  I agreed.  They were beautiful.  Nonetheless, I noticed that she didn't use a jig when placing her stamp, and the different images didn't stamp right where they were supposed to stamp.  Guess what!  It didn't matter.  Her cards were still beautiful.

I will do some judicious cutting on a couple of the backgrounds and end up with some different card layouts.  Works for me.

Daria


 
« Last Edit: July 23, 2019, 10:04:03 AM by djc »

Offline howdyheidi

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Re: Winter Holiday Cards in July Challenge – 2019
« Reply #36 on: July 22, 2019, 03:19:39 PM »
Daria, I can’t wait to see what you made.  I love the look of those turnabout stamps, but haven’t purchased one because I am not sure I have the patience for them. You have a good point about doing the embossing first, probably good advice for all types of cards!
~~Heidi~~

Offline howdyheidi

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~~Heidi~~

Offline djc

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Re: Winter Holiday Cards in July Challenge – 2019
« Reply #38 on: July 23, 2019, 10:07:32 AM »
Heidi, this one is so darn cute.  I love the layout you created for that cute little Christmas Fairy. 

I'm taking my niece to the doctor's today and then out to lunch for her birthday so I probably won't get to my cards today.  OMG.  I need a masculine birthday card in a hurry so I can mail it for a birthday on Saturday.

Daria

Offline stampwilly

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Re: Winter Holiday Cards in July Challenge – 2019
« Reply #39 on: July 23, 2019, 01:27:25 PM »

Offline djc

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Re: Winter Holiday Cards in July Challenge – 2019
« Reply #40 on: July 23, 2019, 03:59:19 PM »
April, that is so cute.  When I saw it, I was very happy that my cats and my Christmas tree are in different rooms.  My son gave up putting up a Christmas tree because his cats pretty much can go wherever they want; only the computer and music rooms are off-limits.

There are sixteen gallery posts, and we still have a week to go.  Makes me happy.

Daria


Offline stampwilly

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Re: Winter Holiday Cards in July Challenge – 2019
« Reply #41 on: July 23, 2019, 04:25:39 PM »
When we took in a stray Siamese cat, one day I heard her screech, but when I went in the room she seemed okay. Later I noticed that the Christmas tree lights were not on. The light cord had been chewed through and that is why she screeched! She got a shock but it did not hurt her. She has not chewed a cord since! LOL! :smile:

April :smile:

Offline howdyheidi

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Re: Winter Holiday Cards in July Challenge – 2019
« Reply #42 on: July 23, 2019, 05:06:27 PM »
We just got new kittens and I was just thinking we won’t be able to put any breakable ornaments up this year... ;D
Hopefully the tree will be fine still...
~~Heidi~~

Offline Conniecrafter

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Offline stampwilly

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