Sparkles Christmas Holly and Ivy

Hi, everybody! It's the first of the month, which means it's time for a new Sparkles Christmas Challenge.

This month's theme is holly and ivy, which was chosen by DTer Sandra H. So, we are looking for cards with holly, ivy, or both.  :)

And, Sandra is sponsoring this month's prize. Thanks, Sandra! These two stamp sets are adorable.  :)

These two stamp sets will go to one lucky crafter!

I was absolutely thrilled when I learned that this month's theme is holly and ivy. It provided a chance to use one of my favorite embossing folders and a few of my favorite holly dies. The tough part? Deciding which pretty piece of holly paper to choose.  :)

Kaiser Craft merry & bright dp; Stampin' Up! neutrals cardstock; SU vellum
SU good greetings sentiment, heat embossed with Versamark and SU copper embossing powder
Sizzix/Hero Arts embossing folder
Paper Smooches holly and scallop dies; SU linen thread; Darice sequins
adhesives: Scotch ATG; Zots glue dots; Ranger multi medium matte

Inspired by techniques shared in the Clear and Sheer Online Card Class, I wanted to find a way to use a vellum overlay without using any adhesive. And, then I had one of my rare EUREKA  moments. I could use Dinah Zike's Bound Book Foldable technique -- page 17 of the linked PDF -- to make my card. (I have to say that I never thought my math textbook editor days would play such a big role in making a Christmas card. LOL)

• First, I prepared a cardstock base and vellum overlay. You'll see I had already created scallop edges and added a touch of copper embossing to the vellum's scallop edge.

• Then, I placed the cardstock base inside the vellum and cut the two small slits shown on the Foldables PDF.

• I separated the cardstock and vellum, and cut a narrow slit between the two small slits of the cardstock. Next, I gently rolled the vellum through the cardstock slit. Once the vellum and cardstock creases aligned, the vellum was gently unrolled. This creates four layers: the vellum overlay, the cardstock front, an inner vellum layer, and the cardstock base.

• Next, I decided to cut the same scallop border for the inner vellum.

• As you can see, I added a few front embellishments. I also adhered vanilla cardstock over the inner vellum to allow for a handwritten note. 

• Finally, I decided to add a few well-placed glue dots after all to eliminate the separation between the vellum overlay and cardstock. This pretty paper pattern was hardly visible before doing so. 

Sorry about the length of this post. Friend-in-craft Marty Fishman would refer to it as a novella. Guilty, as charged, this time around.

Parting Thoughts

We sure hope you play along with us at Sparkles Christmas! This theme is sure to inspire some beautiful cards, and we can't wait to see what you create.  :)

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!