Psst! Ellen Hutson is having a one day sale on all in-stock items! Head over and save 20% off your order by entering “redwhiteblue” in checkout! Happy shopping!!
Good morning! I’m excited to introduce a (hopefully) annual video series that I’ll be sharing over the month of July! It’s crazy to realize that we’re halfway through 2016 and only 175 days away from Christmas! Over the last few years I’ve realized that if I don’t start making holiday cards over the summer, I won’t get enough made. I had to slink into Hallmark two years ago to buy a few extra card sets in mid-December and I swore I would never do it again.
I love these adorable penguins from Mama Elephant and I thought they’d be perfect for a set of Christmas cards! You can watch the video below or in HD at my Youtube channel.
I started by stamping the background stamp onto a piece of white cardstock with versamark. Then I heat-embossed it with white embossing powder. Next I blended distress inks over the panel. For the card above I used tumbled glass, salty ocean, and chipped sapphire distress ink. For the next card I used spun sugar, abandoned coral, and picked raspberry distress ink:
And for my last card I used salty ocean, chipped sapphire, and seedless preserves distress ink:
Then I stamped the sentiment from Jingle Greetings onto a white cardstock panel cut to 2″ by 5.5″ and heat-embossed it with silver embossing powder. Next I adhered a strip of silver glitter paper cut to .5″ by 5.5″ behind that panel and adhered it to the distress inked background panel. I also adhered a piece of white cardstock cut to .75″ by 5.5″ to the top of the distress inked background panel to create a frame. I trimmed that panel down by an 1/8″ on each side and adhered it to a white card base.
Next I stamped my penguins with copic friendly ink Ranger archival black ink and cut them out using my ScanNCut. I also added a little spectrum clear sparkle to the ice skates of each penguin and then adhered them to the card with foam mounting tape. I thought the silver glitter paper could be the “ice” for my skating penguins! Each card is a little different with various sentiments, penguins, and background colors and each took about 10-15 minutes to make. However, if I did an assembly style production (all heat-embossing then all distress ink blending then all copic coloring, etc.) I could cut down the time needed to make each card and could mass-produce them easily. They were a lot of fun to create and I hope they inspired you to get started on your holiday cards! December will be here before you know it! 😉
P.S. Fun fact, the music on my video today is performed by yours truly on my harp! This month I’ll be using tracks off of my solo Christmas album on my holiday card tutorial videos and I hope you enjoy them! 🙂
To help get you in the holiday spirit I have a crafty package of a few supplies that I’ve used to create each card this month. The total contents of the package will be a surprise for the recipient but is valued over $30! To enter leave a comment on each of my Christmas in July posts and let me know your favorite Christmas song (or your favorite song if you don’t celebrate Christmas)! 😉 US and international entries welcome!
Thanks so much for visiting and have a fabulous day!
Interested in the products I used? To make them easy for you to find, I have listed them below. (Affiliate disclosure can be found here). Your purchases help keep my blog running and I thank you for the support!)
So pretty Jess! Love those backgrounds, great blending. I like the snow on the Penguins. Thanks for the video and sharing your beautiful music.
How fun that you can combine your professional and crafty activities into one video.Love your cards. I’m also trying to make multiples or variations while creating my Christmas cards this year. Last weekend, one idea led to 3 Christmas cards (these can be seen on my blog). My favourite Christmas song is probably ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ if only because it’s the song that always pops into my head when I look at the display of newly made Christmas cards in my living room lol.
Love these quick and easy to make cards, but so very cute. I definitely need to get started on my Christmas cards earlier than last year.
My favorite Christmas song is “O Holy Night.’
Very cute cards!!!!
Oh Holy Night!
Love, love, love these cards! Adorable and clean.
These are so beautiful and fun! I need the snowflake stamp for sure!
Love your card! I left a longer comment on your youtube video already but I wanted to enter for a chance to win your surprise package so I am commenting here as well. I have 2 favourite Christmas songs, Your a Mean one Mr. Grinch (because I’m Grinch obsessed and I do one floor of my house everything Grinch at Christmas) and Silent Night. Your music accompanying your video was beautiful, you are one very talented women!
squeeee! i’m so ready to start making holiday cards!
OMGosh this is so adorable. My favorite song is “Grandma got ran over by a reindeer” lol. I don’t know why, but it never gets old. Thank you for the chance to win.
Goodness! Those adorable skating penguins are so darn cute and I love how you switched out the colors on your snowflake panels! I have a lot of favorite Christmas songs, but one that I always love to hear is Hark the Herald because that was one that we sang when I was a little girl.
Who doesn’t love penguins??? I do, I do! They are so cute and just give your cards a fun element of surprise! My favorite Christmas song is White Christmas. Living in Iowa, we always wish for snow on Christmas Eve and Day!
Totally adorable cards!!! My favorite Christmas song is Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer! It always brings a smile to my face!!
These cards are SO WAY BEYOND PERFECT and SO CUTE!! Love the design of these cards and those penguins are so super adorable!!
I forgot to tell you that my favorite Christmas song is one by Randy Travis called “Old-Time Christmas”
White Christmas, but i play all my CD, during the month of Dec, while cleaning and cooking… ROCK’IN the tunes
Your music is lovely! My favorite Christmas son is Silent Night.
Adorable card! Love the music, Jessica. My favorite Christmas song is Joy to the World.
I love the music and it was a big surprise to read that you are playing this music om the harp, it’s so beautiful. These cards are so pretty, when I saw these kind of cards in a shop, I know for sure I will buy them.
My favorite Christmas song is Angels we have Heard on High and Silent Night.
Darling cards! I love all the variations. My favorite Christmas song is Carol of the Bells.
Wow… You’ve inspired me to get started making Christmas cards early this year and I’ll be sure to have some soft holiday music playing while I work. As for a fav song, Little Drummer Boy is on that list as they are some amazing versions out there.
Lovely cards!! Favorite song is Marshmallow World !!
These cards are adorable!
Love these inked panels and the cute penguins. These cards are very pretty. My fav. Christmas song is White Christmas.
Adorable cards!! Love those snowflakes ❄️ My favourite song would probably be “Baby, it’s cold outside!”
Hello, love the ? the cards are great!! Favorite holiday music…. Silent night and Elvis’ gospel x-mas music.
I love the penguin cards! My favorite Christmas song is a little-known one (unless you live in New England or New York) called Dominic the Donkey.