Hi, crafty friends. Today I’m sharing with you a mini slimline card for the holidays. I love the Penguins and Reindeer stamp set from Lili of the Valley, and this reindeer in the set was the perfect amount of festive for my card.
I colored my reindeer with Copics and fussy cut him leaving a thin white border. I added Glossy Accents to the string of lights and his nose for shine, and used a black Glaze pen and a white Gelly Roll 05 for his eyes.
I stamped and white heat embossed the Christmas Background stamp from My Favorite Things on a piece of white cardstock, before using Hunter Green, Forest Glades and Frayed Leaf inks from Altenew, as well as Squeezed Lemonade Distress ink, to ink blend on top. I ten used a die in the Stitched Mini Slimline STAX die set from My Favorite Things to turn it into a nice panel that would fit my card. I used the Country Landscape die from Memory Box to die cut the landscape in the background, and used the same stitching die on the hilly die cuts for a continuous stitching border across the card. I die cut the windows from Buttercup cardstock from Concord & 9th and the doors from white cardstock from Papertrey Ink that I ink blended with the same colors I used for the ink blending in the background.
I used the Snow Globe Accessories die set from My Favorite Things to die cut the string of lights from a dark gray cardstock and the individual bulbs from Buttercup cardstock once again. I added Glossy Accents on top of the bulbs for extra shine and dimension.
I die cut the word merry from the Merry Christmas die set from My Favorite Things five times from white cardstock, and once from Gold shine cardstock from My Favorite Things. I stacked them, adding the gold on top, and adhered my chunky die cut to the card. I stamped and white heat embossed a sentiment from the Christmas Greetings stamp set from Lili of the Valley onto a strip of Parsley cardstock (I used the same cardstock for the card base) from Concord & 9th and adhered it to my card with a few extra strips behind for strength and dimension, before finishing off the card with a few gold pearls from the Vanilla Kiss mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards.
I tried using a somewhat limited color palette for this.
I colored him with Copics and fussy cut him leaving a white trim around the edges. This particular image would be easy to cut up against the lines, but the wispy lines so characteristic of Lili of the Valley images would be lost, so I opted for the white border. I put black glaze pen in his eyes for shine, and then a dot of white using a 05 Gelly Roll, and put him aside while I worked on the rest of my tag.
I used a die from the Stitched Traditional Tag STAX die set from My Favorite Things to die cut from Classic Kraft cardstock from Papertrey Ink. I sprinkled Chunky White embossing enamel from Stampendous on top and melted it from behind for a snowy background look.
I used the Silhouette Snow Trees die set from Mama Elephant to die cut trees from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink, before I added some snowy texture to them using a Snow Pen from Rayher.
I stamped and white heat embossed Just for you from the 
I used some ribbon and twine from my stash, as well as a charm, to finish off the front of this tag. The ribbon, banner and the penguin’s earmuffs create a visual triangle of red elements on this otherwise very neutral tag.
I die cut the same tag from white cardstock to use on the back. I added a couple of kraft colored branches that I die cut with the Pine Branches die set from Craft Emotions, as well as a to/from from the Tag Builder Blueprints 6 die set from My Favorite Things.
Lots of colors for this little penguin.
I colored the characters with Copics, fussy cut them leaving a white border, then added black glaze to their eyes and then a white dot on top with a Gelly Roll 05. Rudolph got special treatment with a little bit of Glossy Accents on his nose for additional shine.
I used the Slim Card Basics die set from Mama Elephant to create my window panel. I die cut one from Blueberry Sky cardstock from Papertrey Ink and four white ones that I adhered behind it for dimension. I die cut the bigger scalloped rectangle in the Slim Card Basics set from Spring Rain cardstock, also from Papertrey Ink, and adhered it to a white card base.
I used the Silhouette Snow Trees die set from Mama Elephant to create white trees to go into the window openings behind my characters.
I stamped a sentiment from the 
I finished off the card with a few pearls from the Glossy Porcelain mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards.
I love dimension on my cards, and this one certainly has that.
Between the shine on Rudolph’s nose, all the blue and all the dimension, this card makes me happy. I just wish it was easier to photograph slimline cards.
I used way too many Copics for these three.
I colored the mouse with Copics and fussy cut her, leaving a thin white border. I used a black Glaze pen to create some shine in her eyes, and once the black was dry I added a dot of white using a Gelly Roll 05.
Onto a white cardstock panel, I ink blended Amarena Cherry and Wild Cherry inks from My Favorite Things for an ombre effect. I then used a die cut as a stencil to add some snowflakes to the background with modeling paste from The Crafter’s Workshop. The die I used to die cut the makeshift stencil is the Snowflake Confetti fancy die from Hero Arts, which is one of my all time favorite Christmas/winter dies.
I cut the ink blended panel down a little and adhered it to a panel of Amarena Cherry cardstock from My Favorite Things that covers the front of a top fold white card base I created from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink.
From white cardstock, I die cut the Polaroid Shaker Frame die from My Favorite Things five times for a stacked look, stamping a sentiment from the Christmas Greetings stamp set from Lili of the Valley to the top layer using Amarena Cherry ink from My Favorite Things. I added the cute little mouse on top of the frame, and my card was complete.
If you look closely, you can see the shine in the eyes in this photo.
Very Christmas-y color palette for this one.
The design of these snowmen peeking out from behind something offers so many possibilities for fun card designs. For my previous card using one of these, I created a tri fold card with the snowman peeking out behind one of the flaps. This time, I have a snowman sticking out above the top of the card.
I colored my snowman with Copics, cut away everything below the line in the image and adhered him to the top of a quarter sheet of Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink, before cutting around him.
I adhered my panel to a top fold white note card I created from Stamper’s Select White and cut off the bottom of the card, so that it’s 5 1/2″ tall including the snowman.
I glued on white snowflakes all across the front. I used the Snowflake Confetti Fancy die from Hero Arts and die CR1335 from Marianne Design to create the snowflakes. I like the white on white look. This adds a tiny bit of dimension and interest to the background.
I then used the Big Happy Holidays die from Mama Elephant to die cut five times from Blue Yonder cardstock from My Favorite Things, before stacking them and adhering my chunky die cut in the center of the card.
I stamped and white heat embossed Let’s be jolly! onto a strip of Enchanted Evening cardstock from Papertrey Ink. The sentiment is from the 
Small image, but as usual, I went overboard when coloring the snow, so there are quite a few Copics used anyway.
My original plan was to color in their accessories in a peachy pink color and a dark green combo that I love for my Christmas cards. There’s usually a lot of detail to the Lili of the Valley accessories (stripes and dots), making it easy for images to look messy if you choose too many colors. I tend to opt for a lighter and darker version of the same color, which makes it better for the eyes. Once I’d done the peachy pink, I went in with the lighter of the greens, because I didn’t know how dark I wanted it. When the light green was in place, I realized I really liked the light color with the pink, so I decided not to add too much of the darker greens.
Once the coloring was complete, I used the largest die in the Wonky Stitched Rectangle STAX set from My Favorite Things to turn it into a panel with a fun faux stitch edge. I then used Winter Lake, Icy Water and Polar Bear inks from Altenew to ink blend a soft sky from the top, before sprinkling on Chunky White embossing enamel from Stampendous and melting the granules from the back of the paper with my heat gun.
I adhered the panel to a top fold card base I created from Berry Sorbet cardstock from Papertrey Ink. From Grapefruit cardstock from Condord & 9th, I die cut the oh so merry from The Penguin’s Waddle die set from Mama Elephant. I cut three and ink blended on the bottom using Berry Sorbet ink from Papertrey Ink, before stacking them together for a dimensional look and adhering them to the card. I finished the card with a few Coral Heart droplets from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards.
I realize now that the green mitten probably belongs to the snowman on the far left, which means I should have colored it pink. Oh well, next time. The faux stitching, the snow and the ink blend on the letters add a bit of texture and detail to the card without adding bulk. Of course, I love my dimension, so I layered up the die cuts and added the heart droplets, but this card is still fairly mail friendly, I’d say.
The cardstock from Concord & 9th, which is what I used for my stacked sentiment, is not a very thick cardstock, so it’s great to use if you don’t want too much dimension on your cards. I just really wanted that color, which is why I chose it, but it also die cuts really well.
Last, but not least, my color palette. I still go overboard when I color snow, I have a feeling that won’t ever change.
This is the card closed. I created this by gluing 2 side fold A2 card bases together; the half with the snowman with the fold on the left and the other one with the fold on the right.
I used the Snowflake Confetti fancy die from Hero Arts to die cut from Gina K Masking Magic to create a stencil to ink blend through. I used Iceberg ink from Altenew to create subtle blue snowflakes in the background on the front of the card to the left of the snowman and also on the other flap.
I adhered an 1/8″ gold glitter cardstock strip from Kort & Godt for the snowman to hold on to for a defining edge and used the Stacked Merry die from My Favorite Things to die cut 6 times for a stacked look. 5 layers from white cardstock, the top layer from a piece of X-Press It blending card that I colored to match the green on the snowman. I stacked the six layers and adhered them in the center of the left front panel, stamped and white heat embossed a sub sentiment from the 
I embellished with a combination of gold pearls around the sentiment and tiny confetti stars all across the background. Both are from the Vanilla Kiss mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards. I also added a bit of black glaze pen to the eyes of the snowman. It adds a tiny bit of dimension and some shine. Once dry, I went over with a dot of white, using a Gelly Roll 05.
On the inside flap, behind the snowman, I stamped another sentiment from the Christmas Greetings stamp set from Lili of the Valley, this time using Jalapeño Popper ink from My Favorite Things.
Simple color palette for this one. Lots of colors for the snow, though, I can’t seem to help it.
The cold weather’s been perfect for Christmas in July, though, and this 
I colored both the penguin and the letters with Copics and fussy cut them. I left a white border around the penguin, but cut the letters up to the black lines.
I created a circular card base from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink, and added a circle on top that I created from Sno Cone cardstock from My Favorite Things. I dry embossed the Magic Snow Cover die from Mama Elephant onto the colored cardstock for a little bit of added interest in the background, before mounting the penguin in the center of the card and adding the letters around him.
To finish off the card I added a few Snowdrift sprinkles from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards to the letters. I tried using pearls first, but these worked better with the card. She’s stopped selling these clay sprinkles, so I kind of hoard the ones I have.
Super simple color combo for this guy.
There are five adorable penguins in this stamp set, and I chose two to color, with a vague idea for a card in the back of my mind as I was coloring. Once I’d colored both penguins and fussy cut them, I realized splitting them up and creating two cards would be better. For this card, I placed the Grid stencil from My Favorite Things at a bit of an angle directly on my top fold card base I created from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink. Using Sno Cone ink from My Favorite Things and a blender brush, I created a soft blend near the bottom of the card front, fading to white above and below.
The wishes die from Mama Elephant is probably my most used word die, I love it so much. I die cut it five times from Wild Cherry cardstock from My Favorite Things and stacked the die cuts for dimension. Onto the background I stamped a sub sentiment and the word Christmas from the 
The good thing about small(ish) images is that you don’t need heaps of colors. They’re also fairly quick to color.
I stamped three of the little penguins using Extreme Black ink from My Favorite Things, colored them all in using my Copics, then restamped using Obsidian ink from Altenew, which is a pigment ink that stamps extra crisp and extra dark to bring the details of the linework back in.
Onto a separate piece of cardstock, I stamped a sentiment from the Mini messages stamp set from Mama Elephant using Hunter Green ink from Altenew.
Using the Circle Frames die from Avery Elle, I die cut the openings from Evergreen cardstock from Concord & 9th. I also die cut a few panels from white cardstock to layer behind the green, so my penguins would be recessed a little bit.
Using the Snowflake Confetti Fancy die from Hero Arts, I die cut a bunch of snowflakes from white cardstock (Stamper’s Select White from Papertrey Ink, which I also used for my card base) that I adhered around my circle openings to draw the eyes in toward those cute penguins and the sentiment. Easy peasy card, right?
Quick and easy peasy to color too.
Papirmølla 