Joy Tree

I question my wisdom in even thinking about posting this card! It is such a hodge-podge of products. But then that’s what makes crafting cards fun for me, so I decided to share it with you. It’s my Joy Tree!

It honestly reminds me of having my kindergartners make Christmas trees with their hand prints to give to their families! Oh, the joy of teaching kindergarten! (insert heart emoji) OK, enough reminiscing…I’ll tell you what I used to make this card and you can decide if you want to take on the adventure!

• Base: Thick Whisper White
• DSP: Plaid Tidings
• Tree Branches: Mossy Meadow and Pear Pizzazz Cardstocks, Sounds of the Season Dies and Mini Curvy Keepsakes Box Dies
• Bow: Gold Foil, Wreath Builder Dies
• Stand: Soft Suede, cut by hand
• Decorations: Wonderful Gems
• Sentiment Banner: Real Red ink, Hearts Come Home Stamp Set (retired)

Tricky Technique

See what I mean about hodge-podge? But I did use a very cool technique to build the tree that I’ll share with you. I used a piece of Glad Press ‘n Seal. I set it on my table, sticky side up, and build the first layer of the tree with the cut branches upside down onto the Press ‘n Seal. When I was satisfied with the shape, I rubbed them into the P ‘n S to get a good grip, then dotted liquid glue onto the branches. I then carefully picked it up, turned it over, and placed it onto the card where I wanted it. The Press ‘n Seal is easy to remove by gently pulling it up and down off the branches.

From there, I built up the tree by adding branches and gluing them over the first layer. I didn’t really have any method to do this, just by trial and error. When I liked it, I glued it.

Here you can see the Wonderful Gems I used as decorations and the center of the bow on top. I hand cut around the Joy sentiment and added Dimensionals to the back before adhering it to the card.

Will You Try It?

Now tell me, worth the effort? I had fun, so I guess it was for me! You’ll have to let me know if you give it a try! By the way, I forgot to mention that some of the branches are right side up and some are upside down. It was the only way I could get the shape to be right. Did you notice?

Onto New Products

I think I’m about done making Christmas cards this year. My box of pre-order supplies from the January-June Catalog came Saturday so I’m anxious to dive in. There are some cuuuute things! If you wish you could pre-order and get some early products, all you have to do is join Stampin’ Up! It’s easy. You get a great discount. You have no time commitment. I will help you! Call me. Let’s chat! 🙂

CASEing Coast to Coast will be coming on Wednesday! Sign up to receive notification every time I post so you don’t miss anything fun! All you do is enter your email address in the spot right under my picture in the top right corner.

Product List

Plaid Tidings 6″ X 6″ (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [153527] $11.50	Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Thick Cardstock [140272] $8.25	Mossy Meadow 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [133676] $8.75
Pear Pizzazz 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [131201] $8.75	Soft Suede 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [115318] $8.75	Gold Foil Sheets [132622] $5.00
Real Red Classic Stampin’ Pad [147084] $7.50	Sounds Of The Season Dies [154043] $21.00	Mini Curvy Keepsakes Box Dies [150644] $34.00
Wreath Builder Dies [152722] $38.00	Wonderful Gems [153536] $8.00	Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755] $4.00
Stampin’ Dimensionals [104430] $4.00	Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine [149653] $120.00