Twelve Days of Holiday Cards - Day Twelve

Today is the twelfth and final day of this year's Twelve Days of Holiday Cards.  I've had a lot of fun doing this series and if I decide to do one next year, I won't wait until the last minute to plan it.  Today's cards feature products from Memory Box Company and Birch Press Design.

The layering die sets by Birch Press Design are always stunning in their simplicity while being oh so elegant.  Today's cards are by far my favorites, although each time I think I can't do a better one, I somehow manage to keep coming up with new designs.  For those of you who don't want to stamp, these products fit the bill beautifully.  It is simply a matter of assembly which only takes a bit of practice.  I have so many pictures for you today and I hope you'll stay with me to the end for your last chance to comment and win a prize.

During the recent holiday releases, I noticed that Birch Press had come out with a gilded Washi Tape called Shimmer Burst.  This was sold out and no longer available at Birch Press, but I found mine at Simon Says Stamp.  Yay!  I love pretty much any gilded washi tape, but when you throw and Art Deco design in there, I'm hooked for sure.  As I told you on Day Three, I love all things Art Deco.  I also appreciate other styles such as Art Nouveau, but my heart will always be true to Art Deco.

Art Deco always reminds me of a lovely surprise I had about 15 years ago.  When I was growing up, we were taught almost as soon as we could speak about Laura Ingalls Wilder.  My Great Grandmother (my Nana) had been friends with Laura as married women living in Wright County, Missouri.  They were in many clubs together.  The Shakespeare Club (entertainments or theatrical productions) the Athenian Society (geared toward higher education via books and libraries), book clubs, garden clubs and the like.  There was no television at that time so folks had to entertain themselves. Ladies didn't use to go to college, but women could educate themselves by reading.  Laura and Nana were both teachers, so it was a subject near and dear to their hearts although Laura didn't particularly enjoy teaching, but did it as a way to help her family financially.  My Papa and Nana have even been mentioned in some of the books that came out after the Little House TV Show was started and generated even more interest in what is surely an iconic American Author.

My prized collection of Little House Books

Most grade school children used to be taught about the "Little House" books and that might still be true.  I don't really know, but none of my grandsons seem to know anything about who she was.  Anyhow, when I was about 5 years old, I remember going to see Laura's home in Mansfield, Missouri.  I was born near there, and we lived there for a time when I was very young still.  I attended Kindergarten in Missouri so I know I was there at that time.  It was a private tour at that time because Nana and Laura had been friends. I vaguely remember that and at the time I wasn't really old enough to appreciate the books since I wasn't yet reading.  They have been a fixture in my home for many years.  In fact, my parents divorced in 1978 and the books were one of the things left behind in the house that would come to be my father's home with his new wife.  I literally kept these books from the dump yard and they have been a visible fixture in my home since.  Nana wrote something on the front cover of each one.  They are all the Garth Williams Illustrations that came out in 1953. I purchased the 9th and final book, "The First Four Years" sometime in my twenties.  It isn't so much a book as it is a rough outline found in Laura's home after her death in 1957.

Williams traveled for several years to seek out the places Laura had so vividly described in her books, even the location of the "Dugout" house underneath the banks of Plum Creek which is why his illustrations were so remarkable.  At the time he was commissioned to illustrate the books, (1947) most of the buildings had probably changed somewhat, but he was still able to find them to take photos and get a feel for all of the places that Laura described in the pages of her books.

In 2004, we traveled to see the home.  I had not been there in many years so a few things had changed.  The biggest change was that the home Rose Wilder Lane had built for her parents in 1928, called "The Rock House", was finally back in the Laura Ingalls Wilder Association Estate.  It had been out of the estate since 1935.  Now it had been acquired and completely restored to the English Cottage that Rose had built for her parents.  The interior styling was Art Deco.  That was the cement that made me know Art Deco would forever be my favorite style.  Rose Wilder Lane ordered the cottage (lock, stock, and barrel) from Sears Roebuck Catalog.  Rose was already a very successful author by that time.  As they began restoring the house, blueprints and other evidence were found so that it could be completely restored to how it was originally, right down to the color of paint on the walls; the palest shell pink.  It is a beautiful home and would have been quite luxurious back then! I still read the Little House books to this day!  You can see my Little House books on my shelf in my living room in the photo above.

For today's cards, I wanted to feature a few Birch Press Designs and Memory Box dies with a touch of Art Deco feeling to them.

I used this gorgeous Shimmer Burst Washi Tape over different colors of cardstock as a substitute for foiled card stock.  I love having this option as I can make fancy cardstock in any color I have on hand, which is a lot.  *Ü*

In this first card, I used the Shimmer Burst Washi Tape over Pale Peony Cardstock from Ink to Paper along with a sheet of Kraft Black and Gold Foil Cardstock, also in an Art Deco Style.  I had recently made some cards where I stamped and heat embossed this "Merry Christmas" sentiment and as usual, I made several extras at the time for future use.  I normally store those in the pouch with the stamps and dies, but they never made it that far this time and were still sitting on my desk.

I used the Holly Sprigs from the Memory Box Elegant Double Holly Frame for the little branches coming off the main cluster of larger Holly Leaves.

I wanted to show you how I adhered the die-cut pieces and keep them in line when I am using this collage-style die from Memory Box.  The pieces on the right are still in the die.  Keeping them together, I turn my die with the cutting side up and put pieces of Scotch Foam Tape over each holly leaf on the back.  Once I peel off the release paper, I set my cardstock background, face down, and press it all in place.  Then when you flip it over, you just lift up the die and it comes right off leaving everything with adhesive in the proper place.  You could also place the empty template over your background panel and pop in the holly leaves one at a time.  Either way works just as well.  Since I was adding foam tape, I did it how you see in the photo here.

And I couldn't resist making just one more card in this style without using Washi Tape so that you can see that it is not a requirement.

By changing up the background paper, you can see that it gives a completely different feeling while still being just as pretty.  Go through your stash or your scraps and see what you have that would make a nice card with this beautiful Holly Collage Die.  On this card, I adhered everything directly to the background panel using Ranger Multi-Medium Matte and no foam tape.  That helps when you want to pop one in the mail.

This card has the Shimmer Burst Washi Tape over New Leaf Cardstock from Ink to Paper.  It's a fresh, bright,  pretty green and with the Washi on top, it is just beautiful!  The little sprigs are from the Memory Box Petite Leaf Frame Die.

On this card, I added the sprigs in Gold Cardstock with  The pearls are Little Things From Lucy's Cards Glossy Eggshell Pearls.    There are multiple sizes in one pack, making them perfect for this multi-sized embellishment.

I love the look of Red, Green, and Pink for Christmas Cards.  For the pink and green cardstock, I used the Shimmer Burst Washi Tape over Pale Peony and New Leaf Cardstock.  The background panel is Pure Poppy, all from Ink to Paper.

This particular shade of green shimmer paper that I used for the Holly Leaves is a very thin paper that is single sided.  The backside is black. Since it's not very thick, I put double-sided adhesive on the back and then put a layer of #110 True Black Cardstock on that.  I ran it through my Cuttlebug with the embossing mat to sandwich it together nicely.  This made it nice and thick so the embossed detail shows up nicely.

I die cut the little sprigs from gold cardstock and glued them in place.  This takes a little time because the Washi on top of the Cardstock is a slicker surface than paper, so just be sure to let everything dry before you start trying to embellish them.  Once they were dry, I added red foil sequins, letting them dry before adding a gem to the center of each sequin.  This makes it look like little berries with highlights!  Don't you just love it?

I also used this Washi Tape for a few cards made with Birch Press Designs layering dies.  These are simple, straightforward designs that require nothing special whatsoever. 

This card uses the Radiant Ornament set of dies from Birch Press Design.  I added the Washi Tape to Vintage Jadeite cardstock.  Then I die cut the panel with the largest Rectangle Basics Die for those crisp, clean edges.

The ornament layers are Gold Foil, Pale Peony, and White on top.  The white and pink were both misted with a healthy amount of Sheer Shimmer Mist and allowed to dry before die cutting it.

This card features the Stargazer Dies from Birch Press Designs.  I love this pattern and in fact, I have a quilt in this pattern.  This was done in Gold Foil, Red and Green Glitter Cardstock from Simon Says Stamp.

Simon Says Stamp has a very nice Glitter Cardstock that comes in a variety of colors.  I started with the sample pack last year and quickly got all of my favorite colors in the 6 sheet packs.  The sheets are 6 x 6 inches and the glitter does not come off, even after being die-cut.

These cards all feature Shimmer, Metallic, Foiled or Glitter Cardstock for the focal image.  I'll have the supplies linked below for you. This card uses Abyss Curious Metallic Cardstock for the background panel.  The next layer up is Pinefeather Cardstock with Shimmer Burst Washi Tape on top. For the Nativity Star, I used the bottom layer of the die set (Die D) and embossed it into gold foiled card stock, then just cut it by hand to be my background layer. On top of that is Layer D cut from Emerald Glitter Cardstock. Next is Layer C cut in Abyss Cardstock, then Layers A and B are cut from the same Gold Metallic Cardstock.  This is my favorite of the group and the one I think is the most Art Deco-styled.  Don't you just love this one?

It's been so much fun playing with all of these dies and bringing you the 2019 Twelve Days Of Holiday Cards featuring Memory Box, Birch Press Design, and Poppy Stamps products.  Memory Box generously gave me 12 dies to give away - one for each day.

There are two Birch Press Designs Washi Tape styles available still at Simon Says Stamp, but I think when it is sold out, you won't be able to get it again.  This is your last chance to comment for your chance to win one of the 12 dies.  The supplies I've used are linked below for your convenience.  Thank you to everyone who joined me during the 2019 Twelve Days of Holiday Cards!  I'll still have a few more cards for you in the next month before Christmas.

Affiliate Links may be used at no additional cost to you.

Birch Press Design - Radiant Ornament Set Shop at: SSS	Birch Press Design - Nativity Star Complete Set Shop at: SSS	Birch Press Design - Shimmer Burst Washi Tape Shop at: SSS	Birch Press Design Glitz Snowflake Layer Set Shop at: SSS
Birch Press Design Stargazer Layer Set Shop at: MB	Gemini Junior Die Cutting Machine Shop at: SSS	GKD - Connect Glue Shop at: SSS | GKD	I2P Cardstock - New Leaf Shop at: PTI/ITP
I2P Cardstock - Pale Peony Shop at: PTI/ITP	I2P Cardstock - Pinefeather Shop at: PTI/ITP	I2P Cardstock - Pure Poppy Shop at: PTI/ITP	I2P Cardstock - True Black Shop at: PTI/ITP
I2P Cardstock - Vintage Jadeite Shop at: PTI/ITP	Kokuyo Long Dot Adhesive Shop at: SSS	Little Things From Lucy's - Glossy Watermelon Pearls (pink) Shop at: SSS	Little Things from Lucy's - Glossy Eggshell Mix Shop at: SSS
Memory Box - 30086 Rectangle Basics Set Shop at: SSS | MB	Memory Box - Elegant Holly Double Frame Shop at: SSS | MB	Memory Box - Holly Collage Frame Shop at: SSS	Memory Box - Peace Cheshire Script Die Shop at: MB
Memory Box - Petite Leaf Frame Shop at: SSS	PP.Com - Curious Metallic Abyss Shop at: PPC	PTI Beautiful Berries: Winter Shop at: PTI/ITP	Ranger Multi Medium Matte Shop at: SSS
Scotch 3M Foam Tape Shop at: SSS	ScraPerfect No Clog Tip for Ranger Multi Medium Matte Shop at: SSS	SSS Antique Gold Embossing Powder Shop at: SSS	SSS Glitter Cardstock Assortment Shop at: SSS
Teflon Bone Folder Shop at: SSS	Tim Holtz Mini Craft Snips Shop at: SSS	Tim Holtz Tonic Paper Trimmer Shop at: SSS	Tonic 6 Inch Personal Trimmer Shop at: SSS
Tsukineko Sheer Sparkle Shimmer Spritz Shop at: SSS	Versamark Ink Shop at: SSS	Wagner Heat Tool Shop at: SSS