Let’s continue to play around with the Step It Up Technique to make a few Christmas cards. This is one of my favorite design techniques and a great way to give your cards a whole new look. The cards feature products from the Sweet Candy Canes Bundle from Stampin’ Up! However, keep in mind you can use any stamp set you have on hand with these card layouts and technique.
Sweet Candy Canes Design
First let’s talk about the basic card design which was the inspiration for the additional card layouts. The card design starts with die cutting a piece of Garden Green cardstock for the background. Simply use the large die, from the Candy Canes die set, to create a striped design in a 4 x 5-1/4 inch piece of Garden Green cardstock. Adhere the die cut shape to the card front. Cut a 3 x 4 inch piece of vellum and a 2 x 4 inch piece of patterned paper. Adhere to the center of the card front. Add a 3-inch circle shape, a candy cane and a few die cut shapes to create the basic design for the card. The die cut shapes are easily created using a combination of the Sweet Candy Cane Bundle and the Christmas Banners Bundle.
Now that we have a basic design to work with, we are ready to step it up! The concept of stepping up your cards involves starting with a basic idea and then stepping it up by adding additional layers, texture, or other elements to the basic design. The second card features the exact same layout as the first card. The only addition is a 4 x 5-1/4 inch piece of patterned paper behind the striped, green background.
Alternate Design
Another easy way to step up your card designs simply involves changing the orientation of the card. For this card, I changed the orientation from portrait style to landscape style. The same elements and patterned papers were used. However, I modified the size of the vellum and added a few more elements.
Notice the lattice style design in the background? You can easily create that design by adhering two Garden Green striped die cut shapes together. It completely changes the look of the card with very little effort. Then simply tuck a variety of die cut elements in and around the candy cane the same way we did with the first two cards. I highly recommend watching the video for some tips on creating these cards.
Tutorial & Supplies
Now you have some simple yet beautiful card layouts you can use with any supplies you have on hand. For a complete list of supplies and all the step-by-step instructions for creating these cards, feel free to download the printable tutorial. For more design ideas, check out the Kindest Gnome Christmas card designs HERE.
I hope you are inspired to take some of your favorite card designs and step them up to create even more cards! Be sure to watch the video to see the creation of these cards in action. Have a fun and creative day my friends! ~ Lynn
Great cards. SO festive!!!
Thank you Wanda!