SLoC December 2023

Very nice. I like that you used patterned paper with subtle design in the background. My first thought looking at the sketch was that a plain card base might look a bit stark, especially because I usually use white. I am going to try that with some paper I’ve been struggling with.

I watched the YT CT videos and got some ideas while I was playing around with some papers, but adding the patterned paper in the background really appealed to me so I tried that first. I had to make these landscape to use this die cut which worked with the menorah paper that looked better landscape-wise (it was sort of directional which I didn't notice when I cut it). I'm going to come up with a different sentiment to fit on the circle portrait style for the rest. 

Dec share SLOC by jo.blackford, on Flickr

I really liked what Creative Chelsea did, making this a fun fold. It solved for the "problem" that some of us had with the larger gap in the middle that could feel a little unbalanced.

azcrafty thank you for posting the sheetload! I like your "warm hugs and frosty kisses" how the tree picks up on the background paper and the smiley snowman.

joblackford landscape really worked great for this. Yours are a favorite.  I see you moved the panels in a bit to create less of a "gap". I like the fun fold idea as well.

Those are wonderful bright and cheerful Christmas cards jjpeapea

I finished up a couple more cards following the sketch more closely. I didn't have a sentiment so I typed up a few different fonts on my computer and cut them out with dies. I like how these turned out with the busy themed paper in front and a more neutral print in the background. I have a few more I'll work on after I get my Christmas cards into the mail. I think I'll try the fun fold too.

Dec share x3 by jo.blackford, on Flickr

So, a year and a half or so ago, when I was just jumping into cardmaking with both feet, it took me some time to figure things out. I was collecting my alcohol markers from Altenew and they always offer some things on the cheap when you're placing an order. I saw folks making fun cards, often SLoC with purchased ephemera, and bought a couple packs when they offered it them as super bargains.

Eventually I figured out that this works best if you get PP and ephemera from the same collection -- and by recently, I mean this October. I guess I'm a slow learner.

So, Altenew had a paper back on clearance that matched one of my ephemera packs -- woohoo!

As it turns out, the ephemera has pure white margins. Only one or two of the paper patterns have pure white backgrounds. Deeply offended my sensibilities. Feels like when I got SB.C print and solid paper pads that were supposed to match but just didn't.

Anyway, I was able to pivot partially. Here is my first half a sheetload. I made the fun fold and subbed in some leftover CS cutaparts. I had intended to donate the whole sheetload, but I'm kind of pleased with how these turned out and might keep them (can always donate them later if I don't send them to anyone myself after a few months):




I'm not as fond of the second half; I'm annoyed that the white of the ephemera is whiter than solar white. I am kind of tickled to get two such different looks from the same sketch.

Thank you!

And yet as far as I am aware, you can't really get plain white card stock in many of the brands you can get patterned paper and ephemera from, so if you want to put an element on a shape or panel you've cut, there you are again.