Day 4 - Graphic 45 The Twelves Days of Gift Tutorials

I am teaming up with the Graphic 45 Design Team for an amazing Twelve Days of Christmas event!

December 1st through December 12th, on the Graphic 45 Blog, you will see a card designed by me, plus a gift tutorial inspired by my card and created by one of the current G45 team!

ETA: I was asked how many pads of 12x12 paper I used for this card set. I only used one pad of the 12x12 The Twelve Days of Christmas collection (some of the prints I only used one sheet, some both sheets). You also need one sheet of the Cardstock Stickers. I did use elements from the Chipboard sheets and the Cardstock Banners, but if you cannot find those, you can substitute other stickers or items cut from the papers. I do caution you to plan your cuts before you begin to avoid running out of paper.

On the Fourth Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me...

Four Calling Birds

I grew up in central Pennsylvania, and lived most of my life in the "snow belt." Colorful winter birds were rare and always a pleasure to see on a winter's day. I currently live in southern California where colorful birds (especially hummingbirds) are more common, but I still love all the lovely bird images of the 12 Days of Christmas paper. 

I created a 5x5 inch red card, lined with cream paper. I inked a white doily and tucked it behind the main image. I trimmed out the bird image with a postage stamp die cut template. I wanted extra contrast to make the image pop, so I matted it with black cardstock.

I created a bow from green ribbon. To get your ribbon to look like this, first wrap a length of ribbon around the paper panel and secure at the back. Use a second length of ribbon to tie a bow and glue it to the center of the ribbon. 

I created an embellishment from a bottle cap and one of the images punched from the Cardstock Banners sheet. The edge of the bottle cap mimics the postage edge of the image.

I used a banner die template to cut one banner from the plaid paper and one from the signature paper to create a dimensional sentiment strip. I used some foam tape to attach the two banners together.

I decorated the inside of the card with a postage image sticker and a strip from the Joyeux Noel paper. I needed a bit of contrast, so I also added a small strip of the My True Love paper. I love the red!

Now go over to the Graphic 45 Blog to see Arlene's gift tutorial! Arlene is an amazing artist. I am sure you will find wonderful projects waiting for you at Arlene's Blog! I love her altered art, so if you have time, poke around her blog for a bit!

Remember, leave Graphic 45 a Blog or Facebook comment for a chance to win this amazing prize! A grand prize winner will be announced on the Graphic 45 blog at the end of this event, on Friday, December 13th. 

Graphic 45 The Twelve Days of Christmas papers:

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Joyeux Noel

Calling Birds

My True Love

Graphic 45 The Twelve Days of Christmas Cardstock Stickers

Graphic 45 The Twelve Days of Christmas Cardstock Banners

Cardstock: WorldWin Papers Original ColorMates Deep Berry Red, Light Totally Tan, Treasures Textured Pitch Black

Ribbon: Really Reasonable Ribbon

Bottle cap, doily: craft supply

Ink: Clearsnap Colorbox Chalk Rose Coral, Peach Pastel

Die templates: Spellbinders Ribbon Banners; My Favorite Things Stamp Stax

Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L 3D Foam Squares; Scotch 3M ATG tape runner; Beacon Fabri-trac; Aleene's Tacky Glue