Stockings on the mantle

Merry Monday everyone! It's a gloomy, rainy day here - soooo unusual for February in Minnesota!! Well, nothing to bring sunshine like a fun Merry Monday challenge - this week Lori challenges us to use a stocking on your Christmas card.

photo credit

Supplies: Paper - Authentique (assorted 6x6 pad) for brick, My Mind's Eye Wood Designer cardstock for mantle, base, log, and flooring), Penny Black Holiday Trimmings (wallpaper), the Paper Studio Glitter for stockings, Neenah Solar white for stocking trim, presents and banners, Hero Arts Blush Mix Layering paper (grenadine), scraps of yellow and black
Die - My Favorite Things Fireplace and Blueprints 21 (pierced rectangle), Tim Holtz Alterations 658760 (beaded garland)
Stamps - Hero Arts CL727 Lisa's Mix & Match Messages (banners), CL983 Holiday Tags, CM119 Holiday Cheer (presents)
Inks - Distress Inks - Cracked Pistachio, Lucky Clover, Fired Brick; Memento Black
Other - Copic Markers, foam tape

If interested, here's my creative process for this card - Read the challenge, thought about it while I ate breakfast and started some laundry. Bing - I have a never-before-used Fireplace die set from My Favorite Things - thought it might work. I easily found the die because I started organizing my sets last week - otherwise I'd have had the incredible journey looking for it - LOL. Yes, it has three little stockings!! Had to snip all the die pieces apart with my wire cutter - wish I would've done that when I got the set (that is my new resolution). Then I started to ponder from what paper to cut the fireplace die??? Hmmm - I remembered a piece of brick paper in an Authentique pad and spotted a scrap in my scrap box. Ugh, not a big enough scrap - darn. Flipped through a pile of paper pads and finally found one last remaining piece of that paper - phew! This process went on with all the other die cut bits - good thing, though, I cut enough for two cards while I was at it.

I remembered a Tim Holtz garland I've used on other cards - thought it might work so cut a bit - yes, it worked! Next I needed some "wallpaper" and "flooring" for my scene, added it to a folded card, then adhered the fireplace with foam tape. I decided the scene needed a rug (used a cloud die). Hey, a few presents might look cute - stamped, colored and fussy cut, added to scene. What to do above the fireplace? I considered doing a holiday "painting" but ended up just doing a sentiment banner and calling it done. Then I grabbed a photo - done in about 3 hours, including the load of laundry washed, dried, and put away between card steps. Off to run errands, then time for lunch and that was my morning!

Such fun - thanks to Lori and the other Merry-Makers for great inspiration cards - be sure to check them out and play along if you want a head start on your Christmas cards. Here's a side view for a better look at the dimension (lots of foam tape on this one):

Oh, and if you're interested, go here to see an early fireplace card I made back in 2009 for a Hero Arts challenge. On that card I created my own fireplace and hand drew the bricks - using patterned paper and dies was a lot easier!! Thanks for stopping and have a crafty week!!