Instructions 

I make Christmas cards all year round and often use non-holiday items in those cards, but I'm not sure I've ever used holiday-themed stamp sets to make all-occasion cards... until now!

Step 1: Stamp the cluster of baubles from Wendy Vecchi's MAKE ART Doodle Christmas set three times at varying heights in Black Soot Distress Ink on a 5 x 3.5" panel of white Wendy Vecchi Perfect Cardstock, so that the baubles are "upside down.” 

Step 2: Mask the centers of the baubles, and use the tiny solid heart stamp from Doodle Holiday with Rosey Posey Archival Ink to add "petals" all the way around the center of the striped baubles. 

Step 3: Fill in the rest of the garden! Using Black Soot Distress Ink, stamp the cluster of three berries from Doodle Holiday several times and give them stems using the berry cluster from Doodle Christmas. Stamp the heart from Doodle Celebration at various heights and use the leafy stem from Floral Doodles to ground it. Use simple masks cut from sticky notes if desired, but don't stress too much about positioning; it will be possible to correct or cover any mistakes in the additional layers.

Step 4: Using Fern Green Archival Ink and the smaller leafy sprig from Doodle Holiday, add clusters of leaves around the little bows on the baubles. Use the bigger leafy sprig and Prickly Pear Archival to add more foliage between the other blooms, varying the position and height of the sprigs as you stamp. Ink the large foliage cluster from Doodle Holiday in Leaf Green Archival, and stamp it multiple times across the bottom edge of the panel, changing position and inking different parts of the stamp each time. 

Step 5: When the lower part of the panel is sufficiently leafy-looking, paint the flowers and leaves. Apply small amounts of your favorite Archival Inks directly to a Ranger Craft Sheet, and pick the colors up with a waterbrush full of Isopropyl Alcohol. Fill in the leaves (Prickly Pear and Fern Green), the Hearts (Pink Peony), and the dotted bauble (Cactus Flower and Thistle). When the ink is dry, use a Black Letter It Fineliner to extend the flower stems, if necessary, and add any additional doodled details or outlines you desire.

Step 6: Using a fine brush and Liquid Pearls fill in the centers of the striped baubles (Sunflower) and the berry clusters (Carnation). Choose some of the smaller Chippies Blossoms and paint them with Liquid Pearls in Rosey Posey, Sunflower, and Red Geranium. Set the panel and the Blossoms aside until they have dried completely.

Step 7: Trim several pieces of Dina Wakley MEdia Stickyback Canvas Tape into 4-6" lengths and use Black Soot Distress Ink to stamp the birdhouse from Doodle Holiday once; and the sweet bird twice. Also, stamp two of the houses from the Doodle Town set, leaving a good amount of space between each, as they'll be getting colored with Archival Ink, which will seep slightly outside the lines. Stamp a few of the leaves from the Floral Doodles set in English Ivy Archival. On a scrap of white cardstock, stamp the envelope from Doodle Holiday several times and cut out.

Step 8: "Smoosh" small amounts of your chosen Archival colors onto a Craft Sheet and use a waterbrush filled with isopropyl alcohol to fill in the images stamped on the canvas. Be sure to wipe the Craft Sheet and rinse the brush well when changing colors. Sample features Pink Peony, Rosey Posey, and Sunflower on the birdhouse; Peachy Keen and Sunflower on the larger house and Rosey Posey on the (slightly shortened) skinny house. Paint the birds with Morning Glory. Use Prickly Pear on the small leaves and Leaf Green on the larger ones. When the canvas pieces are completely dry, use a Letter It Fineliner to add additional doodled details, such as knot holes, if desired. Smaller hearts or twinkles can be stamped in slightly darker shades on top to further customize the houses. Without removing the adhesive backing, neatly cut out all the images and set aside. (You may choose to reimagine the sweet avian friends as Sitting Birds and thus avoid cutting out those tiny legs. No Doodle Birds were harmed in the making of this card.)

Step 9: Randomly smoosh Morning Glory Archival Ink onto the Craft Sheet and use a Ranger Mister to spritz with isopropyl alcohol. Place a piece of Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink White Yupo face down into the ink and wiggle it around a bit. Repeat several times or until the desired effect is achieved, in this case, a sort of cloudy sky. Trim the panel to 5 7/8 x 4 3/8”. Ink edges lightly with Morning Glory. Set aside.

Step 10: On a 5.25 x 3.75“ piece of Wendy Vecchi Perfect Cardstock, neatly apply strips of the widest tape from Wendy’s first Washi Tape Assortment until the cardstock is completely covered. Lightly ink the edges with Morning Glory Archival.

Step 11: Assembly! Add the painted canvas houses to the flowers-and-foliage panel with foam tape at varying heights. Peel the backers off the leaves and one of the birds and apply them directly to the panel, as pictured. Trim a few slivers off a kraft tag to serve as poles for the birdhouses. Adhere the Blossom Chippies and tiny envelopes with a few drops of Perfect Card Adhesive. Affix the Stamped panel to the Washi Tape mat and machine-stitch around the edges, if desired. Stamp the "Hello" sentiment from Doodle Town onto a scrap of cardstock in Jet Black Archival and add it to the top of the panel. Center the design panel on the Cloudy Sky Archival background, and mount the entire thing on a white A6 card made by Simon Hurley create. Stark White Cardstock.

Step 12: Choose a friend or family member and write them a little note to say you're thinking of them. Address and send the card TODAY!