Are You Ready For Christmas?!

Good evening! I was out late last night with the lovely Jane and friends who were hosting a Stampin' Up! party so have been busy placing orders for their goodies today and getting a few other jobs done. Last night we were all about the cupcakes and Easter bunnies, however today here on the blog I'm sharing a Christmas card - yes, a Christmas card! - for this week's CAS(E) This Sketch challenge where they have an intriguing sketch:

I wrestled for ages on whether or not to tackle this sketch and how literally to interpret those sharp lines and then I had a brainwave and my Christmas card was done - take a look:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

Ready For Christmas - Are you ready for Christmas? Me - not at all, but since it was the title of the stamp set I used for the sentiment and festive baugh on today's card it seemed a fitting eye-catching blog title too! This card is mostly diecutting rather than stamping, however I stamped my pine baugh for extra detail and stamped and fussy-cut my sentiment so that it didn't obscure too much of my festive scene. I also stamped the other part of my sentiment on the inside of my card:

A Christmas Staircase - A flash of inspiration led me to consider how the lines of the sketch looked very much like a staircase, so out came my Christmas Staircase Thinlits that form the basis for today's card. I decided to use the diecut rather than the stamp because I like the fine embossed detail and delicate spindles and wanted this to be the main feature to link it back to the sketch. The decorative pine baugh and diecut bows are from the same die set.

Under The Mistletoe Wallpaper - I used a little piece of Wood Textures paper for my hardwood floor and a piece of Under The Mistletoe designer series paper for my wallpaper to keep with the festive feel. Did you know that you can purchase Christmas supplies all year round from Stampin' Up!? The annual catalogue (pages 93-103) contains a selection of stamps, dies and even papers designed for the holiday season, so there's no excuse not to be Christmas crafting all year round! 

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

I'm putting my feet up this evening; enjoy yours too and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Christmas Staircase Thinlits Dies (£36.00)	Ready For Christmas Photopolymer Stamp Set (£25.00)	Under The Mistletoe Designer Series Paper (£10.25)	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock (£7.25)	Under The Mistletoe A4 Cardstock Pack (£8.00)
Rhinestone Basic Jewels (£4.75)	Wood Textures Designer Series Paper Stack (£10.25)